The Word is Alive Even in Walmart

Walmart ripped me off today.  Then they ripped themselves off.   And now I have to fix it.

This story confirms for me once again the truth of Hebrews 4:12-13:    

For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable.

This is just how life goes for me.  Let me show you how the Word of God is alive:

I went out today to look for some boxing weeks sales on batteries.  Having a stash of batteries around the house can be very handy and I always find that the week after Christmas is a good time to go hunting for deals.   

I went to Walmart and I found packs of 8 AA batteries for 5 dollars.  That seemed like a decent deal and so I picked up 3 packs and a few other things.  I checked out and made my usual cheesy jokes with the cashier.  When I got to the car, I checked my receipt and found that they charged me $8.47 each.   I wasn't happy.  If I wanted to pay full price I wouldn't have made the trip.  I went back in to get my money back.   They told me that the sale price just hadn't been updated in their system and that they would be happy to refund the difference.  Wonderful.  They corrected their error.

They told me that they were refunding me $23.06.   "That doesn't sound right", I said.  But they insisted that it was right.  I'm not a math-wizard, but it just didn't sound right to me.   I was sure something was wrong.   But it was December 27th and the customer service line behind me was long and so I took their refund and left. 

I sat in the car and looked over the receipt.   I couldn't figure out what was wrong.  But I knew something wasn't right.  I drove home still not sure.   When I arrived home, I finally figured it out.  They refunded me the full amount for all the batteries.  Then they charged me $5.00 once, then refunded me $5.00, and then charged me 5.00 again.  When all was settled, I ended up paying five dollars for three packs of batteries.   I now owe Walmart roughly 10 dollars.  

So now I'm at home and I don't feel like going back to correct the error.   Many many thoughts go through my mind:     "It's Walmart.  They aren't going to miss 10 dollars as much as I am.  They aren't even going to notice it.   If I go back, they'll probably just tell me to forget about it anyway".  All of these things go through my head.  

After supper, I sit down to look at proverbs.  I'm behind a little because of the Christmas festivities, but no big deal.  In very short order I come to this verse:       Proverbs 15:11: 

The Lord demands accurate scales and balances;

    he sets the standards for fairness.

So now I have a choice.  I can continue to justify the error in my favor, or I can listen to the words of the Bible which I claim to be the Word of God.  I am cut deeply to the soul as if it were the "sharpest two-edged sword".   I know that I have to go back and correct the error.  I know that Walmart will not care about 10 dollars, but it's not about that.  I believe that Jesus will establish his Kingdom here and that he has a purpose for me to be here before it comes.  The world does not need more people who seek their own selfish gain.  The world needs light-bringers.  I'm not here to take 10 dollars from Walmart.  I'm here to be an ambassador of heaven.  Going back to correct the error will perhaps be a chance for a small pinhole of the light of the kingdom of God to break through and change the eternity of even one soul.   

I have to go back, not for the sake of 10 dollars, but for the sake of the Kingdom of God.  "Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven".   I'll let you know how it goes. 

The Word of God is alive.  It cuts right to the soul.  God is alive and he does speak.  Has this been your experience?     Does my story sound familiar to an experience you have had about how the Word of God has come alive for you in your life?  Tell me about it.  

       

Don't Bother Correcting Mockers

A few days ago, I saw something online that upset me.   The details of it really aren't important, but we've all been there.  We've all seen or heard someone say something or post something online that is a dig at us or at someone we know and love.  It's a cheap shot.   It's mockery.   Something you hold very dearly is cheapened and you just boil up on the inside.  And so you lash out and you try your best to correct those who are laughing at you and the things you hold dearly.

So I commented on what I saw.   But I'm positive that no one was convinced by my words of correction.  I sit here days later regretting even opening my mouth.  Why couldn't I have just left it alone?  Why did I have to boil up like that?

And then I read Proverbs 9:7-9:

Anyone who rebukes a mocker will get an insult in return.
    Anyone who corrects the wicked will get hurt.
8 So don’t bother correcting mockers;
    they will only hate you.
But correct the wise,
    and they will love you.
9 Instruct the wise,
    and they will be even wiser.
Teach the righteous,
    and they will learn even more.

Where were those words a few days ago?  Well, they've been there in the same place for 3000 years.   The book of Proverbs.  The wisdom of God given to us for our good.   I didn't have it on my mind a few days ago, but I certainly do today.   If I could travel back in time, I'd go back and stop myself from wasting my breath.

Correcting people is something we all like doing.  It just feels good to be right, doesn't it?   You can be right, but in being right, you can also be dead right.   And that's how I feel about this situation.  I'm just dead right.   I don't think I'm wrong, but I also don't think I've really actually helped anyone either.  I'm just left with a sick, empty, and dead feeling inside.  

Taking time to correct mockers usually doesn't end well and usually ends up leaving you feeling empty.  The path of wisdom is to find ways to correct those who are not mocking, but genuinely desiring to pay attention to God.  Those people will love your words of correction.

I am reminded of Jesus on the cross.  He prayed for those who mocked him and asked the Father to forgive them.  He didn't try to correct them,   His words of correction were most often given to his disciples.   They were the ones who listened to him and wanted to follow him.  They were not mockers.  They were his friends.  This wisdom from Proverbs is something Jesus lived out and proved.

Can you think of a time when you tried to correct a mocker?   How did it go?
Can you think of a time when you tried to correct a wise person?  How did that go?

Sex? I'm Blushing!!

There is a whole lot of talk in the news right now about new sex ed curriculum in Ontario.   The details of it are easy enough to find if you know how to google.   Many people think that it includes far too many graphic details that children just don't need.   Maybe so.   I wonder though if any of it matters.   In a world of the internet, anyone can find any information that they want on any subject imaginable.   I'm pretty sure that whatever the government puts into this latest curriculum, it's going to be pretty tame compared to what's available online 24/7.

I get it though.   The government wants kids to be safe.   They want young people to make the safest choices possible.   But safety is only one part of making wise choices.  There are other consequences for engaging in sexual activity before you are really prepared for it aside from the medical risks.

One thing that I have learned is that we can't count on the school system or an ever-changing curriculum to teach us about sex.  God knows what sex is really all about.  Proverbs chapter 5 includes some of the wisdom of God on this matter.  Consider verses 15-20.  They might make you blush:  

Drink water from your own well—
    share your love only with your wife.
16 Why spill the water of your springs in the streets,
    having sex with just anyone?
17 You should reserve it for yourselves.
    Never share it with strangers.
Let your wife be a fountain of blessing for you.
    Rejoice in the wife of your youth.
19 She is a loving deer, a graceful doe.
    Let her breasts satisfy you always.
    May you always be captivated by her love.
20 Why be captivated, my son, by an immoral woman,
    or fondle the breasts of a promiscuous woman?  (NLT)

Wow.  What do you suppose the odds are that this kind of idea will make it into the curriculum?   The wisest choice you can make as a young person regarding sex is to choose to share it with only one person.   Get married and enjoy sex with that one person until death do you part.  That's safe, and it's also wise.   Sharing something so intimate with more than one person is an odd thing to do.   I don't know why our world sees it as odd if you wait until you are married.   But I suppose that the world is far from God and it needs him badly.  

There are a couple of things I should say here.  First, if you have had sex already, God loves you just as much as he did before.  He's not angry.   You can still live for him because He is the redeemer.   He makes all things new.  That's what Jesus died on the cross to accomplish.   So there is no guilt necessary here.

Second, waiting until you are married is hard to do.   So you need to plan ahead.   Here are a few things you can do if you are dating someone or are thinking about it:

1.   Do not allow yourself to get into situations where "one thing leads to another".   Don't plan activities where the two of you are alone in the dark.   Don;t watch movies alone in the dark.  I know it sounds innocent enough, but sitting alone in the dark is where one thing leads to another.

2.    Hang out in groups as much as possible.  I know this doesn't sound so great, but you can be sure that you won't get into a situation that you didn't expect if you have a lot of people around.

3.   Ask for help.   Ask parents, grandparents, friends or whoever else you trust.  Tell them that you want them to kick you in the rear end if they see or hear about you setting yourself up to fail in this area.   I've heard of teenage couples actually asking their parents to intentionally and randomly walk in on them if they are together alone for some reason.

4.   Date people who also want to wait for marriage.  This should be a no-brainer, but it's surprising how often young people choose to date someone who they don't agree with on this issue.  If you don't agree on this from the start, there is a good chance that it's not going to end well.

5.  Don't date at all until you are ready to get married.  I know this is boring, but if you want to be wise about it, what's the best way to avoid having sex before you get married?   Don't date until you are ready to get married.  Simple as that.

What other ideas can you think of?

What About Money?

Making money is not bad.  Making lots and lots of money is not bad either.  God doesn't need you to be rich or poor.   But God does have some things to say about money.   Consider 1 Timothy 6:10:

For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.


This is pretty consistent with other things we read in the bible, including something we read in Proverbs 3:9-10

 Honor the Lord with your wealth
    and with the best part of everything you produce.
10 Then he will fill your barns with grain,
    and your vats will overflow with good wine.

It is important to notice that it's ok to have wealth.   What matters is how you use wealth.  It is not an easy thing to be wealthy and to also follow God.   Jesus himself said it was hard to do.  Remember Matthew 19:23-24?

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “I tell you the truth, it is very hard for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.    I’ll say it again—it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!”

You can gain wealth.   Money itself is not the problem.   But it is the love of money that can ruin you as a servant of God.  I tend to think that God knows me and that I'm not that good with money.  So he limits me.  I'm thankful.  I think having lots of money would make it so much harder to depend on God.  It's far to easy to depend on money instead of God when you have more than you know what to do with.

If you ever get a chance to meet someone who loves God and who also possesses great wealth, it is incredible to see.  God has blessed that person with great wisdom to be able to manage those resources well.   A person who finds ways to honor God with money is a wise person, a joyful person, and a person whom God will bless in his own way.

Remember also that giving money is not a means to twist God's arm into blessing you.   Giving money is not a way to manipulate God into giving you more money so that you will have lots for yourself.   A person who is wise with money is a person who knows that none of the money is theirs anyway.  It all belongs to God.  If you are wise with money, it just means that God can count on you to use it for his purposes here on earth.   And he will.

So, how are you using money to honor God?

Don't Trust Yourself

As a child, I memorized a number of different bible verses.   One Sunday morning, there was a bible verse written on the black board in my class.   The teacher had given a lesson about it.  Class was finishing up and everyone was heading upstairs to the church service.   I was the last one out the door and just as i got to the door, I looked back at the black board.  I read this verse:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
    do not depend on your own understanding.
6 Seek his will in all you do,
    and he will show you which path to take.  (NLT)

That's Proverbs 3:5-6.  I'm sure I first read it in the King James Version because that's what we used back then.  I remember standing alone in that room staring at those words on the black board.  Something changed in me that day.  I had memorized many verses, but on that day, in that moment, I remember saying to myself, "That verse is now my favorite verse".   I can't quite explain why I made that decision right on the spot that day, but from that moment on, I have had those words memorized.  
As I think about it now, I believe that God moved in me that day to pay close attention to those words and apply them to my own life.   That was 30 years ago.    

As I have moved through life, I have seen how this wisdom from God is true.  God will direct you.   He will show you which way to go.  Trust him.  Depend on him.  He will open doors for you and he will shut other doors for you.  As you think about a career path, what friends to hang around with, who you should marry, where you should live, where you should go to school or where you should work, remember that he is beyond capable to take you down the right and best path in life.  As you trust him in life, you will see as you go along, how he directs your life.  I have known this to be true for me.  Trust him.  Don't trust yourself.     

Put Yourself Under Authority

As I read through Proverbs 2, I can't help but think of the importance of being able to know who to listen to and who to not listen to when making choices.   This chapter warns us against men who turn down dark paths and women who seduce men to make poor choices.   If you are not prepared before you meet these people, you will be at their mercy.  

Girls, do you recognize men that are Godly?   Guys, do you have a built in alarm in your heart that will go off and send you running for the hills when you are around a girl that will persuade you to do things you never thought you would do?   These are things that you need to be concerned about if you are interested in God's path of wisdom.   Look how the chapter ends:  

Follow the steps of good men instead,
    and stay on the paths of the righteous.
21 For only the godly will live in the land,
    and those with integrity will remain in it. 

Follow the paths of good men.  Follow the paths of people who have gone down the road you want to go.   Follow the paths of people who have taken the path of wisdom.   Find a way to get those people around you and listen to them.  Making wise choices really begins with surrounding yourself with people who know how to make the choices that you want to be making.  

One of the first things to look for in a person who makes wise choices is their view of the word of God.   Ask yourself, what does this person think of the Bible?   Does this person base their decisions on what God thinks?  Or does this person just go with whatever is the popular trend these days?   Does this person just go with the crowd all the time?   Do they ever stand up for what they know to be right from God's word?  

Think about it for a few minutes.   If you want to become a police officer, wouldn't it make sense to get to know some good police officers and to make it your priority to learn from them?   If you want to be a good writer, doesn't it makes sense to surround yourself with people who write well?   If you want to be a good musician, doesn't it make sense to hang around a few people that are better musicians than you are?   If you want to be a good chess player, do you know what you should do?   You should play against people that are better than you and you should become more comfortable with losing.   That's how you will learn.

If you want to be a wise person in God's eyes, what do you think you need to do?  Sure, reading your bible and praying every day is part of it.  But if that's all you do and you surround yourself with people who continually make poor choices, it will not be long before you are making poor choices too.  The Christian life was never meant to be lived out on it's own.  We're supposed to be in community.  We're supposed to be learning from those who are older and wiser than us.  

I am deeply concerned about teenagers who only go to youth group but never attend church and who really don't know any older Christians.   What are you going to do when you are too old for youth group?   Where will you go for Christian community?  Who are you learning from?  Who are the strong Christians in your life that you can call on when you have a tough decision to make?   Thiink about it.  Feel free to share your thoughts.

God Doesn't Sound Like He's a Very Good Christian

The last half Proverbs chapter 1 is hard.   The easy way to handle it is to pretend that it's not there and just move on to chapter 2.   But let's not do that.  Let's slow down and think.

Wisdom is personified in this portion of Proverbs.  What I mean is that Solomon writes about wisdom as if it is a person trying to teach us.   For example:

20 Wisdom shouts in the streets.
    She cries out in the public square.
21 She calls to the crowds along the main street,
    to those gathered in front of the city gate:
22 “How long, you simpletons,
    will you insist on being simpleminded?
How long will you mockers relish your mocking?
    How long will you fools hate knowledge?
23 Come and listen to my counsel.
I’ll share my heart with you
    and make you wise.  (NLT)

This is interesting.  Notice that wisdom is also given a female pronoun.   Some have suggested that if Jesus is the living Word of God, then the Holy Spirit is the living wisdom of God.   I don't know if that's the case, but we can understand that this wisdom character is a part of who God is.   Wisdom comes from God, after all.   It is God Himself who shares His heart with us.  It is God himself who wants to make us wise.   It is God who wants to save us.   But so many of us do not listen.  So many of us become mockers of God.   Perhaps you know of a few people who mock God?   This passage talks about people like this:


24 “I called you so often, but you wouldn’t come.
    I reached out to you, but you paid no attention.
25 You ignored my advice
    and rejected the correction I offered.  (NLT)

Mocking God is not wise, but God allows it.  He keeps on calling anyway.   He keeps on drawing people to himself while others sit back and mock.

I mentioned that this passage is hard.  Here is the hard part:

So I will laugh when you are in trouble!
    I will mock you when disaster overtakes you—
27 when calamity overtakes you like a storm,
    when disaster engulfs you like a cyclone,
    and anguish and distress overwhelm you.

28 “When they cry for help, I will not answer.
    Though they anxiously search for me, they will not find me.
29 For they hated knowledge
    and chose not to fear the Lord.
30 They rejected my advice
    and paid no attention when I corrected them.
31 Therefore, they must eat the bitter fruit of living their own way,
    choking on their own schemes.
32 For simpletons turn away from me—to death.
    Fools are destroyed by their own complacency.  (NLT)

Wow!  It will actually get to a point where God will stop calling you and turn the tables to begin mocking you!   That doesn't sound very loving does it?   That's not very Christian is it?  This is a hard part for sure.

You've probably heard the saying, "God will not be mocked".   This is one of those places in the Bible where sayings like that originate.   When it comes to a war of words, God will always win that battle.   If you mock God, he will have patience with you.   He does love you.   But his patience has a limit.   There will come a day when your mocking will end.   It will either end when you start listening to God and he receives you as his child, or it will end when he decides that it will end and he takes his hands off of you to leave you with the bitter fruit of living your own way.  He will leave you choking and wallowing in your own sinfulness.   He will mock you for this and he will be right and just to do so.  

Is this really what God is like?   We are very good at understanding God as a loving God, but we are not so good at seeing him as the perfect and holy Judge that He is.   We need to understand this about our relationship with God.   We have to get this.   We are enemies of God because of our sin and we need to understand the seriousness of that.   This isn't a nice fluffy message to hear, is it?  This is hard.   But if you reject what the Bible reveals to us about God here, what you are doing is saying that God does not have an issue with you which means that you think He's fine with you as you are.   He still loves you.  He always loves you.   But if you reject the idea that God is holy and just and that He will not put up with your sin forever, then what you mean is that you do not need Savior.   What you mean is that you do not need Jesus!

This wrathful and angry God, isn't that just an Old Testament thing?   No it is not.   Jesus died to save us from the righteous judgement of God.   It's all through the New Testament too.   Look at Romans 2:5-12:

5 But because you are stubborn and refuse to turn from your sin, you are storing up terrible punishment for yourself. For a day of anger is coming, when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. 6 He will judge everyone according to what they have done. 7 He will give eternal life to those who keep on doing good, seeking after the glory and honor and immortality that God offers. 8 But he will pour out his anger and wrath on those who live for themselves, who refuse to obey the truth and instead live lives of wickedness. 9 There will be trouble and calamity for everyone who keeps on doing what is evil—for the Jew first and also for the Gentile.[a] 10 But there will be glory and honor and peace from God for all who do good—for the Jew first and also for the Gentile. 11 For God does not show favoritism.

God never changes.   He's the same in the Old Testament as He is in the New.   The difference is that a new depth to his love is revealed to us in the New Testament.  Jesus is our savior.  He died to save us from this day of God's anger that is coming.   We can keep on mocking God, or we can turn to him and receive the gift he gives to us.   Jesus.  His Son.

We're only on the first chapter and here we are into some really hard teaching.   I hope your minds and hearts have been stirred.   Please feel free to comment and ask questions below.