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When we embrace Jesus Christ and accept Him as our Lord and Savior, then we are redeemed. Our sins are forgiven, and our salvation is assured.

This is the basic premise, the foundational teaching informing all Christian churches in every denomination.

Logically, it makes sense. As God has already extended the offer of forgiveness—something we see reiterated in Isaiah and Jeremiah as well as in the Gospels—all that remains is for us to accept that forgiveness. Our acceptance is essential, for if we deny Jesus, if we say He is not our Lord and Savior, if we say we do not need God’s forgiveness, then we are rejecting that forgiveness and so remain unforgiven. Only when we accept Christ can we accept the forgiveness already offered by God.

What about after we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior? Once we are redeemed, once our sins are forgiven, what happens then?

Do we stop sinning?

As much as I wish that were true, it isn’t. It certainly isn’t for me. I still sin, and probably do so even without realizing it sometimes. I am still quite capable of saying and doing wrong things.

One might argue that none of that matters, that once I have accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior even future sins are covered.

Is that really true? I would say it is not.

Jesus Himself counseled against the complacency such thinking implies, teaching that we should have a particular vigilance, that we should be mindful of His eventual return.

There is the Parable of the Ten Bridesmaids in Matthew 25, which Jesus concluded with “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” That admonition was repeated in Mark 13:33, “Take heed, watch; for you do not know when the time will come.”

There is the Parable of the Unfaithful Slave in Luke 12, with its warning of the perils of not adhering to God’s Will.

On every day, we are called to follow God’s Will and to obey God’s Law. If we truly have embraced Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, that call is only strengthened and made more immediate—yet our human imperfections mean that even after we accept Christ we will still fail in that calling, and we will still sin.

The Apostle Paul acknowledged the realities of our constant sinning in Romans 7. Paul was no stranger to sin, and he admitted that he still felt the tug of temptation and desire even after his conversion on the road to Damascus.

In 2 Corinthians 12, he spoke of praying that God would remove the temptation to sin, the “thorn in the flesh”, that continued to vex him despite accepting Christ.

That we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior, and accept the forgiveness already offered by God, does not free us from the realities of ongoing sin and imperfection. Even after we have accepted Christ, we are still prone to make mistakes. We are still likely to sin. We are still going to do things which require us to seek forgiveness.

If we are being mindful, that should be a problem for us. As Jesus’ own teachings in the Gospels make plain, even if I have accepted Christ, if I still do not adhere to God’s Will, I still risk the consequences of God’s Wrath. Even if I have accepted Christ, if I know what the right thing is and do not do it, I invite God’s Judgement upon me.

The parable in Luke especially stands as a powerful warning that God’s Forgiveness should not be regarded as an eternal “get out of jail free” card.

Yet God has already offered us forgiveness.

That promise is repeatedly made in Isaiah, beginning in the very first chapter. It is reiterated in Isaiah 44, and again in Isaiah 55.

That promise is repeated in Jeremiah 31:34, and again in Jeremiah 33:8.

The people of Israel sinned grievously and repeatedly, yet, throughout the worst consequences of defeat and exile, God did not abandon His people.

King David sinned grievously and repeatedly, yet God did not abandon him.

We do well to remember that the Apostle Peter, on the night of Jesus’ arrest, denied Christ three times. He was still called to ministry, to make believers of all nations, and he was still the rock upon which the early Christian churches were built.

The lesson in Scripture is crystal clear: we can stumble, we can fall, we can sin, and we can still rise again. We can still seek righteousness. We can still answer the call to be holy.

There is an additional lesson in Scripture as well: We will stumble. We will fall. We will sin. We will rise again.

We will still seek righteousness. We will still answer the call to be holy.

Even after we accept Jesus Christ, we can sin, and we will. That is the reality of everyone who proclaims to follow Jesus and adhere to God’s Will.

That reality necessarily must shape one’s apprehension of what it is to “accept Jesus Christ.” That reality necessarily reworks what outwardly might seem to be a singular event into a never-ending process.

The reality of our continuing sinfulness demands that, if we truly and honestly accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we must accept an obligation to constantly strive to overcome the temptations and weaknesses which occasion us to sin.

If we truly and honestly accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we accept that we commit to a life of continual transformation and spiritual growth. Ideally it means we sin less and less over time. At a minimum it means we are more cognizant of sin, and of the desires and temptations which lead us to sin.

As Paul counseled the Philippians, if we truly and honestly accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we must understand that the acceptance is not the end of the spiritual journey, but a new journey all its own.

What we embrace on one day we must intentionally embrace on every day. What we promise to follow on one day we must intentionally promise to follow on every day.

When we truly and honestly accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we accept that, spiritually, we are just getting started. We are embarking on a journey designed to last a lifetime.

We will stumble on that journey, but we can still rise and press on. We will wander off the path into the weeds that lie on either side, but we can still get back on the path and continue the journey. We will sin, but we can still continue to seek out righteousness, continue to strive for holiness.

My prayer each and every day is that I will always be mindful of the path before me, of the journey that leads me back to God. My prayer each and every day is that I will hear and heed God’s call to follow His Will and obey His Law. My prayer each and every day is that, when I stumble and fall off that path, God will guide me back onto it, that I may continue pressing forward.

My prayer for you each and every day is that you also will always be mindful of the path before you, of the journey that leads you back to God. My prayer for you each and every day is that you also will hear and heed God’s call to follow His Will and obey His Law. My prayer for you each and every day is that, when you stumble and fall off that path, God will guide you back onto it, that you may continue pressing forward.

Even after we accept Jesus Christ, we can sin, and we will. That is the reality of everyone who proclaims to follow Jesus and adhere to God’s Will.

If we truly and honestly accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we must accept an obligation to constantly strive to overcome the temptations and weaknesses which occasion us to sin. If we truly and honestly accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we accept that we commit to a life of continual transformation and spiritual growth.

When we truly and honestly accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we accept that, spiritually, we are just getting started. We are embarking on a journey designed to last a lifetime.

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Slaves, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but in singleness of heart, fearing the Lord. Whatever your task, work heartily, as serving the Lord and not men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward; you are serving the Lord Christ.

Colossians 3:22-24

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Working is never fun.

In my day job, getting up in the morning and going to an office every day is never something I view with excitement or anticipation. On more than a few days the gravity well in the center of the bed seems extra powerful!

When I reach the end of the work day, I am always glad to leave the office. When I am working from home, at the end of the work day I am always glad to sign out and go do something else. I am always happy to direct my thoughts to things other than work.

Yet I genuinely enjoy the work that I do. I enjoy the research. I enjoy the analytical efforts. I enjoy solving problems. Solving problems is when I come alive.

I will confess, I enjoy the praise and the compliments I get at work. When your boss says you are “a blessing”, that always feels good!

Who doesn’t like to be noticed for doing good work? Who doesn’t want to be respected for the work that they do?

In an ideal workplace, we receive praise whenever we do praiseworthy things. If we are ideal employees, we seek to always do praiseworthy things.

In reality, workplaces are rarely ideal. Many times people do praiseworthy things and never receive praise. That’s not right, and it certainly is not fair, but it is how many workplaces are.

In reality, we are frequently less than ideal employees, and do not always do praiseworthy things. Not only do we make mistakes, we grow tired and perhaps a bit lazy, and so take an inappropriate shortcut now and again. We might attempt to foist our responsibilities off on others—and others might attempt to foist their responsibilities off on us.

That’s not right, and it certainly is not fair, but it is how many people are at least some of the time they are at work.

We are imperfect. We are fallen. We are sinful. Even in the workplace, this is the reality for all of us.

Yet is it really sinful not to do praiseworthy things at work? Are we doing something wrong if we are doing less than our best at our job?

Broadly speaking, yes. We are called to always do our best, to give our best effort, no matter what.

Jesus reminds us of this in His teaching during the Sermon on The Mount, that we are to be “the light of the world.” We are not to simply sit and be idle. Rather, we are called to let God’s light shine into a darkened world through the work that we do. If we want people to think excellent thoughts about God’s light, we owe it to God and to ourselves to do excellent work.

Leviticus 19:35-36 also stand as an explicit prohibition to any sort of cheating in the workplace. We are called to make our measurements accurately, and our calculations precisely. We are called to deliver whatever labor, whatever service, to which we have agreed.

We do not have to wonder if details matter to the Lord. We are already told that they do.

We also do well to remember that all that we are comes from God. As God pointed out to Jeremiah in calling him to be a prophet to the nations, we are all God’s special creation. As Jeremiah would later remind the people of Israel in exile, God has plans for all of us, things we are called to do, missions we are called to undertake.

Jesus Himself reminds us of this as well, pointing out through the Parable of the Talents that each of us has been blessed with certain gifts. We are God’s own creation, and all that we are, all that we are able to do, comes directly from Him.

That which God has gifted us we are called to put to use.

God wants us to do things. God wants us to do good things. God wants us to make a difference in the world.

As is so often the case, this is very easy to say, and often very hard to do.

Regardless of the calling, regardless of the gifts we have been given to do whatever work is before us, the reality for most if not all of us is that working itself is not fun. Working is hard. Working can be quite annoying and frustrating. Working is what we have to do, not what we want to do.

Would I keep my day job if I were independently wealthy? Probably not.

Would I keep my day job if I had the chance to fully support myself with just my writings? Almost certainly not.

Even though I like the work that I do, all things being equal I would not choose to have the job that I do. Given a choice, I would want to do the work that I do my own way, on my own timetables, pursuing my own projects and tasks. Given a choice, I would want to do things “my way.”

I am not given a choice. Very few of us are given that choice. If I want to have a roof over my head and food in my belly, I have to do the work that I can where I can—and that means I have to hold down the job that I have. As is pointed out in Ecclesiastes 9:10, “whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might.” Regardless of the difficulties and dilemmas I might face at work, the difficulties and dilemmas that come from not working would be even worse.

Working is never fun, but working is a better choice than not working. Not working means not having the means to pay rent, buy groceries, and take care of all the other things needed to live. For myself, as one who values independence and self-sufficiency, those are not acceptable outcomes.

Working is never fun, but I am blessed in that my job is more than just a paycheck. My job is one that challenges me with regularity. My job stimulates me and keeps me from falling into a mindless rut of routine.

Not all jobs are like that. There are jobs that do seem almost mindless, where showing up is not just half the job, but nearly the entire job. I have worked at jobs like that. Those are the jobs where it is tempting to give less than my best effort. Those are the jobs where I have often not given my best effort. Those are the jobs where I have told myself it didn’t matter how good my work was—or was not.

Only it did matter. It does matter. Regardless of how or why I was at a particular job, the reality of that job was that it was the work that was before me. The reality of that job is that it was what had been given to me to do. The reality of that job is that it was where I was tasked with letting God’s light shine into a darkened world through my work.

The reality of such jobs is that they were jobs where I did not let God’s light shine into the darkened world nearly as much as I could have. The reality of such jobs is that they were moments when I failed to answer God’s calling.

The reality of such jobs is they were the jobs where, like the servant given only the two talents or the one talent, I was not given much. Like the servant given only the one talent, they were jobs where I was not faithful with what I had been given.

I could easily rationalize poor work performance as being not my fault. It was somehow the job’s fault for not being sufficiently stimulating. It was the employer’s fault for not giving me work that I enjoyed. No one cared about the work, and so no one was hurt if my work performance was poor. At one time or another, I have told myself exactly those things.

Yet that job was still what was put before me to do. That job was still work I agreed to do. If I did not do the work as best I could, that job was an agreement I failed to keep.

Was anyone hurt by my poor work? At the very least I was. Working may not be fun, but working at a job one actively dislikes is downright painful. Working at a job one actively dislikes leaves one bitter and angry at just about everything. Working at a job one actively dislikes perversely made it that much more difficult to find a better job, because radiating anger and bitterness is a great way to screw up a job interview—a necessary stepping stone to finding a better job.

What is the alternative? When a job is mindless, or frustrating, or the workplace is simply toxic in whatever way, how does one avoid bitterness and anger?

In a word: holiness.

In every situation and circumstance, especially ones where we are put upon on all sides, we are still called to holiness. We are still called to strive to be “worthy of complete devotion as one perfect in goodness and righteousness.” We are still called to bear good fruit, and to let God’s light shine into a darkened world through our work and through our lives.

When I put my focus back on God, I push frustration and anger out of my mind. When frustration and anger no longer cloud my thoughts, I can see alternatives and opportunities I did not see before, and am in a frame of mind to take advantage of them.

When I put my focus back on God, I rekindle hope. Cynicism and bitterness are replaced by optimism and even joy.

When I put my focus back on God, even the frustrating and infuriating task becomes that much more doable.

Nor should we be surprised that this is the case. The Apostle Paul points out that this is the case in Romans 12, when he calls people to be shaped by faith and not by the pressures and problems of the world around them.

The single best thing any of us can do to deal with difficult situations in any job is to remember that, no matter the difficulty, the work that we do is always in service of God. In doing whatever work is at hand, we owe it to ourselves to follow God’s Law.

No matter who signs the paycheck, the work we do in every job, and in every profession, is always in service of God. Being mindful of that motivates—at least it motivates me. Being mindful of that elevates—at least it elevates me.

My prayer on every day is that I will always keep my focus on God, where it belongs. My prayer on every day is that, in focusing on God, I will remember that, no matter what task I am doing, I am doing it in service of God, and strive to do it well for that reason. My prayer on every day is that, through focusing on God, I will always hear and heed God’s call to holiness, and so strive for excellence in everything that I do.

My prayer for you on every day is that you will always keep your focus on God, where it belongs. My prayer for you on every day is that, in focusing on God, you will remember that, no matter what task you are doing, you are doing it in service of God, and strive to do it well for that reason. My prayer for you on every day is that, through focusing on God, you will always hear and heed God’s call to holiness, and so strive for excellence in everything that you do.

No matter who signs the paycheck, the work we do in every job, and in every profession, is always in service of God. Being mindful of that motivates. Being mindful of that elevates.

In every situation and circumstance, especially ones where we are put upon on all sides, we are still called to holiness. We are still called to strive to be “worthy of complete devotion as one perfect in goodness and righteousness.” We are still called to bear good fruit, and to let God’s light shine into a darkened world through our work and through our lives.

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When you pass through the waters I will be with you;
and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
and the flame shall not consume you.

Isaiah 43:2

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A rather controversial quote from Martin Luther is his counsel to “sin boldly.” The complete quote is variously translated from the original German as “Be a sinner and sin boldly, but believe and rejoice in Christ even more boldly.”

Superficially, there is a certain realism to Luther's counsel. We are sinners, after all.

People are, I have observed, frequently stubborn and stiff-necked, particularly about sinning. Perhaps the most common reason we give for not doing what we know is right is that we simply do not want to do it.

Not wanting is, of course, never a good reason for not doing. Not wanting is, however, a major reason which I perceive as being behind much of the bad behavior I see in the world around me.

We know what we should be doing, but we say it is too hard, or too time consuming, or simply too unpleasant, and so we simply do not want to do it. The outcome is that we simply do not do what we should, despite knowing we should.

People are quite stubborn and stiff-necked that way!

The Apostle Paul lamented this very thing about himself in Romans 7. He was honest and forthright about his failures to do the right thing, even when he knew quite clearly what that right thing was. The temptations of the flesh Paul openly acknowledged were stubborn temptations that refused to leave him, and frequently bested him—or, as he put it, “I of myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.”

Paul knew when he sinned. He knew when he was doing a wrong thing. He did that wrong thing anyway.

By his own admission, Paul was unquestionably very stubborn and stiff-necked.

Yet being stubborn and stiff-necked does have one redeeming aspect: stubborn and stiff-necked people tend to be the last ones to just quit. Stubbornness quite often is a key ingredient to survival, and an essential ingredient to victory.

Of course, people who are stubborn and stiff-necked for the right reasons aren't usually called stubborn or stiff-necked. Rather, even in the Bible they are described using words such as “steadfast”.

Yet the mindset of both stubbornness and steadfastness is foundationally the same: a simple refusal to stop, to surrender, or to change direction. The distinction between the two traits even in Scripture comes down to why one refuses to stop, to surrender, or to change direction.

There is Jonah, who stubbornly refused God's calling, and spent three days in the belly of a fish regretting his choice.

There is Job, who stubbornly refused to blame God for his many troubles, even as he cried out to God to understand why he was being afflicted, and was ultimately rewarded by God for remaining faithful in the face of adversity.

There is Daniel, who spent a night among lions for refusing to cease his prayers to God.

There were Ahab and Ahaz, who despite warnings from the prophets persisted in leading Israel into sin and ruin.

Each, in their own way, stubbornly refused to quit what they were doing. Whether what they were doing was good or evil, a defining characteristic of each of these men was that refusal to quit.

Nor can we overlook the Apostles themselves, who endured prison, torture, and ultimately death as they worked to fulfill the Great Commission given them by Jesus, to preach the Good News of Jesus Christ and make believers of all nations.

The two billion Christians around the world today are a powerful testimony to their success. The two billion Christians around the world today are a powerful testimony to their stubbornness, even when facing torture and death.

If we are striving to serve God, being stubborn and stiff-necked—being “steadfast”—is demonstrably supreme among the virtues we might hope to have.

If we are defying God, being stubborn and stiff-necked is arguably among the worst sins we might commit.

Proverbs 11:19 teaches this very point: “He who is steadfast in righteousness will live, but he who pursues evil will die.”

For all his struggles with sin, Paul’s refusal to give up, his stubbornness in not ceasing to pray and work to rise above sinful temptation, are the reason we have the bulk of the New Testament today. Had Paul simply given in and stopped reaching for righteousness, his letters would never have been written, and the Bible would be considerably shorter than it is.

That Paul's letters were written, and comprise the bulk of the New Testament Christians receive today as Scripture, as God's Sacred Word, tells us something important about stubbornness: being stubborn is often an important characteristic of being consequential. We achieve the most, and have the greatest impact on the world around us, simply by not stopping, not surrendering, not changing direction.

If we are striving to serve God, being stubborn and stiff-necked—being “steadfast”—is demonstrably supreme among the virtues we might hope to have.

If we are defying God, being stubborn and stiff-necked is arguably among the worst sins we might commit.

Being stubborn matters because the reality of a great many trials and tribulations is that we can survive them. We can go through the fire and come out on the other side. All it takes for us to survive is for us to simply not quit—to not stop, to not surrender, and to not change direction.

Being stubborn matters because, as Isaiah prophesied to Israel, God does not abandon us in the middle of any trial or tribulation. If God wants us to survive, we are going to survive; in every crisis understanding the outcome is really that simple. If God wants us to survive, we need only stay the course to prevail.

Our challenge in every trial and tribulation is being certain whether what we are doing is in service of God or in defiance of God.

Job was blameless in all of his sufferings, yet his outwardly righteous friends were convinced he had sinned grievously, and was compounding that unknown error by stubbornly refusing to admit to his sin. Job was certain he had not sinned, and cried out to God for explanation; if Job had sinned, he wanted to understand how. In the end, God rebuked Job’s friends for not considering the possibility that Job had been right, that Job had not brought God’s wrath upon himself with sin, but that God was testing him for another purpose.

Daniel was blameless, yet political adversaries of his sought to orchestrate his death at the hands of King Nebuchadnezzar II. Had Daniel been overtly political, he perhaps might have avoided being put into the lions’ den, but Daniel was as doggedly apolitical as he was decidedly devout. Despite that, simply by keeping to his course as a loyal member of Nebuchadnezzar’s government and a faithful servant of God, Daniel ultimately triumphed over his adversaries, who were not so fortunate when it was their time to be thrown into the lions’ den.

Jonah, on the other hand, was unquestionably the architect of his own suffering, as he even acknowledged to the sailors who threw him overboard to be swallowed up by a great fish. Only when the fish had taken him down to the depths of the ocean did Jonah finally conclude that he should do as God called him to do. After the fish vomited Jonah back onto dry land, he went to Nineveh, a sprawling metropolis which took some three days just to walk across. With the same doggedness with which Jonah had fled God’s calling, Jonah carried out God’s calling, and the city of Nineveh was saved from its own sin and corruption.

How are we to know whether we are serving God or defying God? While we should look to Scripture for guidance, the ultimate answer will always lie in our faith.

If we are to be steadfast rather than stiff-necked, we must have faith that we are being led by God and not being led away from God. We must trust that, through our faith, we will see the path God wants us to take. Whatever that path is, and through whatever twists and turns it takes us, we must have faith that it will lead us to a good ending.

What we must always do, however, is walk whatever path is put before us. We must confront every obstacle, suffer through every trial, endure every tribulation.

We do not have the luxury of simply doing nothing. As God has put a path before us, it is certain He means for us to walk that path. We cannot therefore simply lay down and not walk that path.

We must walk the path. We must act. We must do. We must have faith that God will guide us rightly through each and every step we take.

As Martin Luther put it, we must sin boldly, but believe and rejoice in Christ even more boldly.

Because we must act, we must bear the risk of choosing the wrong action, which is to say we must bear the risk of sinning. Because we will act, we must accept the reality that some of our actions will be the wrong action, which is to say we will sin.

Yet if we keep our faith, if we believe in God with all our heart and all our soul and all our mind, we will be guided rightly, and even when we do not follow God’s calling for us, we will still be forgiven.

We must be stubborn and stiff-necked—we must be steadfast—in our pursuit of Godly goals if we are to realize God’s calling for us. We must also be stubborn and stiff-necked—we must be steadfast—in our faith, that as we repent of our many mistakes along the way, as we repent of our sins, we can receive God’s forgiveness already offered each of us.

My prayer on every day is that I will see clearly the path God has put before me, that I will not be misled by earthly temptations and distractions. My prayer on every day is that I will find the courage and conviction to walk whatever path I see before me, that I will find the courage to act even when the outcome is not clear. My prayer on every day is that I will not waver in my faith, that I may keep myself open to receiving God’s forgiveness already offered.

My prayer for you on every day is that you will see clearly the path God has put before you, that you will not be misled by earthly temptations and distractions. My prayer for you on every day is that you will find the courage and conviction to walk whatever path you see before you, that you will find the courage to act even when the outcome is not clear. My prayer for you on every day is that you will not waver in your faith, that you may keep yourself open to receiving God’s forgiveness already offered.

If we are striving to serve God, being stubborn and stiff-necked—being “steadfast”—is demonstrably supreme among the virtues we might hope to have.

If we are defying God, being stubborn and stiff-necked is arguably among the worst sins we might commit.

We must be stubborn and stiff-necked—we must be steadfast—in our pursuit of Godly goals if we are to realize God’s calling for us. We must also be stubborn and stiff-necked—we must be steadfast—in our faith, that as we repent of our many mistakes along the way, as we repent of our sins, we can receive God’s forgiveness already offered each of us.

Truly, we must both sin boldly, and believe and rejoice in Christ even more boldly.

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I am no theologian. I make no pretense of being a theologian. I have no use for most of the intellectualizing that seeks justification as “theology.”

I like to think I am a simple man, and a practical one. My focus with these sermons is never to expound sublime doctrine or to weave profound “Christological” reasonings. My mission is simply this: share with others my thoughts on Scripture, and how the teachings of Scripture can be applied in our daily lives.

As my mission is simple, I believe my message should be equally simple. The focus should be simply God, simply Jesus, simply Scripture.

We do well to remember that Jesus Himself preached a virtue of simplicity, teaching His followers during the Sermon on the Mount to “let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.”

We do well to remember also that long before Jesus began His ministry on Earth, the Psalms celebrated simplicity as wisdom, and Proverbs taught simplicity as the pathway to knowledge and understanding.

The more complex the reasoning, the more likely it is to be a rationalization, a fabrication arising from the eternally flawed “wisdom” of men. Jesus called out the Pharisees in Mark 7 for this very thing, of layering human wisdom on top of the already perfect wisdom given by God. Jesus again condemned the Pharisees in Matthew 23 for exactly this, for their endless complications and additions to God’s already perfect Law.

Jesus calling out the Pharisees for their hypocritical rationalizations makes one thing abundantly clear: complex reasoning is a problem, not a solution. Complex reasoning takes us beyond “Yes” and “No”, and so comes from evil.

We need only look at the world around us—at the wars, the chaos, and the omnipresence of pure evil everywhere—to see the problems complex reasoning has created for us, problems which will only be solved when we turn to the simplicity found in Scripture.

The world around us is absolute proof that complex reasoning will always be a problem and never a solution. The world around us is absolute proof that the wisdom of men will not save us.

The wisdom of men cannot save our societies; it is lunacy to expect the wisdom of men to save our souls.

What will save our souls? Wisdom that is simply God, simply Jesus, simply Scripture.

Theology, at its core, is the wisdom of men. Theology more often than not seeks to complicate what in Scripture is presented simply.

In other words, theology is no wisdom at all.

I have no use for the contrivance of using pseudo-Greek words such as “exegesis” or “eisegesis” to explain myself. I write and speak English, not Latin, and not Greek. I live in the here and the now—in the world we have, not in the world I wish we had. I jettison the needlessly complex in hopes of getting down to the simple truth at the core of everything.

I do confess that I enjoy showing off my vocabulary by using long four-dollar words, and do so more than I should. As much as I like to think of myself as a simple man, I know better than to pretend I am a humble one.

When I speak about Christian living, Christian faith, or Christian morals, I start with a single source: Scripture. I look to the Bible. I seek out God’s Word and I study God’s Law. From that simple approach comes what I hope is a simple message, and a sound one. From that simple approach comes what I hope is a message that is simply God, simply Jesus, simply Scripture.

Do I have perfect understanding of either God’s Word or God’s Law? Not all. My understanding is incomplete. My understanding may be quite wrong in some places. My understanding is constantly evolving (hopefully in a direction towards God and not away from him). Perfect understanding is the future hope, not the present reality.

Regardless of how well or how poorly I apprehend Scripture, Scripture is the only argument I will ever have, or hope to have. If I cannot defend my views with Scripture, then I cannot defend my views at all. If I cannot defend my views with Scripture, then my views are demonstrably in error and must be changed.

Regardless of how well or how poorly I apprehend Scripture, I realize that I must use the whole of Scripture. I cannot extract a single verse, or a single passage, and conflate it into a complete teaching all on its own. The context, the framing for any verse or passage will always be the entirety of the Bible. The letters of Paul, Peter, and John must always be read in reconciliation with the teachings of Jesus found in the Gospels, and the teachings of Jesus must always be connected to the Law and the Prophets found within the Old Testament.

Regardless of how well or how poorly I apprehend Scripture, I comprehend that within Scripture there are no errors, and no contradictions. God does not argue with Himself.

If a theological position leads to contradiction, that theological position is demonstrably wrong on that basis. All such theological positions should be rejected for that reason alone. God does not argue with Himself.

When we reject the false wisdom of men, when we discard the needless complexities men layer onto Scripture, then we can see the simple truth that has always been there. Then we can see the wisdom that is simply God, simply Jesus, simply Scripture.

My prayer this day is a prayer for simplicity—a prayer that all people everywhere will always see clearly to avoid the unnecessary complexities men have inflicted upon the world. My prayer this day is that all people everywhere will recognize that complex reasoning is not merely unproductive but also counterproductive—it hurts rather than helps in every situation. My prayer this day is that all people everywhere will turn away from the false wisdom and unhelpful complexities crafted by men, seeking instead for solutions that are simply God, simply Jesus, simply Scripture.

The world around us is absolute proof that complex reasoning will always be a problem and never a solution. The world around us is absolute proof that the wisdom of men will not save us.

The wisdom of men cannot save our societies; it is lunacy to expect the wisdom of men to save our souls.

What will save our souls? Wisdom that is simply God, simply Jesus, simply Scripture.

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Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.

Jeremiah 29:4-7

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“Wherever you go, there you are.”

I have no doubt that everyone who has not lived their life on a desert island has heard this worn out cliche, or some variation of it.

Yet, as is so often the case, this saying has become a cliche because it it is obviously true. In every moment, and in every place, we are always ourselves, neither more nor less.

We do not transform as if by magic into a completely different person merely by changing locations. All that we are—all our hopes, all our dreams, and all our fears necessarily come along for the ride.

No matter where we go, there we are, and there we will be.

Whatever God calls us to do, whatever plan He has for our lives, will always be there as well.

When Jonah fled to Joppa to escape God's calling, God called him even there. God's calling followed Jonah onto the ship bound for Tarshish. God's calling followed Jonah even into the depths of the ocean. There, in the belly of a great fish, Jonah finally listened to God's call, repented, and vowed to do as God had commanded.

When the Apostle Paul encountered the Risen Jesus on the road to Damascus, Jesus admonished him, pointing out that “it is hard to kick against the goads.” Paul—then Saul—had struggled against God's Word, persecuting many of the early Christians. Yet eventually he could no longer ignore God's calling, and thus Saul–Pharisee and enemy of Christians—became Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles.

Jeremiah had a similar message for the Israelites deported to Babylon after the fall of Jerusalem. No matter where they had gone, there they were. In Jerusalem or in Babylon, they were still God's people Israel. They were still keepers of God's Law. They still had a calling to fulfill. Being removed from Jerusalem to Babylon removed none of that from who they were.

Wherever we go today, there we are. Wherever we happen to live, wherever we happen to work, all that we are is there.

Wherever we happen to live, wherever we happen to work, God's calling for us is also there. God's plan for our lives is also there.

Wherever we happen to live, wherever we happen to work, God is always there. He does not depart from us. He does not leave us to face our circumstances alone.

As we are called to bear witness to God's eternal Truth, we are called no matter where we are. We are called to be God's light into a darkened world no matter where we are. We are called to bear good fruit, no matter where we are.

Life does not stop merely because we are not where we wish to be. Our hopes and our dreams are not erased merely because we are not where we desire to be, no more than our fears would be vanquished if only we could be where we desire to be.

Life continues, wherever we are.

Our hopes and dreams persist, wherever we are.

Our fears still haunt us, wherever we are.

No matter where we go, there we are, and there we will be.

No matter where we go, there God is, and there God will be.

Wherever we are, each day we are called to follow the path God has laid before us. Wherever we are, each day we are called to hear God's Word, follow God's Law, and adhere to God's Will. Wherever we are, each day we are called to bear witness to the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Wherever we are, each day we are called to treat everyone with forgiveness, with grace, and with compassion.

The call is not silenced merely because we do not like our surroundings. The call is not put on hold until we are in a place more to our liking.

No matter where we go, there we are, and there we will be.

No matter where we go, there God is, and there God will be.

My prayer this day is that all people everywhere will pay heed to God's calling, and will have their hearts and their minds opened to God’s Will. My prayer this day is that all people everywhere will be inspired to bear witness wherever they are, to whomever is around them. My prayer this day is that all people everywhere will be moved to bear good fruit wherever they are, meeting everyone they encounter with grace, with mercy, and with compassion.

Wherever we are, each day we are called to follow the path God has laid before us. Wherever we are, each day we are called to hear God’s Word, follow God’s Law, and adhere to God’s Will. Wherever we are, each day we are called to bear witness to the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Wherever we are, each day we are called to treat everyone with forgiveness, with grace, and with compassion.

The call is not silenced merely because we do not like our surroundings. The call is not put on hold until we are in a place more to our liking.

No matter where we go, there we are, and there we will be.

No matter where we go, there God is, and there God will be.

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For our appeal does not spring from error or uncleanness, nor is it made with guile; but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please men, but to please God who tests our hearts.

1 Thessalonians 2:3-4

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Every Sunday I publish yet another sermon sharing my thoughts on Scripture and how to live out the teachings of Jesus in our daily lives. I have been blessed with a loyal base of readers who enjoy reading what I have written, and I am eternally thankful for each and every one of them.

Not infrequently I am also challenged both by other Christians and by non-believers regarding the substance of what I write. I get told I am wrong. I get told my logic is faulty. I get told, in so many words, that I am a heretic and blasphemer, or that I really do not believe in Jesus Christ.

I would be lying if I claimed to be completely unfazed by such challenges. No one relishes being called a liar, or anything else which is pejorative. No one enjoys people stating publicly that they might have a major flaw in their argument.

The challenges, particularly the more aggressive ones, are uncomfortable for another reason: Doubt.

What if they are right? What if I've overlooked something crucial in Scripture?

Doubts are vicious that way. They do not let you rest easy.

If I were to guess the most common thorn in the flesh, I would say it was doubt without hesitation.

Who has not felt that pang of dread in a particular moment?

Who has not felt that tug of fear that they might not be enough, or that they might be wrong, or that they might have made a completely boneheaded mistake?

Who does not cringe at the thought of others laughing at them?

I will confess I have felt such fears, and more frequently than I would like to admit. I like being right. I hate being wrong.

Is that my ego at work? Probably. Certainly I have never been accused of being short on ego!

Yet even without ego coming into play, being right matters. Being right matters because truth matters.

We are called to bear true witness in all things. We cannot do that and say things which are wrong. If we strive to tell the truth, we must also make it our priority to have our facts straight, our thoughts organized, and our words carefully chosen.

When someone challenges a particular point of logic, or a particular assertion, the clear inference to be drawn is that we might not have our facts straight. We might not have our thoughts organized. We might not have our words carefully chosen.

Sometimes that is the case. Sometimes we get the facts wrong. Sometimes we get our thoughts jumbled. Sometimes we do not choose our words carefully.

Sometimes, however, that is not the case. Sometimes people object to what we say not because we are wrong. Sometimes people object to what we say because we are right.

How should we respond to those who are offended when we speak the truth?

I know that often I am tempted to argue and debate, to prove with additional logic and reasoning why my words are true. I know that, when I am so tempted, there is usually a bit of defensiveness involved. Insecurity and doubt drive me to prove ever more emphatically that I am in the right.

I also know that my insecurities and doubts are unjustified.

If I discover I have said something wrong, I need only make corrections. I need only update my facts, revise my reasoning, edit my words.

If I have not said something wrong, what do I need to change? Nothing.

If I have spoken the truth and it is the truth which is giving offense, there is nothing for me to fear from those who are offended.

If I have spoken the truth and it is the truth which is giving offense, there is nothing about which I should feel defensive.

If I have spoken the truth and it is the truth which is giving offense, there is nothing I need to prove.

The only question that ever matters is whether or not I have spoken the truth—and that is not a question that will ever be answered by any other than God.

God alone judges what is true and what is false.

God alone sets the marker between what is right and what is wrong.

God alone is the only witness that ever matters, no matter what we say.

If God approves of what I have said, then the mockery of men is of no consequence.

If God disapproves of what I have said, then the praise of men is also of no consequence.

Saying this is easy. Remembering this is hard. Living this is harder still.

Living this means not being defensive simply because I am challenged. Living this means having the confidence to stand on whatever facts, whatever reasoning, whatever words I have brought to bear on the topic at hand.

Living this means not getting caught up in a contest of egos, where “proving” that I speak the truth becomes more important than simply speaking the truth.

Living this means letting my testimony stand on its own, and giving others the grace and the space to make of it whatever they will.

Living this is never easy.

Yet if we are sincerely bearing true witness to the world, if we are truly committed to speaking the truth in all things, then living this is what we must do.

If we are sincerely bearing true witness to the world, if we are truly committed to speaking the truth in all things, then we must always be mindful that God is the only witness that ever matters.

My prayer this day is that I will always be filled with confidence to stand by whatever I have said, that I will always be sure that what I have said is enough. My prayer this day is that I will always remember that “winning” an argument, either online or off, is never a priority. My prayer this day is that I will always simply shrug off the mockery and the ill humor of others, that my focus will always be on God, and on speaking the truth, without worrying about what others think or say.

My prayer for you this day is that you also will always be filled with confidence to stand by whatever you have said, that you will always be sure that what you have said is enough. My prayer for you this day is that you also will always remember that “winning” an argument, either online or off, is never a priority. My prayer for you this day is that you also will always simply shrug off the mockery and the ill humor of others, that your focus will always be on God, and on speaking the truth, without worrying about what others think or say.

The only question that ever matters is whether or not we have spoken the truth—and that is not a question that will ever be answered by any other than God.

God alone judges what is true and what is false.

God alone sets the marker between what is right and what is wrong.

If God approves of what we have said, then the mockery of men is of no consequence.

If God disapproves of what we have said, then the praise of men is also of no consequence.

God is the only witness that ever matters, no matter what we say.

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Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a cripple, by what means this man has been healed, be it known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by him this man is standing before you well. This is the stone which was rejected by you builders, but which has become the head of the corner. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

Acts 4:8-12

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When the Apostles Peter and John went to the Temple on the Sabbath, they were confronted by a crippled beggar seeking alms. Instead, Peter healed him, and bid him get up and walk.

As one might expect, that drew quite the crowd at the gate to the Temple, so of course the two began preaching the Good News of Jesus’ Resurrection, exhorting those who would listen to seek forgiveness for their sins and embrace the Redemption found in Jesus.

As one might also expect, Caiphas and the priests of the temple were not pleased. They had been responsible for Jesus’ arrest and then His Crucifixion. Now His followers were proclaiming that He rose again from the dead—something a mere man obviously could not do.

Just as obviously, this would have been an extremely awkward moment. They had to wrestle with doubt. What if Peter and John were right, that Jesus was raised from the dead, and that He is the Son of God?

That would leave the priests of the Temple in a very parlous position. Trying to kill God is just not a good look for any priest!

We need no extraordinary insight to recognize the interest the priests of the Temple would have had in suppressing and silencing Peter and John. Even after being Crucified—moreso after the Crucifixion than before—Jesus posed a unique threat to the authority of the priests.

The priests of the Temple were supposed to be the mediators between God and His people Israel. They were the ones who entered the Holy of Holies, the most sacred part of the Temple, and the ones who offered sacrifices on behalf of the people. Their task was serious, and their responsibilities weighty.

Yet, as Jesus pointed out time and again throughout the Gospels, the priests and the Pharisees were still human, and still corrupt. Moreover, they had been corrupted. No matter the seriousness of the duties that lay before them, all too often the priests of the Temple exploited their position for their own gain.

Jesus’ teachings had made plain all the hypocrisies and corruptions that had overtaken the Temple priests. Peter, by preaching the Risen Jesus after the Temple priests had Crucified Him, was continuing Jesus’ none-too-subtle challenge to their position.

Peter’s challenge was obviously a threat to the priests, but it was also a dilemma to the crowd that was listening.

The role of the priests in ancient Judaism was well defined in Mosaic Law. Their role as mediators between God and His people Israel was an assigned role, not an assumed one.

Yet there were literally hundreds who had witnessed Jesus Resurrected. The testimonies of so many of the Risen Jesus meant that when Peter proclaimed the Risen Jesus as the Son of God, he brought receipts.

The dilemma for the crowd at the Temple gate was simply this: to whom should they turn? Should they turn to the priests, the ones whose role and responsibility were explicitly ordained by God? Should they turn to Jesus, who through the Sign of Jonah made a good claim to be the Son of God?

Ultimately, it is Peter who provides the answer.

Peter does not claim he healed the crippled beggar through his own power, or even on his own authority. The healing power and authority came through Jesus. The healing power and authority were of God, not of Man.

Peter further points out that it is through Jesus and none other that Man is Redeemed. It is through Jesus and none other that all will be saved. It is Jesus and none other who is the Son of God.

This is the crucial difference between the message embodied in Caiphas and the priests of the Temple, and the message proclaimed by Peter:

Caiphas’ implicit message was “follow us”. Peter’s explicit message was “follow Jesus.”

The priests of the Temple wanted the people of Israel to follow them—to follow men. Peter, in preaching the Good News of Jesus Christ, wanted the people of Israel to follow God.

We need no profound revelation of faith to understand that, whenever the choice is between God and Man, the right choice is always God.

By the time of Jesus’ Ministry here on Earth, the priests of the Temple had turned away from their sacred duties, turning their mediating role into a position of worldly power and material gain.

Their eyes were not on God, but on the world. Their path was not towards God, but into the world. Their service was not about God, but about the world.

For the crowd at the Temple gate, and for all of us today, the right choice is always to look to God, not the world. The right path is always towards God and away from the world. The right service is always about God, never about the world.

Every day, in ways large and small, we are confronted with this same dilemma, presented with this same choice: trust in God, or trust in men.

Yet we already know the answer, for we know that God is perfect, and men are not—men make mistakes, men get things wrong, men sin. We know God does as He will, while men struggle to attempt what we wish. We know that God has all authority, while men foolishly claim the pretense of authority.

God is trustworthy. Men are not. That has always been the order of things.

My prayer this day is that all people everywhere will make the right choice in all things, that choice being always to turn to God. My prayer this day is that all people everywhere will have their hearts and their minds opened to the gift of Redemption promised by Jesus through His Crucifixion and Resurrection. My prayer this day is that all people everywhere will be blessed with the faith to put their trust in God and not in men.

Every day, in ways large and small, we are confronted with this one dilemma, presented with this one choice: trust in God, or trust in men.

Yet we already know the answer. We know that God is perfect, and men are not. We know God does as He will, while men struggle to attempt what we wish. We know that God has all authority, while men foolishly claim the pretense of authority.

God is trustworthy. Men are not. That has always been the order of things.

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In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God; all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

John 1:1-5

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I do not, as a general rule, care much for abstractions of theology.

By habit, by training, and by personality, I am a practical man. These sermons of mine are always oriented around how I can put the teachings of Scripture into practice in my daily life. My hope is they provide something useful for others to apply in their lives as well.

When I speak of forgiveness, I do so because we all stand in sore need of forgiveness, and we are all called to be forgiving in our daily lives (which is to say most of us probably need to be more forgiving than we are).

When I speak on authority, I do so because we all have to stand for ourselves, to judge right and wrong for ourselves, and we cannot outsource that work to anyone else. How we judge right and wrong is how we will live our lives in the here and now.

When it comes to many issues of theology, I generally do not care one way or another. Many theological abstractions such as “Penal Substitutionary Atonement”, or the notion of a predestined elect already set to inherit the Kingdom of Heaven, simply do not interest me. They do not alter how I apply Christian teachings in my daily life. They should not alter how others apply Christian teachings in their daily lives.

That application of Christian teachings is always my overarching concern. My concern is that we pray, not whether we should pray on one knee or two.

This will annoy some Christians, and surely add to the number who already denounce me as a heretic and blasphemer!

There are some points of theology, however, which I do see as relevant to how we put Christian faith into practice in a Christian life. One such point, which recently wandered across my very narrow attention span, was the concept of the Triune God—one God expressed as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Why does it matter?

It matters because if we are to pray effectively, if we are to cultivate the mindset conducive to prayer, we must be clear in our own minds to whom we pray.

It matters because if we are to worship with honesty and integrity, we must be clear in our own minds who it is whom we worship.

It matters because, when we submit before God, we need to be clear in our own minds who it is who receives our submission.

Is Jesus a different entity than God? Is the Holy Spirit separate and apart from God or Jesus? If we worship Jesus are we still worshiping God?

The answers to these questions, of course, must be found in Scripture, if they are to be found at all.

This is a challenge, because neither “trinity” nor “triune” appears in any translation of Scripture in relation to God. There is no verse which explicitly says “God is in Three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.” There is no verse which explicitly says “God is the Father. God is not the Son. God is not the Holy Spirit.”

There are verses which do shed light on how Jesus presented Himself in relation to God. There are verses which shed light on how God presented Jesus and the Holy Spirit in relation to Himself. From these we must discern how to apprehend Jesus and the Holy Spirit in relation to God. From these we must apprehend the nature of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

In Luke 1, the angel Gabriel appears before Mary, and tells her the Holy Spirit will cause her to conceive, though still a virgin, and the child she bears will be the Son of God.

In this passage we have three divine entities portrayed: God, Jesus (the Son of God), and the Holy Spirit. The question we must ponder is whether these are in fact three separate entities, or instead three presentations of the same entity.

In Matthew 3, when Jesus receives baptism from John the Baptist, the same three presentations again appear. The Holy Spirit descends upon Jesus, and God declares that Jesus is His Son, with whom He is well pleased.

In Matthew 12, when Jesus is seen performing miracles and healing those possessed by demons, He informs His critics in the crowd that if Jesus is working through the power of the Holy Spirit, there must be unity and not diversity. Again, God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are referenced together.

Again we must ponder whether these passages present three separate entities, or three presentations of the same entity.

Jesus Himself provides an answer to that question in John 10:30 when He declares “I and the Father are one.”

Nor do we need to ponder how this statement landed on those whom Jesus addressed. The crowd around Him was outraged and attempted to stone Him for blasphemy. We know this because the crowd explicitly says this in John 10:33

They understood Jesus to be saying that He was indeed God. We can safely presume that Jesus was saying exactly that.

The crowd was similarly hostile to Jesus when, in John 8:58, He declared “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” The crowd recognized in Jesus’ words a reference to the passage in Exodus 3 when God appeared before Moses in the form of a burning bush, and God told Moses His name was “I Am Who I Am”.

The Gospel accounts do not indicate in either passage that Jesus sought to correct the crowd in their understanding, leaving us to conclude that the crowd understood Jesus correctly, even though they did not believe Him. As the crowd understood Jesus correctly, we must conclude Jesus said explicitly He is God.

When the disciple Philip begs of Jesus to show the disciples the Father in John 14, Jesus rebukes him, saying “He who has seen Me has seen the Father.” Jesus doubles down on this a few verses later, telling the disciples “Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father in me”.

In that passage not only do we not have Jesus correcting those around Him for their understanding of His words, we have Jesus correcting those around Him for their misunderstanding of who He truly is.

When Jesus is brought before the priests in Mark 14, the high priest asks Jesus directly “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?”, and Jesus replies equally directly, saying, “I am; and you will see the Son of man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.”

Jesus very explicitly claims divine status for himself in this passage.

If Jesus is divine—and He absolutely is—how do we apprehend him? This is no minor question, for the first of the Ten Commandments given to Moses is "you shall have no other gods before me.” If Jesus is not God, we cannot worship Him. If Jesus is God, we must worship Him.

Note that Jesus’ own disciples worshiped Him after He calmed the storm in Matthew 14. If Jesus is not God, His own disciples blasphemed.

When Jesus appeared to His disciples after His Resurrection, they again worshiped Him in Matthew 28. If Jesus is not God, His own disciples blasphemed.

Obviously, we cannot rationally conclude that Jesus’ own disciples blasphemed. Such a notion would explode the whole of the New Testament. As we are compelled to conclude Jesus’ disciples did not blaspheme, we are also compelled to conclude that Jesus is God.

Jesus, the only begotten Son, is therefore God.

God the Father is of course God.

Is the Holy Spirit also God? Necessarily so—and easily so. The opening passage of John leaves little room for alternative interpretations.

The Great Commission at the close of Matthew also leaves little doubt that God as presented in Scripture is the Triune God, manifesting as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. As there can be only one God, Jesus explicitly charging His disciples to baptize all nations “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” demands that Father, Son, and Holy Spirit all be manifestations of God. Any other formulation runs counter to the First Commandment.

The First Commandment is why we are compelled to ponder this question. The First Commandment is why we are compelled to apprehend God as presented in Scripture as the Triune God. The First Commandment is why, as we worship God, we worship Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

We worship God.

We do not worship saints.

We do not worship angels.

We certainly do not worship the inventions of men!

We can only worship Father, Son, and Holy Spirit if all three are manifestations of God. We can only baptize—or be baptized—in the name of all three if all three are manifestations of God.

We must worship Father, Son, and Holy Spirit if all three are manifestations of God. We must baptize—or be baptized— in the name of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit if all three are manifestations of God.

The Gospels are clear on this. All three are manifestations of one God, and He is God. We worship all three because we worship one God, and He is God. We must worship all three because we worship one God, and He is God.

My prayer this day is that all people everywhere will come together and worship God—God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit—for He is God. My prayer this day is that all people everywhere will have their eyes opened to the Triune wonder of God, that He presents in three manifestations yet is always one God. My prayer this day is that all people everywhere will seek God as He presents to us, as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and will come to know God in all three manifestations.

Jesus, the only begotten Son, is God.

God the Father is of course God.

The Holy Spirit is God.

All three are manifestations of one God, and He is God. We worship all three because we worship one God, and He is God.

We have but one God, and He is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

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Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.”

Matthew 18:21-22

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One teaching of Jesus which is reiterated throughout the Gospel accounts of His ministry here on Earth is that we are to forgive one another for our many mistakes.

We are going to screw up. We are going to hurt people. We are going to sin.

If you are living anywhere other than a deserted island, your own life experience is frank testimony to this. People have sinned against you, and you have sinned against other people. We have all sinned against God.

Yet no matter how many times we fall off the path, no matter how many times we sin, God's promise to us is clear: He forgives us for our sins.

We do not have to wonder if we are forgiven. We are told repeatedly by the prophets of the Old Testament that God offers us forgiveness. In the closing chapter of Amos, God promises to forgive the people of Israel and restore their cities. In the opening chapter of Isaiah God calls us to reason, promising that forgiveness is there if we will simply accept it, accept that we have sinned, and resolve to stop sinning. Psalm 32 is a celebration of the healing wonder of God's forgiveness.

God will deliver just consequence for every sin, but at the end is always His forgiveness.

We are told repeatedly by Jesus throughout the Gospels that we are forgiven. When Jesus heals the paralytic in Mark 2 He does so simply by saying “your sins are forgiven.” One chapter later, in Mark 3:28, Jesus expressly pledges that all sins committed by men will be forgiven. Jesus calls out to God to forgive the Roman soldiers nailing Him to the cross as they crucify him in Luke 23.

Forgiveness is God's eternal promise to us.

We are also told in both the Old Testament and the Gospels that because we are offered forgiveness by God, we are called to offer forgiveness to each other as well. The commandment in Leviticus 19 is unmistakable: we should not hate one another, but rather we should reason out our differences in a spirit of love, mercy, and compassion. The Lord's Prayer from Matthew 6 is a constant reminder that we are called to forgive one another for all of the many hurts we do to each other.

Moreover, we are not told that forgiveness is earned. We are told that forgiveness is given. It is given to us by God. We are to give it to each other. Jesus followed up His admonition to Peter about forgiveness with the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant, where one who would not forgive the debt of another was held harshly to account for his own debts and transgressions, a clear teaching that we are all called to forgive one another.

As many times as we ourselves sin, as many times as we ourselves need to be forgiven by God, that many times at least must we forgive each other.

Yet we are not told to passively be hurt and preyed upon by others. As much as Jesus calls us to forgiveness, so, too, he calls us to stand fast in the presence of evil, to oppose oppression, and defend the defenseless within our midst.

Jesus was not passive when asked to judge the woman caught in adultery in John 8. With wisdom and grace, He used the law to show mercy to the accused, and to confront the hypocrisy of the accusers.

Jesus was not afraid to confront the hard-heartedness of the Pharisees when He healed a man's withered hand in Mark 3.

Jesus was not afraid to throw down to drive the money changers from the Temple in Matthew 21.

We are called to forgive one another our transgressions. We are not called to ignore them.

Yet is that not what forgiveness fundamentally is? Does not God promise in Jeremiah 31:34 that He will form a new covenant with Israel, that He will “forgive their iniquity and…remember their sin no more”? In Hosea 14 God's assurance of forgiveness is filled with promises of hope, of healing, and abundance, not warnings of limits and continued consequences.

If God forgets our transgressions, should we not do likewise?

But does God “forget” anything? How—or why—would God, who we are assured knew each of us even before we were born, forget anything about us?

We must remember that forgetting is not simply letting go of knowledge and ceasing to remember. A quick consultation with Merriam-Webster reminds us that forgetting is also an intentional choice to not notice. Forgetting is not turning a blind eye towards something, but deliberately looking past that something to focus elsewhere.

When God forgives, He chooses not to see our sins. He chooses to see instead perhaps our repentance, or maybe our piety.

When God forgives He chooses to look not at our past, but at our future. His focus is not on what we have done, but what we will do. In Jeremiah 29:11 He reminds the exiled Israelites that He still has plans for them, still intends that they have a future. The Apostle Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 2:7 that God already knows all that will happen in our lives.

Throughout Scripture, God looks ahead to Man’s future. He does not look back to Man’s past.

When we forgive one another surely we should do likewise. When we forgive, we should understand that we are choosing to look not into the past but into the future. When we forgive we choose to focus not on what people have done, but on what they will do.

The Apostle Paul reminds us that this is what we should do in Ephesians 4, when he calls upon the church in Ephesus to come together in unity, and “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, with all malice, and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”

Paul calls on not just the church in Ephesus but all of us to choose to let go of anger and hatred, and look to those around us with mercy and compassion.

Paul reminds us of this again in Colossians 3, pointing out that as we are called to new life in Jesus Christ, so, too, are we called to practice forbearance and forgiveness where before we might have practiced vengeance and anger.

No matter how we have been hurt by others, no matter how people have sinned against us, we are called by God to make the conscious choice to look past what has been done, to look ahead to what may be done.

What of the one who, having sinned in the past, does not seek reconciliation, and shows no remorse or repentance? What of the one who, having sinned in the past, chooses to continue to sin against you in the future?

How can we forgive a man who will not repent, will not change, and will keep hurting us? We can’t. That man’s choices place him beyond forgiveness.

If a man rejects God’s forgiveness, he remains unforgiven. The Apostle John makes this clear in 1 John 1:9, that we must confess our sins and acknowledge what we have done, if we are to be forgiven by God. If we deny that we have sinned, if we deny that we need to be forgiven, then we are not forgiven.

Likewise if a man rejects your forgiveness, then he does not have your forgiveness. If you offer and he does not accept, he remains unforgiven by you—by his choice and not by yours.

It is not on any of us what others do when we choose to forgive them. The choice to accept or to reject is a choice others get to make, regardless of how we have chosen. The person who chooses to reject our forgiveness is a person who chooses a path which leads them away from us, just as if we reject God’s forgiveness we choose a path which leads us away from God.

Whether others choose to accept or reject our forgiveness, our calling is always to offer forgiveness freely—not just “seven times”, but “seventy times seven.”

My prayer this day is that I will always be mindful that we are all called to choose forgiveness. My prayer this day is that I will always have the courage and the character to choose to look past what has been done in the past, and choose to focus on what may be done in the future. My prayer this day is that I will always have the discipline to answer that calling to forgive, not just seven times but seventy times seven.

My prayer for you this day is that you also will always be mindful that we are all called to choose forgiveness. My prayer for you this day is that you also will always have the courage and the character to choose to look past what has been done in the past, and choose to focus on what may be done in the future. My prayer for you this day is that you also will always have the discipline to answer that calling to forgive, not just seven times but seventy times seven.

No matter how we have been hurt by others, no matter how people have sinned against us, we are called by God to make the conscious choice to look past what has been done, to look ahead to what may be done.

It is not on any of us what others do when we make that choice to forgive. The person who chooses to reject our forgiveness is a person who chooses a path which leads them away from us, just as if we reject God’s forgiveness we choose a path which leads us away from God.

Whether others choose to accept or reject our forgiveness, our calling is always to offer forgiveness freely—not just seven times, but seventy times seven.

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In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the Spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters.

Genesis 1:1-2

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One of the more frequent challenges I see on social media is the persistent demand of atheists that Christians offer up some solid evidence that God is real, that God exists. In my experience, they seem far more concerned that Christianity be false than atheism be true.

Christians would do well to realize how utterly absurd this demand for proof of God truly is. Not only is God real, it is patently obvious God is real. The world around us is proof positive God is real. We are proof positive God is real.

It is not the Bible which assures us God is real. It is our physical world, and even our physical selves which prove God is real.

The beginning of the Book of Genesis lays out a foundational premise: God created the heavens and the earth. Put another way, God created the universe and everything within it.

Is this a statement we must take on faith, or can reason and evidence establish its veracity?

Atheists will argue that it is a statement of faith, asserting that Christians can offer no evidence to support it as a factual claim.

Reality says that assertion is pure hokum.

In every aspect of science, from mathematics to physics to chemistry to biology, one principle is made abundantly clear: there is structure and order to the universe.

Mathematics, with discoveries of branches such as chaos theory, shows that nothing in this universe is random or even truly chaotic. Rules and principles govern even those phenomena which appear most random—which means those phenomena are not at all random.

The universe is surprising. It is certainly beyond our capacity to predict in most respects. Yet even in its unpredictability it is demonstrably an ordered and rational domain.

As the universe is ordered, there is necessarily an ordainer, an entity who decreed that the universe should be thus. Is it really so difficult to acknowledge that entity is God?

The First Law of Thermodynamics states that energy is never created nor destroyed within the universe, and that it merely changes forms. A related principle, the Law of Conservation of Matter, likewise holds that matter is never created nor destroyed within the universe; it merely changes forms.

These scientific laws, well established and beyond all dispute, lead inexorably to the conclusion, also beyond all dispute, that “something” can never arise from “nothing”. If matter and energy are never created or destroyed, it is impossible for the universe to have emerged from nothing.

Again, we are left with the inevitability that there must be a “something” from which the universe emerged, an entity who created the universe. Is it really so difficult to acknowledge that entity is God?

The Second Law of Thermodynamics states that in any closed system, free energy (or potential energy) proceeds towards zero, while entropy—a measure of disorder or uncertainty within a system—proceeds towards a maximum. Stated more abstractly, this principle tells us that every closed system proceeds towards equilibrium. Metaphysically, this principle tells us that all closed systems invariably decay when left to themselves, that order invariably devolves into chaos.

If order proceeds towards chaos and not the reverse, then our ordered, structured universe cannot have happened on its own. All order must be created—it must be ordained; there is not a second option.

Once more we come to the inevitability that there must some entity who organized and structured the universe, who ordained and thus maintains its order. Is it really so difficult to acknowledge that entity is God?

Even the science of biology is replete with demonstrations that ours is a created universe, and that we ourselves are created beings. For that we need look no further than our own human DNA.

Deoxyribonucleic acid is widely described in scientific and medical literature as the molecule which contains the instructions an organism needs to function, develop, and reproduce. Segments of DNA, called genes, carry specific instructions for making or activating specific proteins within a cell, guiding cellular life and charting the growth and development of an organism’s body. Within each cell of a human body is a collection of 46 such molecules, called chromosomes, which are the complete genetic code for an individual human being.

I will reiterate that these descriptions of DNA as “instructions” and “genetic code” are the language biologists themselves use when discussing DNA. DNA as a biological programming language is the literal understanding of DNA by biologists around the world.

How is it plausible to assert that there is any sort of programming without there also being a programmer? If we look at a snippet of computer programming code, do we not take it for granted that it is the handiwork of a programmer? We certainly do not assume that computer programming code arises spontaneously.

Why would anyone argue that it is more rational, more “scientific”, to assume that the biological programming code which is our own human DNA arises spontaneously?

That DNA is the instruction set for a biological organism brings us yet again to the inevitability that this biological programming code necessarily has a programmer—that some entity wrote that code into the cells of every living creature on Earth. Is it really so difficult to acknowledge that entity is God?

Take note that I am making reference to what is known and understood in science, not theology. I am not discussing Biblical apprehensions of science, but how these scientific principles are discussed and taught by scientists themselves, without regard to their particular religious beliefs. Every single point I have made can be found in scientific literature.

Individually, each scientific discipline in its own way points invariably to the existence of a creator God who is the author of all existence. Collectively, science as a whole is a mountain of irrefutable evidence that God is real, that God exists, and that God created the heavens, the earth, and all that lies within.

Perversely, the atheistic declaration that there is no God relies more completely on faith than the theistic declaration that there is a God. The theist has the advantage of science—of reason and evidence—to complement their faith. The atheist is compelled to reject science, reject reason, and reject evidence to keep their faith.

My prayer on every day is that Christians everywhere may have the confidence their faith deserves, that Christians everywhere will understand that God is not merely proven by faith, but by science, by reason, and by evidence. My prayer on every day is that Christians everywhere will confidently address the foolish and fatuous claims of atheists that there is no evidence of God by pointing out that the universe is itself irrefutable proof of His existence. My prayer on every day is that Christians everywhere will educate others on the wondrous reality that is our created universe, and that we are indisputably God’s creation, and His blessed children.

The beginning of the Book of Genesis lays out a foundational premise: God created the heavens and the earth.

Each scientific discipline individually, and all of science collectively, is irrefutable, indisputable, absolutely conclusive proof positive that the opening of the Book of Genesis is inarguably true.

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So Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking a king from him. He said, “These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen, and to run before his chariots; and he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to plow his ground and to reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots. He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his servants. He will take the tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and to his servants. He will take your menservants and maidservants, and the best of your cattle and your asses, and put them to his work. He will take the tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves. And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves; but the Lord will not answer you in that day.”

1 Samuel 8:10-18

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As a rule I prefer not to bring politics into my weekly Proverbs. I prefer to approach faith in a spirit of unity; politics all too often breeds a spirit of division.

Nevertheless there are moments when politics and faith intersect, when what is happening out in the world brings what is happening within one's faith into sharper focus. This weekend, being Independence Day weekend when America celebrates the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, is one such moment.

There has been much chatter on social media that America is a “Christian” nation, and that it is past time for America to return to its “Christian” roots. Recently I have even had micro debates with those professing a desire for the United States government to actively promote Christianity as the only true religion, with explicitly Christian teachings and ideals written into law. Those debates are the genesis of what I have to say here.

I am a Christian. To borrow from the beginning of the Apostle's Creed, I believe in God the Father Almighty, the Creator of Heaven and Earth. I believe in His only begotten Son Jesus Christ, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, and born of the Virgin Mary.

Being Christian, I naturally want everyone to embrace the Good News that is Jesus Christ. I take seriously the Great Commission Jesus has given His followers to make disciples of every nation.

If you are not now Christian, my hope is that my words will inspire you to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, and embrace the Redemption He gifted all of us on the Cross at Calvary. If you are not now Christian, my desire is that God will soften your heart and open it that you might accept the gift of His Forgiveness, that you might be born again and be saved from death and eternal damnation.

If you are Christian, my hope is that my words will inspire you to seek greater passion and purpose in your faith. My desire is that you will be awakened to God's calling to be continually reborn, transformed by faith that you may seek God with ever greater devotion, and be ever more committed to the path that leads towards Him and away from sin.

Being Christian, I naturally want to see America be a nation of Christians. I want America to be a nation in which the people and the culture reflect all that Jesus taught His disciples during His ministry here on Earth. I believe that would be the very best outcome for every American.

I am all too aware that this is not a description of America as a nation today. Regardless of America’s past, America's present is not that of a Christian nation. Our social mores and our culture are focused on self indulgence, on ego gratification, on crass and destructive greed, and not on seeking God, following God's Law, and submitting to God's Will.

God willing, America may yet turn away from the degenerate and sinful pursuits popularized by modern culture, but it has yet to do so as a society. I pray daily for that to change.

As a follower of Christ, I do not want to see America’s laws, or any nation's laws, written in an explicitly religious context, let alone a Christian one. As a follower of Christ, I recognize that “Christian government” is a contradiction in terms. As a follower of Christ, I realize that we are called to follow God and not men, that man's laws are a pale, superfluous, and irrelevant imitation of God's perfect Law, which is the only true law.

The whole of Scripture teaches us that human government does not ever work the way we hope that it will. For all of mankind's best efforts and best intentions, men make poor governors and worse rulers.

This was Samuel's prophetic warning to the Israelites when they clamored for a king. Government is coercive. Government is corrupt. Government is oppressive. Left to itself, government will invariably tend towards authoritarianism.

Government is at best a necessary evil, and generally more evil than necessary.

This was Samuel's warning to the Israelites. Let it be a warning to all people in the world today.

We need only look to the rest of Scripture to see the truth of this warning. The rulers who appear throughout the Old Testament are hardly encouraging exemplars of human government.

Pharaoh was infamously hard of heart in Exodus, enslaving the Hebrew people before ordering the genocide of all male Hebrew infants.

King Saul began well as the first of Israel's kings, but sought to impose his will over what God commanded, spiraling down into sin, eventually dying ignominiously on the battlefield.

King David, for all his faith, sinned egregiously more than once, bringing a measure of chaos and civil war to the Kingdom of Israel.

King Solomon, celebrated for his wisdom, was seduced by his foreign wives to turn away from God, and so set in motion the events which would rend the Kingdom of Israel and eventually destroy it.

More than a few of the kings who came after Solomon, such as Ahab and Ahaz, were infamous for their evil and degenerate wickedness.

Even Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea, proved himself to be a feckless administrator more concerned with manipulating and then appeasing the crowd in Jerusalem than in hewing to any standard of governance or leadership.

Scripture does not present human government at all in glowing, positive terms.

Human history agrees with Scripture. What government at any point in history has not been corrupt, venal, and vicious? What government has not at least dabbled in tyranny and oppression?

What government even now inspires anyone to seek God and pursue righteousness? Take note: coercion via the law is not inspiration.

Even if we accept government as a necessary evil, government is never necessary for individual moral judgment. No matter how government is structured, no matter how laws are written, it falls on the individual to choose for themselves moral right and moral wrong, and to act accordingly. The closing verse of Judges reminds us that we cannot escape this essential duty.

We do well to recognize that individual accountability has always been foundational to God’s Law. Deuteronomy 24:16 is explicit that we are accountable only for our own sins, which is to say our own choices. We answer individually to God for all that we do; what purpose is left for human government in such circumstance?

We do well to also remember that Jesus Himself admonished His disciples in Matthew 20 not to fall prey to the corruptions visible in Gentile kings and other leaders, who lorded their authority over their subjects. Jesus in His teachings envisions the Christian community as a community of equals—He explicitly called His disciples to be “brethren” in Matthew 23:8.

As I preached last week, we do well to remember that Jesus cautions us to beware of any who promote human authority. Those who seek human authority are by definition putting ego ahead of Scripture, are putting ego ahead of God. It cannot be said often enough that Jesus has authority; men have no authority.

If men have no authority, then there is no basis for leveraging human government to enforce “Christian” laws. Indeed, if men have no authority (and they do not), the very premise that human government can in any way enforce any part of God’s Law is not merely ridiculous, it is unbiblical.

When we recall the Apostle Paul’s keen observation of the nature of the law in 1 Timothy 1:9-11, we very quickly see why human laws—even presumptively “Christian” ones—do not ever work as intended: laws by their nature only affect those who are prone to break them.

Laws are of no consequence for the Godly, who in faith strive to do right with or without the law. Laws are of great consequence for the un-Godly, the “lawless and disobedient” who are predisposed to break the law.

Moreover, as the Apostle Paul teaches in Romans 7:6, we are called not to live according to the law, but according to faith—to live a “new life of the Spirit.”

If we are devout in our faith, if we are true followers of Christ, we have no need of human laws to steer us towards Godly conduct. Our faith already serves us well in this regard.

Similarly, if we are not devout in our faith, if we are not true followers of Christ, then no human law can hope to steer us towards Godly conduct. Our hardened hearts will make that impossible.

Inevitably, we must acknowledge that if we follow God’s Law, human laws are superfluous, and if we reject God’s Law, human laws are irrelevant.

That does not leave any “Christian” role for government.

We do well to admit that we do not need government to build for us Christian communities. We build Christian communities for ourselves, without government, and nurture Christian culture within our communities, by how we live our lives.

We do well also to acknowledge that we should nurture Christian culture within our communities not because that is this nation’s heritage, but because we are Christians. If we were transported to any other land and compelled to form new communities there, the imperative to build up communities which nurture and support every person’s Christian faith would be just as great. The calling of the Great Commission to make believers of all nations wherever we are would be just as compelling, for it is rooted in Jesus, not in geography.

Regardless of what people apprehend about America’s historical foundations, America’s present is where we are called to build up Christian culture and Christian communities. America’s present is where we are called to bear true witness to the Good News that is Jesus Christ, His Crucifixion and Resurrection, and through His blood our Redemption.

Government is not called to bear that witness. Government, being government, cannot bear that witness. Only we as individuals can bear that witness. We have an absolute moral imperative to do exactly that, to bear that witness.

That absolute moral imperative also demands we shy away from seeking to leverage human government in any way to advance the Kingdom of Heaven here on Earth. We must remember that when Isaiah prophesied Christ’s coming, he foretold that the government would be on Christ’s shoulder. That which is laid upon the Christ is by definition not laid upon men.

Government is reserved—has always been reserved—to God and God alone. As mere men, our task is to bear witness to God’s perfect government. That is the essence of the Great Commission, to bring the peoples of all nations to joyful submission to God’s perfect government.

We must remember Isaiah further prophesied that, in time, “every knee shall bow” before God—which is to say every knee is not fated to bow before men.

Human government is not our destiny. God's perfect government is our destiny, either in our salvation or our damnation.

Today I pray a special prayer for these United States of America, that this nation may prosper as a glory to God. Today I say a special prayer for all Americans, that as we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, we are inspired to answer God’s call to let our light shine before the nations of the world, that they may see great works done by God through us and be inspired to give glory to God. Today I say a special prayer that people everywhere will be as inspired by the Declaration of Independence as were the Founding Fathers to stand firm in their freedom, stand fast against the evil forces which threaten humanity from every direction, and stand tall before God, that we may see God’s Kingdom established here on Earth.

As we are Christians, we absolutely should nurture Christian culture within our communities and across this great nation. We should do this not because America has a Christian heritage, but because we are Christians. The calling of the Great Commission to make believers of all nations wherever we are is rooted in Jesus not in geography.

As we are Christians, we should steer clear of the temptation to pretend that any government could possibly be a truly Christian government. We are called to follow God and not men.

We absolutely can make America a truly Christian nation, but we can only do that by living Christian lives molded by making Christian choices. When we are committed to that, we will find we have no need of either law or government, for we shall have God instead.

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Then said Jesus to the crowds and to his disciples, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat; so practice and observe whatever they tell you, but not what they do; for they preach, but do not practice. They bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with their finger. They do all their deeds to be seen by men; for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues, and salutations in the market places, and being called rabbi by men. But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brethren. And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. Neither be called masters, for you have one master, the Christ. He who is greatest among you shall be your servant; whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

Matthew 23:1-23

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Let me make one point clear straight away.

I am not an ordained minister. I am not the pastor of a church. I am not seeking to be the pastor of a church; I would question my fitness to be a pastor in the highly unlikely event I were asked become one.

I am not a professor of theology.

I am one man who reads the Bible and writes the thoughts that come into my mind, that I may share them with others.

If people read my words and are inspired to draw closer to God, that is good. That is my hope and my desire.

If people read my words, decide I am a raving lunatic, and opt to seek elsewhere for the path back to God, so be it. My control over the outcome of my writings ends the moment I share my writings with others. The feedback will be whatever it shall be.

I am a man, neither more nor less.

As a man, I am a sinner. In this regard you and I are the same. In this regard the Pope and I are the same. In this regard the pastor of every church on the face of this good Earth and I are the same.

We are all sinners. We have all fallen short of the glory of God.

I am troubled when I see presumptive Christians departing from the clear teaching of Jesus by according particular authority to ordinary people—ordinary sinners—with a title such as “pastor,” “reverend,” “minister,“ or any other title.

If we are not to be called “rabbi”, it follows just as surely as night follows day we are not to be called any similar title.

If we are to call no one “master”, it follows equally that we are not to behave as if we are masters.

If we are all brethren, it follows equally that no one can possess any authority over anyone else. Jesus has authority; men do not.

I am further troubled when I see such people claim Biblical support for their entitlement. They make the grave error of cherry picking verses and not reading Scripture holistically. They put a spin on their chosen verses which neither reason nor Scripture can support.

When someone argues as if a quote from Paul's Letters somehow supersedes Jesus’ explicit teachings in the Gospels, it is certain they are not reading Scripture holistically and putting verses in context.

I am troubled because such arguments in favor of human authority are foundationally egocentric. They conflate Man's desires with God's Will.

Arguments presuming human authority are simply false. Jesus has authority. Men do not.

A verse or even a passage says what it says; of that there can be no dispute. Yet the significance of what that verse or passage teaches is always reliant on the larger context that is the whole of Scripture. We cannot point to a single verse as if that is the complete teaching in and of itself. When we do that we are immediately led down a path that ends in contradiction and error.

It is true that Hebrews 13:17 says we should obey our church leaders. It says:

Obey your leaders and submit to them; for they are keeping watch over your souls, as men who will have to give account. Let them do this joyfully, and not sadly, for that would be of no advantage to you.

Note that the exhortation is that those anointed by the church to lead the church be able to lead “joyfully”. That is a plea to refrain from needless conflict. That is not a demand for blind obedience, but for prudence and commensality. That certainly is not a declaration that church leaders have particular authority over the brethren.

It is also true that an earlier verse, Hebrews 13:7 commends church leaders as exemplars of righteous faith. That verse says:

Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God; consider the outcome of their life, and imitate their faith.

The standard set forth in Hebrews 13 is not that a person who is the anointed leader of a church is definitionally good and endowed with unique authority over other men. The standard is that a person who by their life and by the fruits of their labors show they are a good person is who should be anointed to serve as the leader of a church. The standard is that those anointed by the church to lead the church should be supported by the church for the greater benefit of the church.

The title does not make the man. The man makes the title.

A title does not and cannot make any person worthy. Who they are and how they live makes a person worthy. The person whose faith has earned them the trust of the church community, whom the church community has asked to serve as its leader, has surely earned a greater respect of that same church community.

Yet that respect does not and should never extend to presuming such a person has any unique authority over the church community. Jesus has authority. Men do not.

If we are not reflecting what is in Scripture, if we are not amplifying what is taught in Scripture, then we are in error, our words have no merit and should be rejected. That is true whether a man is Pope, priest, pastor, or simply a man.

Likewise, if we are reflecting what is in Scripture, if we are amplifying what is taught in Scripture, then we are not in error, our words have merit and should be heeded. That is again true whether a man is Pope, priest, pastor, or simply a man.

1 Timothy 5:17 gives special commendation to “elders who rule well”, but surely to focus on honor given to those who excel in leadership without pausing to consider the meaning of “ruling well”—the essence of excellence in leadership—misses the point entirely, which is to acknowledge and celebrate extraordinary effort. Nor should we forget the very next verse amplifies this message by reminding us that “the laborer deserves his wages.”

One cannot read these verses in 1 Timothy in conjunction with the whole of Scripture and rationally conclude that church elders are in any regard in a position superior to the congregation as a whole. Those who carry out their designated tasks should be recognized for that effort. Those who perform extraordinary tasks, or perform their tasks extraordinarily well, should receive extraordinary recognition. That is not merely Scriptural, it is also common sense.

Bear in mind that Deuteronomy 17 instructed any who would be king over the Israelites to write down their own copy of the law, and to study it daily, that they might remember they are as beholden to the law as any of their subjects. Mosaic Law is clear on this point: the leader is not above those whom he leads, and he strays from the path the moment he thinks he is. Anyone who presumes a pastor has unique spiritual authority strays from the path for exactly the same reason.

We do well to remember that Jesus repeatedly condemned hypocritical and self-serving priests—condemnations which apply equally to egocentric pastors and ministers today.

He warned people against false prophets who used the pulpit for their own purposes, aptly calling them “ravenous wolves.”

He cautioned His disciples to “beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sad′ducees.”

He further condemned the scribes and Pharisees for their greed, highlighting that they “tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law, justice and mercy and faith.”

These are not teachings of Jesus which speak well of human authority. These are not teachings of Jesus which speak well in particular of authority claimed by priests and pastors.

These are teachings of Jesus which condemn the arrogance inherent in presuming human authority.

Nor should we ignore the disdain Jesus showed those willing to concede authority to others rather than think, act, and answer for themselves.

When the rich young man approached Jesus about what he should do to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, Jesus began His answer by rebuking the young man for his unctuousness. Rather than looking to God’s Word and God’s Law for guidance, the young man servilely asked Jesus—whom he apprehended to be a man and not the Son of God—to do his moral thinking for him. Jesus was not at all impressed by the young man.

Moreover, we often overlook that Jesus’ advice for the young man to sell all his possessions and give to the poor hearkens directly back to Deuteronomy 15. The standard God set for the Israelites always included making proper provision for the poor within the community.

We can safely presume that a wealthy man such as the one who sought Jesus’ counsel on getting into Heaven had far more than his own material needs required. Putting one’s excess back into the community was a clear moral duty for the Israelites and later the Jewish people. It is a moral duty for people today; giving of our excess is how we show compassion for the sick and mercy towards the poor.

Jesus did not make any additions to God's Law. Jesus reiterated and affirmed God's Law. Jesus challenged all people to actually follow God’s Law.

Following God’s Law does not require the intercession of a priest or pastor. As the closing verse of Judges reminds us, the standard has always been that we are tasked individually with choosing right from wrong and acting accordingly, for better or worse.

We are not called follow blindly. We are not called to substitute a preacher's words for our own. We are not called to substitute a pastor's thinking for our own.

We are called to follow God's Law. We are called to hear God's Word. We are called to be filled with God's Grace.

We are called to remember always that the title does not make the man. The man makes the title.

Most importantly we are called to be one Church, one congregation, one body of Christ. This is a repeated remonstrance of Paul, that we not be consumed with divisions and discord.

Paul argues explicitly against the divisions that come when we choose to follow men in 1 Corinthians 3. It takes no great theological insight to understand that when we put preeminence on a title, when we accord individuals particular authority, we immediately create division where we should foster unity.

Nor can we overlook one of Paul's most quoted lines, Galatians 3:28, in which he reminds us of Jesus’ teaching not to be consumed with title or position, as we are all one body in Christ. This verse is frequently cited as the powerful plea for unity that it is, and rightfully so.

We would do well to heed its message. We would do well to put aside thoughts of title and position, and thoughts of authority, that we might focus on what truly matters: God, God's Law, and God's Will.

The title does not make the man. The man makes the title.

My prayer today is that all of us may remember that we are called to follow God and not men. My prayer today is that all of us may be mindful that we are called to listen, to think, and to apprehend God’s Law for ourselves, that each of us might find themselves on the path which leads back to God. My prayer today is that all of us may be mindful that how we live our lives says far more about who we are than any title.

We are not called follow blindly. We are not called to substitute a preacher’s words for our own. We are not called to substitute a pastor’s thinking for our own.

We are called to follow God’s Law. We are called to hear God’s Word. We are called to be filled with God’s Grace.

We are called to remember always that the title does not make the man. The man makes the title.

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And he arose and came to his father. But while he was yet at a distance, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.

Luke 15:20

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In my experience, people want their fathers to be proud of them.

Fathers are the standard. Fathers are our first benchmark for what constitutes excellence. Fathers are traditionally the source of discipline in the household, as the Book of Proverbs reminds us. Fathers are presumed to set the example, and to point out the good path to their children.

It is only natural that we should desire the approval of our fathers. When we don't get that approval, that's not a good feeling.

This is a more difficult topic for me than most, as I am more than a little conflicted where my father is concerned. This one is personal.

My father was in most regards a good man. He was smart, he was practical, and he was not afraid of hard work to accomplish what he wanted—and he was an accomplished man.

I tend to believe there is more than a little of him in me, and therein lies the problem.

I am not being arrogant to say that I am smart. To quote iconic St Louis Cardinal pitching great Dizzy Dean, “if you can do it, it ain't bragging!”

My willingness to work hard is evidenced by how I have carved out various career paths for myself.

Whether or not I am practical is a question whose answer varies day to day!

But my father was also a hypocrite who made no secret of which of his sons he favored—and it was not me. Not being more like him left me perpetually on the outside looking in.

As a young man, I chose to walk away from him. I turned my back on my father and built my life without him.

I have built a successful and accomplished life, overall. I have been respected in my chosen professions. I have prospered. I have done well without any help from him.

After being very nearly killed in a car accident, I made the decision to reach out to my father and reconnect. At first he was glad to hear from me, but he also subtly made it clear that I might be his son, but whether I was family was open to debate. Far from the warm embrace the Prodigal Son’s father had for him, my father kept me very much at arm’s length.

What was not open to debate was that he had no regard whatsoever for my career choices or my professional successes. My choices had not been the choices he wanted me to make, and so were of no great significance to him. I remained a disappointment to him, not because I had not done well, but because I had not done as he wished.

At least, that was the gossip my sister-in-law's sister delighted in sharing, gossip which he did not deny.

So I walked away again. My father would never be proud of my accomplishments, but not because I am unaccomplished. My father would never be proud of me because my accomplishments did not matter to him. With no reason to remain, I left. I did not speak to my father again, and I do not regret that choice.

I never mattered to him, but it is impossible for him not to matter to me. Because he is me, in more than a few ways.

My father lives in me. From him I learned to think logically and practically in every situation. From him I get the stubborn streak that has carried me through a few rough patches. From him I learned that raising children into adults was serious work that needed to be done seriously.

That is the paradox of my father. There were never any joyous reunions as the Prodigal Son had with his father, but I cannot deny that my father took being a father seriously. He gave what was in him to give.

When I took on the challenge of raising my ex-wife's son's, I can honestly say that I gave what was in me to give, because that was what I had learned from my father.

When I am called to account for my life, I can point to my ex-wife's sons and honestly say “this much good I have done.” I can do that because of my father.

On this Father's Day, what shall I say of him? I can't speak smilingly of him, because my thoughts of him are not smiling thoughts.

Yet as a father, and as a man, he remains very much the standard. He is the benchmark in my life for both fatherly success and fatherly failure.

This is to me the nature of fathers and fatherhood. Fathers are men, neither more nor less. As men, fathers take on the ginormous challenge of raising children into adults. That is no easy challenge, and it is one at which we often both succeed and fail.

Fathers are men, and as men we are imperfect. Unlike our Heavenly Father who is perfect, we make mistakes.

As a stepfather there were times I was angry when I should have been calm. There were times I was harsh when I should have been gentle. Would my father have done any better? Frankly, I doubt it. I also doubt that he would have done any worse.

What shall I say of my father? He was a man, neither more nor less. Through his successes and his failures he did much to shape the man I am today, for better or worse. While I am not able to genuinely celebrate him, I do honor him, and I do respect him. And I pray I am not too much the hypocrite in saying so.

This Father's Day I have only a simple prayer. I pray that Fathers everywhere will be strengthened and lifted up, that the sons and daughters given into their care may prosper. I pray that their failures will not overcome their successes, that their sons and daughters will grow into good men and good women.I pray that they will be honored and celebrated for all that they do, for what they do is hard.

Fathers are men, neither more nor less. As men we are imperfect. Unlike our Heavenly Father who is perfect, we make mistakes.

Yet through both success and failure, fathers shape the next generation. In both victory and defeat, fathers remain our first and most relevant standard for excellence in all that we do.

To all the fathers, Happy Father's Day.

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But in the cities of these peoples that the Lord your God gives you for an inheritance, you shall save alive nothing that breathes, but you shall utterly destroy them, the Hittites and the Amorites, the Canaanites and the Per′izzites, the Hivites and the Jeb′usites, as the Lord your God has commanded; that they may not teach you to do according to all their abominable practices which they have done in the service of their gods, and so to sin against the Lord your God.

Deuteronomy 20:16-18

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When God commanded the Israelites on what to do with the peoples already in Canaan, He did not mince words. The command was to kill them all, without exception.

God, who has promised mercy and forgiveness to Jew and Gentile alike, decreed there should be only death for the Canaanite peoples.

That doesn't sound either merciful or forgiving. It sounds harsh, angry, and even cruel.

Why was God so unforgiving towards these people?

Scripture contains only a few details, but what details there are tell us the Canaanite peoples were not nice people.

This passage in Deuteronomy speaks of their “abominable practices”, which tells us their modes of worship were offensive to God.

Leviticus 18 and 20 speak of child sacrifice to the false god Moloch, very forcefully telling the Israelites never to adopt the practice.

Leviticus 20 goes on to warn the Israelites not to defile themselves, that the land might not “vomit” them out the way it rejected the Canaanite peoples, resulting in God commanding their extinction.

This was no idle threat, as God eventually demonstrated in the closing verses of 2 Kings, with the fall of Jerusalem and the deportations to Babylon. The Israelites, God's chosen people and the instrument by which the wicked Canaanites were removed from the land, were themselves removed from the land. The land “vomited” out the Israelites, just as it had vomited out the Canaanites. They defiled themselves with sin, and were expelled from the land.

In Leviticus 19, God is quite clear on His expectations for the Israelites: they are to keep themselves holy, just as God is holy.

This is God's expectation for all who would follow Him, and keep His Law. We are to keep ourselves holy, because God is holy.

We know from various passages in Scripture that the Canaanites, as well as the Phoenicians and other ancient peoples in the Levant, did not aspire to Godly holiness. In addition to the abomination of child sacrifice, they built altars and idols to false gods, profaning their holy places with idolatry and blasphemy.

God decreed that the practices and culture of the Canaanite peoples were not compatible with what He intended for the Israelites. Where the Canaanites were sinful, idolatrous, and evil, God desired the Israelites to be holy, righteous, and good. That is God's desire for all who would follow Him.

God further decreed that there should be no compromise, no alternative to the fate God chose for the Canaanites. These peoples were guilty of great and grievous sin in God’s eyes. They had defiled themselves and defiled the land through their worship of false gods and other “abominable practices.” The penalty for their very great sin was eradication.

Whether we are considering the fate of the Canaanites or the fates of peoples today, Scripture is unequivocal. Faith and righteousness are binary propositions. We either believe, or we do not. We follow either God or Mammon. We are either slaves to righteousness or slaves to sin.

There is no third option. There can be no middle ground.

Sin can never be compatible with holiness. Idolatry can never be compatible with righteousness. Good can never be compatible with evil.

This is also how we may be sure that we all fall short of the glory of God. We are all imperfect beings, prone to errors of all kinds. God is perfect, and God's glory is perfect. The slightest imperfection in any of us is more than enough to deny us that mantle of His glory. The smallest of sins is more than enough to leave us condemned before God's perfect Law.

Our salvation—literally our saving Grace—is that God chooses to forgive, and to wash away the stains of our sins and imperfections. By God's Mercy, we are cleansed, purified, and perfected, that we may be fit to enter His Kingdom.

While we are assured of salvation and the perfect Kingdom of Heaven, we still have to live for now in a most imperfect world. We still have to make choices about right and wrong, good and evil. We have to make choices today, in the herenow, not in the hereafter.

When we make our choices, the overarching teaching of Scripture is clear: Good can never be compatible with evil. If we do not make the good choice, by definition we have made the evil choice.

We cannot compromise with sin. We cannot recast sinfulness as righteousness.

How, then, are we to navigate this imperfect world? Comes the answer: carefully, thoughtfully, and deliberately. We are called to weigh and measure our choices before choosing the right choice.

We are reminded in Leviticus 19 to reason with our neighbors, and not simply lash out at them, that we might not be tempted into sin by our emotional incontinence.

We see in the closing chapters of Judges what happens when communities and societies fail to hew to this simple commandment to use our heads before our fists. In a fit of moral outrage the Israelites very nearly eradicated the entire tribe of Benjamin, and were forced to make some very awkward moral tradeoffs to keep God’s chosen people intact.

The Apostle Paul in Romans 13 similarly advised caution and care when dealing with those who presume to wield the rod of governing authority: give everyone that which they are due, and no more.

At the same time, Paul teaches in 1 Corinthians 10:25 not to go looking for evil—”Eat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any question on the ground of conscience.” So long as one can navigate the world with a clear conscience, one should do so.

Yet we should not pretend that we will never be confronted with evil. We should never presume we are somehow immune the temptations and vices of this world. We are not.

We will be tempted. We will be beset with evil choices as well as the evil acts of evil people.

We will be tempted. We will be forced to make choices. We will be forced to make hard choices. For every choice, God’s overarching command is clear: make the right choice, and do the right thing.

We are not called to make easy choices, or to take the path of least resistance. Very often we are called to make the hardest choice, and to take the path of greatest resistance, with the most obstacles.

Jesus Himself warned His followers—warns us even today—that doing that right thing may cost us dearly. If we truly choose to take up the cross and follow Him, that is a choice which may cost us our lives, can easily cost us comfort, wealth, and even friends.

Yet what alternative could there be? Regardless of how difficult the right path might be, what other path will lead us back to God? If we are not walking the right path back to God, by definition we are walking away from God.

If we are not doing the right thing, by definition we are doing the wrong thing—by definition we are sinning.

There is no third option. There can be no middle ground. Sin is not compatible with holiness. Idolatry is not compatible with righteousness. Good is not compatible with evil.

My prayer on every day is that I will have the courage and the vision to do the right thing in all things. My prayer on every day is that I will have the wisdom and the inspiration to show mercy and compassion towards my fellow human beings, without excusing and rationalizing away sin and wickedness. My prayer on every day is that I will have the strength and discipline to stick with the right path, no matter how big the obstacles lie ahead.

My prayer for you every day is that you also will have the courage and the vision to do the right thing in all things. My prayer for you every day is that you also will have the wisdom and the inspiration to show mercy and compassion towards your fellow human beings, without excusing and rationalizing away sin and wickedness. My prayer for you every day is that you also will have the strength and discipline to stick with the right path, no matter how big the obstacles lie ahead.

We are not called to make easy choices, or to take the path of least resistance. Very often we are called to make the hardest choice, and to take the path of greatest resistance, with the most obstacles.

When we make our choices, the overarching teaching of Scripture is clear: Good can never be compatible with evil. If we do not make the good choice, by definition we have made the evil choice.

We cannot recast sinfulness as righteousness. We cannot compromise with sin.

Good can never be compatible with evil.

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For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is the belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. But our commonwealth is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will change our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power which enables him even to subject all things to himself.

Philippians 3:18-21

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How do we distinguish what is good from what is evil?

How may we be certain we are adhering to God’s Law and not rationalizing our disobedience of God’s Law?

Certainly we can look to Scripture to know at least the letter of God’s Law. We can read in Exodus, in Leviticus, and in Deuteronomy what God requires of us. We can read in all the prophets of the Old Testament the cost and the consequence both of following God’s Law and rejecting God’s Law. We can read in the Gospels what Jesus taught about God’s Law and how we should keep God’s Law.

Yet when we look to Scripture we also see that simply knowing the letter of God’s Law is not enough.

Jesus Himself denounced the hypocritical legalisms of the Pharisees. As the Apostle Paul teaches in Romans, we have to carry out God’s Law, not simply know God’s Law. As the Apostle James points out, simply relying on the letter of God’s Law is sure to leave us condemned before God.

Even when we know God’s Law, we are still burdened with temptations and desires—with “thorns in the flesh”—which challenge our fidelity to God’s Law.

Temptation and desire certainly feel good, especially in the moment. Our many addictions, habits, and vices are indisputable testimony to this, even though they are hurtful to us. The Apostle Paul warned us of this very thing in 1 Corinthians 10, and advised us further in Romans 12 to always take excellent care of ourselves—self care is a moral duty to both ourselves and God.

The warning and the advice arise because, as good as temptation and desire feel, they are not what is good, for they are not what God requires of us.

We are human. We are imperfect. We are fallen.

We know temptation. We experience desire. We feel the tug of earthly pleasures pulling us off the path laid out before us by God’s Law, pulling us into temptation, delivering us into the hands of evil.

We are sinful.

That is part and parcel of what it means to be human.

We know God’s Law. We know what God requires of us. We simply do not want to do it, at least not all the time.

We know what is good. We are drawn instead to what feels good.

Such is the essence of sin—knowing what is good and choosing what feels good instead.

We sin, and yet who among us wants to suffer the full penalty of our sin? Who among us would blithely accept the penalty God’s Law demands of us for our sin?

At a minimum, we seek to make the atonements God calls us to make. Even though the sin offerings commanded in Leviticus are no longer feasible options, we at least understand the need to atone, both to God and to any who we may have wronged by our sin. We know we need to make such amends as we can to those whom we have hurt.

Yet how many times have any of us sought to rationalize away the need for such contrition? How many times have any of us argued at least with ourselves that it “wasn’t [our] fault”—when the action, the sin, and thus the fault are clearly ours?

How many times have we given half-hearted acceptance of God’s Law with endless variations of “yes, but…”?

How many times have we sought to convince ourselves that what feels good really is what is actually good, twisting and contorting God’s Law in support of our earthly and carnal desires?

Certainly we have only to pause to listen to any number of political messages to hear people of all political stripes attempting to convince us of this very thing, that somehow our immorality is really just misunderstood morality. Jesus warned us of such false prophets, warned us to look honestly and critically at what people do, and not be distracted by what they say.

Whether priest, pastor, or politician, such people seek to exploit our capacity for sin, turning it to their own perverse benefit. Such people tell us that what feels good really is good, even when Scripture says plainly that it is not at all good.

So we are constantly challenged to discern what is truly good from what we selfishly wish were good, that we might indulge our desires.

So we must constantly question ourselves, gauging both our actions and our intentions. Are we striving to be the light of the world, the calling Jesus gave everyone in His Sermon on the Mount? Are we seeking to bear witness to the Truth that is Jesus Christ, the Truth that is His Crucifixion and Resurrection?

Are we allowing ourselves to daily be born again into a life of renewal, of transformation, of growing closer to God?

Are we being courageous and hopeful? Are we instead being hesitant and fearful?

When the honest answers are not as we wish, are we willing to rededicate ourselves through prayer and serious study of God’s Word, that we might find our way back onto the path of righteousness that God has laid before us?

I know my honest answers are not always as I wish. I know I am sometimes more hesitant than I am hopeful, that I am frequently more fearful than I am courageous. I know that I am rarely the manner of man I want to be.

I also know that, if I can admit that much, if I can acknowledge that I do fall short of the glory of God, I can also accept God’s promised forgiveness, the Redemption Jesus gave all of us on the Cross at Calvary. I know that I can pray, study, reflect, and strive to keep pushing forward in search of that righteous path.

I know what is good. I know what feels good. I know that God will give me the strength to choose what is good and resist what feels good, if I will open my heart to Him.

My prayer this day is that God will grant me the strength to every day choose what is good, and reject what merely feels good. My prayer this day is that, when I stumble, God will lift me up yet again, setting my feet back on that righteous path He has laid before me. My prayer this day is that I will daily be willing to be born again into a new life of constant transformation, renewal, and hope.

My prayer for you this day is that God will grant you also the strength to every day choose what is good, and reject what merely feels good. My prayer for you this day is that, when you also stumble, God will lift you up yet again, setting your feet back on that righteous path He has laid before you. My prayer for you this day is that you also will daily be willing to be born again into a new life of constant transformation, renewal, and hope.

I know what is good. I know what feels good. I know that God will give me the strength to choose what is good and resist what feels good, if I will open my heart to Him.

I also know I am sometimes more hesitant than I am hopeful, that I am frequently more fearful than I am courageous. I know that I am rarely the manner of man I want to be.

Yet I know that, if I can admit that much, if I can acknowledge that I do fall short of the glory of God, I can also accept God’s promised forgiveness, the Redemption Jesus gave all of us on the Cross at Calvary. I know that I can pray, study, reflect, and strive to keep pushing forward in search of that righteous path.

We know what is good. We know what feels good. Our challenge is to embrace the one and reject the other.

With God, we can do exactly that.

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Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Let the day’s own trouble be sufficient for the day.

Matthew 6:34

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“One day at a time.”

I am certain that all of us have heard this credo multiple times. A mainstay of addiction recovery programs, this simple sentence has been celebrated seemingly forever as both a coping strategy for dealing with all that life can throw at us and a broad approach for emotionally healthy living.

How often do we remember that it is also what Jesus explicitly teaches us?

Yet Jesus also teaches in Luke 14 that we should plan ahead, to make sure we have what we need to complete a task before undertaking that task. How are we to do that if we are not thinking about anything past today?

A part of the answer surely lies in the reality that if we are seeking forgiveness, and striving to be reconciled back to God, we are by definition thinking about a good deal more than just today.

If we are weighing cost and consequence, that we might make good choices, we are thinking about a good deal more than just today.

If we are truly born again, born into a new life of continual transformation, we are absolutely thinking about a good deal more than just today. We are thinking about eternity. We are thinking about whether we will spend it in Heaven or in Hell.

If we are not thinking about such things, if we are not concerned with such things, how can we possibly claim to have been born again?

How can it be that Jesus would also teach us to live one day at a time?

The easy answer is to simply dismiss the seeming contradiction as just that, a contradiction, an example of supposed Biblical inconsistency.

The easy answer is a lazy answer. The easy answer is also a wrong answer.

To get a right answer we must understand an important precept of how to read and apprehend Scripture. Scripture must be read and understood holistically. Everything within Scripture must reconcile to everything within Scripture, without exception.

Contradictions are simply not possible within Scripture; God does not argue with Himself. If we are faced with a seeming contradiction then we are faced with a flaw in our own understanding. We are faced with our own lack of wisdom.

Thus we must reconcile the teaching to take the world one day at a time to the teaching to plan ahead and be mindful of spiritual and eternal things. We must begin with the predicate that these are not contradictory but complementary teachings, with the one feeding into and supporting the other.

How does one reconcile thinking about the future, about planning for the future, with living one day at a time, worrying only about today?

One thought comes to us from medieval theologian and Augustinian monk Thomas à Kempis, who observed in his classic “The Imitation of Christ” that “…wherever you go, you take yourself with you, and you will always find yourself.”

The more modern version: wherever you go, there you are.

We may think about the future. We probably should think about the future. We certainly are known to dwell on the past! Yet we always exist only in the present moment.

I am here, and now. There is no other place, no other time, where I can exist.

As I can only exist in this present moment, I can only act in this present moment. I cannot act some place else, because I am only here. I cannot act some “when” else, because again I am only now.

As I exist, and as I act, so must I necessarily choose. Whatever I choose to do, I choose it here, I choose it now.

I cannot possibly choose tomorrow, or the next day. I cannot choose again for any of my yesterdays.

It is not that the only choices I must make are the ones I make right now. It is that the only choices I can make are the ones I make right now.

Decisions I will be called to make tomorrow I can do nothing about until tomorrow. Decisions I was called to make yesterday have already been made, and I can do nothing to alter them.

Worrying about decisions I will be called to make tomorrow, or fretting over decisions I made either wisely or unwisely yesterday, is simply to worry about things which are beyond my power to change.

Yet as I make my choices today, as I make my decisions now, if I am to make the right choices, and the good decisions, I must be mindful about the direction in which my choices will take me.

Am I choosing to walk with God, or walk away from God? Am I choosing to obey His Law or defy His Law? Am I choosing to move along the right path or the wrong path?

In making each choice today, I am by definition choosing where I want to be tomorrow. I am choosing the path I will take from today forward. I am choosing the future I desire for myself.

Does it not make sense that I should focus on the choices I am called to make today?

Does it not make sense that I should put my energies into making good choices today rather than wasting them worrying about choices I cannot make until tomorrow, or fretting over choices I made yesterday?

Does it not make sense that we should deal with whatever is in front of us right now, and not be distracted with thoughts of what might come before us later?

We can easily see that, in order to make good choices today, we must calculate cost and consequence. We must look ahead that we might be sure we are choosing the right path. We must be mindful of where we want to go, at what destination we want to arrive.

The first best choice on every day must therefore be to focus on this day. The teaching Jesus gives us in Matthew 6 is the foundation of which Jesus speaks in Luke 14.

Choose for the future you want, but make your choice in the present, with your focus on the present.

My prayer this day is that I will always be mindful of what is before me today. My prayer this day is that I will always focus on living this day well. My prayer this day is that I will not be distracted by what may come before me tomorrow.

My prayer for you this day is that you also will always be mindful of what is before you today. My prayer for you this day is that you also will always focus on living this day well. My prayer for you this day is that you also will not be distracted by what may come before you tomorrow.

In order to make good choices today, we must calculate cost and consequence. We must look ahead that we might be sure we are choosing the right path. We must be mindful of where we want to go, at what destination we want to arrive.

The first best choice on every day must therefore be to focus on this day.

Choose for the future you want, but make your choice in the present, with your focus on the present. Choose today for today. Wait for tomorrow to choose tomorrow.

Take each day as it comes, one day at a time.

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And behold, one came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do, to have eternal life?” And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? One there is who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” He said to him, “Which?” And Jesus said, “You shall not kill, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” The young man said to him, “All these I have observed; what do I still lack?” Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful; for he had great possessions.

Matthew 19:16-22

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Are you willing to do the right thing, no matter how hard it is, no matter the cost?

That is not an idle question. It scarcely needs be said that doing the right thing frequently costs us material wealth and material comfort.

Doing the right thing has cost some people their lives.

It is an easy thing to say that doing the right thing is hard. It is an easy thing to say that we should not expect to be rewarded in this life for doing the right thing.

It is not an easy thing to put that idea into practice. Sacrifice often seems unnatural to us. Rationalizations abound as to why we should not forego comfort and ease for the sake of a principle.

How many reasons do you have for not giving money to a homeless person panhandling on the street?

How many reasons do you have for not intervening when you witness abusive behavior, or a crime being committed?

How many reasons do you have for not running towards danger?

To be sure, I do not know if you do these things or not. Certainly some people do these things at least some of the time. I do them some of the time.

I do not do them all the time. I doubt anyone does them all the time.

Should we do such things all the time? One could argue with conviction that we should.

We know we are called to have compassion for the poor. We know we are called to protect the weak. We know we are called to come to the aid of those who are in need.

Are we wrong when we do not do these things?

If we begin with a premise that we are called to help all who are in need, when we do not offer the help we cannot say we are answering the call.

Yet we are also called to take care of ourselves. We are called to present ourselves as a living sacrifice to God. We are called to be holy, for God is holy.

Without any doubt, we ourselves always number among those we are called to help.

Self care is a moral duty we owe both to ourselves and to God.

Where should we draw the line? When should we move from self care to self sacrifice?

I honestly do not know, not even for myself.

If I am being honest, I am quite likely to respond to Jesus’ counsel the same way the rich young man did—by refusing.

Will I be denied entry into God's Kingdom as a result? If God judges me to be one of the goats and not the sheep, that is exactly what will happen. Jesus tells us that will happen.

Will God judge me to be one of the goats and not the sheep? I honestly do not know.

Does it count if we at least strive to do these things? Will God still receive us kindly if we at least strive to follow His Law and answer His calling?

Proverbs teaches us that God does look at our intentions in addition to our actions. If we cultivate caring and compassion for others, that does count for something. Striving to show mercy and even basic respect matters, even if we do not always succeed, and especially if we make mistakes.

Priorities matter. Jesus quite clearly teaches us to put God and God’s Law above all else. If we will do this, we are assured that God will take care of the rest.

Jesus also warns us to be mindful about what we make important in our lives. If material wealth and prosperity are more important to us than following God’s Law and fulfilling God’s Will, such priorities will impact our choices and lead us down a path away from God.

We should not be deceived. We cannot merely pay lip service to the ideals within God’s Law, nor can we simply say “I tried”. Merely mouthing the words or saying what we think God wants to hear is rank hypocrisy—and we can be sure God will know when we are being hypocritical.

We are imperfect, we are going to make mistakes—we are going to sin—and so God in His Mercy does take into account that we at least strive to do the right thing. However, we must actually strive to do the right thing. Our effort has to be real and substantive, not simply performative. We have to approach our actions with the right heart and the right frame of mind. We have to do what is right not because we desire a reward, but simply because it is what is right.

We have to approach doing the right thing not with anger in our hearts, but with love—love of God as well as love for our fellow man. Not for nothing did Jesus admonish His followers to be reconciled with whomever they had even the smallest of disputes. Not for nothing did Jesus counsel His followers to leave their sacrificial gifts at the altar, and go first be reconciled to all who might have had reason to be angry with them.

We cannot rationalize away anger when it has filled our hearts. We cannot justify not feeling compassion for those around us needing a helping hand. We will have to answer for when we allow our hearts to harden even if we still go through the motions of doing what is right.

It might very well be that the rich young man speaking to Jesus understood this at least on some level. If he was being honest about himself, he was, by all normal human measures, a “good man”. Yet he still realized that something was still missing. All of his presumed “goodness” was not enough, and was not going to be enough. He knew he needed something more, and he plainly sought Jesus counsel about that “something more.”

Jesus responded by setting a high bar for moral excellence, and then inviting the rich young man to become one of His disciples. The rich young man declined the invitation.

He was not prepared to surrender his cherished creature comforts for the sake of doing that which was right and righteous. He was not willing to part with his material wealth, not even for the promise of spiritual wealth in the hereafter.

When presented with the choice between the pleasures of this world and the joys of the next, the rich young man chose the pleasures of this world.

We are always being presented with that same choice: pleasure now or joy later. We are always having to decide between this life and the life to come. Whether the moment is small, such as giving money to the homeless, or large, such as running towards danger simply because people are in danger, we are called to make a choice.

Which world shall we choose? Shall we choose this world or the next?

My prayer on every day is that, in that moment of choosing, I will make the right choice. My prayer on every day is that, in that moment of choosing, I will be strong enough to rise above the temptations around me, strong enough to ignore the thorns in my flesh, strong enough to keep to the right path. My prayer on every day is that, in that moment of choosing, I will be inspired to choose to follow God, to follow His Law and bend to His Will.

My prayer for you on every day is that, in that moment of choosing, you also will make the right choice. My prayer for you on every day is that, in that moment of choosing, you also will be strong enough to rise above the temptations around you, strong enough to ignore the thorns in your flesh, strong enough to keep to the right path. My prayer for you on every day is that, in that moment of choosing, you also will be inspired to choose to follow God, to follow His Law and bend to His Will.

When presented with the choice between the pleasures of this world and the joys of the next, the rich young man chose the pleasures of this world.

We are always being presented with that same choice: pleasure now or joy later. We are always having to decide between this life and the life to come. Whether the moment is small, such as giving money to the homeless, or large, such as running towards danger simply because people are in danger, we are called to make a choice.

Which world shall we choose? Shall we choose this world or the next?

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For I will take you from the nations, and gather you from all the countries, and bring you into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you; and I will take out of your flesh the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to observe my ordinances. You shall dwell in the land which I gave to your fathers; and you shall be my people, and I will be your God.

Ezekiel 36:24-28

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God's Wrath is what we get when we reject God's Law and defy God's Will.

God's Wrath is what we get when we sin.

God's Mercy is what we get when we repent of our sin and seek to be reconciled once more to Him.

God's Grace is the promise we have been given that forgiveness will come, that mercy will come, that reconciliation will happen.

God Himself described the Israelites as a “stiff-necked people”, an image of stubbornness and obstinacy which I suspect describes most people. We cling to our wants and desires even when we know what we want is not what God wants for us.

We have our “thorns in the flesh” coming between us and right behavior—between us and righteous behavior.

We know right from wrong. We know God’s Law, for we have been given His Law.

For each of us, knowing is never enough. We know, and we still sin, we still fall short of the Glory of God.

God knows this, and yet God has never not promised forgiveness and reconciliation.

He promised this in the first chapter of Isaiah, even as Isaiah was detailing the many sins and failings of God’s people Israel. If they would repent and return to Him, He promised to blot out their sins.

Despite the many sins of the Israelite people, God gave Isaiah a vision of Israel’s future greatness, of the bounty that was to come for Judah and Jerusalem. Even as God was pouring out His Wrath upon the Israelites, He still was promising them a great and prosperous future.

It was in a time of great tribulation for Israel, when King Ahaz was beset on all sides by the forces of Syria and Samaria, that God gave Isaiah the prophecy that Immanuel would come, a child who would deliver the people from all torment.

When Jeremiah denounced the many evils and degenerate sins into which Israel had fallen, he called simply for Israel to repent. With but simple repentance, God would forgive all sins and hold them against Israel no more.

Jeremiah was not shy about denouncing Israel’s evil, and calling the people out for their disobedience. Jeremiah was not hesitant to point out that Israel had earned a great punishment for its stubborn sinfulness.

Yet even as Israel wallowed in the depths of great sin and misery, God still held out the promise of future greatness. He pledged specifically to restore Israel to the land promised them.

Throughout all of Israel’s long history of sin and wickedness, God never forgot His people. God never abandoned His children.

That all might be redeemed and reconciled back to God, He sent His only begotten Son into the world, taking on human form that He might both die in perpetual atonement for all the world’s sins and then return from the dead, that He might overcome death itself, giving eternal life to all those who will only believe.

Israel is not alone in its history of sin and wickedness. Even a casual reading of human history tells us that sin and wickedness is the history of all mankind.

Sin and wickedness is my history. Sin and wickedness is your history. Sin and wickedness is all our history.

Yet God has never forgotten any of us. God has not forgotten you. God has not forgotten me.

God’s Grace, the promise that there will be mercy, there will be forgiveness, there will be reconciliation, endures.

God’s Mercy we already have, given when Jesus shed His blood on the Cross at Calvary, Redeeming us all with His perfect sacrifice.

Even as we from time to time endure God’s Wrath, the just consequence for everything we have done wrong—and for everything we continue to do wrong—His Mercy endures. Even when His Wrath has faded, His Mercy endures. After consequences have come and gone, God remains, waiting for us to be reconciled to Him once more.

Despite all the ways mankind manages to screw things up, no matter all the ways mankind manages to veer off into sin and wickedness, God’s promise of deliverance remains undiminished.

God will deliver His people—all His people—to the lands they were promised.

God will restore His people—all His people—to the inheritance they have been gifted.

God will save His children—all His children—reconciling them back to Himself.

This is the promise we have from God, and it is one He fulfills daily.

My prayer this day is that I will never lose sight of God’s promise. My prayer this day is that I will strive every day to be reconciled back to Him, embracing the forgiveness and redemption that are already offered, and already given. My prayer this day is that I will daily learn true repentance, and learn to stop doing the things I know God does not want me to do.

My prayer for you this day is that you also will never lose sight of God’s promise. My prayer for you this day is that you also will strive every day to be reconciled back to Him, embracing the forgiveness and redemption that are already offered, and already given. My prayer for you this day is that you also will daily learn true repentance, and learn to stop doing the things you know God does not want you to do.

Despite all the ways mankind manages to screw things up, no matter all the ways mankind manages to veer off into sin and wickedness, God’s promise of deliverance remains undiminished.

God will save His children—all His children—reconciling them back to Himself.

This is the promise we have from God, and it is one He fulfills daily.

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Her children rise up and call her blessed;

her husband also, and he praises her:

Proverbs 31:28

Each year we celebrate the second Sunday of May as Mother’s Day. This is the day we acknowledge mothers everywhere as a special blessing to us all.

We should celebrate mothers, not just today but on every day. Motherhood is how each generation comes to be. Without mothers, none of us would even exist.

We do not need Scripture to tell us that mothers are special. Scripture does remind us, however, that mothers are indeed special, indeed blessed, indeed a blessing to us all.

The closing chapter of the Book of Proverbs is an extended homily to mothers.

The opening of the Book of Samuel describes the passion and devotion of Samuel’s mother Hannah.

When Naomi and her daughter-in-law Ruth return to Israel, after both are left widowed, it is Naomi who guides and advises Ruth, that she might gain favor with Boaz, who ultimately marries her. Through the loyalty, love, and integrity of both Naomi and Ruth came Israel’s greatest King, David, as well as the royal House that bears his name—and through which Jesus Christ came into the world.

We are reminded of the faith and sacrifice demanded of mothers when Jochebed, the mother of Moses, placed the infant Moses in a basket on the Nile, letting him float into the presence of Pharaoh’s daughter, thus saving him from Pharaoh’s decree that all Hebrew male infants should be killed. Through her willingness to put Moses’ fate in God’s hands, Moses would eventually be called to lead the people of Israel out of bondage.

When Sarah, Abraham’s wife, laughs skeptically at God’s promise that Abraham would become a father of nations, He chides her, reminding her that mothers are a part of God’s plan.

Zechari′ah, the husband of previously barren Elizabeth, was struck dumb for the duration of her pregnancy, after the angel of the Lord had to remind him of the importance of mothers to what God ordains for the world.

As an angel would then relate to Mary, it would be through her child, Jesus, that mankind would be saved and restored to God.

Without the love, the devotion, the faith, and the sacrifice of each of these mothers, the great and heroic figures of the Bible would not come to be.

We do not need Scripture to remind us that mothers are a special blessing to us all. Even so, Scripture reminds us that mothers are also indispensable to God’s plan. All that He has ordained for humanity will unfold because there are mothers raising children, bringing into being each subsequent generation.

Scripture reminds us that mothers endure trials and challenges to raise their sons and daughters well. Mothers are a blessing to us all because motherhood itself is never an easy path.

We do not exaggerate to call mothers and motherhood a miracle unto themselves.

It is from my mother teaching me to read that I developed first a love of reading, and then a love of learning. Without that gift from her I would not be writing All Facts Matter, and I would not be writing this now. All that I am today, and certainly all that is good, is a blessing I have from my mother.

So my prayer this day is a simple prayer of thanksgiving for all the mothers in the world. My prayer this day is that all mothers everywhere may know that they are a blessing to us all, that they are to be celebrated and cherished. My prayer this day is that we all may pause to remember that motherhood is its own special miracle, through which boys and girls are raised up into men and women.

To all the mothers, Happy Mother’s Day!

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Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption; but he who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.

Galatians 6:7-8

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Choice begets action. Action begets reaction. Reaction begets consequence.

There is no part of the world where this sequence is not the eternal order of things. There is no part of the world where this is not God’s guiding principle for humanity.

I discuss choice quite often, and my reasoning for this is simple: choice is the starting point. Choice selects our actions. Choice frames the reactions which follow. Choice defines the consequences we receive.

Choices matter.

The closing verse to the Book of Judges reminds us that each of us has the power to choose for ourselves what is right and what is wrong. The grim story of corruption, vengeance and war which precedes that verse teaches us that we can all too easily make a complete mess of that choice, completely confusing ourselves as to what is right and what is wrong.

King David, for all his faults and sins, shows us that, even though we are imperfect and fallen, we can still choose well. He certainly chose well in facing Goliath. While he choose poorly in pursuing Bathsheba, he chose well in facing up to his mistakes.

Jonah chose poorly in rebelling against the task given him by God, but also chose to repent at least of his rebellion, if not his anger.

The Apostle Paul chose to persecute Christ’s early followers, until Jesus revealed to him on the road to Damascus that it was the Christians and not the Pharisees who were in truth keeping God’s Law. Paul chose to repent and become a leader in that same early church.

We are defined by our choices. Our fate is never an accident of birth, or the result of what others do. Our fate, in this life and in the life to come, is always molded by what we choose to do.

If we choose to uphold God’s Law and bend to God’s Will, our fate will be molded by that commitment to righteousness.

If we choose to defy God’s Law and oppose God’s Will, our fate will be molded by that rebellion.

If we choose one path, seeking happiness or perhaps material riches, we reject the other paths before us. If we go to the left we cannot take the path branching off to the right, and if we take the path on the right we cannot go to the left.

If we choose the path that takes us toward God, we are rejecting the paths which would take us away from God.

This is hardly remarkable or revolutionary doctrine. Jesus Himself made it clear that people had to choose whom they would follow in this world, God or Mammon.

Jesus also admonished His followers to be clear about their choices, and to define their choices with a simple “Yes” or “No”.

Choices matter.

Our choices matter, and our actions matter, because our consequences matter. Very few people, if any, are truly uncaring about the outcomes of what we do. We might not be concerned about all the outcomes of our actions, but invariably there are at least a few outcomes about which we are majorly concerned.

In almost every circumstance, we are not half as concerned about consequences as hindsight will tell us we should be.

When the tribes of Israel united in punitive war against their brethren the Benjamanites at the end of Judges, they did not intend the near-eradication of one of the tribes of Israel—but that was the outcome.

When David seduced Bathsheba, he did not intend to cause her husband Uriah to be killed—but that was the outcome.

When Jonah fled to Joppa and boarded a ship bound for Tarshish, fleeing the task God had set to him, he did not intend to be tossed into the sea and swallowed whole by a great fish or whale—but that was the outcome.

The Apostle Paul, when he persecuted the early Christians, did not intend to be confronted by Jesus on the road to Damascus, the enormity of his error thrust into his mind with traumatic suddenness—but that was the outcome.

It is these unintended outcomes, these consequences for which we do not plan, that drive many of our future choices. Because of unintended consequences, the Israelites had to agree to allow the surviving Benjaminites to abduct their daughters into forced marriages just to prevent the extinction of one of the Twelve Tribes. Because of unintended consequences, David, desperate after having impregnated Bathsheba, ordered her husband Uriah be left to die on the battlefield, just to conceal that adulterous liaison. Because of unintended consequences, Jonah, in spite of his anger and hatred towards Nineveh, complied with God’s instruction that he carry a warning to that city to end their wickedness or face God’s wrath. Because of unintended consequences, the Apostle Paul emerged from a three-day period of blindness determined to be the most passionate disciple of Jesus, determined to spread Jesus’ message of redemption and forgiveness to the entire Roman world.

But for the unintended consequences, the outcomes about which they did not care initially, the later choices by the Israelites, by David, by Jonah, and by Paul would not have been made.

What is certain is that there will always be consequences, both intended and unintended. Even seemingly “good” choices can produce unpleasant outcomes, and very often the morally right choices, the choices which conform to God’s Law, produce very unpleasant outcomes. Jesus was neither bluffing nor exaggerating when He invited His followers to “take up their cross”; He was reminding His followers that they would suffer horribly as a consequence of keeping to His path, but that also they would have a consequence of eternal life

Consequences matter. Outcomes matter. Actions matter.

Choices matter.

As the Apostle Paul reminds the Galatians, our choices are what determine actions, outcomes, and consequences. If we choose to indulge impulses and desires of the flesh, we are choosing a path that disregards God’s Law and invariably leads us away from God. If we choose to adhere to God’s Law, we are choosing a path that will lead us back to God.

The path of earthly desire has many pleasures.

The path of God’s Law has many challenges and obstacles.

We have to choose which path we will take, knowing we can only choose the one or the other.

We have to choose each day which path we will take, for the path we took yesterday need not be the path we take today, nor are we committed to that path tomorrow. If we took the wrong path yesterday, we can take the right path today.

Each day brings its own set of choices. Each day demands we choose which path we will take.

My prayer this day is that I will today be guided to make good choices, and not bad ones. My prayer this day is that I will today be inspired to choose to follow God’s Law, and to accept all the consequences that come, both pleasant and unpleasant. My prayer this day is that I will be mindful of the outcomes that arise from my choices, that I will weigh all of them prudently and deliberately, that I may choose them with intention and not by accident.

My prayer for you this day is that you also will today be guided to make good choices, and not bad ones. My prayer for you this day is that you also will today be inspired to choose to follow God’s Law, and to accept all the consequences that come, both pleasant and unpleasant. My prayer for you this day is that you also will be mindful of the outcomes that arise from your choices, that you will weigh all of them prudently and deliberately, that you may choose them with intention and not by accident.

Choice begets action. Action begets reaction. Reaction begets consequence.

This is the order of things.

Each day brings its own set of choices. Each day demands we choose which path we will take.

Choose carefully. Choose wisely.

Choices matter.

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