The Difference One Life Can Make

It's easy to think that one person can't make much of a difference, but I read a verse yesterday in Jeremiah that paints a very different picture. We can have a bigger impact than we ever imagined.

God told Jeremiah to search through the streets of Jerusalem, looking for a righteous man. 

"If there is one who does justice, who seeks truth, then I will pardon her." Jeremiah 5:1 nasb

At the time that was written, people in Jerusalem were worshipping idols, including burning babies alive as an offering to Molech. The immorality rivaled our own. Sin and false religion were rampant. They had more "fake church" than real worship. 

The presence of just one man who did justice (mishpat) and sought truth could have ushered in pardon for the entire city of Jerusalem, despite their sin. 

What great love God has for His people that He would be willing to forgive to the uttermost. To pardon the unpardonable. To accept the righteousness of one for all. Yet there was not one who did justice, who sought truth.

Just one could have made a difference, but there was none. 

The prophets had already spoken truth to the people of Jerusalem, but they ignored them. Everyone did whatever they wanted. If Jeremiah had said, "It will only take one to save you," would they have changed their hearts and ways? Maybe, but, by then, it would have been too late. 

The time to live a righteous life was before God sent Jeremiah to search for one.

I have to wonder what God thinks when He looks at us. Would He hold off judgment if He found one among us who sincerely did justice and sought truth with their whole heart? 

How much of an impact could we make, if we were willing to be the one? 

In a world where everyone else was doing wrong, would you be willing to be the one who did right? Would I? 

Would we be willing to live as God commands if we knew we could save a city by our right choices? 

We will never know just how big a difference we could make, if we never try. So let us step up and live as Christ commanded. Let us love our God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength. Let us love our neighbor as ourselves.

Let's live life God's way, and watch to see how God can use us. There may be a city standing on the cusp between judgment and pardon, waiting on our lives to decide their future. 

"He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" Micah 6:8 esv

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In case you missed it, here's yesterday's post:Tupelo: Turning Tragedy Into Triumph
Here the link to the worldwide prayer guide: The Prayer List 
#betheone #justice #righteousness

The Importance of Purpose

 

Why? Why? Why? Even as a child I wanted to know why. Why do things one way and not the other? Why do these words mean this and not that? Why is this right and that wrong? Why do things a certain way? Teachers and family grew tired of my incessant "why's", but I truly wanted to know.

And I still do.

I want to know the reason for actions, the rationale for thought processes, the purpose behind a certain path. Knowing my purpose has helped me keep the goal in sight and press on to achieve it.

King David, for the most part, understood who he was and why he was in leadership. He saw himself as a shepherd who was king, but he also knew his primary position was "servant of God". King David knew his job as the king-who-served-God was to shepherd God's people, and that's what he did.

I'm not sure Solomon ever understood his purpose in life. The more I read about him, the more convinced I am that Solomon served Solomon. He was king and he spent his life accumulating gold, and horses, and wives. He built houses and traveled, but he spent very little time worshipping God.

Except for the dedication of the temple, there is only limited evidence of Solomon having a heart for God.

I found it interesting to read the account of the Queen of Sheba's visit. Solomon spent time answering questions and demonstrating his wisdom. He showed her the things that mattered most to him. He revealed his riches and dined with her using goblets, plates, and utensils of gold. 

Queen Sheba was impressed with Solomon. Stunned by his wisdom. Astounded by his wealth. In some ways, though, she was far more wise than Solomon.

She summed up the visit with these words:

"Blessed be the Lord your God who delighted in you to set you on the throne of Israel; Because the Lord loved Israel forever, therefore He made you king, to do justice and righteousness." 1 Kings 10:9 nasb

The Queen of Sheba understood what Solomon, perhaps, did not. God loved Solomon, but He didn't make him king to give him a storehouse full of gold. God made Solomon king to practice justice and righteousness in order to bless Israel.

We, too, have a purpose, and it is one of righteousness, obedience, and love. We are to love the Triune God, our Lord, with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength and love our neighbor as ourselves. 

Our purpose is not to accumulate wealth or gain knowledge. Our purpose is, like David, to serve God. We may gain riches and wisdom along the way, but, when we die, we will leave all our accumulated treasure behind. 

Only our relationship with the Almighty will matter in eternity.

Today, let's stop and ask ourselves that little question that matters so much. Why?

Why do I do the things I do?

Why did God place me in this place at this particular time?

God's goal for us is a relationship with Him that results in righteousness and justice. That should be our goal, too.

Let's live in such a way that we pursue His goals, His righteousness all the days of our lives.

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The photo above is the field that once belonged to Boaz, the field in which David shepherded his sheep. It's also the field where the angels appeared to the shepherds the night Jesus was born.

In case you missed it, here's the link for yesterday's post: Prosperity Does Not Equal Godliness (http://leannahollis.blogspot.com/2016/05/prosperity-does-not-equal-godliness.html)

For those doing the Hosea study, the Chapter Four lesson is now live and here's the link: Chapter Four 
(http://lessonsindiscipleship.blogspot.com/2016/05/hosea-chapter-four.html)

#purposeinlife #goals #disciple

The Tree That Preached A Sermon

I'm not actually cutting down every tree in my yard, but we did cut down another tree yesterday. It was an old cherry tree. 

I don't know why we called it a cherry tree. It didn't bear fruit, but it did have pretty blossoms in the spring. Until it didn't. 

The tree didn't look sick to me, but it was ugly. Even I, who never want to sacrifice a tree, thought it needed to go.  

The tree had already been cut when I arrived home from lunch with friends. I walked over to look at the stump and was shocked by what I saw. It was no wonder the tree looked spindly. It was so diseased that the center of the trunk was nothing but crumbling dust. The bark slipped off the trunk like wrapping paper from a package.

The preacher who cut down my tree came over to join me in my inspection.

"This looks awful. What caused it to deteriorate like this?"

"That's what sin will do." 

"My tree sinned?"

"Nope. Bugs ate up the tree. But that's what sin does in our lives. We still look fine on the outside, but on the inside, where no one can see, sin just eats us up. If we don't let God deal with it, sin will destroy us from the inside out."

That tree preached me a sermon.

I don't want sin in my life to reap a harvest like this tree got from the bugs gnawing inside. Probably you don't either.

There's only one solution. Keep short accounts and allow Jesus to cleanse us from all our sin and unrighteousness. 

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins 

and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 

                                                                        1 John 1:9 nasb

Take another look at the inside of that tree. We don't want that kind of destruction in our lives, but sin gnaws and consumes. It always takes a toll. The pleasure of the moment is never worth the price we'll pay.

We have a choice. Sin or righteousness. We can't choose both, so let's choose righteousness.
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In case you missed one of this week's posts, here are the links:  The Blizzard That Was Not,  The Truth That Matters Most: My Redeemer Lives, Truth That Matters: God Sees,  The Importance of Light, A Little Good News: Working Together,  Things I've Learned: There is a God and I'm Not It, and Cutting Down a Tree and Praying for Miracles.

Be sure to check out my new Amazon Author Page. You can follow me on Amazon.

#sin #JesusChrist #righteousness #repent #Christian

Freedom and Grace

I can't remember the circumstances, nor even who was present, but I remember the words that were spoken. 

"There's grace to cover that," someone said. 

Those words came back to me today as I read Romans 6. "Are we to continue in sin that grace might increase?" Paul asked. I read that and wondered why anyone would think continued sin a good idea. 

Keep sinning to get more grace? It sounds abhorrent, but it's what we do, in a way, isn't it?

When we intentionally sin, knowing we can get forgiveness, we are "continuing in sin that grace might increase". 

When, as disciples of Christ, we say things we know we shouldn't, do things we know we shouldn't, watch or read things we know we shouldn't, we aren't doing them with the expectation of eternal damnation for our sin. We do them with the expectation of grace to cover it.

The expectation of grace is sometimes treated as a "free pass", allowing us to do what we want, knowing we can ask for forgiveness later.

It was the stripes on Jesus' back, the blood He spilled, the death and resurrection of our Lord that bought the grace with which we sin so freely. 

I wonder how God views our casual treatment of His Son's sacrifice. Probably not as casually as we do.

Paul wrote that our old self was crucified with Christ, and our body of sin with it. We, who have died with Christ, are freed from sin.

We are freed from sin and it is no longer master over us. 

If we are free, then we must live free. The power of the Spirit of God in us makes freedom from sin possible. 

As the new year is still in its infancy, we can choose to make 2016 a different year. We can choose to make it a year of freedom from sin's hold on us. It sounds impossible, doesn't it? It's not. The sacrifice of Christ released us from bondage. Let's honor that sacrifice with our lives. There's a choice to be made, and it's simple. 

Don't choose sin. Choose righteousness.

Will I fail in this? Yes. 

Will you fail? Yes. 

A momentary failure, however, is not the same as defeat. The battle has already been won, so let us, this year, determine to live as victors through Christ. 

It bears repeating because we will repeat the choice over and over this year.

Don't choose sin. Choose righteousness. 

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You might also like these posts: (they'll open in a new window) The New Zealand Badge and Out with the Old. 
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photo courtesy of freeimages.com

#freedominChrist #choice #righteousness #disciple #Christian

Finding Christmas: Something Better than "Stuff"

I stayed home on Black Friday. I've attended the After-Thanksgiving sales with my sister and my mother before, and, for the most part, I didn't like it. The crowds. The rush. The pushing. It's not for me.

I'm not sure it should be for anyone. BlackFridayDeathCount.com has begun tabulating the death and destruction that results on that day. Since 2006, there have been 7 deaths and 98 injuries. Over stuff. People dying for a bargain. What about that makes sense?

In recent years, I've questioned the rush to purchase gifts for each other. It's Jesus' birthday. Why do we buy gifts for each other? That makes no sense to me. Don't get me wrong. I haven't given up gift-giving entirely, but I've made changes in my holiday routine. The emphasis is less on stuff and more on our Savior.

If our focus is supposed to be on Jesus, why do we spend so much time and money on ourselves?

All this shopping results in one thing. More stuff. 

This morning, I read a passage in Isaiah 33:14-24 that I first studied in December of 2003. It's as pertinent now as it was then. It asks the question, "Who among us can live with the consuming fire (of God)?" 

The answer is clear and simple. Only the one who actively pursues righteousness. He walks righteously, speaks with sincerity, rejects unjust gain, shakes his hands so they hold no bribe, stops his ears from hearing about bloodshed, shuts his eyes from looking upon evil.

The man (or woman) who actively seeks righteousness will find something much better than more stuff.  

Protection

Provision

See the King

No fear

No want

Health

Forgiveness

If Christmas is about honoring the birth of our Savior, then the best gift we can offer Him is that of striving for holiness. 

Holiness (or righteousness) is what God most desires from us, but what will benefit us the most, as well. During this Advent season, let's do more than seek after stuff. Let's seek after righteousness and pursue it with all our hearts. When we do, we will find Christmas in an entirely new way.

"Your eyes will see the King in His beauty..." 

In our seeking, we will find our King and see His hand all around us. So let's look for the Savior at every turn and let His righteousness guide every decision (including every purchase) we make this season.

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In case you missed any of the past week's posts, here are the links:  Red Hot Christmas Pickles and the Broken Jar, Grateful Heart: The Beginning of Stories, Grateful Heart: Blessing of Position, Grateful Heart: Wonder Pickle, Grateful Heart: Family, Beginning the Advent Journey, and Finding Christmas: The Best Advent of All.

The most read post of the last week: Grateful Heart: Family.

If you're looking for an Advent devotional, you can find The Road to Bethlehem on Amazon here.
photo courtesy of freeimages.com

#Advent, #JesusChrist #disciple #righteousness

Teach us to Pray, part 28: Your Kingdom Come

And He said to them, "When you pray, say: 'Father, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. 'Give us each day our daily bread. 'And forgive us our sins, For we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.'" (Luke 11:2-4 NASB)

We turn now to the phrase "Thy Kingdom come". There are so many aspects to this phrase that it will take a few days to get through them all, but, for today, we are looking at the longing we should have for the kingdom of God to come. This was not the first, nor the only, time that that Jesus mentioned God's Kingdom coming. In Matthew (Sermon on the Mount), Jesus taught that our top priority should be seeking the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. 

But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (Matthew 6:33 NASB)

"Seek first" indicates top priority to my seeking. This seeking is not only to be for His kingdom but also for His righteousness. I should not be looking simply for my idea of heaven on earth. I should be actively, and eagerly, with first priority, seeking righteousness. 

The word translated as "righteousness" is dikaiosynē and is one of the attributes of God, indicating His faithfulness and truthfulness. It speaks of God's absolute abhorrence of sin and the commitment to dealing with sin that lead Him to sacrifice Himself on the cross for us. 

For me to seek righteousness, then, requires that I see Sin in the same way God does. It requires that I acknowledge the price of my Sin and the death that it required. If I am seeking righteousness, I will be moving toward the point of abhorring my own sin and desiring to be done with it. 

Seeking the Kingdom of God and His righteousness is not compatible with the casual attitude toward Sin that is so prevalent today. I cannot claim Grace as an excuse for my sin. Yes, there is Grace to cover our failures, but I must not be needlessly extravagant with that which was bought at such a horrific price. The Grace that God so generously supplies (giving me what I do not deserve) is to be treasured and handled with the care it deserves. 

Seeking the Kingdom of God and His righteousness requires that I seek the integrity, purity, and virtue of God and allow that integrity to direct both my actions and my thoughts. In asking God that His Kingdom come, I am asking that it come first in me. 

For today, join me in seeking His Kingdom, asking God that His Kingdom, His righteousness, His integrity comes first in us, cleansing us from all our unrighteousness and fitting us for His Kingdom.

Come quickly, Lord Jesus, but cleanse us, Your people, before You do.

Sending the Seventy, part 14: The Kingdom of God Comes Near

But whatever city you enter and they do not receive you, go out into its streets and say, 'Even the dust of your city which clings to our feet we wipe off in protest against you; yet be sure of this, that the kingdom of God has come near.' I say to you, it will be more tolerable in that day for Sodom than for that city. (Luke 10:10-12 NASB) 

If the sent ones were to "preach the kingdom of God", it would be helpful to understand what that term means. 

The ISBE gives this description: The Kingdom of God is not one "of worldly splendor and force, but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit; beginning in humility, and passing to exaltation only through the dark valley of contrition." We have an explanation in the Lord's Prayer, in which He prayed "Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done on earth as it is in heaven." The idea here is that, in the Kingdom of God (heaven), God's will is only and always done. When the Kingdom of God "comes" to us, the same will of God is done. When the Kingdom of God comes, righteousness, peace, and the joy of the Lord will fill our hearts. 

The sent ones were to preach about the coming of the Kingdom of God, and some of those who heard them would reject the Kingdom of God altogether.  What about righteousness, peace, and joy are not attractive? What about righteousness, peace, and joy do we want to reject? That three-strand cord of the Kingdom seems, at first glance, altogether lovely and appealing. Why, then, would we reject it? Righteousness. It is an appealing concept but a difficult reality, mainly because it requires change. 

The ISBE has said correctly that the Kingdom of God begins "in humility, and passing to exaltation only through the dark valley of contrition".  We cannot have the righteousness, peace, and joy without first having humility and contrition. (Contrition is a less-commonly used word that means being deeply sorry for your sins and repentant of them.) 

The problem, of course, is that we like our sin and we want to keep it. It seems a bad trade to keep sin and reject peace and joy, but we do, and often on a daily basis. We want what we want and are not willing to allow change to have something better. What madness! 

For those of us who claim to be disciples of Jesus, we should long for the Kingdom of God, not only on earth but also in us. Come, Lord Jesus, and begin Your work of cleansing and change in me. Much like the words to an old spiritual, it's "not my brother, not my sister, but it's me, oh Lord, standing in the need of prayer." We are the ones "standing in the need" of prayer, repentance, and change. 

There is good news, however. The Kingdom of God is near. We can have the righteousness, peace, and joy of God, but only if we are willing to begin in repentance and allow the transformation that only the Spirit of God can bring. 

The amazing thing about the Kingdom of God is that it has "drawn near" to us in the most incredible way. Wrapped in flesh, nestled in a stone manger filled with hay, the righteousness, peace, and joy of God came to us, dwelt with us, and died to redeem us. As we draw near the Christ Child this advent season, may we also draw near to the Kingdom of God. 

Merry Christmas!

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We often want a "fast food" answer to our prayers when what we need is the "crock pot" solution that allows God to do His work completely, in us and our solution. If you are weary in waiting for the answer to your prayer, here's something that can help. The Waiting: When the Answer to Your Prayer is Delayed and Your Hope is Gone, is now available at http://www.leannahollis.com/online-store/ Get your copy today.  

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Here's the link to last night's post on embracing the imperfect and enjoying a less stressful holiday.