God's Way

A brief devotional thought from:

Jeremiah 10:23

I know, O LORD, that a man's life is not his own; it is not for man to direct his steps.

As I was reading through Jeremiah this verse caught my attention. I do not think it is about free will as much as it is about an unsuccessful will. When we trust in ourselves, our own ways, and our desires we fail. We are not very good at directing our own path.

In the context of this chapter this is exactly what the people of Judah had displayed. They had turned from God to their own ways and it has led to absolute failure.

The other option is the only one that works. It is the option to choose God. To give control of our ways and our lives to Him. The only way to true life is with God in control. Only those who let God direct their lives will be blessed by Him.

Rend Your Hearts

" “Yet even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments.” Return to the Lord, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster." (Joel 2:12-13, ESV)



It is an unmistakable truth that repentance is a necessary ingredient of salvation. “Unless you repent, you will likewise perish.(Luke 13:3)”

Too many people today are “soft-pedaling” the true gospel. They make an appeal to the lost to come to Jesus because He will make your life better. And, that is partially true if correctly understood. They continue with the soft-sell by saying that Jesus will give you joy and peace. Again, this is another partial truth. But, what they fail to make clear is that all of this is predicated upon the removal of sin.

We have joy, peace and a better life because through the atonement of Jesus Christ we can have forgiveness of sin. Salvation is not to save me to a better circumstance in which I live. Salvation is saving me from the punishment I deserve because of my sin.

It is that understanding of sin that leads to true repentance. If the offer is just for better circumstances there will not be sufficient cause to truly repent.

In Joel we see that the message of the Lord is for genuine, sustained repentance. They were to return to the Lord will all their heart. They were to rend their hearts, not their garments.

When the Israelites mourned they would commonly tear their clothes. It was an outward showing of humility. But, this seeming act of contrition often was just perfunctory. It was something a person did in order to get what they wanted. It was a routine, a tradition and it was done without thought or meaning.

God can see through false humility. He can see through actions that look pious but are really self-serving. The sacrifices that God desires is a broken and contrite heart.

The other ingredient of true repentance is time. Repentance is not just a one time action. It is to continue. The effects of true repentance can be seen in the lifestyle of the person. It is verified by time. Jesus says, “bear fruit in keeping with repentance.(Matt. 3:8)”

I love the motivation for repentance in the passage in Joel. The call to the Israelites was to return to God because – He is gracious, merciful, slow to anger, abounding in love. Wow! All of those characteristics relate to our sin. We deserve His anger, because of our sin – and He offers grace and mercy and love. Therefore, just like the Israelites, we should return to Him in repentance.

Swingin' Headlines

This week I saw this article in the Dallas Morning News. Here is a blurb from the article. Click here to see the full article.

Cherry Pit swingers' club to sue Duncanville over ordinance

03:58 PM CST on Wednesday, December 12, 2007
By JAKE BATSELL / The Dallas Morning News

A Duncanville social club that has drawn fire for hosting swinger parties plans to file a lawsuit against the city this week, the club's attorney said late Saturday.
"It's about being able to enjoy a lifestyle that they're entitled to enjoy," said Ed Klein, who represents the Cherry Pit.
City officials approved an ordinance last month that carries a fine of up to $2,000 for operating and maintaining a sex club. The city contends such clubs pose a public nuisance.



I don’t know why I am surprised by stories like this. Scripture is clear that people will continue to pervert the blessings God has given us for their own selfish desires.

Here is what a “swinging club” does: a couple, husband and wife, go to this party where other couples come. Then the man puts his house keys in a bowl. Randomly, another woman draws out a key. Then that woman and the man who put the key in go and have sex. So, you have couples that swap out their spouse for the night to have sex with someone else’s spouse.

How degrading, immoral, and despicable. There was a time when this would have been a serious breaking of societies morals and ethics. It is a sad day that things like this are being celebrated.

It is not about freedom of expression, or consenting adults doing what they want to do. It is about sin, immorality and perversion. Sex is something beautiful that God has given us and is to be used the way He designed it: in the confines of a loving marriage relationship.

"“You shall not commit adultery." (Exodus 20:14, ESV)

"Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body." (1 Corinthians 6:18, ESV)

"And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin," (Matthew 6:27-28, ESV)