31 July 2011

Christ a Crutch?

I have heard people refer to Christianity disparagingly as a "crutch" for those too weak to deal with life's problems.  They understate their case from a position of ignorance.  Christ is not a "crutch" to enable a person to limp through life:  Christ IS life.  Whether your crutches are made of wood or aluminum, they are objects useful only for a living person.  Crutches have no value for the dead.  Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.  Those who sneer at the idea of trusting in Christ for atonement and salvation through faith as weakness have not considered their own sin and mortality according to God's standard of perfection.  Those who God makes to soar on eagle's wings have no need of crutches anyway!  Instead of propping people up with positive thinking and mental manipulation, God infuses strength into His people because He dwells within them in the person of the Holy Spirit.

What a relationship is available to every person who will repent and trust in Christ!  Not only does the Holy Spirit dwell within him, but we can take shelter in the Creator of all things.  Psalm 91:1-2 reads, "He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust."  This passage is a picture of how God overshadows and protects His people.  Some people treat God as if He is a divine temporary bomb shelter to hide in until the threat of a storm passes.  Even some God-fearing Christians treat God more like a dank basement to hide in when things become difficult.  The problem is, when the perceived danger is over they peek out of their hiding place and again become confident in themselves.  They venture away from fellowship with God and do their own thing until the next storm darkens their lives.

Continuing this analogy, people retreat into hurricane or bomb shelters, not because of the luxurious accommodations, but for the preservation of their lives.  I came to Jesus Christ in repentance and faith because my sin condemned me to hell for eternity:  only through Jesus Christ could salvation for my soul be found.  But Jesus is not some musty old bomb shelter to frequent in times of great need, but a real person who desires for me to abide in Him always.  We are not to seek Christ or abide in Him for the purpose of receiving some arbitrary blessing from Him, but for the sake of knowing Christ Himself.  We take shelter in Jesus Christ our Saviour because He loves us and we love Him.  The joy of the LORD is our strength.  Every morning we rise with Jesus, we walk with Jesus through our day He has made, and we lay down to rest with Him in our hearts and minds.  Thoughts of God and His Word should be more precious to us than our daily food, for our life is hid with Christ in God (Col. 3:3).

Jesus says in John 15:4-5:  "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. 5 I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing."  Like a branch must abide in the vine for life and fruitfulness, so Christians must abide in Jesus Christ.  People who treat God like a divine bomb shelter are not only without their source of strength but their source of life when they choose to forsake communion with God.  I suppose it is possible to try to use God as a "crutch," but unless God is invited into the heart it will not profit.  These are the folks who say, "I've tried Christianity but it didn't work for me."  Too true:  Christianity cannot work for you if Christ is not permitted to work WITHIN you due to your willful disobedience, rebellion, and pride!  Once we are born again through the power of the Holy Spirit, the power of God which raised Christ from the dead keeps us pure and Holy.  Communion with God never again need be severed, and we can joyfully eternally abide in Christ!

Psalm 91:14-16 reads, "Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name. 15 He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. 16 With long life I will satisfy him, and show him My salvation."  This is a promise no bomb shelter could possibly grant!  Praise God we serve a Living God who has set His love upon us and is a Deliverer.  God hears our prayers and answers us.  He is with us in trouble and will deliver and honor His own.  If your beating heart and every drop of blood in your body is your crutch, than Christ is mine.  I am in Christ by God's grace, and I have found true life in Him.  Jesus has not only prolonged my life, but given me eternal life.  He will have you too if you will abide in Him!

28 July 2011

Church - Holy Spirit = Worthless

C.H. Spurgeon is quoted as saying, "If we do not have the Spirit of God, it were better to shut the churches, to nail up the doors, to put a black cross on them and say, "God, have mercy on us."  If you ministers have not the Spirit of God, you had better not preach and you people had better stay at home.  I think I speak not too strongly when I say that a church in the land without the Spirit of God is rather a curse than a blessing."  This quote came to my mind yesterday as I met to fellowship with a brother in Christ.  This is a strong statement, and it is a true one.

Unless we are led by the Spirit in our prayers and deeds, we do them in the power of our flesh.  If we are not led by the Spirit in our preaching, evangelistic efforts, conferences, and meetings, it would be better not to bother.  To suppose I can do work for God without God is pride and blasphemy.  Instead of allowing this admonition to be filled with the Spirit frighten us into inaction and despair, I believe the quote of Spurgeon was spoken to do the exact opposite:  stir up believers to desperately seek the empowerment of the Spirit to honor God in their lives and service.  There is no doubt in my mind this exhortation follows the same line of 2 Timothy 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."  If our decisions are based upon the suggestions of a spirit of fear, it is not the Spirit which God has given.  God has given us the Holy Spirit as the seal of our redemption, a Spirit of power, love, and a sound mind.

It stands to reason I ought to examine myself, to see if I continually seek to be led by the Spirit and remain obedient to His promptings.  The leading of the Holy Spirit will always be in agreement with the written Word of God, the Bible.  Being led by the Spirit does not occur through the striving of my flesh, but the submission of my will to the directives of God.  2 Chronicles 7:14 contains a wonderful promise for those who by grace have this mind of Christ and walk in the Spirit:  "...if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land."  I must be ruthless in renouncing sin and obeying God.  I must rely on Jesus Christ walking by faith, not by sight.

Walking in the Spirit does not mean "being mindful to avoid sin," for that is a bi-product of walking in the Spirit.  Galatians 5:16 teaches us, "I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh." Meditate upon these scriptures and feed upon the LORD's faithfulness.  Romans 7:25-8:1 says, "I thank God--through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin. 1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit."  Also consider Galatians 5:22-25:  "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 24 And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit."

Rejoice in the LORD always, again I say rejoice!  God has not left us helpless, comfortless, or powerless, but has granted us the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit.  Let us live accordingly!  May the joy of the LORD be our strength!

27 July 2011

Powerful and Able

As a follower of Jesus Christ, I never need wonder about His ability to do anything.  Even so, sometimes the temptation presents itself!  The morning after Daniel was thrown into a den of ravenous lions, King Darius stood at the mouth of the den and called out in Daniel 6:20:  "...Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?"  Daniel answered in the affirmative.  God had sent an angel to shut the mouth of the lions and they could not harm him.  Perhaps a skeptic might claim the lions weren't hungry after all.  Daniel 6:24 clear this up immediately:  "And the king gave the command, and they brought those men who had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions--them, their children, and their wives; and the lions overpowered them, and broke all their bones in pieces before they ever came to the bottom of the den."

When we consider the ferocity of a lion, it is nothing compared to the power and ability of God.  Isaiah 40:10-12 says, "Behold, the Lord GOD shall come with a strong hand, and His arm shall rule for Him; behold, His reward is with Him, and His work before Him. 11 He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those who are with young. 12 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, measured heaven with a span and calculated the dust of the earth in a measure? Weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance?"  Our earth is located in the Milky Way galaxy, just one of hundreds of billions of galaxies observed in the heavens.  It is estimated to be 100,000 million light years across.  Light moves at the speed of about 186,000 miles per second (or 300,000,00 meters per second!), and a light year is the distance light travels in a whole year at that unimaginable speed.  I have read the observable universe is around 46 billion light years in diameter, give or take.  God says that gargantuan expanse is  measured by the span of His hand, the distance from a man's finger to thumb with an open palm!

I recently read a National Geographic article titled, "Water in Quasar could fill Earth's oceans 100 trillion times."  To me, that is a remarkable statement in itself.  But how much more mind-blowing is it that God measures the waters "in the hollow of His hand."  How astounding is the ability and power of God!  If ours is the God who made and sustains all things, breathed into man a living soul, speaks the words of life, and holds the keys to Hell and Death, of what should we be afraid?  He has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, of love, and a sound mind (2 Tim. 1:7).

In light of God's power and grace, take heart in the words of Isaiah 40:28-31:  "Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. 29 He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength. 30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, 31 but those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint."  God is all power, and His ability is limitless.

Do you believe this?

25 July 2011

Remember Lot's Wife

The Bible is filled with miraculous events, both well-known and obscure.  One event I thought strangest as a kid was the account of of Lot's wife demise as she fled from Sodom.  God sent angelic messengers to not only warn Lot and his family of the certain judgment of the region, but to lay hold of them so they might be delivered from death.  Genesis 19 records the event in detail.  Lot and his household were very reluctant to leave their home as we read in Genesis 19:16: "And while he lingered, the men took hold of his hand, his wife's hand, and the hands of his two daughters, the LORD being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city."  Lot, his wife, and two daughters were brought outside the city and given clear instructions in verse 17"So it came to pass, when they had brought them outside, that he said, "Escape for your life! Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains, lest you be destroyed."  As God began to destroy the region of Sodom and Gomorrah with fire and burning sulfur, Genesis 19:26 contains the last mention of Lot's wife:  "But his wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt."

Needless to say, being turned into a pillar of salt is an uncommon way to die.  Ancient historians such as Josephus have attested to the existence of this pillar in confirmation of scripture (Chapter 11, Antiquities).  This pillar remained for years, a testimony and warning in a most unique form.  What led me to consider Lot's wife is the mention Jesus makes of her in Luke 17:32:  "Remember Lot's wife."  It is wise to obey Jesus!  What can we observe of this woman?  I am struck first by the fact we are never told her name.  The second point is the angels did not find her eager to leave Sodom, for she lingered until she was taken by the hand and brought out of the city.  Third, Lot's wife disobeyed the command of the angels:  "Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain."  God is under no obligation to tell us the each specific outcome of disobedience.  The wages of disobedience is death, whether in the city or the plain!  Lot's wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.

I do not need to justify God's judgment upon Sodom or Lot's wife.  The Bible says there was not even 10 righteous people in the entire city.  God, in His great mercy, intervened and saved those who were obedient and willing.  This story of turning back reminds me of a song often sung at baptisms:  "I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back, no turning back."  Whether moved through curiosity or deep longing, Lot's wife looked back.  That decision led to her destruction.  The context of Christ's command to remember Lot's wife concerns His second coming.  Luke 17:31-33 reads, "In that day, he who is on the housetop, and his goods are in the house, let him not come down to take them away. And likewise the one who is in the field, let him not turn back. 32 Remember Lot's wife. 33 Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it."  Jesus bids for all to take His Word seriously.  Deviation from His command will bring certain, severe consequences.

When I remember Lot's wife, I instinctively think about looking back.  As Christians following Jesus, we can choose to look to Christ or look back with longing at our life without Him.  Just like some husbands or wives fantasize about how great it would be to be single again, Christians can sometimes have this same abominable longing to depart from God.  Lot chose to walk in obedience and refused to look back.  2 Peter 2:7-9 tells us God "...delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked 8 (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds)-- 9 then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment..."  We read in the Bible that Lot was oppressed by the sins which surrounded him, his righteous soul tormented by what he heard and saw.  We do not read the same concerning his wife.  It is possible that Lot was the only righteous person in all of Sodom!  God is merciful to extend salvation to all.

Looking back is the step which leads to going back.  The tantalizing wares of this world may have great appeal to our flesh, but provide no life or strength for our souls.  Far more common than outright apostasy is the peril of a divided heart.  We follow Jesus best when we are looking to Him alone.  When I think of Lot's wife as a pillar of salt, cold and motionless on a desolate hillside turned facing Sodom, I am filled with sorrow.  All that is earthly will some day face the same end of destruction by fire.  Will I set my eyes God or on things of this earth?  2 Peter 3:10-12 says, "But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. 11 Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat ?"  Let us be ones who never turn back but fix our eyes on Jesus Christ, our Salvation!

24 July 2011

Not Guilty AND Righteous!

The Gospel is so good it is staggering.  When we repent and trust in Jesus Christ, our sins are cleansed by His blood.  "Not guilty" only describes one effect of Christ's regenerating work.  By God's grace we are deemed righteous and without fault.

I remember being in a university classroom on 3 October, 1995 when O.J. Simpson was declared "not guilty" of a double homicide by a jury after a nine month trial.  Most people in the class were outraged.  With the circumstantial evidence presented, they could not believe Mr. Simpson was innocent.  Similar comparisons have been drawn in the recent case of Casey Anthony and the death of her daughter.  After incredible media coverage, Casey went from incarceration and facing the death penalty to being declared "not guilty" and was released with time served.  Though I am not living in the United States, the negative public view of the verdict is felt across the world.

Without going into details of either case (which would be inconsequential to this post), it would be safe to say the media coverage influenced the opinions of the general public that a guilty verdict was justified.  Though both declared "not guilty," both Mr. Simpson and Ms. Anthony will live the rest of their days under a dark cloud of suspicion.  Both plead innocent, and after much deliberation and expert testimony both were declared "not guilty" by judge and jury.  Because there was reasonable doubt of guilt does not mean the accused were completely guiltless.  It is a sobering to consider that some will only remember these two because of the accusations leveled against them.  Even their staunchest supporters questioned their innocence.  To some they will always be monsters, regardless of the trial's legal outcome.  Even 50 years served in prison will not erase the "priors" of a convicted felon.

Now consider the natural condition of you and I before God.  There is no question we have ALL broken His perfect Law completely, willfully, and repeatedly.  Romans 3:23 tells us, "...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."  The Bible also teaches us the penalty for breaking a single of God's righteous requirements:  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."  There was reasonable doubt in both the cases of Mr. Simpson and Ms. Anthony, but there is no doubt all have sinned before God.  Evidence of a single indiscretion in either word, deed, or thought is grounds for eternal damnation.

When we repent and trust in Christ as LORD and Savior, God declares us "not guilty" and justifies us from our sin.  Not only that, but He declares us righteous and holy!  I would say "Imagine that!" but this is a reality!  We are seen by God not only as "Not Guilty," but "Righteous!"  The cloud of sin and damnation that condemned us has been obliterated by the grace, mercy, and justice of God.  1 John 1:9 reads, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."  God does not reserve suspicions of guilt or hold our sins against us, for Christ has made us righteous!  We will face no punishment for our sins because Christ has offered Himself as our Substitute, and not even a shred or memory of our guilt remains.  We are as righteous as God Himself, for our life is hid in Jesus Christ.  We can hardly appreciate how good this is!

No matter how the rest of Casey Anthony's life unfolds, people will be quicker to associate her with O.J. Simpson than with Mother Theresa or Princess Diana.  But the fact is for every sinner who repents and trusts in Christ for salvation, God associates us with God made flesh:  Jesus Christ.  Read for yourself in Romans 3:21-26:  "But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, 26 to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus."  Praise God for such Good News of grace!  What eternal riches God gives to any who repent and trust in Him!

21 July 2011

The Ligament of Love

"But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection."
 Colossians 3:14

I am continually in awe of the dynamic descriptiveness of the Bible, the divinely inspired Word of God.  It is a book no man can master:  it is a book which masters us.  Learning the Bible and the truths it contains is not the end, but the chief end of scripture is to introduce us to Jesus Christ as our LORD and Saviour.  We learn of the perfect Law of God, the fallen state of all men, and how we are separated by God due to our sin.  We learn that God is righteous, just, and holy, and is no respecter of persons:  the soul that sins shall surely die.  But we also read that God is not willing that any should perish, and has revealed His great love for us through the death of Jesus while we were yet sinners.  If anyone repents and relies upon Christ as Saviour and is born again, the same will be delivered from death and provided eternal life in heaven.  The Gospel certainly is Good News!

After a person is born again by grace through faith in Jesus, he or she becomes an individual part of the corporate Body of Christ, the church of which Christ is Head.  Ephesians 4:15-16 teaches us, "...speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head--Christ-- from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love."  All the different denominations, home groups, and people who have repented and trusted in Christ make up His unified body on earth.  Christ is physically in Heaven preparing a place for us, and the Holy Spirit has been sent to empower us to fulfill God's will and glorify Jesus.  The love of God must not be divided from the normal operation of each individual Christian or the church as a whole.  1 John 4:7 exhorts, "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God."

After reading the Colossians 3:14 passage, I wondered what Paul exactly meant when he described love as the "bond of perfection."  When I looked up the words in my Word Search Bible program, I found the phrase is literally, "uniting, controlling, ligament of completeness."  The word "ligament" caught my attention in light of the Ephesians passage which describes the body of Christ as being "joined and knit together by what every joint supplies."  Then I briefly looked up medical definitions of what a ligament is.  From what I read, a ligament is a connective tissue designed to stabilize and control the range of motion of joints.  Ligaments also support the bones and joints, maintaining the proper alignment while moving.  In addition, ligaments hold internal organs in the correct place.  It is easy to say that ligaments provide an invaluable, necessary function in a healthy body.

What an intriguing thought this is!  While the Spirit of God provides the strength, power, and life, the love of Jesus Christ is to be the stabilizing, supporting, aligning influence in the lives of every Christian and the church.  Instead of having a structure of authority like a corporation, federal government, or monarchy, the church is to rule through love.  Sounds almost bizarre, doesn't it?  Jesus says in Matthew 20:25-28:  "...You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave-- just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."  On the night Jesus was betrayed, He girded Himself with a towel like a slave and washed His disciples' feet.  Jesus did not threaten His disciples with damnation, nor did He manipulate or bribe them with heavenly glory.  He loved them and met their most basic needs with joyful humility.  Love is not an emotion but compassion in action.  Jesus saw dirty feet and He washed them without grumbling or complaining.

Love can be compared to a strong, flexible ligament.  As ligaments keep the body in alignment, so love keeps the church and all followers of Christ in alignment with their Head, Jesus Christ.  A church which does not operate wholly in love is out of joint with the Head.  For those of you who have experienced chronic back and neck pain, you have deep appreciation of the value of proper spine alignment.  Love is not some soft, wishy-washy feeling which allows anything.  Our bodies would be racked with pain if our ligaments were too flexible and yielding.  We would not even be able to stand!  Joints would be over-extended, muscles torn, and internal organs ripped from their places.  How insightful this is, that love is the ligament of the Body of Christ!

May we be mindful as members of the Body of Christ to led by the Spirit and governed by love.  Sometimes ligaments can be torn or damaged, and sometimes we choose not to walk in love.  Praise God that we serve a God who is a Healer and a Restorer of souls!  When we look to Jesus and follow His example through the Holy Spirit, we can regain the alignment necessary to live a life which pleases and glorifies Him.  May we love one another as Christ loves us!

20 July 2011

Quote from D.L. Moody

When I was in the States, my folks bought me an Amazon Kindle which I have enjoyed very much.  Today I "kindled" The Overcoming Life by D.L. Moody.  It was not long before I read a memorable and valuable illustration I am happy to share:
A gentleman in India once got a tiger-cub, and tamed it so that it became a pet.  One day when it had grown up, it tasted blood, and the old tiger-nature flashed out, and it had to be killed.  So with the old nature in the believer.  It never dies, though it is subdues: and unless he is watchful and prayerful, it will gain the upper hand, and rush him into sin.  Someone has pointed out that "I" is the centre of S-I-N.  It is the medium through which Satan acts.
Our old nature is like that tiger in captivity.  We therefore must be vigilant to bring every thought captive to the obedience of Jesus Christ.  As long as we walk this earth in these bodies, there is a potential for a great fall.  Quoting a pastor of mine, "You are only one bad decision away from a fall."  Praise God that He is a God who does not only prevent our falling but our stumbling as well!  Proverbs 3:21-26 reads, "My son, let them not depart from your eyes-- keep sound wisdom and discretion; 22 so they will be life to your soul and grace to your neck. 23 Then you will walk safely in your way, and your foot will not stumble. 24 When you lie down, you will not be afraid; yes, you will lie down and your sleep will be sweet. 25 Do not be afraid of sudden terror, nor of trouble from the wicked when it comes; 26 for the LORD will be your confidence, and will keep your foot from being caught."  We are more than overcomers through Jesus Christ!

19 July 2011

Keep the Word Pure

Yesterday Laura brought home a "replacement" bunny (now named "Oreo") from the pet shop.  This morning I overheard my son say, "Oreo!  Don't sit in your food pellets!"  One casual observation I have made over the years is rabbits are quite senseless when it comes to maintaining the purity of their food and water.  They will foul their water with their feet, tip over bowls which aren't heavy enough, and throw their food everywhere!  Our rabbits do not respond to verbal cues, but only seem to understand the universal language of food.  Yet as much as they like certain foods, it doesn't keep them from polluting it with their own waste.

Sheep are similar in many respects.  A shepherd must carefully clear the field of poisonous, noxious plants.  In Phillip Keller's book A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23, he goes into great detail on this point and in addition the necessity to clean out water holes where the sheep drink.  The shepherd also creates dams to slow the flow of water so the sheep will be able to easily drink.  But like rabbits and other animals, sheep have no comprehension of the labour which went into their food and drink preparation.  Without the care of a good shepherd, the water holes would no doubt soon be contaminated by waste, be filled with litter and debris, and give rise to disease and sickness.

Jesus says that He is the Good Shepherd (John 10:11-14).  David writes in Psalm 23:5:  "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over."  Followers of Jesus Christ are lovingly and descriptively called "sheep."  Jesus is the Bread of Life, and has provided in Himself salvation through faith by His atoning sacrifice.  He is the Living Bread which all can eat and live forever, even as the Israelites daily ate manna in the wilderness.  Jesus is also called the "Word of Life" (1 John 1:1) and has given us words of life found in the Bible which is food for our souls.  Even as the presence of the shepherd would ensure good grazing in safe pastures free from predators, our God provides sustenance for our souls and all that pertains to life and godliness.  Jesus says in John 10:14:  "I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own."

If left to our own, we would certainly do no better at reading and understanding the Bible than a rabbit that is senseless to understand how to keep her water pure.  In fact, the Bible warns that many will do just this in the last days in which we live.  An exhortation and warning against heresy is seen in 2 Timothy 2:15-19 which reads, "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 16 But shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness. 17 And their message will spread like cancer. Hymenaeus and Philetus are of this sort, 18 who have strayed concerning the truth, saying that the resurrection is already past; and they overthrow the faith of some. 19 Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: "The Lord knows those who are His," and, "Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity."  Christians are told to rightly divide the Word of Truth because heresy is a real potential!  We can foul the truth of scripture by our own personal bias, limited understanding, or when we are hardened with the deceitfulness of sin.  To misrepresent the King by twisting His message is a great sin indeed. 

We are told to rightly divide the Word of truth, recognizing that it is of divine origin and therefore necessitates divine aid to do so.  Praise God that He has provided not only the pure Word, but the Holy Spirit who enables us to "rightly divide" the Word of God.  Jesus says in John 16:12-15, "I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. 14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. 15 All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you."  The purity of the Word has been divinely preserved, and only through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit can we maintain this purity in our preaching and churches.  We are spiritually senseless until the Spirit fills us, and 1 Corinthians 2:12-13 teaches, "Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. 13 These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual."

I appreciate the purity of God's Word!  Proverbs 30:5 states, "Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him." May all take to heart the necessity of being filled with the Spirit and seek to be led by Him so we will not foul it with our flesh!  Unlike rabbits, which cannot comprehend the value of food carefully cleaned and prepared or know how to maintain it, may we be thankful and mindful of what treasure we hold when we open the Word of God!  Have you taken time to let God know you love His Word?  Psalm 119:140 says, "Your word is very pure; therefore Your servant loves it."  We can show our love through reading the Bible, believing, obeying, and teaching it faithfully.  In this God will be glorified!

16 July 2011

Let Us Pray!

I had a thought in the shower:  why do I pray?  Do I pray to receive results?  Am I motivated by what God can do for me?  Is praying supposed to be like eating vegetables - maybe not my favorite part of the meal but I eat them because I know they are good for me?

Then another thought occurred to me:  isn't praying out of obedience the best reason to pray?  Shouldn't we pray because we are humbled and privileged to enter into God's throne room of grace through the precious blood of Jesus?  1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says, "Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."  If I pray, "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven..." I am a hypocrite if I do not pray earnestly and continually.  God's will is that every Christian be a praying Christian.

Why do you pray?  Prayer is supposed to be more than mumbling words over food or thinking words as we drift off to sleep in our beds:  prayer is to be the highlight of our existence.  In prayer, that great act of faith, we enter into the presence of the Almighty God.  It is the divine harmony of fellowship between our regenerated souls through the Holy Spirit, petitioning, praising, and worshiping our heavenly Father with Jesus Christ interceding as our Risen Mediator.

May God forge in us a hunger and thirst to emulate Christ and rise in obedience to pray.  More exciting than sport, more necessary than our daily food, absolutely imperative for holiness and godliness, let us never neglect the joyous duty of prayer.  Let us pray!

13 July 2011

A Heart Issue

God sometimes places a strong emphasis on a particular theme over and over until I recognize it.  My morning routine involves rising before dawn, praying, reading a chapter of the Bible, focusing on a key verse, and writing the thoughts God provokes.  After I finished writing this morning, for whatever reason I decided to turn back a page.  To my surprise, I found the writing on the previous day was on the same subject:  the condition of the heart.  I had totally forgotten about what I had written the day before!  Since this theme keeps coming up in my writing, I had the idea of simply sharing these two devotions together.  Hope God shows you something awesome!
13/7/11 - 2 Chronicles 11:16:  "And after the Levites left, those from all the tribes of Israel, such as set their heart to seek the LORD God of Israel, came to Jerusalem to sacrifice to the LORD God of their fathers."  Those who are loyal to God will seek Him at great expense.  Some might see it as a great inconvenience to travel to Jerusalem to offer sacrifices in obedience to God.  To those who set their hearts upon God, the privilege of obedience is a great delight!  Serving God in obedience is a vital part of the Christian walk.  Like David, who would not sacrifice to God what cost him nothing, followers of Jesus Christ are called to a lifestyle of sacrifice and worship unto the LORD.  A man cannot rightly say, "I have set my heart to seek the LORD" but neglect to take necessary steps to enter into His presence.  Can a man seek hidden treasure from the comfort of his bed?  Is sacrifice possible from a sedentary existence upon a church pew?  Jesus did not sacrifice from the glorious luxuries of heaven, but gave his glory away and was clad in human flesh.  He took up the cross after a life free from sin and completely lived for the glory of God, and died in obedience to the Father's will.  No servant is above his master, and we are Christ's servants.  Worship and praise must involve more than playing a song or assembling in a building at a given hour:  we must take up our cross and follow Jesus.  Since when has sacrifice not involved sacrifice?  We are to be living sacrifices unto our God, who gave Himself freely for us.  We love Him because He first loved us and gave Himself for us.  "You are bought with a price, therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." (1 Cor. 16:20)
14/7/11 - 2 Chronicles 12:14:  "And he did evil, because he did not prepare his heart to seek the LORD."  When Rehoboam was established, he "forsook the law of the LORD and all Israel with him" (2 Chron. 12:1).  But when he and the princes humbled themselves before the LORD, the wrath of God was turned away, though they still faced consequences:  some wealth was stripped away, and they became servants of Shishak King of Egypt.  But verse 14 clearly illuminates the main issue:  Rehoboam did not prepare his heart to seek the LORD and thus turned from following Him.  As Christians, God gives us a new heart of flesh, having removed our heart of stone.  We have been given a responsibility to keep our heart soft and humble by God's grace, not allowing it to be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin (Heb. 3:13) or being lifted up with pride.  Proverbs 4:23 says, "Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life."  If I have a bad heart which beats irregularly, I will be fatigued and at risk of heart failure.  If I suffer from coronary disease, my overall health is negatively affected.  If our hearts are wrong spiritually, every aspect of our lives will be stunted.  Our ability to exercise spiritual gifts will be thwarted, our prayers will be marked by numb dullness, and our strength will be sapped.  The smallest of spiritual disciplines will overwhelm us.  But if God gives us a new heart, and we prepare our hearts to seek the LORD, we will no doubt find Him and walk in the way which fully pleases Him.  Deuteronomy 4:29 states, "But from there you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul."  What an everlasting promise, what confidence we can have in our God's availability, accessibility, and faithfulness!  A divided heart will be full of fear, selfishness, and poisoned with a root of bitterness and pride.  If we will humble ourselves and seek the LORD, we will see the fulfillment of 2 Chronicles 7:14:  "...if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land."

11 July 2011

You Are What You Worship

Awhile back I turned on the TV and watched the first 10 minutes of a show called, "Deadliest Roads."  During the episode titled "Thin Air," one of the truck drivers was tasked to carry a statue of Buddha to another monastery higher up the Rohtang Pass in India.  As the monks carefully placed their golden deity in the back of his truck the driver asked incredulously:  "Is that your god?"  One of the men answered yes.  As he slowly drove up the mountain the idol was shown in the back of the cargo area, shaking with every vibration of the truck.  When I saw that golden idol sitting in the dark, carefully wrapped with protective cloths, I thought of Isaiah 40:18-20:  "To whom then will you liken God? Or what likeness will you compare to Him? 19 The workman molds an image, the goldsmith overspreads it with gold, and the silversmith casts silver chains. 20 Whoever is too impoverished for such a contribution chooses a tree that will not rot; he seeks for himself a skillful workman to prepare a carved image that will not totter."

In this passage, the True Living God points out the folly in those who serve idols.  These devout monks took great care to ensure their idol would not tip over and break!  Is that a god worthy of worship?  Here is another passage that reveals the foolishness of idolatry.  Psalm 115:5-8 describes:  "They have mouths, but they do not speak; eyes they have, but they do not see; 6 they have ears, but they do not hear; noses they have, but they do not smell; 7 they have hands, but they do not handle; feet they have, but they do not walk; nor do they mutter through their throat. 8 Those who make them are like them; so is everyone who trusts in them."  After stating the obvious, this scripture finishes with a stern indictment:  everyone who worships an idol is as powerless as their idol.  The truth is, man is no more powerful than the god or gods he serves.  Man made by God in the image of God can choose to make gods according to his own design.  Anything we worship that is not the creator of heaven and earth - whether it be money, fame, power, self, or that which is made - are all idols which are powerless to hear, speak, or save.

Let us take this thought even further.  Since scripture has established that man is no greater than his god, what does this say of those who serve the Almighty God, the great I AM?  We have not made God, but He has created us.  He is the God who created light, water, the heavens the earth, the universe known and unknown, all life, plants, animals, people, speech, and communication.  He is a God in whom all the senses originate:  sight, hearing, smell, touch, the speaking of words, the ability to move and act.  When a person chooses to trust and worship Jesus Christ as LORD, he places his faith in the Living God, the pre-imminent One, the God who has made all things.  Jesus did many signs pointing to His divinity:  He made the blind to see, the deaf to hear, the mute to speak, set the captives free by delivering people from prisons of sin and unclean spirits, made the lame and paralyzed to walk, healed lepers, and raised the dead to life.  Now there is a God who will not totter!  Crucify Him if you like, but He will rise incorruptible and glorified!

We do not serve a God who reserves all ability for Himself, but a gracious God who empowers us with the Holy Spirit.  Jesus says in John 14:12, "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father."  Paul affirms in Philippians 4:13, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."  This is not an idle boast, but the reality of life revealed in a lifestyle reserved for all who trust in Jesus Christ as Saviour.  We do not seek to do things to make a name for ourselves, but for the power of God to be so revealed through our lives that only He receives all the glory.  2 Corinthians 4:6-7 says, "For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us."  We do not become gods by placing our faith in Christ, but by His grace He makes us like Him:  alive and empowered with the Holy Spirit!

Man is no more powerful than the gods he serves.  A man may serve a million deities, but if they are all lifeless and powerless he only clutters his life with useless garbage.  But if you serve the One and Only True God, you serve a powerful living God who hears, speaks, heals, moves, and answers.  False gods are only fit for the fire, for that is where all sin ultimately goes.  If we cling to our idols, we bring their judgment upon ourselves.  Yet when we repent and place our faith in Christ, He grants us a pardon and gives us eternal life.  I choose life!  John 14:6 records the immortal truth:  "Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."  He says the same to you today!

08 July 2011

Blessed Assurance!

When I emptied out our letterbox yesterday, among the junk mail was a advertisement which promised "2 Hours of Heaven - only $79.00."  I suppose this could be correct - if a facial, a pedicure, eyebrow shape, and 1/2 of your back massaged is heaven!  For me, this promise of heaven was not reassuring.  We can pay money for insurance, but we still have little assurance in this world.  Even insurance companies who receive goods for services have the skillful knack of wriggling off the hook.

Here's another example:  Zed's bunny CJ has a blocked tear duct, apparently a common malady among rabbits.  We took her to the vet, and shelled out what I consider to be a ludicrous amount of money for treatment (one could afford nearly 4 hours of heaven with that kind of money!).  I might be able to justify it if the treatment actually worked.  But after a couple weeks of medicine and careful cleaning, little CJ's eye is not better.  The vet wants us to come back for another consulting fee plus treatment costs.  I jumped online to learn a little about various remedies.  Come to find out that for some bunnies, this is a chronic condition not improved through antibiotics, tooth extraction, or draining with a catheter!  I would be more inclined to pay for treatment if the vet would give me assurance they will fix the problem with a set price.  But can they offer me such assurance?  Not in this world!

The world can offer no assurance like God.  What He says He will do.  While speaking to the religious people in Athens Paul says this 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."  Through Christ's death and resurrection, God has given us assurance of several things:  that He will ultimately judge all people according to righteousness, and has also given assurance that those who repent and trust in Jesus Christ will overcome death and be given eternal life, even as Jesus has.  People alive in this world only have assurance of death and judgment.  Judgment of sinners according to God's righteousness means certain damnation.  But God gives assurance of eternal life through repentance and faith in Christ.  How good is God's assurance!

Armed with this knowledge, we receive this exhortation written in Hebrews 10:19-25:  "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. 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching."  The Day of Judgment is approaching, of this we are assured.  Let us encourage one another and draw nearer to Christ than ever before, holding fast the confession of our faith without wavering, for God is faithful. 

Praise God that what He has promised He is able to perform (Rom. 4:21).  Thank God that He who began a good work in us will be faithful to complete it until the day of Jesus Christ (Phil. 1:6)!

06 July 2011

The Show Goes On!

Last night I watched the highly-anticipated and fairly anti-climactic finale of the Origin series, a best-of-three rugby league matches between Queensland (Maroons) and New South Wales (Blues).  Like the five previous Origin outcomes, the Maroons once again proved they are the team to beat with a trouncing of the Blues 34-24.  It was a valiant effort from both sides, but the amazing initial 24-0 run by the Maroons proved too great a mountain to climb.

Compared to American football, most rugby league matches are relatively free from catastrophic or season-ending injuries - which is good!  There were two notable injuries in the game, one to Michael Ennis of the Blues who was coughing up blood.  The other injury brought the game to a standstill for three minutes when Johnathan Thurston of the Maroons was carted off the field, having suffered a damaged knee.  After being carted off the field to applause with his head in his hands, the game promptly resumed.  Another player took his place and the game continued as if nothing had happened.

This made me think about all the times I have seen people carted off a field in the NFL:  some came back later that season, others missed the rest of the season, and some never played again.  In all those hundreds of occasions I have witnessed, the game was never called off.  The game always picked right up again.  Men rose from their knees, strapped on their helmets, stepped back into the huddle, and lined up to do it again.  In show business there is a phrase:  "The show must go on!"  People have paid to see the show, and they must not be disappointed.  I remember a story a drama teacher at my high school told concerning a play in which he acted.  During a sword duel, he was slashed badly on his arm.  He finished the scene, trying to conceal the laceration which bled heavily.  He was convinced:  the show must go on!

In sports and entertainment, there will always be people tomorrow to replace the stars who shine so brightly today.  The entertainment industry churns out stars as fast as they fall.  The industry is bigger than the individual parts.  In a way this is similar to how God's plans continues to progress despite the failures or shortcomings of those who make up the Body of Christ.  God's will is bigger than the sum of the individual parts.  His plans are not dependent on a single person or group to achieve a goal.  If the people did not cry out in praise when Christ rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, the rocks would have screamed praise.

But in another sense, it is impossible to compare the worldly system to that of God.  Instead of His focus being on establishing leaders with charming personalities or incredible natural gifts, God desires to show His glory through simple people unadorned with fame.  Every Christian has an equally important part in the Body of Christ.  There are no star players in God's kingdom, only Jesus and those who follow Him.  If another brother or sister falls, we are to seek for them to be restored to walking, serving and fully-pleasing God.  Life does go on, but God never leaves the fallen behind.  Those who are hurting, helpless, and hopeless, are the once Jesus came to restore to Himself.  When we fall down, Christ does not cast you aside and move on to the next person because your usefulness has ceased to meet His high standards:  He will never leave or forsake you.  He doesn't make you go through rehab and physical therapy alone because He is our Healer!

What a God we serve!  Today we can hear, "Well done, my good and faithful servant" if we will humble ourselves and diligently seek Him.  I read this morning the awe-inspiring promise of God for all who believe:  2 Chronicles 7:14:  "...if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land."  God's show does not depend upon me, and it goes on whether we humble ourselves or not.  But if we want a role in seeing God's will performed, we must obey Him.  We are never too young or too old to serve Him, and His plan is we will glorify Him in service and praise for eternity!  How wonderful that God is a Provider, our Healer, and our Peace!

04 July 2011

Beautiful Feet

"Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end. 2 And supper being ended, the devil having already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray Him, 3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God, 4 rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. 5 After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded."

 John 13:1-5

Humility of this sort is based on love and faith in God.  Jesus coming to earth as a man is divine condescension, God made flesh, dwelling among men.  Not only did Jesus live as a man, but He humbled Himself in the service of men for the glory of God.  Jesus washed the disciple's feet, not to manipulate or to spite them for their inhospitable neglect of washing His feet, but to set an example for every one of His disciples to follow.  He washed the filthy feet of those who would run in fear for their own skin in the Garden of Gethsemane and abandon Him.  He washed the feet of the man who had already conspired to betray Him.  Jesus did not stop even at this point, but went to the cross in obedience to the Father and love for sinful men.  Romans 5:8 reads, "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

John 13:12-16 says, "So when He had washed their feet, taken His garments, and sat down again, He said to them, "Do you know what I have done to you? 13 You call me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. 14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. 16 Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him."  Jesus entreats us to wash the feet of others.  This job is not assigned for certain people in the church, but for all people who are in Christ:  a servant is not above his Master.  Jesus has placed us in the Body of Christ to fulfill specific purposes and callings, and one purpose for all of us is to wash one another's feet.

In current western culture, washing feet is a foreign concept.  But we do not need to work hard to imagine what washing feet is like.  For one, most of us have feet!  Feet can be stinky, calloused, and even unsightly.  In the days of Christ, people tied sandals on their feet and did most of their traveling on foot over dirt roads - if there was a road!  If I was in line to have my feet washed, I would want to be in the front of the line because I know that water will quickly turn the color of dirt!  But scripture shows us that Jesus took no thought for His life, and did not demand that anyone wash His feet even after washing everyone else's!  His request?  "You also ought to wash one another's feet."  His thoughts were on us, not focused on Himself.

Jesus did not wash feet so He would "have the dirt" on people!  When we travel through life with folks at church, sometimes we become aware of struggles or difficulties they have or are currently experiencing.  Sometimes we can be treated without respect or care.  Biting words, foul tempers, or unsightly attitudes and things all Christians must deal with.  Everyone's feet can be smelly!  Instead of being put off by other people's dirty feet, we are called to see to restore such a one with a spirit of gentleness, for love covers a multitude of sins.  With the wet weather recently, there is an increased need to clean the floors in our house.  I can choose to complain loudly to my kids for their carelessness of bringing in mud and grass on their shoes, or I can thank God I have kids and that they can walk!  Our attitude in our feet washing makes all the difference, doesn't it?

While we are confronted with dirty feet and a job that never seems to be done (I have to wash my own feet every day in the shower), what should mark my attitude?  Ephesians 5:18-21 states, "And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, 20 giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 submitting to one another in the fear of God."  Also it is written in Philippians 2:3-8:  "Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. 4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. 5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross."

Can we do this ourselves through effort?  No.  But it is the will of God to do these things through us, if we will repent and humble ourselves before Him.  The joy of the LORD is our strength, for it is His love which compels us!  Clean my heart and hands O LORD, wash me in the water of your Word, and fill me with the Holy Spirit so I might wash feet as Jesus did.  Thank you Jesus, for washing my heart, mind, and soul!  Thank you for your humble example!

03 July 2011

Good Headache!

I woke up on Saturday with a very debilitating headache, a rarity for me.  Located in the center of my skull, the pain throbbed continuously.  Sensitive to light and dizzy from quick movements, I lay in bed and wondered what had happened!  Cooking breakfast seemed out of the question, and besides I wasn't hungry at all.  For many this may be a common occurrence.  But for me, it was seemed more of a negative novelty.  I wasn't sleepy but lay wide awake with my eyes closed, trying to shut out the sunlight filtering into the room through the vertical blinds.

There was nothing I could do but pray.  My typical morning routine is about an hour and a half of combined prayer and Bible reading before I make breakfast.  But what a wonderful time I spent with the LORD for a while as I lay hurting in bed Saturday!  The pain wasn't the focus of my prayer, but the pain enabled me to focus better on the LORD.  Instead of being distracted by the activity of the house or thinking about what other things I could do, it was like I was the captive audience in the presence of God.  In those moments, despite the discomfort, I thought about how good God is to allow us times enter into His presence when we have little choice.  Though painful, that headache was not a pain:  it was a great blessing.  I thanked God for that headache because He used it to enable me to better seek and find Him.

Sometimes God will slow us down and allow us to endure illness for His purposes.  This is hard to comprehend, and our flesh rebels at this idea.  But God knows us better than we know ourselves, and will use all things for good.  How wonderful God is, that even a headache can be a good thing if we will seek Him diligently.  Whether sick or well the scripture rings true: Deuteronomy 4:29 says, "But from there you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul."  No matter our condition or geographical location, this promise of God will never fail.  Praise Him for that!

01 July 2011

Quote from "The Soul Winner"

I have been reading The Soul Winner by C.H. Spurgeon, a book which emphasizes how the primary goal and focus of all believers is the salvation of sinners.  All the ministries of the church, all effort for the glory of God in the lives of a Christian, is that through our testimony people would come to salvation found only in Jesus Christ.  Having been a Sunday School teacher for many years, I found the following quote enlightening and invigorating.  As teachers of adults or children, we are not to be content with the mere transfer of information, but the transformation of a life committed to Christ.  Spurgeon describes how Elisha raised the dead son of the Shunammite in 2 Kings 4:29-37, and compares it to our work in saving souls.  The quote can be found on pages152-153:
The position of Elisha in this case is exactly your position, brethren, in relation to your work for Christ.  Elisha had to deal with a dead child.  It is true that, in his instance, it was natural death; but the death with which you have to come in contact is not the less real death because it is spiritual.  The boys and girls in your classes are, as surely as grown-up people, "dead in trespasses and sins."  May none of you fail fully to realise the state in which all human beings are naturally found!  Unless you have a very clear sense of the utter ruin and spiritual death of your children, you will be incapable of being made a blessing to them.  Go to them, I pray you, not as to sleepers whom you can by your own power awaken from their slumber, but as to spiritual corpses who can only be quickened by a power divine.  Elisha's great object was not to cleanse the dead body, or embalm it with spices, or wrap it in fine linen, or place it in an appropriate posture, and then leave it still a corpse:  he aimed at nothing less than the restoration of the child to life.  Beloved teachers, may you never be content with aiming at secondary benefits, or even with realising them; may you strive for the grandest of all ends, the salvation of immortal souls!  your business is not merely to teach the children in your classes to read the Bible, not barely to inculcate the duties of morality, nor even to instruct them in the mere letter of the gospel, but your high calling is to be the means, in the hands of God, of bringing life from heaven to dead souls.  Your teaching on the Lord's-day will have been a failure if your children remain dead in sin.  In the case of the secular teacher, the child's fair proficiency in knowledge will prove that the instructor has not lost his pains; but in your case, even thought your youthful charge should grow up to be respectable members of society, thought they should become regular attendants upon the means of grace, you will not feel that your petitions to heaven have been answered, nor your desires granted to you, nor your highest ends attained, unless something more is done,-unless, in fact it can be said of your children, "The Lord hath quickened them together with Christ."