Monday, May 29, 2006

CrossTies Devotional Article for May 28, 2006

A Whole Lot Of Right Out There
By Bill Denton

So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.  (Galatians 6:10, NASB95)

     The movie Radio is based upon the true story of a high school football coach (Ed Harris) and a developmentally challenged young man, known as "Radio" (Cuba Gooding Jr.), whom he takes under his wing.
     The coach invites Radio to team practice sessions. He drives him back to his home. He invites him to school, to be a part of the class. In one scene, Radio's mother and coach Jones are seated at her kitchen table having a talk.
     Mother: "You know coach, it wasn't that long ago, I see you drive up in that truck of yours and be wonderin' why you're doin' what you're doin'. So, why are you doin' what you're doin?"
     Coach: "I figure it's the right thing to do."
     Mother: "But there's a whole lot out there that's right. Don't mean we always do it."
          Radio (Touchstone Pictures, 2003), directed by Michael Tollin

Yes, there is certainly a “whole lot out there that’s right,” that we’re not doing.  This is a side of sin that goes unnoticed by most of us.  Usually we think of sin as something that we do that is wrong.  But sin is also something that is right that we do not do.  People often pride themselves on how much wrong-doing they avoid.  That same person may also be avoiding a great deal of right-doing.

We should be thankful for all the right-doing that happens.  I can tell you when someone treats me “right” it does not go unnoticed.  I know it when someone has been kind to me, or when they have been good to me.  You probably recognize those things, too.  I am glad that so many people have been moved to do something good with their lives, to leave a positive legacy, to make a mark of some kind that blesses or benefits others.  Just think of all the ways that people have been helped because someone wanted to do something good.  Wouldn’t this be a sad world without those good things?

This is one of the distinctive characteristics of Christianity.  I don’t mean that people of other religions or philosophies never do any good, but I am saying that for Christians, it is part of our basic belief that we do good to others, irregardless of who those others are, or whether they are deserving of our good treatment.  We may struggle with that idea, and we certainly may not always live up to it, but the fact remains that the generous, benevolent, gracious God we follow has implanted in us attributes that the world in general does not practice.

The Bible says that God sends the sunshine and rain on both the just and unjust.  In other words, while it is true that eventually He will judge and punish evil people, it is equally true that during their lifetime, God will also be good to them and us.  It’s hard to be wrong and do right.  Despite the fact that we don’t always do what’s right, do as much as you can, whenever you can.

© Copyright  2006, Dr. Bill DentonAll Rights Reserved.Articles may not be reprinted in any "for profit" publication without further permission by the author. Articles may be freely distributed via e-mail, reprinted in church bulletins or in other non-profit publications without further permission. Please keep this copyright and Web Site information intact with copied articles. Articles are sent originally to subscribers only. You may have received a forwarded or reprinted copy.   http://www.crossties.org
 
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Tuesday, May 23, 2006

CrossTies Devotional Article For May 21, 2006

A Church For Unbelievers
By Bill Denton

Like a bad tooth and an unsteady foot is confidence in a faithless man in time of trouble.
     (Proverbs 25:19, NASB95)

     The San Jose Mercury News once reported  the following item:
James Kelley of Washington, D.C., is one of a small group at his local church who are enthusiastic Episcopalians, but who do not believe in God. Said Kelley, "We all love the incense, the stained-glass windows, the organ music, the vestments and all of that. It's drama. It's aesthetics. It's the ritual. That's neat stuff. I don't want to give all that up just because I don't believe in God."   --  Derek Helt, "Go With the Flow," SermonNotes.com

One of the most popular forms of ‘church membership’ is identified by the term “adherents.”  It’s a word used to refer to people who attend, but don’t belong.  In collecting church statistics, it is often included as a separate category of attendance.  In other words, a church would record that it had a total attendance of, say, 100.  Of that number 50 were members, 25 were visitors, and 25 were “adherents.”  Depending on how it’s used, that number might include unbaptized children, spouses of members who attend regularly, and others who attend regularly, but who are not recognized as full members of a congregation.  There are lots of reasons for people choosing to belong to this category, and most are beyond the point of this article.

However, I wonder if the problem identified in the illustration above is more frequent than we might think.  It surprises me that someone would love the ceremony, the aesthetics, and the trappings of “religion” but not subscribe to the religion itself.  At least it surprises me that people would reject belief in God, but be drawn to the things that are designed to draw people to Him.

I must confess, however, that over the years I have known quite a number of people who behaved in a similar fashion.  They attended church services frequently.  They took part in activities, enjoyed singing of songs, and somehow found comfort and encouragement from the whole of the worship experience.  But, they were not believers.

There is a surprising disconnect between what people enjoy as a religious experience, and what people believe.  The one does not necessarily produce the other.  Though surprising, it does help explain why there seems to be so much practical uninvolvement in the real teachings of the Christian faith.

A deep, serious look at the teachings of Christ, and the inspired writers of the New Testament, for example, is not necessarily what church attenders are after.  Too often, attenders are after an enjoyable experience that feeds their need for art, beauty, symmetry, drama, etc., but they are not ready to subscribe to the life-changing beliefs that produce those things.  It’s the man who likes preaching, but not sermons.  Unbelievers remain bereft of the real benefits of faith, without confidence in time of trouble.  Make sure you are after the substance, not just the symbolism.


© Copyright  2006, Dr. Bill DentonAll Rights Reserved.Articles may not be reprinted in any "for profit" publication without further permission by the author. Articles may be freely distributed via e-mail, reprinted in church bulletins or in other non-profit publications without further permission. Please keep this copyright and Web Site information intact with copied articles. Articles are sent originally to subscribers only. You may have received a forwarded or reprinted copy.   http://www.crossties.org
 
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Tuesday, May 16, 2006

CrossTies Devotional Article For May 14, 2006

There Is More Grace Than There Is Sin
By Bill Denton

I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service, even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor. Yet I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief; and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus.  ( 1 Timothy 1:12-14, NASB95)

There is more grace in God's heart than there is sin in your past.
     Erwin Lutzer

How do you make up for things you do to hurt others, for words that bring pain and anguish, or for actions that betray the presence of evil in your heart?  If your conscience breaks through the hard shell you use to encase your heart, and you feel the grip of guilt on your soul, what do you do to absolve yourself of your sins?  You see, these are the misguided efforts of people who have missed the power of good news in Jesus Christ.  We keep trying to fix things, repair the wrongs done, and get ourselves out of trouble, and we keep wagging around a burden we can’t carry.

Don’t misunderstand.  Surely, it is good to repent of sins, to apologize for saying harsh words, and to make amends where possible.  But the truth is that none of these things erase the wrong done.  We fool only ourselves if we think we can undo our sins.

Others recognize the weight of their sins.  Their guilt is unbearable.  Once they realize the sins of their lives, they are crushed by guilt to the point that they can give up on life itself, and certainly they give up on relationships with people they have harmed.  They go through life with a soul-burden that could crush an elephant, suffocating under the weight of the burden.

This is why the message of Jesus is called “good news.”  It is why the term “grace” is applied so often to God’s actions on our behalf.  The fact is that you can’t do a thing about your sins beyond being sorry, and apologizing.  You can’t relieve the guilt, remove the burden, or change the consequences.  God can, and it is grace that makes it believable.

Sinners are an unworthy lot.  That’s an easy admission if we’re talking about all those other sinners, but it’s no less true when talking about ourselves.  People who have sinned don’t deserve anything good.  They only deserve to be judged, found guilty, and punished for their wrongs.  God sees a completely different way to deal with sinners.

There is ample grace in God’s heart.  Amazing as it sounds, there is no person so bad that God will not save them, if they will but believe in Jesus, and turn to him to find forgiveness.  But let‘s talk about you for a moment.  Do you know about God’s grace?  Are you aware that you can be forgiven?  Do you know about a cleansed heart and conscience and a new life?  Are you convinced that you’re beyond help?  Perhaps you need to know that there is more grace than there is sin.

© Copyright  2006, Dr. Bill DentonAll Rights Reserved.Articles may not be reprinted in any "for profit" publication without further permission by the author. Articles may be freely distributed via e-mail, reprinted in church bulletins or in other non-profit publications without further permission. Please keep this copyright and Web Site information intact with copied articles. Articles are sent originally to subscribers only. You may have received a forwarded or reprinted copy.   http://www.crossties.org
 
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Wednesday, May 03, 2006

CrossTies Devotional Article For April 30, 2006

The Hard Job Of Self-Examination
By Bill Denton

“Do not judge so that you will not be judged. “For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.
          (Matthew 7:1-2 , NASB95)

They who are conscious of their own sins have no eyes for the sins of their neighbors.
     —Abbot Moses (10th century) "The Wisdom of the Desert," Men of Integrity
                (September/October 2004)

Self-examination is always harder than examining other people.  It’s just a fact.  Perhaps it is because identifying a fault or problem in another person is no threat to self.  But turn that around and find your own faults and problems and you’ll discover that it hurts.

Self-examination requires a strong stomach.  Honest self-examination almost always throws a spotlight on things we’d rather not have to admit, or have others know about.  We’d rather point a finger at the other guy and beg, “What about him?”

Self-examination also requires that we be reasonable about what we discover.  It’s possible for a person to judge oneself too harshly, and thus lose the benefit of the exercise.  What I mean is that some people engage in self-examination, find some problems or issues that need some work, but instead of attacking the problems they decide they are worthless human beings.  That is totally discouraging, so they throw in the towel and quit.  They may even abandon their faith in God because they judge themselves such abject failures.  That is not where self-examination should lead us.

The real goal of self-examination is to help us make a legitimate assessment about ourselves so that we can determine how well we’re managing to practice God’s will for our lives.  If self-examination reveals that we’re doing well, we should give thanks to God and ask his help to remain on the right track.  If we’re not doing well, it’s not a time for over-reacting.  It’s time to be honest with what we find and seek God’s solutions and direction.

Nobody likes self-examination, at least nobody I know.  Few, if any of us, like to face things that are painful and damaging, especially when we’re the ones who cause those painful, damaging things to exist.  But sometimes we must take a look at what we’re producing in our lives.  Without making extraordinary claims, is the product good or bad, positive or negative, helpful or hurtful?  Is it really consistent with God’s will or different from it?  Can you go to the Bible and say, “Here’s how I know I’m on the right track or wrong track”?

If you manage self-examination correctly, you’ll have less time and inclination to point out the faults of others.  Most of your time will be spent on yourself.  And if you’re honest, you’ll discover your own problems equal, if not exceed, those of others.  That alone will make you better.


© Copyright  2006, Dr. Bill DentonAll Rights Reserved.Articles may not be reprinted in any "for profit" publication without further permission by the author. Articles may be freely distributed via e-mail, reprinted in church bulletins or in other non-profit publications without further permission. Please keep this copyright and Web Site information intact with copied articles. Articles are sent originally to subscribers only. You may have received a forwarded or reprinted copy.   http://www.crossties.org
 
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