Do You Love God With All Your Heart?

Jesus said that the greatest commandment is:

You shall love the Lord your God 

     with all your heart, and 

          with all your soul, and 

               with all your mind, and 

                    with all your strength.
                         —Mark 12:30 (NASB95)

When God first gave this command to Israel, He said two things that help me better understand heart. The text is in Deuteronomy 6, and Moses told the people the reason for God’s instruction.

So that you and your son and your grandson might fear the Lord your God…. (v. 3)

Not only is fear of (reverence for) God found in the heart, but also fear of enemies and anxiety over life’s uncertainties. Kindness is in the heart, but also stubbornness. Courage is there, along with dread; gladness and also sadness. Pride is in the heart, so also, humility.

These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. (vv. 6-7)

Is God’s word on your heart? 

For that to be true, God’s word must be given the highest level of importance. If God’s word is on your heart, you will be attentive to God’s commands and will actively pursue God’s instruction in obedience.

In the heart a man is stirred to act, strengthened with conviction and filled with integrity.

The kings of Israel were often compared to David, who served God with a whole heart. Yet Solomon’s heart was turned away from God because of his many wives.

The one who loves God with all his heart longs to know God, desires to know His expectations, and follows without apology and without question. It is not that he cannot think for himself or apply reason to God’s word. Nor is it that he has complete understanding. Yet, his convictions are rooted in God’s instruction, and they define his perceptions and attitudes.

God’s instruction is not a goal to achieve, but a path to walk. It is a path walked with awareness, intent, confidence and unwavering commitment. It is a path walked with passion:

• King David could not contain his joy when the ark of the Lord was returned to Jerusalem. (2 Samuel 6:14-16)
• Isaiah was moved in his heart to take God’s message to His people. (Isaiah 6:8)
• Jeremiah could not contain God’s word within his heart. (Jeremiah 20:9)
• The first Christians poured out their hearts through generous gifts for fellow believers who were in need. (Acts 4:32-37)
• Some Christians showed heart by suffering persecution, even death. (Hebrews 11:32-40)

To love God with all your heart is to set Him above all other things in life.

Let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. 

—Hebrews 12:1-3

Do you love God with all your heart???

Mark Stinnett

March 28, 2021

Why Is Sin Sinful?

Friends:
In general, friends have several points of intersection in their relationship.

Close friends have many points of commonality and, most likely, even think similarly. It is not just that they like many of the same things or have had numerous shared experiences; they usually also have the same or similar values.

In His Image:
God created mankind in His image. While we may not understand the full depth of that statement, one thing is certain: We were created with something in common with God and that point of commonality separates us from all other created things. So, there was an immediate relationship between Adam and Eve and God. They enjoyed fellowship.

In the Greek language the word for fellowship described community, participation in or sharing in something. Its root simply meant common. Unlike rocks and grass, birds and bass, God desires fellowship with every human.

Sin:
If we think about sin as a set of arbitrary rules assigned by a divine being who is always looking over our shoulder, we are thinking like a child. A child does not understand the rules assigned by his parents. A safety rule such as, “Don’t run with scissors,” a rule of etiquette such as, “Don’t talk with your mouth full,” and a moral rule such as, “Don’t tell lies,” all seem to be the same. They are rules that keep the child from doing what he wants. When we think of sin as mere rules, we are likely to overlook God’s desire for a meaningful relationship with us.

We must not look at sin in a clinical way as if a dictionary or Bible verse defines it. Sin is not merely an ethical or moral wrong. In reality, sin is a relationship destroyer. When Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, their relationship with God changed. It died! They died!

They destroyed their fellowship with God. As a result God had to cast them out of the Garden “to cultivate the ground from which he was taken” (Genesis 3:23). God cursed man with hard labor “till you return to the ground, because from it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return” (Genesis 3:19). At that point it almost seemed as if Adam and Eve had more in common (fellowship) with the ground than with God.

It is important to see that they broke fellowship with God, not the other way around. How do we know this? After Adam and Eve sinned, they heard God in the Garden and they hid themselves from Him because they were afraid (Genesis 3:10). They knew that their relationship had changed and they knew why: sin.

Why is sin sinful?
Sin is sinful because it opposes the very essence of God. The fundamental difference between God and sinful man is life. God cast Adam and Eve from the Garden and guarded the way to the tree of life (Genesis 3:24) because they had chosen death. God is life.

In the final judgment God will forever separate:

• The righteous from sinners;
• The godly from the ungodly;
• Sons of light from sons of darkness;
• The living from the dead.

We are called into fellowship with Jesus, the Son of the living God. 

He is the way, the truth, and…THE LIFE!

Mark Stinnett

March 21, 2021

Gluttony: It's Not Just About Food

Yes, the dictionary definition of gluttony is about eating too much and eating greedily. Yet, gluttony is from a family of words rooted in the idea of overindulgence.

The word glut might be used to describe a situation in which the market is flooded with a certain product. Glutton might be used figuratively to describe a person with a great capacity for something (e.g., a glutton for punishment).

We know that our physical bodies have cravings. We crave food and call it hunger. It is natural. In fact, hunger pangs are the body’s natural signal that food is needed. Of course, hunger pangs can be the result of habit, not actual need. So, what happens when the craving for food is not from hunger pangs?

To address that question is to cross from the idea of satisfying physical hunger to gluttony. Gluttony is more of a craving of the mind, not the body. It is the desire for more food even though food is not necessary. The glutton snatches food...because it’s there. The glutton has an unnatural desire for more, more, more.

Think about the way humans were created, and think about our natural cravings. It is natural to crave attention, yet it can be carried to an extreme. For example, think of an adult who must be the center of attention when others are around, or a child who misbehaves just to get attention, even if the attention is discipline. When such a craving is excessive, it might be called gluttony for attention.

Some people overindulge in the area of buying. They don’t really need the things they buy; they simply have an uncontrollable urge (desire) to buy things, a glutton for buying (or spending).

Just about any activity could become an area of overindulgence: sports, entertainment, leisure activities (or inactivity), work, sex, etc. The idea is that you have a craving for something. Yet after satisfying it, you continue to crave. There is almost no end to your craving. It is no longer a natural craving but a craving driven by the desires of the mind and heart.

Gluttons are takers, not givers. They take because it is there to take, not because of need. Gluttons impulsively snatch without giving thought to their actions or giving thought to the needs of others. A glutton cries out, “Indulge me!” It is driven by the attitude of satisfaction.

I have seen fat gluttons and skinny gluttons. Gluttony is not a physical issue but a sin of the heart. It is a form of selfishness and the opposite of self-discipline.

Do not eat the bread of a selfish man, Or desire his delicacies; For as he thinks within himself, so he is. He says to you, “Eat and drink!” But his heart is not with you. 

—Proverbs 23:6–7 (NASB95)

He who steals must steal no longer; but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with one who has need. 

—Ephesians 4:28 (NASB95)

When a person is consumed by the cravings of the body, mind or heart, he/she is being led by the flesh. Do you know the solution?

For if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 

—Romans 8:13 (NASB95)

If you are a glutton for food or entertainment or success or sex, the answer is not strength of will. You CANNOT do it alone, but if by the Spirit…. 

The solution begins in humble prayer.

Mark Stinnett

March 14, 2021

Can a Christian Serve in the Armed Forces?

After reading last week’s article, a friend raised some good questions about serving in the military. My title question summarizes what we discussed: “Can a Christian serve in the armed forces?” The same question applies to the police force. Surely you see the common ground: the potential for use of deadly force.

The question is not really about serving one’s country or enforcing the law, but about the ultimate use of deadly force in those roles.

Now, I am not qualified to answer the question, but not because I have never served. The soldier and police officer are not qualified either. God is the one who defines morality. We must answer to Him when it comes to taking a life.

As a kid I had little interest in war other than watching my favorite actors win WWII again and again. As a youth I remember adults talking (arguing) about just wars and unjust wars. In our teen Bible classes, war issues were hot topics, along with the usual drinking, drugs, peer pressure and premarital sex. None of it meant much to me at the time, but the questions are relevant.

So, what does God say about the title question?

Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.

—Romans 13:1 (NASB95)

My friend reminded me that a governing authority must have the capability of enforcement; otherwise, it has no ability to govern. Great point. And listen to Paul as he describes the purpose of governing authority:

For it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil. (v. 4)

God does not simply allow government to “bear the sword.” That is His expectation. He expects governing authorities to use deadly force against evil. (If you cannot accept that, then you must explain the purpose of the sword.) He leaves it up to the governing authorities to determine when deadly force is appropriate. Where governments, officials, soldiers and officers have abused their roles, God’s design has not changed.

Here are some other observations from the Bible:

• Some of our Bible heroes were soldiers, generals and kings who led armies into battle (Gideon, Joshua, David). Even Abraham had an army!
• God used ungodly nations (Assyria, Babylon) to “bear the sword” against His own people (Israel, Judah). Later Assyria, then Babylon, would fall because of ungodliness.
• Soldiers asked John the Baptist what their response should be when they became his disciples. He told them not to misuse their role as soldiers. Check out his full answer in Luke 3:14.
• Jesus dealt with a Roman official yet did not criticize his role. (Matthew 8:5-13)
• The first Gentile convert to Christianity was a centurion in the Roman army. (Acts 10)

God has also given us individual guidance:

“Whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God….” (v. 2)

“Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom is due; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor.” (v. 7)

The Scriptures answer the title question and guide us in the attitude we should have toward governing authority. It was first written to Christians in Rome but applies today. And it applies equally to the U.S., Italy, Russia, Colombia and Nigeria. 

One final thought: The sword was never God’s answer for peace. That required a cross and a sacrifice!

Mark Stinnett

March 7, 2021

I Guess I Was in the Dark...Again!

There I was, yet again in the dark, not knowing the terrible things going on in my nation’s capital. Yet again, I started hearing comments about things that had happened without really knowing what was in the news. Yet again, I felt confused and just a little embarrassed.

Actually, I felt confused and a little embarrassed when I read some of the comments from people who claim to be fellow Christians. From the things they wrote, I could see fire in their eyes. They had immersed themselves in the flames of political differences and through their words were (unwittingly or intentionally, I do not know) inciting anger and hatred. A few even boasted about taking up arms to defend our nation against her internal enemies!!

To the latter boast I ask, “Do you believe that Jesus would stand next to you in a bunker holding a loaded rifle ready to aim and take another person’s life? Would Jesus kill for this country!?” I dare not leave this question unanswered for fear that someone would somehow rationalize “Yes” in their mind.

The answer is not, “Of course not,” but “ABSOLUTELY NOT.” Jesus died on the cross to set you and them free from sin.

On one occasion Jesus was engaged in teaching a crowd of Jews. He told them that if they followed His teaching, “you will know the truth and the truth will make you free.”

They responded by saying that they had never been slaves to anyone. (NOT true—remember Egypt?) Not surprisingly the people misunderstood what Jesus was talking about. In the next verse Jesus clarified…

Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin.” 

—John 8:33

Do you think that Jesus is more concerned about your American freedoms or your freedom from sin? Just so there is no confusion, the two are not the same. Nothing about America has ever freed anyone from sin. Freedom from sin is exclusively the work of God through the sacrificial death of Jesus on the cross. (Period.) We must never confuse those two freedoms.

Anyone who is misguided in thinking that America has saved, will save, or can save Christianity has it all backwards. God doesn’t need America, and God doesn’t need you. It is quite the reverse. American needs God, and you need God.

Early Christianity thrived in the 1st Century under the rule of a corrupt and immoral world empire. Are we so foolish as to think that Christianity cannot survive whatever future evils may lay in store for this nation or the world?

I listened to God’s word…

• When He described the evil tendency of mankind in Genesis 6:5 & 12 and Ecclesiastes 9:3.
• When He revealed that there are evil people and they will do evil things (Daniel 12:10; Revelation 22:11).
• When the crowds cornered Jesus about the horrifying headline news of their day in Luke 13. (Jesus told them to repent, not react!)

So...actually, I’m not in the dark—God’s word enlightened me about the nature of mankind. I’m not confused or embarrassed about the ungodly attitudes of my fellow Christians, just sad.

My task (and yours) is to be holy before God.

But I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified. 

—Paul (1 Corinthians 9:27)

Mark Stinnett

February 28, 2021