Who Won?

If I wanted to win the ultimate war, the war for my soul, where would I begin? The world was so confusing and God was so mysterious, but there had to be someway to figure it all out, so I tried. This is what I found.

Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable his judgments,
and his paths beyond tracing out!
“Who has known the mind of the Lord?
Or who has been his counselor?”
“Who has ever given to God,
that God should repay them?”
For from him and through him and for him are all things.
To him be the glory forever! Amen. -Romans 11: 33-36

In my freedom I became a slave, in my obedience I became free.

By faith, through grace I received the call. Was my choice predestined? Was the outcome? I understood victory in spiritual warfare for the hearts and souls of humanity had already been won, but the battle for my soul raged on.

I was armed to the teeth and knew I could claim victory in Jesus, but still I had to fight!

Today’s Reading: 1 Samuel 13; Romans 11; Jeremiah 50; Psalms 28–29

The world is filled with intrigues, conflicts and wars, propelled and justified by self righteousness, self pity and lust for worldly things like personal power which is perhaps the most intoxicating thing over all. Even religion, at times, is used to justify a whole host of heinous activities. If we search our hearts we will discover the true battle ground is within us, it is there we either choose to surrender our lives to the greater glory of God, or refuse.

In a world like ours, I find it impossible to ignore the Bible, it’s the best selling book of all time and the spiritual history of the world. Finding truth in God’s word is an absolute joy. Discovering the source of its power is life changing. It has helped me to see how Jesus is the center of everything, even as the weight of our culture and the wiring of my flesh pulls me in the opposite direction.

In the text for Thursday I read about predestination in Romans 8: 28-30. While I’m not exactly sure what it means to be predestined, if I was or wasn’t isn’t the point. And while I hope that I was predestined to live in the grace and power of God, this is something I believe we all have the freedom to chose at some point in our lives. But this choice doesn’t take me out of my daily battle for truth and righteousness, it puts me in the center of it. That is where I choose to live, that is where I choose to fight.

Always on My Mind

 

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Today’s reading: 1 Samuel 12; Romans 10; Jeremiah 49; Psalms 26–27

Salvation that comes from trusting Christ – which is the message we preach – is already within easy reach. In fact, the Scriptures say, “The message is close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart” (Romans 10:8 – Life Application Study Bible, Tyndale House Publishers).

This verse is Paul quoting Moses’ words to the Israelite people in Deuteronomy 30:14. I chose to reference the Life Application Bible version above because of its clarity.  This passage of Deuteronomy is Moses calling the Israelites to return to the Lord.  In the Old Testament these folks had a destructive pattern of turning away from God and worshipping idols.  When things got really bad, they came crawling back and pleaded with God to turn his favor toward them again.  Same story, different names, throughout the entire Old Testament.  God was faithful and kept his promises every time.  The context in Romans was a little different.  Here, Paul was telling believers that salvation through Jesus Christ was attainable.  It was available to both Jews and Gentiles back then.  It is available to us today.  But is it really close at hand?  Is it really on our lips and in our hearts?

As I’ve mentioned before, I grew up in the church. My Dad was a pastor and my Mom was a Sunday School teacher (see picture of my Mom teaching my 3rd grade Sunday School class above).  Not just your average Sunday School teacher though, she had a very distinct role.  She was the memory verse lady, and her specialty was Middler Worship – 3rd and 4th graders.  I remember my Mom leading Middler Worship in the basement of our old church building at 1705 Towanda Avenue for years and years.  When I read Romans 10:8 this week, I could hear my Mom leading the weekly memory verse saying, “We are going to hide God’s word in our heart.  When we need it, he’s going to help us remember it.”

My Mom was right. Spending time in God’s word, and memorizing key messages from it, is the recipe for keeping the message close at hand, on our lips and in our hearts.  In his post this past Thursday, B.J. challenged us to understand the kind and quality of information that we are putting into our minds, as it directly impacts our words and actions. The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks (Luke 6:45).

God, I want your message to always be on my lips and in my heart.  Will you help me have the courage and discipline to wisely choose what I’m putting in my mind?  Let it be things of the Spirit, let it be pleasing to you. Amen.

My People

Think about a time when you’ve not fit in, when you weren’t a member of a certain group and no matter what you did, you would not be accepted. Not a good feeling. What about times when you do feel like you belong? Not because you’ve earned it but because you were given love, given an opportunity, given grace, or you were just born into it. These thoughts crossed my mind as I was reading today’s scripture so I thought about where this might have occurred in my own life.

I spent some time recently with Amy’s mom Cari, and Cari’s husband Chuck (Charles Keever). While the fact that Chuck is married to my mother in law should imply that I’m part of Chuck’s family, and it is in Chuck’s best interest to treat me as part of the family, technically he doesn’t have to. Chuck has his own grandchildrenchildren as well as grandchildren. He has his own people. However, Chuck from day one has treated me, my wife and our children, and everyone else I’ve seen him meet as family. This man bends over backwards to include us, to serve us, to make us feel loved and cherished. Chuck is a dentist and you should see his team smile as they talk about how he treats them like family (and their smiles are nice too because of his handiwork!).

During the same visit to the Keever house I was given the opportunity to pray over a family meal (they lovingly call me “Rev.”), and in that prayer I felt compelled to ask a special blessing on Chuck. I mentioned something about how we’ve all been beneficiaries of Chuck’s special gifts, and this typically silent-during-prayer group of people made sounds of affirmation (someone might have even said Amen!) and that gave me great joy because I sensed their love for Chuck as well. Chuck loves us not because he has to, he wants to, he freely gives it to those around him.

 1 Samuel 11; Romans 9; Jeremiah 48; Psalm 25

They are the people of Israel, chosen to be God’s adopted children. God revealed his glory to them. He made covenants with them and gave them his law. He gave them the privilege of worshiping him and receiving his wonderful promises. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are their ancestors, and Christ himself was an Israelite as far as his human nature is concerned. And he is God, the one who rules over everything and is worthy of eternal praise! Amen. (Romans 9:4-5)

Romans chapter 9 kicks off with Paul pleading for his people, his Jewish brothers and sisters to be saved. Verses four and five refer to the people of Israel as chosen and the recipients of much (covenants, the law, the privilege of worshiping God, and God’s promises). They were special and chosen. They were part of this promise by birth. Verse five reminds us that Jesus Christ was an Israelite from a human perspective.

Later in Romans 9, Paul references Hosea 2:23. The Jews are God’s chosen people, and so this verse is a promise for non-Jews, also known as the Gentiles that he will call them his people and love them.

I am not an Israelite nor was I born into a Jewish family, and therefore I’m not part of this special chosen group. However, God in his infinite mercy and grace had a plan for you and me, to call us to him, to call us his own.

Concerning the Gentiles, God says in the prophecy of Hosea,

“Those who were not my people,
    I will now call my people.
And I will love those
    whom I did not love before.” (Romans 9:25); taken from Hosea 2:23

Thank you God for revealing your truth to us, for putting people in our lives who love us unconditionally. May we see these people and these loving acts as an example of your love for us. Thank you God for your ultimate act of love in sending your son Jesus Christ to live as a human and die as a sacrifice for our sin. Jesus defeated death and saved us from our sin through his resurrection; there is no one like him, and we thank you God for this sacrifice and the amazing grace for all who choose to believe. Amen.

Garbage In, Garbage Out

Recycling ideas and environmental garbage management solutions and creative ways to reuse waste as old paper glass metal and plastic bottles shaped as a human head as a symbol for reusable thinking and conservation advice.

1 Samuel 10; Romans 8; Jeremiah 47; Psalms 23–24

I want to piggy back on Mike Somer’s post, Deadly Thoughts, from yesterday. Mike helps us to discover that the objects of our desire are often of a worldly nature. Today, I want to talk about another component to our wanting which is why we want the things we want. Seriously, when was the last time you stopped to consider why you want a new, car, camera, phone, or a sweater? The answer is found in a simple test of our focus.

Think back to yesterday. Starting from the time that you woke up, to the time that you went to bed, make a list of all the things that you did. In order to maximize the results, be detailed about it. For example, if you watched TV in the morning, what show did you watch? If you surfed the NET, what websites did you visit, if you read a book, what book did you read? The point is to understand  the kinds and quality of information that we are putting into our minds. As a participant in this exercise, I viewed my web browser’s history. It reveals that I visited my email and business sites the most and often interrupted them with Pinterest, facebook, HOUZZ, Amazon, Pantagraph and Atlas Obscura. I want to give you a golden opportunity to do the judging for me. Do you think these moments in my day qualify as Godly, or worldly? Wait, before you answer that, let’s get a true test from the Apostle Paul. He says, “those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit” (Romans 8:5). Now what do you think? The answer I came up with stings a bit.

The part of the test that stings is that it reveals my focus.  I spend much of my time filling my mind with worldly things.  To be fair, some of this is important.  It helps me run my business and communicate with people.  I will not, however, allow those things to become an excuse.  I must consider the alternative use of my time.  What if, instead of retreating to Facebook and Amazon, I reflected instead on God’s word?   How would it change my attitude?  Would it change the things that I want?  According to Paul, the answer is yes.  He equates living according to the Spirit with setting our minds on the Spirit.  The end result of this thinking is Life and Peace.  Galatians 5:22 expands that list to include love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

To be sure, this BibleJournal project is a good start for setting our minds on the Spirit.  I don’t know about you, but I can feel the Holy Spirit nudging me, ever so kindly, gently and lovingly to allow him into my mind more often.  I intend to do just that.  Will you?

If you would like to learn more about how we can allow God into our minds, I recommend reading A Mind For God, by James Emery White.  In it, he discusses the consequences of Christianity’s passive role in learning and building strong, Godly minds.  He explains his “mission to prepare [his] mind to not simply understand the ideas of the world but to engage the ideas of the world.”  The simple truth is that until we engage His word in more intellectual ways, we will never be able to fulfill His great calling on our lives.

 

Deadly thoughts

Today’s reading: 1 Samuel 9; Romans 7; Jeremiah 46; Psalm 22

August 17th, 2016

In today’s reading Paul wrestles with his sin.

For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. – Romans 7:14-15

Sin starts on the inside

When Jesus came he blew the lid off of religious pretense. The word became flesh (John 1:14), the word was truth and the truth could separate peoples’ thoughts and hearts from what is seen on the outside (Hebrews 4:12). Jesus knew what was happening on the inside and He called people on it. And the people were amazed! He did not raise the standard, He helped people understand that their religious leaders were blind to it. The Sermon on the Mount is not about virtuous living, it is about the truth and salvation. It is a true look at salvation. Jesus helps us understand how important the state of our thoughts and our hearts are when it comes to building the house of our life on a foundation of solid rock.

Thoughts, sin, death

Some call the book of James a commentary of the Sermon on the Mount. In James 1:14-15, we are taught the origin point of death. We are taught that death begins with thoughts, specifically lustful thoughts; desiring things of this world; wanting things for ourselves. When one lets their mind fix on getting things of this world, their heart follows after. The lust then graduates to sin as their life turns and shapes to take hold and position itself to claim what it desires (James 1:14). Sin, then fully mature, becomes death as it realizes itself (James 1:15). 

Battleground

Our thoughts are a spiritual battleground (Romans 12:2, 2Corinthians 10:3-5), on a realm of great importance (Proverbs 4:23). Thoughts mature into beliefs and beliefs shape our heart. The heart pursues itself with words(Luke 6:45) that then shape our lives (James 3:2-6). We must be aware of our thoughts and fight for the state of our hearts! Our hearts and our lives must belong to the LORD in truth. 

Foundation on the rock

As Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount, wise people will build the house of their life on the truth. The truth is our weapon against deadly thoughts (John 8:32, Ephesians 6:17). As we sharpen our swords consider with me the truth in Psalms 23:1:

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

I have come to believe that this is not a verse about getting things. Instead, I believe this is a verse about giving our heart and thoughts to the LORD. Not a verse about us getting everything we want if we submit to the LORD as our Shepherd. Instead, a truth about not wanting anything because we trust in the LORD to provide us with everything. The rest of the chapter 23 goes on to help us understand what that state of perfect trust will look like in our lives.

So if sin and death have their beginnings in the desires of our heart and mind (James 1:14-15), and we know that trusting in the Shepherd will guard us from wanting improper things (Psalm 23:1), the question then becomes; what do you want? If someone asked you “if you could have anything, what would it be?”… What would it be? Would it be something to be realized in this world or in heaven? What are we trusting in, the promises of this world or God’s promises? 

God may we all trust in You with everything and not want anything this world promises. May our trust be wholly in Your promises. Amen.

 

Extra Credit.

  • Close your eyes and repeat Psalm 23:1 to yourself three times in a row:
    • The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
    • First, I want to congratulate you on being able to read with your eyes closed. #Props
    • Now imagine how peaceful your life would be if you did not want. What would there be to stress about? 
  • I listened to this sermon from John MacArthur to prepare for this post. I highly recommend it: Sanctification and Sins of the Mind.

Victory in Battle

Today’s Reading:1 Samuel 7–8; Romans 6; Jeremiah 44; Psalms 20–21

Victory In Battle

Do you remember the song, Victory in Jesus? What a time tested song that has truth embedded throughout.  As we read today in Psalms 20-21 I reflect on that victory song and the sermon Mike Baker did this past week on, Rider on the White Horse and being victorious. When we find our victory through Him, we need to praise Him.

Unfortunately, we can often find trouble based on our own desires to conform to certain desires of the flesh.  Romans 12:2 reminds us not to conform  but in the testing we receive in battle, it can can help us see the desires of the Lord.  I pray we see the will of God in these moments.

Psalm 20:1 May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble! May the God of Jacob protect you!

Psalm 20:7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.

Challenge upon challenge can come at you at any moment without any kind of warning. What is our response? Taking a trip down memory lane can reveal the many times I trusted in myself, chariots or horses.  In these times I would struggle, make excuses, and continue the pattern. My prayer is that we turn to our Lord for everything and especially in our troubles.  In the heat of a moment I still can fall back to this old selfish pattern.  I will continue to pray for a faith that is present in all moments, has enough presence to change my heart, and present to the point it’s my first choice at all times.
So in our times of challenge by yourself, in your home, work, or community turn to God. Ask for Holy Spirit help and Psalm 20:4 says may he grant you your heart’s desire and fulfill all your plans!

Behind these deceptions is Satan who desires us to make bad choices and turn away from God. A spiritual battle that without God will sadly have one result.  In this battle we need our Lord and Holy Spirit to bring us to victory.

Psalm 20:8 They collapse and fall, but we rise and stand upright.

And when the victory is our Lord’s we will be like Psalm 21:13 Be exalted, O Lord, in your strength! We will sing and praise your power.

Romans 12:12 – Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.

Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.

It can be done, the short term victory is yours but the long term victory is HIS. God bless your Tuesday. If you missed last week sermon I have attached the message that shows how we can be victorious with HIM.

What Cannot be Heard

1 Samuel 5-6, Romans 5, Jeremiah 43 and Psalm 19

I’ve never written a journal entry on a Psalm. Mostly because I think they are pretty deep and the narrative text is far easier for me to connect with. Today, I decided to give myself (and you) a little challenge. I love the message we heard in Romans but I suspect it’s not your first time there. Instead, I decided to really pray on and connect with Psalm 19. As soon as I began reading the words, my mind heard a melody. Does that happen to you? So many church songs we grew up to are revealed to us in print when we study the bible. The author, presumably King David opens with:

“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.” (Psalm 19:1)

That line is one we’ve heard so often that it’s easy to breeze past it. David is literally saying here that the tangible vision we have of the open sky, the mountains, the seas and all the earth’s creatures is a proclamation of God’s work. The next part is what got my mind working today:

“Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. (Psalm 19:2-3)

I want to stop and just dwell there today. There is so much in Psalm 19 but something in these two verses really resonates with me. In verse 2, the phrase “pour out” literally means to gush or bubble up. This phrase is often used in the Bible to describe springs or fountains of water. David uses the metaphor of an endless fountain or bubbling stream to depict the endlessness of God’s speech in our world. Then, in verse 3 a paradox. He literally says, “There is no speech, nor are there words…” There it is. The very definition of faith. As Christians we must connect with our Heavenly Father and his word without really hearing his words first hand. We must look for the message and with practice, obedience and patience we of course will hear him through the Holy Spirit.

This isn’t a new concept for us to struggle with. Paul writes about it to the Roman’s, even quoting Psalm 19:

“For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.” (Romans 1:19-20)

 So we are without excuse. Sometimes I feel a little jealous of those Old Testament guys like Moses that got to actually hear God’s real voice. But as David and later Paul reminds us, the mark of our Father is absolutely everywhere we look. He is present in our lives and he wants connection with us. As the summer draws to a close and we all get into the rhythm of a new school year may we commit to getting into a rhythm with God. No, we cannot hear Him as Moses once did but we’ll be able to feel Him with cooler crisp breezes and see Him with changing leaves. Psalm 19 is inviting us to worship and honor him by attending to the glory of his creation. Listen for his voice in new ways and we will hear His call.

Faith and Righteousness

You, Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light. -Psalm 18:28

After wrestling with the idea of righteousness, it turns out it wasn’t exactly what I thought. Mostly I believed righteousness was what God required from us to be worthy of His fellowship and our salvation. But how righteous did we need to be? Holiness was impossible and if the standard was anything less, how would anyone determine where that line was drawn?

I believed we were all called to pursue righteousness, but there was a different kind of righteousness, the one that Jennifer clearly described in yesterday’s Bible Journal. It wasn’t the kind that came from discipline or hard work, though they both offered rewards. It was the kind that came from faith, something that comes easy for a child; from the kind of faith that we discover in moments of helplessness, when we surrender to One far greater. This was the righteousness that came from our belief in the existence of a God who loved us so much he took on flesh and allowed himself to be murdered for our un-righteousness. This was the righteousness that came by the grace.

Today’s reading: 1 Samuel 4; Romans 4; Jeremiah 42; Psalm 18

In today’s text (Romans 4:6-8) Paul talks about grace, quoting scripture: “Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness” (Genesis 15:6). He also shares David’s proclamation from Psalm 32:1-2 about the blessing from receiving undeserved righteousness. Abraham received this blessing and was credited righteousness by faith, not only Abraham but his descendants, and not only his biological descendants, but his spiritual descendants, for “….He is the father of us all” (Romans 4:16).

I find it fascinating that the message of the gospel, this “new covenant,” was anticipated from the beginning of time. It is mentioned throughout scripture, and offered to all humanity. Jesus’s disciples shared this message of grace and hope to both the Jews and Gentiles of their day, and to us. They offered compelling evidence found in the teachings of the Old Testament and from their personal experience with Jesus and the Holy Spirit. And thier message is still alive today: Jesus lives, God is real and through Jesus, God’s Holy Spirit manifests in millions of lives that are remarkably transformed each day throughout the world.

If an old man with a barren wife, to whom God appears and blesses with children is credited righteousness for his faith, What does that mean for us? A little faith goes a long way with God, faith that He is even willing to provide to us if we ask!

A Perfect Plan

A cross on clouds background, christianity, religious theme

1 Samuel 3; Romans 3; Jeremiah 41; Psalm 17

Today marks the halfway point of the 2016 summer Olympics. Despite the fact that I’m dead tired because I’ve been staying up way too late, I have had so much fun watching the competition.  These athletes are truly amazing.  I watched the US take gold in the women’s gymnastics team competition earlier this week.  As I jumped on ESPN.com to see what the sportscasters had to say the next morning, I saw an article about Gabby Douglas’ hand position during the medal ceremony.  Her patriotism was being questioned because her hands were at her sides, instead of having one hand on her heart like the other gymnasts.  Really?  Can’t we just celebrate the victory?  Nope.  Typical 21st century America – we had to find a way to make the 2012 women’s all-around champion, who tirelessly trained, overcame setbacks, fought her way back on to the 2016 team, then helped 3 first time Olympians win a gold medal, feel like she wasn’t good enough.

Our scripture in the first half of Romans 3 left me with a similar feeling today. Not good enough.  I am a Christ follower.  I pursue righteousness.  But verses 13 and 14 describe my words and actions more often than I want them to.

There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God.  All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.  Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit. The poison of vipers is on their lips.  Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.  Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and misery mark their ways, and the way of peace they do not know.  There is no fear of God before their eyes (Romans 3:10-18).

It is true. On my own, I am not capable of living up to God’s standards.  I am not good enough.  But read on, the second half of Romans 3 shows us there is still hope for me and there is hope for you.  Jesus gave his life as a sacrifice for our sins so we could be righteous in God’s eyes. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe (Romans 3:22).  This is great news.

My analytical mind, however, still wrestles with the question why.  Why would God offer sinners salvation through faith alone?  May I share with you a few insights I found incredibly helpful this week as I read through the Life Application Study Bible (Tyndale House Publishers)?

  • Faith eliminates the pride of human effort because faith is not a deed that we do.
  • Faith exalts what God has done, not what we do.
  • Faith admits that we can’t keep the law or measure up to God’s standard, we need help.
  • Faith is based on our relationship with God, not our performance.

God’s plan keeps our focus on him, not on ourselves.  Makes total sense.  The masterful plan of a perfect God.

Nothing can stand in the way of Him

I went to Haiti 3 weeks ago on a mission trip with the senior high ministry at Eastview Christian Church.  We finished building 2 houses for families that were a part of the church funded by Eastview.  One of the most impactful moments during the trip was the house dedication where we had a short service and gave the families the keys to their new home.  During the service there was a Haitian man translating for us. The family who was receiving the house said that in their old house they had holes in the roof and any time it rained they would worry about their children getting sick and being cold through the night.  They were thankful that they didn’t have to worry any more in their new house. That night when we were going back to the house we stayed in, it rained.  We discussed  as a group how incredible it was to give someone safety and warmth and to actually see God in action in Haiti.  Sometimes it takes months or years to see God’s plan unfold, but giving that family in Haiti the gift of a new house was a reminder to me of how powerful God can be, and how nothing can stand in the way of him. Try to remember that today if you feel like God isn’t working in your day to day life, he is always with us.  

1 Samuel 2; Romans 2; Jeremiah 40; Psalms 15–16

4 The bows of the mighty are broken,

   but the feeble bind on strength.

5 Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread,

   but those who were hungry have ceased to hunger.

The barren has borne seven,

   but she who has many children is forlorn. (1 Samuel 2:4-5)

I find it easiest to live out my life the way God intended on Sundays and after my small group meets on Wednesday nights, but by Friday the messages I’ve learned during the week are already forgotten.  Most people I talk to agree that It’s hard to stay focused on God when there are so many other distractions in the world, we become selfish, easily irritated and portray a hypocritical christian for those who don’t know Christ.  Gandhi (who was not a christian) said, “If all Christians acted like the Christ they follow, everybody would be a christian.” Think today about what might be holding you back from acting like the Jesus you follow. I’m not saying you have to be exactly perfect 100% of the time, but think about times when you could change your mindset, behavior or attitude.  Remember God doesn’t ask for perfection, he just asks that you strive for it, even though he knows you’ll fall short.  

21 you then who teach others, do you not teach yourself? While you preach against stealing, do you steal? 22 You who say that one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? 23 You who boast in the law dishonor God by breaking the law. 24 For, as it is written, “The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.” (Romans 2:21-24)