July 11,2023

 

Offer Sincere Prayer

I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people – for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. – 1 Timothy 2:1-2

 

Notice anything special about Paul’s instructions to Timothy? He didn’t mention a political party. He didn’t say anything about only praying for those you agree with. He didn’t even write about using prayer to try and influence political leaders to share your point of view.

 

Wow! Can you imagine a world where Christians actually prayed for God’s will rather than their own? Can you imagine a political climate where respect for those in authority actually showed in our words and actions?

 

I live in a hotbed of conservatism where Christians talk out of both sides of their mouths. Have you heard that cliché before? It fits so perfectly. We condemn the poor and exalt the rich. We judge based on status and bank account rather than the heart. What must God think of us all?

 

The derogatory way some people talk about President Biden is awful. It’s not about agreeing with him or not. It’s about respect for the office that he holds and it’s about genuinely doing what the Bible tells us to do. Pray for him! Really. Pray for God to lead him and that he would have wisdom to follow God’s calling.

 

Someone just muttered something about “earning respect.” That’s not what the Bible says. It doesn’t say only pray for those we respect. It says to pray for our leaders. Period.

 

There’s something that happens when we are truly praying for someone. It’s something that happens in our own hearts. It changes us to not only see the good in others but to actually want good things to happen to them and through them. It might not be politically correct but it is biblically correct.

 

The next time you want to criticize and condemn President Biden or any other elected official, pause and offer a sincere prayer. God will hear and bless them and you.

August 11, 2021

 

Words and Actions

 

Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.

– 1 John 3:18

 

We know exactly what to say. We’ve got the answers memorized so completely that others just know our hearts are true. But what happens when things don’t go according to our plan? How do we react when we don’t get our own way?

 

I look around and it breaks my heart. We hurt God so deeply with our hardness. We judge others harshly and call ourselves justified. We condemn their actions while putting ourselves on a pedestal of light. Hypocrites. We are hypocrites.

 

Neither political party is either all right or all wrong. How quickly we side with one or the other, pulling out verses to support our cause while ignoring the whole truth. We simply don’t want to love and do good to people unless they are like us, believe as we believe, and agree with everything we say. How sad.

 

If you are condemning abortion and condemning the poor, then this applies to you. Both are wrong. Is that just my opinion? No. It’s in the Bible if we look at it’s entirely.

 

The same is true of many other issues. We condemn homosexuality but we have no issues with divorced people remarrying. We don’t label them as adulterers because they are like us. We understand and extend grace. We refuse to even contemplate that God created the homosexual just as He created the divorcee.

 

We insist one is a choice and the other a mistake. How do you know? You don’t. But it forms a convenient excuse for not loving the very people God has called you to love.

 

What would happen if we actually starting seeing people as they are? We are all created in God’s image and He desperately wants us all to accept Jesus’ sacrifice and be saved. Honestly, we’d rather some people not join us in heaven one day and that truth speaks volumes about the condition of our hearts.

 

Your mouth may preach the loudest sermon anyone has ever heard, but if your actions don’t live that truth then your words are empty of the Spirit and, therefore, useless.

July 25, 2018

Do You Reflect Your Faith?

They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good. – Titus 1:16

How do people know you are a Christian? Is it because you attend church most Sundays? Is it because you wear a cross around your neck? Is it because you quote a book you rarely read?

Maybe you’re someone who loudly proclaims your faith. You’re quick to tell others how to live, to pass judgement “based” on the Bible, and to hold others up to impossible standards.

Or maybe you just love people. Maybe you do all you can to help others without stopping to consider if they are worthy or not. Maybe you give sacrificially. Maybe you offer kind words or encouragement and quickly share all that Jesus has done for you. Maybe, just maybe, there’s a joy about you that makes others want what you have.

Here’s the thing: It doesn’t matter how often you are in church if people don’t see evidence of faith in your life. It doesn’t matter if you tithe if you never reach out beyond yourself to help someone in need. And it doesn’t matter how quick you are to quote the Bible if you don’t hold yourself up to its standards.

A deacon who hates people of other races is just as lost as the drug addict who thinks there’s no other way. A church elder who condemns anyone who disagrees with his politics is just as lost as a woman with loose morals. And a pastor who gropes women and tells lewd jokes is just as lost as the young man who thinks his wild ways are acceptable behavior.

We’re all pretty good at “making” the Bible say what we want it to say. We take what feels right and good and turn the words to our benefit. We ignore grace and mercy for anyone who isn’t like us. We define our neighbor as fellow Americans and forget that Jesus told us to include all nations.

We judge without ceasing, thinking that it is somehow our right to do so. We love those of our choosing, forgetting that we’re to love God first and others – all others – as ourselves. We help based on our standards of worthy, with those like us being those who are worthy.

We welcome everyone who wants to work. We suffer through service, unwilling to give up control of how we want things done. We look down on people who aren’t willing to perform tasks the way we think it should be done and we wonder why volunteers are so hard to find.

We grumble if someone kneels at the altar as we sing the last song on Sunday. We’re hungry and we’ve sat on that pew or in that chair long enough. We aren’t concerned with someone who is hurting. We’re only concerned with ourselves.

Should I go on? Do I need to go on? People should know we are Christians because we love others and carry a joy about us no matter our circumstances. Unfortunately, we’re too busy pointing fingers at others to see ourselves as we really are.

As the saying goes, we are the only Bible some people will ever read. Are they reading about Jesus as He truly is? Or are they seeing a Pharisee masquerading as a believer?

July 23, 2018

Are You A Hypocrite?

He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written:

‘These people honor me with their lips,

But their hearts are far from me.

They worship me in vain;

Their teachings are merely human rules.’

You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.” – Mark 7:6-8

It’s the hypocrisy that bothers me the most. It’s not about politics or whether someone is a Democrat or Republican. That’s irrelevant to someone whose citizenship is in heaven.

I have trouble understanding how someone can proclaim Jesus Christ with one breath and in another defend someone who publicly lies on an almost daily basis. How can he be from God when he ignores God’s laws? How can he serve a Risen Savior when he has yet to repent for past wrongs. Indeed, he doesn’t seem bothered by them at all.

Most of the time I remain silent. There is no discussion with those who strongly support our President. Their anger and belligerence astounds me. Whatever happened to honest debate? Whatever happened to civil discussions? Neither seem to exist anymore.

I have never liked Donald Trump. It’s not personal because I have never met the man. I just don’t care for high-profile playboys who flaunt their transgressions and condemn anyone who disagrees with them. I suppose that’s also why I don’t watch a lot of reality television.

I was amazed at how he played his role and ousted some good candidates on his road to the presidency. He is smart. He is also manipulative. It has served him well in the public arena.

What breaks my heart is how quickly Christians make excuses for him. We continue to bring up his opponent, though he became president long ago. His opponent is irrelevant when it comes to his behavior. We aren’t judged on the behavior of others but, rather, on our own behavior.

Are lies okay if you think he’s benefiting you in the area of business? Is deception okay if you think he’s making our country stronger in the military arena? Are degrading comments about women, bully tactics designed to keep opponents silent, and hateful commentary against anyone who isn’t “like” us okay? Apparently with some Christians it is.

We wonder why so many people are turning away from Jesus. We wonder why so many look down on Christians. We are so busy pointing fingers and defending someone whose actions we should condemn that we miss the point. We miss Jesus.

That’s what the world sees. They see a bunch of hypocrites where Jesus should be evident. Maybe we need to look deep inside. Maybe we need to make sure He’s really there.

May 25, 2018

Show Me Your Values

The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron.

– 1 Timothy 4:1-2

It’s election time in my conservative state. Let’s get out the vote! And let’s be sure to vote for a Christian with conservative values who will defend our rights. That’s what they all say.

I know little about any of the candidates besides what appears publicly through their advertisements and the media. I guess I’ve become a bit of a cynic. Don’t tell me how deep your faith is. Show me. In this season of my life, I’ve learned that those who preach the loudest usually are the ones most apt to take advantage of someone. I know it’s a generalization but it’s just something I’ve witnessed again and again.

When a candidate tells me he’s qualified for office because he’s a conservative Christian, I don’t shout “hallelujah!” and race to the polls. I don’t believe Jesus was a conservative or a liberal. I doubt He would side with the Republicans or the Democrats. I think Jesus would tell us that sometimes both sides get it right and sometimes both sides get it wrong.

What I see are a bunch of power-hungry individuals who are out for their own good and the good of their bank accounts. Some may actually believe they can be the change. But backroom deals are truth. To get anything done, you’ve got to work together. You can’t do that when you think you’re always right.

One conservative Christian loudly proclaims his faith and his Republican status. He also believes – truly – that blacks won’t be in heaven. He wears his racism as proudly as he does his “faith.”

Another Christian conservative demands that everyone get a job, keep their word, and do for others. I want to say, “You first,” but I don’t. I tell myself not to judge but it’s difficult to hold my tongue in the face of such blatant hypocrisy.

Then we’ve got the other side. We’ve always got the other side. The liberal Democrats who think everyone should be guaranteed a wage and who don’t fully comprehend that every good thing requires a payment.

We’ve got Democrats who blame everyone but the perpetrator and demand change before we actually enforce the laws already on the books. Where is accountability?

The truth is our country is in crisis because two different sides can’t come together and work toward a reasonable solution to the problems we face. We’re too busy being “right” to actually understand that sometimes we’re wrong.

Some of the strongest people of faith I know, people who actually live as Jesus would to the best of their ability, are liberal Democrats. And some of the biggest hypocrites I know, self-serving people who say one thing publicly while living something else privately, are conservative Republicans. The opposite is true as well.

We’re all just people when it comes down to it. We all need a large dose of Jesus and a whole lot less of ourselves. Don’t tell me who you are, show me. I don’t need a lecture on values. I need to see what your values really are by how you live your life.

January 18, 2018

Rid Yourself of Double Standards

The LORD detests differing weights, and dishonest scales do not please him. – Proverbs 20:23

He snarls at me in disdain. Venom drips from a mouth that usually smiles as insincerely as his words. He has judged me and found me guilty. It infuriates him that I won’t confess my “sin.”

I shake my head and walk away. No matter how many lies he’s heard and told, those lies don’t become truth. My conscious is clear. I am not perfect. No way. But I did not do this vile thing he’s determined to blame on me.

I consider his own life as I walk away. It is in shambles. His dishonesty and venom have finally poisoned those closest to him. They have moved away, deciding that distance is better than the drama and turmoil that is a constant in his life.

It is easier to judge me and a situation that is really none of his business than to look in the mirror and judge himself. Do you know someone like that? Have you encountered someone determined to condemn you while making excuses for their own disasters?

Maybe you’ve been that person. It sure is easier to see the speck in someone else’s eye than to see the plank in our own. (Matthew 7:3) We make excuses for our own conduct while condemning someone else.

Another woman speaks highly of trust. She just can’t have a relationship with someone she can’t trust. I hold my tongue – barely. She is one of the least trustworthy people I know. She is a backstabber and a liar. She manipulates people for her own purposes. Yet she gets angry if someone else doesn’t behave as she things they should. She is blind to her own double standards.

It’s just so easy to judge others with a different measuring stick than the one we judge ourselves with.

We hate lies but we told one today rather than admit to our friend that we went on an adventure without them. We can’t abide excuses yet that’s just what we offer up when we fail to do what we’ve promised our kids we would do. We preach a sermon to anyone who will listen but we don’t live our own lives with integrity.

None of us are perfect. None of us have all the answers. And not one of us truly knows the heart of another person. It doesn’t stop us from judging.

The next time you’re inclined to condemn someone else, take a moment to look in the mirror. What do you see? A flawed person who has made his share of mistakes. Close your mouth and ask God for forgiveness for the double standard that lives in your heart.

January 7, 2018

Hypocrisy

He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.” You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.” – Mark 7:6-8

I cannot abide a hypocrite. They push my buttons every time. I struggle to be kind, compassionate, forgiving. Do not speak from both sides of your mouth, as the cliché goes.

I know. There are times when others must look at me and see hypocrisy. It is so easy to preach and not so easy to live. As the apostle Paul says in Romans 7: Why do I do the thing I know I shouldn’t do.

That said, I am trying to live an authentic life. I try to live according to what I say. I try to live my faith. I think most of us fit into that category. We are sinners who are trying. And then there are the hypocrites.

A dear friend died earlier this year from an absolutely horrible disease. Her husband grieves. I have tried to be a friend to him, as his late wife and children have urged me to do. But honestly it turns my stomach to hear him lament in one breath and not five minutes later speak of the lust he feels for another woman. How can he truly still be grief-stricken and yet be so determined to find someone else so soon?

I know he is lonely. He is retired and bored and wants a companion. I understand that. His late wife – of 42 years I might add – wouldn’t want him to spend the rest of his days alone. But whatever happened to respectful mourning?

He urges me to move forward in my own grieving process. I remind him that it is a process. One step forward, two steps back. Another day it is two steps forward and one back. I’m not sure he wants to grieve. He wants his life back and will fit anyone into the space. Perhaps he isn't truly a hypocrite, I tell myself. Maybe he's just desperately trying to mend a shattered heart with a band-aid called lust.

Whatever the motivation, I see disaster looming on the horizon. No one person can replace another. People are uniquely different. Failure to understand this basic fact can lead to much unhappiness. I’ve just seen it too many times.

Maybe part of my struggle with his words and action is the faith he proclaims. He bought a new Bible, one that will allow him to find the different books as we discuss them at church. He leaves it at church so he won’t have to carry it to and from home each week. He doesn’t open a Bible at home. He’s clear about that. He’s a believer, he says. But he doesn’t care to read or study God’s word.

My heart aches for what he is missing. I know that a true believer longs for God. I pray for him to be filled with the Spirit, to hunger for knowledge. He would rather coast to the finish line, secure in a salvation he claims.

He is a good man. He will be the first to tell you that. He is also a blind man who refuses to see beyond himself. He is not alone, of course. He has the time and resources to do good for others but he can’t see that. He wants it to be about him.

I find myself seeking distance, even though I know his adult children count on me to help carry the burden. But, honestly, I am tired and my own grief at times consumes me. I don’t know if I’m strong enough to walk this road. I don’t know if I even want to.

We are all a tumbled mass of flaws and desires. We are humans, sinners, telling ourselves we are living right even as we careen toward the unknown. It’s just so hard even when you try to follow Jesus with each step. It’s impossible when you don’t even try.

I hope he finds someone wonderful to share the remainder of his life with. But mostly I hope he finds Jesus in the midst of it all and comes to know that chasing after Him is the only way to truly live.

February 18, 2016

Show the Poor Compassion

Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker,
but whoever is kind to the needy honors God. -- Proverbs 14:31

It’s so frustrating to see all those ugly posts that pop up on Facebook and are aimed at the poor. They assume that if someone is poor, that person is also too lazy to work. What’s worse? Many of those people are Christians who don‘t see a problem with their attitude.

Are there people who receive welfare, food stamps and Medicaid who are too lazy to work? I’m sure there are. But the majority? Not even close.

Let me tell you about a few I know. One is an older woman who worked until two strokes took her eyesight. She doesn’t have enough money for utilities, food and medicine. Food is often the last on her list. Fortunately, the senior citizen director noticed her weight loss and got her signed up for food stamps.

Another man searched for a job for two years. He and his wife both worked for the same company -- until it closed down. Nobody wanted to hire a middle-aged man. He was either two qualified or not qualified enough. He was desperate. Yes, they received food stamps for themselves and two children. He finally got a job cleaning houses. His wife got a minimum wage job at a gas station. Were they too lazy to work? No. They just couldn’t find a job. Until you’ve walked in their shoes, don’t judge.

What about the young mother whose husband left her? She has no job skills and two children who require care. Yeah. I know. There’s always somebody to condemn her for having children. Or choosing the wrong man for their father. But here’s the reality: She is only qualified for a minimum wage job. That won’t support her and two children, especially when she must pay for childcare. And we won’t even talk about lost pay when one or both of the children get sick. She needs a helping hand, not a judgmental lecture.

One thing I’ve always noticed about those who judge: they don’t have a clue. I had hoped that the economic downturn would turn more folks into compassionate people. Some missed out all around.

For we who claim Christ as Savior, it should never be an issue. We are called to be kind and compassionate to the poor. We are told repeatedly not to judge. Why do we think it’s okay to do both -- and do it publicly? It’s one of the many reasons the unsaved condemn Christians as being hypocrites. Shame on us all!

　

Monday, October 1, 2012

Hypocrites Are Everywhere

Peter came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he was clearly in the wrong. Before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray.

-- Galatians 2:11-13

A few years ago I attended a local event to hear a woman share her testimony and give a talk about following God. She seemed so sweet, so mellow, so nice. Unfortunately, those qualities rarely translate into a good speaker. I felt guilty as I counted the minutes until a break so I could slip out.

Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on your view, I heard her explain how she’d come to be the speaker for that particular organization. She said they’d called her on a Friday afternoon and asked her to pray about it. Of course, she explained, she couldn’t do anything else all weekend and by Monday she simply had to say yes.

Fast forward to Friday afternoon. The telephone rang and it was one of the ladies from the group. They wanted me to take over as publicity chairperson. I didn’t need to answer right away. Just take the weekend and pray about, she told me. Sound familiar? It did to me too. I was not amused.

That said, I did think about it and pray about it. I might even have gone along with it had I not attended that awful event. I was just so thankful that I hadn’t encouraged a friend to attend with me. My friend desperately needed Jesus and she wasn’t going to find her at that venue. I couldn’t imagine myself trying to publicize events with people I’d never met or heard.

I simply didn’t feel called to do this. God has called me to do a number of things, most of which I’m trying to do. (There is that one thing that still scares me half to death but I’m working on it.) Publicity for this group wasn’t one of them.

I was nice. I simply told the woman that I didn’t feel God calling me to the post but I was certain she would find someone wonderful. She was not pleased but she did attempt to hide it. We chatted briefly and said we’d see each other at the next monthly luncheon. And we did.

Except my reception was less than welcome. This woman refused to look me in the eye, let alone speak to me. The other board members were barely cordial. Needless to say, I never returned.

They are a gathering of Christian women of different faiths. They welcomed me with open arms -- until I didn’t go along with their plans for me. And while I’m sure they will forever think less of me for that, I forgave them their attitudes long ago. That said, I’ve never again encouraged anyone to participate in their group. Hypocrisy abounds. Even in the midst of Christian fellowship.