The Eyes, Ears and Face of the Lord

The Apostle Peter's epistles were written as a source of encouragement to the first century church which was experiencing great persecution under Emperor Nero. Peter knew first-hand the sufferings of Christ and also recalled that his friend and Savior revealed that he too would suffer in spreading the Gospel.

During our own seasons of struggle in our faith, we would be wise to remember 1 Peter 3:12-- For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those that do evil. This verse assures us that God is aware of everything we are facing and that he sees how we handle adversity. That his ears are open to our prayers fulfills the promise Jesus made that whatever we pray in His name, God will answer (John 14:13-14, 15:16, 16:23-26). We need to fight our battles on our knees and not in our own strength. God doesn't promise that we won't endure suffering, but he does promise to give us the grace we need to sustain us in times of need (1 Peter 5:10).

Seeing evil appear to triumph is often a huge source of discouragement, but Peter address that as well. He urges us to avoid speaking lies and spreading evil and instead pursue peace. (1 Peter 3:10-11). That the face of God is against those that do evil allows us to rest in the truth that his goodness and holiness surpass the powers of darkness. Christ's sacrificial death on the cross and resurrection from the dead assures us the ultimate victory over evil (v.18-22).

Notice the Response

To understand how God views mankind, sometimes we need to look no further than the Gospel recordings of Jesus' earthly ministry. Our Savior encountered people of all walks of life and in all types of spiritual need. By noticing his response to various situations we gain valuable insight into how God views human interaction.

To an inquisitive and possibly teachable Pharisee who asked him what was the greatest commandment, he replied in a way that pointed out how much his group had missed the mark: "you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself (Mark 12:30-31). To those who wanted to stone an adulteress, he said the one who was sinless could go first (John 8:7); a reminder that we in our sinful state aren't fit to pass judgment on others. Jesus later extended mercy to the same woman and commanded her to stop repeating her sin (v.9-11) which reminds us that forgiveness is ours when we repent but repentance also requires change on our part.

Jesus reacted with anger when the money-changers did business in the temple (Matthew 21:12-13) instead of revering it as a place of worship. He rebuked his disciples when they tried to keep children away (Matthew 19:13-15) which shows us that he is pleased when we seek him with the wonder of a child. When his followers were focused on personal greatness, he reminded them that the least would be first (Matthew 20:26-28) and humility was more important than pride of achievement.

Our Savior saved his harshest rebukes for the Pharisees; who abused their religious authority (Matthew 23:16-29) by focusing on legalistic traditions that actually hindered spiritual growth and revealed their blindness to who God really is. He forgave his friend Peter, who just three days earlier had denied him (John 21:15-23) which shows us the value of restored relationships. He showed patience with Thomas who had doubts (John 20:25-29) to remind us the importance of faith in things unseen.

There are many others, but you get the idea. Often the key to understanding the ways of God and seeing things the way he does is as simple as noticing the response of Christ.

Accept No Substitutes

In 2000, a book that tells the history of American advertising was published entitled "Accept No Substitutes". I find it ironic that an industry that usually thrives in enticing people to acquire material things that they want (but don't necessarily need) would have such a title. Why? Because there is an area of our lives that has nothing to do with material things that should be the one place where we accept no substitutes.

As followers of the person of Jesus Christ, we have a formidable enemy who has made it his goal to substitute God's best for his cheap and costly imitations. As early as the Garden of Even, Satan's bait-and-switch tactics began as he convinced Eve to disobey God and eat the forbidden fruit with the promise that you will not surely die (Genesis 3:4). Much like a clever ad agency, he plays on our desires and entices us to buy; never allowing us to see the fine print or the warning label that tells the real story behind the product.

Thankfully, we have a spiritual equivalent to Consumer Reports which allows us to make the necessary product evaluation. By taking our sinful desires and comparing them to what is revealed in God's Word, we will clearly see that what our enemy is offering as a can't miss, once in a lifetime, you deserve it, you can't live without it proposition is nothing more than a low-quality substitute. A substitute we should never accept.

In His Own Image

One of the most powerful Biblical truths is found in Genesis 1:27--So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. From this, there are several realities that we must allow to take shape in our lives.

First, we must realize that we are the prize of God's creation. We didn't evolve from some lower species; mankind was the centerpiece of God's creation. His intention was to bless us with dominion over every other living creature (v. 28-30). Up to this point in God's creation, He had deemed everything to be good. Then after God created man, He declared his creation to be very good (v. 31).

Secondly, we must realize that God cares for us and wants us to draw close to him (James 4:8). He knows our needs and stands ready to meet them (Luke 12:28-30). He doesn't want us to be afraid of what might happen, but rather He wants us to rest in the security of his everlasting goodness, mercy and grace (Isaiah 41:10, 13) (Romans 8:28). He wants us to boldy approach him in prayer so that we may find the peace that passes all understanding (Hebrews 4:16, Philippians 4:6-7).

And above all, God wants to transform us into the image of his Son, Jesus Christ. Because we are born with a sinful nature, God's desire for our lifetime is to grow in Christ-likeness; to allow our thoughts, words and actions to be modeled after the person of Jesus Christ. This allows us to be image-bearers of the One who created us in his own image.

Confession and Repentance

In dealing with the sin problem that has plagued mankind since the Garden, two things are needed from both God and man. God dealt with the sin problem by giving us both mercy and forgiveness through the shed blood of Christ. Our part involves confession and repentance. Confessing our sins and accepting Jesus' payment for our sin debt is part one and is usually the easier part (although a hardened heart doesn't see the need for confession). Part two--repentance--can be a little tougher to grasp, yet is absolutely essential.

Confessing means to admit our sin and see it as God sees it--as an offense to his holiness. Repenting means to feel sorrow for sin as to be disposed to change our life for the better. Without repentance--without a change in our life--we easily fall prey to the same sins over and over again. Notice what happened in John 8 as Jesus charged those who had brought the woman caught in adultery to cast the first stone if they themselves were without sin. When all who had accused her departed because they couldn't meet this impossible requirement, Jesus assured the woman of his forgiveness and commanded her to go and sin no more (v.11). Our Savior knew that repentance is the key to lasting change and victory over our sinful nature.

1 John 1:9 promises that God will forgive us and cleanse us if we confess our sins. 2 Peter 3:9 reminds us that God's desire is that no one should perish and that all would repent. God's already done his part. Now it's our turn.

Good Soil

The survival of any plant, flower or tree depends on how it is planted and the environment in which it is allowed to grow. The parable of the sower in Matthew 13 shows us three paths that a believer can take; depending on how their faith is rooted and developed. It speaks about the type of environment in which the truth is planted: rocky ground, among thorns or good soil.

A heart that was sown on rocky ground will hear the truth and joyfully receive it, but because of its lack of a strong root system, will wither under trial and persecution (v.20-21). A heart sown among thorns also hears the truth but quickly lets the thorns of unbiblical lies choke it out from lack of discernment (v.22). A heart sown on good soil is fertile in receiving the Gospel, is receptive to its ongoing teaching and continues to feed and nurture its root system so that is can continue to grow and bear fruit (v.23)

During the intense heat of the summer with no rainfall for days, weeds can continued to grow and thrive while desired plants and flowers continually need water and nurturing to survive. Our spiritual walk can also become choked out from the weeds and thorns of our enemies lies if we fail to plant ourselves in the good soil of God's Word and stay properly watered and fed.

What Your Children Need

Men of Integrity has a very powerful devotional theme this week: How to Be a Caring Dad. Woven throughout this week's writings is the notion that no matter what age they are, our children need two things--encouragement and unconditional love. So the question for God's men is this: Are you providing encouragement and unconditional love to your children? Or better yet, ask your children if they are getting these things from you.

Ephesians 6:4 is a crucial memory verse for every Christian dad---Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. Our children need to know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that we love them and are behind them no matter what. Setting unrealistic goals and expectations will tell our children that our love for them is performance-based and conditional. Sarcasm and criticism will quickly discourage our children and force them to seek approval and validation from other sources; which likely will not be God-honoring. If we don't demonstrate unconditional love to our children, how can we possibly expect them to understand the Gospel and accept Christ's unconditional love?

Our God-given role as fathers is to disciple our children in the instruction of the Lord. It starts by loving God with all of our heart, soul and might. It continues with taking God's Word and binding it to our hearts and allowing our children to see it make a difference in our lives. It is carried out by living and sharing life with our children and using every opportunity to pour Biblical truth into their hearts and minds (Deuteronomy 6:5-9). And finally, it is giving them the encouragement and the unconditional love that best comes from their Daddy!

God Shed His Grace on Thee

My wife Cheryl, my daughter Amanda and I enjoyed a fireworks show after the Blue Rocks game on Friday. During the show, a 10-year-old girl was singing a medley of patriotic songs which was truly a nice addition. As I was taking in the spectacular displays and enjoying the songs, my attention really zoned in on the words of "America the Beautiful".

Notice the marvel and awe in God's creation: Oh beautiful for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain. For purple mountain majesties, above the fruited plain. Notice the recognition of His favor upon a land that was founded by godly men who desired the freedom to worship Him: America! America! God shed his grace on thee. Notice the desire for His continued blessing: And crown thy good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea. There are actually eight verses to this incredible song of praise with six of them repeating the awesome truth that God shed his grace on thee.

God's grace on our country is not by accident, nor is it to be taken for granted. Our Heavenly Father has blessed America abundantly because we are a nation founded on His principles and His truth. As God's men, let us pray diligently for continued grace for our nation and claim the promise of 2 Chronicles 7:14--if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.