Is God Kind of Selfish?

By Allen White

The Lord says:  “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught. Therefore once more I will astound these people with wonder upon wonder; the wisdom of the wise will perish, the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish.” Isaiah 29:13-14

Boy, a verse like that makes you want to point a finger and pound a pulpit. But, let’s take a breath and act like these words were spoken to us. Let’s read this passage again:

“The Master said: These people make a big show of saying the right thing, but their hearts aren't in it. Because they act like they're worshiping me but don't mean it, I'm going to step in and shock them awake, astonish them, stand them on their ears. The wise ones who had it all figured out will be exposed as fools. The smart people who thought they knew everything will turn out to know nothing" (Isaiah 29:13-14, Msg).

God knows when we’re just playing the game. How does He know? He knows everything. He knows our thoughts and our motives. In fact, God understands more about us than we even understand about ourselves.

We might be able to fake it and look pretty good to other people, but it’s not a long-term plan. If the outside doesn’t match the inside, then eventually the whole thing breaks down. If you don’t believe that, then your train wreck is still on its way.

God is a Jealous God (Exodus 34:14). He doesn’t want you to merely serve a coping mechanism. God wants our full devotion. He will do whatever it takes for you to put Him in the center. Why? Is God selfish? Absolutely not. God wants to be in the center of your life because that’s how you were designed to live.

Notice, that God isn’t going to punish you into submission. He is going to “wow” you there. In all of these things that you wrestle with and worry about, God is trying to tell you, “I’ve got it. Don’t worry. Let me blow you away with what I can do for you.”

No one falls in love with someone who scolds them, except for the affection of a few American Idol contestants toward Simon Cowell. You love people who are affectionate and kind and thoughtful. You fall in love with people who go to crazy lengths to demonstrate their love. (Please note: this is not license for stalkers).

God understands you. He isn’t scheming about how He can punish you more so He can win your affection. That’s really kind of sick. God wants to lavish you with His great power and love. Now, you might find yourself in a terrible situation that requires God’s great power, but that doesn’t mean that He has stopped loving you.

What are you doing that your heart is just not in? How are you pretending to be better than what you are? I’m not saying that you should unleash the seething beast that lives just below the surface, but I would encourage you to take that to God and figure out why it’s there.

If you just don’t feel that you desire God these days, I’ve heard a pastor advise his church members to stay away from church services until they want to be there again. When you feel that you can truly worship, and put your head and heart into it, then come back.

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Are You Hope-full or Hope-less?

By Allen White

The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless (for the law made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God. Hebrews 7:18-19

The Law is weak and useless because it only leads to hopelessness. The Law defeats, while hope proclaims victory. The Law highlights error. Hope overcomes.

What has ever succeeded in your life that you felt hopeless about? Nothing. It might have succeeded to fail, but nothing positive came from it.

The goal of the Christian journey isn’t to walk with our heads down feeling defeated. That doesn’t mean that we won’t endure difficult things. At the end of every difficult thing, we will also find hope.

“We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love” (Romans 5:3-5, NLT).

It’s a little hard to believe that we run a better chance of gaining hope from our problems and trials than we do from following the old covenant. We can be right and feel miserable, or we can be completely accepted by God and have hope.

As Rick Warren says, “You can live a month without food. You can live three days without water. You can live a few minutes without oxygen. But, you can’t live a second without hope.”

How’s your hope? Do you find yourself hope-full or hope-less these days? I will leave you today with a blessing from Paul – “I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13, NLT).

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Guilt is a Poor Motivator

By Allen White

If perfection could have been attained through the Levitical priesthood—and indeed the law given to the people established that priesthood—why was there still need for another priest to come, one in the order of Melchizedek, not in the order of Aaron? For when the priesthood is changed, the law must be changed also. He of whom these things are said belonged to a different tribe, and no one from that tribe has ever served at the altar. For it is clear that our Lord descended from Judah, and in regard to that tribe Moses said nothing about priests.

Hebrews 7:11-14

The writer of Hebrews is sort of playing with his readers here. If people could live perfect lives, then the priesthood wouldn’t have been necessary. If there is no offense, then there is no redemption. If sin didn’t disrupt their relationship with God, then they didn’t need a priest to mediate for them.

The priesthood of Aaron resulted from the Law (Exodus 28). People would eventually violate the Law and needed some way to atone for their sins. If everyone obeyed the federal, state, county and municipal laws today, then courts would be unnecessary. Jails would be unnecessary. If there were no lawbreakers, there would be no prisoners. If there were no sinners, there would be no sacrifices.

When the people of Israel sinned, they paid the price with an animal sacrifice. The Law dictated that their offense should cost them something. The problem was that the redemption was external. All of the sacrifices in the world couldn’t erase their guilt and shame.

Their religious system was working as well as it could. The Law defined right behavior and the priesthood mediated for wrong behavior. But, as Andy Stanley says, “Your system is perfectly designed to achieve the result you are getting.” As long as the religiously frustrated fell short, business was booming for the priesthood. What they were doing wasn’t getting them to where they wanted to go.

The writer, then, refers to a real, but nearly mythical priest, Melchizedek. Before the Law of Moses, Abraham had paid a tithe to this priest before tithing was even dictated (Genesis 14:18-20). Melchizedek’s priesthood was apart from the Law. The point the writer makes is that Jesus, the Great High Priest (Hebrews 4:14-15) also operates outside of the Law. Jesus wasn’t subject to the Law because He lived a perfectly sinless life and fulfilled the Law. The system wasn’t the Savior.

The only thing the Law does for any of us is point out how bad we are (Romans 3:20). For most, this doesn’t lead to a concerted effort to improve. It leads to guilt that typically gets drowned in something somewhere. But, what if our sin and guilt could be removed? What if there was a better way?

Jesus provides that better way. Even Christians live defeated lives because they are ashamed of themselves and of their behavior. Jesus didn’t die so you would be ashamed. Jesus died so you could be free.

None of us is perfect. We all have plenty of room to grow and certainly need improvement. But, God doesn’t work in our lives by reminding us of how terrible we are. God starts with how much He loves us and with His vision for our lives.

Guilt doesn’t motivate anyone toward healthy things. God knows that. That’s why God removes our guilt and shame so we can get on with who He’s called us to be.

What guilt are you carrying today? If you’ve offended someone, then apologize. If you have sinned, repent.  If you think God is mad at you, think again.

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The Burdensome Safety of Rules

By Allen White

For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another. But God found fault with the people and said:

“The days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah. It will not be like the covenant  I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt,

because they did not remain faithful to my covenant,  and I turned away from them, declares the Lord.

This is the covenant I will establish with the people of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”

 By calling this covenant “new,” he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear. Hebrews 8:7-13

The Letter to the Hebrews was written to a group of Jewish Christians who considered returning to Judaism and the old covenant. They were a bit unnerved by their newfound freedom and were ready to return to the bondage of the Law. People often find comfort in familiar surroundings.

We are creatures of habit. We park in the same space at work almost daily. We order the same dishes in the same restaurants. We buy the same brand that we’ve used for years. Why re-decide every time? It’s just too much work.

I sit at the same table in the same coffee shop where I write these devotionals. When I came in this morning, only one person was seated in the entire place. He was sitting at my table. But, after a little prayer, he left, and my writing routine was back to normal. (To clarify – my prayer wasn’t for him to leave, though it was my secret ambition.)

Human nature tends toward rules and patterns. Rules are safe. If we never watch television, then we don’t have to avert our eyes when Victoria’s Secret commercials come on. If we never talked, we would never insult someone or tell a lie. If we never ate, then we would never over-eat. But, it’s not that simple is it?

We could choose to avoid alcohol, tobacco or desserts, but we have to eat. If we’re eating something we don’t like, it’s easy to quit. But, if we’re eating something delicious, it’s hard to refuse another helping. And, if we’re stressed out, then it’s easy to dive into a vat of Ben and Jerry’s. But, where and when did our eating interfere with our relationship with God? Where’s the line?

Rules keep things nice and neat. The problem is that life is messy. When the toothpaste doesn’t go back into the tube, sometimes the best thing we can do is to admit that we made a mess.

The old covenant or the Law specialized in pointing out our faults (Romans 3:20). The new covenant offers unconditional acceptance. The Law of Gravity says that what goes up must come done. The new covenant provides a safety net. God’s grace allows for an “oops,” but prevents a splat.

The old covenant placed a burden on people. The new covenant works from the inside out. “I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts” (Hebrews 8:10).

What’s eating at you these days? What is getting the best of you? God will “strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being” (Ephesians 3:16).

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Truth Versus Tradition

By Allen White

Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 5:17-19

We have a funny relationship with the Old Testament Law. Some of us run from it. The Law is so, uh, legalistic. Others run to it. For some, rules make things safe. For others, rules make for rebellion.

Once upon a time, the “Law” was only one command: “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.” Adam and Eve didn’t have to worry about taking the Lord’s Name in vain or honoring their fathers and their mothers (think about it), or coveting their neighbor’s stuff (again). They just needed to eat everything else in the entire garden, except for the fruit of this one tree. That was the entire Law. Easy enough, right?

But, once Adam and Eve tasted of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, there were all kinds of options. Sin could now be nuanced from the bizarre to the mundane. The world was their oyster, and suddenly they were allergic to shellfish.

God didn’t give the Law to curtail human joy. God didn’t give the Law merely to educate us on infectious skin diseases. God gave the Law because He knew what was good and what wasn’t good for people.

People who were once free to live and enjoy all that God created had now died spiritually and were exposed to evil for the first time. People needed boundaries so they wouldn’t destroy themselves. Yes, they had knowledge, but they lacked wisdom.

The Law wasn’t the total solution. First of all, no one could keep the entire Law. No one was that good. Since perfection is impossible, the focus fell of keeping a portion of the Law that was more manageable. After all, as long as you fit into your religious culture, you’re okay, right?

The definition of devotion fell to the religious leaders of the day. They determined what should and should not be done. They knew how to work the system (Matthew 23:25), and they knew how to manipulate the loop holes (Mark 7:10-12). The Law became convenient to some and controlling to others. It was a heavy burden.

Jesus is the complete fulfillment of the Law. He is the only person to live a perfect life and never sin. The Law wasn’t a heavy burden placed upon Him. The Law was in Him. He focused on the “Shalts” and didn’t make it to the “Shalt Nots.”

The Pharisees and religious leaders didn’t approve of Jesus’ actions. After all, Jesus broke their rules – He healed on the Sabbath, He ate with sinners, He didn’t wash His hands correctly – Jesus bucked the system, but He fulfilled the Law.

The question for us is whether we’re following the Truth of God’s Word or fitting into a religious system. They aren’t the same thing.

Years ago, my home church held a business meeting to determine whether we would change the Sunday evening service time from starting at 7 pm to starting at 6 pm. It was a big deal. By unanimous consent and the will of God, the time was changed.

I would no longer be tempted by the previews of the Wonderful World of Disney or Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom. Now, we went to church immediately after dinner and went to bed shortly after we got home.

But, here’s the thing – when we examine Scripture, we don’t see a Sunday night service at 6 pm or 7 pm. We also don’t see a Sunday morning service. We also don’t see from Scripture that we should have four songs, three points and a poem in our services. It’s tradition. It’s not unbiblical, but it’s part of our religious system.

Don’t get me wrong. I have nothing against church services. Believers are instructed to meet together (Hebrews 10:25). The early church met in public places and in homes (Acts 5:42). The question is – have our habits shaped our understanding of what God requires? Do we make assumptions about what the Bible says based on what we’ve always done or have always thought?

Often evangelicals look down on other churches because of their traditions, yet how many evangelical traditions have become sacred over the last hundred years without thinking whether our actions were truly biblical? When we judge others and determine that they aren’t good enough to fellowship in our circles are we reflecting Jesus? When others don’t play by our rules, do we hold on to our rules or do we reach out to them? Do we even know God’s Word well enough to gracefully live out God’s commands?

What part of your Christian walk are you struggling with these days? Is it because of sin? Is it because of someone else’s interpretation of what God expects? If you don’t know what to do, ask God. He will clue you in.

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What If We Stopped Complaining?

By Allen White

Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain.

Philippians 2:14-16

For some of us, these verses seem impossible. Grumbling and complaining might feel like breathing. Or, if it’s not a complaint, it comes out as sarcasm. Whether our snide remarks are resentful or recreational, they reflect the condition of our hearts.

Grumbling and complaining comes from the simple fact that the world is not as we think it should be. Whether our expectations are realistic or not, when our lives don’t measure up to our expectations, we grumble and complain. When our lives are less than what we think they should be, we grow resentful and sometimes angry.

The problem, according to this passage, is that grumbling and arguing are obstacles to becoming blameless and pure. The ugliness of our attitudes corrupts the purity of our souls. When we are saved, God declares us to be righteous (Romans 4:5) and purifies our hearts (Hebrews 10:21-22). Negative attitudes can pollute what God has purified.

Sometimes we excuse our attitudes, because of the world that we live in and what we have to deal with. The world is an unfair and an unjust place. Just watch the evening news – there’s plenty to be bitter about. Just look at how people treat each other – there’s plenty to resent.

Don’t you find it odd that the first century A.D. was regarded as “warped and crooked”? If that generation was warped and crooked, then what does that make our generation? They didn’t even have Lady Gaga back then.

Paul wrote this letter to the Philippians from prison. That wasn’t fair. Why wasn’t Paul bitter? Paul knew, as we know, that neither people nor evil are ultimately in charge of the universe. God is.

One day, every wrong will be righted (Revelation 19:11). One day, justice will prevail and evil will disappear (Revelation 20:10). Until that day, we must choose to trust that God loves us, He has a plan for us, and He knows what we’re dealing with. If we choose to trust rather than complain, then we “shine among them like stars in the sky.”

What are you known for these days – the light of Christ or grumbling and complaining? Complaining is really just a bad habit. There are times to bring things up. But, if the person that we’re talking to is not part of the problem or part of the solution, then it’s just grumbling and gossip.

It’s our choice to either become blameless, pure and bright or grumbling, complaining and dull. God will help us shine like stars. If we choose the other path, we’re on our own, consequences and all.

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Distracted and Discouraged

By Allen White

I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.

Revelation 3:15-16

Jesus spoke these words to the church of Laodicea. They had become distracted by the things of this world (Revelation 3:17). Like many American Christians, they thought they were fertile soil for God’s Word to grow in, but the reality is they were more like thorny ground (Matthew 13:1-23). They were distracted by the things of this world. They were more concerned with comfort than character. They lived a faith that suited them.

Their faith was like a cup of warm milk at bedtime. Their tummies were full. Their appetites were satisfied enough to lull them to sleep. Good was the enemy of great.

Wilbur Rees wrote a poem years ago that reflects the spiritual condition of Laodicea:

“I would like to buy $3 worth of God, please.

Not enough to explode my soul or disturb my sleep,

but just enough to equal a cup of warm milk

or a snooze in the sunshine.

I don’t want enough of God to make me love a [people who are different from me]

or pick beets with a migrant.

I want ecstasy, not transformation.

I want warmth of the womb, not a new birth.

I want a pound of the Eternal in a paper sack.

I would like to buy $3 worth of God, please.”

God wants each of us to live an abundant life (John 10:10), but all of that abundance is not merely for ourselves. It’s interesting that some of the most joyful people in the world have very few material possessions. Yet, people with many material things are not satisfied.

Why? Because things are meant to be used, but not loved. Only God satisfies. Only God causes us to be happy. As C.S. Lewis wrote, “God cannot give us happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing.”

What is keeping you unhappy these days? What in your life was over-promised, yet has under-delivered? Could it be that you are relying on something or someone in a way that you should be relying on God? God can actually meet all of your needs. God wants to meet all of your needs. What is coming between you and God these days? What can you do to eliminate that from your life?

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