This past week I had a rude awakening, one where I discovered that a Christian artist I like has departed from the faith. This man, whose name I don’t plan to share, has decided to give into his flesh and believe certain lies from the pit of hell. He left his wife and decided to pursue his desires for other men, even stating that he was born this way and was tired of fighting his desires.

When I first heard the report I decided to verify that information and soon learned that what was being said about this person was true. I also read some comments from fellow believers (or commenters) which ranged from the angry to the sad to even agreeing that this man’s decision was the right one for him. Personally, I wasn’t angry…just sad that this man has given up the fight.

Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses (1 Timothy 6:12 NIV).

In this verse, Paul admonishes Christians to take hold of eternal life. Since we know that we don’t have eternal life until we’re actually with the Lord, Paul’s words are directing us to apprehend what is coming our way. Instead of living for this life, which is perishing, we’re to live our lives with one purpose: to seek Him and His righteousness, laying aside those sins which so easily beset us.

I have no doubt that what this person is going through is an especially difficult challenge for him. I’m not called to understand his particular sin nature or bent, but I am called to encourage him to repent, take up his cross, and to deny himself.  By himself it is impossible for him to overcome, but by the power of the Holy Spirit he can live the victorious life.

Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God (1 Corinthians 6:9-11 NKJV).

This man’s sin isn’t any worse than any other type of sin, especially if you look at the list just mentioned. I know for some people it is all the more reprehensible to them, but God doesn’t distinguish from the person who is drawn to the bottle from the one who is drawn to someone of their own gender.

My favorite part of the text is the And such were some of you statement. Clearly, many people in Paul’s time were much like a lot of Christians today: possessing a past life that is, indeed, in the past.

When a Christian is afflicted by sin or has an unnatural bent toward a particular desire, his only course of action is to rely upon the strength of God. In Ephesians 6:10-20, we’re told to put on the whole armor of God.

In verse 12 of that passage we understand exactly who it is that we are battling:

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Satan wants to sift us and is a thief who comes to steal, kill and destroy (ref. John 10:10). With that sort of warning it should remind us that our battles in this life are truly spiritual, one that has consequences for our eternal destiny.

In addition to putting on the armor of God, we’re instructed how to walk:

See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise,  redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of God (Ephesians 5:15-21 NKJV).

Finally, steadfastness is the hallmark of the Christian. This doesn’t mean the believer won’t slip and fall, rather that he is ultimately to stand firm in what he believes. Deciding that God made you a certain way when scripture clearly demonstrates that this isn’t true makes someone a liar. And I must tell you that God cannot lie!

You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness, but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen (2 Peter 3:14-18 NASB)

I believe that we’re on the very last leg of the final days before the return of Jesus Christ. Scoffers are everywhere, sinful lifestyles are being exalted and Christians are finding it difficult, even deadly, to proclaim their faith.

Apart from God, none of us can stand. But, thanks be to God for His indescribable gift — Jesus — who is our Redeemer, Lord, Savior and the Shepherd of our souls.

If you meet a backslider this week, please be sure to lift him or her up in prayer as you urge them to return to the faith. In 2 Timothy 2:14 we learn that Demas left Paul’s ministry to return to the world, but in Philemon 1:24 his name is once again mentioned among the saints.

Perhaps someone you know has a heart like Demas, a modern day prodigal who returns to the Lord.

Pictured: The Return of the Prodigal Son — Pompeo Girolamo Batoni (Lucca, 1708-1787) who was an Italian rococo painter.

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Besides regular Bible reading which takes me in and through the word of God, I like to supplement my studies by reading uplifting, Christian material too. When I find a book that I like I will sometimes read it again and again and again. No, not back to back, but over many years in a bid to recapture the essence of the story.

One book that has caught my attention again is actually a compilation of four of the bestselling works of W. Phillip Keller, a one-time shepherd and pastor. In Phillip Keller: The Inspirational Writings this devotional commentary features the following stories:

• A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23
• A Layman Looks at the Lord’s Prayer
• A Shepherd Looks at the Good Shepherd & His Sheep
• A Gardener Looks at the Fruits of The Spirit

Right now I’m nearing the end of the first book with plans to move forward through the 576 page volume over the coming weeks, my third complete reading of the book since I received my copy from a friend in 1994.

Son of Missionary Parents

Keller was born in 1920 and grew up in East Africa as the child of missionary parents. His family lived amongst the sheepherders who managed their flocks much in the same way that ancient shepherds in the Middle East managed their sheep dating back to the days of the lowly shepherd boy, David.

Later, Keller managed his own flocks both in Africa and later in his native Canada. That background helped give him an intimate understanding of Psalm 23 and God’s relationship to His people who are the sheep of His own flock.

And it is with Psalm 23 where Keller wonderfully illustrates exactly what it means to “lie down in green pastures” and “anoint my head with oil” by breaking down the popular Psalm piece by piece. For most of us, who aren’t acquainted with farming, Keller carefully aligns scripture with sheep management to demonstrate how much Jesus Christ cares for each sheep individually.

The Shepherd Protects His Flock

A case in point: In his chapter, “Yea, Though I Walk Through the Valley…,” Keller shares how beneficial valley experiences are for sheep. For it is in the cool valley where refreshing waters can be found as well as lush grasses that sheep thrive on. At the same time, it is in nearby cliffs and overhangs where enemies lay in wait — lions, cougars and wild dogs, etc. — danger zones familiar to the shepherd who skillfully guides his sheep through on their way to higher, even more beneficial ground.

Of importance to the reader is to gain an understanding of just how well loved individual sheep are to the shepherd. As with the Good Shepherd, sheep know the voice of their own shepherd and will not follow another.  And, the human sheepherder knows each of his sheep which can run into the thousands in some flocks.

Just as the shepherd knows his sheep and calls them by name, God knows us and calls us individually…what a comfortable thought for the Christian who can sometimes feel lost even in the company of other saints!

Keller went home to his reward in 1997, leaving behind an unusual but beneficial legacy that I’m familiarizing myself with once again. Some of Keller’s works are no longer in print, but I suspect you can find copies through Amazon, Alibris and other big booksellers.

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