Welcome to The Word In Life! This blog is about the practical understanding and application of Scripture in everyday life. Come along as we explore God’s written word together.
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture is quoted from the New King James Version (NKJV).
Ron Franklin
I believe God has called me to be an overcomer in life — always a victor and never a victim in whatever circumstance I may be confronted with.
Romans 8:37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.
In August of 2010 Jet Blue flight attendant Steven Slater had finally had enough.
When a passenger verbally abused him, Slater snapped. He got on the PA system and cursed all the passengers out. Then he grabbed a couple of cans of beer from the galley, pulled the lever to release the emergency chute, jumped on it and slide to the ground (fortunately the plane had already landed!), ran to his car, and drove home.
Steven Slater immediately became a folk-hero, with web pages honoring his exploit, offers of media appearances, and People Magazine listing suggestions about who should play him in the movie about his graphic refusal to take any more abuse.
But from a Christian perspective, is Steven Slater really a hero? Or is he a chump?
Probably all of us at one time or another have felt like that overtaxed flight attendant did that day. I certainly have! There have been many times when I felt like throwing up my hands and shouting, “This is too much – I can’t take it anymore!”
But, is it ever OK for Christians to give in to their emotions the way Slater did? I’m not really thinking so much about the cursing and the beer, but about just letting go and venting your frustrations.
One thing that helped me to answer that question for myself was imagining this man being interviewed on the news about the way he handled that pressure situation on the plane.
“Well, I’m a Christian,” I imagine him saying, “and before I did anything, I prayed about it, and what I did was what I believed would most honor God.”
That doesn’t track very well, does it? I think most of us already know that what he did is not God’s way. It’s never God’s way for us to get so upset and overwhelmed by the circumstances we face in life that we just totally lose it.
Proverbs 24:10 If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small.
I believe God is looking for people who won’t faint in the day of adversity, who won’t give up and throw in the towel and run away because they’ve reached the I can’t take it any more point with the challenges they are facing.
Here’s the kind of Christian I think God is looking for:
2 Timothy 2:3 You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
God is looking for soldiers! God is looking for battle-hardened warriors who are willing to stand up and keep fighting the good fight until they win!
1 Samuel 17:48 So it was, when the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, that David hurried and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine.
That’s the attitude mature Christians have about the challenges they face in life. Instead of jumping down the emergency chute and running away from their situation, they have the weapons of their warfare ready, and they run forward to defeat the enemy in the name of the Lord!
To me, that’s the attitude of an overcomer, of one who is a victor and not a victim in the circumstances that confront them in life.
Ron Franklin
God’s grace: His unmerited favor and the assurance it brings; and His peace that can keep our hearts and minds settled in joy rather than anxiety, are precious gifts to every believer.
Galatians 1:3 Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ.
This verse is not just Paul’s hope or desire for God’s grace and peace to be manifest in the lives of believers (it is that), but is also in itself a means of ministering them to us. The man of God here offers a blessing that can be received, ignored, or rejected. When we read this word of the Lord to us, it allows us to make the decision, here and now, to receive His grace and peace. And when we make that choice, we actually do receive them, for God’s grace and peace are always available to us.
Paul has no grace or peace to offer. But he reminds us, and leads us, to receive in this moment what God is always ready to give us. So, these words are a reminder that God’s grace and peace are there for our taking, because they are His free gifts to His children, and we have only to receive them.
By giving us this word, Paul – and any man or woman of God who delivers a similar blessing – becomes an actual conduit of God’s grace and peace into our lives. His words stimulate us to slow down and actively envelop ourselves in the grace and peace God offers to us every day.
So we should never think of these words of greeting in Paul’s epistles as simply a prolog to the real message. If we stop and actually take them in, they have a spiritual force all their own.
Grace and peace be to you all from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ.
Ron Franklin
Luke 2:1-5 And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. 3 So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city. 4 Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child.
Caesar Augustus wanted to know how many people were in the Roman Empire, and especially if that number was growing. He was particularly interested in making sure every citizen was listed on the tax rolls. It was probably to make sure that nobody got missed that all were required to go back to their hometowns.
This was a totally unreasonable decree by any modern standard – that people would have to go back to their city of birth, traveling long distances, just to be registered for taxation. Some have questioned whether it really makes sense that Augustus would impose such an onerous requirement on the people. I don’t think that was an issue then in the way it would be today. Seated in his comfortable palace at Rome, with no public opinion polls to trouble his sleep, Augustus didn’t know and didn’t care how much turmoil his decree would cause in people’s lives. We have a Roman census document dated 104 AD in Egypt in which it was specifically ordered that people return to their original homes for the census.
For Joseph and Mary this was not a trivial matter. First of all, Mary was very pregnant — in her final month of pregnancy. The distance between Nazareth and Bethlehem is 80 miles. So, this was to be an 80-mile journey each way, on foot (for Mary, probably on donkey). That meant about four days on the road to get to Bethlehem, and another four coming back. It was not an easy trip.
In addition, Joseph was apparently the sole proprietor of his carpentry business. For him, no work meant no pay. So, the trip was very costly, not only in terms of expenses for more than a week on the road, but also in time missed from earning a living.
And all of this was totally unfair! Augustus Caesar, probably without thinking twice about it, put all this trouble and time and expense on Joseph and Mary just for the sake of making sure they were counted and taxed. It wasn’t fair!
So, how did Joseph and Mary handle this unjust and unfair burden that was laid on them through no fault of their own? Did they get upset? Did they scream and cry and rebel?
Luke 2:3-5 So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city. 4 Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child.
Joseph and Mary were obedient to the government’s decree, unreasonable and onerous as it was. Apparently without complaint, they complied, even though it was a great hardship because of Mary’s condition, not to mention the expense. If we today were subjected to such a requirement, the outcry would be enormous.
Yet, this was all part of God’s plan for the coming of Jesus. The Messiah was prophesied to be born in Bethlehem, not Nazareth, and Caesar’s decree served to get Joseph and Mary to the right place at exactly the right time. They couldn’t know that the great trouble and expense to which they were being put was not just an imposition from an uncaring and oppressive government, but part of God’s plan.
Romans 13:1-2 Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves.
God has governments and rulers in His hand! By being obedient to the governing authorities, as God commands, Joseph and Mary were fulfilling the place ordained for them in God’s plan to bring forth His Son. If Joseph and Mary had been rebellious toward the totally uncaring decree of Augustus, as many Christians would feel perfectly justified in being today, they would have been unknowingly rebelling against God’s plan for them.
Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
God made even a decree of registration for taxation bring good according to His purpose. When He requires us to be obedient to governing authorities, God knows exactly what He is doing!
We must simply trust God that when we are obedient to His requirements, even when we can see no reason for the burden laid upon us, God has promised to work it out for His purposes and our good.
Ron Franklin
What is the godly response when someone really hurts you, offends you, or just gets on your nerves? Well, it depends.
Matthew 18:15 Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother.
“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault.” This is not an option but an obligation.
I think the key word is “sin,” as distinct from simply personal offense.
Proverbs 19:11 (NIV) A man’s wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense.
When a brother (or sister) has offended me, it is to my glory to overlook that offense. That’s my first and best option. My wisdom, shaped by God’s Word, allows me to put the offense in godly perspective; to refuse to receive it to myself, even if it is offered with a deliberate intent to offend. But in fact, a wisdom perspective shows me that usually the offense isn’t even intended as such; it is often an inadvertent consequence of the person failing to be as considerate as I would like them to be as they pursue other aims.
My best, most godly response to that type of offense is simply patience. I don’t have to protest every perceived slight. I don’t have to think that every action that gets on my nerves was the result of a deliberate intent to disregard, ignore or trample over me. Secure in who I am in Christ, I don’t have to try to defend myself every time someone seems to not give me my due. I can give the brother or sister some grace, and just overlook the offense.
There are, however, two instances in which I don’t think I should overlook offenses. First, if the offense is a continuing activity that is hurtful or harmful, or even just continually annoying, I should move to correct it. There is no sense and no need in repeatedly suffering pain or injury from someone’s insensitive actions, especially since they may not even be aware of how they are affecting me. I need to alert the person to the negative impact their behavior is having on me, and work with them to correct the situation.
The second circumstance in which I should not overlook an offense is when a brother has actually “sinned” against me. The sin may be an offense to me, but more importantly, all sin is primarily an offense against God. So, I cannot deal with actual sin just in terms of its impact on me. I have an obligation to my brother to help him deal with the offense toward God.
Galatians 6:1 Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.
I am to go to him and tell him his fault, so that he can be restored from his sin. As a brother in Christ, I cannot pass over such sins without giving the person the opportunity for correction, forgiveness and restoration.
The emphasis of Proverbs 19:11 is on not letting the offense stir up my anger. When the issue is simply personal offense to me, it is my discretion and my glory if, instead of being moved by anger, I decide to overlook the offense.
But when there is actual sin involved, or when continuing or repeated damage is being done, the offense needs to be corrected. I need to go to my brother and privately explain the effect of his actions on me (speaking the truth in love), in the hope that he will repent and correct his behavior.
What I cannot do is nothing. Either I must make the deliberate decision to overlook the offense, which implies that I truly forgive and forget, or I must go to my brother to work it out. Either way, I have to deal with it. Otherwise, offenses go underground in my heart, and eventually a root of bitterness begins to grow.
And that’s one thing I must not allow to happen.
Ron Franklin
God is a God of grace. But, He’s also pretty tough on sin! In fact, He has no tolerance for it at all.
Matthew 18:8-9 If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the everlasting fire. 9 And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire.
If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off. What a drastic prescription! Obviously the Lord is not intending for us to take that admonition literally – if we did, the wheelchair and crutches industries would be the biggest in the land! What He is speaking of is the utter ruthlessness with which we must deal with sin in our lives.
I must be ruthless in dealing with any identified area of sin in my life! There is no “peaceful coexistence” with sin in the life of a disciple of Christ. There can be no tolerance of certain sins because they don’t seem so bad, or “I’ve always been that way,” or “I’ve tried to change, but it just doesn’t seem to work for me.”
My standard must be His standard: zero tolerance for sin in my life.
Matthew 5:48 Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.
Obviously I cannot achieve that perfection (“perfection” means full maturity) on my own.
Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
It is only as I allow Christ to live His life through me that I can meet the “perfect as my Father is perfect” standard. But that has to be my goal. I cannot be satisfied with anything less.
That’s not to say that I must live in perpetual dissatisfaction with my life because I inevitably fall short of that standard. The point here is not that I must achieve perfection, but that I not tolerate sin without dealing with it. That doesn’t mean I will never fall short. I will. But it does mean that I don’t accept falling short as normal. Instead, when I do sin, I deal with it:
1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
I must confess and repent of my sin rather than just accepting it.
The point the Lord is making is that anything that leads to sin in my life must be eliminated. If watching a certain TV show leads to sinful thoughts or actions, I can’t keep watching that show. I’ve got to “cast is from me.”
If being in the company of a certain person tempts me to sinful thoughts or actions, I can’t afford to be around that person, no matter how good a friend they may be.
“Cut it off and cast it from you,” “pluck it out and cast it from you.” Not only am I to get the area of sin out of my life, but then cast it far away from me. That means no dabbling or even touching, no nibbling around the edges. Cast it away!
Ron Franklin
The disciples asked Jesus who would be the greatest in the kingdom. That’s not even a kingdom kind of question!
Matthew 18:1-4 At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2 Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, 3 and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
The matching passage in Mark explains what was really going on in the disciples’ minds:
Mark 9:33-34 Then He came to Capernaum. And when He was in the house He asked them, “What was it you disputed among yourselves on the road?” 34 But they kept silent, for on the road they had disputed among themselves who would be the greatest.
It’s hard to imagine disciples of Jesus jockeying for position to be at the top of the heap. Hard to imagine – until you think about how often the very same thing happens in churches today. Power struggles and turf battles are not unknown among Christians!
How many times have we seen people (often leaders) offended, sometimes to the point of leaving the church, because they feel their position or prerogatives are not being sufficiently acknowledged? How many singers get upset when someone else is called on to sing “their” solo?
How many pastors have had to endure opposition from elders or deacons who, instead of being like Aaron and Hur and holding up the leader’s arms to support him in the work, are actually more akin to Aaron and Miriam:
Numbers 12:2 So they said, “Has the LORD indeed spoken only through Moses? Has He not spoken through us also?” And the LORD heard it.
Jesus makes it very clear that the whole idea of wanting to have more power and authority than someone else is foreign to the kingdom of God. It’s the world’s way of thinking, and has no place among believers. We follow the One who “did not come to be served, but to serve” (Matthew 20:28).
So, the Lord says, instead of seeking to secure a prominent place in the power structure, we must instead humble ourselves as little children.
How is a child humble? He has no pretensions, is not impressed with himself or his status. He is utterly trusting. I think the key is that a child has no sense of self-importance.
Once we stop thinking about our own greatness, and instead focus on humbly serving wherever He places us, the Lord says we will be rewarded with greatness.
Now, that’s a great deal!
Ron Franklin
Luke 1:57-58 Now Elizabeth’s full time came for her to be delivered, and she brought forth a son. 58 When her neighbors and relatives heard how the Lord had shown great mercy to her, they rejoiced with her.
Elizabeth’s son was not just Elizabeth’s son – he would be John the Baptist, an integral part of God’s plan to establish the ministry of His Son, Jesus.
The Lord showed Elizabeth great mercy, and He did it in a way that furthered His plan. On the one hand, she experienced many years of not having the child she wanted. But God had a purpose in that. His withholding that blessing until His proper time was not lack of mercy, but was necessary to the working out of His plan.
Because of the wait, when God did give Elizabeth her son, the impact was much greater both on her and on others who witnessed the miracle. Her neighbors and relatives not only shared in her joy at having a child, but also saw and rejoiced in God’s mercy toward her.
Elizabeth was extraordinarily blessed of God. And because God moved in her behalf in His timing rather than hers, she was blessed far above what she would have been if she had had children earlier in her life.
Ron Franklin
