Tolerance

We live in a society where the advocates of “tolerance” are increasingly intolerant. We should be careful not to miss this hypocrisy. These loud and angry voices decry views and beliefs that fail to conform to their own. Under the banner of “freedom” modern secular voices emphatically denounce the freedom of Christians to assert their convictions regarding God’s written revelation, Christ’s lordship, and the biblical data regarding the coming judgment. I can sympathize with the natural tendency to recoil at the assertion of these sobering realities, but one cannot rationally claim to be “open-minded”, “accepting of diversity” or “tolerant”, while vehemently attacking those who are convinced of the reality of God and a pending accountability. For centuries the idea of “tolerance” described the peaceful coexistence of those with divergent views. Today our culture employs the word “tolerance” to justify a rancorous campaign to insist that everyone conform to their intemperate values. We can be sure that until the return of the Lord Jesus Christ we will live in a world that chafes against the authority of God and his written revelation. That will continue. But we should not buy the rhetoric that holding to an increasingly unpopular view is “intolerant.” Christians should continue to peacefully and respectfully stand up and speak up for the things that we will all be held accountable for one day. This is what our Lord desires and requires.

For more sermons and devotionals on Tolerance, please go to the Focal Point Ministries website at www.focalpointministries.org

Health

Good health is good. It is certainly preferable to sickness and disease. Occasionally you’ll find some concern for it in Scripture (3 John 2; 1 Timothy 5:23). But we should be careful not to cherry-pick from the few biblical passages regarding good health in order to justify today’s wide-spread obsession with it. Many godly and productive people in the Bible and throughout church history have been plagued with disease, chronic pain, poor health and a variety of physical disabilities. All of which God sovereignly chose to not alleviate. And when God didn’t heal, these godly men and women concluded that even in bad health God’s “grace was sufficient” and that their diseases and disabilities were purposeful (2 Corinthians 12:7-9). They were thoroughly “content with weaknesses” knowing that the biblical goal was never good health to start with (2 Corinthians 12:10). After all, God has promised that sickness and disease will eventually prevail over all attempts to the contrary (Genesis 3:17-19). Yes, fitness and good health are preferable, but they are neither promised nor prioritized for this life. As Paul wrote to the ailing Timothy: “bodily training is of some value, but godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come” (1 Timothy 4:8).

For more sermons and devotionals on Health, please go to the Focal Point Ministries website at www.focalpointministries.org

Anger

Anger is admittedly a volatile and dangerous emotion. But it is important to note that it is not always a sinful emotion, and it certainly isn’t always expressed in sinful ways. God gives us adequate warning that “a man of wrath stirs up strife, and one given to anger causes much transgression” (Proverbs 29:22). And yet the command of Scripture isn’t that we strive to be devoid of this emotion, but rather we are instructed to be careful how we get there and cautious about what we do with it. Just as God is said to be “slow to anger” (Exodus 34:6), we are commanded not to be “quick tempered” (Titus 1:7). If we were to try to never get angry, we might in fact be fighting the work of God’s Spirit in our lives. For instance, when it was reported to King Saul that the Ammonites were threating to mutilate and extort the people of Jabesh-Gilead, the Bible says “the Spirit of God rushed upon Saul when he heard these words, and his anger was greatly kindled” (1 Samuel 11:6). Knowing that there are several godly reasons to get angry, the Bible goes so far as to command that we “Be angry (!) and do not sin” (Ephesians 4:26). Let’s not forget that there were times when Christ himself got angry, yet he remained sinless (Mark 3:5). To get angry without sinning, will require that we are only angered by sinful things. And even then, we must never choose to express that anger in sinful ways. So let us not oversimplify our understanding of this volatile emotion, instead let us be careful to be slow to anger, discerning regarding its cause, and wise in how we respond to it.

For more sermons and devotionals on Hard Truth, please go to the Focal Point Ministries website at www.focalpointministries.org  

Real Love

When we read the word “love” in the Bible we should always be careful to remind ourselves that it bears little resemblance to what passes for love in today’s world. When the people of our culture speak of “love” they are usually referring to something that impulsively springs from feelings of happiness, warmth, attraction, affection or pleasure. But the Bible uses the word to describe something very deliberate, usually without reference or thought to motives driven by good feelings. On the contrary, in the Bible depth of love is typically measured by the extent to which that love required sacrifice and planning. Consider the Bible’s ultimate description of love. It wasn’t generated by an impulsive attraction to the ones being loved. The Bible says, “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Elsewhere we are told that the “love” we are to have for others is based on this template of sacrificial love, which isn’t given because it “feels good,” but rather because it accomplishes good! “Bear with the failings of the weak” we are told, not seeking to “please ourselves,” but instead working to “please our neighbor for his good, to build him up. For even Christ did not please himself” (Romans 15:1-3). I realize this clarification may seem superfluous to those familiar with the Bible, but I find it is very easy to forget. So let us make sure to remember. And let’s all purpose and plan to love each other as he loved us (Ephesians 5:1-2; 1 John 4:11).

For more sermons and devotionals on Hard Truth, please go to the Focal Point Ministries website at www.focalpointministries.org