Daily Manna from Heaven

“I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.” -2 Corinthians 7:9-10

“To deny sin is bad news, indeed,” writes John Alexander. Continuing, he says, “The only good news is sin itself. Sin is the best news there is, the best news that there could be in our predicament. Because with sin, there’s a way out. There’s the possibility of repentance. You can’t repent of confusion or psychological flaws inflicted by your parents—you’re stuck with them. But you can repent of sin. Sin and repentance are the only grounds for hope and joy, the grounds for reconciled, joyful relationships.”

Did you notice the phrase, “There’s the possibility of repentance”? “Just a minute,” you may be thinking, “what does repentance have to do with forgiveness? I thought that when God forgave me, He just wiped the slate clean and that was all there was to this business.” Scores of people consider forgiveness to be a kind of “I’m OK; you’re OK, too” sort of business with God, whereby we acknowledge our failure and God forgives us. Is that an oversimplification?

First, let’s define our terms. The Greek word for repentance means “a change of mind,” and the word is used throughout the Bible in relationship to the transaction of genuine forgiveness and restoration. For example, John the Baptist preached a simple Gospel. “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near,” he cried. And Jesus proclaimed the same theme. Following the 40 days of temptation, Jesus began His public ministry. “From that time on,” says Matthew, one of his biographers, “Jesus began to preach, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near’” (Matthew 4:17). The disciples of Jesus proclaimed the same thing, “They went out and preached that people should repent,” says Mark 6:12.

On the day of Pentecost, Peter stood and boldly cried, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of your sins” (Acts 2:38).  Throughout the letters of Paul, the same theme continues. In fact, when Paul wrote to the Corinthians, he stressed there are two kinds of sorrow over wrongdoing: that kind that comes because you get caught, an embarrassment which causes you to lose face, and authentic repentance which is a deep sorrow for wrongdoing which leads to change.

OK, we acknowledge that this element of repentance seems to be missing from our thinking today. It’s been replaced with a kind of forgiveness which makes us feel good about ourselves, the kind that makes us acknowledge wrongdoing but with no real sorrow attached to it. But here’s my question. Is this kind of forgiveness genuine? Or put another way, can there be real forgiveness without repentance?

Not if you believe what the Bible says.  Biblical repentance, contended John Woodbridge, includes five concepts:
1. A change of mind or thinking.
2. A deep sorrow for wrongdoing, the kind that David had following his affair with Bathsheba.
3. The confession of sin.
4. A forsaking of wrongdoing which involves a clean break with what you know to be wrong, and
5. A turning to God, who alone offers pardon and strength to do right.

A wayward son wanting to come back home wrote his father and said, “Dad, if you and Mom can forgive me, please tie a small white flag to the fence out front of the house, and I’ll know it’s OK to come back. But if there is no white flag, I’ll not come in.” To his surprise the lad saw not a white flag, but a white bed sheet flying in the breeze.

Of one thing you can be certain. God is far more willing to extend forgiveness for your wrongdoing than you are to turn from your sin and to embrace it. Think about it.

(Authored By Dr. Harold Sala. Permission to reprint this article was granted by Guidelines.com)

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“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” -2 Corinthians 5:21

“If our greatest need had been information,” read a Christmas card I received, “God would have sent us an educator. If our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent us a scientist. If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent us an economist. If our greatest need had been pleasure, God would have sent us an entertainer. But our greatest need was for forgiveness, so God sent us a Savior.”

When an angel appeared to Joseph, who was then engaged to be married to Mary, the message was, “And she [Mary] will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). Today, though, it is the link between our sin and a Savior which has grown hazy and obscure.

Focusing on our greatest need, though, is the problem, because this forces us to admit that there is a need, and we would generally rather crawl on our hands and knees to Calcutta or roll in a bed of ground glass than to admit our human failure or wrong doing—yes, to admit our personal sin.

When Paul wrote to the Romans, he categorically said, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). His word all is completely inclusive. None is excluded. Today, however, you don’t hear much of that three letter word, sin. The attitude of the world is nobody’s perfect. So don’t worry. Be happy!”

Sin is the problem, and a Savior is the solution. Even those who refuse to call it what it is know what the problem is, but rather than accept the solution, they prefer to deny that the problem exists. Is this rational? It is about as rational as refusing to believe your doctor when he says you have cancer, or refusing to take you’re automobile into the shop when you have been notified by the manufacturer that it is defective, or ignoring the road signs which tell you the highway ahead is washed out and you must detour.

The worst kind of ignorance and rebellion is the refusal to recognize there is a solution to your problem and an answer to your need. Paul, the theologian of the New Testament, came to grips with this whole issue of man’s need and God’s solution. Almost all of his letters addressed this issue prominently. Writing to the Corinthians, he said, “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). For a moment, ponder what Paul is saying: God—the creator of our universe, the one who breathed life into Adam—sent His Son into our world, and He paid the penalty for our sin that we might be accepted as righteous before God the Father.

A few years ago, I visited an inmate in prison who, in a fit of rage, had killed another man. Trying to explain how Christ, who knew no sin, paid the penalty of our sin so that we might have life, I just couldn’t get through. Finally, I put it like this: “Look, if I were willing to exchange clothes with you and take your place here in prison, and you put on my clothes and walked out the door as a free man, would you do it?” The light came on. A smile crossed his face as he said, “Sure, I would. A person would be a fool not to do that.” “Yes,” I responded, adding, “That is exactly what Christ did for you when He died.” But the consequences of ignoring what Jesus Christ did are even greater than refusing to let someone else take your place on death row. Think about it.

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“The preceding material was written by Dr. Harold J. Sala, and is copyrighted. Reproduction for sale or financial profit is prohibited. Permission to reproduce this article was granted by Guidelines, Inc.”
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“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” -(Romans 3:23)

There is a three-letter word that spells the difference between happiness and misery, between freedom and bondage, and between heaven and hell. A generation or two ago, this word was commonly used in our speech, especially by the clergy. We used this word to describe wrongdoing and human failure. Then, as some words are prone to do, it gradually began to be replaced by synonyms which were more gentle and kind. That old three-letter word is sin, and in spite of the fact that most people prefer not to think of themselves as being tainted by this word, sin is good news! “And how can that be?” you might be thinking. It’s simple: There is a solution to the problem of sin, an antidote which neutralizes its effect; and that is good news.

The existence of sin is demonstrated three ways: First, by history. Then by the human conscience, and certainly by Scripture. Historian Harold Lindsell wrote, “As long as man has been on earth, wars, tumults, disease, and death have been rampant. All creation bears unmistakably the marks of evil. The pages of history are blackened by its effects.” Some 5,000 years of history display a constant repetition of human failure.

But the effects of history go beyond what takes place on a national basis to what takes place on a personal basis. We are told today that there is a difference between public and private morality—something which no generation has ever believed before; nonetheless, the mentality which wants to believe this is but a reflection of the thinking that it is unfair to hold others accountable for what we, ourselves, are not willing to abide by.

Your conscience is only as good as its understanding of right and wrong. When a person doesn’t know what a straight line is, it is difficult for him to understand why a crooked line is different. But, nonetheless, the consciences of almost all men and women, at some time or another, nag at them, saying, “What you did is wrong” And when that wrongdoing violates others and God, it is sin—unvarnished and plain.

The Bible says that men and women are sinners by choice and by nature as well. “All have sinned” is the dictum of Paul to the Romans. We sin because of our human compulsion towards selfishness and wrongdoing as well as by our personal choices which, at times, we know are wrong—yet we prefer that to doing what we know to be right.

Suppose you went to your doctor because you had a lump on your thyroid and it just wouldn’t go away, and he ran some tests and then asked you to sit down as he said, “There’s nothing to worry about. Our tests show that you have a lymphoma, but this is perfectly natural. You have a beautiful smile and a wonderful personality. Think positively of yourself and realize you are much better off than most people.” If you heard what I’ve just told you, you would be fuming with anger. You’d probably break your fingers punching the buttons on your phone as you called your attorney.

But if your doctor says, “You have a problem here, but there is a solution, which is surgery followed by radiation. The answer isn’t terribly pleasant, but we can assure you that you are going to be OK” –then you have hope. The Good News about sin is not that you have failed but that God has an answer, a solution to your wrongdoing, and that solution is in what Jesus Christ did in paying the price of your failure.

No, sin never makes us feel good about ourselves, but it should bring us into confrontation with the grace of God, which can make us right with God. And that’s good news.

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“The preceding material was written by Dr. Harold J. Sala, and is copyrighted. Reproduction for sale or financial profit is prohibited. Permission to reproduce this article was granted by Guidelines, Inc.”
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“The righteous man leads a blameless life; blessed are his children after him.” -Proverbs 20:7

Can you raise G-rated kids in an X-rated world? You bet you can, but it isn’t easy. It’s the challenge of the century, and certainly the challenge of your life. The following are five guidelines which can help you accomplish your goal.

Guideline #1: Set the example.

Parenting is the raising of children by parents, not the raising of parents by their kids. God made you the mommy or daddy, so assume your responsibility. You gave birth to a child. Now instill in that child integrity and character, the kind that produces a g-rated kid in an X-rated world, a world filled with moral and spiritual pollution.

If you are an R- or an X-rated parent, don’t expect yours to be G-rated kids. You set the example. They learn from you. Never deceive yourself by telling you kids, “Don’t do as I do; do as I say.” Save your breath. What you do, they will do, but they will go one step beyond you—always.

Guideline #2: Help your child be his or her own person.

One of the greatest things a parent can do for a child is to help him throw off the “cookie cutter,” be-just-like- everyone-else, mentality which is so prevalent today. This requires your putting a certain amount of space between your kids and the world whose values are far from G-rated. It means you help your offspring to understand, “I don’t have to be just like everybody else. It’s OK to be me and to be different.” Sure, your kids are going to hear and see a lot of junk outside your home, but having a standard at home says clearly, “We don’t approve of that stuff, and we won’t allow it in our home. We love you too much to let you warp your character with junk.”

Guideline #3: Build character through the moral feeding and nurturing of your children.

I can tell you a thousand places where your children will not build character, including most movies, TV, and the lyrics of a lot of contemporary music, so you have got to concentrate on feeding the moral and spiritual nature of your child. This means Sunday School and Church, youth activities, events and activities that are family-centered. Sure, this inconveniences you as an adult. You’ve got to shut off the TV and pack the van and think about where you are going and what you are going to do.

It means you monitor what comes into your home and what goes into the minds of your kids. This includes not only what you put on the table but the music that goes into the iPod you teen listens to. A policeman? No, a parent who needs to remember a line which puts an end to the question, “Why not?” It’s, “I’m the mommy, that’s why!” or “I’m the daddy, that’s why!”

Guideline #4: Reinforce character with a positive peer group.

This means making it easy for your kids to be with others whose values are the same as yours, and difficult to be with other kids who are being raised in a permissive environment without convictions. When you fail to make some decisions, by default you lose your position to leverage your influence for good and God.

Guideline #5: Empower your child with validation.

The most important thing in the life of a youngster isn’t really, “What do my peers think of me?” in spite of the fact that we’ve bought into that mentality and touted it for a generation. The truth is that parental approval, hearing a dad say, “I’m really proud of you,” or a mom say, “Sweetheart, you really handled that situation well. I couldn’t have done better myself,” is the most meaningful validation in your kids’ lives.

You can raise G-rated kids in an X-rated world with God’s help and a lot of dogged persistence. It’s worth it. It’s the one thing that will count and make a difference in tomorrow’s world.

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“The preceding material was written by Dr. Harold J. Sala, and is copyrighted. Reproduction for sale or financial profit is prohibited. Permission to reproduce this article was granted by Guidelines, Inc.”
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“Bloodthirsty men hate a man of integrity and seek to kill the upright.” -Proverbs 29:10

You reputation is what others think of you, while character is what you really are. Your character is revealed, of course, by what you do, either negative or positively, but Ralph Waldo Emerson used to believe that, more accurately, your character is defined by what you think. He wrote, “People seem not to realize that their opinion of the world is also a confession of character.”

In recent days we have heard more than a few decry the lack of character, especially among youth today (who, of course, have not seen a lot of this quality in the lives of their parents). Convictions produce character, which may account for its scarcity today. When people have no firm convictions of right or wrong, their moral life is a replay of uncertainty, a combination trial and error. When people’s beliefs are put to the test, it is their character or lack of it which reveals how much integrity is within.

Though everyone prefers to avoid conflict, it is this which is the real testing ground of character. When you are challenged, or more specifically, when your views of right and wrong are challenged, you have to make a decision to compromise and go along with what violates your sense or right and wrong, or face the consequences.

That was exactly the situation years ago when a Persian queen whose name was Vashti was asked to dance before a banquet of rowdy military officers. Women, in those days, didn’t challenge the requests of their husband, but Queen Vashti knew that it would be a debauched and drunken group of men leering at her. She also knew that the consequences could mean divorce and even banishment from the throne. The conflict produced a decision which was costly, and in the event that you don’t remember your history of the book of Esther, it was Vashti’s refusal which cost her the throne. Character comes with a price tag attached.

Bill White found that out as well. He was one of four principals in a thriving electronics business when the quartet of businessmen went to a convention. The senior partner told about the great evening that he had arranged, which included a girl for each one, to top off the evening. “No,” said Bill, explaining that he was happily married and that he would prefer to go back to the hotel after the evening conference. “Aw, come on, Bill. Don’t be a killjoy,” his colleagues urged. But he stuck with his convictions, which revealed his true character. From that point on, he faced conflict with his partners, who had been best of friends until that crisis.

When you are faced with conflict or challenge, you don’t summon character as a resource to give you strength to do the right thing. Either it’s there or it’s not. It’s the crisis that reveals what your true character is. As Senator Dan Coats put it: “Character cannot be summoned at the moment of crisis if it has been squandered by years of compromise and rationalization. The only testing ground for the heroic is the mundane. The only preparation for that one profound decision which can change a life, or even a nation, is those hundreds of half-conscious, self-defining, seemingly insignificant decisions made in private. Habit is the daily battleground of character.”

In summary, your convictions are the basis of your character. Your habits are the mold for your character. Conflict is the testing of your character; and it is the measure of your courage which determines the extent of your character.

The following puts it well:

“Be careful of your thoughts, For your thoughts become your words.

Be careful of your character, For your character becomes your destiny.” (Author unknown).

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“The preceding material was written by Dr. Harold J. Sala, and is copyrighted. Reproduction for sale or financial profit is prohibited. Permission to reproduce this article was granted by Guidelines, Inc.”
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“The man of integrity walks securely, but he who takes crooked paths will be found out.” -Proverbs 10:9

“I’ll be home by 9 o’clock.” But nine comes and he doesn’t show. The same thing is true of ten, and eleven. You finally hear the door at 11:50. “I thought you said you’d be home by 9 o’clock.” “Yeah, but something happened.”

Then what about the line, “The check’s in the mail.” So you wait three more days, then four more days, and finally a week. And still no check. You call and say, “I understood you to say that your check was in the mail.” “Well, I thought it was,” is the reply you get, followed by a pretty incredulous line about the envelope getting lost in the mail. Sure.

Taking inventory for a minute, would you say that people are less prone to keep their word, less apt to show up when they say they will be there, and generally have less integrity, than a few years ago?

When national figures disappoint you and what they say is often questioned, when ministers and clergy seem to lead two lives—one personal and the other public, when educators say that moral values can be taught without religion, is it any wonder that talk about integrity today sounds as relevant as a discussion of the fourth vertebrae of an extinct dinosaur?

“OK,” you say, “I’m with you. But what can we do to stop the erosion of character today?” More than you might think. First, let’s define our terms. Integrity is what you are—it’s the moral fiber within you that determines what you are. Character is like the flip side of the coin. It relates more to your actions—what you do.

The foundation of integrity is an old-fashioned moral belief that there is a God in heaven who cares about what happens on planet Earth. It is based on the fact that He calls some things right and other things wrong. The Ten Commandments were not given as “Ten Suggestions” or “Ten Ideas about Morality.” They were both negative and positive as God said, “This is wrong and these things are right.”

Another foundation stone of integrity is responsibility and accountability, which, like two oars of a little rowboat, keep your life on an even keel.

Shortly before his death, author James Michener talked about the changes which he had seen in his generation. He said that the old days were not really so great but that a generation ago men and women considered some things right and others wrong. They didn’t always do right, but they knew the difference. But today, he contended, individuals who don’t know the difference are dangerous and a threat to society.

John Souter, in an article entitled, “That Missing Word: Integrity,” says that there are four enemies of integrity. He describes them as deception, shallowness, artificiality, and expediency.

Deception was what Abraham used when he didn’t want to admit that Sarah was his wife. “She is my sister,” he said—which was a half-truth.

Shallowness, the second enemy of integrity, is the belief that it doesn’t really matter. “Everybody’s doing it,” people say, excusing their behavior. Shallowness is the refusal to take an unpopular stand, saying, “It’s not my fight.” Character is the result of convictions, which are the foundation of integrity.

Artificiality is the curse of our day. “How are you doing?” someone asks, and you respond, “Oh, just fine.” You are not, but neither do you want the emotional involvement of giving an honest answer.

Expedience, the fourth enemy of integrity, is the path of least resistance, the short-cut. It is the presumption that if your wife will never know, it’s OK to do it. It is sacrificing the permanent on the altar of the expedient, and it is the curse of our day. No matter what the cost, integrity is worth it.

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“The preceding material was written by Dr. Harold J. Sala, and is copyrighted. Reproduction for sale or financial profit is prohibited. Permission to reproduce this article was granted by Guidelines, Inc.”
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