Promises

Have you ever seen a TV drama in which a brave parent, policeman, or concerned adult makes a promise to a child:
     "I will not let anyone hurt you; I promise."
     "We will find the people who did this; I promise."
     "I will return before springtime; I promise."

I know, it's television, but I cringe every time I hear it: "I promise."

Can anyone make promises like that?

'TV Land' is not reality. In the real world promises are sometimes kept and sometimes not. It can be difficult to keep our promises to be on time or attend a child's activity. LIFE happens and we sometimes unintentionally break a promise.

When people make bold promises like the 'TV promises,' they seem more like fantasy, not reality. Yet, God made some astounding promises, and they are no fantasy.

Just think back to ancient Israel in the Old Testament and God's warnings against idolatry. Those warnings included His promised action against Israel if they persisted in their idolatry. In His warnings God actually promised Israel three chances to turn back and make things right. Ultimately, if they would not turn from idolatry he warned that he would give them over to a foreign power as captives: another promise. (Read His promises in Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 4.)

By the time of Daniel God's promises of warning were history. God's people had been idolatrous and had been taken from their homeland by the king of Babylon...according to promise. They would remain in captivity for 70 years, yet another promise.

The 9th chapter of the book of Daniel is a beautiful prayer in which Daniel recognized the failure of his people because of their idolatry. A reading of the text makes it clear that Daniel had an intimate knowledge of God's instruction and His promises in the Law of Moses. Not only did he understand that the Babylonian captivity was a promise that God had kept, he also recognized that there was a solution based on promise.

O my God, lean down and listen to me. Open Your eyes and see our despair. See how your city--the city that bears Your name [Jerusalem]--lies in ruins. We make this plea, not because we deserve help, but because of your mercy.
--Daniel 9:18 (New Living Translation)

How did Daniel know to appeal to God's mercy? How did he know to appeal for forgiveness and restoration? Long before that time God had already promised that he would listen to such a plea.

God had not only warned the Israelites with promised discipline; He had openly shared with them the way to repair their broken relationship with Him. His solution was nothing less than promised acceptance and return to their land if they would return to him.

Many people merely see God as a rule maker. Yet the Bible is full of promises. Yes, there are strong promises of warning for those who turn away from Him. However, there are wonderful promises of salvation, acceptance and hope for those who respond to God in faith and humility. And God's promises are truly out of this world!

May we stand in AWE of our God who has given us promises; our God who does not lie!

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom;
And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
--Proverbs 9:10

Mark Stinnett

Overlooked

Have you ever been overlooked?

I really wanted to ask if you have ever known anyone who was overlooked, but it seemed almost contradictory. You see, how would you know that they were overlooked if you had overlooked them? (It’s a puzzle.)

We might say that they have fallen through the cracks, or that they are lost in the mix. They go unnoticed because...well, because no one notices.

Few know their name.

When you are overlooked you kind of see yourself fading into the background of life, more and more as time passes. You see yourself as small and insignificant. You are not necessarily depressed. You don’t necessarily feel sorry for yourself. You are not necessarily angry at the world. You are simply small, and you know it.

Over time, a self-perception of smallness can take its toll. A person finds himself actually withdrawing from people, unknowingly making it more difficult for others to develop or maintain a relationship. He might become detached from reality. Feeling smaller and smaller, discouragement, disappointment and even depression can set in.

The Apostle Paul used a word to describe a person who sees himself as small when compared to others: Fainthearted.

In 1 Thessalonians 5:14 Paul instructed:

Encourage the fainthearted.

A person who is fainthearted needs to be included. He needs to see a smile and hear a welcome voice. She needs a hug of acceptance. She needs to know that you know her name; that she is appreciated.

When a Christian is continually overlooked by other Christians and becomes fainthearted, it can have a devastating effect. 

     "Do God’s people not care?"

     "Am I invisible to God as well?"

A person who is fainthearted can become weak in faith and struggle spiritually. The devil can more easily get a foothold when a person is fainthearted. Encouragement is needed.

Paul didn’t say feed the fainthearted or buy them supplies; rather, encourage. That means to put courage in the heart.

So, how do you put courage in the heart of a person who is fainthearted?

Perhaps helping with food and/or supplies will be a part of the encouragement. Perhaps a little face time is needed (and I’m not talking about social media). Individual needs will vary. So, respond to their needs.

However, when a person is fainthearted he needs to be reminded that his perseverance and endurance in the Lord are not in vain. God’s word assures the Christian of a glorious welcome into eternal life for those who remain faithful to Christ.

And by the way, Paul did not say, “If you have been overlooked, pout and complain.” It might be that YOU are the spark that will encourage the heart of someone else.

Look around today; who could use a little encouragement from you?

Mark Stinnett
December 23, 2018

One Thing You Really Ought to Know about Christmas

The Holiday

Yes, it is true. We really do not know the exact date of Jesus’ birth. Early Christian writers favored a date around December 25th because they held to the belief that Jesus was conceived at Passover. However, this view was held with no known evidence. A birth in the spring or fall is favored by many modern scholars. One writer has commented that about the only thing we know for sure is that Jesus was not born on December 25th.

The word Christmas does not come from the Bible, but from the Roman Catholic Church. It is a shortened form of “Christ’s Mass,” a celebration of Christ’s birth, a celebration which originated in about the 4th century A.D.

What are we supposed to do with this information? Some believers feel that Christmas should not be observed since it is not in the Bible. Other believers love the holiday and would prefer not to be bothered with facts. Some folks who do not believe in Jesus look at the facts and think Christians to be foolish for celebrating a made-up holiday. (Of course, for non-believers, all holidays are made-up.)

When we turn to the Bible the birth of Jesus brought joy to those awaiting the Messiah, and it brought praise to God for fulfilling His promise of salvation. Yet, as joyful a time as it was, the earliest Christians do not appear to have celebrated His birth, nor were they instructed to do so in Scripture. That said, Christians today are given the liberty to celebrate Christmas if they wish, as they wish, whenever they wish...even in July.

The Wise Men

Yes, it is true. No one really knows how many wise men visited Jesus; and no one knows their names. It is somewhat unclear from scripture whether Joseph and Mary had returned to Nazareth or stayed in Bethlehem when the wise men visited. (Compare Matthew's account with Luke's account.) It is also unclear how old Jesus was when the wise men presented Him gifts. About the only thing we know for sure is that Jesus was not lying in a manger in a stable when the wise men visited. He was inside a house with His mother:

“After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh." —Matthew 2:11

There are things we are accustomed to hearing and seeing at Christmastime, things we even expect: trees and stockings, fruitcakes and shopping; fa la la la laa, la la la laaaaa.

Whether you celebrate, or in whatever way you may celebrate, your Christmas traditions are yours: December 25th, the wise trio, manger & stable scenes, Tannenbaum and carols; the jolly, rotund, chimney sweep with a big bountiful bag; it is all up to you. But there is one thing you really ought to know about Christmas...

Peace on Earth

An angel announced the birth of Jesus to nearby shepherds. Then the heavenly host responded:

Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace among men with whom he is well pleased.
—Luke 2:14 (NASB)

This was not a divine greeting, but a declaration. Peace on earth would be nice in any century, but God never promised everybody peace on earth. You ought to know that the only ones who will have peace are those "with whom He is well pleased." And that demands a response, not to the baby in a manger, but to the Christ upon the cross, to the risen Savior and reigning King.

Jesus, the adult Jesus, the one called Messiah, and Lord; the man that God acknowledged as his Son; He said that He had come to bring a sword (Matthew 10:34). His sword of judgment will one day separate believers from unbelievers for all eternity.

Jesus did bring peace to earth, but it was peace between God and sinful man. (Just read the first two chapters of the gospel accounts of Matthew and Luke and see for yourself.) Zacharias, the father of John said it; Mary said it; the old man Simeon said it; the angel announced it: 

Jesus came to bring peace between God and man...

            ...to those with whom He is well pleased.

Is God well pleased with you???
BELIEVE...

Mark Stinnett
(Revised: December, 2022.)

Is Faith Really Enough???

People in the world of Christianity throw around the words faith and believe quite a lot. “Believe in Jesus and you’ll be saved,” you’ll hear. Or, “All you need is faith in Christ, and everything will be alright.” Is faith really enough?

Emphatically, “Yes”...and…”Absolutely Not.”

To use the word faith without explaining how it is being used is sure to invite confusion. So, let’s first consider the ‘context’ of faith.

Have you ever heard someone ask, “Do you believe in dinosaurs”? More accurately, the question should be worded, “Do you believe that dinosaurs existed?” That is quite different from asking, “Do you believe in Jesus?” 

On the surface belief in Jesus addresses whether a person believes that Jesus of Nazareth was truly the Son of God, a divine being who was born in the flesh and lived a brief time on this earth. But it goes much deeper than the mere belief of the presence of deity in the flesh; it has everything to do with His purpose and whether He accomplished it.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotton Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. 
—John 3:16

The purpose of Jesus was not to start an organization or propose a new philosophy of living. Rather, Jesus said that He had “come to seek and to save that which was lost.” (Luke 19:8)

The references to perishing and being lost describe mankind's severed relationship with God. Since God is pure and holy he cannot embrace sinful man; there is no fellowship with man. The Apostle Paul was very blunt:

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness. 
—Romans 1:18

Faith is a response to the claims of Jesus about salvation, or more specifically, salvation from the wrath of God. Faith is a genuine conviction that Jesus accomplished His purpose; that sinful man does not have to perish; that there is a remedy for sin so that man does not have to experience God’s wrath.

So, faith is first a belief that man exists in a broken relationship with God and is destined to experience God’s wrath, but that Jesus Christ came to mend that broken relationship, and that he succeeded. Faith is about accepting the reality of one’s sin and the need to be saved from the wrath of God. Faith is about the sinner making a faith response to Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

A sinner’s initial faith response mends the broken relationship between the him and God. The Apostle Paul reduces all this to one statement:

Having now been justified by His (Jesus) blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. —Romans 5:9

The text following that statement explains that once a sinner’s relationship with God has been mended, he must adopt a lifestyle in harmony with the character of God. After all, the sinner died to sin when baptized into Christ. At the same time the sinner was raised to “walk in newness of life.” (6:3-4)

So, in reality a sinner is cleansed of sin by grace through faith. Then, having been cleansed of sin he must maintain a relationship with God by faith, that is, by ’walking in newness of life.’ A person begins his walk with Christ in faith, and he continues to walk with Christ in faith through holy living and humble obedience to the word of God. Without continued faith, it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). From beginning to end, it is all about faith.

So, 'Yes,' faith is enough. Faith is all there is.

Yet, faith without humble obedience to God's word is really no faith at all.

Mark Stinnett

How to Shame Your Mother

I’m in the local grocery store after work. My guess is that the other folks in the store are, like me, picking up something for supper. We are not rushing, but we are all in a hurry. Pleasant half-grins as we pass each other in the aisles.

Then it happens; the ear-spitting scream that awakens all of us from our after-work humdrum procession. One aisle over a little 30-inch monster has just cut loose on her mother, screaming for an item she passed by.

I want to throttle the little angel (and then exit quickly). I come around the display at the end of the aisle and enter the aisle of terror.

'Mom' looks like a bomb blew up in her face, a kind of deranged look: frizzled hair, face reddened from embarrassment, eyes about to burst with tears, or just burst. Still wanting to throttle the...
I want to offer to help, but do what?

This wasn’t the first time and it won’t be the last. She is lost in her moment of misery and a kind hug with, “It’ll be all right,” would be a lie.

Sure, kids eventually quit screaming. But only because their voices change and they learn to speak. Then their rebellion takes on a different sound and look. It is foolish to think that the rebellious nature of a child somehow just vanishes over time.

I have never heard anyone bemoan the fact that they had applied proper discipline to their child. My heart is heavy from time to time when I see Christians, believers who claim to honor God and hold to his divine instruction, yet who allow rebellion and disobedience in their home. I wonder why some Christians fail to embrace God’s teaching on the discipline of children. I can assure you that I am not being judgmental. The behavior is out in the open for all to see: open rebellion, open defiance, blatant disobedience; yet no form of discipline follows. If parents wait until ‘experience’ teaches the lesson, it will be far too late.

   The rod and reproof give wisdom, 
   But a child who gets his own way brings shame to his mother.
   --Proverbs 29:15

The ‘rod’ refers to discipline of a physical nature. ‘Reproof’ refers to discipline of a verbal nature.

Years ago a friend of mine quipped, as we both watched his son disobey, "I was just like that when I was his age...but I turned out ok."

Assuming that my friend really was 'OK' (morally, spiritually), who would think that it was his undisciplined disobedience that made him OK? Rather, it would seem that something or someone had intervened to turned him around. A lack of discipline does not breed discipline; disobedience does not produce obedience. A child who gets his own way..."brings shame to his mother."

May God grant Christian parents the courage to...Believe!


Mark Stinnett