1 Peter 3:15: Are You Ready?

Read 1 Peter 3:15, "but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence."

If someone asked you why you went to church, what would you say? If somebody asked you how you know for certain that Jesus is the only way, would you know how to respond? What if someone asked you why God lets bad things happen in the world? If you live your faith openly (which is really the only way Christians are to live it), then you will come across some questions and raised eyebrows. How will you respond to this?

Peter is instructing us in this verse to be proactive. When someone asks us about our faith, we need to be prepared. Have you ever been speechless when someone asked you a question, and then thought of the perfect response minutes later as you were walking away? I know I have! The reason we can't think of a good response right away, is because we're caught off guard. If we follow Peter's instructions in 1 Peter 3:15, we won't be surprised and consequently miss opportunities to share our faith.

We're told in this verse to be ready to make a defense of our faith. But how do we get ready? The number one way to get ready is to be an avid reader of God's Word. We can't defend our faith if we don't know the Bible, because all of the answers to people's questions about Christ are found in it! Read it over and over again, not letting a day go by without looking over at least a few verses. The more you read it, the more you will remember it. Memorize key verses (Romans 3:23, 6:23; John 3:16; John 14:6; Eph. 2:8-9, etc), and underline many others in your Bible, so you can reference them quickly. Having a Bible with you either in your car or backpack, will keep you ready to reference Scripture at any time. In addition to the Bible, read and study other non-fiction Christian books by trusted authors. Being well-read is a great way to be ready!

Another way to be ready to give a defense of your faith is to pray. Pray for opportunities to share your faith, for the courage to seize those opportunities, and for wisdom to know the right words to say. We must be totally dependent on prayer to share our faith; it is vital for us to rely on the Holy Spirit fully. I can't stress this enough! If you try to witness on your own strength, without prayer, then you won't be effective. A praying person is a ready person!

Finally, don't forget the very important clause at the end of this verse, because it will make all the difference. As you give a defense for the hope that is in you, do so "with gentleness and reverence." The purpose in giving a defense of your faith is not to prove that you're right and they're wrong, to argue someone into taking your side, or to make others look stupid or ignorant with all of your fancy arguments. You should give a defense out of love and compassion for the lost, not out of a desire to be right. Rather than arrogant or condescending, your attitude should be gracious and loving. Be gentle and reverent, not a harsh know-it-all. There's a big difference there!

Are you ready at any moment to give others a reason for the hope that you hold so dear? Being taken by surprise and missing an opportunity to share your faith is a horrible feeling. I know, because it's happened to me. By studying the Word and immersing yourself in prayer, you will be armed and ready for anything~

Why, Miley, Why??

So I recently wrote a post about Miley Cyrus and her response when asked if she was a Christian. I commended her for speaking the name of Jesus Christ, but now I've got to say that I kind of wish she hadn't. Her recent single "I Can't be Tamed" goes directly against our Christian ideology. To claim that you're a follower of Christ and then come out with a song like this is disturbing. So what's so bad about this song? There certainly are worse songs out there, of course, but let's take a look at these lyrics...

Apparently, this song is her debut as a more "mature" bad-girl. She's shedding off her more innocent and cutesy persona that she formerly had and has turned into the new Britney Spears (who also started out as the cute and innocent "girl-next door" and then went off the deep end). The beginning of the song is extremely arrogant, as she brags about how many guys want her, how hot she is, and how she "goes through guys like money flyin' out their hands." This is totally different than her more shy and humble lyrics in "Party in the USA," when she talks about getting nervous with her stomach in knots at seeing so many famous people. The tables are turned now, as she vainly brags about how awesome she is. I liked the first girl a LOT better...

The beginning of this song is directly opposed to the way the Bible says we should act. In Proverbs 6:16-17, "haughty eyes" are listed as one of the things detestable to the Lord. And that's not the only place where we see that God hates arrogance and boasting...it's all over the Bible. Another great passage speaking on this same topic is, " Young men, in the same way be submissive to those who are older. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, 'God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.' Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time." (1 Peter 5:5-6). What's even worse than bragging, however, is bragging about your sin. In the song's intro, she's bragging about her vanity, sex appeal, and overall immorality with guys. Before you envy her for all of her boyfriends, remember that we are all going to be held accountable for how we lived on earth. Girls who claim to follow Christ should be pure, plain and simple.

But let's move on to the chorus of the song..."I can't be tamed, I can't be saved, I can't be blamed, I can't, can't, I can't be tamed, I can't be changed, I can't be saved, I can't be, I can't be tamed." OK we get it Miley, you want to do things your own way. This chorus is all about living however the heck you want and not conforming. The ironic thing is, however, that living an "untamed" (ie worldly and rebellious) lifestyle is not being original or unique. She says shes not going to change or conform, but that's exactly what she's doing. What is truly unique and non-conformist is rejecting the world and choosing to die to yourself and live for Christ.

This chorus goes against many biblical principles. It advocates open rebellion and following your own rules, but the Bible advocates submission and obedience. For example, Titus 3:1 states, "Remind them to be subject to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed." Miley sings "Don't change me," but in reality we all need God to change us! We need Him to sanctify us, mature us, shape us, and conform us to His image! Rather than arrogantly going our own way, and telling everyone that we can't be tamed/saved/changed, we're to follow God's way, and be transformed, renewed, and redeemed! We're to follow His law in obedience and live in submission to His will. This is true freedom!

The purpose of me writing this post on Miley's latest single is to point out to you the messages our culture is sending us. We shouldn't blindly sing along with songs that are just wicked, plain and simple. When we fill our minds with messages that go against a Christian lifestyle and biblical worldview, we're going to be led astray. I'm disappointed that Miley has gone down this path, when she could have used her influence for good. I'm even more disgusted that she repeatedly claims to believe in Jesus but is now living a lifestyle contradictory to the Bible. And don't even get me started on the music video...

A Warning: 1 Kings 11:1-8

Read 1 Kings 11:1-8

I just recently posted a devotional on a really neat passage (1 Kings 8), in which Solomon prays a beautiful and passionate prayer to the Lord at the dedication of the Temple. I hate to be debbie downer, but it's only fair to tell Solomon's entire story. Solomon started off well, but he unfortunately ended lousy. Most people know the stories of Solomon asking God for wisdom, judging his people wisely, building the Temple, and writing Song of Songs and Ecclesiastes. However, what many don't know, is that the king who was at one time the wisest man in the world ultimately ended up falling away from God completely. Let's study what happened to Solomon and try to learn something from his mistakes.

As you probably know, when God chose the Israelites to be His people, He gave them many laws and commandments to follow. The purpose of these laws was to set them apart from the other nations as a pure and holy nation belonging to Him alone. One of the commands He gave to His people was that they could not intermarry with foreigners. This may sound harsh to some people. What if you fall in love with someone from a foreign country? Why would God want to separate people that love each other? Here's the thing. God is all-knowing. He knows us better than we know ourselves, and He alone knows the future. His laws are a protection for us, because He knows what harmful consequences will come from disobeying Him. The Lord knew that joining together in marriage to a pagan would not end well, and it certainly didn't for Solomon.

Despite the fact that Solomon was fully aware of the laws, he chose to marry a foreigner...and not just one foreigner. Solomon took a head-spinning total of 700 wives and 300 concubines. That's 1,000 women in his harem! So we see that Solomon didn't just take one foreign wife, but he took 1,000 wives/concubines. Marriage was designed by God in the garden of Eden between 1 woman and 1 man. Anything other than this is a perversion of God's original plan, and it will end with serious consequences. In this case, the very worst that could happen to Solomon did. Because he neglected God's command not to intermarry with foreigners and took 1,000 women into his palace, he was led astray. The man who had once been so close to God actually turned to idol worship. He left the God who had blessed Him beyond comprehension with all of the wisdom and riches in the world, and he began to make sacrifices to the idols his foreign wives worshipped.

What a depressing ending to such a promising individual! Though this is a sad story, it offers us an important lesson. First of all, no one is immune from temptation to sin, so we must guard against it diligently. We see in 1 Kings 10:23 that, "King Solomon became greater than all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom." However, though Solomon had everything going for him, he still gave into sin's temptation. He neglected God's commands and warnings, surely thinking that nothing bad would come of it. He was so wrong. His arrogance is apparent in the way he flagrantly disregarded God's law and got for himself 1,000 wives. This is so over-the-top and ridiculous, and it clearly shows his pride. Perhaps he thought that because he was king, he could make his own rules. The statement, "pride comes before the fall" is so true. Those who arrogantly do whatever they want and think there will be no consequences are very foolish.

Are you puffed up with pride like Solomon? Do you live by your own rules, disobeying God's law and foolishly thinking nothing will come of it? Remember that "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble" (James 4:6). Take the story of Solomon's downfall as a sober warning. Take God's law seriously and follow Him wholeheartedly, because those who don't will surely fall.

Are you a Complainer??

Read Philippians 2:14; Exodus 15:22-17:7

No one likes to be around a whiner. Perhaps this is the best way to cure a complainer...let them be around someone who whines and grumbles for a while. When they see how irritating and unattractive it is, they won't want to complain anymore! We all probably struggle with complaining to some degree, myself included. This lesson is just as convicting to me as it is to all of you, so you're not alone! Philippians 2:14 says, "Do everything without complaining or arguing." How are you doing in this area? Let's look in the book of Exodus and study a group who did their fair share of whining, and see what we can learn from their mistakes.

At this point in the text (15:22), the Israelites have just been delivered from slavery in Egypt. The have seen the Lord's miraculous power through the 10 plagues and the parting of the Red Sea. They have responded with a song of praise to the Lord in 15:1-18, thanking Him for all the wonders He has done. It seems like people who had just witnessed God's miracles and deliverance would follow Him joyfully from that day forward. However, the Israelites' thankful and worshipful attitude didn't last long. As they headed into the wilderness, it only took 3 days for them to start complaining. 3 days...3 days until the wonder and amazement of God's miracles and deliverance wore off!

In Exodus 5:24 we see the reason for their first complaint against the Lord. They began to grumble and complain, because the water was bitter. In response to this, the Lord provides for them, making the waters around them sweet. Did this miracle satisfy their grumbling? Unfortunately, it did not. In 16:3, they begin to grumble that they are hungry, even going so far as saying that they would have been better off back in Egypt as slaves! As a response to this, God produces another miracle to provide for their needs. He literally rains down bread from heaven every morning, and rains down quail every evening. I wish I could have seen that! However, that miracle didn't stop their grumbling either. In 17:2-3, we see the people complaining again that they are thirsty. This passage reads just like a broken record! The Lord hears their grumbling and provides for their need once again.

It's easy to judge the Israelites from our point of view. When you read this passage, their behavior seems ridiculous. How could they have such little faith in God? Why did they have such a hard time believing that God would take care of their needs, especially after all the miracles He had showed them? How can they complain after all that God has done for them? They've just been freed from slavery, yet they still grumble against the one who delivered them! How could they be that short-sighted?

I think we're all a lot more like the Israelites than we'd like to admit. When I think about my own life, I know that I have been guilty of the same faithless grumbling that the Israelites did. I complain about our financial situation, even though I can honestly say that I have never had a need remain unmet. God has never failed to provide for me, yet I still panic every time I read our bank statement. Like the Israelites, I am quick to forget all He has done for me! I complain about Lee's health, when I know full well that things could be so much worse. When I see people who are disabled, disfigured, or cancerous, I am convicted of my grumbling when our situation is not nearly as painful as those others experience. I complain about our tiny apartment, but when I see the homeless, I'm reminded that I really have nothing to grumble about...I have a roof over my head, which is more than many around the world can say. Yes, I'm a lot like the Israelites, and maybe you are as well. Take a moment to reflect. What do you complain and grumble about? Is your situation really as bad as you make it out to be? What do you need to thank God for today?

Hold Fast: Hebrews 10:23

Read Hebrews 10:23, "Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful."

I once heard a powerful story in a sermon that really had an impact on me. The story takes place on a battlefield. As the battle is raging, the soldiers are bombarded and must run to safety in a trench. One man doesn't make it to the trenches. He is shot down and lies in the middle of the field gasping for his last breath. His best friend sees him lying there dying, and he tells his commander that he is going out to get him. His commander is adamant and tells the soldier that he absolutely cannot go out into the hostile area under any circumstances. His friend is already dying, and if he goes out to get him, he will surely die too. It is not worth it. Ignoring his commander's warning, the soldier runs out into the unprotected field and drags his friend back to safety. By the time they reach the trenches, his friend is dead, and he has received a fatal gunshot wound himself. When his commander sees what the soldier did, he is absolutely livid. "I told you not to go out into the hostile area! Your friend is dead, and now you're dying as well! It wasn't worth it!" the commander screamed. "Yes, it was worth it," replied the soldier, "because of what my best friend said to me when I arrived." "What could he possibly have said that would make this worth it?" yelled the commander. "When I got there," replied the dying soldier, "my best friend simply said, 'I knew you'd come.'"

What a powerful story that illustrates Hebrews 10:23 so well. In the story, the dying soldier held to the hope that his best friend would come for him. He had faith that his friend wouldn't leave him alone. He didn't waver in that belief as he laid there suffering alone, simply telling his friend, "I knew you'd come." Why did he have that much hope in his friend? Simply because his friend was faithful. He was someone that was trustworthy and wouldn't ever let him down. Do you have as much hope in your Savior as the soldier had in his friend? When you are struggling, do you place your faith in God, knowing in your heart that all you have to do is wait patiently for Him to show up?

Hebrews 10:23 has been one of my favorite verses since high school. In this verse, we are urged to "hold unswervingly to the hope that we profess." The Greek word that the NIV translates as "hold unswervingly" means, "to hold fast, keep secure, keep firm possession of" (www.blueletterbible.org). Isn't this a powerful image? If we claim to be Christians, we have declared that our hope is in Christ. Therefore, we are to hold fast to that hope, no matter what. The NAS translates this as, "hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering." We see in Hebrews 11:1 that faith is being "sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." As believers, we shouldn't let circumstances cause our faith to waver. Our hope should be firmly rooted in Christ. When the storms come, we are to take hold of our hope, because a faith that wavers is no faith at all. I think James describes this well in James 1:6 and 8 when he says, "the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind [...] being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways." Are you like a wave tossed back and forth by the wind, or do you hold unswervingly to the hope you profess??

The author of Hebrews also tells us in this verse the reason why we should hold fast to our hope...because "He who promised is faithful." God is the only one in the world who is constantly faithful 100% of the time. Faithfulness is part of His character. He is constant and never changes ("I the Lord, do not change," Malachi 3:6). We can hold fast to our hope without doubting, because we are able to rest in the truth that He is faithful. He holds to all of His promises all of the time. So when He says, for example, "I will never leave you or forsake you," you can be completely confident that He will hold to that promise (Deut 31:6)!

What circumstances in your life are hindering you from holding unswervingly to your hope in Christ? Sickness? Financial trouble? A broken relationship? A difficult decision? Trials? The uncertainty of the future? Whatever you are experiencing right now that is causing you to doubt, I encourage you to remember the faithfulness of God. You may not feel like He's there with you right now, but I assure you that He is. This lesson is just as much for myself as it is for any of you. Since we've been married, Lee and I have faced many hardships, especially with his health, schoolwork, and our finances. Though these trials often lead me to worry and discouragement, I must remember the faithfulness of our Savior, and put my hope in Him~

A Beautiful Prayer of Dedication: 1 Kings 8

Read 1 Kings 8

I love this passage! 1 Kings 8 describes the dedication of the Temple which Solomon built for the Lord. As you might remember, building a Temple for the Lord was originally David's idea. However, because David was a man of war/bloodshed, the Lord did not want him to be the one to build His house. Instead, He chose David's son, Solomon, to build the Temple. After 7 years of building this elaborate and exquisite place of worship, Solomon then assembles the people of Israel, publicly dedicating the Temple to God and voicing a beautiful prayer to the Lord. The prayer is one of praise and thanksgiving as well as supplication (humbly asking for something). Here are a few things about the passage that stand out to me:

v.10-11: The glory of the Lord filled the Temple in the form of a cloud that was so great, the priests weren't even able to perform their duties! What a magnificent sight that must have been!

v.22/54: As Solomon prayed, he was on his knees with his hands spread out toward heaven. I love this humble yet worshipful position Solomon assumes. Believe it or not, the posture we take when we pray can really make a difference in our prayers.

v.23: Solomon proclaims there is no one like our God! His faithfulness and lovingkindness have no comparison.

v. 27: Even though Solomon went to all this trouble and expense to build the Lord the most beautiful and costly Temple money could by, he admits that it can't begin to contain the Lord. He humbly states that the highest heavens couldn't even contain the Lord, much less this dwelling place he has built for God.

v. 30, 34, 36, 39, 49, 50: He repeats the same theme throughout the prayer: hear and forgive. He is asking the Lord to respond with forgiveness to the cries of repentance that will be voiced in this Temple and to hear the requests the Israelites send to Him.

v. 41-43: Though the temple has been built for the Israelites, Solomon has compassion on the foreigners and asks God to listen to prayers that they offer up as well. Solomon knows that the news of the greatness of God will spread and that many will come to the Temple to learn about His great name. Solomon asks God to answer the foreigners' prayers so that they will know Him and fear Him just like the Israelites do.

v. 56: Solomon is asking for all of these things from God (for Him to hear their prayers and answer them, for Him to forgive their sins, etc), because this is what God has always done. God is faithful, and His character is unchanging, and "not one word has failed of all His good promise." Don't you love the fact that we serve a God who is constant and true to His promises?

v.58: This verse would be a great verse to pray for yourself. He asks that God would "incline our hearts to Himself, to walk in all His ways and to keep His commandments and His statutes and ordinances." Why not pray that God would incline your heart to Him, so that you would follow Him always? What a great prayer!

v. 48, 61: Solomon stresses a wholehearted devotion to God. We are not to have one foot in the church and one foot in the world, changing how we act when we are around certain people. God wants total obedience to Him 100% of the time, not someone who sways back and forth with no solid commitment to the Lord. Our hearts should be for Him alone.

v. 66: This was one joyful prayer meeting! After days of worshiping God, the people went home full of joy, encouragement, and excitement. Don't you just love that high you get after an amazing time of worshiping the Lord? I know I do!

This is a great moment for King Solomon, showing his love and passion for God as he erects this beautiful Temple in His honor. Unfortunately, his love for God fades later on in life. Next time we'll look at his downfall and see what we can learn from it. For now, I encourage you to meditate on this beautiful passage of prayer and to worship the Lord wholeheartedly, as Solomon did all those years ago~

Lamentations 3:41-66 (part 2)

Read Lamentations 3:41-66
*Make sure you read my previous post before you read this one, so it will make more sense!

Ready to finish up our study on Lamentations 3? Get ready for some more amazing verses to meditate on as we dig into this amazing passage of God's Word!

Just like the previous section we studied, this passage has 2 parts to it. The first part in verses 41-47 is a call from Jeremiah to the Israelites to repent of their sins. Their sinfulness caused their suffering. They are ultimately responsible for what has happened to them. Their suffering is great, and Jeremiah describes their misery in the next few verses. God's anger has been poured out on them, many have been slain, and they have been made mere refuse (trash) (43, 45). They've experienced panic, pitfall, devastation, and destruction (47).

I love what Charles Swindoll has to say about the horrible destruction described in Lamentations: "It is a mute reminder that sin, in spite of all its allurement and excitement, carries with it heavy weights of sorrow, grief, misery, barrenness, and pain. It is the other side of the 'eat, drink, and be merry' coin" (The Lamentations of Jeremiah, Introduction). Lamentations serves as a wake-up call to believers everywhere. Sin has horrible consequences. It may be enjoyable for a season, but it will ultimately be judged. The small amount of pleasure you experience from it will be nothing in comparison to the pain that will occur afterward.

In the beginning of the next section, we see Jeremiah's utter sorrow, as he states, "my eyes pour down unceasingly, without stopping" (49). His pain and grief over the destruction of Jerusalem is great, but what a comfort it is to be able to cry out to God and give all of that over to Him! We see Jeremiah's moving and heartfelt prayer to God in verses 55-66, as he calls out to God from His lowest point (55). God responded to Jeremiah's cry by drawing near to him and saying, "Do not fear!" (57). How comforting! The Lord offers Jeremiah redemption in the midst of his misery (58). Jeremiah is also comforted by the fact that God has seen every single thing that has happened to him (59-63). He is confident that because God has seen his oppression, he will judge his enemies for their sinfulness, just as Israel was judged for their sinfulness.

I love Jeremiah's prayer in this passage. He goes to God in all his brokenness and despair, knowing that there is no where else to go. Only the Lord can offer healing and redemption and make things right again. Isn't it a comfort and a relief that we can go to God in prayer? I feel that oftentimes we see prayer as an obligation or duty for Christians, but it's actually a tremendous joy and comfort. I am reminded of this every time I see my non-Christian friends struggling. When they're going through a tough time or need help, they'll post on Facebook things like, "send good vibes my way," or "send me positive energy." I was flipping through the channels the other day and caught part of a movie. In the scene, a little boy was concerned about a struggling older man, and he asked his mother what he could do to help him. His mother said, "close your eyes, and send good thoughts to him...then the next time you see him he'll be happy." What?!?! Sending good vibes/thoughts/energy to someone doesn't mean anything at all. It's something people who don't know the Lord say to make themselves feel better when they're struggling...though it doesn't make them feel better at all, because it's complete baloney! What a comfort to know that when we're struggling, we can cry out to God, and He hears us! Prayer is a joy and a privilege...not a burden or duty.

Questions for reflection: Do you need to repent of any sins? What do you need to cry out to God about? Do you ever feel that you need to clean your act up before going to God? Is it comforting to see Jeremiah crying out to God in the midst of his misery and despair?