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Guest Writer: Moderate Drinking and Romans 14
The Passage
Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things. For one believes he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables. Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him. Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand.
One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks. For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living. But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written:
“As I live, says the LORD, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God.”
So then each of us shall give account of himself to God. Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way, (Romans 14:1-13 NKJV).
The word doubtful is an adjective describing things which give pause. It comes from a Greek word meaning “to deliberate”. There’s nothing wrong with God’s people carefully thinking through matters of their faith and scruples, but Paul has a particular kind of subject in mind. He gives two illustrations. The first is eating only vegetables versus (presumably) eating meats. Perhaps this has to do with meats formally sacrificed to idols as in 1 Corinthians 8. The second example Paul gives to help us understand his point is respecting one day over another, presumably relative to Jewish traditions and holy days that were no longer bound on God’s people. Note that both of these are limited to viewpoints and practices that are not sinful. This passage does not teach that any sinful practice is somehow not sinful in some cases.
Is the use of beverage alcohol sinful? Some today argue that drinking intoxicating beverages, when they do not get drunk, cannot be called sinful, and thus the practice fits nicely in the context of Romans 14. Where this argument breaks down, however, is that it ignores the truth that a practice can be sinful even when it is not explicitly prohibited in Scripture. Some sins are presented implicitly. A clear example is from Paul’s writing in Galatians 5:19-21, “Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”
Seven Important Concepts
First, focus on the words, “…and the like” from Galatians 5. The Holy Spirit requires us to think about things which are similar to this list and avoid those like things, as well. In fact, a careful reading of this passage shows that these “and the like” sins will keep one out of heaven, as is true of the explicitly stated ones. Read the list again and pause with each sin to consider the things that are not stated but are like them. “And the like” sins are ones which are implied by the Holy Spirit, are dangerous and require thinking and discernment.
Secondly, while we all recognize what it means to be “drunk”, i.e. impaired in speech, gait, and emotions, it is nonetheless true that defining the beginning state of being “drunk” is difficult, and would naturally vary from one person to the next. Think about those roadside signs which say, “Buzzed driving is drunk driving.” Those billboards result from the obvious truth that there are various degrees of drunkenness. A person who weighs 250 pounds and has a history of drinking will be affected differently from one who weighs 125 and is just beginning his drinking practice. Whether the person who is drinking has a full or empty stomach will naturally have a bearing on the effect of the drink. Do you see the risk? Where is the line for drunkenness in God’s eyes?
Thirdly, every person who decides to drink “moderately” has made “provision for the flesh” (Rom. 13:14); that is, he has created a way to furnish—to pave— the path to sin in the future. If a Christian lives on, there will inevitably be hard days in his future; days of stress, heartbreak, and pressure. The alcohol will be waiting in his house or at the store whenever he feels overwhelmed and craves escape—and he will have given himself permission to use it.
Fourthly, a Christian’s influence is involved. Even if one could justly argue that the sort of moderate drinking he does never truly approaches any drunkenness, will the same be true about the people whom he may influence to drink? When I was in high school, if a teen bought a six-pack of beer, he would predictably drink six beers. What is the Christian drinker’s influence on him? Is it probable that the vast majority of Christians today who drink run the real risk of others learning about it and being influenced to also drink—perhaps at different levels and with much more serious consequences? What of the person who insists that no one will ever even know of his drinking in the privacy of his own home? Will someone see the purchasing, the disposal and recycling of the container? Will the person who delivers it know? I’d say it is pretty hard to imagine going through life as a moderate drinker and having no one know of or be influenced by the practice. In fact, I know a man who died as an alcoholic because he began drinking wine that he made in his own kitchen after his fellow church members (“moderate” drinkers) taught him how to do it. (Besides all of this, many of those who advocate “private moderate drinking” are, ironically, advocating it very loudly and in extremely public forums.)
Fifthly, when serious-minded elders admit the massive numbers of people—sometimes innocent people—whose lives are seriously harmed by drinking (parenting problems, marital problems, employment problems, death/injury due to a driver whose mind is to some degree affected by the drink, etc.), they will naturally see this as a spiritual danger, step up, and make it clear to the Christians among them that they recognize drinking as a spiritual threat to the believers in their charge, and make their will known. Their authority extends to matters such as this one, and their word is binding. “Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you,” (Hebrews 13:17).
In the sixth place, there are many in the body, in our alcohol saturated society, who are vulnerable ones. In a sense, they are truly “weaker brethren”. They have battled alcoholism in their former lives and they have overcome. But the struggle is real every day of their lives. Falling back is always one weak moment away. How must those brethren feel when they see those who purport that they can handle moderate drinking, when they see members advocating moderate (even private) moderate drinking. Again, it is ironic that a number of those who advocate that drinking is approved if done privately, are doing so in the most public of forums; in books and and on instagram and facebook, on their blogs and podcasts. The inconsistency is glaring.
In the seventh place, it is a frequent occurrence that those who drink moderately have, by their own admission, at times, crossed over the line at which alcohol has affected their ability to think clearly, to judge righteously, to fully control their bodies. In these cases, they are drunken. It’s rare to find a moderate drinker who can, with integrity, say that he has never crossed that line. He has made a provision in his life—invited an opportunity for blatant sin. When we resist the devil (temptation), that’s when the devil flees from us (James 4:7). The word “resist” there means to set one’s self against. It cannot be that I am setting myself against the devil when I place myself in a situation that, with few exceptions, leads to sinful drunkenness, in order to please my own desires.
Another Way to Forbid
While it is wrong for men to bind where God has not bound, it is also wrong to pretend that only things which are explicitly forbidden in Scripture are sin. Pornography use is wrong because it violates Scriptural principle (i.e. Matt. 5:28). Meth manufacturing, use and marketing, and gambling would all be approved if only those actions explicitly declared in Scripture to be sinful, are sinful. Advocates of moderate alcohol usage would be hard-pressed to teach their children not to moderately use marijuana, particularly in states where use is legal. But the truth is, sometimes, actions are implicitly forbidden, and the use of intoxicating beverages, except for medicinal purposes (1 Tim. 5:23), is forbidden in this way.
The Romans 14 Context
Now, back to Romans 14. Verse 21 merits discussion, for it has become the hallmark verse for those in the body who want to partake in moderate drinking. Women in some churches meet together at a restaurant weekly to have a glass of wine (or more) or to have a beer together. Men have come to often include alcoholic beverages in their retreats and/or men’s nights out. Others partake, but claim they can do so privately without influencing the “weaker “ brother (defined by the moderate drinker as the one with the propensity for alcoholism or the one who believes any alcoholic drink is sinful). Verse 21 is often used to justify moderate drinking in the last of these scenarios. Near the conclusion of a discussion that is obviously about issues in which sin is not involved, the advocates of moderate drinking would have us believe that the inclusion of the word “wine” (oinos-GK) in verse 21 leaves the door open for Christians to drink intoxicating wine with the approval of heaven. (It should be noted here that the word wine does not always, in Scripture, refer to intoxicating wine See Isaiah 65:8; Isaiah 16:10; Lamentations 2:11. It should also be pointed out that wine in New Testament times was far less intoxicating, even if fermented, than the alcoholic wines of America today.) It’s most important, though, to remember that verse 21 is in the context of activities that are not sinful (eating meats and observing Jewish holidays). I would urge those who are studying the use of alcoholic beverages in moderation to study this excellent article from Apologetics Press: https://apologeticspress.org/elders-deacons-timothy-and-wine-1208/.
It is difficult to see how one can lift the word wine in verses 21and 22 from a context of matters of non-sinful judgment and from a contextual admonition that we be certain that we do not tempt another to violate his conscience. It seems we offer that very temptation to vulnerable people, even in the declaration that we have liberty to do that very thing. And in the partaking of alcohol, we also put our own souls at significant risk. Anyone who looks around at the effects that American forms of strong drink are having in our culture and continues to say “I can drink alcoholic beverages without causing harm in my family or my congregation or to my influence” is not resistant to the temptations of the devil.
The 1 Corinthians 8 Connection
It’s interesting to see the conclusion of a similar discussion of matters of judgment in 1 Corinthians 8, as Paul writes when discussing the eating of meats that have been offered to idols. In that chapter, Paul gives permission to eat those meats, remembering from whence they have come. But he adds this strong word of caution in the final verse:
Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never again eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.
It is difficult to see how one can partake in moderate drinking today without causing a brother to stumble. If Paul made this strong personal prohibition when the matter was a liberty he had just permitted through inspiration of the Spirit, how much more should we resist this temptation to fulfill our fleshly desires when the Scriptures are replete with warnings about the effects of alcohol?
The Prequel to the Romans 14 Discussion
The last two verses of the preceding chapter of Romans should serve as a prequel to this discussion of matters of judgment:
Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.
Making no provision for the flesh is a strong clause. It literally means we are prohibited from preparing or supplying a path to sin. Besides all the above concerns, I surely cannot think of a way we could better give sin a door in our lives than the purposeful use of alcoholic beverages. In using, we consume that which, with each drink, makes us less and less able to discern the difference between right and wrong. We open the door with our heart’s welcome to the temptation that has turned roughly a quarter of our American adult population into binge drinkers and has already given over 1 in every ten adolescents an alcohol consumption disorder.
The Tragic Irony
But the very fact that brethren are using social media platforms to encourage the use of alcoholic beverages in moderation before a vulnerable and often underaged audience—an audience that statistically will find within it great numbers of problem/binge/addicted/ young alcohol abusers, takes my breath away. While saying this is drinking that will not influence vulnerable people, advocates of moderate drinking are shouting to our children that there is an open, guiltless doorway to the use of the very drug that will spiritually impair and ultimately kill many of them. This is the tragic irony of this argument. And they are doing it in the name of Romans 14, a passage that is clearly a prohibition of doing that which might place a temptation in the path of a vulnerable one.
I pray that no one who is respected by any of my five grandchildren will make such a boastful claim of liberty and license to any of them in their tender futures. But, the fact is, someone that was respected by my (at the time) seven-year-old grandson has already engaged him about this. This young and moldable boy told me that this professing Christian man explained to him how that it was not good to get drunk, “…but I enjoy drinking alcoholic beverages, from time to time… I just don’t get drunk.” In 2019, 1.1 million children between the ages of 12 and 17 sought treatment or alcohol abuse. Those are just the ones who admitted a problem and sought a solution. The numbers are staggering. So much risk is unnecessarily placed on young shoulders when we, as people who should be thinking soberly, begin to search for ways to make provision for our own flesh.
“Wine is a mocker, strong drink is a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise” (Prov. 20:1).
https://apologeticspress.org/elders-deacons-timothy-and-wine-1208/
https://alcohol.org/statistics-information/
Glenn Colley
52 Reasons to Love the Church #22- The Salt of the Earth
Neal and I recently had lunch with our dear friends, Roger and Joyce Johnson. One thing I’ve noticed about them is they always have a good word to say about others. On this particular occasion, Roger described someone as “salt of the earth” and went on to list the character traits that made him such. I couldn’t help but think that we know many people who could be described that way (Roger and Joyce included).
What do you think of when you hear that someone is “salt of the earth”? I think of words like dependable, trustworthy, reliable, honest, humble, fair, true, and good. Someone who is full of integrity and committed to doing the right thing.
Jesus described the “blessed” with words like “meek,” “merciful,” “pure in heart,” and “peacemakers.” He then called them the “salt of the earth” and the “light of the world” because others would see their “good deeds” and God would be glorified (Matt. 5:1-16). He was talking to His disciples. “You are the salt of the earth.”
A couple of millennia have gone by since Jesus said those words, urging His followers to stand out by way of good character and good deeds. How many have risen to that calling since then and still do today? We have no way of knowing, but if my own limited exposure is any indication, then there have been a great number! If I were tasked with listing names of “salt of the earth” people that I know, I could small-font fill a paper in no time.
The church is filled with people humbly doing their best to glorify God with their lives. They’re not perfect. They’re just striving to be the “blessed” that Jesus described. They are the salt of the earth, and we are blessed to know them!
The God Who Fills
2 Kings 3: 17-18 NKJV “For thus says the Lord: ‘You shall not see wind, nor shall you see rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water, so that you, your cattle, and your animals may drink.’ And this is a simple matter in the sight of the Lord.”
Some of the random stories found within the pages of the Old Testament leave us shaking our heads and pondering what possible relevance they have to our lives. But if ALL scripture is inspired by God to make us complete for His calling (II Timothy 3:16), then ALL Bible stories are for our benefit. Right?
One such random story is found in 2 Kings 3. The king of Israel had marched into war. But seven long, hot days in the wilderness dealt him a battle of a very different kind: There was no water. So placing the war on the back burner, the king shifted into survival mode and appealed to the man of God. But God’s reply was far from what the king expected.
“Make this valley full of ditches,” the Lord instructed.
What a big-ask from Jehovah to an army already exhausted, hot, and thirsty! Yet, with whatever means possible, the men began to dig.
Stop here and consider the relevance of this in our lives. While engulfed by one of life’s many battles, do we, like Israel, find ourselves attacked on a different front? Maybe when fighting a financial crisis, we end up in the trenches of serious health issues. Or while standing at the crossroads of critical work decisions, chaos erupts on the home front within the ranks of our children or spouse. Are we, too, forced to shift gears and combat a battle of a very different sort?
Just how did Israel’s story end?
We must notice God did not remove Israel’s battle that day. Instead, He provided them a means of victory. Without a single drop of rain, God filled every ditch with water. The men found it impossible to out-dig a mighty God who supplied in abundance. And as the chapter ended, Israel was reminded, “This is a simple matter in the sight of the Lord.”
Could this story be any more relevant? God may choose not to remove our battles today either, but He can equip us for victory. So, when our well of compassion runs dry, the stories of Jesus touching the untouchables refills our hearts. When the trials of life drain our strength to carry on, God pours His power into us. And when negative and hurtful words discourage us, scripture reminds us that our hope is found only in Christ.
Friend, whatever Israel faced long ago remains our struggle today. But remember, ALL of it can be resolved by our great God with whom each solution is a simple matter.
Father God, help us to remember that ALL things are possible in You.
Blessings,
Rita Cochrane
DELIBERATE SIN
The story of Achan in Joshua 7 is a fascinating story of how damaging sin can be. It reveals many things about the inner turmoil of a man who deliberately sins and then tries to hide his sin.
The Children of Israel had just destroyed the city of Jericho. Only Rahab and those in her house were saved. The city was burned, and the silver, gold, vessels of brass, and iron were taken and put into the treasury in the house of the Lord (Joshua 6:24). Everything else was burned. God had warned Joshua that if the people kept anything, it would make the people accursed (Joshua 6:18).
Joshua must have been feeling good after this complete destruction, and he became famous throughout the land for winning this battle. He was ready for an attack against AI, and he was confident they would win the battle.
Though everyone was celebrating, the Bible says “But the children of Israel committed a trespass.” The Lord was angry; and in the battle with AI thirty-six men were killed. They had thought they could destroy the city with a smaller army, but they lost the battle and their friends.
Joshua was distraught. He tore his clothes, he laid on the ground before the ark of the covenant, and he put dust on the heads of the elders of Israel. In his distress, he questioned why God had bothered to bring them across the Jordan and deliver them into the hands of their enemies. God had to inform him there was sin in the camp. This sin was so great that God directed Joshua to get the people ready for an accounting the next day. The people were advised of the sin and the planned punishment for the one who had stolen the objects.
The next morning Joshua brought the people together by tribes. The tribe of Judah was picked, then the family of Zabdi, and then one by one each man was brought before Joshua. Achan was chosen, and Joshua confronted him. He begged Achan to confess his sin, and Achan admitted he had coveted a garment, silver, and gold. He took them and hid them in the middle of his tent. Joshua sent men to look for the stolen items, and they found them buried in Achan’s tent.
At God’s direction, Joshua and all Israel took Achan, his family, and all of his possessions. They stoned Achan and burned him, his family, and everything he owned before all Israel.
This is such a tragic story and one that could have easily been avoided. God gave a specific command, “Completely destroy.” Achan could not resist taking a few things. This was deliberate disobedience. It brought consequences that could not be reversed.
Though we will not be struck dead, stoned for our actions, or burned with our families and possessions, there are consequences to our actions. Even before our sins are discovered, there is a constant fear that we will be discovered. We can become overwhelmed with guilt, and we may even be tempted to abandon the Christian life altogether. We may worry about what may happen if we are caught and how others will react once our sins are known.
There are two ways we can approach our sins. We can be like Judas who recognized his sin, was even sorry for what he had done, and killed himself. Or, we can be like those on Pentecost that were touched by Peter’s message and wanted to know what they needed to do to get forgiveness.
No sin could be greater than putting Jesus to death; yet, 3,000 received forgiveness for that very deed on Pentecost. There were more there on that day, so not everyone was willing to confess their sins, change their ways, and be baptized for the forgiveness of their sins (Acts 2:38, 41).
Thankfully, that same option is open to us today. Once we become Christians, forgiveness of sins is still available when we need it. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (First John 1:9). Daily forgiveness is only a prayer away.
Sandra Oliver
The Best Care for Amos
Yesterday, I hugged a mama who stood by the casket containing the sweet form of her two-year old son. Then I hugged the baby’s daddy. They have spent the last year-and-a half in and out of cancer units at Huntsville Hospital, Vanderbilt and St. Jude. Baby Amos has spent more nights of his life in the hospital than out. They watched him suffer when Morphine and Ativan were no match for the pain. These parents were often away from their six other sons while keeping the bedside vigil for Amos. One of those six is severely disabled–unable to walk, communicate, breathe easily, or eat– due to complications at birth. This nine -year-old receives constant family care. The past year-and-a-half have been, for these parents, only survival mode. Last Tuesday, Baby Amos won the battle over the cancer and gained the ultimate freedom from all pain and sickness.
At what was appropriately termed a celebration of his life, his brothers, ages 3-12, led the family (and all of us) in singing “God is so Good”, “How Deep the Fathers Love”,“Jesus Loves the Little Children”, and “Jesus Loves Me”. His father talked about counting our blessings and letting our lights shine. He talked about baby Amos now being whole and happy and safe with our Lord. 
Some of the songs were sung in English first and then echoed in Samoan, the family’s native tongue. One song was sung completely in Samoan and the rich tones of that full and beautiful refrain from that broken-hearted, but faith-filled family are with me still as I reflect. They did not falter in praise. Amos’ uncles and his cousin also helped with the service.
Last night, as Eliza Jane said her bed-time prayer, she said “Thank you for taking care of Baby Amos when he died.” I could not have said it better. Simply profound. He is now in the infinitely better care of the Father.
That’s what He’s done for me, too. At Calvary, he took care of me for the time when I die. He empowered me to shout “Oh death, where is thy strength? Oh grave where is thy victory?” (1 Corinthians 15:55).
Amos suffered like none of us reading has endured. Yet during some of his hardest days, he was still giving out his favorite form of encouragement—fist bumping all around him “to beat the band” from that hospital bed.
Sunday night is often Eliza Jane’s night to come to Mammy’s. As I write it’s about 6 am on Monday and she has just come from her little bed to climb in and snuggle with me. As I look down at her little Bluey-tattooed arm and her disheveled dog-ears, her closed eyes and that ever-beloved paci, that we can’t seem to wrest away, bobbing up and down, I wonder why. Why is it that one family has lost their baby and my little grandchild is sleeping peacefully beside me? I do not know. But I do know that they really have not lost him. 
They know right where he is.
While the pain is excruciating and the sorrow will not ease for a long time, that sorrow stands in juxtaposition to the faith and hope that was so bravely displayed yesterday in that service. Their very lives, in this moment, are the battleground between despair and faith, between steadfastness and surrender to the awful pain that was initially inflicted in the garden by the devil himself. And faith and hope is winning in their lives. I have never seen a more potent display of faith. They came to Huntsville, Alabama almost ten years ago now, for many reasons, the immediate one being care for Melchizedek, their third son. They needed resources. They needed more current methods of health care for Mel. They needed a strong church family. But I think we needed them more than they needed us.
I am stronger today than yesterday, when I went to worship in dread of the sadness I knew the day held. God is good, like that. Yesterday, he gave Glenn and me four people with whom to study. He gave us three baptisms. He gave us a visitor who needed a little comfort over lunch. He gave us an extra 9-year -old friend at lunch for the children. He gave me two visitors to transport in my vehicle. On an infinitely grander level, He gave us His undeserved communion around His table and the privilege of study and praise. And then, just when I sat down to witness a family in their hour of deepest sorrow, He gave me, through the lens of a great Samoan ohana, the light at the end of a dark tunnel. I have long quoted Psalm 46:1:
God is our refuge and strength; a very present help in a time of trouble.
Yesterday, the verse was not merely quoted; it was on display. Trouble, in that verse, means a constricted place, in which there is no way to turn. It means between a rock and a hard place. Yesterday was a tangible picture of what His people do when between a rock and hard place and, in the most constricted of places. They realize that the Rock is Jesus and that, even in darkness, they can find a way to stand firmly on that Rock. Thank-you, Abraham, Diana, AJ, Caleb, Mel, Glenn, Gabriel, Zechariah, Pisa, Ruth, Junior, Retta, Malachi and Gideon. We are praying continually. Thank-you Amos, for leaving a little legacy. The God of more (Ephesians 3:20) can do more than we ask or imagine with a brief life lived in that constricted place.
God, please use me in Your service today.
52 Reasons to Love the Church #21- You’re Not Invisible
A favorite author of mine said something in a post that struck me. As she was thanking her online community for their support, she admitted that she always felt overlooked and lonely. When she would have a book signing in her own hometown, no one would show up. And if it weren’t for her loyal readers, she wouldn’t have any friends. I couldn’t believe it. She is a talented, award-winning author of multiple books. I assumed she was somewhat of a rockstar at home. How sad to feel invisible in “the real world”!
It led me to consider a few things:
- Online community should complement, not replace, real life community. As an introvert, I get the appeal…digital connections can be way easier. But they’re nothing compared to genuine friendship and in-person fellowship.
- No one is invisible in the Lord’s church. We’re family. We see, love, and pray for each other (Rom. 12:9-15). We even have shepherds who watch over us (Acts 20:28). We’re real people in each other’s real lives. Our joys are shared and so are our sorrows. We don’t go through anything alone. We have a whole church family who pays attention, cheers us on, and holds us up when we need it.
- If you ever do feel overlooked or invisible in your church family, it might be a good opportunity to get more involved in the lives of others. You can look for ways to make sure others feel seen, loved, and served. Who’s hurting? Who keeps to themselves? Who lost a loved one? When you invest in the lives of others, you become entwined in the body of Christ as an essential member. Certainly not invisible.
For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you—that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine.
(Romans 1:11-12)
Weary and Scattered
Matthew 9:36 NKJV “But when He (Jesus) saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.”
The caller I.D. displays “potential spam,” and just as you guessed, your car warranty has expired yet again. With an eyeroll, you hang up the phone only to realize “Mr. Potential Spam” woke the baby who now demands a diaper change and bottle. But while soothing the fussy baby, your smoke alarm blares and before you can bolt to the kitchen, dinner is burned. You consider bailing but forgot to fill the car with gas so your only means of escape sits useless in the driveway.
Oh well, just another Monday!
Our most mundane days accumulate to overwhelm us. Relentless schedules scatter us in every direction and leave us weary to the bone. But friend, if misery loves company (and it does), take heart. We not only find our tribe of “weary and scattered” people in scripture, we also find the solution.
In the book of Matthew as Jesus traveled the towns, masses of people followed. This Jesus was a breath of fresh air who taught with authority. It was as if He knew God. He performed spectacular miracles and provided new insights on old teachings. As the people surrounded Him, the heart of Jesus felt compassion on them, for they resembled a “weary and scattered” flock of sheep in need of a shepherd.
Let’s stop here for self-reflection. Do we ever find ourselves in a state of weariness? Are we scattered to the wind with schedules that exhaust our bodies and deplete our souls? Like the multitudes of long ago, do we seek the teachings of peace and grace that only the Savior can offer?
The Son of God did not depart His perfect heavenly home and come to earth so that we might live a weary and scattered life. No! Humans, easily achieve that on their own. Christ came to lead us to an abundant and victorious life of peace found only in Him. How refreshing to know that even amid our hectic schedules today, the Savior remains the cure for the weary and scattered.
Father God, may we refuse to live a weary and scattered life.
Blessings,
Rita Cochrane
HOW THE DEVIL USES OUR PAST
A young woman, a Christian, had committed some terrible mistakes. She deceived people; she made up stories; she hurt several people very badly. Those people she hurt suffered financially, emotional, and spiritually from her actions. When she was finally confronted with her sins, she said, “there is no way God can forgive me for what I have done.” She did repent, she confessed her sins before the church, and she asked for forgiveness. We know that if we ask God’s forgiveness, He will forgive us. John tells us, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (First John 1:9).
The thought occurred to me the other day that the devil uses just such things as what happened in the story above to tempt us. He uses our sins to make us think we have spoiled our relationship with God, and that we can never get it back.
I wonder how many people go through their lives believing their sins cannot be forgiven, and they just give up. They continue sinning because they believe they have no hope.
Peter was a great example of failing Jesus on more than one occasion. Jesus told him he lacked faith when he tried to walk on the water with Him. There were other times when he and the other disciples showed a lack of faith, and I’m sure they wondered if they would ever be forgiven. He certainly would have felt that way on the night Jesus was betrayed. In front of many of Jesus’ accusers, Peter denied Him three times, even saying he didn’t know the man. He cursed and swore that he was not associated with the Lord.
Paul was not any different. He went to the high priest and asked for letters of authority to go to Damascus into the synagogues to find those believers, whether men or women, to arrest and bring them bound to Jerusalem. With an appearance from the Lord, he fell trembling before the Lord and begged to know what to do to change his life. With the help of Ananias, Saul was converted, his sins forgiven, and his life was changed forever.
Paul never forgot what he did. When he wrote to Timothy, his son in the faith, he says, “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief” (First Timothy 1:15). He goes on to say that he received mercy from God. God showed him a degree of patience that He bestowed on even the greatest offenders and sinful mankind.
He goes on to say that this kind of forgiveness could be used as a pattern to those following him in wickedness and unbelief. So, the precedent is set. God forgave, and he will continue to forgive when we confess our sins and ask for forgiveness.
Now this gives a whole new meaning to the process of our forgiving others, and it shows another way in which the devil tempts us. He creates in us a resistance to forgive others. When we don’t understand God’s forgiveness of us, we can’t understand how we should forgive others. Remember the words of Jesus in Matthew 6:12, “and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.”
This was another lesson Peter had a hard time understanding. He asked Jesus, “How often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus had to tell him the story of the king that forgave his servant a huge debt and the servant in turn throwing his servant in prison for owing him a small amount of money. That is the comparison we need to remember when we are tempted to withhold our forgiveness. Our debt is greater than any debt anyone could owe us.
We can’t let the devil use our past to keep us from doing the Lord’s work by thinking we can’t be forgiven. We can’t let our past relationships with people who sin against us keep us from forgiving them and showing God’s mercy to them. Once we realize that the devil is behind both our misunderstanding of God’s forgiveness and our problems with forgiving others, we can deal with both in a much more realistic way. We can be assured that our sins can and will be forgiven, if only we will repent of them and ask God’s forgiveness. We will be able to forgive others when we realize our debt to God is greater than anyone else’s debt to us.
Sandra Oliver