Lilies of the Field

Are you a rule keeper? Why do people keep rules? The purpose of laws and rules is the safety and protection of the people. Good leaders are those who want the best for the people they lead. Godly leaders are those who know God, help others know Him better, and follow Christ’s example as they lead the people God has entrusted to their care to His Kingdom. God’s Law is good. Galatians 3:24 describes the Law as a guardian or tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith . The Law was never intended by God to be a club with which to bully people into the Kingdom, but a guardian to lead us there. Growing up in the 70s, I remember one episode of The Brady Bunch entitled “Law and Disorder” when Bobby was appointed Safety Monitor at school. He didn’t want the job, but his teacher chose him when nobody else volunteered. His parents convince him that he should be the best safety monitor he can be. Quickly, however, he begins to lose all his friends when he snitches on them fo...

“Do as I say, not as I do.” “Don’t talk the talk if you can’t walk the walk.” “Practice what you preach.” Worn-out excuses by those who fail to believe in God are most often focused upon the hypocritical actions of those who profess to be Christians. Are Christians hypocrites? From a cursory glance, it might appear to be true. The issue, however, is a heart issue which cannot be determined by a cursory glance.   We all hate hypocrisy. In fact, there is little else we cannot tolerate more than hypocrisy. Facebook is literally filled with memes exposing the hypocrisy of our day from political views to sociological concepts to differing beliefs in religious systems. This should come as no surprise when one considers that Satan is the greatest hypocrite of all. The mask he wears is that of a god who believes he has all authority—thus deserving of all worship. But this wolf in sheep’s clothing does not ‘keep it 100’, as they say. If he did, everyone would be able to easily recognize hi...