My Musings on Health Care, Personal Responsibility, and Charity

I applaud a letter to the editor which was published in the Clarion Ledger. Dr. Starner Jones hit the proverbial nail on the head.

I read some comments about his letter on various websites this evening. Unfortunately, some accused Dr. Jones of racism. Ludicrous! (And actually, the critics' approach is more racist, as they assume the race of the person based upon the characteristics given when Dr. Jones doesn't mention race at all.)

Others accused him of tarnishing the medical profession by "passing judgment" on a patient's behavior. Please! Am I to believe, for example, that if a patient with COPD is smoking a pack of cigarettes a day it is not appropriate for a doctor to disapprove of that person's actions? Disapproving of a patient's choices does not equate to lack of care for that patient, after all.

Dr. Jones' beliefs also do not mean he lacks charity. Rather, those beliefs reflect an understanding that charity should not be forced upon us by our federal government, for that is not the intended function of said government. And after all, forced charity is even in opposition to scripture. As the Apostle Paul wrote in II Corinthians 9:7, "Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver."

Our country was founded upon principles which were intended to guarantee liberty so that men *could* give from the heart. Liberty allows us to prosper through hard work—we are rewarded with the fruit of our labors. As a result, we are able to give back a portion of those fruits to others. On the other hand, forced charity through programs created by our federal government results in citizens giving out of necessity, and eventually those citizens begin to resent it. Ultimately we come to a state of socialism and then communism, and under such systems the hard workers begin to see the futility of their hard work. After all, the beneficiaries of their labors are others who are not working as hard. Those hard workers inevitably begin to realize that they can stop producing and ride the gravy train along with the sluggards.

Sluggards? Did I call all those who are not working "sluggards"? Certainly not, and I am not implying such. There are exceptions. And those exceptions would be cared for in a country where liberty abounds. Through the grace of Almighty God, the citizens of the United States of America are the most charitable of any nation on Earth. But they are becoming less so, and I believe it's due in part to the resentment which surrounds the forced charity mentioned earlier.

Our great country's Declaration of Independence states that our Creator has endowed us with the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Note that it does *not* state that we are guaranteed happiness, but rather the liberty to pursue that happiness! And no citizen should feel that they are owed happiness and prosperity at the forced expense of others.

As I stated before, Dr. Jones hit the nail on the head. The head of the nail is that of personal responsibility and the injustice which lies in one person being forced to pay for another person's mistakes. The concept of accepting responsibility for oneself is fast fading in these United States.

"Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country." - John F. Kennedy

How timely are these words, when so many in our country are looking to our federal government to solve the nation's problems! The solution to our problems will not come from Washington D.C., but rather from *individuals* accepting *personal responsibility* for themselves instead of harboring an attitude of entitlement.

"If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." - II Chronicles 7:14

God Meant it For Good

In Genesis 50:20, Joseph tells his brethren that they thought evil against him, "but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive." It boggles my mind that the God we serve is so good that He can bring good things out of evil. It would do us good to realize that sometimes even if we're going through difficult times in our lives, God may be bringing something wonderful to pass. If our eyes were on Him rather than on our problems, we could probably come closer to understanding the Apostle Paul's statement in II Corinthians 4:17.

As we consider the passage above in Genesis 50:20, we see a picture of our Lord Jesus Christ. Joseph's own brethren had betrayed him, and likewise Christ was betrayed by His brethren. ("He came unto his own, and his own received him not." - John 1:11)

Christ suffered at the hand of his brethren, just as in the case of Joseph. In both instances, men meant it for evil but God meant it for good. Acts 2:23 tells us that Jesus was "delivered by the determinant counsel and foreknowledge of God", but that they took and with wicked hands crucified and slay the Lord of glory. Men committed a wicked act, yet God meant it for good. And, just as in the case of Joseph, much people were saved alive as a result of God bringing such a thing to pass—this time in an eternal sense. Praise be to the God of all grace!

Obedience or legalism?

I've been wanting to preach on the subject of legalism for a long time. I've had some thoughts about this subject, but hadn't done the studying necessary to bring it all together. Today, a dear sister in Christ shared with me a link to a blog post titled, "When did obedience become legalism?" by Mike Adkins. (See http://www.mikeadkins.com/article/when-did-obedience-become-legalism.) That title was a perfect match for the thoughts I'd had on the subject, and it really got the wheels of my mind turning. I'm going to use this post on my blog to expand on the thoughts I've had, and along the way I'll probably share some thoughts from Brother Adkins. There are multiple thoughts in his post which I don't believe harmonize with scripture, but at the same time there is an abundance of good thoughts from which to glean. Let's get started.

Among some of my dear brothers and sisters, I've heard the words "legalism" and "legalistic" more often than I would like. Modern use of the terms "legalist" and "legalism" are contrary to what I believe the scripture teaches on this subject. Modern thinking among some seems to be that obedience to God's word somehow equals legalism. There are those in this world who want to serve God according to their own ideas and/or they want to be friends with the world; this causes them to have resentment for those who've chosen to live a stricter life in obedience to God's book. It causes them to point fingers and call them "legalists".

Let's look at the scriptures to see what we can learn on this subject.

The biblical teaching on the subject of legalism is quite different. Scripture teaches us that we shouldn't think that keeping the law makes us righteous before God. The whole point of Paul's letter to the Galatian brethren was to address this very subject. He told them, "if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain," (Galatians 2:21). Earlier, in verse 16, he told them that, "by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified."

Obviously, we are justified before God by the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ, period. To think that we can keep the law and thereby make ourselves righteous before God is biblical legalism.

From studying scriptures such as Paul's epistle to the Galatians, we see that biblical warnings against legalism are not warnings against obeying the word of God and keeping His commandments. Rather, they are warnings against the mindset that doing so will somehow make you righteous in His sight. Isaiah 64:6 says that, "all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags". But just because our works don't make us justified in His sight is no reason to cease from good works or to condemn those who do them.

Paul told the Galatians, "use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another," (Galatians 5:13). In other words, just because we have liberty in Christ Jesus and the knowledge that we have been eternally saved by His grace, that doesn't give us license to sin all we want. Paul wrote to the Romans, "Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid," (Romans 6:1-2). We should be keeping God's commandments, but we should do so with our heart in the right place. Why then are some of God's children called legalists when they are simply trying to follow God completely in their lives? Can we go too far in keeping God's commandments? Can we go too far in making aggressive changes to our lives to conform ourselves more to His image? I don't believe so.

And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? (Luke 6:46)

A sister in Christ who blogs under the name "Mrs. Lindblom" (http://generationfour.blogspot.com/2009/12/legalism.html) wrote:

I'm not entirely sure how, but somehow people who homeschool their children, are cautious about what entertainment they partake in, who align on the more reformed side of theology and generally take an interest in deep, personal Bible study and application without a seminary degree hanging on their wall have the tendency to get grouped into this catagory called "legalists".

Some of us in our current day want to be Christians on Sunday morning and then live however we want to live the rest of the week. When some are corrected using biblical teachings or simply reproved by observing the godly behavior of others, they shout, "Legalist!" They want to have their cake and eat it, too. They want to have one foot in the world and one foot in church, and they have deep-seated resentment for those who are trying to conform themselves more to the image of Christ. Why? Perhaps it's because they aren't taking such steps themselves and the Holy Spirit is convicting them. But rather than forsaking all and following Christ, they chose to be lukewarm.

Am I on my righteous high horse? Not at all. We should be living in obedience to God, but we should have charity and compassion for those who aren't doing so, realizing that without God we ourselves would be worse than any other sinner. Jesus clearly taught against the elitist attitude forcefully and often. One of my favorite places in scripture where Jesus did so is a passage that my former pastor, Elder George Johnson, mentioned many times during his preaching:

And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. (Luke 18:9-14)

Even the Apostle Paul—who wrote the majority of the books in the New Testament—said, "For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do," (Romans 7:18-19). And, "when I would do good, evil is present with me," (Romans 7:21).

I certainly don't live my life as I should on a daily basis—no one does; but the point is, I am trying. Is this about me? No! As Paul said, "I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus," (Philippians 3:14). This should be the cry of all Christians!

For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; (Titus 2:11-12)

Why would some sit on the sidelines and cry "Legalist!" at those who are making real changes in their lives? Our sinful attitudes sometimes cause us to focus our attention on others and how they're living rather than focusing our attention on our Savior. On one hand, we can err like a Pharisee who says, "All of you people need to live more like me!" On the other hand, we can err by saying, "That person is such a Pharisee. They think they're better than everyone else." Either approach looks at the righteousness of others rather than looking within to see how we can serve the Lord better in our own lives.

Brother Adkins further writes in his blog, "Did you ever give it thought that if obedience is legalism that Jesus was the biggest legalist of all time? He kept every commandment, never sinned once. [...] He was the only one that ever kept the law of God perfectly, obedient in every detail." Brother Adkins points out, "Jesus never condemned the Pharisees for keeping the law, not once. He condemned them for hypocrisy, for not keeping the law, for making commandments and adding them to God’s word and making them of equal force with God’s word binding them on men."

As an example, in Matthew 23:23, Jesus told the scribes and Pharisees that they had, "omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone." Notice how Jesus told them that they ought to have done the weightier matters of the law and not to leave the other undone. In other words, do both!

By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. (I John 5:2-3)

As Brother Adkins states in his blog, "Love means obedience; and obedience, despite the cry to the contrary, is not legalism."

The more we read God's word and hear the preaching of the gospel, the more we learn about Him. We learn what is good in His sight and what is evil in His sight. There are those who have studied the bible in depth and have made real changes in their lives to conform themselves more to the image of Christ. These changes are not done because they are trying to make themselves righteous before God but because they want to truly serve God from their heart. This can cause resentment on the part of those who cannot give up the pleasures of this world to follow after Christ with their whole heart.

Another quote from Brother Adkins' blog: "I believe the cry 'legalism' against the teaching of obedience is in reality a smoke screen to cover up and make an excuse for a life lived for self..." Jesus told us to deny ourselves, take up our cross daily, and follow Him.

Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. (II Corinthians 6:17-18)

The only way to truly serve the Lord Jesus Christ in this life is to deny ourselves of the pleasures of the flesh that we desire and to get busy doing the things we should be doing. We should not try to keep one foot in the world and one foot in the church. We cannot have our cake and eat it, too!

Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. (James 4:4)

To quote Brother Adkins again, "Do you want to be like Jesus? If so start condemning sin and be obedient. You will not be working your way to heaven in doing so. You will simply be an obedient Christian, not a disobedient one."

People may call you a legalist when they begin to notice changes in your life. But as Brother Adkins states, "There are far worse things that can happen to a man than to be called a legalist by one who does not want to obey."

What did Jesus have to say about this?

Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets. (Luke 6:26)

Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake. Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets. (Luke 6:22-23)

And again, as we begin to be more obedient to Christ and live our lives in submission to Him, we should be careful of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees. We should not take on a self-righteous attitude. Just as we do not want others calling us "legalists" for making godly decisions in our life, we do not want to look down our noses and feel that we are more righteous than others, for we are all sinners in the sight of God. Our focus should be upon our dear Savior, the Lamb of God who gave Himself to redeem and rescue vile sinners.

If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. (Colossians 3:1-2)

Our service should be from a pure heart with our eyes on our King of kings and Lord of lords. As Sister Lindblom states, "I strive to obey because I love my Savior and have a desire to obey Him because of the great love He first showed me."

Valleys

I realize I'm falling behind on my blog posts. I've had some ideas, and I have several drafts started...just shells of new posts at this point.

I'm honestly going through a lot in my life right now and just thought I'd write a little about that. There are so many people in my life that need prayers (more so than ever, it seems), and I need prayers myself. I've shared this with some folks, but I haven't felt like I'm in the right spot geographically in my life. It's hard to explain, but I have a feeling that I need to be some place other than Lubbock. The hard part is figuring out where that's supposed to be. My continual prayer is that the Lord will guide my footsteps and direct my paths...to show me where I'm supposed to be, even if that's to remain in Lubbock.

I get depressed with my life sometimes...disgusted with it and with myself, and yet I feel so helpless to fix it all. I ask the Lord for help, and though He's been so gracious to me in so many ways I don't seem to get answers. I am trying to be patient; I know that the Lord doesn't work on my timetable.

A favorite hymn of mine lately has been Thorny Desert.

Dark and thorny is the desert thru which pilgrims make their way,

But beyond this vale of sorrows lie the fields of endless day;

Fiends, loud howling thru the desert, make them tremble as they go;

And the fiery darts of Satan often bring their courage low;

O young soldiers are you weary of the troubles on the way?

Does your strength begin to fail you, and your vigor to decay?

Jesus, Jesus will go with you; He will lead you to His throne;

He who dyed his garments for you and the winepress trod alone.

I am still young (33), and I realize that I haven't gone through so many of the difficulties that those older than me have faced. And, some of God's children who are younger than me have been through adversities that make me ashamed of the fact that I sometimes feel sorry for myself. If I live on this earth much longer, I don't doubt that I will face more problems than those that I've already faced. The scriptures tell us that in this world we shall have tribulation. I also know that God has promised to never leave us nor forsake us, and because of that promise I do not fear what the world will hurl at me. I do not fear because I know that the Lord Jesus Christ has overcome the world. This brings gladness to my heart, and yet the daily grind continues to get me down.

When I've written some of my posts, I've been on top of the mountain. I suppose it's appropriate that I also write some when I'm down in a valley. It's not a joyous place to be, and were it not for the knowledge that I have victory in the resurrection of Jesus, my Savior forever, I would be of all men most miserable.

Much love to all who may be reading this. I thank each of you for your prayers on my behalf. May God's richest blessings be upon you!

Are we really in the image of God?

My dearest brothers and sisters,

Our familiarity with the holy scriptures helps us to notice and avoid errors when they arise. We should approach the things of God with a serious mind and seek to be on the side of truth rather than error. Does our Almighty Savior not deserve such to worship Him? Let us look at one common error of thought found in the world today.

You may hear it said that "we are made in the image of God". That sounds good at first. But, as the Apostle Paul said, "what saith the scripture?"

The first thing that comes to mind is the account of creation. Here are Verses 26 and 27 from the first chapter of Genesis:

And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

So, God did make man and woman in His own image. Did they stay that way? Let's read Genesis 5:3:

And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth...

Here we notice a very important detail. Adam's son was born not in the likeness of God but in the likeness of his father Adam.

What says the New Testament? (Note: As we read the following passage, we must remember that the text "the last Adam" and "the second man" refers to the Lord Jesus Christ.)

And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. (I Corinthians 15:45-49)

The Apostle Paul tells us that "we have borne the image of the earthy". We are not in God's image. When the fall occurred in the Garden of Eden, sin entered into this world and there were consequences to that.

Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned... (Romans 5:12)

Sin had an effect, brothers and sisters. Because of the effects of sin on the human race, we are not in the image of God. But be of good cheer...there is good news!

In the excerpt from the I Corinthians above, Paul says, "And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly." We shall bear the image of the heavenly!? Wow! I can't wait! Later in the same chapter, Paul goes on to tell us that "in the twinkling of an eye" "we shall all be changed". This is known as glorification and is further mentioned in the Roman letter:

For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. (Romans 8:29-30)

These are some of the most comforting scriptures to be found, in my opinion. Paul's letter to the Romans—divinely inspired and divinely preserved by God Almighty—tells us of our position before God. Past tense is used because this deal is as good as done, though not all of it is technically completed yet. But in God's eyes it's locked, signed, sealed, and delivered. You can take it to the bank!

Now, even though these things are as good as done, some of God's elect are still being called (born of God by the sovereign act of the Holy Spirit). And, we are still waiting for His glorious return when He shall change our bodies and we shall be glorified.

Let's consider another thought. If we were truly in the image of God, why did Jesus have to be made like us? Romans 8:3 tells us that Jesus came "in the likeness of sinful flesh". (It's important to note that He did not come "in sinful flesh" but "in the likeness of sinful flesh".) Jesus was God manifested in flesh; He was 100% God and 100% man. Consider another passage:

Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. (Hebrews 2:17)

Jesus did not come in his own likeness. He was "made like unto his brethren". But thanks to His conquering of death through the resurrection, one day we shall be made like our God. We sing a hymn that states, "When we wake in His likeness we'll be satisfied." If we were already in His likeness, why would we sing a hymn about someday awaking in His likeness? The simple fact is that we are not in His likeness, but some sweet day we shall be.

Until our glorification, we bear the image of our father Adam, looking forward to the triumphant return of our King of kings, and Lord of lords!

Mirrors

How much time do we spend looking in a mirror at our natural reflection? What if there was a mirror where we could see our spiritual reflection instead of our natural reflection? Would we spend more time working on our spiritual physique and our spiritual appearance?

Super Powers

Brothers and sisters in Christ,

Did you know you have super powers?

I grew up with comic books and cartoons which told of people with special powers. Peter Parker could spin webs and climb walls. He put on a red, blue, and black suit and called himself "Spider-Man". He used his special powers for good and fought evil.

Similarly, Clark Kent could fly, was faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, and could see through walls. He put on a red, blue, and yellow suit with the letter "S" on his chest and called himself "Superman".

Whether they realize it or not, all children of God have an "S" on their chest. That "S" stands for "Spirit".

In Galatians 4:6, the Apostle Paul tells us that, "God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father." Colossians 1:27 says, "Christ in you, the hope of glory," and Romans 8:11 tells us that His Spirit dwells in us.

Having the Spirit of Jesus Christ within us has an effect. It gives us special abilities that we did not have before and that others do not have.

First, having God's Spirit within us gives us a spiritual mind and spiritual ears (I Corinthians 2:12). In man's natural state he cannot receive or discern spiritual things; they are foolishness unto him (I Corinthians 2:14). So, the very ability to seek after and understand spiritual things is a divine power bestowed upon us by God. We have a special ability that those who are not born of God lack (John 8:42-47).

Jesus said repeatedly, "Who hath ears to hear, let him hear." How do we get the Spirit? How do we get these "spiritual ears"? It is a sovereign act of God upon His elect children (Romans 8:28-30). In John 3:7-8, Jesus tells us, "Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit." Again, Jesus says to "marvel not". It's not something you have control over; just as you had no control over your natural birth, you have no control over your spiritual birth. He basically says, "Don't worry about it. It will happen at God's appointed time if you're one of His elect." Besides, if you have an interest in whether or not you're born again, it's evidence that you already are born from above. After all, as we saw earlier, in a purely natural state you would not be interested in—nor able to understand—the things of God. You will not run into anyone who wants to spend eternity with God in Heaven but cannot, because the very fact that they have that desire is evidence they are of His flock (Psalms 110:3).

What other abilities does the Spirit give us? Let's look at the holy scriptures. "Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us," (Ephesians 3:20). This tells us that the very power of God to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think is at work within each of us. Stephen used that power when he was being stoned to death in Acts 7:59-60. Although he had just delivered a mighty sermon about our God, those without spiritual ears hated him for it and slew him wickedly. Did he fight back? Did he curse them and return evil for evil? No, my dear brothers and sisters. He did something that he could only have done with the power of God's Spirit. He prayed that the Lord would not lay this sin to their charge. Wow!

In Acts 5, we read where Peter and the apostles were ordered not to teach in the name of Jesus. Nevertheless, they rightly decided to obey God rather than men. For this they were beaten and commanded once again not to speak in His name. At that point, a man in his natural state would likely rationalize that the best course of action would be to lay low and take heed to this command. But these men had "super powers" which enabled them to do something contrary to the natural course of action. They not only continued teaching and preaching Jesus Christ but they also rejoiced "that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name," (Acts 5:41). How could someone rejoice at being beaten, threatened, and suffering shame? By the power of Almighty God, that's how!

"Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world." - I John 4:4

There are some hard teachings in Jesus' sermon on the mount. Let's look at both Matthew and Luke's account.

"Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?" - Matthew 5:43-47

"But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you. And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloak forbid not to take thy coat also. Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again. And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them. And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same. And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil." - Luke 6:27-35

A man in his natural state looks at these teachings and thinks, "That's impossible! How in the world could someone be expected to do this?!" Again, the answer is:

"For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure." - Philippians 2:13

Notice the higher calling that a disciple of Christ has when compared to others in this world. Jesus says that if we love them that love us, so what?! Everybody does that! He says that if you smile, greet, or wave at folks that do the same to you, so what!? Everybody else does that! Children of God are expected to do more and are given the power to do so!

Do we loan out our possessions expecting to get them back? Do we get upset when we don't get them back? We shouldn't. By the Spirit implanted within us we're given the ability (power) to not set our affection on things on this earth. Oh, that we might learn the lesson!

Dearest one, the powers you and I have are unique. They are special. God's word tells us that there are wolves in sheeps' clothing. But a wolf is not that same as a sheep, no matter how he dresses up. Anyone can put on a Superman costume, but if they jumped off a building they'd fall down and go SPLAT! Only Superman has Superman's powers, and only a child of God's has the Spirit and the powers that accompanies having Christ within you.

Are you using your powers?

In the movie Spider-Man 2, our hero decided that he was missing out on too much in his life by being Spider-Man. He tossed out his costume and decided to be like everyone else. But inside he wasn't like everyone else, was he? When they walk around in their "secret identity" as Peter Parker and as Clark Kent, those men look like everyone else, but they are not. Similarly, a child of God is not like everyone else in the world even though he/she may appear to be so.

So what happened with Peter Parker? When he realized his mistake and finally decided to help someone in trouble, some of his abilities had faded. His powers weren't what they once were because he hadn't been using them. As children of God, we are told to exercise ourselves unto godliness (I Timothy 4:7). If we don't, pretty soon we become more and more like everyone else in the world. Hebrews 2:1 tells us, "Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip." In the Apostle Peter's writings in God's word, he said two different times that he desired to put us in remembrance. We need our "daily bread", my brothers and sisters. We need to exercise our faith. We need constant reminders, and we need to be thinking on spiritual things daily. In doing so our powers will grow and we'll be stronger in the Lord.

"...be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might." Ephesians 6:10

The first Spider-Man movie contained the line, "With great power comes great responsibility." The idea is that because he was "blest" with great powers, Peter Parker was to be self-sacrificing and use those powers for the greater good. This puts me in mind of Luke 12:48 ("For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required,") and also of the parable of the talents. It also puts us in mind of the divine powers God has given to us and whether we are using those for a greater good. Do we accept our great call, or do we put our "super hero suit" in the trash can and go about in this world like everyone else? When people look at us, do we shine forth (Matthew 5:16) like the colorful heroes in the comic books, or do we walk around in our "secret identities" so that no one can tell who we really are?

Brethren, we are called to, "come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord," (II Corinthians 6:17). Followers of Jesus Christ have a high calling. "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light;" (I Peter 2:9). "Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness," (I Thessalonians 5:5).

The very power of God is within us! Are we using it?