Integrity: Lessons from Daniel

in·teg·ri·tynoun

the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness.

• "he is known to be a man of integrity"
• synonyms:          honesty, probity, rectitude, honor, good character, principle(s), ethics, morals, righteousness, morality, virtue, decency, fairness, scrupulousness, sincerity, truthfulness, trustworthiness
• "I never doubted his integrity"
• antonyms:          dishonesty

the state of being whole and undivided.

• "upholding territorial integrity and national sovereignty"
• synonyms:          unity, unification, coherence, cohesion, togetherness, solidarity
• "the integrity of the federation"

In the book of Daniel, we read two stories:

Daniel 3 English Standard Version (ESV)

The Fiery Furnace

8 Therefore at that time certain Chaldeans came forward and maliciously accused the Jews. 9 They declared[b] to King Nebuchadnezzar, “O king, live forever! 10 You, O king, have made a decree, that every man who hears the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, shall fall down and worship the golden image. 11 And whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast into a burning fiery furnace. 12 There are certain Jews whom you have appointed over the affairs of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These men, O king, pay no attention to you; they do not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”

16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. 17 If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king.[d] 18 But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”

Daniel 6 English Standard Version (ESV)

Daniel and the Lions' Den

6 It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom 120 satraps, to be throughout the whole kingdom; 2 and over them three high officials, of whom Daniel was one, to whom these satraps should give account, so that the king might suffer no loss. 3 Then this Daniel became distinguished above all the other high officials and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him. And the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom. 4 Then the high officials and the satraps sought to find a ground for complaint against Daniel with regard to the kingdom, but they could find no ground for complaint or any fault, because he was faithful, and no error or fault was found in him. 5 Then these men said, “We shall not find any ground for complaint against this Daniel unless we find it in connection with the law of his God.”

6 Then these high officials and satraps came by agreement[a] to the king and said to him, “O King Darius, live forever! 7 All the high officials of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the counselors and the governors are agreed that the king should establish an ordinance and enforce an injunction, that whoever makes petition to any god or man for thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions.

-----------

Let's put this in perspective, evil men (call them angry, bitter, sinful men that can very well be in our lives today) who completely bend the rules knowingly deceiving the Law (in this case, the King) for an outcome that they want for themselves.  Was this fair?  No!  Was this equal? No!  Could evil have prevailed?  Perhaps, if God willed it.  Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego even said that if even they were to parish in the fire that they would still worship God - that is Integrity of body, mind, spirit and strength.

What about for us today?  What if we work in an office or community or are collectively volunteering by others and this occurs to us (what if this even occurs to us by other professing Christians)?  Then what?  How should we proceed?  Do we fight, do we run and quit or how about this - we hold our integrity!  How about we let the Holy One work his greater plan out for us.  What if we pray for our enemies and for those who have us struck down and/or maligned?  What if, just what if, we prayed for God's will in our life and lived in such a way that we heard His will for us on how to handle it, what to do?

So did the two stories in Daniel work out for these Godly men who trusted God and relied on their integrity to see them through:

24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up in haste. He declared to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.” 25 He answered and said, “But I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.”

26 Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the burning fiery furnace; he declared, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out, and come here!” Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out from the fire. 27 And the satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the king's counselors gathered together and saw that the fire had not had any power over the bodies of those men. The hair of their heads was not singed, their cloaks were not harmed, and no smell of fire had come upon them. 28 Nebuchadnezzar answered and said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants, who trusted in him, and set aside[f] the king's command, and yielded up their bodies rather than serve and worship any god except their own God. 29 Therefore I make a decree: Any people, nation, or language that speaks anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be torn limb from limb, and their houses laid in ruins, for there is no other god who is able to rescue in this way.” 30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon.

19 Then, at break of day, the king arose and went in haste to the den of lions. 20 As he came near to the den where Daniel was, he cried out in a tone of anguish. The king declared to Daniel, “O Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?” 21 Then Daniel said to the king, “O king, live forever! 22 My God sent his angel and shut the lions' mouths, and they have not harmed me, because I was found blameless before him; and also before you, O king, I have done no harm.” 23 Then the king was exceedingly glad, and commanded that Daniel be taken up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no kind of harm was found on him, because he had trusted in his God. 24 And the king commanded, and those men who had maliciously accused Daniel were brought and cast into the den of lions—they, their children, and their wives. And before they reached the bottom of the den, the lions overpowered them and broke all their bones in pieces.

-----

Sometimes when we live in these circumstances (and I have) it seems unbearable and unfair and that no one can ever understand the difficulty and stress that we are in.  Pray for these situations and ask God to give you the wisdom and discernment of how to proceed.  Try never to act out of anger - for that is not God's will for our life.  When in doubt , seek His will first in our life by prayer and petition.

Stand on your character (that God has given to those who love Him), live by God's word and His integrity.  Above all, trust the One who has gone before and will come after everything.

I like this poem:

Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions, they become habits. Watch your habits, they become character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny. (by Frank Outlaw)

Thoughts?

Blessings,

Dante

Ordinary Men - Final

So what has been my point? I think it’s fairly obvious?From the beginning, throughout history and still today; God takes ordinary men and women and makes extraordinary things happen.

You may have a sketchy past, you may not have the skills required, you may not feel like the right person for the job, you may not have the education. God still wants you, needs you and will use you if you let him.

Legacy Dad is a testimony in this very fact. I fought God about starting this ministry and I still struggle to trust His plan. I’m not a pastor, I don’t have a Theology degree from Fuller or Dallas Seminary and often I don’t understand the Scriptures or what God wants me to do or say.

The Noise in my head often tells me to quit, stop writing and give up this Ministry. But God tells me He is not done with me.

Every day I have to get up and remember that it’s not by my power but by His power.

God has a plan for each and every one of us: in our marriage, with our children, in our churches and in our communities. We may not understand the calling, feel qualified or up to the task but we have to trust in His plan for our lives.

Andy Stanley said that the true measure of spiritual maturity is a believer’s ability to trust in God’s plan, put our fears aside and walk boldly in faith.

What is God calling you to do? What ministry big or small has been etched in your mind and heart for some time? What signs and tests has God put in your life which you may have ignored?

There basically have two choices we can make: Ignore our calling and let fear keep us in mediocrity or trust in God and His power to meet us wherever we are and use our lives for extraordinary things.

Almost 2000 years ago, 11 men decided to trust God. The walked in faith and 10 were martyred for their faith, their ministry and their commitment but they changed the course of history and the world as we know it today.

What will history speak of you? What will your Legacy be? What might happen if we followed the example of these 11 ordinary men and let God use our ordinary lives to change history again?

-  Lance

Ordinary Men - Part 3

James: Boanerges “Sons of Thunder” was the nickname Jesus gave to the brothers, James and John. James, the eldest, was obsessive, passionate, fervent, and thunderous. He was also ambitious and bloodthirsty. James sometimes had a tendency to let such misguided zeal get the better of him. James wanted a crown of glory; Jesus gave him a cup of suffering. He wanted power; Jesus gave him servanthood. He wanted a place of prominence; Jesus gave him a martyr’s grave. He wanted to rule; Jesus gave him a sword, not to wield, but to be the instrument of his own execution. James became the first disciple to die for his faith. Although James started out as “in it for himself” when he met Jesus, by the grace of God, he was transformed into one of the leading apostles and his life became less about himself and more about God’s Kingdom.

 John:

The younger brother of James was zealous, passionate, fervent, and thunderous, just like his brother. How did this man become known as “the apostle of love?” John wrote more about love than any other New Testament author. He focused on Christ’s love for His church, a Christian’s love for Christ, and the sign of true believers, love for one another.

Love did not weaken John’s passion for truth. Truth remained John’s passion to the end of his life, but the love he learned from Christ gave him the necessary balance that enabled him to proclaim truth to his last day on earth.The balance of love and truth, John wrote, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth” (3 John 4). He used the Greek word for truth twenty-five times in his Gospel and another twenty times in his epistles. In his early years, truth was “it.” He had no concept of love by which to balance this zeal.

Then, in Mark 9, we see him confess to dealing with a man who was driving out demons in Christ’s name by telling him to stop. This showed intolerance, rebuking the man for using Jesus’ name because he wasn’t part of the group. Jesus corrects him, “Do not stop him. No one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, for whoever is not against us is for us” (verses 39-40). With this, John began to transform, to understand the need for balance between love and truth. The truly godly person must cultivate both virtues in equal proportions…Know the truth, and uphold it in love.

 Matthew:

We know very little about Matthew, which is interesting since he wrote the Gospel that bears his name. We do know that he was a tax collector. Tax collectors were the most reviled people in Israel.  The best answer we can deduce is that whatever Matthew’s tortured soul may have experienced because of the profession he had chosen to be in, down deep inside he was a Jew who knew and loved the Old Testament and realized something when he saw Jesus and Jesus called him to follow. Matthew was spiritually hungry, so the draw of Jesus was irresistible. For the rest of his life, he was a quiet and humble man who cared for the outcasts of society and introduced them to Jesus.

Thomas – The Pessimist:

It is easy for an optimist to be loyal, after all, optimist think positive and believe everything will be okay! How much harder it is for a pessimist to be loyal? A pessimist is convinced the world is full of evil and pessimist are quite skeptical of things especially faith and the supernatural. In spite of Thomas’s pessimism, Thomas was determined to be at Jesus’ side. This may be pessimism but it is heroic pessimism and that takes incredible courage and faith! As a pessimist, Thomas realized he wouldn’t have all the answers or facts, his faith couldn’t be scientifically and mathematically proven, yet he chose to believe and follow Christ and spent the rest of his life fighting his skepticism and teaching others about Christ.

 Simon The Zealot or Terrorist:

Simon was probably a former member of a political party known as the Zealots, a feared outlaw political sect in the fist century. The Zealots objected to Roman rule and violently sought to eradicate it by generally targeting Romans and Greeks. Another group, likely related, was the Sicarii or dagger men, who raided Jewish habitations and killed Jews they considered apostate and collaborators, while also urging Jews to fight Romans and other Jews for the cause. Simon was a modern day member of something like ISIL/ISIS.

In both Matthew and Mark, he is listed just before Judas Iscariot, which indicates they were probably a team and the low listing probably means he was despised or not trusted by the others. Simon probably had political reasons to follow Jesus initially, possibly thinking Jesus was there to overthrow the Romans, but along the way Simon actually accepted Christ and became a true believer. Simon and Matthew were at opposite ends of the political extreme, like putting a liberal and ultra conservative together, yet they became spiritual brothers who worked side by side to spread the gospel of the Lord they both worshiped. They put their political differences aside for the greater good and the advancement of God’s kingdom.

Is there a point to all this, besides a nice history and Sunday School lesson?

Stay tuned for the final post on what all this means and how it applies to our lives today.

-Lance

 (This post includes research and highlights from the book – Twelve Ordinary Men by John MacArthur. I’ve read this book multiple times and it is one of the best resources on the 12 Apostles of Christ.)

Ordinary Men - Part 2

These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; ³ Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; ⁴ Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him - Matthew 10:2

They were ordinary in every way. They were not orators or theologians. None of these men was a scholar or well versed in the Scriptures. Their natural talents and intellectual abilities were in no way outstanding. They were prone to failure, none more so than Peter, the leader of the twelve. Jesus even stated that they were slow learners and spiritually dense (Luke 24:25). Yet, after little more than eighteen months of training, they changed the world.

The disciples had faults and character flaws. They were all sinners. They were incredibly ordinary men, just like you and me. Yet these men were transformed and empowered by the Holy Spirit and God used these ordinary men for His extraordinary purposes.

Peter:

His birth-name was Simon Bar-Jonah, in Aramaic this means “Simon, son of Jonah.” But Jesus gave him the additional name of Peter or Simon-Peter.

Throughout the New Testament, Peter displays the following leadership traits and qualities:

Inquisitiveness: Curiosity is an important element of leadership. Leaders are hungry for answers and often ask questions and sometimes rock the boat. According to the gospel, Peter asked more questions than the other eleven combined.

Initiative: Drive, ambition, and energy are important components of effective leadership. Leaders make things happen. We often hear Peter speak boldly, as seen in Matthew 16:13–16. When Jesus asks, “Who do men say I am, the Son of Man?” Several ideas are expressed. Then Jesus asks, “But who do you say I am?” Peter boldly and decisively asserts, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Peter was always ready to take hold of every opportunity, a characteristic of a natural leader.

Involvement/Courage: Leaders are most comfortable in the middle of the action piloting others in the right direction. In the story of Peter and the boat (Matthew 14:26–28), while the others wondered if they were seeing a ghost, Peter said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” Jesus said, “Come.” And out Peter went. While Peter’s lack of faith is often criticized, the fact is, he got out of the boat! He took action and had faith. Even today, many Christians are happy to stay safe in the boat rather than walking out in faith on the water. But the water, the dangerous area, is where Jesus is.

Besides Peter’s leadership traits, we also saw evidence of his character traits as taught by Jesus:

Submission (John 6:38)

Restraint (1 Peter 2:21–23)

Humility (Matthew 26)

Love (Mark 9:35)(John 13:1-7)

Andrew:

Andrew was the first disciple to be called by Christ and therefore had a close, personal relationship with Jesus. When others wanted to personally meet Jesus, it was Andrew who brought them. While Andrew lived his life in the shadow of his dominant brother, Peter, Andrew had an amazing ability to see the value of small, modest things such as:

People, even broken ones: Andrew appreciated the value of every single soul. Both Andrew and Peter were evangelists, but their styles were dramatically different. Peter preached at Pentecost and 3,000 were converted. While Andrew never appeared to have preached to the crowds, it is important to remember that it was Andrew who brought Peter to the Lord; therefore, the fruit of Peter’s ministry was also the fruit of Andrew’s ministry. You and I would never know at the time but we might have the chance to bring the next Billy Graham to know Christ by our actions and personally testimony.

Gifts – Spiritual and Otherwise: While the other disciples were convinced that the best way to handle the hungry multitude was to send them to the village to buy food, it was Andrew who said, “There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish” (John 6:9). He identified to Jesus an available food source. With it, Jesus fed the people and had food left over. Andrew knew that no gift is insignificant in the hands of Jesus.

Service behind the scenes: Unlike his brother and friends, Andrew was more interested in bringing individual souls to Jesus than in being given the credit for doing so. Being hidden in the background was not a problem as long as the work was being done.

Many of us will never be on the center stage or preaching before large crowds, but we could lead a small group, pray with someone in need or even pour coffee on a Sunday morning. Each one of these tasks helps and advances God’s kingdom in some way.

Stay Tuned for more in Part 3

-Lance

 (This post includes research and highlights from the book – Twelve Ordinary Men by John MacArthur. I’ve read this book multiple times and it is one of the best resources on the 12 Apostles of Christ.)

A prayer for spiritual strength

FOr this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. (‭Ephesians‬ ‭3‬:‭14-21‬ NIV)Often I find myself in life's circumstances that make me question why and how some things seem to be what they really are not.  Some call this spiritual warfare and/0r our spiritual lives in the desert place.

As we read Ephesians 4 we have to realize that Jesus Christ is the center of it all.  Surrendering our will to God and trusting Him is the way we should go!

Lance and I pray this spiritual strength for you!

blessings,

Dante

The "g"od complex

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaA god complex is an unshakable belief characterized by consistently inflated feelings of personal ability, privilege, or infallibility. A person with a god complex may refuse to admit the possibility of their error or failure, even in the face of complex or intractable problems or difficult or impossible tasks, or may regard their personal opinions as unquestionably correct.[1][2] The individual may disregard the rules of society and require special consideration or privileges.[1]

God complex is not a clinical term or diagnosable disorder, and does not appear in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM).

The first person to use the term god-complex was Ernest Jones (1913-51).[3] His description, at least in the contents page of Essays in Applied Psycho-Analysis, describes the god complex as belief that one is a god.[4]

----

When Jesus referred to Satan, he called him a liar and the Father of all lies.  Satan, the Devil, in his heart was proud and sinned because of it and thought in his heart to set his throne above God's throne (Read here:  Isaiah 14).  Knowing that the devil (Satan) prowls around like a lion seeking to destroy God's disciples, we need to be on guard and to be in the word daily to protect ourselves against his evil arrows.  We need to be rooted in the word.  The problem with this "g"od complex is set at the beginning of our lives when we reach cognitive thought, in that, we desire to seek our own kingdoms and sometimes at the expense of God's Kingdom.  Meaning:  We often find our motives and heart in place of God's will for our life.

When God spoke to Cain:  Genesis 4:7 (ESV) 7 If you do well, will you not be accepted?[a] And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for[b] you, but you must rule over it.”.  He gave man a clear path on what Sin can do to our lives.  Cain murdered his brother out of jealousy and anger.  Jesus took the 10 commandments in his teaching and expounded the definition even further with us in saying that if we hate our brother(S) then we have already committed murder in our hearts.  In the 10 Commandments, if you are guilty of one, you are guilty of them all.

So where is the hope?  How can we sustain?  How can we overcome?

Constantly the world bombards us with media, advertisement and daily jaunts of how they know what is best for us (pleasing ourselves) instead of pleasing the one who creates us.  This type of rationalization does not please God, it please the god of this world, that great liar and deceiver, the devil.  He is a bitter and evil creature that turned from his Creator.  He was the first in Scripture to turn to self and please himself and to try and overcome his way instead of God's way.  Often we find when sin tempts us we are given a choice.  Sometimes this sin materializes out of our own desires and greed.  Other times, it is clear that there is likely spiritual warfare and the evil one and his minions tempt (or put situations) in front of us to stumble us.  However, God gives us hope in His Son Jesus Christ.  1 Corinthians 10:13 (ESV) 13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

Imagine for just a moment a throne room in each one of our lives.  Imagine the great royal chamber and what that looks like.  For me, when I think of Jesus and God in all their glory, I see a magnificent throne room with all types of gems and diamonds and brilliant light and rainbows and clouds and thunder.  I imagine what it would be like to try and look upon this throne room and to see the Angels and saints all around praising their names:  God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit and how awesome and how wonderful and even how terrifying that would be.

Now imagine when sin creeps in each of our lives and for a moment we see a flash and we no longer see God (in three) on that throne, instead we see ourselves for what we are:  A sinner in need of a savior and who is weak and feeble and full of our own pride, insecurity and greed and selfishness.  We need to put ourselves to death daily (our old selves) and too seek God's will for our life each day.  As one of our readers said recently to me, when I say the phrase "let go and let God" it grate him because he believes that true discipleship is just more than letting go, it is required daily surrender of self and obedience to God's will for each one of our lives.

It is taking the small "g" out of our lives (for some g = greed,  g = gluttony, g = god complex) and putting God back on that throne and realizing he is in all, through all and above all.

Let go of self, let God in control and trust and obey and surrender to Him each day.

Blessings,

Dante

Prayer and God's will

2 Kings 20:1-6English Standard Version (ESV)

Hezekiah's Illness and Recovery

20 In those days Hezekiah became sick and was at the point of death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him and said to him, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Set your house in order, for you shall die; you shall not recover.’” ² Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, saying, ³ “Now, O Lord, please remember how I have walked before you in faithfulness and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly. ⁴ And before Isaiah had gone out of the middle court, the word of the Lord came to him: ⁵ “Turn back, and say to Hezekiah the leader of my people, Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father: I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Behold, I will heal you. On the third day you shall go up to the house of the Lord, ⁶ and I will add fifteen years to your life. I will deliver you and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria, and I will defend this city for my own sake and for my servant David's sake.”

----

When I read this, and many other various passages in Scripture, I find hope and anticipation.  The awesomeness of this Scripture, as believers, is that God does hear our prayers!  He knows our hearts and cares for our well-being.  Many academics may argues as to God being Omniscient and Omnipresence, however, I am choosing not to engage in mortal discussion. I am, however, going to literally take the word of God at its merit.  Does God know our every thoughts?  Of course!  Does God know the outcome of our lives and the actions we take?  Of course He does!  Does God want us to pray to Him?  Yes He does:

• "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you." (Matthew 7:7)
• "Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven." (Matthew 18:19)
• "And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive." (Matthew 21:22)
• "Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them." (Mark 11:24)
• "If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?" (Luke 11:13)
• "And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it." (John 14:13-14)
• "And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you." (John 16:23)
• "For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him." (Romans 10:12)
• "For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father." (Ephesians 2:18)

This past Saturday, in our men's small group, we challenged each other to read through the Book of James this week (Monday - James 1 through Friday - James -5).  It has never become more clearer to me that God wants us to not only worship Him (as he so deserves) but He wants community with us.  He wants more than just fanfare, he wants a relationship with each and every one of us.

Prayers that benefit us and not His will is not what He is asking for.  True Disciples of Jesus spend their time (and devotion) on the things that matter:  God's will (not ours).

Share our fears, anger, sadness and needs with Him, but in all we do seek His Kingdom first.

Blessings,

D

Hate versus Love, Anger versus Peace, Jesus versus the world

Often you hear the phrase, "Hate the sin, love the sinner."  I think this statement can be watered down to the point that it also becomes a passive aggressive statement.  Let's be honest, sometimes when we really hear this phrase it is meant to exalt the speaker in the sense that they are righteous and holy while the sin(ner) that they are looking down on is indecent and despicable and unloved.  I mean how can someone be continually involved in sin and not turn and repent and continue to do that over and over.  Are they really saying that?How about comments like, "I can be mad at you because I have righteous anger."   Or  how about this, "You know, that person is an EGR" (EGR = extra grace required).  I think if we truly interpreted scripture in the way that Jesus wants us to, after all, He is the Word, wouldn't we want to hit the very mark that Jesus calls all of His disciples to?  As we read through the New Testament there are a few things that become abundantly clear as we read:  1) Jesus is the Messiah foretold of in the Old Testament 2) Jesus is the Savior 3) Jesus is the Son of God 4) Jesus loves us 5) Jesus is the toughest on the religious leaders of the day.  In some circumstances you could say that he was ruthless with these leaders of the temples.

When these religious leaders were referred to as whitewashed tombs, that pretty much sums up the skinny:  Don't be religious instead be intentional with what God gives each and every one of us.  To put this in another way, those of us that proclaim that Jesus is Lord and Savior have a duty and a responsibility to use the gifts and talents that God gives each and every one of us for His Kingdom and not our own.  He calls us to be Holy and to be merciful and above all to put on love (not hate) to serve (not to be served) to witness (not to be closed-minded and put off).

Some truths:

• Love your neighbor as yourself (there is no room for hate here)
• Love your enemies (show them kindness, turn the other cheek)
• Do not hate your brother/sister(s)
• In all circumstances, lead on God and not your self or your own ideology
• Test everything (use Scripture, Prayer as your barometer)
• In all things, let the word of Christ dwell in your richly and seek the peace of Christ
• Jesus was radical.
• Jesus did not mince words
• Jesus was or was not - you have to make that choice
• None of us can come to Jesus by ourselves, unless God the Father, wills us to Him (this is hard for some, but biblically true)

Maybe for some of you, you feel convicted by some of these thoughts and words, maybe others feel the effects of being judged and condemned by others.  Whether be it mental health, family issues, or things beyond our control.  May be we are even a product of our upbringing and we want to break these chains and be a new link in a healthy legacy.  A legacy worth Legacydads that we are all striving to become.  It's never too late and it is never over.  We believe in a God of second, third and infinite chances.  He is patient and kind and He loves us so much that He gave His only Son for us.

This is radical.  This is difficult, but with complete trust and surrender - all things are possible.

What about it?  Can you free yourself to forgive?  Can you free yourself from condemning?

Thoughts,

D