Does God Care About How I Use Money?

Do you think you are bad with finances? Does budgeting make you cringe? In fact, while we're at it, should I even care if I am?

Believe me, I've been there--I've been there very recently, spending $200 a month eating out, gathering a collection of premium Bibles, adding to the Amazon cart with whatever strikes my fancy. It was easy not to care, because I just assumed life would work out in the end. Of course, as I continued to do that, I slowly watched whatever money I did have disappear.

Does God really care about how I use money? Doesn't he have more important concerns to deal with? Why do my shopping habits matter to him?

Actually, God cares very much about how I steward my money. So much more, our Savior Jesus directly spoke about financial stewardship. For a moment, go read Luke 16:1-13, especially v.8-13, and then tell me if Jesus thinks financial wisdom is important. Every good and perfect gift we receive comes from our heavenly Father, and that includes our wealth.

Now that's all well and good, but what am I supposed to do with that information? We are called to honor the Lord with our wealth (Proverbs 3:9), but what does that even mean? As a Christian, we may think this is just about the money we give, but this goes above and beyond just what we give back to God; we're even called to honor God with how we spend our money. I used to be the first person to mock budgeting programs, ignore financial advice, and spend money however I saw fit. The problem is that this mentality dishonors God just as much as if I’m good with money but hoard it to myself.

All of us are on a budget, whether we write it out or not. As someone who did not care about how my money was spent, that was a lesson that took a long time to learn. But as a perpetual learner, I realized that this is something Scripture does regularly speak and care deeply about, and it is not reserved for the financial advisers; it is something that we should all consider deeply. If Jesus thought it was important to give an entire parable about, we should all pause and reflect about how we use our own money.

*If you are interested in learning more about budgeting, Dave Ramsey offers great insights and resources for all life-long learners (https://www.ramseysolutions.com/).

Book Recommendation: “Dominion: How the Christian Revolution Remade the World” by Tom Holland

Dominion tells the story of how the evolution of Western culture can be seen as the progressive influence of Christian values. Holland argues that Christian teachings and morality have become almost universally accepted, even though Christian theology and ceremonies remain largely confined within religious communities. In Dominion, portraits of key figures and important events throughout history, from 479 BC to the present, show the transforming power and effect of Christian values in every era.

Many distinctly Christian ideas are essentially accepted by everyone as to how we should live and what we ought to do; what is good and what is evil. All too often, people fail to give Christianity credit for these ethical standards and are surprised when people from other cultures fail to honor these “universal” values. For example, we should care for the poor, help the weak, assist the needy, grieve at the afflictions of the vulnerable, and strive to end oppression and exploitation. Religious freedom is a human right, and no one should be compelled to believe anything against their will. Sexual morality demands mutual obligations in marriage including consent, fidelity, and respect for women. Sacred writings should be available for everyone to read in their own language, which requires a commitment to universal education and literacy. We believe that history is progressing toward greater justice and peace. These “universal” values are no longer even debated in the Western world, and many have even been co-opted to weaken the influence of traditional, Christian morals in modern culture.

Holland indirectly explores Nietzsche’s idea that it is mistaken to reject Christianity and live without God, while still believing in universal human rights and in the equal dignity of every person. These Christian ethics did not develop in Eastern cultures, and the Ancient Greek and the Roman world found them unreasonable. Holland shows that the shame-and-honor cultures of pagan Europe (the Anglo-Saxons, the Franks, the Germans) thought that forgiving one’s enemies, honoring the poor, and respecting the weak could not be the basis for society. Similarly, modern science depends on the Christian view of the world as real (not an illusion as once held in the East) and orderly (created by a mind and designed to work on comprehensible, universal laws). Holland, who is not a Christian, argues that these ideas could only emerge from a worldview with a single, personal God who created all beings in His image, and with a Savior who came and died demonstrating sacrificial love for His creation.

What Is More Important Than Money, Wealth and Riches? (Part 2)

Proverbs is a collection of wise sayings with the purpose of teaching us how and why we should live obediently to God’s Law. Proverbs has much to say about money and riches. Jesus talked frequently about wealth, including the admonition that “no one can serve both God and money.” (Matthew 6) You can imagine Jesus sitting around a fire at night and using Proverbs to teach His disciples that money is not the most important thing in life.

Peace in the home is more satisfying than a life of affluence.

Better is a dry morsel with quiet than a house full of feasting with strife. (17:1)

An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels. (31:10)

Two of the world’s richest men, Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates, were not able to stay happily married in spite of their vast riches. Their wealth has not spared them the heartache and pain of separating from the person who pledged to love them forever. No amount of money makes up for stress and hostility within one’s family. Too often married people ignore Biblical teachings on marriage because they think there isn’t much they can do to change their spouse or their circumstances. But by God’s grace, we can become more godly spouses when we follow God’s Word and honor our spouses as “far more precious than jewels”.  It’s also important that we don’t allow our spouses to devalue our worth because we are also made in the image of God. Likewise, single people often ignore Biblical teachings on marriage because they are not married. But single people may one day face the decisions of whether or not to marry, and who to marry. Long before their wedding day arrives, single people should know their God-given worth and the value of a godly spouse, so they are making a wise decision on their big day.

Integrity, honor, and favor are better than riches.

A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches,

and favor is better than silver or gold. (22:1)

Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity than a rich man who is crooked in his ways. (28:6)

How often are we tempted to sell our good name and integrity to ‘save a few bucks?’ We may lie about our child’s age to get a discount. We may hide inconvenient truths about a car or home we are selling. We may share Netflix account information or a membership card. These seemingly small matters of integrity reveal what really matters to us when we think no one is watching and the risk of getting caught is low. Lying, stealing and coveting are three of God’s Ten Commandments, so we should not take these sins lightly. But even in this life, once people know we cannot be trusted in small and obvious ways, they will not likely trust us with anything more valuable. If we learn that people will ‘cheat in our favor’, then we know that they are more likely to ‘cheat against us’ too. If you know that someone is both wealthy and dishonest, which is the first, most important characteristic of that person you remember? Think of Bernie Madoff, Vladimir Putin, Michael Milken, Robert Mugabe, or Charles Ponzi. It may take a lifetime to build one’s integrity and a good name, but these can be lost in an instant of wickedness or carelessness.

What is more important than money, wealth and riches? Part 1

Proverbs is a collection of wise sayings with the purpose of teaching us how and why we should live obediently to God’s Law. Proverbs shows us the wisdom, character, and mind of God Himself. God is the source of all true wisdom, which we can only obtain by His grace when we trust in Him. The godly life principles taught in Proverbs must be applied appropriately in each situation due to the complexity of living among sinners in a fallen world.  

Righteousness and the fear of the Lord are more important than money:

Better is a little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure and trouble with it. (15:16)

Whoever trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like a green leaf. (11:28)

Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death. (11:4)

Living in a way that pleases God and shows Him the proper respect often clashes with obtaining wealth and riches. Our ‘lust of the eyes’ can tempt us to choose money instead of obedience to God. In our heads we may know that we cannot depend on riches for security, but too often we think that having just a little more money will give us just a little more security. We all know people who have felt secure in their career or their investments or their business, only to lose it all when the economy turns sour. Or how helpless these rich people felt when their health worsened, or their marriage fell apart.

We must remember that God will not be mocked. If we place our trust in our treasures, then He will need to show us that we cannot ultimately depend on anyone or anything but Him. This lesson will be difficult to learn, but it is better to learn this lesson now than to learn it on the ‘day of wrath’ at the judgment seat. The flourishing of the righteous may an unexpected path, but God promises great things for those who love and fear Him.

Wisdom and understanding are more valuable than gold and silver.

How much better to get wisdom than gold! / To get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver. (16:16)

  A rich man is wise in his own eyes, / but a poor man who has understanding will find him out. (28:1)

  Solomon had the opportunity to ask God to give him whatever he wanted, and Solomon asked for wisdom and knowledge. (2 Chronicles 1) We repeatedly face the same choice throughout our prayer life: to ask God for wisdom, knowledge and understanding, or to ask Him to merely improve our immediate circumstances. Augustine has said, “the essence of sin is disordered love.” Few of us love what is truly evil and wicked. But everyone yearns for some less-important things more than we should, and desires other more-important things less than we ought. Wisdom helps us to make better choices and properly order our priorities.

Repenting of our sin and reordering what we love are especially important when we see how often we have prioritized money over being wise and understanding in the things of God. We must also avoid being full of head-knowledge without being a “doer of the Word.” (James 1) No matter how much Scripture we memorize or how much theology we know, if we are not living our lives in accord with the wisdom of God, then we are hypocrites who are only deceiving ourselves.

What should we do with all the blessings God provides?

It is not surprising that the global COVID-19 pandemic led to millions of lost jobs in the U.S. But one surprising effect of the pandemic was that overall personal savings in the U.S. has increased by about $2 trillion dollars (about 10% of U.S. GDP) due to delayed consumer spending and government expenditures for unemployment insurance and economic stimulus. Economists are struggling to predict the course of the economic recovery due to the uncertainty of what people will do with this extra money as pandemic restrictions ease. The key unknown factor is whether people will consider this extra money as income or wealth. Income is more likely to be spent now on the necessities and small luxuries of life, ex. food, rent, clothing, entertainment, commuting to work. Wealth is generally saved for larger expenditures whether planned events, (ex. a child’s college education, a new house, retirement) or unplanned events (ex. health expenses, financial setbacks, helping others in need). When China eased their pandemic restrictions, consumers participated in a wave of “revenge spending” due to their pent-up demand for travel, entertainment, and luxury goods, but no one knows if other societies will behave likewise. How God’s people handle their money in these uncertain times will matter long after the pandemic is over, and the economy has recovered.

The Bible contains many historical events and parables from Jesus that focus on money, spending, saving, and wealth. Regarding income and spending, Jesus praised the poor widow who put all she had into the offering. The early Gentile churches generously provided money to the Christians in Jerusalem. The parable of the prodigal son reminds us that a fortune can be squandered on reckless living. Regarding savings and wealth, Solomon used the treasures of Israel to build the house of the Lord. In the parable of the affluent, foolish farmer, Jesus condemned everyone who lays up treasure for themselves and is not rich toward God.  In so many ways, the Bible cautions and commands us to avoid the love of money; both income and wealth.

The common theme regarding money throughout Scripture is stewardship. First, everything belongs to God. Second, we will ultimately give an account to God for the decisions we made with the resources He gave us. Third, God’s assessment of our faithful stewardship will be rewarded, as in the parable of the talents. It helps to meditate on one question and one statement. First, “what do you have that you did not receive?” And second, “every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father” Directly or indirectly, every ability, every opportunity, every resource, and everything else we have is an undeserved gift from God. Having much money, little money, or no money should not be our preoccupation. What matters is that we make kingdom-wise decisions with the resources God gives us. The poor, the rich, and everyone in-between battle with the pressures of money in different ways, but greed, selfishness, covetousness, and pride tempt us all.

Now is the time for many Christians to decide what to do with a bit of extra, unbudgeted money. Will each of us store up treasures on earth, or in heaven? Will we look to help our brothers and sisters facing difficult financial circumstances? Will we invest in missions, mercy, and hospitality to reach a lost world for Christ? Jesus was very clear about the dangers of divided loyalty, “you cannot serve both God and money.” And Jesus also showed the consequences of choosing money over God, “it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” These difficult teachings on wealth are dangerous for us to avoid and challenging to our relationship with income and wealth. But it is also helpful to remember that if we honorably manage the blessings God has given us, He will one day welcome us into heaven saying, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

Does God Care about My Mental Health?

Psalm 88 was my first ever sermon. It was the Summer of 2018, and I was taking intensive Hebrew, notorious for making Seminary student’s question their calling (or even sanity). And what came at the end of taking Hebrew II? My first preaching experience at Hope. It was nerve-wrecking; I was jittery the entire Sunday morning, but God certainly used that experience, even though I may have felt like a hot mess. In fact, if I had to pick a favorite Psalm, maybe even portion of the Bible, Psalm 88 wins every time.

            Now, perhaps you’ve never read this song before. Perhaps you are well-read in Bible trivia and you already know it. Either way, if you have a moment, go read it right now—seriously. I’ll wait.

            After reading this psalm, you’re probably experiencing a jarring sensation: “Did I just actually just read the Bible?” or more likely “Why in the world is this Jonathan’s number one Psalm?” The psalmist feels basically dead (v. 3-5), explicitly says God is the one who did this (v. 6-9), and questions whether there’s even an afterlife (v. 10-12). This passage ends with the writer rejected by God and abandoned by his friends, and his final words? “Darkness is my only friend” (v.18). You cannot find a more melancholic portion of Scripture.

            I spent most of my high school reading Fredrich Nietzsche, Albert Camus, and Fyodor Dostoevsky. My favorite authors are Ernest Hemingway, Kurt Vonnegut, and Gustave Flaubert. If you know these people, you can quickly peg my personality. Also worth noting, although it may at first feel disconnected from this: most of my adult life, I’ve struggled over serious problems with mental health. And please don’t read that as “Jonathan feels kind of blue once and a while”; it’s more like I regularly need to find professional help from a licensed counselor.

            While I’ve been a Christian, Psalm 88 has often been my cathartic release. Often, these words have been my own words, even while seeking to follow Jesus Christ; and if you’re willing to be honest, I’d hazard to guess that you have too, whether regularly or for a season. So why is this Psalm in the Bible?

            Sometimes, we can have a rosy picture of life, nothing goes wrong and everything is awesome. Yet Psalm 88 not only flies in the face of that paradigm but also throws all of us into the grime of daily life, when we get the diagnosis from our doctor, when we have the divorce papers we must sign, when we have lost whatever we hold dear in life. And for some, our natural reaction may be to escape with Jack Daniel’s or some form of narcotics, and that’s only the extreme reactions. It might be as mundane as junk food, exercise, YouTube, Netflix, and so on, and so on, and so on.

            We may desire to shake our fists at the heavens and the Lord Almighty Himself, and honestly, that may be exactly what we need for help. Notice that although the psalmist’ life and future is absolutely abysmal, he at least knows the direction to scream (v.1-2, 13). Christianity does not bring us into a care-free life. You will face darkness, you will face hardship, and you will suffer.

            And for some reading this, you may feel that that Psalm 88 is your worldview: darkness is my only companion; I don’t see a point in life; I don’t have hope for the future. In fact, you may even use stronger language than my characterization. I know I have. May I just say as one who needs it desperately, it’s okay to find help, and to one degree or another, everyone can benefit from professional counseling. Don’t let feelings of self-worth or your own darkness in life prevent you from talking with someone.

            Finally, know that some of Jesus’ own final words were “My God, My God why have you abandoned me?” (Matthew 27:46). Jesus is the Savior who would likely be the chief singer of Psalm 88. He experienced the greatest form of suffering, darkness, abandonment, and wrath at the Cross. And that is chiefly why he wants you to call out to Him, because He gets it.

            Psalm 88 is in the Bible because of the reality of life. We will face suffering, we will feel abandoned, and we will feel as if God Himself has set His sights on us. Despite all of this, know that sometimes the best way to process these experiences is to let it out, whether to God or to someone. That’s okay. If you are not currently facing any of this, consider how you yourself would react if you knew someone facing these struggles.

            Finally, know that even in the company of darkness, he doesn’t have to be your only friend. You can find an authentic relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ; and in that relationship, you can yell and scream, kick your feet, shake your fists, cry, and do whatever fits that category. And you know what? He’s not going to just toss you aside like broken toy; he’s going to continue to mold you into His own image. Sometimes that process can be painful, but it can be the greatest form of cognitive behavioral therapy.

The Danger of Spiritual Indifference

Scripture does not single out special condemnation for the seven deadly sins of anger, envy, gluttony, greed, lust, pride, and sloth. But these seven sins capture our attention because they span a wide range of common attitudes and passions that are the source so much wickedness and suffering. These seven sins also stand in contrast to the world’s view of what should be condemned and what should be celebrated. Many writers, entertainers, and thinkers have praised these seven sins as honorable and worth pursuing. For example, a famous monologue in the 1987 movie “Wall Street” has the line, “Greed, for lack of a better word, is good." From Tom Robbins, an American novelist, “Of the seven deadly sins, lust is definitely the pick of the litter.” From Euripides, an ancient Greek playwright, “I feel no shame in loving myself above all.” From Dave Mustaine, lead guitarist of the band Metallica, “The Bible and several other self-help or enlightenment books cite the Seven Deadly Sins. … That pretty much covers everything that we do, that is sinful ... or fun for that matter.”

               The list of ‘deadly sins’ has changed over the centuries, but perhaps none of these sins is more different from its original description than the sin of sloth, formerly acedia. We generally think of sloth as laziness, procrastination, and avoiding anything strenuous. But Dante, the 14th century Italian poet, wrote that acedia is the "failure to love God with all one's heart, all one's mind and all one's soul." Acedia is a spiritual indifference that has been called the noonday devil, and is a combination of weariness, sadness, a lack of purpose, and joylessness. Mishka, a reggae musician from Bermuda, has said that “acedia is sorrow so complete that the flesh prevails completely over the spirit. You don’t just turn your back on the world, you turn your back on God. You don’t care, and you don’t care that you don’t care.“ Acedia is often masked with everyday busyness, various distractions, and religious hypocrisy, hiding a spiritual emptiness.

               When we look to God’s Word, we find spiritual indifference repeatedly and strongly condemned. Lukewarm faith was severely judged at Laodicea but went largely unnoticed in this first-century church due to their wealth, prosperity, and self-sufficiency. (Revelation 3) When Jesus visited Martha and Mary, He rebuked Martha for being “anxious and troubled about many things” and busying herself with serving the crowd instead of spending time with Jesus as Mary did. (Luke 10) Jesus repeatedly pronounced woes on the Jewish religious leaders who excelled in legalism, self-righteousness, and religious hypocrisy while “neglecting the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness.” (Matthew 23) We are warned that on judgment day, many people who prophesized, cast out demons, and did many other mighty works will be shocked and stunned that Jesus “never knew them” as they are denied heaven and sent to hell. Religious busyness deceives many into believing they are Jesus’ disciples while their hearts remain indifferent to His call to bear fruit. (Matthew 7).

               God’s blessings and happiness are reserved for those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. (Matthew 5) Thirst and hunger are natural, recurring impulses for the necessities of life, ranging from waiting an extra 15 minutes for lunch to a deadly famine. Jesus is using the imagery of genuine, desperate thirst and needy, suffering hunger. The paradox is that God’s blessings both satisfies those who strongly desire righteousness and increases the desire for more grace, holiness, and hatred of sin. Jesus is the Bread of Life and the Living Water; the basics for satisfying our most basic and our greatest spiritual desires. If our hunger and thirst for God’s righteousness is not what is used to be or should be, we might be caught in the sin of acedia. If so, we’re not alone. May we repent and confess our spiritual indifference.

Let Your Light Shine, Beat Back the Darkness, and Glorify God

Matthew 5:14-16 : “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. (ESV)

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Late one night in August 2020, a medivac airplane tried to land in the remote town of Igiugig, Alaska to transport a sick child in to a hospital in Anchorage. But when they prepared for the plane to land, all of the runway lights had been vandalized and broken. When the villagers heard the plane circling at nearly midnight, they knew something was wrong. A few residents drove to the small airport to see if they could use their car headlights to light the runway, but the pilot needed more light. They called everyone in the town to bring their ATV’s, cars, SUV’s, and trucks to the small airport. Several dozen residents rose from the comfort of their beds to park their vehicles along the runway to light the pilot’s way so he could land safely. The vehicles stayed until the child was onboard and the plane took off safely.

 In the beginning, God created the sun to rule the day, the moon to rule the night, and the stars for signs and for seasons; each giving light on the earth and separating the light from the darkness. (Genesis 1) With so many man-made lights all around us, we may forget that the world is naturally in darkness half of the time; between sunset and sunrise. Battling the darkness is an ongoing battle. In our fallen and sinful world, man-made lights can be extinguished by sinful vandalism or the inescapable decay causing everything to wear out. Scripture uses the contrast of light and darkness to distinguish the Kingdom of Heaven from all who sinfully rebel against God. Jesus’ incarnation is described as the light shining in the darkness. (John 1, Matthew 4) Hell is compared to being cast into the outer darkness. (Matthew 8) When Jesus appeared to Saul/Paul, He told him to go to the Gentile and proclaim the Gospel which will open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God. (Acts 26).

 As we experience physical darkness each night, we should remember that the spiritual darkness in this world is even more pervasive and dangerous. In the sermon on the mount, Jesus talks about the light of a community of believers shining before others and glorifying God. (Matthew 5) It might seem that whatever we do could not make a difference against the overwhelming power and diverse forces of evil all around us. Yet together our faithful Christian witness and proclamation of the Gospel honors God and shows others the way to salvation. We must not forget that the lives of others hang in the balance. And we are commanded to reflect the character of Christ even when it’s inconvenient or risky. Our God-given light is wasted if we keep it to ourselves. Other’s may shine brighter or more significantly, but God has placed each of us in a certain time and place among certain people to shine in a way that no one else can. May each of us and all of us proclaim, “this little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine” and “let it shine til Jesus comes.”

Hope in the Lord: And Focus on Eternity

“But as a mountain erodes and crumbles and as a rock is moved from its place, as water wears away stones and torrents wash away the soil, so You destroy a person’s hope.”

---  Job’s prayer to God in Job 14:18-19 (NIV)

               When scientists study how things change, two ideas dominate: how quickly things change (rate) and the final state when changing stops (equilibrium). It is common to misunderstand and confuse the rate of change with the final, equilibrium state. For example, if the rate of change is very slow, the current state might be mistaken for the final, equilibrium state. One example of slow and steady change on a very large scale is erosion; the wearing away of solid rock by a combination of gravity, rain, ocean waves, ice, flowing water, and wind. Erosion is almost imperceptibly slow, but wind, streams, and rivers relentlessly wash away mountains to create spectacular valleys, gorges, and ravines, for example in the Grand Canyon.

               All of us are tempted to find some security in our friendships, health, savings & investments, physical distance from unsafe areas, and other stuff that will ultimately disappoint us. These blessings can make us feel independent of God. Job reminds us that God graciously and persistently destroys our idols and reveals our empty hopes and false dreams. Job compares God’s ways to the progressive erosion of mountains to rocks to stones to soil. Throughout our lives, God slowly undermines our self-sufficiency to show our need for Him. His pace may be slow, but He is relentless, and His goal is certain. He wants us to know that wherever we seek hope and security beside Jesus is destined for destruction. Our final, eternal state depends on who we are we increasingly trusting and placing our faith in.

               For all of us, there are at least a few areas in our lives where we continue to resist His calling. But God loves us too much to allow us to cling to undependable things that will break our heart and crush our soul. Sometimes mountains fall through the violence of earthquakes. At other times the slow trickle of a stream or the blowing wind wash away a mountain to merely more dust of the earth. The circumstances of our lives can be brutal or merely irritating, but God sovereignly orders His creation to redeem His people from sin for an eternity in heaven. Those who continue to resist His calling are heading toward a final, equilibrium state of hell. In the end, those are the only two final destinies for any one of us: heaven with God or eternally separated from Him in hell. With so much at stake, how much longer will we resist His calling on our lives when the final outcome is so clear? May God graciously continue to turn our minds and hearts toward what matters eternally, loving Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior with our whole heart, soul, mind, and strength.

Hope in The Lord: And Stand Strong

               In 2012, Jack Phillips, a Colorado baker, politely refused to design a custom cake for a same-sex couple’s wedding. By refusing to make cakes with messages that go against his Christian beliefs, Jack has endured years of litigation, risked financial ruin, and received countless hostile threats. For simply standing up and defending his faith, Jack has become a target of ungodly hatred. How would we have responded in Jack’s circumstances? How will we respond when the cost of being identified as a brother or sister of Christ becomes a serious threat to our wealth, our friendships, our reputation, our health, or our job? If we think we can live a peaceful life and avoid suffering for our faith, remember that Paul told Timothy, “everyone who desires to live a godly, Christ-like life will be persecuted.” (2 Timothy 3) Jesus said that since the world hates Him, it will hate us too. (John 15) And if the personal costs weren’t important enough, it has been known since at least Plato’s time in ancient Greece that the only thing necessary for evil to triumph in society is for good men and women to do nothing. How we respond to temptations and persecutions have important and eternal consequences both for ourselves and for those we love.

               God’s people have repeatedly been called to stand strong in their faith. When fleeing Egypt and preparing to cross the Red Sea, Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord.” (Exodus 14) When Judah was about to be invaded, Jehoshaphat told everyone to, “…stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf. Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed … the Lord will be with you.” (2 Chronicles 20) In many of his letters to new churches in the Gentile world, Paul encouraged believers to be courageous, to be strong, and to stand firm in their faith. (ex. Galatians 6)

               When you are standing, you are not lazy or resting. Standing is a common metaphor for being courageous and taking action. Stand tall. Stand on your own two feet. Take a stand. Stand in the gap. Stand up and be counted. To stand firm is to not give ground or surrender. It can takes courage to defend the vulnerable and support others standing by your side. Someone standing strong is engaged in the battle, not merely being a spectator to the fight. And even when we’re filled with the power of God, standing strong isn’t easy in the spiritual warfare of our age.

               Our enemies fall into three groups who often work together against us: the world, our flesh, and the devil. (Ephesians 2) We can understand the devil better if we consider his many Biblical names, all of which he has earned: beast, deceiver, evil one, liar, murderer, power of darkness, slanderer, tempter, thief, and wicked one. Our enemies can instill a real fear in us, and that’s OK. Courage is standing strong and doing what’s right regardless of the danger and suffering that may come our way. We admire the bravery of Esther who risked everything by speaking to the king to save God’s people from genocide. (Esther 7) We remember John the Baptist’s courage to condemn Herod’s sin, and the high price he paid. (Matthew 14)

               Our enemies also have another emotion to use against us in this spiritual battle: indifference. The deadly sin of acedia, often translated as sloth, has been called the noonday devil. Acedia is a combination of weariness, sadness, a lack of purposefulness, and joylessness. Acedia is often masked with a flurry of busyness and distractions that are hiding a spiritual emptiness. The lukewarm attitude of acedia was severely condemned in the church at Laodicea. (Revelation 3)

               We may all be facing a time of increasing hostility to our Christian faith. Are you aware that a spiritual battle is raging? Do you care? How badly do you want to win? Being afraid is OK. Being indifferent is not. As our brothers and sisters have done for countless generations, we must stand firm, fight the good fight, and hope for the day when we will see the salvation of the Lord.