Every Word

Every word of God is pure;

He is a shield to those

who put their trust in Him.

Do not add to His words,

Lest He rebuke you,

and you be found a liar.

Proverbs 30:5-6, NKJV

Three times--once in the Law, once in the Proverbs, once in the Revelation--we are specifically commanded not to add to the Word of God. In the Epistles, Paul warns of the dangers of accepting any other Gospel than the one that was preached--whether it be him who amends it by preaching or letter, or another apostle, or even an angel from Heaven. Jesus exhorted His followers to be on their guard against false prophets and teachers who would deceive through false signs and lying wonders which they claim will validate their message.

The Psalmist declares that the Law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul, more precious than gold, sweeter than honey. He also wrote that the Word of God is a lamp to our feet, and light to our path. He says we should hide God's words in our heart, that we might not sin against Him.

Moses came off the mountain with the Word of God inscribed in stone.

The prophets wrote and spoke the Word of God as the Holy Spirit moved on them.

The apostles penned the epistles as the Holy Spirit breathed within them.

Paul says we should let the Word dwell in us richly. Peter says we should desire it as a babe desires milk from its mother's breast. Hebrews says the Word is living and powerful, and sharper than a two-edged sword; that it divides flesh from spirit, bone from marrow, and reveals the deepest intentions of the heart. James says it is a mirror that reflects the truth in a man. Jesus says the Word is our true source of life, and that we cannot live without it.

The Word of God is faithful and true. He never misspeaks. He never makes promises that He does not keep. He never prevaricates, neither does He amend or explain away what He has said. He can be trusted, for He has always been trustworthy. What God has promised, He will also do. What God has started, He will complete in you. What God has prophesied will accurately and undoubtedly come to pass.

So since the Word of God is so unique and special and powerful and acceptable, we need to be careful how we use it, what we do to it, and what we speak under the claim, "Thus says God." Let us know what the written Word says; let us know what the Living Word says; and let us know that whatever the Spirit says to us now, He will never say anything that contradicts what has been said before. His words will always align with the eternal Word. And ours should too.

Like a Child

I remember what it was like when I was small enough to crawl into my mother's lap and feel the love and comfort of her arms around me. In moments like that, all of the cares and worries of life simply vanished away. It didn't matter if someone had been mean to me at school, or if I had broken my favorite toy, or lost my milk money. If a dog had bitten, if a bee had stung, if I was feeling sad, all I had to do was rest myself in the embrace of the one person who loved me no matter what, who would do anything for me because she was my mother.

Jesus said, "Unless you change, and become as little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."

Jesus said, "If you want to be great in the kingdom, you must become as little children."

Jesus said, "Let the little children come unto me, for of such is the kingdom of heaven."

How many days do we waste in pursuit of pipe dreams and unattainable goals? How many minutes and hours are spent mulling over matters beyond our control, over politics and religion and the weather and what people are doing across town or around the world? I can't do anything about any of those things. And I certainly don't understand them. But day after day, I have found my thoughts occupied with how to fix the Middle East, how to fix the economy, how to fix the nation, how to fix Obama. I have spent hours talking about what is wrong with the church at large and what I would do to change it. I've written letters and made phone calls and stood up to be counted.

I have argued and debated, cajoled and persuaded. I have proven my point time after time, been right more than I've been wrong. I have done my best to shape the world around me, to bend it to my will. And I have failed. This world does not conform to my wishes, neither do the people in it. If folks would just listen to me and do what I tell them to do...

King David wrote in Psalm 131:

Lord, my heart is not haughty,

nor my eyes lofty.

Neither do I concern myself with great matters,

nor with things too profound for me.

Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul,

like a weaned child with his mother;

like a weaned child is my soul within me.

O Israel, hope in the Lord

from this time forth and forevermore.

The best way to deal with a world that is spinning completely out of my control, is simply to crawl up into the arms of the Lord and rest there, trusting Him to be in charge and to do what is right. It is in His presence that I find joy, at His right hand where there is pleasure evermore. We need to learn to sit in His lap, and be still.

When Hatred is a Virtue

You who love the Lord,

hate evil!

Psalm 97:10a, NKJV

I don't think we hate enough.

It's a dangerous statement to make, especially in a climate that is so accepting, tolerant, and all-embracing. But I don't think Christians have enough hate in their hearts.

Now, before you go all ballistic on me and think they I have lost all good sense and reason, take a moment with me to consider this. Hatred is a virtue taught by the Word.

I'm not talking about hating people--either as groups or as individuals. Certainly not! The Bible says that if you claim to love God and at the same time harbor hatred in your heart for another person, you are a liar, and the truth of God is not in you. Jesus says if you have hatred in your life for another person, you are as guilty of murder as if you picked up a gun and shot them. The Bible's instruction to us is to love one another, to love our neighbors, to love our enemies. After all, Jesus demonstrated the love of God by dying for me when I was unlovely, unloving and unlovable. That is the love of God, and we should live that kind of love out every day of our lives.

What I am talking about is hating evil. The Bible says that we should hate the things that God hates. And I'm not going to go into a list here. If you want to know what God hates, go to the Word and find out. Try Proverbs 6:16 and go from there. The Bible says that the fear of the Lord causes us to hate what God hates.

And my question is, do we have enough hate?

Do we hate the influence of evil in our own personal lives, or do we continually tolerate the things that God has commanded us to get rid of?

Do we hate the practice of evil things in our actions, or do we continually excuse ourselves at "not so bad as the next guy"?

Do we hate the stain of evil on our hearts and hands, the scar of evil seared into our souls, the shame of evil in our conscience, or do we continually ignore the pestering prick of the Holy Spirit, dismissing conviction in favor of pleasure?

Do we hate the rampant evil ruining our society, or do we justify it under the guise of political correctness and ignore it because we think the love of God overlooks what is wrong?

Do we hate evil, or do we accept it as unavoidable? How many times have I cringed at the phrases "necessary evil" or "devil's advocate"?

If I hate what God hates, I will hunt those things down in my life and destroy them. If I hate what God hates, I will avoid those things at all costs in my own personal life. I will go the other way. I will step around them and pass on. I will not go where evil abides, I will not be tainted by its touch or corrupted by its companionship, I will not look upon it, or listen to it, or taste or touch or smell it. I will not give evil even the tiniest of toeholds in my life. I will hate evil and everything it stands for.

I will despise evil, wickedness, transgression and sin. I will be sick with indignation and grief. I will mourn the evil around me, I will mourn the evil within me. I will do something about it, not in my strength alone, but in the power and authority of Jesus Christ. I will turn my back on evil, and point my face toward the light.

But at the same time, I will extend the loving grace and wonderful mercy of God to those who are still lost in sin and captivated by evil. I will reach out to the hurting, to those who are dead and don't even know it. I will take the hand of the blind, the wretched, the poor, and the lame, and raise them up with the power of the Word.

If we love God, we will hate evil. But we will love those bound by it enough to tell them, and to teach them, to show them and to lead them into the goodness of God!