Everyone in the story received God's mercy and everyone (including God) was happy – except Jonah. Jonah and God had a conversation, punctuated by God's three questions which reveal the purpose of Jonah's story.
"Are you right to be angry?" God had not destroyed Nineveh. Jonah had done what God wanted, but God had not done what Jonah wanted, and so Jonah blamed God for doing wrong and being soft on sin.
Don't forget, the Assyrians raped, impaled, and beheaded women and children. In Jonah's mind, "If God is just and right, why doesn't he crush them for sin?" The nasty Ninevites pled for mercy and God withheld judgment. What is up with God? What about all those widows and children they shattered? "God, if this is how you're going to run the world where you let rapists, murderers, and pedophiles go free, then I'm done serving you. I can't believe in a God like that."
Our world is messed up with school shootings, child trafficking, sexual abuse, and genocide. We too can angrily accuse God for doing nothing to stop it. "God, if you're powerful and loving, why don't you protect the victims and punish these sinners?" We want a God who will run the world as we know it should be run.
But hear God's question. "Are you right to be angry?" We are not in a different category of sinner than "those" sinners. God was saying, "Jonah, you're just as evil a sinner as the Ninevite, and I showed you mercy. Are you right to be angry at me? You must trust me." You will either trust God or you will trust your understanding.
Jonah waited to watch if God would judge, but God mercifully caused a plant to grow, providing shade for his prophet. Jonah was glad for the plant. His anger was cooled because his life was comfortable. But the next day, God took the plant away, and Jonah exploded with the same anger he had toward God, but it was masked as anger toward the plant. "Jonah, are you right to be angry at the plant?"
We take our anger with God out on knotted shoelaces, dried pens, flat tires, slow computers, and squeaky chairs. Those things are not your problem. YOU ARE YOUR PROBLEM. There is a selfish arrogance that says you deserve better than what God has given. When you are angry at an object, you are ultimately angry at God for not doing you right – and you have forgotten the gospel. Before the cross, you were doomed to wrath. Then Jesus came and gave you the mercy you didn't deserve!
"Should I not have pity on the city?" Nineveh never deserved God's mercy – and neither did Jonah. We too do not deserve God's mercy. We can wish swift destruction on evil people, but if God had not been longsuffering, he would have destroyed us long ago.
Let us remember the gospel the next time someone hurts people close to us. Should not God have pity on them as he has had on us? Will not the Judge of all the world do right? By the way, Nineveh eventually was severely punished for their sins. God does triumph over evil.
Food for thought: Let us rest in the gospel of God's judgment and mercy.
-Andy Gleiser
student pastor at www.burgeterrace.org, founder of www.3gministries.org
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Jonah 3:1-10
We've never seen anything quite like what happened in Nineveh at the preaching of Jonah. Here was a city of more than 120,000 getting right with God in the span of 40 days. This center of paganism became a hotbed of revival. How did this happen? And can we experience such powerful revival in our lives?
Remarkably, the revival was begun by a runaway preacher who was given a second chance. Jonah was awakened to see he needed the same grace he had withheld from Nineveh. God doesn't hold a grudge against you when you humble yourself and repent of sin. Before Nineveh experienced revival, Jonah experienced revival in the fish.
God had a message for the people of Nineveh. "Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!" Five Hebrew words that brought a city to its knees! A message of judgment and discipline on sin, but also a message of God's mercy and grace. Jonah could point to himself and say, "Look at me! Forgiveness and grace are available even to those who disobey and run away from God." He was the living sermon that God delivers sinners from destruction.
The awakened messenger announced God's message – and people were saved. Are you declaring the gospel to others? Who needs to hear of God's judgment and mercy? God has given you a great calling. Are you fulfilling it? Your own life is a powerful testimony of how God changes sinners. Tell your friends how Jesus has made a difference in your life.
The Ninevites provide us with a perfect example of how to get right with God. First of all, they respected God's warning. When they heard Jonah's sermon, they believed God would do what he said. They took what God had to say about sin seriously. Do you respect God’s warning about your sin? Do you secretly feel you'll be the exception to sin's consequences? Have you become so accustomed to the warnings that you don't hear them?
The Ninevites also repented of wickedness. They took the warning seriously enough to stop playing with their sin. Being revolted by their sin and violence, they cried out for God's mercy. Revival comes when we remove the objects and pursuits of sin from our lives and refuse to pick them back up. And God's grace enables us to repent.
Finally, they realigned their worship. Their thoughts, motives, and passions were centered on God. Though they had 40 days, they did not wait to get serious with God. We will not know personal revival until we give our minds to things above and bow in submission to Jesus. God was pleased to withhold judgment on Nineveh because he is good. He wants to pour out his reviving blessing on you too.
Food for thought: When was the last time you had a season of revival in your life?
--Andy Gleiser
student pastor at www.burgeterrace.org, founder of www.3gministries.org
Remarkably, the revival was begun by a runaway preacher who was given a second chance. Jonah was awakened to see he needed the same grace he had withheld from Nineveh. God doesn't hold a grudge against you when you humble yourself and repent of sin. Before Nineveh experienced revival, Jonah experienced revival in the fish.
God had a message for the people of Nineveh. "Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!" Five Hebrew words that brought a city to its knees! A message of judgment and discipline on sin, but also a message of God's mercy and grace. Jonah could point to himself and say, "Look at me! Forgiveness and grace are available even to those who disobey and run away from God." He was the living sermon that God delivers sinners from destruction.
The awakened messenger announced God's message – and people were saved. Are you declaring the gospel to others? Who needs to hear of God's judgment and mercy? God has given you a great calling. Are you fulfilling it? Your own life is a powerful testimony of how God changes sinners. Tell your friends how Jesus has made a difference in your life.
The Ninevites provide us with a perfect example of how to get right with God. First of all, they respected God's warning. When they heard Jonah's sermon, they believed God would do what he said. They took what God had to say about sin seriously. Do you respect God’s warning about your sin? Do you secretly feel you'll be the exception to sin's consequences? Have you become so accustomed to the warnings that you don't hear them?
The Ninevites also repented of wickedness. They took the warning seriously enough to stop playing with their sin. Being revolted by their sin and violence, they cried out for God's mercy. Revival comes when we remove the objects and pursuits of sin from our lives and refuse to pick them back up. And God's grace enables us to repent.
Finally, they realigned their worship. Their thoughts, motives, and passions were centered on God. Though they had 40 days, they did not wait to get serious with God. We will not know personal revival until we give our minds to things above and bow in submission to Jesus. God was pleased to withhold judgment on Nineveh because he is good. He wants to pour out his reviving blessing on you too.
Food for thought: When was the last time you had a season of revival in your life?
--Andy Gleiser
student pastor at www.burgeterrace.org, founder of www.3gministries.org
Monday, May 6, 2013
Jonah 1:4-2:10
Because God loves his children, he will not let us win with sin, but we also discover in the midst of God's discipline there is shocking grace. Jonah experienced divine discipline for his determined disobedience.
God is often like a laser-guided missile with a homing device. If you go left, God goes left after you. If you go right, he goes right. If you go off his road of blessing, he'll pursue you. He's locked in on you. Why wouldn't he? He went to hell for you. He went to the cross and was smashed so sinners like you could be rescued. God is a relentless pursuer of you when you disobey – to bring you back. You cannot outrun God’s love!
Like a major-league pitcher hurling a 95 mph fastball, God wound up and threw a mighty wind into the Mediterranean. God is willing to do the necessary to bring us to where we are glorifying him again, and he has all of creation at his disposal! God is jealous of you and always corrects your straying heart. Often he does it by overwhelming you with something you can't handle in order to remind you that you can't fight against him and win.
These terrified mariners threw dice to determine who had sinned to anger the God of storm. Jonah was found out! He was exposed for the sinner he was. One of the most gracious things God can do for you in sin is to unmask you. He shows you who you really are. He gets it out in the open. But what a gracious pain! God longs to short-circuit your path of sin. If he didn't intervene, sin would destroy our lives! Learn from God's grace of being caught.
Even though he had been exposed as the guilty sinner, Jonah was not broken for his sin. He would choose death on the high seas rather than obey God. But God will not let his disobedient prophet win. And so the Lord prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. Notice God was acting again. Long before Jonah was tossed, God had a fish ready.
There Jonah sat in the soggy darkness with limited oxygen and in an average temperature somewhere between 104-108 degrees Fahrenheit. But if we focus on what happened inside the fish, we'll miss what was going on inside Jonah. JONAH WAS FINALLY AT THE END OF HIMSELF. He had made a mess of his life, and God had allowed his sin to take him to places he never imagined.
God will not be denied your heart. If you stubbornly determine to disobey, one day you'll wake up in a place you'll hate. But there is grace for you even in the belly of your own sea monster for God is there waiting for your prayer of confession.
There is hope as long as there is God. From the fish, Jonah prayed, and God heard. He acknowledged his sin had taken him away from God, but now he was turning his heart back to God. As far as Jonah knew, he would die inside the fish, but in his mind, he would die happy because he was finally right and clean again. A clean heart before God will produce joy and release! Why live in misery?
Food for thought: Jonah ran, but God pursued. This is grace. How would God respond if you ran from Him?
-Andy Gleiser
student pastor at www.burgeterrace.org, founder of www.3gministries.org
God is often like a laser-guided missile with a homing device. If you go left, God goes left after you. If you go right, he goes right. If you go off his road of blessing, he'll pursue you. He's locked in on you. Why wouldn't he? He went to hell for you. He went to the cross and was smashed so sinners like you could be rescued. God is a relentless pursuer of you when you disobey – to bring you back. You cannot outrun God’s love!
Like a major-league pitcher hurling a 95 mph fastball, God wound up and threw a mighty wind into the Mediterranean. God is willing to do the necessary to bring us to where we are glorifying him again, and he has all of creation at his disposal! God is jealous of you and always corrects your straying heart. Often he does it by overwhelming you with something you can't handle in order to remind you that you can't fight against him and win.
These terrified mariners threw dice to determine who had sinned to anger the God of storm. Jonah was found out! He was exposed for the sinner he was. One of the most gracious things God can do for you in sin is to unmask you. He shows you who you really are. He gets it out in the open. But what a gracious pain! God longs to short-circuit your path of sin. If he didn't intervene, sin would destroy our lives! Learn from God's grace of being caught.
Even though he had been exposed as the guilty sinner, Jonah was not broken for his sin. He would choose death on the high seas rather than obey God. But God will not let his disobedient prophet win. And so the Lord prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. Notice God was acting again. Long before Jonah was tossed, God had a fish ready.
There Jonah sat in the soggy darkness with limited oxygen and in an average temperature somewhere between 104-108 degrees Fahrenheit. But if we focus on what happened inside the fish, we'll miss what was going on inside Jonah. JONAH WAS FINALLY AT THE END OF HIMSELF. He had made a mess of his life, and God had allowed his sin to take him to places he never imagined.
God will not be denied your heart. If you stubbornly determine to disobey, one day you'll wake up in a place you'll hate. But there is grace for you even in the belly of your own sea monster for God is there waiting for your prayer of confession.
There is hope as long as there is God. From the fish, Jonah prayed, and God heard. He acknowledged his sin had taken him away from God, but now he was turning his heart back to God. As far as Jonah knew, he would die inside the fish, but in his mind, he would die happy because he was finally right and clean again. A clean heart before God will produce joy and release! Why live in misery?
Food for thought: Jonah ran, but God pursued. This is grace. How would God respond if you ran from Him?
-Andy Gleiser
student pastor at www.burgeterrace.org, founder of www.3gministries.org
Saturday, May 4, 2013
Jonah 1:3
We established a couple of days ago that God's call to go to Nineveh was dangerous for Jonah, but there was another reason Jonah disobeyed God. In chapter 4, he said he knew God would be merciful on the Assyrians. In Jonah's mind, "How could God allow them to be spared after their unspeakable acts of gross and violent sin?" God's call was just too difficult to be obeyed.
God's call is not always easy. It is not always glamorous. It is not without challenges. Jesus endured attacks, slander, hatred, and even murder for my crimes. Why would I expect anything less as his follower? This world is not done killing Jesus. According to him, "The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you" (John 15:20). There will be battle fatigue and harassment in serving Jesus, but don't quit when you grow weary. Look to Jesus. Cry out to him. Don't forget God wants you and has custom built you for this moment.
But sadly, when God said GO, Jonah said NO. He didn't misunderstand; he just didn't like it. And so he went to Joppa (a seaport) and found a ship going to Tarshish (opposite way). By the way, Satan always has a ship available and he'll make sure you find it. But his luxurious ships always sail in the opposite direction from God's best. In Jonah's mind, Tarshish was an easier way and more convenient. He could distance himself from God's call on his life. But nobody can get away from the presence of the Lord…not even you.
"Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD" (Jeremiah 23:24). Where are you going to go that God is not there? You can skip church or stop reading Scripture, but God will graciously not leave you alone. He has created you to glorify him in gospel ministry. Don't run from his call.
There is always a cost to obey God, but there is always a cost to disobey God. Unfortunately, we are too eager to pay that price. You will either pay for sin or you will pay for the Savior. But if you pay for sin, you'll never get to where you want to be. Have you ever noticed that Jonah never got what he paid for? He never got to the destination he wanted on the ship. You too will pay to disobey but you will never get what you paid for.
Once you know you're supposed to serve God but decide not to, you'll not be happy doing anything else. You will get by. Life will happen. You'll have a family and make money. But nothing else the rest of your life will make you totally happy. There is a consequence to disobeying God's call. Don't live your life your way. Don't be a selfish believer. Don't leave God.
Food for thought: Every decision has a price. What are you spending your life on?
-Andy Gleiser
God's call is not always easy. It is not always glamorous. It is not without challenges. Jesus endured attacks, slander, hatred, and even murder for my crimes. Why would I expect anything less as his follower? This world is not done killing Jesus. According to him, "The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you" (John 15:20). There will be battle fatigue and harassment in serving Jesus, but don't quit when you grow weary. Look to Jesus. Cry out to him. Don't forget God wants you and has custom built you for this moment.
But sadly, when God said GO, Jonah said NO. He didn't misunderstand; he just didn't like it. And so he went to Joppa (a seaport) and found a ship going to Tarshish (opposite way). By the way, Satan always has a ship available and he'll make sure you find it. But his luxurious ships always sail in the opposite direction from God's best. In Jonah's mind, Tarshish was an easier way and more convenient. He could distance himself from God's call on his life. But nobody can get away from the presence of the Lord…not even you.
"Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD" (Jeremiah 23:24). Where are you going to go that God is not there? You can skip church or stop reading Scripture, but God will graciously not leave you alone. He has created you to glorify him in gospel ministry. Don't run from his call.
There is always a cost to obey God, but there is always a cost to disobey God. Unfortunately, we are too eager to pay that price. You will either pay for sin or you will pay for the Savior. But if you pay for sin, you'll never get to where you want to be. Have you ever noticed that Jonah never got what he paid for? He never got to the destination he wanted on the ship. You too will pay to disobey but you will never get what you paid for.
Once you know you're supposed to serve God but decide not to, you'll not be happy doing anything else. You will get by. Life will happen. You'll have a family and make money. But nothing else the rest of your life will make you totally happy. There is a consequence to disobeying God's call. Don't live your life your way. Don't be a selfish believer. Don't leave God.
Food for thought: Every decision has a price. What are you spending your life on?
-Andy Gleiser
Friday, May 3, 2013
Jonah 1:1-2
There came a day when God made it clear he had plans for Jonah. What a dramatic thought! God wanted Jonah. Out of all the Israelites God could've chosen, he decided to pick Jonah. Like a master composer of music who determines not only the notes to be played but also the instrument that will play those notes, so God is the Master Composer of the symphony of the ages. When he determined that Nineveh needed to hear from him, he decided on the perfect instrument to play that note – JONAH.
But wait…God has a call on your life as well. You may not know fully what it is, but rest assured he's calling your name. And it has something to do with the gospel. Jesus has commissioned you to go and make disciples of all the nations. Regardless of your present or future job occupation, he is calling you to be involved in gospel ministry.
Why did God choose Jonah for this exact call to go to Nineveh? The answer is simple: God made him a preacher. God custom built him as a preacher and then said, "Now go preach to Nineveh." When God wants a sermon to be given, he creates/calls preacher like Jonah. When God wants his people led, he creates/calls a shepherd like David. When God wants the New Testament written, he creates/calls an intellect like Paul. When God wants to save humanity, he sends himself to die on our behalf.
All through the Bible, God has used every conceivable type of person for the gospel. He has utilized shipbuilders, farmers, carpenters, preachers, shepherds, princes, kings, queens, poets, lawyers, tentmakers, fishers, mothers, children, tax collectors, islanders, doctors, scholars, soldiers, slaves, and even donkeys! Make no mistake…you are custom designed for gospel ministry!
Have you ever considered why you're good at math, science, art, public speaking, music, writing, computers, graphic design, words, cars, or carpentry? God wants to use it for the gospel! You did not build yourself. God built you for the sake of the gospel. So take how he created you and develop those skills and hone those strengths to be prepared for the call of God. He has made no mistake with you.
Food for thought: How are you custom built by God?
-Andy Gleiser
But wait…God has a call on your life as well. You may not know fully what it is, but rest assured he's calling your name. And it has something to do with the gospel. Jesus has commissioned you to go and make disciples of all the nations. Regardless of your present or future job occupation, he is calling you to be involved in gospel ministry.
Why did God choose Jonah for this exact call to go to Nineveh? The answer is simple: God made him a preacher. God custom built him as a preacher and then said, "Now go preach to Nineveh." When God wants a sermon to be given, he creates/calls preacher like Jonah. When God wants his people led, he creates/calls a shepherd like David. When God wants the New Testament written, he creates/calls an intellect like Paul. When God wants to save humanity, he sends himself to die on our behalf.
All through the Bible, God has used every conceivable type of person for the gospel. He has utilized shipbuilders, farmers, carpenters, preachers, shepherds, princes, kings, queens, poets, lawyers, tentmakers, fishers, mothers, children, tax collectors, islanders, doctors, scholars, soldiers, slaves, and even donkeys! Make no mistake…you are custom designed for gospel ministry!
Have you ever considered why you're good at math, science, art, public speaking, music, writing, computers, graphic design, words, cars, or carpentry? God wants to use it for the gospel! You did not build yourself. God built you for the sake of the gospel. So take how he created you and develop those skills and hone those strengths to be prepared for the call of God. He has made no mistake with you.
Food for thought: How are you custom built by God?
-Andy Gleiser
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Jonah 1:1-3
This is the story of Jonah, the prophet of God who reluctantly preached God's message to the city of Nineveh. Let's begin our study of Jonah with an introduction to the book, seeking to discover what God actually called his prophet to do.
God's call to Jonah was not easy. Nineveh was the large capital city of the war-crazed Assyrian Empire. In ancient times, the Assyrians were known for their aggressive, barbaric, cruel, and despicable atrocities. The unfortunate captives of Assyria would be subjected to extreme humiliation, mutilation, and execution. History records they impaled live victims, skinned others alive, and even beheaded thousands, leaving their skulls in a pile at the conquered city's gates.
So God called Jonah to pronounce disaster on them unless they would repent! Jonah would be alone in a city of more than 120,000 people to preach a negative message to those who did not believe in his God. This was a suicide mission. But let's make this personal.
The population of Afghanistan is almost entirely Muslim (99.85%). There is currently limited freedom to practice another religion, but there is no freedom to propagate another faith. In other words, it is against Afghan law to convert from Islam. Anyone suspected of evangelizing Afghan Muslims is harmed, arrested, kidnapped, or killed. It is my understanding that every month, an average of one Christian is arrested or murdered. At the very least, there is a kidnapping, physical assault, or property attack on Christians every week. Militant Afghan Muslims are even protesting Christianity by burning crosses.
Now imagine for a moment God made it abundantly clear to you to go to Kabul, Afghanistan as an American Christian and tell them unless they repent of their sin and unbelief in Jesus, they will be eternally punished in the lake of fire. You are to tell the Afghan people, "You've been lied to your whole life. Following Islam will condemn you to hell. Jesus will deliver you from your sin and reconcile you to the true God." WHAT WOULD BE YOUR REACTION?
Perhaps now you're beginning to catch a glimpse of what God called Jonah to do. He was to preach a message of judgment to the city of Nineveh, located in today's northern Iraq. Here was a Jewish man, drafted by God, to go to Iraq to say, "Unless you believe in my God, he will bring disaster on you for your sins."
You know the story. God's prophet dodged God's draft.
But before we crank on Jonah, let us take a serious look at our own lives. Are we any different from Jonah? Are we not slow to obey our Commander in Chief? Jesus said to his disciples, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me" (Matthew 16:24). The true follower of Jesus says, "I will follow you regardless of what it costs me." If you belong to Jesus, God is drafting you into his service.
Food for thought: God has a call on your life. Write out two things that God has called you to.
-Andy Gleiser
God's call to Jonah was not easy. Nineveh was the large capital city of the war-crazed Assyrian Empire. In ancient times, the Assyrians were known for their aggressive, barbaric, cruel, and despicable atrocities. The unfortunate captives of Assyria would be subjected to extreme humiliation, mutilation, and execution. History records they impaled live victims, skinned others alive, and even beheaded thousands, leaving their skulls in a pile at the conquered city's gates.
So God called Jonah to pronounce disaster on them unless they would repent! Jonah would be alone in a city of more than 120,000 people to preach a negative message to those who did not believe in his God. This was a suicide mission. But let's make this personal.
The population of Afghanistan is almost entirely Muslim (99.85%). There is currently limited freedom to practice another religion, but there is no freedom to propagate another faith. In other words, it is against Afghan law to convert from Islam. Anyone suspected of evangelizing Afghan Muslims is harmed, arrested, kidnapped, or killed. It is my understanding that every month, an average of one Christian is arrested or murdered. At the very least, there is a kidnapping, physical assault, or property attack on Christians every week. Militant Afghan Muslims are even protesting Christianity by burning crosses.
Now imagine for a moment God made it abundantly clear to you to go to Kabul, Afghanistan as an American Christian and tell them unless they repent of their sin and unbelief in Jesus, they will be eternally punished in the lake of fire. You are to tell the Afghan people, "You've been lied to your whole life. Following Islam will condemn you to hell. Jesus will deliver you from your sin and reconcile you to the true God." WHAT WOULD BE YOUR REACTION?
Perhaps now you're beginning to catch a glimpse of what God called Jonah to do. He was to preach a message of judgment to the city of Nineveh, located in today's northern Iraq. Here was a Jewish man, drafted by God, to go to Iraq to say, "Unless you believe in my God, he will bring disaster on you for your sins."
You know the story. God's prophet dodged God's draft.
But before we crank on Jonah, let us take a serious look at our own lives. Are we any different from Jonah? Are we not slow to obey our Commander in Chief? Jesus said to his disciples, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me" (Matthew 16:24). The true follower of Jesus says, "I will follow you regardless of what it costs me." If you belong to Jesus, God is drafting you into his service.
Food for thought: God has a call on your life. Write out two things that God has called you to.
-Andy Gleiser
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Nehemiah 13:14-30
Standards are a touchy topic, but standards are absolutely necessary in life. There are many ways to define standards, but I will over-simplify them into two groups: 1) Godliness-driven standards, and 2) Uniformity-driven standards.
1) Godliness-driven standards would include boundaries on the type of places I would go (stores, restaurants, etc.) and the entertainment I would participate in (movies, music, sports, etc.). These are external barriers that help me fight for godliness in my life. Lounges, derogatory perverse music, and blatant immodesty are all environments that will impede my heart’s pursuit of purity. I separate from these things because they are causing me to draw away from holiness. Separation then is the pipe by which the water of holiness can flow. It is a conduit for holy living, not the substance of holiness.
2) Uniformity-driven standards are often misrepresented and misunderstood. These standards are simply a set of barriers that establish uniformity. This standard would be best illustrated by the types of clothes we wear(in school – khakis and polo; on the basketball court – jersey and shorts; at McDonald’s – that black shirt with the red armpits) and the type of haircuts we get (most typically by everyone in culture, believer or unbeliever: for guys - a neat, short hair cut, for ladies – longer flowing hair). Uniformity-driven standards generally only pertain to godliness in that your personal growth in holiness and Christlikeness will be impeded if you do not submit to the uniformity standard laid out by your authority (boss, principal, parent, etc.).
At the end of the book of Nehemiah, Nehemiah cleanses the city of Jerusalem and especially the temple. His desire was to establish the standards that God desired for holy living in Jerusalem. His standards were strict, but they were designed to help the people live in godliness.
Four hundred years later, Jesus shows up to save the people of this city. Many are living in sin, but many more are living in self-righteousness.
You see, standards are absolutely necessary, but standards must be explained. Somewhere along the line, the Pharisees received the rule, but did not get the deeper truths. They saw themselves as holy and righteous based upon their keeping of personal standards, but Christ told them that their holiness must go deeper than the standards. Their actions were necessary, but they were also pointless without inward holiness.
Question your standards. Know why you do what you do. Define what the standard is. Then try to categorize it into godliness-driven or uniformity-driven. Then fight for godliness in your life. Remember standards are the conduit to holiness, they are not the end of it. Don’t let the ritualistic take the place of inward holiness.
Food For Thought: Write out five standards that you have in your family. Categorize them as “godliness-driven” or “uniformity-driven.” Ask dad and mom if you get hung up.
1) Godliness-driven standards would include boundaries on the type of places I would go (stores, restaurants, etc.) and the entertainment I would participate in (movies, music, sports, etc.). These are external barriers that help me fight for godliness in my life. Lounges, derogatory perverse music, and blatant immodesty are all environments that will impede my heart’s pursuit of purity. I separate from these things because they are causing me to draw away from holiness. Separation then is the pipe by which the water of holiness can flow. It is a conduit for holy living, not the substance of holiness.
2) Uniformity-driven standards are often misrepresented and misunderstood. These standards are simply a set of barriers that establish uniformity. This standard would be best illustrated by the types of clothes we wear(in school – khakis and polo; on the basketball court – jersey and shorts; at McDonald’s – that black shirt with the red armpits) and the type of haircuts we get (most typically by everyone in culture, believer or unbeliever: for guys - a neat, short hair cut, for ladies – longer flowing hair). Uniformity-driven standards generally only pertain to godliness in that your personal growth in holiness and Christlikeness will be impeded if you do not submit to the uniformity standard laid out by your authority (boss, principal, parent, etc.).
At the end of the book of Nehemiah, Nehemiah cleanses the city of Jerusalem and especially the temple. His desire was to establish the standards that God desired for holy living in Jerusalem. His standards were strict, but they were designed to help the people live in godliness.
Four hundred years later, Jesus shows up to save the people of this city. Many are living in sin, but many more are living in self-righteousness.
You see, standards are absolutely necessary, but standards must be explained. Somewhere along the line, the Pharisees received the rule, but did not get the deeper truths. They saw themselves as holy and righteous based upon their keeping of personal standards, but Christ told them that their holiness must go deeper than the standards. Their actions were necessary, but they were also pointless without inward holiness.
Question your standards. Know why you do what you do. Define what the standard is. Then try to categorize it into godliness-driven or uniformity-driven. Then fight for godliness in your life. Remember standards are the conduit to holiness, they are not the end of it. Don’t let the ritualistic take the place of inward holiness.
Food For Thought: Write out five standards that you have in your family. Categorize them as “godliness-driven” or “uniformity-driven.” Ask dad and mom if you get hung up.
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