A WORLD WITH NO SHAME

"Now, although Adam and his wife were both naked, neither of them felt any shame." --Genesis 2:25

 

It takes a great deal of imagination for me to consider a world with no shame. I suppose that we have always known shame in our lives--at least I have. I have early recollections of being told that my actions, my feelings, my wants...were either selfish...or were misguided...or were somehow shamefully out of line. I think shame was used as a tool in my life to attempt to modify behavior and to establish compliance. I experienced shame a lot--to the point that I began to believe that I was, in and of myself, shameful. It's taken a revolution of my heart over the past few years to help me understand that I am, in essence, not shameful, but rather good--created in the image and likeness of God Himself. Transparency (nakedness) has been my road out of the valley of shame. The more I've opened up--the more I've experienced God's healing grace. Like Adam and Eve, we were all created to be naked and unashamed.

 

Perhaps this year will be the year when you gain the courage to share your secrets with a trusted friend. Over the years, I've had the role of hearing people's secrets and I can tell you that not one time have I ever received these burdens with any spirit other than the spirit of grace. No shame...just grace! Got secrets? Then you've got shame!  Isn't it time to come into the light and to discover God's glorious grace?

HOW TO HAVE A PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR!

"Oh the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with scoffers. But they delight in doing everything the Lord wants; day and night they think about his law. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season without fail. Their leaves never wither, and in all they do they prosper." --Psalm 1:2-3
 

I love the fact that the very first Psalm tells us how to have a prosperous new year! It's right there in the text, "Their leaves never wither, and in all they do they prosper." In the words that precede the promise, a formula for success is revealed:
 

Don't follow the advice of the wicked!

Don't stand around with sinners!

Don't join in with scoffers!
 

But rather...Delight in doing everything the Lord wants!
 

Day and night think about his law!
 

The best way to know what the Lord wants is to spend time thinking about his law. If you haven't yet today, then let me encourage you to find a Bible and start a reading a plan for the year. A great resource on your computer or smartphone is https://www.youversion.com/. I use "The Two Year Bible" (NLT) for my daily reading plan. It doesn't matter the translation or the plan or whether you use a book or an electronic device--just get in the word! Think about His words--and do what He says! God promises that you will prosper! As I shared on Sunday, Jesus says, "He who comes to me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst" (JN 6:35).

PRAYER

"First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity." --1 Timothy 2:1-2

 

As God's children, we are commanded to pray for our governmental leaders, "all men, for kings and all who are in authority". And before we throw a quick prayer up, notice that the verse tells us exactly how to pray. Four specific words are used:

 

Entreaties: to ask God to meet a specific need. We are to ask God to meet the needs that exist in our country as well as needs that exist in our leaders--from the president all the way down to the dog catcher.

 

Prayers: to address God. The word is often used in the Bible to refer to public prayer--prayers that we pray outloud in a group. We do not merely pray for our president from our prayer closet, but we also look for opportunity to publicly pray for our leaders.

 

Petitions: to meet with God. This is where you get to voice your concerns, your disappointments, your hopes and your fears. This is you and God sitting down at the conference table to take care of business.

 

Thanksgivings: to be grateful to God. Our prayers are to be marked by a spirit of thanksgiving--grateful that God is for us and not against us--that He is causing all things to work together for our benefit--that though we may see darkness, joy comes in the morning.

 

This verse promises a preferred future as a result of our praying, "a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity". Are you feeling stressed today? worried? despairing? Your peace awaits you as you begin to pray for our president!

AUTHORITY

"Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves." --Romans 13:1-2

 

A couple of things to keep in mind from these verses as we approach the presidential election tomorrow: #1 All authority begins with God; #2 Goverment gets it's authority from God; #3 We are to be in subjection (proper order) to governing authorities; #4 To resist authority is to resist God.

 

Regardless of the election's outcome, we are to get in line behind the one elected. The only exception would be if government compels us to forsake the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Either way, today and tomorrow should be about praying and voting (in that order).

PRIDE

"Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before stumbling" (Proverbs 16:18).
 

God loves us enough to crush our arrogant spirits. Our pride will lead us into trouble, into disaster, and even into death. Therefore, "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble" (Proverbs 3;34). What you do today, and more importantly, how you do it, will either be blessed by God or will be opposed by Him. It matters!
 

Our pride is displayed in at least three ways:
 

Independence vs Dependence - Independence is a great virtue of our country (especially in the West). God however, wants us to learn to depend upon Him for our every need. Trusting in ourselves is just as much idolatry as trusting in an idol. How can you demonstrate dependence upon God today, resisting independent attitudes and actions?
 

Speaking vs Listening - Speaking is an indication of pride. The humble spend more time listening and learning and less time trying to be heard. Listening is perhaps one of the most difficult virtues to practice. Today, see if you can be quiet a little more than normal. Listen!
 

Works vs Grace - We generally affirm our value by the work of our hands. What do we do? Grace is resting in the work that God has already accomplished instead of feeling the need to do something in order to justify our existence. There is nothing wrong with working--just do it graciously!
 

Would you be so brave as to ask God to give you a heart of humility today?

PRIDE

"When pride comes, then comes dishonor, But with the humble is wisdom" (Proverbs 11:2).
 

The Bible uses five different words to convey the idea of pride and arrogance. I bet that, like me, you have lived out every one of them...lol.
 

Here are the five meanings:
 

#1--Puffed up. To wrap in mist or to raise smoke. An early morning fog covers everything and looks immense, but it really only contains a very small amount of water.

#2--Inflated estimate of self. To look down on others. We can easily deceive ourselves into believing that we are more than we really are.

#3--Empty presumptive trust in the untrustworthy.

#4--A swelling of the sea.

#5--Presumption.
 

Now to be clear, God would have us not live out any of these definitions. Augustine said, "It was pride that changed angels into devils; it is humility that makes men as angels." Our pride does not accomplish the will of God--rather, it puts us on a collision course with God. It is humility that places us in a position to receive God's rescue and blessing.
 

Let's keep an eye on our attitudes today and as often as possible, let's move from pride to humility.

PRIDE

"Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything, all pride, all fear of failure--these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important" --Steve Jobs
 

"About that time Hezekiah became deathly ill. He prayed to the Lord, who healed him and gave him a miraculous sign. But Hezekiah did not respond appropriately to the kindness shown him, and he became proud. So the Lord's anger came against him and against Judah and Jerusalem. Then Hezekiah humbled himself and repented of his pride, as did the people of Jerusalem. So the Lord's anger did not fall on them during Hezekiah's lifetime" (2 Chronicles 32:24-26).
 

No doubt about it, pride is a game-changer, not unlike death. I've experienced two catastrophic failures in my life, where God reached in crushed my pride. Through these experiences I've learned that my plans usually lead to death (crushing humility) and God's plans lead to life (fulfillment). The Bible promises, "Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you" (James 4:10). 
 

As we begin a new day and a new week, let me suggest that we all look for ways to humble ourselves--to think of others as better than ourselves. Let's allow, as Steve Jobs discovered, "all pride, all fear of failure" to just fall away. When you're tempted today to "exalt yourself", just let it go...