Ensign: Is It Fake?

All ye inhabitants of the world, and dwellers on the earth, see ye, when he lifteth up an ensign on the mountains; and when he bloweth a trumpet, hear ye. Isaiah 18:3

AN ENSIGN ON THE MOUNTAINS                                        23 September 2016

Last Saturday our son Jeffrey was at a friend's birthday party, and while Martha, Sarah, and I were waiting for him and we presumed he'd eat well there, we went out to dinner nearby ourselves. Just as our food was arriving Sarah was getting ready to apply some ketchup to go with her fries -- is it not funky how as kids we, or at least I did, love ketchup but we can't handle the texture or taste of tomatoes? -- but the bottle was empty. It prompted Sarah to ask her mom today's title.


The bottle of ketchup wasn't fake. It did hold ketchup at one point, but once all the ketchup in the bottle was used up, it had no more to give. But as it was still sitting on the table because it hadn't been checked, until it was held up to scrutiny and someone (in this case Sarah) tried to get some ketchup out of it, there was no way to know until then that it held none!


That made me think, so often we don't ask that regarding what we hear from the pulpit or out in the street or even on our screens. Or of each other. We want to believe people don't lie to us, that all of us are truth-seekers and truth-tellers ... at least, of the truths we want to hear. And don't we WANT to hear that we are great people, that we're constantly getting better every day and there's just one or two little tweaks we need to make or have made in ourselves and we will be oh so awesome people?

Sometimes we want to believe that, and it will kill us. It will certainly keep us out of heaven, because nobody's good enough or righteous enough. Psalm 14:3 makes the plainest statement of that, "They are all gone aside, they are together become filthy: none that doeth good, no, not one." and when Paul quotes it in Romans 3:10 -- allowing for translation from Hebrew to Greek -- it becomes "There is none righteous, no, not one." Without our seeking after God ourselves, we can't be righteous.


I imagine more churches -- and keep in mind church in the New Testament refers to an assembly of believers, not that building with the cross on it -- than the one in Berea "received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so" (Acts 17:11, italics mine), but they're especially commended for it. To not take anyone's word on what God is saying to us THROUGH His Word (the Bible), no matter how knowledgeable or respected they are or think they are, but examining it for ourselves and then act on it, is a mark of maturity.


To keep ourselves from being fake, and knowing why we believe what we believe, why we live how we live, we have to study the Word of God for ourselves. Not that teachers or preachers are useless, far from it, but if we don't check out Scripture for ourselves (not only for what we think it says, social justice warriors and fair traders, but what's in there), we're in danger of being fake because we're in danger of believing and acting on what we want to believe not Who we're believing in.

Standing on the promises of Christ Our King.











David

P.S. I write this weekly devotional to keep in touch with you, and I hope it encourages us too! If it's not or you want me to get lost, please let me know. Thank you!

Thank YOU, Lord, that we can come to You in prayer and that we can count on You to provide for all our needs, even when we don't know what they are. And let us come to You in prayer for the peace of Jerusalem on both sides of the fence and all over the world.

Thank You as well, Lord, for everyone in leadership and service both here and abroad. Thank You for the opportunities we have and the promise of new life through You by Your Son Our Brother, Jesus Christ.

And I pray that we all seek and have a blessed week! Amen.