Meeting the opposition

Never let loyalty and kindness leave you! Tie them around your neck as a reminder. Write them deep within your heart. Then you will find favor with both God and people, and you will earn a good reputation. (Proverbs 3:3-4)

Loyalty and kindness are certainly not the things we see 'delivered' today in so many interactions with others, are they? We find a lot of backstabbing in politics, many rumors flying about the lives and choices of various celebs, and just plain bad manners on our highways and byways at times. Is it possible our culture has forgotten these two 'hallmarks' of "ONE NATION UNDER GOD"?

Write them deep within your heart. Perhaps this is where our departure from simple kindness and unyielding loyalty began - we neglected to hide God's word deep within our hearts. Favor with God took backseat to favor with others. Favor with others seems to only be important if they can 'do' something for us. We forgot that our neighbor is our friend, and our enemy needs our prayers.

Norman Thomas reminded us, "The secret of a good life is to have the right loyalties and hold them in the right scale of values." When we align ourselves with those who don't share the same values as we do, they can actually change the 'scale of values' we embrace. It is best to align with those who will elevate our scale of values, helping us to grow deeper in love with Jesus.

It may seem hard to be loyal to the truths of God at times. In fact, there is so much opposition to this type of loyalty, it can even make us frightened to stand up for our beliefs in the face of untruth and hurtful actions. God's desire is for a faithful few who will embrace this life of loyalty to him - a remnant of sorts - then take the outflow of that loyalty into the world. When our loyalty to Jesus meets the opposition of the world, that is where kindness is best exhibited. Just sayin!

Loyal and True

John Boyle O'Reilly reminds us: "Be true to your work, your word, and your friend." This is pretty sound advice, isn't it? The Apostle Paul reminded those who serve in the household of others to do all their work heartily as unto the Lord (Colossians 3:23). Proverbs 13:4 reminds us that the 'soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.' I don't know about you, but 'richly supplied' certainly appeals to me. How are we true to our work? If we are putting forth our very best by bringing our very best self into that work each and every day, we are likely fulfilling that one.

Being true to our word is a pretty tall order, is it not? We can say a whole lot of things without really thinking them through, only to regret having made a vow or promise to do something at a later time. Jesus was speaking with the disciples one day and left them with these instructions: “Again, the law of Moses says, ‘You shall not break your vows to God but must fulfill them all.’ But I say: Don’t make any vows! Say just a simple ‘Yes, I will’ or ‘No, I won’t.’ Your word is enough. To strengthen your promise with a vow shows that something is wrong." (Matthew 5:33-34, 37) Give your word, then keep it. Be careful about promising this or that, because when it comes to 'collecting' on those promises, we could come up a wee bit short. 

Be true to your friends seems like it would be an easy one, doesn't it? Most would agree that a true friend can be trusted, oftentimes gives great counsel when we cannot see things quite clearly and has our best welfare in mind. There is also this ability to forgive one another that we don't always mention. To sum up these three words of advice, let's look at one final scripture: "Don’t just pretend that you love others: really love them. Hate what is wrong. Stand on the side of the good. Love each other with brotherly affection and take delight in honoring each other. Never be lazy in your work, but serve the Lord enthusiastically." (Romans 12:9-11). Loyalty is defined in not pretending within a relationship. Whenever we 'pretend' to be something that we are not, we are disloyal to both ourselves and the other person.

Loyal or true - the words can be used interchangeably. God's ask of us today - be loyal. First to him, then to others - in our work, our word, and our relationships. When we get the first one right, the rest are sure to follow. Just sayin!

Remain loyal - how?

Remain loyal to Him! Fear Him and obey His commands. Listen to His voice. Worship Him alone. Be fervently devoted to Him. (Deuteronomy 13:4 VOICE)

As Israel was about to become a nation of their own among a whole lot of other nations who would eventually desire to put them into servitude, take their fertile land, and ravage them as a nation, they receive this command to remain loyal to the God who had made them a nation. This would not have been unusual to require this degree of "dedication" to the God they served, as the nations around them all "served" or "dedicated" themselves to some form of one or more "gods". The difference is that they are to serve the One True God - remaining loyal to him and him alone, despite the temptation to become wrapped up in the false worship of these other gods.

It should not come as a surprise that scripture refers to remaining loyal, steadfast, committed, and dedicated so frequently. It is probably linked to how easily we become distracted and enticed by the things others have, what they do, and how much "fun" it looks like they are having in whatever it is they are doing! What does it mean to remain loyal to God? We find our answer in the five other things outlined in this verse.

Fear him: Not that trembling in your boots kind of fear, but the right respect for both his authority and his love. As a child, I had a hard time accepting the fact parents were both the authority figures in my life AND the ones from whom I would learn the power and sacrifices of deep, sacrificial, and unending love. I think God gives us these "human" examples of "blended" authority and love because he wants us to know him in this way - as the one in ultimate control who deserves our attentive dedication, and as the one who yearns deeply for only the best in our lives.

Obey his commands: The worst part of obedience is that we must admit our way isn't always the best way, or the only way something can be done in our lives.  I think that is why God starts with respecting both his authority and his love - then submitting to his will for our lives doesn't have to "chafe" us so doggone much!

Listen to his voice:  It is hard to be obedient to his commands when we just plain don't listen to what he is saying. As a child, when my parents said to do something, that meant I was supposed to do it. There wasn't a whole lot of "negotiation" or "challenging" done over the matter. I think we may have lost a little bit of our obedience factor because we don't really listen intently to what he tells us.  We think we have things figured out - I might just ask how that's been working for you lately, but I know the answer would be the same as I would have to admit!

Worship him alone:  It comes as no surprise that he would ask us to put him in a place of prominence in our lives, not as "one" of the gods we might turn to in our times of need, but as the ONLY God we will ever need, serve, or honor with "first place" in our lives. That means he becomes the object of our focus - the one who holds our attention and isn't relegated to the "backseat" every time some other "remarkable thing or person" tries to gain our attention.

Be fervently devoted to him: We have come full circle here, for what we give our attention to is what consumes our lives. That which we are devoted to is that which infiltrates each and every fiber of our being. God isn't asking for us to just give him "a" place in our lives, but to let him fill "every" place.  Just sayin!

What's your trademark?

Have you ever stopped to consider what a trademark is?  It distinguishes something from all the other "somethings" which are in our midst, right?  You think of the red soda can with the white little swirl and what immediately comes to mind?  Coca-Cola, right?  If I were to have you picture a red sign with a huge yellow "M" on it, you'd immediately recognize it as McDonald's restaurant.  We distinguish something by its trademark - it sets it apart from the rest.  What happens when someone changes their packaging of their product?  People go nuts trying to find it!  They don't recognize it even though it is right on the shelf in front of them because the "remembered" symbol is no longer there!  This is why most manufacturers don't mess with a good thing!  Have you ever stopped to consider what God's trademarks are?  What is it which sets him out from the rest of the "gods" we could serve in life?  What is it which makes him "distinguishable" in our lives?

“Don’t let the wise brag of their wisdom.  Don’t let heroes brag of their exploits.  Don’t let the rich brag of their riches.  If you brag, brag of this and this only:  That you understand and know me.  I’m God, and I act in loyal love.   I do what’s right and set things right and fair, and delight in those who do the same things.  These are my trademarks.”  (Jeremiah 9:23-24 MSG)

According to what God told Jeremiah, loyal love, doing what's right and fair, setting things right - these are his trademarks.  Now, it may not seem like much, but if you want to really get to "recognize" God from all the rest of the voices you hear in your head, you might just want to get to know his trademarks!  The little voice which tells you to respond with unkind words is not his - it is yours!  That little voice which tells you to pick a fight is not his, its yours!  The little voice which encourages you to compromise just a little is not his, it is yours!  What God says will always be consistent with his character (his trademarks).  

We "brag" on a lot of things, don't we?  We get a new car and for about the first month or so not one piece of bird poop can be found on it, the inside is immaculate, and the wheels shine with the high gloss of new rubber.  We take everyone out to the garage to show it off - pointing out all the bells and whistles.  We "brag" on it a little.  When our child brings home a 4.0 grade average, perfect attendance, and exemplary comments about his/her behavior toward others, something happens inside us, does it not.  Those mom and dad chests just push out a little further and we get all kinds of giddy over having such a wonderful child.  We even proudly display the bumper sticker on our new cars which lets he world know we have a "champ" of a kid!

I wonder how many of us actually brag about knowing God and what it is he has done in our lives?  We brag (boast) about the stuff which has no real permanence in our lives, but often neglect to even speak of the things which will never leave us wanting.  Look again at the list of what makes God "boast-worthy".  First, he has this tremendously loyal love.  If you have ever loved someone, you know it has some ups and downs, right?  Most of the time when the things are going "good" in the relationship, we'd say we'd never change things in a million years.  Let some rough times and difficulty come in the relationship and our love is put to the test.  Sometimes it doesn't fair too well.  Why?  Because we haven't learned the loyalty of love - it goes beyond the usual and normal into the realm of the consistency of commitment.  Commitment has a sticking power.  God's love is committed love - it goes through the rough places with us, knowing full-well the good places will come again.

Second, he has this way of setting things right.  Not just right, but fair.  Do you think that is an unusual combination of words to describe how God deals with his kids?  I don't because God knows what we see as "right" we may not always see as "fair".  We are always making judgments about what is "right" and when we see something as "right" we usually say it is fair.  Truth be told, sometimes what is right may seem a little "unfair" to us!  But...God is all about both - fairness and setting things right.  When we don't get what we deserve (grace and mercy), he is setting things right, and he is being "fair".  In other words, he won't let an injustice be done when it comes to his kids.  We are placed in the position of being made right, and in turn, he also puts us in a position of favor.  That is what fairness has to do with God's grace - it puts us back into a place of favor.

It may not seem like much, but getting to know the trademarks of our God's love is pretty important.  It helps us filter out the voices which are not really pointing us toward loyalty in our love, fairness in our dealings, or excellence in our standing.  Wouldn't it be nice to reflect his trademarks in our lives?  Just sayin!

A noose or a connection?

Ever have anyone tell you to "get a grip"?  Usually they mean something like, "Hey, you are letting this thing get to you a little too much", or maybe "Wow! Don't go off the deep-end over this.  It is not worth it!"  They might even tell you to "take a chill pill" and mean for you to put your claws in, get out of your defensive mode, and actually return to earth a little.  Some of the time we hold so tightly to what we'd be better off letting go of, huh?  We get all "wound up" for the stuff which really won't count tomorrow!  Then we neglect the very things which will!

Don’t lose your grip on Love and Loyalty.  Tie them around your neck; carve their initials on your heart.  Earn a reputation for living well in God’s eyes and the eyes of the people.  (Proverbs 3:3-4 MSG)

Solomon is imparting some great insight for us, if we have ears to hear and a heart to respond!  For most of us, we "lose our grip" because we don't keep Love and Loyalty close!  Love and loyalty are two conditions of the heart, but also of the mind.  They are a matter of choice - a matter of focus.  You have probably heard me say on other occasions - our attitude determines our altitude.  For those of you not familiar with this principle, the pilot of a plane soon learns the "attitude" of the nose determines the direction the plane travels (the altitude it maintains or attains).  For each of us, the "attitude" of heart and mind are affected by how well we main perspective with Love and Loyalty!

Love is what we describe as "attachment" to someone or something.  We "feel" loved when we feel there is some form of "attachment" we make with the other individual.  They express some set of values which we either admire, or connect with.  We feel drawn to the similar interests of the other.  There is attachment.  Love is also capable of producing tremendous desire.  The eagerness to be with the one who produces this desire is almost overwhelming.  Solomon's first advice is to keep love within our grip.  In terms we might better understand, he is telling us to hold close to our first love!  Now, if Jesus is not in this place in your life, you might not understand what I am going to say next, but stick with me.  What we desire most is what we focus on with great intent.  Look at where Solomon tells us to keep love and loyalty - around our necks and carved into the tender parts of our heart.

Why the neck?  If you are medically-minded, this will come easy to you.  The main work of our entire body begins in the brain!  Everything which happens "below" the level of the head is a result of the connection maintained between the brain and the spinal column!  Sever the connection and we realize paralysis.  At various levels, an injury to the life-producing spinal column will result in various "deficiencies" in our ability to perform certain activities.  Low enough and we will lose sensation to our legs, higher and we will lose the ability to maintain the breath of life!  Preserving or protecting the neck is important - right?  Solomon tells us to "tie" LOVE around our necks.  Intense desire, longing, an eagerness to be "connected" - not to a physical person - but to Christ!  To preserve all the right functioning of our lives - get the right connection!  Lose the grip on the stuff which consumes our focus, but does nothing to protect our lives!

Why the heart?  There are two organs or systems of the body we seem to focus on the most - simply because they matter so much to the "health" of the whole body.  One is the brain - the other is the heart (circulatory system).  When the heart is damaged in anyway, the ability of our body to "keep up" with the demands of the various tissues which comprise our whole body will be compromised.  We tire more easily, there is less capacity for carrying nourishment to the cells, the oxygen we breathe just doesn't get to the cells as well to regenerate them, and so on.  No wonder the doctors focus on getting our "circulatory system" in a better state of repair!  After all, the heart is a muscle - let it go long enough and it gets flabby and out of shape!  Let your "heart" go long enough - without focusing attention on the connection it is making with the one who holds its course in his hands and you will be very spiritually fatigued!

Solomon doesn't just tell us to keep love around our necks and carved into the heart - he reminds us of the importance of loyalty.  Love gives us the connection - loyalty is what we would describe as maintaining the connection. Solomon reminds us to keep Christ close - then to focus on the work of his Holy Spirit in our lives to assist us in maintaining this connection.  When there is "loyalty", we might say there is "fidelity".  In other words - there is faithfulness.  His focus is on getting a grip on the right perspective, then remaining faithful in our pursuit of this perspective.  It is a reminder to pay attention to the "attitude" of the nose of our plane!  Simply put...he doesn't want us to crash and burn!

Not sure what we are "gripping onto" so tightly, but if we hear a little voice, or a loud one for that matter, telling us to let go or to get a different grip, it may very well do us well to pause long enough to consider what we are holding onto so tightly!  Will what we "hold onto" protect the "vitality" of our lives and ensure the ongoing "connection"?  If not, then we have a grip which is really placing us squarely in the position of being INSIDE a vice.  We are being squeezed until we are sure to either "cry uncle" or suffer damage which is unwelcomed and unnecessary.  So, Love and Loyalty - protection for the fragile parts of our being - hope for the ongoing "health" of what we need to maintain solid footing in life.  What's around your neck?  What does your heart tell others about your life?  If Love is bound around your neck, and Christ's principles are solidly written into your heart, they will see Christ!  After all, this is the goal, is it not?  Just sayin!

The awesomeness of our God!

Okay!  I came across this passage again this morning as I was re-reading the Psalms and just had to stop to share it!  


God's love is meteoric, his loyalty astronomic, his purpose titanic, his verdicts oceanic. Yet in his largeness nothing gets lost; not a man, not a mouse, slips through the cracks. (Psalm 36:5-6 The Message)


Okay...knowing me as you might, you know where I am headed, don't you?  Yep, let's break it down!  First, I want you to see each of these "attributes" of God are broken down with their own individual "descriptive" word.  Our psalmist does not simply say God is loving - he calls his love meteoric.  He doesn't reference God as loyal to his word - he calls his loyalty astronomic.  These are big terms which lend much to understanding each of these attributes.  So let's explore them a little:


- God's love is meteoric!  Here's what I know about meteors (and trust me, it is limited).  A meteor is a sudden appearance of something brilliant beyond our imagining.  It is so revealing in the sky because of the brilliance it is displaying - we cannot help but notice it.  It appears suddenly (at least for those of us who don't sit under the lens of a huge telescope all day).  In movement it is swift.  It crosses the sky at speeds which we cannot possibly comprehend simply we could never move that fast!  Now...take this back to God's love.  His love appears when we often don't expect it, in ways so which so brilliantly reveal his greatness!  His love comes swiftly - without delay - crossing over our lives, leaving an impact of a lifetime!  Woohoo!


- God's loyalty is astronomic!  Okay, this one is easy - his loyalty is bigger than we can fully comprehend or contain!  It is enormous!  It is beyond anything we  could experience in the natural sense.  Now, think about it for a moment.  His love is meteoric.  His loyalty is astronomic.  The brilliance, swiftness, and impact of his love is coupled with the hugeness of his loyalty!  You cannot separate the two.  Where do meteors appear?  In the sky right?  What is the root of astronomic?  Astronomy, right?  What does the study of astronomy deal with?  The sky!  So, our psalmist is connecting God's love and loyalty - they go hand-in-hand.  In other words, David is reminding us God's love is swift - it is also reliable.  His love brings light - it also allows light to live within us!


- God's purposes are titanic!  The idea is one of enormous power, strength, and capacity.  So, David is reminding us God's purposes are never without the power to back them up!  They are never without strength which is limitless.  They are never without the capacity to endure, overcome, and expand!  Now, what is a purpose?  It is the reason for which something exists, or is done, right?  So, the reason God moves, responds, and loves is never small!  There is always a purpose to his movement!  There is always a reason for his response (and even for his lack of response!).  His strength is displayed in every movement on our behalf!


- God's verdicts are oceanic!  A verdict is simply a decision.  God's decisions are oceanic.  They are vast - it is almost incomprehensible to us to understand fully his decisions - but we can trust them!  Why?  Simply because his love is meteoric, his loyalty astronomic, and his purposes titanic!  Just sayin!


To wrap it up, David points us clearly to the idea of nothing getting lost in God's greatness.  This is good news to me because I am but one human being in a huge number of others who walk this earth.  It is comforting to know NOTHING escapes his oversight, his protection, his planning, his intervention! NOTHING!  It is impossible for Satan to "pull one over" on God.  It is impossible for us to escape his notice (even when we might want to).  Nothing escapes him - nothing slips through the cracks!  Not you - not me!  His love seeks us out - in all its brilliance and suddenness.  His loyalty upholds us - not as a crutch, but as a strong tower of defense and a shelter of offense.  His purposes cannot be thwarted - there is always movement on our behalf.  His judgments on our behalf are always right!  There is no other hope so great as to put our hope and trust in him!

A Principled Life

³ The integrity of the honest keeps them on track; the deviousness of crooks brings them to ruin.  ⁴ A thick bankroll is no help when life falls apart,
   but a principled life can stand up to the worst.  ⁵ Moral character makes for smooth traveling; an evil life is a hard life.  ⁶ Good character is the best insurance; crooks get trapped in their sinful lust. 

(Proverbs 11:3-6)

A "principled" life can stand up to the worst life throws at it.  Principles acts as our "rudder" - giving us the guidance for right conduct.  They give us the fundamental truths by which we make our decisions.  Solomon tells us that a life that is governed by the right principles will withstand the toughest conflicts and disappointments in life.  To that he offers moral character and integrity as companions of "principles" - each bringing the balance we need to "stay the course" when the worst is upon us.

Over and over again, Solomon has emphasized the importance of developing wisdom and understanding.  To these, he adds that foundational principles need to be built into the fiber of our being so that our choices are consistent and upright.  Solomon has seen the struggle that man faces with overcoming pride and embracing humility - one leading to honor from our heavenly Father, the other our own disgrace.  He has recognized that honesty must be our guiding action in our affairs of life - otherwise our end will be ruin.

To these "principles", Solomon added:

• Silence - learning when no answer is better than any other answer we can bring into a situation.  There is much wisdom in learning when our mouths will betray us with words that sting or belittle.  It is best to never utter a word than to allow words to be spoken that bring another down.  To this, we have the reminder about the destructiveness of gossip - words best left unspoken and unheard.
• Submission - learning to accept the wisdom of counsel (those who have gone before us in learning the lessons of life).  There is safety in wise counsel - learning to trust in that counsel is quite another thing.  It is a struggle of "will" to learn to seek out wise counsel instead of plunging ahead in our own self-will and self-determination.
• Sensitivity - coming into an awareness of our surroundings, those we are with, or the impact our words and actions make on others.  The principled man or woman has learned to use their beauty wisely and modestly.  The needs of others are foremost in their thoughts.  The example that is set is one of integrity.
• Service - the freedom to extend oneself in an openness of heart that betters the life of another and provides a positive example of the heart of God to those around us.  Sacrifice and service go hand-in-hand.  The heart of a servant is moved by the needs of those around them - they need not look far to see where their service is best used.

A principled life is both continually refreshed and rewarded.  There is an unending supply of all we need to live well, live consistently, and live outwardly.  There is an "emotional energy" that is "spent" in living a life of integrity (principled life).  Yet, we can look forward to the continual refreshing of our mind, spirit, and emotion as we walk in the principles of righteousness.  There is much to be discovered in "living well"!