The Cycle of Sin

By Brenda Black

Lance Armstrong -- the very name elicits images of strength and athletic heroics. It used to, that is. Now the famous cyclist's name is mud and it's being dragged through the media with a vengeance.

The final verdict from the powers that be in the professional cycling world condemns Armstrong of “masterminding a doping strategy that involved prohibited drugs, blood transfusions and elaborate schemes to fool testing authorities,” writes reporter Martin Rogers.

The iconic athlete was stripped of each of his seven Tour de France titles. His reputation now morphs from stellar to stupid, while million-dollar endorsements disappear into the dust. The saddest indictments are how self-deceived this man and how many suffer because of his sin.

With any fallen hero, a fan base comprised of young and old, trusting and loyal people, is left in the wake. The winners that should have been, instead had their moment of glory and fame stolen selfishly and deceitfully from them, never to be regained. In fact the history books will just declare no winner at all for those seven prestigious titles. Shameful, costly, and so disappointing.

Is it pride, greed, selfishness, or arrogance that leads a man to believe he is above accountability? Does he think he is more deserving or afraid that he is not? How can he lie for so long that he believes the lies to be truth?

As long as sin is given rein to go unbridled and as long as others will turn the other way or empower such destructive choices, the sinner certainly loses more than he ever gains. And every life he impacts loses as well.

Most of us will never compete for world titles and our faces won't grace giant billboards or cereal boxes. We may never dream of experimenting with drugs and wouldn't dare consider cheating. Still, we are sinners just the same. I don't say that to excuse Armstrong's gargantuan assault on athletic integrity. It's just the truth.

“There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.” (Romans 3:10-12)

From blatant hypocrisy to subtle deceit, we sin. We lie, we gossip, we offend without cause and live far from holy lives, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God...” (Rom. 3:23)

Amazingly, that holy God will forgive in an instant if we just repent. IF we repent.

“...this [Armstrong] story is close to having run its course,” writes Rogers. “a defining step at the end of a tale that has unraveled to expose extraordinary details of wrongdoing behind what was once considered an extraordinary tale of human achievement.

“All that is left is for Armstrong now is to reveal all, to tell the world what, how and why he fooled so many for so long. But for an athlete for whom denial and deceit has seemingly become second nature, such a reversal must be considered unlikely.”

courtesy of http://www.nydailynews.com/

The death trap is set. Either he can come clean and confess and seek forgiveness or he stands to lose more than just a few worldly titles. He risks heaven itself. The Apostle Paul once wrote to the Church in Rome warning them of the deadly consequences of sin compared to the life-giving results of righteousness. “...do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life, and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.” (Romans 6:12-14)

The real battle for Armstrong, and for each of us, is not a competition for our reputation in and of itself. It is a race for grace. God waits with open arms. He wipes our record clean, not of trophies undeserved, but of sin unchecked. He replaces the exposed crimes with His mercy and sees us as winners again. “This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.” (Rom. 3:22) In this perfect cycle, God takes our ruination and makes us right again.

We can't undo history or unhurt people injured by our own selfish sins. But we can live differently each day ahead when we count ourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Sheltered by Faith

By Brenda Black

Some in our little country congregation have traveled near and far and returned safely home to the rural community where I live. Some endured sudden storms this past week that left damaged property, but no injuries. Some have braved medical tests and learned good news and some are thankful for just one more day. In all of these circumstances, God moved.

“The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.” (Psalm 34:7)

Deliverance comes in a host of forms, from traveling mercies to supernatural healing. The Lord covers, sustains, removes, rejuvenates. He leads, protects, grants wisdom or endurance. And sometimes bad things happen, people get sick or possessions get ruined. Still, God Almighty partners with us when we place our trust in Him, no matter the situation. Godly fear is the beginning of wisdom; wisdom is steeped in learning to lean.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)

The harder the winds of this world blow in our face, the more we have to live by faith! The disciples had to learn that same lesson with an up-close encounter with nature when they were overcome by a raging storm. “A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger...He [Jesus] got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided and all was calm. 'Where is your faith?' he asked his disciples.'” (Luke 8:23b-25)

The story concludes that “In fear and amazement they asked one another, 'Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him.'” (Lk 8:25)

In order to truly follow a God who is all powerful, we have to first fear Him reverently. Honestly, I am repulsed by the lack of God-awe these days. We regard Him as a sugar daddy prayer buddy. We worship Him only if we win the lottery. We blaspheme His holy name and defend ungodly behavior. This mixed up world takes punches at the King of Kings and Lord of Lords without apology and packages it in blog rants and comedic monologues on late-night t.v. We shamelessly promote sin and categorize righteousness as bigotry. The foolishness of men is evidenced in a thousand ways through our arrogance, self-righteousness, indifference and independence! Such denial of God's magnanimous sovereignty is stupid at best; eternally damning at worst. The prolific disregard for our Creator causes me to wonder just how much longer will He tarry. A day of reckoning is coming.

Before the disciples were fully convinced of Jesus' amazing wind and water taming, at least they already called Him Master. “The disciples went and woke him, saying, 'Master, Master, we're going to drown!'” (Lk 8:24)

Until we see God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit with faith-filled, humble eyes, we are sunk! But, in reliance on God and a belief in the power of the Resurrected Christ, we muster the courage to face whatever blasts into our life or is torn from it. Only Jesus truly calms our storms. So trust and do not fear. God is near when we need Him most, if we would just believe.

The divide between those who call Him Lord and those who ignore His mighty power grows wider every day. So, I'm compelled to ask: When the storms blow your direction, are you going to go through them without protection? Or will you be covered in calm, with Christ as your shelter?

copyright 2012 The Word's Out - Brenda Black

The View Up and Down Here

By Brenda Black

Do you find it hard to be amazed these days? It's understandable when the term awesome has been reduced to sidewalk jargon for slick skateboard moves and wonder is defined best as the side-to-side head shaking a parent uses when pondering their teen's latest cell phone bill. We've lost the wow factor once reserved for the supernatural by the overload on our mind and emotions in this busy world, not to mention the total infatuation and over-estimated perception of ourselves. Maybe that's why I was awestricken and humbled when I took the time to size up this big planet and right-size myself compared to it. A couple of hours in a window seat on a plane did the trick for me.

I asked myself some tough questions as I stared down at hair thin rivers and sections of land interlaced together like miniature puzzle pieces. The shear enormity of sky and earth viewed from up above quietly put me in my place and left me wondering just what does the Lord see when He looks down on me.

I'm just a speck in the grand scheme of things. How can His love be so personal, tangible and present from far above in Heaven? He knows my name. He traces my face with the same finger that fashioned the entire human race and every created being on land, in sea, in air, in time and space.

God on high is the God here below. He is ever near, totally here as much as He is there. And that still amazes me! I'm never alone, never forgotten, always loved and valued. Though I am but a speck on the planet, I'm still the apple of His eye and He sees me with divine supervision.

Every move I make, every breath I take, every thought I ponder. Every hurt or joy I harbor is seen by the heart of my Heavenly Father.

Where can I go, what can I do to ever make Him blind to my place or position? How can I hide, why should I lie when I need nothing more than to abide.

Right here in my humble existence. Right here in total confidence. Right here on my little, tiny, miniscule, corner of earth is where I'm sought by a Father, bought by a Redeemer and helped by the Holy Spirit. What does the Lord see when He looks down on me? His child, an heir to the King.

Now let me tell you, my only glory, my only worth, my only purpose or pride is in the fact that the God of all is Lord of my life. I can't accept any other logic for thinking that anything I could do would make one ounce of difference if it weren't for the Lord's hand in it. If the mansions built by man are mere flickers of light to the eyes of a traveler flying across the night sky, then the one who poured the foundation and the one who built the walls are even less significant unless they understand the bigger picture. “Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain.” (Psalm 127:1)

It's time for a new perspective, a heavenly vision of the order of the universe. God is God and I am not. He is on the throne and He is in charge. He blesses and guides and heals and helps with an almighty hand and outstretched arms. And He does it solely out of love for this itsy bitsy humanity who get too full of ourselves and too busy to stop and take note that there is a Creator worthy of awe. He alone is holy and righteous. God is bigger than all of us rolled together, yet cares enough for every single one of us right here, right now, down here.

The best way I've discovered to get a clear vision for the wonder of and the wonders brought by a Holy God is to see the view down here from up there. It's amazing!

“I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene. And wonder how He could love me, a sinner, condemned, unclean. How marvelous! How wonderful! And my song shall ever be: How marvelous! How wonderful is my Savior's love for me!” (My Savior's Love, Charles H. Gabriel)

Up, up and away! It's time we again were amazed.

copyright 2011

Too Big for His Britches

Too Big for His Britches
By Brenda Black

Taylor Swift, at 19, swept the 2009 CMA awards with wins in every category for which she was nominated, including Female Vocalist of the Year, Album of the Year for Fearless and Music Video of the Year for Love Story. Sure, she has a huge fan base from teeny boppers to grown men, even though most of her music is narrowly targeted. Sure, she got superstar endorsement from legendary George Strait or used the name of fellow country celebrity Tim McGraw in her lyrics to make a name for herself. But another country music icon, Wynonna Judd, dared to point out the obvious concerning the starlet's meteoric rise to success. Every entertainment blog, rag or gossip clutched Judd's newsy quote, first expressed in USA Today, and turned it into headlines around the world.

Judd told the reporter: "You want my honest comment? It's too much too soon. Time is God's way of keeping everything from happening at once. It's just too much of a good thing too soon. My thing is, being a home-school mum, I want kids to earn it, and I think some time...

"Now it's over coffee breaks, the success, almost. You have to play catch up... It's like the girl who wins an Oscar and she's under 20. What do you do from here?"

Maybe Wy espoused some wisdom – the kind of counsel a young King of Judah could have used a few thousand years ago.

“Then all the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king...As long as he sought the Lord, God gave him success.” (2 Chronicles 26:1,5)

Inexperienced Uzziah went to war, broke down walls, rebuilt and fortified towns. He built towers in the desert, dug cisterns for his extensive livestock herds. He enlisted the masses to work his fields and vineyards and was an affluent farmer. A massive and well-trained army backed him with the shields, spears, helmets, coats of armor, bows and sling stones provided by Uzziah himself. He designed machines for battle that could shoot arrows or hurl large stones. “His fame spread as far as the border of Egypt, because he had become very powerful.” (vs. 8b) “His fame spread far and wide, for he was greatly helped until he became too powerful.” (vs. 15b)

It was going superbly until...Uzziah got to big for his britches! “But after Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his downfall. He was unfaithful to the Lord his God, and entered the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense. Azariah the priest with eighty other courageous priests of the Lord followed him in. They confronted him and said, 'It is not right for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the Lord. That is for the priests, the descendants of Aaron, who have been consecrated to burn incense. Leave the sanctuary, for you have been unfaithful; and you will not be honored by the Lord God.'

“Uzziah, who had a censer in his hand ready to burn incense, became angry. While he was raging at the priests in their presence before the incense altar in the Lord's temple, leprosy broke out on his forehead...King Uzziah had leprosy until the day he died. He lived in a separate house – leprous, and excluded from the temple of the Lord.” (2 Chron. 26:16-26 selected)

Big price to pay for big britches don't you think! What is most alarming is the arrogant audacity to rage at the priests in the Lord's temple! Uzziah had placed himself haughtily above both man and GOD. He forgot it was the Lord who elevated him to royal standing, who enlarged his territory and strengthened his hands. It was God who gave him military intelligence and farming knowhow.

It took 80 brave, godly men to stand up to one pompous, out-of-control king. Uzziah gravely erred when he forgot it was the true King who grants success and He can take it away just as fast! Yep, wailing Wynonna could have saved unruly Uzziah a whole lot of trouble, if he had listened to her council to take it slow and stay humble. The only true success that will last is granted by God in His time to those who glorify the Lord instead of themselves.

“When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.” (Proverbs 11:2)

Holy Arguments

Holy Arguments

By Brenda Black



In this corner: God - The Almighty Ruler of the Universe. Creator Extraordinaire. The Powerful Redeemer and Final Authority. And in this corner: Joe Plumber..... While your mind wanders back to intolerance toward inquisition here on earth, my thoughts float to a parallel discourse where mere mortals dare to address true Omnipotence. Unlike arrogant men, God is far more tolerant.

He will be inquired of and argued with. It is His way of blessing those he loves and encouraging communication. Solomon stood and raised holy hands in exaltation. He also bowed the knee and pleaded for mercy, calling God to honor His own promises.

“But will God really dwell on earth with men? The heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built! Yet give attention to our servant's prayer and his plea for mercy, O Lord my God. Hear the cry and the prayer that your servant is praying in your presence. May your eyes be open toward this temple day and night, this place of which you said you would put your Name there. May you hear the prayer your servant prays toward this place. Hear the supplications of your servant and of your people Israel when they pray toward this place. Hear from heaven, your dwelling place; and when you hear, forgive.” (2 Chronicles 6:18-21)

We are to argue our case with God, not to convince Him, but to convince ourselves. In proving to God that, by His own word and oath and character, He has bound Himself to us – we are His people - we demonstrate to our own faith that He has given us the right to ask and claim. He will answer our plea because He cannot deny Himself.

The holy boldness that causes us to present our plea at the throne of grace, is evidence of God's faithfulness to do what He has promised. It denotes His justice not to exact from the sinner a penalty already borne in his behalf by His own Son. God is Almighty, but He is not Arrogant. He is Holy, but He is not Haughty. God is Supreme, but so very Sincere and focused on developing what is best inside of His simple children.

George Mueller perfected holy arguments by actively living out his days as a prayer pleader. “He moved in 1832 to Bristol, England, to pastor a church. There his famous work with orphans began when two young children were thrown upon the church's care. Mueller had only two shillings to his name when he began the orphanage work, but over the next sixty years God sent more than $7,500,000 to supply their needs. New buildings were built or purchased, staff was hired, and the hundreds of children never missed a meal. Many times prayers were said over empty plates only to have food arrive at the last moment. Mueller resolved never to tell anyone what his needs were. He told them to God and confidently expected them to be met." (Information obtained from Preacher Biographies at http://www.swordofthelord.com)

Mueller stored up arguments for God's intervention. As he came upon promises, authorized declarations of God concerning Himself in Scripture, or names and titles He had chosen to express and reveal His true nature and will, he committed these arguments to memory. He found biblical invitations which gave the believer the right to pray boldly in supplication. Then on occasions of great need, Mueller brought out these promises and commands of God and spread them before a prayer-hearing Father. His argumentative pleadings were presented as though he would so order his cause before God as to convince Him that He must interpose to save His own name and word from dishonor!

"Only let it be trust in God, not in man, not in circumstances, not in any of your own exertions, but real trust in God, and you will be helped in your various necessities... Not in circumstances, not in natural prospects, not in former donors, but solely in God. This is just that which brings the blessing. If we say we trust in Him, but in reality do not, then God, taking us at our word, lets us see that we do not really confide in Him; and hence failure arises. On the other hand, if our trust in the Lord is real, help will surely come. 'According unto thy faith be it unto thee.'” (George Mueller of Bristol – And His Witness to a Prayer-Hearing God, by A.T. Pierson--from Appendix N: "The Wise Sayings of George Mueller,”1899)

Let Him have it! God can handle it and He wants to hear your holy arguments. Hit him with your best shot and He will be faithfully in your corner when you need Him most in your life. Both sides win as God is proven true to His Word.