Travel Update!

Tomorrow I am flying down to Melbourne, Australia.  God willing I will be preaching at Calvary Chapel Melbourne and I look forward to holding forth God's Word.  I've been very blessed by the time of preparation and I have no doubt that God will prepare all our hearts to hear from Him.

The messages have come out of Hebrews 11:32-34:  "And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets: [33] who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, [34] quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens."  I find it ironic that most of the men of faith mentioned here are typically used as examples of what not to do.  If God sees these as men of faith, then instead of dwelling on faults and shortcomings it would be wise to consider their examples as good for a change.

God does not see as man sees.  He looks at the heart.  Instead of focusing on the faults of others, it would do us well to consider our faith.  Last I checked our names are not found listed in Hebrews 11.  Ours is a story yet to be written:  when Christ comes again, will He find faith on the earth?  Will faith be found in you?

Can Purity come from Impurity?

I came across a flask on the ground the other day.  It was a empty water bottle in the shape of a flask by a Lake Tahoe company called "Liquid Salvation."  The company slogan grabbed my attention:  "Pure Water for an Impure World."  On the bottle was a "she-devil" or succubus, a female demon.  When an order is placed for water online, you can choose between the "horns" or "halo" packaging to suit your taste.  The whole thing is in bad taste if you ask me, and is a further sign of the moral erosion and perversion of what is good.

The devil loves nothing more than cheapening the goodness and grace of God.  He will stop at nothing to pervert the straight way of the LORD, and the world loves it!  Halo or horns, it doesn't matter!  But I am confident that the horns are much more popular.  These are the days when wickedness is called good the prophet Isaiah spoke about. Isaiah 5:20 says, "Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!"

The rainbow in the heavens was a sign of a promise God gave to Noah and all the inhabitants of earth, that He would never destroy the earth with a flood again.  The homosexual community has taken the curved rainbow and made it straight, perverting God's creation.  God instituted marriage to be monogamous between one man and one woman, yet countless websites are dedicated to enabling and teaching people to cheat on their wives and husbands without being caught.  Their catchphrases are "Have an affair - life is short."  and "Married but looking?"  On cnn.com there was an article today about if monogamy is realistic in our modern culture.  More and more people are convinced it is not a moral decision if you swing or have affairs, but a personal one that no one can say anything about.  Pornography is no longer seen as a vice or dirty but a healthy way to spice up lovemaking and is an acceptable rite of passage for today's youth.

Is salvation to be found in a liquid?  Is there any purity to be gained from this impure world?  Is forgiveness no longer necessary?  Is the brazen attack by Satan upon the family God instituted and designed certain to succeed?  2 Tim. 3:13 warns us, "But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived."  God has given us His perfect law which does not alter.  The pure message of the Gospel did not originate from the earth, but from God in the heavens.  Deceived people have suggested that God does not exist, there is no absolute truth, and even if there was truth it is outdated and does not apply to us!  The culture of today is primarily humanism, hedonism, and heathenism.  Anyone who thinks that technology has made humanity more "advanced" is a fool.  Modern technology enables man to pursue the basest of sexual sin with more reckless abandon than ever before in his history.  His pride and arrogance in this pursuit will be his destruction.

Now is the time for Christians to make a stand for Christ.  I do not mean that we should write television producers, set up picket lines, stand in front of abortion clinics with tape over our mouths, sign petitions, or put our faith in politicians.  We must be personally right with God first, walking in righteousness.  Could you imagine a world where the Christians could never be rightly accused of hypocrisy?  Can you imagine a world where Christians never looked at pornography, did not cheat on their wives or husbands, had the lowest rate of divorce, were sexually above reproach, were never closet alcoholics or drug users, and were the hardest workers, the best soldiers, the most courageous, bold, loyal,  honest, and upright citizens?

We all have sinned and made mistakes.  1 Cor. 6: 9-11 says, "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, [10] nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. [11] 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."  This is the true message of the Gospel today, same as it has been since the beginning.  All men have sinned and the wages of sin is death.  But now that we have repented and been converted by the blood of Jesus by grace through faith, let us walk uprightly.  It is not for us to point fingers and complain because the lost are lost, the spiritually blind are spiritually blind, fornicators fornicate, or drunkards drink.  Will you show them the way to Christ through your righteous conduct?  How shall they hear the Gospel unless they first see a person demonstrate the power of God through a sanctified life?

There is nothing pure in this world.  Even bottled water has been tainted by the appearance of evil and lies of the devil.  But our hope is found in Jesus Christ, and the promise of the Holy Spirit now without measure.  He will make us fountains of Living Water, and all who thirst Christ will satisfy with eternal life.  Allow me to conclude with 1 Thes. 4:3-7:  "For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; [4] that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, [5] not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God; [6] that no one should take advantage of and defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also forewarned you and testified. [7] For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness."

The Life of a Messenger

Have you ever had to deliver an uncomfortable message?  I remember the time I was asked by a friend to serve a mate with divorce papers.  Uncomfortable and awkward is how I would describe that interaction.  Many times when I worked at a church I would approach transient people in various stages of sobriety and volatility and ask them to leave the property.  There have been times in preaching when I have been led by the LORD to touch on a sensitive subject or confront an issue.  It is always hard, and my flesh tends to resist.  If I said it always feels rewarding to deliver God's messages it would be a lie.  There is nothing more rewarding than walking in obedience to God delivering His messages, but it is not easy, simple, or fun for the flesh.  Sometimes it is grievous, gut-wrenching, and painfully hard to say what is right.

As children of God, we are tasked to deliver His message to the world.  Praise Him we are not alone in this joyful duty!  The message is greater than the messenger, and the one who sends the message is greater than the message itself.  In a Christian's case Christ is our message, and we remain less than the message.  He is the Vine and we are the branches.  Any branch that would elevate itself will be separated from the Vine and rendered powerless.  King Saul is a perfect example:  he exalted himself over the commands of God, and God's Spirit left him and an evil spirit was sent to torment him.  Saul was once small in his own eyes, but he was lifted up with pride and great was his fall.

What message has God given you to deliver?  The other day I was struggling to pray and asked God what He wanted me to do.  Though I have regular times of prayer, it has been a challenge to remain focused.  As I waited on the LORD, the only thing He impressed upon my heart was, "I want you to open your mouth."  Now if you know me personally, you know I have no problem with talking.  I feel like I need to shut my mouth rather than open it!  But the LORD showed me that He wants me to open my mouth concerning His righteous statutes, judgments, and truth.  A lot of times I stay quiet when I should speak.

2 Tim. 4:2 says, "Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching."  I have never met a teacher who could not speak.  I am not saying you cannot learn from a mute teacher.  Communication is best done through verbal or written words.  Can a man convince, rebuke, exhort, or teach with hand signals?  He would probably not be very effective, persuasive, or clear.  The Word is our message, and before we can teach we must have learned.  A man who knows nothing is not convincing.  We must know what is right before we can properly convince, rebuke, or exhort.  Because this task requires spiritual discernment, we must be empowered with the Holy Spirit, whom the Father gives to all who ask Him.  Jesus says in Luke 11:13, "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!"

Your life is sending a message to the world whether you choose to open your mouth or not.  What message does it hold forth?  Even if we speak the truth, we must remember to be longsuffering.  God is longsuffering, one of His wonderful attributes.  2 Peter 3:9 says, "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance."  If God was not longsuffering, we would all be damned.  He is not lazy or a procrastinator.  We are the ones who excel at these vices!  I am glad that God is longsuffering towards the heathen and godly alike, for if God treated us according to our sins who should remain?

When I went on a mission trip to Israel in 2005, God opened my understanding concerning the delivery of the message of the Gospel.  People will not warm to facts, but to love.  When people realize that you come to them because of your love for them, they will listen.  When we bring a message because we are right and they are wrong, they will likely be defensive and closed to the message.  Though words are important, the way we say something is more telling than our words.  1 John 1:5-7 says, "This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. [6] If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. [7] But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin."

The messenger is not responsible for the reception of the message.  But we have a responsibility to deliver God's message with the grace, love, and longsuffering of Christ.  We need not apologize for the truth, and it cannot be diluted.  As a patient with a potentially terminal condition must hear the truth to be convinced to undergo radical life-changes for a cure, people need to hear the unadulterated truth of God's message:  we who were once far from God can now be brought near through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ.  Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life, and those who believe on Him will never die.  May God grant us the boldness to speak the truth in love.

A Sacrifice of Praise

Recently I attended one of the larger churches in the Brisbane region.  The church building has all the amenities of a modern, lavish fellowship in the States.  For a price lunch could be purchased after the service in the church's outdoor food court.  The building was bustling with activity:  Sunday school for the children, a large information desk with several attendants, greeters, ushers, and on.  It was the kind of place it would be easy to keep to yourself, show up late, leave early, and keep a low-profile.

From the moment the service began, it was flash and dash, razzle-dazzle.  About twenty people filled the stage as lights flashed above and behind them.  Cameras would shoot close-ups of the half-dozen people towards the front of the stage who danced as they sang, and the image simultaneously projected on enormous screens.  I couldn't help but notice the strikingly similar style of them all.  They were all young, energetic, attractive, the males sporting short mustaches and tousled hair, and the team all clapped with the same form.  When they raised their hands it was as if they had been trained by the same "worship" teacher, imitating a single motion.  But there was something strangely absent in the hoopla and showmanship of the worship team.  Oh, I heard them say the name of Jesus many, many times.  But I'm not sure that Jesus was there.  He wasn't really needed.

I jotted down some lyrics from the songs:  "You make me stronger...we're breaking down these walls...it's the sound of victory."  Huh.  I must disagree with the premise.  Jesus does not make us "stronger" because that assumes we have a measure of strength in ourselves.  Paul said when he was weak, God was strong!  No, apart from Jesus Christ we are all like Samson when the Spirit of God left him:  weak, blind, bound, taken captive, imprisoned, and enslaved.  Can we break down a spiritual wall?  Jesus is the one who by Himself as broken down the wall of separation as it is written in Ephesians 2:13-14:  "But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. [14] For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation..."  We cannot break down a wall, we cannot calm a storm, we cannot even lift our own heads!  It was David who wrote in Psalm 3:3:  "But You, O Lord, are a shield for me, my glory and the One who lifts up my head."

As I watched the people on stage saying the name of Jesus, eyes closed, with hands raised in identical fashion, it occurred to me that many people believe the display on stage is "worship."  I am convinced the people on stage believed it was worship too.  No:  it was singing and dancing.  A song is no better than the message, and the message was humanistic.  Worship is the praise, adoration, and glorification of God.  Worship of God can be enjoined through the skillful playing of instruments, singing, or dancing.  "Worship" is not something reserved for Sundays with flashing lights and electric guitars.  Worship is submission to God in every facet of life.   I had the feeling I was watching the prophets of Ba'al on Mount Carmel trying to call down fire from heaven.  But God is not like a dog that comes when you whistle.  James 4:8 says, "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded."

We are in the age of the "All You Have To Do Is Believe" gospel, with a little "g."  It is uncommon in modern churches to hear about the necessity of repentance and confession of sin.  A man cannot be converted until he has repented; he cannot repent until he has been convicted; he will not be convicted unless he is faced with the All-powerful righteous God.  It is the impending harsh consequences that move a felon to confess his crimes.  In the same way, a man must confess before God his gross sin and rebellion.  It is the goodness of God, not the harshness of our punishment which leads a man to repentance and salvation through faith.  Hebrews 10:19-22 says, "Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, [20] by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, [21] and having a High Priest over the house of God, [22] let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water."

During the service I was not angry or indignant.  But I was certainly grieved because of the lack of sound doctrine according to scripture.  Christianity is not about what God can do for man, how He can prosper our finances and do miracles in our lives.  When we follow the doctrine of humanism (God exists for the happiness of man) we sever the head of Christ from the Body of Christ.  Our power becomes political, not spiritual.  Our focus becomes activity, not piety that God would be glorified.  Many would rather rejoice in their flesh than repent.  God would rather godly sorrow than our songs with self-empowering themes.  2 Cor. 7:10 says, "For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death."  I think it's time for us to come to God on His terms for a change.

There are an infinite number of ways to worship our LORD and Savior, for He is infinitely good and worthy of all praise.  Informal, liturgical, traditional, there are many styles for many tastes.  But if the salt has lost its savor, it is garbage.  Make sure that Jesus is the savor that marks your meetings.  Ephes. 5:2 says, "And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma."  Instead of offering strange fire before Him, let us offer ourselves as a sacrifice of praise, worshiping God in spirit and truth.

Fear is good?

Tonight I had an unplanned adventure.  This evening at dusk, I decided to take a run past the bridge on Illaweena Street.  Once I reached the bridge, I decided to crawl under the fence and run a trail along the motorway that I have been theorizing loops to the top of my street.  Crows croaked to each other overhead, and animals rustled through the dead sticks and leaves on my right.  Early on I decided that I was committed to finishing the loop, dark or not.  Though I was running uphill, my pace quickened.  On my left was a fence separating me from the oncoming cars on the motorway and to my right was a thickly wooded forest as I ran down the rocky path, wide enough to accommodate a full-size truck.

I had not run far before I ran through a single strand of spider web to the face the thickness of dental floss.  Great, I thought to myself, knowing that the path eventually narrowed ahead.  As I ran I quickly took inventory of my shirt, making sure that I had not picked up some fearsome Aussie eight-legged beast.  Now I don't consider myself afraid of spiders, but the thought of running face first into webs of spiders whose fangs are visible to the naked eye in the dark did not sound good.  Jesus, I need you to get me through this, I prayed out loud.  "Do you trust me?"  Yes, LORD.  "Then trust me to lead the way.  Nothing will harm you."  As much as I wanted to turn around, I pressed on through the falling darkness.  By this point I knew where I was and I thought of the thickening woods towards the end of the path.  What was I thinking, running through the woods after dark?

Was I afraid?  I suppose so.  I could feel adrenaline tingling through my legs and arms, bringing goose bumps to the surface.  If there was no such thing as fear, there would be no need for adrenaline!  Then it occurred to me:  if there was no such thing as fear, there would be no impetus for faith.  Why trust God if you are capable in yourself?  It is fear of burning to death which moves a person to jump three stories from a burning building onto the pavement beneath.  That person does not have a death wish:  he wants to live.  He wants to live so badly that he is willing to jump from a height that under normal circumstances he would never consider.  Fear stimulates the need to exercise faith.

Before I preach, I experience a full-range of emotions.  I am excited about what God has called me to deliver, but I tremble at the monstrous responsibility of the task.  Should a messenger tarnish the King's command, his blood will be on his own head.  There is a reverential awe that turns a man toward complete reliance upon the Holy Spirit for utterance, for without anointing it will be wind without effect.  Like Joseph when he was asked to interpret Pharaoh's dream, I can say the ability to preach is not in me.  But I know it is what God has called me to do, and so I will do my part to be faithful to that calling when opportunity presents itself.

I challenge you to answer the question:  what makes you afraid?  God knows.  Allow your fear to direct your heart towards deeper faith in Jesus.  True to His Word, I emerged from the forest in the dark without harm.  Adrenaline is a powerful chemical that enables us to push harder, to "fight or fly" with strength beyond natural capacity.  When fear strikes, faith can be stronger.  Faith in our God allows Him to work supernatural wonders in our lives which bring Him glory and praise.  I believe fear is a good thing because it moves a man to pray.  It coaxes us to jump for salvation found in Jesus Christ alone.  When we reach the end of our ability and we recognize this, we must rely upon the One who will see us through.  We will say like David in Psalm 23:4, "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; your rod and Your staff, they comfort me."  Those who fear God need not fear, because fear moves a man to faith.

Faith is Believing, not Seeing!

"By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going."
Hebrews 11:8

There is a common assumption among Christians today that we need to have all the answers before we can interact properly with skeptics of faith.  Many will intentionally avoid discussing their faith because of their lack of knowledge.  The fact remains that if you have Christ you can share Christ.  We live in a day when education and knowledge are glorified like never before.  The trouble is, the Christian walk is does not hinge upon knowledge, but faith.  Our faith is according to knowledge, but true faith trumps facts every time.

Abraham is a case in point:  by faith he obeyed God.  The scriptures say in Genesis 12:1, "Now the Lord had said to Abram:  "Get out of your country, from your family and from your father's house, to a land that I will show you."  Abraham didn't know all of the facts.  He didn't know where he was going or how the pieces of his life would fall into place.  He didn't know how he would water his flocks or if there were unseen dangers in the wilderness.  But all the things Abraham did not know was overshadowed by what he did know:  He knew God, and he heard God's command.  Based on his faith in God he obeyed Him.

In my current situation, this is a great encouragement to me.  Since I made the call upon my life in Australia known to people, I have been asked all kinds of questions I still have no answers for.  People desire dates, particulars, a schedule, how I will afford the move, how I will obtain a proper visa, if I have considered homeschooling, will I sell my house, on and on and on!  I have been faced with well-meaning comments like, "If you want people to support you with prayer and finances, you need to give them more information."  I have no idea how anything will be worked out in the end, even today.  But I know the One whom Abraham trusted and obeyed:  I know God, and I have heard the call to Australia.  God is worthy of all glory, honor, trust, and obedience.

I do not see it as any less than a divine miracle by God's grace that man can know God.  His ways "are past finding out," but He has revealed Himself to us through the beauty and order in nature, the testimony of our conscience, His infallible Word, the Law and the Prophets, Jesus Christ and His fulfillment of scripture, His love, teachings, sinless life, crucifixion, resurrection from the dead, and ascension, and the testimony of the Holy Spirit.  Because our God supplies all our needs, Jesus says in Matthew 6:25:  "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?"  Life is more than food and clothing, but often we reduce it to that level:  physical needs and physical comfort.

God supplied the needs of the apostle Paul through his trade as a tent-maker and the contributions of the saints.  But to say that Paul received physical comfort in this life would be a bold-faced lie, seeing he was beaten, shipwrecked, stoned and left for dead, falsely accused, and his life was often threatened.  He ended up dying for his faith in Christ.  He writes to Timothy and us in 2 Tim. 1:8-12:  "Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, [9] who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, [10] but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, [11] to which I was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles. [12] For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day."  Paul entreats us to share in suffering for the sake of the Gospel according to the life God has graciously granted us.  Paul knew whom he believed (God), and was persuaded that God had redeemed him from death and would keep him.  Paul didn't know all the facts.  But he knew God and that what God promises He is able to perform.

My temptation is to be in a hurry to have details concerning a visa or employment worked out and in so doing step out of the will of God.  Did you know Moses knew God had called him to deliver the children of Israel before the burning bush?  Acts 7:23-25 tells us, "Now when he was forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren, the children of Israel. [24] And seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended and avenged him who was oppressed, and struck down the Egyptian. [25] For he supposed that his brethren would have understood that God would deliver them by his hand, but they did not understand."  Moses would flee from Egypt and spend 40 years tending his father-in-law's sheep.  Then the Lord spoke to him through the burning bush and called him to return to Egypt for the purpose of delivering God's people.  Moses tried to help out in his own way by killing the Egyptian.  He tried to force things.  God needed to get the glory for the deliverance of the Israelites as a testimony for all nations of His power and might, not Moses.  God humbled Moses and granted him meekness for the task He had appointed for Him.

Joseph was another that God visited at a young age with dreams of being a great ruler.  He was hated by his brothers and sold into slavery.  He went from being the most loved of his father to being a slave in the house of Potiphar.  He was accused of rape and sent to prison.  During that time by God's wisdom he made known the dreams of two men which both came true.  Though Joseph asked the butler to remember him and help him be delivered from prison, he was forgotten entirely for two years.  A day came when Pharaoh had a dream and it occurred to the butler that Joseph could interpret dreams through the power of God.  Joseph was whisked out of prison, washed, dressed in proper clothes, and made his appearance before the ruler of all Egypt.  After interpreting Pharaoh's dream, he was promoted to second in command in all Egypt.  I'm sure this was not the way Joseph would have figured the dreams God gave him in his childhood would be worked out.  He knew God was faithful and that His plan was perfect.

Whether because of your life right now or the uncertain days in which we live, now is the time to place our faith in God and His plan.  It is not about my life, but about God receiving the glory, honor, and praise He deserves from this breath.  Only God could make such a conversion!  I still do not know the times or seasons which God has in His own power, but I want to be obedient.  I know God, and I know what He has said.  He will never leave me or forsake me.  Don't be deceived to think you must have all the facts in order before you proceed.  Trust God, for His is able to do exceedingly abundantly more than you can ask or think that His name would be lifted up throughout the earth.  Where you are going is not as important as who you follow, for God will lead the way.

Dinner at the Landman's

For a little change of pace, I put together a video about spare ribs, a Landman specialty.  The taste of South Africa in Australia!  Dinner was a special treat, and there were "Ribs for All!"  I thank God for the Landman family and for his remarkable provision. 

Finishing God's Sentences

During a church service recently, I was disappointed with the pastor's handling of scripture.  He began his sermon reading carefully through his notes, and it was 20 minutes into the message before he made the first (yet veiled!) scriptural reference.  When he finally did reference a scripture, a power-point presentation displayed the scripture behind him on the wall.  Some of the verses from the Bible he read through all the way, but on two of the longer passages the reading was prefaced with, "You all know this..." and then he proceeded to skim the portion, not reading verbatim or entirely.  But do we know these verses, pastor?  We might have heard it before, but do we understand it?  Do we live in complete submission to the Word, or do we skip a little, and finish the scripture with "blah blah blah?"  There was a hint of apology in his voice which said,  "I'm sorry this isn't as interesting as what I have to say."  He didn't summarize his sermon--just the scriptures scavenged to prop it up.

I am certainly not perfect, for I have been guilty of skimming through verses to read the commentary following.  The pastor's mashing of familiarity with understanding and equating it to personal practice is common for believers.  We think because we've heard it, we know it.  If we know it, we must understand it, right?  Of course not!  I can hear people speak in a foreign language and perhaps mimic what I heard back to them, but it is not with understanding.  I have successfully answered countless math problems in high school and college that I didn't understand.  I had no comprehension of the fundamental concepts of how or why the process worked.  I couldn't explain it!  But like a monkey wearing clothes and riding a pushbike as he had been trained, I copied the process.  It should be no wonder a sermon lacks power when we skim over the Word of God which is the employed by the Holy Spirit to be fruitful in our lives.

A habit I find repulsive (because I used to do it, of course!) is when people finish sentences for others.  If I sense someone is going to finish a sentences for me I will pause, and then say something different from what was said by my assuming friend.  It's how I work on my vocabulary!  If we can predict the words of our fellow believers, it follows Christians can get into the habit of doing the unthinkable:  finishing God's sentences.  Go to any church service on a Sunday (and I have been guilty, absolutely) and observe as the pastor reads a familiar passage.  Hushed throughout the sanctuary people can be heard finishing the passage under their breath before the preacher  Perhaps out of habit, perhaps to show their Bible mastery, people parrot the Word of God as if they are repeating lines from a movie.  When we finish God's sentences, we rob ourselves of the ability to hear God speak because we have stopped listening.

The same problem can be seen among familiar stories in scripture.  Because we've heard the story, we think we know all there is to know about it.  Last night in Bible study we talked about when the paralytic was lowered through the roof and was healed by Jesus.  You may not have considered it, but how do you think the falling debris and rubble affected the meeting inside?  As Jesus preached, there was loud scuffling and hammering sounds on the roof.  As dust began to rain down, a bang revealed a patch of sunlight through swirling dust as the hole grew wider and wider.  Bit by bit roofing material was pulled away and more dirt dropped down on the occupants.  Once the hole became large, a body was lowered down through the hole.  The meeting was officially disrupted by a paralyzed man suspended in air.  Then Jesus spoke.  What did He say?  I wonder if you can remember what He says.  What He says is not what I would expect to hear!  If the suspense is killing you, read the whole story in Mark chapter 2.

My prayer is this post would radically change the way you read the Word of God.  It should not to be handled casually, like fiction novels, movies, or a video game.  Every word is loaded with significance.  We cannot afford to take anything God has preserved for us in His Word for granted.  We must read critically:  not to criticize, but to carefully mull over every detail and apply the lessons personally.  How many times have we been guilty of reading, not understanding, but continuing on?  We are the loser!  Remember how many times the disciples came to Jesus to ask Him to explain what He was talking about?  I wonder if we are willing to humble ourselves and do the same.  Listen to the words of Christ to His disciples in Luke 8:10: "And He said, "To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that 'Seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.'"  To us it has been given!  But many have not received.

To comprehend God's Word, we need God to teach us.  Luke 24:45 tells us that Jesus explained the Word "And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures".  He has granted us the Holy Spirit, who will guide us into all truth.  But as long as we are convinced we know we will remain ignorant.  Oh that God would unveil His truth before my eyes!  May all pride and arrogance due to familiarity be crucified with Christ, that I might humbly receive the crumbs from His table!  We need not beg when our God has a seat for us reserved at His table spread with a banquet.  I tell you the truth:  those who are in the habit of finishing God's sentences remain spiritually starved and wonder why they even bother to open the Bible.

I praise God that we can familiarize ourselves with something so precious as God's Word.  We can hold it in our hands and learn truths that we do not deserve to utter, much less realize!  We can think about it all the day, and read it upon our beds at night.  But may it never, ever, become familiar to us.  May we never lose the wonder, excitement, and power of God in His Word.  One would never expect to see nuggets of gold lying in the street.  We must dig for them, and God will show us how to mine His truth.  It is more precious than the universe itself, for God's Word shall never pass away.

Insurance or Assurance?

More and more these days, insurance is a prime topic of discussion.  Medical insurance reform has been a hot topic in the States for years.  Emotions run high as people raise concerns about how reform might work against their personal and family needs.  No one minds "reform" as long it conforms to our benefit.  It struck me today that man can only provide insurance, not assurance.  People are willing to sell you an insurance policy for a premium cost, but that does not change the uncertainty of the future.  A man might have millions in his retirement accounts, but that doesn't mean he will be able to use it!  There is no insurance that can cover a man's soul.  All the insurance in the world cannot assure you of your stake in the future.  In fact, when we purchase insurance we bank on things going wrong!

By this introduction I am not saying that insurance is without value, or that it reveals a lack of faith and inherent weakness.  What I am saying is insurance has no ability to control your future.  It simply gives you help during your uncertain future.  You might be dumped the first time you make a claim on your homeowners insurance, or you might have a rate increase in your car insurance premium if you have an accident.  Medical costs may be denied if your insurer can prove you had a pre-existing condition, or if you do not report an injury according to their policy.  Insurance doesn't stop your water heater from flooding your home, stop car accidents from happening, or keep you from cancer.

One of the aspects I love most about God is that He gives assurance to all who trust in Him:  assurance of love, forgiveness, peace, strength, and provision.  God does not offer insurance, because that is based on merit.  God offers assurance by His grace.  Isaiah 32:17 says, "The work of righteousness will be peace, and the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever."  The original Hebrew word for "assurance" in this passage defined in the Bible Knowledge Commentary is "a place of refuge; abstract safety, both the fact (security) and the feeling (trust)."  We receive the righteousness of God through confession of sin, repentance, and through faith in Jesus Christ.  The Holy Spirit regenerates us to live for the glory and praise of God.  A bi-product of this relationship with God is peace and an eternal refuge in our Savior.  Assurance speaks of unshakable security, an eternally binding covenant signed with the blood of Jesus Christ.

Listen to these quotes of Christ:  in John 3:3 "Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."  Also in John 5:24:  "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life."  John 6:47 states, "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life."  The assurance of God is better than the insurance of men.  But which do you rely upon more?  Most times man will only receive the assurance of God when he is left without other options.  We are quick to look to our own abilities, and breathe easier when insured.  But insurance is no substitute for assurance from God.  It is God who has granted us breath, and only He has the power to save!

God has not only given assurance to the believer, however.  It is written in Acts 17:30-31:  "Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, [31] because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead."  The word translated "assurance" from the Greek in this passage means, "persuasion, i.e. credence; moral conviction (of religious truth, or the truthfulness of God or a religious teacher), especially reliance upon Christ for salvation; abstract constancy in such profession."  What more does God need to do to persuade men to live for His glory?  Is He not trustworthy?  Should the commands of God be ignored by any, seeing as He has provided credibility of His Word through the resurrection of Christ?

The world may look upon followers of Christ with pity, seeing them as small-minded fools who are not capable of rational thought.  To the contrary:  it is better to trust God than men.  It would be better to be a fool for Christ and go to hell than to reject Christ and live forever on earth, for Christ is true, worthy, and right.  Has He not given assurance according to the power of His resurrection?  Has He not said, "I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matt. 28:20)?  Speaking for myself, I would rather be in the presence of God in hell than without God upon the earth.  Psalm 37:16 says, "A little that a righteous man has is better than the riches of many wicked."  Jesus says that it is the Father's good pleasure to give us (His faithful children) the kingdom (Luke 12:32).

Let us no longer be afraid of the uncertainly of this word, for we have the certain promises of God.  In my devotions this morning I read in 2 Tim. 1:6-7:  "Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. [7] For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind."  May we walk in assurance of all that God has said, our confidence founded in the good Word of God and His exceedingly precious promises.  We know that what He has promised He is able to perform.  Man does not need insurance for life, but God offers assurance for eternal life!  Our future is secure in Christ, and we have ample assurance of that!

Don't relax on the downhills!

When I ran cross country in high school, my strength was running uphill.  If we ran a course with hills, I would lean forward, push hard, and easily churn past struggling runners.  But the problem was, the weakest aspect of my running was the downhills!  I remember running the Mt. Sac Invitational, a course feared for some of the most hilly terrain in Southern California.  What I recall most is miserable dustiness of the first mile!.  There were parts of the course that even had nicknames ascribed to them, like the "Switchbacks" and "Poop Out Hill."  My final time running the race, I passed about 20 runners heading up "Reservoir Hill," the last hill before the finish.  Problem was, at least 10 of them ran past me on the downhill!

As I've been running up and down the roads and trails in Drewvale, I've had to maneuver plenty of hills.  Today during my run I thought about the downhills, how the temptation can be to take it easy.  It's tempting to relax on the downhills using gravity and not press forward with power from the legs.  When I push on the downhills I find I can run faster easier, and I arrive at my destination much faster.  I am able to cover more ground with less effort.  There's a spiritual application here, I thought to myself.  Maybe not the most profound spiritual truth, but a truth just the same.

Our daily schedules are often dictated by work and necessity.  If I need to be on the jobsite at 6:30am, I must get up early enough to pray, read the Word, brush my teeth, put on some clothes, and maybe eat breakfast.  Therefore I set my alarm for 5am.  But on Saturday when I'm not working, I forget the alarm and sleep until much later.  I have found that I must guard my evenings to have good mornings.  If I stay up until 1am, my morning devotional life with God suffers the next day.  When I don't wake up on a schedule, the day is well underway with the busyness of the home and family and spiritual matters are neglected.  We've all experienced this.  For me, times of vacation can be the worst for consistent times of devotion with God.  Because my schedule is not dictated, I stay up later, rise later, and miss time of fellowship with my heavenly Father.

I have now been in AUS for one month.  I have been one month without a schedule of when I need to rise and go to bed.  But I've been setting my alarm and trying to stay busy with prayer, personal devotion, this blog, and writing messages and studies.  Don't think that I'm a spiritual stud or anything, because I have certainly frittered time away with aimless conduct here and there.  But I am growing more sensitive to that wasted time.  It leaves me dissatisfied and more focused on doing better.

Right now I'm experiencing a downhill and my flesh wants to relax and take it easy.  "You won't be preaching for another two weeks...take a couple days off."  I could do that, and no one would know or likely care.  But I want to be further along in my spiritual progress when I reach the bottom of the next mountain that stands in my path.  I have found that it is easier to press a bit on the downhills than relying on gravity alone.  At least the same amount of physical effort and strain on my body is utilized in holding myself back than if I pressed the pace.

There was a brother a couple of years ago who was inspired by the Holy Spirit to say to me, "You're holding back."  And you know, I was.  The Spirit impressed upon my heart the exact area that I was holding back in.  I ask you:  are you holding back?  Are you taking it easy on the downhills, relaxing your spiritual guard, and taking it easy when the going is smooth?  That is when we need to press the pace!  We treasure weekends and vacations:  how about giving them to God as well as your weekdays?  Will not be this sacrifice rewarded with communion and blessing from the Father?  Cannot God gird up the loins of your mind and strengthen you in your times of devotion?

There is a story in the Old Testament when the prophet Elijah outruns King Ahab in his chariot.  Elijah and King Ahab were both on Mount Carmel.  There had been no rain in Israel for over three years.  Elijah knew that rain was coming and told Ahab to prepare his chariot and ride.  1 Kings 18:46 reads, "Then the hand of the Lord came upon Elijah; and he girded up his loins and ran ahead of Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel."  This reminds me of the question in Jeremiah 12:5:  "If you have run with the footmen, and they have wearied you, then how can you contend with horses?  And if in the land of peace, in which you trusted, they wearied you, then how will you do in the floodplain of the Jordan?"  We cannot contend with horses or footmen without the power of God.  We can't make it through a workday or weekend without His spiritual sustenance.  Our God is able to empower us to push it on the downhills.

Maybe you "need" a certain amount of sleep now.  Is not our God able to strengthen you to function on less?  Ask God to wake you up!  Elijah was a man who knew God intimately.  He prayed and God answered.  He prayed that it would not rain and it did not.  He prayed for fire from heaven and it fell, consuming the sacrifice on Carmel.  God strengthened him to outrun Ahab's chariot, and God ushered him into the heavens in a whirlwind with chariots and horses of fire!  We seem to realize we need God's strength on the uphills, but forget to rely upon Him during the downhill stretch.  We need Him just the same!  Let Him strengthen you to explore new territory!  No matter the rise or fall in elevation of your course, ask God to elevate your walk.

Obeying God

One source of irritation in my life (besides house dust since I have an allergy) is when Christians look incredulously at the men and women of scripture and say, "How could they do that?  Where is their faith?"  I have witnessed people basically mock the failures of people in the Bible.  God did not give us their examples for us to mock them or boost our pride but to learn from them.  In every failure we can see our own foolishness.  Should Peter be made a laughing stock because he took his eyes off of Jesus and began to sink into stormy Sea of Galilee?  Should Gideon be chastised for not having the "faith" to meet the Midianites in battle without putting a fleece before the LORD not once but twice?  It is wise for us to shake our heads over Moses striking the rock and robbing God of glory, or scorn David for not only committing adultery with Bathsheba, and later ordering the death of her husband Uriah the Hittite?  We are not to condone these acts, but have not we all done things we do not condone ourselves?  Have we sinned any less than these men of God?

As children of Abraham through faith in Christ, we ought lead lives of obedience and faith in God alone.  Abraham had his faults to be sure, but there has not been an Abraham since.  Now there is a man that God called and he obeyed God.  That does not mean he was perfect.  God told Abraham to leave Haran and his father's house and go "unto a land that I will show you" (Gen. 12:1).  Abraham left his home, but he allowed his nephew Lot to travel with him (Gen. 12:4).  God knew that Abraham wasn't perfect.  God was seeking obedience and trust, not perfection.  God has the perfection bit covered, and we can receive of His righteousness through faith in Christ.

Abraham later instructed his wife Sarah to lie about being his wife to the Egyptians "that it may be well with me for thy sake; and my soul shall live because of thee" (Gen. 12:11-13).  We are gracious to Abraham for this first lie, but bristle at the thought that he later fibbed again with Abimelech, telling him that Sarah was his sister but not his wife! (Gen. 20:2)  God does not apologize for Abraham's behavior when He came to Abimelech in a dream and said this in Genesis 20:6-7: "...I know that you did this in the integrity of your heart. For I also withheld you from sinning against Me; therefore I did not let you touch her. [7] Now therefore, restore the man's wife; for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you shall live. But if you do not restore her, know that you shall surely die, you and all who are yours."

Did you catch that?  Who would Abimelech have sinned against if he had touched Sarah?  Against God.  And who was the prophet that God had called out of Haran?  Abraham, the father of faith, one who was at times afraid (like us!), and sometimes unsure of what to do or say (like us!), and had the guts to do whatever God told him to do (usually unlike us!), even if it meant leaving home or slaughtering his only son as an offering to God.  God told Abraham to take his son Isaac, whom he loved dearly, climb a mountain God would reveal, and offer his son as a burnt offering to God (Gen. 22:2).  Put yourself in Abraham's shoes, an unenviable spot.  The Father assumed this same role in the sacrifice of His only begotten Son Jesus, but that's another sermon!  Can you believe that God had to stop Abraham from actually doing it?  Genesis 22:9-10 reads, "Then they came to the place of which God had told him. And Abraham built an altar there and placed the wood in order; and he bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, upon the wood. [10] And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son."  Abraham had made up his mind to obey God:  in his mind, the deed was already done.  There was no "if" when he picked up the knife.  He picked it up to kill his son and planned on burning him to ash.  And it took the command of God to keep Abraham from following through.

Oh, to have such faith, to have such utter abandon of self and complete trust in God!  Before we judge the men and women of faith in the Bible harshly, know we only invite God to judge us with the same harshness!  Abraham would not be deterred from obeying God even if it meant separation, difficulty, pain, loss, or sorrow.  Romans 4:3 says, "For what does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness."  Jesus says in Luke 18:7-8:  "And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? [8] I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?"  Don't be too quick to answer in the affirmative.  Never ASSUME you have faith.  If there is faith on the earth, Christ will find it.  The point of Christ's rhetorical question is so people would ask themselves, "Do I have faith?"

I am constantly battling the great advice of well-meaning people concerning my move and ministry in Australia:  who I should call, what I should do, where I should go.  The trouble is, a lot of what is being suggested by men has never been commanded by God.  It's very easy for us to point fingers and shake our heads and shrug shoulders over the Israelites unbelief in the wilderness, or the foibles of David and Peter.  But I ask you:  how much of what you do every day is strictly because God told you to do it?  A good portion of Abraham's life was Abraham doing what God told Him, like Moses, the prophets, and Jesus Himself.  Abraham was not called the father of faith because of his multitude of counselors, but because He obeyed the commands of the One True God.

Malachi 3:16 teaches us, "Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord listened and heard them; so a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the Lord and who meditate on His name."  We have our names written in the Lamb's Book of Life when we trust in Christ as Savior, and God also has a book of remembrance. Your name must be in the first book to grace the pages of the second.  If your life was to end today, what would be written in the second book?  Would it be written that you had faith in God, or you lived according to how others thought you should?  Instead of following the dictates of our flesh or the advice of those who seem to live other's lives so easily, let us follow Jesus Christ.  We may not be perfect, but we must be obedient to our LORD.

The Big Pineapple!

I joined the Landman family on a special trip up north of Brisbane to "The Big Pineapple."  I put together a video about the trip, where you can see everything from the inside of the Big Pineapple (and no, we did not find Sponge Bob!), the Nutmobile, and you can even learn how to grow your own pineapples like a real Aussie!

They also have some terrific animals on exhibit, including koalas and kangaroos.  Follow this link to see us feeding and interacting with some of Australia's most famous wildlife!

New Construction

When I was working in the shipyard for PCI, work was divided between "Repair" and "New Construction."  When many people come to Christ, they come to Him for repair.  They would be happy for their life to be smoother, easier, with promises of peace, joy, and fulfillment.  Before people trust in Christ, they spend their lives building upon the eroding sands of worldly philosophy from a secular vantage point.  A man without a relationship with God does what is right in his own eyes.  God never takes over a work in progress.  The old way of life must be completely discarded so the new may begin.  God does not repair the works of the flesh:  He makes new in the Spirit.

Imagine you have been  invited over to a friend's home for a housewarming party.  He excitedly shows you around the place, pointing out the expensive chandelier on the vaulted foyer, the state-of-the-art kitchen with all modern conveniences.  Your friend had spent his life savings on this home for himself and built it from the ground up.  But as you walk through, you notice a lot of structural problems.  Upon further examination you lift a rug and see that the house is built upon sand!  Cracks have already begun to form at the corners of the windows, and ridge of the roof has begun to sag, and walls are clearly out of plumb.  What would you say?  You know your friend has poured his life into this house, and built it with the sweat of his brow.  The house wasn't built properly without a solid foundation, and before long it will simply collapse.

All people without Christ are like those who have built a house without a foundation.  Regardless of the superficial beauty, the house would be condemned.  God is not interested in shoring up the condemned lives we've built to this point.  He wants to start completely fresh and new.  He will lay a new foundation of Christ, the Chief Cornerstone, that we are to build upon according to His plans.  We find God's "set of drawings" in scripture, and the Holy Spirit is the foreman who directs us in building after supplying all the material.

I'm seeing that this can happen in a Christian's life as well.  In California, people build what is commonly called a "California Room," a room addition that is often built without permits with the city.  As a follower of Christ, we can begin to build on a foundation other than the original foundation of Jesus Christ.  We can begin to follow preachers whose ministry is not founded in the Word of God.  We can follow after commentators who tickle our ears and provide no spiritual nourishment.  We can become side-tracked from building a structure on Christ and be more into building our two-story shed outside for our toys, our pet-doctrines we love to play with.

Now put yourself in the position of the friend who built a house from scratch without a foundation or someone who built his California Room or shed without authorization.  What if it was brought to your attention that you've been building without the foundation of Christ?  What if God told you that your whole life needs to be completely torn down and dismantled because He wants to start new?  God must tear down all the works of our flesh so He can sanctify us with His Spirit.  Would you be willing to have God raze your life down to the ground so you can start again, building by His set of plans?  The rich young ruler was not willing that God should ask him to give away his money, the thing he treasured most.  He went away sad, empty, and rich with money that perished with him.

It's your choice!  Sometimes only a moment, a day, or a month's work must be undone so God can do it right.  But other times, the whole house or room additions have to be destroyed.  Are you willing to ask God to inspect the foundation of your life?  If Christ is your eternal foundation, you will never fail.  But if you have built your life upon any other foundation, doctrine, tradition, denomination, motto, philosophy, or conviction other than Christ, it must be destroyed and all that is fixed to it.  Allow God to reveal to you as the Master Builder what you must do, and be obedient.  Your amount of loss will give room for more gain than you could ever imagine!

Not Good!

After God created man He said, "It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him." (Gen. 2:18) I agree with this wholeheartedly. It is not good for me to be alone, separated from my wife. I did not decide that I wanted to be separated from her, nor did she want separation from me. In this instance, it was God who made the call. Both of us have been learning lessons we could not have learned together. Though it was God's plan, it has not been easy. The narrow path can be filled with obstacles and temptations, luring us from focusing on Christ. Today it was like a Gethsemane experience, just laying on the ground before the LORD. I did not sweat blood, but I took shelter in His!

I'm putting together a message concerning Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane before His arrest. Here is an excerpt from it:

No man can write on the subject of temptation without a real sense of unworthiness and failure. I feel I am the least likely candidate to hold forth God’s Word when it comes to temptation. Who has not or does not fall into temptation? How many of us have willfully entered into temptation? Our flesh cannot get enough of it, and our hearts do not loathe it enough. Jesus is the only man in the history of the world who has resisted and denied every sinful temptation. Believers know what temptation is, and it is often what the world calls “opportunity.” Temptation is the appetizer to a sinful main course. But we always walk away from the table empty, and wonder what we were thinking. When we succumb to temptation, we always get stuck with a costly bill: shame, guilt, anger, depression, feelings of worthlessness, and separation from God.  It is a vicious cycle only Jesus Christ can break.

The strongest human cannot handle the weakest temptation. The Bible says that we are born into sin, and we have a huge appetite for it! Our body wants nothing more than to satisfy itself with the unholy trinity of wickedness:   the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. Job 15:14-16 says, "What is man, that he could be pure? And he who is born of a woman, that he could be righteous? [15] If God puts no trust in His saints, and the heavens are not pure in His sight, [16] how much less man, who is abominable and filthy, who drinks iniquity like water!" We live in times where many people refuse to accept that man’s nature is evil. The scripture is clear that man is steeped in wickedness, and is guilty of breaking God’s Law. His Law is a schoolmaster who leads us to Christ, the only means of salvation from sin and the penalty thereof:  death.

I praise God that I need not be a slave to sin no longer.  I need not be driven by Satan the cruel master of fleshly desires and led from sin to sin like a chained beast.  I serve the God who has claimed the victory over sin, a God who withstood every temptation without fault.  If I am obedient the path of victory has been blazed and illuminated for me by Jesus.  Like in warfare, we do not win every skirmish.  It may seem that we lose more than we win!  But let me encourage you to not allow the enemy to convince you that you are defeated, for the blood of Christ is able to cleanse you from all sin.  His strength is available, and our histories of failure and weakness need not dictate our future.  Romans 12:3 says, "For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith."  When are lifted up in pride, we think the strength to resist temptation rests in us.  God will allow us to fail and fall that we might highly regard Him and become our all in all!

It is not good for man to be alone.  We need to be united with Christ, abiding in Him.  It is He who gave us breath and redeemed our souls.  When a man is separated from God by His sin, that  man is truly alone in the world, though he may have a wife at his side.  We are not good, but we serve a God who is!  As David concludes Psalm 23:6 followers of Christ can say:  "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."

Debtors to mercy

Today I was studying Psalm 103 and verses 8-11 caught my attention:  "The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy. [9] He will not always strive with us, nor will He keep His anger forever. [10] He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor punished us according to our iniquities. [11] For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him."  God is so abundant in His mercy towards us.  Because of His plenteous mercy, all mankind has greater debt towards God.

To illustrate, suppose that there was a kingdom ruled by a righteous king.  He was fair, just, and held people accountable to the law.  In this kingdom there lived a rebellious young man.  Instead of abiding by the laws of the land, he turned to a life of crime and murder.  He made an alliance with the enemy of his king and was furnished money for the killing of innocent people.  An inquiry was made, and the king sent soldiers to arrest the young man for murder and high treason against the crown.  After seeing the young man was sorrowful for his actions, the king was moved with compassion and stayed the execution of the convicted killer.  "Mercy has been granted unto you today, young man," said the king.  "Show yourself prudent and I will consider you for a position in my court."

But the king's mercy and grace did not change the young man's heart.  Instead of breaking off his relationship with the king's enemy, he agreed to assassinate the king who had shown him mercy for a great sum of money.  Upon arrival to the castle, the young fool was caught and his intentions were made known to the king.  Should it have been a common criminal or a senseless beast it would have been more tolerable to the king than the one to whom he had shown mercy.  Would not a righteous king be angry by such conduct?  "I offered you mercy, not treating you according to your own wickedness," the king spoke soberly.  "I granted you a potential seat of honor in my court, and you have repaid me with violence as an enemy.  For this you will certainly be put to death, since you refuse the mercy I have freely given and choose to add to your guilt."

It occurred to me for the first time today that because God's mercy is infinite and everlasting, all people add to their sin by refusing it.  If the justice of God was doled out immediately according to our sins none could be saved, for all have sinned.  But because God is long suffering and merciful, not willing that any should perish, He has given us opportunity to respond by receiving of His mercies.  To reject God's mercy is to sign your own death warrant.  Had God not shown us mercy, it would be bad enough:  but since His mercy has been given to all, how damned we are to reject Him!  Praise God that His mercies are new every morning, "For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him."

Mixed Signals

Drunk driving is a scourge across much of the world today, and Australia is no exception.  As I've been driving around more, I've seen something that to me sends a mixed message:  drive-through liquor stores.  No joke, simply drive up to a stall and the alcohol is brought to you.  The wonder of modern convenience!

Another interesting factoid is the scarcity of "Stop" signs.  I have been in Australia for three weeks as of tomorrow, and today I saw my first "Stop" sign.  Instead of where "Stop" signs would be, there is a triangular white and red sign that reads, "Give Way," the Australia version of the "Yield" sign common to the USA.  Instead of lights or four-way-stops, the "Give Way" sign adorns countless left hand turns and roundabouts.

In thinking about the difference between "Giving Way" and "Stop" signs, "Giving Way" is subjective and "Stop" is objective.  I think human nature happily gives way to outside influence, like sand cliffs under a Southern California beachfront property!  We don't want to stop.  We want to choose our own way.  We don't want a law that demands exact compliance!  Stopping is not subjective.  You either come to a complete stop or you don't.

The world is always influencing us to "Give Way" for worldly wisdom, philosophy, and "anything goes."  Sometimes it can be confusing when we have all this worldly influence pressed into our minds.  I praise God for the "Stop" signs He has put in my life.  I can tell you that without God's boundaries and limits, I would happily be on my way to hell!  I have seen my transgression of God's perfect law, and it is only through faith in Christ that I can be forgiven and saved.  That is why we must remain grounded upon the solid Word of God that does not change, and build upon the foundation that is Jesus Christ.  Those who hear the words of Jesus and do them are likened to a man that builds his house upon the rock.  The "foundation" of this world is sand that will give way under the slightest pressure.

"Stop" means "Stop."  God's Word is holy, righteous, true, and does not alter.  Like the One who authored it, it cannot and will not ever change.  That is Good News, Gospel truth to those who have ears to hear!

Quit or Keep Running?

When I was in High School, I ran on the cross country team for three seasons.  Running was never a passion of mine, but it has helped me identify personally when Paul talks about running the race that God has set before him.  The race is a jumble of nerves, strain, exhaustion, and determination.  Few things are a taxing as running.  One thing that is more taxing in every way is following Jesus.

There was a annual race that we ran called the El Cap invitational, the first race of the season.  All three years I ran the race there were different memorable circumstances.  My first race was the only race of my "unillustrious" running career that I did not finish.  It is a source of embarrassment for me, because I could have finished.  I made more of an injury than necessary.  I turned my ankle halfway through, and my pace slowed.  Too proud to limp to the finish, I quit.  My placement would have been very poor - maybe even last - and in my mind I thought, "It's just an Invitational.  It really doesn't matter anyway..."  It was one of those justifications that showed a lack of character.  I've seen people walk to the finish line, working through cramps or extreme exhaustion.  To them, finishing was the key accomplishment.  If I couldn't finish well, I didn't want to finish at all.

That's how some treat their walk with Jesus Christ.  They've started strong, but they have sustained emotional injuries along the way.  Some have been deeply hurt by Christians or become disillusioned by people they've looked up to or counted on.  Perhaps you have been hurt by the assaults of the devil, or ensnared in sin that has separated you from contact with Jesus Christ.  You are facing a real temptation to quit:  quit a marriage, quit loving and giving like Christ, quit even following Christ.  Forget walking to the finish, forget working through the pain.  If I had to do it all over again, I would have finished the race based on principle alone.  The chief reason I didn't finish is because I was ashamed that people would scoff at my poor performance.  Not finishing at all is far worse.  When we consider the spiritual application, to not finish your Christian walk is to be disqualified, and that excludes us from heaven.  Saving face is nothing compared to losing your soul!

The second time I ran the Invitational we had just returned from a team-building camp in the Cuyamaca Mountains.  I brought new running shoes for the trip and that was a huge mistake!  Because of the winding trails and the type of shoe, I developed a blister on the bottom of my heel that was the size of a silver dollar.  It was both deep and painful.  I decided to run the Invitational anyway, and even though I drained it before the race by the end of the race the blister was literally the entire bottom of my heel.  With every step, my heel reminded me that it was not all well!  Paul talked about a "thorn in the flesh," a "messenger of Satan" that hindered him in his walk with the Lord.  Paul overcame this thorn, but it was a dogfight.  Sometimes we think that the Christian walk will be easy without hindrances.  When we allow God to give us new hearts we grow in sensitivity.  Thing will happen along our race that is painful, either to our bodies, hearts, or minds.  Jesus was a man of sorrow, well-acquainted with grief.  He gave such love only to be rejected by His own.  As Paul bore in his body the physical marks of abuse at the hands of evil men, so we will have our wounds along the way.  But we are more than overcomers through Christ, and He will give us the strength to finish well.

My final race at El Cap was memorable too, though I was not directly involved.  I had a teammate on Grossmont High School's varsity team named Richard K.  He loved to run, but I never saw him as a tough guy - that is, until that final race.  Richard had a lean build, and no one could have ever mistaken him for a wrestler, boxer, or someone with the temperament of a pit bull.  About 80 varsity runners lined up for the start and the gun went off.  The pack was squeezed in a narrow area and for the first 100 yards you need to mind knees and elbows.  Right in front of me, three or four guys hit the pavement and took down Richard with them.  I hurdled over the pile and had no time to even look over my shoulder.  Before I could even let my mind drift about how Richard was doing, he blew right past me like I was standing still, knees and elbows bleeding, a look of fierce determination across his face.  I have no idea how far I finished behind him, but I guarantee you that I saw him in a new light after that.  He had my confidence not only as a teammate but a man.

The thing about following Jesus is that sometimes we are going to get knocked down.  Satan and circumstances have ways of landing gut shots and spine tingling uppercuts that throw us off our feet.  It might be an illness, a relationship, your boss, trials, persecutions, or perhaps you lose your footing.  Richard didn't fall on his own:  he was taken down.  The devil wants nothing more for you to be taken down by others and to lose your witness.  Our God is able to keep us from stumbling, but if we do fall He is able to lift up our heads, place us back on our feet, and we can jump back in the race.  May each of us be able to say like Paul in 2 Tim. 4:7:  "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."  We all have been given a race to run.  We can either quit or jump to our feet and push harder for the finish than ever before.  There will be pain, and there will be nagging injuries.  We will be tempted to quit.  But the fact still remains:  if God is for us, who can be against us?

To suffer or not to suffer...

Suffering is a natural by-product of life upon the earth diseased with sin.  Everyone will experience suffering to some extent:  hunger, sickness, disease, loss, separation, disappointment, sorrow, abuse, pain, death, including the emotional suffering from being misunderstood, backstabbed, ignored, neglected, molested, bullied, hated, attacked, mocked, or ridiculed.  People do not dream of suffering someday like others dream of winning the lottery:  "It might just be me..."  Suffering and life go together.  But life is not all suffering, of course.  There are great joys, pleasures, friends, adventures, loves, successes, triumphs, blessings, sports, hobbies, and family.  Every good and perfect gift comes from God, who gives to all without partiality.

People typically do not invite suffering upon themselves, but try to avoid it at all costs.  What makes a Christian different from typical people is when he commits his life to Jesus Christ, he agrees to suffer for the sake of Christ.  He has invited suffering into his life.  What the world doesn't understand, however, is that suffering draws us close to God as we identify with Christ.  As we walk down the path He leads us, there will be suffering.  The fruit of suffering is a deep, satisfying, intimate, amazingly beautiful relationship with God.  When we talk of a life of faith in Christ, we would be remiss to ignore suffering and focus on the peace, joy, forgiveness, and fulfillment that comes from God.  All these wonderful, desirable qualities can be found in the midst of suffering when we look to Jesus.

The world recoils at the thought of suffering, too foolish understand that they suffer alone.  People without Christ suffer now for their sin and will reap the eternal consequences after death in hell.  They suffer without the promises of God, the sure hope of salvation, forgiveness, and rot in their grief, shame, guilt, and condemnation.  They suffer intolerably alone.  But how precious is suffering for a child of God through faith in Christ, not that he wishes to suffer,  but suffering is a means that God will use to grow a man's faith and cause Him to cry out to the one who can hear and save and is willing to do so.  A Christian is no fool for suffering, for suffering is common to men.  Should a man suffer for his folly, he is to be blamed:  but if a man suffer for doing right, he is to be commended.  If a man should suffer for his righteous Savior, he will be commended by God and receive a hundredfold in this life and in eternal life to come.

Do you know that suffering is a requirement to follow Jesus?  In my devotions this morning, I read this passage in 2 Thes. 1:4-5 which says, "...so that we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that you endure, [5] which is manifest evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you also suffer..."  God is righteous to allow us to suffer persecutions and tribulations that we may be counted worthy of God's kingdom.  Peter understood suffering well when he wrote in 1 Peter 5:10: "But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you."  Jesus is clear that suffering for His sake is not optional for a believer.  It is our heritage and through it ripens countless blessings.  Jesus said in John 16:33, "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."  The world is not worthy to suffer for the sake of Christ.  Only His redeemed are worthy.  After Peter and John were beaten for preaching on behalf of Christ, this response is recorded in Acts 5:41:  "So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name."

How is it that so many miss the necessity of suffering for Christ in their Evangelism 101 courses?  I thought Jesus made suffering compulsory for His followers in Luke 9:23 when He said, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me."  Taking up the cross is a lot of hard work.  It's dirty business denying yourself and carrying the means of your own execution.  If we seek to save our lives we will lose it.  Yet if we lose our lives for Christ's sake, we will find it!  I love Peter's succinct words in 1 Peter 4:12-13:  "Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; [13] but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy."  It is through suffering for Christ that we find cause for great rejoicing!  If we partake of Christ's sufferings, then we will also partake in the power of His resurrection, ascension, and glorification!

Because of my current situation of being separated from my wife and kids, the text in Mark 10:28-30 has increased significance for me right now:  "Then Peter began to say to Him, "See, we have left all and followed You." [29] So Jesus answered and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel's, [30] who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time--houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions--and in the age to come, eternal life."  You do not need to go to a foreign place to suffer for Jesus.  You do not need to physically be separated from friends and family.  When you obey the leading of Jesus Christ, you will end up suffering because it is contrary to what the world would do.  Jesus was persecuted and hated first, and if you stand for what He stands for, the suffering will come.  The storms of persecution will come, but Jesus will always be with you to calm those storms with His Word and divine presence.

But before we think it is ever wise to glory in our suffering, let us read Romans 8:16-18:  "The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, [17] and if children, then heirs--heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. [18] For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us."  Our suffering is nothing to be compared with the glory that God will reveal in us.  At the end we will say, "What suffering?"  No suffering can compare to the knowledge of God and His glorious presence.  That is something we can enjoy right now according the grace, mercy, and power of the Holy Spirit.  Praise God for His remarkable gifts!  If we suffer for Christ, we are never intended to be the focus.  He who glories, let him glory in the LORD!

Oh happy day!

This morning I woke up singing a song:  "Oh Happy Day" by Kim Walker.  The chorus goes, "Oh happy day, happy day!  You wash my sin away!  Oh happy day, happy day!  I'll never be the same, forever I am changed!  There is no truth more reassuring the fact that Jesus Christ is alive.  He is not the God of the dead but of the living, and we find our life in Him.  When we are stuck in our sins, it is like rottenness in our bones.  Guilt, despair, and shame poison our thoughts, and we are at the mercy of Satan.  The mercies of the wicked are cruel, and we lie helpless under the torture of condemnation and oppression.

How our future changed when Jesus took away our sins!  We need not lie powerless under the bondage of sin, and our history need not dictate our future.  We may have fallen 100 times to a single temptation, but God enables us to overcome through the victory of Christ over the tomb and sin.  If Jesus can destroy the power of the tomb, then Christ can also overcome all sins that lead us to death.  Romans 6:23 says, "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

I was reading last night concerning the mercy of God.  Thomas Watson made some terrific points concerning God's mercy:  "The mercy of the Lord is upon them that fear Him" (Ps. 103:17).  Mercy is not for them that sin and fear not, but for them that fear and sin not.  God's mercy is a holy mercy; where it pardons it heals." (A Body of Divinity, pg. 97)  Consider also this passage in Psalm 103:8-12:  "The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy. [9] He will not always strive with us, nor will He keep His anger forever. [10] He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor punished us according to our iniquities. [11] For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; [12] As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us."  Oh happy day, when my sins were washed away!

Isn't it true that God has not dealt with us according to our sin?  Let us say that there were two men convicted of a serious crime against a king.  The king saw fit to deliver one from the torturers and prison, which the other was required to endure.  Does this make the king wicked?  No, he is only punishing the offense according the law, and showing mercy to one as seemed good to Him.  God is merciful to all men, offering them all a pardon through the suffering of His own Son, Jesus.  But He will not force His mercy upon any man.  If a man desires to pierce himself through with the sorrow of the love of riches (1 Tim. 6:10) God will not force him under the precious blood flow of Christ who was pierced for our iniquities.  Psalm 32:10 teaches us, "Many sorrows shall be to the wicked; but he who trusts in the Lord, mercy shall surround him."

Father, I receive of your tender mercies and forgiveness through Jesus Christ.  I praise the name of my Savior, Redeemer, and Deliverer from the power of sin and death.  Thank you for not dealing with me according to my sins, but according to your love, grace, and mercy.  I am deserving of death, and you have given me eternal life.  May you empower me LORD to fear and sin not that I may walk in your mercy.  Oh happy day!  My sins are washed away and forever I am changed!

Vision of Discipleship

Before my trip to AUS in April, God had impressed something upon my heart concerning true discipleship. In the modern-day church, there are few terms as vague, subjective, and confusing as discipleship. It is a word that sums up the constant process of following Jesus and submitting every aspect of our lives to His authority. The trouble with current "discipleship" programs is that we often rely on a pamphlet, book, or some outside means to teach people of God. From my study of the Word, Jesus did not have a lesson plan or handbook drawn up from a rabbi He made His disciples read and fill in the blanks. Discipleship is pure "on the job training" while following Jesus with immersion in the Word. Xerox not required! It is not about facts as much as obedience to a Master. And if we have been commissioned by Christ's all-encompassing authority to make disciples of all nations, we ought to know what discipleship is.

I am convinced that there are two separate camps that Christians fall into concerning discipleship and the role of the church: hospice and rehab. This may not make any sense at all to you, but stay with me. During my previous trip to OZ (without a blog at the time!) this is something I wrote that may speak to your heart about your view of discipleship.

Hospice is defined as “a type of care and a philosophy of care which focuses on the palliation of a terminally ill patient's symptoms.” A definition of “palliation” emphasizes the key point of hospice: “(from Latin palliare, to cloak) is any form of medical care or treatment that concentrates on reducing the severity of disease symptoms, rather than striving to halt, delay, or reverse progression of the disease itself or provide a cure. The goal is to prevent and relieve suffering and to improve quality of life” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palliative_care).  It is focused on minimizing pain and does not address the root cause of the illness.  There is a growing group that is clamoring for people to “die with dignity,” and have the right to choose suicide to end suffering (http://www.deathwithdignity.org/).  Pain is seen as the greatest evil and suffering to be avoided at all costs, even by the shortening of one’s life. When you ask someone, “How is your Grandma doing?” and they reply, “She’s in hospice” you know that all hope and seek of a cure has been abandoned.

Sometimes terminally ill people are still functional in mind and body, not in a comatose state. Nothing is required from them as food is brought three times a day or they are fed intravenously and receive continuous care. People in hospice are simply waiting around to die. They waste away, longing for a day when they will be free of pain. They receive visits and cards of well-wishers, sharing memories and avoiding talk of the inevitable end. I do not say this to minimize the need for kind people who provide loving care to terminally ill people. This is not to mock or shame people who have received hospice care, as some in my family have. It is simply to point out a prevalent philosophy concerning terminally ill patients. If hospice has a "vision," it is a peaceful, painless existence and death without suffering. The feelings and emotions of the patient receives the full focus of the caregivers. The patient is the purpose for the care.

Contrast this with the concept of rehabilitation or physical therapy. People undergoing this painful and arduous process have often had a brush with death or a catastrophic injury. The prognosis for a full recovery is often doubtful at best. Physical therapy is defined as “a health care profession which provides services to individuals and populations to develop, maintain and restore maximum movement and functional ability throughout life” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physical_therapy).  Drug rehabilitation is aimed at addressing and eliminating physical and psychological dependency and assisting the addict in becoming a functional part of family and society. While physical therapy and rehab are focused on the individual, there is not the resignation found in hospice care. The purpose of these practices is to empower a person to overcome injury and addiction and live life at the highest possible level.

Instead of seeking to avoid pain and difficulty at all costs, pain and suffering are part of the process to laying hold of the hope of a better life. Physical therapy is draining, taxing, and painful for the participants. Patients are forced to exercise their atrophied limbs to utter exhaustion. But the pain and struggle are for a purpose, a goal believed obtainable through determination, grit, and endurance. For some the goal is one again walking unaided. Some wish to participate in their favorite hobby or sport. Others have a commitment to a program to remain clean of all drugs and alcohol so they can be reunited with their family. Therapy looks to the future with a confident hope. Rehab participants are looking to a new life, refusing to revert back to the old ways that robbed them of real life.

Now as you look at the contrast between hospice care and physical rehabilitation, consider which camp you belong to in your Christian experience. God does not simply offer us medications and "palliative" care when we are born again by the Spirit: He gives us a new beginning and purpose in glorifying God with our lives! Our eyes are not longingly set on heaven, but fixed upon the person of Jesus Christ. Hebrews 12:1-3 says, "Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, [2] looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. [3] For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls." I believe many professing believers become disillusioned because they think Christianity is spiritual hospice care. When the trials and temptations come and the painful labor involved in sanctification hits hard, people are ready to quit. It is hard work to follow Jesus. In the words of G.K. Chesterton: "Christianity has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and not tried." Do you have a vision of what God wants to do in your life? Are you willing to press toward that goal with all of your God-given strength and purpose? Do not resign yourself to the hospice bed, eyes misty with tears of regret. Your whole life lays before you with unknown potential for God's glory. Give God your past, for He holds your future as well. May you not only be covered in the dust of your rabbi Jesus Christ, but filled with the Holy Spirit as you labor for His glorious name!

The Danger of Isolation

There is a verse that has God has impressed upon my mind a couple of times today:  Proverbs 18:1.  It says, "A man who isolates himself seeks his own desire; he rages against all wise judgment."  The KJV says it in a different manner:  "Through desire a man, having separated himself, seeketh and intermeddleth with all wisdom."  The word "intermeddleth" means to "be obstinate," or someone who is stubbornly opposed to wisdom.  God is the source of all wisdom, and Jesus has become for us the source of wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption (1 Cor. 1:30).  To be isolated from God by our desires is to invite our destruction.

When a person is born, he is born into a life of sin.  Selfishness is natural.  Taking thought for your own life and how a situation impacts you is normal.  Our sin separates us from God, as it is written in Isaiah 59:1-2:  "Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; nor His ear heavy, that it cannot hear. [2] But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear."  Jesus is our Peace, who has broken down the middle wall of separation caused by sin, and allows us to draw near to God (Eph. 2:14).  We can be washed clean through the blood of Christ, having been born again by grace through faith in the power of the Holy Spirit.  1 John 1:9 says, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

When a man is married to a woman, the minister will say something similar to what Christ says in Matthew 19:6:  "So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate."  The church (made up of born-again followers of Christ) has a relationship to Christ that a bride has to her husband.  We have been joined with Him, and should not seek to isolate ourselves from Him.  But the common tragedy is married people still retain their own desires and often break the marriage covenant with divorce.  This disaster is often seen in the church as well, when the desires of people override the unity and wisdom that God has provided us through His Word and Holy Spirit.

I'm learning firsthand the tough lesson that comes from separation from the ones you love and the ones that love you.  But being away from a wife and children for two months is nothing to the absolute hell that comes from being separated from God.  Heaven is the most beautiful place conceived of because God is there, and hell is the ultimate in ugliness because it is devoid of God's presence.  There is no shortage to the unspeakable wickedness that lies in the heart of mankind, and I cannot imagine the putrid foulness of the filthy uncleanness of the demonic spirits and depraved people who lie festering in that fiery, dark, scream-filled pit that is called hell.  It is an ugly picture to be sure.

Eve looked upon the forbidden fruit with desire, ate of it, and gave some to Adam who desired to please his wife rather than God.  Their actions literally severed them from the presence of God with all of their progeny.  But because of the glorious truth of the Gospel, we can be united once again with God through spiritual regeneration by faith in Jesus Christ.  Once God has united us with other believers in the Body of Christ, we are no longer to seek our own desire.  We are to be led by the Holy Spirit, for we find our unity through the power of God.  Ephes. 4:1-3 exhorts us:  "I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, [2] with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, [3] endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."

There is no division or isolation in unity.  If we are opposed to God's wisdom, then we err by following after our own desires.  Christ is for us wisdom, and is the Head of His Body, the church.  To rage against wisdom is to seek destruction of your own soul.  I thank God for the unity of His Spirit, and the power of Christ to free us from sin, death, and our own destructive desires.  How many have been shipwrecked upon their own lusts, never again to rise?  Glory be to God who has delivered us from the power of our own flesh, for in us dwells no good thing.