Titus 3:1-2

“Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men” (NKJV).

Last night I was at the mall, picking up a can of nutrients at the health foods store. As I got in line, a man was in front of me. The two cashiers were flirting with him, saying that they guessed he was a marine. When he asked how they knew, they proceeded to tell him that a lot of military men came into the store and they could always pick out the soldiers (Army) and the marines. He asked them how they could tell the two apart and they said that the soldiers were softer, less muscular.

Now, I’m an Army mom and absolutely convinced that my son is a best soldier in the world. My first response was to immediately begin to protest; that comment about soldiers being soft really got my hackles up.

And then I stopped.

What would I truly be doing if I rebuke those girls, particularly in front of the man they were trying to impress? Would my words be uplifting and Christlike? Or, in my belief that soldiers needed my defending, would I crush those girls? Which was the loving response?

Some things in life need correcting. If someone is driving down a road where I know the bridge is washed out, I need to try to stop them. But if a person is simply misinformed about a fact that isn’t crucial either to their life or their eternal salvation, then am I truly loving them by demonstrating that I’m right and they’re wrong?

Titus reminds us “to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men.” Ecclesiastes 5:2 says: “Do not be rash with your mouth. Let your words be few.” Proverbs 12:18 says: “There is one who speaks like the piercings of a sword, gut the tongue of the wise promotes health.”

When we correct or criticize, we need to ask ourselves if we are promoting health in the life of those who are listening to us? James reminds us: “If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one's religion is useless” (James 1:26).

I know that the lesson I learned last night from the Lord I will remember. Even at 55 (almost 56), I still have a long way to go to become the woman that He wants me to be.

© 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.

From A. W. Tozer

"Within the precepts of religion are sometimes founnd certain sins which I want here to mention. These may be classified under three heads: Sins committed out of weakness, respectable sins more or less allowed by everyone, and sins that have been woven into the religious fabric until they have become a necessary part of it. . . .

"Sins of the second category are those that exist with the sanction of or at least the connivance of the church, such as pride, vanity, self-centeredness, levity, worldliness, gluttony, the telling of 'white' lies, borderline dishonesty, lack of compassion for the unfortunate, complacency, absorption in the affairs of this life, love of pleasure, the holding of grudges, stinginess, gossiping, and various dirty habits not expressly forbidden by name in Scriptures." (p. 156).

from The Warfare of the Spirit: Developing Spiritual Maturity, 1993, Christian Publications, Camp Hill, Pennsylvania.

James 2:1-5

“My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality. For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes, and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, ‘You sit here in a good place,’ and say to the poor man, ‘You stand there,’ or, ‘Sit here at my footstool,’ have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?”

The gospel we believe, we hold to, we live by must, by definition, be the same for both rich and poor or it is not the gospel.

I remember hearing that or reading that a number of years ago. I agreed with it, but it didn’t make a huge impression on my life. Not until recently when my husband and I, by virtue of his losing his job, became among the poor. By federal definitions, my husband and I are homeless because we live in our RV. Our savings is gone, spent trying to hang onto our previous house while my husband looked for work that never materialized. I am so grateful for what the Lord has provided, but we are living among the poor. One car. No money for vacations or clothing or emergencies. Trusting the Lord one day at a time.

Notice the description of the poor man in the passage: “a poor man in filthy clothes.” There is a state of life where one is so poor as to be unable to remain clean, to lack such resources as to simply have the clothes on ones back. And this state can be for a person who is a Christian. When you have no more resources upon which to fall, you trust the Lord for each provision, for what is needed for life each day. And there is a richness in that! Learning that God will not desert us and that being successful in this life (however one defines that) is far less important than looking with anticipation toward the next life.

Some of us have doctrines which would literally cause our faith to fade if we found ourselves in such circumstances. We have convinced ourselves that God has promised us financial prosperity in this life. But if that were true, why would James say what he has said? The fact is that we are rich compared to many in the world and stingy with money that we could give generously to others.

There is a scripture that pastors often use in church to encourage their parishioners to put more into the offering:

“But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work” (2 Cor. 9:6-8 NKJ).

What’s interesting is that the context of these verses isn’t about giving to the local church at all, but rather preparing a gift to give to a group of people who are poor. The Lord Jesus taught:

“Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.'” (Matthew 25:34-36 NKJ).

The Lord Jesus wants us to reach out and minister to the poor, not only because they are poor, but because they are our brothers and sisters. He wants the gospel to include those who are dirty and frightened, homeless and hungry. If our gospel doesn’t include everyone in every situation, then it can’t be the gospel, the good news. For who needs the good news more than the person who has no hope for this life and needs hope for the next?

© 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.

Hebrews 2:17-18

“Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted” (NKJ)

Temptation isn’t talked about a lot anymore in church. In fact, we honestly don’t talk about sin a lot. And yet, this is something we need to talk about because it is woven into the very fabric of our lives. We may want to ignore it, but the fact is, we sin. We are sinners and we sin. Just because we don’t talk about it, doesn’t mean that the problem doesn’t exist. Ben Witherington writes:

“One recent poll shows that 51% of all ministers admit to having at least occasionally looked at pornography on the net, and some 37% admit to having a problem with this matter” (http://benwitherington.blogspot.com/2006/09/pastors-and-pornography-dirty-little.html)

Most of us would say that looking at pornography is a horrible sin, and yet, my guess is that everyone who’s been on the Internet has seen inappropriate pictures at one time or another. Would we call it a sin? How about talking about that person who made us mad? Would we call it gossip? How about eating to the point that we hurt? Would we call it gluttony?

The fact is, if we don’t admit that we sin, then we don’t need salvation. But the Lord Jesus didn’t just die for “sins” in a general sense. He died for each sin that we commit, the sins that we could (and should) name. As a human being, He Himself was tempted and through that temptation suffered.

To be tempted can be painful and it can be long lasting. Paul writes:

“No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it” (1 Corinthians 10:13 NKJ).

“That you may be able to bear it.” The Greek word translated here “bear” means to undergo hardship, to bear, to endure (Strong’s 5297). Temptation isn’t something that is quick, but may actually be something we must endure. I know that I often think, okay, here’s the temptation, now it should go away. And when it doesn’t, I give in. The Lord Jesus told His disciples (and us):

“Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." (Mark 14:38 NKJ).

In other words, we can avoid even getting close to temptation by watching and praying. For me, the watching is keeping tabs on my own emotions, expectations, and behavior. I know the things that often lead me into sin (self pity, boredom, envy, anger). I have the choice to go to the Lord in prayer as soon as one of those begins! I have the choice to even avoid the temptation. But even when I’m tempted, I can still go to the Lord in prayer and endure the temptation without sinning. Only I have to choose to pray rather than to give in.

“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. . . . praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints” (Eph. 6: 13, 18, NKJ)

If I want to avoid sin, I need to learn to watch and pray. And in my prayers, I can also pray for you to avoid temptation. The key to conquering sin is prayer.

© 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.

Hebrews 2:10-11

“For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren” (NKJ).

Salvation is more than just a ticket to heaven. The Lord Jesus became like us, a human being, suffering everything that we might suffer. He suffered being alone, being rejected by His earthly family (and by His heavenly Father), being hungry, being thirsty, being tired, being poor. And He became the perfect “captain” of our salvation through these sufferings because He can now relate to everything in our lives. He has been there and overcome. And because He has overcome, we can too through the power of the Holy Spirit.

The Lord Jesus experienced all that He went through so that we might be saved, sanctified and glorified with Him.

John 17:19 (NKJ): “And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth.”

Ephesians 5:25b-27 (NKJ): “Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.”

What does it mean to be “sanctified?” It means that the Lord Jesus freed us from sin for the purpose of our being set apart for God. Our lives are no longer our own, but belong to Father God. Everything that we do must be for His purposes. We become one with Him and in that oneness, our life purpose changes. We now exist to serve Him, to do His will and His will alone.

Often that means that we will do things that are contrary to what the world thinks is wise or what we believe is logical or common sense. The Lord’s ways are not our ways. For example, we may need to eat something that we don’t like (or something that isn’t healthy) if it means in doing so we are ministering to someone else with whom we are sharing that food. It may mean giving away what we have saved in order to help the poor, hungry, or hurting. It may mean giving up a new job or turning down a promotion so that someone else can be blessed. But in all these things, we can trust that the Lord will take care of us. I know that I am also comforted when I remember that this life is simply a hiccup in eternity; the sufferings I bear here are small and won’t matter at all when I reach heaven.

The apostle Paul wrote:

“But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Cor. 15:20 NKJ).

Our hope is always in the resurrection and in our home in heaven. What we do here should always be done with the mind that we bring glory to the Father. Our reward is already guaranteed.

© 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.

Hebrews 2:9

“But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone.” (NKJ).

It seems like we Americans are transfixed with death, not that we are interested in experiencing it, but that we want to avoid it. One of the big topics of conversation about universal healthcare is the idea of people not receiving “certain” care and thus dying. It’s always interesting to me that we think that there is a medicine, a procedure, or a doctor that can prevent our death.

Euripedes said “but learn that to die is a debt we must all pay.” The fact is, everyone is afraid of death. That was the point! What the unsaved failed to understand is that “the sting of death is sin” (1 Cor. 15:56 NKJ). For even those who deny that there is anything after death, within their hearts there is the fear of what they may have to face after death.

Perhaps one of the things we fear about death is a loss of control, of power. Ecc. 8:8 (NKJ) states that “no one has power in the day of death.” Everyone dies and yet no one can control whether or not (or when) she dies. Even those who attempt suicide are not always successful. Why? Because no person has power over death. And that feeling of powerlessness is frightening.

Death and sin are inextricably linked. Genesis 2:17 gave the consequence of sin: death. Death was not something we were created to experience; thus, it is not natural. It is a result of the sin on the earth and the sin in our lives.

The Lord Jesus broke the power of death. Verse 9 tells us that he “might taste death.” When we taste something, it is a limited experience. At some point, the taste either dissipates or we swallow. John Wesley writes:

“That by the grace of God, he might taste death - An expression denoting both the reality of his death, and the shortness of its continuance.”

The Lord Jesus had victory over death because He died and then rose again. His resurrection fulfilled two purposes: (1) it conquered death; and (2) it forgave our sins. His resurrection is the assurance that we are forgiven: “And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!” (1 Cor. 15:17 NKJ). His resurrection changed death from a punishment to a transformation. When we accept what He has done for us, death is changed from a dreaded event into a blessed one. When believers die, they are given eternal life. We die once, never to die again.

Until Then
by Stuart Hamblin

My heart can sing when I pause to remember
A heartache here is but a stepping stone
Along a trail that's winding always upward,
This troubled world is not my final home.

The things of earth will dim and lose their value
If we recall they're borrowed for awhile;
And things of earth that cause the heart to tremble,
Remembered there will only bring a smile.

This weary world with all its toil and struggle
May take its toll of misery and strife;
The soul of man is like a waiting falcon;
When it's released, it's destined for the skies.

But until then my heart will go on singing,
Until then with joy I'll carry on,
Until the day my eyes behold the city,
Until the day God calls me home.

Do we see heaven as home? If so, then we should be looking forward to the day when we make that journey, when—through death—we are finally with our Lord and Savior. For the believer, there is nothing to fear when this life ends. And that’s something worth sharing with everyone else!

© 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.

Hebrews 2:8b

“For in that He put all in subjection under him, He left nothing that is not put under him. But now we do not yet see all things put under him.” (NKJ)

One of the hardest things about being a Christian is living in a world that is still struggling under the weight of sin. We know that God is in control for all things are subjugated to the Lord Jesus, but we do not yet see it. What is true in the spiritual isn’t yet evident in the physical.

It is the same in our own lives. We agree with Paul (Romans 7:15) that we do what we know we shouldn’t do. And yet we also know because of the grace of God that when we repent (1 John 1:9), our sins are forgiven and forgotten and we can move on in victory. The fact that we can find forgiveness at the Throne is perhaps the greatest wonder and joy of all. The fact that I don’t have to live with the burden of my sins, but can have them totally wiped away is amazing and wonderful.

Psalm 103:12 (NKJ) tells us that “as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.” I just took that at face value until I looked at it using a world globe. If you start at any location on a globe, go north, and continue on, you will eventually begin to go south. South meets north one step past the north pole. It’s the same if you go south. But if you go east, you continue to go east (and east and east) never going west. It’s the same if you go west. While north and south meet at the poles, east and west never meet. In other words, once we are forgiven, our sins are so far away that we will never encounter them again. Of course, we may encounter consequences, but those only if the Lord chooses and then for our good discipline.

The fact that we don’t yet see creation subjugated to the Lord Jesus doesn’t mean that it isn’t. The apostle Paul wrote “for now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known” (1 Cor. 13:12 NKJ). Have you ever looked into a dim mirror? Sometimes when I’m in an antique store, I’ll find a mirror that has lost much of its shine. It’s difficult to see my reflection because the mirror is dim. Now, in this life, I see dimly, but one day I will see the Lord face to face. Then, all that I have believed (without seeing) I will see clearly! But in the meantime, I need to continue to believe without seeing. “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1 NKJ). My faith exists because I cannot see. So for now I have faith that all things are subject to the Lord Jesus; one day I will see that it is so.

© 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.