Russell Mckinney's Blog

Straight Talk About God and Life

Leaping For Joy About Being Persecuted

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Matthew 5:10-12

Up until this last Beatitude, Christ’s opening words from the Sermon on the Mount had been quite comforting. The poor in spirit would gain the kingdom of heaven. Those who mourned would be comforted. The meek would inherit the earth. Those who had a hunger and thirst for righteousness would be filled. The merciful would obtain mercy. The pure in heart would see God. The peacemakers would be called the children of God. What’s not to like about all of that?

But then Jesus launched into a word about persecution. To make matters worse, this was the only Beatitude in which He stated the Beatitude and then followed it up with some extra commentary. You’ll notice that the actual Beatitude ends with the promise about the kingdom of God. (Interestingly, the first and last Beatitude end with exactly the same promise.) Then come two more verses on the subject of persecution. 

Of all the Beatitudes, did Jesus have to linger a bit longer on the most bothersome one? Come on, who wants to hear about being persecuted? All the previous Beatitudes were matters the believer could control. They were things the Christian could do or become. Persecution, however, strikes from the outside. The believer doesn’t persecute himself; somebody else does it. It’s the one Beatitude over which the believer has no control whatsoever.

The Luke version of the Sermon on the Mount doesn’t water the Beatitude down any either. In it, Jesus says, “Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they exclude you, and revile you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of Man’s sake. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy! For indeed your reward is great in heaven, for in like manner their fathers did to the prophets” (Luke 6:22-23). The New Testament offers us several examples of Christians being persecuted, even to the point of death. We don’t find one instance, though, where the Christian says to the persecutor, “Could you let me have a quick moment here to leap for joy about what’s happening?”

There is one thing that needs to be understood about this persecution. It must be brought about for “righteousness’ sake.” Your bad behavior can cause you to have trouble with others, but that’s not persecution. For there to be true persecution, your stance or actions must be in the godly right. The evil that is spoken against you must be spoken “falsely.” If it’s no more than legitimate criticism, it’s not persecution. 

There’s certainly no denying that the early church experienced intense persecution. The apostles were arrested (Acts 4:1-22; 5:17-42). Stephen was stoned to death (Acts 7:54-60). James was killed (Acts 12:1-4). Paul was stoned (Acts 14:19-20). Paul and Silas were whipped and imprisoned (Acts 16:16-34). Paul was arrested again and ultimately brought before Caesar (Acts chapters 21-28). It wasn’t until the emperor Constantine “Christianized” the Roman empire that the persecution of Christians ceased. 

This isn’t to say, though, that persecution doesn’t exist today. The fact is, it does. Certainly it exists in China and other far off lands, but it also exists right here in everyday America. Anytime you take a stand for Christ, and someone else makes you suffer somewhat for it, that’s persecution.

The Christian girl who won’t consent to pre-martial sex, only to have the boy tell lies about her at school, experiences persecution. The Christian office worker who gets called names because he won’t join the guys when they hit the bars after work experiences persecution. The Christian pastor who loses some church members over a God-sanctioned sermon that he preached experiences persecution. You see, persecution can take on many different shapes and appearances.

But the great news is that experiencing persecution, as unpleasant and even deadly as it can be, carries with it tremendous eternal rewards. Jesus said, ”Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven.” Since every Christian will enjoy some reward in heaven, Christ’s words must mean that being persecuted brings extra special heavenly reward. The harder a thing is to endure for Christ, the greater the eternal reward. That is only fair.

So, Christian, try to do some remembering whenever you are persecuted for righteousness’ sake. Remember that you are standing in a long line of believers that runs back through the early Christians, back through the Old Testament prophets, all the way back to Abel (Genesis 4:1-8). Remember that Jesus, your Savior, was persecuted unto death. And remember that experiencing persecution allows you to earn heavenly rewards that you otherwise couldn’t earn. As a matter of fact, if you can, it would even be good if you would literally leap for joy about the persecution. (Okay, that last one will be tough, but you get the idea.)

February 23, 2010 Posted by russellmckinney | Doing Good, Heaven, Holiness, Persecution, Reward, Righteousness, The Sermon On The Mount | , , , , | Leave a Comment

Righteousness & You

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.” Matthew 5:6

I’ve been a pastor a long time, long enough to have learned some things about professing Christians. One of those things is: not many of them hunger and thirst after righteousness. When you do come across such a person, you are actually taken aback by how much he or she stands out from the crowd. Your reaction is, “Wow, now that’s the way this Christianity thing is supposed to work. That’s the kind of person it’s set up to produce.”  

I take no pleasure in reporting that a high percentage of professing Christians are only interested in living righteously enough to keep God from getting too ticked off at them. The time they spend in prayer is minimal. Their Bible study is barely a blip on the radar. They attend church only if all the planets align and nothing else comes up. They give sparingly and many times even begrudge that (2 Corinthians 9:6-7). They’ve never witnessed to anyone in their lives.

Even those who do better in some of these areas typically fall short when it comes to actually repenting of sins and making needed changes in their lives. I’ve known professing Christians who were at church every time the doors were open, but they were petty, bitter people who refused to forgive any perceived slight. I’ve known others who made prayer a vital part of their lives but didn’t mind engaging in pre-marital sex or “shacking up.” Others would give generously to the church but spend even more on alcohol or drugs. To all of these people, the idea of hungering and thirsting after righteousness was foreign. They had just enough religion to keep them at peace with themselves and certainly didn’t have a burning desire for anything more than that.

Imagine a man who hasn’t eaten for two days. He gets the opportunity to sit down at a buffet filled with delicious food. The way that man’s eyes dance over that food is the way the Christian’s eyes should dance over righteousness. The way he craves that food is the way the Christian should crave righteousness.

Imagine a woman who has been stranded in the desert for hours. When she is rescued, a rescue worker hands her a bottle of water. At that moment, there is nothing on earth she wants more. That’s how the Christian should thirst after righteousness.

Christian, when you are obsessively hungering and thirsting after righteousness, when righteousness is what you are chasing in life, you won’t have to be goaded into coming to church. You won’t have to be begged to pray. Your pastor won’t have to chide you into Bible study. It won’t take a ten-sermon series on stewardship to get you to give generously. You won’t have to be coerced into telling others about Jesus and inviting them to church. All of that will come as naturally to you as breathing. It will flow effortlessly out of your hungering and thirsting for righteousness. 1 John 2:29 describes this as “practicing” righteousness: “If you know that He (God) is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him” (1 John 5:1; John 3:1-8). 

And, furthermore, Jesus promises that your pursuit of righteousness will not be in vain. He says you shall be filled. I see a two-fold meaning in this promise. First, it only makes the sense that the more you devote your life to righteousness, the more righteousness will be exhibited in your life. Second, as for your eternal standing with God, the moment you realize that your life is stained by unrighteousness and you place your belief (faith) in Jesus as Savior, God actually imparts to you His spotless righteousness (Romans 1:16-17; 3:21-26; Philippians 3:7-9). That is an even more important filling.

So, Christian, how hungry are you? How thirsty? Are you burdened enough about righteousness to do some repenting? Will you commit to moving up to a higher level of practicing righteousness in your daily life? When you get hungry and thirsty enough to actually make some changes in how you conduct yourself, you’ll find Jesus standing ready to help you. He’ll be right there with the never-ending buffet and bottomless well. You will be filled, no doubt about that. But never forget that no one can be filled who is already full enough to suit them.

February 11, 2010 Posted by russellmckinney | Belief, Bible Study, Change, Choices, Church attendance, Discipleship, Doing Good, Evangelism, Holiness, Money, Personal Holiness, Righteousness, The Sermon On The Mount, Witnessing, faith, giving, obedience, salvation, stewardship | Leave a Comment

Always Do Your Best

Many years ago, when department stores were high-end stores, a group of poorly paid clerks were standing around talking about baseball. It was raining outside and business was slow. Then a woman came into the store. She was wet and disheveled. As she entered, only one employee was willing to leave the baseball discussion to attend to her.

The young man walked over and courteously asked, “What can I show you, madam?” She told him what she was looking for, and he quickly located the item. Then he took the time to intelligently explain its merits. The woman made the purchase and left the store, asking for the young man’s card as she left.

Sometime later the woman sent a letter to the head of the store. Actually, the letter was an order for the complete furnishings for an estate in Scotland. In the letter she specifically asked that the young employee who had attended to her supervise the furnishing personally.

The store head wrote her back and said, “But, madam, this man is one of our youngest and most inexperienced clerks. Hadn’t we better give this assignment to someone else?” The reply came back, “I want this young man and no other.”

So that courteous and efficient young clerk was sent across the Atlantic to direct the furnishing of a palace in Scotland. The palace was called Skibo Castle, and the woman was Mrs. Andrew Carnegie, the wife of one of the world’s richest men.

Before you doubt the validity of this story you should know that it was told by Charles Schwab, the steel magnet. Schwab began it by saying, “I know a young fellow in New York who has built himself a big buisness. He used to be a poorly paid clerk in a department store.”

The moral of the story is: Always do your best because you just never know who might be watching. As the Bible in Ecclesiastes 9:10: “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might…” As for you, Christian, remember Colossians 3:17,23: “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him…And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men.”

January 21, 2010 Posted by russellmckinney | Business, Character, Doing Good, God's Omnipresence, Personal Holiness, Reward, Work, stewardship | , , , , , | Leave a Comment

Christianity In Shoe Leather

In my last post, “For His Name’s Sake,” I talked about how a Christian’s conduct has a direct effect upon Christ’s reputation in the world. If that conduct is sinful, that does harm to Christ’s name. Now let me give you a practical example that will help you to better understand this.

Let’s say that a man who isn’t a Christian goes to buy a used car. He walks onto a car lot and has a salesman come out, grinning from ear to ear. The salesman says, “Can I help you?”

The man says, “Yes, I like the looks of this car right here. Is it a good car?” The salesman says, “I’ll let you in on a little secret. Just between you and me, this car is the best buy on the lot. It is mechanically as sound as a dollar. I wouldn’t mind taking off cross-country in this car.” But even as those words roll off the salesman’s lips, he knows they are a lie. The mechanics have told him that the car’s engine needs to be completely rebuilt. 

Well, the trusting potential buyer takes the car out for a test-spin. The car does alright on the short test drive, and the man decides to buy it. The salesman says, “Step into my office, and we’ll sign the papers.”

As they step into the office, the buyer notices that hanging on the salesman’s office wall is a beautiful picture of Jesus. He also notices that the salesman has a little plaque on his desk. The plaque reads, “Christ is the answer.” The man says to the salesman, “I gather that you are a Christian.” The salesman says, “Oh yes. I’ve been a deacon in my church for twenty years.”

The man says, “Well, if you can’t trust a deacon, who can you trust?” The salesman says, “That’s right. You can trust me. That car is just a little bit too old to have any kind of warranty, but I’ll take care of you. If you have any trouble with the car, just bring it back to me. I’ll make things right. You have my personal word on that.”

So, the papers are signed and the deal is done. The man just bought himself a car. He climbs into it, starts it up, waves to the salesman, and pulls off the lot. He gets about two miles up the road when the smoke starts pouring out of the hood. Luckily, there is a garage right there on the corner. The man pulls into the garage, and the mechanic takes a look at the engine. The mechanic says, “Sir, I hate to tell you this, but this motor is completely shot. It needs a total rebuilding.”

Upon hearing that, the man immediately marches the two miles back up the road to the car lot. He finds the salesman in his office. He says, “Pal, you sold me a lemon. I drove that car two miles and the motor blew up. I want you to keep your word and make things right.”

And what does that used-car selling deacon do? He says, “Sir, I feel awful about this, but our policy is that all sales are final. And since the car doesn’t have a warranty, I’m afraid that there isn’t much I can do for you.”

You say, “Boy, that car-buyer won’t think much of that Christian salesman.” You’re right. I’ll tell you something else: He won’t think much of Christ either! He’ll say, “If that’s what being a Christian is all about, the Christians can have it. I can do better than that on my own. Who needs a Savior who can only produce that kind of behavior?”

This is why I say, Christian, that you are called to live your faith wherever you happen to be at the time. If you go around claiming to be a Christian, you’d better act right. If you have a tag that says “Christ is my co-pilot,” you’d better be honest. If you have a bumper-sticker that says “Honk, If You Love Jesus,” you’d better pay your bills. If you wear a shirt that says “My best friend is a Jewish carpenter,” you’d better watch your language. Why? Because it is the very name of Christ that is at stake!

You can call this “Christianity in shoe-leather.” It is bringing your Christianity down out of the clouds of doctrine. It is pulling your religion up off your church seat. It is transforming your spirituality from principle into practice.

And how do you do it? Each day that you wake up, you spend time in prayer and say, “Jesus, today, wherever I may go, whatever the day holds for me, lead me in the paths of righteousness. You be the guiding shepherd; I’ll be the obedient sheep.” Nothing less will do if you really want Christ to guide you into paths of righteousness.

January 11, 2010 Posted by russellmckinney | Backsliding, Business, Character, Discipleship, Doing Good, Holiness, Influence, Personal Holiness, church, obedience, salvation, submission | , , , , , , | Leave a Comment

For His Name’s Sake

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. (Psalm 23:1-3)

Obviously, there are a good many profound truths to be found in these three verses, but I would specifically like to draw your attention to the last part of verse 3. David says of the Lord, “He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.”

These verses describe Jesus as the shepherd and Christians as His sheep. Christ’s name isn’t actually used in the verses, but He certainly had this passage in mind when He said in John 10:11,14,27: “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep…I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own…My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.”

And so, Jesus leads Christians in the paths of righteousness for the sake of His own name. If I can get this one truth burned into your mind I will have accomplished something. Jesus leads Christians in the paths of righteousness so that His very name will not be besmirched, soiled, or damaged.

Does walking in the paths of righteousness help the individual Christian? Of course, it does. Does a Christian walking in the paths of righteousness make the world a better place? Of course, it does. But I’m not talking about those ideas right now. Right now I’m hammering on the fact that Jesus leads Christians in the paths of righteousness for the purpose of protecting His own name.

In your mind’s eye, I want you to go with me back to a scene in ancient Israel. Let’s tag along and watch as a local shepherd leads a flock of sheep. As we walk along behind the shepherd, we observe that he seems to be doing an adequate job of leading his sheep. Now it is time, though, for the sheep to eat, and we are interested in how the shepherd will handle that need. We are also aware that once the sheep have filled their stomachs they will want to lie down and rest a while.

With this in our minds, we watch as for some unknown reason the shepherd leads the sheep right past a beautiful, green pasture that would provide perfect food and rest for the sheep. The shepherd seems to have another place in mind as he leads the flock onward. Finally, he brings them to an almost barren, rocky piece of ground. There are just a few sparse patches of grass growing here and there. This is where the shepherd has been headed all along.

The sheep try to eat, but there isn’t enough grass to fill their stomachs. Pretty soon they give up and lie down. They don’t get much rest, though. The ground is far too hard and rocky.

After watching this, we begin to wonder about the shepherd’s judgment. Still, we want to give him the benefit of the doubt, and so we wait around until it is time for him to again put the sheep on the move. The sheep have had their time of eating and resting. Now it is time for them to get some water.

We tag along as the shepherd leads the sheep to an outstanding watering-hole. The waters are still and quiet. We’ve heard that sheep don’t like rushing waters. They can’t swim very well and are terrified of swift currents. Sheep like calm, still, quiet waters. This hole is just right.

But the shepherd shakes his head in disapproval. In his opinion, these waters won’t do. Onward he leads the sheep. Eventually, there is the sound of a rushing stream and the shepherd picks up his pace. He gets to the swift stream, brings the sheep to the water’s edge, and waits for them to start drinking.

The sheep, however, are overly cautious. They won’t go near the dangerous current. Their fear keeps them from getting the water that at this point they desperately need.

After a while, the shepherd realizes that the sheep aren’t going to drink the water, and so he begins again with his leading. The sheep are hungry and tired because the shepherd walked past the green pastures. They are thirsty because he shunned the quiet waters. It’s obvious to us that the sheep need to be refreshed, revived, and restored. Still, the shepherd pushes them onward.

We follow close behind, by now completely bewildered at the shepherd’s actions. Over the remaining course of the day, we watch as he leads those sheep to places that sheep have no business going. He leads them in precarious paths that run along the edges of cliffs. He leads them in dangerous paths that run by places where lions are known to suddenly attack. He leads them in rough paths that run through ditches and briars. Finally, we have seen enough and make our way back to town.

Once we get into town, a man comes up to us and says, “You are the people who tagged along and watched the shepherd lead his flock. Tell me, what did you think of his shepherding?” Having seen what we’ve seen, what must our answer be? We have to say that the shepherd doesn’t know how to care for sheep. We have to say that he is dangerous for sheep. We have to say that he is not to be trusted with sheep. The fact of the matter is, it is absolutely impossible for us to recommend that fellow as a shepherd. We explain this to the man who asked our opinion, and our critical words begin making their way through the town. Pretty soon, the shepherd’s reputation is ruined.

Now let’s come back to the present day. I ask you, Christian, what kind of a reputation as a shepherd does Jesus desire to have amongst the people of this world? The answer is, He wants to be known as a good shepherd. Well, how can He gain such a reputation? To gain it, He must lead us, His sheep, in the paths of righteousness. Therefore, Christian, you’ve got to realize that when you display depravity, when you persist in sin, when you fall short of holiness, when you forego paths of righteousness, you damage not only your name but also Christ’s name.

You see, as the lost people of this world watch the everyday conduct of professing Christians, it is Christ’s reputation as a shepherd that is on the line. We mar the very name of our Savior whenever we refuse to allow Him to lead us in paths of righteousness. That is a sobering thought.

Now, maybe you would say to me, “Wait a minute, Russell. I am a Christian, but I don’t always follow Christ as I should. It isn’t right, then, for Christ’s name to be soiled when He isn’t the one leading me in paths of sin.” You make a good point. The people of this world shouldn’t hold it against Jesus when a Christian refuses to live in a holy manner. But the problem is that the people of this world don’t really understand that Christ will not lead rebellious sheep. They don’t differentiate between the Christian who is living a holy life and the Christian who is backslidden. All they know is that both kinds of Christians profess to have Christ as shepherd.

Is this fair? No. Is it reality? Yes. Your fellow Christians may understand that Christ is not the leader He can be if you aren’t the follower you ought to be, but the lost people of this world won’t. That’s why, Christian, when you stand up and say to others, “Jesus Christ is my Savior,” you’d better do all that you can to ensure that you walk in those paths of righteousness.

January 9, 2010 Posted by russellmckinney | Backsliding, Character, Discipleship, Disobedience, Doing Good, Dress and Appearance, God's Will, Holiness, Influence, Personal Holiness, Sin, Temptation, obedience, separation | , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment

Sin’s Progression

In my last post, I outlined Psalm 1:1-3 under the title “Blessedness.” Now I’d like to narrow the microscope down onto one particular aspect of that passage and offer a word about sin’s progression. Hardened sinners don’t get that way overnight. Psalm 1:1 describes a systematic progression.

First, the person gets counsel from the ungodly and walks in that counsel. That gets him started in the wrong direction. That’s why the verse speaks of walking in the counsel of the ungodly.

Second, walking in that counsel leads the person out of the will of God and into the path of sinners. Once he is in that path of sin, he realizes that he enjoys the sin. So, he decides to stand around for a while in that way. He isn’t in any big hurry to confess the sin, repent of it, and get right with God. He’s stopped walking. Now he’s standing.

Third, he ends up sitting down in a seat in the midst of the scornful (hardened, calloused sinners). To take a seat is to settle in for a lengthy stay. It is to become part of the group.

Let me use just one kind of sin as an example of the progression of sin. Let’s say that a man is considering having an affair. He’s having some trouble in his marriage, and there is a woman at work who seems to be just what he needs.

Rather than seeking out counsel from a godly person who knows the Bible and how to apply it to life, this man gets counsel from an ungodly buddy of his. The buddy has been married and divorced three times and had numerous affairs over the course of those marriages. The buddy says, “Go for it. Have the affair. Take it from me, you’ll be glad that you lived a little.” So, the man takes that ungodly counsel, walks in it, leaves the will of God, and has a one-night stand with that co-worker. What’s he doing? He is walking in the counsel of the ungodly.

Well, the man discovers that he enjoys that one night stand. He doesn’t get caught, and he finds that the sneaking around is sort of exciting. So he keeps the affair going. Once or twice a week he meets with his “other woman.” What’s he doing now? He is standing in the path of sinners. The rebellion against God is now deeper and more concrete.

Then, somewhere along the way, the man goes from standing in the path of sinners to sitting down in the seat of the scornful. He becomes cynical and hardened. In some illogical way, he’s angry at God because God didn’t give him a “happily ever after” marriage. He gets to the point where he mocks the things of God and despises anything remotely spiritual.

Do you see the progression of sin? First, there is the walking. Then there is the standing. Finally, there is the sitting.

And that is where the cycle tragically begins to repeat itself on another victim. Sticking with my example, when a young man naively asks the hardened, scornful sinner about getting married, he sarcastically answers, “Yeah, that’s what you need to do. Go and get married. Hook yourself up to that old ball and chain.” You see, that answer comes under the category “the counsel of the ungodly,” and the naive potential groom then has to make his own decision as to whether or not to walk in it and begin his own line of sin’s progression.

January 5, 2010 Posted by russellmckinney | Backsliding, Choices, Counsel, Doing Good, Holiness, Husbands, Influence, Marriage, Personal Holiness, Repentance, Sin, Temptation, adultery, seeking advice | , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment

Blessedness

Psalm 1:1-3 says:

“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in it season, whose leaf also shall not wither. And whatever he does shall prosper.”

I’d like to point out that the proper pronunciation of the first word of this passage is “bless-ed,” not “blessed.” The Bible uses one Hebrew word to refer to “bless-ed” and another to refer to “blessed.” The Hebrew word for “blessed” is barak. It is used in passages such as Genesis 1:28, which says of Adam and Eve, “And God blessed them.”

But the Hebrew word that is used here in Psalm 1:1 is esher. This word carries with it various shades of meaning. It can mean happy, fortunate, enviable, or prosperous.

Actually, esher is plural. That’s why it’s been suggested that it could accurately be translated as “blessednesses.” You see, this is not just one blessing that is being described. This is talking about abiding in a continual state of experiencing blessing after blessing after blessing. There is a multiplicity of blessings that rest upon the bless-ed person. I’d rather be “bless-ed” than just “blessed.”

Now, this passage gives us three main thoughts about the blessed. Let’s walk through these together. There is some awesome spiritual stuff here.

First, in verse 1 we are given a clear word about the blessed person in relation to separation. Blessed people are marked by things they do not do. You see, the book of Psalms opens by dispelling the notion that the sinful life is the good life.

Three negatives are mentioned. Negative #1 is: Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly. Who do you look to for advice? Is that person a godly person? Is that person living under the lordship of Jesus Christ? Is that person highly knowledgeable of what the Bible teaches? Is that person wise in applying the Bible to everyday life? Is that person really in tune with the Lord?

Negative #2 is: Blessed is the man who does not stand in the path of sinners. There is a path of sin in which the ungodly stand. The fact that they stand in this path shows that their sinfulness isn’t just a one-time slip up. These people are engaged in a daily, continual lifestyle of sin. They aren’t trying to get off the path of sinners. To the contrary, they continually stand in it.

Negative #3 is: Blessed is the man who does not sit in the seat of the scornful. The Hebrew word that is translated as “scornful” is luwts. It can also be translated as “mockers” or “scoffers.” These scorners are people who have contempt for God, His ways, and His standards. The verse talks about the seat of the scornful because these people are settled and fixed in their disgust towards God.

The passage’s second main thought concerns the blessed person in relation to scripture. Verse 2 says of the blessed man: “But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.” The phrase “the law of the Lord” refers to the law that God gave the Israelites through Moses. That law was written down. We might say it was the “Bible” by which the Israelites lived. These words actually apply to us all the more then because we have so much more of the holy scriptures than the Israelites did. If you would be blessed, love the scriptures and learn the scriptures.

And then the text’s third main thought deals with the blessed person in relation to success. Verse 3 says: “He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season; whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.”

The blessed person is compared to a beautiful, bountiful tree. This tree is not withering away from a lack of water because it is planted by rivers of water. That ensures that it will continuingly thrive. Not surprisingly, this tree is not barren. It brings forth its fruit in season just when it should. Its leaf does not wither away either. The tree is strong and healthy. All of this is a beautiful description of the blessed person.

Then the description gets even better. The end of the verse says that whatever the blessed person does shall prosper. Of course, some people run off way too far with this idea. The “health and wealth” preachers that dominate religious television use verses like this to promote a wrong doctrine that can be summed up as “name it and claim it.” Just take your wish list to God, have the necessary amount of faith, and God will give you all the things that are on your wish list. But the truth is, God’s idea of prospering isn’t so simplistic.

I can best explain “whatever he does shall prosper” by pointing us to Joseph. Did you know that even when Joseph was wrongly sold into slavery God called him a prosperous man and caused whatever he did to prosper? Genesis 39:2-3 says:

“The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. And his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made all he did to prosper in his hand. So Joseph found favor in his sight, and served him. Then he made him overseer of his house, and all that he had he put under his authority.”

The Hebrew word that is used there to describe the prosperity that God gave to Joseph is the exact same Hebrew word that is used in verse 3 of our text. So, when you understand what God did for Joseph, even as Joseph was a servant in the house of Potiphar, you will understand the kind of prosperity that God bestows upon the blessed person.

When Joseph was a servant in Potiphar’s house, did he have a lot of money in his bank account? Absolutely not! Did he have a wife and children? No. Was he a man of prestige and standing in the community? No way. Nevertheless, God described him as a prosperous man.

Ultimately, Joseph did become rich beyond his wildest dreams as God made him the second most powerful man in all of Egypt, second only to Pharaoh himself. Also, God gave him a wife and two fine sons. But the fact is that Joseph was blessed and prosperous even before the power, wealth, and beautiful family. So it is with any person who truly lives out the requirements of Psalm 1:1-3.

January 4, 2010 Posted by russellmckinney | Bible Study, Character, Discipleship, Doing Good, Holiness, Money, Personal Holiness, Prosperity, Reward, Scripture, The Bible, obedience, separation | , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment

A Three-Point Checklist For The New Year

Proverbs 4:25-27 says: “Let your eyes look straight ahead, and your eyelids look right before you. Ponder the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established. Do not turn to the right or the left. Remove your foot from evil.”

These verses make for one of the Bible’s best texts on the subject of a new year. In them Solomon offers a three-point checklist that will help us make this new year a godly, blessed, spiritually productive year. Let’s take a look at that checklist.

Item #1 is: Rivet your attention upon this new year. Solomon says, “Let your eyes look straight ahead, and your eyelids right before you.” Think of yourself as standing on the precipice of this new year. What should you do as you stand here? You should focus your attention straight ahead and fix your gaze on what lies ahead.

In order to do that, you’ll have to step out of your past. You might as well step out of it, because you can’t change one second of it anyway. Rearview mirrors make poor windshields!

You say, “But Russell, you don’t know my past. You don’t know the things I’ve done. You don’t know the things I’ve gone through.” Well, you’re right, I don’t know your past. But I do know two things. One, I know that Jesus wants to meet you right where you are and do wonderful things for you, in you, and through you. Two, I know that in order for Him to do that you’re going to have to join Him in the here and now. The fact is, this new year can be your fresh start with Christ.

One day a man stormed into the office of his local newspaper and said to the secretary, “I want to see the guy who is in charge of the obituaries.” When the secretary pointed him to a rookie reporter, the man marched over to that reporter and said, “Young man, I want you to know that my name appeared in your obituary column today. And, as you can see, I am very much alive. I want you to print a retraction in tomorrow’s paper.” To that, the young man said, “Sir, I’m afraid that we don’t print retractions in our obituary column, but I’ll put you in tomorrow’s birth announcements and give you a fresh start!”

This new year can be your fresh start with Jesus. You can have a fresh start in the areas of prayer, Bible study, church attendance, personal holiness, giving, and evangelism. Whatever sins you’ve committed in the past, whatever mistakes you’ve made, whatever you’ve gone through, rivet your attention on this new year.

Item #2 on the checklist is: Reassess the path you are traveling. Solomon says, “Ponder the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established.” The Hebrew word translated as “ponder” means to mentally weigh. The point is, think about the path you are currently traveling. Is it a path that will take you into more intimate fellowship with Jesus? Is it a path that will take you into a deeper level of service to Him? Is it a path that will make you a better Christian and a better person?

It’s sad that most people never take the time to stop and really think about where their path is taking them. Oftentimes this is why they repeat the same mistakes over and over again, year after year. I read about a man who went to the doctor to get some help for his two burned ears. The doctor said, “Before I treat you, I’ve just got to know how you burned your ears.” The fellow said, “Well, doc, here’s what happened. The phone rang while I was ironing my shirt, and I picked up the iron instead of the phone.” The doctor said, “That’s terrible! But what happened to your other ear?” The man said, “The guy called back.”

We laugh at that story, but this world is filled with people who never learn from their mistakes. I’m saying that the beginning of a new year is a great time to get by yourself, turn off the television, lay the phone off the hook, and take a good, hard look at your life.

And don’t be afraid to hurt your own feelings. Be honest about where you are. If the path you are on is a bad one, admit it. You will never get where Jesus wants to take you in life until you get on the right path.

So, here at the start of this new year, I encourage you to reassess the path you are traveling. If you don’t like the harvest you are getting, change your seed! It is a form of insanity to keep doing what you are doing and expect different results. If you want to change your life, change your path.

And then item #3 on the checklist is: Resist the temptation to veer off your God-approved path. Let’s say that you get on the path the Lord wants you to be walking. Is that the end of the story? No, it isn’t. Solomon gives the warning: “Do not turn to the right or the left. Remove your foot from evil.”

As you walk your God-approved path, certain things will appear to your right, things that will look appealing to you. Don’t leave your path and go after them. Certain things will appear to your left, things that will look appealing to you. Don’t leave your path and go after them.

I’ve noticed that some people are very good at making fresh starts with the Lord. Such a person goes his or her own way for a while and then says, “I’ve got to get right with the Lord.” Then they make a renewed effort at living a Christ-honoring life. They walk that God-approved path for a while but then stray from it. Some sinful pleasure to the right looks good, and they leave the path. Some worldly amusement to the left looks good, and they leave the path. As Solomon describes it, they step off the path and out into some form of evil.

Then, after the person has filled up on the evil, he or she again says, “I’ve got to get right with the Lord.” At that point the cycle starts all over again. Such a roller coaster walk with Christ isn’t what He has in mind for you. You just can’t get anywhere like that. How much better it is to get on God’s path for your life and then resist the temptation to veer off your God-approved path. I’m all for fresh starts with Christ. Ideally, though, you only need one of those. And that’s all you will need if you resist the temptation to stray off your God-approved path.

In closing, let me tell you about two boys who once tried to outwit a wise old man. These boys had grown tired of hearing other people talk about the great wisdom the man possessed. So, they decided to show him up. First, they caught a very small bird, which one of the boys concealed in his hand. Next, they went to the old man, where the boy with the bird asked the man, “What do you think I have in my hand?” The old man answered, “You have a bird in your hand. I can see some of its feathers.” The boy said, “Yes, but is the bird dead or alive?”

It was here that the boys planned to trick the old man. If he said “dead,” the boy would open his hand and let the bird fly away. But if the man said “alive,” the boy would crush the bird before opening his hand. And so how did the wise old man answer? He looked at the boy with the bird and said, “As you will it, son. As you will it.”

Will this new year be one in which you serve Christ better than you ever have? The answer is, as you will it. Herschel Hobbs, that notable Southern Baptist preacher of days gone by, said, “Years become new only if we make them so.” You can make this new year “new” by following Solomon’s spiritual checklist. Rivet your attention on this new year. Reassess the path you are traveling. Resist the temptation to veer off your God-approved path. By doing these things, you’ll be able to make this year the best one you’ve ever had in serving Jesus.

January 1, 2010 Posted by russellmckinney | Backsliding, Change, Choices, Discipleship, Doing Good, God's Will, Holiness, New Year, Personal Holiness, Temptation, contentment, obedience | , , , , , , | Leave a Comment

Is Beautiful Music Coming From You?

Old stories are just that: old stories. Some are true. Some aren’t. Here’s one that comes from the late seventeenth century. I can’t testify to it’s authenticity, but it’s a good story.

A wealthy man from London was traveling across Europe. In a rundown little shop in Paris, he found an old violin. Its finish was flaking. It’s bridges were broken down. It’s strings were gone. But something about the instrument intrigued the man, and he bought it for a small sum.

He took the violin to his room and began to tinker with it but quickly realized that repairing it was far too great a task for him. He then began to search for someone to do the job. In Cremona, Italy, he asked a man on the street if he knew anyone who repaired violins. The man directed him to a certain house. He went there and knocked on the door, and the person who answered instructed him to leave the violin and come back in one week.

When the man returned to pick up his instrument, the door was answered by someone different. This man was quite elegant looking and wore distinguished glasses. When he brought forth the violin, it didn’t even look like the same instrument. It was restored completely and virtually sparkled with beauty. 

The man took his violin and tried to play it, but the sound that came out was harsh and unpleasant. He thought, “Oh well. It was worth a try to fix it.” Then he asked for the bill and voiced his appall at what he considered an outrageous price, considering that the violin’s sound still left much to be desired.  

At that point the bespeckled fellow took the instrument back and began playing it. This time the sound produced was indescribably beautiful to the ear. The owner, with his eyes bouncing, immediately changed his mind and agreed to the price. As he handed over the money, he asked the gentleman, “Who are you, sir?” The answer came back, “My name is Antonio Stradivari. If you will look closely, you’ll find that name inside your violin because I made it.”        

The spiritual application of this story is two fold. First, just as Antonio Stradivari knew how to restore one of his Stradivarius violins, God knows how to restore you, His creation. Second, just as Stradivari knew exactly how to play one of his violins to produce the most beautiful music from it, God knows how to play you to produce the most beautiful music you have in you.

December 10, 2009 Posted by russellmckinney | Doing Good, God's Love, God's Provision, Personal Holiness, spiritual gifts | , , , | Leave a Comment

A Word To The Adults

This morning I had the privilege of speaking at the chapel service of our local Tri-County Christian school. I’ll admit that it wasn’t an easy assignment. You try coming up with something that will keep the attention of grades ranging from K-12.

We all read Matthew 26:36-44 together and I spoke on the subject of surrending yourself completely to God’s will. I talked about the “nevertheless” way of living. That idea comes from Christ’s garden of Gethsemane prayer: “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” If those young people could just get hold of that concept right there, I will have accomplished much this morning.    

After I left the school, I found myself thinking about Ecclesiastes 12:1: “Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth, before the difficult days come, and the years draw near when you say, ‘I have no pleasure in them.’” As for the days of my own youth, I remembered my Creator to some degree, but my track record was a few billion miles from being perfect. My prayer for the kids of Tri-County Christian school is that their efforts at serving the Lord during their younger days will far outdo anything previous generations have done.

In the end, much of what today’s kids do or don’t do will depend upon what kind of mentoring and guidance they receive from us adults. That’s why we must never stop remembering our Creator, no matter how old we get. God desires the obedience. We need the blessings that come from such obedience. And our young people need the role models. You see, it’s a win-win-win situation. So, adult, I ask you: What kind of a role model are you? Think about it.

December 2, 2009 Posted by russellmckinney | Character, Children, Doing Good, God's Will, Holiness, Parenting, Personal Holiness | , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment

« Previous Entries