Represent Christ in Every Circumstance

For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. Romans 12:3, NRSV.

Live for something besides self. If your motives are pure and unselfish, if you are looking out to do work that somebody must do, to show kind attentions and to do courteous acts, you are unconsciously building your own monument. In the home life, in the church, and in the world you are representing Christ in character. This is the work the Lord calls upon all ... to do....

Let your aspirations and your motives be pure. In every business transaction be rigidly honest. However tempted, never deceive or prevaricate in the least matter. At times a natural impulse may bring temptation to diverge from the straightforward path of honesty, but do not vary one hair's breadth. If in any matter you make a statement as to what you will do, and afterward find that you have favored others to your own loss, do not vary from principle. Carry out your agreement.

By seeking to change your plans you would show that you could not be depended on. And should you draw back in little transactions, you would draw back in larger ones. Under such circumstances some are tempted to deceive, saying, I was not understood. My words have been taken to mean more than I intended. The fact is, they meant just what they said, but lost the good impulse, and then wanted to draw back from their agreement, lest it prove a loss to them. The Lord requires us to do justice, to love mercy, and truth, and righteousness....

Men and women are destitute of the stern virtues required to build up the church. They are not capable of devising methods and plans of a healthful, solid character. They are deficient in the very qualifications essential to the prosperity of the church. It is this kind of education that needs to be changed to an education that is sound and sensible, in harmony with Bible principles.--Manuscript Releases 20:343, 344.

Invest to Glorify God, Not Self

Talk no more so very proudly; let no arrogance come from your mouth, for the Lord is the God of knowledge; and by Him actions are weighed. 1 Samuel 2:3, NKJV.

I was in the night season called upon to behold buildings rising story after story toward heaven. These buildings were warranted to be fireproof, and they were erected to glorify the owners and builders.... Those to whom these buildings belonged were not asking themselves: "How can we best glorify God?" The Lord was not in their thoughts.

I thought: "Oh, that those who are thus investing their means could see their course as God sees it! They are piling up magnificent buildings, but how foolish in the sight of the Ruler of the universe is their planning and devising. They are not studying with all the powers of heart and mind how they may glorify God. They have lost sight of this, the first duty of human beings."

As these lofty buildings went up, the owners rejoiced with ambitious pride that they had money to use in gratifying self and provoking the envy of their neighbors. Much of the money that they thus invested had been obtained through exaction, through grinding down the poor. They forgot that in heaven an account of every business transaction is kept; every unjust deal, every fraudulent act, is there recorded. The time is coming when in their fraud and insolence men and women will reach a point that the Lord will not permit them to pass, and they will learn that there is a limit to the forbearance of Jehovah....

There are not many, even among educators and statesmen, who comprehend the causes that underlie the present state of society. Those who hold the reins of government are not able to solve the problem of moral corruption, poverty, pauperism, and increasing crime. They are struggling in vain to place business operations on a more secure basis. If men and women would give more heed to the teaching of God's Word, they would find a solution of the problems that perplex them.--Testimonies for the Church 9:12, 13.

Show Divine Love by Being Merciful

But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him, and His righteousness to children's children, to such as keep His covenant, and to those who remember His commandments to do them. Psalm 103:17, 18, NKJV.

Mercy is an attribute that the human agent may share with God. As did Christ, so one may lay hold on the divine arm and be in communication with divine power. To us has been given a service of mercy to perform for our fellow human beings. In performing this service, we are laboring together with God. We do well, then, to be merciful, even as our Father in heaven is merciful.

"I will have mercy," God says, "and not sacrifice." Mercy is kind, pitiful. Mercy and the love of God purify the soul, beautify the heart, and cleanse the life from selfishness. Mercy is a manifestation of divine love, and is shown by those who, identified with God, serve Him by reflecting the light of heaven upon the pathway of their fellow creatures.

The condition of many persons calls for the exercise of genuine mercy. Christians, in their dealing with one another, are to be controlled by principles of mercy and love. They are to improve every opportunity for helping fellow beings in distress. The duty of every Christian is plainly outlined in the words: "Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over." "As ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise." These are the principles that we shall do well to cherish.

Let those who desire to perfect a Christlike character ever keep in view the cross on which Christ died a cruel death in order to redeem humankind. Let them ever cherish the same merciful spirit that led the Savior to make an infinite sacrifice for our redemption.--The Signs of the Times, May 21, 1902.

Set Right Priorities in Life

Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Matthew 6:33, NKJV.

On every hand there is that which would tempt the Christian to forsake the narrow way; but those who would perfect a character fit for eternity must take the will of God as their standard, separating entirely from everything that is displeasing to Him. Thousands are betrayed into sin because they leave the citadel of the heart unguarded. They become engrossed with the cares of this world, and true godliness is driven from their hearts. They rush eagerly into speculation, seeking to accumulate more of this world's treasure. Thus they place themselves where it is impossible for them to advance in the Christian life. "Be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer." And while you pray, strive earnestly to guard your heart from all pollution; for prayer without effort is a solemn mockery.

"Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him." Every moment of our time belongs to God, and we have no right so to burden ourselves with cares that there is no room in our hearts for His love. At the same time, we are to obey the injunction "Not slothful in business." We are to labor, that we may have to give to him that needs. God does not desire us to allow our powers to rust through inaction. Christians must work; they must engage in business; and they can go a certain length in this line, and commit no sin against God.

But too often Christians allow the cares of life to take the time that belongs to God. They devote their precious moments to business or to amusement. Their whole energies are employed in acquiring earthly treasure. In so doing they place themselves on forbidden ground.

Many professing Christians are very careful that all their business transactions shall bear the stamp of strict honesty, but dishonesty marks their relations with God. Absorbed in worldly business, they fail to perform the duties they owe to those around them. Their children are not brought up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. The family altar is neglected; private devotion is forgotten. Eternal interests, instead of being put first, are given only the second place. God is robbed because their best thoughts are given to the world, because their time is spent on things of minor importance. Thus they are ruined, not because of their dishonesty in dealing with others, but because they have defrauded God of what is rightfully His own.--The Signs of the Times,

To Win Souls, Forgo Personal Gain

I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:12, 13, NKJV.

In every age Satan has sought to impair the efforts of God's servants by introducing into the church a spirit of fanaticism. Thus it was in Paul's day, and thus it was in later centuries during the time of the Reformation. Wycliffe, Luther, and many others who blessed the world by their influence and their faith encountered the wiles by which the enemy seeks to lead into fanaticism overzealous, unbalanced, and unsanctified minds.

Misguided souls have taught that the attainment of true holiness carries the mind above all earthly thoughts and leads men and women to refrain wholly from labor. Others, taking extreme views of certain texts of Scripture, have taught that it is a sin to work--that Christians should take no thought concerning the temporal welfare of themselves or their families, but should devote their lives wholly to spiritual things. The teaching and example of the apostle Paul are a rebuke to such extreme views....

When Paul first visited Corinth, he found himself among a people who were suspicious of the motives of strangers. The Greeks on the seacoast were keen traders. So long had they trained themselves in sharp business practices, that they had come to believe that gain was godliness, and that to make money, whether by fair means or foul, was commendable. Paul was acquainted with their characteristics, and he would give them no occasion for saying that he preached the gospel in order to enrich himself. He might justly have claimed support from his Corinthian hearers; but this right he was willing to forgo, lest his usefulness and success as a minister should be injured by the unjust suspicion that he was preaching the gospel for gain. He would seek to remove all occasion for misrepresentation, that the force of his message might not be lost.--The Acts of the Apostles, 348, 349.

Looking Unto Jesus

Many make a serious mistake in their religious life by keeping the attention fixed upon their feelings and thus judging of their advancement or decline. Feelings are not a safe criterion. We are not to look within for evidence of our acceptance with God. We shall find there nothing but that which will discourage us. Our only hope is in "looking unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith." There is everything in Him to inspire with hope, with faith, and with courage. He is our righteousness, our consolation and rejoicing.

     Those who look within for comfort will become weary and disappointed. A sense of our weakness and unworthiness should lead us with humility of heart to plead the atoning sacrifice of Christ. As we rely upon His merits we shall find rest and peace and joy. He saves to the uttermost all who come unto God by Him.

     We need to trust in Jesus daily, hourly. He has promised that as our day is, our strength shall be. By His grace we may bear all the burdens of the present and perform its duties. But many are weighed down by the anticipation of future troubles. They are constantly seeking to bring tomorrow's burdens into today. Thus a large share of all their trials are imaginary. For these, Jesus has made no provision. He promises grace only for the day. He bids us not to burden ourselves with the cares and troubles of tomorrow; for "sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." 

     The habit of brooding over anticipated evils is unwise and unchristian. In thus doing we fail to enjoy the blessings and to improve the opportunities of the present. The Lord requires us to perform the duties of today and to endure its trials. We are today to watch that we offend not in word or deed. We must today praise and honor God. By the exercise of living faith today we are to conquer the enemy. We must today seek God and be determined that we will not rest satisfied without His presence. We should watch and work and pray as though this were the last day that would be granted us. How intensely earnest, then, would be our life. How closely would we follow Jesus in all our words and deeds?

     There are few who rightly appreciate or improve the precious privilege of prayer. We should go to Jesus and tell Him all our needs. We may bring Him our little cares and perplexities as well as our greater troubles. Whatever arises to disturb or distress us, we should take it to the Lord in prayer. When we feel that we need the presence of Christ at every step, Satan will have little opportunity to intrude his temptations. It is his studied effort to keep us away from our best and most sympathizing friend. We should make no one our confidant but Jesus. We can safely commune with Him of all that is in our hearts

     Brethren and sisters, when you assemble for social worship, believe that Jesus meets with you; believe that He is willing to bless you. Turn the eye away from self; look unto Jesus, talk of His matchless love. By beholding Him you will become changed into His likeness. When you pray, be brief, come right to the point. Do not preach the Lord a sermon in your long prayers. Ask for the bread of life as a hungry child asks bread of his earthly father. God will bestow upon us every needed blessing if we ask Him in simplicity and faith. 

     The prayers offered by ministers previous to their discourses are frequently long and inappropriate. They embrace a whole round of subjects that have no reference to the necessities of the occasion or the wants of the people. Such prayers are suitable for the closet, but should not be offered in public. The hearers become weary and long for the minister to close. Brethren, carry the people with you in your prayers. Go to your Saviour in faith, tell Him what you need on that occasion. Let the soul go out after God with intense longing for the blessing needed at that time.

     Prayer is the most holy exercise of the soul. It should be sincere, humble, earnest--the desires of a renewed heart breathed in the presence of a holy God. When the suppliant feels that he is in the divine presence, self will be forgotten. He will have no desire to display human talent; he will not seek to please the ear of men, but to obtain the blessing which the soul craves.

     If we would only take the Lord at His word, what blessings might be ours! Would that there were more fervent, effectual prayer. Christ will be the helper of all who seek Him in faith.

Public Service Demands Strict Integrity

It is not for kings to drink wine, nor for princes intoxicating drink; lest they drink and forget the law, and pervert the justice of all the afflicted. Proverbs 31:4, 5, NKJV.

Intemperate persons should not by vote of the people be placed in positions of trust. Their influence corrupts others, and grave responsibilities are involved. With brain and nerve narcotized by tobacco and stimulus they make a law of their nature, and when the immediate influence is gone there is a collapse. Frequently human life is hanging in the balance; on the decision of those in these positions of trust depends life and liberty, or bondage and despair. How necessary that all who take part in these transactions should be those who are proved, those of self-culture, those of honesty and truth, of staunch integrity, who will spurn a bribe, who will not allow their judgment or convictions of right to be swerved by partiality or prejudice.

Thus saith the Lord, "Thou shalt not wrest the judgment of thy poor in his cause. Keep thee far from a false matter; and the innocent and righteous slay thou not: for I will not justify the wicked. And thou shalt take no gift: for the gift blindeth the wise, and perverteth the words of the righteous."--

Only men and women of strict temperance and integrity should be admitted to our legislative halls and chosen to preside in our courts of justice. Property, reputation, and even life itself are insecure when left to the judgment of those who are intemperate and immoral. How many innocent persons have been condemned to death, how many more have been robbed of all their earthly possessions, by the injustice of drinking jurors, lawyers, witnesses, and even judges! ...

There is need now of people like Daniel--men and women who have the self-denial and the courage to be radical temperance reformers. Let every Christian see that his or her example and influence are on the side of reform. Let ministers of the gospel be faithful in instructing and warning the people. And let all remember that our happiness in two worlds depends upon the right improvement of one.

Buried Alive

Have any of you been buried alive?

Well, in the days of yesteryear, a prosperous businessman in Mexico was wrongly pronounced dead and in due course of time he was buried. They did not have the knowledge that he was still alive. The night watchman of the cemetery went to the police to report hearing knocks coming from the new grave. An order finally came to exhume the grave and they discovered that the glass top of his coffin had been broken. He had been buried alive, and later regained consciousness, and after a frantic struggle, and he had died of suffocation.

It is important to make sure that there is death before burial. Would you agree? I think that is fairly important. In a few moments you will see that this is one of the greatest reasons for failure in the Christian life.

In John 19:30, you will see the record of the last moments of Jesus' life. Jesus was hanging on the cross, and in verse 30 it says, that He gave up the ghost, he died. When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." And with that, he bowed His head and gave up His spirit. Do you think he actually died? If he didn't die, then we won't live, right? He did actually die. He was buried just before sundown on that Good Friday (We call it good because that's the day that our salvation was paid for), and He rested in the tomb all during the holy Sabbath hours. And then very early on Sunday morning an angel came and rolled back that monstrous stone, opening up the tomb, and Jesus came forth our resurrected Savior. His victory over the tomb was not just for Himself but for every human being in the entire world Anyone who would accept Jesus as their personal Savior, and invite Him into their heart and trust Him forever more, that victory is for them. And just as sure as Jesus is alive today, Jesus was truly dead before His burial that Friday afternoon. I believe that. He died.

We all agree that there should be death before burial.

This is especially true in a spiritual sense the old sinful man must die you can have a new life, before baptism. Many who assume the name of Christ have been baptized, but they were buried alive! Because self did not die. The old man did not die. The old man went down into there alive and came up alive. Do you see what the problem is in the Spiritual life? People are buried alive in the church. Because self did not die, they do not rise with a new life in Christ. Therefore they experience a languishing life, even in the church. Their spirituality is not the same because when they were baptized, the old-man did not die. You don't want that old man. You don't want that struggle with the ways of life. You want a new life, so the old life has to die.

To be properly baptized first you die to the old ways of sin. Then you are buried under the waters of baptism, and you come up a brand new person in Jesus Christ. That's the only way it can happen. But when and if you slip, which you will, in the weeks after your baptism, do you need to be re-baptized all over again? Do you need to die again and be buried and come up again? Yes you do. If every time we told a lie or did something dishonest, if we had to be buried and re-baptized in a baptistry pastors would be waterlogged from being baptized themselves and baptizing others. Fortunately Jesus holds the patent on a service that basically replaces baptism after you've been baptized. It's a miniature baptism. It's called The Foot-washing Service! Here in John 13 you can see the evidence that Jesus took out a new invention: The Foot-washing Service. He washed His disciple's feet. I don't have any record of this happening before this time. In the spiritual that He did it, it was something very new and very important. This miniature baptism is to gain the full rich blessing from this service in a continuing way. Now, you would think that during the communion service this would be the most widely attended meeting of any meeting we ever have in the church. People ought to be here because this is very important. This is where we renew our wedding vows, our spiritual covenant with Jesus Christ.

So we must die to our old ways of life before we can experience a new life here today at this communion service. Would you agree with that? We don't want people to come and experience this service and go away unchanged. And to do that, the first thing you need to do is to pray that God will slay, mortify, kill, the old way of life and extract it from your life and give you a new life. And so, when you place your feet under the water at the foot washing service here today, you are in effect burying your old life. That is what that means. That is a symbol of baptism. Make sure that you are not buried alive! Make sure that before you ever enter this service, that you ask the Lord to bless you. That you ask the Lord to take away the sins of the old nature. Have you been struggling with sin lately? Are there some sins in your life that you are a terrible time with? Maybe that needs to die. Maybe you need to just turn that over to the Lord and let Him be an executioner of that old way of life, and then you can be raised to a brand new life. You can do that.

Could it be that the reason some do not experience new life from this service is because they were buried alive? And they never do die to the old way of life? The old ways of sin must die. Self must be certified dead and buried and only then can we come up in the newness of life.

"Dear Father, please get rid of the bad things in our life. Kill the old man of sin, the old woman of sin inside of us. Give us the new spiritual nature of Christ. Help us to experience something dramatic, something different today, the strength, the spiritual strength that only You can give. We surrender the old life to You, asking You to slay it and bury it, and asking that we might come up today in a newness of life that maybe we have never experienced this before. For we ask this in the precious name of Jesus Christ our Savior, Amen."

The Wayward Wife

• Eat of every tree in the garden, except one.
• Build a boat and I will fill it with animals. It's going to rain.
• Throw down your rod and it will become a serpent.
• Speak to the rock and water will come out. Enough to fill a multitude.
• Blow on your horns and yell real loud and the walls will come tumbling down.
• Why don't you try fishing on the other side of the boat.

God seems to have a knack for asking His followers to do strange some things. One of the strangest requests that I can think of did not cause a miracle to happen, but something he asked of the prophet, Hosea. What is so strange about this request it seems to be so out of character with God to ask one of His followers to do such a thing!

"Hosea, I want you to get married!" "Terrific Lord! I've been kind of had that in mind myself. What do you think about Rebecca? You know, the girl in my subdivision? The one with the beautiful long eye-lashes and the cute smile. My mom even likes her! I do too. We've been dating for a while now, Lord. What do you think of her?" "I think that she is very sweet, Hosea. But I have someone else in mind for you. Go down to the corner of Tenth and Main Street in the middle of the night. One of those women standing on the corner is to be your wife. I don't care which one you pick but you must marry that kind of woman. And, by the way, I want you to raise any illegitimate children that she might have."

"What?" "Is that story really true?" Turn with me to the book of Hosea. It's easy to find. It comes just before the book of Joel. Just after the Book of Daniel. I notice that these tiny books of the Bible often pack a wallop. Hosea is no different.

Hosea 1, we'll start with verse 2. When the Lord began to speak though Hosea, the Lord said to him, "Go, take to yourself an adulterous wife and children of unfaithfulness, because the land is guilty of the vilest adultery in departing from the Lord." So, that's why. The theological implications are clear. God did not pick Israel to "marry" her because she was a wonderful, pure bride. He chose her while she was a sinning slave simply because He was gracious and loving and wanted to keep His promise. It sounds familiar, doesn't it. "While you were yet sinners, Christ died to show His love." If Hosea's experience is meant to be a mirror in which we can see God, then it makes sense that he is to show the same amazing grace as God does. That means taking and loving a sinful bride. As the prophet was literally commanded to take an immoral, unfaithful woman as his wife and adopt her children, so God takes sinful people in all their ugliness as His wife and children. Our state is never so bad that God refuses to stop courting us, to stop marrying us, and to stop taking us back.

Verse 3. So he married Gomer daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son. Well, as long as he has to marry a harlot, he might as well marry one named Gomer! So, they got married and had a son. "Lord, we were thinking of naming him Bob. What do you think of that?"

Verses 4. Then the Lord said to Hosea, "Call him Jezreel, because I will soon punish the house of Jehu for the massacre at Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of Israel. Jezreel? That would be like God telling you not to name your son Robert. "You need to name him Hiroshima because your people dropped an atomic bomb on that city. You've got to name him Nagasaki, Auschwitz, Dacchau." Jezreel, a destroyed city.

Verse 6-9. Gomer conceived again and gave birth to a daughter. Then the Lord said to Hosea, "Call her Lo-Ruhamath, for I will no longer show love to the house of Israel, that I should at all forgive them. It would be like naming your daughter I'm not going to give you a hug, I'm not going to kiss you, I'm not going to tuck you in at night. That's what this name is like. "I'm not going to show my love to you. It doesn't say "I won't love you." but I'm not going to show it. That will be born out in the next chapter.

Let's skip down to verses 8 and 9. After she had weaned Lo-Ruhamath, Gomer had another son. Then the Lord said, "Call him Lo-Ammi, for you are not my people, and I am not your God.What a name! That would be like naming your boy "You're not my son and I'm not your dad." It kind of makes you wonder how this child came into being. This is a very sordid story. And how would you like to be a son that every time Hosea called you you are reminded that "I'm not his, he's not mine?" That's what that name meant.

Hosea chapter 2. Well, in the first verses God changes their names. You can look at this. "Say of your brothers, 'My people.'" Something has changed here. Chapter 2 is a vivid description of the lifestyle of Gomer and the Israelites. Gomer has left Hosea to love other men. Israel has left God to love other gods. The Old Testament world often seems strange to us. Chronologically and culturally distant, its images and stories often need special interpretation to become relevant. But Hosea is an exception. This tale of an immoral spouse who leaves her husband and children to be with her lover immediately strikes us as relevant. Unfaithful husbands and wives, broken marriages, and abandoned children are all too familiar to us. We can easily identify with the hurt and heartbreak and deep emotions portrayed in this story. And so could they.

Hosea 3:1. The Lord said to me, "Go, show your love to your wife again." What, Lord? She went back to her old ways. She's a prostitute again. You want me to take her back? though she is loved by another and is an adulteress. Love her as the Lord loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin cakes." "Even though they love other gods, I love them. Even though the wife loves other men, you go love her, and take her back." What a twist to the story! Something not quite so easy to understand.

Hosea not only had to take her back, he had to do something else. verse 2, So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and about a homer and a lethek of barley. He had to buy her back from her master, if you want to make it real relevant. This was her pimp. Wow! Just as God had to buy us back from our satanic master.

Verse 3. Then I told her, "You are to live with me many days; you must not be a prostitute or be intimate with any man, and I will live with you." A better translation would end this verse by saying "I will wait for you." The implication is clear. You left me. I bought you back. But we will not be able to enjoy our intimate relationship that was in the beginning until the end. You must show your faithfulness to Me. Verse four bears this out.

Hosea 3:4,5. For the Israelites will live many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred stones, without ephod or idol. Afterward the Israelites will return and seek the Lord their God and David their king. They will come trembling to the Lord and to His blessings in the last days. Israel will live without full privileges of the covenant, of the marriage with God until it is reunited under one king. That is a reference to when Israel was not a divided kingdom and David was king. But here, the intended king is the Lord. All will be reunited under Him in the Last days and receive the full privileges of marriage. The intimate relationship that was once had by Adam and Eve with the Creator will be had will be ours, with our Creator in the last days. Yes, we can be close to God today, but we cannot be face to face. It's a probationary time. We have sinned. We must show our faithfulness to our Husband.

What a demonstration of God's love for backsliders!

Turn with me to Hosea 11:7. My people are determined to turn from Me. The King James translates it very well: ..My people are bent to backsliding from Me."

We usually think of backsliders as those who don't come to church very often, if at all. But the disturbing thing is that it is possible to be the most faithful attender and "active" individual and still be a backslider. Some may come to church for the purpose of running away from God! This is called a religion of externals. The Pharisees in Christ's day were guilty of this. "Give me something to do so that I don't have to admit that I can do nothing toward my salvation." A person with this attitude tends to be very unforgiving of others, and of self.

Some are backsliders because they believe that the church represents a list of do's and don'ts. If it tastes good, don't eat it. If it looks good, don't look at it. If it feels good, don't touch it. And if it's fun, then by all means don't do it. Not very attractive, is it. Here again, the Gospel is misunderstood. God is not a list of do's and don'ts. God is Love. His commandments are an extension of that love. If you love me keep My commandments. That is said throughout all of Scripture. The love for doing what is right comes from loving He who is right.

Unfortunately, the common theme is, "I just won't be a part of the church. I'll just serve God on my own. After all, the church is full of hypocrites." What's a hypocrite anyway? A hypocrite is the guy that complains about the sex and violence on his VCR. There's a hypocrite. "I'll just serve God on my own. I will live my own life. I'll worship at home. 1 Corinthians 12 shows us that it is impossible to live apart from the body of those who believe in Jesus. I have seen it too many times. People that believe like this very quickly go one of two directions. Most drift away from anything spiritual. There is no one there to encourage them. Some become fanatical about some aspect of religion. The reason the one slips away is that there is no one there to encourage. The reason one becomes fanatical is because there is no one to balance out their view point.

You have seen a lizard on your porch. You know the one. The one with the blue tail. The one that shows up one day without a tail. Have you noticed that the tail grows back? I have seen many a lizard grow a new tail. But I have never seen a tail grow a new lizard! Have you? The tail always decomposes. When we separate ourselves from the body, we rot. But the body lives on. Not perfect, but alive and growing.

Some are backsliding because of open sin in their lives. King David was like this. He stole a man's wife and had her husband killed. But he was still in the church. He was still king. This sin was a symptom of a backsliding heart. Hope comes for this kind of backslider when he realizes just what he has done to break God's heart. After the prophet Nathan pointed this out to David, he responded this way. Look that up some time. This whole chapter is David's response in this way was not, "Well, Lord I'm king or that was a bad day, or, it wasn't my fault, I'm a man after all and..." He did not make excuses, did he. He said, "You are right!"

And art of that chapter, Psalm 51, is one of my favorite verses where David says, "Create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit within me.

Then there is the prodigal backslider. The one who has been close to the Father, who has tasted His love and knows that He is good. But believes that he knows a better way. But even the prodigal son was received home one day when he came to himself and remembered his Father's love. He was received back as a son because he was still a son! A son gone wrong is a son still! He was welcomed back before he even got his confession out. God accepts a person who comes in his rags, just as he is! That's a good thing, because that is all we have to offer. The Bible tells us that all of our righteousness is filthy rags.

Backsliding happens easily and effortlessly. Unsuspected often by self or others. No one wakes up one morning and says, "I think I'll be a backslider today." It's like when you wreck your car. You didn't intend to do that. It is seldom planned. That is why it is called an "accident." If you had been warned that you were going to have an accident if you went on that road, wouldn't you take a different road? I've never yet heard someone say, "Officer, I had an on purpose." It's an accident. Take a different road before that accident happens.

Satan's roads always lead down. Pick the one that goes up.The devil prefers us to take the long, slow way because he knows that it just makes it seem that much further back.

Is there hope for the backslider? It doesn't seem like it when he looks back and sees how far he's fallen and the struggle it would take to get back to Jesus. But the good news is that Jesus makes up that difference. The way we return to God is through repentance. Just the way we are. That is the point of Hosea's bizarre marriage.

Turn with me to the last chapter of Hosea. Hosea 14:1,2. Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God. Your sins have been your downfall! Take words with you and return to the Lord. Say to Him: "Forgive all our sins and receive us graciously... Look at verse 4. "I will heal their waywardness and love them freely, for my anger has turned away from them. What does he say? "I will heal you. Don't heal yourself and then come. I will do the healing. I will heal you." No one can look at this and say, "That's cheap." Some may try. You can look at it and say, "That's easy. I can backslide all I want and then come back. But remember the Bible also teaches that we reap what we sow. Sin will always have it's consequences. Sin is unacceptable in God's sight. We will reap what we sow even when we return to God. Just as David found out. He confessed. A true repentance. But Uriah was still dead. The result of his sin continued. The difference is that when we return to God, having sown whatever wild oats it was, He will be with us to help us reap. He will be with us to help us bear up under the reaping.

God wanted Israel, His bride, to witness the kind of love he had for her even in her totally adulterous and backsliding condition. So he asked Hosea to marry a prostitute, a prostitute that he had to buy back. God bought us back from our master. He bought us back and the price wasn't chap. It was His son. And that is something my brain can't wrap around: That unfathomable love of God.

But, God asks us to do something even stranger than He asked Hosea to do: Accept this unfathomable love and then, love Me in return. Let's remain faithful to the Bridegroom so that we can once again in that last day be intimate with Him again.

Even "Small" Sins Have Big Consequences

The integrity of the upright will guide them, but the perversity of the unfaithful will destroy them. Proverbs 11:3, NKJV.

Christ has said: "A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit." "Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them." The deeds of people's lives are the fruit they bear. If they are unfaithful and dishonest in temporal matters, they are bringing forth briers and thorns; they will be unfaithful in the religious life and will rob God in tithes and offerings.

The Bible condemns in the strongest terms all falsehood, false dealing, and dishonesty. Right and wrong are plainly stated. But I was shown that God's people have placed themselves on the enemy's ground; they have yielded to his temptations and followed his devices until their sensibilities have become fearfully blunted. A slight deviation from truth, a little variation from the requirements of God, is thought to be, after all, not so very sinful, when pecuniary gain or loss is involved. But sin is sin, whether committed by the possessor of millions or by the beggar in the streets. Those who secure property by false representations are bringing condemnation on their souls. All that is obtained by deceit and fraud will be only a curse to the receiver.

Adam and Eve suffered the terrible consequences of disobeying the express command of God. They might have reasoned: This is a very small sin, and will never be taken into account. But God treated the matter as a fearful evil, and the woe of their transgression will be felt through all time. In the times in which we live, sins of far greater magnitude are often committed by those who profess to be God's children. In the transaction of business, falsehoods are uttered and acted by God's professed people that bring His frown upon them and a reproach upon His cause.

The least departure from truthfulness and rectitude is a transgression of the law of God. Continual indulgence in sin accustoms the person to a habit of wrongdoing, but does not lessen the aggravated character of the sin. God has established immutable principles, which He cannot change without a revision of His whole nature. If the Word of God were faithfully studied by all who profess to believe the truth, they would not be dwarfs in spiritual things. Those who disregard the requirements of God in this life would not respect His authority were they in heaven
-Testimonies for the Church 4:311, 312

Principles of the Gospel Must Control Us

Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, "Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?" Luke 13:7, NKJV.

The Lord would be pleased to have His people more considerate than they now are, more merciful and more helpful to one another. When the love of Christ is in the heart, each will be tenderly regardful of the interests of others. Brothers and sisters will not take advantage of each other in business transactions. They will not charge exorbitant interest because they see their brothers or sisters in a close place where they must have help.

Those who will take advantage of the necessities of another prove conclusively that they are not governed by the principles of the gospel of Christ. Their course is recorded in the books of heaven as fraud and dishonesty; and wherever these principles rule, the blessing of the Lord will not come into the heart. Such persons are receiving the impress of the great adversary rather than that of the Spirit of God. But those who shall finally inherit the heavenly kingdom must be transformed by divine grace. They must be pure in heart and life and possess symmetrical characters....

All the means you may accumulate, even though it should be millions, will not be sufficient to pay a ransom for your soul. Then do not remain in impenitence and unbelief, and ... defeat the gracious purposes of God; do not force from His reluctant hand destruction of your property or affliction of your person.

How many there are who are now taking a course which must erelong lead to just such visitations of judgment. They live on day by day, week by week, year by year, for their own selfish interest. Their influence and means, accumulated through God-given skill and tact, are used upon themselves and their families without thought of their gracious Benefactor. Nothing is allowed to flow back to the Giver....

At last His patience with these unfaithful stewards is exhausted; and He brings all their selfish, worldly schemes to an abrupt termination, showing them that as they have gathered for their own glory, He can scatter; and they are helpless to resist His power

Be Like Jesus, Not Like the World

You shall not have in your bag differing weights, a heavy and a light. You shall not have in your house differing measures, a large and a small. Deuteronomy 25:13, 14, NKJV.

Those who profess to love and fear God should cherish sympathy and love for one another, and should guard the interests of others as their own. Christians should not regulate their conduct by the world's standard. In all ages the people of God are as distinct from worldlings as their profession is higher than that of the ungodly. From the beginning to the end of time, God's people are one body.

The love of money is the root of all evil. In this generation the desire for gain is the absorbing passion. If wealth cannot be secured by honest industry, human beings seek to obtain it by fraud. Widows and orphans are robbed of their scanty pittance, and poor people are made to suffer for the necessaries of life. And all this that the rich may support their extravagance, or indulge their desire to hoard.

The terrible record of crime daily committed for the sake of gain is enough to chill the blood and fill the soul with horror. The fact that even among those who profess godliness the same sins exist to a greater or less extent calls for deep humiliation of soul and earnest action on the part of the followers of Christ. Love of display and love of money have made this world a den of thieves and robbers. But Christians are professedly not dwellers upon the earth; they are in a strange country, stopping, as it were, only for a night. They should not be actuated by the same motives and desires as are those who have their home and treasure here. God designed that our lives should represent the life of our great Pattern: that, like Jesus, we should live to do others good....

Every wrong done to the children of God is done to Christ Himself in the person of His saints. Every attempt to advantage one's self by the ignorance, weakness, or misfortune of another is registered as fraud in the ledger of heaven

Do Right in Business, Not Just in Church

In everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets. Matthew 7:12, NRSV.

Those who truly fear God would rather toil day and night, and eat the bread of poverty, than to indulge a passion for gain which would oppress the widow and the fatherless, or turn strangers from their right. Our Savior sought to impress upon His hearers that the person who would venture to defraud a neighbor in the smallest item would, if the opportunity were favorable, overreach in larger matters. The slightest departure from rectitude breaks down the barriers, and prepares the heart to do greater injustice. By precept and example Christ taught that the strictest integrity should govern our conduct toward our fellow beings. Said the divine Teacher, "Whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them."

Just to the extent that people would advantage themselves at the disadvantage of others will their souls become insensible to the influence of the Spirit of God. Gain obtained at such a cost is a fearful loss. It is better to want than to lie; better to hunger than to defraud; better to die than to sin. Extravagance, overreaching, extortion indulged by those professing godliness, are corrupting their faith and destroying their spirituality. The church is in a great degree responsible for the sins of its members. It gives countenance to the evil if it fails to lift its voice against it. The influence from which it has most to fear is not that of open opposers, infidels, and blasphemers, but of inconsistent professors of Christ. These are the ones who keep back the blessing of the God of Israel....

The business world does not lie outside the limits of God's government. True religion is not to be merely paraded on the Sabbath and displayed in the sanctuary; it is for every day and for every place. Its claims must be recognized and obeyed in every act of life. Those who possess the genuine article will in all their business affairs show as clear a perception of right as when offering their supplications at the throne of grace.

Be Honest With Others and With God

You shall have a perfect and just weight, a perfect and just measure, that your days may be lengthened in the land which the Lord your God is giving you. Deuteronomy 25:15, NKJV.

It is best to deal honestly with your fellow beings and with God. You are dependent upon Christ for every favor you enjoy; you are dependent upon Him for the future, immortal life; and you cannot afford to be without respect unto the recompense of reward. Those who realize their dependence upon God will feel that they must be honest with others, and, above all, they must be honest with God, from whom come all the blessings of life. The evasion of the positive commands of God concerning tithes and offerings is registered in the books of heaven as robbery toward Him.

No one who is dishonest with God or with others can truly prosper.... The Lord has bought us with His own precious blood, and it is because of His mercy and grace that we may hope for the great gift of salvation. And we are enjoined to deal justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with our God. Yet the Lord declares, "Ye have robbed me, even this whole nation." When we deal unjustly with other human beings or with our God, we despise the authority of God and ignore the fact that Christ has purchased us with His own life.

The world is robbing God upon the wholesale plan. The more He imparts of wealth, the more thoroughly do people claim it as their own, to be used as they shall please. But shall the professed followers of Christ follow the customs of the world? Shall we forfeit peace of conscience, communion with God, and fellowship with our brethren and sisters because we fail to devote to His cause the portion He has claimed as His own?

Let those who claim to be Christians bear in mind that they are trading on the capital entrusted them of God, and that they are required to faithfully follow the directions of the Scriptures in regard to its disposal. If your heart is right with God, you will not embezzle your Lord's goods and invest them in your own selfish enterprises.-

Imitate Jesus and His Ethics

Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus. Philippians 2:4, 5, NKJV.

The ethics inculcated by the gospel acknowledge no standard but the perfection of God's mind, God's will. God requires from His creatures conformity to His will. Imperfection of character is sin, and sin is the transgression of the law. All righteous attributes of character dwell in God as a perfect, harmonious whole. All those who receive Christ as their personal Savior are privileged to possess these attributes. This is the science of holiness.

How glorious are the possibilities set before the fallen race! Through His Son, God has revealed the excellency to which human beings are capable of attaining. Through the merits of Christ, they are lifted from their depraved state, purified, and made more precious than the golden wedge of Ophir. It is possible for them to become companions of the angels in glory, and to reflect the image of Jesus Christ, shining even in the bright splendor of the eternal throne. It is their privilege to have faith that through the power of Christ they shall be made immortal. Yet how seldom they realize to what heights they could attain if they would allow God to direct their every step!

God permits every human being to exercise individuality. He desires no one to submerge his or her mind in the mind of a fellow mortal. Those who desire to be transformed in mind and character are not to look to others, but to the divine Example. .. .

As our Example we have One who is all and in all, the chiefest among ten thousand, One whose excellency is beyond comparison. He graciously adapted His life for universal imitation. United in Christ were wealth and poverty; majesty and abasement; unlimited power, and meekness and lowliness which in every soul who receives Him will be reflected. In Him, through the qualities and powers of the human mind, the wisdom of the greatest Teacher the world has ever known was revealed.