BBD 11.07.06 Unfaithful - Part II
Posted by: wrather <wrather@...>
Several devotional booklets are available for free download in PDF format at
the new site. Just click on the "Free Book Downloads" link.
Join the Burning Bush Prayer Group! Send and receive prayer requests and be
a part of a great ministry. More than 400 wonderful people make up this
group. To join send an email to: BBPG-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Be a part of the Burning Bush Community! Share prayer requests,
inspirational material, find help for addictions, and help others. Find out
more at the Burning Bush Community webpage:
http://www.theburningbush.net/pages.asp?pageid=37647
The Burning Bush Devotional
Welcome to the 50 new subscribers since November 1, 2006!!
11.07.06
Unfaithful - Part II
Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your
desires for pleasure that war in your members? You lust and do not have. You
murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have
because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss,
that you may spend it on your pleasures. Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you
not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever
therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. -
James 4:1-4.
Ted Haggard is no longer pastor of the New Life Church in Colorado Springs,
Colorado. Haggard said in a letter read to the church, "The fact is I am
guilty of sexual immorality, and I take responsibility for the entire
problem. I am a deceiver and a liar. There's a part of my life that is so
repulsive and dark that I have been warring against it for all of my adult
life."
I am no longer surprised to hear such stories, such revelations. I am no
longer surprised by them because they occur so frequently. I personally know
of several churches and staff members who have been affected by sexual
immorality in the area I live (In the past 20 years - no one currently
serving.). It seems as though it is several times a year that there are
similar stories in state newspapers with those involved not being as
prominent in religious life as Haggard. If there is a scandal involving
someone in a church whether it is a bus driver, Sunday school teacher,
deacon, pastor, secretary, or staff member you can be sure it will be on the
front page of the paper.
Our culture, our society expects Christians, and Christian leaders to live
up to what they profess. The sad truth is that we are not perfect, and we do
have our flaws not having become completely conformed to His image (Romans
8:29). I believe that among non-Christians the numbers of those involved in
sexual immorality is exponentially greater. This does not excuse those of
us, however, who as Christians have failed to resist the temptations of the
world. This does not excuse us of the spiritual adultery. We have not only
failed our husband or wife when we commit adultery - we have sinned against
God. As we can see in the adultery of David with Bathsheba (Also the
arrangement of David for the murder of Bathsheba's husband Uriah.) in 2
Samuel 12:13, "So David said to Nathan (the prophet), 'I have sinned against
the LORD.' And Nathan said to David, 'The LORD also has put away your sin;
you shall not die.'" In Psalm 51 is David's prayer of confession and plea
for mercy.
We are beginning an in depth study of the Book of Ephesians at our church
and last night I was struck by how the apostle Paul begins the epistle. He
says, "Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints
who are in Ephesus, and faithful in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 1:1)." The old
KJV puts the last few words of the verse as, "to the faithful in Christ
Jesus." "To the faithful.." That is what our Lord calls us to be,
"faithful."
Being "faithful" is a challenge because temptations do assail us in this
world in which we live. However, God has provided for us all that we need to
live faithfully for Him. In the first chapter of Ephesians, we see that by
the blessings we have been given through Jesus that we have all we need to
live "faithful" lives. In Christ Jesus, according to the apostle Paul in
Ephesians, we are blessed (1:3); chosen (1:4); predestined (1:5); adopted
(1:5); accepted (1:6); redeemed (1:7); forgiven (1:7); enlightened (1:8-9);
given an inheritance (1:11); sealed (1:13); and, assured (1:14).
You may have failed. You may have sinned against the Lord as David confessed
that he had done. However, you too can begin anew and receive forgiveness.
You can begin a new walk of faithfulness. You can write a new chapter in the
story of your life. You can pray as David did, "Have mercy upon me, O God,
according to Your lovingkindness; according to the multitude of Your tender
mercies, blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin (Psalm 51:1-2)."
Copyright © 2006. Ed Wrather. Permission is given for use of the devotionals
on a non-profit basis with source credited. The Burning Bush website has
been online since January 31, 1998. On June 8, 1998 the email version of the
Burning Bush Devotional was first sent.
Prayer Requests: Many prayer needs are posted at the Burning Bush website on
the Prayer Request page. You can also post your prayer requests there and
they will be forwarded to the Burning Bush Prayer Group.
If you enjoy the devotional please recommend it to your friends. They may
subscribe by sending a blank email to
burningbushdevo-subscribe@welovegod.org
Streaming Videos of some of my sermons are posted at:
http://www.theburningbush.org/fbcswvideo.html
There is a complete devotional archive at the old Burning Bush website. Here
is the URL: http://www.theburningbush.org/33.html.
You can unsubscribe to the pure text version of the devotional by sending a
blank email to burningbushdevo-unsubscribe@welovegod.org and then respond to
the confirmation email.
You may subscribe to the html text group by sending a blank email to
burningbushhtml-subscribe@welovegod.org and you may unsubscribe by sending a
blank email to burningbushhtml-unsubscribe@welovegod.org and then respond to
the confirmation email.