Run Away!

(Genesis 4:6-7) ¶ So the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen?
7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.”

And Cain evidently said, "NO! I will do it myself, in my own way!"

So....

• a person who struggles with pornography refuses to stay away from the internet.
• a person who is an alcoholic insists on drinking again.
• a person on a diet buys a dozen donuts.

Or not. Our self righteousness can be the other side of the same coin. In either case we are too proud to be wary or to cast ourselves on God, so we are blind and deaf to the roaring lion who is about to eat us for lunch.

(1Peter 5:8) ¶ Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

If we would truly humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God, we would surrender to Him. We would carefully steer clear of things that could be harmful. We would honestly acknowledge our frailty and propensity for sin.

We want to be self sufficient, but we are not. We cannot save ourselves from our sins. We must be saved by God through Jesus Christ. As far as we are concerned, we should flee from things that might compromise our pure devotion to Christ.

(1Corinthians 6:18) ¶ Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body.

(1Corinthians 10:14) ¶ Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.

(1Timothy 6:10-11) For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
11 ¶ But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness.

(2Timothy 2:22) Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

Autonomy?

Some conversations are silly.

"Where do you want to eat?" "I don't know, where do YOU want to eat?" "I want to eat wherever YOU want to eat!" "I don't want to decide - YOU decide." "No, I asked you first. YOU decide." "OK, how about Denny's?" "No, I don't feel like Denny's today." "OK, where DO you want to go?"

We all have rebellion boiling in our hearts and it manifests itself in some peculiar ways. We want to control things even by NOT making a decision about where to eat.

The problem starts with our presumption of autonomy. We would like to rule ourselves. "My will be done," is our default credo. We want to gratify our own desires for pleasure and glory. We want what we want and we want it now. We want to be recognized and praised. We refuse to be controlled. We don't even want to be influenced.

As soon as we can talk we learn to say, "No!" and "I'll do it myself!" We become more subtle in expressing these ideas as we get older, but our hearts are still crying out, "NO! I'LL DO IT MYSELF!"

So, we spend money we don't have or become fanatical about saving. We refuse to exercise - or become obsessive about exercise. We binge on junk food, or we become health food gurus. I wonder if all of our dysfunction and addiction and neurosis could be traced back to this essential problem - the desire for autonomy. "I want to be in control - even if it leads me to self destruction."

I want to clean up my space in the house, but I bristle with resentment if my wife suggests that I should clean up my space in the house. "I'll do it myself!" I don't even like it when I tell myself to do something - so I procrastinate. I'm too tired, too busy, and have too many other priorities. "NO!"

It is all rebellion. Why can't I just submit to the plain truth and do what I ought to do - for the relief of everyone including myself?

It is a spiritual problem of pride. Ultimately I need to submit to God and realize that my life is not about me being in control and doing what I want. God is the Authority. God is the Judge. God is the Savior.

When I submit to God I can let go of my obsessions and resist the temptations to serve myself. When I submit to God and recognize my complete dependence on Him, I have no worries about my inability to control my world. Then I can focus on being a godly man - doing what pleases God. Then I can relate to other people without a contest of status or wills.

(James 4:6-8) ¶ But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.”
7 ¶ Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

Take the next step

Do you get tired - weary - fatigued? Are you worn down, worn out, frayed? Are you ready to cash out, throw in the towel, give up, wave the white flag?

Don't do it!

(Galatians 6:9-10) And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.
10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.

Always look at the next step. What is the next step you should take? Take it. Keep moving ahead. Follow Christ again today - a little bit further - just one more step.

(Hebrews 12:1-2) Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Go the distance! Jesus knows how hard it is. Keep putting one foot ahead of the other.

Goals

I was thinking again of how important it is to have goals.

If it were not a goal to read through the Bible every year, I wouldn't do the little bit each day that gets me through in a year. If it were not a goal to spend an hour in prayer every day, I would probably spend that hour sleeping or reading or surfing the internet.

Goals are what help me shake off my normal inertia so that I put energy into doing the things that are important, but not urgent.

Urgent things take care of themselves because they are URGENT. Everything else that is important requires specific goals or it vanishes from the radar screen of life. We are self indulgent. We give in to sleep and slumber - to mindless amusements - to whatever is easiest at the moment.

Set some goals. Do something truly worthwhile everyday. Do something that matters for eternity.

Police Chase

Excitement right here in Canton!

When I came out of the house with the teens after our Wednesday meeting, it was like a police show. A line of police cars came up the street with lights and sirens. A man ran through the yard across the street and was soon followed by the police.

I stood there like a movie extra and said, "He went that way!"

We had state troopers, Jackson Police, Perry Police and an unmarked police car all in sight. I don't know what they were after this guy for, but they were sure after him...

But I think he got away. The police split up and were driving back and forth through the neighborhood for a while.

Breaking Rocks

Writing expository sermons and Bible lessons is like breaking rocks with a sledge.

Swing - clink! Swing - clink! Swing - crack! Sigh...

Any child can snatch up pretty pebbles on the run. It would be just that easy to pick up some devotional thoughts on a quick reading through a Bible passage. There is nothing wrong with simple devotional thoughts. They are delightful. But they are not the "whole counsel of God." They will not be enough to guide us to godly maturity.

Ugh! Swing - thud. (Missed!) Swing - clink. Swing - clink.

The Bible is rich and the veins of ore are deep. It takes concentrated effort. It takes time. It takes serious reflection. Read the passage over and over and over again. Look up the words. Compare parallel passages. Read about the background. Read the context. Write some notes. Organize thoughts, then reorganize them again. Ask hard questions and don't settle for superficial answers.

Swing - clink. Swing - clink. Swing - crack. Rest.

Generally, you are not going to get it all done at once. Work at it when you are fresh. Work at it when you can focus on it with few interruptions. Keep swinging away while you can. Maybe there will be a breakthrough that will energize you. But don't be ashamed to rest now and then.

Ahhhh! & Aha!

Strange how the brain works on things even after you have turned your attention elsewhere.

Eventually you want to have things broken down to manageable and useful size. Then you can organize them - build them back into a sermon.

If you do it well, people will look at the text of Scripture as they listen to the sermon and say,

"This sermon is so obviously what the Scriptures are saying. This is exactly what God has for us here! Even a child would be able to pick up these truths that are lying here in the open."

Praise the Lord and keep on studying. Sunday is coming.

(2Timothy 2:15) Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Rainy Days And Mondays

It is a beautifully rainy Monday. The yard work we did on Saturday is getting a freshening, cleansing rain.

Sunny days are nice, but without rainy days this would be an uninhabitable desert.

Praise God for His wisdom and provision - just what we need - just when we need it.