1 John 1 -- It's Not Like We Can HIDE It Anyway

God wants our joy to be full, not just halfway there.  So He led John to address things that can stifle our joy.  We have to make sure that we understand something about God:  “He is absolutely holy, absolutely righteous, and absolutely pure.  God cannot look with favor on any form of sin,” my commentary said.  “Nothing is hidden from Him.  All things are naked and open to His eyes.”  With that as a starting point, John can address sin in our lives and its effect on our fellowship with our Creator.

“In order for a person to be in fellowship with God, there can be NO hiding of sin.  Light and darkness cannot exist in a person’s life at the same time.”  My first-blush thought was, “But I do sin!  Where does that put me?”  That “at the same time” I think is important to answering that.

In verse 8, we find that fellowship with God requires that we acknowledge the truth concerning ourselves.  We have to admit that we do sin.  John uses the word sin in verse 8 (meaning our corrupt, evil nature) and sins in verse 9 (meaning the evils that we have done).  My commentary said, “What we are is a lot worse than anything we have even done.”  That potential for sin is infinitely greater than our history of sin.  But thankfully Jesus died for it all.

When we believe in Christ, that sin nature does not go away.  Instead, God gives us the power in Him and in His Holy Spirit to be victorious over that sinful self.

Since God does know everything about us, He expects us to acknowledge the sins we commit in order that deception does not create a distance between us that causes us to lose our joy.  My commentary says He expects us to confess:

            1)       Sins of commission – things we do
            2)      Sins of omission – things we fail to do
            3)      Sins of thought
            4)      Sins of action
            5)      Secret sins
            6)      And public sins.

 “We must drag them out into the open before God, call them by their names, take sides with God against them, and forsake them (stop committing them).”

God guarantees to forgive and also to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  So why would we not tell Him ourselves what we’ve done?  Often it is simply our pride.  We don’t want to have to admit that we fail.  If God does forgive us (yes, He does), then we have to be willing to forgive ourselves.

Father, help me to make sure that every part of this remains with me all the time.  I can’t hide it, and You already know it, so don’t let me even try to deny it when I sin.  Knock the props of pride out from under me and keep me honest before You.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

2 Peter 3 -- Are We THERE Yet?

Peter must have felt like an adult driver with a van full of kids heading somewhere on an 8 hour drive:  “Are we THERE yet??” must have been ringing in his ears.  Peter knew that, as more and more days, weeks, months, and years passed since Jesus ascended back to Heaven people would begin to wonder if He ever was coming back.  His answer?

“But do not forget this one thing, dear friends:  To the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years is as one day.  The Lord is not slow in doing what He promised – the way some people understand slowness.  But God is being patient with you.  He does not want anyone to be lost, but He wants all people to change their hearts and lives.”

God is a God of second and even third and fourth chances.  He knows we are dust, yet He loves us in spite of ourselves and wants us with Him.  After all, He created us solely for Himself, for His own glory.

So what are we to be doing as we wait?  Aside from going, teaching, and making disciples, Peter said, “Do your best to be without sin and without fault.  Try to be at peace with God … Be careful.  Don’t let those evil people lead you away by the wrong they do.  Be careful so you will not fall … But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. “  My commentary said, “Growth in grace is not increased head knowledge or tireless activity;  it is increasing likeness to the Lord Jesus.”

Father, I know that there is so much more I can learn about You and Your Son.  I’m thankful that You are holding back from returning, not only so more people will come to know You and Your Son, but also so that I can have time to become more like Christ, for He said, “This is eternal life – to know Christ and the One who sent Him.”  I’ve still got a lot of growing to do Father.  Let Your Holy Spirit open my heart and mind to what I need to learn and enable me to change.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

2 Peter 2 -- Don't Let ME Be A False Teacher

Peter warned early Christians about false teachers.  The church was just getting started and already the problem was cropping up. 

In the middle of everything God was giving him to say about false teachers, Peter mentions Lot.  He said, “Lot was a good man, but because he lived with evil people every day, his good heart was hurt by the evil things he saw and heard.”  I struggled to understand why this was mentioned in a section about false teachers.  What God seemed to be telling me was that even a good heart can be corrupted by the evil around it, and that the teaching can be done by the society and culture around us, as much as by a teacher or preacher of a church.  I thought about the TV shows, movies, and video games that my boys are exposed to every day.  My boys constantly claim that they don’t pay attention to the cursing in the games and movies, but I’m reminded of a visit my family once made to the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC.  They showed us a huge pendulum that was started each morning and, affected by earth’s gravity, it slowly turned in a circle, knocking down pegs one after another.  The amazing thing was what they said about the pendulum at rest.  They said that despite the weight of the pendulum, it would begin to swing back and forth if someone bounced a ping pong ball off of it repeatedly!  That’s what the continual bombardment of sin will do to us.

I think we have to be careful not to simply be on the lookout for charlatan preachers.  False teachers is the phrase Peter used, not preachers.  It could include even a well-meaning Bible study teacher.  My commentary gave the example of an unsaved person who has a change of heart and attends a church service where he or she expects to hear the gospel, but instead they hear sin condoned and permissiveness encouraged.  “It all comes as rather a surprise;  they had always thought that sin was wrong and that the church was against it.  Now they learn that sin is given religious approval!”

This says a lot about our being unapologetic in defending God’s Word rather than trying to water it down to make it palatable to the unsaved.  God has given them a sense that their sin is wrong, and they want to hear that reinforced.  When instead they hear only “love the sinner, hate the sin”, they can be less encouraged to change.

Father, help me not to be so concerned with stepping on toes that I actually teach a false message rather than tell it like it is in Your Word.  Allow me to have the words that Your Son would use if He were teaching today, and let those words cause change in the hearts of those You are drawing to Yourself.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

2 Peter 1 -- Wow! A Spiritual Fitness Program

Wow, Your timing is perfect for this, Father!  Peter was talking to fellow believers and reminding them of the importance of spiritual discipline to work towards holiness, and remembrance and repetition are key to growing in holiness, he said.  My commentary really fleshed it all out today:

“We do better by dwelling in the secret place of the Most High than by making occasional visits there.”

Peter talked about “the corruption that is in the world through lust” and how God has promised ALL that we need to resist temptation … He has promised that the more we think about Him, the more we will become like Him,” and less like those of the world.  “God has given us all that is necessary for the divine life.  Because He has, we must be  diligent in cultivating it.  God does not make us holy against our will OR without our involvement.  There must be desire, determination, and discipline on our part.”

“Someone has defined discipline as the controlling power of the will under the operation of the Spirit of God.  There must be discipline in prayer, in Bible study, in the use of time, in curbing bodily appetites, in sacrificial living.”

Paul had said, “I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.”

Peter lists several characteristics of a godly life:  faith, virtue, an experiential knowledge of God, discipline or self-control, patience, service to God, brotherly kindness, and love.  It sounds like we should regularly (since Peter mentioned reminding them) assess which of these needs more work in our lives, and pour concentrated effort into that area.

We also have to watch out for shortsightedness (living for the present rather than the future), blindness (not aware of what’s central in life), and forgetfulness (toying with sins that caused the death of God’s Son), my commentary added.

WOW!  It’s almost like a spiritual fitness program!  Instead of working on muscle groups, we’re told to strengthen the weakest areas of what helps us grow in holiness – becoming more like God.

Father, thank You for Peter’s faithfulness to write down a reminder that would last for millennia.  Help me to gauge what needs the most work right now in my spiritual life, and give me the discipline and the power from Your Holy Spirit to accomplish this.  You promised You would, and I know You as a Promisekeeper!

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Philemon 1-25 I Was Reluctant, But ...

I have to confess that as I looked to see what book was next on my reading list, I saw Philemon and I really didn’t want to read it.  My first thought was, “Oh, great.  Conflict between people again.”  I prayed and asked God to show it to me differently this time, because each time prior I imagined Philemon getting  this letter and feeling put upon by Paul to accept something he probably wouldn’t be wanting to accept.  I also wondered if Philemon would be rereading the letter and thinking how Paul worked it to sort of suck Philemon in before springing the news upon him.  There was a paragraph in my commentary that spoke to exactly that:

“Some suggest that Paul is using diplomacy … to soften Philemon’s heart to receive Onesimus back again.  This ascribes an unworthy motive to the apostle and casts a shadow over the inspired text.  Paul would not have said it if he had not sincerely meant it.”

Once I thought about it that way, it changed the whole landscape of the letter for me.

Philemon was a true Christian, a dear friend to Paul, and a worker with him.  He also happened to be a slave owner, and his slave apparently hadn’t been an ideal employee, having stolen from Philemon and run away.

As Paul unfolds this story in his letter, I imagine Philemon was first surprised that Onesimus had run into Paul in Rome (small world) but he had to have been amazed that as a result of this divine appointment his slave had become a believer.  Philemon could have witnessed to Onesimus on several occasions prior to his running away, with no effect.  We don’t know.  But the fact is that God used Onesimus’ sin to bring him to salvation!  Being in somewhat of a ministry position, I think this probably thrilled Philemon.

Had Onesimus simply returned to the house, things would really have been awkward for years.  But this way, the fundamental relationship between master and slave would be altered in an incredible way!  Philemon now is finding that his faith and obedience are being tested by God in how he responds.  Will he forgive and restore as God does?  Would Jesus’ words be echoing in his heart and lead him to where God wants Philemon to be – “….and forgive us our trespasses just as WE forgive those who trespass against us.”  The only possible thought Philemon could have formed upon reading Paul’s letter was, “How could I possibly call myself a Christian if, upon seeing what God has already been doing, I refuse to join Him where He’s working?”

Father, there are a lot of conflicts between people that need Your attention right now.  Please be working on them as You did here, and help me to know that You wouldn’t have left this book in the Bible if this story didn’t turn out any other way than the very best!

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Malachi 3 & 4 -- How We Treat God

God is doing all the talking here, and He relays just how impetuous His people have become:

“You have tired the Lord with your words.”

“How have we tired Him?”
“Return to Me and I will return to you.”
”How can we return?”
“Should a person rob God?  But you are robbing Me.”
“How have we robbed You?”
“You have said terrible things about Me.”
“What have we said about You?”

They refuse to see or admit their own sin against God.  In fact, they most likely are suffering from spiritual blindness brought about by years of continually deciding to sin against Him. 

What words had tired God?  “Where is God who is fair?”  I’ve discovered long ago that God is more than fair.  He treats each of us far better than we deserve.

In asking us to return to Him, God had mentioned the fact that He doesn’t change.  WE do.  We worship and pray one minute and then sin the next!  Here, He was telling them that this had been happening for generations.  This surely shows God’s longsuffering watchcare over them.

In stating that they’d robbed Him, God was talking about not getting the 10% tithe.  Years ago, He hit me square between the eyes with that one, as I read Him saying, “Test Me in this.  I will open the windows of heaven for you and pour out all the blessings you need.”  God has proven Himself to be more than faithful with this promise.  It does take faith on my part.  I have to learn to trust Him.

Even after all of this, the people said, “IT’s useless to serve God.  It did no good to obey His laws and show the Lord All-Powerful that we were sorry for what we did.”  Their judicial blindness was leading them over the precipice.  However, there were those who honored the Lord, “and the Lord listened and heard them.  The names of those who honored the Lord and respected Him were written in His presence in a book to be remembered.”  God said, “They belong to Me; on that day they will be MY VERY OWN.”

Father, I know I’ve come so far from where You started calling me to Yourself again.  You dusted me off and cleaned me up.  You’ve taught me the things You were trying to teach these people, yet there are still times when I wrongly allow myself to feel entitled or when I become frustrated and I fail to honor and respect You in my thoughts or actions.  I’m sorry for that.  But I am so glad that I can feel remorse for my sin, for that means that You are active in my life, constantly calling me back to You.  I just don’t know what hope I’d have if You weren’t.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Malachi 1&2 -- Giving God A White Elephant

It can become so easy to just be going through the motions on just about anything.  For instance, the four months of unbearably hot weather here have caused even the most workaholic people I know to stay indoors more, leaving tasks undone and to-do lists getting longer.  A why-fight-it mentality seems to be setting in.  Tired of waiting for a break in the weather, many people seem to have just given up on yardwork, stating that it just isn’t worth it anymore.

That seems to be what was happening in Malachi 1-2 and God begins to question them to move them off high center.  But amazingly, the people’s responses are disrespectful and contentious!

“I have loved you.”  “How have You loved us?”

“Why don’t you honor Me?  Why don’t you respect Me?”  “How have we shown You disrespect?”

God lets them know that He’s watched their selection process as they determined which animals to bring as sacrifices.  Rather than choosing their best animals for Him, they were bringing “blemished odds & ends”, my commentary said.  Almost the way we pick out a white elephant gift to take to a party – “What can I get rid of that I really don’t like anyway?”

The people had actually become weary of serving God.  God had heard them say, “We’re tired of doing this.”  Their passion was gone and they were tired of waiting for Messiah.  As a result, they’d lost respect for God.

A what’s-the-use mentality is hard to overcome, and it seems vitally important that we catch it in the early stages and make changes before we lose our passion. As the heat continues her, I’ve tried t force myself to work outside on projects – most recently on a class float for Homecoming. Surprisingly, I’ve found that 102 is “the new cool”, 107 is bearable, and 113 is a hot day.

In spiritual matters, we can ask God for strength to avoid burnout and to provide us with His perspective on things.  Rather than deciding that we need a break, we can, through the Holy Spirit, be given sort of a spiritual booster shot to kick start our service to God and our desire to love Him back and respect Him when it all starts to wane.

Father, please prevent me from getting spiritual weariness.  Don’t let me fall into the trap of malaise by giving up even one day on knowing that You love me and desire Your best for me.  If You don’t quit, then I shouldn’t either.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford