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Month: May 2020

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The Demand of Freedom

Arlington is full of memorials reminding us all of the cost of freedom; they also remind us of the demand of it.

Those headstones remind us of the more than one million Americans who have given to the last full measure. – over 100,000 in World War I; over 400,000 in World War II; almost 40,000 in Korea; over 58,000 in Vietnam and over 5,000 have been killed in action since 9/11.

I was impressed by the comments made by a recent Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff speaking a few years ago at a Memorial Day Wreath Laying ceremony at Arlington. Rather than leading the people to consider how they died General Dunsford said of those man and women who are remembered there:

“It’s how these men and women lived that is important. It is how they lived that makes us remember them. In life, these individuals chose to be something bigger than themselves. They chose to accept hardship and great personal risk. They were people who truly embodied the most important values and traditions of our nation.”

The general concluded by challenging those in attendance to leave “with the resolve to strengthen their commitment to our nation and the values for which it stands.”

Today we not only remember those who paid the ultimate price for our freedom as a nation but we also remember the One who died to liberate all men from a tyranny even more sinister than that of a Hitler, Stalin or a Bin-Laden.

When we look upon His cross we think not only about the way He died but about the way He lived, the truths He taught and the purpose in His coming. Even more, we remember that the grave DID NOT have the last word but Jesus rose again and will one day, as promised, return for those who trust in Him.

I mentioned earlier that there was a demand of freedom upon those who enjoy it; that demand of freedom is (in my mind) loyalty to the One who has provided it and sustained it. It is a loyalty that will not shrink back or compromise but will stand fast and refuse to allow anything to steal away that which was gained at such a great cost.

Considering the life of the Lord today, I challenge you as General Dunsford challenged those in attendance at Arlington to strengthen your commitment to the Lord and to the freedom that He procured at the cost of His life for you.

Our gratitude today is to those who fought for our nation and paid the ultimate price for freedom with their life blood and to Him who fought for our souls, paying the ultimate price for our eternal freedom with His blood.

Never forget…

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Just How Good is “Good Enough?”

There once was a man who came to Jesus asking the question of all questions. The man was young, wealthy, spiritual and yet aware that he lacked something of great spiritual importance; this was his question:

“Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”” (Luke 18:18)

Now, it is assumed that this man presided over a synagogue nearby and that he had heard Jesus speak certain parables about faith (Luke 18:1-8) and humility (Luke 18:9-14) and who had seen Him bless the children (Luke 18:15-17). Unlike the Pharisees and Scribes who always came at Jesus with the intent of discrediting Him or catching Him in some heresy or religious error, this man with apparently good intentions came to ask Jesus a question that of vital importance to him.

But Jesus knew this man perfectly, just as he knows each of us perfectly. He knew the religious background of this man and after correcting the man to understand that (v.19) “NO ONE is good but God,” Jesus zeroed in on the little verb “do” in the man’s question and said:

“You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother.’” (Luke 18:20)

The mans reply is a familiar one,

“…he said, “All these things I have kept from my youth.”” (Luke 18:21)

Recognize the answer? I can’t tell you how many times I have spoken to someone about the Lord and about sin when they replied, “I haven’t killed anyone. I haven’t stolen anything or committed adultery;” among other things. But if God is the only one who is good, does the doing or not doing of any of those good things make one fit for the kingdom of God – a person who God MUST accept? A. W. Tozer put it like this: If doing good is the way to obtain eternal life, “just how good would that good have to be?”

The religious and moral man saw himself as a good man but, if his question was an honest one, he seemed to think that he still lacked something to make him acceptable and in fact he DID lack something but as to what, he was unsure.

Jesus, using the man’s logic took him a little further saying,

“You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”” (Luke 18:22)

Jesus was NOT giving credence to the mans notion that DOING good would gain for him eternal life (despite what some dispensationalists might suggest) but rather pointing to the one thing which stood between the man and Almighty God – wealth. The last verse in the section makes clear that the man was “rich” or “had great possessions” (Matthew 19:22); he in fact had an idol which (v.23) indicates he loved more than God. In reality, this man neither “loved the Lord his God with all his heart soul mind and strength” nor “his neighbor as himself” – he loved his possessions.

To be fair, love for God does NOT save you – His love for YOU does! The Bible says in (1 John 4:19) “we love Him because He first loved us.” Jesus Himself declared in (John 3:16), “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” We are saved by grace through faith, Paul wrote in (Ephesians 2:8-10) and from His cross, by His blood, Jesus exchanged His righteousness for every believer’s sin (Isaiah 53:6, 2 Corinthians 5:21). As someone once said, “Jesus Christ will NEVER stand at the right side of a plus sign!” It is not faith in Jesus plus good works that saves you and gains for you an eternal inheritance in heaven – it is faith in Jesus Christ alone!

When his idol was revealed to the man, the “rich young ruler” walked away from Jesus unwilling to part with the one thing that kept him from eternal life with God. He didn’t need to DO one more thing – He needed to BELIEVE in Jesus Christ! Is there something in YOUR life that is keeping you from eternal life as well; something you just can’t let go of? If you do but can’t turn loose of it, pray, call on the Lord to help you – to take it from you. To the religious and the irreligious the message is the same – turn from your idols and trust in the living God; eternal life is gained in only one way – only through faith in Jesus Christ alone.

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Spiritual Motherhood

Must a woman have children in order to be a mother?

Some people, reading my question might respond with a “Duh, Rich”; but you might be surprised to learn what the Bible says about the question. The Apostle Paul, writing to a young apprentice in the ministry named Titus gave instruction concerning the older men and women of the church, these were not necessarily parents or even couples in the church but just the elder (both physically and spiritually); concerning the women he wrote:

“But as for you (Titus), speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine…to the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things—that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed.” (Titus 2 : 1, 3–5)

Obviously, a certain kind of motherhood involves childbirth and child rearing and it is that understanding which keeps some women (who have never had children) from church on a day set aside in many places to honor mothers via a message on one of a handful of mothers mentioned in the scriptures. Mothers like Hannah, Samuel’s mother (1 Samuel 1:1-2:11), Mary, the mother of Jesus and Lois and Eunice, the grandmother and mother of Timothy (2 Timothy 1:5) – mentioned for their exceptional heroism, self-sacrifice and devotion to both their children and their God. But there is another type of mothering to which every spiritually mature woman of faith is called:

Spiritual motherhood is that calling.

Such a woman lives a consecrated life, a life set apart for God and His plan. Their consecration is evident in their behavior – a tongue which is under control, a life free from bondage to worldly things and integrity which is evident to all as she practices what she preaches. Her life is characterized by a real conviction concerning God’s word and a genuine trust in the Lord’s will; a genuine and godly love for others and a patient confidence in the Lord. Her lifestyle naturally draws other women to her (women younger in life or in the faith) and makes it possible to pour into them her experience on a number of women’s issues and especially on family and marital issues, bringing spiritual wisdom derived from the Bible to bear on their lives. In this way, a woman who may never have raised up a family herself may raise up spiritual children to the Lord.

The 97 year old Holocaust survivor, Alice Von Hildebrand herself outspoken on the subject, made the following statement concerning Spiritual Motherhood to women who desired to be natural mothers but for whatever reason, had not or could not have children:

“It may very well be that in your beautiful desire to be a biological mother you have missed, ignored or overlooked the opportunity from God to be a spiritual mother.”

For years, some of the women reading this may have wished for children – wished to be a mother – wished to have someone into whom you could pour your heart of love for God, someone you could nurture and grow in the faith. God has called the elder women of the faith to be such a mother to the younger women in the church. A generation of women is in need of your experience – could you be a mentor , will you be a spiritual mother to them?

Happy Mother’s Day to all!

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