Your Best Lie Now

Indictment 10: Lack of Discipline

The Spirit makes it clear that as time goes on, some are going to give up on the faith and chase after demonic illusions put forth by professional liars. These liars have lied so well and for so long that they’ve lost their capacity for truth.
You’ve been raised on the Message of the faith and have followed sound teaching. Now pass on this counsel to the followers of Jesus there, and you’ll be a good servant of Jesus. Stay clear of silly stories that get dressed up as religion. Exercise daily in God—no spiritual flabbiness, please! Workouts in the gymnasium are useful, but a disciplined life in God is far more so, making you fit both today and forever. You can count on this. Take it to heart. Teach believers with your life: by word, by demeanor, by love, by faith, by integrity. Verses from 1 Timothy 4

Some of the lies.

• I’m from the government and I’m here to help you.
• God wants you rich. (Guess that’s why the Son of Man had no place to lay his head.)
• Only the faithless are ever sick, poor or struggling. (Christians in Sudan and Iraq just need a bit more faith. You know. Like us.)
• Your best life now. (Best for whom?)
• There are many ways to God. (Shouldn’t that be “many ways to hell?”)
• Bigger is better. (Just think if  only Jesus had known and started with more than twelve.)
• We will all get to heaven in the end. (So why are we here?)

Are the liars winning? We are living in the end. Look around. Things are bad. We are surrounded by lies and confusion. The liars are driving the big cars and have the huge followings. It’s tough to know what to do. Is there a new plan? Has God changed His mind? Should we forget eternal things and just make the best out of this life?

The Lies were expected. Paul warned us: The Spirit makes it clear that as time goes on, some are going to give up on the faith and chase after demonic illusions put forth by professional liars. These liars have lied so well and for so long that they’ve lost their capacity for truth.

Stick to the plan. This is war guys. In war, the winners stick to the plan when bullets are flying. All hell is breaking loose. Many are retreating. It’s not the time to devise a new plan. We don’t decide to live our best life now, and forget about taking up crosses and being despised. We need the discipline to stick to and execute the plan.

What plan? The simple plan of Jesus. To follow Him and live a life that would attract others to join the parade. You’ve been raised on the Message of the faith and have followed sound teaching. Now pass on this counsel to the followers of Jesus there, and you’ll be a good servant of Jesus. Stay clear of silly stories that get dressed up as religion.

Disciplined Soldiers. We need to be disciplined like soldiers:

• Know the plan: Stay  more in the word, and less in the world.
• Stay in communication: We call it prayer, especially the listening kind.
• Pass the word: Teach what you have learned.
• Encourage the troops: You are not the only one being lied to. Share your concerns and confusions and, of course, the plan of TRUTH that prevails.

This is the last indictment. Aren’t you glad?