Laying Down Our Will to Embrace His

"I entreated Your favor with my whole heart; be merciful to me according to Your word."

Psalm 119:58

Even when we have learned, God continues to teach.  There is always a deeper level - a more personal application - for biblical truth beyond where we stand.  The necessity and value of an undivided heart is a theme I have often been reminded of lately.  Unless we come to a place of rest and complete neutrality on an issue when seeking God, clear direction from our heavenly Father will often elude us.  It is not that God has abandoned us, but our preferences cloud our judgment.  We can stumble through a self-induced fog, straining for clear vision of the path laid before us.  As long as we hold to our plans and ideas - even with the thought of bringing God glory - clarity of sight and sureness of footing will remain out of reach.

In wrestling with God over direction of my life and even the church, only after I wholly yielded myself to God's plan did the answer come.  I thought I had laid my will down through belief, but God's silence showed I had not.  After I repented and sought God's guidance with my whole heart, answers came so clearly through God's Word, confirmed through circumstances and others, and complete with the peace only found through the Holy Spirit.  The example for every Christian was held forth when Jesus laid down His will in the Garden of Gethsemane before He laid down His life.  We want to lay down our lives before we lay down our will, but we find we cannot.  We fight to lay down our lives.  We look for opportunities for sacrifice.  We grasp in vain for guidance, seeking open doors.  But until our will aligns wholly with the Father's will, we will suffer spiritual impotence and confusion.  I see two distinct "wills" in operation in my life:  God's will, and my will.  They are naturally opposed to one another in every respect.  I must first lay down my will in faith in God before I can fully rest in my Father's will.

If we see the folly in casting valuable pearls before pigs who cannot discern or appreciate their value, why do we think that God will lead us into deeper truth and understanding when we are firmly set in our own ways according to our will?  Jeremiah 29:13 reads, "And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart."  If we trust God will our souls for eternity, we should completely trust His guidance for our next step in this life.  We must therefore put aside our agendas, opinions, and ambition concerning what we see and seek the LORD wholeheartedly with willingness to hear AND obey whatever God says.  Because Christ is the Good Shepherd, He will hear our cries and lead us into safe pasture.  He will be merciful to us according to His Word!

The Narrow Way

The longer I follow Christ, the more I am struck by His objective claims.  The world says there are "many paths to God," but the Bible proclaims the opposite.  In our modern-day culture of relativity, people hate the idea of anyone claiming to possess absolute truth.  That is why people hated Jesus.  He stood up to the religious leaders of the day, boldly proclaiming He was the Son of God.  He transcended all earthly rulers in wisdom and power.  He performed mighty signs and wonders, and rose from the dead in glory.  He said without apology or caveat in John 14:6:  "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."  No politician, prophet, or lunatic spoke as this Man.  In Christ we find no comfortable middle ground with this world.

Following Jesus Christ is an exclusive, narrow way.  He will receive every sinner who repents and receives Him through faith.  The Gospel is incredibly simple, yet it is the hard way.  Christ's yoke is easy and His burden light, but the broad path to destruction is easier traveled than the upward call of God.  The way of Jesus Christ is an uncompromising way.  Because of this, it is an impractical way for anyone who desires earthly recognition, fame, power, or glory.  Yet it goes further.  It is an intolerable way.  People have no problem with Christians when they resemble the soft, weak, mushy persona that often passes for Jesus.  But when Christians take a stand upon the Bible as the literal Word of God concerning moral issues in society, they are fiercely attacked and despised.  It is an impossible, unthinkable way.  Following Jesus in obedience makes foolishness appear wise from a worldly perspective.  Those who have tasted and seen that God is good know better!

God's way is the only way, and that Way is Jesus Christ.  Exclusive and narrow, yes.  Narrow is not a bad thing when you are heading precisely in the right direction!  While the world searches fruitlessly for love, peace, joy, significance, assurance, and purpose, these things are found in Christ alone.  1 John 5:11-12:  "And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. ¹² He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life."  Notice the lack of words like "might," "may," "possibly," or "hopefully."  God has given eternal life and this life is in Jesus Christ.  Unmistakably direct and clear:  there is a God and He has provided a Way to heaven through Jesus.  He who has the Son has life, and those without the Son of God do not have life.  Clear, precise, and concise.  There is the claim; take it or leave it.  Laugh it off, fight against it, rage against the idea, hurl insult after insult.  But the truth resounds now and for eternity, for the Word of God endures forever.

The preaching of the cross is foolishness to those who worship the creature over the Creator, but to those who are saved it is the power of God.  Romans 10:8-9 reads, "But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith which we preach): ⁹ that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved."  Believe, confess your sins, repent, and be saved, becoming born again through the Holy Spirit.  Jesus is not one of many doors to heaven, but He is the Door through whom all who enter heaven must enter.  Jesus says in John 10:9-10:  "I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. ¹⁰ The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly."  Rely upon Christ Jesus and choose life!

Singing in the Fire

While busy with custodial duties at church, I was listening to a talk by Britt Merrick, pastor of Reality Carpinteria.  He spoke from experience about how joy and suffering are coupled in the Christian life.  Instead of God removing suffering from life, He allows Christians to embrace genuine joy in the midst of suffering.  Just yesterday I finished reading a biography of Mrs. Spurgeon by Charles Ray.  Susannah was a godly woman who not only endured suffering, but continued to persevere and be profitable for God's glory in the midst of acute long-term illness.  She was a woman of maturity and faith, one who learned to trust in God no matter what.  In the book, there is an object lesson she shares which spoke deeply to my heart.  Ray begins this quote from Susannah on page 81:

At the close of a very dark and gloomy day I lay resting on my couch as the deeper night drew on, and though all was bright within my cosy little room, some of the external darkness seemed to have entered into my soul and obscured its spiritual vision.  Vainly I tried to see the hand which I knew held mine and guided my fog-enveloped feet along a steep and slippery path of suffering.  In sorrow of heart I asked, 'Why does my Lord thus deal with His child?  Why does He so often send sharp and bitter pain to visit me?  Why does he permit lingering weakness to hinder the sweet service I long to render to His poor servants?'  These fretful questions were quickly answered, and though in a strange language, no interpreter was needed save the conscious whisper of my own heart.

For a while silence reigned in the little room, broken only by the crackling of an oak log burning on the hearth.  Suddenly I heard a sweet, soft sound, a little, clear, musical note, like the tender trill of a robin beneath my window.  'What can it be?' I said to my companion, who was dozing in the firelight; 'surely no bird can be singing out there at this time of the year and night!'  We listened, and again heard the faint plaintive notes, so sweet, so melodious, yet mysterious enough to provoke for a moment our undisguised wonder.  Presently my friend exclaimed, 'It comes from the log of the fire!' and we soon ascertained that her surprised assertion was correct.  The fire was letting loose the imprisoned music from the old oak's inmost heart.  Perchance he had garnered up this song in the days when all went well with him, when birds twittered merrily on his branches, and the soft sunlight flecked his tender leaves with gold; but he had grown old since then and hardened; ring after ring of knotting growth had sealed up the long-forgotten melody until the fierce tongues of the flames came to consume his callousness and the vehement heat of the fire wrung from him at once a song and a sacrifice.

Oh! thought I, when the fire of affliction draws songs of praise from us, then indeed are we purified and our God is glorified!  Perhaps some of us are like this old oak log - cold, hard and insensible; we should give forth no melodious sounds were it not for the fire which kindles round us, and releases tender notes of trust in Him, and cheerful compliance with His will.  As I mused the fire burned and my soul found sweet comfort in the parable so strangely set forth before me.  Singing in the fire!  Yes, God helping us if that is the only way to get harmony out of these hard, apathetic hearts, let the furnace be heated seven times hotter than before.

When God sees fit to refine us in the fire, may the Holy Spirit quicken us to praise Him!  May the joy of the LORD be our strength always!

The Grace-Knowledge Connection

"You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; ¹⁸ but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen."

2 Peter 3:17-18

After I read this passage, I was led to consider the connection between grace and knowledge.  Without knowledge we are unable to appreciate or even acknowledge grace.  For instance, salvation by grace through faith is an unmerited gift from God.  Because of His great love for us, God the Father chose to satisfy divine justice through the sacrifice of His own Son Jesus the Christ on Calvary.  What a gift!  Not only can man be forgiven for his sins by repenting and trusting in Jesus as Saviour, but the righteousness of Christ is freely credited to each Christian born again through the Holy Spirit.

There was a time when I was ignorant of God and His grace.  I didn't know that Jesus is God-made-flesh and humbled Himself to take human form.  I did not know Jesus died so I might live.  At first, His gracious sacrifice and gift of eternal life had been reduced to a picture on a page of an ornate Bible.  I didn't know that Jesus did that for me and everyone else who was guilty of sin.  But after reading the Bible I grew in knowledge.  I learned the Bible reveals Jesus is God's Son sent to seek and save the lost.  How greatly He humbled Himself in becoming a man and embracing the cross!  I realised all have sinned and none are worthy to be purchased with the precious blood of Jesus.  Only through knowledge and enlightenment by the Holy Spirit did God's grace - generous favour freely given which I cannot earn, purchase, or deserve - actually appear as grace.

So how can we grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ?  Practical knowledge spurns on our growth in grace.  When we understand who Jesus is, His infinite love for man, and the degree of His sacrifice and suffering, the grace He extends to us is discerned.  As our understanding of the depth of our sin grows, our appreciation of God's grace towards us also grows.  We realise our obligation to extend more and more grace to others, even as God has toward us.  We have freely received:  we are called to freely give.  If we do not see ourselves as great sinners, we will never be great in grace  If we are more concerned about the speck in our brother's eye than the log in our own, our growth in grace will be stunted.  This fact is illustrated in a conversation Jesus had with a self-righteous Pharisee named Simon.

Luke 7:40-50 reads, "And Jesus answered and said to him, "Simon, I have something to say to you." So he said, "Teacher, say it." ⁴¹ "There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. ⁴² And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both. Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?" ⁴³ Simon answered and said, "I suppose the one whom he forgave more." And He said to him, "You have rightly judged." ⁴⁴ Then He turned to the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head. ⁴⁵ You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in. ⁴⁶ You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil. ⁴⁷ Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little." ⁴⁸ Then He said to her, "Your sins are forgiven." ⁴⁹ And those who sat at the table with Him began to say to themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?" ⁵⁰ Then He said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you. Go in peace."

The difference between the sinful woman who anointed Jesus and the judgmental Pharisee was that the woman loved much because she had been forgiven much.  Do not misunderstand:  she had not sinned more than the Pharisee!  They were both sinners before God.  The woman recognised the enormity of her debt which had been forgiven.  Because of this, she expressed her love for Christ with tears and the sacrifice of expensive perfume.  The Pharisee loved little because he thought he had little need of Christ's forgiveness.  Though the woman was known as a sinner, she was the one who went home in peace justified and saved.

There is a point in every Christian walk we either grow or regress in grace.  Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies.  When we grow in knowledge, we can be deceived to assume we have obtained the right to sit in the seat of judgement of others.  Our eyes are to be fixed on Christ, judging ourselves lest we be judged.  Knowledge of Christ and how undeserving we are allows us to grow in our appreciation of God's grace, to receive it from God, and freely offer it to others.  Maybe you figure you deserve grace because you have repented.  No!  We can never earn God's grace or it could not be grace.  Perhaps we withhold grace because someone has not proven themselves worthy to us.  In doing so we make grace of no effect.  If increased knowledge of doctrine makes us legalistic, we have abandoned the grace of God.  Paul warns the church in Galatians 5:2 & 4, "Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage...⁴ You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace."

Let us grow in grace and knowledge of our LORD and Saviour Jesus Christ.  Gracious words should attend gracious thoughts.  Colossians 4:6 says, "Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one."  Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.  Out of the abundance of grace a man has received from God so he thinks.  Unless God's grace seasons our knowledge, we will know nothing as we ought to know.

Mowing That Lawn

While driving yesterday, I caught sight of a heart-warming scene.  A man was mowing the grass in his front yard.  That in itself was not an unusual thing to see.  But what brought a smile to my face was his little boy, probably about three years old.  This boy industriously pushed a large plastic cart back and forth accross the turn, glancing occasionally at dad from his "work."  The riding toy had a handle at the back gripped tightly by the youngster.  Tongue sticking out in a concentrated effort, the boy was completely absorbed in mowing the lawn.  Some would say the boy was not actually "doing" anything.  It's true that his train toy was completely ineffective at cutting grass.  But the boy was doing something.  Best he could, he was working with his dad - and teaching me a lesson as well!

It is natural that this boy would delight in emulating his father.  Doing something like dad was fun in itself, and it is a great joy to serve those you love.  I have heard imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but in this case it would be truer to say imitation was the sincerest form of love and respect.  Small children are for a time incapable to dispense the sweet poison of flattery.  Boys with great dads don't only want to do what they do:  they want to be like them.  I have been blessed to have a grandpa, grandad, and a dad that I not only admired as a youngster, but I wanted to be like them when I grew up.  I still respect them and hold them in highest honour.

When we are adopted into the family of God by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, our eyes are opened to the awesomeness of our heavenly Father.  It is right for us to emulate Him in everything.  As children of God through the Gospel, we are made co-heirs with Christ as a brother and friend.  He is like the big brother we should always want to be like.  I started thinking about this little boy, feverishly pushing his cart across the grass.  A day will likely come when he will be taught to mow the lawn for real.  Someday that boy who has become a young man will grow tired of mowing the lawn.  He will put it off as a burdensome chore or even refuse to do it altogether.  This picture popped into my head of the greying dad mowing the lawn in his gumboots ten years from now, and the boy stayed at a friend's house, happy to avoid the chore he once did freely and happily as a child.

God, keep me young in heart as a child!  We must never see our service to the LORD as a burdensome task.  It is really God who does the work:  He pushes the real mower, and we are pushing our plastic toys.  But it pleases God profoundly when we joyfully work with sincerity of heart for His glory.  He no doubt smiles broadly when He looks over and sees us doing our best to emulate Him in thought, word, and deed.  That little boy wasn't being paid to copy his dad.  He took it upon himself to do, and his dad encouraged him in his efforts.  He didn't scorn the child for mowing the lawn improperly.  I can see it now:  the lawn mower and toy have been put away, and the father and son walking hand in hand to the house for a cold drink. "You were a good worker today, mate.  You did a fine job."  The boy looks up to the smiling face of his father and beams with satisfaction and profound joy.

Doesn't the thought of your Father saying that to you bring delight to your soul?  May we mature in faith, allowing Christ to live His life through us.  But may we retain the heart of a child with simplicity of love and utmost respect.  Let us look to our Father with our hands on the plow and worship Him!

Be Filled with the Holy Spirit!

People are into power.  Who wants a gutless car when you could have one with power instead?  There is a longing in the human heart to control.  This desire for power can seep into our walk with Christ as well.  The other night our family read of Simon the sorcerer in Acts 8 who for a long time had captivated the people of Samaria with sorcery.  Philip preached the Gospel to the people and his words were attended with powerful wonders and signs no one could deny.  Though a sorcerer, even Simon was convinced by the truth of the Gospel and believed.  Peter and John then came to the city, desiring the new believers would receive the Holy Spirit.  When they laid hands on Christians, they received the baptism with the Holy Spirit.

The text does not say if Simon also received the Holy Spirit.  But he was not one to stand by idly when actual power from God was potentially available!  He offered Peter money and said in Acts 8:19, "Give me this power also, that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit."  Peter sternly rebuked Simon for his foolishness, thinking that the power of God could be purchased with money.  It can only be received by faith.  He added in Acts 8:21-23:  "You have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God. ²² Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. ²³ For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity."  Simon is like many people today.  They are willing to offer God something in exchange for spiritual power or a particular manifestation of the Holy Spirit.  People still look for the simplest way to obtain our ends under the guise of doing all for God's glory.

So people buy books, ask for people to lay hands on them and pray, go to conferences, and try to figure out the formula to obtain this power from on high.  The whole problem with this approach is God does not give the Holy Spirit based upon what you do but based upon what He has done.  Following a seven-step formula to receive a spiritual gift might as well be offering God a wad of cash.  In the Bible, it is clear there is no formula.  Sometimes people were gathered together praying in one accord and the Holy Spirit fell upon them in power.  Other times hands were laid on people to receive the Holy Spirit.  On one occasion, Peter was simply telling Cornelius and his household the words of the Gospel and the Holy Spirit fell on them without them even specifically asking!  The manifestations of the Holy Spirit coming upon people are as varied as the people themselves.  The common denominator is faith in Jesus Christ and humbly presenting ourselves before Him as living sacrifices.

God has given us insights into the filling of the Holy Spirit.  Galatians 3:2 tells us the Holy Spirit can only be received in fulness through faith:  "This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?"  It is a scriptural principle that we ought to ask, seek, and knock.  Jesus taught that we ought to ask God the Father for the Holy Spirit.  He says in Luke 11:9-13:  "So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. ¹⁰ For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. ¹¹ If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? ¹² Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? 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!"  Our obedience is another factor God reveals as a requirement for the baptism with the Holy Spirit.  Acts 5:32 reads, "And we are His witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him."  As James says, I believe in many cases we have not because we ask not.  Or when we ask, we ask according to our lusts.  God desires obedience over sacrifice.  If we are disobedient in worldly matters, why should God commit to us the true riches?  If we have not been faithful with another man's things, why should God give us our own?  (Luke 16:11-12)

Maybe you are thinking, "Well, that's fine for people when the church was first starting up.  I mean, they needed the power of God revealed to confirm their words."  To that I say, do we need God's power any less today?  A blight upon the modern church is lack of power and faith that God still operates according to scripture!  Miraculous works ought to attend our ministries (Mark 16:14-20)!  If paralytics were healed, cancers were disappearing, and demon possessed were delivered with a word in Christ's name, would not there be additional power behind our words?  The Bible makes it clear, my friends:  the promise of the Holy Spirit with power has been offered to all who are in Christ.  Acts 2:38-39 tells us, "Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ³⁹ For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call."  The promise is to you and me!  I was once far from God but have been brought near by the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ.  It is not by works of righteousness I have done, but according to His mercy He has saved, reconciled, filled, and empowered me.

Maybe you are not sure if you have received this filling of the Holy Spirit experienced by many in the book of Acts.  A.W. Tozer used to say that everyone who has been filled with the Holy Spirit have three things in common:  1) they know for certain they have been filled; 2) they know exactly when it happened; 3) and it was not a gradual process, for God gives the Holy Spirit without measure.  Just like you know when you were baptised with water, you will know when you were first baptised with the Holy Spirit.  So the question is:  have you been filled with the Holy Spirit?  Have you been endowed with power from on high?  If you have not, perhaps it is because you have not met God's conditions.  Perhaps you have been like Simon, who was interested in the power but was not concerned with repenting of the sin which festered in his heart.  God is good, and He gives good gifts.  God the Father has provided His Son to redeem us and the Holy Spirit to regenerate us.  Let us not be deceived to think we can do God's work without the power of God.  Be filled to overflowing with the Holy Spirit today!

Reject Revenge

Revenge is a common themes in books, shows, and films.  From "Gladiator" to "Taken," "The Princess Bride" to "The Count of Monte Cristo," the desire for revenge fuels the plot.  Revenge films begin similarly:  the stage is set by a great injustice, the protagonist is introduced, and characters are developed.  Before too long we sympathise with the protagonist(s) and hope the bad guys reap what they have sown.  The only good resolution in a revenge movie is suffering and death for those who have done wrong.  People want those who have done wrong to suffer.  This is our natural inclination.  Hollywood is happy to pander to common appetites.

Have you ever considered how ungodly and unbiblical the concept of revenge is?  We read in the Bible of people taking revenge, but they were not commended by God for their violence.  He says in Ezekiel 18:32:  "For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies," says the Lord GOD. "Therefore turn and live!"  When Jesus hung on the cross, knowing He would in three days rise from the dead, He did not shout out:  "Just you wait until I return.  I'll get you for this!"  No.  He said loudly for all to hear, "Father, forgive them.  They know not what they do."  It is not revenge that will be on Christ's mind when He judges the world, but righteousness.  Yet not even the death of the wicked gives God any pleasure.  Again, God says through the prophet in Ezekiel 33:11:  "Say to them: 'As I live,' says the Lord GOD, 'I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?'"  God has given all men the only way of salvation through the sacrificial death of His own Son, Jesus Christ.  God made a way for the murderers of His Son to be forgiven and go to heaven to live forever with Him.

Imagine a film being made of that story!  It would be seen as the most ridiculous, unsatisfying film of all time for the vengeful, bloodthirsty masses.  Jesus lived under a cloud as a child because of His "questionable" origin, the apparent illegitimate son of a carpenter.  His own brothers did not believe His claims. John 7:5 says, "For even His brothers did not believe in Him."  Jesus was a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief.  Hebrews 5:8 tells us "though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered."  Jesus was bullied, misjudged, and rejected.  If Stephen King was to write a novel about a person who endured what Jesus had, he no doubt would have snapped and become driven by murderous revenge on those who had tormented him in his family and town.  But Jesus did not seek revenge.  He loved His enemies and prayed for them.  He chose to die in their place.  What an amazing revelation of divine love!

Hollywood sends the message that if we have been wronged severely enough, we have the right to take vengeance on our enemies - or at least fantasize about it!  God commands us not to take vengeance, for that is God's territory.  Romans 12:19 reads, "Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord."  God's judgments are not spurned on by the base desire for revenge, but according to His perfect standard of righteousness.  When a man sins, he sins against God.  Instead of taking revenge, we are to exercise faith in God, His total knowledge of the situation, and His ability to protect and uphold us.  Jesus taught in Matthew 5:43-45:  "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' ⁴⁴ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, ⁴⁵ that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust."

If God does not rejoice in the death of the wicked, neither should we.  Little by little I am finding my appetite for revenge waning.  As we draw nearer to our Saviour Jesus Christ, the more we start to think and act like Him.  May we take Christ's commands to heart and love our enemies.

We've Got Company!

For some time now I have noticed a blue tongue lizard that likes to sun himself near my garage door.  When approached from the outside with the door closed, he retreats through a gap into my garage.  Curious where he scurried off to, I observed a small depression in the concrete where he crouched close against the exterior wall.  Well, as long as he stays there it shouldn't be a problem, I thought.  Blue tongues eat snails, which we have outside our house in abundance.  Because of his small size and usefulness I saw little need to block off the gap.

But then I started thinking:  if a blue tongue lizard can easily crawl into my garage, there is nothing to keep destructive pests like mice and rats from sneaking in as well.  I decided to purchase some wood to fill the gap.  Yesterday by our freezer, I saw an large amount of fluid and solid waste - the size of a pinky finger.  Uh oh, I thought to myself.  That is unmistakably reptile droppings, and look at the size!  After cleaning up the mess, I starting looking around and to my great surprise I saw droppings in three or four places throughout the garage.  Some were so small that I hadn't recognised them as being waste at all.  I walked over to the area where the blue tongue enjoys sunning and saw him scramble into a hole in the garage wall!  It turns out he had not just been visiting his sunning spot, but that is actually where he lives.

Now I find myself in a quandary:  is there one lizard or more than one?  How do I know if the hole is vacant?  I wouldn't want to plug the gaps if he is inside.  At the rate the blue tongue is growing, it won't be long before he outgrows the hole and starts living in my golf bag or something!  As I thought about my predicament, I thought it was a great illustration of how sin can work its way into our lives.  Gaps in our defenses are easily exploited by sin.  Initially we might see our sins as small and nothing to worry about.  But before long the sin is taking over an entire room of our heart.  Had I stopped the gap and turned out the blue tongue immediately, I wouldn't have his poop all over my garage.  I am actually quite sympathetic towards the lizard, having allowed him to stay for so long.  We can also become sympathetic towards the sin we have been ignoring and allowing to remain due to our negligence.  Sin can become a part of us we are loath to part with.

We have to be confronted with the disgusting nature of sin before we will do a thing about it, and it took me cleaning up waste yesterday to impress upon me the importance of taking action and evicting our squatter.  While there is a benefit to hosting a harmless lizard, there is no benefit of cultivating sin.  It may appear to benefit us but it is deceptive.  Hebrews 3:12-13 reads, "Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; ¹³ but exhort one another daily, while it is called "Today," lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin."  May our eyes be opened when sin has taken up residence in our hearts.  Once our eyes are open to the problem, may we take the next step to repent, confess it, and forsake it!

Perpetual Spring

As I walked from the bus stop today, evidence of spring was all around.  Nearly every tree and shrub had bunches of fresh, new growth at the tip of every branch.  Tender green foliage was noticeable everywhere I looked.  Trees that shed their leaves during winter are now cloaked with bright green, and even our sad lemon and mandarin trees have shoots of new growth.  Last year I trimmed back both trees and was disappointed with the result.  They did not grow, bud, or fruit.  But what a difference spring makes!

My lemon tree has been the source of many good object lessons for me.  It was evident right from the start that a former tenant had taken upon themselves to trim the tree.  It was an utter disaster:  the top was chopped, suckers below the graft were allowed to remain, and it had been neglected.  Insects had ravaged the leaves.  Not only was the tree fighting pests and poor pruning, the location was awful.  Tucked away in the corner of the fence in the shadow of two larger trees, the tree had to fight for water and sun from its oppressive neighbors.  Now both of those trees have been cut back and the new growth is clean and healthy.  Though some of the leaves are curled and stiff, the new leaves are flexible and healthy.

When I consider that tree, I see a multifaceted picture of a Christian.  We have been grafted into Christ and it is He who makes us fruitful.  But even with copious water and sun, there are many enemies which seek to hinder us from growth and fruitfulness.  The traditions and doctrines of men are like ignorant arborists who try to shape us in their image.  Our own misconceptions about God and the Bible can also break boughs and leave us susceptible to disease.  The enemy of our souls is like those pesky insects which damage leaves.  When the new growth first appears, stinkbugs and ants suck the life out of the tender tips and stunt the growth.  Praise God we have a heavenly Gardener who is able to overcome all the obstacles and give us the feeding, trimming, and fertilisation we need.  The more fruitful we are, the more we are pruned so we might bear more fruit.  Pruning, though at times painful, is a way God designed trees and plants to be rejuvenated.

A fruit tree is also an appropriate picture of an individual Church of believers.  Churches have seasons of pruning, growth, sickness, and fruitfulness.  Some leaves might be curled or be a resting place for stinkbugs while boughs are loaded down with fruit.  Growth is an exciting prospect for any church.  A church that is not growing closer to Christ is starting to die.  It's important that as a tree is taking root it is staked for stability.  Yet it is also important that the tree be free to move a little in the wind.  This movement causes the tree to send roots down deeper into the soil.  A church that faces struggles and trials must resist the temptation to rely on particular people or programs for support when Christ is our foundation.  Psalm 1:3 describes such a one:  "He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper."

I don't know about you, but I welcome the changes each season brings to my life and the church of Christ.  God has seen fit to create varieties of deciduous and evergreen trees.  Not only is there diversity in seasons, but also in the way that seeds germinate and grow.  Some trees require fires to germinate their seeds, and others can be carried along in the breeze.  I am excited about the prospect of spiritual growth  and maturity in my life and in Christ's Body, the church.  The key to maximising our potential growth and fruitfulness in any season is abiding in Christ.  Jesus says in John 15:5-8:  "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. ⁶ If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. ⁷ If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. ⁸ By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples."  When His Living Water springs in our souls, we will always have the potential of fresh growth and fruitfulness.  In Christ we have perpetual spring!

Leaven and Doctrine

In the New Testament, sin is sometimes compared with leaven.  Even as a small amount of leaven will leaven the entire lump of dough, sin allowed to remain in a life or a church will permeate and corrupt it.  Leaven is not always a direct reference to sin, however.  Jesus refers to doctrine as leaven.  Doctrine means "instruction, teaching."  Matthew 16:6 states, "Then Jesus said to them, "Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees."  The section concludes in Matthew 16:12:  "Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees."  As there is sound doctrine, there is also bad doctrine.  The doctrine or teaching to which a man holds will influence his life, even as leaven permeates and changes the consistency of dough.  Jesus told His disciples to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees, for adherence to it would corrupt them.  The Pharisees and Sadducees were Hebrew sects who taught the traditions of men as the commands of God, and actually held their traditions in higher regard than God's Word.

We do well to take heed of the doctrine that we expose ourselves to.  If it is doctrine founded upon the naked Word of God, we find a firm, safe foundation for our feet.  The Bible is food indeed for our souls.  Peter affirmed that Jesus alone had the words of life.  There are many teachers and teachings in the world which clamour for acknowledgement and acceptance.  Some are doctrines of demons, doctrines of men, traditional or extra-biblical "revelations" that pull a dark shroud over seeing eyes, and worldly philosophies of men.  As the quality of food we eat correlates directly to the physical health of our bodies, so the doctrine we feed upon will have a spiritual impact.  Even as people have different tastes for food, various doctrines will have more appeal for one person above another.  We must heed and beware of doctrines that do not find their source in the holy scriptures and lure our hearts from remaining fixed upon Christ.

Behold the wisdom of God, that He would use a timeless book through the Holy Spirit's leading to direct us to know Him, receive instruction concerning God's character, daily living for eternity, the natural sinful condition of the heart of man, and the hope of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.  May our lives remain unleavened, as we feed daily upon the Bread of Life.  The stream is no purer than the source.  Let us take heed that the streams we seek to satisfy our thirst from spring only from the Source of all wisdom, truth, and strength:  Jesus Christ.

Give God the Credit

I saw an advertisement today about a new iphone.  Apple promotes this product as a ingenious marvel of design, perfectly fitting in the human hand.  The thing I find highly ironic about this commercial is we marvel over advances in modern technology but miss the timeless engineering of the human hand!  What is harder to create:  an ergonomically designed phone, or a hand to effectively use the phone?  There is no way a glass and metallic box of circuits and a battery is more complex than a hand created by God.  The voice over in the ad says concerning the customised screen, "That's either an amazing coincidence, or a dazzling display of common sense.  Pretty sure it's the common sense thing."  Obviously.

Without God, there would be no common sense.  No logical sense comes out of sheer randomness.  No operative systems manage to develop either in the government or in the human body without the control of intelligent beings.  No ordered chains of information arise from nothing.  Books do not write themselves.  Life cannot come from non-life.  Chemicals, not even when carefully mixed and treated in laboratories by the best scientists the world can muster, have ever yielded a single living cell.  If you were to come across an iphone or even a memory stick without ever seeing one before, it would be obvious even to a child that it is a device made by man for a purpose.  When I see a human being, animals, the stars, waterfalls, flowers, and bees, my reason refuses to accept that they are merely accidents or randomly generated beauty.  I give credit to God for creating all I see, for the Bible affirms that without Him nothing was made that is made.

Did you know that your thumbprint is like none other in the whole world?  Factories churn out millions of identical iphones, but God created only one of you.  He loves you and made you as a unique creation according to His design.  It is His delight when the people He creates rejoice in the things He has made and recognise it as the handiwork of an awesome God and worship Him.  A fingerprint on a touch-screen can identify one person in the world, and God's fingerprints are all over us!  Let's give credit where credit is due!

Are You All Alone?

I was deeply saddened over a story reported on cnn.com about Amanda Todd's story, a casualty of blackmail and bullying.  She was a desperate girl who felt all alone.  It seems a regrettable decision led to a spiral of panic, fear, and shame.  Instead of finding support among those Amanda thought were her friends, she was driven away.  I know that Amanda is not alone.  Many people in this world are victims of brutal and malicious bullying.  But they are not as alone as they might think.  There is hope for the hopeless, if we will believe and receive it.

You might be very alone in this world, without a single friend.  Perhaps enemies surround you on every side.  You are judged and misjudged.  You feel forgotten and lost in the darkness.  You have made decisions that you regret and wish you could take them back.  The hurt and pain are so real and raw you are desperate.  So-called friends have betrayed and disowned you.  Maybe you are even hurting yourself because of the pain.  Is there anyone who cares?  Please allow me to offer a handshake and a hug to you.  I'm so sorry you are hurting.  I'm sorry for the things you have suffered.  You might ask, how can I truly love you without knowing you?  I can legitimately love you because Jesus loves me.  He has changed my heart.  Jesus says this in John 15:12:  "This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you."

How has Jesus loved me?  1 Corinthians 13:4-7 describes this unfailing love.  "Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; ⁵ does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; ⁶ does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; ⁷ bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."  God has put this love in my heart.  He even gives us the ability to love our enemies.  Jesus proved His love for me by dying on the cross.  I was once an enemy of God, but His love has transformed me.  Are you desperately hungry for this love?  This is no joke.  This love is real and I offer it freely to you.

Please don't believe the lie that you have nobody in the world.  Jesus will have you if you will have Him.  Proverbs 17:17 reads, "A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity."  I'm not perfect, but I offer you love and my friendship.  I can't be there for everyone in the world, but Jesus can!  I will do my best to respond to any messages.

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Beware of Covetousness

Scripture has many profitable uses.  It can be a healing balm or a harsh warning; a stern correction or an everlasting promise that brings comfort.  Many times the Bible will even say what a particular verse is intended to convey.  I have found sometimes we miss the mark in application.  We may apply a verse to ourselves in a way not intended with the immediate context.  It is true that as we interpret scripture with scripture, a single statement may have many facets of true application.  Yet we must be mindful of the primary purpose of a verse when applying it to our lives.

Case in point, take Hebrews 13:5.  It says, "Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."  Now people often take the quotation from Christ and apply it for the purpose of comfort and peace.  It is completely legitimate to do so.  It is true that we receive great comfort from the presence of our loving Saviour.  But that is not the primary application of this passage.  The writer of Hebrews is warning against covetousness and exhorting believers to be content with what they have because Jesus has said "I will never leave you or forsake you."  How often have you seen the verse applied in the way it was intended?  Probably not often.  We must be aware of our tendency to apply scripture in the way we are most comfortable with or even avoid direct application God intends!

How does the presence of Jesus keep us from covetousness?  The writer infers that all we have and need is found in the person of Jesus Christ by grace through faith, One who will never leave or forsake us.  Money grows wings and flies away, but Jesus remains our all in all.  Godliness with contentment is great gain, and the more we value Jesus the less we will treasure and desire things of this world.  That is the intended connection.  Jesus warns in Luke 12:15, "Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses."  Because covetousness is an ingrained habit in our flesh - desiring for ourselves what is not ours - we are to be acutely aware of knowingly cultivating this sin in our hearts.  The world tells us the exact opposite of Christ.  The world is always affirming that the quality of my life is directly tied to the material goods I possess.  The better the holidays, more money and things, improvements in my physical appearance and health, and obtaining my hearts desire is the recipe for a better life.  But this is a lie.  Real life is only found in Jesus, who is the Way, Truth, and Life.

If Jesus is always with us and will never forsake us, our focus should be primarily on Him.  He feeds the sparrows and knows when a single one falls.  Instead of setting our hearts on what is not, may we value and treasure Christ above all.  Jesus says in Matthew 6:25-33:  "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? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? ²⁷ Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? ²⁸ So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; ²⁹ and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ³⁰ Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? ³¹ Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' ³² For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. ³³ But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you."

Feeling Overwhelmed?

"Hear my cry, O God; attend to my prayer. ² From the end of the earth I will cry to You, when my heart is overwhelmed; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. ³ For You have been a shelter for me, a strong tower from the enemy. ⁴ I will abide in Your tabernacle forever; I will trust in the shelter of Your wings. Selah"

 Psalm 61:1-4

Ever had one of those days when you feel totally overwhelmed?  Today has been one of those days for me.  As my "To Do" list seems to grow exponentially, I cannot tick the boxes fast enough.  Tax questions, unresolved credit card charges, immigration papers, heart and sermon preparation, ministry administration, and countless other tasks scream to be recognised.  How do we move forward in vision when stuck in the slough and are barely able to breathe?  Things I have been meaning to do for months have remained undone, and there is no break on the horizon.  Sound familiar?  That's life.  Trouble is, this life of toil on earth can suck the life right out of us.

But all is not lost when Christ is our gain!  The psalmist cried out to God when he was overwhelmed, and God attends to the prayers of the humble in heart that diligently seek Him.  There is a Rock of Salvation for all, even from the stress of this life.  What I love is David's acknowledgement in verse 3:  God had been his shelter and tower in the past, and He would bring him through any difficult and treacherous season.  The proof that God would bring Him through is that God had brought him through.  What a consolation this is for those who are overwhelmed!  No matter how big and impossible obstacles may be, they are never bigger than God.  He is the One who attends to our prayers, leads, and shelters us.  He is indeed the lifter of our heads.

Now back to the grindstone!  The mundane, the daily grind is a touchstone for our faith.  When our faith is placed squarely in God we will endure because great is the LORD and worthy to be praised.  His mercies are new every morning, for great is His faithfulness.  "Que Sera, Sera" means "whatever will be, will be."  It is a resignation to our powerlessness.  Instead of that, may we who are in Christ look to the Great I Am.  He was, is, and will ever be for eternity.

When You Can't Say Goodbye

There is a bitter sweetness in parting.  The hope of being reunited dulls the pain of separation.  Just a week ago I was reunited with my wife and children after their trip to southern California.  When we parted at the airport, there was sadness to be heading separate ways yet a joyful expectancy of their visit with friends and family.  God willing, we would meet again.  At the prescribed time, I met them at the airport!  Like most people, I have endured many different sorts of goodbyes:  leaving home to start a family, at the bedside of a loved one who would soon pass into eternity, and a goodbye to family, friends, and the United States of America when we relocated to Australia.  Sadness in parting, but a joyful expectancy of reunion.

I received word yesterday that one of my friends, Mark Rawn, unexpectedly passed into eternity on Sunday.  I cried for him.  I cried for myself that I could not be there and show support to honour his memory.  Now there was a man!  Raw, powerful, joyful, and genuine.  I remember speaking to him many Sunday mornings at church, him wearing his Washington Redskins hat and hoodie.  Shaking his hand was like being gripped by steel.  Mark looked like someone who played center back in the day, built like Juggernaut.  Quick to smile and laugh, a hearty "Amen!" from Mark was not uncommon in church, or even an occasional snore.  When Mark first trusted in Jesus Christ, he brought a six-pack to a Bible study.  Why not?  This man loved God, his little girl Angelyna, big cars, guns, and the Skins.  I can only see his face with a beaming smile.  I love you Mark!  I never got to tell him, but I immediately thought of Mark when I saw Master Boar at the end of the Gongmen Jail scene in "Kung Fu Panda 2."  "Yeeeaah!"  I'll never forget him.

One of my fondest memories of Mark is when he was a Roman guard in a church play at Calvary Chapel El Cajon.  He brought a real edge to the role.  While everyone else was tiptoeing around with the mocking of Christ during the scourging scene, Mark laid into Jesus with mockery, scorn, and ridicule.  I was so proud of him.  He wanted people to realise the kind of brutal, shocking treatment the Son of God chose to endure for sinful man's sake.  Mark had tasted of the redeeming, reconciling, delivering love of Jesus Christ.  He would have Jesus glorified.  Oh my friend, how I wish I could have been there for you before you met your Saviour face to face.  I'm so sorry I couldn't say goodbye.  The tears keep coming.

David's "Song of the Bow" says it well in 2 Samuel 1:23-25:  "How the mighty have fallen in the midst of the battle! Jonathan was slain in your high places. ²⁶ I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan; you have been very pleasant to me; your love to me was wonderful, surpassing the love of women. ²⁷ "How the mighty have fallen, and the weapons of war perished!"  Yet despite the bitterness of this devastating loss, there is sweetness.  There is sweetness knowing that Mark has passed from life on earth in the everlasting arms of His Saviour.  Death on earth is a direct result of sin, but for those who repent and are born again by grace through faith in Christ death is like going to sleep.  The death of the physical body of Christians opens the door to release the soul to eternity in heaven.  Jesus says in John 11:25-26, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. ²⁶ And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?"  Mark believed this.  I believe it too.  It is not our belief which will reunite us together in heaven, but the power of Jesus Christ according to His own infallible Word.

Mark has fallen, but One mightier than he has raised him to life.  I'm glad Jesus has made room in heaven for guys like Mark and me.  Rest in the Prince of Peace, my brother.  I never had the chance to say goodbye, but I'm looking forward to being reunited.  I don't know God's timing, but our meeting in a life more real and lasting than what we have experienced on earth is a certainty.  That's a "hello" worth waiting for!

Follow First!

The human body is a marvel of design.  It is able to grow, regenerate, heal, become strong and muscular through exercise, and achieve remarkable feats through training and intelligence.  But even the most refined bodies have limitations.  A man may be able to run fast, but he can only run so fast.  "Perfect" vision remains limited in scope and range.  Though our bodies are dynamic, in every way we are confronted by limits.  These boundaries may be enlarged through practice, but our human condition imposes limits upon us.

This is not meant to be a negative "half-glass empty" post of resigning ourselves to our natural limitations.  On the contrary:  our limitations should turn our gaze upon the One who is limitless and infinite, the Almighty God.  We are not able, but God is able.  We are naturally senseless when it comes to spiritual things.  Even the knowledge of our sin and separation from God does not mean in our flesh we are able to rectify things.  School House Rock claimed "Knowledge is power," but in spiritual matters knowledge only condemns us and reveals our insufficiency to do anything.  It is only in Jesus Christ we find the power to will and do of His good pleasure.

Despite our lack, let us diligently seek God.  Sometimes we want to see the answers or have the knowledge before we will passionately pursue Jesus.  A great illustration of how men are to follow Jesus is found in Matthew 9:27-30:  "When Jesus departed from there, two blind men followed Him, crying out and saying, "Son of David, have mercy on us!" ²⁸ And when He had come into the house, the blind men came to Him. And Jesus said to them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" They said to Him, "Yes, Lord." ²⁹ Then He touched their eyes, saying, "According to your faith let it be to you." ³⁰ And their eyes were opened..."  Two blind men, acutely aware of their lack of sight, called out as Jesus passed by them:  "Have mercy on us!"  But Jesus did not stop.  He continued walking until He reached a house.  These persistent men followed Jesus to the home and "came to Him."  They were not angry or resentful that Jesus did not stop for them.  They were desperate to see and believed Jesus could heal them.  Their faith caused them to pursue, and Jesus touched them.  They were healed and no doubt rejoiced!

We need to come to Jesus even as these blind men, unashamed to cry out for healing and salvation from their condition.  Their lack and limitations opened their eyes of faith in the God who could deliver them.  They did not require that Jesus act according to their dictates, but pursued Him even in their blind state.  Jesus said, "According to your faith be it unto you."  He touched them, and their healing was evidence of their genuine faith.  I identify with these blind men.  I was once blind but now I see.  I was blind with 20-20 vision.  It was Jesus who touched me and caused me to spiritually see.  Instead of demanding relief from our symptoms before we will follow Christ in faith, let us follow first.  His transforming, healing, and saving touch is of greater worth than all the gems and gold in every galaxy known and unknown.  His love is greater than man's ability to see or fathom.

Home Again!

I have never been as delighted as I was yesterday to endure peak hour traffic.  I was blessed beyond words to pick up my wife and sons from the airport after their amazing visit of family and friends in the United States.  I want to thank all of you who were so gracious and generous to host and bless them with giving of your time to visit, for hosting, transportation, and the many encouraging words, meals, and gifts.  Jetlag has been present but not oppressive.  Thanks very much for all the prayer and love.  Words cannot adequately convey my thanks to God and you all for your care and kindness.  I hope to spend some extra time with the boys before they head back to school routine on Tuesday.

It is good to have the family home.  I do not use the word "home" lightly.  The ultimate home for all who are in Christ is heaven, a city whose Maker is God.  But for now, Australia is the place we are blessed to call home.  I feel like the words of Christ in Mark 10:29-30 have already been fulfilled:  "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."  For those who miss us greatly and by God's grace do so with joy for Christ's sake, you no doubt will receive a gracious reward.  Separation can be a bitter pill to swallow, but in Christ we have sweetness beyond compare.  We never need be separated from Him and in Christ is our life.  Taste and see that the LORD is good!

Sold Your Soul? Jesus Will Buy it Back!

Few things have fueled the exponential interest in conspiracy theories as the internet.  People make a lucrative living from "exposing" the hidden agendas of politicians clamouring for a new world order, the not-so-secret "Illuminati" in Hollywood and the music industry.  While much of it is conjecture which borderlines hysteria, I have no doubt that there is more than a shred of truth to the claims.  Sites and news feeds focus on pictures of celebrities throwing down symbolism of the "All-Seeing-Eye," or the use of 666 by Dr. Dre and Brittany Spears in ads or on clothing.  Is the Illuminati really calling the shots?  Is there a satanic plot to use music, movies, and media to influence people and destroy Christian ethics and morality?  In such a convoluted world where alleged conspiracies and connections are made between a hand signal and global domination through subliminal influence, it is hard to figure out how deep the rabbit trail goes.  It is not a trail which can be followed, but rather an expansive void to lose oneself.  The trouble is, these self-proclaimed insiders and experts cannot agree.  It impossible to tell up from down, left or right in this dark vacuum.

Beyonce's ring in the shape of baphomet, the involvement of Lady Gaga, Rhianna, or Jay-Z in the Illuminati, whether innumerable artists have sold their souls for rock-n-roll, these are all ploys to distract from the one who is behind all corruption, lies, and deception:  Satan.  The conspiracy of Satan to steal, kill, and destroy is nothing new.  This is not a newsflash to anyone who has read the Bible.  When the devil tempted Jesus, what did he offer Him?  In Matthew 4 Satan showed Jesus all the kingdoms of the world and the glory in them in a moment's time and said, "All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me."  Jesus told Satan, "Get thee hence, Satan, for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thous serve."  Though turned down by Jesus Christ, Satan has held forth the same offer to countless people today from all walks of life:  businessmen, actors, musicians, politicians, rappers, and on.  Many people have agreed to the devil's terms, choosing a life of fame, wealth, and power in exchange for their souls.

The blues artist Robert Johnson and many others have claimed to have made a pact with the devil, to give their souls in exchange for skill in songwriting and playing music.  Even for those so foolish and short-sighted to do so, there remains genuine saving hope and deliverance in Christ.  Jesus Christ has the power and authority to free all from the life of bondage you have chosen.  Whether or not you have consciously made a deal, your ticket to hell has already been punched because of sin.  I believe most people have no idea that they are born in bondage to self, sin, and Satan by virtue of being a descendant of Adam.  Man is born "sold under sin" in his carnal state (Romans 7:14), but Jesus freely laid down His life on Calvary and shed His blood to redeem all sinners who will repent and trust in Him.  I was in bondage to sin and heading towards certain death in hell until I was cleansed and reconciled to God by the blood of Jesus by grace through faith.  You don't need to be a rich man or an influential celebrity on the red carpet of Hollywood to have made a pact with Satan:  the pact was already in place before we were even born!  It is nothing for Satan to bribe his followers with millions of dollars and adoring fans before he comes to collect.  Satan has nothing I want, for everything I need is in Christ.

Satan is a defeated enemy of God.  Satan cannot harvest souls, for only God has the power of life and death.  Satan's life is already forfeit, having chosen a life of sin, immorality, pride, and rebellion from God.  He will be bound in a bottomless pit for 1,000 years and later be thrown into the Lake of Fire with Death, Hades, demons, and all who reject Jesus Christ as LORD and Saviour.  Should we cringe in fear because there is a conspiracy to deceive and delude the youth of today?  Should masonic imagery, occult symbols, and Satan's agenda cause us to cower in fear?  Absolutely not!  Satan has always had his puppets, but there is no power or life in them compared to Christ.  Let us fear God, trusting that the power of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin and graciously gives us eternal life.  The devil delights in deceiving those he claims to help, chewing them up and spitting them out.  The body count is rising of those who dance with darkness.  My heart breaks for those he has tricked into bargaining with him.

For all of those who are in bondage to Satan and believe no hope for you remains, you have been deceived.  You may drown out the voices with alcohol, drugs, and pleasure.  All that you have longed for - the money, sex, fame, and power - will be shackles on your hands and feet and a mouth full of gravel that breaks your teeth.  Suicide will provide no escape for you, for apart from Christ hell is every man's destination.  Jesus Christ is the One who loves you, has shed His blood to redeem you, and will drive out the demons with a word.  He offers forgiveness, grace, love, and eternal life by grace through faith.  He will rid you of your fear.  He will protect and sustain you.  Jesus Christ is the only One who can save you from your living hell.  Isaiah 61:1-3 says,  "The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; ² to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn, ³ to console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified."

In God is Our Help

On my way home from a meeting this morning, I could see a line of traffic extending towards me from the intersection of Windsor and Samantha Riley Drive.  The coloured lights of a fire truck, police cars, and ambulances flashing through the boughs of swaying trees told me there had been an accident.  The 10 minute wait as traffic was an unexpected setback, but was nothing like the shock and serious injury of being the one in the smashed vehicle.  A blue hatchback suffered severe damage, and the airbags had been deployed from a frontal collision.  I could drive away from the accident as a bystander, but as I did I thought how there are likely some people who will carry physical injuries and frightening memories for the rest of their lives.

Life can change in an instant.  As durable and hardy as people are, life is a most fragile gift.  I expect the driver of that blue car expected to reach his or her intended destination.  But instead they were rushed to hospital in an ambulance as they received treatment for injuries.  We all know "accidents happen," but we are still shocked when they happen to us.  Planes crash, boats sink, people are mugged, abducted, raped, and murdered.  Sudden illness and injury and can permanently change our lives.  No one plans to have a heart attack, stroke, or to have to learn to eat, talk, or walk again later in life.  We see these things happen all around us and know that sooner or later the reality of the frailty of human life will strike closer to home than we ever imagined.  Only faith in God and His Word can aid us in successfully navigating the troubled, unpredictable waters of life on earth.

It is at this point where I am greeted by a greater tragedy than the ills of a world steeped in sin:  the tragedy of men, women, and youth who have been exposed to the saving life of Jesus Christ and choose to walk away from Him.  I cannot count how many young people I have witnessed be brought up hearing the words of life and choose to walk away.  They know with their brains the truth that will set them free but they choose instead a life of bondage to sin.  Intoxicated by the passing pleasures of sin, they choose death.  They reject Jesus Christ, the One who died so they might live.  It is something akin to horror I unfortunately know only too well, when I see a life once verbally consecrated to God now marked with profanity, fornication, immorality, and godlessness.  These nominal, illegitimate Christians fit well the description of Titus 1:16:  "They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work."  It is the obedience of a follower of Jesus Christ that proves his faith genuine.  Unless we obey Jesus, He is no Saviour of ours.  Hebrews 5:9 says, "And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him...".

What joy we have in knowing that even if we are foolish to wander from Christ, salvation is offered to all who repent and return to Him.  Hosea 13:9 reads, "O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself; but in me is thine help."  Man is a master of self-destruction, because all his natural appetites are drawn to feast upon sin, and final result of sin is death.  It tastes sweet to the tongue but is bitter poison in our bellies:  it is deceptive food.  In God we find help, forgiveness, deliverance, salvation, and strength for the day.  One person dying as a result of sin is too many, and no one goes to hell by accident.  Man should not be surprised when death comes to collect his just due.  Romans 6:23 says, "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

Allow me to offer a word of encouragement for all who grieve because you know one who has wandered from Christ.  Paul shared the Gospel with Onesimus, a slave who had run away from his master.  Onesimus responded to the message of salvation, became a Christian, and had become profitable to Paul and others with his service.  Paul sent Onesimus back to Philemon with these encouraging words concerning his once wayward slave:  Philemon 1:15 reads, "For perhaps he departed for a while for this purpose, that you might receive him forever..."  God's purposes are not thwarted when people wander from Christ and fellowship.  God sometimes allows people to depart for a season where they experience hardship so they might be humbled and return to Him for good.  The prodigal son was such a man.  I was such a man.  Many people I know who have been greatly used by God as steadfast and faithful disciples were not always so.  God loved them enough to let them depart and suffer so they might seek their healing only in Him.

If man had it his own way, he would destroy himself.  But God, who is rich in mercy and not willing that any should perish, is willing to allow people to fall so He might pick them up.  May we be those who are wise to abide in Him forever!