Whose Flag Are You Flying?

It's the end of May as I write. I am really hoping the month of June will not be the stage for mental illness and debauchery it has been for the past few years. I am really hoping rainbows and LGBTQIA+ flags will not adorn every company logo and city structure known to man. Not because I have no love for that community, not because I have anything against rainbows or flags, but because the flagrant in-your-face campaign that has been encouraged in the past is uncalled for. It's between you and your Creator if you act on your temptation to sin. It's between you and your Creator if you believe He's made some terrible mistake. It's between you and your Creator if you wanna dis His sign of promise. But when you hijack our government buildings, our parks and roadways, our libraries, our schools, and our churches with your personal problems, I take issue. I also take issue with the administrators of those spaces who allow you to hijack them. And, as a believer, I take particular issue with the stewards of God's sheep, buildings, and Word who have allowed --No! not just allowed but encouraged this wickedness. I hope you do, too. 

My family is of European descent. They come from Ireland, Scotland, England, Wales, Germany, Switzerland, etc., etc. I can't walk into my church with a Union Jack or a German flag and not expect someone to question my motives. What are you trying to say? What are you trying to prove? And quite honestly, I can't think of any motive besides drawing attention to myself in the House of God that would cause me to carry the flag of another country. Even the American flag --though it stands proudly at the front of our place of worship, it stands to remind us of the blessing of our country. It reminds us we are in a place that allows us to worship the One True God, to read His Word aloud and as led by the Spirit. It reminds us we are free to assemble in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. But even if I were to hoist it high and march down the aisle during the time of offering, someone would --I pray --snag me before I got past the second row and say, "Put the flag away, please. It could be a distraction. We are here to worship God."

We are here to worship God. As believers, we are not here to celebrate sin, to coddle apostate hearts, or to allow the perversion of His Word and His promises. We are His ambassadors. His is the only flag we should fly. Loyalty and obedience to God over any other, over every other loyalty. Yet, many American churches have caved to championing the flag of the LGBTQIA+. If it's about making them feel welcome, why are there not flags of other countries? Italians welcome here! Why are there not flags of other states? Missourians welcome here! Why are there not flags of organizations? Marines, or Olympians, or Boy Scouts welcome here! It's a ridiculous effort at being relevant. And God will judge it. God does not need His people to compromise His holiness in order to win souls. The preaching of the early Apostles was fire and brimstone, and thousands were saved at a time. In a culture that fed converts to lions! Scriptures condemn drawing attention to ourselves for any other reason but to draw attention to the God we serve, the God worthy of glory. So, whose flag are you flying? I pray it is His and His alone.

Midweek: NKJV Personal Size Reference Bible & Journal Set

This week I've had the opportunity to look at Thomas Nelson's NKJV Personal Size Reference Bible and Journal Set. The complimentary set I received came in a protective sleeve, bound in a rich purple Leathersoft™. The covers of both books are stitched and embossed in a beautiful, matching design, and the pages of each are gilded in silver, perfectly complementing the covers. Thomas Nelson stands behind this Bible with their lifetime guarantee. The retail value is $59.95, but Amazon is currently selling the set for $37.33.

The Bible is basic in nature: no commentaries, introductions to books, timelines, charts, or Bible survey. There are eight full-color maps and a concordance. Other Bible features include:

• Verse-style Scripture format starts each verse on its own line so it’s easy to navigate the text
• End-of-verse cross-references help you to find related passages quickly and easily
• Words of Christ in red help you quickly identify Jesus’ teachings and statements
• Line-matched text for improved clarity when reading
• Portable personal-size edition allows this Bible to be a perfect travel companion wherever you go
• Durable and flexible Smyth-sewn binding allows the Bible to lay flat wherever you are reading
• Two Ribbon markers make it easy navigate and keep track of where you are reading
• Easy-to-read extra-large 10.5-point NKJV Comfort Print® (The concordance, however, is printed in a much smaller font.)

Journal features include:

• Matching cover and design
• 224 pages of lined space for recording your insights, study notes, and prayers
• Ribbon marker

Personally, I think it's a beautiful set. If I had one criticism, however, it would be with regard to the Bible: the pages are thin and would not support gel pens, most highlighters, and probably many pens without bleeding. Overall, though, both the Bible and journal are elegant in appearance but very functional. The simple design and text of the Bible make it a suitable carry Bible; the sturdy, lined pages of the journal are without ornament, leaving plenty of room for actual journaling. A journal of this quality, purchased on its own, would probably cost anywhere between $10-$15. The set for its current price is a terrific value and would make a lovely gift.   

If You're Not Embracing the Difficult, I Am Praying for You

I don't say it lightly, but if you aren't embracing the difficult, using the grief, speaking a message from the place of mess, I am praying for you. I'm not praying you would experience pain and hardship, but I am praying that whatever pain and hardship you've experienced or are about to experience would not be lost to the enemy. 

Scott and I have had our share of difficulty. I'll spare you the list. Some of it was obviously self-imposed; some through no fault of our own. Was it God testing our faith? An enemy attack? Something to teach others? No use wasting time in the land of speculation, discussing what we think are the whys. That serves little purpose. I mean, we're human; let me just admit, we do that sometimes. We get whatever notice that trouble has made itself comfortable among us for however long, and we question. Is this for real? Didn't we just go through something? Why this? Why now? But we don't stay there. 

There is another option, the one we choose to embrace: What good are You working in this season? We begin to look for the lessons, things within ourselves that need to be changed and how our journey through this trouble will accomplish that. We find the opportunities to point to our Hope, to speak encouragement with truth to others. Yes, this is difficult and agonizing and chaotic, but God's got this. We pray more, fast more, take times of quiet more, point one another toward our Refuge more. We speak Life into the situation --not that God would do as we design, but that He would bring things about perfectly, for that's the only way He can do things. We hang on to His promises and draw nearer to Him in a way we usually don't. And we have discovered, if our hands are full of His promises, we are unable to grasp this thing humans love so much --control. (I believe control is one of the greatest enemies of growth in Christ --but that's for another day.)

Please don't get me wrong, we are not perfect, and we do not always handle things perfectly. But we are learning. We have learned. Growth and joy are taking root because we have been so beaten down by God-awful circumstances or mundane nonsense on repeat. For the greater part, we no longer grit our teeth and clench our fists. We look up and say, Oh, so this is what we're doing for the next few months? Okay then. And it has been LIBERATING! Every financial burden, every tenuous relationship, every irritation, every question --it all goes up. Father God, this is in Your hands. What a blessing that is! And we are privileged to sit back and watch God work. The Creator of the universe is watching over our home. The Author of salvation is writing my story. The Redeemer of the world is working all things out for my good. The King of kings is listening when I tell Him I am afraid. His power and sovereignty are on full display as the difficulties of this world attempt to pull me under. But He has disarmed and humiliated the troubles of this world and their originator. They no longer have any power except to strengthen those in Christ and fill us with joy as we witness our Master at work. 

So, embrace the difficult. Face it head-on with God's Word as your sword and Christ as your Shield.