40 Days Closer to Christ

What if they decided to hold a concert and every member of the orchestra showed up with their instruments tuned anyway they wanted? I’ve been to a few middle school concerts and I have to tell you that it wouldn’t be good. There must be some standard to which all the instruments are tuned, or else you end up with a cacophony. But not only do the instruments need to be tuned, but they need to be tuned to a Master note.

In my house I have three guitars. (Actually since my kids played rock star with one of them only two are playable, but for illustration purposes lets suppose all three can be played.) If I tune one of them to with a pitch pipe or with an electronic tuner than I am pretty sure that it is conditioned for optimal performance. Now I can go to the second guitar and tune it by the first one. And I can get around to tuning the third one by using the second. Theoretically, all three should be tuned up just right. But if I strum a note on the third one, and check it with the tuner, more than likely it will be a little flat or a little sharp. It is just not quite in tune. No matter how good my ear is, a little variation sneaks in as they get tuned down the line. All three guitars have different tones and pitches but if they are all tuned with the electronic tuner and to the same standard then they sound good together.

It is the same way with us. We can get pretty close to where we should be in our spirituality, in our righteousness, and in our walk with God by sharpening ourselves against each other, but we will always be a little off. We need to go back to the Master to make sure that we are where we need to be. It is Christ alone who is the standard by which we measure ourselves. And it is by Him alone that we will be able to perform as we should. That is why we take forty days leading up to Easter and use it to draw closer to Christ and to reestablish our discipleship.

Forty days is the optimal period to form a new habit, to establish a new practice, and to change the pattern of your life. 40 Days – Closer to Christ is an activity (we won’t use the word program) that can change your life.

Forty is a significant number in the scriptures. When God brings about change, the scriptures often represent a significant event as having a forty day duration. Noah’s world was changed forever in forty days. Moses saw God face to face and in forty days received the word which is still the basis for law and government. The city of Nineveh repented in sackcloth and ashes and turned away God’s wrath in the space of forty days. David became a hero after all Israel cowered under Goliath’s forty day challenge. Elijah lived by faith for forty days after God sustained him with one meal. The disciples were given the mysteries of the kingdom as they were taught by the Lord during an intensive forty day seminar after the resurrection. Jesus prepared with a forty day fast for a ministry which culminated in the salvation of mankind.

We can grow closer to the Savior as we study His life and His appearances throughout scripture. We become the people we should as we strive to lead a life of diligent discipleship. In these forty days we can review and renew the vital things that bring us to the Lord. We can refresh our memories and recall the eternal truths of who God is, who we are, and how we can have a close relationship with Him. 40 Days – Closer to Christ is an opportunity to more fully develop that relationship, so that we may see as we are seen and know as we are known.

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Day 21 ~ The Just One (Acts 22:14)


One of those mom-isms goes, "If you won't listen, then you'll have to feel." Now even if you've never heard that gem before, you have a good idea what it means. If you don't obey then there will be consequences; unpleasant consequences. Most people my age and older know all about those consequences. It was a common practice. In fact, it was a traditional practice going all the way back into the mists of antiquity for nearly every single culture on earth. If you were naughty, you were punished. Throughout history the same applied to adults as well. The annals of nations are full of accounts of crime and punishment. Consequences followed acts. Not every consequence was rehabilitative. Sometimes you just had it coming because justice demanded it.

As to parenting, somehow in the past few decades somebody had a meeting somewhere (I missed it) and decided that corporal punishment was a bad thing. A lot of people decided that we could do with less of it and we could discipline in other ways. I don't think that's a bad idea - the punishment should fit the crime. Problem is - parents don't seem to be that creative. The traditional way was automatic. No thought involved, no creativity required. The new way involved effort and thought - it was kind of hard. So instead of putting forth greater effort, many just kind of did nothing. There was nothing to fill the void of the former way. The parents weren't disciplined enough to discipline. The problem is self-perpetuating as now we have generations growing up with no idea of what it means to be accountable for your own actions, and are teaching their children the same. We have children who know no shame for misbehavior, feel no guilt over their sins, and take no responsibility for actions. They want rights without responsibilities and feel indignant if anyone tries to hold them accountable for their actions. The Apostle Paul warned that "in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy" (2 Timothy 3:1-2). Societies which permit anything will eventually lose everything.

Justice is the idea that there is a right thing to do, an immutable law. Obedience to that law brings reward and blessing, disobedience brings consequence and punishment (2 Ne. 2:10). Justice teaches accountability. It applies to all, rich and poor, young and old. Justice is void if it is haphazardly applied. One parent commented to me that she didn't believe in punishment, it was too harsh. She believed in rewards and "positive parenting." I listened to her as she proudly proclaimed that she was raising a kind and loving child, uninhibited by hang-ups and guilt. She was taking the pleasant and throwing out the unpleasant. In effect, she wasn't teaching justice at all, for in taking the half she had destroyed the cohesion of the whole. I could only think of Paul's words and feel sorry for her child as she unwittingly set her daughter up for a lifetime of unfulfilled disillusion.

God believes in rewards, too. He pleads with us to do right so He can bless us more fully and in addition to the grace that rains down on us daily. Likewise, He also believes in punishment. He pleads with us to be wise and righteous, especially though Jesus, so we can avoid the sentences of punishment. He talks of punishment throughout all of scripture. If there is no punishment then there is no God (2 Ne. 2:13). As every law has a punishment affixed there is also a "repentance granted; which repentance, mercy claimeth; otherwise, justice claimeth the creature and executeth the law, and the law inflicteth the punishment; if not so, the works of justice would be destroyed, and God would cease to be God. But God ceaseth not to be God, and mercy claimeth the penitent, and mercy cometh because of the atonement (Alma 42:22-23).

The danger of consequence-less Mercy is unknowable unless the weight of justice is understood. Many parents believe that they are being merciful when they let their children "off the hook." In reality, this is not mercy but license. License is as far away from God's justice as one can get. It is reflective of the serpent whispering to Eve, "Thou surely shalt not die." It says "you can get away with this." Don't worry nothing will happen to you.

God's justice demands that the penalty be inflicted for the disobedience. Now I believe that God will inflict the least degree of punishment that He can upon us for our sins. But the truth is, He is a great and mighty God and disobedience to His Law is a great and terrible sin. It cannot be taken lightly nor allowed by His righteousness with any degree of allowance. Therefore, Christ suffered the terrible wrath of God as He wrought the atonement in payment for our disobedience.

A Just God demands parents teach their children right from wrong, to be accountable for their own sins, and to learn to appreciate the demands of justice. Otherwise, they can never truly be penitent, never understand the depths of mercy, nor ever appreciate the atonement of Christ. Parents who do not teach justice, cannot teach mercy. They may teach license. But God does not participate in license. His Just nature disallows it. And His nature will not be mocked.
Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)