What’s the Difference?

October 29

Keep your servant from willful sins.

Psalm 19:13

“What’s the difference if I make a mistake once in a while?” Jean asked. “I

mean, it’s not like I did it intentionally, you know … ” Her voice trailed off.

Her argument sounded good, but Carolann knew the truth. “You know as

well as I do that it matters. And you know why. You knew that what you were

doing was wrong, yet you chose to do it anyway. That’s a choice, not a mistake.”

She continued to correct Jean in love. “Making an honest mistake is one

thing; blatant disregard for moral and ethical standards is another.”

Jean bristled at Carolann’s words. “I’m not perfect like some people I

know!” she said, angry at having been rebuked when she’d shared the confiden-

tial information on her own. “I didn’t have to tell you, ya know,” she insisted.

“God’s not going to strike me down because I made one mistake,” she chal-

lenged defensively. “And I am better than I used to be.”

“No, He won’t. And yes, you are growing. But remember, God knows

what’s in our heart when mistakes are made. More than that,” Carolann empha-

sized, “being a Christian means we’re supposed to look and act differently than

the world. Do you understand?”

“Yes,” Jean acknowledged. “If it’s any consolation, I didn’t get any pleasure

out of it anyway,” she admitted sheepishly.

“You asked, ‘What’s the difference?’ The difference is, when Jesus comes

into our life, sin no longer has the same appeal. And once we begin to live for

Christ, we begin to look and feel different.”

h

God’s instruction leads to life. Yet our moral consciousness is flawed and

imperfect. This means we can sin without understanding it is sin. However,

there are times we knowingly and willfully go against the nature and will of

God—sins of commission.

Unless there is a change of heart, there will be no discernable difference

in how we feel toward sin or look to the world. Giving our lives to Christ does

not mean sin no longer exists in our lives. It means when we sin, convicting

discomfort sets in, and we have another choice to make.

Prayer

“Father, show me the sin in my life. Give me

a heart of discernment that I might not sin

against You. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

 Big, Mean Bully

October 28

The Lord disciplines those he loves.

Proverbs 3:12

As the story unfolded, the boys related how they’d found some “giant ant hills.”

And, as boys do, they decided to rid the neighborhood of them. Having pro-

cured some gasoline and stick matches, they saturated the hills with gas, stood

back, and threw a lighted match. The ensuing explosion sent embers flying in

every direction, hence the large grassfire. Running to the nearest house, they

had alerted the owner, who called 911.

As the fire trucks pulled away, Jamie, standing beside his father, asked, “Is

God gonna punish me for startin’ that fire?”

Looking at his nine-year-old son, Luther wondered, Where do we get this

picture of a big, mean God waiting to punish us?

He said, “No, Jamie, God is not going to punish you. But do you under-

stand all three of you could have been badly burned or killed today? And you

could have burned people’s homes to the ground.”

They walked a little farther, and Luther said, “God isn’t going to punish

you, Jamie. I, however, am. Because of your little escapade, you’re grounded for

two weeks. No contact with Bruce or Stevie during that time. And you will

call Mr. Breece to see if he wants you to help him clean up his property. Is that

understood?”

“Yes. I’m sorry. We were just tryin’ to kill those ants was all.” He sounded

so forlorn; Luther had to turn his head to keep Jamie from seeing his smile.

h

God is not a big, mean bully, arbitrarily punishing us for our mistakes. He does,

however, discipline those He calls sons and daughters. I’ve not met a loving

father who didn’t reprimand his children when they’ve done wrong.

Like Luther with Jamie, God disciplines us to keep us from harming

others or ourselves. His discipline is not indiscriminate or ambiguous. It is

intended to teach us how to eliminate unnecessary trouble from our lives.

To do that, God first instructs us; when instruction fails, He is forced to

gain our attention with love-driven discipline.

Rebellion and mistakes have consequences. Most, if not all, could be

avoided by heeding our Father’s instruction.

Prayer

“Father God, teach me to listen to Your instruction. Discipline

me for my own sake when I’m rebellious. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

 When Christ Comes

October 27

If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.

2 Corinthians 5:17

Ray wasn’t so much uncaring as he was self-preservation driven. He did what

he thought was best for him. “Look, if we don’t jump on this, we may not get

another opportunity.” He was adamantly defending purchasing stock options

without a thorough background check of the company they were looking at. It

was a merger buyout—the perfect opportunity to make a quick buck—and Ray

couldn’t understand their hesitation. “Why is it so important that you know

how the money is being used?”

“Shelly and I don’t want to unknowingly fund groups whose secular

worldview and agendas don’t align with our biblical worldview,” his brother-

in-law Peter answered. Shelly reminded Ray, “Do you remember when I spoke

to you about our perspective in regard to finances?” Receiving a blank stare, she

continued. “We believe our finances are God-given for the purpose of growing

His kingdom, not for our own personal gain. Anything that goes against His

will is not where we want our money.”

“Whatever.” His condescending attitude was dripping with sarcasm. “Just

don’t cry to me because you missed out on a good deal.”

Peter never hesitated. “Ray, the last thing we would do is blame you for a

poor choice on our part. So until we know what our investment is being used

for, we have no intention of taking part in the merger, huge returns or not.”

h

Until Christ comes into our lives, our decisions are based on selfish choices,

mostly by how those choices relate to our perceived personal desires and pos-

sible accomplishment.

When Christ comes into our lives, our lives are Holy Spirit directed, and

we begin to view things through kingdom lenses. Now we realize our respon-

sibility in making spiritually correct choices.

For the most part, this does not happen automatically; we must perse-

vere in spiritual discipline by asking God for His input in every aspect of our

lives. No issue is too small; no problem is too big. To get rid of the old nature

requires taking an active part in killing the old. Once we understand God’s

sacrifice, it becomes a blessing to do the will of the Lord.

Prayer

“Father, show me what’s right for my life. Teach

me to ask for Your advice and speak to me

through others. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

 Self-Imposed Ignorance

October 26

Therefore this generation will be held responsible for the blood of all

the prophets.

Luke 11:50

“Did you hear about the Reager boy?” Janet asked but didn’t pause long enough

to allow Tom time to answer. “Kali told me he missed school this week because

his father beat him, and he doesn’t want anyone to see the marks.”

“Janet, I swear. You listen to too much gossip,” Tom said. “I can’t believe

George would lay a hand on his kids.” What he was actually thinking was, I’m

not about to get involved in some other family’s affairs. It’s none of our business as

far as I’m concerned.

But Janet didn’t let it go. “Tom Sherman! I can’t believe you’d ignore this

to keep from getting involved. Shame on you!”

“What proof do you have anyway? Where did Kali hear about it?” he said

defensively. “And even if it’s true, what are we supposed to do?” he demanded.

“That’s a job for children’s services or the police.”

“If they don’t know about it, they can’t do anything!” Janet said adamantly.

“So why do we have to be the ones to tell them?” he argued.

“Because we’re the ones who know,” she said quietly.

In that final statement, Tom knew she was right and decided that to do

nothing was to allow it to continue. He picked up the phone and dialed chil-

dren’s services.

h

Self-imposed ignorance is a form of denial. If denial lasts long enough, great

tragedy will occur.

In the 1940s, the Germans heard rumors of evil being committed in their

midst, yet they refused to investigate for themselves in order to remain igno-

rant and therefore not responsible to take action. At the end of the war, Allied

troops marched German citizens through concentration camps and also forced

them to look upon mass graves in hopes that they would never again allow

ignorance to perpetuate evil.

In today’s text, God assigned blame for the blood of the prophets on those

who turned a blind eye to brutality and murder.

Self-imposed ignorance is no excuse. We are responsible for the knowl-

edge we possess, and we can only claim ignorance once. Once enlightened, we

have a responsibility to take action.

Prayer

“Lord, cause me to do what is right when I become

aware of wrong. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

 Inconsequential

October 25

And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered … you are

worth more than many sparrows.

Matthew 10:30, 31

Bethany was fourteen when she tried to take her own life. She saw herself as a

disappointment and felt she had no choice but to end her life by hanging her-

self from the rafters in the garage. Divine intervention brought her brother to

the garage at the very moment she stepped off the chair. Grabbing her around

the legs, he stepped onto the chair and supported her with one hand while

removing the rope with the other.

Bethany later admitted that she felt inconsequential and unsuccessful—

neither of which was true—and saw everything through a pass or fail lens; in

her mind, there had been no room for error.

Her parents were shocked and horrified to learn their youngest daughter

had thought of herself as a failure or that she believed death was the answer.

h

We no longer allow our children to be average. And because of this mind-set,

our children are choosing to end their lives because they don’t measure up in

their own eyes.

Teen suicide is a growing epidemic and in large part is a result of being sub-

jected to irrational ideals that create irreconcilable dilemmas teens are neither emo-

tionally nor spiritually mature enough to handle.

Irreconcilable dilemmas create depression that, if unrecognized, causes exces-

sive withdrawal and isolation. These symptoms can be misunderstood as a need for

personal space. Quiet withdrawal is not always a downtime thing needed to regroup.

Bethany eventually learned that self-imposed, irrational expectations could

overwhelm anyone. No one person is capable of carrying the weight of such

demands.

Christian counseling brought Bethany to a place where her overwhelm-

ing sense of a need to succeed no longer overshadowed rational thought.

We must not fail to recognize signs of depression. They can be as subtle

as they are destructive. There are abundant resources available; Christian psy-

chiatry can be beneficial; the local library and online medical sites have a

wealth of information.

But as valuable as these are, God’s Word is priceless. Our children must

know they matter. And we must not fail to tell them.

Prayer

“Lord, save our children from the lie of inconsequence. Help

us end this epidemic by revealing Your great love for them

through those who know the truth. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

 Absolutes

October 24

Then they can train the younger women to … be self-controlled

and pure.

Titus 2:4

Shania realized she’d made a terrible mistake accepting Reggie’s offer of a ride

home. She grabbed his hand, pulling it away from her breast. “No!” she said

adamantly. “Stop it!” The timbre in her voice left no doubt that she meant what

she’d said. “I want to go home now!”

“Aw, c’mon, Shania. What’s wrong with a little exploration?” Reggie’s hor-

mones were cranked, and he wasn’t going to be easily dissuaded. “You didn’t

mind it when we kissed. What’s the big deal?” he asked, genuinely perplexed.

But as she scooted away, he sensed his expectations dying an emotion-

filled death. This doesn’t make any sense. He thought. After all, she kissed me, didn’t

she? What’s up with that?

“What makes this so wrong?” he said, confusion and frustration driving him.

“I’m a Christian, Reggie,” she stated with conviction. “I made a commit-

ment to Jesus not to have sex before marriage. I want my husband to be the

only man I ever have sex with, and I don’t intend to break that vow. You offered

me a ride home,” she reminded him, “not a sexual encounter. Now, please take

me home.”

Completely baffled but resigned not to push her anymore, Reggie restarted

the car and drove Shania home.

h

It’s difficult for teens to remain pure until marriage while television and block-

buster movies are constantly sending the message, “Everybody’s having sex!”

Society has removed moral absolutes because of their restrictions, yet

refuses to make the connection to the rising rate of teen pregnancy, teen abor-

tion, teen rape, and teen suicide.

When we fail to teach the spiritual reason for abstinence, we remove the

ability to understand why morality matters. The consequences of sex outside of

marriage can run the gambit from disease to unwanted pregnancy, not to men-

tion being open to spiritual assault.

Paul instructed the older women to train the young ones. Sadly, many have

failed in their responsibilities by modeling a life of promiscuity, so the cycle

repeats itself.

The cycle will end when those who understand absolutes step up and show

our young women how to reclaim their purity.

Prayer

“Forgive our turn from moral absolutes, Lord. Help us

reestablish them in our homes so our children might understand

Your purpose for their lives. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

 Genuine Reproductions

October 23

As water reflects a face, so a man’s heart reflects a man.

Proverbs 27:19

The three-hundred-foot covered bridge was located on an old railroad bed

turned horse trail that traversed the Mohican River Valley in north central

Ohio. Glen stood on the bridge, taking pictures of the colorful fall foliage.

He leaned through one of the bridge’s windows and directed the camera

toward the water, snapping frame after frame. The scene was breathtaking; all

the colors of the surrounding hillsides were mimicked in reflection, not quite

as brilliant, yet showing two images: genuine and reproduction. The reflection

was marred only by the ripples in the current as the water flowed downstream.

While Glen was drinking in the wild beauty of his surroundings, a bald

eagle soared up the river valley toward his location. As the majestic bird glided

closer, it suddenly dived toward the surface of the water. Glen snapped frame

after frame, hoping to capture the bird’s hunting prowess. In one swift motion,

the eagle grabbed a fish in its talons, disappeared under the bridge, and flew

from sight.

At home, with photos transferred to the computer, Glen was ecstatic; he’d

caught it all! He’d gotten several incredible photos for his portfolio.

As he brought the images up on the monitor, he was fascinated by one

photo in particular. It was the frame in which the eagle’s talons sliced into the

water after its prey. In the troubled water, the eagle’s reflection was anything

but majestic; it appeared distorted and grotesque. Shaking his head in wonder,

Glen catalogued it along with the rest.

h

As Christians, we are the image bearers of Christ. When people look at us, they

should see grace and compassion, love and understanding. Yet, is that what

they see in us? Do we, by the life we live, have a Christlike appearance? Or,

like the image of the eagle, does the reflection appear distorted and grotesque?

The choices we make are reflected in the way we live. What’s sown into our

heart is apparent to the world.

Only by sowing grace and love with the help of the Holy Spirit can we

become a genuine reproduction of Christ’s image.

Prayer

“Father, find in me the likeness of Your Son and

bring it to the surface so my reflection is pleasing

to You and those whose lives I touch. Amen.”