The Great Imitator

"I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and that no lie is of the truth. Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son."

— 1 John 2:21–22

 

The first sign that something has been popular is when you start to see knock-offs or imitations everywhere.

It has been said imitation is the sincerest form of flattery; but honestly, no one likes to be copied or ripped off. That's just a nice way of saying, "Don't feel too bad when someone copies you."

The devil is a genuine copycat. He has never specialized in originality. He has always seen the value of copying something and confusing the issues.

Whenever you see a genuine work of the Spirit of God, the devil will always have his imitation. Satan's business specializes in flooding the market with cheap imitations, thus clouding the issues. As a result, people have difficulty discerning between the truth and lies.

The explosion of religions in our world today stands as one example of Satan's work. The gurus, false prophets, and teachers, and psychics who claim to possess the hotline to heaven are simply puppets in the hands of Satan. They're his tools in muddying the waters of truth.

The end result is somebody who looks at all of the world religions and thinks, I just can't make sense of it all. They just want to throw it all out and forget about it. When that happens, the devil has accomplished his purpose.

Keep this in mind: if you see a lot of imitations out there, an original exists somewhere in the midst of all the copies. The devil only floods the market with imitations in order to keep people from the one and only true God.

Seek the original, open up God's Word. Only then will you discover truth.

The Secret to Life

Have you ever eavesdropped on someone's conversation? Not intentionally, of course.

Maybe you were in a restaurant, and you heard those magic words at the table next to you: "I am going to tell you a secret right now. . . . "

So what do you do? You listen more carefully.

We all love to hear secrets. We want to know the inside story, even if it is about a complete stranger.

I have news for you. God has a secret He wants to share with you. The Bible tells us, "The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him . . . " (Psalm 25:14).

In many ways, this isn't really a secret, because it is plainly declared in Scripture. It is a secret that can help you avoid untold misery and heartache.

You might say it is the secret of living, that is, of living life to its fullest and having the guaranteed hope that when you die, you will live forever in the presence of God in heaven.

We find this secret in the Book of Ecclesiastes, where the writer, Solomon, essentially shares what he has learned from life the hard way.

Solomon was someone who decided to go hog wild into sin. He decided to try everything this world had to offer. With unlimited resources and a lot of time on his hands, he was able to do what some people only dream about. This was a man who literally tried it all.

Solomon was highly educated, yet he went on unbelievable drinking binges. He chased after women like there was no tomorrow. He was an architectural genius and built incredible structures. He was worth billions of dollars. Yet he abandoned God in his search for meaning in life.

At the end of it all, here was the conclusion he came to: "Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man's all" (Ecclesiastes 12:13 NKJV). That is profound.

Solomon was saying, "Listen to a seasoned pro. I know what I am talking about here. If you leave God out of the picture, then your life is going to be empty, meaningless, and futile. But if you want to live a life that is full, a life with purpose, then here it is: Fear God and keep His commandments." That is what it all comes down to.

A lot of us, however, don't like commandments. We see them as restrictive. But if you want to live a life that is full, then you have to recognize that there are parameters. And there are absolutes.

It would be like someone saying, "I don't like traffic lights. I am not into those. They really bug me. I am not going to live by the rules. I am going to drive wherever I want to and go whenever I want to go. I want my freedom." But those traffic lights are there for your protection.

Yes, the Bible says we should not do certain things. But it is for our own good.

Someone may look at the commandments of God and say, "These are restrictive and they ruining my life."

But His commandments are not there to make your life miserable. They are barriers of protection. That is what Solomon was saying: Fear God and keep His commandments.

Of course, there are many who disagree. They are determined to live by their own rules. I guarantee that one day they will come to the same conclusion Solomon did: It is empty to break God's commands and try to live without them.

When the Bible tells us to "fear" God, this word could also be translated "reverence." We are to reverence God. Honor God. Respect God. It means that we don't take His offer of forgiveness through Jesus Christ for granted.

God is saying to you that you are not going to find the answers in success. You are not even going to find the answers in a good education, in a career, in a big house, in a marriage, in a relationship with a guy or a girl, in drinking and partying, or in whatever else it is you might be pursuing right now.

You are only going to find what you are looking for in a relationship with God.

That was Solomon's conclusion. You can either discover this the hard way, or you can take God's word for it.

I would suggest the latter. The choice is up to you.

God Works in Every Circumstance

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.

— Romans 8:28

 

God, in His mercy, can also take the tragedies of life and use them. God can take the most evil deed and work in spite of it.

The apostle Paul made this point in 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." Paul includes what we perceive as "good things," as well as the bad things.

It's hard for us to understand how a bad thing can ultimately work together for good. There is nothing good about what happened to the 150,000 people who died in Southeast Asia during the 2004 tsunami. It was tragic beyond belief.

But God, in His infinite wisdom and love, somehow takes all the events of our lives, both good and bad, and blends them together ultimately for good. The good He intends, that is.

After that tragedy, Christian organizations mobilized to send much needed help and resources to the hurting people of Southeast Asia. People received much needed physical and spiritual help. Back then and even now, God will work things together for good.

From Ordinary to Extraordinary

I heard about a mom and dad who decided to give their child the very curious name of Odd. Poor kid! Obviously that name invited ridicule and mockery all through grade school, high school, and college. But the jibes made him want to achieve, and he became a very successful lawyer.

Because people ribbed him his entire life, he decided that upon his death, he wanted an unmarked tombstone placed at his grave so that his name would never be uttered again. His wishes were honored. The problem was when people saw this tombstone without an inscription, they almost always said, "That's odd."

Jesus gave to His disciple Simon the new name of Rock. Why? He knew Peter would eventually grow into the name. His given name, Simon, means "a listener" or "a hearer."

Upon seeing him for the first time, Jesus essentially gave him a nickname—a new title to describe the person he was going to become. He said, "Your name is going to be Peter or 'Rock' (the literal meaning)."

I think the others might have done a little snickering at that point. If there was anything Simon was not, it was a rock. A rock is stable and solid. Peter was given to the emotion of a moment. He could be hotheaded.

But God saw him for what he would become.

We know Jesus knew what He was getting. He knew Peter would fail. He knew that Peter would fall short. He even knew that Peter would ultimately deny Him.

But Jesus also knew Peter would make a comeback. He knew that after his early failure, "the rock" would courageously serve the Lord all the days of his life. He looked right through him, and He saw potential.

Godly Resolutions

Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother's way.

— Romans 14:13

 

Many people make resolutions this time of the year. Right now, people are planning their New Year's Resolutions.

Some are going to swear off alcohol or smoking or television or overeating. Others are going to try to change wicked habits like gossip or worry or losing their temper.

Many people will try to start new habits like getting in shape physically. Health clubs love the first of the year, because people love to commit to going to the gym and working out three to five times a week.

But most of those people never follow through, because they were not serious in the first place.

There are different, more important resolutions you want to make for 2009. There are godly habits you want to start and ungodly habits you want to break.

It has been said, "A habit is like cable. We weave a thread of it every day until at last we cannot break it." That can be a good or a bad thing depending on your habits.