Tag: encouragement

The Four Kinds of Trouble Caused by Bitterness-

Lisa M. Price2 Comments

Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you- Ephesians 4:31-32 NIV

Bitterness is bad. 

Really bad. 

In every reference to the emotion of bitterness, the Bible either clearly identifies bitterness as a sin or as the direct consequence of sinful human choices (Ecclesiastes 7:26, Proverbs 5:3-5, Proverbs 17:25, Jeremiah 4:18). Christians are straight-up commanded not to be bitter (Ephesians 4:31, Hebrews 12:15). The writer of Hebrews warns that bitterness is especially problematic for Christians because it triggers a unique kind of “trouble” for believers (Hebrews 12:15). It’s not overstating facts to say bitterness is an exceptionally toxic spiritual poison.  When we allow bitterness to take root it produces a playground for the enemy of our souls (Ephesians 4:26-27, 1st Peter 5:8). It also defiles (ruins, taints, corrupts) both the bitter person and the people they love. 

Yikes. 

Bitterness produces a special kind of trouble, one that has the power to trip of even the best and brightest of God’s people. That trouble includes:

Hindering our ability to worship God-

One of the biggest spiritual issues with bitterness is that it profoundly impairs our ability to worship God. At the heart of all genuine worship is a spirit of gratitude and thanksgiving (1st Chronicles 16:34, Psalm 107:7, Colossians 3:16). It is literally impossible to be grateful to God and bitter at the same time. It simply cannot be done; salt water and fresh water cannot come from the same source (James 3:10-12). A person can worship God or they can hang out in the bitter barn. No one can do both. Additionally, I have observed it is very common for bitter people to simply quit church altogether. This is because a bitter person struggles to worship God freely and worship is the primary reason Christians gather. If you are a Christian and worship holds no appeal to you, or worse yet annoys you, bitterness is likely an issue. 

Becoming bitter short-circuits the only good thing that can come out of a trial- 

It’s simply a fact that if we experience enough trials in rapid succession without processing them properly, trials will make us bitter (Ruth 1:1-21). However, it is also true that trials serve a valuable spiritual purpose (1st Peter 1:5-7, James 1:2-4). Trials refine us and help us to understand what’s important in life. Trials also give us a deeper and more profound longing for heaven, unless we allow ourselves to become bitter. If we become bitter due to trials all we get out of them is cynicism, broken relationships and lost spiritual opportunities. If a trial (or series of trials) has left you angry, reclusive or depressed bitterness may be to blame. 

Bitterness hinders our spiritual purpose- 

God could rapture His people off the planet as soon as they come to faith in Jesus. He’s fully capable and it would make things easier for us, but He doesn’t. Instead, God leaves us in our families, friend groups and communities for the specific purpose of being His faithful witnesses to a lost and dying world (Matthew 28:19-20, Acts 1:8). One of the chief objectives of salvation is to become as much like Jesus as we possibly can so that the unbelievers and skeptics around us see Jesus in us and want to know Him better (2nd Corinthians 3:18). Bitterness makes effective evangelism nearly impossible, partly because bitter people reflect God poorly.   

Bitter people make people bitter- 

I am convinced that with a few notable exceptions, bitter people don’t intend to make other people bitter, but they do. Bitter people spread bitterness like a bad cold because bitterness makes people entirely self-centered.  The constant self-focus leads the bitter person to do outlandishly thoughtless and just plain mean things to the people they care about most.  Sadly, the bitter person is so self-focused they are either blinded to what they are doing to others, or they feel justified in their behavior. When someone is routinely hurt or mistreated by someone being eaten alive by bitterness, they quickly become bitter themselves, this is how bitterness “defiles many”. 

Bitterness is never inevitable; it can always be avoided or dealt with. The best way to avoid bitterness (or deal with it effectively) is to routinely examine our lives (2nd Corinthians 13:5).   Ask yourself the following questions:

Do I become excessively angry at the sins or folly of others?

Do I lack grace? 

Do people annoy me for no reason? 

Do I have a pattern of cutting people out of my life? 

Do I routinely make bad decisions because I refuse to take advice from others?

All of the above are signs of a bitter spirit. 

Anger, resentment and irritation are the precursors to bitterness. Anytime we begin to feel those feelings on a regular basis, it’s a sign bitterness is beginning to take root in our hearts. The antidote to bitterness is honest prayer and a willingness to forgive those who hurt us (Matthew 18:21-35, Mark 11:25, Luke 6:37, Colossians 3:13). We must make a habit of sorting out our hurt, pain and disappointment with life and people before the Lord. Honest prayer is rarely a one and done when it comes to correcting a bitter spirit. We must be willing to take our feelings before God until our hearts soften, and we are walking in alignment with the God who forgives completely and loves without limits ( John 3:16, Acts 10:43, 1st John 3:1, Psalm 103:12)

What Should Christians Expect from an Isaiah 5:20 Kind of a World?

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment

You who love the Lord, hate evil! He preserves the souls of His saints;
He delivers them out of the hand of the wicked- Psalm 97:10 NKJV

Isaiah 5:20 says this:

Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter- NASB

So. 

Calling good evil and evil good is nothing new. It’s just something fallen, sinful people do. However, it could be argued that for the last 2000 years (give or take) this type of tomfoolery has been more the exception than the rule. At least in places where Christianity has been the dominant religion. Even those who weren’t Christians had some insight into right and wrong thanks to cultural Christianity and the intuitive understanding all humans have regarding right, wrong and the existence of God (Romans 1:18-20)

This is rapidly changing. 

Don’t get me wrong. There are still good people in this world. There are people who know God, love God and do their level best do what to obey God. There are also people who don’t know God whose consciences still function properly who are doing their best with what they do understand. Thankfully, there’s still enough cultural Christianity left in most Western countries for non-Christians to get worked up over the really big evils like murder and exploitation. That being said, a line has been crossed.  We are on the other side where a majority of average Joe’s and Jane’s believe evil is good and good is evil. 

This cultural sea change both brings both problems and opportunities for God’s people.  First the problems (I will get to the opportunities. I promise): 

You can live an exemplary Christian life and not be respected for it- 

There was a time in the not-so-distant past when living a good Christian life earned a person a certain level of admiration and credibility.  The average non-believer may not have necessarily wanted to serve and honor God with their own lives, but they respected and admired those who did. That ship has officially sailed. We are now in a place where choosing to live out Christian principles brings scorn and mockery rather than veneration and respect. This is discouraging (to say the least). It also makes Christian community more critical than ever. We need each other for encouragement and inspiration to keep on keeping on no matter what the culture does or says (Hebrews 3:13, Hebrews 10:23-25)

Following one’s heart is an even worse idea than it once was- 

Humans have always had a predisposition towards following their own heart as opposed to God’s word. It’s just another part of the whole fallen nature thing (Genesis 6:5, Jeremiah 17:9, Romans 3:10-18, Romans 7:18, 1stCorinthians 2:14). However, there was a time in the not-so-distant past when pretty much everyone agreed that following one’s heart was not okay if it led to things like: broken relationships, disrespecting or dishonoring parents, self-harm, abortion or denying the reality of one’s God-given gender. Again, that ship has sailed, following one’s heart wherever it leads (even if its straight to hell) is thought to be a good thing.  The outcome of this folly has been (and will continue to be) tragic beyond words.  

Good doctrine will get scarcer- 

Calling good evil and evil good does not always stop at the doors of the church. As the world becomes darker the tendency is for those in the pulpit is to soften the words of God to make them more palatable to those who prefer darkness to light (2nd Timothy 4:2-4). Still others will literally twist the Bible to say what they want it to say.  This sad state of affairs means Christians must commit to walking in step with the Holy Spirit and learn the Bible for themselves so that they are able to discern good doctrine from bad and lead others to right doctrinal thinking (Galatians 1:7-9, Hebrews 13:9).

Weird will become even more normal- 

There was a time when even non-Christian members of society agreed (for the most part) that certain things were simply weird and unacceptable. Folks kept unkind sentiments to themselves. Everyone agreed males should not have access to female spaces, women should not celebrate aborting their children, kids should be protected from sexual content, and no one should cut others out of their lives without a really good reason. All that is in the rear view now and it makes life harder for everyone (whether they realize it or not) but especially those who are standing on the sidelines trying desperately to be a voice of reason in an unreasonable time.

Admittedly, that’s a lot of bad news (sorry) but there is also some really good news too. 

God is still God and God is still good. He hasn’t abandoned His plan for mankind (John 3:16) just because times are tough and some folks appear to be going feral, just as He promised they would (2nd Peter 3:2-4, 2nd Timothy 3:1-5). The really good news in all of this is that God also promised to pour out His spirit on His people in the last days (Acts 2:16-18).  He will enable anyone who seeks Him the ability to shine brightly even in the darkest of places (Philippians 2:13-15) and He will bless them for doing so (Galatians 6:9, Hebrews 13:16). The greater contrast between those who call themselves believers and those who don’t means anyone who is looking to get free of the darkness will know exactly who to talk to. 

This is a very good thing that may even change things. 

The Big Uglies that Lead to Bigger Trouble-

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new- 1st Corinthians 5:16-17 NKJV

Most Christians get what sin is.  

The most basic definition of sin is disobedience to God’s commands. We sin when go our own way and do our own thing with no thought to God and His will for His creation (us). Because we are endlessly creative in our degeneracy it is nearly impossible to give an exhaustive list of ALL the possible sins. Some classifications of popular sins would include sexual immorality, deceit, murder, and idolatry. 

Here’s the thing though: 

Sin is much more complex than a simple act. There’s always a lead-up. No one just wakes up one day and out of the clear blue sky decides “today I will commit murder”. The book of James tells us that sin has roots. James calls these roots “desires”. Some translations use the word “lusts” (James 1:15, James 4:1). 

I call them the big uglies. 

The big uglies are the attitudes and aspirations that, if left untended eventually give birth to life destroying sins like adultery, bitterness, murder, greed, deceit and slander. If we allow ourselves to entertain these attitudes sin is without question knocking at our door (Genesis 4:7). 

The top five spiritual uglies are:

Pride-  

Pride is perhaps the most pernicious of the uglies. Pride was the sin that transformed Lucifer into Satan (the deceiver) and got him thrown out of heaven (Ezekial 28:12-15, Isaiah 14:13-14).  Pride is easy to spot in others but difficult to see in ourselves. Prideful people see themselves as more important than others and therefore entitled to certain rights and privileges others are not allowed.  Prideful people are reluctant (to the point of unwillingness) to admit wrong even when it’s painfully obvious, they are wrong. Prideful people (sometimes called narcissists) refuse to humble themselves, or admit fault (Proverbs 29:23, 1st Peter 5:5-6). Prideful people believe in their heart-of-hearts they are better than others. This makes them unforgiving and unwilling to extend grace (Matthew 6:15, Ephesians 4:32, Matthew 18:4). A prideful person will do ANYTHING to save face and come out on top. Anything includes (but is not limited to) big sins such as lying, controlling others, slandering and boastfulness (Leviticus 19:16, Psalm 101:5, Romans 1:3, Revelation 21:8). God despises pride (Proverbs 6:16-19, Luke 14:11). 

Rebellion- 

Rebellion is the stubborn rejection of legitimate authority. Rebellion is the big ugly sin that led to the fall of mankind (Genesis 3). Rebellion is closely related to pride. Rebellion begins with a prideful belief that “I know what’s best” and usually ends with a determined unwillingness to take “no” for an answer. Rebellion eventually manifests itself in open defiance towards all authority including God. A rebellious person has an “it’s all about me” view of life. They have no respect for authority, rules or the needs of others.  God puts rebellion in the same category as witchcraft. Rebellion is ultimately a veneration of self and therefore a super icky form of idolatry (1stSamual 15:23). 

Selfish ambition-

Selfish ambition is the yearning to create a following for oneself.  It’s a longing to be a big deal. Selfish ambition hurts the church because the selfishly ambitious person is mainly interested in using Jesus to become well-known and well-thought of (Philippians 1:17, Galatians 5:19-20, Philippians 2:3). Selfish ambition sometimes looks like “spreading the gospel” or “growing the Kingdom”.  It’s not. Those things always lead to peace, flourishing and healthy community. Selfish ambition, on the other hand always leads to strife, envy and conflict in the church (James 3:14-16).  The whole point of Christian leadership is to point people to Jesus and help them grow into the image of Jesus (Ephesians 4:11-12). At the end of the day a selfishly ambitious leader is always more interested in elevating themselves than Jesus. 

Jealousy- 

These days most folks see jealousy as more of a character defect or a moral shortcoming rather than an actual sin. However, God sees human jealously as one of the foulest and most dangerous of sins. Jealousy or envy is deeply rooted in the sin of covetousness (Exodus 20:17). Jealousy is never content with what it has (1st Timothy 6:6, Hebrews 13:5). It wants what others have and will stop at nothing to get it. The pharisees were so profoundly jealous of Jesus authority and influence they murdered Him (Matthew 27:18). A truly jealous person cannot stand to share the stage with anyone. 

 Self-reliance-

Self-reliance is when we choose to do any part of life without consulting God through prayer and Bible study for direction.  Self-reliance is choosing to lean on our own flawed understanding of the world rather than seeking God’s wisdom and moral insight (Proverbs 3:6). A self-reliant person often sees God’s commands as cumbersome and difficult rather than God’s way of protecting His people from harm. This stupidity harms the self-reliant person and creates chaos in the lives of those they lead and influence. 

Here’s the thing about the big uglies: 

Literally, ANYONE can get entangled in a big ugly (Hebrews 12:1). Seriously. Some of God’s best and brightest drifted toward pride, rebellion, selfish ambition, jealousy and self-reliance (David, Solomon, Hezekiah, Peter). The key to avoiding the attitudes that lead to us (and those we love and serve) to hell is a gut-level commitment to sticking as close to Jesus as we can possibly get. No one can escape the appeal of sin without God’s help. Therefore, it is imperative we make God, prayer, God’s word and intimacy with God our number one priority. 

What do we do when we Become a Casualty of Lies and Slander?

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment

One who walks with integrity, practices righteousness, and speaks truth in his heart.
He does not slander with his tongue, nor do evil to his neighbor, nor bring shame on his friend-Psalm 15:2-3 NASB

There are a handful of Bible stories and passages that qualify as my all-time personal favorites. These are the stories I go back to time and again. They make the list because there is something in them that resonates with me in a significant way. Elijah and the Prophets of Baal, Psalms twenty-three, Psalms eighteen, the  story about man who was healed by Jesus after his friends cut a hole in someone’s roof and David and Abigail. I love these stories because they all hit me in a personal way for one reason or another.  From time-to-time I will receive fresh insight from one of those stories as an extra bonus. 

Such is the case with the story of David and Abigail.

It’s just a really good story (1st Samual 25). 

It takes place near the end of David’s decade (give or take) of running from Crazy-King-Saul. David and his men were making ends meet by protecting people and property during sheep-shearing season. There were evil men who would steal the sheep and harass the shearers as they were trying to work. It was customary in those days for property owners to compensate men who had protected their property with gifts of food and/or money. David and his men spent a good part of a season protecting the property belonging to a man named Nabal.  Nabal knew exactly what David and his men were doing and what was customary in these situations.  However, when the season was over, he flat refused to pay David and his men for their service. 

 Instead of doing what all decent people did, Nabal said this about David:

  “Who is David? And who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants today who are each breaking away from his master.  Shall I then take my bread and my water and my meat that I have slaughtered for my shearers, and give it to men [whose origin I do not know?”- 1st Samuel 25:10-11 NASB

When David heard what Nabal said about him, he lost his mind. Like totally. Nabal was a jerk. His words were dripping with rude insinuations about David, his motives for running away from Saul and even whether or not David’s Mother was a virtuous woman.  Nevertheless, by any rational standard David’s reaction to Nabal’s disrespect was over the top. He assembled a group of men and headed out to Nabal’s property to kill him. Disaster was averted by Nabal’s beautiful and shrewd wife Abigail. She intercepted David and his men with a generous gift and some wise counsel. Her quick-thinking and wise words prevented a tragedy that would have gotten David sideways with the Almighty. When Abigail told Nabal what she did, he basically died of rage. David and Abigail eventually reconnected, got married and lived happily ever after. 

It’s just a great story.

Here’s the thing though, David didn’t lose his mind and begin plotting murder because Nabal refused to pay him.  David went ballistic because he knew Nabal was simply repeating things a lot of people were saying about David. David got to hear with his own ears the rude, false and totally unjust things that were being said about him, and those words hurt.

Adding insult to injury Nabal was the biggest of deals. He just was. He was a wealthy landowner in a world where money and land was everything. Nabal was a wicked jerk-face. However, he was also the kind of guy people listened to. His opinion carried a lot of weight in the community. 

David found himself a casualty of slander, gossip and injustice.  

Anyone who’s been there knows what it feels like. There’s a soul-sucking agony that comes with knowing people are talking trash about you.  The whole messy muddle gets even uglier when the things being said are lies, exaggerations or things that have been pulled out of context. On top of all that, we all know that if things are being said people will believe it. No questions asked, no digging a little deeper, they just believe what they hear.

Sigh. 

It’s maddening. And, as with David, these scenarios can cause us to lose our minds and say or do things that might feel good in the moment but are sure to bring nothing but embarrassment and hurt. 

In this story Abigail did more than just keep David out of trouble. She gave David some advice that’s good for anyone being slandered. She told David in no uncertain terms that God had more for him than petty revenge. She reminded him that he was better than all that.  She encouraged David to lay aside his anger, put his reputation in God’s hands and trust Him with the future (Psalm 18 was David’s future). She reminded him it is all too easy to say something or do something in a moment of anger that could derail Him from God’s best and give the gossips something real to talk about. 

Abigail was right. Then and now.

I would add that God has a way of bringing truth to light (Hebrews 4:13). It may not happen as quickly as we would like, but it always happens. God is good and fair and just. With God justice delayed does not mean justice will be denied (Matthew 12:20, Luke 18:7)

Some Encouragement from the most Unlikeliest of Bible Stories-

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment

Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up- Galatians 6:9 ESV

Like a lot of Christians, I have spoken with lately I have found myself in a long season of deep discouragement. “Discouragement” is actually a bit of an understatement. A lot of days what I’m experiencing feels an awful lot like defeat. 

Sigh. 

My overall aim in sharing this rather dreary truth bomb is not to depress anyone, or even to troll for sympathy (although I will gladly take prayer). My aim in sharing this is to share some encouragement I received from the Lord.  Hopefully, this will help someone (or a lot of someone’s) find some encouragement too. Per usual, the source of my hope was a sermon based a Bible story. This Bible story is not your typical Sunday school Bible story. Frankly, it’s a sad story that gets sadder and then even more sad and finally gets hopeful at the very end. 

All that to say: don’t give up till the end.

The story begins in Judges 19. Like many of the stories in Judges it’s super dark and depressing (Judges 21:25). Some worthless men from the tribe of Benjamin sexually assaulted a Levite woman. The woman died as a result their abuse. When the other Israelite tribes found out, they were rightfully appalled. The Hebrew people were called to be a holy nation (Deuteronomy 23:14), and this whole messy muddle was anything but holy. The other tribes confronted the leaders of the tribe of Benjamin.  The leaders turned a blind eye to the evil. The worthless scumbags got off scot-free. 

Not cool.

After getting the go-ahead from God, the other tribes went to war against the tribe of Benjamin to avenge the woman’s death and remove the moral rot from within their own ranks. 

Here’s the thing:

God was consulted before the decision was made. The cause they were fighting for was inarguably righteous. The tribe of Benjamin was badly outnumbered. The obvious good guys in this situation had every reason to believe they would be successful in their plan.  

Instead. They lost. BIG TIME.

So, they went back to the Lord, prayed their faces off and asked for some fresh direction. God told them to go and fight, so they went, and they lost. Again. Big time. 

At this point the Israelites do what the good guys do in these types of situations, they double downed on seeking God. They got spiritually serious. The people prayed, fasted and offered burnt offerings all night. They begged God for guidance. Even after all that praying, fasting and offering burnt offerings their confusion drips off the page:

“Shall we go out once more to battle against our brothers, the people of Benjamin, or shall we cease?”

God promises He will give their enemies “into their hand”. So, they shake off their puzzlement and go. This time the good guys prevailed. Big time. It was a decisive victory. I’m pretty sure this is where the saying “third times a charm” comes from. The victory came after a whole lot of ugly defeat, but it was a victory, nonetheless.  

So.

I will be the first to admit this story begs some obvious questions. The most obvious being “What the heck God?” Why would the GOOD GUYS lose an honorable fight TWICE? AFTER being given the go-ahead to fight in the first place? 

It literally makes no sense. 

For the record, I don’t have the answers to those questions (I wish). However, after a very long season of weird little defeats I do have some thoughts. First, in a world as fallen as this one, evil has a lot of power. It did then and it does now (Ephesians 6:12). God’s people are currently dwelling smack dab in Satan’s territory (Ephesians 2:1-3). This dreary fact means the good guys (then and now) don’t always win on first go-around or even the second. 

That being said. 

Big-picture wise we must remember it will not always be like this.  There is coming a day when God will deliver His people a decisive win, just like He did for those confused Israelites. We are promised there will come a day when God will wipe away evil once-and-for-all in the most decisive victory in the history of history.  When He’s done with that He will stoop down and wipe away every tear from our eyes. There will be no more death, no more grief, or tears, or loss or pain (Revelation 21:4). The future world will be nothing like this present one. In that day total victory will come out of a long season of what will look and feel like total defeat. 

I can almost hear the peanut gallery saying: okay, that’s great but what about now? Is everything just going to suck forever until “that day” which is perhaps WAY off in the future?

No. 

 We may have a season of pain, difficulty and loss. It might even be a long season. Things will not always be bad or hard or painful. Joy comes in the morning (Psalm 30:5). We must remember that the Israelites won their victory after a long night of seeking God on level they had never sought Him before. God’s people prayed and wept and prayed some more. When they got done with the weeping and praying, they prayed harder. This accomplished two things: The immediate victory was won. Decisively.  Justice prevailed. Good came out of sorrow and evil (Romans 8:28). But more importantly, when the dust settled the Israelites knew God better than they did before. They were filled with a spiritual understanding that made the victory even sweeter. 

Sometimes God lets His people experience a defeat to draw them closer. 

The Key’s to Spiritual “Greatness”-

Lisa M. Price2 Comments

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us- Hebrews 12:1 ESV 

 I wrestle with a lot of questions. 

Most are one-hundred-percent irrelevant in the grand scheme of life and eternity.  Nonetheless, a few of them do have some validity. One of those is:  

What makes a person “great” from God’s perspective? 

What made men and women like Abraham, Deborah, Moses, David, Paul and Peter great people? 

Why is Abraham called a “friend of God” over and over again in Scripture (2nd Chronicles 20:7, Isaiah 41:8, James 2:23)? What was it about Moses that moved God to speak to him face-to-face “like a friend” (Exodus 33:11)? Why would Deborah be chosen as a Mother over Israel (Judges 4:4-5, Judges 5:7-8)? What made David a man after God’s own heart (1st Samuel 13:14)? What was it about Paul and Peter that qualified them to lead the most critical movement of all time (Romans 11:13, Acts 2:1-47)?

 These are the questions. 

I have spent countless hours pondering what exactly makes someone the kind of person God points at and says: “that’s my guy” or “that’s my girl”. I don’t have all the answers to this or any question (obviously) but I do have some ideas. Here are four of them:

They always got back on the horse (metaphorically speaking) immediately following a spiritual failure-

Not everyone on the above list has a spiritual failure recorded in Scripture. However, the ones who do, failed spectacularly.  Seriously. Abraham lied. A lot. Moses was a murderer with a foul temper. David was an adulterer, a liar AND a murderer. Paul was a blasphemer and a murderer. Peter denied the Lord after being on Jesus’ inside circle for three years. Nonetheless, not one of these folks let their massive failure define them or their relationship with God. Each one took their mess to God, asked for forgiveness, repented and got back to worshipping, working and praying ASAP. These folks didn’t hide from God. They didn’t fib about their failure or attempt to cover it up. They didn’t wallow. They didn’t allow sorrow over their failure to turn them into alcoholics or drug addicts. They didn’t quit church or synagogue because they screwed up. The spiritual greats all trusted God’s promises to forgive sins (Psalm 65:2-3, Psalm 86:5, Psalm 103:12, John 3:16-17, 1st John 1:9, Ephesians 1:7, Colossians 1:13-14) as fact and moved on. In the process each one learned from their failure and went on to live lives that brought God glory.  

They believed God- 

The spiritual greats all believed God, even when it made no sense. Most of the time it didn’t. They all believed anyway (Genesis 15:4-6, Romans 14:9, Hebrews 11:13-15). Their belief was more than simple head knowledge. Their trust in God and His plans always led to radical obedience and a steel-in-the-spine commitment to glorifying God, no matter the circumstances. God says the world is not worthy of such people (Hebrews 11:37-38).  

They were all willing to be second or third or fifth or whatever- 

There’s an intriguing little verse no one pays much attention to tucked into 3rd John. It says: I have written something to the church, but Diotrephes, who likes to put himself first, does not acknowledge our authority- 3rd John 1:10. Okay, so, this is a thought-provoking little verse for numerous reasons. First, what kind of prideful numbskull would refuse to acknowledge the spiritual authority of John the Apostle? Seriously. Who thinks like that? Diotrephes apparently. Second, it’s the apostle John calling someone out. John wasn’t known for that sort of thing. Paul called people out all the time (Acts 15:37-39, Galatians 2:11-14, Philemon, 2nd Timothy 4:10, 2nd Timothy 4:14). Peter could be counted on to throw some shade around from time-to-time (Acts 2:23, Acts 3:13-15, 2nd Peter 3:15-16). John doesn’t do that, he’s the nice one. Church history records him as the “apostle of love”. Nonetheless, Diotrephes desire to be “first” was so appalling to John and antithetical to the gospel that Mr.  Nice-guy felt compelled to call Diotrephes out publicly. John had some good reasons for doing so. Someone who loves to be first (in this context) wants to be the most important person in the room. These Christians want to be THE go-to person for spiritual teaching, moral advice and wisdom. People who love to be first have a stunning lack of humility that causes them to do anything including lying and slandering good people just to keep their position or standing in the church.  To the contrary, all the folks God calls great saw themselves as deeply loved by God but not as any more-or-less important than any other person. They were all willing to share the stage and give God ALL the glory. 

They took hardship on the chin (metaphorically speaking)- 

It’s simply a fact: hardship and difficulty affects people in one of two ways, it either makes them bitter or better (Hebrews 12:15). For God’s best and brightest it always makes them more like Jesus. God’s greats refuse to wallow in self-pity. Instead they choose to view suffering as an opportunity to grow and glorify God.  

God is merciful, kind and good. Seriously. God never places spiritual greatness out of the reach of anyone. All it takes is faith, a willingness to do life God’s way and a little humility.

God does the rest. 

What the Book of Romans Teaches us About the “Why” of Jesus-

Lisa M. Price2 Comments

 He (the Father) raised Him (Christ) from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come- Ephesians 1:20-21 NASB

I am currently going through the book of Romans with a friend who I have a discipling relationship with.  Romans was her pick. When she picked it, I sighed inwardly but I did not have the heart to tell her it’s basically my least favorite book in the New Testament.  She was just way too excited for me to lay a heavy load of negativity on her.

So, I kept my thoughts to myself.

 It’s not the content or theology of Romans I take issue with. To the contrary, the content and the theology of Romans is some of the most profound in all the Bible. It’s Paul’s writing style that annoys me. Romans is what I call a “winding story”.  The apostle takes the long and meandering road to make the vast majority of his points. Furthermore, Paul routinely uses a hundred words when (in my opinion) fifty would more than do.  I simply prefer a more concise and tidy writing style. 

It’s just how I roll. 

However. I’m coming around to the book of Romans, mostly because it hit me kind of outa the blue that the whole book is basically just the “why” of Jesus. I do love to know the why of everything and the “why” of Jesus is, without question the most important “why” ever. There are ultimately five really good reasons why ALL people everywhere need Jesus. 

It all begins with the reality that:

All people are terrible- 

We just are. Humanity’s collective terribleness is the overarching theme of Romans 1:18-3:31. Humans love to sin because rebellion is a part of our human DNA. Jews and gentiles are both awful. The gentiles were/are terrible apart from the law (Romans 1:18-32) and the Jews were/are equally as terrible (in different ways) with the law as their guide and teacher (Romans 2:17-29). Paul sums it up neatly in Romans 3:11-18 where he quotes a bunch of Old Testament passages that tells us that no one is righteous and all people are at the core of who they are—really awful.  Humanity’s universal wickedness means that even our best efforts to do good are often self-serving and inevitably fall miserably short (Isaiah 65:6).  It’s a lot of bad news and it’s all still true in 2024.  

No one can stop being terrible without Jesus-

We just can’t.  But God knows we are prideful and self-willed so we would try. He gave the Hebrew people the Old Testament law with its system of sacrifices and rules to show us that none of us can be truly “good” in our own power.  The law was insufficient because it could not make anyone truly good or righteous (Romans 2:23, Hebrews 7:18-19). The problem wasn’t with the law. The problem was with people. A person could obey all the law and still have an evil unbelieving heart bent toward sin and evil (Matthew 5:17-48, Jeremiah 1:9, Proverbs 26:11). A better plan was needed. Jesus was that better plan. Jesus came to earth to die on the cross to become a once-for-all sacrifice, not just for the Jewish people but for all people (Hebrews 10:10, Romans 1:16-17). Jesus took on the sin of humanity so the problem of the sin could be dealt with once for all (Romans 8:3, Hebrews 9:26). He took the punishment we deserve. In doing so, the relationship between God and humanity could be restored to what it was before sin entered the world (Genesis 1:26-31, Genesis 2). 

Jesus brings hope-

He just does.  Jesus was both God and man. He was born of a virgin woman because the seed of sin came through Adam (Romans 5:12). Because Jesus is God, He was able to live a sinless life. A perfect sinless sacrifice was what was needed to satisfy God’s warranted anger at mankind’s sin and rebellion (Romans 1:18). We also needed a way to actually be better. Jesus is the way. When we place our faith in Jesus’ life, death and resurrection God no longer sees our sin and terribleness (Colossians 1:21-22). Instead, God sees the goodness and righteousness of Jesus. Our sins are forgiven and forgotten by God (Psalm 32:1, Acts 10:43, Romans 4:7-8, Colossians 1:13-14). 

Jesus not only makes us righteous in God’s eyes He also makes us far less terrible from a practical perspective- 

Jesus not only died for our sins, He also lived a perfect, sinless life to teach us how to live a life that pleases God. When we know Jesus as our Lord and Savior we are no longer slaves to our sinful tendencies and desires (Romans 6:6, 2nd Corinthians 5:17, 2nd Corinthians 3:18, 1st Corinthians 6:9-11). We are set free to do what is right (Romans 6:16-17). Romans 12:1-21 gives us the road map for loosening the bonds of our sinful nature and being transformed into the image of Jesus. When we do what Romans twelve tells us to do we become what the apostle Peter called “partakers of the divine nature” (2nd Peter 1:4-10). When we choose to live a life of repentance and obedience we literally become like the God we serve.

And finally: 

Jesus gives people the ultimate purpose and hope for a better future. The book of Romans promises all of God’s people the joy of present usefulness, no matter their present situation (Matthew 5:14-16, Romans 15:14, Romans 15:17, Romans 12:6, 1st Corinthians 12:27-13:13). When we give our lives to Jesus He empowers with gifts that enable us to do His will in this world. As a result, we become change agents who bring light, life and truth to a lost and dying world. On top of all of that we get to spend all of eternity with the God of the universe (John 3:16, Romans 6:23).

And, that’s the why of Jesus.

The Real Reason Holiness Matters-

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment


Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God- 2nd Corinthians 7:1 NIV

Holiness. 

It’s a weirdly contentious subject these days (more on that later).

The Bible defines holiness as being separate from sin and/or being set apart and dedicated to the service of God (Genesis 2:3, Exodus 40:9-10). Holiness falls into two categories. The first is: 

Behavioral holiness- 

Behavioral holiness is what we see (for the most part) in the Old Testament. In some ways this type of holiness is less about inside-out-righteousness that comes from the heart and more about conforming human behavior to the will of God.  

Here’s the thing:

People are by their very nature fallen, sinful and powerless to do good from the heart. (Genesis 3:1-24, Ecclesiastes 7:20, Jeremiah 17:9, Romans 7:25, 1st John 1:8). No one but God can be righteous without a great deal of help from God. That being said, even sinful people are capable of managing their behavior, so that’s what people did pre-Jesus if they wanted to please God. Humans in the Old Testament followed rules, modified their behavior and avoided things on the naughty list in order to be good enough to be in a relationship of sorts with a completely HOLY God (Exodus 3:5, Exodus 22:31, Leviticus 6:17). Most of the Old Testament law is basically just a big rulebook telling people how to be “good enough” in their actions. It was a system filled with all sorts of issues. However, the system was essential until Jesus showed-up and changed the whole structure of how people relate to God (more on that later).

The other category of holiness is:

Positional holiness- 

When humans put their faith and trust in Jesus they become positionally holy. When Jesus died on the cross, He became a substitute for us (2nd Corinthians 5:21, Galatians 3:11-14, 1st Peter 2:24, Romans 3:23-25). This was necessary because God is totally holy and totally just. Because God is just He can’t just ignore the most serious thing ever: sin (Romans 5:12, 1st Corinthians 15:56). Because we all sin, we all deserve to die and be punished eternally for our sin. However, because God is totally loving, Jesus took the bullet (metaphorically speaking) we all deserve (Romans 4:25, Hebrews 2:14). All we have to do to avoid the penalty of death is to put our faith and trust in Jesus and the work He did on the cross.  The fancy pants theological term for this exchange is propitiation.  When we choose faith in Jesus, Jesus takes our sin and unrighteousness, in exchange we are given the righteousness of Jesus and the Holy Spirit has a guide and helper.  When God sees us, He doesn’t see our sin, instead He sees the righteousness of Christ. The fancy-pants theological term for this exchange is justification (Romans 4:25).  Because this kind of holiness is accompanied by the Holy Spirit it has the power to actually change our hearts, something behavioral holiness alone could never do. 

There are Christians who believe there is no need for Christians to modify or change their behavior in any way. These folks believe that because God has forgiven all our sin, we can keep on sinning without problems or penalty.  Some even believe it’s legalistic to insist on behavioral holiness. This is remarkably horrendous theology because it ignores two critical issues: the point of salvation and the nature of God 

The point of salvation is not simply to rescue our sorry tail ends from hell, although that is one of many benefits’ salvation offers. Salvation is mainly about restoring humanity to a pre-fallen state and a pre-fallen relationship with God (Genesis 1-2, Revelation 21:3-5).  Once we are justified (made positionally holy) our primary task is to get to know God on a personal level and (with the help of the Holy Spirit) let go of all the behaviors and attitudes that marked our pre-Jesus life (Colossians 3, Romans 12, 2nd Peter 1:5-11). The fancy-pants theological term for this process is sanctification. The more sanctified we are the more like Jesus we become. 

It’s a beautiful thing.

However, these are not the only reason behavioral holiness matters. The other reason has to do with the nature of God and the reality of salvation. God is totally holy. There is zero sin in Him (Leviticus 19:2). Once a person becomes a Christian, the God of the universe literally lives inside them (I know, it’s crazy). This means that everything we do God becomes a part of. Paul touched on this idea in his letter to the Corinthian Christians:

 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never!Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, “The two will become one flesh.”But whoever is united with the Lord is one with him in spirit. 1stCorinthians 6:15-17

Paul insisted Christians avoid sexual immorality, not because it was icky. But, because every time anyone has sexual relations outside of the marriage covenant they force the Holy Spirit (God) to become an unwilling accomplice to their immorality. Anytime we sin in any way, we force a holy, righteous God into our sin. When we gossip, lust, commit sexual immorality, think unkind thoughts about others, practice injustice, lie or steal God is right there. We are forcing a holy God into unholy situations.

Yikes. 

This is how a Christian grieves the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30).  It is critical we understand God does not abandon us when we sin post-salvation (John 10:27-29, Romans 8:38-39). God is not mean. He is patient and kind. He is also quick to forgive ANY repentant sinner. That being said, progressive sanctification (the process of becoming holy in our attitudes and behavior as well as our position) is fundamental to spiritual maturity and growth because virtue, holiness and righteousness make us like Jesus (Romans 6:13-16). When we become like Jesus it pleases the Father. 

Every child of God wants that.

The Three Letter Word that Changes Everything-

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment

My soul waits in hope for the Lord More than the watchmen for the morning; Yes, more than the watchmen for the morning- Psalm 130:6 NASB

Malaise. 

It’s real.

The dictionary defines malaise as:

An uncomfortable feeling that something is wrong, especially with society, and that you cannot change the siltation. 

In recent weeks, I have been afflicted with a persistent sense of malaise. It has manifested itself in an uncomfortable, uneasy sense that there are a lot of things wrong with a lot of things. 

The feeling intensified following a quick visit to the West side of the state (the progressive side). It was supposed to be a fun trip, instead I was left feeling glum, despondent and depressed. It was more than the woke monkey business that passes for morality and the sin that’s celebrated with wild abandon on that side of the state that left me feeling forlorn.

It was literally everything. 

It was coming across the statistic that a mere nine-percent of Gen-Z (12-27-year-olds) identify as Christians. This means the American college town I visited last week is in desperate need of a Christian missionary presence, probably more so than most remote African villages. It also means the enormous stacks of cash collectively spent on Church youth and children’s programs over the last three decades did not get the job done. The money, time and energy expended on those programs might have been better spent elsewhere. 

Sigh.

But there’s more. 

The political realm is legitimately really terrible and the terribleness is not unique to my city, state or country. The terribleness is global. I used to love the intrigue of politics, I actually thought politics were fun, those days are in the rear view now. The political realm is just too dark, icky and hopeless these days. Political leaders worldwide are all about an agenda that has nothing to do with promoting what’s best for the average person (Isaiah 10:1-3, Psalm 64:2, Proverbs 16:27). 

Moreover. 

I totally get that there have always been bad people in this world. However, the process of normalizing sin has been going on for decades, and now a large portion of our population appears to be going feral right before our very eyes (Isaiah 5:20-21). At the same time good Christian people are struggling to have their voices heard over the din of culture (2nd Timothy 3:12-14).  

And last but not least,

The organization tasked by God with fostering healthy behavior in every society on earth—the church—is struggling to get her bearings and find her voice in the midst of all this social upheaval and moral mayhem (Ephesians 3:9-10.

It was a lot.  

I might have wallowed around in my discomfort indefinitely. However, I just happened to come across an unlikely Bible passage that snapped me out of my malaise and left me with a fresh sense of hope for the future.  

Here it is:

Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God- 1stCorinthians 6:9-11 NASB

Okay, so, I will be the first to admit that the first couple of sentences of this passage are not particularly encouraging or hopeful. Truth-be-told, they are the worst kind of a bummer. We, like the first readers who read these words have all fallen somewhere on the spectrum of unrighteousness described in this passage at some point in our life. That wasn’t the good part.  It was the little three letter word “but” that changed everything and brought hope:

BUT you were washed-

BUT you were sanctified-

BUT you were justified-   

The word but is not just good news for those of us who have been washed, sanctified and justified in the name of Jesus. Those of us who know Jesus can and should rejoice in the hope this passage offers to those of us who have been redeemed. 

 There’s also a whole lot of good news in here for our sin-sick world. The first people who read Paul’s words (the Corinthian Christians) lived in a world that was at least as messy the one we live in. There was more moral filth, more political intrigue, more sin and less righteousness in the ancient world than we see in our world today and that world changed.

 It got better. 

Christians kept the faith, spread the word and lived out the gospel. As a result, all sorts of unlikely people came to know Jesus and the ancient world slowly but surely became a better place. Over time governments became more just and human rights became a thing. If it happened it can happen now. 

So.

Don’t lose hope (Romans 5:5, Romans 12:12). Don’t let malaise wear you down and steal your joy (Hebrews 6:10-12). Instead remember that one sweet, hope-filled little word: but. I’m convinced it’s the best word ever. It stands as a reminder that God is on His throne, life is fluid and hope is real (2nd Corinthians 1:10, Galatians 5:5). The things that look bleakest today might just be a source of rejoicing tomorrow.  

Jesus’ Two Rules for Surviving Crazy Times-

Lisa M. Price1 Comment

Those who have insight will shine like the glow of the expanse of heaven, and those who lead the many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever- Daniel 12:3 NASB 

We live in weird, scary and truly unprecedented times. 

Seriously. 

Believers and even some unbelievers are stupefied at the rate culture is changing and the direction the world appears to be headed in. Governments are becoming more authoritarian. Robots are taking over. People are more calloused and attitudes and behaviors that were once thought to be totally out of bounds are not only accepted, but defended and even celebrated with wild abandon.  

Sigh.

Some believe all this craziness this means are living in what the Bible calls “the end” (Daniel 8:17-18, Daniel 12:9, Daniel 12:13, Matthew 24:3, 1st Peter 4:7). 

I don’t know if we are or we aren’t. 

Seriously. I don’t. 

No one does. It will be tough to tell for absolute certain if we’re living in the end times until Jesus shows up or doesn’t (Matthew 25:31, Matthew 24:36-42). 

That being said.

 In Matthew twenty-four Jesus gives two commands or rules for those living in the end times. Both are excellent advice for anyone living in weird, scary and or unprecedented times. This is because the temptations will be the same whether one is living in the end times or in just really weird times. These “rules” precede everything else Jesus says about what will happen just prior to His return. This means if we don’t take these two rules seriously at all times we will be done for when the really crazy-town stuff starts to go down (Matthew 24:4-27, Daniel 12, Revelation 13-18)

Jesus’ two rules for surviving scary times are:

See to it that no one deceives you- Matthew 24:4 NASB

See to it that you are not afraid- Matthew 24:6 NASB

That’s it. 

Jesus’ instruction tells me God totally has the inside scoop as to what our go-to’s are as human beings. God knows we need routine reminders not to turn our brains off and let fear run the show.  There are at least three different ways people can be deceived about Jesus and at least one really good reason to not give into fear (Isaiah 41:10, Romans 8:15).   

It’s critical we remember anyone can be deceived about Jesus’ true identity (2nd Corinthians 11:4, Galatians 1:6). There are all sorts of folks who have a relationship with a really nice, really cool Jesus who is ultimately nothing more than a figment of their imagination. All humans tend to create gods in their own image, it’s kind of our thing (Romans 1:18-23). The closer we get to the end the more prone people will be to proclaim and worship a Jesus who bears no actual resemblance to the Jesus of the Bible. The real Jesus is offensive to those who don’t want to submit themselves and their desires to God, so instead, they construct a new (and in their minds) improved Jesus who is totally affirming of all sorts of attitudes and behaviors the Bible calls evil. It is incumbent on anyone who calls themselves a Christian to make sure the Jesus they worship looks and acts like the Jesus found in the gospels. The real Jesus would never be okay with or bless anything the Bible calls sinful (Galatians 5:19-21, 1st Corinthians 6:9-11, Colossians 3:5-11). 

People can also become deceived about what Jesus is all about, meaning there will be those who claim Jesus’ main purpose in coming will be political in nature. Some will actually claim they are the savior of the world. They will get people to follow them rather than God.  Others will circumvent religion altogether and attempt to construct secular governments (kingdoms) they promise will create a heaven here on earth. In exchange for access to these kingdoms, people will be forced to swear their allegiance to the leaders of these governments. Christians are told to pray for earthly leaders and to obey any laws that do not contradict God’s commands but Christians are never to worship or swear absolute allegiance to a human leader (1st Timothy 2:1-3, Matthew 22:21. 

 Another common deception revolves around the coming of Jesus, or the lack thereof. The Bible makes it clear that even some of His followers will claim Jesus’ return is a myth or a fairy tale that will never happen. Others will say they are really Jesus and should be worshiped. Still others will say the return of Jesus has already taken place and therefore its nothing to worry about (Matthew 24:4-5, 2nd Thessalonians 2:1-3, 2nd Peter 3:1-10).  The problem with denying the second coming is that it causes us to become like the servants Jesus warns about at the end of Matthew twenty-four. Writing off the return of Jesus as a myth causes us to doubt God altogether and become focused on money, pleasures and self. This inevitably leads to sin and the exploitation of others (Matthew 24:42-51).  

Yikes. 

The biggest issue with fear is it turns off the logic center of our brains. When we embrace fear, we forfeit our ability to think clearly. This causes us to doubt everything we know about God and the Bible. When we are afraid and walking in doubt rather than faith, we will do anything to make the fear go away (Hebrews 11:6). Anything includes sin, worshiping humans and swearing our allegiance to people and ideas that are in direct contradiction to everything the Bible calls good and life-giving. 

No wonder Jesus was so opposed to fear.