The Word Eternal

We are but grass.

According to Isaiah 40:6, we (all men) are like grass, and our glory is like the flowers of the field. That could be really good. Grass is green, lush, full of life. Flowers are beautiful, colorful, resplendent in their creation. I wouldn't mind being compared to the grass of the field, with my glory compared to magnificent flowers.

Until I read on.

Verse 7 reads like this: The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the Lord blows on them. Surely the people are grass.

Grass withers. Flowers fall.

We spring to life. We grow and prosper. Then we wither away. Our glory, that which so colors our life and brings us joy, lasts but a season and then falls to the ground. Our time on this earth is short.

The bulk of Isaiah Chapter 40 is dedicated to comparing God's infinitely great power, glory, and holiness to our comparative insignificance. In verse 18 the question is asked, To whom, then, will you compare God?

No one. That is the answer. God can be compared to no one. He is eternal. We are but grass, soon to be dust.

The Word of our God stands forever.

It's interesting, is it not, that Isaiah compares our temporary nature to the word of God? Why is that? Why not compare us to God Himself?

First, God is His Word. In John 1:1, Jesus is identified as The Word, having been with God in the beginning. The beginning of what? The beginning of the beginning. In other words, always.

Secondly, I believe, God wants us to understand that not only is He eternal, but His Word is eternal as well. Never changing. In Matthew 24:35 Jesus says, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away."

What God says, stands. Forever.

The world doesn't believe this.

The men of the world wants to change God, change what He has said. They want to make what God has called sin to be acceptable, and make what God called acceptable to be sin. They don't want to believe that His word is immutable, unchangeable, eternal.

They want to be their own god.

But they are but grass, and their glory, the flowers of the field.

They shall wither, and fall to the ground.

The word of our God stands forever.

 

Satan Loves To Talk

It all started with a few words.

In Genesis Chapter 1, God spoke and Creation came into being. In Chapter 2, God spoke and gave Man one simple rule. In Chapter 3, Satan spoke, Man responded, and sin came to be.

If we had just shut our mouths and ignored that evil serpent, we would have been fine. We didn't. We talked about it. Satan talked to Eve, Eve talked to Adam, Adam lied to God.

When words are many, sin is not absent.

This does not mean, of course, that we should live our lives with our hands over our mouths. We are to praise God with our lips, honor Him with our mouths, and speak His Word to the world. We are to use words to build up and encourage, or to reprove and correct in love.

And then shut up!

Our problem, my problem, is that Satan loves to talk. He understands the power of words. He understands that our tongue, in the words of James 3:6, is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.

The more I talk, the more the fire spreads.

People love to talk.

As with most things, this is neither good nor bad in and of itself. Communication is key to relationships, and relationships are key to life.  The problem comes when we let Satan do our talking for us.

King David understood this. In Psalm 141:3 he says, "Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips." 

Why would David ask God to set a guard over his mouth if there was nothing to guard against? David understood the tools of Satan, and that one of his greatest tools is our very own tongues. People love to talk. So does Satan.

What could go wrong?

Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.

This jewel of wisdom comes from Jesus Himself in Matthew 12:34. He goes on to say that good things come (out of the mouth) from the good stored up in a man's heart, while evil things come (out of the mouth) from the evil stored up in a man's heart.

What goes in will come out. 

I've used this expression from a friend before, but it bears repeating: Garbage in, garbage out.

Satan loves garbage.

When to talk, and when to shut up.

What's the condition of your heart? Are you full of God's love and wisdom? Have you stored up His Word in your heart? Are you right with God? Then speak, and healing waters will flow.

On the other hand, if you are you angry, frustrated, bitter, hurt, jealous, envious, or otherwise full of garbage, shut your mouth. It is at those times that many words will simply multiply sin.

Let God be your guide. If the Spirit is telling you to speak, then by all means raise your voice. If, on the other hand, that still, quiet voice inside you is saying to hold your tongue, grab hold of that glowing ember of evil and tie it in a knot.

As Solomon said in Proverbs 17:28, Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue.

Want to keep Satan at bay?

Hold your tongue. It's one of the greatest weapons he has. 

The Power of Words

I love words.

From the time I was young, I have been fascinated by words. Big words, little words, words that stand alone and words that mean nothing without the company of others. I didn't realize it then, but now I know what drew me to those mysterious combinations of letters was power.

Words are powerful.

According to the Bible . . . 

Proverbs 18:21 says that the tongue (words) has the power of life and death. In Matthew 12:37 Jesus says, "For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned." The Apostle John identifies Jesus as the Word (John 1:1, 14).

I say it again--words are powerful.

With great power comes great responsibility.

This truth has been recognized by men through the ages. From Voltaire, Presidents Theodore and Franklin Roosevelt, Winston Churchill--even Uncle Ben in Spiderman--we have understood that whenever there is power, it is accompanied by obligation.

Words, then, in their great power carry with them an equally great responsibility.

The responsibility is ours.

We are responsible for the words we use, and how we use them. Everyone knows it's not only what we say, but how we say it, that matters. This is a lesson I learn over and over--and then seem to forget--with my wife, my children, my friends, and everyone else around me.

Words can build up or tear down, heal or wound, even, as Proverbs says, bring life or death.

That's power. That's responsibility.

Thankfully, we have a guide to follow. 

The Bible, God's Living Word, tells us how to use words correctly. Like money, authority, knowledge, or any other tool, words are neither inherently good or bad.

It's how we use them that matter.

Love Yourself

Really, in today's world?

With everybody taking selfies and posting them on social media for the world to see, does this need to be said? We say we live in a self-centered world. Does anyone not love themselves?

You might be surprised.

According to the Center for Disease Control, suicide is the third leading cause of death in adolescents aged 15-19. According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, suicide is the tenth leading cause of death in the United States across all ages, with an average of 117 deaths by suicide every day.

That's just one set of statistics. The number of people who deal with self-loathing through drugs and alcohol, bad relationships, self mutilation, and every unimaginable form of self abuse is something I couldn't bring myself to research. I know it's high. Too high.

Those people don't love themselves. Not as God loves them, anyway.

Are we supposed to love ourselves?

Isn't that wrong? Isn't that like pride or something? Arrogance? Selfishness? Isn't that the problem with the above-mentioned self-centered world?

Let me ask you this: What did Jesus mean when He said love your neighbor as yourself? Does that command not require that we love ourselves? Putting others before yourself does not mean you have to hate yourself.

God wants you to treat others as you treat yourself. Does He want you to hate or abuse others? Of course not. He wants you to love others. He wants you to love others as you love yourself.

He wants you to love you.

Because He made you and He loves you.

Genesis 1:31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. 

Psalm 139:13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

 John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Romans 8:38, 39 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

There's a difference between loving myself and being in love with myself.

I think you know what I mean. God said I am supposed to love Him first, then love my neighbor as I love myself. That order is very important. As long as I put God first, others second, and myself third, this whole self-love thing will work itself out. It's when we try to jump a rank or two that we get in trouble.

That being said . . .

If you don't love yourself, you won't love others. You can't. The command of Jesus to love your neighbor rests upon the foundations of love of God, and love of yourself. If you don't love yourself, how can you love your neighbor?

Anyone who says you shouldn't love yourself is leading you astray. God first. Neighbor second. Then yourself.

You are worthy of love. How do I know?

God loves you, and He's never wrong.

Love Your Enemy

Who is my enemy?

In the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37), an expert of the law smugly asks Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" The parable that followed is well known today, but I am sure that Pharisee walked away a little less smug than when Jesus started talking.

Jesus' answer as to who our neighbors are is much further-reaching than many would naturally assume. I bet His answer to the question, "Who is my enemy?" would be as well.

When Jesus said, "Love your enemies," I don't think He was talking only about Hatfield and McCoy kind of enemies, or Jew/Gentile, to avoid being anachronistic. As His definition of neighbor for the Jews included the hated Samaritans, I think His definition of enemy would include their brothers and sisters.

You see, I think my enemy is anyone I might not be getting along with at a particular time. That might be an acquaintance, a close friend, or even my wife. If you don't like that idea, just remember that Jesus told a Pharisee that his neighbors included a people group that Jews viewed as sub-human who lived days distant from Jerusalem. What makes you think His definition of enemy would be any less encompassing?

Why love my enemy?

Because God said so!

I could stop there, and be correct, but of course I cannot. Call it beating dead horses, but here's the long version. Our verse is Luke 6:27. Go on down to verse 35 to find the answer to Why should I? Do you see it? Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 

There you go. Jesus knew this command was so hard He gave us an incentive to follow it. Not a negative incentive as in Do not judge, and you will not be judged, but rather a positive one. Love your enemies, and you will be rewarded.

For good measure, Jesus gave us another reason in verse 36. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

 Do you understand Jesus is talking about God being merciful to us? Because before we accepted Christ as our Savior, we were enemies of God. There's a good verse in the Bible that talks about that. If you aren't familiar with it, Google it. (I think it's good for us to search God's Word ourselves for questions we have).

Meanwhile, back at the ranch . . .

Love your enemies and be merciful to them because you were once an enemy of God, and He didn't turn you away. That's a pretty good reason.

How do I love my enemy?

Jesus knew we would ask that question, so He gave us the answer ahead of time. Starting back in Luke 6:27 and going forward, here are some practical examples:

Do good to those who hate you. Wonder what that means? No you don't. You know what it means to do good to someone. We just don't want to do it when we don't want to do it!

Bless those who curse you. Someone tells you to go to hell, tell them how to get to heaven. Greatest blessing you could give anyone, friend or enemy.

Pray for those who mistreat you. Jesus prayed for the men who pounded nails through His hands and feet. Need a better example?

If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. Do not retaliate. Do not strike back. I'm pretty sure Jesus would include verbal attacks here, aren't you?

Jesus goes on, and then sums it all up in verse 31 this way: Do to others as you would have them do to you.

Any questions?

Your enemies may be closer than you think, just as your neighbors are farther away. You're supposed to love them by treating them the way you'd like to be treated.

I told you this whole love topic wasn't going to be easy.

On that note . . .

Tomorrow we are going to look at love from a different angle. I want you to read and pray about Mark 12:28-31, with emphasis on verse 31. What is required before we can love our neighbor? Know the answer? We'll discuss it tomorrow! 

Love Isn't Soft And Squishy

Sin is ugly and hard, pointed and sharp.

Like that strand of barbed wire above. With prongs pointed in all directions, it cuts deep and indiscriminately. Sin doesn't care who it grabs hold of or what damage is done. It's goal is to tear through whatever protective layers stand in it's way to get to the soft flesh beneath.

Sin is dangerous.

You don't cover barbed wire with a Kleenex and try to cross the fence. Important parts are liable to have an unpleasant experience if you do.

Love has to be tough.

If the Bible is correct, and I believe it is, then love must be pretty tough to be able to cover over sin. Tough doesn't mean rough, harsh, or offensive. You can push down a strand of barbed wire with a pick-axe to get across, but I'll take my chances straddling 1 inch barbs over a 1 foot steel spike any day, thanks just the same.

Tough means strong, durable, resilient. One definition of tough is the ability to withstand adverse conditions or careless handling. Like a good canvas coat. It's not the most comfortable material to wear, but a pair of Carharts saved my leg from the careless handling of a chainsaw a few years ago. Talk about covering a multitude of sins!

That tree in the picture above is tough. See how it has wrapped around the barbed wire, completely engulfing it's barbs, rendering them harmless? I really like that as a metaphor for love covering sin. That tree may not be something you want to snuggle up against--until you realize your other option is braided strands of wire with sharp points sticking out all over the place.

Which would you choose?

Sometimes love is confrontational.

The world would have you think that if you love someone, you give them anything they want. OK. Someone you love is in a burning building and doesn't want to leave until they find their favorite pet. What are you going to do? Sure, the pet is important. But is it worth dying over?

I hope you'd pull them out against their will. They'll probably be mad at you. It may strain, or even end your relationship. Your actions may cost you a few burns, bumps, and scrapes, but you saved a life. Hopefully one day your loved one would realize that, but even if they did not, the reality would be the same. You'd be a hero, whether they acknowledged it or not.

The ability to withstand adverse conditions or careless handling. That's toughness. That's love.

Love isn't free.

We who are patriotic recognize that freedom isn't free. We who love also realize loving someone else isn't without cost. Loving those who love us back is emotionally expensive; loving those who don't . . . that's a hard enough subject for another blog.

Love, in it's toughness, covers a multitude of sins. That works both ways. My love for you covers your sins against me, and my sins against you. Love and forgiveness are so intricately interwoven as to be inseparable. Forgiveness isn't easy. Love doesn't come cheap. If it seems so, it probably isn't love.

Teddy bears, lingerie, and heart-shaped pillows are soft and squishy.

Love isn't. Those things may be symbols of affection. Giving them may be an act of love. But the driving force behind had best be a lot tougher, and go a whole lot deeper than the world's idea of love.

Because I guarantee you this--a teddy bear, bustier, or cheap pillow don't stand a chance against the barbed wire of sin.

There's More To Love Than You Think

Is this what love is?

I think the picture above would probably sell on a Hallmark card.  Even though it is Scriptural, it embodies what the world wants to believe about love, or at least what the world has been led to believe about love. We like 1 Corinthians Chapter 13 because there Paul talks about the "feel-good" parts of love. The "happily ever after" parts of love.

It makes us feel all warm and fuzzy. We like that.

That isn't the whole story.

The Bible has a lot to say about love.

I Corinthians 13 is known as the "Love Chapter," and indeed Paul says a lot about love there. Love is patient and kind. Love does not boast or envy. Love always protects, trusts, hopes, perseveres. Yes, love is and does those things.

However, I Corinthians 13 is not the only place the Bible mentions love. According to I John 4:8, God is love. The Bible is God's Word. We can assume then, since God is love, His Word would be filled with comments, descriptions, and stories about love. Indeed it is.

According to Psalm 94:12, Revelation 3:19, and Proverbs 3:12, God the Father and God the Son discipline those they love. Love is discipline? I've never seen that on a Hallmark card! How about Jesus' command to love your enemies (Mattheww 5:44), or His insistence that love demands obedience (John 14:15)?

The Bible is full of truth about love that you'll never see in the card aisle. Love of money. Love of evil. Love of the world. Love of sin.

We're going to learn more about love than most of us ever wanted to know.

In preparation for that day of red roses and chocolates, let's learn what love really is, according to God's Word. Celebrating Valentine's Day with those who love you is easy--so easy even the world does that, just as Jesus said (Luke 6:32).

I don't want to be like the world. I want to be like Christ. I want to love according to what God says love is. Going back to 1 Corinthians 13, Paul talks about how when he was a child, he talked like a child, thought like a child, reasoned like a child, but when he became a man, he put childish ways behind him. That's in the same chapter as all that talk about love. I want to know what he meant.

Don't you?