The One Factor that Motivates True Justice

Proverbs 29:4

By justice a king gives a country stability, but one who is greedy for bribes tears it down.

I love the format that Solomon uses for so many of the Proverbs:  contrasting the positive attribute against the negative one.  Here we have the just ruler versus the corrupt ruler.  Like many of the Proverbs, this one seems obvious.  This is something that we see right in front of our eyes everyday.  It would be a dangerous trap to oversimplify this, though.  We could falsely draw comparisons between different forms of government (i.e. republicanism v. socialism).  This would be a deceptive comparison because it would falsely presuppose that the form of government is what makes rulers just and honorable, or corrupt and despicable.  

Now, that's not to say that certain forms of governments are not more prone to corruption than others.  If you look at Socialism, for example, the whole philosophy of this political approach is built on corruption.  The whole purpose of socialism is to keep the masses enslaved to the government and the aristocracy.  What is the foundational flaw of socialism?

Socialists reject the the Word of God.  Socialists reject the One true God and set themselves up as gods of the world.  Socialists are generally not atheists.  They are humanists.  Socialism is actually a political philosophy birthed from Secular Humanism.  Once the socialist/humanist has anointed himself as god he can then impose his "omniscience" (moral and otherwise) on the rest of society.  If he is "smart enough", or at least charismatic enough, he can actually impose himself on the majority of the world.

As I said earlier, though, corruption is found in every political structure anywhere in the world.  The reason for this is sin.  Not matter what political philosophy you subscribe to, it has been marred by sin because it has been developed by sinful human beings.  The other problem is that it is also being carried out by sinful human beings.  The deciding factor in this matter has little to do with being a democrat or a republican; being a capitalist, socialist, communist, or anarchist.  The number one factor that determines which side of Solomon's line you're on comes down to just one question:  Are you a Christian?

This doesn't mean that Christians are perfectly just all of the time.  Christians are susceptible to sin and temptation.  Christians, and Christian rulers make mistakes.  Just read the Old Testament.  The difference is how Christians handle their mistakes as opposed to how non-Christians handle their mistakes.  Christian rulers are motivated by God's love.  Non-Christian rulers are motivated by worldly trappings:  morality for its own sake, greed, power, fame, hatred, ... this list could probably go on for a while.

I think this whole thing can be best summed up by St. Paul:

Romans 8:5-8

Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.  The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God.  It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so.  Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.

This is just as true for you and me as it is for every ruler that God has placed in power!

God bless

Jason Fredrick

God's Rich Rewards

Proverbs 22:4

Humility and fear of the LORD bring wealth and honor and life.

 This is not what the world teaches.  The world teaches the way to wealth and success is by arrogantly boasting about yourself.  Do whatever it takes to get to the top.  Win at all costs.

Of the three rewards that Solomon has listed, the world only really cares about wealth.  Honor and life are afterthoughts.  The closest the world comes to caring about honor is in the context of being honored with accolades and awards.  In too many circles, honor in the way that Solomon uses it here is not even a consideration.  It is looked at as an antiquated idea whose time has come and gone.  In most instances the world will actually attack and tear down honorable people.  

It is sad that so many people will sell their souls to Satan for their 15 minutes of fame and attention from the mainstream media.  Look at that kid who emerged from the school shooting in Florida.  For two weeks every media outlet in the world couldn't get enough of that kid.  Where is he now?  The media has moved on.  They just don't care.  As tools of Satan they make all kinds of promises.  Then once you have foolishly danced to their tune and accomplished, or at least further promoted their agenda, they drop you.  You are no longer useful to them.  They got what they wanted and that's all that they care about.  Satan and his servants are incapable of love. 

1 John 2:15-17

Do not love the world or anything in the world.  If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  For everything in the world- the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does- comes not from the Father but from the world.  The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.

St. John is making the same point that Solomon made at our beginning:  Humble submission and the fear of God brings everything in life that people crave- wealth, honor, and life.  This is true, but there is a caveat here:  You cannot pay lip service to God, trying to fool Him into giving you these rewards.  These rewards are the by-product of a life lived in true "humility and fear of the LORD".  We live in humility and fear of the Lord because we love our heavenly Father, not because we are trying to earn these rewards that He has promised.  

This doesn't even make sense to the unbeliever because they don't understand the real meaning of each of those words.  Wealth here doesn't automatically mean financial wealth.  God doesn't promise to make you a millionaire if you humbly submit your life to Him and His will.  He does promise to bless you though.  Those blessings take on many forms:  a Godly wife and children, loyal and faithful friends, possibly financial blessings, food to eat, clothes to wear, and a warm home to live in.  Just because most people overlook these blessings as signs of wealth doesn't mean that they aren't.

What about honor?  When you submit your life to the Lord you will be honored in every area of your life.  Ultimately, people notice.  It doesn't take long for people to recognize that their is something different about you.  They don't know exactly what it is, or why you are different, but they will notice and they will respect you because of it.  When you have truly submitted your life to the Lord everything that you do, consciously or unconsciously, glorifies Him.  You will do things in a way and to a level that those around you can't even begin to approach.  You will stand out.

The last gift is life.  This does not necessarily mean a long life, although it certainly can.  This speaks just as much to quality of life.  How can we ever have a bad day if we are truly living for the Lord?  If you have submitted your life to God then everything that you do is to glorify Him, not self.  If you have submitted your life to the Lord, then everything that happens during the day is according to His plan.  It is all an opportunity to honor and glorify Him.  So if we are truly living our life to honor and glorify our heavenly Father, then how can we ever have a bad day?  We can live according to His will everyday.

Now we cannot do that by our own thinking and choosing.  It is only by His grace.  Only through the gift of faith that the Holy Spirit has worked in our hearts are we able to do any of this.  Jesus died to redeem us from our sins.  Through Holy Baptism we have received the gift of faith through, and from the Holy Spirit.  That faith is what empowers us to believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior.  We humbly submit to God's will out of love for the Him, and as a way of saying, "Thank you!" for forgiving us our sins and giving us the gift of eternal life with Him in heaven.

Ephesians 2:8-10

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith- and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- not by works, so that no one can boast.  For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

God bless

Jason Fredrick

The Power of Words

Proverbs 15:4

The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life, but a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.

In this Proverb, Solomon is stressing the power of words.  When you stop and think about it, it is kind of odd that something that seems so insignificant should have so much power.  Words are really just the verbalizing of our thoughts.  So why do they have such a tremendous impact?  Why do words have the ability to heal, as well as the ability to "crush the spirit"?

Stop and think about how the words of others affect you.  Try to think through the emotional rollercoaster that was your day today.  I bet your emotions rose and fell based on the words you were hearing, or thinking.  It is amazing how God has created language, and the power that He has given to it.  With words God spoke everything into existence- except man.  St. John calls Jesus the Word, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was with God in the beginning." (John 1:1-2)

This sheds a lot of light on the subject.  Since the beginning God has used His Word to demonstrate His power.  Not only does God's Word demonstrate His power; God's Word is power.

With this as the backdrop it really shouldn't surprise us that words have power.  Words heal and give life.  Think about how you feel when someone gives you a compliment or some encouragement.  Pay attention to your wife's face when you speak words of praise and love to her.  Watch all of the stress and anxiety leave a person as you speak words of forgiveness to them.  If you're still not convinced I will issue this challenge:  Every day this week give your spouse one sincere compliment.  At work, do the same for that person that you just can't stand.  Also, do this for each of you children.  Remember, this is every day this week.  If you miss one day your week starts all over.  You have to do it every day for an entire week.

I'm sure everyone is familiar with the damage that deceit does.  Deceitful people cannot be trusted at all.  These people are constantly trying to manipulate people and situations to their advantage.  Deceitful people quickly gain a reputation for not being trustworthy.  Trust is something that is very easily destroyed, but very slowly restored.  Solomon said, "...a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit."  If you have ever been betrayed or lied to you understand exactly what that feels like.  He certainly is not overstating the point.  Think of this in the context of marriage.  How much more devastating is deceit in that context?  Certainly to the married this is definitely not an overstatement.  Instead it is a vital reminder of the responsibility that we have to each other.  It is a wake up call to the supreme power of words.  Choose your words carefully and wisely.  Don't be sloppy and careless with them.  We have all been entrusted with a huge responsibility.  Take it seriously and use it well.

Proverbs 18:21

The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.

God bless

Jason Fredrick

Growing in Wisdom

Proverbs 8:4-5

"To you, O men, I [wisdom] call out; I raise my voice to all mankind.  You who are simple gain prudence; you who are foolish, gain understanding."

Wisdom's call goes out to all the world.  She does not hide herself in obscure corners that no one would ever think to look in.  Just the opposite is true:  she calls out to all of mankind.  The problem is that so many don't know how to recognize her, or they simply refuse to listen to her because they don't want to hear what she has to say.  Because of our sinful nature, often, we don't want to hear what wisdom has to say.  We would rather continue on in our sinful foolishness.  We just don't want to put in the kind of effort required to gain wisdom.  We would gladly take it if it were easier.  Why can't God just give us wisdom when we ask for it?  Why does He always give us the lesson instead?

What we are talking about here is really the education process.  In some regards and in certain ways we are all simple and foolish.  We are not omniscient so we will always be battling this condition in some way, to a certain degree.  I will lay out a very simple (maybe oversimplified) process that anyone can start implementing in their life to begin the process of growing in wisdom.

Study

When I say study, I am really talking about the process:  read-listen-associate.  This is what all education really boils down to.  You must develop the habit of reading!  If you will not read you will not grow in wisdom.  It's that simple.

When it comes to reading, the place that you must start is with God's Word.  The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow His precepts have good understanding.  To Him belongs eternal praise. (Psalm 111:10) 
The only place to learn about the Lord is in His Word, the Bible.  Don't be intimidated by the Bible.  You don't have to read it all in one sitting.  You just have to start, and then keep at it every day.  Start slow, 15-30 minutes 3-5 times per week is all that it takes to create the habit.  

The other great thing about the Bible is that you can download a Bible app for free and have access to any translation of the Bible that you want.  On top of that, you will also have access to the audio Bible so you can listen to someone else reading it to you.  I am constantly picking up different things when I listen to the Bible that I miss when I read it.

Once you create the habits of read-listen-associate around God's Word then you can branch off into other subjects:  history, leadership, classic literature, business, entrepreneurship, etc.  This is how you fall in love with learning.  This is how you begin the process of growing in wisdom.  A simple way to do this is to plug into the Leadership Challenge Group.  Click on it in the menu bar to see what it's all about.

Act

Action!  Wisdom isn't really wisdom until you are applying what you are learning.  I have heard wisdom defined as:  applying the right principle, at the right time, in the right way.  Wisdom definitely has an action piece to it.  Wisdom in not just sitting around all day thinking deeply on a subject.  Taking time to think is important, but at some point all of that thinking and learning has to lead to action.  Action is where you find out how well you have learned the lessons from your studies.  

The point of studying is to help you develop better plans for your life.  Your level of wisdom is revealed by how well you implement those plans and the final outcome of your efforts.  There is one more step:  how well do you make the necessary adjustments that need to be made?  All of our efforts really boil down to the Plan-Do-Check-Adjust (PDCA) process.  Wisdom is really how effectively we run this rotation in every area of our life.

There is one caveat here.  Getting really good at anything is meaningless if it is not all for the glory of God.  If it is only for your own benefit and glory you may experience success in the worldly sense, but you will have totally failed.  A life lived only for self is rewarded with eternal damnation in hell.  This is why I had you start your studies with God's Word.  "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom"; without Jesus Christ you don't have wisdom.  You don't have anything.  You are still the fool, dead in your sins.  

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward.  It is the Lord Christ you are serving. (Colossians 3:23-24)

Mentor

  Mentoring is the final piece to the puzzle.  You have done the heavy lifting of learning and studying.  You have done the hard work of putting your new found knowledge into practice, running the cycle of PDCA.  So here we will focus on the "check" and "adjust" pieces.

The point of mentoring is to get the perspective and thinking of someone who has more results in life than you do.  A good mentor can help you check the results of your work, and then guide you in what adjustments need to be made so that you can achieve better results next time.

The biggest challenge of this piece is finding someone who is qualified and willing to mentor you.  You want to make sure that this person has real results in his area of expertise, don't get fooled by image and reputation.  Take your time here.  Don't rush into this.  It's way too important.  Find someone that you respect.  Work to develop a friendship with him, and work to earn his time and effort.  The best way to earn time with a truly qualified mentor is to work hard enough to get his attention, then be his hungriest student.  Take advantage of every opportunity to get time around him, and ask lots of questions.  You need to make most of your statements end with a question mark!

Ask your mentor to guide your self-study program.  Meet with him frequently to check your thinking.  You will need to be totally transparent with your mentor if you want him to be able to help you.  You have to trust him.  Finding a mentor is the most crucial piece to your life-long growth.  You need his perspective and wisdom.

The greatest educational model is the mentor-apprentice approach.  This is the model that Jesus used.  This is the model that the apostles used, most notably St. Paul.  This is the most effective way to identify and train potential leaders.  Scripture lays out this model quite clearly.  I wonder why the modern church has decided to abandon it.  Maybe that's one reason why churches of every denomination are struggling right now just to survive.  The "smarter than Jesus" approach to education and church building is predictably failing.  Maybe it's time to abandon the worldly conveyor-belt approach that the church has adopted and go back to the model spelled out for us in Scripture.  Is it possible that the Holy Spirit is still powerful enough to use uncredentialed fishermen to build Christ's Church?

The answer to that question is what scares the credentialed elite of today's church more than anything.

God bless
Jason Fredrick

Love and Faithfulness

Proverbs 3:3-4

Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.  

Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.

Do you think that Solomon could sell this to 21st century America?  Do you think an image-centric, status driven culture like ours could ever buy into this?

I think it could.  Everybody inherently knows this.  It's what we all expect from others.  We don't necessarily live it ourselves, but we definitely expect love and faithfulness from others.

For me this is the challenge:  I don't wear love around my neck.  It isn't always legible on the tablet of my heart.  Too often, my default mode is judgment.  Instead of love, I judge.  Instead of faithfulness I complain about others.  It's amazing that I have won favor in the sight of anyone.  

The opening to verse 3 explains the whole problem.  "Let love and faithfulness never leave you".  This is my problem when I find myself caught in the trap that I just confessed above.  Sinful behavior comes when we allow love and faithfulness to leave us.  Notice this isn't just love and faithfulness for other people.  It is first, and foremost, love and faithfulness for the Lord.  All sin is first against Him.  After we have rebelled against God, then others get to feel the effects of our sin. 

Did you ever notice how all sin is born out of selfishness?  Look at the 10 Commandments.  What causes us to break each of them?  

Selfish arrogance is what causes me to judge instead of love, to complain about others instead of edifying them.  It was selfishness that closed Satan's snare around Eve's neck in the Garden of Eden.  It was selfishness that caused David to sleep with Bathsheba, and then scheme to have her husband killed.  It was selfishness that led to Samson constantly breaking his vows as a Nazarite.  

This is Satan's leverage:  In our fallen, sin-cursed state we are all selfish beings.  This is why Solomon gives this wise advice.  If you were to literally bind love and faithfulness around your neck you wouldn't be able to take a single breath without thinking about them.  If you write them on the tablet of your heart they can never be erased, at least not in your lifetime.  Tablets then were made of stone not paper.

What are some ways that we can do this?

• Memorize Scripture.  Have verses memorized that you can quickly recall when you are in danger of suffering from a lack of love and faithfulness.
• Listen to and memorize hymns.  Music makes it way easier to remember.  Get a hymn from Koine stuck in your head instead of "99 Red Balloons" or "Margaritaville".
• Study Scripture every day.
• Hang around with positive people.
• Unplug from mainstream media and social media.
• Share Jesus at every opportunity that presents itself!  If you're thinking about Jesus you aren't thinking about yourself.  This is the ultimate act of love and faithfulness!

Through all of this there is hope.  St. Paul fought this same battle.

Romans 7:14-8:17 (EHV)

My Constant Struggle With My Sinful Nature

14 Certainly we know that the law is spiritual, but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. 15 For I do not understand what I am doing, because I do not keep doing what I want. Instead, I do what I hate. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17 But now it is no longer I who am doing it, but it is sin living in me. 18 Indeed, I know that good does not live in me, that is, in my sinful flesh. The desire to do good is present with me, but I am not able to carry it out. 19 So I fail to do the good I want to do. Instead, the evil I do not want to do, that is what I keep doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who am doing it, but it is sin living in me.

21 So I find this law[c] at work: When I want to do good, evil is present with me. 22 I certainly delight in God’s law according to my inner self, 23 but I see a different law at work in my members, waging war against the law of my mind and taking me captive to the law of sin, which is present in my members. 24 What a miserable wretch I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25 I thank God[d] through Jesus Christ our Lord!

So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my sinful flesh I serve the law of sin.

God Placed Our Judgment on Christ

8 So then, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.[e] 2 For in Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me[f] free from the law of sin and death. 3 Indeed, what the law was unable to do, because it was weakened by the flesh, God did, when he sent his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to deal with sin.[g] God condemned sin in his flesh, 4 so that the righteous decree of the law would be fully satisfied in us who are not walking according to the flesh, but according to the spirit.[h]

Living in Harmony With the Spiritual Nature

5 To be sure, those who are in harmony with the sinful flesh think about things the way the sinful flesh does, and those in harmony with the spirit think about things the way the spirit does. 6 Now, the way the sinful flesh thinks results in death, but the way the spirit thinks results in life and peace. 7 For the mind-set of the sinful flesh is hostile to God, since it does not submit to God’s law, and in fact, it cannot. 8 Those who are in the sinful flesh cannot please God.

9 But you are not in the sinful flesh but in the spirit, if indeed God’s Spirit lives in you. And if someone does not have the Spirit of Christ, that person does not belong to Christ. 10 But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, but your spirit is alive because of righteousness. 11 And if the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, the one who raised Christ from the dead will also make your mortal bodies alive through his Spirit, who is dwelling in you.

12 So then, brothers, we do not owe it to the sinful flesh to live in harmony with it. 13 For if you live in harmony with the sinful flesh, you are going to die. But if by the Spirit you put to death the actions of the body, you will live.

The Spirit Assures Us We Are Children of God

14 Indeed, those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive a spirit of slavery so that you are afraid again, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom[i] we call out, “Abba,Father!” 16 The Spirit himself joins our spirit in testifying that we are God’s children.

17 Now if we are children, we are also heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, since we suffer with him, so that we may also be glorified with him.

God bless

Jason Fredrick