Many of us are familiar with the "Blessed are..." portions of Jesus' sermon on the mount and sadly, some think that's actually the entire sermon. But it's not. Our Lord's sermon spans two chapters in the Apostle Matthew's gospel, with the major theme being: live holy lives unto the Lord. Though the Beatitudes are very important, it's only the short introduction to Christ's great teaching on what a true Christian's life looks like.

The Lord Jesus strongly teaches that our mere profession of faith doesn't prove we belong to Him. Only the demonstration of the Holy Spirit's work gives evidence that we've been sealed (2 Cor 1:22). But if the fruit of righteousness isn't born in all who profess the name of Christ, it's clear they're not possessed by the life of Christ.

Sermon on the mount in a nutshell:

If the Son of God did not disrobe Himself of His glory to put on sackcloth and ashes (skin and bones), descend from Heaven to fulfill the requirements of God's righteousness, take the blame and shame for our sins, suffer, die and resurrect anew, then all of us would be without hope of ever attaining eternal life. But because all this did happen and Christ did come and lived a sinless life, bore the just judgement for our sins, suffered, died, was buried, rose and ascended back to Heaven, having completed His work, now seated at the right hand of the Father; all who believe and call on the name of the Lord, will be saved.

However, not all who call on the name of the Lord, actually believe the Lord. This is the message of the sermon on the mount: saved people live like Christ, not for a time, but for a lifetime. False converts live in opposition to what they profess, living how they really believe—that they are their own god and live in accordance with what they feel is right instead of what God says is right.

Because of the sermon on the mount, I am deeply grieved for the many (that Jesus says) will be shocked to find out they are not His. On the day of Judgement, they will discover all their "righteous" deeds were only filthy rags in God's sight, because they weren't done in faith and by the power of God. But they were performed for various self-satisfying reasons and for the praise of others (i.e., "I did that because it made me feel good" rather than "I did that because it pleases God").

A true Christian feels good because they do what is pleasing to God (as clearly revealed in His Word), rather than thinking because they feel good, God must be pleased.

"Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the LORD weighs the heart. To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice."

~Proverbs 21:2-3 (ESV)

Mr. Joe Koblenzer, a 73-year-old Vietnam War veteran, rightfully lost his hosting job at Cracker Barrel in Venice, Florida (Sarasota County) after he stole a corn muffin from the restaurant and gave it to a possibly (but not verified) homeless man. I know the title of this piece and opening statement is not a popular one, but it's the truth. And if you truly care about people, you share the truth; hoping peace, love and reconciliation will be shared between all involved.

The beauty of truth is that it's impartial. Equal weight is given to all and no favor is given to one party over another (Ex 23:2-3, James 2:3-4), otherwise it isn't truth, it's discrimination.

No rich person, no poor person, no child, no senior citizen, nor war veteran is above the law.

Wednesday, June 25, 2014 Cracker Barrel released this statement:

"Mr. Koblenzer has worked as a host at Cracker Barrel’s Sarasota store since April 2011. During the time he was employed, he violated the Company’s policies regarding consuming food without paying or giving away free food, on five separate occasions. Mr. Koblenzer received multiple counselings and written warnings reminding him about the company’s polices and the consequences associated with violating them. On the fifth occasion, again per Company policy, Mr. Koblenzer was terminated. Cracker Barrel is grateful for and honors Mr. Koblenzer’s service to our country as we honor all service men and women and their families."

I hadn't planned on writing about this, but after much prayer and a conversation with a misled Christian gal (that I don't know) on Twitter, I felt the truth needed to be shared. I prayed about this because I didn't want to add one more article to the same story that's been over-repeated from the same angle; Mr. Joe Koblenzer is good, Cracker Barrel is bad. But as I prayed, I realized I needed to write about it because this one-sided story is causing great injury to Cracker Barrel, the manager, the other employees, their families and the entire establishment (at least the one in Venice, Florida) because of this incident.

In order to honor God, bring peace to all (especially among my brothers and sisters in Christ), I share the facts below. Please consider them carefully.

FACT 1: Mr. Koblenzer took something that did not belong to him (regardless of monetary value or what he did with it) without the permission of the person who owned the item. That is called stealing...plain and simple (Mk 10:19).

FACT 2: This wasn't Mr. Koblenzer's first incident with stealing from his employers, it was his fifth (as far as his employers know). And his employers were kind and patient enough to verbally counsel him multiple times as well as give him written reminders not to steal in order to help Mr. Koblenzer overcome his illegal inclinations.

FACT 3: Cracker Barrel's policy for employee theft is not a weird, over-reaching rule about their merchandise...it's very ordinary and necessary. Every employer must terminate any employee who has the same presumptuous and entitled attitude that could affect and harm other employees who might be inclined to steal and justify it. Employee theft is not a harmless crime. It hurts many.

FACT 4: Though Mr. Koblenzer broke the law as well as company policy, his employers who did the right thing are being crucified by the public and media for upholding the the law and normal corporate, business policy.

FACT 5: While this entire incident is sad, just because Mr. Koblenzer is 73-years-old or is a war veteran should neither be the issue nor the reason for the media's and public's outrage. If any employee felt it was the "right thing to do" then they could and should pay for items they want to give to the needy.

Every since I was four years old, raised by poor immigrant parents, I gave to those I felt were in need. And not once did I steal property from others to do that. If I saw someone who needed food, I gave them mine. If I saw someone who needed a blanket, I gave them one, even if it just happened to be the only one I had. And what I've done isn't necessarily anything noble, it's merely loving my neighbor. It's Christianity 101. Countless others I know have loved their neighbors the same way (and I'm sure you have too)...that is, pay for food and other merchandise and give it to someone who's in need. That's what truly kind, thoughtful and loving people do. They don't steal from one to give to another, they give from what they have.

Please allow me a moment to digress. In response to the Christian gal on Twitter who told me that if I stole her purse and gave it to someone else, particularly "a starving man" that is, someone in a similar situation to the benefactor of the stolen corn muffin, then she would thank me. Let's more wisely and carefully consider your statement. If I stole your purse with all its contents (because why would anyone steal a content-less purse and give it to a starving man, how's he going to benefit from that?) and gave it to a "starving man", I'm pretty sure he'd either steal or sell your identity, then live like a king off of your credit cards and whatever else he could sell from the items in your purse. No, I don't think if I really did that (or if you really decided to give your purse away to a total stranger) you would be thankful...to anyone, except the person who helped you retrieve your stolen property.

CONCLUSION: This entire situation is sad and I wish the best for Mr. Koblenzer. I hope he finds another job and that he learned from this so he can be a more wise, thoughtful and trustworthy employee. But more than that, I pray for Mr. Koblenzer's soul; that he repents and trust Christ as His Savior. Then he will no longer have to steal or wonder where his next meal is coming from because the God of all creation will be his Provider for all things in this life and more importantly, in the life to come.

I also hope Cracker Barrel and all their employees won't be too damaged by this unfortunate incident. I for one will do what I can to help by dining at my local Cracker Barrel after church this Sunday. I hope you'll do the same.

I don't know about you, but often, when I read Scripture, I find myself in awe of the humble, compassionate and God-honoring responses and behaviors of the saints of old. I am often moved to repent after being exposed to the glaring truth that I would have never said or done the same things. Then I pray that the Lord would give me a more Christ-glorifying and genuinely loving heart that seeks God's will to be done and His name to be exalted instead of mine.

This happened during my reading of the Word today. While I was reading in Numbers 14 (which I've read a million times before, but never saw it this way), I was stunned by verses 11-19 and my reading came to a screeching halt as I repented of the truth I was faced with: I would have never responded the same way if I were in Moses's sandals. If God would have told me He was fed up all the whining, complaining and rebellion of a group of people I was well-acquainted with and therefore was going to destroy them all and start all over with me and my family, I ashamedly must admit; I would have not interceded for them.

No, rather than intercede on behalf of a bunch of half-hearted, ungrateful, idolatrous and selfish people, I would have burst with joy that the Lord was going to relieve me of being in relationship with these people. Then I would've thanked God for honoring me and my family. I would be glad to be rid of people who meander towards obedience to the LORD. I would have been most thankful to no longer have to endure their petty arguments and concede to their weak human need to have some comforts in this world. Oh how delighted I would be if I were in Moses sandals! But thanks be to God that I was not, because that was most certainly not the most gracious, compassionate and Christ-like response.

Unlike me, Moses was not elated to find out he might finally be rid of these people who repeatedly grumbled against God and him. No, Moses held not grudges. Moses was not bitter. Moses did not seek to further his own kingdom, agenda or ministry. Moses didn't get lost in the doing of ministry so that he forgot the God and people He was called to love and serve. No, Moses remembered what Mary so tightly held onto in Luke 10:39. Moses lived at the foot of his Master, which kept him humble and consumed with God's glory and pleasure in all things.

Rather than feel honored that God would wipe out an entire group of people undeserving of God's grace, and start all over with him and his family, Moses lamented over the thought that God's name might be reviled. Rather than rejoice in self-exaltation, Moses' thoughts were only for God's glory. And that's where I need to always be.

So today, I'm thanking God for His mercy and grace upon me—an undeserving recipient of His love. I am often appalled when I read Old Testament accounts of Israel's rebellion against God, or even Eve's rebellion in a perfect world...literally. But when I survey that wondrous Cross in which my Savior died for me, all I can conclude is that if I were Eve I would've eaten of the forbidden fruit faster than she did. And if I were an Israelite, I wouldn't have vacillated between obedience to rebellion, I would've remained in the latter.

I am grateful that God is more compassionate than I. And I am grateful that in Christ, I can be all that God commands me to be.

Father's Day is often a time when we celebrate and honor the life of the man who made the greatest difference in our lives. Some for good, and some for bad. Just the same, God gave fathers the greatest responsibility for leading their families.

In an ideal world, that would mean every father would love the LORD God with all their hearts and with all their soul and with all their mind and with all their strength; and love others better than themselves. But since we live in a fallen world wrecked with sin, this is not the kind of father we all had, or presently have.

Some of us have fathers who either don't know the LORD at all, or profess to know the LORD but their profession is all there is. Some of us weren't raised by Christian father's whose greatest desire was to see their children walking in the Way of the Lord Jesus, who sacrificed his comforts for his family and others, and who lived to love others better than he was ever loved by them.

Christ-honoring fathers are the kinds of fathers that are easy to celebrate and honor every day of our lives. But what if we don't have this kind of father? Are we to slap on a plastic face and lavish our fathers with flattery and speak of them in a way we wished for them to be, but they never were? Are we too ashamed to admit our father's didn't raise us in the loving instruction and discipline of the Lord both in word and deed? And then, rather than remain silent, or speak the truth we can, we lie to them and others in order to join in on this celebration?

And what about wives? Should wives give false praise to husbands whose character doesn't exude the life of Christ? Should we decorate our husbands with accolades that really don't speak to their godly character?

Rather than seem like ungrateful and ungodly children and wives, we spit shine our false image of our fathers and husbands so we can pretend they are the people they really aren't. Us mothers do our children a great disservice when we lie about our husband's non-existent godly behaviors. We need to teach our children how to appreciate what's really there, rather than condone our already saturated world of lies.

So this year, resolve not to purchase your fathers or husbands cards that talk about what fantastically godly men they are if they're not; lest they believe your lies and never aspire to be such. Rather, purchase them cards that honestly speak of your love and prayers for them. If you can't find one, then make one. Truth is always better than fiction.

Neither profaning nor falsely glorifying ungodly fathers and husbands is good. They are both sinful behaviors many participate in, only to preserve their own image of godliness. But there is no sin in godliness; only truth and light.

So how do we celebrate and honor men who are not worthy of honor and celebration? We honor them by being honest, and loving them in truth. Rather than lavish them with false thanks and accolades before friends, family and social media, we ought to thank them for what we truly can and pray for them to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ (see Celebrating a Different Kind of Mother) .Only through our genuine display of love and prayers can they actually lead their families in the Way of the Lord Jesus in word and deed.

I am grateful to the Lord for my unbelieving earthly father God chose for me. Though many terrible and painful things happened because of this, I am blessed by the countless lessons I've learned about what true, godly love is, and what it isn't.

I am grateful to the Lord for my believing husband who has fathered our sons in the loving instruction and discipline of the Lord. Not having had a godly example, my darling husband has had many bumps in the road (just as I have as a mother). So I don't flatter him to overcome his failings, but I do honor and celebrate his humble heart that's sensitive to the Holy Spirit's call to repentance. My darling husband faithfully strives for holiness by reading and studying God's Word daily and honestly confessing his sins to me and our sons (Jn 3:21); teaching us not to follow him in sin, but to follow him in the ways of the Lord. My husband's heart is much like King David's—stumbles in sin, but quick to repent.

If you're reading this now and feel a bit discouraged because you neither have a father nor a husband who is worthy to be praised, then remember this: if you repent and trust in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, then you have the best, most loving and perfect Father—your Father in Heaven! And there is not one thing our heavenly Father does or says that is not worthy of praise. Even if we praised the LORD for all His goodness to us with every breath we take from here and throughout eternity, it would never match the praise He is due.

"You have multiplied, O LORD my God, Your wondrous deeds and Your thoughts toward us; none can compare with You! I will proclaim and tell of them, yet they are more than can be told."

~Psalm 40:5 (ESV)