Russell Mckinney's Blog

Straight Talk About God and Life

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

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

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

To Doorbust Or Not To Doorbust?

Well, this past Friday I got closer than I’ve ever gotten to doing some “door busting” on Black Friday. Wal-Mart was advertising a sweet laptop at an unheard of price. I had plans to hit in there about 3:30 or 4:00 in the morning and take my place in line. I dreaded it, but since I’d never actually had one of those ”door busting” experiences, and since I really wanted that laptop, I thought, “This is the year.”

The store was open on Thanksgiving day, and so Tonya and I made a trial run over there that afternoon. Fortunately for us, the lady who was going to be selling those laptops the next morning was also working that afternoon and took the time to answer some questions for me. The question-and-answer session went something like this:    

“What time do I need to be here to get one of those laptops?”  “By 1:30 or 2:00 a.m.”

“Really? That early?”  “Yes, definitely. I wouldn’t advise coming any later.”

“How many of those laptops do you have?”  “I’m sorry, I can’t tell you that. I know, but I can’t tell you.”

“If I do get here at 2:00 a.m., what will I need to do?”  “Go back to the appropriate part of the store and get in line.”

“What then?”  “I will start handing out tickets. Then, when the sale actually begins at 5:00 a.m., I’ll go right down the line and give the person with the ticket a chance to buy a laptop. I’ll go right down the line until all the laptops have been sold.”

“So, if I get in line at 2:00 a.m. and get my ticket, can I spend the next three hours walking around the store?”  “No, the best I can do is give you a five-minute bathroom pass.”

“In other words, I’m going to have to stand in line for a full three hours just to get a chance at buying one of those laptops?”  “Yes, that’s right.” 

It was somewhere along about then that my “door busting” turned into bronco busting and I was thrown off the horse. NOTHING that woman said sounded good to me. She finished me off when I asked her how much the computer usually cost. She quoted something along the lines of $389. I say “something along the lines” because she was talking pretty fast at that point. The truth is, I could be wrong about the price she quoted. That’s the figure my brain heard, though. And since the sale price was $299, I did some quick math and came to the conclusion that all that just wasn’t worth it to save $90. 

Now, I’ll grant you that three hours in line for $90 breaks down to $30 per hour. That’s good money. But it wasn’t enough to get me to bow down before that altar of American consumerism. So, I slept in Friday morning and enjoyed it. I did get out along about 10:30 a.m. with Tonya, the boys, and my mom. We hit the mall and had a good experience checking a few items off our “to buy” list. We didn’t get any 75% off deals, though.

I came away from my whole Black Friday experience with the following observations:

#1. Since that sales lady at Wal-Mart was so adament that I should be there no later than 2:00 a.m., I figure that meant they only had about ten of those laptops to sell.

#2. I’ve got enough willpower and sheer stubbornness to have gotten in line at 1:00 a.m., stood there all night, and staked my claim to one of those laptops, but I couldn’t do it and keep my self respect. That would have been me letting Wal-Mart play me, and I just couldn’t give them that satisfaction.

#3. If I was someone else, or if the situation had been something else, maybe God would have given me a peace about doing what was necessary to get that computer. As things were, though, the only peace I found was in forgetting the whole deal and sleeping in late.   

You know something? Even when I’m half in the mood to play this world’s silly little games, it’s just not something that I can do with ease or pleasure. God has had me too long for that. But I’m glad I’m that way because, after all, 1 John 2:15-17 is still in the Bible: 

“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life – is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.”

November 29, 2009 Posted by russellmckinney | Business, Choices, God's Will, Money, Personal, Priorities, Temptation, contentment, stewardship | , , , , , , | Leave a Comment

Faith

Last night was movie night at the church. I showed the film Flywheel. That was the first movie that was done by Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Ga. Most of my crowd had seen the church’s other two movies, Facing The Giants and Fireproof. Only a few, though, had seen Flywheel. (For the record, I highly recommend each of the films.) At the end of Flywheel, the lead character names his new baby girl Faith. This comes on the heels of all the lessons about faith that God has been teaching him.

I once heard David Gibbs. Sr. say, “The faith walk is on a need-to-know basis.” In my own walk with the Lord, I’ve experienced enough to learn the truth of these words. God never gives me the full revelation of what He’s up to in my life. I pretty much just get the guidance and instruction I need to take the next step. Whenever I think I’ve got the path figured out and can, perhaps, run ahead, He throws me a curveball to keep Me looking to Him.

Hebrews 11:1 in the New Living Translation describes faith as “the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen” and “the evidence of things we cannot yet see.” Tell me, are you “hoping” for a particular thing from God? Are you desiring something you “cannot yet see”? Rest assured that if the thing is God’s will, He will bring it to pass in His timing and way.

But in the meantime He wants you to have real faith that He is going to do what you want Him to do. There simply is no substitute for this faith, and it makes an incalculable difference in your overall attitude and mindset. Faith creates optimism, hope, and joy; a lack of it creates pessimism, despair, and gloom. So, if you were naming your baby girl today, could you honestly name her Faith? If you couldn’t you need to admit it and have a long talk with God about it. The answers you are looking for are found in Him.

November 21, 2009 Posted by russellmckinney | Belief, God's Will, Patience, Personal, Reward, faith, perseverance, prayer | , , , , | Leave a Comment

The Christian As A Teacher

Today’s post concerns teaching. Since I am a parent, a pastor, and a coach, and my wife is a school teacher, this one hits close to home. Here are three illustrations.   

#1: A man was attempting to house train his dog. Every time the dog made a mess in the house, he threw the dog out the window as punishment. After about three weeks, someone asked him how the training was coming along. He said, “That dumb dog – now every time he makes a mess he finishes up by jumping out the window.”

#2: A teenage girl took first-aid training. A few days later she burst into the house and said, “Mother, I just saw a terrible accident and I used my first-aid training.” The proud mother, with visions of her darling heroically giving someone mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, said, “Oh, honey, that’s wonderful. What did you do?” The girl said, “When I saw the blood, I sat down and put my head between my knees so I wouldn’t pass out.” 

#3: The starting quarterback on the high school team got injured and the team had to send in an untested freshman to replace him. Normally the freshman was the team’s punter. The coach didn’t trust him to run the offense and so he said to him, “Just hand the ball off to Jones, our big fullback, for three plays and then punt.” The eager freshman said, “Got it, coach” and ran onto the field.

On the first play, Jones ripped off a long run. The hometown crowd roared. The next play Jones rumbled for another big chunk of yards. The crowd roared again. The next play Jones ran the ball all the way down inside the one yard line, just inches away from a touchdown. The crowd went into a frenzy.

Then the team lined up for the next play. The freshman quarterback took the snap, dropped back a couple of yards, and punted the ball through the endzone up into the stands. As the team came off the field, the beside himself coach grabbed the young quarterback and screamed, “What in the world were you thinking when you punted that ball?” The youngster said, “I was thinking, ‘we sure do have a dumb coach.’”

Teaching gets trying at times, doesn’t it? But let’s keep at it, especially in the realm of Christian teaching. As Solomon attempted to teach his son, Rehoboam, about the dangers of adultery, he told him to obey his words so the young man wouldn’t have to say, “How I have hated instruction, and my heart despised correction! I have not obeyed the voice of my teachers, nor inclined my ear to those who instructed me! I was on the verge of total ruin” (Proverbs 5:12-14). Right there is the highest motivation for Christian teaching: to keep someone from spiritual ruin.

There is a debate as to who wrote the Bible’s book of Hebrews. Whoever it was, though, wrote under the inspiration of God (2 Timothy 3:16). In Hebrews 5:12, the writer rebukes the Jewish Christians to whom he is writing. And what does he rebuke them for? It is for not being spiritually far enough along to be TEACHERS of the word of God. Those Christians had been saved long enough to become capable of teaching God’s word, but they hadn’t done their “learning” and still needed to be taught themselves.

Whatever else we might say about this verse, let the record show that God wants Christians to be teachers of His word. This doesn’t mean that it’s His will for every Christian to be a pastor, Sunday School teacher, missionary, theologian, or seminary professor. It does mean, though, that each Christian should be doing his or her part to instruct others in what “Thus saith the Lord.”

How are you doing on that, Christian? Can you tactifully weave the teachings of God’s word into everyday conversation? If you have children, do you make a point of telling them what the Bible says about controversial issues? Are you a well of scriptural instruction to your friends, acquanitances, and coworkers? Your answer to each of these questions should be, yes. And in case you are wondering why this is such a big deal, let me remind you that you never know but what your teaching might just save someone from spiritual ruin.

September 29, 2009 Posted by russellmckinney | Bible Study, Children, God's Will, Influence, Parenting, Scripture, Teaching, The Bible | , , , , | Leave a Comment

Temptation’s Wreckers

As a native of North Carolina, I’m interested in interesting bits of information about my state. I’d like to share with you an old legend about Nags Head, a town located on the Outer Banks of eastern North Carolina. This legend has never been officially verified, but it sure makes for a good story.

The legend has it that in the 1700s Nags Head was home to a group of ruthless land pirates known as “wreckers” (sometimes also called “bankers”). These men would hang lanterns around the necks of “nags” (horses or mules) and slowly walk the animals up and down the beach at night. Out in the darkness of the Atlantic, a ship would mistake the bobbing light for the light of another ship. Figuring that the other ship had found safe passage around the shoals just off the island, the ship would turn inland and run aground on Diamond Shoals.

In the morning the “wreckers” would come along and gather up the timber to sell it and make money. The timber was used in everything from building new houses to making kitchen utensils. It was all a thriving business.

Even now visitors to Nags Head are shown old houses that were supposedly built and furnished with the material taken from these shipwrecks. They’re also told that it’s very possible that Nags Head took its name from the practice of hanging the lanterns around the necks of the ”nags.”  Estimates say that over two thousand ships perished off this coast during this time period.

Nags Head is now a tourist town of around 2,700. If it actually ever was a haven for land pirates, those days are long gone. This doesn’t mean, though, that there aren’t still some “wreckers” out there. A “wrecker” is anyone or anything that causes another to sail into dangerous waters. A desirable man or woman can wreck a marriage. A bottle can wreck a life. A dirty business deal can wreck a career. A church leader who doesn’t follow the Lord can wreck a church.

The key to avoiding each of these “shipwrecks” is to accurately recognize the wrecker. Don’t fall for just any light in a dark night. Don’t be so quick to trade the known for the unknown. Don’t be misled by a false reality. 

Most of us have heard the old saying, “God won’t put more on you than you can handle.” I even had a friend once call me and ask me where that verse is in the Bible. Even though the saying’s principle is a sound one, I had to tell my friend that there is no Bible verse that specifically supports the saying. The verse in question actually has to do with temptation. It is 1 Corinthians 10:13, and it says: “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.”

Please note the teaching of the verse. God will never allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able to withstand. Whenever you get close to your breaking point with some form of temptation, you need to look for God’s escape hatch out of that situation. The promise of the verse is that it will be there. 

I don’t know what’s going on in your life right now, but could it be that you are considering sailing off toward some strange light? Are you just about to change your course in life simply because you think this light will lead you into safe waters? Friend, beware the wrecker! If God really wanted you to chart that course, the way would be much clearer and more sure. The night wouldn’t be so dark and the light wouldn’t be so questionable. Rather than turning yourself toward that light, you need to start looking around for God’s way of escape from the temptation. That way will be there and it will keep you from a disastrous shipwreck.

September 17, 2009 Posted by russellmckinney | Change, Choices, God's Will, Temptation | , , , , , , | Leave a Comment

Idolatry In Early Bloom (a word about youth sports)

When you are the father of an athletic twelve-year old and eight-year old, you know more than you want to know about gyms, football fields, baseball diamonds, and soccer fields. You know how time consuming those places are. You know how much gas it takes to get to them. You know how much it costs for your kid to not only be there but be wearing the cool garb all the other kids are wearing. You’re life is not your own. You lost it all over again when they handed you the latest schedule. Of course, it’s been so long since you had it, you barely remember those days anyway.

A Christian with any degree of spiritual discernment can understand that sports has reached the status of idolatry in this country. But what many don’t understand is just how far down into the age brackets the idolatry has worked itself. A World Series in which the President throws out the first pitch and each player on the field is a millionaire is just the tip of the iceberg. A Super Bowl that offers Bruce Springsteen as halftime entertainment doesn’t paint the full picture. Neither does a Final Four where hundreds of fans have spent a couple weeks worth of paychecks just to sit in the nosebleed section of a dome and watch the games on a big screen. The fact is, the idolatry is in early bloom all the way down into the youth leagues.

The same parent who doesn’t mind calling in sick to work over a mere sniffle turns into Indiana Jones to get a kid to a game early Saturday morning. “Here’s the assignment, Dr. Jones, should you choose to accept it: Drag your child out of bed over protest (no bullwhip, please), get a uniform on the deadhead, grab a few Pop Tarts (the real breakfast of champions) on your way out the door, climb into the family truckster, exceed the speed limit, commit at least two cases of road rage, get to the site one minute after you were supposed to be there, watch the game and see your kid not do what he has been coached to do, drive back home as you fuss at the kid for not doing what he has been coached to do, and then spend the rest of your Saturday collapsed around the house trying to recover from the assignment.” Any takers? The hands of parents go up all over the countryside.

You say you are up for a sequel? Fine, let’s toss around a few more ideas. We could have Indy be forced to hunt down and buy a new, expensive football helmet because the one they gave his kid for standard issue looks like something Dick Butkus turned in at the end of the 1967 Chicago Bears season. Or we could have the coach of Indy’s kid suggest that Indy buy a lighter bat for the kid because the team has only three bats and none of them is light enough. And then, after Indy has shelled out $250 for the new bat, we’ll have three or four other kids on the team want to use it. Now we’re talking! And Indy will have to teach his child the lesson of sharing with those who haven’t contributed one dime to the cause. Oh, baby, I smell Oscar!

If I sound like I have an intimate knowledge of youth league sports, it’s because, for years now, I’ve moved through my calendar year by rotating from one youth sport to the next. In the spring and summer, it’s been baseball. In the fall, it’s been soccer and football. In the winter, it’s been basketball. I’ve been a head coach and an assistant coach. I’ve been a parent and a fan. I’ve been involved with everything from recreation league teams that didn’t win a game to “travel” teams made up exclusively of all-stars. And what has all of my experience taught me? I point you back to my earlier assertion: Youth sports is oftentimes nothing less than idolatry in early bloom.

I really don’t know what else to call it. One of the definitions that Webster’s Dictionary gives for “idol” is: “Any object of passionate devotion.” One of the definitions it gives for “idolatry” is: “Excessive love or veneration for any person or object.” An idol doesn’t have to be a graven image standing in your backyard. It doesn’t have to be a golden statue in the midst of an elaborate temple. An idol can be anything upon which you pour an inordinate amount of time, energy, money, and zeal.

Show me a father who won’t put a dime in the church offering plate but will gladly pay $175 for his kid to have that hot new pair of Nike basketball shoes, and I’ll show you an idol worshipping father. Show me a mother who won’t volunteer to do anything at church but thinks nothing of working the concession stand at the ball field or baking cookies for the fundraiser for her child’s soccer team, and I’ll show you an idol worshipping mother. Even if the father or mother is a Christian, it’s hard to deny that their purest worship goes to youth sports, not Jesus.

Just as some churches have “children’s church” or “wee worship” to train their children how to worship in the sanctuary with the adults, our society does the same kind of thing with the worship of sports. We use youth leagues to get our children ready to worship at the larger athletic stages. When a child never sees a parent praying, but often sees the parent arguing umpires’ calls, the child gets the message: Arguing umpires’ calls is important; prayer isn’t. When a child never sees a parent reading the Bible, but the parent knows the league rulebook from A to Z, the child gets the message: Knowing the rulebook is important; knowing the Bible isn’t. Kids aren’t stupid, and they pay more attention than we realize. It doesn’t take them long to figure out where our priorities lie. Once they’ve done this, all they have to do is embrace those same priorities and grow up. That’s how you build adults who worship sports more than Christ.

So, what should you, as the Christian parent of a child involved in youth sports, do about this problem? Let me suggest three things. Bear in mind that I don’t pretend this is an all-inclusive list. I offer it merely as an attempt to help you put on your thinking cap.

First, do an honest-to-goodness self-evaluation. Be real as to how big the problem is in your life. I know some Christian parents who genuinely have youth sports in a right perspective and balance. On the other hand, I know others who are way out of the banks on this issue. Where are you? Compare what you do for youth sports to what you do for your Savior. As the old saying goes, the first step is admitting you have a problem. If you have one, admit it.

Second, sit down with your child and ask questions you never ask. “Do you still enjoy playing this sport?” “Are you playing because you want to play or because you think I want you to play?” “Do you dread going to practice or the games?” “Has playing this sport made you more confident or less confident?” You might be surprised at the answers you get. Never take away a sport your child enjoys playing, but don’t make the child keep playing if the experience has turned painfully sour. It’s true that kids sometimes need to be pushed, particularly kids who are naturally lazy. But it’s also true that some parents keep their kids playing because to let them quit would be embarrassing to the parents, not the kids.

Third, get your worship back into proper alignment by rededicating yourself to Christ. This will knock youth sports off the throne of your life and give Jesus back His rightful place. If you will make this one big decision, it will take care of so many little decisions. Does Jesus want you to make a fool of yourself by arguing with an umpire? No. Does He want you to pull your child away from church Sunday after Sunday because your travel team plays in weekend tournaments that keep you constantly on the road and out of town? No. Does He want you to make your child keep playing a sport simply because if the child doesn’t keep at it he will never make the high school team? No. You see, once you have rededicated yourself to Jesus, that familiar question, “What would Jesus do?” takes on a whole new importance. If Jesus wouldn’t do something, you shouldn’t do it.

Perhaps by now you’re thinking that I’ve been reading either your mind or your mail. I haven’t. It’s just that, as I said, I know this subject very well. And, despite the conclusion you may have already drawn about me, I do know that sports doesn’t automatically equate to idolatry. Sports is fine when kept within acceptable parameters. It can even be a great thing. It promotes exercise, teaches teamwork, and rewards extra effort. It’s only when sports gets taken to the point of fanaticism, craze, and downright absurdity that it becomes idolatry. In that case, it has no place in the life of the Christian.

In the end, I certainly don’t expect our society to repent of its ways. I’ll bank on seeing a stadium full of people, on a Sunday at 1:00 p.m., in frigid weather, cheering wildly at a Pittsburgh Steelers or Green Bay Packers game this season. Those folks won’t all have just come from Sunday morning services either. We Christians, however, must reserve our worship for Jesus. More than that, we must show our kids just how devoted we are to Him. If that involves adjusting our mindset, so be it. If it involves missing a game, so be it. If it involves the extreme of quitting a sport, so be it. We must do whatever is necessary to bring every area our lives, including the area of youth sports, under the lordship of Christ. This won’t just help our kids; it will help us. And, after all, aren’t we the ones who are supposed to be molding and shaping them?

September 11, 2009 Posted by russellmckinney | Children, Church attendance, Fatherhood, God's Will, Parenting, Priorities, Sports | , , , , , | Leave a Comment

What Does The Bible Teach About Divorce & Remarriage?

Any series on marriage would be lacking if it didn’t address the issue of divorce and remarriage. For one thing, it would pass over an entire category of marriages, a category that has become commonplace in our society. For another, it would omit a fair-sized list of important Bible passages.

What I want to do is build a bridge that will allow us to rightly understand what the Bible teaches about divorce and remarriage. To build this bridge, I’ll use 7 “planks” of truth. Each of these “planks” comes straight from the pages of scripture.

Plank #1: God’s ideal for marriage is one man-one woman till death do they part. This is taught in both the Old Testament (Genesis 2:24; Proverbs 5:18) and the New Testament (Matthew 19:1-6; Ephesians 5:22-33; 1 Corinthians 7:1-5,39). While it’s true that prominent Old Testament characters like Jacob, David, and Solomon had many wives, it’s also true that such polygamous relationships were never God’s will. He allowed them, and even used them to further His purposes, but He never approved of them. Furthermore, even a casual study of these families will show that polygamy comes with a steep bill. It inevitably creates major problems because it evokes great jealousy among the wives.

Plank #2: God hates divorce. These are His words, not mine. They are found in Malachi 2:16. Note that He hates divorce, not the  divorcee. If you wonder why He hates divorce, I’m guessing that you’ve never been personally touched by it. Typically, it is a gutwrenching, heartbreaking, devastating ordeal. It is especially hard when children are involved. The kids get washed over by the tidal wave. For that matter, so do the grandparents, uncles, aunts, in-laws, and other family members. God doesn’t just hate divorce because of what it does to the husband and wife; He hates it because of what it does to the rest of the family on both sides.       

Plank #3: Despite His ideal for marriage and His hatred of divorce, God will grant a divorce in certain situations. One situation involves sexual immorality on the part of the husband or wife. Jesus said, “But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery” (Matthew 5:32; 19:9).

The Greek word that is translated as “sexual immorality” is porneia. It is an umbrella term that covers every form of sexual sin: adultery (Matthew 5:31-32; 19:9), homosexuality (Jude v.7), and incest (1 Corinthians 5:1). Therefore, God considers all of these sexual sins as legitimate grounds for divorce. Not coincidently, these sexual sins, as well as that of bestiality, were forbidden under Old Testament law (Leviticus 18:1-30). So, to sum up, if a husband or a wife has any kind of sexual relations outside the marriage, God will grant a divorce to the victimized spouse.   

A second situation in which God will grant a divorce involves abandonment. It must be understood, though, that this abandonment is of a highly specific nature. It is a Christian spouse being left (abandoned) by a non-Christian spouse. Writing under the inspiration of God (2 Timothy 3:16), the apostle Paul wrote that the Christian is not “under bondage in such cases” (1 Corinthians 7:15).

Plank #4: In any case where God grants a divorce, He also grants the right to remarry, assuming the remarriage is in His will. In 1 Corinthians 7:27-28, Paul says, “Are you bound (married) to a wife? Do not seek to be loosed (divorced). Are you loosed (divorced) from a wife? Do not seek a wife. But even if you do marry, you have not sinned.” As for the new marriage needing to be in His will, that is a standard for any marriage (1 Corinthians 7:39).

Plank #5: Unscriptural divorce creates adultery. If a person gets a divorce on grounds that are not Biblical, and then remarries, that remarriage makes the person an adulterer. I realize this is a tough standard, but it’s the one that Jesus lays down in Matthew 5:32 and Matthew 19:9.

The specific example He cites in those verses assumes that both the husband and the wife will remarry and consumate their new marriages. God will see those consumations as adultery because, in His mind, that husband and wife will still be in marriage covenant with each other. To make matters worse, the consumations will also make adulterers of each of the new spouses.

Plank #6: There is forgiveness to be found in Christ for every sin in regards to marriage, divorce, and remarriage. The little epistle of 1 John was written to Christians, and it says in 1 John 1:9: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” That covers the Christian who needs to seek forgiveness of sin in this area. The issue with the Christian is not lost salvation; it is lost fellowship with the Lord.

But what about the lost person? Well, we must understand that the lost person is already living under divine condemnation. As John 3:18 says: “He who believes in Him (Christ) is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” Really, a lost person’s sin in regards to marriage, divorce, and remarriage is just more unforgiven sin in a lifetime filled with unforgiven sin. He or she doesn’t lose any fellowship with God because there is no fellowship to lose. The point is, the lost person needs to believe in Christ as Savior and thereby receive forgiveness of all sins. God’s word to such a man or woman is: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved” (John 3:16-17).

Plank #7: Whatever singular marriage a person is currently in, God wants that person to remain in that marriage. Again I will reference 1 Corinthians 7:27, where Paul writes, “Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be loosed…” I’ll also mention the Malachi 2:16 verse where God says that He hates divorce. What I’m showing you here is that even if a husband or wife realizes that his or her current marriage is adulterous because it came after an unscriptural divorce, God wants that person to stay in the marriage. He or she shouldn’t end the new marriage in divorce and try to remarry the previous spouse. That will just make a bad situation worse.

Alright, now that we have these 7 planks of our bridge in place, we can do a little detail work on the bridge. Here now are 10 ”detail” pieces that will help fill in some of the gaps. As was the case with the “planks,” each of these is based upon scripture.

1. God is the only “judge” who can truly grant a divorce. Jesus said, “What God has joined together, let not man separate” (Matthew 19:6). The judge downtown is just a man. He doesn’t have the power to separate a couple that God Himself has joined together. That judge can provide a legal document of divorce, but he can’t make that document stand good in the eyes of God.  

2. Even though there are many unscriptural grounds (incompatibility, alcoholism, drug addiction, spousal abuse, child abuse, financial problems, etc.) that people deem as worthy for divorce, not one of these is legitimate with God.

3. God does allow husbands and wives in troubled marriages to separate and yet not divorce. This should be remembered especially in marriages in which one of the spouses is truly at physical risk. 1 Corinthians 7:10-11 says: “A wife is not to depart from her husband. But even if she does depart (leave, separate), let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband…” Separation does not have to lead to divorce.

4. Even in situations in which God sees Biblical grounds for divorce, He does not demand divorce (1 Corinthians 7:12-14). He would be pleased if the couple worked out their problems and made the marriage last.  

5. In the Old Testament law that God gave to Israel, a man could not divorce his wife and then remarry her again if she got remarried and divorced after he first divorced her (Deuteronomy 24:1-4).

6. Under that Old Testament law, a man could divorce his wife for virtually any reason as long as he provided her with a written certificate of divorcement (Deuteronomy 24:1-4). However, centuries later, Jesus explained that God allowed this practice merely because of the hardness of the peoples’ hearts. Such divorces were never His will (Matthew 19:4-9).

7. Under that Old Testament law, a priest could not marry a divorced woman, a widow, a defiled woman, or a harlot (Leviticus 21:14).

8. It is never God’s will for a Christian to marry a lost person (2 Corinthians 6:14-18). But such marriages do happen. For example, one spouse might become a Christian while the other spouse refuses to do so. Or perhaps a lost person falsely claims to be a Christian long enough to marry a true Christian. Or sometimes Christians simply marry people they shouldn’t marry. Regardless of how such a union comes to pass, God wants the Christian to stay in the marriage and make it work. This is clearly taught in 1 Corinthians 7:12-14.

9. It is noteworthy that when Jesus spoke to the Samaritan woman at the well, He said to her, “You have well said, ‘I have no husband,’ for you have had five husbands…” He didn’t say, “In God’s eyes, you are still married to each husband.” Why did Jesus word His conversation this way? It is at least possible that the woman provided each of those five husbands with the God-honored grounds of sexual immorality. If this was the case, God would have granted each husband a divorce, which would have, in His eyes, left the woman without a husband.

10. No Christian will have to worry about any eternally lingering effects of marriage, divorce, and remarriage. Jesus taught that there will be no marriage in eternity (Matthew 22:30). The only marriage will be that of the bridegroom, Jesus, to His bride, the church, (Ephesians 5:22-32).

Well, perhaps after reading all of this you feel like you’ve been clubbed to death with the Bible. If you are divorced or divorced and remarried, you might feel like a second-class person in the eyes of God. Please don’t do that. Neither unscriptural divorce nor unscriptural divorce and remarriage is the unpardonable sin. There is complete forgiveness to be found in Christ!

Even more than that, God still wants to use you in wonderful ways in His service. Think about it, if He can use a murderer like Moses (Exodus 2:11-15), an adulterer-murderer like David (2 Samuel 11:1-27), a persecutor like Paul (Galatians 1:13), and a thief dying on a cross (Luke 23:39-43), He can certainly use you. 

You say, “But Russell, you don’t know how badly I’ve missed the mark on this subject.” Tell me, have you missed it any worse than that Samaritan woman at the well? She had five failed marriages on her track record and she was living with another guy who wasn’t even one of them (John 4:18). And yet, God used her as one of the greatest examples of soul winning in all the Bible (John 4:28-30,39-42).       

Listen, don’t let an unscriptural divorce or an unscriptural divorce and remarriage become the event that stands out as the mountaintop peak of your life. Once you’ve realized the sin in what you’ve done, receive the 100% forgiveness that Jesus offers and START AFRESH AND ANEW RIGHT WHERE YOU ARE IN SERVICE TO HIM.

I don’t know if you’ve heard but the Lord is running short on volunteers. If you want to serve Him, He will put you to work! Will you ever forget your bad marriage? No. Will you have to deal with some fallout from it as long as you live? Perhaps. But everybody has things in their past they’d like to forget, and everybody is dealing with some fallout from something. So, give yourself fully over to Christ and get on with your life. Stop living in the past. Realize that in Christ you really can have a joyous present and you really do have a glorious future.

September 8, 2009 Posted by russellmckinney | Divorce, Divorce & Remarriage, God's Will, Homosexuality, Husbands, Marriage, Polygamy, Wives | , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Does God Want Everyone To Get Married?

Is it God’s will for each person to get married? The Bible answer is, no. However, the reason the Bible names for remaining unmarried is an interesting one. It has to do with the single person being able to devote more time, energy, and resources to service to Christ.  

The Bible passage on this is 1 Corinthians 7:25-40. In these verses, the apostle Paul presents the advantages of remaining, as he puts it, “without care.” He says of the man, “He who is unmarried cares for the things of the Lord – how he may please the Lord. But he who is married cares about the things of the world – how he may please his wife” (1 Corinthians 7:32-33). Then Paul applies this same thought to the woman, as he says, “The unmarried woman cares about the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit. But she who is married cares about the things of the world – how she may please her husband” (1 Corinthians 7:34).  

We shouldn’t take these verses as an indictment against married people. Certainly God’s ordained way of propagating the human race is through marriage, and certainly one can be married and still serve the Lord. But Paul’s point is a good one. Anyone who has been married for one week knows that married life carries many responsibilities with it, and those responsibilities will eat away at time, energy, and resources that could be spent on matters that are more obviously spiritual.

I purposely use that word “obviously” because the fact is that every aspect of a Christian’s life is, in a very real sense, “spiritual.” This same Paul wrote in Colossians 3:17: “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.” He said basically the same thing in 1 Corinthians 10:31: “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” Those two verses remind me of that little story about the woman standing at the sink, washing the dishes. A sign above the sink reads, “Divine service rendered here three times daily.” You see, even a marriage responsibility such as washing the dishes can become “divine service” when it is done to the glory of God.

But what Paul is saying in the 1 Corinthians chapter 7 passage is that single people can do certain things for the Lord that married people just can’t do. I was a pastor before I got married. Back in those days I could sit up all night working on sermons and not worry about bothering anybody else in the house because there wasn’t anybody else in the house! I could pray out loud while I laid in bed. I could plan my visitation schedule with no thought whatsoever to what was going on with my wife’s day. I didn’t have to concern myself with the cares of grocery shopping for more than myself, getting two boys to their ball practices, etc. I was, to use Paul’s words, “without care” except the care I put into serving Christ.

In Matthew 19:12, Jesus gives this same teaching. He says, “For there are eunuchs who were born thus from their mother’s womb, and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s sake.” With these words, Jesus describes three different kinds of eunuchs. First, the eunuchs who were born eunuchs would be those people who shouldn’t get married because of physical or mental problems from birth. Second, the eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men were men who were castrated in order to serve in royal service to a king. (In the East, it was common practice to castrate certain servants, particularly those who were placed in charge of kings’ harems.) Third, the eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s sake are those who have voluntarily committed themselves to celibacy and remaining unmarried in order that they might completely give themselves over to service to the Lord.

And so we see that there is nothing wrong with remaining single. But if you are going to go that route in life, you must ask yourself the question, “Why do I want to remain single?” Is it because you don’t want to be “tied down” to one person? Is it because you want to be free to “play the field”? Is it because you are far too self-absorbed and self-centered to ever think about sharing your life with someone else? Or is it because you want to keep yourself free to go more all out in service to Jesus?

If that last one is your motivation, then you are in the good company of Christians such as Paul, people who used themselves up in service to Christ. Remaining single is certainly nothing to be ashamed of. Just make sure that you take the time, energy, and resources that you would spend on a spouse and spend it on Jesus.

August 21, 2009 Posted by russellmckinney | God's Will, Marriage | , , , , | 4 Comments

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