PLUMBLINE DEVOTIONAL: COLOSSIANS 2:16-23

 TEXT: COLOSSIANS 2:16-23

16 Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. 17 These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. 18 Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind, 19 and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God.

20 If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations— 21 “Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch” 22 (referring to things that all perish as they are used)—according to human precepts and teachings? 23 These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.

English Standard Version (ESV)

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

WHY WE BLESS THE LORD, PART 2

Today, we need to key in on one major fact about God - and this should be a HUGE reason to Bless the Lord! In fact, if we don't bless Him big time about this, we don't deserve anything else.

There is so much that can be said about each of these verses from Psalm 103. However when we look at ourselves, both as individuals and as a people, we never see the way God sees. 
His Ways are not our ways and His Eyes are definitely different from ours!
He sees through the Eyes of Holiness. We see through the eyes of the flesh.
He sees through the Eyes of Righteousness. We see through the eyes of self- righteousness.
He sees through to the very core of our soul. We see only the man in the mirror.
He sees and knows all our short comings. We see ourselves as "not so bad".....not so bad. But is that good enough?

Of course it is not good enough...in fact, that kind of philosophy is called "religion" and it is the same evil that has been perpetrated against God since Nimrod built the Tower of Babel and created every false and evil thing, only a few hundred years after God destroyed the earth with the Great Flood - for the same reason!

So unless we are truly blinded, as most people are, we need to recognize this Truth - THE LORD IS MERCIFUL AND GRACIOUS, SLOW TO ANGER AND ABOUNDING IN MERCY! America is a corrupt and godless country which has sown the wind by the kind of leaders they elect; the evil culture they worship and their ungodly lifestyles we have. We deserve the Backhand of God slapping this country around from one side of the ocean to the other. Yet He is holding back! He is holding back! Not for much longer, but God is holding back some bad stuff, for the time being. For that reason alone, we should BLESS THE LORD, oh my soul!

PSALM 103: 6-10

The Lord executes righteousness

And justice for all who are oppressed.

7 

He made known His ways to Moses,

His acts to the children of Israel.

8 

The Lord is merciful and gracious,

Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.

9 

He will not always strive with us,

Nor will He keep His anger forever.

10 

He has not dealt with us according to our sins,

Nor punished us according to our iniquities. 

CAN UNBELIEVING PARENTS TEACH ABOUT JESUS?

PART 1 - THE FACTS

The Chicago Tribune ran a piece this morning in our local Faith section headlined "TEACHING KIDS ABOUT FAITH WHEN YOU DON'T PRACTICE ONE"! Now we can end this conversation right now with one word, which would finish the thought behind that headline - the word is "hypocrite". But that is letting parents completely off the hook! While we know that most churches don't teaching on hell, judgment or even the responsibility of EVERY human sitting in the pew, to Holy God, that does not lessen that said responsibility!

Incompetent and an increasingly disobedient church leadership is no excuse for parents being unable to account for the Spiritual Lives of their children. Every human being, ever born, will stand before Him on Judgment Day to give an account for our lives on this earth.  Being too busy trying to pay the bills or too tired to read the Bible/pray/worship/fellowship with the saints will not fly! If you choose not believe this, it is well, at your own risk.

The latest Gallup poll on Religion found that America is an increasingly ungodly place - something we already knew. It did not take a political party booing God to confirm what we see, when Biblical prophesy is being fulfilled right before our eyes. Churches and so-called Christians do not have 1/4 the influence, for good, that we had a generation ago. But that too is not surprising. Jesus Himself predicted that in Matthew 24:10 "And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another".

The Gallup Poll says that the number of Americans who said they were "Religious" dropped from 73% just seven years ago to only 60% today! Next, 5% of the United States are atheists up from only 1% in the same 7 year period - 2005-2012! I venture to say, the majority of Americans are actually Practical Atheists in their daily lifestyles! We don't need a poll to tell us that, we see it before our eyes!

There are other figures, but who needs more numbers, when we can see the evidence walked out before our eyes. One of my closest brothers in the faith and a fellow minister - one with whom I communicate daily since Iron Sharpens Iron - and I were talking about the level of Biblical discernment (almost zero) and ignorance (almost 100%) of not just teens and children under 10 today, but increasingly more and more adults!  We have discussed, with increasing urgency what it is going to take to reach these people, one last time. We can go into deep socio-economic and religious detail about why the huge drop from 73% to 60% and the accompanying increase in Atheism, but what's the point. Be it known that this fall from grace is actually a pulling back of the curtain on those who were fake believers in the first place! 

Briefly,  what happened in the past seven years was a decrease in financial wealth as the economy started to slip around 2008. But from 2005-2008, people were rolling in prosperity and apparently did not need God  or His blessings or His peace that passeth understanding! They were living in the high times of the American Dream, neglecting the Word of God, neglecting prayer, neglecting Jesus Christ and neglecting a Walk with Him! So when the Economy crashed in 2008, they had no spiritual foundation in the Lord and -proved the Jesus quote above correct! When you add that to no spiritual leadership in the church - NONE...with national Christian leaders more interested in getting along with other Faiths or promoting their multi-media empires, it was no surprise that almost 50% of evangelicals (notice I did not say Christian) voted pro-abortion and pro- everything counter to the Bible in 2008 and since! They did not know any better, because they do not know Jesus Christ, period!

So all that historical and empirical data aside, how DO parents teaching their kids about Faith when they don't practice one? 

TOMORROW - PART 2 - ANSWERS?

GUEST WRITER WEEK: NIKKI HAHN!

"GABBY"

It’s finally cold. Leaves form miniature hills on each side of the cobbled walk. I am heading to one of my favorite haunts, The Wild Iris Coffee Shop.

Its lunch time and I need a break away from the office to sip coffee and write. Dog walkers are bundled in thick coats. The sky is a deep blue, sparsely populated by clouds.

Nikki Hahn

I am content. I run to the crosswalk not wanting to miss the light and spend more minutes  waiting and finally arrive at the shop. This time I did not break the piggy bank to get a regular cup of coffee. A stressful day deserves a treat. Or at least that’s my rationalization. My husband will need some sweet talking to convince him of the extra dollars spent today.

It’s interesting what one hears in a coffee shop.

Two men are talking; one man sounds like Gabby Hayes (okay, some of you younger ones are giving me blank looks, but I grew up on Roy Rogers and loved Gabby).

Gabby talks about religion. “I found religion.”

As if you could find it, I thought.

“Really?” The other man leans his chin on his palm.

Gabby laughs. “Yeah, my girlfriend…” And he continues his conversation, bashing his girlfriend and religion in one breath.

One day you are not going to bash it. One day you will see and I hope it’s not too late.

You don’t find religion. You can’t become religious to appease your girlfriend or relatives. You’re either a believer in Christ or one in darkness. We are not allowed to sit on the fence anymore. In this culture, we can worship anything, but according to God we can only worship Him.

And that’s not a religion.

It’s a way of life.

TITUS 3:5 (NASB) "He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit."

(Image by Google Images)