Prayer

Prayer. Hmm. I don’t think I really believe in it. What I mean is, if I really believed like I said I believed, I would pray more. Which reveals something about me. I don’t pray enough. I wish I prayed more. But I don’t. Not now.

There was a time when prayer dominated my life. I saw God do radical things. When I was in my late teens, still living at home with my folks, I had been deeply moved by the pain of friends of mine that had been abused as children. I love children. Even more so now that I have had children of my own.

There was one friend in particular that I was telling how awful it was that people would abuse their own children. She then confided in me that her own dad had abused her when she was younger. It was like being punched in the stomach. Why? It hurt me so much to see her have to carry that kind of a burden. I, at that young age, was not equipped to do much for her but listen.
Later, when I was on my own, I spent time in prayer. I pleaded with God to heal her. To help her. Would God please ease her pain.

Then a thought struck me. At that very moment, there were awful things being done to other children. And I started to weep. I cried like a baby for the pain that was being committed at that very moment.

From the depth of my soul I cried out to God, “Would You please, please, please use me to rescue at least one child in my life time. O God. Use me to rescue at least one hurting child.”

We lived on a street called Sunset Drive. It was a residential neighborhood that was nestled on a rolling hill in Vista, CA. The road had no sidewalks. It just meandered around corners with house rising up and away from the road on one side, while the houses dropped down the side of the hill on the other side of the road. Not a lot of room for walking on the road, even though we did it all the time as I grew up there. Thank God for twenty-five mile-an-hour speed limits.

One late afternoon, not long after my prayer time, a little girl came walking down the side of the road in front of my house. When I say little girl, understand toddler. She was about three-years-old. She wasn’t dressed to be outside, nor was she wearing shoes. And she looked confused. I was concerned.

I went out the front door and looked both ways down the street. There was no attending parent within sight.

I approached the little girl. “Hi, there. Do you know where your mother is?”

She tried to say something about trying to find her mom. So I picked her up, and looked both ways once again. Absolutely no one.

My mother had come outside by now and we consulted what to do. Because the little girl had pointed down the street saying she lived that way, I told my mom that I was going to drive the girl down the street and see if she could point out her home.

So I took the girl into my van(I know, this sounds creepy taking a little girl into my van. I am not a creaper!). We drove down the street about a mile and she finally pointed at a house as being hers. If this was really her house, then this little girl had walked a mile down a busy road all alone! I knocked on the closed screen door. The real door was ajar. No answer. There was a noise coming from inside, like ruffling sheets. But nothing else.

Back into my van we went. When I got home, my mom and I called the sheriff. Within ten minutes a sheriff had arrived. I went through my story with him and told him of the house where the girl said she lived. We climbed into the front seat of his car and went to investigate.

While I waited in the car with the little girl, the sheriff knocked on the door. No answer. He unbuckled his gun, and put his hand on the gun's grip, and entered the house. A moment later he was back at the door and waving me to come in.

In the room was another unattended baby standing in a crib. The room smelled of urine and dirty diapers. This baby was less than ten months old. The sheriff didn’t want to deal with a dirty baby, so he took the little girl from me, and I had to get the baby from the crib.
After checking with the neighbors, he found out the single mother’s name. The sheriff knew her. She was a prostitute and druggie. She had left the children all day to fend for themselves so she could do some trix to get her fix. Apparently, she did this often.

We went back to my house with both children. My mom changed the diapers of the infant. Nasty inflamed rash. Both children went into child protective services. Mother had child neglect charges filed against her.

God had answered my prayer. He rescued two children from an abusive home and neglectful home. And God used me! Prayer is so important.

At least it used to be. I used to pray like that, and God used to answer like that. But somehow, over the years, things changed. I got busy. I got self reliant. I don’t have the same passion. The same commitment. The same yearning to meet with God. I have the a nagging feeling that I ought to pray more, but I don’t ever quite get there now.

I guess this is a bit of a confession. I know what I used to do, and I know what I no longer do. I know how I used to see God move, and I know how I wish for that still.

Don’t get me wrong. I am not suggesting that God is like some kind of soda machine that if you pump the quarters in, then you’ll get results. But if you don’t put anything in, then God is inactive. Quite the contrary. God is working always. The difference is that I am not as tuned into God and His activities like I used to be. That is what I prayer does, it tunes me into the same station as He is. Prayer gets me on board with what He is already doing.

Look at what the Bible has to say about prayer:

Be still, and know that I am God… Psalm 46:10

But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. Matthew 6:6-8

Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God." Mark 10:27

Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:16

The LORD is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear Him; He hears their cry and saves them. Psalm 145:18-19

My favorite part of those last two verses are two words, “He hears…” God hears our every word when we pray. God hears!

I think I want to change my mind. I do believe in prayer. I do believe that God wants to work in my life through prayer. Now, I want to change my actions. I am going to get on board with God. Prayer is going to be more dominant in my life. I want to draw near to the One that wants to draw near to me. Lets pray.

A Few Q's for You
Are you happy with your prayer life?

Do you see God as wanting to spend time with you?

Will you join me in starting a commitment to prayer?

Introduction

Hello, and thank you for taking the time to read my scribblings. I hope you enjoy reading Saving Alice as much as I enjoyed writing it. And maybe, just maybe, you’ll be encouraged in someway or another. I love feedback, so if you would like to post a comment or two as you journey through the story, please do so. I get a spasms of joy every time I see a comment!
One last thing, if you enjoy the book, please post a link to it on your Facebook page. I would love to for this story to travel far and wide.
So, without further ado, click here to go to chapter one: http://paulblais.blogspot.com/2011/07/saving-alice.html

What is Grace?

What is grace? Someone had defined as being,

God’s

Riches

At

Christ’s

Expense.

Grace is receiving something that we don’t deserve. Grace is different from mercy. Mercy is when certain punishment is not put on us when we rightfully deserve it. Grace on the other hand, involves reception of gifts that rightfully should not be given to us, but we get them anyways.

Leonard Griffith, in his book Beneath the Cross of Jesus, tells of an incident that began on the evening of April 25, 1958. A young Korean exchange student, a leader in student Christian affairs in the University of Pennsylvania, left his flat and went to the corner to post a letter to his parents in Pusan. Turning from the mailbox he stepped into the path of eleven leather-jacketed teenage boys. Without a word they attacked him, beating him with a blackjack, a lead pipe and with their shoes and fists. Later, when the police found him in the gutter, he was dead. All Philadelphia cried out for vengeance. The district attorney secured legal authority to try the boys as adults so that those found guilty could be given the death penalty. Then a letter arrived from Korea that made everyone stop and think. It was signed by the parents and by twenty other relatives of the murdered boy. It read in part:

   "Our family has met together and we have decided to petition that the most generous treatment possible within the laws of your government be given to those who have committed this criminal action--.In order to give evidence of our sincere hope contained in this petition, we have decided to save money to start a fund to be used for the religious, educational, vocational, and social guidance of the boys when they are released--.We have dared to express our hope with a spirit received from the gospel of our Savior Jesus Christ who died for our sins."

Did you see the difference between mercy and grace? The first part of their request is an expression of mercy. The second part of the request in which a fund was raised for the teen-agers is grace. Grace is not just the deliverance from hell and a punishment that a person rightfully deserves; it is the salvation to heaven, to being called one of God’s children, to having the same benefits as if we had lived the very life that Jesus lived. It is receiving God’s love when we don’t deserve it. God has an amazing amount of grace to give to you.

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ— by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. Ephesians 2:4-9

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A Few Q's for You
How has God shown grace to you?

Write your answer in a comment. If it is too personal, make it anonymous.

What's So Great About Noah?

What’s so great about Noah? I mean, the guy was somewhat of a slow starter. If you ever took the time to read the book of Genesis, you’ll find that Noah was 500 years old when he started to have kids. Most people are just about wrapping the up the children years by then!

Not only was Noah slow at getting the family going, but he was not a very good communicator. Peter called him a preacher of righteousness (2 Peter 2:5). But, let me tell you what, he was a miserable failure. In his 100 years of being preaching, only eight were converted- and that was counting his kids and their wives, he also counted his wife! If the saving of people were the pastor’s job, he was the single greatest failure in history. Look what happened to Nineveh in the book of Jonah. After being swallowed by a whale and spit up on shore, Jonah shows up in Nineveh, preaches, and the whole city repents. God’s intended destruction of Nineveh was abated.

But Noah’s preaching?

Every preacher knows what it is like to get before a group of people and drop a bomb of a bore. Someone has described preaching as a slow death in the nude. One of the most disheartening things for a preacher to go through is in the middle of the sermon to get the nagging thought- Is anyone listening? When I was a pastor in Tampa Bay, Florida, a high school kid sat through the whole service flipping me off.

But at least every once in a while you say something worth remembering, something that the congregation will tell their friends about. It doesn’t happen often, but still. Here is a couple that I have come up with.

~ There are two kinds of friends: there is the friend that you have, and there is the friend that you are.

~ Don’t worry about breaking God’s laws, worry about breaking God’s heart.

I know that’s not a lot of memorable stuff for being in the preaching business for as long as I have, but I’m no Solomon. By the way, Solomon had over 3,000 proverbs. And then there is Paul the apostle. Now there is a quotable man. For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ… For all have sinned and fall short…For the wages of sin is death…

But, can anyone reading this give me a quote of Noah. In fact, in the four chapters given to recording Noah’s life there are only three verses worth of quotations. And they weren’t from one of his sermons- it was Noah bawling out his son. Certainly nothing from his preaching notes.

Noah was not a good communicator.

And Noah wasn’t perfect. One of the first things old Noah did when he gets off the ark was plant a vineyard, makes some wine, and gets fall-down-pass-out drunk. Listen, getting’ drunk is not good. Especially if you is the preacher, even a bad preacher!

So what is so special about Noah? It can be summed up in one little verse in Genesis, chapter six, verse eight. It says: Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. That’s it! That is the one thing that makes Noah so incredibly special. It wasn’t his Type A personality, his great preaching, nor his perfect lifestyle- because he was none of those!

The incredible thing about Noah is his God. God just loved him. God just poured grace out on him.

That gives us hope. If an old loser like Noah can find grace, then so can you and I. You don’t need to be great. You just need a great God.

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A Few Q's For You

Do you sometimes get the impression that all the "superstar" Christians are all perfect?

Have you ever looked at yourself and thought you could never be all that good of a Christians because you fail so much?

God's grace isn't for perfect people. Does that idea help you to understand that there is hope for you and your walk with God? How so?

Answer the questions in a "comment". If it is too personal, then make it anonymous.

Nothin' But Good

Matthew Henry wrote, The scriptures, or writings of the several inspired penmen, from Moses down to St. John, in which divine light, like that of the morning, shone gradually (the sacred canon being now completed), are all put together in this blessed Bible, which, thanks be to God, we have in our hands, and they make as perfect a day as we are to expect on this side of heaven. Every part was good, but all together very good.

You want my opinion? It is the best book ever written.

One of the men that wrote the book of Psalms said, Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. By studying this book you find direction for your life. You will also find the ability to overcome sin through it. How shall a young man cleanse his ways? By taking heed according to Thy word. Christian Johnson said, A Bible that's falling apart probably belongs to someone who isn't.

And it is relevant for you today for it speaks to you today. Hebrews tells us that… the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. AW Tozer said, A new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is… a book which is now speaking.

It is a book about people and for people. J. Vernon McGee said, It is a very human Book, written by men from all walks of life, prince and pauper, the highly intellectual and the very simple. At the same time it is a book about God and how to know God. McGee further said, It is a God-Book. In the Bible God says twenty-five hundred times, "God said . . . the Lord has said . . . thus saith the Lord," and so on. God has made it very clear that He is speaking through this Book.

When  you read the Bible, you are doing way more than just passing the time. You are finding direction, working through struggles, experiencing a life changing encounter with God.

The Bible. It aint nothin’ but good.

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A Few Q’s for You

What is your favorite book of the Bible?

What is you favorite verse of the Bible?

How has God used the Bible to change your life?

Write you answers in a comment. If it is too personal, then keep it anonymous.

A Wrong Turn

When I was pastoring a church down in Tampa Bay, Florida, I had a 12:30 lunch appointment with someone from the church. The location for the lunch appointment was about twelve minutes from the church on a street called Busch, which was near another street called Armenia. So at about 12:15 I headed out the door of the church to get to the meeting on time.

Having lived there for less than a year, I was still a bit unfamiliar with the area. I knew Armenia was just up the road off Fletcher, and I knew Busch was just south of Fletcher by a couple of miles. I climbed into my vehicle for a quick twelve-minute drive. Thirty-five minutes later!!!! I had taken the wrong road.

I had sinned. Well, maybe I should say, what I had done is demonstrated one of the Bible’s definition of sin. You see, one of the ways the Bible defines sin is to go the wrong way. It is when you have taken the wrong road to accomplish a right relationship with God. Proverbs 19:23 gives us an interesting insight into this concept.

Also it is not good for a soul to be without knowledge,

And he SINS who hastens with his feet.

Do you see the word sins? It means to go the wrong way. You have taken the wrong road to accomplish a right relationship with God. There is a correct way in which to go, or get to God. And there is a wrong way.

Do you remember Cain? You can find him way back in the book of Genesis. He is best know for killing his brother Able. And coming to God in the wrong way was Cain’s problem. He did not come to God in the prescribed way. Perhaps he was in a hurry. Perhaps he was jealous. Perhaps he was arrogant. We don’t know for sure what he was feeling, but we do know that it was the wrong way to come to God.

In our daily living it is important that we don’t just rush ahead with the notion that we’ve got it all figured out. Not taking the time to check in with God to see what He thinks. The end result of that kind of living will find us traveling down roads we never intended to drive.

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Time for a Vacation

A while back I was driving into the city of Battle Ground, Washington, coming in from the west side. Just past the Albertson’s on the left hand side of the road I saw a billboard that is typically covered with some kind of advertisement for a variety of products or stores. As usual, I gave the billboard a glance only to see that there was a new advertisement on display. I am not even sure who the product sponsor was, but I do remember what was on that billboard. There in full color was a slice of pineapple just dripping with beautifully glistening pineapple juice. Written across the billboard were the words, “IT’S LIKE A VACATION FOR YOUR TASTE BUDS”.

What a cool advertisement. There are times when your taste buds just need a break from the routine of the norm. And there are times when your soul just needs a break from the norm, from the troubles of today, from the pain of your problems. We need a place for our souls to rest and be refreshed. To go on vacation.

There is a man named David in the Bible and David knew of a place like that for his soul. He had many struggles to deal with. Some problems other people had inflicted upon him, and other struggles were self-inflicted. However his troubles came, David's soul was tormented. Sometimes to the point of feeling as though he was living in the grave.

It was in those difficult times that David turned to his place of rest and refreshment- David turned to the Lord. It was there that David found rest for his soul. You can read about it in Psalm 16. When that haunting feeling of living in the grave was washing over David, he went looking for the Lord because David knew that his soul would be lifted up. David confessed his confidence in God by saying, “For You will not leave my soul in the (grave).” And why did he have that confidence? I believe it is found in the last verse of that chapter.

In Your presence is fullness of joy;

At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore. Psalm 16:11

When you know that about God, you can’t help but know that you can get out of the dumps when you go to spend time with Him in prayer, worship, reading the Bible, or being with His people. For all those activities can lift you up. It’s like a vacation for your soul.

A Dropped Cane

I have forgotten where I found the story of Bill and his trip to church, but in it we find a story of letting your actions speak of God’s love.

You see, Bill had wild and crazy hair, wore a t-shirt with holes in it, saggy jeans, and no shoes on his dirty feet. This was literally his wardrobe for his entire four years of college. He was also brilliant, and kind of esoteric.

Across the street from the college campus is a well-dressed, very conservative church. They wanted to develop a ministry to the students at the college, but were not sure how to go about it. And it was this church that Bill decided visit.

Bill, with his wild and crazy hair, t-shirt with holes in it, saggy jeans, and definitely now shoes on his dirty feet, walks across the street to the church, in which sat a congregation with neat hair, suits and dresses, slacks with creases, and polished shoes.

The service has already started and so Bill starts down the aisle looking for a seat. The church is completely packed. Though Bill couldn’t find a seat, everyone found Bill. Every eye is on Bill as he moves closer to the front, and, by now, people were really looking and feeling a bit uncomfortable, but no one says anything. Bill gets closer and closer and closer to the pulpit, and when he realizes there are no seats, he just goes right down right onto the carpet in the middle of the isle. (Although perfectly acceptable behavior at a college hangout, trust me, this had never happened in this church before!)

By now the people are really uptight, and the tension in the air is thick. Even the pastor was a bit dumbfounded as he stood behind the pulpit about to start his sermon. But it wasn’t just Bill that had the pastor on edge. The pastor saw way at the back of the church a deacon slowly making his way toward Bill.

Now the deacon is in his eighties, has silver-gray hair, and is dressed in a three-piece suit. He was a godly man, very elegant, very dignified, and very courtly. As he walks down the else with a cane to aide his balance, everyone is thinking to themselves that you can't blame the elderly deacon for what he's about to do. After all, wild-haired college students shouldn’t be sitting on their newly carpeted floors in the middle of the isle! How can you expect a man of his age and of his background to understand some college kid on the floor?

All eyes are focused on the deacon. The minister can't even preach the sermon until the deacon does what he has to do. When the deacon reaches Bill, this elderly man drop his cane on the floor. With great difficulty he lowers himself and sits down next to Bill. The deacon just didn’t want Bill to be alone for worship.

The pastor is now able to speak, and he says, "What I'm about to preach, you will never remember. What you have just seen, you will never forget. Be careful how you live. You may be the only Bible some people will ever read."

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:16

A Few Q's for You

How have you been shown unreasonable love?

How did it make you feel?

How can you love other like that old deacon?

Write an answer in the comment box. If it is too personal, keep it anonymous.

If this has been helpful to you, post a link to your Facebook page for your friends to get encouraged.

Not an Accident

More than likely all of us are familiar with the New York Times Best Sellers list. I occasionally like to take a look at the list and see if there are books on it that would interest me. But I recently saw a list of book titles that did not make that list. Here are a few of them:

You Are Different and That’s Bad

Grandpa Gets a Casket
The Boy Who Died From Eating All His Vegetables
Curious George and the High Voltage Fence
You Were an Accident

Now, obviously that was a joke list of book titles, but that last one may not be too far off for how we may feel. It could be that you feel you were an accident because you’ve been taught that through out your life in school- random accidents of cause and effect started a chain reaction of evolution that eventually stumbled you into existence (from a dirt clod to your bod). You may have flat our been told by your folks that you weren’t part of their plan. Perhaps a birth mom hooked up with a guy and you were the result, so you were put up for grabs. And the result is that you feel like you are an accident.

But nothing could be further from the truth. Before Jeremiah was a prophet, he struggled with feelings of inadequacies. He felt like an accident and that he wasn’t the kind of person the God would use. In the first few verses of the book, God reassures Jeremiah by saying,

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you… Jeremiah 1:5

There was never a moment in eternity when God didn’t have Jeremiah in mind… even long before the boy was ever born. The same is true for you. God knew the day you would be conceived. And, in His book, you were no accident.

For You formed my inward parts:
You wove me in my mother’s womb.

I will give thanks to You,

for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Wonderful are Your works,
And my soul knows it very well.

My frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth;

Your eyes have seen my unformed substance;
And in Your book were all written
The days that were ordained for me,
When as yet there was not one of them.

Psalm 139:13-16

Before “right from the start”, God knew all about you. You were and are part of His plan.

More than just knowing about you, He also has a great purpose for you.

The Lord will work out his plans for my life… Psalm 128:8

God does not do anything without a plan or a purpose. He is the ultimate Type A personality there is (and every other “type” of personality). When he formed you he was thinking, Wow! She is incredible… and I have amazing things to do through him… and This is going to be great! How do I know that? Because that’s what the Bible says! Not in those exact words, but definitely in those sentiments. He has plans to do with you.

Don’t ever give in to the lie that you are an accident. Your teachers may not have understood that, and your parents may not have known about you, but God was not surprised, nor caught off guard. You are His plan… from before the very beginning.

A Few Q's for You
Were you ever labled an accident?

Do you see yourself as an accident?

What does that first verse, Jeremiah 1:5 tell you about God and you?

Have you ever realized that God has a plan for your life?

Write your answers in a "comment". If the answers are too personal, then be anonymous.

If this has been meaningful to you, please pass the link on to a friend. Who knows what God will do to encourage him or her.

Virtues; The Do's & Don'ts

But also for this very reason, giving all diligence,

add to your faith virtue… 2 Peter 1:5

When I was a child my friends and I used to walk from our neighborhood down to the Stardust Cinema for a Saturday matinee. Our path to the theater took us parallel to the freeway. It wasn’t an official trail, just ones that the local kids used. Fact is, it was inside the fence that was supposed to keep people off the freeway. It was a shortcut, so we always went that way. When we got to the closest point to the movie theater, we would jump the fence and finish the short walk.

One time while we were on our trek to the Stardust we stumbled upon a magazine that had bee left in the weeds. Playboy! What a find for prepubescent boys. And, a rare find indeed. Kids were supposed to never see that kind of thing back in those days. We knew it existed because we had seen the magazines behind the counters at the local liquor stores where we would buy our candy or turn in our bottles or cans for a nickel per. But, to get your hands on one of these mystery magazines, that was not an easy task.

But things have changed in the years since. What was once rare and hard to find for a child, has become brought to nearly the same attainability as the cookie jar.

I am amazed to find that the magazine racks in our local grocery stores have very similar magazines today. The clothing (what little there is) may not come all the way off, but the poses are just the same. And beware primetime TV. The innuendos and the scenarios are unbelievable. I dare not describe the trash or we would have to turn this into an adult book. Seriously!

Then there is the computer sitting on our laps or in the corner or in our hands (also known as a phone). A few simple clicks, and some clicks being completely innocent, and the most vile things pop onto the screen. Access, if anything, is readily available.

The next generation coming through these times are being bombarded with an intense assault on their morality. The F word is no longer all that bad. Drugs are not all that bad. Sex before marriage is not all that bad. In fact… “It’s all gooooood.”

I’m not alone in my disbelief in what I am seeing today. Pastor David Jeremiah has recently written a book titled, I NEVER THOUGHT I’D LIVE TO SEE THE DAY! In his introduction to this book, he writes:

“Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.” With that famous line from the movie version of L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Dorothy and her dog, Toto, find themselves in the strange and wonderful land of Oz― quite different from the Kansas of her childhood.

As I wake up and scan today’s headlines, I am often tempted to think, Toto, we’re not in America anymore. I’m exaggerating, of course, but only a little. When I look at the changes that have occurred in the land I love― and in the Church I love even more― just in my lifetime, I have to pinch myself to see if it’s a dream gone bad. Sadly, what I see is all too real. I do a double take several times a week― sometimes several times a day― as I witness more and more changes I never thought I would see.

While driving around you may have seen the bumper sticker that says, I USED TO BE SHOCKED, NOW I'M JUST AMUSED. That seems to sum up the the moral state of our day as we drift further from the solid virtues of yesteryear. God understood that this was a threat that the world would face, and indeed has faced. Look up in your Bible phone app the story of Noah. His day saw society walking so far from the morality and God, that by the time it was all said and done, there were only eight(!) people left with any moral fiber or faith in God.

On a smaller scale, Lot was living in a city that had lost its moral compass all together. The townsmen had become so perverted that they were ready to beat down the door of Lot’s house in order to get their hands on some out of towners. Sadly, from that region, only three people escaped the judgment of God.

Peter knew that Christians live in a world that is constantly going through moral decay. But, though the world is slipping away in its virtues, there is no reason why the Christian has to do the same.

Add Virtue

As you may know, the writings of Peter were written in Greek. The original Greek word had been used in ancient times by a number of people.

Plato saw virtues as being conditioned by the soul based upon man’s striving for good. We can pick ourselves up to any level we would wish for. We have groups of people that still agree with this today. We are heading to more and higher level of evolving.

Aristotle believed that virtues as the permanent pattern of behavior of man, dependent upon the quality of a man. In essence, you are what you are till the day that you die. You are stuck with what you are. There is no hope for change. There are those who believe this about themselves. They think they can never do or be better than what they are today. So they are trapped.

A group called the Stoics said that virtues serve no outside purpose, such as the interest of others or gods, but were an end to themselves, which can produce happiness. If it feels good baby do it. This is very self-serving. No thought for those around you. Just an attitude that if it brings ME happiness, then it is worth it.

A Better Definition

But none of these ideas accurately defines how the Bible uses the word virtue. Virtue is the translation of arete, and appears only 5 times in the Bible (three of which are right here 2 Peter chapter 1).

We find the use of the word in I Peter 2:9. But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. (NIV)  Do you see that word praises? That is the word arete. The New American Standard Bible says excellencies of God. And God has done many excellent things. He is a God of action, and those actions are the things that Peter is talking about when he says declare the praises of him. So we see that this word is talking about actions that are praise worthy, beyond what is normal or natural. And that is precisely what God’s virtues or aretes are.

Furthermore, virtues aren’t just an issue of having a good personality. It has to do with how you treat others. Paul captures this idea in Colossians 3:12-14

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. (NIV)

When you look at this list of virtues that Paul lays out, you see that it has to do with actions towards others. Being compassionate, and kind is part of a good moral make up. Try being humble instead of acting like you are better than your friend. How about getting a little patience for the checker at the store that barely knows how to scan a banana. You see, how you treat people is all about living out your virtues.

Poor morals is really about treating people poorly. Swearing in front of a friend says that you think they aren’t worth the respect that good language implies. “Going all the way” with your boyfiend tells him that you don’t care about his future relationship with a wife. Unjustified divorce is telling the kids that they weren’t worth the effort to make a family work.

Virtues is all about how we treat others. And the way Peter is approaching the word, he is telling us to add to our faith behavior to others that is worthy of praise or excellence.

How To Add Virtue

The first thing to realize is that good virtues are from God. Do you remember what 2 Peter 1:3 says? Peter wrote, His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness. Dude! Virtues are given to us from God. He is the original source for where to get them.

If you were to app over to Galatians 5:22 you’d see that a list of virtues are called the fruit of the Spirit. In other words, as you add virtues, God will give you virtues. As you seek to grow in the area of loving others, God will give you the ability to love. As you try to clean up your conversations, God helps you to sanitize your speech.

The best place to find virtues is in the Bible. In Psalm 119:105 we read, Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. God’s Word is so rich for information on everyday living. God’s Top Ten List is a great starting point (some people call this list The Ten Commandments). Or how about Solomon’s book of wisdom, Proverbs. The point is, you will find ideas on virtues through out the Bible. Peter stressed this point in 2 Peter 1:19, And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.

The end result is two fold. For one, the world around us will see authentic Christianity and will be drawn in by it. That is the point that is being made in Matthew 5:16, In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. There is something remarkable about the person that refuses to live by the low standards of the society around them. It will be so remarkable that that kind of behavior is like a light shining brightly in a dark world. It stands out. People take notice. God gets the glory.

Secondly, we end up being more Christ like. 1 John 3:2 makes this amazing promise, Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. O, to be like Jesus. I am so not like Him today, but I long to be like Him. But, as we add virtue to our faith, we become more and more like Jesus.

So then add to your faith virtue. Things that are beyond the normal, things that are beyond the average. Add to your faith God-like attitudes. It will make all the difference in the world.

2 Peter 1:2-9

² Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, ³ as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, ⁴ by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

⁵ But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, ⁶ to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, ⁷ to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. ⁸ For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹ For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.

¹⁰ Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; ¹¹ for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 1:2-5

The Clocks

Have you ever read the poem Funeral Blues (Stop all the clocks)
by W. H. Auden? It is about the passing of someone deeply loved.

Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone,

Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone,

Silence the pianos and with muffled drum

Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come.

Let aeroplanes circle moaning overhead

Scribbling on the sky the message He Is Dead,

Put crepe bows round the white necks of the public doves,

Let the traffic policemen wear black cotton gloves.

He was my North, my South, my East and West,

My working week and my Sunday rest,

My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;

I thought that love would last for ever: I was wrong.

The stars are not wanted now: put out every one;

Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun;

Pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood.

For nothing now can ever come to any good.

When my stepfather died many years ago, I was truly amazed that the world did not stop. On the way to the funeral I saw people driving their cars and laughing about some passing joke. And I felt this tinge of pain deep in my chest. I just thought, Why doesn’t the world just stop for one blessed moment and mourn Brad’s death! I wanted all the clocks to stop.

Death is a cruel captor. He chases his quarry all their lives long, setting snares from the moment of conception to the last blink of an eye. Ever ready to get his bony fingers wrapped around our necks, he stands just an arm's reach away.

And though he has not fully taken a hold of those of us that are reading this right now, most of know of ones that he has cruelly taken already. I have friends that have lost their dad, wives that have lost their husbands, parents that have lost their child… And it always hurts.

But strangely enough, though death causes much hurt in our lives, he is not all powerful. In fact, even if death is just off to the side waiting for us all, death is just part of the whole cycle of living. There are four things about death that you can count on.

Death is Sure

I love bumper stickers. While I drive down the road I am always ready to do a little bumper reading. Here are a couple that have stood out to me- “Eat right, exercise well, die anyway” Another
said, ”He who dies with the most toys, still dies.” So true. A recent study on the death rate in North America showed that the death rate is still one to one.

The Bible puts the surety of our death very bluntly in Hebrews 9:27

And as it is appointed for men to die once,

but after this the judgment.

We are not on some cyclical process of going and coming like in reincarnation. We, each one of us, will eventually take this final step.

Death is Cruel

Death is not a respect of persons. Good or bad, young or old, sick or healthy, death can strike at any time. There is no guarantee of the long life, nor a set date that we can put in a datebook. You can be as rich as Apple Computers, and still be taken away.

Death also shows no mercy. Once he has his cold grip on someone, he will relent for no mortal’s voice. You can scream at the lost friend to wake up, or whisper in the ear of you lovely child, and softly stroke the hair of your husband hoping your touch will revive him. But death cares not for the screams, nor tender coxing, nor desperate cries. His hold is firm

That is why death is our enemy. God says as much in I Corinthians 15:26

The last enemy that will be destroyed is
death.

Isn’t it interesting that God calls death an enemy. Death was never intended to be a part of man’s life. It was the result of man’s sin. God warned Adam, saying that “in the day that you eat(of the tree of good and evil) you shall surely die.” And such has been the case from that time on. The enemy of man has hunted and captured each person since.

But… Death is DefeatedDeath is sure, and it is cruel, but it is not undefeated. This last enemy has met its match in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. Check out these great and precious promises that are found in God’s Word.

For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures. I Cor. 15:3+4

All of death’s bravado and tenacity was soundly knocked out when he came up against Jesus. Jesus took death on and won!

So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”
“ O Death, where is your sting?
O Hades, where is your victory?”

The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. I Corinthians 15:54-57

I am reminded of a story of a little girl that was out playing in the yard when she started to get buzzed by a bee. She fell to the ground in tears and fear. Her father came running to her rescue and captured the annoying bee in his hand. After a moment he opened his hand, and the bee flew free. Immediately the young daughter cried out in fear, but the father calmed her saying that that old bee couldn't sting her now.

"Why not?" inquired the girl.

The kind father opened his had to show her the still pulsating stinger stuck to the palm of his had. "That bee has lost its sting," he said.

Jesus Christ has already defeated this last enemy. Jesus holds the sting of that old bee in the palm of his hand. It is through Him that we can find a sure way to find our own victory from death. Jesus is the great liberator and sting taker for all of us. And, because of what Jesus did, we now know the best thing about death:

Death is Not the End

Auden may have captured the sentiment of a heart in mourning when he started his poem, Stop all the clocks, but the truth is that that clock will start again.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

Jesus doesn’t give a better life, He gives eternal life. Eternal means, it aint gonna never stop! When someone we dearly love goes to the Lord, that person’s life will keep on ticking. She will never cease to exist. He will always be.

Though they can’t come back this way, they will be someplace.
Death is not the end. The clock ticks on.

A Few Q’s for You

Has someone you loved died?

What is one of the best memories you had with this person?

How has God comforted you through the hurt?

Do you have hope for the other side of death?

Write your answers in a comment. If it is too personal,
then be anonymous. I will pray for you.

One last thing: If this has been helpful for you and you think someone you know would be helped also, please suggest this article to them.

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