He Who is Devious

Proverbs 14 ESV

2 Whoever walks in uprightness fears the Lord,

    but he who is devious in his ways despises him.

5 A faithful witness does not lie,

    but a false witness breathes out lies.

8 The wisdom of the prudent is to discern his way,

    but the folly of fools is deceiving.

9 Fools mock at the guilt offering,

    but the upright enjoy acceptance.

12 There is a way that seems right to a man,

    but its end is the way to death.

22 Do they not go astray who devise evil?

    Those who devise good meet steadfast love and faithfulness.

34 Righteousness exalts a nation,

    but sin is a reproach to any people.

Verse 34 here is the verse of the day on Biblegateway.com. And it is very appropriate considering that tomorrow the USA celebrates her birth as a nation, when she historically declared herself to be an independent nation. For she touts herself to be one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. But is she, in truth? And in practice? 

For, whoever walks (in conduct, in practice) in uprightness fears the Lord. So, it isn’t those who claim to be righteous who are righteous in the eyes of the Lord, but it is those who walk in uprightness (morality, honesty, honor) and who fear the Lord who are righteous in the eyes of God. And to fear the Lord is to believe what he says and then to act on that belief in practice.

But not everyone is a person of honor, not even all who profess faith in Jesus Christ. Many are devious in their ways, and so, in truth, they despise the Lord they claim to serve. And so when they testify to having genuine faith in Jesus Christ, or to being one nation under the one true God, but while they lie and they are devious in their ways, and they do not honor God nor walk in uprightness, they breathe out lies and they are hypocrites.

Many who make professions of faith in Jesus Christ do not take God and his word seriously, and so they continue in deliberate and habitual sin, making a mockery of what the Scriptures teach us regarding sin. They see no need to repent of their sins, in truth, nor to walk in obedience to the Lord. They are a law unto themselves and they serve self as their own god. And so they serve their own appetites rather than the God they claim to believe in.

For many are making up their own version of the gospel of Christ in order to make it fit with their own chosen lifestyles. So they reduce the gospel message to saying that all we have to do is declare some undefined belief in Jesus and now all our sins are forgiven (past, present, and future), and now heaven is guaranteed us when we die, but regardless of how we live. But if they continue in deliberate and habitual sin, it will end in death, not life.

But if we are true followers of Jesus Christ, we are to be those who are walking in righteousness and holiness, in obedience to our Lord, and who are no longer walking in sin. This is not to say that we will never sin (1 John 2:1-2), but that we are not to be people who deliberately and habitually are sinning against the Lord and who are not walking in obedience to the Lord. For if sin is what we obey, it will end in death, not in life everlasting.

So, Jesus taught us that if we are to come after him, we must deny self, take up our cross daily (die daily to sin and to self) and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to our old lives of living in sin and for self, we will lose them for eternity. But if for Jesus’ sake we die with him to sin and live to him and to his righteousness, by his grace, then we have the hope of eternal life with God. For it is not enough to profess him as Lord. We must obey him as Lord.

[Matt 7:21-23; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 9:23-26; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14,24; Rom 12:1-2; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 15:1-2; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Heb 9:28; 1 Pet 1:5; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-17; 1 Pet 2:24; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 3:6,14-15; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15] 

My Sheep  

An Original Work / June 24, 2012  

Based off John 10:1-18 NIV

My sheep hear me. They know me.

They listen to my voice and obey.

I call them and lead them.

They know my voice, so they follow me.

They will never follow strangers.

They will run away from them.

The voice of a stranger they know not;

They do not follow him.

So, I tell you the truth that

I am the gate, so you enter in.

Whoever does enter

Will find forgiveness and will be saved.

Nonetheless whoever enters

Not by the gate; other way,

He is the thief and a robber.

Listen not, the sheep to him.

Oh, I am the Good Shepherd,

Who laid his own life down for the sheep.

I know them. They know me.

They will live with me eternally.

The thief only comes to steal and

Kill and to destroy the church.

I have come to give you life that

You may have it to the full… 

They know my voice, so they follow me.

https://vimeo.com/114938263