Acceptance

What Does It Mean: To Be Accepted?

Paul followed the pattern of the Lord Jesus Christ by referencing the phrase "one another"! One example is Romans 15:7 where Paul simply writes and notes; "Accept each other (one another) just as Christ has accepted you so that God will be given glory."

So many people who crosss our paths long to be accepted by someone - family, friend, neighbor acquaintance or stranger. 

Just to be viewed as a person!

Just to be considered a person of some worth/merit!

Just a person who is inwardly lonely and depressed - who needs a smile or a word of encouragement!

Is that something of which you are capable? Does it ever cross your mind that you could be/make a vital contribution to another's life?

YOU Can and should be THAT PERSON who touches another's life for the Lord Jesus Christ!

PREVARICATORS

I Was Just Thinking About – PREVARICATORS.

What is a prevaricator? The basic definition is: “A person who speaks falsely; a liar; one who speaks to avoid the precise truth; a quibbler; an equivocator.” In the current News Cycle, the word “liar” has been often stated and frequently emphasized. It is a word that should be used sparingly and only by The One (or those) who have the authority and substantiated, well-documented evidence to prove that which is a lie. The plenary, verbal, inspired Word of God defines and demonstrates the lie versus The TRUTH.

Why, then,  do people lie? One Biblical example is Romans 1:18-31 (NKJV). The text is speaking of those who have embraced an unrighteous lifestyle. They are described as those who “suppress the truth in unrighteousness.” The text also adds, “They exchanged The TRUTH of God for the Lie, and worshipped and served the creature rather than The Creator.”

Another text that expands and expounds this is First John 1:5-10 (NKJV). Three of the conclusive observations are: (1) Verse 6, “If we say that we have fellowship with Jesus Christ, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice The TRUTH.” (2) verse 8, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and The TRUTH is not in us.” And (3) Verse 10, “If we say that we have not sinned, we make God a liar, and His Word is not in us.”

How does this happen and easily become one’s lifestyle? To a generation of religious people who questioned His authority,  Jesus declared, John 8:44-45 (NKJV), “You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He…does not stand in The TRUTH, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.  But because I tell The TRUTH, you do not believe Me.”

The people may have listened to Jesus out of their curiosity but they failed to grasp the meaning of the words He spoke (John 14:6), “I am The WAY, The TRUTH and The LIFE. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

The religious element weren’t the only ones who listened but did not really hear or believe. When Jesus had been arrested at the instigation of the Jews and was brought before Pilate, in John 18:37-39 the question of Pilate is revealing. “Pilate said to Jesus: Are You a king? Jesus answered, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to The TRUTH. Everyone who is of The TRUTH hears My voice. Pilate said to Him: What is truth?”

The failure to understand and know The TRUTH meant and means a failure to grasp the simple and basic words of Jesus, John 8:21-32, "...to those Jews which believed on Him Jesus said, If you continue in My word, then are you my disciples indeed;  And you shall know The TRUTH, and The TRUTH shall make you free.” In verse 36, Jesus adds: “if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.”  Have you believed and received The Only One who is The TRUTH?  

Prayerfully - consider these things with me.

CHOOSING TO CHECK OUT

I Was Just Thinking About – CHOOSING TO CHECK OUT.

Life and death must never be viewed as human determination. The Psalmist made two vital points about life and death. First, Psalm 139:13-16 and God’s role in the origin of life: “You formed my inmost being;  You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise You,  for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Marvelous are Your works…My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in secret…Your eyes saw my unformed body; all my days were written in Your book and ordained for me before one of them came to be.” Second, Psalm 90:10-12 and God’s determination of one’s lifespan: “The days of our lives are seventy years; and if by reason of strength they are eighty years, Yet their boast is only labor and sorrow; For it is soon cut off, and we fly away…So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” Verse 12 in The Message: “Oh! Teach us to live well! Teach us to live wisely and well!”

There have been a growing number of incidents where one makes a determination that their life is no longer worth living. In the 1990s, Dr. Jack Kevorkian, a Pathologist, emerged as a proponent of Euthanasia. He publicly championed a terminal patient’s right to die by physician-assisted suicide. He often stated and quoted: “Dying is not a crime.” He claimed to have assisted at least 130 patients to end their lives. The media portrayed him as Dr. Death. He was ultimately arrested and found guilty of second-degree murder and given a 10 to 25 year prison sentence.

Currently, Euthanasia is available in Canada for people suffering a terminal illness, but a Quebec court has now abolished the near death requirement. By removing the terminal illness requirement, that means you can have euthanasia for physical or psychological suffering, The Euthanasia numbers have been skyrocketing. So as much as we have seen this huge increase in euthanasia, they're only going to be opening the doors more.

In the United States, unassisted suicide is taking place. Within the past six months, ministers of the Gospel have chosen to end their lives. Others who had church affiliations with churches have chosen to end their lives, In a book: The Hardest Sermons You’ll Ever Have To Preach, there is a Chapter titled: Thinking Biblically About The Tragedy of Suicide. The question is: Is Suicide a sin? The answer given is: Yes! The author goes on to say that it is not an unforgivable sin. An additional question asked is: What happens to the person who commits suicide? The answer given is: “If the person is an unbeliever, that person goes to hell. If a person is a believer, that person goes to heaven.”

The broader issue is that regardless of how one’s life has been lived, the family and relatives all conclude that their loved one or friend has gone to heaven. Jesus was very clear in His sermon about heaven – the way and gate is narrow and few find that way and enter that gate. Jesus also added that not everyone who says “Lord, Lord” will enter His heaven but only the one(s) who are doing the will of the Father in Heaven. First John 5:12-13 is as clear and simply stated about who will and will not enter God’s heaven: “He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.”

Prayerfully – Consider these things with me.

UPS AND DOWNS

I Was Just Thinking About – UPS AND DOWNS.

The experiences of life can affect one in a variety of ways. Usually, the big events that are challenging for one can be handled fairly well. The smaller challenges can become similar to roadblocks causing one to stumble and sometimes fall. There are a couple of verses that often come to mind when such challenges present themselves - -

Psalm 42:5,11 (NIV) – A question posed by the Psalmist: “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me?” The NASB wording: “Why are you in despair…so disturbed?” The Message paraphrase is: “Why are you down in the dumps, dear soul? Why are you crying the blues?” The answer is clearly stated inwardly: “Fix my eyes on God -  soon I’ll be praising again.”

When stumbling or faltering, maybe even falling, the truth that comes to mind is Isaiah 40:30-31 (NKJV), “Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall; but those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” The word that stands out for one’s life is “shall”. “Those who wait for/upon the Lord SHALL renew their strength; SHALL mount up with wings as eagles; SHALL run and not be weary; SHALL walk and not faint.”

Words of the Hymn - How Firm A Foundation - also come to mind:

When through the deep waters I call thee to go,

The rivers of woe shall not thee overflow;

For I will be with thee, thy troubles to bless,

And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.

When through fiery trials thy pathways shall lie,

My Grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply;

The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design

Thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine.

It is sad that some professing Christians can become judgmental when one is facing various “trials” and “challenging times.” A word used several times in Second Corinthians 1:3-7 is COMFORT. It is similar to the Holy Spirit’s designation as the Paraclete – “The one who comes alongside.” It is sad to realize that many who count on the “Christian” and “Church” for that encouragement and support will too often find a void and absence of such “comfort.”

I was listening on You-Tube to a sermon by a dear servant of the Lord who was going through a personal and family struggle. He isolated himself in his office and posted a sign on the door – Do NOT Disturb. An artist friend, who knew the situation, drew a picture of a Monk who struggled with personal needs in his day. The artist inscribed his drawing for his Pastor with the words penned by Martin Luther:

Did we in our own strength confide,

Our striving would be losing;

Were not the right Man on our side,

The Man of God’s own choosing:

Dost ask who that may be?

Christ Jesus, it is He;

Lord Sabaoth, His name,

From age to age the same,

And He must win the battle.

The words ministered like the Paraclete who came alongside and uplifted the downcast servant of the Lord. I can personally relate to these words – perhaps you can as well!

Prayerfully – Consider these things with me.