The Humanitarian Theory Of Punishment

                                                 When The Door Slams

He went on: "What come out of a person is what defiles them. For it is from within, out of a person's heart, that evil thoughts come--sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person."                                    (Mark 7:20-23 NIV)

            As a Christian, I most certainly believe in punishment. Biblical justice demands that individuals be held accountable. Throughout the history of ancient Israel, to break God's law was to invite swift, specific, and certain punishment. When a law was broken, the resulting imbalance could be righted only when the transgressor was punished and thus made to "pay" for his wrong. 

            Though modern sociologists take offense at this elemental concept of retribution, it is essential: If justice means getting one's due, then justice is denied when deserved punishment is not received. And ultimately this undermines one's role as a moral, responsible human being.

            During the 1980's we saw the incredible prison population boom, crime consistently rose. In 1990 alone, violent crime rose 10 percent, and over twenty thousand people were slaughtered in the mean streets of our nation. During the hundred hours in  which the air and ground warfare of Desert Storm bombarded Iraq, more Americans died on the city streets of their own country than in the sands of the Middle East...

            A few years ago two Harvard scholars, criminologist James Wilson and psychologist Richard Herrnstein, undertook a ten-year study to determine the causes of crime. A landmark book was published, Crime and Human Nature, In which they challenged fifty years of conventional wisdom that crime was the result of race, poverty, and social oppression...          Although they determined that intellect and genetics had some effect on behavior, the primary cause of crime was simply individual choice. Those choices...were determined by one's moral conscience which is shaped early in life and most crucially by family and friends . 

            Think about this: It is in the circle of the home where children first learn the importance of individual responsibility. Until we reclaim our families and our children, we will never deal with the moral crisis in our society. 

            This is why the distinction between prison and punishment is so crucial. Prisons, though necessary to confine violent offenders, can hardly be considered redemptive. And while punishment is clearly Biblical, American penal philosophy is not based on the Biblical principle of just deserts that it is founded on a humanistic view that crime is an illness to be cured.

            Affirmation: I will give their wealth as plunder to foreigners and as loot to the wicked of the earth, who will defile it. I will turn my face away from the people, and robbers will desecrate the place I treasure. They will enter it and will defile it. Prepare chains! For the land is full of bloodshed, and the city is full of violence (Ezekiel 7:21-23 NIV). 

Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness.                         

                                                 Never Rest Ministries

Tough Times Never Last, But Tough People Do

                                                 When The Door Slams 

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.                     (Hebrews 12:1-3 NIV)

            When the going gets tough, the tough get going." When the roads are rough, the tough rise to the occasion. They win. They survive. They come out on top! Life is a task. A tough one. Sometimes it is absolutely unbearable. Some days we do well just to survive...to say nothing of excelling. Therefore, persevering becomes essential to living--the only key that unlocks the door of hope. Through perseverance character is built, strong and solid character that brings about hope.

            Why keep persevering? Why continue standing against the strong currents of temptation, evil, fear, anger, loss, stress, impossibilities, misunderstanding, and mistakes? Why fight defection? Why overcome inferiority? Why keep on waiting? Why? Because it is the realistic arena that true character is forged out, shaped, tempered, and polished, Because it is there that the life of Jesus Christ is given the maximum opportunity to be reproduced in us, replacing a thin, fragile internal theology with a tough, reliable set of convictions that enable us to handle life rather than escape from it.

            Think about this: Because life is a task, we need strength to face it, not speed to run from it. When the foundation shakes, When Christian friends--even the leaders--are immoral and falling into apostasy, when the bottom drops out and brutal blows attempt to pound us into the corner of doubt and unbelief, we need what perseverance offers: willingness to accept whatever comes, strength to face it head on, determination to stand firm, and insight to see the Lord God hand in it all. Without it, we stumble and fall. And God is grieved. With it, we survive and conquer. And God is glorified.

            Petition: So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. For, "In just a little while, he who is coming will come and will not delay. And "but my righteous one will live by faith. And I take no pleasure in the one who shrinks back." But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved (Hebrews 10:35-39 NIV).  

  Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin.   Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness.    

                                                             Never Rest Ministries

                

                 

If You Think You Are Standing Firm, Be Careful That You Don't Fall

                                                 When The Door Slams    

These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come. So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall! No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.                                                                                                               (1 Corinthians 10:11-13 NIV ) 

            When you are under pressure, are you a reactor or a responder? When you are face-to-face with the giant of lust or jealousy--when your emotions are redlined--do you find yourself thinking, Oh, God, I know what I should do. I know what I ought to do. I know I should just walk away. But I don't know if I can do it? If pressure or temptation automatically pushes you into the reaction mode, you are destined for failure most of the time. Why? It is a sure sign that you are trying to produce righteousness on your own.

            You may be tempted to argue that there is no time to exercise faith before exercising will. Not in the real world anyway. Things happen too fast. We are usually taken off guard. Weak minded Christians think there is no way to get a jump on temptation, rejection and jealousy...

            Yes we can get a jump on temptation, rejection and jealousy; we can make the first move. Let me ask you, how many days a week, on the average, are you tempted? How many days a week are you forced to deal with some inordinate emotion that has the potential of doing serious damage to your reputation and relationships if expressed? For me, it averages out to seven days a week. And I imagine the same is true for you. We know it's coming. Therefore, the wisest thing to do is to begin every day by exercising out faith against the anticipated onslaughts. 

            We don't need to wait until we are in the thick of the battle to claim the promises of God. By that time it's too late. Certainly there is time to express faith in the Holy Spirit when you see things buildings. But even better, go ahead and exercise your faith before the struggle begins. And when it does, you will think, I have already dealt with this in prayer.

            Think about this: A responder activates his faith before he activates his will. He believes before he behaves...The Holy Spirit dwells in you and is ready to go to work producing the character of Christ through you. All He needs is your faith. His green light is your willingness to say, "Holy Spirit, I cannot handle this. I am not even going to try. Respond through me. Give me Your perspective on all of this. I trust you my Lord God in Jesus name.

            Renewal: Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the the word of God (Ephesians 6:13-17 NIV).

Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heard and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness.                                    

                                                 Never Rest Ministries

Out Of The Darkness, A Bright Light Shone

                                                   When The Door Slams 

Why is life given to a man whose path is hidden, whom God has hedged in? I sigh when food is put before me, and my groans pour out like water. For the thing I feared has overtaken me, and what I dreaded has happened to me. I cannot relax or be still; I have no rest, for trouble comes.                      (Job 3:23-26 HCSB)

            No one exempt from tragedy or disappointment--God himself was not exempt. Jesus offered no immunity, no way out of the unfairness, but rather a way through it to the other side. Just as Good Friday demolished the instinctive belief that this life is supposed to be fair, Easter Sunday followed with its startling clue to the riddle of the universe. Out of the darkness, a bright light shone. 

            The primal desire for fairness dies hard, and it should. Who among us does not sometimes yearn for more justice in this world here and now? Secretly, I yearn for a world "fault-proof" against disappointments, a world where my blog articles will always find acceptance and my body does not grow old and weak...But if I stake my faith on such a fault-proof earth, my faith will let me down. Even the greatest of miracles do not resolve the problems of this earth: all people who find physical healing eventually die. 

            Think about this: We need more than miracles. We need a new heaven and a new earth, and until we have those, unfairness will not disappear.

            The Cross of Christ may have overcome evil, but it did not overcome unfairness. For that, Easter is required. Someday, God will restore all physical reality to its proper place under His reign. Until then, it is a good thing to remember that we live out our days on Easter Saturday.

            Affirmation: "Oh, that my words were recorded, that they were written on a scroll, that they were inscribed with an iron tool on lead, or engraved in rock forever! I know than my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see him with my own eyes--I, and not another (Job 19:23-27 NIV).

Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness.

                                                        Never Rest Ministries

                              

            

 

To See Such A Prisoner All You Have To Do Is Look In The Mirror

                                                 When The Door Slams

The highway of the upright avoids evil; the one who guards his way protects his life. Pride comes before destruction, and an arrogant spirit before a fall. Better to be lowly of spirit with the humble than to divide plunder with the proud. The one who understands a matter finds success, and the one who trust in the LORD will be happy (Proverbs 16:17-20 HCSB). 

            A prison of pride is filled with self-made men and women determined to pull themselves up by their own bootstraps even if they land on their rear ends. It doesn't matter what they did or to whom they did it with or where they will end up; it only matters that "I did it my way." 

            You have seen these prisoners, You have seen the disobedient children who are deceiving themselves. You have seen the alcoholic who won't admit his drinking and drug problem. You have seen the woman who refuses to talk to anyone about her fears and weak decision making. You have seen the businessman who adamantly rejects help even when his dreams are falling apart. To see such a prisoner all you have to do is look in the mirror.

            "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just..." The biggest word in Scripture might be two-letter one, if. For confessing sins--admitting failure--is exactly what prisoners of pride refuse to do. These are the tools of the jailbird. Comparison. Justification. Rationalization. They sound good. They sound familiar. But in the kingdom of God they are deception.

            Think about this: These sorts of hurts--pains of the heart and mind and spirit--create an emptiness, and seem to put us in a spiritual vacuum. We can describe physical pain to a doctor or nurse, but inside pain can only be known--really known--by God.

            I think God permits this kind of inner anguish for a good reason. Physical hurt is almost outside of us, something we can drive it from our thoughts. But inside pain is within our thoughts, and forces us to cope with the problem. God may allow it because He knows this kind of suffering can be more purifying than any other kind of pain. We are forced to face it and deal with the situation at hand.

            "Blessed are those who mourn..." To mourn for your sins is a natural outflow of poverty of spirit...But that's not always the case. Many deny their weakness. Many know they are wrong, yet pretend they are right. As a result, they never taste the faultless sorrow of repentance. 

            The Beatitudes: "The poor in spirit are blessed, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs. Those who mourn are blessed, for they will be comforted. The gentle are blessed, for they will inherit the earth. Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness are blessed, for they will be filled. The merciful are blessed, for they will be shown mercy. The pure in heart are blessed, for they will see God. The peacemakers are blessed, for they will be called sons of God. Those who are persecuted for righteousness are blessed, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs (Matthew 5:3-10 HCSB).  

Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness.                        

                                                       Never Rest Ministries

 

"Love Your Neighbor As You Love Yourself"

                                                When The Door Slams

Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. On the contrary: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good             (Romans 12:17-21 NIV).      

            Looking at hospitality as the creation of a free and friendly space where we can reach out to strangers and invite them to become our friends, it is clear that this can take place on many levels and in many relationships. Although the word stranger suggests someone who belongs to another world government than ours, speaks another language and has different customs, it is important, first of all, to recognize the stranger in our own familiar circle.

            When we are able to be good hosts for the strangers in our midst we may find also ways to expand our hospitality to broader horizons. Therefore, it might be worthwhile to look carefully at the four types of relationships that can be better understood from the perspective of hospitality: the relationship between parents and their children, the relationship between teachers and their students, and the relationship between professionals--such as doctors, social workers, psychologists, nurses, ministers and priests--and their patients, clients, counselees and parishioners. The relationship between government and their politics. 

            In all four types of relationships we become involved at some point in our own history. The complexity of life is exactly related to the fact that often we find ourselves involved in all four types of relationships at the same time and on both sides. While being a father to our children, a teacher to our students, a counselor to our counselees, and politician to their politics we also remain child, student and patient in other contexts. 

            Think about this: While trying to be a good mother, we often still have responsibilities as daughter; while teaching in the daytime, we might be sitting on the other side of the classroom in the evening; and while politician are giving advice to others, we realize at times how badly we need it ourselves. We all are children and parents, student and teachers, politicians and healers and in need of care. And so we move in and out of each others' worlds at different times and in different ways...They all stand together under the great commandment: "Love your neighbor as you love yourself " (Mark 12:31 NIV). 

            Affirmation: Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it. Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering (Hebrews 13:1-3 NIV).     

Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness.  

                                                        Never Rest Ministries                           

God Has Only Called You To Be Faithful, God Did Not Call You To Be Crazy!

                                       When The Door Slams  

            Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kind, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you (James 1:2-5). Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you (1 Peter 5:6-7). 

            God can take your trouble and change it into treasure. Your sorrow can be exchanged for joy, not just a momentary smile, but a deep new joy. It will be a spiritual experience of new hope that brings brightness to your eyes and a song to  your heart. In the midst of the darkness, you will learn lessons you might never have learned in the day. We all have seen dreams turn to ashes--they are ugly things, hopeless and heartbreaking.

            Tears and sorrow come, but each time God will be there to remind you that He cares. Romans 8:28 means that God causes all things in our lives to work together for His good. Flowers can even grow on dung hills, and compost makes great gardens. God is offering Himself to you daily, and the rate of exchange is fixed. It is your sins for His forgiveness, your tragedy and hurt for His merciful healing, and Your sorrow for His joy. 

            Give God your pain and sorrow; give Him the guilt you feel. Tears and heartaches come to us all. Leaning on your own understanding is crazy. Remember, you are not alone; many are in God's waiting room for what seems like forever, learning lessons, suffering pain and growing. But the fertilizer that helps us grow is in those valleys of darkness and pain, not on the mountaintops.

            Think about this: The painful crown of suffering precedes the golden crown of glory...So keep this in mind that you are not responsible for what you cannot control and that God has only called you to be faithful. He did not call you to be crazy.

            Real genuine spiritual healing is a process. It takes a long, long time for the deep hurts to be resolved. Sometimes it seems that they will be with us forever, but understanding them helps dissipate their pain. Life isn't always what you want, but it is what you got; so, with God's help, choose to be happy in faith--and God will see you and your loved ones home self.

            Renewal: Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man. Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil (Proverbs 3:3-7 NIV).

 Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness.

                                                                Never Rest Ministries 

                    

             

The Mission Of The Government's Power, To Serve All People

                                                 When The Door Slams

Blessed is the one who always trembles before God, but whoever hardens their heart falls into trouble. Like a roaring lion or a charging bear is a wicked ruler over a helpless people. A tyrannical ruler practices extortion, but one who hates ill-gotten gain will enjoy a long reign.                                                             Proverbs 28:14-16 NIV 

            Government is given to us not as an idea or task to be fulfilled, but as a reality and as something which "is" (Romans 13:1-4). It exist as a divine office. The existing of government is linked with a divine commission. Its existing is fulfilled only in the fulfillment of the commission...Consequently, whether or not government is aware of its own true basis, its task consists in maintaining by the power of the sword an outward justice in which life is preserved and thus held open for Christ.  

            The mission of government to serve Christ no matter whether it is conscious or unconscious of this mission which, cannot destroy the close relation of government to Christ. It cannot in either case evade it task of serving Christ people. It will serves Christ by its very existence. 

            There are very few Christians in America who have an intelligent concept of citizenship or of the way that God would have us interrelate to the body of politic. So we have allowed politician ideologies to fill the vacuum in America, so much so that Christian values have virtually been crowded out.

            Think about this: The reason why God wanted to have government: that life in the world might go on in an orderly manner. A government is controlled either by a few or by many; and yet if God does not control it, it is not administered well either by a few or by many. Government is instituted, not in order to seek its own profit at the expense of the people and to exercise its self-will on them but in order to provide for the best interests of its people. 

            Affirmation: Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. The commandments, "You shall not commit adultery," "You shall not murder," "You shall not steal," "You shall not covet," and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: "Love your neighbor as yourself." Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law (Romans 13:8-10 NIV). 

 Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness.    

                                                      Never Rest Ministries

 

Is Man Making Himself God.

                                                  When The Door Slam

The LORD saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. The LORD regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled.                                                                 (Genesis 6:5-6 NIV)

            What an incredible temptation: to be like God, to enjoy God power--man making himself God. It is explicit in everything our culture take seriously. Whether the power is technological, social, political, military, financial, administrative, religious, or personal, it is assumed to be the key, one way or another, to achievement, fulfillment, human destiny.

            Even when power's capacity to corrupt and destroy is acknowledged, the acceptable remedy is power that can control power which only compounds and complicates the syndrome. This is not a new phenomenon peculiar to the twentieth century. Throughout history, the ways of change have been the ways of power, violent or nonviolent. Kingdoms have risen and fallen, national boundaries have been altered or obliterated, races expanded or extinguished, cultures and societies built up or destroyed...by power.

            Think about this: The unique Christian insight comes at the point of the definition and understanding of power. The world pictures force, brute strength, money, muscle, tanks, bombs, tyranny, monopolies the list goes on and on. The Christian pictures the cross. In the "foolishness" of this symbol of power the Christian senses a radically different kind of power. It is a new way of being "capable." A picture of this different definition would be Jesus standing in front of Pilate. Pilate represents all the power of the great empire of Rome. Jesus appears to be one lonely, solitary, impotent man. It is clear through the eyes of faith, however, that the real power is incarnate in the solitary figure.

            The consequences of that transaction in Eden: all subsequent evil, with it destructive power visited upon humanity generation by generation, century by century, millennium by millennium. The process is described in detail in Romans 1:18-32. Continually since his original test, man keeps attempting to be his own god, deciding what is good or evil, generally determining both to be relative, and not uncommonly inverting both. 

            Petition: Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived (Colossians 3:5-7). You are the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is Your flesh, which You have given for the life of the world (John 6:51). You are the light of the world. He who follows You will not walk in the darkness but will have the light of life (John 8:12).  

Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness.                                  

                              Never Rest Ministries  

When Life's Not Fair, Try Prayer.

                                         When The Door Slams 

"For the Bread of God is He who comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world." Then they said to Him, "Lord, always give us this bread." Jesus replied to them, "I am the Bread of Life. The one who comes to Me will never be hungry, and the one who believes in Me [as Savior] will never be thirsty [for that one will be sustained spiritually]. "But as I told you, you have seen Me and still you do not believe. "All that My Father gives Me will come to Me; and the one who comes to Me I will most certainly not cast out [I will never, never reject anyone who follows Me].                                                                          John 6:33-37 AMP 

            When life's not fair, which way do you turn? try prayer. Prayer is a universal practice. The human being is by nature a spirit. We all yearn to reach out with our souls. We all attempt to transcend our humanity through prayer. The human being was created in the image of God. We are, therefore, innately, instinctively, incurably spiritual. Even those who have had no exposure to religious philosophy or doctrine or teaching whatever still feel that natural impulse within the breast which calls them to communicate with their Creator.

            So no matter what your religious background, when life's not fair, turn to prayer. It can be the key to unlocking a tremendous healing force in yourself and in others. I've seen it happen, time after time, people healed--some physically, some spiritually, all emotionally. As a minister I have prayed with hundreds of people, from CEO's to peasants, from saints to professed atheists. No matter whom I prayed with, I have never failed to see the power of Positive prayer. I cannot say the same about negative prayer. 

            There is a difference between negative prayer and positive prayer. Negative praying is akin to complaining. Positive prayer is akin to Faith! The Bible substantiates this, "Without faith no one can please God. Anyone who comes to God must believe that he is real and that he rewards those who truly want to find him" (Hebrews 11:6). 

            Think about this: I am only one of so many millions of millions of people who for two thousand years claim to know and to have met, and claim to have a positive relationship through faith and prayer with [the] living human/divine person, name Jesus Christ. He is alive. He's the same, yesterday, today, and forever. Occasionally my LORD breaks through dramatically and crunches and crashes into people's lives and performs dramatic miracles. Other times my LORD supports quietly, leading, walking silently along, giving the courage to carve a new life. 

            Renewal: He who heeds the word prospers, And blessed is he who trusts in the Lord (Proverbs 16:20). With regard to my former way of life, may I put off my old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires, and be renewed in the spirit of my mind; and may I put on the new self, which was created according to God in righteousness and true holiness (Ephesians 4:22-24). May I be diligent to add to my faith, virtue, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if these qualities are mine in increasing measure, they will keep me from being barren and unfruitful in the full knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Peter 1:5-8). 

 Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for his forgiveness.

                                        Never Rest Ministries                                              

            

  

            

                                                                                                                                                                            

Willingness To Accept Whatever Comes

                                             When The Door Slams

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstance; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all; hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil. May God himself, the of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The One who calls you in faithful, and he will do it.                                                                                           1 Thessalonians 5:16-24 NIV

            Life is a task. A tough one. Sometimes it's absolutely unbearable. Some days we do well just to survive....to say nothing of excelling. Therefore, persevering becomes essential to living the only key that unlocks the door of hope. Through perseverance character is build, strong and solid character that brings about hope.  

            Paul said "We also have joy with our troubles, [Why?] because we know that these troubles produce patience. And patience produces character, and character produces hope" (Romans 5:3-4). 

            Why keep persevering? Why continue standing against the strong currents of temptation, fear, anger, loss, stress, impossibilities, misunderstanding, and mistakes? Why fight defection? Why overcome inferiority? Why keep on waiting? I will tell you why. Because it is in the realistic arena that true character is forged out, shaped, tempered, and polished. Because it is there that the life of Jesus Christ is given the maximum opportunity to be reproduced in us, replacing a thin, fragile internal theology with a tough, reliable set of convictions that enable us to handle life rather than escape from it.

           Because life is a task, we need strength to face it, not just run from it. When the foundation shakes, when Christian friends--even the leaders--are immoral and falling into apostasy, when the bottom drops out and brutal blows attempt to pound us into the corner of doubt and unbelief, we need what perseverance offers: willingness to accept whatever comes, strength to face it head on, determination to stand firm, and have insight to see the Lord's hand in it all. 

Think about this: Without it, we stumble and fall. And God is grieved. With it, we survive and conquer. And God is glorified. 

            Renewal: Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sister, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:12-14 NIV).

 Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness.   

                                                Never Rest Ministries                              

    

The Gospel Is Not Theology. It's A Person.

                                               When The Door Slams

Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of this age."       (Matthew 28:16-20 NIV)

            For the New Testament Christians, witness was not a sales pitch. They simply shared, each in his own way, what they had received. Theirs was not a formally prepared, carefully worked-out presentation with a gimmick to manipulate conversation, and a "closer" for an on the-spot decision....but the spontaneous, irrepressible, effervescent enthusiasm of those who had met the most fascinating Person who ever lived. 

            The gospel is not theology. It's a Person. Theology will not save You. Jesus Christ saves.  The first-century disciples were totally involved with a Person. They were followers of Jesus. They were learners of Jesus. They were committed to Jesus. They were filled with the Word of God. 

            They had encountered Jesus Christ and it simply could not be concealed. They witnessed not because they had to, but because they could not help it. Their school of witnessing was the school of the Spirit where they learned continuously. Authentic Christian witness is born of the Spirit. 

            The simplest Christian does it effortlessly when he tells a friend what Christ means to him. "When the Holy Spirit comes to you, you will receive power. You will be my witness in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8).    

            Think about this: The Bible says, "He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world" (1 John 4:4). The Christian believer, by having the Holy Spirit within him, has power over all demons. When Jesus Christ sent His apostles out on their mission, He said He was giving them authority over all the power of the enemy (Luke 10:10). 

            Intercession: "Then I asked, Who are you, Lord? "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting, the Lord replied. Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen and will see of me. I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me (Acts 26:15-18 NIV). 

Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness.

                                                    Never Rest Ministries        

            

Never Trust A Person Who Is Full Of Hate

                                             When The Door Slams

Do not be surprised, my brothers and sister, if the world hates you. We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love each other. Anyone who does not love remains in death. Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him (1 John 3:13-15 NIV).

              Resentment is the hate of emotions. It causes our blood to pump and our energy level to rise. But, also like hate, it demands increasingly larger and more frequent activity. There is a dangerous point at which anger ceases to be an emotion and becomes a driving force. A person bent on revenge moves unknowingly further and further away from being able to forgive, for to be without the anger is to be without a source of energy. 

            That explains why the bitter complain to any who will listen. They want--they need--to have their needs fanned. That helps explain the existence of the KKK,  the Proud Boys, the Skinheads, and other hate organizations. Members of these groups feed each other's anger. And that is why the resentful often appear unreasonable. They are addicted to their bitterness. They don't want to surrender their anger, for to do so would be to surrender their reason to live.

            Think about this: Take bigotry from the racist and what does he have left? Remove revenge from the heart of a zealot, and her life is empty. Extract chauvinism from the radical sexist and what remains? Resentment is like hate in another way, too. Hate can kill the hater. Anger can kill the angry. It can kill physically. Chronic anger has been linked with elevated cholesterol, high blood pressure and other deadly conditions...Hatred is the rabid dog that turns on its owner. Revenge is the raging fire that consumes the arsonist. Bitterness is the trap that snares the hater. 

            And mercy is the choice that can set them all free. In the words of Paul: "We know that in everything God works for the good of those who love him..." (Romans 8:28). God will not permit any troubles to come upon us, unless He has a specific plan by which great blessing can come out of the difficulty. 

            Affirmation: Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such "wisdom" does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice                                                                  (James 3:13-16 NIV). 

Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness.

                                                        Never Rest Ministries  

       

The Humanitarian Theory Of Punishment

                                            When The Door Slams

I will turn my face away from the people, and robbers will desecrate the place I treasure. They will enter it and will defile it. "Prepare chains! For the land is full of bloodshed, and the city is full of violence. I will bring the most wicked of nations to take possession of their houses. I will put an end to the pride of the mighty, and their sanctuaries will be desecrated. When terror comes, they will seek peace in vain.           Ezekiel 7:22-25

            As a Christian, I most certainly believe in punishment. Biblical justice demands that individuals be held accountable. Throughout the history of ancient Israel, to break God's law was to invite swift, specific, and certain punishment. When a law was broken, the resulting imbalance could be righted only when the transgressor was punished and thus made to "pay" for his wrong. 

            Though modern sociologists take offense at this elemental concept of retribution, it is essential: If justice means getting one's due, then justice is denied when deserved punishment is not received. And ultimately this undermines one's role as a moral, responsible human being. 

            C.S. Lewis summed this up in his brilliant essay  "The Humanitarian Theory of Punishment," which assails the view that lawbreakers should be "cured" or "treated" rather than punished. "To be punished, however severely, because we have deserved it, because we 'ought to have known better,' is to be treated as a human person made in God's image," says Lewis. In this Biblical sense, punishment is not only just, it is very often redemptive-to the offender, the victim, and society at large.

            Think about this: This is why the distinction between prison and punishment is so crucial. Prisons, though necessary to confine violent offenders, can hardly be considered redemptive. And while punishment is clearly Biblical, American penal philosophy is not based on the Biblical principle of just due or payment, that it is founded on a humanistic view that crime is an illness to be cured.

            Confession: Have you not brought this on yourselves by forsaking the LORD your God when he led you in the way? Now why go to Egypt to drink water from the Nile? And why go to Assyria to drink water from the Euphrates? Your wickedness will punish you; your backsliding will rebuke you. Consider then and realize how evil and bitter it is you when you forsake the LORD your God and have no awe of me; declares the Lord, the LORD Almighty (Jeremiah 2:17-19).

Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness. 

                                                Never Rest Ministries

                   

      

28 Spiritual Understandings

                                   When The Door Slams  

* Proverbs 28                                                                                                                                        (1) The Wicked run away when no one is chasing them, but the godly are as bold as lions. (2)  When there is moral rot within a nation, its government topples easily. But wise and knowledgeable leaders bring stability. (3) A poor person who oppresses the poor is like a pounding fain that destroys the crops. (4) To reject the law is to praise the wicked; to obey the law is to fight them. 

(5) Evil people don't understand justice, but those who follow the LORD understand completely. (6) Better to be poor and honest than to be dishonest and rich. (7) Young people who obey the law are wise; those with wild friends bring shame to their parents. (8) Income from charging high interest rates will end up in the pocket of someone who is kind to the poor. (9) God detests the prayers of a person who ignores the law.

(10) Those who lead good people along an evil path will fall into their own trap, but the honest will inherit good things. (11) Rich people may think they are wise, but a poor person with discernment can see right through them. (12) When the godly succeed, everyone is glad. When the wicked take charge, people go into hiding. 

(13) People who conceal their sins will not prosper, but if they confess and turn from them, they will receive mercy. (14) Blessed are those who fear to do wrong, but the stubborn are headed for serious trouble. (15) A wicked ruler is as dangerous to the poor as a roaring lion or an attacking bear. (16) A ruler with no understanding will oppress his people, but one who hates corruption will have a long life.

(17) A murderer's tormented conscience will drive him into the grave. Don't protect him! (18) The blameless will be rescued from harm, but the crooked will be suddenly destroyed. (19) A hard worker has plenty of food, but a person who chases fantasies ends up in poverty. (20) The trustworthy person will get a rich reward,  but a person who wants quick riches will get into trouble. (21) Showing partiality is never good, yet some will do wrong for a mere piece of bread. (22) Greedy people try to get rich quick but don't realize they're headed for poverty.

(23) In the end, people appreciate honest criticism far more than flattery. (24) Anyone who steals from his farther and mother and says, "What's wrong with that?" is no better than a murderer. (25) Greed causes fighting; trusting the LORD leads to prosperity. (26) Those who trust their own insight are foolish, but anyone who walks in wisdom is safe. (27 Whoever gives to the poor will lack nothing, but those who close their eyes to poverty will be cursed.

(28) When the wicked take charge, people go into hiding. When the wicked meet disaster, the godly flourish (Proverbs 28).-  

Affirmation: All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17). We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shinning in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your heart (2 Peter 1:19 NIV).    

Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for his forgiveness.             

                                                 Never Rest Ministries 

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