Easier to Ask Forgiveness than Ask Permission?

I have sometimes heard people quip, "I just did it because I thought it would be easier to ask forgiveness than to ask permission." When someone says this, their hearers usually nod their heads in agreement, perhaps smiling at the thought.

But I want to ask this: is it easier (or better) to ask forgiveness than permission? It may work for quick little decisions that need to be made at work or at home. But what about in areas of life that carry greater consequences?

• Do we "borrow" (steal) something from our workplace and then hope our boss will be forgiving?
• Do we fudge some numbers on our taxes and hope the IRS, if they notice, will forgive the "oversight"?
• Do we push towards intimate activity outside the bounds of marriage and then hope for forgiveness the next day?
• Do we come home late without first making sure it's okay with those who are affected by this?

Does this philosophy help or hurt our relationship with our boss? Does it build trust or damage trust with our spouse? Is it setting a good example for our children or others who are watching?

Forgiveness is an essential aspect of our lives. We want to be people filled with grace and forgiveness, especially if we are followers of Jesus Christ. As we have been forgiven so much, so we too must be good forgivers (see Matthew 18:21-35). And we want to ask forgiveness from others when we have hurt them in some way.

However, if we presume we will be forgiven and then set out in a direction we know is sinful, is that really the right thing to do? I believe much interpersonal damage has resulted from this line of thought.

Let's not do something we know is wrong and presume people will just forgive and forget. Such actions hurt relationships with people we are closest to. Let's not allow a pithy little saying justify something we will regret later.

Three Little Words that Threaten to Destroy Us

There are three little words that threaten to destroy our lives. You've heard them before. It's likely that you've even said them.

Perhaps you've been out with some friends and they have asked you to do something you knew was wrong, or maybe only a little outside the boundaries. Yet you rationalized it thinking that maybe it was "no big deal."

Perhaps you've been on the internet late at night, and wondered what kinds of pornographic pictures might be accessible for free. Maybe at that time you thought it was "no big deal."

Perhaps you exploded in anger at the kids, or said some demeaning things to your spouse, or spent money you knew you didn't have. At that moment you may have rationalized it as "no big deal."

But was it really "no big deal"? Or did you find out later that it really was worse than you thought at first?

Those three little words can be used to justify the first few steps down a destructive path. Those first steps might initially seem like they aren't really problematic. But they lead us in a direction we don't really want to go. And it doesn't take long for things to get worse.

It might seem like "no big deal" to gamble a hundred dollars. Or fool around with a girlfriend. Or sign up on a dating site even though we're married. Or look at a little porn. Or try marijuana. Or drive home from the bar even when we know we have had too much to drink. But we've all seen the results of those things that at first seemed like "no big deal." Maybe we've even felt the pain of those decisions in our own lives.

Sin IS a big deal. Even a little sin is a big deal. I suspect that you don't really need to be convinced of this - you know it in your heart. If you have the Holy Spirit in you, He has shown you this very clearly.

Let's decide to stand against the idea of "no big deal" before we do the thing. When we hear those words ringing in our minds, let that be a red flag to reexamine our course and change direction. Let's not let those three little words lead us down a path of sin that brings pain to ourselves or others.

Always Saved?

A friend of mine posed a good question about salvation: "Can a person who has been truly 'born again' lose (or throw away) their salvation?"

I do not believe that someone who is truly saved can walk away from Christ. If God is the one who did all the work (Ephesians 2:8-9), how can we UNDO that work?

In John 10:27-30, we read about how Jesus Christ holds His sheep in His hands, and how God the Father holds His sheep in His hands. God holds on to us, not the other way around.

In Ephesians 1 we have some wonderful teaching about what God has done in bringing us into a relationship with Him. The whole chapter is helpful to read, but I would especially point to verses 11-14.

In Philippians 1:6 we read about how the Lord will be faithful to complete what He started in us. In Romans 8:38-39, we read that nothing "will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Still, we have a very sticky problem whenever we see someone who has seemed to walk faithfully with Christ for a long time, but now is not living at all for Him. What do we do with that?

Let me turn the coin over and show the other side for a moment. Yes, the Lord holds us firmly in His hand. But as Christians we also have a responsibility to follow the Lord in daily obedience.

In John 14:15, we read Jesus' words: "If you love me, you will keep my commandments." He repeats and expands this teaching just a few verses later, in John 14:21-24. If we love the Lord, then obedience to Him will come naturally. And it is by our obedience that we show we truly love the Lord, as we read clearly in 1 John 5:3.

We have a duty as His disciples to take up our cross DAILY and follow Him (Luke 9:23) and to abide in Christ (John 15:1-17).

If we have been truly saved, then God holds on to us, and we are always His. But if a person can comfortably walk away from the Lord and not feel the convicting work of His Holy Spirit drawing him or her back, then I doubt that person has ever been truly saved. (Even Judas appeared to be a good follower of Jesus for more than three years, but Jesus said that Judas never truly belonged to Him.)

If someone has walked in long-term disobedience to Christ, I would take them back to the Cross. Whether they belong to Jesus but got involved in a sinful pattern, or they never belonged to Jesus in the first place - the Cross is still the place to go when anyone is ready to repent. And God is faithful to forgive (see 1 John 1:9)!

Four Things We Learn from Being Sick

I absolutely hate being sick. I hate feeling unproductive. I hate feeling weak, miserable, and generally "icky" (that's a highly technical medical term).

For whatever reason, God has chosen to leave difficult things like sickness in this world, even though He could easily end all sickness. So what might be His good purposes in allowing sickness to continue? I can think of four things I have learned from times of sickness.

1) When I am weak, He is strong. In my pride I may think I can do it all by myself. Sickness reminds me that my own strength has limits. This means I need to rely even more on God, who has no limits to His strength. The Apostle Paul explained this lesson in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10.

2) Rest is a good thing. Our tendency is to drive ourselves 24/7. I have a hard time going to bed at night because I still see so much that needs to be done. I'm not very good at consistently taking a Sabbath, either. But God designed us for rest, and commanded us to observe the Sabbath. God designed us for work and also for rest; we harm ourselves if we neglect either of these.

3) This world is not my home. When I am sick, I cease to be comfortable in this temporary body on this temporal earth. I begin to look past the temporal to the eternal: for me as a Christian, that means eternity in heaven, where there is no more sickness (see Revelation 21:4). Being sick jolts me out of my comfort zone and I begin to long for heaven, my real home.

4) Sin has widespread consequences. I'm not saying that I get sick because of my own sin, but in general terms, sickness is in this world because of sin and its global consequences. Sin is serious, and when we see this, it helps us be more determined to say "No" to sin. We are all touched by the worldwide effects of sin, including sickness, pain, and ultimately physical death. Again, this helps us long even more for heaven and the end of the power and presence of sin. We have a glorious future ahead of us when we have placed our faith in Jesus Christ, who conquered sin and death (see 1 Corinthians 15:53-57).

When I am sick, I try to focus on wonderful truths like these. I encourage you to do the same.

Neil Armstrong and Faith in Jesus

Neil Armstrong died today at the age of 82. On earth, he will be remembered for many remarkable achievements, including walking on the moon.

Neil Armstrong was a great man in many ways. When my son did a project about him a couple of years ago, I was thrilled to review many of the details of Armstrong's life and career. He was not perfect, but he was a man we rightly look up to.

Still, when his earthly life ended, only one accomplishment really mattered at that very moment. During his 82 years on this earth, did he place his faith in Jesus Christ?

That matter alone affects every person's entrance (or non-entrance) into heaven. We are not saved by our accomplishments, no matter how wonderful they may be. We are not saved by our wealth or our fame. We are only saved through a relationship with Jesus Christ. We are only saved when we admit we are a sinner (Romans 3:23) and that our sin deserves death (Romans 6:23). We need to confess Jesus as our Lord and Savior (Romans 10:9-10). We need to stop trying to earn God's favor and simply accept the free gift He has offered us (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Have you given your life to Jesus Christ? If not, would you do so now?

Tell His Disciples...And Peter

It is the morning of the resurrection. The angel is making a great announcement to the women who had thought they were coming to the tomb to embalm Jesus's body. As part of the announcement, the angel says these words as recorded in Mark 16:7: "But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he [Jesus] is going before you to Galilee."

I love the two words: "and Peter"! Peter had denied Jesus three times. He was familiar with Jesus's teaching: "whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 10:33). I suspect Peter felt like a total outcast, unworthy of Jesus's love or forgiveness.

With two gracious words Jesus reached out in forgiveness: "and Peter." Peter was still to be counted among he disciples. He was to be included with those who would be the first to meet Jesus face to face after His resurrection. He was not an outcast; Jesus still loved him.

These words of grace and forgiveness have often been extended to me as well. When I have sinned and feel ashamed and unworthy of God's love, I hear Jesus call to me with grace and forgiveness. It's as if He's saying, "and Brian."

There is nothing you can do that would make you unworthy of God's love and forgiveness. Even if you feel totally unworthy, will you turn to Him today?

Laws of Love

God has given us His Word, filled with glimpses of His love and His character.  The Bible is a treasure chest filled with endless gems more valuable than anything this world can offer.


Sometimes I hear (or read) people's ideas that the Bible is just a bunch of antiquated lists of things to do or not do.  Most of those people express - either explicitly or implicitly - that God is just some kind of cosmic killjoy with rules that don't apply to today's society.


This idea is prevalent outside the church, but I have found shadows of this kind of thinking even inside the church.  Sometimes it seems the boundaries God has set for our lives are - well - inconvenient.  Sometimes they seem too hard to follow.  We may (consciously or subconsciously) even try to pick and choose the things we want to follow and then ignore the rest.  Rules feel restrictive, and by nature we tend to want to rebel against them.


Perhaps we need to think a little differently about this altogether.  Please allow me illustrate.


I love my children more than I can possibly express.  My exuberant four-year-old is obsessed with jumping on furniture, or jumping from the sofa to the floor, or other kinds of daredevil activities.  She is unaware of the dangers; she just wants to play.  She thinks I am unfair when I tell her not to jump on the furniture or jump down from a high place.  Even when she has gotten hurt while doing these things, she still desires them, and pursues them again and again.  Because I love her, I keep enforcing the rules - to protect her and to help her grow up to be healthy and strong.  We have even purchased her a little exercise trampoline that she can jump on at any time - in hopes she will enjoy jumping on that instead of on the furniture.


We keep these boundaries out of our love for her.  The same is true of the boundaries we keep on all three of our children: limits for internet usage, time limits when playing video games, limits on eating sweets, etc.  These boundaries are expressions of our love for them and our desire to help them be healthy emotionally, mentally, physically, and spiritually.


The same is true of the boundaries the Lord sets on our lives.  These are expressions of His love for us.  If I stay within the boundaries, I will find much joy, safety, and blessing.  These are laws of love from my Heavenly Father, and I will do well to follow them with obedience and gratitude.  


Within those boundaries there is still much freedom.  I take much joy in my time with my wife and children.  I enjoy many material blessings (probably too many) He has graciously provided.  I have wonderful friendships with many people.  I am so blessed!  When I spend time enjoying these blessings, I temporarily forget about some of the enticing things that are outside the boundaries.  


Adam and Eve were given access to every tree in the Garden of Eden except one.  Yet it was the one that drew their attention, and their first step outside of God's boundaries began thousands of years of sin and pain in our world.  Likewise, when we step outside God's boundaries, venturing into sin, there will be inevitable pain.  Let's stay within God's laws of love and find great joy in all He has given us. 

The Fall of Aaron

Moses' brother Aaron helped lead the nation of Israel.  This morning I was struck with the highest point and the lowest point of his life, only a short time apart, and how great his fall actually was.


Aaron's highest point had to be the account recorded in Exodus 24.  "Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up, and they saw the God of Israel.  There was under his feet as it were a pavement of sapphire stone, like the very heaven for clearness.  And he did not lay his hand on the chief men of the people of Israel; they beheld God, and ate and drank" (24:9-11, emphasis mine).  Imagine that--they SAW the God of Israel and ate and drank in His presence!  That is an honor that only a few people have ever had.


Then we have a number of chapters in which the Lord gives the Ten Commandments to Moses, along with clear instructions for the building of the tabernacle.  If I'm reading Exodus 24:15-18 correctly, after Aaron returned to the people, Moses was on the mountain another 46 days.  


During that month and a half, the people of Israel convinced Aaron to build a new god, representative of one of the gods of Egypt.  Worse, Aaron led in sacrifices and worship to this god in place of the true God of Israel.  We read about all of this in Exodus 32:1-20.


Still more, when Moses confronted Aaron about his sins, Aaron both lied and tried to minimize the sins he had committed (Exodus 32:21-24).  He even said that the calf just magically popped out of the fire when he threw in the gold jewelry brought by the people (see Exodus 32:24)!


Aaron went from being in the very presence of God to worshiping a golden image (and lying about it) in just a few weeks' time!  How high was Aaron's high, and how low was his low!


Reading things like this makes me all the more determined to be ever-vigilant to follow Christ closely EVERY DAY.  I--you--we are all quite capable of committing horrible sins that dishonor our Lord.  Even when we have followed Him closely and experienced His work deeply in our lives, our sinful hearts can deceive us and cloud our memory and lead us into any of a number of sins.  Our enemy, the devil, would love nothing more than to cause God's children to fall into grievous sin.  First Peter 5:8-9 tells us, "Be sober-minded; be watchful.  Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.  Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world."  The devil wants to pull us away from God, but we can effectively resist him as we stand firm in our faith.


Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, please join me in being faithful to God and watchful against any sin that could dishonor our Lord.  Where we might have a particular weakness for one sin or another, let us be extra-vigilant.  Let's not make the kinds of mistakes Aaron did, nor commit even smaller sins.  Rather, let us stay faithful to our Lord every moment of every day.


Lord, please grant myself and every reader the grace to do this.  Amen.

Breaking Free

This morning I (again) read the account of Isaac in Genesis 26.  Isaac was afraid that ungodly people in Gerar would see Rebekah's beauty, take her for a wife, and kill him.  So he lied and told everyone she was his sister.  As with most lies, he was found out, but in this case he was found out before there was much collateral damage from the lie (see Genesis 26:6-11).


We shouldn't be surprised by this crazy idea Isaac had.  Although he was not yet born when it happened, we have two recorded times when his father Abraham did the same thing (see Genesis 12:10-20 and Genesis 20:1-18).  In Abraham's situations, the lies brought greater harm, though still God protected Sarah from being violated or harmed in any way.  Abraham's lie was at least half true (see Genesis 20:12)--Sarah was his half-sister.  But what he told was still a lie, bringing difficult consequences for him as well as for those who tried (in innocence) to take Sarah for their own.  


When I ponder these three accounts, I remember again the danger of a lie.  But that is not what hits me most today.  The questions now on my mind are these: Why didn't Abraham teach Isaac about the lesson he learned so Isaac wouldn't make the same mistake?  Or what was it in Isaac that caused him to want to follow in Abraham's footsteps in unrighteous decisions rather than righteous decisions (at least, in that instance)?  We don't know, maybe Abraham did tell Isaac about the mistakes he made and warned him not to repeat them, and Isaac still stumbled into the same sin.  Personally, I wish we knew more about these situations so we could learn from them, but the Lord didn't include every detail in His Word, though He gave us exactly what we need to know.  


Today as a father, I think often about the things I have brought into my life from my parents, as well as the things my children will take from me.  I have great parents, who raised me to love and serve the Lord, but I still made some enormous and painful mistakes of my own through the years.  And now I pray daily for my own kids, but realize they, too, will sometimes perpetuate my mistakes rather than the things I most want them to gain from me.  I wish for them to follow only my good examples, but inevitably they will make their share of mistakes in life.


Each of us has a challenge to break free from the mistakes of our parents (mine weren't perfect either (sorry Mom and Dad!)), and pursue the righteous life that our loving Lord has called us to.  And although we will not be perfect parents, we want to let our kids see our God-honoring lives in hopes they will learn more good than bad from us.  Sin is a horrible master, and we are all slaves to sin until we find the grace of God, then we continue to struggle with sin the rest of our lives.  Hebrews 12:1-2 encourages us to "throw off everything that hinders, and the sin that so easily entangles, and...run with perseverance the race marked out for us."  Yes, the sin hinders and entangles us, but we--with the strength that Jesus gives us--work to cast it aside and pursue the things that most please the Lord.  


In this we will find great freedom and joy. 

Zeal in the Wrong Direction

Like a football player heading for the wrong end zone, I sometimes run in the wrong direction in an area of my life.  I might even go zealously, passionately, but it's useless because it's still in the wrong direction.


I might get distracted by a time-drainer that's really not a priority.  The thing itself might even be good, but it's not the most important thing that needs my time.


I might get sidelined by a sin issue that gets my attention and holds me for a while.  For these there is always forgiveness--1 John 1:9.  And God continually gives me strength to keep resisting.


I might get pulled away from my top priorities--God, family, work, church, and friendships--by any of a number of things I can focus my attention on.  But if these other things--whether leisure, various causes, fads, or whatever--take so much time that I no longer have adequate time for my priorities, then I need to make changes.


I know my tendency to have zeal in the wrong direction, and I pray often that the Lord will help me keep my zeal for the things He wants me to pursue.


How about you?

Washing Away the Stain

For the last three days I have been staining our two decks, the children's play area, and our wood-sided shed.  Tonight as I cleaned up, I realized how much stain I had gotten on my body, not to mention the stepstool, ladders, and other things that stain wasn't supposed to affect.

As most people know, there is really only one effective way to clean up oil-based stain: mineral spirits.  No other method easily gets the stain off of skin or anything else.

This made me think of the stain of sin.  Much more clearly than in my illustration, there is only ONE way to get rid of the stain of sin in our lives: the blood of Jesus Christ.  Only He can take away the sin and wash me white as snow (see Isaiah 1:18).

As the hymnwriter Robert Lowry penned: "What can wash away my sin?  Nothing but the blood of Jesus!  What can make me whole again?  Nothing but the blood of Jesus!"