Exceedingly Wicked: That Includes Me -- Jeremiah 17:9-10

Jeremiah 17:9-10


"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; Who can know it? I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings." (NKJV)

"More than anything else, a person’s mind is evil and cannot be healed" (NCV)

"The human heart is most deceitful and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?" (NLT)

Very recently, Stephen Frye, a British comedian gave an interview to television host, Gay Byrne, on the show, The Meaning of Life. One of the questions Byrne typically asks on his show was what his guest might say to God if he saw God face to face. This was Frye’s response (answering what he would say to God):

"How dare you create a world in which there is such misery that is not our fault? It's not right, it's utterly, utterly evil. Why should I respect a capricious, mean-minded, stupid God that creates a world that is so full of injustice and pain?" (http://www.gaystarnews.com/article/tv-host-asks-atheist-stephen-fry-question-about-god-you-have-watch-what-happens-next300115#sthash.nZohnqzl.dpuf)

"How dare You create a world in which there is such misery that is not our fault?"

Most Christians would simply gloss over this response, knowing it is a typical response of a nonbeliever, but I think that Fry’s response is important for us to consider. Why? Because this is the heart of the world view of many people: that people are fundamentally good, so the evil in the world isn’t "our" fault. This incorrect and poor way of looking at things causes all kinds of problems. In fact, this is one of the greatest problems in the Church today, because we use this errant view to divide the "good people" from the "bad people." You see, if we believe that everyone is born "good," then when they do "bad" things, it becomes their choice. And if their choice is "bad," then they are now necessarily "bad people" (or "evil people"). It’s as if life is about those who wear the white hats and those who wear the black hats. And we do everything we possibly can to continue to this immensely bad doctrine.

Scripture tells us that the heart—our hearts—are "desperately wicked." Don’t you recognize that in your own heart? I know that my heart is desperately wicked, that I’m constantly doing things that hurt others, that ignore God’s will, that I know fail to bring glory to my Lord Jesus.

Paul understood this inescapable nature of being human: "I am carnal, sold under sin. For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do." (Romans 7:14b-15 NKJV).

"What I hate, that I do."

The psalmist wrote:

"God looks down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there are any who understand, who seek God. Every one of them has turned aside; they have together become corrupt; here is none who does good, no, not one." (Psalm 53:2-3 NKJV).

We need God’s mercy and forgiveness precisely because we are so innately wicked! Not them. Us! Me! When we sing "Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me," I totally understand why John Newton chose those specific words. He understood himself; he knew that he was capable of justifying evil deeds; he knew how wicked his own heart truly was.

A recent article on the Internet address this specific song and that word, "wretch":

"That first day at Grace Pointe, an interdenominational church with a membership of about 1,500, the pastors were leading an old-fashioned hymn sing. When they got to ‘Amazing Grace,’ Pastor Melissa Greene said something that ‘hit me right square between the eyes,’ Wigden says. Speaking about the line ‘that saved a wretch like me,’ Greene said the church didn’t agree with the word ‘wretch.’ ‘It doesn’t matter what you’ve done or who you are, you were born beloved by God,’ Wigden says she told the congregation." (http://news.yahoo.com/bible-belt-evangelical-church-embraced-gay-rights-201800629.html)

Of course we are beloved by God, but that doesn’t make us any less sinners and wicked. "God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8 NKJV). The idea behind Pastor Greene’s words is that God loves us because He must have found something loveable in us. The Bible speaks so much to the contrary of that notion. God demonstrated His love, not our worthiness, in that Christ died for us while we were still sinners. The word used here is hamartolos and means "devoted to sin, a sinner; not free from sin; pre-eminently sinful, especially wicked." (Enhanced Strong’s G268).

We don’t want to hear that. We want to look at ourselves and find not find ourselves lacking. We feel better about ourselves if we can find something redeemable within our own hearts and perhaps find something less redeemable in the hearts of those with whom we have disagreements. But the Lord knew that we would think that way:

"Every way of a man is right in his own eyes" (Proverbs 21:2b NKJV).

"All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes" (Proverbs 16:2a NKJV).

We cannot trust our own hearts, our own valuations of people around us. There are no white hats and black hats; there are no good guys and bad guys. There are simply sinners (including me) who are desperately in need of the salvation that our Lord so graciously offers.

© 2015 Robin L. O’Hare. All Rights Reserved. Permission granted for nonprofit and church groups to use this article in its entirety (including this notice). For other uses, please contact servinggodalone@yahoo.com.

The One True Enemy -- Ephesians 6:10-13

Ephesians 6:10-13


"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand." (NKJV)

"And Jesus, answering them, began to say: ‘Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He,’ and will deceive many. But when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be troubled; for such things must happen, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines and troubles. These are the beginnings of sorrows.’" (Mark 13:5-9 NKJV).

We live in distressing times. Not only are there many instances of wars and fighting going on, particularly in the Middle East and Eastern Europe, but with the advent of technology, we can hear and see examples everyday. We can also share opinions and ideas and "facts" of all these conflicts.

It saddens me that I see Christians taking sides in such conflicts against other Christians, not only those Christians involved in the direct fighting, but even more so, Christians on the sidelines, demanding that their opinions are right and trying, in many ways, to coerce other Christians to agree with them against those they believe are in the wrong.

We are the ones who know the Truth, not only the written Truth (the Word of God), but the Truth embodied in our Lord Jesus Christ! We know that the battles being fought are first, and most importantly, spiritual battles. The people who are involved are simply pawns being used by our one adversary, the devil, and all his minions. "We do not wrestle against flesh and blood!" In any conflict, whether it is a nation-against-nation war or a person-to-person fight, as believers we have the obligation to remember this! "We do not wrestle against flesh and blood!" The Lord Jesus died for everyone, Russian and Ukrainian, Iraqi and Kurd, Jew and Palestinian. He loves us all! It is God’s will that "none will perish, but all will come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9).

As Christians, our weapons are spiritual, not carnal. Our primary weapon, first and foremost, is prayer . . . and then prayer with fasting. The Lord never said that our weapons were public opinion or voting or demonstrating. And while the Lord may ask you to peaceably do any one of those things, it will always be through the fruit of the Spirit which is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. If we begin to war against other Christians in order to promote our opinion about the rightness of something, we are warring against the Body of Christ.

I would plead with my brothers and sisters, in this desperate time, to begin to fall to their knees, to give up their recreations and other pleasures, and seek the face of God. Living as a Christian is never about being right, but always about being righteous, worshiping at the Throne of Him who loves us. We worship the God of the universe who is in control. We fight against one adversary, the devil. All those who are unsaved aren’t our enemies, but rather our harvest field. We are commanded to pray for even the most evil of them for it’s our Father’s will that none should perish. Pray that God will soften our hearts that we can love as our Lord Jesus loved. "God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8 NKJV). While they are still sinners, let us at least be willing to pray for them.

© 2014 Robin L. O’Hare. All Rights Reserved. 

For permission to copy, please contact servinggodalone@yahoo.com

Hebrews 7:21-25

Hebrews 7:21-22, 24-25

“The Lord has sworn and will not change His mind,‘You are a priest forever’ ”—
accordingly Jesus has also become the guarantee of a better covenant. . . . He holds His priesthood permanently, because He continues forever. Consequently He is able for all time to save those who approach God through him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. (NRSV).

Can Jesus save . . . that person, that situation, that problem, that illness, that sin? Can Jesus save? I think the answer (“yes”) is something I believe intellectually, but not always something I believe in faith. I do have the choice of trusting (having faith) or observing (looking at what I believe are the facts) and often I choose the “facts” over faith.

I like optical illusions. But I have to admit, sometimes I don’t get them. I look and look and just can’t see what it is I’m supposed to see. It’s the same with jokes. Often I listen to them and then . . . nothing. I just didn’t hear the humor (while my husband is bent over laughing). Both are, in a sense, illusions for a reason. They take “fact” and twist it for a purpose (to amuse). So, I think, facts are not static. Facts are not, then, the same as truth because facts can obviously be manipulated.

Another example is science. In my lifetime, a number of trusted “facts” have been changed. For example, Pluto—which used to be one of the nine planets whose names we had to memorize in school—is no longer a planet. And there have been other things where science has changed a “fact” to correspond to new knowledge or new definitions.

When I believe a fact—when I equate a fact with truth—I am saying (to myself) that this fact is something upon which I can base future decisions on. That means, at least for me, that the fact needs to be trustworthy; it needs to be able to support the reason for my decision over the long haul. It seems that facts can’t really do that. Facts, it seems, can change. So what can I base my decisions on? What can I trust?

Ruth Harms Calkin wrote:

Abraham and Sarah faced the FACT that Sarah was too old for childbearing. Nevertheless, because God promised a son, they gave PREFERENCE to the promise.

In other words, Abraham and Sarah chose faith over fact. Why?

Facts are based on conclusions that come from the observations of our five senses: sight, smell, touch, taste, hearing. However, I already know that my senses can deceive me. I can smell something and my brain will trigger that I’m hungry, even if I just ate. I can see an optical illusion and see something that isn’t really there. I can hear (overhear) a conversation and wrongly understand what was being said. Since facts are based on my senses, facts can lie.

So my other choice is faith . . . but faith in what? It’s obvious that many things don’t deserve my faith. Obviously science doesn’t. Scientists (from all different disciplines) change their minds, seeming to make up “truth” as they go. Even my own observations and conclusions are unreliable. So I need to have faith in something (or Someone) who can be trusted. The Lord Jesus is “able for all time to save.” The KJV uses the word “uttermost” which means completely, perfectly, and utterly. In other words, when the Lord Jesus does something, it is entirely trustworthy and complete. He doesn’t forgive it, doesn’t neglect it, and doesn’t do it halfway. When He does it, it’s done and we can depend upon it.

The Lord Jesus can be trusted. And like Abraham and Sarah, I would be wise to choose faith over fact. The Lord Jesus can save. I can trust Him to take care of my cares, my worries, my concerns, my problems, my illnesses, my hurts, and my sin. He is fully able to save . . . to the uttermost!

© 2012 Robin L. O’Hare. All Rights Reserved. Permission granted for nonprofit and church groups to use this article in its entirety (including this notice). For other uses, please contact servinggodalone@yahoo.com.

John 3:16-18

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him may not perish but may have eternal life. Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him. Those who believe in Him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God.” (NRSV)

Today is Christmas, the day traditionally that Christians celebrate the birth of our Lord. Surrounding this tradition are such things as nativities, Christmas pageants, Christmas carols, family celebrations, gift giving, and the like. But as a Christian, I believe that it’s very important that I not so focus on the Child in the manger that I fail to see either the Savior on the cross or the King returning in the clouds.

The Christmas story is one of amazement and wonder. Music and stories sometimes reduce to the story to actually less than it is (and was):

Away in a manger, no crib for a bed,
The little Lord Jesus laid down His sweet head:
The stars in the sky looked down where He lay;
The little Lord Jesus, asleep on the hay.

Yes, the Lord Jesus had no crib when He was born. Yes, His mother laid Him as a baby in the hay trough used to feed the animals. But it is so much more than that. Father God—the Creator and Master of the universe—sent His Son, the very essence of Himself, to earth to exist within the frail form of a human for the purpose of bringing us salvation, a salvation that couldn’t be secured in any other manner. God Himself, both judge and savior, understanding that mankind was lost beyond hope because of our own sins, provided a Hope by becoming that which He had condemned, a human. He condemned us by necessity and His holy judgment. He saved us from that condemnation through His own sacrifice and His overwhelming love.

The Christmas story isn’t a story that exists in isolation. We cannot tell the Christmas story, even the story of the Child given to rule (Isaiah 9:6) and stop there. The story of Christmas is only the beginning. And, in fact, even the story of Easter is still yet only the beginning. The 33 years that Christ lived on the earth was the beginning . . . the beginning of a marvelous relationship that God, in His infinite love, wants to offer each and every person who has ever been born, who has ever lived on this earth. For God so loved the world, not part of the world, but the entire world, and gave His Son as the only possible sacrifice to reinstate a lost relationship, a relationship lost because of our sin.

The story of the life of the Lord Jesus—the life lived here on earth—is such a small part of the story. For God Himself will write the end to the story of this earth through a great judgment:

“Then I saw a great white throne and the one who sat on it; the earth and the heaven fled from his presence, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Also another book was opened, the book of life. And the dead were judged according to their works, as recorded in the books. And the sea gave up the dead that were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and all were judged according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire; and anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:11-15 NRSV).

The One who sits on this throne is indeed the same One who came as a baby and lay in a manger. God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit will sit in judgment over each person who has lived. This is the Christmas story, the guarantee to those who have had their names written in the Lamb’s book of life that there will be no more punishment for sin, but instead full forgiveness and salvation! There will be no more death, but life for those of us who have fully thrown ourselves upon His mercy and grace. And this isn’t an exclusive club or society where only some may enter. Anyone who wishes to come to the cross and accept this gift may come. All are invited:

“The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come.’
And let everyone who hears say, ‘Come.’
And let everyone who is thirsty come.
Let anyone who wishes take the water of life as a gift” (Revelation 22:17 NRSV).

The KJV uses the phrase “whosoever will.” That whosoever will is God’s Christmas gift to the world. Any and all may come and accept the water of life as a gift. If you haven’t done so, today that gift is being offered to you. Will you accept it?

© 2011 Robin L. O’Hare. All Rights Reserved. Permission granted for nonprofit and church groups to use this article in its entirety (including this notice). For other uses, please contact servinggodalone@yahoo.com.

Adoption

Ephesians 1:3-5: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will” (NKJV)

Everyone wants to belong to someone or something. It’s why some people identify with their ethnicity or the country of their ancestors: “I’m Hispanic” or “I’m African-American” or “I’m Irish.” It’s why some people identify with a certain sports team: “I’m a 49ers fan” or “I’m a Yankees fan.” It’s why others identify with their generation: “I’m a Gen Xer” or “I’m a Boomer.”

Everyone wants to belong.

Another way to look at belonging is to look at one’s ancestry. Our first grandchild is due this summer and our daughter-in-law is building the baby’s family tree. She asked my help and I’m doing as much as I can, considering that much of what I know is still in storage (from when we lost our house). But as I was working on the family tree, I realized something.

I don’t know where I belong.

You see, I’m adopted. So I can do the family trees of my adopted parents, but because the adoption was closed, I can’t do the adoption of my blood parents.

I don’t know where I belong . . . as far as this life goes. But it doesn’t matter, because I know where I belong for eternity. You see, I’ve been adopted twice! And while my first adoption gave me a wonderful mom and dad, it’s that second adoption that really matters because it’s that second adoption that brought me into the family of God.

We often, mistakenly, talk in America about how everybody is our brother or sister, how we are all children of God. The Bible doesn’t teach that. What the Bible does teach is that each person is a creation of God, beloved to the point that He gave His Son for each one’s salvation (if only they accept Him). But only those who believe become His sons and daughters! Only those who believe are adopted according to His good pleasure.

So, it doesn’t matter that I can’t actually trace my ancestral roots. In a family tree, I actually exist without a mother or father . . . and it’s not important. Because the family that does matter, the Father Who matters above everyone else, has already adopted me and placed me in His family!

I’m adopted . . . and I know to Whom I belong!

© 2011 Robin L. O’Hare. All rights reserved. Permission granted for nonprofit and church groups to use this article in its entirety (including this notice). For other uses, please contact servinggodalone@yahoo.com.

Galatians 6:12b

Galatians 6:12b

“ . . . the cross of Christ alone can save.” (NLT)

David Wilkerson, in the World Challenge Pulpit Series of April 26, 2010, writes:

“No matter how I feel, Christ is my righteousness. No matter how many doubts may arise, Christ is my righteousness. No matter how many accusations I hear from the devil during the day, I stand on this: God sees me as righteous in Christ!”

There are, I think, many kinds of salvation. There is the eternal salvation that saves us from the damnation of hell and separation from God. And of all salvations, that is the most crucial, but there are other salvations. There is the salvation from danger or from illness. Hebrews 1:14 tells us that God sends His angels to care for the saints: “They are spirits sent from God to care for those who will receive salvation” (NLT). How often have we been saved from certain death or injury or even an illness because of God sends His angels to guard us and intervene on our behalf? Even in this life, in our day to day doings, God’s salvation is present.

We are also often saved from consequences. That doesn’t necessarily mean that we are removed from the consequences, but rather that God uses the consequences to continue to mold us into the image of His Son. Romans 8:28 tells us “that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (NKJV). Even when we do the things we shouldn’t, when we rush ahead of God’s plan or purpose, He continues to work everything—including the consequences of our choices—for our good.

In other words, He continues to save us. We cannot step in and confound God’s plan of salvation for our lives in any way unless we simply reject Him. But as long as we trust Him, He continues to save us, even from ourselves.

A couple of days ago, my husband and I were out driving in a nearby desert community. Now, if you haven’t been in a rural California desert, you may be unfamiliar with what they call roads in some areas. If you are lucky, there may be pavement, but frequently the roads are dirt and sometimes rather rustic. Saturday, we actually found ourselves in a less than one-lane road, surrounded by cactus and sage brush, stopped by a “No Trespassing” sign. Contrary to our map, we had locked ourselves into a dead-end with very little room to turn around. It took some fancy driving for my husband to get us headed in the opposite direction, back toward the pavement some distance away.

I think that life is like that. We find a map we think we should follow. Whether that “map” is a friend’s advice or simply our own desires, we head out toward what we hope is a good opportunity only to find it is a dead-end with seemingly no way out. If we fail to trust the Lord, we can end up responding with depression or anger. But if we understand God’s plan of salvation, we can trust Him to work even those “dead-ends” for our good.

There is no righteousness apart from Christ, but there is all righteousness when we trust Him and Him alone for our salvation. And whether we are focusing, at that moment, on our eternal salvation (which puts everything else in proper perspective) or on the salvation of the moment, Christ alone is what will save us . . . even from ourselves!

In Christ Alone
by Shawn Craig & Don Koch

In Christ alone, I place my trust
And find my glory in the power of the cross
In every victory, let it be said of me
My source of strength, my source of hope
Is Christ alone.

© 1990 Paragon Music Group. c/o Benson Music Group, Inc. 365 Great Circle Road, Nashville, TN 37228. All rights reserved. International copyright secured.

© 2010 Robin L. O’Hare. All rights reserved. Permission granted for nonprofit and church groups to use this article in its entirety (including this notice). For other uses, please contact servinggodalone@yahoo.com.