Today’s reading is Ephesians 3:1-4:32.

“Be angry and do not sin; do not let he sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil” (Ephesians 4:26-27).

Many of us learned the #1 rule of dysfunction as we grew up.

RULE #1: Don’t Feel

Few of our parents meant to teach us this rule, but it gets passed on pretty often. Perhaps we gathered that the only legitimate feelings were our parents’ feelings. If we didn’t feel as they did about things we were punished, scorned, belittled, lectured, yelled at. We learned quickly to get rid of those feelings. Even in churches this rule gets passed on. Almost without thinking the rule is taught that Christians are supposed to always feel great. “How are you doing?” we ask someone. “Great!” the other says. “Couldn’t be better,” another says. “God’s blessing my socks off,” says a third. We wonder what is wrong with us for feeling lousy, angry, sad, hurt. But we refuse to let them see our supposedly unChristlike feelings.

But wait. Look again at what Paul says. He doesn’t say, “Don’t be angry, it is a sin.” He says, “Be angry and do not sin.” Anger is not a sin. It is simply an emotion. Anger happens. So does sadness. So does hurt. So does fear. So does regret. So does guilt. So does shame. These feelings are not sins. We don’t have to hide them. Certainly, none of these feelings is a justification for sin. Just because I’m afraid, hurt, sad, or angry doesn’t mean I get to yell at my wife and kids, calling them names, beating them. That would be sin. But the feelings themselves are okay.

But I must not let the sun go down on these emotions. I don’t think that means I have to eradicate these emotions before I go to sleep. I’m not always sure that is possible. Rather, I think I need to express these emotions in a proper and healthy way as quickly as possible. Otherwise, the stuffed emotions will come out in sinful explosions or in sinful escapes later.

It’s okay to feel. But be honest with your emotions. Define them to yourself and share them with those closest to you so you can work through them without sinning.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

PS. What struck you in today’s reading?

Today’s reading is Ephesians 1:1-2:22.

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10).

What a thought! I am not my workmanship. I am God’s workmanship. Obviously, I’m making choices in my daily life. This doesn’t mean I’m nothing more than a puppet with God literally pulling the strings. But it does mean I’m not alone. It means I don’t have to direct the way for me to be all that God wants me to be, all that I want me to be.

God has created me in Christ Jesus to walk in His good works. But is His workmanship merely a moment in time switcheroo? Does Paul simply mean when I was baptized into Christ, God did some work but now He is sitting back hoping the switch took? I don’t think so. This verse means God is still working in me. He is providing me with progressive victory over sin and progressive victory in righteousness.

This doesn’t mean I sit on my backside and wait for God to pull the strings. But it does mean I can take comfort today that God is working in me. I am His workmanship and He is the Master Craftsman. He may not always work on my timetable, but He is working.

I think today, I’ll just surrender to God’s way. I’m pretty sure it works. And I’m pretty sure it will work on me.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

PS. What struck you in today’s reading?

PPS. For those who haven’t seen it elsewhere, here is a great video from the Skit Guys about God working on us. Even if you have seen it, you may want to watch it again. Enjoy.

God’s Chisel by the Skit Guys

Here is the link for my e-mail subscribers: http://giveattentiontoreading.com/?p=1620

Today’s reading is Romans 13:1-14:23.

“The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires” (Romans 13:12-14).

I needed to read this today. Thank you, God, for the reminder. Some days are harder than others. Some days are fraught with temptation. Today is one of those days for me. I needed this reminder that my job today is not to make provision for the lusts of my flesh. Today, I need to put on Jesus Christ. I need to wear Him like clothing, like armor of light. I need to surrender the works of darkness that are tempting me to Him. I need to throw them away from me and just let Him guide me into the next right thing.

As Galatians 2:20 says, I need to let Jesus live in me today. I need to work on increasing my faith in Him today. I need to understand that pursuing orgies, drunkenness, immorality, sensuality, quarreling, jealousy, et al, will not draw me closer to God, but drive a wedge between us. These will not make me the man I want to be but will lead me further down a path of guilt, shame, and slavery.

Today, I’m going to wear Jesus.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

PS. What struck you in today’s reading?

Today’s reading is Acts 23:1-24:27.

“And looking intently at the council, Paul said, ‘Brothers, I have lived my life before God in all good conscience up to this day’” (Acts 23:1).

How important this is. I understand this is Paul’s defense of his whole life. I also understand that our conscience can be wrong as Paul’s conscience allowed him persecute Christians at one time. But this verse reminds me of something I have learned. I have to live with a good conscience (cf. I Timothy 1:5), not simply because God requires it. Rather, I’ve learned that when I’m living in violation of my conscience, it sets up a dreadful cycle.

I violate my conscience. Even though I try to cover it up on the outside, my inside is in disparity. I may not even consciously know what is wrong, but something isn’t right on the inside. It is like a splinter is festering in my heart. There is pain, discomfort, depression, perhaps despair. Wanting to get rid of these feelings, but not wanting to face what is really going on inside, more sin becomes appealling to try to numb the pain I’m feeling. I sin. Having gone against my conscience again, the process continues in a downward spiral.

The only solution I’ve found is to face the reality of my actions. Confess my wrong to God and to another person, making amends with whomever I sinned against and then surrender my life and actions to God. God can and will purify my conscience. If I don’t have that good conscience, I’ve learned I’ll be a in a world of hurt. Today, I’m going to work on living with a good conscience before God.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

PS. What struck you in today’s reading?

Today’s reading is Acts 19:1-20:38.

“Also many of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices. And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver” (Acts 19:18-19).

A friend of mine once told me that when you want to change the way you play the game of life, you have to change three things: your playground, your playmates, and your playthings. If nothing ever changes about my life, well then, nothing ever changes. If I want to bring my anger under control, then I have to make some changes. Am I listening to music that gets me angry, watching shows, or even the news that keeps me stressed? I need to burn those things. Do I want to change my eating habits? Then maybe I need to change which restaurants I frequent. Am I trying to quit drugs or drinking? Then I need to not only dump out my stash but also the paraphernalia that went along with it and develop new relationships with those who aren’t involved in that life.

This is not always a matter of getting rid of stuff we can prove is sinful. I’m not sure it was absolutely sinful for these folks to own these books. In fact, it doesn’t say everyone did this, only a number of them did. In like manner, I’m not saying everyone has to get rid of everything I mentioned above. However, if something is my stumbling area and I want to change my life, I need to learn to burn everything that will lead me back down that path. I don’t do that because that is God’s requirement for repentance. I do that because if I try to change the way I play but I keep frequenting the same playgrounds, with the same playmates, hanging on to the same playthings, I won’t change. And I desperately want to change.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

PS. What struck you in today’s reading?

Today’s reading is Acts 3:1-4:37.

“When they were released, they went to their friend and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them” (Acts 4:23).

It must have been a little frightening to be arrested for teaching about Jesus. They must have at least endured a little temptation to give up. What was the first thing they did? They went to their friends.

This is why choosing my friends is so important. I need to make sure that my best friends, the ones I’m going to lean on when trouble strikes, will support me in the right direction. If my best friends are in the world or, even as Christians, pursuing the flesh, when trouble strikes and temptation hits, the support I get won’t point me in the right direction. I need friends who are striving to walk by the Spirit who will lift me up and help me follow Christ even when I’m arrested for teaching in His name.

Praise God for the great friends I have who are walking by the Spirit, who can advise and pray with me. Of course, this means I have to do what these apostles did. I actually have to go to them when the trouble and temptation strikes instead of holding it on the inside.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

PS. What struck you in today’s reading?

Today’s reading is Luke 15:1-16:31.

“No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other” (Luke 16:13).

Jesus applied this to material goods, but it is true for anything. I have learned that I can’t follow Jesus halfway. When I do, whatever else is pulling at me always takes me in the wrong direction. Half measures avail me nothing. If I don’t completely and totally surrender myself to Jesus today, I can just about guarantee by the end of the day I’ll be wondering how I ended up committing that sin over again.

When I want just enough Jesus to feel good, but also want to hang on to some other goal at the same time, I always come out on the losing end. Jesus needs to be my master today. That’s the only way for me to have the abundant, joyful life.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

PS. What struck you in today’s reading?

Today’s reading is 2 Corinthians 2:1-3:18.

I know I’ve preached on 2 Corinthians 2:11: “…so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs.” Another translation says “schemes.” Satan is cunning, baffling, wily. He has tricks up his sleeves, ready to make us fall. I’ve preached on this passage and gone all over the Bible finding examples of his trickery. I’ve looked at the fall of Eve in the garden. I’ve examined the temptation of Jesus. I’ve looked at the betrayal by Judas and the denial by Peter. I’ve examined passages that talk about Satan the roaring lion. But I guess I’ve forgotten to look specifically at the context of the verse these lessons were based on. Now don’t get me wrong, I think there was some benefit in those sermons and classes I’ve taught. I don’t think they were wrong or unscriptural. I’m simply saying I missed something.

In those lessons, I usually talk about all the sins Satan tries to get us to commit. Satan will try to tempt us to immorality, idolatry, adultery, theft, hate, and on and on. However, did you notice that the specific problem Paul is addressing is the lack of forgiveness? It seems the immoral man of I Corinthians 5 had repented and the same Corinthians who had been boasting in their acceptance of the sinner were now having the opposite trouble. They weren’t accepting the penitent.

Satan certainly has many schemes to get us to go commit sin ourselves (and this verse applies to those as well). However, in its specific context, Paul is talking about Satan’s scheme to keep us from forgiving others when they sin. What division and trouble that causes for those of us who won’t forgive and for those who aren’t receiving the forgiveness.

I’m reading What’s So Amazing About Grace? by Philip Yancey right now. (Yes, that was an affiliate link. What can I say? 2 Corinthians 2:17 said I shouldn’t peddle God’s word. It doesn’t say anything against peddling Yancey’s word.) He tells the tremendously tragic story of Daisy, Margaret and Michael, a story that truly demonstrates Satan’s schemes of unforgiveness (pp 75-81). Daisy was born in 1898. Her dad was an alcoholic who caused all kinds of turmoil for the family. When Daisy had grown, she had promised she would never speak to her father again. When he later repented and sought forgiveness, she had none for him. Her “ungrace,” as Yancey calls it, had hardened her. She never turned to drink, but she was a driving taskmaster in her own family, perhaps in an attempt to keep her kids from being like her father. “She ruled her own family with a milder form of the tyranny she had grown up with.” Her daughter Margaret once came to her apologizing for something she had done wrong. Daisy’s response was simply, “You can’t possibly be sorry! If you were really sorry, you wouldn’t have done it in the first place.” Margaret determined to be completely unlike her mother. Yet as her children became teenagers she felt like she was losing control. Specifically with her son Michael who seemed to really get under her skin. He seemed a bit of a rebel. She threatened him. She kicked him out of the house for smoking pot. She reported him to a judge. She wrote him out of her will. Nothing got through to Michael, finally one day she said, “I never want to see you again as long as I live.” They’ve been living this out. Michael eventually came out of the rebellion, got married. But the marriage didn’t work. One day when Michael was talking to his friend, Philip Yancey, he said of his ex-wife, “I hope I never see her again as long as I live!” What a chain of sin. What a chain of unforgiveness. Over 100 years of family turmoil that might have been avoided if Daisy could have found the grace to forgive her earthly father the way our heavenly Father forgives us. Right now, there appears to be no end in sight.

Do you see Satan’s designs? His schemes? If he can keep us from forgiving each other, look at what he can accomplish through us. Look at what he can do to our families, our children, our grandchildren.

I fear this passage because I know Satan’s schemes about immorality, drugs, idolatry, covetousness, etc. But sometimes I come up with reasons why I don’t need to forgive someone. Maybe I need to study Satan’s schemes a little more deeply. I don’t want to fall prey to them.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

P.S. What struck you in today’s reading?

Today’s reading is Romans 13:1-14:23.

Paul gives me some very practical help today. I need to read Romans 13:14 every day. “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.”

Today, I must not make provision for the lusts of my flesh. Whenever I go on a trip, I have to make provision. I gas up the car. I pack some bags. I check maps. I print out directions. I run through the ATM. I pack snacks and purchase food. None of these things is the same as going on the trip. They are making provisions for the trip. 

Sometimes I make provisions for the lust of my flesh. Making those provisions is not the same as pursuing the lust of the flesh, but I’m preparing the way for it. I heard a great phrase to describe this. A friend of mine called it making “lust based decisions.” Making these decisions themselves may not be sinful. I can even justify making them because no one can prove they are wrong, but they are packing the bags and paving the way for sin.

Consider an alcoholic. Walking into a bar is not the same as drinking alcohol. I’m not sure anyone can actually prove that walking into a bar is wrong. Sitting at the bar when the restaurant is crowded is not the same as drinking alcohol. I’m not sure anyone can actually prove that sitting at the bar is a sin. But if I’m an alcoholic, what am I doing? I’m making lust based decisions. I’m packing my bags to drink. I’m making provision to sin. I must not be surprised when I actually do what I’ve committed not to.

Consider sexual lust. I’m thankful that alcohol has never been a problem for me, but lust has. I am learning to take God’s way of escape long before I get to the point of lust. I can’t walk down magazine aisles in grocery stores or book stores. I’m not saying that is a sin or that you can’t. I’m simply saying I’ve learned I can’t. For me, that is packing bags and providing to lust. That is a lust based decision because I know the magazines my eyes will find and what my mind will do with them. Is walking down that aisle the same as lusting? No. But for me it is providing for it. As much as I wanted to see it, I had to pass on watching the second Transformers movie. I had seen a trailer and learned very quickly that there was at least one scene that I simply couldn’t handle. Is it a sin to watch that movie? I doubt it. Can others watch it and not be bothered? I’m sure. But for me, going to that movie would have been packing my bags and making provision to lust. There are certain search terms I simply can’t put into Google images no matter how badly I need an illustration picture for a powerpoint presentation or blog post. There are certain streets I simply can’t drive down because I know the billboards that are there. I’ve learned I can’t drink coffee on the sidewalk of the downtown Starbucks in Franklin. You’d be amazed what some women wear down there. (I know some of you are saying, “Man, Edwin, you just need to buck up and get stronger.” I’ve tried that and it hasn’t worked for me. Instead, I’ve got to learn not to even pack those bags because I’m not strong enough to make provision for my lusts and then decide not to lust.)

What about other fleshly lusts? What about hanging around in conversations that have turned to gossip? What about going to lunch with those who slander the boss? What about continuing to listen in on conversations that belittle the church’s elders? What about listening to music or watching shows that increase wrath, vengeance, hate? 

Too many times I get caught up in arguments about drawing lines of what is actually a sin. I become convinced something is not a sin so I think I can pursue that, but eventually it leads me to sin and I wonder how it happened. The fact is, if I pack my bags to sin, if I study the map to sin, if I gas up my car for sin, if I make provision to sin, I’m probably going to sin. 

Today, I need to remember that half-measures will avail me nothing. I’m not trying to be good enough to get into heaven. I’m hungering and thirsting for righteousness and I don’t want to do anything that will turn me from that. So, for today, I’m going to put on Jesus Christ. I’m going to pave the way, pack my bags, and make provision to pursue faith in Him. That is part of why I’m doing this reading every day. I hope it is helping you as well.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

P.S. What struck you in today’s reading?

Today’s reading Acts 13:1-14:28.

Two things hit me today.

First, I normally don’t like the verse divisions because I think they cause an artificial reading instead of just reading it like a book or a letter (I do appreciate how it makes referencing scripture easier). However, there is one division in this reading that really grabbed me–the division between Acts 13:29 and Acts 13:30. 

Acts 13:29: “And when they had carried out all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb.”

Verse break. End of story. Over. Done. Jesus is dead and buried. The story ends. But wait, there is another verse:

Acts 13:30: “But God raised him from the dead.”

The story wasn’t over. Jesus was raised from the dead. He was victorious and I can be victorious through Him. Which leads to my “second.”

Second, Acts 13:38-39 really struck me.

“Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses.”

Because Jesus was freed from death, I can be freed from death. Because He was resurrected, I can be resurrected from the spiritual death I have caused. I can’t help but think about what Paul says in Romans 7:24-25, “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” My body is filled with death because of my sin, but God can and will raise me up from that death through Jesus Christ. In fact, He already has.

Then Paul goes on in Acts 8:2-4.

“For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be filled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”

My story is not over. God is still working on me. I don’t believe this means I was baptized, now I’ll never sin. Rather, this is a progressive victory over sin. This is an increasing putting off of the flesh and its passions. I’m peeling back the layers of the onion to get down to what God wants in me. I am reminded every day that God will set me free and resurrect me as He did His Son, Jesus.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

P.S. What struck you in today’s reading?