“For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.” -1 Timothy 4:8

Let’s say after a hard week/month at work, you went to cash your paycheck, and the teller asked you, “Would you like to be paid in Mickey Mouse dollars, or real dollars?” What would you say? Unless you were planning to move in with Donald Duck and Goofy, I’m guessing you’d take the real money.

Why?

Because it’s worth more! But isn’t the mickey mouse money worth something too? I mean, after all, you could always redeem it for valuable Disney memorabilia. . .

But is that really what you want? It isn’t. You’re after true value, currency that can be spent on things that you actually need: things that matter to you.

And this is the exact same way it is with Christians in their daily service. It’s reflected in how we spend our time, and in what we think about. When we spend our time on vain and temporary things of this world, we are in essence cashing the paycheck of our time in for mickey mouse dollars. Sure, they’re valuable: in a limited sense. Sure, they have a purpose: a small one. But wouldn’t you much rather go after something of greater value?

The need for maturity

I believe that if a Christian is truly spiritually mature, he/she will see the vanity of this world’s passing delights as mere child’s play. All of the things in this world that are highly regarded or sought after should be seen as toys. They don’t really excite us anymore. Or at least, they shouldn’t.

What if you won a million dollars, but it all had to be spent at a toy store? It wouldn’t be nearly as enticing as getting just money. And what if it were all the money in the world—an endless supply of billions or trillions of dollars—but it all had to be spent at a toy store for yourself. Wouldn’t that be utterly ridiculous? And that’s exactly what this world is to be for a Christian, and that’s exactly what Jesus thought when He was presented with a similar offer:

“Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.” -Matthew 4:8-10

The closer we get to God, the more we will realize the infinite riches that are in Him. And the closer we get to God, the more we will see how utterly petty and meaningless so much of this world’s joys are. Not only will we see them as child’s things—as mere toys—but we will even go so far as to revile them, and despise their deception and uselessness. You can see what Paul thought of such things, he had a special word he used for them:

“But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,” -Philippians 3:7-8

“These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look . . .” -Proverbs 6:16-17

You don’t have to read too far into the list of things that the Lord hates before you get to pride. As a matter of fact, this vice is listed as the very first thing!

And just what’s so bad about pride? Why would God hate it so much?

I believe in its most basic terms, that pride is the opposite of worship. Worship is an exalting of God, and a humbling of oneself. Pride, which both caused the downfall of Lucifer who then became Satan (see Isaiah 14:12-15), and is arguably God’s most hated sin, is the exalting of oneself over God.

In the Bible, you’ll often noticed that pride is described as being lifted up, or high, or raised up in some way; while worship is usually shown in kneeling, or bowing down, or in a number of ways that implies humility.

Pride is frequently described in the world as being a “fatal flaw,” and it takes a myriad of forms. But just beyond the disgusting nature of pride, what are the consequences, and how does it differ from worship?

Pride causes blindness

First and foremost, those who are proud are blinded by their pride.  And that’s exactly the trouble with it: most don’t even know how proud they really are. The apostle John wrote unto the church in Laodicea:

“Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:” -Revelation 3:16-17

Since pride is so deceitful and hidden, it is very difficult to deal with because we cannot see that it is even there in the first place. But what about worship?

Worship leads to God’s guidance

I remember a few years ago, I was at the DMV to get my driver’s license renewed. They had a vision-checking machine that you look into, and small letters would light up, and you’d have to read them aloud to pass the vision test.

When it came my turn to take the test, I hastily went on ahead and looked into the machine and saw only blackness. The woman behind the counter had not given me the instructions yet, but I thought I’d be able to figure it out—which I didn’t.

It was then that she told me something that relates perfectly to worship. . . I’ve always associated worship with one’s forehead, both because of the bowing down of one’s head toward the ground, (Exodus 34:8), and also because in heaven it says that the Lamb’s name shall be written in our foreheads (Revelation 22:3-4).

With this in mind, she said, “Press in with your forehead.” And I looked, and ha! I laughed to myself, there was a big button on the vision-testing machine that you press in with your forehead. And upon doing this, everything in front of me lit up, and I could see all the letters clearly.

“The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way.” -Psalm 25:9

Pride leads to destruction

If you are blind, then chances are you don’t know where you are going. In the verse quoted further up this page about the blindness of the church at Laodicea, it says that God will spew them out of His mouth. Certainly, pride has its costs:

“Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.” -Proverbs 16:18

Worship is the antidote for pride

True heart-worship, being an expression of respect and reverence toward God, and an abasing of one’s own self, is in its very nature meek. And in one of the verses above, it says that God will guide the meek in judgment and show them His way.

I believe that this guidance, from God alone, is the only real way to spot pride and truly deal with it. Besides all of the other blessings of joy and peace that accompany praise and worship, there is the added benefit of squelching the disgusting roots of pride.

I always find it curious if I go to a church that keeps close track of its numbers. It seems that numbers are all that matter: that attracting a crowd is the ultimate goal of the building, and of the people. Conversions are secondary, and righteousness is side-stepped. It seems as if the most important thing, the most sought after thing, is numbers—and preferably large ones.

Well, what does the Bible have to say about this? Well, it turns out that the Lord is a God of numbers, but just not in the way that we commonly think:

“But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.” -Matthew 13:23

Look at all those numbers, and best of all they’re big! Here’s another one:

“Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. . . . and that night they caught nothing. . . . [Then Jesus saith unto them] Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes. . . . Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land full of great fishes, an hundred and fifty and three: and for all there were so many, yet was not the net broken.” -John 21:3, 5-6, 11

There’s another big number: 153 fishes in the net. Certainly such a large harvest was from the Lord. But did you notice something else?

Peter started off catching nothing. He started small, and it wasn’t until the Lord came to Him, in His own timing, that Peter received the blessing. And with the example of fruit-bearing above: have you ever known an apple tree to produce giant apples in its very first year of being planted? It takes time, and attention, and the proper care, and in due time, with God’s guidance and blessing, fruitfulness is realized in an abundant way.

With all of these big numbers something must be remembered: the Lord gives the increase. Surely it is in God’s heart to give an abundant increase, but it’s also important to realize that without God, all of life’s “busyness” is simply vanity.

The Lord truly is a God of numbers, but only insofar as it brings glory to His Name, and not because of a popularity contest with the world, leading only to mediocrity. Such illusory empires shall come to nought at the second coming.

“Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.” -Psalms 127:1

“Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” -Matthew 4:4

It seems that nowadays we get so caught up in the daily grind, that we don’t have time for the most important part of the whole day: our quiet times with the Lord: our daily devotions.

While it’s true that most have a job, or school, or some other daily obligation to attend to, it is also equally true, as Christians, that we have a spiritual obligation as well. And in looking toward the view of eternity, which do you think would really matter most:

Taking a sip of coffee, or taking in Christ’s words?

Drinking in Starbucks, or shining as a true star in heaven?

For in Daniel, it’s written:

“And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.” -Daniel 12:3

In the long run, some are storing up eternal treasure in heaven, turning many to righteousness and cementing their position of brilliance and glory with God in heaven. And some, choosing rather this world’s present comforts, and letting the cares and worries of this present world choke out their spiritual fruitfulness, are waning dimmer and dimmer.

The inability to see and react to spiritual realities is, at least to me, the very essence of foolishness. If you are a Christian, you know that this world will one day pass away. You know of this reality. Why then do you not react, and adjust your life accordingly? Ought we then to live much more soberly, and count each day as a gift of God for making an eternal difference?

“If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:” -Colossians 3:1-5

“Only in My arms is life’s true path traveled, for it is impossibly hard.” (from Tears from a Lonely God – Chapter Six: Come into My Arms.)

The emphasis in the saying above, in order to be understood correctly, should be on the word “true.” For there are many paths that you could walk down, but I believe, if we are to walk upon God’s path, and fulfill His will—life’s true path—we must do so in God’s Spirit, and under His protection. Our Lord has said:

“These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”  -John 16:33

And why should we have tribulation in the world? Not only because it is full of widespread sin and violence—much as it was in the days of Noah—but because we are different.

As Christians, we are different because this Earth is not our permanent home. We are sojourners. We should have the attitude as that of a traveler or a pilgrim: we’re just passing through for a while. For this reason, because we are not permanent residents of this wicked world, those in the world are bound to persecute us: even above and beyond the normal measure that would normally otherwise be present in this world. Again, Jesus said in a prayer to His Father:

“I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.” -John 17:14-15

And so we see our Savior’s desire: not that we would be taken out of the world, or kept altogether isolated and shielded from every little thing Satan and his angels may afflict us with, but that we would stay, but be kept from evil.

God’s will is for us to be in the world, but not of the world. We are to be sheep in the midst of wolves, trusting and clinging to our Shepherd for protection. But, we are not to run away from this conflict. In God’s arms, life’s true path—one that is impossible for natural man to endure—can be traveled to the pleasing of God.

The Bible’s words and pretty clear:

“Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” -2 Timothy 3:12

If Jesus is our Lord—being above us—and they have abused, slandered, and even crucified him, what shall be done to His servants? What shall we expect to see in this world? Why would we be surprised when we are maligned? Rather, we ought to be surprised and give thanksgiving when, if for even an instant of respite, we are not maligned.

Suffering and persecution are guarantees as a Christian.

Expect it.

“If My very own blood was shed for you, why do you marvel that I would shed tears also?” (from Tears from a Lonely God – Chapter Two: Lonely Arms.)

Occasionally I get someone that asks me, “would God really cry?” And apparently they hadn’t bothered to read to even the second chapter, where it is explained in a little more detail.

But, beyond what’s written in that chapter, there is also the Bible. Looking for godly examples of crying, there is: Joseph, David, Jeremiah, the apostle Paul, and last but not least, our Lord and Savior Himself:

“Jesus wept.” -John 11:35

It seems as though crying is a natural and healthy human function, and so, it would stand to reason that God, who created man in His own image, is also capable of crying: though perhaps in a way that is different and unique. God is of course immutable and unchangeable, but He is also capable of having feelings and emotions: though I believe in a much purer and grander pattern than man’s.

Here is a clear example of grief. I believe, if in a pure and noble way, that God is “hurt” by the sins of mankind:

“And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.” -Genesis 6:5-7

But, as the first quote at the top of this page suggests, I think that the point is not whether or not God would cry: for it is a small thing for Him to cry on your behalf: but rather, that He would bleed, and even die on your behalf. And the question to you the reader now is: would God really bleed for you?

Do you really believe that God would die for you? Do you truly believe that He has atoned for your sins on the cross? As that hymn pointedly asks: “Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?”

“And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.” -Revelation 1:4-6

Perhaps you’ve been reading about all of the attacks and hijackings of ships by pirates lately. One such incident that happened less than a week ago was involving the Sirius Star oil tanker, which was hijacked by Somali pirates and held for ransom. (The tanker was holding oil valued at roughly 100 million dollars.)

The pirates received their ransom ($3 million) by parachute. Shortly thereafter, one such headline read:

“Body of Somali Pirate, Carrying $153,000 of a Ransom, Washes Ashore“

Apparently, one of their getaway boats capsized because they were afraid that someone was following them. This reminds me of a bible verse:

“The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion.” -Proverbs 28:1

In all, five of the pirates drowned, and with them, their ransom money. So, was it worth it? Was it wise to be left with nothing but a $153,000 carcass?

No doubt these men’s actions may seem quite foolish and corrupt in retrospect, but don’t we also do very similar things in your own lives? These men merely lost their physical bodies in pursuit of money. But in our own lives, there is much more at stake than simply our bodies, but our eternal souls: and they can be lost for a price much cheaper than the $153,000 that the pirates obtained.

“For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” -Mark 8:36

The above verse was one of my chief motivations for becoming a Christian nearly ten years ago. Even if it were possible to hold the entire world ransom, and obtain any object or pleasure that you desired, it would still be foolish and crazy if it meant losing something that people place very little value upon: their own soul.

And these pirates, though foolish as they may seem, had only lost their physical bodies in this scheme, (and who’s to say what the true state of their soul was at the time of their death), but each of us, every single day that we further continue to live without Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, gamble with our own souls. And woe to any who would lose such a priceless gift that God has given them!

“And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.” -Luke 12:4-5