Flight Paths

I was scanning a baseball trivia article called “The Odd Side of Baseball” by Gene Elston, and came across this:  The Louisville Cardinals once forfeited a game to Brooklyn because they didn’t supply enough baseballs for the game.  They didn’t have enough baseballs for the game?  What kind of game did they think it was, tag?
            They began the game with three balls, two of which were used practice balls borrowed from the Brooklyn Bridegrooms, so by the third inning the balls were all too worn out to use.  Since the home team was obligated to provide them, that was that.  Brooklyn got an easy win.
            I have watched baseball for a few years now.  Even a late bloomer like me knows that those umpires toss out balls with the least little scuff mark on them, not counting the home runs and ground rule doubles that you lose into the stands, not to mention the free souvenirs tossed by generous outfielders several times an inning.  Even I know you need more than three balls to play a full nine inning game.
            All of which got me to wondering what we fail to supply while claiming to be Christians.  The obvious one is showing up for class or a sermon without a Bible, but how many of us also try to get through life without opening one?  How many of us try to fulfill our obligation to know the Word with a scanty chapter a day?  How many of us think we can keep a viable relationship with our Creator on three one minute graces a day before meals?  Sounds like starting a baseball game with three balls, two of which are in poor condition to begin with.
            But let’s think for a minute about the supplies God furnishes and see if that doesn’t give us a few more clues.  We are supposed to emulate our Father, after all.
            A little searching turned up eight passages describing God as “abundant in lovingkindness.”  Seven of those include the phrase, “slow to anger.”  How many of us are more prone to bring just three balls of patience and forbearance to others, instead of an abundant enough supply to play through the whole game—and actually have leftovers?  Are we afraid some of that patience may go to waste or just too chintzy to share? 
            Psalm 132:15 tells us that God will “abundantly bless” his people.  Other passages talk about the abundance of rain and crops.  They speak of God’s people being satisfied, not with scanty amounts, but “with fatness.”  How would people describe what we give back to God, not just in the collection plate, but in our time, in our effort, in our generosity to others, and in the way we make decisions every day?  Is God always on our minds, or simply when the cultural norms of the day dictate?  Does our service to God always come first in any decision we make, even where we live, whom we marry, and where we spend our spare time?  Or are we stingy with that too?
            Isa 55:7 tells us God will “abundantly pardon.”  Not just enough so we can squeak by, but enough that we can live without fear of judgment, 1 John 4:17,18.  How do we pardon those who have wronged us?  How can we even speak in the same terms when the things we become so upset about are usually petty annoyances, nothing even close to the despicable deeds we have done to this merciful God, who continually supplies the balls, who never runs out no matter how many we scuff up, or hit over the wall, or toss out to a bystander as if it were nothing?
            What are you bringing to the ball game?  We can never supply our own pardon, but we can sacrifice anything and everything as often as necessary and stand ready to give up even more to a Savior who came “that we may have life, and have it abundantly,” John 10:10.
 
Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, unto him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus unto all generations for ever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21
 
Dene Ward

We live on a slope.  The grade is gradual, so gradual you don’t really see it until it rains one of those sub-tropical downpours for which Florida is famous.  When four inches comes down in less than an hour, the property becomes a river two or three inches deep flowing downhill to the run, just past the property line.
            After the rain stops, the draining continues, though it slows to three or four tributaries and eventually two larger “rivers.”  One runs through the front yard, between the bird feeders, down around the house, across the septic drain field and off the property.  Another slants southeast through the PVC pipe culvert Keith installed under the road nearly forty years ago, down the berm on the north, edge of the garden and on east. 
            Usually within a couple of hours most of the water has drained, but puddles still fill a few low areas, and you learn where and how to walk for the next day or two.  On sandy land, the puddles dry up quickly, unless it’s the second weekend in a row with a four inch toad strangler.
            We learned early on to avoid those low spots for several days.  We first met one of our neighbors when we asked him to pull our car out of the mud with his tractor at least three times in one week.  Two months ago, for the first time in many years, he had to come down and do it again.  I knew what had happened when, after two deluges in one week, I heard the truck engine roar and looked out the window to see the back tires spinning and mud flying ten feet behind them.
            When you are stuck in the mud, you can’t move.  The wheels may rotate but all you do is dig ruts and uproot grass.  The harder you press the accelerator, the deeper the ruts and the less you move.  Even rocking the truck back and forth becomes impossible.
            Sometimes we get stuck in the spiritual mud.  It comes first with complacency.  We are happy with what we know and where we are, so we sit down, clasp our hands, and contentedly lean back with our feet up on the desk.  Proverbs speaks of the results of being a complacent “sluggard.”  Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest; so shall your poverty come as a robber, and your want as an armed man, 24:33,34.  Tell me the same thing won’t happen when we stop working on our spirituality.
            It isn’t just a matter of continuing to learn, though that is important.  An older woman in one of my classes has expressed appreciation for the new things I teach her.  “At my age it’s hard to find something new,” she said, “but you have given me that and it’s wonderful.”  Yes, the older you are, the more difficult it should be to find something new to learn, so you certainly cannot sit back and fold your hands in slumber—you must work even harder to find those things and they will be even deeper than the “first principles,” and require yet more thought and labor.
            But it is also a matter of progress.  I see people who haven’t changed one whit in thirty years, who still fight the same spiritual battles, who still fail the same way again and again.  I see people who still gossip, who still judge unfairly, who are still oversensitive and too easily offended.  I see people who still have their priorities upside down instead of finally learning the higher value of the spiritual over the carnal.  I see people who have come no closer to mastering self-control than when they were young and foolish—they just become too weary to go at it in their old age and that is all that has moderated their passions.
            So today, check to see where you stand—or wallow.  Are you stuck in the mud of worldliness and pleasure?  Are you glued in the mire of wealth and possessions and financial security?  Are you floundering in the quagmire of man’s philosophy and false theology?  Pull yourself out and start moving again.  If you cannot do it alone, call a neighbor to help.  That’s why God put us all here together. 
            And when the storms come into your life again, use your head—stay away from the low spots.  Find the high ground of spirituality and keep on climbing. 
 
I waited patiently for Jehovah; And he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay; And he set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And he has put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: Many shall see it, and fear, And shall trust in Jehovah. Psalms 40:1-3.
 
Dene Ward

"Again and again the message of the OT is that if you choose the wrong gods you will end in social decay. Biblical monotheism, far from an abstract creed, affirms that only when God is properly honored will society be just and compassionate. Modern western society, reaping the fruit of two centuries of systematically excluding the living God from all practical public relevance, is now plagued by the loss of family stability, respect for property, social compassion, sexual integrity, and the sanctity of life. Those who will not love God soon find it irksome (or uneconomical) to love their neighbors."
 (Christopher J.H. Wright on Deuteronomy 27.15–28)

Via Steve Wolfgang

Several years ago a young woman came to me for some advice.  She had been dating a young man whom she thought she really liked but something happened and she wondered if it was a red flag or if she was overreacting to a trivial thing that would not matter in their future relationship.  It seems that he was getting seriously interested as well and thought she should come meet his family.  On the way he received a text from his sister.  "Be careful.  Dad is home early and he is not happy."  She decided it was not fair to make a judgment on a secondhand piece of information, even though her young man had suddenly become quiet and a bit withdrawn.  When she arrived at his family's home, he was met at the door by his mother, who whispered into his ear before welcoming his girlfriend.  Everyone seemed subdued, talking quietly and stopping to peer over their shoulders every so often.  Finally, at dinner, all of them sat down together and the father was definitely not in a good mood, did not welcome her, and spent his time either eating in silence or questioning the mother about her activities for the day.  Interrogating, the young lady said, was a more accurate a word.
            What did I tell her?  That her instincts were probably correct.  If this is the way the young man learned headship, things would more than likely be difficult.  She did not want to give him up initially, but soon he came to her home to meet her family and was shocked at the lively conversation around the meal, the joking between both parents and between parents and children, and the general pleasantness and playfulness.  "Is your family always like this?" he asked.  I felt sorry for the young man at that, and so did she, but before many more weeks had passed, she was receiving phone calls from him wanting to know every detail of her day, including everything she ate and drank, and giving her instructions about what she should and should not eat!  At that point, it was over.  I breathed a sigh of relief.
            The manner of a father whose appearance at home caused fear in the entire family so that they are sending quick messages to "Be careful," reminded me of that old saying I have heard so many times.  "If Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy."  I'm sorry, but that is nothing to brag about.  In fact, I would be ashamed to have someone say it about me.  To even think that my bad moods should effect the people I love is completely opposite of the admonitions to encourage, lift up, and make glad.  This is not the manner of ordained headship and it certainly isn't love.
            All the way back to the beginning, God has warned against bad moods.  He told Cain, Why are you wroth? and why is your countenance fallen? If you do well, shall it not be lifted up? and if you do not well, sin couches at the door: and unto you shall be its desire; but you rule over it.  Cain was in a very bad mood.  Why? Because God had not accepted his sacrifice.  God told him that being in a bad mood was one of the most dangerous things that could happen to him.  Do better, He said, and your mood will be better as well.  A bad mood puts you in a dangerous place, a place where sin will rule over you instead of your ruling over it.  Sure enough, Cain fell prey to Satan because of his bad mood, his "fallen countenance."  It led him to unjust anger and then to murder.
            When we allow our bad moods to not only fester within us, but also to cause fear and distress to others, we are sinning.  Period!  Proverbs warns us that we can tear our homes apart with our own hands (Prov 14:1).  Surely the same thing applies to one filled with the poison of a bad mood, and it usually shows itself in the words that come from such a person.  Hear, for I will speak excellent things; And the opening of my lips shall be right things. For my mouth shall utter truth; And wickedness is an abomination to my lips. All the words of my mouth are in righteousness; There is nothing crooked or perverse in them.  Does any of that sound like a Mama—or Daddy--in a bad mood?  God expects us to control our moods.  
            If Mama ain't happy (or Daddy), she had better get herself together and exercise some self-control just as God instructed Cain.  No one should be afraid to walk into my house any time of any day.
 
The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable; But the mouth of the wicked speaks perverseness,  Prov 10:32.
 
Dene Ward
 

This year we picked our first garden produce in early April.  Finding that first inch long green bean hiding among the thick spade-shaped foliage gives you a thrill, but seeing the first shiny green silks spewing out of the corn shucks and the tassels creeping out of the top positively makes your mouth water.  When it has been nearly a year since sinking your teeth into a row of crisp, juicy, buttered and salted kernels, the anticipation is intense.
            If you are not a gardener you might not truly appreciate the sacrifice of the firstfruits under the Old Law.  Every gardener knows that the first picking is the best.  As time passes, the corn and beans toughen.  The tomatoes and peppers become smaller and smaller and rot more quickly from the many blemishes.  The cucumbers turn yellow and overblown before they reach their full length.  Yet we have the frozen food section at the grocery store and a produce section that brings food from places where the firstfruits are just appearing.  Many of us have never seen anything but the firstfruits.
            I’ve often heard that certain frozen and canned vegetables, especially sweet peas and tomatoes, are more reliably good than the fresh.  They are picked at their peak and processed within hours.  We can have the best any time of the year, and we take it for granted.  The devout Israelite never had that opportunity.  It was ingrained in him from birth:  the best belongs to the Lord.
            All the best of the oil, and all the best of the vintage, and of the grain, the first-fruits of them which they give unto Jehovah...The first-ripe fruits of all that is in their land, which they bring unto Jehovah… (Numbers 18:12-13)
            As a dedicated Hebrew watched his crops grow, his cattle bear, his vines hang lower and lower with the heaviness of ripening fruit, he knew that the best would not be for him, but an offering to the Lord.
            And this shall be the priests' due from the people, from them that offer a sacrifice, whether it be ox or sheep, that they shall give unto the priest the shoulder, and the two cheeks, and the maw. The first-fruits of your grain, of your new wine, and of your oil, and the first of the fleece of your sheep, shall you give him. For Jehovah your God has chosen him out of all your tribes, to stand to minister in the name of Jehovah, him and his sons forever. Deuteronomy 18:3-5.
            The pious Israelite knew that the best of the fruits of his labor would be eaten not by his family, but by Jehovah’s priests, his representatives on earth. 
            The first of the first-fruits of your ground you shall bring into the house of Jehovah your God. Exodus 23:19.
            Not just the firstfruits, but the first of the firstfruits—the best of the best—was required in his service to God.
            Most of us have learned that our weekly contribution of money must be “purposed” (2 Cor 9:7).  But we haven’t learned to apply that axiom to every aspect of our lives.  Too often God gets nothing but our leftover time, our leftover energy, our leftover effort.  I’ve heard Christians talk about exercising when their bodies are at their peak, about avoiding certain times of the day for important work, about matching body rhythms to tasks.  Do we ever talk like that our about service to God?  Do we offer service that is well planned, organized for maximum efficiency, and timed for greatest effect?  Yes, we often talk about caring for our temples (bodies) so we can use them for God, but then we use all that energy for everything else instead and still God gets the leftovers.
            The principle of the firstfruits was so important the Hezekiah included it in his great restoration (2 Chron 31:5).  It was deemed so necessary to a true attitude of worship that Nehemiah charged the returning exiles to keep those ordinances in particular (Neh 10:35-39).
            We sing a hymn:  “Give of Your Best to the Master.”  That principle has not changed.  In fact, we are the firstfruits (James 1:18), brought forth by the word of truth.  As such, God expects us to give ourselves.  If we do, the rest will follow.  If it hasn’t, maybe we need to take a closer look at our “devotion.”
 
…but they first gave themselves to God…2 Cor 8:5.                                    
 
Dene Ward                                                           

Today's post is by guest writer Joanne Beckley.

Whenever we are “struck” with attraction toward another (whether we are young or old!), we need to identify that attraction for what it is. In today’s terms we identify differences in this attraction as affection, sexual infatuation, and love. Each are various degrees of love. We all recognize a caring, warm feeling of affection toward one another (John 21 Peter’s substitution for “agape” love), but when this drifts into a feeling of being sexually stimulated, we need to identify it for what it is and make a conscious choice. Do I allow it to increase? Or with will power strike it down? When we want to please God, it will be the latter until it can be acted upon in marriage.
 
When we talk with our young people we need to help them identify the difference between infatuation and love. Can we? Do we ourselves have a clear understanding? So lets talk about it.
 
"Infatuation love" refers to a strong, often intense feeling of attraction or interest towards someone. It is usually based on a superficial level of connection, physical appearance, or excitement of a new relationship. This level is often short-lived and not as deep or committed as true love. Infatuation is essentially a quick and passionate crush that may not stand the test of time.
 
“Infatuation creates illusions, and illusions are dangerous people. They have no flaws.”
 
On the other hand, love identifies and acknowledges differences as individuality, accepting the other as a whole. Love looks to celebrate these differences and build a connection that allows both people to thrive as individuals. It may require intentional work and effort to come together toward a mutual goal. Love is a choice.
 
Consider the relationship between Joseph and Potiphar’s wife (Genesis 39:9-16). Joseph recognized her sexual attraction toward him as infatuation and and acknowledged that acting on it was not right in God’s eyes. He ran!
 
Amnon did not run, but rather acted with absolute determination to have his sister Tamar. (2Samuel 13). King David did not run (2Samuel 12) and let his sexual need rule his heart and head. Both destroyed any possible good.

Whatever love there is in man, whether toward God or toward our fellowman, love has its source in God (1John 4:7, 19). The highest form of love implies a clear determination of the will and judgment. When we read through 1Corinthians 13, it is obvious that love demands considered action whether toward God or man. Love is an earnest and anxious desire in the well-being of the one loved. How it is shown will depend on circumstances and relationships.
 
Love should be “without hypocrisy” (Rom 12:9). There should be no pretense about it. It should not be a thing of mere word or tongue, but in deed and truth (1John 3:18). Real love will find its expression in service to man. “Through love be servants one of another” (Gal 5:13). Love bears the frailness of the weak, seeking their welfare (Rom 15:1-3; Phil 2:21; Gal 6:2; 1 Cor 10:24). One gladly forgives (Eph 4:32) and honors the one loved (Rom 12:10).
 
Love is an intense feeling of deep affection
Infatuation is an intense but short-lived passion or admiration for someone.
 
Love develops over time
Infatuation is instant
 
Love lasts a long time.
Infatuation is temporary and never develops.
 
Love accepts the imperfections of the other.
Infatuation only sees or imagines the perfections.
 
Love is more than a physical attraction.
Infatuation is mostly a physical attraction.
 
Love doesn't make a person irrational.
Infatuation can make a person act irrationally.
 
We must learn the difference if we ever hope to have a lasting love.
 
Joanne Beckley

We planted them late by Florida standards, so I was just pulling carrots the first week of June.  It wasn’t difficult; I pulled the whole row in about 15 minutes.  Still, it was disappointing—a twenty foot row yielded a two and a half gallon bucket of carrots that turned into a two quart pot full when they were cleaned and sorted, cutting off the tops and tossing those that were pencil thin or bug-eaten.

            Then I thought, well, consider the remnant principle in the Bible.  Out of all the people in the world, even granting that the population was much less than it is now, only eight were saved at the Flood.  Out of all the nations in the world, God only chose one as His people.  Out of all those, only one tribe survived the Assyrians, and out of all those, only a few survived the Babylonians and only some of those eventually returned to the land.

            Jesus spoke of the wide gate and the narrow gate.  Surely that tells us that though God wishes all to be saved, only a few will be.  So out of a twenty foot row of carrots, I probably threw out half.  Then we threw out a third of those that were too small to even try to scrub and peel.  Yet, we probably did better with our carrots than the Lord will manage with people!  And I learned other principles too.

            When I pulled those carrots some of them had full beautiful tops, green, thick-stemmed, and smelling of cooked carrots when I lopped them off.  Yet under all that lush greenery several had very little carrot at all.  They were superficial carrots—all show and no substance.  Others were pale and bitter, hardly good for eating without adding a substantial amount of sugar.  Then under some thin, sparse tops, I often found a good-sized root, deep orange and sweet.  Yes, they were all the same variety, but something happened to them in the growth process.

            Some of us are all top and no root.  It always surprises me when a man who is so regular in his attendance has so little depth to his faith.  Surely sitting in a place where the Word is taught on a consistent basis should have given him something, even if just by osmosis.  But no, it takes effort to absorb the Word of God and more effort to put it into practice, delving deeper and deeper into its pages and considering its concepts.  The Pharisees could quote scripture all day, but they lacked the honesty to look at themselves in its reflection.

            And there are some of us who have little to show on the outside, but a depth no one will know until a tragedy strikes, or an attack on the faith arises, or a need presents itself, and suddenly they are there, standing for the truth, showing their faith, answering the call.           

            I knew one man who surprised us all with his strength in the midst of trial, a quiet man hardly anyone ever noticed.  Yet his steadfastness under pressure was remarkable.  I knew another who had been loud with his faith, nearly boasting in his confidence that he was strong, yet who shocked us all with his inability to accept the will of God, his assertions that he shouldn’t have to bear such a burden when he had been so faithful for so long.  Truly those carrot tops will fool you if you aren’t careful.  “Judge not by appearance,” Jesus said, “but judge righteous judgment.”  Look beneath those leafy greens and see where and how your root lies.

            Evidently the principles stand both for man and carrots.  Don’t count on your outward show, your pedigree in the faith.  Develop a deep root, one that will grow sweeter as time passes and strong enough to stand the heat of trial. 

           And don’t assume you are in the righteous remnant if that righteousness hasn’t been tested lately.  God hates more to throw out people than I hate to throw out carrots, but He will.  Don’t spend so much time preening your tops that your root withers.  And finally, only a few will make it to the table; make sure you are one of them.

Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. Revelation 3:20

Dene Ward        

This is the second in the set of books on Knowing God written by this author.  At first, you might be skeptical.  I have heard more than once that the Fatherhood of God is only recognized in the New Testament.  This book will completely undo that notion.  While it is true that the Jews themselves seldom talked about the Fatherhood of God, the Old Testament itself does speak of God as the Father of the nation of Israel, especially in the Psalms and Prophets. 
            Mr. Wright first tells us why the Jews did not often speak of this relationship and, given the cultures they were surrounded by, it certainly makes sense.  I won't give it away.  But then he takes us through the scriptures one by one and shows that God did consider the nation Israel his "firstborn son" and he its Father, in passage after passage, beginning in Ex 4:22--Israel is my son, my firstborn.  From there, he traces all the fatherly attributes of God--love, provision, grace, discipline--until we are virtually overwhelmed with the evidence in front of us.  In fact, you might find yourself better able to see the traits of the Fatherhood of God from the Old Testament than the New by the time he is finished.
            I also heartily applaud the way he makes pertinent application and reprimands some of the modern evangelists who seem unable to use figurative language in an appropriate way or who dupe the innocent by their dogmas.  He calls them out in no uncertain terms.  Good for him.
            Knowing God the Father through the Old Testament is published by InterVarsity Press.
 
Dene Ward

Today's post is by guest writer Keith Ward.

Jer 8:4  “Shall men fall and not rise again?  Shall one turn aside and not return?”
 
            We would be astonished to see someone trip and fall and not get up. Probably, we would rush to his aid, thinking he was seriously injured. But we would be totally confused should he say, “No, I am all right; I decided not to get up because I like it down here.” 
            God sent his prophets to warn the people of Israel that they were as foolish as that man. They fell into idolatry and sin and rather than admit their mistake, they said, “I like it down here.” Bible students know that God caused his people to be carried into Babylonian captivity for their sin. Finally, they awakened from their sin-induced stupor and did a U-turn in their hearts, so God returned them to the Promised Land.
            In our society, many seem to be like the man fallen on the ground who proclaims, “Life is great down here; get your head out of the clouds and join me.”  Anyone with any moral standards left at all can look about and see many reasons for God to bring judgment on this wicked society – fornication abounds to the extent that when one sins with the same partner for more than a week, it is a “relationship”, babies older than John the Baptist who “leapt for joy” in Elizabeth’s womb (Lk 1:44) are murdered every day, the judicial system protects criminals who prey on society from the justice due them, etc. How can we not fear that a Day of Judgment from God is about to be unleashed upon us? Even the religious leaders, who should be crying aloud for repentance, plead for acceptance of sinners who refuse to repent and who continue to grow worse and worse, “The prophets [evangelists] prophesy falsely and the priests rule by what profits them and MY PEOPLE love to have it so” Jer 5:30-31).
            God’s good news is that we have a savior who will help us to our feet, who will brush the dirt of our evil desires from us, and who will turn us from the ways of the world into the old paths that lead to God.
 
Jer 6:16 “Thus says the LORD: Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls.”
 
Or as Jesus’ invitation: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Mt 11:28).
 
Keith Ward

“I enjoyed my dinner.”  Did your parents teach you to say that to the hostess every time you went to another home for a meal?  Mine did, and I am sure that the hostess knew that’s why I said it.  Some things are done just to be polite, like asking, “How are you?”  Everyone knows it is a greeting not a question to be answered.  It’s semantics, and part of our culture.
            But there are other times when the compliment is sincere.  Keith learned early on when someone was saying, “Good lesson,” to be polite, and when it was really meant, and the latter were precious to him.
            If we can know these things, why do we think God won’t?  Why do we think we can go through the motions without going through the e-motions? 
            There they cry out, but he does not answer, because of the pride of evil men. Surely God does not hear an empty cry, nor does the Almighty regard it, Job 35:12-13.  If the only time God hears from me is when I cannot fend for myself, why would He come to my aid then?  If I expect help, I must offer something myself—like love, devotion, worship, and obedience.  That’s why it is called a covenant—both parties agree to give something.
            They utter mere words; with empty oaths they make covenants, Hos 10:4.  Undoubtedly, the covenant Israel made with God fit this condemnation.  Instead of loving God “with all their hearts,” they did what they thought necessary to get along with Him, imagining that outward rituals mattered more than sincere hearts.  It has never been so with God, and never will be.
            You cannot give God ritual obedience and think you have offered sincere worship.  You cannot follow the Law to the letter and leave undone its weightier matters Matt 23:23.  Israel tried it and God said, I hate, I despise your feasts, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.  Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them… Amos 5:21,22.  Jesus echoed that comment when he said, Go and learn what this means—I desire mercy and not sacrifice… Matt 9:13.
            God has always required sincerity and truth; He has always wanted those who obey from the heart Rom 6:17.  He has always sought a people who will be His in more than name only.  God knows when, “I enjoyed my dinner,” comes from a thankful heart and when it is just a courtesy. 
            When you pray tonight, will He recognize your words as sincere compliments, or just more formulaic nonsense meant only to salve a hypocritical conscience?”  He knows the difference.
 
This day the Lord your God commands you to do these statutes and rules.  You shall therefore be careful to do them with all your heart and with all your soul, Deut 26:16.
 
Dene Ward