Tuesday

Tuesday

By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?  Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.  A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.  Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.  Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.   – Matthew 7:16-20

It is not always easy to discern truth from error.  The Bible tells us that Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light (2 Cor. 11:14-15).  We must always be thoughtful and prayerful before we accept or reject the teaching of others.  A former mentor of mine in ministry once told me that he used the following 3 simple questions whenever evaluating the truth of a teacher’s message.

1.    What do they say about Jesus?

2.     What do they say about the Gospel?

3.    How does their life match up to their own teaching?

In the passage above, Jesus says we should evaluate teaching by what it produces. That is, what is the outcome of this teaching?  What happens in the lives of the people who follow this guide?  (Not the results. Not just the immediate outcome, but the long-term outcome.)  How would God judge it?

One of the key ways Jesus gives us to tell the difference between a teacher who is genuinely teaching God’s Word and one who is falsely claiming to teach God’s Word is by their “fruit”, their lifestyle.  Does their life support their claim to follow Jesus?  Do they themselves obey?  Be wary of spiritual leaders who live by different rules than the rules that apply to everyone else.  For those of us who teach and/or preach God’s Word, we should be continually asking ourselves this question; am I living the kind of life that I am teaching others to live?

Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.    – James 3:1

Does this mean we must have perfect obedience to communicate God’s truth. Thankfully, No.  No one is perfect.  If this were the case, there would not be anyone left to speak truth.

However, this is why a significant moral failures often destroy a pastor’s or a leader’s ability to preach or lead a church.  Almost anyone can put on a good act. But no one can hide forever. Someone’s true character eventually comes out in their actions.

Without a doubt, the best way to guard yourself against falsehood and false teachers is to know the truth!  To spot a counterfeit, study the real thing.  FBI agents who work in the counterfeit dept. spend countless hours studying genuine American currency before they can begin to spot the clever counterfeits.  They become experts in spotting the fakes because they know the real thing so well.  Any believer who “correctly handles the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15) and who makes a careful study of the Bible can begin to identify false teaching.

If you want to dig deeper on this issue, you might want to study those books of the Bible that were written specifically to combat false teaching within the early church: Galatians, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, and Jude.

Father in heaven, you are the god of all truth and the author of our salvation.  Help us to immerse ourselves in the truth of your word so that we can discern truth from error.  May your truth be lamp to our feet and a light to our path – Amen.

Monday

Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. – Matthew 7:15

Last week I received an e-mail from some Christian who is supposedly related to a Nigerian princess. Apparently, they have recently come to possess a huge amount of money that is being hidden from corrupt government forces. They’re writing to me because they want the money to be used for God’s work. They said that if I would just help them get a million dollars or so out of the country, they would be happy to share with me (and my church of course) what God has provided.
(The truth is that I have received more than a few such e-mails, apparently I am well known among Nigerian royalty – who knew?)

All around us today are voices that claim to speak God’s truth. They tell us what to believe, what to do, how to vote, how to spend our money and our time, how to raise our children and how to navigate our relationships. They even claim to tell us our destiny. They claim to be voices of truth. But the truth is that many of the voices out there that claim to speak to us on behalf of God—are, as Jesus puts it “wolves in sheep’s clothing”.

Wander through any bookstore or flip your way through a few religious programs on TV and you will encounter the fakers, the phonies and the frauds. Their words are confident and persuasive. Their followers are often many. Their results may even seem remarkable. But they do not speak the truth!

The Bible is a dangerous book—perhaps the most dangerous book in the world—dangerous because it claims to be God’s own words, the infallible, inerrant, authoritative voice of God. So it is no wonder that people turn to the Bible to back up their own ideas and values. Down through history, and even in our own day, the words of Scripture have been twisted to support all kinds of perversions and abuses.

Nobody likes to be told what to do. And given the choice, most of us would choose to be given a choice. We want selection. We like to leave our options open. We want to be able to decide things for ourselves. And fortunately for us, we do have a choice.

In Matthew 7:13-14, Jesus talks about the two gates and the two roads. In verses 18-20, he talks about two different trees and two different kinds of fruit. In verse 24-27, he talks about two houses built on two different foundations. Clearly there is a choice to be made. But the trouble is that this choice is not as easily made as we might like to believe.

The Bible says there are two teachers you can listen to for directions. And you are free to make the choice. God gives you that freedom. But as you decide, there is something you should know. One of these teachers speaks the truth and the other one does not. The path you choose will determine whether or not you find the WAY. The teacher you choose will determine whether or not you find the TRUTH.

Father in heaven, protect us from deception and keep us from believing the lies we are told everyday. May your Son be our example and may your Spirit be our teacher and guide – Amen.

Jeff Frazier

Friday, August 27

Give me understanding and I will keep your law and obey it with all my heart.
Psalm 119:34

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” Matthew 7:13-14

It was the very last step in what had been a six-month short term missionary assignment in Bolivia, South America. Lorene and I had spent most of the first year of our marriage serving as teachers at an evangelical university in Santa Cruz, Bolivia and while we loved our time there, we were also VERY ready to return home.

As we climbed the last set of stairs to get to our departure gate, we were greeted by a man who was dressed in what looked like a uniform of some kind – who looked like some sort of airport or government official. When he asked for my passport I simply assumed he would check our visas – put yet another stamp on the page – and send us on our way. But instead, he said in Spanish, “This visa is not valid.”

I replied in my very inadequate Spanish, “Huh?”

He pointed to the signature on the stamp in my passport and said, “This man does not work for the government anymore, therefore this passport is not valid.”

Then I understood. This was a guy in a uniform who looked like he might be an airport employee of some kind who recognized we were foreigners and was trying to shake us down for a small bribe in return for letting us board our flight. We could have given him a few dollars and been done with it. But I had had enough – I wasn’t going to pay a bribe. So I turned to the front page of my passport and pointed to the stamped signature of then U.S. President Ronald Reagan. I half shouted in half Spanish, “See this, this is El Presidente, Ronaldo Reagano, and he is my amigo! We are getting on that plane!” And the man looked stunned for a moment and then gestured with his hands as if to say, “What can I do?” and he let us pass.

The point of this story is that sometimes it’s not about who you are – but who you know! We enter the narrow road of salvation not based on who we are – but on who we know. We receive the gift of eternal life not because of all we have accomplished, or because of how good we have been, but because of what Jesus has done for us.

This is the gospel. This is the good news. It’s not about you! It’s not about me! It’s about who we know. And because it’s about Jesus – the narrow gate is open to all who are willing to let him stamp the passport of their hearts with his truth, love and salvation.

Close you time with God this week by thanking him for his word and for his salvation, and ask him to help you continue to grow in your spiritual understanding and ability to share his truth with others.

Brian Coffey

Thursday, August 26

My soul is consumed with longing for your laws at all times. Psalm 119:20

Spend some time in personal confession today; bring the sin, fear, anger, and anxieties of your heart before the light of his love and forgiveness.

Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:5-6

Those of you who pay attention to professional gold will recognize this story. Last weekend a golfer named Dustin Johnson lost his chance to win a major tournament when he unknowingly violated an obscure rule by barely touching his club to the ground while in what was identified as a sand trap (although it looked little like a traditional bunker) while playing the last hole of the tournament. Although he finished the course in an apparent tie for the lead, he was approached by a tournament official who asked him a simple question. “Did you ground your club before that shot?” Johnson answered truthfully that, yes, he had grounded his club. The result was a 2-stroke penalty that cost him a chance to compete in a playoff with two other golfers tied for the lead.

To me this is not just a story about golf and an opportunity lost, it’s a story about the nature of truth.

All truth is exclusive. As human beings we know this is so. We know that it cannot simultaneously be true that Mr. Johnson’s club touched the ground AND that it did not touch the ground. We know that he cannot have won the golf tournament while at the same time finishing in 5th place. We know that one cannot trust the truth of gravity to hold a car on the road while at the same time jump off the roof hoping it will not also apply to your body!

But when it comes to spiritual truth – many fight against the exclusivity of truth. They read Jesus’ words, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me,” and they say, “How can there be only one way?” Or maybe they think, “How can Christians be so arrogant and exclusive?” Or even, “Don’t all roads lead to God?”

The truth is that all roads DON’T lead to God any more than all roads lead to Wisconsin. Just as some physical roads lead to California, some spiritual roads lead to destruction. Just because I might sincerely believe I am driving to Wisconsin, if I am heading west I will wind up in California. Spiritual truth is like that. Jesus claims to be the only way to God. That cannot be true and untrue at the same time. Jesus cannot be the only way to God while simultaneously affirming that “all roads lead to God.”

Someone said it this way: as human beings we do not create truth, we discover truth. Truth - whether it be a road map, gravity, or Jesus - simply is what it is. And we must either accept it and build our lives on it, or fight against it by insisting on creating our own truth.

Have you discovered and trusted the truth of Christ? Have you learned to see, hear and identify that which is untrue? Do you have family members or friends who are still trying to create their own spiritual truth? Ask God to continue to anchor his word and his truth in your heart and mind – and ask him to help you share that truth gently and effectively with others.

Brian Coffey

Wednesday, August 25

I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free. Psalm 119:32

Take a few deep breaths and give the concerns of your heart and mind to God. Then ask him to allow you to focus completely on his voice through his word.

You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand. Psalm 16:11

Don’t play in the street!
Don’t play with matches!
Don’t play with sticks – you’ll poke your eye out!

Why do parents establish guidelines, boundaries and rules for their children? Is it because parents are committed to limiting the creativity, fun and joy of their children’s lives? Of course not! Parents establish boundaries precisely because they want to preserve and enhance the joy of their children! Parents have lived long enough to know the truth about the world – that some things, no matter how attractive to a child, are actually dangerous and potentially life threatening. A wise and loving parent will establish reasonable boundaries to protect children from their own inexperience and immaturity.

This Psalm reminds us of why God warns us of the danger of sin and of why Jesus warns us of the peril of the “wide road that leads to destruction.” God sets before us the “path of life,” that is, a way for each of us to know all the blessing and joy that he wants for us. God loves us; and because he loves us, he goes to great lengths to teach, warn, guide and confront us through his word and by his Spirit.

Have you sometimes felt that being a follower of Christ is too restrictive, that the Bible has too many “rules” or that God doesn’t want you to have any fun? The Psalm is reminding us that exactly the opposite is true! It is BECAUSE of God’s truth and God’s command that our hearts can be set free! And it is BECAUSE God wants to give us eternal pleasure and joy that he calls us to the narrow road of faith, trust and obedience.

The next time Satan tempts you by saying, “Hey, you deserve a little fun, too; after all, everyone is doing it!” – remember that sin is what imprisons our souls, not God.

Ask God to protect your heart and mind from the confusing voice of the enemy, and to help you trust the truth and promise of his word.

Brian Coffey

Tuesday, August 24

I have chosen the way of truth; I have set my heart on your laws. I hold fast to your statues, O Lord, do not let me be put to shame. Psalm 119:30-31


As you read this today, ask God to cause your love for his word to grow and to enable you to apply his truth to your daily life.

There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death. Proverbs 14:12

Could there be two more different men than Robert Frost and Robert Plant? In case you don’t recognize both names, Robert Frost was an early 20th century American poet and Robert Plant was a late 20th century British rock and roll icon who founded the band Led Zeppelin.

Yet both, in their own way, offered words oddly reminiscent of Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the Mount. In 1920 Frost wrote a poem entitled “The Road Not Taken,” which began and ended with the following words:

“Two roads diverged in a yellow wood and sorry I could not travel both…
I took the one less traveled by
And that has made all the difference.”

A half century later Plant (along with Jimmy Page) wrote “Stairway to Heaven,” which included these lines;

“Yes there are two paths you can go by,
But in the long run,
there’s still time to change the one you’re on.”

Nearly two thousand years earlier, Jesus said, essentially, that there are two roads when it comes to spiritual truth. One road is wide and easy – but leads to destruction. The other is narrow and hard, yet leads to eternal life. Robert Frost reminds us that the road we choose makes all the difference; and Robert Plant reminds us that there’s still time to change the road we are on. I believe Jesus would agree with both “Roberts.”

Do you know which road you are on? The Bible teaches that we all start out on the “wide road,” that is, the road of selfishness, sin and ultimate separation from God. We only turn around and step on the “narrow road” that leads to life when we consciously put our faith in Jesus Christ and what he accomplished through his death and resurrection.

If you aren’t sure which road you are on, or if you aren’t certain of your spiritual destiny, you can be sure by opening your heart to Christ and asking him to come into your life as Savior and Lord. The Bible teaches that when we confess Christ as Lord and believe in our hearts he was raised from the dead, we are saved (Romans 10:9-10), that is we enter the narrow gate that is marked “eternal life.”

Close your time with God by either asking Christ to become Lord of your heart and life; or by thanking him for leading you onto the road marked “eternal life!”

Brian Coffey

Monday, August 23

Psalm 119:14-16
I rejoice in following you statutes as one rejoices in great riches. I meditate on you precepts and consider your ways. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word.

Prayer: Ask the Holy Spirit to open your mind to God’s truth and to allow your heart to rejoice in the riches of God’s word.

Matthew 7:13-14
“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”

Everybody has a “Chicago traffic story” – and here’s my most recent debacle. Just last weekend Lorene and I drove to the city to meet my brother, Joe, and his wife Karen, along with their good friends Chris and Anne. The occasion was Joe and Karen’s 30th wedding anniversary – and we had a wonderful dinner together. The way home, however, was not quite so wonderful! I managed to find my way back to 90/94 East, but as soon as I merged with traffic I saw the sign for 290 West – the road I needed to get on – but the exit ramp was all the way on the other side of the freeway – like 4 lanes away – and I couldn’t get across fast enough without risking our lives in the process – so I missed my exit. “No problem,” I thought, “I’ll just take the next exit, circle around, and be back at the 290 exit in no time. So I got off and circled back – only to discover there was no exit for 290 West going the other direction. So I (not so calmly) got off at the next exit and tried to circle back again – and proceeded to almost get us killed trying to cross four lanes of traffic – and again missed my exit. By this time our wonderful evening had taken a decided turn toward the highway marked “stressful” – and only after two more passes did I finally find my way onto the exit ramp that would lead me safely home!

In this brief portion of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus cuts right to the chase. Every human being is on one of two spiritual roads; the road that leads to salvation or the road that leads to destruction. There is no “third road.” Just as I knew that I had to find my way to the road that would lead me home – so we each must find our way to the spiritual road that is true and promises the destination of salvation. Jesus is warning us that it is very easy to find ourselves caught up in the “fast lane” traffic – that is, with all the others who are speeding along the “wide road” that is easy, popular, and leads away from God. On the other hand, he says, the “narrow road” is harder to find, more costly to travel, but leads to the life and presence of God.

If you are reading this devotional, there’s a good chance that you are already walking the “narrow road” that Jesus is talking about! But it is also true that you might be struggling to keep your eyes and feet on that road! We live in a world where people are moving in all kinds of spiritual directions – perhaps even some of your friends and family are going in a different direction and trying to drag you along. Remember, that just because there are a lot of cars on the highway it doesn’t mean that road will get you home! Sometimes you may feel like you are the only one traveling on the road Jesus has called you to – and it can be hard to persevere when everyone around you seems to be going the other direction! But, remember you are not alone! There are many who have gone before you, and many who are willing to walk with you, and Christ himself – in the person of the Holy Spirit – promises to guide you each step of the way!

Close your time by thanking God for calling you to the “narrow road” that leads to eternal life, and ask him to help you keep your eyes focused on him!

Brian Coffey