The Seven

PRIDE

In the Christian tradition, many have considered pride to be the root of all other sins, going all the way back to the Garden of Eden. IT has been argued that pride is the first and fundamental distortion of human existence: putting self over God. Wasn’t this Adam and Eve’s fundamental mistake — to believe that they knew better than God? Wasn’t that the mistake at the Tower of Babel — the idea that by our show of strength we can raise ourselves to God’s level? At the root of so many of our destructive impulses is often the delusional belief that we can be for ourselves or grab for ourselves what only God can be or what only God can give.

Years ago, I worked for a man who proved to be the most egotistical person I’d ever known. He would constantly maneuver conversations and social settings to try to ensure that everyone knew that he sat atop the food chain. He would silence and shame people and was forever telling stories where he would appear as the hero. It had to be exhausting. While he seemed at the time to be a powerful person, I can see now how he was actually living out of a fearful compulsion, trying to construct a life where he felt important and secure — beloved. He was so busy trying to promote himself that he couldn’t receive the goodness God longed to give him.

To counter our destructive, prideful impulses, the first of the 10 Commandments insists that God remains without rival. “Have no Gods other than me,” the Scripture says (Exodus 20:3) NLT. Perhaps this is why Jesus told us that the most essential commandment is to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, and mind, followed next by the command to love our neighbor (see Matthew 22:37-39). All love comes from God; if we’re not receiving the steady flow of God’s love ourselves, we’ll have none to give away. We’ll never  be able to properly love our neighbors or properly love ourselves or properly love God’s good world.

Pride holds particular seduction for those with power, wealth, knowledge, or notoriety. The more resources we have, the easier it can be to believe we can handle life on our own. An example of this in Scripture is King Uzziah. Uzziah oversaw huge construction projects and amassed large vineyards and enormous herds of cattle. Uzziah also built an impressive army, almost like an ancient version of the Green Berets, an army that made his enemies tremble. He became a great king with great dominance. And the success went to his head. “After Uzziah became powerful,” Scripture says, “his pride led to his downfall” (2 Chronicles 26:16). Pride whispers in our ear, telling us that we’re really something big — that we really don’t need God. It’s not only the powerful, though, who struggle with pride. Those of us who are fixated on ourselves show pride in many ways, even when we seem to have little reason for bloated self-importance.

As with each of the 7 sins, pride is the result of a good desire twisting in an unhealthy direction. A prideful person wants to be seen, to be noticed. And that is a good longing: we’re made to be seen, to be enjoyed, to experience another’s delight in us. However, our desire can only be met through God’s abundant gifts — His love, mercy, and acceptance in His family. Whenever we develop a false image in order to grasp what we want, we push away the very love we so desperately crave.

Question: Where do you feel tempted to promote your false ego or place yourself above God? Or grab approval that only God can give?

Practice: Silence. As an antidote to pride, practice silence. Instead of speaking up every time you have an opinion or every time you could draw attention to yourself, choose strategic moments to stay quiet. Find an hour a week where you can be quiet, listening to no one’s voice other than God’s. Listen for God’s delight in you.

Walking Free – Overcoming What Keeps Us From Jesus

The 7 Deadly Sins. That has a bit of an ancient ring to it. Sin is certainly a modern problem, and we’re fond of saying that all sin is equal and that no sin deserves special attention (even if practically we don’t act like we believe that.) But as we’ll explore in the following devotionals over these next 8 days, there is good reason to pay attention to the wisdom and reflection of those who have gone before us in regard to these sins.
We’ll be reminded that though these categories might be old and ancient, the danger they present to followers of Jesus in any age and era are very real. These sins are the twisted wreckage of our God-given desires; marred distortions of the good things God wants for us. The 7 Deadly Sins are pursuits of what we think we want. But we are not left to wallow in the misery and fear of falling victim to these sins. We will go back to the grace and mercy of our loving Lord that enables us to develop habits that reclaim the goodness of how God created us. Here we go…

Reckoning With the Shadows

In contemporary art and film, the 7 deadly sins are often portrayed provocatively, hinting that rather than something to be avoided, these are worth the time to pursue. Sometimes they arouse morbid fascination, like in the 1995 film Seven, where viewers watch a serial killer murder victims in a twisted attempt to mimic each deadly sin. Sometimes the portrayal of the 7 deadly sins evokes a sense of glamor and seduction, like in the Harper’s Magazine article where Madison Avenue advertising agencies created a full-page ad campaign “selling” one of the 7.

In the Christian tradition, however, the 7 deadly sins have played a more serious and practical role in identifying and warning against destructive human tendencies. Since at least the 4th century, faithful Christians have recognized that these 7 vices are dehumanizing, destructive, and the source of all kinds of wreckage. Century after century, theologians, pastors, and Christians of every stripe have repeatedly warned us that these malicious evils decay our love for God, degrade our humanity, and harm everything and everyone they touch.

Evigrius Ponticus (born in 345 AD) was an influential theologian who became known as one of the Desert Fathers (ancient Christian thinkers who lived in the Egyptian desert). Ponticus recognized 8 “evil thoughts” that regularly plague the human heart. Ponticus passed his wisdom for combating these temptations on to John Cassian, who then passed it on to Gregory the Great. Gregory combined sloth and sadness/melancholy, shrinking the list to 7. Eventually, by the 13th century, the wisdom tradition surrounding the 7 deadly sins worked its way down to Thomas Aquinas, who solidified the list as we know it now: pride (or its offshoot: vain glory), envy, sloth, greed (or avarice), anger, lust, and gluttony.

While each of these sins are repeatedly mentioned in Scripture, nowhere are they explicitly grouped together. We do have lists of harmful sins (Proverbs 6 and Galatians 5 for example offer some overlap with the 7). Yet, while Scripture does not explicitly focus on these sins as a category, we have good reason to take seriously the list, which reflects the wisdom and intense biblical reflections of faithful women and men across the centuries. These men and women were familiar with human frailty and insisted we must be particularly aware of these destructive temptations common to all of us (see 1 Corinthians 10:13).

Of course, this list is not the final word to consider regarding human vices and temptations. It simply provides one opportunity to learn from others’ example and to reflect on how (or where) these temptations are manifesting in our own life. If you find the list incomplete or unhelpful in any way, then simply use it as an insightful tool and discard whatever doesn’t make sense to you.
Also worth noting is that this list is not intended as a comprehensive list of all human sins. In fact, these 7 were not even intended to catalog the most egregious sins (murder, for instance, is not listed). Ancient Christians actually didn’t refer to these as the 7 deadly sins but rather as the 7 capital vices. And they called them capital vices, not because they are the worst things a human could do, but because they believed these 7 vices were the source, the fountain, of a multitude of temptations and grief. For instance, anger can lead to murder or abuse, while envy can lead to the destruction of a community and of friendship. Each sin, when indulged, ignites a whole other world of hurt and heartache.

But the list is also profoundly practical and can even give us hope. For a vice is essentially an immoral habit or practice — and habits, thank God, can be changed. We look intently at these 7 sins, therefore, not because we want to harshly judge our failures and grovel in the muck. Rather, familiarity with this wisdom tradition helps us recognize our deeply embedded human imperfections, those habits and cracks in our character that we might otherwise ignore without help — and that is exactly how change and transformation begins. This revelation of our shortcomings is good news. The Bible assures us that we can resist these devastating vices, and over time (and with much grace and diligence) God can renew us to walk joyfully down a different path — one that leads to joy and freedom.

To encourage us toward this transformation, with each vice discussed in these devotionals, we will also suggest a practice that may offer concrete help in our desire to abandon that vice and walk into freedom. In Scripture, the emphasis is never on our sin but on our dependence on the grace that yields virtue and the renewed life Jesus makes possible. As we ponder this list, we will discover how liberating it can be to name our temptations and failures, to speak the truth plainly, without excuses. This exercise can remind us that we have nothing to hide, and that our struggle with sin is unremarkably ordinary. God’s people across history have struggled with these same things just as much as we do — and they have discovered help from the Scripture and the Holy Spirit to free us from temptation’s shackles.
Left to ourselves, however, we will only continue to plunge lower into our sin cycles. As Augustine confessed: “Without You, [God], what am I to myself but a guide to my own self-destruction?” So many of us feel trapped in sin’s suffocating confines. But, as the book of James tells us, God call us into the brilliant light. We do not have to live in the “shifting shadows,” in the dim place in opposition to everything God tells us is true (James 1:17).

In fact, as we’ll discover, these destructive patterns actually reveal good longings and desires gone bad. As we confront evil, the goal is not to chastise ourselves but rather to turn to the God of hope, where we will be overwhelmed by love and mercy. We study these vices, not to wallow in them or fixate on them, but because we want healing. We want what the old-time Christians called a “cure for the soul.” We are sick and need help, but God’s love (which is the point of every bit of this after all) promises to heal us. We start the 7 tomorrow.

HOW CAN I PRAY?

How can I pray “Our” if I only live for myself?

How can I pray “Father” if I do not act like His child?

How can I pray “who art in heaven” if I am laying up no treasure there?

How can I pray “hallowed be Thy name” if I don’t care about being holy myself?

How can I pray “Thy kingdom come” if I live for my kingdom, power, and wealth?
How can I pray “Thy will be done” if I disobey His Word?

How can I pray “on earth as it is in heaven” if I will not serve Him here and now?

How can I pray “give us this day our daily bread” if I am dishonest or unwilling to                 share what I have with others?

How can I pray “forgive us our debts” if I nurture resentment against another?

How can I pray “lead us not into temptation” if I willingly place myself in its path?

How can I pray “deliver us from evil” if I refuse to put on all of God’s armor?

How can I pray “Thine is the kingdom” if my life does not reflect His Lordship?

How can I pray “Thine is the power” if I fear what people may do?

How can I pray “Thine is the glory” if I seek honor for myself?

How can I pray “forever” if my life is bound only by the things of time?

6 Reasons to Forgive (with Results and Scriptures)

1.)     Forgiveness is characteristic of a Christian life.

Results:     By loving our enemies, we show that we are children of God. When a             Christian refuses to forgive, that person puts himself above God as judge.
(Matthew 5:7; Matthew 5: 43-45)

2.)     We follow Jesus, our role model, who forgave.

Results:     Only through Jesus are we forgiven and made right with God.                 Whatever we may suffer cannot come close to the offenses Jesus Christ             forgave during His time on earth.
(Ephesians 4:32; 1 John 2:6)

3.)     We are made in the image of God, who forgave.

Results:     We reflect the beauty and glory of our Creator when we forgive.
(Proverbs 19:11)

4.)     Forgiveness keeps Satan from gaining a foothold.

Results:     Forgiveness frees the conscience of guilt and brings peace of mind.
(2 Corinthians 2: 10-11)

5.)     Christ’s Body, the Church, cannot function without forgiveness.

Results:     Grudges and resentments tarnish the Church’s witness and prevent             the full benefits of God’s gifts.
(Matthew 5: 23-24)

6.)     Only by forgiving others can we expect our own prayers for forgiveness to                 be answered.

Results:     God will treat us in the same way we treat others.
(Matthew 6: 14-15)

“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one . . .”

GOD’S PROTECTION
We are taught to pray that we won’t be tempted to do wrong. In a practical way, this is like praying that God will keep our minds off of tempting situations. People used to excuse bad behavior by saying, “The devil made me do it.” But in reality, the devil cannot makes us do wrong. We do it ourselves. God won’t make us obey Him, but He does give us the power to walk away from wrong choices. The Holy Spirit gives us strength to withstand temptation, avoid sin, and strive for holiness. Satan is constantly seeking to attack the hearts and minds of those who love God. God provides us with the defense we need to protect ourselves against the weapons of Satan. By praying for protection, we prepare each day for battle against evil.

“No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”
(1 Corinthians 10:13)
“Therefore put on the whole armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground.”            (Ephesians 6:10-13a)

“In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith — of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire — may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.”
(1 Peter 1: 6-7)

The Greek word for “temptation” emphasizes the idea of testing or proving, rather than simply an enticement to sin. The Bible is clear that God is good and holy, and He would never lead us into sin. James 1: 13-14 says that God does not tempt anyone, but each person is tempted by his own evil desire. So why do we pray this petition? Because it’s better to avoid danger and all the trouble caused by sin than to have to fight and face the possibility of losing to it! Realistically, having the potential to do evil is part of being human — it gives us the opportunity to show what we are becoming. Genuine freedom requires that there be a choice between good and evil.
Yet, we also know that trials strengthen faith and character (1 Peter 1:6-7). Through our trials, we are driven closer to God through prayer and Scripture. We are reminded not to place our trust in ourselves. Through trials, we learn to trust God more, and we gain the ability to help others in similar trials. So while human nature resists the realities of trials and temptations, the maturing Christian accepts the refining process they bring.All that’s left is to throw ourselves on the Father who has promised not to leave us unprotected and exposed to attacks from the enemy (Satan), but to protect, deliver, and forgive.

“Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors . . .”

GOD’S MERCY

We ask God to forgive the wrong we have done as well as our neglect of the good things we should have done. But there is a catch: God will forgive us only as much as we forgive those who have injured us. God is merciful and He expects us to be also. If we refuse to forgive others, how can we expect God’s forgiveness?

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”                     (1 John 1:9)

“For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.”                            (Psalm 103:12-13)

“No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”
(Hebrews 8:11-12)

The New Testament uses 5 Greek words to talk about sin. The meanings range from slipping and falling (unintentional), “missing the mark” as an arrow misses a target, stepping across the line (intentional), “lawlessness” or open rebellion against God, and the word used in Matthew 6:12, which refers to a spiritual debt to God. This last aspect of sin is what Jesus illustrates in the following story:

Jesus told a parable about a man who owed the king over 1 million dollars. After the man begged for mercy, the king forgave the debt. Afterward, that same man demanded  a few dollars from his neighbor. When his neighbor could not pay, the man had him thrown into prison. Once the king heard about it, he had the man turned over to the jailers until he could repay the debt. Jesus finished by saying, “This is how my Heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart” (Matthew 18:23-35). Jesus makes it clear that God will not show mercy to the merciless!

Sometimes we are unaware of our sins. Therefore, praying for forgiveness requires listening quietly in God’s presence so that He may reveal to us our own acts of disobedience, our resentments, and our unresolved issues. Though as Christians we inevitably continue to sin, our lives ought to be characterized by a decreasing frequency of sin and an increased sensitivity to it.

“Give us this day our daily bread . . .”

GOD’S PROVIDENCE

God is able to provide for all our needs. The Greek word for “bread” represents not just food, but every physical thing we need. When we pray for our daily bread, we ask God to provide for our material, physical, emotional, relational, and spiritual needs for that day. Daily bread can include the daily needs of ministries, people, communities, leaders, family, friends, as well as personal needs. God commits Himself to provide for His children, yet God knows more about what we need than we ourselves know. By praying for our daily bread, we are not taking it for granted, but acknowledging that all our life depends on His mercy.

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”  (Matthew 6:33-34)

“Then Jesus declared, ‘I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.’”     (John 6:35)

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”     (James 1:17

The phrase “this day” shows that we rely on God one day at a time. Compared to the rest of people on earth, we are wealthy Christians. It’s far too easy for us to forget that not only our talents, resources, and opportunities come from God, but also the next meal. Asking for what we need each day — even if it’s already in our refrigerators — encourages a relationship with the One who gives all. He wants us to come to Him not only with our big requests, but with our everyday requests as well. He wants us to remember and ask for His help with the most basic needs — disciplining our children, speaking to a spouse, growing spiritually, resolving a conflict with a friend, reuniting with family members, leading ministries, conducting an office meeting, and going to the movies.

So, what if we ask for the wrong things — things that, while they may be good in themselves, are not in god’s plan for us? As a loving Father, God will always give us what’s best for us, not necessarily what we want. What we receive will be what’s right for us and fits God’s greater goal of transforming us to be more like Him.

“Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven . . .”

GOD’S AUTHORITY

God’s perfect will is always being done in heaven. But on earth, human free will results in selfishness, greed, and evil. In this part of the Lord’s Prayer, we ask that God’s will would take place on earth. More specifically, we pray for God’s will to become our will. God calls each one of His children to live rightly and do good to others, caring for those around us as much as for ourselves. We pray that all people submit to the will of God over their own desires and faithfully love God and neighbors as themselves. Relationship with God depends on obedience to His will. God’s will should be the context for everything we ask for, say, and do.

“Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.”                                (Psalm 143:10)

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”      (Matthew 7:21)

“Jesus prayed for his Father’s will: ‘Yet not as I will, but as you will.”
(Matthew 26:39)

“For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”                                    (Matthew 12:50)

Philippians 2:3-8 says, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.” Our attitude should be like Jesus’. So often, when we come to God in prayer, we bring our own agendas. We want our will to be done, we want our wishes to be granted, and we want God to answer our prayers in a particular way. Often, God’s will differs from our own; in these situations, we need to trust God’s will over our own desires.
For centuries, Christians have debated whether God’s will is done whether or not we pray. Some question, “Why pray if God knows everything we need before we ask?” Others have wondered whether God takes action at all if we don’t initiate the request. While we trust in God’s sovereignty and His ability to exercise His good will, we also trust His commands to exercise the muscles of our wills in prayer. We pray, believing in God’s promises to respond in ways that are best for us (see Luke 18:1). Though we often pray for changes in circumstance, the real work of prayer changes us from the inside out (Romans 12:1-2). The more we talk with God, the more we find ourselves wanting to please Him. Prayer often changes our circumstances, but more importantly, it changes us and our priorities.

“Your kingdom come . . .”

GOD’S SOVEREIGNTY

God has supreme power and authority over everything in heaven and earth. When we acknowledge God’s sovereignty, we affirm and welcome His reign in our lives. We promise to live in ways that honor Him. But God’s kingdom is both here and now — and yet to come. During Jesus’ life on earth, His ministry was “to proclaim freedom for the prisoners, to recover sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor”  (Luke 4:18-19). When Jesus was around, people were freed from sickness, suffering, and pain. When Jesus returns to reign supreme, there will be no more pain, suffering, or evil ever again. God will make everything right in the end.

“In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever.” (Daniel 2:44)

“And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.’”         (Revelation 21:3-4)

Jesus said that the Kingdom of God was near (Mark 1:15). When asked when the Kingdom of God would come, Jesus said, “The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is within you.” God’s kingdom will be evident in the lives of those who make Him their Lord. This petition asks the Lord to change our lives so that His goodness is always evident through us.

Some people have interpreted this prayer as an invitation to impact culture by passing laws calling people back to safer moral standards. But Jesus made clear His Church’s mission: to lead people to Himself. Jesus commissioned all disciples to proclaim that Jesus is King and Lord over all (Matthew 28:18-20). Our obedience to this commission helps spread God’s kingdom throughout the world. This prayer can function as a petition for the strength and power we need to usher in God’s kingdom on earth. When we focus on recognizing and embracing God’s reign in this world, we help to make it visible.

“Hallowed be your name . . .”

GOD’S HOLINESS

To hallow means to make holy. To hallow God’s name means to honor it as holy and sacred. When we pray, we enter the presence of God with reverence, worship, and thanksgiving. We thank God not only for what He’s done, but also for who He is. God’s greatness and glory alone are worthy of praise and thankfulness. Thanksgiving recognizes that everything we have belongs to God, whether it be our talents, possessions, jobs, or children.

“Exalt the Lord our God and worship at his holy mountain,
for the Lord our God is holy.”         (Psalm 99:9)

“You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.”     (Exodus 20:7)

“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”
(1 Corinthians 10:31)

“The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.”
(Psalm 24:1)

Traditionally, God’s people, the Jews, never said or wrote the name of God, To do so was considered not keeping the name of God holy. God’s name represents His character, His plan, and His will. We often think of cursing as a common misuse of God’s name, but what about attitudes of the heart? Lack of respect or indifference by one who professes love for God may be just as much a sin. Revelation 3:15-16 shows God’s attitude toward indifference: “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm — neither hot nor cold — I am about to spit you out of my mouth.”

Jesus encouraged His followers to use God’s name in honorable ways and for purposes that deepen and endear our bonds to Him. Part of showing reverence for the holy name of God is thanking Him for who He is AND for what He has done. Many Psalms praise and worship God’s holy name (see Psalms 100 and 148). Our greatest reverence, though, is shown by the stories our lives reveal. Our Father’s name is most hallowed when we live in ways that attract others to Him. (See 1 Corinthians 10:31 and Matthew 5:16).