Hard Lesson

Some of the recent lessons have been easy read. For example, the last lesson was on heaven; I mean that is easy reading. We all want to visualize it, go there, enjoy the wonders of it. But there are hard reads as well. So we'll try one here today.

Let's do this in reverse. I'll go straight to the point, to the bottom line. This is given in Romans1:32: "..who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them." So the bottom line point here is that those who do wrong are deserving of punishment; but not only are they guilty, but those who approve of such sin are guilty also. So we must not sin, nor approve of "those who practice them."

But we all sin, don't we? Why such a condemnation? Perhaps the answer comes in the types of sins, or more likely in the attitude of the one who engages in it. Regarding the latter, there is a difference in the person who willfully sins and doesn't try to repent and the person who sins but is trying to repent and be what he should be.

One might ask what is the sin being discussed here in Romans 1 that the writer is saying is "deserving of death?" First, let me suggest that this isn't advocating death in this life, but rather eternal death would seem to be the point. The reader can read Romans 1:16 through 32 to read the extent of degradation that is being discussed. It starts with homosexuality but becomes much more as the reading goes on.

But the point here is that God expects us to not approve of those who practice all of these things. But of course we are to love them and help them and reach out to them and try to make a difference in their lives. Enough already. Thanks for reading. God bless you every one!

Heaven

It is interesting and powerful to look at the portrayal of heaven in the Bible. There are lots of places where we could go to discuss heaven, but it would be hard to beat the description as given in the book of Revelation. This book is a vision given to John, a looking ahead to the triumph of God over Satan, and the triumph waiting for every Christian who endures the persecution and evil of this world.

There are many passages that could be referenced in the Revelation, but two of the most powerful are found in chapters 4 and 5. Chapter 4 gives the throne scene where God is on the throne being worshipped by people and creatures all around. The creatures "do not rest day or night, saying: 'Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!' " And 24 elders around the throne are saying: "You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created."

Then in chapter 5 we again see a throne scene, but this time the central figure is Christ described as a "Lamb as though it had been slain.." And the creatures and 24 elders "sang a new song, saying: 'You are worthy to take the scroll, and to open its seals; for You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood. Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and have made us kings and priests to our God; and we shall reign on the earth.' " And then thousands around the throne were saying, "with a loud voice: 'Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom, and strength and honor and glory and blessing.' "

There is an amazing scene of happenings in Rev. 19:11 on. I won't try to cover all of that here, but it is a wonderful scene of our Savior, to me one of the most powerful images in all of the Bible. And then there is the physical description of heaven in chapters 21 and 22. This is the best depiction of heaven in the Bible, and interestingly it occurs right at the conclusion. To understand the book is to know that heaven isn't really physical; it is spiritual. But it is described in physical language so that we can visualize its beauty. And beautiful it has to be!

Thanks for reading and for your interest in spiritual things! And see you here next week....

Question: For Whom Should a Christian Vote?

Actually, the question was longer than that, but I'll state it simply. Certainly this is a challenging question, a pertinent and timely one. There are many points to be made. Perhaps a good start is to consider the times in which Jesus and the New Testament writers lived. It can be noted that the Jews didn't have a vote as to who would rule over them; the Romans were in domination and leaders were assigned. Still, as with other subjects that we could consider, the NT gives us direction to help with this. Let's begin with Jesus.

We could ask, WWJD, but better yet, WDJS, what did Jesus say. In Matthew 22:17, the Pharisees were trying to entangle Jesus, so they asked, "Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?" Jesus concluded, "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." Jesus always taught that people should support the Government. But it is also important to note that Jesus was not about this life, but about the life to come. He wasn't so concerned about physical, but about spiritual. Let's look at other NT passages that offer some direction on this subject:

Romans 13:1-7 begins, "Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities..." The writer gives plenty of reason as to the benefit of government to the Christian.

Acts 5:29 shows us that when forced by the government to turn from God, we must "..obey God rather than men."

And we learn valuable lessons about our citizenship in Hebrews 11 and in Philippians 3: 20. Hebrews says that we should be like Abraham who realized that he was just a pilgrim here, looking for a better, heavenly city. And Philippians shows that our citizenship, even now, is in heaven.

Perhaps the best verse of all to show our relationship to government is 1 Timothy 2:1-3: "Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence."

So here is the conclusion all wrapped up in one nice little bundle:
* Politics is not our main focus
* God through the Bible did not tell us every thought to think. He told us what kind of people to be.
* When we have the opportunity to vote, we should vote for the person who will most allow us to "lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence."

Now, if you ask me who that might be in the next election? If you ask, "Should we vote for a Mormon?" or some other rather specific question, the answer, I believe the Biblical answer, is to apply the above verses to your life and make the best decision that you can. And don't expect every Christian to come to the same conclusion. And don't put your conclusions onto others; nor should they judge you in your conclusions. After considering the Bible teaching, we are all on our own regarding this subject. Thanks for reading! May God bless you this week.

Lessons from Hosea

There is a lot to be learned from the prophet Hosea, considered one of the Minor Prophets of the Old Testament. The term "minor" has no reference to importance; it simply is called that due to its length. The Minor Prophets are all short books compared to Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel.

The primary message of Hosea to the people of the OT and to the people of today is that God's people have ceased to follow Him, and they need to repent and obey. If they do this they will be restored to God, but if not, they are lost!

God makes His point very early in the book of Hosea in this way: Hosea 1:2 says, "When the Lord began to speak by Hosea, the Lord said to Hosea: 'Go, take yourself a wife of harlotry and children of harlotry, for the land has committed great harlotry by departing from the Lord.' So he went and took Gomer...." to be his wife. God is fed up with the evil of the people and wants Hosea to have to experience what it is like to have your loved one "play the harlot" against you. No one wants to have a wife who is chasing after other lovers, committing harlotry openly. But this was what God was experiencing from His people in that day.

It could be said that people today are like that, too. Society is becoming more and more loose with morals, evil is being tolerated and practiced just as it was in the OT days. Hosea 4:6 says that "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you...." Then in 5:4, "they do not direct their deeds toward turning to their God, for the spirit of harlotry is in their midst, and they do not know the Lord."

But God always leaves the door open, always allows His people to turn back to Him. This is one of the primary messages of the whole Bible. Note 14:1, "O Israel, return to the Lord, for you have stumbled because of you iniquity; take words with you, and return to the Lord." Then in 14:4, "I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely, for My anger has turned away...." God loves us, wants us to follow Him, wants us to not follow after the worldly lusts that entice us. And if we do that, He promises us all the best; promised us all that He can offer...and that is a lot, certainly salvation and forever with Him.

Thanks to the Lord for the lessons from Hosea. And thanks to you for reading. Have a great week!

How to get rich

The Bible talks a lot about rich people. And there are a number of rich people in the Bible who were good folks. Still there are warnings about putting our emphasis on riches of this world.

1 Timothy 6:7-11 tells us, "For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. 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. But you, O man of God, flee these things..."

Jesus told us in Matthew 6:19, "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth..."

And James 5:1-3 says, "Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you! Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have heaped up treasure in the last days."

Ecclesiastes 2:18 advises: "....I hated all my labor in which I had toiled under the sun, because I must leave it to the man who will come after me. And who knows whether he will be wise or a fool."

And finally, Jesus said in Matthew 6;25, "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life...."

Americans live in a very rich society, certainly so in the eyes of the people living in Bible times; so we are all rich. The Bible recognizes that one can be rich and serve God; but the warning is there not to be placing our desires, goals, and very lives in the pursuit of earthly things.

Thanks for reading! See you next week.