Feral Swine of the Heart

Feral Swine of the Heart

Feral swine are becoming more of a fearsome problem every day in the United States, with recent population estimates running as high as six million feral swine nationally, creating “1.5 billion in annual damages for property owners.” The state of Oklahoma alone is estimated to be the home of between 430,000 and 1.6 million of these wild pigs, prompting a reported increase in feral swine elimination in that state, from just a meager 2,426 in 2011, to 32,237 in 2017. 1 (A couple of brothers in Christ I know, working together in a nearby locale, have, themselves, trapped and shot over one hundred such feral swine near and around their own homes.)

Feral swine should not be ignored.

Feral swine should not be ignored.

The dangers posed by these ferociously fearless, aggressively antagonistic, and oft-times disease-carrying wild swine should be obvious to all. With flint-like foreheads, bone-crushing jaw strength, tusks that can tear flesh, and basically no fear or capability to be intimidated by anyone or anything that moves, they are certainly a force to be respected and reckoned with. Especially when trapped, cornered, or caring for their young.

Having said all of that, can you possibly envision anyone being foolhardy enough to let one of those large, wild, voracious and deadly, wounded and dangerous wild hogs loose inside of their own house? Perhaps with their own children present? Can you even begin to imagine the danger that would pose, or the carnage that could cause? And yet, might I humbly suggest to you, that an even more powerful and deadly trio of pig-like predators has unfortunately been unleashed far more than once inside of the Lord’s house? And yes, even while His precious children are present and preoccupied with study, work, and worship. Tragically, the damage that has been done when that has been allowed to happen has been absolutely devastating.

What are these wild hogs to which I refer? What are these wild, pig-like, spiritual predators of which I speak? They are the three lethal pigs of: Envy (Proverbs 14:30; Mark 15:10), Pride (Proverbs 8:13, 11:2, 13:10, 14:3, 16:18, 21:24, 29:23), and Jealousy (Proverbs 27:4). And they are all three mighty deadly.

They fear none and destroy all (Acts 13:44-45; 2 Peter 2:1-22). They dig in and don’t let go. They dig up and destroy every relationship they can sink their deadly tusks and teeth into. They quickly and easily rip up, tear apart, and crush and devour even the finest and strongest of relational bonds that come within reach of their terrible twin tusks. And yet, they are still all too often allowed to run hog wild and roughshod throughout the house of the Lord (1 Corinthians 3:3).

Just as physical “wild hogs can carry or transmit more than 30 diseases,” 2 in addition to all of the deadly relational and congregational destruction and devastation the three lethal pigs of envy, pride, and jealousy can, themselves, ultimately inflict, these spiritual hogs also carry a multitude of deadly parasites and diseases with them everywhere they go; thus infecting, infesting, and fatally infiltrating every soul they come in contact with (James 3:14, 16). This, which of course can easily, and will ultimately, lead to the certain spiritual death of any one they thus contaminate (Galatians 5:19-21).

A list of the diseases they carry with them and infect everyone they come in contact with could/would include any/all of the following: “…All unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; [causing those once infected to now become]: whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, [and] unmerciful (Romans 1:29-31).

This is why we must “Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word…” (1 Peter 2:1-2). It is additionally why we must “walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts” (Romans 13:13-14). Please do not miss the fact, that in this passage we see that the strife caused by such envy in the lives of those this “pig” has bitten and infected, is considered by God to be just as deadly, sinful, and on the same insidious level, as the lewdness caused by lust, and the drunkenness caused by revelry (or partying). There is no difference to Him. Therefore there should not be to us.

We must never allow the three lethal pigs of envy, pride, and jealousy to enter into and live within either our own hearts, or the house of the Lord wherein God’s children are hard at work and worship. This is the same message and warning which the aged Apostle Paul sought to make sure that both of his young understudies, Timothy and Titus, were acutely aware of, and that they consistently warned and reminded those around them of as well (1 Timothy 6:3-10; Titus 3:1-3).

Feral hogs are wild, aggressive, dangerous, and can even cause mass loss of life to pets, animals, and human beings in several different ways. For these reasons, there is an aggressive, all-out, and ongoing attempt to hunt them down and eliminate as many of them as is humanly possible.

That having been said however, we must admit that the three lethal and self-serving spiritual pigs of envy, pride, and jealousy, can be far more deadly to God’s children than even the afore-mentioned physical pigs can be to earthly life forms! This, by destroying the life-giving relation-ships God’s children enjoy with one another, as well as ultimately destroying each individuals relationship with God Himself (and therefore costing them their very eternal lives in the end)!

We must therefore determine, to put forth an even greater and more aggressive, ongoing and ever-increasing effort, to ensure that we are always on the lookout for and aware of, and then constantly seeking to instantly eliminate, any and/or all of these “three lethal pigs,” whenever there is ever even any hint or particle of evidence of their existence within our own hearts, homes, or the houses of God wherein our spiritual siblings gather for worship, study, work and prayer.

For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another! I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh… Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God (Gal. 5:13-21).

 

Footnotes:

 

  1. https://newsok.com/article/5580633/oklahoma-announces-a-record-harvest-of-feral-hogs-in-2017
  2. http://www.newson6.com/story/29120419/running-wild-feral-hog-problem-growing-in-oklahoma

 

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Throne of Grace

Throne of Grace

Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Hebrews 4:14-16

In the Old Testament, priests would approach God for worship and prayer after making sure that they were consecrated and clean from all physical blemishes (Lev. 21:17ff).  This foreshadowed the spiritual blessing that all Christians would receive, for we all are priests (1 Pet. 2:9) who have been washed clean of our sins through baptism into Christ (Rom. 6:1-5; Acts 22:16) and who are continually cleansed by the blood of Christ as we walk in the light (1 John 1:7-9).  As a result, we too can confidently draw near to God’s throne through prayerful worship.  What an honor!

The blood of Christ freely given allows mankind the access to stand holy before God.

The blood of Christ freely given allows mankind the access to stand holy before God.

We enjoy this privilege because of our high priest, Jesus Christ.  He ascended through the heavens to sit at the right hand of God after offering himself upon the cross to take our place (Heb. 7:26-27; 9:24; cf. Mark 16:19).  He sympathizes with our struggle against sin, because he too was tempted in all the ways in which we are tempted…yet never gave into those temptations (1 Pet. 2:22; 1 John 3:5).  This is why he is a high priest who is merciful to us and faithful to help us (Heb. 2:17-18), willing and able to save those who come to God through him and make intercession for them (Heb. 7:24-25).

Another reason we can approach God’s throne is because it is a throne of mercy and grace, as well as righteousness and justice (Ps. 89:14).  We have no need to be afraid to penitently come to God in prayer, for God is a God of mercy and forgiveness to those who truly seek him.  Granted, willful sinners who are rebelliously unrepentant will find no mercy on that final day (Heb. 10:26-31), but  those of us who are humble and sorrowful over our sins and have washed them away through baptism into Jesus will find nothing but God’s forgiveness.  Praise him for that!

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Why are you Waiting Saul of Tarsus?

Why are you Waiting Saul?

Saul of Tarsus waited three days in the city of Damascus for someone to tell him what he needed to do (cf. Acts 9:8-9). It was no doubt a trying time for the heartbroken man: Three days, full of grief, repentance, and prayer. He refused to eat, or drink. He knew he was in trouble and he knew he needed to do something about it. But he was forced to wait, for Jesus had commanded him to do so, and Saul had a new found awe and respect for Jesus.

For what do you wait?

For what do you wait?

On the road to Damascus, Saul had seen the risen Lord, and had been struck blind by the same. At that Saul no doubt knew he had had gotten off easy, for Saul had been hunting, imprisoning, torturing and killing Christians – doggedly so. The first words of Christ to Saul had been, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” (cf. Acts 9:1-7)

Saul had been persecuting Jesus, because he had been convinced that Jesus was a fraud and that Christianity was a lie, but seeing the risen Lord in His glory converted Saul. Saul went from persecutor to believer in record time. And being a man who desired to please God, it no doubt broke Saul’s heart to know how wrong he had been. It would not be unfair to deduce that his prayers were prayers of penitence, pleas for mercy and forgiveness.

But, rather than immediately telling him what to do, Jesus commanded Saul to go into the city and wait. And so Saul waited. Three days he waited.

At the end of three days, Jesus appeared to a man named Ananias and told him to go to Saul, heal him, and tell Saul what he needed to do. Which, Ananias, after some protesting about the character of Saul, did. (cf. Acts 9:10-15)

Years later, when Saul recalled that encounter with Ananias, he could remember it vividly. It must have been quite a moment, the climax of three days of worry, anxiety and sightlessness. Saul had been left alone with little but his wounded conscience. And then, there was Ananias, explaining that Jesus had sent him, healing Saul of his blindness, and telling Saul what Jesus expected of him. Saul had work to do for Christ, he was to be an ambassador, an apostle, sent to the Gentiles to teach them about Jesus. But first there was something that Saul still needed to do. He needed to make things right with God.

So Ananias chastised Paul: “And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.” (Acts 22:16; NKJV)

Why had Saul waited? Because Jesus had told him to. But three days was enough waiting. Paul needed to do the right thing, and get rid of those sins that were still separating him from God. He needed to obey the command of Jesus and be baptized for the remission of his sins, and brought into the family of God (cf. Acts 2:38, 47; Mark 16:16)

Years later, another apostle, Peter, would write: “For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles—when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries.” (1 Peter 4:3; NKJV)

How long did we spend in sin? Was it one year, five years, ten years, twenty years? However long it was, it was enough and then some. You’ve spent too much time in sin. Even if it was only a minute of sin, it was more than enough. You don’t need to waste any more time that way.

How long should we wait before we do what we need to do? Was it three days, such as Saul spent? Three years? Thirty years. Whatever the length of time, we don’t need to wait anymore. Once you know what you need to do, the question is, “Why are you waiting?” Three seconds spent in not doing the right thing is three seconds too long.

It’s notable that Saul is one of the very few examples in the book of Acts of anyone who had to wait before coming to Christ. (Cornelius in Acts 10, is perhaps the only other, and he, like Saul, was simply waiting for the preacher to get there.) Most often, when a sincere believer heard what they needed to do, they did it. Because while God is patient with us, eventually we are all going to run out of time to do the right thing; so, if you know what to do, and you haven’t done it, God is asking, “What are you waiting for?”

 

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Information Age

Information Age

We live in a wonderful information age. An age of such advanced technology that was unimaginable only a few years ago. We literally have unlimited information right in our hands: our phones, tablets, computers, satellite television and radio give us immediate access to limitless knowledge. Yet even in the light of this truth there seems to be more general ignorance than in any time in our history. Why? Maybe its because access to knowledge is so readily available that we don’t really study to know anything anymore. This is also true regarding God’s word and will.

From where do you get your information?

From where do you get your information?

In Acts 8–9 we read about Philip preaching and people believing, the apostles teaching and preaching, the Ethiopian eunuch desiring someone to guide him, Saul was told that he would be instructed what to do, Ananias was told to go and speak to Saul, Saul was told that he was a chosen vessel to bear the name of the Lord, Saul preached, and Barnabas spoke up for and defended Saul. Maybe we need to put down our phones, turn off the televisions and computers, and open our Bibles. Maybe we need to spend more time studying to show ourselves approved unto God (2 Timothy 2:15). Maybe we need to work to allow the word of Christ dwell in us (Colossians 3:16). Maybe then we can share the truth of God’s word to an ignorant and dying generation. Be faithful.

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On The Day of Judgment

On The Day of Judgment

All humans will stand before God to be judged one day.  Hebrews 9:27 says, “. . . it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.” Hebrews 6:2 lists “eternal judgment” among the most fundamental teachings of Christianity.  Romans 14:12 declares, “So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.”  This accounting will involve everything that we have done in our life: “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad” (2 Corinthians 5:10).

Are you ready?

Are you ready?

The Christian has an advantage on the Day of Judgment: He has Christ Jesus in His corner.  All sin, but Jesus is the Christian’s advocate: “My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1).  While Jesus advocates for the Christian, He will judge the non-Christian.  Paul declared in Acts 17:30-31: “Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.”

There is a judgment; Jesus is the judge; and His word will be the standard of judgment.  In John 12:48, Jesus said, “He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him—the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day.”  Learn Christ’s words so that you may be found approved!  God bless you and I love you.

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