Harry Whitt on the Journey with Jesus
We often complicate things too much. Lofty philosophical and theological ideas often leave no footprints in the dirt.
After trusting Christ as our Savior and Lord, what do we do to mature in our faith? Here are four basic points everyone needs to do consistently.
Continue reading “Four Pillars of Discipleship”
Are you lost on the wrong road? You are in a dead-spot and the GPS doesn’t work. Are you afraid to stop and ask directions? Maybe you are lost and don’t know it. Please keep reading.
Read, heed, and listen to the words of the Savior of Men. “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. / Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matthew 7:13-14 NKJV).
Narrow Way
The narrow gate has few who enter. It is not as obvious to men of flesh. One must walk contrary to the natural sway of man to choose this route. It is the difficult way or the way of discipline. It does not appeal to the flesh of man. The lust of the eye has no interest in the road. The lust of the flesh does not either. The pride of life is also uninterested.
King David had a moral crisis when he committed adultery with a beautiful woman named Bathsheba. He complicated and multiplied his sin by deceit and murder after it was revealed to him that she was pregnant with his child.
The husband of Bathsheba was Uriah. He was a trusted soldier of David and was numbered in the elite thirty-seven of 2 Samuel chapter 23. Uriah was ordered from the front lines for the sole purpose of obscuring his wife’s pregnancy as a product of adultery. Uriah refused to keep company with his wife out of concern for his fellow soldiers still on the battlefield.
David took the sin to an even lower level of murder. He wrote orders for Uriah to be put in the most dangerous position of battle guaranteeing his death. This strong faithful soldier faithfully carried his own death sentence to the commander of the army. He died in battle and David brought Bathsheba into his palace as his wife.
Continue reading “King David’s Moral Crisis: Lessons in Repentance”
Recently, I saw a news report where some protestors marred a few expensive works of art in a museum. A once beautiful artistic work was marred, so it is with God’s original image of mankind, it has been marred by disobedience.
Do you realize we are all marred images? When I look in the mirror, that is not a concept I can argue about. A visit to Walmart will also verify that fact.
Mankind was originally made in the image of God according to Genesis 1:27 (NKJV), “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” Of all the creatures of creation, we were the only ones created in the image of God.
I believe the image is more than an obvious outer appearance such as nose, ears, etc. We were created as spiritual beings with self-awareness, a capacity for moral judgment, and consciousness of divine existence (knowing that we are part of something beyond matter, energy, and time).
Man’s image became marred when the first couple ate the forbidden fruit opening their eyes to both evil and good. Then they had the capacity like God knowing the good from the evil. This put them in a dire position of knowing good from evil yet not having the inner power to always choose the good and refuse the evil.
We often speak of this marred image as our broken human nature. Every man born has a broken nature. There are many different forms and degrees of brokenness. Some are obvious and usually tolerated like an argumentative person. Others are cloaked and dangerous like a serial killer.
There is some form of brokenness residing in all of us. The image of God in us is marred—broken. We happily say, “No one is perfect!” It is true, yet, we say it happily to convince others not to judge us too harshly.
We should not get comfortable with our brokenness and wear a badge to prove it. We should not expect people to get comfortable with our brokenness. And most of all, we should not expect a wink and a nod from God concerning our brokenness. From time to time, someone will post on social media something like, “Don’t judge me, God doesn’t judge me.” Someone who thinks that God is not the ultimate judge, evidently has not read the description of the “Great White Throne Judgment” in Revelation 20:11-15!
Let me remind everyone, we all are broken in some way! I have certain unhealthy and/or sinful propensities, you have another kind. I do not expect or want anyone to affirm my brokenness. I will try to show mercy and grace and pray for you in yours.
“Brokenness” is a synonymous term describing sinfulness or the propensity for sin. The Bible describes besetting sins or “sin which so easily ensnares us” (Heb. 12:1 NKJV). It describes our weakness or fault point. The sin that easily ensnares us is another way of describing brokenness.
Again, we all struggle with something. Even though it may be an easy sin for us, it should not be an easy excuse for us. How many times have you heard someone say with a smirky attitude, “Well, that’s just the way I am, and people will just need to get used to it!” Really??
Or… “If you stay around them long enough, you will get to know them and get used to their ways.” Maybe most of us do not have that much time!!!
My brokenness is not an excuse for my conduct or lifestyle. It is not an excuse for my demand upon anyone to tolerate my brokenness, much less celebrate my brokenness. I should confess, repent of it, and ask Holy Spirit to empower the victory over my brokenness.
For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (2 Corinthians 5:21 NKJV) Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed. (1 Peter 2:24 NKJV)
Do you know that God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to earth to die on a cross for our sins a.k.a. “our brokenness”? Why should we so casually glory in the sin that Jesus died for?
Yours on the Journey,
Harry L. Whitt
When I was in the eighth or ninth grade, my Daddy bought me a horse. Her name was Sugar and at first, she was as sweet as her name. Then Sugar realized I was a greenhorn cowboy, and she started misbehaving like her name was Diablo. She would get to the edge of our yard, and she would “pitch a fit”. After about two go arounds of that, I was more afraid of her than she was of me.
Continue reading “When You Have Had Enough!”
Concerning our perceived effectiveness, the church has done a fair job of saving people from Hell, but a poor job of saving people from their brokenness. Jesus commanded us to go and make disciples, not just converts. I am afraid in our enthusiasm to make only converts we have left a heap of lost souls in the wake of false confessions and hurry-up-sinner-prayers.
I was somewhat amused by the various reactions to Kanye West’s conversion. There were skeptics from the religious world and the secular world. The woke are in the dark when someone else has seen the light. They are as confused concerning someone’s turn-around as they are to the meaning and purpose of life.
Moses had his first encounter with God at the burning bush in the desert while keeping his father-in-law’s sheep. He saw a fire in a bush, but the bush was not consumed so he went in for a closer look. The Angel of the Lord (Pre-incarnate Christ) called out to Moses and told him to remove his sandals because he was on holy ground.
The Lord commanded Moses to return to Egypt and lead His people out. Moses questioned God about His name and this was the reply, “I AM WHO I AM” (Exodus 3:14 NKJV).
There have been thousands of books written about being successful, rich, happy, fulfilled, and the list seems to never end. Everyone seems to be looking for that formula of life that will bring the blessings of peace and joy.
Jesus began a sermon with some verses we call the Beatitudes (Blessings). It is not a formula but a lifestyle likened unto Jesus. For the follower of Jesus, these are not optional nuggets of wisdom but the principles for our lives as we journey with Jesus.
A Clean Heart and a Steadfast Spirit
King David had a moral crisis when he lusted after and committed adultery with a beautiful woman named Bathsheba. He complicated and multiplied his sin by deceit and murder after it was revealed to him that she was pregnant with his child. The husband of Bathsheba, Uriah, was a trusted soldier of David’s who was numbered in the elite thirty-seven of 2 Samuel chapter 23. Uriah was ordered from the front lines for the sole purpose of obscuring his wife’s pregnancy as a product of adultery. When Uriah refused to keep company with his wife while his men were roughing it on the battlefield, David took the sin to an even lower level of murder. He wrote orders for Uriah to be put in the most dangerous position of battle guaranteeing his death. This strong faithful soldier faithfully carried his own sealed, death sentence to the commander of the army. Yes, he died in battle and David brought Bathsheba into his palace as his wife.
Pathway Journey 