In our family, we love board games. Playing a game together is one of our first choices on a family night. One of the games in our closet is called "10 Days in Asia," a favourite of Laura. Players can walk or use a airplane or train to connect their international destinations. Being a person who loves to organise things, Laura plays the game exceptionally well. Cambodia is one of the countries in the game, and a country God-willing I will visit on a 10 day trip that begins tomorrow.
Cambodia is historically a country that has endured much suffering at the hands of its leadership. During the years spanning 1975 to 1979, nearly two million people were killed at the command of Pol Pot of the Khmer Rouge. It was a tragedy of such immensity the wounds have only begun to heal. The hurt is so profound that even time can hardly numb the pain: only God has the power to redeem such misery. Wherever the Gospel goes, love, hope, and joy with salvation go as well. How fitting that I would visit Cambodia just after Christmas, a time set apart to celebrate Christ's coming to earth as a divine Saviour. As the new year approaches, it is only Jesus who has the power to make all things new.
Please pray for our group and the people of Cambodia! Upon my return I hope to share some pictures and testify of God's faithfulness.
25 December 2012
23 December 2012
Satan's Works Destroyed: Rest Enjoined!
Christmas Eve and 40 degrees Celsius in the shade! Converted to Fahrenheit, that is a toasty 104 degrees. As I sit in my sweltering non-air conditioned house baking birthday cakes to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, I can hear thunder rumbling in the distance. Maybe we will have a downpour or some hail before the day is over. But I didn't drag myself up the stairs to post on this blog just for a weather report, as interesting or unimportant it may be.
Yesterday we had the pleasure to accept a friend's invitation to a Christmas carol presentation at his church. It was a grand affair with thousands in attendance, bright lights, skilled musicians, talented vocals, and booming volume. As I was singing along with "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen," I noticed one of the opening three lines was curiously omitted. It has come back to mind several times today, and therefore I feel compelled to expound upon the deleted line.
The familiar carol begins, "God rest ye merry, gentlemen, let nothing you dismay, remember Christ our Savior was born on Christmas Day; to save us all from Satan’s power when we were gone astray." Many Christians today set apart Christmas as a time to commemorate and celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, the Saviour sent by the Father to be the Saviour of the world. From what I heard at church last night, the purpose of Christ's coming was to bring salvation, peace, joy, and goodwill toward all men. This is true. What I did not hear is that Jesus Christ came "to save us all from Satan’s power when we were gone astray." When Jesus came to earth, this was a primary reason why He came! 1 John 3:8 reads, "He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil." There was likely nothing sinister at work in the omission of that single line in the carol. But the devil is sinister, and Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil.
Right after Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden through their disobedience, God alluded to this future destruction of Satan's power. Genesis 3:14-15 states, "So the LORD God said to the serpent: "Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all cattle, and more than every beast of the field; on your belly you shall go, and you shall eat dust all the days of your life. 15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel." Slithering snakes are a reminder of man's fall and subsequent curse of sin. That "old serpent," that deceiver and destoyer Satan who is the devil, he has continually been at war with mankind. There would always be enmity between Satan and men created in the image of the Almighty God. Jesus Christ, the Messiah, also called Immanuel (God with us), is the Seed of whom is referred to here. Satan would inflict a painful blow to Christ upon the cross of Calvary, but Jesus in dying and rising again would crush Satan's head. Jesus proved Himself victorious over sin, death, Satan, and hell. The Law that condemned us was nailed to the cross, along with the power of Satan. Jesus has overcome, and all who repent and trust in Christ as Saviour are triumphant also through Him.
Christmas is a wonderful reminder of what Christ has done by saving all from Satan's power when we were gone astray. Because of His incarnation, obedience, and sacrifice, all may repent and be born again. Romans 5:8 says, "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." For those who are born again by God's grace, we are to put off the works of darkness and walk in newness of life. Praise God for sending us a Saviour, for breaking our chains, and freeing us from the bondage of fear, sin, death, and Satan!
Yesterday we had the pleasure to accept a friend's invitation to a Christmas carol presentation at his church. It was a grand affair with thousands in attendance, bright lights, skilled musicians, talented vocals, and booming volume. As I was singing along with "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen," I noticed one of the opening three lines was curiously omitted. It has come back to mind several times today, and therefore I feel compelled to expound upon the deleted line.
The familiar carol begins, "God rest ye merry, gentlemen, let nothing you dismay, remember Christ our Savior was born on Christmas Day; to save us all from Satan’s power when we were gone astray." Many Christians today set apart Christmas as a time to commemorate and celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, the Saviour sent by the Father to be the Saviour of the world. From what I heard at church last night, the purpose of Christ's coming was to bring salvation, peace, joy, and goodwill toward all men. This is true. What I did not hear is that Jesus Christ came "to save us all from Satan’s power when we were gone astray." When Jesus came to earth, this was a primary reason why He came! 1 John 3:8 reads, "He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil." There was likely nothing sinister at work in the omission of that single line in the carol. But the devil is sinister, and Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil.
Right after Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden through their disobedience, God alluded to this future destruction of Satan's power. Genesis 3:14-15 states, "So the LORD God said to the serpent: "Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all cattle, and more than every beast of the field; on your belly you shall go, and you shall eat dust all the days of your life. 15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel." Slithering snakes are a reminder of man's fall and subsequent curse of sin. That "old serpent," that deceiver and destoyer Satan who is the devil, he has continually been at war with mankind. There would always be enmity between Satan and men created in the image of the Almighty God. Jesus Christ, the Messiah, also called Immanuel (God with us), is the Seed of whom is referred to here. Satan would inflict a painful blow to Christ upon the cross of Calvary, but Jesus in dying and rising again would crush Satan's head. Jesus proved Himself victorious over sin, death, Satan, and hell. The Law that condemned us was nailed to the cross, along with the power of Satan. Jesus has overcome, and all who repent and trust in Christ as Saviour are triumphant also through Him.
Christmas is a wonderful reminder of what Christ has done by saving all from Satan's power when we were gone astray. Because of His incarnation, obedience, and sacrifice, all may repent and be born again. Romans 5:8 says, "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." For those who are born again by God's grace, we are to put off the works of darkness and walk in newness of life. Praise God for sending us a Saviour, for breaking our chains, and freeing us from the bondage of fear, sin, death, and Satan!
19 December 2012
Why Go to Church?
I have met many people who are professing Christians but cannot see the need to regularly attend church. There are a vast amount of good reasons to do so. The primary reason is that God's Word commands us to. Hebrews 10:23-25 reads, "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." Gathering together to pray, worship God through song and the preaching of God's Word are also modeled throughout scripture. Because all born again Christians are part of the universal Body of Christ, we have all been given talents and gifts to glorify God and edify the church. It is impossible to edify a local or international Body of Christ without personal involvement.
God lamented concerning His people in Hosea 4:6, "My people perish for lack of knowledge." God has given us the Bible so we might know His character, understand His will, and hear His voice. It is possible to read the scriptures, understand the words on a mental or literary level, but not comprehend or apply what is being said. It is for this purpose God has gifted people in the church to teach and preach. We see this provision supplied even in the Old Testament. Nehemiah 8:8 gives a descriptive example of this: "So they read distinctly from the book, in the Law of God; and they gave the sense, and helped them to understand the reading." In Nehemiah's day, the people had not heard the scriptures read for some time, much less explained. Ezra the scribe and other men stood at a pulpit of wood and opened the Book of the Law in the sight of the people and helped the people to make sense of what was written. They carefully observed the text, interpreted it in light of other scripture, and applied it practically to the lives of the people.
Though this is a God-ordained way of people learning from the Bible, a gross abuse developed over the years. Spread across millenia and spanning various Bible-believing groups, men were "put on a pedestal" as the chosen oracles of God. God provided His Word so all men could learn of Him, yet a misconception was perpetuated among both clergy and laity. The clergy saw their role as to discern truth from heresy, and their faithful followers did not consider themselves able to lay hold of the truth alone. Therefore the understanding of the scriptures were seen as reserved for a select few chosen ones. Even priests must bow to a traditional stance which is passed to the people. This view continues in some circles to this day.
When Jesus Christ came to earth, He explained the scriptures in a way that the Pharisees and Scribes could not. Being the Author, Jesus had authority to rightly divide the Word of Truth. Luke 24:45 tells of Christ's interactions with His followers: "And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures." Not only did Jesus make sense of the scriptures, He enabled men through the Holy Spirit to lay hold of them and apply them correctly. Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to indwell His people so they might be taught by God Himself, not relying upon the word of any man to interpret and apply them. John 16:12-13 states, "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."
It is ironic that after God sent the Holy Spirit, men have adopted a different error: they do not make a practice of being taught the Word by a pastor or teacher and justify this because they have the Spirit who already teaches them all things. This is partially true. It is true that all genuine believers have the Spirit of God within them, but that does not mean we should shun messages God delivers through men called for this purpose. Those who cannot seem to endure church fellowship sometimes stand in harsh judgment of presentation styles and personalities, acting like the clergy of old: terriers of orthodoxy, bristling dogmatics, devoid of grace, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel. They cannot find a church that suits them because they have some quarrel with church structure, the age of the pastor, perceived hypocrisy, or a multitude of trite minutiae. Instead of seeking to be suitable for God's service in a God believing, Christ-honouring, Bible teaching church, they cannot find a church suitable for them. As they dry out spiritually without the support and fellowship of God-fearing brothers and sisters in Christ, the belief in the existence of an adequate church fellowship erodes. Having separated themselves from the flock they are open to doubts, attacks, and error. Without spiritual exercise through fellowship, spiritual atrophy is certain. Without like-minded believers to sharpen their countenance and conscience, dullness follows.
So what is the balance? Let us be those who are filled with the Holy Spirit, having had our understanding opened to comprehend the scriptures through faith in Christ. Let us also seek fellowship among God fearing, Bible teaching churches with pastors and teachers gifted by God to do so. Even pastors need solid Biblical teaching. A man cannot rightly teach unless he has first been taught by God. God graciously uses both His Word and people anointed by the Holy Spirit to do this. Receive the exhortation and encouragement from 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24: "Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies. 21 Test all things; hold fast what is good. 22 Abstain from every form of evil. 23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it."
God lamented concerning His people in Hosea 4:6, "My people perish for lack of knowledge." God has given us the Bible so we might know His character, understand His will, and hear His voice. It is possible to read the scriptures, understand the words on a mental or literary level, but not comprehend or apply what is being said. It is for this purpose God has gifted people in the church to teach and preach. We see this provision supplied even in the Old Testament. Nehemiah 8:8 gives a descriptive example of this: "So they read distinctly from the book, in the Law of God; and they gave the sense, and helped them to understand the reading." In Nehemiah's day, the people had not heard the scriptures read for some time, much less explained. Ezra the scribe and other men stood at a pulpit of wood and opened the Book of the Law in the sight of the people and helped the people to make sense of what was written. They carefully observed the text, interpreted it in light of other scripture, and applied it practically to the lives of the people.
Though this is a God-ordained way of people learning from the Bible, a gross abuse developed over the years. Spread across millenia and spanning various Bible-believing groups, men were "put on a pedestal" as the chosen oracles of God. God provided His Word so all men could learn of Him, yet a misconception was perpetuated among both clergy and laity. The clergy saw their role as to discern truth from heresy, and their faithful followers did not consider themselves able to lay hold of the truth alone. Therefore the understanding of the scriptures were seen as reserved for a select few chosen ones. Even priests must bow to a traditional stance which is passed to the people. This view continues in some circles to this day.
When Jesus Christ came to earth, He explained the scriptures in a way that the Pharisees and Scribes could not. Being the Author, Jesus had authority to rightly divide the Word of Truth. Luke 24:45 tells of Christ's interactions with His followers: "And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures." Not only did Jesus make sense of the scriptures, He enabled men through the Holy Spirit to lay hold of them and apply them correctly. Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to indwell His people so they might be taught by God Himself, not relying upon the word of any man to interpret and apply them. John 16:12-13 states, "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."
It is ironic that after God sent the Holy Spirit, men have adopted a different error: they do not make a practice of being taught the Word by a pastor or teacher and justify this because they have the Spirit who already teaches them all things. This is partially true. It is true that all genuine believers have the Spirit of God within them, but that does not mean we should shun messages God delivers through men called for this purpose. Those who cannot seem to endure church fellowship sometimes stand in harsh judgment of presentation styles and personalities, acting like the clergy of old: terriers of orthodoxy, bristling dogmatics, devoid of grace, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel. They cannot find a church that suits them because they have some quarrel with church structure, the age of the pastor, perceived hypocrisy, or a multitude of trite minutiae. Instead of seeking to be suitable for God's service in a God believing, Christ-honouring, Bible teaching church, they cannot find a church suitable for them. As they dry out spiritually without the support and fellowship of God-fearing brothers and sisters in Christ, the belief in the existence of an adequate church fellowship erodes. Having separated themselves from the flock they are open to doubts, attacks, and error. Without spiritual exercise through fellowship, spiritual atrophy is certain. Without like-minded believers to sharpen their countenance and conscience, dullness follows.
So what is the balance? Let us be those who are filled with the Holy Spirit, having had our understanding opened to comprehend the scriptures through faith in Christ. Let us also seek fellowship among God fearing, Bible teaching churches with pastors and teachers gifted by God to do so. Even pastors need solid Biblical teaching. A man cannot rightly teach unless he has first been taught by God. God graciously uses both His Word and people anointed by the Holy Spirit to do this. Receive the exhortation and encouragement from 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24: "Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies. 21 Test all things; hold fast what is good. 22 Abstain from every form of evil. 23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it."
18 December 2012
The Cure for a Rotten World
We live in a rotten world. It is a world of unspeakable beauty yet unfathomable evil because of the deeds of the wicked. It is the wicked who kill the innocent and their shed blood cries out for justice, justice only satisfied by an eternal, holy God. Inevitably in times of grief we shift our gaze from the individual perpetrators and take aim at society as a whole. What could have been done to prevent such tragedies like Columbine and Sandy Hook Elementary? When it is so fresh, what can we do but weep? It sometimes feels like the pain of the victims, their families, and even the perpetrators are lost in the ensuing debate. Since sane people cannot fathom what exactly drives a person to such insanity, we can only stab in the dark for answers. For every suggestion, it seems there are more who disagree than agree.
It has been said that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. The trouble is, all the prevention in the world cannot stop criminals from doing what they do. More cameras, restrictive laws, armed guards, bullet proof-glass, education, and awareness provide no guarantee as adequate safeguards against violence. Everyone has opinions about what needs to change in our world. If our solution to the problem only addresses the symptoms, we will never be free from the trouble. The problems the world is facing today are way bigger than government legislation or gun control. There has been gun control in varying degrees for decades in the United States. Would more gun control prevent future gun-related tragedies? Maybe. If the gunman in Connecticut had only killed himself in his bedroom with his mom's pistol, gun control would not have been considered a relevant topic. The death of that young man would not have made the news, much less become a point of global conversation. But because he killed his mother, children, and school staff in cold blood, something must be done. The trouble is, man cannot agree on what to do.
The surefire answer for the ills of sin that plague this entire world does not solely rest in government reform, additional laws, better medicine, education, even wealth distribution, the justice system, or religions of the world. What people need is a relationship with the Living God of the Bible through faith in Jesus Christ. Nothing has changed: God is perfect and all powerful, man has rebelled from Him and chosen his own path, and Jesus has been sent to seek and save the lost. He lay down His life and rose up again proving His divinity and power over sin, death, and hell. Jesus is the only One powerful enough to transform the depraved mind of man and cleanse his heart from sin. Man is evil, but God is not. Many men have made a mockery of supposed Christianity through their wickedness, but Jesus Christ remains righteous, pure, and untainted. Blame the cursed Crusades on religion if you want, but Christ had nothing to do with them. Blame brutal beheadings and tragic mass suicides on religion too, yet Jesus was not the cause. When Peter took a swing with a sword in the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus commanded him to put it in his sheath. He restored the man's ear that was cut off with His divine touch. That is what God will do for us if we will put down our swords and quit fighting with God and one another. That is when healing for individuals and society can begin.
Jesus Christ is more than a model. Religion looks to Christ as a model to be copied, but being born again by the Holy Spirit through faith allows Jesus Christ to live out His life through you. We can go through the motions of life with the appearance of uprightness, but we must still contend with our monstrously wicked hearts. There is no hope for us originating in ourselves or this world. There is none who is good, no not one. The only one who is good is God! We all need forgiveness and grace. It is through God we learn what love looks like. It is only in His strength and power that we can walk in His love. Isn't God's love what we all admire and need? 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 reads, "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. 8 Love never fails." Nothing can separate a Christian from the love of Christ, and we are more than conquerors through Him.
It has been said that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. The trouble is, all the prevention in the world cannot stop criminals from doing what they do. More cameras, restrictive laws, armed guards, bullet proof-glass, education, and awareness provide no guarantee as adequate safeguards against violence. Everyone has opinions about what needs to change in our world. If our solution to the problem only addresses the symptoms, we will never be free from the trouble. The problems the world is facing today are way bigger than government legislation or gun control. There has been gun control in varying degrees for decades in the United States. Would more gun control prevent future gun-related tragedies? Maybe. If the gunman in Connecticut had only killed himself in his bedroom with his mom's pistol, gun control would not have been considered a relevant topic. The death of that young man would not have made the news, much less become a point of global conversation. But because he killed his mother, children, and school staff in cold blood, something must be done. The trouble is, man cannot agree on what to do.
The surefire answer for the ills of sin that plague this entire world does not solely rest in government reform, additional laws, better medicine, education, even wealth distribution, the justice system, or religions of the world. What people need is a relationship with the Living God of the Bible through faith in Jesus Christ. Nothing has changed: God is perfect and all powerful, man has rebelled from Him and chosen his own path, and Jesus has been sent to seek and save the lost. He lay down His life and rose up again proving His divinity and power over sin, death, and hell. Jesus is the only One powerful enough to transform the depraved mind of man and cleanse his heart from sin. Man is evil, but God is not. Many men have made a mockery of supposed Christianity through their wickedness, but Jesus Christ remains righteous, pure, and untainted. Blame the cursed Crusades on religion if you want, but Christ had nothing to do with them. Blame brutal beheadings and tragic mass suicides on religion too, yet Jesus was not the cause. When Peter took a swing with a sword in the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus commanded him to put it in his sheath. He restored the man's ear that was cut off with His divine touch. That is what God will do for us if we will put down our swords and quit fighting with God and one another. That is when healing for individuals and society can begin.
Jesus Christ is more than a model. Religion looks to Christ as a model to be copied, but being born again by the Holy Spirit through faith allows Jesus Christ to live out His life through you. We can go through the motions of life with the appearance of uprightness, but we must still contend with our monstrously wicked hearts. There is no hope for us originating in ourselves or this world. There is none who is good, no not one. The only one who is good is God! We all need forgiveness and grace. It is through God we learn what love looks like. It is only in His strength and power that we can walk in His love. Isn't God's love what we all admire and need? 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 reads, "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. 8 Love never fails." Nothing can separate a Christian from the love of Christ, and we are more than conquerors through Him.
16 December 2012
This Might of Yours
"Then the LORD turned to him and said, "Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?"
Judges 6:14
The tasks God calls His people to undertake will always require faith. These will always be greater tasks than a man can accomplish in his own strength. The Israelites had been greatly impoverished by the Midianites who brutally oppressed them. God called Gideon and said to him, "The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour." Gideon did not look or feel the part. He certainly was unable to destroy the Midianites on his own or he would already would have tried to do it! It was God that prompted him to even consider the crazy notion of massing a force to defeat the mighty Midianites. It was God and His mighty sword that routed the Midianite nation.
God said to Gideon, "Go in this might of yours!" It was not that Gideon himself was mighty. Because God was with him, Gideon would be going in God's might. The Angel of the LORD continued: "You shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?" Gideon did not feel mighty, but he was mighty because a mighty God empowered him. God had called Gideon, sent Him to perform a task in faith, and it was God who would secure the victory. Gideon's part was to believe God and obey. Instead of focusing on the great Midianite nation as a deadly threat, Gideon was called to look to God as His source of life and strength.
It is the same for Christians today. God has called us all to undertake steps of faith for His eternal glory. We may not feel strong or like a "mighty man of valour," but when God is our life and strength we shall overcome. Paul wrote in Galatians 2:20, "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." Christ has overcome, and when He lives His life through us we also obtain the victory through Him. We need not fear the evils of this world or even Satan's schemes and power when we have the all-powerful God residing within our hearts, granting us joy, peace, and strength even in the midst of struggles. He is a refuge that protects us wherever we go, regardless of what befalls us.
Take confidence in Christ, o man! Don't trust Him just for eternal life, but for living today. Go in this might of yours - might that is not found in your flesh, but in the Spirit of God who dwells within you by grace.
12 December 2012
Giving Back to God
I am blessed to be the dad of two budding men aged 13 and 10. It dawned on me the other day how fast the time is going. It was depressing to think that in 5 years Zed could leave for university or that my wife and I could have an empty nest in less than a decade. Whoa. A lot can change in that amount of time, but it saddened me just the same.
Years ago at a men's retreat, the LORD gave me a vision of our Jeep Grand Cherokee. It was wrecked beyond imagination, a twisted mess of metal. I just knew my family was in there when the crash happened. It literally made me cry, thinking about their deaths and what an empty loneliness it would leave inside me. In that profoundly sad moment, I rejoiced that God did not take my family from me. He wasn't showing me a picture of the future (we have sold the Jeep!). But I heard His still small voice tell me that I needed to give them back to Him. I needed to give them away. That day I gave my family and those I love into the hands of God, knowing that He is able to protect and provide for them both in this life and for eternity.
It is a good principle that whatever God gives us, we freely give it all back to Him. We give our own lives to His sovereign control and rule. Everything we own and everything we do is only by His grace. Our God is one who gives and takes away. It is far better to give back to God before it is taken from us. Because I have given my children into God's hands, I will cope better when the day comes that they leave. It will not be them leaving, but God who is guiding them into a new arena and chapter of their lives. God knows so much better than me and I entrust our lives to Him.
The application? We are only on this earth for a short time, and parenting kids is a shrinking season I am richly blessed to enjoy. When my kids move on my life will not be over because my life is bound up in Christ - not my children. I will miss them. I will miss their smiles, laughs, games, ridiculous moments, teaching opportunities, and enjoying time together. This spurns me on as a parent to spend quality time with my kids and seek to forge a relationship beyond the bounds of do's and don'ts, not limited by mere activities or common interests. May we grant our children such grace that after they are gone we will not be missed because we were their source of food, money, or gifts, but because of our love. Praise God for providing all we need through Christ!
Years ago at a men's retreat, the LORD gave me a vision of our Jeep Grand Cherokee. It was wrecked beyond imagination, a twisted mess of metal. I just knew my family was in there when the crash happened. It literally made me cry, thinking about their deaths and what an empty loneliness it would leave inside me. In that profoundly sad moment, I rejoiced that God did not take my family from me. He wasn't showing me a picture of the future (we have sold the Jeep!). But I heard His still small voice tell me that I needed to give them back to Him. I needed to give them away. That day I gave my family and those I love into the hands of God, knowing that He is able to protect and provide for them both in this life and for eternity.
It is a good principle that whatever God gives us, we freely give it all back to Him. We give our own lives to His sovereign control and rule. Everything we own and everything we do is only by His grace. Our God is one who gives and takes away. It is far better to give back to God before it is taken from us. Because I have given my children into God's hands, I will cope better when the day comes that they leave. It will not be them leaving, but God who is guiding them into a new arena and chapter of their lives. God knows so much better than me and I entrust our lives to Him.
The application? We are only on this earth for a short time, and parenting kids is a shrinking season I am richly blessed to enjoy. When my kids move on my life will not be over because my life is bound up in Christ - not my children. I will miss them. I will miss their smiles, laughs, games, ridiculous moments, teaching opportunities, and enjoying time together. This spurns me on as a parent to spend quality time with my kids and seek to forge a relationship beyond the bounds of do's and don'ts, not limited by mere activities or common interests. May we grant our children such grace that after they are gone we will not be missed because we were their source of food, money, or gifts, but because of our love. Praise God for providing all we need through Christ!
10 December 2012
The Hard Yards
I love the book Do Hard Things by Alex and Brett Harris. It is a challenge to all people to boldly undertake tasks bigger than yourself with faith in God for His glory. While it is true that a chronic problem exists in society of holding low expectations for youth, people of all ages have a propensity to abandon tasks when faced with obstacles. Christians can adopt an unfounded idea that because God is in us, the Christian life is similar to a cake-walk at a fair: you have your ticket in your hand, walk around in a circle prompted by happy music, and in a couple minutes you'll have your pick of a sweet dessert. Christianity is not the life you've always wanted - it is the life God has designed for you to embrace. It is a life of doing hard things that God does through willing vessels completely committed to Him.
In Australia we have a saying. When someone chooses to do hard things, they are "doing the hard yards." Everyone loves the idea of eating fresh bread, but like the fable of the Little Red Hen shows us there are few who are willing to sweat through seasons of preparation. Before the wheat can be planted, the rocks must be moved. Ministry in a foreign field is like moving rocks. Instead of becoming disillusioned because fruit is not evident, we need to understand that large, rugged, neglected fields take a long time to clear and prepare. Unless someone is willing to clear the land of brambles, break the boulders, carry away the stones, and dig up the old stumps, that field can never be plowed or planted. Unless there is planting, there will be no growth or fruitfulness that is desired by the farmer. Without planting there will never be a harvest.
What we need in every aspect of ministry today are people who are willing to put in the hard yards, regardless of how much fruit is evident to them. We need people in the church who are happy to move rocks all their lives in anonymity so future generations will reap a bountiful harvest. We need people whose great delight reflects the heart of Christ and Paul as seen in 2 Corinthians 12:15: "And I will very gladly spend and be spent for your souls; though the more abundantly I love you, the less I am loved." Instead of being disheartened because a church isn't growing numerically or the pats on the back never come, we are to look to Christ, glad to spend and be spent for God's glory. What is my life without Christ? I can do nothing, but through His Spirit strongholds can be broken down. Not by might, nor by power, but by God's Spirit! God designed the church to be fruitful, even as He put the ability to bear fruit in the DNA of a lemon tree.
Jeremiah 23:29 reads, "Is not My word like a fire?" says the LORD, "and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?" Before the power of God's Word can be released upon a nation or city, it must first break the hard hearts and stubborn minds of God's people. We must die to ourselves - our lives, dreams, goals, aspirations, and hopes - all placed willingly upon the altar of God's perfect will. We must stop halting between two opinions, and choose to heed God's Word with one heart and one mind: the mind of Christ. It is only God who can place in His people the resolve to walk by faith, not by sight. He is the One who allowed Noah to preach righteousness for 100 years and only had his immediate family and brute beasts respond to the message of salvation. God strengthened Jeremiah and Ezekiel to reach out to a nation who would not heed them. Are you any better than they? God is able to make children of Abraham from stones if it be His will. Can't He redeem your labours for His glory?
Do the hard yards. Don't give up; don't give in to despair! If Christ be for us, who can be against us?
In Australia we have a saying. When someone chooses to do hard things, they are "doing the hard yards." Everyone loves the idea of eating fresh bread, but like the fable of the Little Red Hen shows us there are few who are willing to sweat through seasons of preparation. Before the wheat can be planted, the rocks must be moved. Ministry in a foreign field is like moving rocks. Instead of becoming disillusioned because fruit is not evident, we need to understand that large, rugged, neglected fields take a long time to clear and prepare. Unless someone is willing to clear the land of brambles, break the boulders, carry away the stones, and dig up the old stumps, that field can never be plowed or planted. Unless there is planting, there will be no growth or fruitfulness that is desired by the farmer. Without planting there will never be a harvest.
What we need in every aspect of ministry today are people who are willing to put in the hard yards, regardless of how much fruit is evident to them. We need people in the church who are happy to move rocks all their lives in anonymity so future generations will reap a bountiful harvest. We need people whose great delight reflects the heart of Christ and Paul as seen in 2 Corinthians 12:15: "And I will very gladly spend and be spent for your souls; though the more abundantly I love you, the less I am loved." Instead of being disheartened because a church isn't growing numerically or the pats on the back never come, we are to look to Christ, glad to spend and be spent for God's glory. What is my life without Christ? I can do nothing, but through His Spirit strongholds can be broken down. Not by might, nor by power, but by God's Spirit! God designed the church to be fruitful, even as He put the ability to bear fruit in the DNA of a lemon tree.
Jeremiah 23:29 reads, "Is not My word like a fire?" says the LORD, "and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?" Before the power of God's Word can be released upon a nation or city, it must first break the hard hearts and stubborn minds of God's people. We must die to ourselves - our lives, dreams, goals, aspirations, and hopes - all placed willingly upon the altar of God's perfect will. We must stop halting between two opinions, and choose to heed God's Word with one heart and one mind: the mind of Christ. It is only God who can place in His people the resolve to walk by faith, not by sight. He is the One who allowed Noah to preach righteousness for 100 years and only had his immediate family and brute beasts respond to the message of salvation. God strengthened Jeremiah and Ezekiel to reach out to a nation who would not heed them. Are you any better than they? God is able to make children of Abraham from stones if it be His will. Can't He redeem your labours for His glory?
Do the hard yards. Don't give up; don't give in to despair! If Christ be for us, who can be against us?
09 December 2012
The Word Satisfies
From Wednesday to Saturday I attended the 2012 Envison Conference in Manly, an outreach of Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa. The weather was idyllic as we gathered daily for Bible study, worship through song, and encouragement through the fellowship of like-minded believers.
Before the first morning session of each day I enjoyed grabbing a coffee and sitting on a bench reading my Bible, watching the waves roll in. Joggers, walkers engaged in conversation, and people strolling with their dogs passed in front of me on the boardwalk. Beyond them the ocean disappeared into the distance, a glorious testimony of God's creative beauty. Countless people enjoy visiting Manly from overseas annually, and others are privileged to call Manly home. I wonder: is the beauty lost on people who wake to such beauty every day? Living in the western suburb of Beaumont Hills, I rarely enjoy mornings at the beach.
Even though I appreciated the cool weather and gentle ocean breezes, something inside of me said: "Is this all?" As night fell and people began to swarm the Corso in their scant dress or flashy clothes in search of a good time I wondered if their hearts asked the same question after they later obtained their goal: "Is that all?" After the singing in the pubs is over and the last of the beer is downed, what then? Sunrises, sunsets, and wild nights all come to an end, even as every human life flickers and disappears into darkness. Like the preacher says in Ecclesiastes, "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity." Those who flaunt their youth and beauty today will be old and faded later. Virile strength becomes impotent, and beauty dries up like leaves in autumn. What then, o man? What will you do when the end of your life draws nigh? Will you whisper to yourself as you muse over unfulfilled desires, having done all in your power to obtain them: "Is this all?"
As I sat there on an aluminium bench kissed by the morning light, I rejoiced in the living, powerful Word of God. I can eat food and be satisfied for hours, yet the meals provided through the Bible stick to the ribs for eternity. What satisfaction is to be found in God's everlasting promises! What joy, peace, contentment, and guidance God provides through His Word! Nothing in this world can compare to the beauty of God as revealed through the Bible. The world paints caricatures of God because the world does not know His character. Yet God has revealed Himself beyond any doubt as the Saviour of sinners, the Helper of the helpless, and the Father of all who repent and are born again through Jesus Christ. The sunrise brought a smile to my face for a moment, but the love of Christ causes the Son to rise in my soul for eternity.
I have never heard God speak and thought, "Is that all?" He gives those who trust in Him supreme satisfaction in Himself and His Word, an inexhaustible supply that never grows old. The more we hear of the truth, the more we value and appreciate it. When I first came to Christ I was satisfied - and I grow more satisfied day after day as I walk with Him. The emptiness we experience in our souls can only be filled by God and His infinite love and grace. Don't be satisfied with just tasting when God offers Himself for life!
Before the first morning session of each day I enjoyed grabbing a coffee and sitting on a bench reading my Bible, watching the waves roll in. Joggers, walkers engaged in conversation, and people strolling with their dogs passed in front of me on the boardwalk. Beyond them the ocean disappeared into the distance, a glorious testimony of God's creative beauty. Countless people enjoy visiting Manly from overseas annually, and others are privileged to call Manly home. I wonder: is the beauty lost on people who wake to such beauty every day? Living in the western suburb of Beaumont Hills, I rarely enjoy mornings at the beach.
Even though I appreciated the cool weather and gentle ocean breezes, something inside of me said: "Is this all?" As night fell and people began to swarm the Corso in their scant dress or flashy clothes in search of a good time I wondered if their hearts asked the same question after they later obtained their goal: "Is that all?" After the singing in the pubs is over and the last of the beer is downed, what then? Sunrises, sunsets, and wild nights all come to an end, even as every human life flickers and disappears into darkness. Like the preacher says in Ecclesiastes, "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity." Those who flaunt their youth and beauty today will be old and faded later. Virile strength becomes impotent, and beauty dries up like leaves in autumn. What then, o man? What will you do when the end of your life draws nigh? Will you whisper to yourself as you muse over unfulfilled desires, having done all in your power to obtain them: "Is this all?"
As I sat there on an aluminium bench kissed by the morning light, I rejoiced in the living, powerful Word of God. I can eat food and be satisfied for hours, yet the meals provided through the Bible stick to the ribs for eternity. What satisfaction is to be found in God's everlasting promises! What joy, peace, contentment, and guidance God provides through His Word! Nothing in this world can compare to the beauty of God as revealed through the Bible. The world paints caricatures of God because the world does not know His character. Yet God has revealed Himself beyond any doubt as the Saviour of sinners, the Helper of the helpless, and the Father of all who repent and are born again through Jesus Christ. The sunrise brought a smile to my face for a moment, but the love of Christ causes the Son to rise in my soul for eternity.
I have never heard God speak and thought, "Is that all?" He gives those who trust in Him supreme satisfaction in Himself and His Word, an inexhaustible supply that never grows old. The more we hear of the truth, the more we value and appreciate it. When I first came to Christ I was satisfied - and I grow more satisfied day after day as I walk with Him. The emptiness we experience in our souls can only be filled by God and His infinite love and grace. Don't be satisfied with just tasting when God offers Himself for life!
04 December 2012
Like Gold Refined
Yesterday I was listening to a sermon by Ray Bentley which explored why God allows difficulty in the lives of believers who are in the center of God's will. The first reason pastor Ray gave was most appropriate: to refine us and in so doing draw out impurities from our lives.
He spoke about when he used to work as a jeweler. Before a ring would be cast, Ray would take a lump of gold and heat it until it was molten. This is the best way to remove the impurities of this precious metal which is mined from the earth. There are often different metals mixed in with the gold, and the only way to purify it is to apply great heat. Most of us know when a cake or biscuit is fully cooked, but how does a goldsmith know when the gold is pure? It is when he looks into the gold and can see his own reflection.
God allows tribulation and difficulties not because He hates us, but because of His great love for us. He created the first man from the dust of the earth, and his propensity for sin and rebellion has been passed down to all men. We are like precious gold in God's eyes even in our natural condition. But after we are born again and forgiven for our sins, many impurities remain in our minds and hearts. We are not useful to God or man while unrefined, even like a goldsmith cannot use polluted gold for his intricate creations. So God applies the heat through trying circumstances. When difficulties bring our sin to the surface for us to see, we can skim it off through confession and repentance. God allows this sanctification process to continue until we reflect the image of Christ through our actions, attitudes, and words.
Gold is a soft metal, and God desires that His people would have soft hearts, filled with compassion, love, grace and mercy. A soft answer turns away wrath. God does not want us to be stubborn and foolish, following after the desires of our impure flesh. He desires that we would be soft and pliable, like clay that easily yields to the control of the potter. My friend is a potter and has a special press with a auger that can revitalise clay when it has begun to dry. We not only need the Living Water of the Spirit, but we must be pressed and pushed through trials and difficulties to make us workable and useful. After the potter makes a vessel it must be fired at a high temperature before it can be used. An unfired pot may look good, but will easily absorb water, crack under hand pressure, and be worthless for its intended purpose.
Praise God that He has a plan and a design for each one of us! God allows trials and refinement so we might be useable. Refined gold is much more valuable than gold mixed with dirt, and a glazed and fired pot is worth exponentially more than a lump of wet mud. Let us yield ourselves to God's design, trusting that God is for us. As Paul says in Romans 8:31: "If God be for us, who can be against us?"
He spoke about when he used to work as a jeweler. Before a ring would be cast, Ray would take a lump of gold and heat it until it was molten. This is the best way to remove the impurities of this precious metal which is mined from the earth. There are often different metals mixed in with the gold, and the only way to purify it is to apply great heat. Most of us know when a cake or biscuit is fully cooked, but how does a goldsmith know when the gold is pure? It is when he looks into the gold and can see his own reflection.
God allows tribulation and difficulties not because He hates us, but because of His great love for us. He created the first man from the dust of the earth, and his propensity for sin and rebellion has been passed down to all men. We are like precious gold in God's eyes even in our natural condition. But after we are born again and forgiven for our sins, many impurities remain in our minds and hearts. We are not useful to God or man while unrefined, even like a goldsmith cannot use polluted gold for his intricate creations. So God applies the heat through trying circumstances. When difficulties bring our sin to the surface for us to see, we can skim it off through confession and repentance. God allows this sanctification process to continue until we reflect the image of Christ through our actions, attitudes, and words.
Gold is a soft metal, and God desires that His people would have soft hearts, filled with compassion, love, grace and mercy. A soft answer turns away wrath. God does not want us to be stubborn and foolish, following after the desires of our impure flesh. He desires that we would be soft and pliable, like clay that easily yields to the control of the potter. My friend is a potter and has a special press with a auger that can revitalise clay when it has begun to dry. We not only need the Living Water of the Spirit, but we must be pressed and pushed through trials and difficulties to make us workable and useful. After the potter makes a vessel it must be fired at a high temperature before it can be used. An unfired pot may look good, but will easily absorb water, crack under hand pressure, and be worthless for its intended purpose.
Praise God that He has a plan and a design for each one of us! God allows trials and refinement so we might be useable. Refined gold is much more valuable than gold mixed with dirt, and a glazed and fired pot is worth exponentially more than a lump of wet mud. Let us yield ourselves to God's design, trusting that God is for us. As Paul says in Romans 8:31: "If God be for us, who can be against us?"
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