Low Living In High Places

 LOW LIVING IN HIGH PLACES

“But the thing that David had done displeased the LORD.” - 2 Samuel 11:27

As humans, we need others to keep us accountable. A person without accountability soon drifts far beyond the line of acceptable behavior. That is why we often hear reports of scandal and wrongdoing among those in lofty positions. When a man or woman reaches the highest job in their company, they tend to think they are no longer required to answer to others. When a person thinks like this, it is just a matter of time before they fall.

Church leaders are no different. There are some who've established churches and ministries and have seen these ministries reach large crowds. Thinking that they are not accountable to others, the behavior of such ministry leaders go off the rails. Soon we hear of their termination and humiliation. Moral, ethical and financial compromise has brought down many who thought they were invincible in their position.

We tend to think that such behavior is common only for our times, but that isn't so. The Scriptures reveal such a sad saga in the life of a prominent leader. His name was David. David was the King of Israel. He was a popular leader. He had led his army to victory numerous times. He was feared by his enemies. He was a man after God's own heart.

Yet David sinned. He sinned greatly. Rather than going to battle with his troops, he stayed home one day. While on his roof top, he watched a beautiful woman bathing. Her name was Bathsheba. Soon he committed adultery with her. A while later, she sent word to David that she was expecting his child. Yet that was not the end.

Bathsheba's husband, Uriah, was a soldier in David's army. Uriah was away at battle (where David should have been). In an attempt to cover-up his sin, David had Uriah brought back to the palace. Under the ruse of giving a report of the battle's progress, David had privately schemed for Uriah to return and be with his wife, so it would appear that her child was conceived during Uriah's visit. Yet Uriah was an honorable man. He refused to go home. He stayed at the palace, stating that it was wrong for him to go home when the other soldiers were on the battle line. David tried a second time to get Uriah to go home, yet the soldier refused.

Sounds like a bad soap opera, doesn't it? Yet David's scheming didn't stop there. He send Uriah back to battle. David had Uriah carry secret written instructions for the commander. The instructions were to have Uriah placed at a vulnerable point in the batter, then have the soldiers retreat. In other words, Uriah would be killed in battle. When word came back that Uriah had indeed died at war, Bathsheba went through her grieving period, then David married her. His cover-up seemed to work.

But God saw everything and wasn't pleased. David had plunged to the gutter of sin. His sin with Bathsheba was a hot-blooded sin, but his arrangement of Uriah's death was a cold-blooded, calculated sin.

To the people of Israel, Uriah died a hero and David did an honorable thing in marrying Uriah's widow. But God knew better.

A man after God's own heart became an adulterer and murderer. What a tragedy! A sad case of low living in high places.

These days, we aren't shocked when political leaders are exposed for their sin and corruption. Yet we should be. The bar for acceptable behavior has been lowered to such a depth that nearly anyone can be a public servant.

Yet the bigger issue is not in Washington, but our own hearts. It isn't the low living in our nation's capitol that should bother us, but our own low standards.

David sinned greatly against God, yet it took nearly a year before he would confess and repent of his sins. You may not be guilty of the crimes that David committed, but can you honestly say that you are clean before the Lord? Is everything right between you and others?

Although David ultimately sought and received God's forgiveness, he still had to reap what he had sown. There was a huge price attached to his transgressions. David's life was never the same after his fall.

Rather than condemning the low living in Hollywood or Washington, perhaps we need to focus on our own level of living. Lester Roloff used to say that the best Christians today would have been considered backsliders years ago. Yes, we may be satisfied that we are meeting our standard. Yet our standard tends to be much lower than God's.

God's standard is perfection. I can't reach that level on my own, what about you? That's why I need a Savior. His Name is Jesus. God is satisfied with the standard He reached. 

Be assured, in the highest of places (or any place), low living will never be acceptable.

Weeping Bitterly

 WEEPING BITTERLY

“And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And Peter went out, and wept bitterly.” - Luke 22:61-62

If you're like me, there are many things about your past that you deeply regret. Especially all those years wasted in sin. I could write volumes about the dumb things I've done. I relate with Charles Spurgeon, who once wrote, “While others are congratulating themselves, I have to sit humbly at the foot of the cross and marvel that I’m saved at all.”

In some cases, the failures experienced after salvation can bring similar regrets. Knowing that I've disappointed God brings great remorse. Yet God is not surprised by my sins. He is not caught off guard. He knows me better than I know myself. He knows what I am capable of --- both good and bad.

When Peter denied the Lord, it did not come as a shock to Jesus. In fact, Jesus had predicted it. Jesus told Peter that he would deny the Lord three times before the rooster crowed. This prophecy did not soften the level of regret that Peter suffered as a result of his sin. Like Esau learned years before, Peter found that the stew of sin has many bitter herbs.

The account of Peter's denial in the Gospel of Luke includes a notation that we are prone to overlook. After Peter's third denial of Jesus, Luke records, “And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter.” Can you image that? The very moment that Peter denied Jesus for the third time, our Lord turns and looks at him. In spite of the events of the trial and the obscurity that Peter tried to assume, the Lord knew what Peter had done and looked at him. This was probably just a momentary glance, but effective none the less.

Peter's denial of the Lord is a sad moment in the life of this disciple. Yet most of us can identify with him. No, we probably haven't denied the Lord just as he did, but we have failed our Lord in so many ways. We have fallen short many times, often through sins of commission. At other times, we've been guilty of sins of omission.

The Lord has given us two internal alarms to notify us when we sin: our conscience and the Holy Spirit. The Spirit troubles our conscience when we sin. It is like a red light on the dashboard of your car, alerting you that something is wrong.

Peter was convicted when he faced the reality of his sin. Rather than blaming others, making excuses or pretending he was innocent, Peter knew that he, alone, was responsible for his failure. The Bible says that he wept bitterly.  Most of us try to avoid eating humble pie. We feel that humility is beneath us. Yet humility is often the first step towards grace. Although we don't like to fall to the ground in humility, we are closer to the dirt than we realize. We came from the dirt and our bodies will return to the dirt. While we want to avoid humility, it is the path our Lord expects us to walk daily. We are closer to God in our humility than at any other point.

Peter wept tears of repentance. The crowd was unaware of his guilt. Apart from the Lord and Peter, no one knew of his great sin. Peter didn't weep because of the public shame it brought. He didn't weep because he failed to reach his own “potential,” or fell short of his own standards. He wept because he had sinned against his Lord. At that very moment he could have been a bold witness, he wilted in cowardice. The brash apostle was now beaten. Instead of being a leader, he was a loser.

Real repentance comes when a person realizes that he or she has sinned against the very One who loves them the most. Repentance leads to remorse. Repentance brings a person to a point of hating the very sin they've committed. Repentance is a change of mind that leads to a change of direction.

Peter's repentance is well documented. His tears were real. His remorse was deep. His regret was profound. Yet in just a few days, the one who denied the Lord three times would be preaching on the Day of Pentecost.

It is good to know that there is grace available for those who fail.  When a believer sins, other Christians tend to condemn them. While we should never condone sin, we must realize that God is merciful to those who fall.

If you feel like you have let God down, don't let the devil convince you that you can't be forgiven. If Peter could find forgiveness through the grace of our risen Redeemer, you can, too. Be genuine in your regret. Be thorough in your repentance. But don't let the tears of remorse blur your vision of God's abundant grace.

It could be that your best years of service are just ahead.

Coming Home

COMING HOME

“I will arise and go to my father.” - Luke 15:18

Among the many problems plaguing our society is the issue of disrespect. When I was growing up, I was taught to respect my parents, teachers and those in authority. These days, it is rather common to see children treat their parents with disrespect. They talk back to their parents and act selfishly. These children grow up to be adults that disrespect a boss at work (leading to unemployment), disrespect a spouse (resulting to divorce) and disrespect those in law enforcement (leading to legal issues). Thus, we see adults burning the American flag, leading riots and destroying property.

In the Bible, the poster boy for disrespect was the prodigal son. The disrespect he showed his father was sickening. When he came to age, the boy asked for his inheritance. Basically, he told his father he couldn't wait for him to die. He wanted his inheritance now. Furthermore, he let it be know that life at home was not good enough for him. Showing disrespect for his father and home, the boy took his inheritance and hit the road.

The Bible teaches us that we reap what we sow. The prodigal son was going to learn this lesson the hard way. At first, everything was going the way he wanted. He was living it up. He partied. He celebrated. He had a good time. Until the money ran out.

For the prodigal son, everything fell apart fast. He lost his money and his “friends.” Soon he found himself feeding swine. In fact, things got so bad that he envied the swine. They were eating better than he was.

Sin deceives. It promises much and delivers little. We think we are getting what we want only to discover that sin is like acid. It quickly eats away everything it touches. There are prodigal sons and daughters in our land today. Those who began with a bright future are now in the gutter. Those who seemed so brilliant have become fools. Some who were once beautiful are now skin and bones … a shell of what they once were.

Sin shows no mercy. It drags a person to the lowest depths and then prompts them to dig deeper. James put it this way. “But every man is tempt, he drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when is finished, bringeth forth death.”

The devil is diabolical. He tempts a person by telling him, “You can always seek forgiveness later,” and after the man sins, the same devil says, “You've sinned too much to be forgiven now.”

The prodigal son had lost everything. He had mistreated his family. He had lost his fortune. He lost a place to live. Now he is feeding swine. Not the kind of job you want to tell others about at the high school reunion.

Yet at his lowest point, the Bible says, “he came to himself.” We like to refer to this as a light bulb that comes on in his head. It is like waking up from a coma. The young man realized that his family is back home safe, sound and eating well. At that moment, he made the decision to go home.

This is where most people miss the mark. They would rather stay in the pig pen and claim that they don't need God or others. Most are too proud to admit that they need help. They are in trouble but blame others for their dilemma. Whether it is alcoholism, drug addiction, anger, lust, or some other sin, they refuse to leave the pig pen.

The prodigal son left the pig pen. He recited a speech to humbly offer his father. He would offer to become just a hired servant. There were four things that happened as part of his turnaround. He realized, remembered, repented and returned. He realized his situation. He remembered how he got in the mess while also remembering how good things were at home. He repented. He had a change of mind. He came to himself. Finally, he returned home.

The story of the prodigal son is really more about the father than the son. The father saw his son coming home. He saw him from afar. He must have been looking for him. He ran to meet his son. He welcomed him home as a son and threw a great party in celebration of his son's return.

The story teaches us about the depravity of sin and the grace of God. Despite the degree of the son's sin, the father had more than ample mercy to show him. As we celebrate Father's Day this weekend, let us rejoice that we have a Father who rejoices each time he welcomes a prodigal home.

Perhaps you are that prodigal. Maybe you've made bad decisions. Your hopes and dreams may be nothing but ashes. You've wasted many years in sin. It is incomprehensible that God would welcome you home. Yet He is looking for you. With arms wide open, He'll welcome you. He'll rejoice to see you coming.

Come home today.

The Miserable Minister

THE MISERABLE MINISTER

“But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.” - Jonah 1:3

In the world of business, we are told that the key to success is location, location, location. In other words, your business will have a significantly better chance to succeed in the right location than in a bad location.

Some say the same thing about ministry. Many mega-church pastors, church-growth gurus and seminary professors advise young preachers to seek the largest church possible in an area with the largest population. Sounds like great advice, doesn't it? Yet what if God wants you elsewhere?

In the Bible, there was a man who didn't like his ministry assignment. Jonah was divinely called to go to Nineveh and preach to that wicked city. Primarily out of prejudice, Jonah resisted the call. He decided to go in the opposite direction.

There aren't many sermons about disobedience these days. If there were, Jonah would be the prime example of this sin. If you looked up the word, “disobedience,” in the dictionary, it ought to have Jonah's picture included.

Jonah rebelled against the calling of God. This led Jonah down a path of misery. He was a miserable minister. Disobedience always takes you on a road that leads downward. Notice in Jonah 1:3 that Jonah, “went down to Joppa,” and “went down,” into the lowest part of the ship. Later, he would be going down in the ocean and down into the belly of a fish. Sin always takes you down.

Furthermore, Jonah paid a price for his disobedience. He had to pay the fare to go on the boat. He had to pay for his sins by being cast in the ocean. When swallowed by the great fish, he had to contemplate his actions in the filthy belly of the fish. It must have been disgusting. When he repented, the fish vomited him up on the land. That must have been a pleasant sight!

Jonah was one of the first street preachers in the Bible. When he entered Nineveh, he preached God's message through the city. When the people heard the message, revival came. The people repented and the city was spared.

Rather than rejoicing over the salvation of hundreds of people, Jonah had a chip on his shoulder. He was angry with God. Jonah didn't want to go to Nineveh. He didn't want to preach to them. His greatest fear was realized. He knew if he preached and the people repented, that God would spare them. He didn't want that. Jonah was a Jew. The people of Nineveh were enemies of the Jews. He wanted to see their destruction, not their salvation. He certainly didn't want any part of their salvation.

Jonah had a bad attitude. His hatred and prejudice kept him from being compassionate. His heart wasn't right.

Jonah was miserable throughout the entire book. God had the final word, expressing His compassion for the people of Nineveh. Jonah's heart had been far from the heart of God.

What about your heart? What about mine?

It is easy to be judgmental of Jonah, but if we were honest, we'd have to admit that there is a little bit of Jonah in all of us. We'd prefer to act superior and look down our pious nose at others. Yet God has a way of exposing the sin and deceit in our hearts.

The book of Jonah ends in an unusual way. We don't know much about Jonah's response to God's message. We know that Nineveh repented, but did Jonah?

What lessons do we learn from this miserable minister? First of all, we learn that God cares for people, even wicked people. He could have destroyed Nineveh without Jonah ever going there. He would have been just in doing so. Yet He cared enough to send a preacher to them. By the way, He could have destroyed us. He would have been just in doing this. I'm glad for those sent my way with His message, what about you?

Secondly, we learn that a spiritual awakening can come at any time … even in the worst of situations. Our nation is a mess right now. Evil is quickly destroying the fabric of our freedom. It seems unlikely that a spiritual awakening can occur in America. We are too evil. We've gone too far. Yet that was the case for Nineveh. Yet when they heard the bold preaching of Jonah, they repented. America would be wise to do the same.

Third, we learn that Jonah didn't sugar-coat his message. He preached a message of judgment. It wasn't a feel-good sermon. Yet it was God's message. God used that message to transform lives.

Although God was working in the lives of the people of Nineveh, He was also working in the life of a miserable minister. God was patiently teaching Jonah about love and grace. Jonah was stubborn, yet God was patient. Jonah's misery could have been avoided. Much of our misery is self-inflicted, too.

In this age of “cheap grace,” the subject of obedience is missing from many pulpits. Jonah was a disobedient preacher. Sometimes a preacher needs to repent himself. A preacher often has to preach to himself before he preaches to others.

Disobedience is a serious matter. God deserves better.

A Little Bit At A Time

A LITTLE BIT AT A TIME

“But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.” - James 1:14-15

Do you know someone who has really blown it? The best way to describe their situation is that everything has become an unholy mess. They've made bad decisions. Sin has taken its toll. They are reaping what they have sown. Perhaps their decisions even cost them their freedom.

Additionally, we've all known of high-profile ministers who've made news headlines because of their scandals and sins. Many of them were once effective ministers of the Gospel, but now are trying to pick up the pieces after a tsunami of sin has devastated everything.

How does a person get to such depths of disgrace?

To be honest, all of us are one decision away from disaster. At any moment, we can make a choice that ruins our testimony and costs us the things we value the most. Rather than showing harsh judgment toward those who fail, perhaps we should remember our own vulnerability and pray for these individuals.

More often than not, those who make scandalous headlines didn't fall because of one bad decision. Instead, it was a series of little things that led to their downfall. They strayed a little bit at a time.

This is true of everyone. Whether it is a televangelist, a deacon in your church, a businessman or a member of your family, their path was a gradual decent, followed by a crash at the bottom. It happened just a little bit at a time.

Perhaps it began by missing church services here or there. Eventually they quit going at all. Maybe they slowly got careless about sin and temptation. It could have been the thought that one drug, one drink, or just one stolen dollar is not such a big deal. Soon they are buried in an avalanche of iniquity, unable to dig themselves out.

It is not my intention to criticize those who are hurting from such an experience. Although their pain is self-inflicted, it still hurts. It is still devastating. My heart goes out to such people. Rather than condemning them, I can honestly say, “there but for the grace of God go I.”

Ron Dunn once made a remark I haven't forgotten. He said, “I hate to admit it, but I am capable of anything.” He is right. Think about it for a moment. What if you had acted out an impulsive thought toward somewhere, how would things be for you now? Your anger could have led to an arrest. Your impure thought could have led to adultery. Your greed could have led to embezzlement. If you think you are not vulnerable to such sins, you are not being honest with yourself.

All of us are fallen people. We are humans, with a tendency to sin. Even though our salvation brought about a great change within, we still struggle against sin, the flesh and the devil. It is a daily battle. We can't win it on our own. We must walk in the Spirit so we won't fulfill the lusts of the flesh.

We tend to stray a little bit at a time. Over time, the decline is not very noticeable until we step back and look at our lives objectively. Most never notice until they hit rock bottom.

The Bible gives us practical advise. 1 Corinthians 10:12 says, “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.” In other words, don't be presumptuous. Don't act like you will never fall.

Goliath never thought he could be defeated. The one unprotected area of his body was the very spot that ultimately cost him his life. Of course, the Lord used David to defeat Goliath, but Goliath thought he couldn't be defeated. Just one rock changed all that.

Brothers and sisters, we need to treat sin seriously. As humans, we tend to underestimate sin and overestimate our ability to resist it. We need to be vigilant about our situation. We need to look to the Lord for the help we need. Proverbs 3:5 says, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and LEAN NOT UNTO THINE OWN UNDERSTANDING,” (emphasis added). Let's be vigilant!

Perhaps you have drifted a little bit at a time. You've gotten away from church. You've quit serving God. You are no longer reading your Bible. You've allowed compromise to enter your life. All this has happened slowly, just a little bit at a time. STOP! Swallow your pride. Humble yourself. Get right with God today. Get right with others. Get back to doing the things you should be doing.

Let's avoid the downward path of compromise and sin.