How many of us have started a Bible reading program determined to read the Bible through only to have found that we have failed again. I have read the Bible through over sixty times but before I completed it once I had started many times only to fail. Now I don't have any difficulty reading God's Word. What changed? Like many things that we want to do we have to keep at them until we more than want to want to do it, we want to do it. At first I wanted to want to read the Bible through but now I want to so I do it.
Part of the problem is that we try to do things in our own strength. We try harder and fail more miserably. We need to quit praying, "Lord help me" and start praying "Lord enable me."
In Deuteronomy 30:6 we read, "The Lord your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live." Moses tells the people it is the Lord that puts it into our hearts to love Him and to do what He desires of us.
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Thursday, April 25, 2013
The 3 R's of Renewal
The three R's of renewal are remember, repent and return.
We need to remember who we once were, what God did for us and who we became in Him.
We need to repent of those things that have crept into our lives that have cause us to drift from what we were when we first came to know Him.
We need to return and do again the things that we did at first.
John says it well in Revelation 2:5 "Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first."
We all need renewal. Moses recognized in the people their tendency to forget, to become complacent and to stop doing the things that they should do as children of God. We are no different than the Israelites in Moses' day. Maybe it is time that we renewed our covenant and we should be prepared to renew it regularly.
We need to remember who we once were, what God did for us and who we became in Him.
We need to repent of those things that have crept into our lives that have cause us to drift from what we were when we first came to know Him.
We need to return and do again the things that we did at first.
John says it well in Revelation 2:5 "Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first."
We all need renewal. Moses recognized in the people their tendency to forget, to become complacent and to stop doing the things that they should do as children of God. We are no different than the Israelites in Moses' day. Maybe it is time that we renewed our covenant and we should be prepared to renew it regularly.
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
God remembers; Man forgets
Deuteronomy could be called the book of remembrance. Moses reviews the history of the Israelites to remind them that though they might forget what God has done God will not forget His people. He reminds them that they need to renew the covenant that was made by their parents at Sinai and they must do it early after they have arrived in the land. He instructs them how to do this and where it is to be done.
We don't put much stock in renewing our covenant today but maybe it is something we should. We need to remember what we were, what God did for us, how He gave us victory. We need to repent of the areas where we have allowed the world to influence our thinking and how we have compromised our convictions. We need to return to what we once did and we need to do it again.
It is not common, in fact it is very rare, in evangelical churches to have a covenant renewal service but maybe it is something we need to return to. Just wondering.
We don't put much stock in renewing our covenant today but maybe it is something we should. We need to remember what we were, what God did for us, how He gave us victory. We need to repent of the areas where we have allowed the world to influence our thinking and how we have compromised our convictions. We need to return to what we once did and we need to do it again.
It is not common, in fact it is very rare, in evangelical churches to have a covenant renewal service but maybe it is something we need to return to. Just wondering.
Saturday, April 20, 2013
It's a Wonderful Life
In the Frank Capra movie It's a Wonderful Life, George Bailey (played by Jimmy Stewart) and his family run a savings and loan company in the small town of Bedford Falls, New York. Over the years they had helped innumerable families get mortgages at a fair and reasonable rates, and had been patient and caring when the loans couldn't be repaid. As the CEO of his company, George's "bottom line" was not maximum profits, but the flourishing of his community and customers. George, of course, did not get rich with this kind of approach. But at one point in the movie, when he is suicidal, he is given a vision of what Bedford Falls would have looked like if, as he wished at the moment, he "had never been born". What he sees is a community consisting of some wealthy families surrounded by an impoverished, dysfunctional town. Instead of kindly neighbours, there are brutal and self-interested parties in constant conflict with one another. This is what it means to pursue justice.
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Family consequences
After the 2011 hockey riots in Vancouver one family found themselves in trouble because their son was part of the riot. They were ostracised by their neighbours because of what he had done. According to Deuteronomy 24:16 a father is not responsible for what is adult son does. The son is responsible for his own actions. The sad thing is that families are considered responsible for the actions of their children even if they are adults. Children need to learn that their actions have consequences and though the Bible tells us that parents should not be punished for the sins of their children they often are punished by society.
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Wait one year
When our son graduated from Bible College he knew he was called to be a pastor. Shortly after graduation he got married and he promised his wife that he would not accept a pastorate for one year. During that year he lived in his wife's home town and worked at a local lumber yard. His heart was for ministry and almost exactly one year later (actually one day less than a year) he became a pastor of a small struggling northern Ontario church. He understood the principle given in Deuteronomy 24 that if a man was to marry he was exempt from military service for one year. Being a pastor is not the same as being a soldier but the principle still applies. More marriages could have a better start if this principle was practiced. Ministry has its own set of concerns that a newly married couple maybe should avoid until their marriage is well grounded. I know that it was the right thing for my son.
Monday, April 15, 2013
Is Justice Blind?
The normal picture we have of justice is a blindfolded woman holding a pair of scales. However, is this the Biblical picture of justice? Biblical justice is not blind but rather it is closely associated with grace. We need to remember that Biblical justice reflects God's holy and loving nature. Biblical justice is righteous, that is it is right relationships. The problem we have with the normal view of justice is that it is usually rectifying justice which is correcting wrong rather than living in right relationships.Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Debtors' prisons
Now I don't put much stock in what the ACLU says but the following article should make us think:
It sounds like something from the Victorian England of Dickens, not modern Ohio. People going to jail because they can not pay their debts.
The American Civil Liberties Union has documented how it is happening now, in America.
“The use of debtors’ prison is an outdated and destructive practice that has wreaked havoc upon the lives of those profiled in this report and thousands of others throughout Ohio,” the report says.
The ACLU did a study in 2010 revealing the use of debtors prison practices in five states, Louisiana, Michigan, Ohio, Georgia and Washington. That led to a comprehensive study by the ACLU of Ohio, released just this month, on the widespread practice of jailing people for debt.
Thousands of poor Ohioans face the prospect of incarceration, according to the study, even though imprisoning someone for a debt that person can not pay is prohibited by the U.S. Constitution, a 1983 United States Supreme Court decision (declaring this practice to be a violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution), the Ohio Constitution, the Ohio Revised Code and numerous decisions by the Ohio Supreme Court.
It is legal in Ohio to jail someone for refusing to pay a court fine. But first, a judge must determine the defendant has the means to pay, but refuses to do so.
The ACLU of Ohio says it found “no evidence that any of these people were given hearings to determine whether or not they were financially able to pay their fines, as required by the law.”
In addition, the study points out, defendants may not be jailed for failure to pay court costs or restitution because those debts are civil, not criminal, in nature. Those debts must be recovered through civil debt collection methods, not through criminal sanctions.
The ACLU says courts in towns across Ohio are simply ignoring the requirements and jailing people who can’t pay their debts.
Ohio Public Defender Tim Young told the ACLU municipal courts in Ohio often ignore these laws in three ways:
•Holding defendants in contempt for failure to pay fines and costs without due process, notice, or counsel;
•Ordering defendants to “pay or appear,” and issuing arrest warrants for those who fail to comply;
•Or, jailing defendants who are too poor to pay their court costs or restitution.
The ACLU of Ohio has called on the Ohio Supreme Court to look into the matter.
The Dayton Daily News reports Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor is promising to meet with the ACLU of Ohio as soon as possible to discuss the findings, saying in a letter, it is “a matter that can and must receive further attention.”
The ACLU based its study on public records and interviews with those facing jail time for unpaid fines. The group also had staff members observe court proceedings.
The report said, observers saw “a process that did not make even a pretense of compliance with Ohio law,” and that “people facing jail time were informed of the total amount owed and, without any inquiry into their financial situations, assigned arbitrary monthly payment plans. At no time were they informed of their right to counsel.”
The report continued, “The court informed them that, if they did not stay current in these payment plans, they would be required to turn themselves in to jail on a specific date several months in the future.”
Additionally, “Some courts credited debtors $50 for each day they served in jail while others did not, despite the fact that this is mandated for all courts.”
The study says Ohio’s use of more than 300 mayor’s courts adds to the problem.
Ohio is one of only two states to allow mayor’s courts. The state allows them in municipalities with a population of more than 200 people, where there is no municipal court. The ACLU says these courts are largely unregulated and may hear only misdemeanor violations of local ordinances and state traffic laws. More than 84 percent of cases in these courts result from traffic tickets, and the defendant is found guilty 86 percent of the time. And, just as with municipal courts, mayor’s courts are jailing Ohioans in debtors’ prisons.
The study finds people are going to jail for debts so small, it sometimes costs more than their debts to jail them.
The cost of arresting, processing, and jailing low-income Ohioans can quickly exceed the few hundred dollars they may owe. It costs between $58 and $65 per night to lock someone in a county jail and about $400 to execute a warrant.
The ACLU says, “debtors’ prisons actually waste taxpayer dollars by arresting and incarcerating people who will simply never be able to pay their fines.”
The study found courts in Huron, Cuyahoga, and Erie counties were among the worst offenders.
The report reads, “In the second half of 2012, over 20 percent of all bookings in the Huron County Jail were related to failure to pay fines. In Cuyahoga County, the Parma Municipal Court jailed at least 45 people for failure to pay fines and costs between July 15 and August 31, 2012. During the same period in Erie County, the Sandusky Municipal Court jailed at least 75 people for similar charges.”
The ACLU finds the problem is made worse by the rise of poverty in the suburbs, a trend WND documented last month. “The number of people living in poverty in Ohio grew by 57.7 percent from 1999 to 2011, with the largest increase coming from suburban counties,” according to the study
What should be the reaction of the church to such actions? I think I know what Moses would have said.
It sounds like something from the Victorian England of Dickens, not modern Ohio. People going to jail because they can not pay their debts.
The American Civil Liberties Union has documented how it is happening now, in America.
“The use of debtors’ prison is an outdated and destructive practice that has wreaked havoc upon the lives of those profiled in this report and thousands of others throughout Ohio,” the report says.
The ACLU did a study in 2010 revealing the use of debtors prison practices in five states, Louisiana, Michigan, Ohio, Georgia and Washington. That led to a comprehensive study by the ACLU of Ohio, released just this month, on the widespread practice of jailing people for debt.
Thousands of poor Ohioans face the prospect of incarceration, according to the study, even though imprisoning someone for a debt that person can not pay is prohibited by the U.S. Constitution, a 1983 United States Supreme Court decision (declaring this practice to be a violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution), the Ohio Constitution, the Ohio Revised Code and numerous decisions by the Ohio Supreme Court.
It is legal in Ohio to jail someone for refusing to pay a court fine. But first, a judge must determine the defendant has the means to pay, but refuses to do so.
The ACLU of Ohio says it found “no evidence that any of these people were given hearings to determine whether or not they were financially able to pay their fines, as required by the law.”
In addition, the study points out, defendants may not be jailed for failure to pay court costs or restitution because those debts are civil, not criminal, in nature. Those debts must be recovered through civil debt collection methods, not through criminal sanctions.
The ACLU says courts in towns across Ohio are simply ignoring the requirements and jailing people who can’t pay their debts.
Ohio Public Defender Tim Young told the ACLU municipal courts in Ohio often ignore these laws in three ways:
•Holding defendants in contempt for failure to pay fines and costs without due process, notice, or counsel;
•Ordering defendants to “pay or appear,” and issuing arrest warrants for those who fail to comply;
•Or, jailing defendants who are too poor to pay their court costs or restitution.
The ACLU of Ohio has called on the Ohio Supreme Court to look into the matter.
The Dayton Daily News reports Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor is promising to meet with the ACLU of Ohio as soon as possible to discuss the findings, saying in a letter, it is “a matter that can and must receive further attention.”
The ACLU based its study on public records and interviews with those facing jail time for unpaid fines. The group also had staff members observe court proceedings.
The report said, observers saw “a process that did not make even a pretense of compliance with Ohio law,” and that “people facing jail time were informed of the total amount owed and, without any inquiry into their financial situations, assigned arbitrary monthly payment plans. At no time were they informed of their right to counsel.”
The report continued, “The court informed them that, if they did not stay current in these payment plans, they would be required to turn themselves in to jail on a specific date several months in the future.”
Additionally, “Some courts credited debtors $50 for each day they served in jail while others did not, despite the fact that this is mandated for all courts.”
The study says Ohio’s use of more than 300 mayor’s courts adds to the problem.
Ohio is one of only two states to allow mayor’s courts. The state allows them in municipalities with a population of more than 200 people, where there is no municipal court. The ACLU says these courts are largely unregulated and may hear only misdemeanor violations of local ordinances and state traffic laws. More than 84 percent of cases in these courts result from traffic tickets, and the defendant is found guilty 86 percent of the time. And, just as with municipal courts, mayor’s courts are jailing Ohioans in debtors’ prisons.
The study finds people are going to jail for debts so small, it sometimes costs more than their debts to jail them.
The cost of arresting, processing, and jailing low-income Ohioans can quickly exceed the few hundred dollars they may owe. It costs between $58 and $65 per night to lock someone in a county jail and about $400 to execute a warrant.
The ACLU says, “debtors’ prisons actually waste taxpayer dollars by arresting and incarcerating people who will simply never be able to pay their fines.”
The study found courts in Huron, Cuyahoga, and Erie counties were among the worst offenders.
The report reads, “In the second half of 2012, over 20 percent of all bookings in the Huron County Jail were related to failure to pay fines. In Cuyahoga County, the Parma Municipal Court jailed at least 45 people for failure to pay fines and costs between July 15 and August 31, 2012. During the same period in Erie County, the Sandusky Municipal Court jailed at least 75 people for similar charges.”
The ACLU finds the problem is made worse by the rise of poverty in the suburbs, a trend WND documented last month. “The number of people living in poverty in Ohio grew by 57.7 percent from 1999 to 2011, with the largest increase coming from suburban counties,” according to the study
What should be the reaction of the church to such actions? I think I know what Moses would have said.
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Unacceptable Offering
In Deuteronomy 23 Moses tells the people that they cannot use the profits from cult prostitutes in the house of God. Well we might say that is not our problems but ...
What if someone came to the church with an offering of $100000 which was what they said was the tithe on their lottery winnings. The church should not even consider accepting these monies. Why is this not acceptable? It is not the money but what it represents. By accepting this money the church is condoning gambling.
But there is much more to this than just accepting money from the sex trade or gambling. Should the church accept money from people who make questionable investments, run unethical business, etc. God doesn't need our money. There is no blessing from giving to God that which is tainted.
What if someone came to the church with an offering of $100000 which was what they said was the tithe on their lottery winnings. The church should not even consider accepting these monies. Why is this not acceptable? It is not the money but what it represents. By accepting this money the church is condoning gambling.
But there is much more to this than just accepting money from the sex trade or gambling. Should the church accept money from people who make questionable investments, run unethical business, etc. God doesn't need our money. There is no blessing from giving to God that which is tainted.
Monday, April 8, 2013
Christmas lights
At Christmas time I like to put up Christmas lights. I enjoy seeing all the lights in the neighbourhood and I certainly add my share of lights. However, have you ever wondered about who produces those Christmas lights? Most of our lights come from China and they are made by human rights prisoners many of whom are pastors. Imagine sitting on cold or muddy ground with only a huge box of lights and wire in front of you. Without tools of any kind, you must assemble 3000–5000 lights per day. Quickly, your fingers become numb and bloody. Your teeth serve as your only crimping tools. Even as you work to complete your tasks, you know that you will be beaten severely if you don’t get it all done. So what should we do? Should we boycott Christmas lights from China? Here is what one pastor said: “I want the world to know I am willing to suffer for the Lord Jesus Christ.” Even in prison, they share the Gospel with others. Many even leave prison tearfully because they leave behind new believers that they led to Christ while in prison together.
Our desire should not be for cheaper Christmas lights but rather that the cause of Jesus Christ may be advanced. We should work toward helping these people to have political and religious freedom but while they seek their freedom we should continue to pray.
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Lotteries
I could make the usual comments about lotteries such as "Lotteries are a tax on those who are bad at mathematics" but rather I would like to comment on how lotteries are a way of the rich and the powerful exploiting the poor. People buy lottery tickets because they think that they will get rich but who really is getting rich? I know there is usual a winner or two but most people who buy lottery tickets cannot afford to waste that money. As a Christian we should not buy lottery tickets for a number or reasons.
First, it shows that we don't trust God for our daily needs. We would rather depend upon "luck" or "chance". Remember Paul said that those who don't work shouldn't eat.
Second, lotteries exploit the poor. As I have already said that most lottery tickets are purchased by those who cannot afford them.
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Is Fair Trade Fair?
I don't really know. It is like so many other things, it depends upon who you are reading. Some say yes and others say no. Some say that fair trade is a scam and that the farmers who grow bananas or coffee get less money for fair trade produce than those that don't.
So what should we do?
First, we should always do what is right when we know it is right. We should always pay a fair price when we know what is a fair price. We should not always look to buy something because it is cheaper but we should do some investigating to see if the product is made using child labour or unfair trade and labour practices.
Second, we must always be fair with those that we deal with. We should pay those that work for us a fair wage. We should care for those who come under our care. We should never take advantage of others.
Finally, we should help those that need help. Give to the poor, treat all people with respect and dignity.
So what should we do?
First, we should always do what is right when we know it is right. We should always pay a fair price when we know what is a fair price. We should not always look to buy something because it is cheaper but we should do some investigating to see if the product is made using child labour or unfair trade and labour practices.
Second, we must always be fair with those that we deal with. We should pay those that work for us a fair wage. We should care for those who come under our care. We should never take advantage of others.
Finally, we should help those that need help. Give to the poor, treat all people with respect and dignity.
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