SINFUL PERSUASION

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In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

A bribe is seen as a charm by the one who gives it; they think success will come at every turn.

The wicked accept bribes in secret to pervert the course of justice.

It is not good to be partial to the wicked and so deprive the innocent of justice.

A gift given in secret soothes anger, and a bribe concealed in the cloak pacifies great wrath.

Whoever sows injustice reaps calamity, and the rod they wield in fury will be broken.

Proverbs 17:8, 17:23, 18:5, 21:14, 22:8

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Have you ever tried to bribe someone?

You know what I’m talking about, right?

You need someone to do something for you and so you give them something to persuade them to do what you want.

A bribe is an enticement, a ploy intended to get someone to do what you want, to do something that is typically in your favor. We have seen examples of it in real life and in productions we have watched either in the movies or on television and it is typically displayed as being illegal, illicit, corrupt, and unlawful.

A drug dealer might bribe a law enforcement officer to convince him to look the other way while he or she traffics and/or sells their drugs. A lawyer might bribe a judge to try and sway the verdict and sentence he issues. A business might bribe a politician in order to coax his vote in a way that favors the business getting a government contract. In sports, a game official could be paid off to make decisions that would affect the game’s outcome in the favor of the briber’s desires. Or a witness to an illicit act might be bribed to convince them to remain silent.

Yes, bribes are alive and well today but they aren’t always on such a large scale.

Think about a parent who tempts their child to clean up their room or pick up their toys with doing something the child loves doing or buying something the child likes. The employee who is always seeking to give little things to their boss with the hope that they will receive special favor on job evaluations or consideration for raises or promotions.   

Now, I would ask again, given these examples, have you ever tried to bribe someone?

If so, you may want to consider that the Bible has something to say about this behavior as it does about almost everything we could do in life. And as we see, bribery can be nothing short of sinful persuasion when it is exercised. Look at these verses:

A bribe is seen as a charm by the one who gives it; they think success will come at every turn. Proverbs 17:8

The wicked accept bribes in secret to pervert the course of justice. Proverbs 17:23

It is not good to be partial to the wicked and so deprive the innocent of justice. Proverbs 18:5

A gift given in secret soothes anger, and a bribe concealed in the cloak pacifies great wrath. Proverbs 21:14

Whoever sows injustice reaps calamity, and the rod they wield in fury will be broken. Proverbs 22:8

Note that the matter of bribery for both the giver and receiver is considered a matter of injustice or let’s just cut to the chase, it’s sin. The wicked accept bribes to pervert justice and the briber is an equal participant in the transgression because without the briber, there could be no bribery. And since God is a just God, injustice will never be favorable to Him. The briber gives the bribe thinking it will be their charm, their ticket to success but they are only being tricked and deceived by Satan to believe that. The Lord who sees everything done in secret, the One who nothing can be concealed from, will have the say in the outcome and nothing on earth can be used to sway Him and His judgment.

Perhaps the most insidious part of bribing, even when done in a way that is not considered illegal by worldly laws, is that we try to use our own slyness and intellect to try to affect an outcome. Rather than trust the Lord to work things out in His perfect will and way, we decide to try and trump Him and work things to match our will and way, an action that is not only ridiculous but also fruitless as the Lord’s way will always be done. And perhaps that will is for both the briber and the one receiving the bribe to be caught in the act and fall subject to the associated consequences connected to the injustice. The Lord has a way of teaching us lessons when we decide to willingly choose sin over righteousness. He’s done it for the ages and He will continue to do it as long as we dwell on this earth.

So the message today is simple: Don’t bribe and try and impact the outcome. Instead, trust the Lord and pray for His perfect will and way to be done in whatever your circumstances. It’s the only way you can be assured that justice will always prevail.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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OXYMORONS

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In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Eloquent lips are unsuited to a godless fool—how much worse lying lips to a ruler!

Proverbs 17:7

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Have you ever heard an oxymoron?

You probably have and didn’t know what its formal name was.

Consider some of these examples:

She was deeply superficial.

They have an adult child.

He came up with an approximate solution.

She ordered jumbo shrimp.

It’s a true myth.

He was an honest thief.

You get the point. An oxymoron is a figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction with one another. It’s at the heart of the following proverb today:

Eloquent lips are unsuited to a godless fool—how much worse lying lips to a ruler!

Solomon here is using words that should be contradictory to the people they are attached to. Making the statements, “The godless fool spoke eloquent words” or “The ruler of the nation lied to his people” would constitute oxymorons.

Godless fools do not speak effective, influential, moving words. They speak words void of wisdom and discernment. Their words do nothing to edify or strengthen a person. Rather they tear down or lead a person away from righteousness.

Rulers are to be the trusted leaders of their people. When they speak, the people they lead should not have to wonder if those words lack integrity. Lying lips are completely unsuited for a ruler of anyone and any ruler who exercises dishonesty in what they say is not a true leader.

This was just one verse but the Bible and its truths create a whole list of other oxymorons as we consider the scriptures against the world and its views of spiritual truths. Consider the following:

1. Saved and disbelieving in Jesus.

Many people think they are going to heaven and they have never believed in Jesus nor sought a relationship with Him. God’s word clearly gives us the truth in two key scripture verses:

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6

Salvation and a life everlasting with God only comes through Jesus Christ who is the only way to be saved, the only One who provides access to the Father.

2. Saved and hopeless.

I have heard so many people who I know are Christians speak as if they are without hope in life. The truth of the matter is that when you have professed your belief and trust in Christ as Savior, you have gained the promise of eternal life and an existence forever with God the Father through His Son Jesus. With this Christians should never live in any way that doesn’t fully display the great hope they have through Jesus.

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. Romans 5:1-11

Through Jesus, we are justified or just-as-if-I-had-never-sinned. Through Jesus, we have peace with God and are saved from His wrath. Through Jesus, we have grace and mercy and reconciliation and forgiveness and pardon and love. Through Jesus, we have a hope even in the midst of our sufferings.

No one can give us all this except Jesus. Through Him, we need to live as people of hope because that’s exactly what we are.

3. Self-serving and Christian.

Here’s a news flash.

The world is not all about you.

Of course, if you choose to live for the world then it might be all about you because the world’s attitude is one that is self-seeking, self-gratifying, and self-serving. The focus is on oneself.

Christians are to live in the world but not be of the world. This is because although Jesus came into the world and lived upon it, He was in no way of the world’s ways. He was perfectly about the ways of the Father and if we are living for Him, then we should be living likewise. This attitude of living for the Father, the attitude of living as Jesus lived, will always take us to the place where we will live self sacrificially, placing ourselves second and others first. And if needed, we are to be even willing to lay our lives down for someone else to save them.

Yes, one cannot say they are truly Christian and have a self-serving attitude. In no way do they go together.  

4. Blessed and cursed.

Remember how some people say they are Christian and act as if they are hopeless. Well, another thing I find Christians often doing is saying their life is cursed when in truth it is blessed. Maybe you’ve witnessed the same thing.

Just because we go through difficulties, doesn’t mean we are any less blessed. Frankly, because we have the Lord with us as believers, we should feel unreservedly encouraged and grateful, knowing that He is always with us and is working things for our good. Look at these verses:

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. James 1:2-4

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

You’re only really cursed when you willingly choose to reject Jesus as Savior. Otherwise, you are richly blessed now and forever, no matter your life circumstances. Know and believe that the Lord is always at work in the lives of those who place their faith, hope, and trust fully in Him. And never lose sight that this worldly life we live is but a brief moment in the timeline of eternity, a glimmer within the light of Jesus – the light that Christ believers will reside in forever.

I pray you will be counted in that number.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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SLAVE OR SERVANT?

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In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

A prudent servant will rule over a disgraceful son and will share the inheritance as one of the family.

Proverbs 17:2

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Today’s proverb highlights the importance of servitude as it applies to our lives both now and eternally and I pray we all come away enlightened and motivated by it. That’s the task I have before me as I write this devotion and show you how God’s word speaks to us on the matter of servitude.

Now on the surface, this verse appears hard to understand and get a grasp of. At times such as this, I have always found it helpful to look at a verse across multiple translations as I feel it always helps to bring things into better focus as to what the Lord is trying to relay. Here’s this particular verse from six other bibles:

A slave who deals wisely will rule over a child who acts shamefully, and will share the inheritance as one of the family. (NRSV)

A wise servant will rule over the master’s disgraceful son and will share the inheritance of the master’s children. (NLT)

A wise servant will rule over a son who causes shame and will share an inheritance among the brothers. (NKJV)

A shrewd servant will gain authority over a master's worthless son and receive a part of the inheritance. (GNT)

A servant who deals wisely will rule over a son who acts shamefully and will share the inheritance as one of the brothers. (ESV)

A hard-working slave will be placed in charge of a no-good child, and that slave will be given the same inheritance that each child receives. (CEV)

We can read these words quickly and think they only applied to a Jewish family in the day of Solomon, providing a stern warning to children who chose to act shamefully, those who prove to be worthless and no good. Their folly, discrediting their parents and their God, would have harsh consequences as they would find themselves subordinate to their parent’s servants, those considered to be at the lowest level of society and outside of receiving any bequeath.

Now, it wasn’t impossible for a servant to elevate themselves to a position of honor. You can go back to the account of Abraham’s life and find him believing that his servant Eliezer would be his heir since he had no son to pass his inheritance to (Genesis 15:2-3). Ziba, a servant of the king  Mephibosheth, was given everything that belonged to the king by David (2 Samuel 16:1-4). Finally, Joseph, sold off into slavery by his own brothers, found himself rise from servanthood in Egypt to being a governor (or in some translations a prince) over the land (Genesis 42:6). It didn’t happen all the time but it was possible. Wise servants did have a chance to rule!

So what in the world does this have to do with you and me today? What is the Lord trying to say to us about the way we are supposed to live today?

The answer lies in looking at the matter of wise and prudent servitude and the benefit it brings.

The first matter to realize is that the Hebrew word for servant and slave is the same (ebed). This is why we see the word used interchangeably in the translations of this verse. But if you really consider the two words, they have a different connotation altogether, one that I think is critical when we consider our relationship with the One who offers the rich spiritual inheritance we seek.

I say this because when we think of the word “slave” we will see the word servant relative to it but it isn’t the other way around when we look at the word “servant”.

It’s true, isn’t it?

Hopefully as a believer in Jesus Christ, you see yourself as a servant. You are called to serve others self sacrificially as you live your life as Jesus lived, carrying out His great commission to make disciples of all nations, to baptize, and teach them to obey all He commanded (Matthew 28:18-20). Jesus served and to be like Him, believers need to serve as well.

This can be our faith attitude as Christians but let me take this to a whole different level. For being a servant and feeling a call to serve is one thing. Being a slave is another.

Servants don’t think about being slaves. The Hebrew word is the same in this verse but it takes on different levels of meaning depending on the side you choose to identify your life purpose and define the associated accountability. To see yourself as a slave vice just a servant elevates what the Lord is saying here to a much higher plane and a significantly higher culpability.

I say this because a slave has no rights. They are expected to completely be subordinate to their master. There are no other options. The master tells the slave what they will do and the slave does it without question. And the slaves sole survival lies in the hands of their master who provides them shelter and provision in exchange for their complete obedience and submission to their master’s will.

A servant can have a choice as to how and when they serve. A slave has no other option than to do the will of their master.

This is how we need to see our relationship with Jesus. It’s time to not water down where we are in relationship with Him. He is the King of kings and the Lord of lords. He has been given authority over all mankind by God the Father, who Jesus is one with. He is the Ruler and Judge of mankind and that will be on full display when He returns. And He is Master over all of us because of this supreme authority He holds.

With this, there is no more proper attitude for us to have before Him than that of a slave, fully committed and ready to carry out the Master’s will and way. For He and He alone holds the key to life for us, now and forever. A wise slave sees this and sacrifices their life fully to the Master, entrusting all that they are and all that they have to the Master’s care, believing and trusting that they will gain an amazingly rich inheritance and be considered a part of the Master’s family through their wise and prudent choice to submit to Him unabashedly with no reservation and no restriction.

With all this, I ask:

How do you see yourself in your relationship to Jesus Christ: servant or slave?

For me, it will always be as a slave to the only Master that counts, my Savior, Redeemer, and Master, Jesus Christ. To Him be all honor and glory and praise forever and ever.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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A CALL TO FAMILY HARMONY

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In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Better a dry crust with peace and quiet than a house full of feasting, with strife.

Proverbs 17:1

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

We have just celebrated Thanksgiving, a time of reflection about the many blessings we have received, a time when family and friends gather together for a meal and a time of fellowship.

Unfortunately, those times of fellowship turn into times of battle, am I right?

Maybe you have experienced this yourself. You get together to enjoy a day of what should be celebration only to find family member choosing instead to use the moment as a platform for conflict, infighting, and bickering. Instead of the spirit of thanksgiving, you get a spirit of war as people who are flesh and blood can’t seem to bury the hatchet, love one another, and reconcile their differences.

It’s a very sad reality of what too often happens at family get togethers and why some people hold their breath when those reunions happen (did I mention Christmas and New Year’s Eve/Day were right around the corner).

So what are we to do about this issue? Is there some way to address people behaving badly during family celebrations?

The answer, of course, is “yes” and as you may have guessed, it comes from the word of God. Look at the first verse of Proverbs, Chapter 17:

Better a dry crust with peace and quiet than a house full of feasting, with strife. Proverbs 17:1

God’s word is striking here as it speaks to our hearts about those times when groups get together, in this particular instance, to feast together. Note where the word here is centered on peace and quiet within a gathering thus it is a call for family harmony when we come together.

The focus on this scripture isn’t food. It’s about the atmosphere that the food is served in. It doesn’t matter if there is an elaborate spread with more food available for consumption than the mouths there to be fed. If there is strife, the food makes no difference. The meal is ruined because instead of focusing on the bounty of the Lord’s blessing and provision, everyone is centered on the discord prevailing within the meal proximity. The feast is tainted by the sinful refusal for people to just settle their differences and move on with a renewed commitment to love one another.

Peace and quiet, reconciliation and forgiveness, love and compassion others, that is what counts the most and it makes no difference if people just have pieces of dry old crust to eat. As long as there is love and solace and concord in the room, all will be fine.

So what is it going to be at your next family gathering? Quarrels and bickering or affection and devotion?

Perhaps you could share this verse with your loved ones before your next reunion and let them read for themselves what God has to say about it. My prayer is that they would feel His call to family harmony so that your next special get together will be the best ever, highlighted by tranquility, loving fellowship, and the genuine, sincere love and caring that everyone had for one another.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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REJOICE IN THE GRAY

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In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Gray hair is a crown of splendor; it is attained in the way of righteousness.

The glory of young men is their strength, gray hair the splendor of the old.

Proverbs 16:31, 20:29

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

I have a confession to make.

I’m getting older.

It’s true and the indicators are everywhere.

My two “children” are now 31 and 27. Ouch.

I have three grandchildren now and the oldest is in kindergarten already. Double ouch.

I have more aches and pains than I have ever had before, real ouches that I have lost count of.

And I have a gray hair or two which is always the REAL indicator that we are getting up in years, the indicator we try to do the most about in the way of disguising and hiding the visible evidence of our aging.

Look at the TV and internet ads sometime in regard to gray hair and you’ll see there is no shortage of options in getting rid of that gray in your coiffure.

Clairol has a Gray Solution. Just for Men touts themselves as having the world’s leading gray grooming products. Grecian Formula promises to restore your natural hair color in just three weeks.

Friends, this is good news for aging persons like me or those who are already aged. Sing alleluias because we can get rid of the gray in our hair! All it will do is cost us a few dollars to by the products. It’s just too easy.

But what if we aren’t to mess with our graying? What if the Bible speaks to us about gray hair in a way that should influence us toward leaving things the way they are? What if it is God’s will for us to have gray hair? And what if God actually wants our gray hair to serve as a sign to others, a sign that could make us more effective in our ministry work in His name?

To look at the potential answer to these questions, I present to you these two proverbs:

Gray hair is a crown of splendor; it is attained in the way of righteousness. Proverbs 16:31

The glory of young men is their strength, gray hair the splendor of the old. Proverbs 20:29

To have gray hair is to be crowned in splendor, which is defined as magnificent and splendid appearance, grandeur, richness, glory, beauty, and elegance. It is the glory of the one endowed with it just as strength is to a younger person. That should be enough for us to not mess with it but there is one other very important reason we should leave our gray alone.

It is an indicator of righteousness.

Scripture tells us that gray hair is attained in the way of righteousness. In other words, one who wears the crown of gray has lived a long time and lived to tell about it. Living in righteousness, they have made it as far as they have because they have lived right and from a Christian perspective, this means they have lived in a way that has glorified the very Lord who has blessed them with life and life abundantly. The gray hair means they have figured out how to live for the Lord and thus possess an awful lot of knowledge to be shared with those who are young and trying to learn how to spell life.

Cover up your gray and you are turning in your crown of splendor, a crown that lets others know that you have wisdom to share with them, wisdom that can lead them to their own righteousness, and yes, their own gray hair some day.

God’s word here is sending a special message to those who are growing in age. The message is to rejoice in your graying for it is the crown of splendor, the glory earned through seeking and finding righteousness through many years of service to our Lord.

So, stay in the gray and save the money you might spend on those anti-graying products. The Lord surely has something better for you to do with that money and as you continue to walk in His righteousness, He will show you what that is. He always does. 

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.

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