James 4:8

Devotion

We want closer to God right, but it's as if we are standing with one clenched fist stretched behind us, holding all of the bad habits and sinful ways that we don't want to let go. The other hand stretches out open in front of us to keep God at a distance so that He "won't see" the things that are closer to our hearts, the hard spots inside of pride or bitterness or you name it. So we block in front, because if He gets too close to "see" those things (which He already sees anyways) He may ask us to let Him change our hearts of stone into hearts of flesh. There's no praying, no quiet times in His presence, just this struggle against the one who loves us. All the while we are saying, "God, I want to see your blessings, please help, please love, please be near." But our body language just isn't getting the same message across. Worst of all, while we are stalling God at the front door our Enemy finds the back door and has full view of the strongholds that we clench and the resistance to the Lord.

You see my friends, devotion in the Lord must be in full.

James 4:8 "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you."

Everyone is doing it! Bah!

The age old excuse between children in the home and on the playground (also the not-so-young people that use this excuse all the time as well, without the childish strain in their voices) Everyone was doing it!

Donna Otto (the founder of Homemakers By Choice) says that she told her daughter the motto "Wrong is always wrong, no matter how many people are doing it, and right is always right no matter how few people are doing it."
In Romans 3:3-4 Paul explains that God will always hold the truth, speak the truth even if everyone contradicts God. God is true and all that contradict Him are liars. God is by definition of His eternal qualities and divine nature truth. He cannot be wrong; He cannot bear false witness.

A statement made by author, Dallas Willard, reminded me that this quality in God's character, and thus all that He says He is profoundly falls back on this primary principle, that it is true, because God is true. This remains true, even if we deny it.

But we, humanity, we like to deny, deny, deny. We have different beliefs and different thoughts about what eternity really is, what it will be like, who will be there (end up there) and how they got to be there. Even in "Christianity" there are those churches (which are really social groups that follow Christ as their common uniting factor) that use the Bible, rather than believing, trusting and obeying it. They will read from it, speak from certain parts, and will conveniently navigate around passages that might bring conviction or contradiction. Amongst other peoples of the world, who are held accountable by the Creator Himself, (Romans 1:19-21 For what can be mknown about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, nhave been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world,7 in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they obecame futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened). 


God leaves humans responsible to choose Him or to reject Him (a lack of choice of God is the reject of God, for His radically amazing person is not something that can be ignored or occasional). Pantheist, Agnostic, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Jew, Christian, Atheist ECT! Every single human must choose for themselves if they believe or not that what the God of the Bible, Yahweh, Jehovah Jireh, Jesus Christ, The Word, Holy Spirit, says in the Bible is true for the world. It's a yes or no. 

The Bible Says that it is Exclusive

The Bible states very clearly in many different ways and times that it is the exclusive authoritative work of God. Meaning that you may choose between all other religious/spiritual writings or teachings, many books, philosophies, beautiful beliefs and systems, all of those are lumped together in a category called "the extrabiblical." You may have all of those written or thought, and so believed, but if you chose this vast category, surely filled with wonderful sounding and beautifully written ideas and theologies, then you must eliminate the Bible from your system. For one cannot take in all the world has to offer plus the Bible, because the teaching of the Bible makes it so.

So the choice is all the world's wisdom, guidance and teachings, OR the Bible. They are mutually exclusive, because the law, prophets and writings of the Bible make it exclusive by unabashedly claiming exclusivity. Here are some of the claims the Bible makes/warns about its content:

Galatians 1:6-10

Paul explains to the Galatians that if they follow a different salvation than "By grace you have been saved through faith" that they are following a different gospel of the one that they were originally taught. This gospel (which for the Galatians was wrapped up in becoming Jew-like before becoming Christ-like) was false and idolized a physical act of Jewish worship, removing the focus from Christ's sacrifice to mans ceremonial works under the old guardian law.

Revelation 22:18-19

The final warning in the Bible reminds mankind never to add or subtract from God's complete word, for therein lies terrible punishment equivalent to the misdeed.

Deuteronomy 4:2

Similar to the Revelation passage, this passage states that the Lord God wrote these laws, and that mere man should not alter them in any way.

Deuteronomy 12:32

A command to be careful to observe the full law- ie not the parts that seem agreeable to us in the present day. Also added is another warning against changing the law.

Matthew 5:17-20

Jesus says that He has come to fulfill the law and the prophets and that there is penalty severe for relaxing the laws of the Word. 

Luke 16:17

Finally, Jesus states that it is easier for this heaven and earth to pass away than for the law to actually be changed. (By this change He means for God to change it, not for the graffiti men have been known to be responsible for). Perhaps this is why it is prophesied that this heaven and earth will indeed pass away, and that all will be accomplished in the law through Christ. 

So you see, the Bible has said of itself that it is 'written in stone' and shall not be added to (by other theologies) or subtracted from (to create a personalized false Jesus).  The choice remains for every heart to decide: the world's many writings or the Bible. 

Three Kings and Gift Giving

It's black friday, which also means that it is socially acceptable to begin Christmas music for the season. While listening to the song, "Do you hear what I hear?" the verse with the shepherd boy to the mighty king this thought was sparked. The wise men from oriental (Asian/Middle East) lands brought gifts for a Royalty, but the baby King of kings was cold in the manger. The song actually says, "a child, a child shivers in the cold, let us bring him silver and gold." Doesn't really make sense to give this child jewelry does it? On one level it does because He is the KING the king in the end, the Aragorn of LOTR, the Aslan of Narnia! But the child is in a cave (what was used for stables at the time of Jesus' birth) and I am not sure that blankets and more simple everyday wares would not have been a bit more fitting. I am not saying the Asian/Middle Eastern kings were failures or bad in their giving at all. I am just trying for a different angle at the nativity scene. However, this observation and gesture makes me think of the verses in James 2:14-17. Then again, these verses refer to the believer, and I believe that it is safe to assume that we were dealing with seeking future believers at best, so to hold the wise men to this standard would be sac religious. Morals of the story: The best that you can give is an acceptable offering for Christ. Humor: Jesus received just three gifts for Christmas- but they were pretty large price tag items- so this story's guidance on budgeting for Christmas is still unclear.