The Cross of Christ

The cross stirs up persecution -- even in America. A rising number of brave uncompromising Christians can testify both to the "offense of the cross" and to the joy of sharing Christ's suffering.

Few of those heaven-minded saints demonstrate Biblical conviction more humbly and kindly than Patrol Sergeant George Daniels. Yet, in September 1998, this honored "Officer of the Year" -- a 13-year veteran of the Arlington, Texas Police Department -- was fired. While other officers could wear symbols that expressed their beliefs and values, Sergeant Daniels was denied such freedom. Afraid that his tiny cross-shaped lapel pin "might offend someone,' Police Chief David Kunkle refused to grant him permission to wear it.

George Daniels agonized over his decision. He had given his life to God, and he couldn't ignore Scriptures such as Acts 5:29. His conscience told him "to obey God rather than men," and as an American citizen, he had that right. Should he not, by faith and with his life, exercise that right? In the end, he did. Willing to suffer for and with His Lord, he took an unpopular stand and faced the consequences. But in his heart, he agreed with the words of the apostle Paul,

"what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death...."

Philippians 3:7-10

Sooner or later, we all are faced a turning point...do we just "go-with-the-flow" or stand-up for what we believe. Taking a stand for Christ will cost you something...it maybe your job and/or in some nations, even your very life. If we allow a small cross to be removed from our person, what are we going to do when we are asked to give up our Bible. Times are coming when each of us need to make a choice about where we stand.

Put on Christ

The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision of the flesh, to fulfill its lust.

Romans 13:12-14

I often hear people ask, "Which form of government is the best? Which is the one God wants us to have?" We Americans would love to think that democracy obviously is the most God-honored form of government. But I don't think you can establish that from the Scriptures. In fact, the Scriptures reflect various forms of government. So when you ask, "Which government is the best kind? Is it a monarchy? An oligarchy (i.e., ruled by a few)? Is it a republic? A democracy?" The answer of Scripture is not necessarily any of these. It is whatever God has brought into being. That is best for that particular place and time in history. God has brought it into being, considering the makeup of the people, the degree of truth and light which is disseminated among them, and the moral conditions that are prevailing. For that condition, for that time and place, God has brought into being a particular government.

Not long ago I read about a man who was hauled into court because he had stolen a loaf of bread. When the judge investigated, he found out that the man had no job, his family was hungry, he had tried to get work but couldn't, tried to get funds for relief but couldn't, and so in order to feed his family he had stolen a loaf of bread. When the judge found out the circumstances, he said, "I'm sorry, but the law can make no exceptions. You stole, and therefore I have to punish you. I have to assess, therefore, a fine of ten dollars. But I want to pay the money myself." He reached into his pocket, pulled out a ten dollar bill, and handed it to the man. As soon as the man took the money, the judge said, "Now, I also want to remit the fine." That is, the man could keep the money. "Furthermore, I am going to instruct the bailiff to pass around a hat to everyone in this courtroom, and I am fining everybody in this courtroom fifty cents for living in a city where a man has to steal in order to have bread to eat."

The problem is not with the court system, not with the government or how we are govern. The problem is in the hearts of mankind. If you want to change the system, you must first change the heart.

So the next time you complain about how our government is not doing something you thought they are required to do, look at yourself. God has -- brought it into being, considering the makeup of the people, the degree of truth and light which is disseminated among them, and the moral conditions that are prevailing. For that condition, for that time and place, God has brought into being a particular government. We are the cause of each situation we find ourselves...do we continue to blame the government or take the responsibility for the makeup and the degree of truth in place. It is time for a change and the change must come from within.

God's Secret Weapon

Left to ourselves we will assert our will contrary to God. It is the nature of mankind to believe he is in charge and better equipped than anyone else to make life's important decisions. But if we look at the problems of life from God's perspective there is a definite pattern. Every time we violate a biblical principle we reap a problem. And even if we work to eliminate the problem, unless we deal with the core issue, we are merely trading one problem for another.

The KEY is to live in such a way as to not hinder the grace of God. God's grace is power. It is mediated to us by prayer, the Word of God and the Holy Spirit. It is summed up in Philippians 2:13, "For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure." Here is God at work in us giving us the desire as well as the power to do what pleases Him!

The master illustration is in the life of Jesus. He lived in harmony with God because He understood about God's Secret Weapon. Philippians 2:5-11 tells the story. Existing in the "form of God" Jesus had a position in the universe of equality with God. At a point in time Jesus willingly took the "form of a servant." Now we view God in terms of "The Father, " "The Son" and the "Holy Spirit." In this God illustrates a submissive relationship. At no time does the Bible imply The Father and The Son are anything less than equals. But in their relationship to One Another there is submission. The Greek word translated submit (and subject) is hupotasso. This is a term indicating order rather than ability. It is used in a military context to illustrate chain of command. Junior members of a military unit "submit" to senior members.

The biblical idea of submission means "arranging under the authority of another." This is not the life of a doormat! It is a recognition that God has ordained a certain order in the universe and exhibiting a willingness to work in harmony with that order. The significance of accepting this concept cannot be overstated in terms of our spiritual and social health. Many problems are traceable to a violation of this principle.

We need to accept God's direction and not depend on our own. That certainly sounds easy, but it is not; we really have to work on it. That is the only way we can move forward in life and not trade one problem for another.

Teasures Beyond Belief

Movies, books, and television programs tend to excite our imagination when they present stories about hunting for buried treasure. Pirates, of the old mast, obtained fortunes in gold, silver and jewels, many of which are still hidden to this day. But there are treasures far more valuable than anything you can find in a buried chest or a sunken pirate ship and these treasures are available to each of us.

The Bible is a treasure chest of divine promises. One of the most precious, yet often-overlooked, is found in the book of Philippians. If you want peace of mind, you will want to act on this promise. "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:6–7).

Scripture also compares God’s kingdom as a valuable pearl. "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it" (Matthew 13:45–46). The pearl of great price represents spiritual riches.

Human beings are still learning a hard lesson that no amount of material wealth will provide lasting happiness. We see this in the lessons King Solomon learned. He had it all, but throughout the book of Ecclesiastes we find the theme repeated, "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity" (Ecclesiastes 1:2). Solomon was the wealthiest man on earth, but his wealth did not bring him contentment. After searching for happiness in so many ways, what did he conclude? "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all" (Ecclesiastes 12:13).

Jesus said, "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you" (Matthew 6:33). Those who seek physical, material treasures often fail in their search, but if we seek God’s kingdom and His righteousness, you will find the greatest treasure of all…HIM.

Shoes of Righteousness

The Bible speaks volumes about how we are to approach our Heavenly Father.

In Exodus 3:5, Moses was to approach Him by taking off his sandals. In Acts 7:32, we see again this same encounter..."Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground."

In Joshua 5:15 Then the Commanders of the Lord's army said to Joshua, "Take your sandals off your foot, for the place where you stand is holy." And Joshua did so.

Certainly it is not a question of shoes, but a personal attitude, how we approach the holiness of God during our life. Steve Green sings about leaving footprints behind that others may follow; thus they will see our faithfulness; how we approach Him and honor His authority in our lives. The life we live needs to light a way for others, that through our walk, others will come to know God's love. The fire that burns within our life, to share Him with others, should offer a burning desire of others to also share. We need to be an example. The question is -- what does your footprints look like.

Certainly all of us want to put our best foot forward; use only formal shoes that leave the best imprint, but all imprints are good as long as to express God's love towards someone else. Certainly you wouldn't wear a formal shoe when working in the bush; you would wear a common shoe like this one shown here. It is not about the shoe, it is about the heart. Moses only took off his sandals (shoes) when God asked him too. It wasn't about the shoes, it was about the man...God's man standing on God's holy ground and God wanting to share His love direct. We need to stand firm, with or without shoes; it is all about a relationship with Him, but most important, it is all about what we leave behind for others to follow. We need to offer a good imprint, one that shows the fullness of a love relationship. What kind of footprint do you offer; is it one that you want someone to follow. Think about it the next time you sit down to put on a pair of shoes as I will.

One Size Doesn't Fit All

One size doesn't necessary mean it still fits... Noah certainly had a big task; he had to gather two of each kind and get them into a boat.

I am reminded of what Bill Cosby suggested in his reflection about Noah -- Who is this really?...Am I on Candid Camera? Little did Noah realize that the task was a little larger then he expected, well over budget, and someone should have though this through before placing all different animals together in a confine space. Did you ever feel that God doesn't do things on a small scale, and when He talks, everyone listens.

Certainly God asks many of us to do some strange things, whether it be for just a season or a life time. Little did I know that at 50-years of age I would be asked to give up my career, go back to college (which turned out to be seminary), and move East Texas to serve in full time missions.

Being an engineer I typically can't just take things on face value; I need to measure all available options that will produce the best outcome. Engineer's are like that; weight the costs before spending the money. If I was asked to build Noah's boat and gather in some animals, I would want to know the final outcome, the purpose of the task, develop a cost analysis for the project, and determine the correct manpower allocations for the project before moving forward. To stop everything and just pick up a hammer...start banging on some wood without any formal blueprints (other than verbal direction) would not be logical. Talk about a "walk in faith"...and that is what we had to do!

I have been asked several times..."are you retired"...on the surface it may seem that way, not having any corporate income, no 401k plans, not even a long term goal written down in a day-timer. God simply wants us to walk in faith and allow Him to plan the future. Whether that was going through Noah's mind when he accept the position, only God knows, but it would certainly be an issue if I had to build a boat to transport these animals. All of us need long term planning, but when you deal with God...it is His plans...not ours - that we should follow.

Now, getting back to Noah...certainly the boat took more then a few years to build. If Noah is anything like me, there would be lots of time to think about the task and/or question the outcome. Being over budget, consuming all his spare time and efforts, being questioned from every Tom/Dick and Harry...what do you thing you are doing...building a boat that is too far away to launch, etc., certainly would raise some doubts. Whenever God wants something done in our lives, it may not be logical to the world, but most certainly have a purpose, even if we can't see it...He can. It shouldn't stop the forward progress of the task, but certainly it should make you question the mythology. Such was the case within Cosby presentation that is so real -- "no wait a minute, there got to be a better way." God always weighs the cost, knows the outcome, and looks at the big picture, even when we can't.

Now the question at hand...how would you handle such an assignment? Question it and analyze the outcome before moving forward or just walk through it in faith. I believe it is the walk that will get you there and not the analysis. Try it for a while and let God run the show. You won't be disappointed...trust me and certainly trust God. You will not go wrong...He will not let you.