God is Guiltless

We live in a day of relativism.  Yet even with the relative state of morality in the various societies in the world, there are crimes so heinous they deserve prosecution to the fullest extent of the law.  Even in prisons there is a code of ethics, where felons punish violators for the crimes committed outside prison, as well as breaking the code within.  In each of us there is a morality based upon our beliefs.  A drug dealer may have no problem with dealing illegal narcotics to adults, but believes it would be wrong to sell bad dope to kids.  Everyone has within them a conscience that causes us to experience guilt or shame when we know we've done something wrong.  There's a lot of people in prison who believe they have been hard done by and don't deserve the punishment they have received.  In some cases there is injustice, but it doesn't mean that concept of prison is one of them.

Can you imagine a serial child rapist and murderer complaining to the judge of the injustice of being sent to prison?  There are many who would say, "Prison is too good for that murderer."  Prison serves as a deterrent to those who consider committing a crime, to protect the innocent by removing criminals from society, for restitution, and personal reformation.  Now I do not want to imply that all prisons are fair or injustice hasn't occurred in some cases.  In our justice system people are involved (witnesses, jurors, solicitors, judges, wardens, guards, etc.), there will be mistakes, errors in judgment, and weakness common to men.  My point is to say the concept of a judicial system and imprisonment after a fair trial is understood in itself not to be the problem, but is among the most acceptable ways to uphold justice and mete it out to lawbreakers.  Jail is not a bad thing in itself, but a place built for people who have done bad things to go.

Some people struggle with the idea that God created hell, a place of eternal incarceration and torment in outer darkness.  It is truly a place more horrible than any can imagine.  It is commonly said, "The punishment should fit the crime."  Hell is the punishment for a single sin committed against the righteous Laws of God.  Sin is really a terrible thing, so awful and wretched, that God created hell as a place of torment for the devil and his demons.  Years ago in some of the United States the punishment for the worst crimes was the electric chair, hanging until dead, or the firing squad.  The severity of the punishment was matched to the most severe crimes.  This severity of hell shows us the greatness of sins from God's perspective which appear so small in our eyes today.  A single lie, stealing, committing adultery, even coveting something is sin!  When we serve gods other than the One True God who reveals Himself through the Bible, have idols in our lives, or even use God's name to swear, we commit the most serious of offenses before the Just Judge of the Universe.

God is loving.  He knew that man in his current condition is doomed to eternal damnation, because all have sinned.  So God in His grace provided a way for men to be forgiven and saved from death and hell.  God took human form in the person of Jesus Christ and did many signs to show His divine nature.  He was falsely accused and condemned unjustly and murdered on the cross.  But three days later, He rose from the dead to prove His victory over sin and death in accordance with scripture.  John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." God has made a provision for all our sins to be expunged by the blood of His Son.  When we repent and trust in Him as King and LORD, we are born again by God's grace.  After our debt of sin against God has been paid, we avoid hell fire and are promised a place in heaven forever.

In the current system of justice, for someone to be "bailed" they must meet certain conditions.  It is the same way with divine justice.  We do not pay with money, but it is the blood of Jesus applied to our lives through faith which sets us free.  There are many examples of this in the Bible.  One instance was when the two men of Israel were spying out the city of Jericho and were harboured and protected by a harlot named Rahab.  She asked them to repay her for the kindness she had showed them when they eventually sacked the city.  The men agreed they would spare her and her family but held forth specific conditions.  Joshua 2:17-21 reads, "So the men said to her: "We will be blameless of this oath of yours which you have made us swear, ¹⁸ unless, when we come into the land, you bind this line of scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down, and unless you bring your father, your mother, your brothers, and all your father's household to your own home. ¹⁹ So it shall be that whoever goes outside the doors of your house into the street, his blood shall be on his own head, and we will be guiltless. And whoever is with you in the house, his blood shall be on our head if a hand is laid on him. ²⁰ And if you tell this business of ours, then we will be free from your oath which you made us swear." ²¹ Then she said, "According to your words, so be it." And she sent them away, and they departed. And she bound the scarlet cord in the window."  The men would not be held accountable for their promise to Rahab or her family members if they did not meet the prescribed conditions.  Rahab was required to hang a scarlet rope from her window, and her family could leave her home at the risk of their lives.  She was to remain quiet about their agreement.  Should Rahab hang up the red rope but choose to go out for a walk, she did not meet the conditions.  They would be guiltless should harm come to her because she had not heeded their warning.  If she decided to betray them, the promise of safety for her would no longer apply.

God has done the same thing for all people.  It is not His will that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.  He does not desire that any man or woman be doomed to hell for eternity.  He has graciously set forth conditions for our release and forgiveness.  We first must plead guilty and repent for our sins.  Then Romans 10:9 explains God's conditions for salvation succinctly: "...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."  One thing is for certain:  if you choose to be judged according to your works, you will receive justice.  You will receive a fair trial when the books are opened and your life is measured according to God's perfect standard.  Every word, deed, thought, and attitude of your heart during your entire life will be brought under divine judgment.  Psalm 130:3 says, "If You, LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?"  The implication?  Absolutely no one.  Another condition is we must choose to repent and trust in Christ during our short time on earth.  If we wait until our bodies die and we face God's judgment, it will be too late.  Psalm 130:4 tells us, "But there is forgiveness with You, that You may be feared."

Hell isn't the problem:  sin is.  God is guiltless; man is guilty.  While there is a little time left, choose to meet God's conditions for salvation and new life in Him.  He has paid the price at great cost.  Don't appeal to justice when God has already given grace and great promises.  1 John 1:9 says, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

A New Master

One of the wonderful aspects of the One True God is He makes all things new.  When a person is born again by grace through faith, the Holy Spirit transforms us from the inside.  We are freed from the bondage of sin and spiritually brought from death to life.  It is like coming out of a darkened grave into the light of God's love.  What warmth and joy we experience!  What a relief, to be free from the burden of sin and to have a new Master.  It was Satan and sin that once oppressed and ruled us.  We were prisoners in a chain-gang serving a life sentence headed to hell with the whip of guilt laid across our consciences.  But in Christ we have been made free and a whole new life for eternity stretches before us like a luscious meadow before a flock of sheep.  Jesus is our Good Shepherd and we love to hear Him call our names.

Though God makes all things new, we continue to live life on earth in a body of flesh.  All the experiences in our prior life can haunt us, and Satan's biting words can still wound.  We can be like dogs abused by their owners who are adopted by a loving new owner from the RSPCA or the pound.  Some dogs have experienced a tragic life which involved torture, starvation, being made to fight, neglect, or disease.  When they are brought into a new home with new masters they can still be fearful from past experiences.  Memories of their old master do not immediately disappear.  It takes love, care, and time for abused dogs to trust anyone again.  Though the dog is in a completely new situation, the creature only sees through the old paradigm.  With a big dose of love, patience, with new freedoms and established boundaries, over time the dog will thrive in the new environment under a new master.

Spiritually speaking, the transformation in a person through the Holy Spirit is far more pronounced.  What is impossible with men is possible with God.  God is able to redeem the tragedies of our past for His glory and our good.  Ephesians 4:21-24 gives us an exhoratation we are called to embrace:  "...if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: ²² that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, ²³ and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, ²⁴ and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness."  Many people do not obtain dogs from rescue shelters because they want a "clean slate."  They want a dog that has not been abused or that has learned "bad habits" which they must be broken of.  But not our God.  He takes us from the equivalent of death row, having rebelled against God as his enemy.  We have greatly suffered in isolation from fellowship with God.  He does not simply "reform" us but transforms us through the renewing of our minds.  He doesn't just clean our slate, but takes away our slate and gives us a living, feeling heart.  We are given a new Spirit within us.  We are taught to put off the old man - the old way of thinking and living.  We are to have our minds renewed through the truth of scripture, and then to put on the new man "according to God, in true righteousness and holiness."

Let us not cower under the bed or run away in fear when our good Master calls out to us in love.  We have a new Master now, One who loves us with undying love.  Jesus demonstrates His love for us that while we were yet sinners, He died for us.  When the old wicked master comes calling, accusing and abusing you, do not believe a word he says.  Do not listen to him; pay him no mind.  He no longer has power or authority over us.  We answer only to our new Master, the LORD of All, KING OF KINGS.  He makes all things new.

C.S. Lewis Quote: The Problem of Pain

The Problem of Pain by C.S. Lewis is an intellectually stimulating book.  In it he does not so much seek to prove the existence of God but to reconcile His good, perfect character with the painful experiences we face during life on earth.  C.S. Lewis was once an atheist but reason compelled him to abandon that view.  He was no fool.  In the introduction to his books, he says this:

"There was a man born among these Jews who claimed to be, or to be the son of, or to be "one with", the Something which is at once the awful haunter of nature and the giver of the moral law.  The claim is so shocking - a paradox, and even a horror, which we may easily be lulled into taking too lightly - that only two views of this man are possible.  Either he was a raving lunatic of an unusually abominable type, or else He was, and is, precisely what He said.  There is no middle way.  If the records make the first hypotheses unacceptable, you must submit to the second.  And if you do that, all else that is claimed by Christians becomes credible - that this Man, having been killed, was yet alive, and that His death, in some manner incomprehensible to human thought, has effected a real change in our relations to the "awful" and "righteous" Lord, and a change in our favour.

To ask whether the universe as we see it looks more like the work of a wise and good Creator or the work of chance, indifference, or malevolence, is to omit from the outset all the relevant factors in the religious problem.  Christianity is not the conclusion of a philosophical debate on the origins of the universe:  it is a catastrophic historical event following on the long spiritual preparation of humanity which I have described.  It is not a system into which we have to fit the awkward fact of pain:  it is itself one of the awkward facts which have to be fitted into any system we make.  In a sense, it creates, rather than solves, the problem of pain, for pain would be no problem unless, side by side with our daily experience of this painful world, we have received what we think a good assurance that ultimate reality is righteous and loving."  (The Problem of Pain, C.S. Lewis, pg. 11-12)

I have never heard anyone curse evolutionary process, but I have heard many people curse God - a God they do not even believe in.  Darwinian evolution is a mindless, purposeless, random process without remorse.  Our depth of feeling, consciousness, freedom of the will, and ability to reason must have come from a feeling, conscious, purposeful, intelligent Source.  I believe the scriptures, the order of nature and the universe, the testimony of information crammed into every self-replicating cell, the conscience, and reason work together to confirm that God did indeed create all things.  The more we learn through the sciences about the deep complexity of the seemingly simplest things reveals there is more to life than Darwin ever imagined.

Those who believe life on earth just happened should have absolutely no complaints about anything.  What are rights without established morality?  There is no force greater than man to appeal to, and no one cares!  Living is no different than dying.  Everyone has been dealt a hand by no one.  Everything is arbitrary.  There is not even any true justice, for right and wrong is at best a construct fashioned in each person's mind.  Yet even the suggestion that there is a God is enough to make blood boil with hatred.  Why such an emotional reaction over something a person believes to be false?  C.S. Lewis is right.  The only way pain can be a problem for you is if you believe there is a God who is good, an all-powerful Being who has the power to end your pain should He choose.  It is a "problem" reconciled through the revealed Word of God and His infallible character.  Otherwise, shaking your fist against the "injustice" of your life or pain is an empty exercise.  Take your issues up with Random Chance, not that he ever checks his inbox.

Your Shield and Exceedingly Great Reward

Abraham was a man who believed God, and his faith was accounted to him as righteousness.  As he walked in obedience to God's directives, he had many opportunities to grow in faith.  One of these time is after his brother's son Lot was taken captive by four kings who had just defeated five other kings.  Genesis 14:14-15 says, "Now when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his three hundred and eighteen trained servants who were born in his own house, and went in pursuit as far as Dan. ¹⁵ He divided his forces against them by night, and he and his servants attacked them and pursued them as far as Hobah, which is north of Damascus."  From a military viewpoint, Abraham faced long odds - he and his 318 trained servants against four victorious kings!  God granted Abraham a most improbable victory and recovered all as we read in Genesis 14:16:  "So he brought back all the goods, and also brought back his brother Lot and his goods, as well as the women and the people."

The next chapter begins, "After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward." (Genesis 15:1)  Place yourself in Abraham's position.  He did not live in a castle with thick walls or a state-of-the-art security system.  He did not have an army or military-grade weapons.  He could not dial triple zero or 9-1-1!  He had no motion lights affixed to his tent, no locks, bunker, or moat filled with crocodiles.  Abraham lived in a tent with his family!  All his possessions were out in the open without any of the security we are used to.  Having just defeated and plundered four kings, needless to say Abraham didn't make any friends.  He was a target, a sitting duck for an enemy ambush.  Or was he?

Abraham didn't need to be afraid because God was his shield.  Abraham, his family, and goods were in the safest of hands!  I'm sure Abraham thought to himself later:  "I wonder if pursuing and destroying those kings was the best idea.  Then I gave a tenth to the King and Priest of Salem Melchizedek, and returned all the spoil save what my men ate to sustain themselves.  Was that the best course of action?"  God did not leave Abraham in doubt but spoke comfort and promises to him.  God was his shield and exceedingly great reward.  God was all he needed.  God would take care of fulfilling His word that Abraham would have a son though his wife was barren and he was old.  Abraham's future was secure in God, and God was all he needed. 

May this be a good reminder to us when we face insecurity and an uncertain future.  If Abraham's God is your God, He is your shield and your exceedingly great reward.  He will protect you and bring to pass what He has promised.  He will never leave or forsake you.  Instead of giving place to fear and doubt, resolve to be strong and courageous as you trust God.  Take to heart the words of Christ in Matthew 6:30-33:  "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."

When God Says "No"

Few of us pray to God hoping He will say "No" to our requests.  But like every good parent, our Heavenly Father knows when to say "No."  Can you imagine what life would have been like as a kid if every time you asked for something your parents said "Yes?"  I doubt such a parent could possibly have any respect from their children.  Because of immaturity and limited vision, kids desire all sorts of things that would ruin them.  A loving parent will do what's best for their kids, even if kids don't want the best for themselves.

Scriptures demonstrates time and time again that God said "No" to many of His faithful followers.  After Moses sinned in Meribah, he begged that God would allow him into the Promised Land.  God sternly told him no and forbade Moses to bring up the subject again (Deut. 3:26).  King David desired to build God a house, but God told him no.  When David's infant son was sick and he prayed and fasted for seven days before God, asking that his son might live, God said no.  The child died according to the word of Nathan the prophet (2 Samuel 12:18).  King Rehoboam desired to re-unite the kingdom under his rule and sought to fight against Jeroboam.  1 Kings 12:24 says, "Thus says the LORD: "You shall not go up nor fight against your brethren the children of Israel. Let every man return to his house, for this thing is from Me." Therefore they obeyed the word of the LORD, and turned back, according to the word of the LORD."  Just because God answers "No" does not mean our prayers are a waste.  God has heard and answered us according to His divine wisdom.

God says "Yes" but He also says "No."  It can be difficult for us to understand why God would ever say no to our requests.  Sometimes we find it impossible to grasp the things God chooses to allow.  The temptation grows to stand in judgment of God, a grave sin.  In those times we must firmly fix our feet upon the everlasting promises of God, recalling His character as revealed through scripture.  God is good.  All He does is right.  He is trustworthy and true.  He does not change.  Isaiah 55:6-9 says, "Seek the LORD while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near. ⁷ Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon. ⁸ "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways," says the LORD. ⁹ "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts."  Let us not be as foolish children who become angry when their loving parent tells them "No."

Even when God says "No" we can take heart that our prayers have been heard.  Did you know there are prayers that will always be answered with the affirmative?  2 Corinthians 1:18-21 says, "But as God is faithful, our word to you was not Yes and No. ¹⁹ For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us--by me, Silvanus, and Timothy--was not Yes and No, but in Him was Yes. ²⁰ For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us. ²¹ Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God."  All the promises of God in Him are "Yes!"  He will give salvation to all who repent and believe (John 3:16, Luke 24:45-47).  He will give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him (Luke 11:13).  He will forgive our sins (1 John 1:9).  When we pray according to His will He hears us and we can know we have what we have requested of Him (1 John 5:14-15).

When God says "No," recall to mind all the times He has said "Yes!"  If a parent says "No" a child does not doubt the love of their parent.  Let us refuse to allow our circumstances to cause us to question God's love for us.  Never forget sometimes it is through a "No" genuine love is best shown.

What About Drinking Alcohol?

During my reading this morning I came across Deuteronomy 29:6 when God spoke to His people:  "You have not eaten bread, nor have you drunk wine or similar drink, that you may know that I am the LORD your God."  This is an interesting connection.  God sustained His people with manna from heaven when they wandered in the wilderness for 40 years.  They did not have access to wine or fruit of the vine and there was a purpose:  "that you may know that I am the LORD your God."  When I read this, it brought to mind a sermon delivered in 2013 by pastor Joe Focht called, "What About Alcohol?"  It is a great sermon that holds forth a biblical perspective on drinking:  it's not about how far we can safely go with drinking, but that we should labour instead to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

Let me say that we have liberty in Christ to eat and drink whatever we want.  Personally, I take to heart the teachings given by Lemuel's mother in Proverbs 31:3-7 when she says, "Do not give your strength to women, nor your ways to that which destroys kings. ⁴ It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine, nor for princes intoxicating drink; ⁵ lest they drink and forget the law, and pervert the justice of all the afflicted. ⁶ Give strong drink to him who is perishing, and wine to those who are bitter of heart. ⁷ Let him drink and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more."  Alcohol is a destroyer of kings and poor alike.  As a child of God, there is a crown and a throne in my future.  God has made me a king and priest unto Him, having purchased and washed me in the blood of Jesus Christ.  Therefore in my own life, I am convinced the drinking of alcohol has no place.  I was not always of this persuasion.  It needs to be a decision every Christian makes for themselves as convinced by the Holy Spirit.  Let everyone be fully convinced in their own mind, taking great care not to stumble others by the exercise of our liberty.

"Jesus drank wine!" some protest.  "Jesus made wine from water!"  Then others will quote Paul's words in 1 Timothy 5:23:  "No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for your stomach's sake and your frequent infirmities."  The context is more for medicinal purposes, not for social lubrication.  And how much is a little?  That's the big question for some.  A little wine can lead to a little more - with increased frequency.  Little by little a slide occurs.  Too much wine never draws a man closer to God but does the exact opposite.  Ephesians 5:18-21 says, "And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, ¹⁹ speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, ²⁰ giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, ²¹ submitting to one another in the fear of God."  Instead on focusing on how much alcohol is too much, every Christian ought to put into practice the exhortation given here by Paul.  We need to be filled with the Spirit, glorifying God with our speech, giving thanks for all things, and submitting to one another in the fear of God.  Like pastor Joe says, "To reach this generation...we don't need a church with a little bit more wine in them to get the job done:  we need a church that's got more of the Holy Ghost in them to turn the world upside down."

When you start breaking your own rules concerning alcohol, dear believer, you give place to the devil.  When you feel convicted about drinking; if you feel you need to hide the bottles from your spouse, kids, or parents; if you find you are leading a double life, beware.  Take care you do not cause others to stumble, be offended, or even weak in the exercise of your liberty (Romans 14:21).  It would be better for a millstone to be hung about your neck and for you to be thrown into the sea than to cause a little one to stumble.  Charles Spurgeon says on the subject:  "Drink first dims, then darkens, then deadens, then damns.  Drink injures a man externally, internally, and eternally." (Spurgeon's Proverbs and Sayings, Vol. 1, 140)  For me, the physical and spiritual implications of drinking far outweigh any physical benefit that could be possibly gained.  Praise the LORD for the freedom we have to glorify God, even sometimes by saying "No thanks."  All things done or avoided for God's glory will not be without eternal reward!

The 1828 Webster's Dictionary

One of my Bible study aids is from a most unexpected source:  the 1828 Webster's American Dictionary of the English Language.  What makes this volume different from modern dictionaries is Noah Webster's definitions spring from a biblical worldview.  It is interesting to me that you will not find the words "automobile," "radio," or "telephone" within the pages because those modern advances were not yet invented.  At the same time, the text is largely free from encroachment of worldly philosophy and politically correct speech which has emasculated and convoluted the original meaning of words.  Here is one of my favourite examples when comparing modern definitions to those given in Webster's 1828 dictionary:

"Duty" as defined by dictionary.com:

1. Something that one is expected or required to do by moral or legal obligation.
2. The binding or obligatory force of something that is morally or legally right.
3. An action or task required by a person's position or occupation; function.
4. The respectful and obedient conduct due a parent, superior, elder, etc.
5. An act or expression of respect.

"Duty" as defined by Noah Webster's 1828 Dictionary:

1.  That which a person owes to another; that which a person is bound, by any natural, moral, or legal obligation, to pay, do or perform.  Obedience to princes, magistrates and the laws is the duty of every citizen and suject; obedience, respect, and kindness to parents are duties of children; fidelity to friends is a duty; reverence, obedience and prayer to God are indispensable duties; the government and religious instruction of children are duties of parents which they cannot neglect without guilt.
2. Forbearance of that which is forbid by morality, law, justice or propriety.  It is our duty to refrain from lewdness, intemperance, profaneness and injustice.
3. Obedience; submission.
4. Act of reverence or respect.
5. The business of a soldier or marine on guard..
6. The business of war; military service.
7. Tax, toll, impost, or customs; excise; any sum of money required by government to be pain on the importation, exportation, or consumption of goods. 

What a difference in substance and tone!  In the modern definition of duty, there is little said about what the duties of people include.  Using the scripture as a guide, Webster objectively states not only what "duty" is but what our duties are.  He does not say it as his own opinion but as fact.  He can do this only because he has enlisted the scriptures as his guide to define words which explain a moral position achieved through an understanding of God and His righteous precepts.  Words like "sin" and "judgment" are explained thoroughly, grounded in scriptural truth.  Clear definitions of words according to God's revealed truth has never been more important than today.  If the foundations of language are destroyed, what can the righteous do?

Burn the Boats

When I sensed the call of God to move to Australia, I didn't have a calendar with times and dates filled in.  There was no doubt about the call, but I had no clue about how or when it would happen.  I didn't know where our family would be going.  I didn't know how long the process would take.  I didn't know how long God would allow us to live in Australia.  The only thing I knew was that God had called me and my family to go.  Our part was to obey God by going through the open door He would sovereignly reveal to us in His time.

The process ended up taking many years.  During that process, my wife Laura and I had discussed and were in agreement of one thing:  we would burn the boats.  While there is apparently debate concerning the origin of this idiom - whether it best describes the approach of the Romans, conquistador Cortez, or someone else - there is little debate of the meaning.  It means the point of no return has been reached.  There would be no retreat for the band of men who traveled by boat to the land of their enemies.  The boats were burned to prevent anyone from using the boats as a means of escape should things prove difficult.  In poker terminology, it means you are "all in."  The entire chip stack has been pushed to the middle of the table and nothing has been left in reserve.

Our family has deep roots in San Diego.  All of my family lives within miles of each other and Laura's did too.  For us, burning the boats meant selling our house.  Should we have continued to rent out the house, there would have remained a potential home for us to return to if things became hard.  God's directive to Abram in Genesis 12:1 hit home:  "Now the LORD had said to Abram: "Get out of your country, from your family and from your father's house, to a land that I will show you."  It was not without the promise Jesus gives in Mark 10:29-30:  "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."  We needed God to move our hearts for Australia long before our feet touched Australian soil.  Selling our house was a big Ebenezer for us.  The miraculous way God ordained the sale only confirmed we were walking in obedience to His will.

When the children of Israel were taken to a foreign land, God told them to settle down, build houses, and plant vineyards.  They were to put their roots deep where He placed them - even against their will.  They didn't want to be in Babylon!  They wanted to be in the land God had given their fathers by lot.  They were to labour to be fruitful in the place God had established them.  Whether you are in the mission field or chomping at the bit to go, put down your roots where God has you now.  Jeremiah 29:5-7 says, "Build houses and dwell in them; plant gardens and eat their fruit. ⁶ Take wives and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, so that they may bear sons and daughters--that you may be increased there, and not diminished. ⁷ And seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the LORD for it; for in its peace you will have peace." God had an expected end for His people, one which He would be faithful to accomplish in due time.  You can be sure He will do so for you as well.

Is it wrong for a missionary to rent out their home while they are on the mission field?  Absolutely not!  But for us it was an act of faith that we believed God would establish our family in Australia, even as He had been faithful to do in San Diego.  Should we have kept the house, it would have signaled our lack of faith in God's provision.  It would have provided temptation to return when we faced persecutions or trials.  In no way do I condone being caviler or reckless, testing God to conform to our short-sighted will.  We are called to be good stewards of God's gifts. But if God tells us to sell in a buyer's market we should do it - even if holding onto a house may make it more valuable in the future.  Is God's hand shortened He cannot provide?  If we hold onto our old life, we will not be able to enter into the new one God has prepared for us.  We do not need a "fall-back plan" or a pathetic safety net when God is our true foundation and support.

Do you find yourself looking back, thinking about the returning to that sea-worthy boat left on the beach so you might head back to what is familiar?  This principle can be applied to far more than just houses but careers, employers, and countless other things which tempt us away from walking in faith.  The man who puts his hand to the plow and looks back cannot plow straight.  Our call is to be as Paul who forgot the things which were behind and was pressing forward to the finish line!  As long as we have a contingency strategy, we are hindered in advancing where God has us now.  It is time to burn those boats and push all in!  In the same way we are called to leave all behind to follow Christ, so we must answer the call to step out in faith concerning our calling.  God will be faithful to His promise.

Stuck to the Sword

The Bible is filled with accounts of God's people doing mighty deeds.  I was reminded of Eleazar this morning, the second of David's top three mighty men.  2 Samuel 23:9-10 tells us, "And after him was Eleazar the son of Dodo, the Ahohite, one of the three mighty men with David when they defied the Philistines who were gathered there for battle, and the men of Israel had retreated. ¹⁰ He arose and attacked the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand stuck to the sword. The LORD brought about a great victory that day; and the people returned after him only to plunder."  When the men of Israel retreated before the Philistine onslaught, Eleazar stood his ground armed with his sword.  He fought to the point of exhaustion.  He gripped the sword so tightly his hand cramped and stuck to it!  Because Eleazar refused to quit, God brought about a great victory that day.  Only after he defeated the Philistines did people return to plunder the slain.

Perhaps Eleazar faced the temptation to follow along with his fellow Israelites and flee in the face of the Philistine attack.  Some men undoubtedly saw their swords as a burden and cast them to the ground in their haste to save their skins!  But Eleazar refused to back down.  He clung to the sword and kept fighting.  What a good example this is of the diligence and resolve required in the spiritual battle we face against Satan, the flesh, and the wisdom of this age.  When a man takes a stand for righteousness in a fallen world, he will face merciless attack.  Sometimes we may be called to stand alone.  Even then, we are not alone because God is with us.  We are not without weapons to face the battle which presses against us.  God has given us the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God (Eph. 6:17).  In the heat of battle the temptation may come to lay aside the Word of God because we are weary and feel all have forsaken us.  But even in the fiery trial God will sustain us, and His Word will protect us.

Eleazar knew what it took to win.  He knew that unless he gripped the sword with all his strength, he would lose his best offensive and defensive weapon at once.  In holding fast to his sword, he clung to life.  Even so, this is true for Christians concerning the Bible.  It contains the words of life.  God is looking for mighty men to stand today with drawn swords, willing to stand alone if necessary.  May God grant us the grace to say with Paul at the end of our days, "I have fought the good fight, I have kept the faith, and I have stayed the course."  Our Saviour will never leave or forsake us.  He is our righteous foundation upon which we stand, and His Word is our battle axe and weapon of war.  When the attacks come, let us use it to give an answer for the hope which is within us.  May God give our hands strength to cling to the Sword!  The victory is ours when we stand and fight!

To Those Looking for a Saviour

The needs of people today for survival are the same they have always been.  People need water to drink, food to eat, air to breathe, adequate shelter and sleep.  These days many more things have been tacked onto the list:  mobile phones, transportation, the internet, coffee, and social media.  I recently saw a television commercial of a new Holden car which boasts Facebook access from the center console!  A lot of the things people believe they need are not necessary for life.  Many of the activities and things purported to enhance our lives and we have come to believe we could not possibly live without them actually drain it away.

Times change, but the spiritual needs of people remains the same.  Even in this digital age of technology and information, many people remain in the dark ages spiritually.  Blinded by materialism, caught up in the pursuits of this earthly life, countless people are ignorant of their need for forgiveness and salvation.  Life is filled with many diversions which labour to lead us from the sole source of true wisdom and life.  The greatest need of man is God.  Our stomach tells us we are hungry, and our burning eyes reveal how tired we are.  It is the conscience of man which agrees with the righteous law of God that he is indeed a sinner and is without hope in himself.  It is only when a man is without hope that he desperately searches for a Saviour.

After Andrew met Jesus Christ, John 1:41 tells us:  "He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is translated, the Christ)."  Andrew was a Jewish man who was familiar with the Law and prophets.  The fact that he "found" the Messiah means that he was looking for him.  He was looking for the Messiah because he desired to meet and commune with Him.  Had he not recognised a need for himself or the nation for a Saviour, why would he be excited about finding Him?  Andrew was a fisherman who possessed wisdom and discernment the learned in Israel did not.  Andrew's excitement could not be contained, and he sought to tell his brother the great news of his discovery.  Both Andrew and Simon Peter would become followers of Jesus Christ, leaving everything behind for that privilege - an honour and privilege most people didn't even recognise.

Do you need a Saviour?  Have you been looking for Him?  Know that Jesus Christ has been revealed as the promised Messiah, the One who saves His people from their sins.  There is no life found in mobile phones and Facebook.  There is no life even in water, food, or air itself.  These things merely support life for a season.  In the end, we will all perish because the wages of sin is death.  Death has entered the world and death through sin.  But grace, salvation, and eternal life have come to this desolate world through Jesus Christ.  Peter boldly speaks today even as he spoke to the elders of Israel in Acts 4:10-12:  "...Let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. ¹¹ This is the 'stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.' ¹² Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."  Looking for a Saviour?  Look no further than Christ!

Proclaiming Peace

The law in the Old Testament is full of useful principles and insights into the character of God.  People have the mistaken view that there is a difference between the "God" portrayed in the Old Testament and the New.  This is simply not supported in scripture.  God's love and grace is on full display throughout all scripture for all who will see and hear.  God is the same yesterday, today, and forever.  Never has He suggested "Do as I say but not as I do," but has always kept His Word in righteousness.

One of the stumbling blocks for people is how God granted the children of Israel land which was obtained through warfare.  As the body counts rise, so do the eyebrows of some people.  "How could a loving God allow and encourage such carnage?"  God has always given people opportunity for salvation.  He has never visited His wrath upon people or nations without warning.  Noah was a preacher of righteousness for over 100 years before the flood, warning people of the wrath to come.  Because people refused to heed him and seek refuge in the ark before God shut him in, they were all destroyed.  A day is coming when God will judge the world in righteousness and fire.  Jesus is returning in glory with fierce vengeance against all those who war against Him.

Consider this principle in the law, a principle God has always followed.  Deuteronomy 20:10-13 reads, "When you go near a city to fight against it, then proclaim an offer of peace to it. ¹¹ And it shall be that if they accept your offer of peace, and open to you, then all the people who are found in it shall be placed under tribute to you, and serve you. ¹² Now if the city will not make peace with you, but makes war against you, then you shall besiege it. ¹³ And when the LORD your God delivers it into your hands, you shall strike every male in it with the edge of the sword."  It was a law in Israel that before the Hebrews destroyed a city in the land given them by God, they would first give the inhabitants and offer of peace.  If the people submitted to the offer and opened their gates in peace, they would be servants and be permitted to live.  But if the people refused the offer of peace, the Israelites would destroy the city and those within it.  The principle God always follows is before destruction there must always be a proclamation of an offer of peace.  For those who hear and submit to His offer, they will be given life.  All those who refuse His offer make themselves enemies of God and will be subject to His fierce wrath.

Psalm 24:1 says, "The earth is the LORD'S, and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell therein."  God owns all things, being Creator of heaven and earth.  He has created every living thing, having breathed into every human being a living soul.  Though we are doomed to destruction, having been separated from God by our sin, God has spoken peace to us through Jesus Christ.  When angel's heralded the birth of Christ of the virgin Mary conceived by the Holy Spirit, they sang together in Luke 2:14, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!"  In sending Jesus Christ as Messiah and Saviour, God has made an offer of peace to all men through the Gospel.  The conditions of salvation are repentance and faith in Christ.  Acts 17:30-31 reads, "Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, ³¹ because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead."

God has spoken peace to all people.  Jesus spread His arms in love, allowing His hands and feet to be nailed to the cross.  Romans 5:8 explains, "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."  It is not God's will that any perish but that all would come to repentance.  Should God be blamed because He is righteous and just and men are stubborn sinners who refuse His conditions of peace?  God has made a way for all to be saved from the flames of hell at the cost of His own blood (Acts 20:28).  1 John 1:9 says, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."  The pride of man keeps him from surrendering to God's terms.  He thinks nothing to stand in judgment of God and the Bible without even reading it!

The offer of peace through Christ is extended to you today.  He graciously extends His arms to you in friendship.  He freely offers forgiveness and eternal life to all who will submit to Him as servants.  It is not that God needs more servants but desires to adopt all who repent and believe in Christ as His own sons!  If you refuse His offer today, tomorrow, all the way until the days of your life expire, you will experience death and everlasting torment in hell.  Do not delay to accept God's conditions of peace, for what man among you knows the day of his death?  Without Christ you are dead even now!  Now is the accepted time, today is the day of salvation.  Should you choose to war against God, God's fury will be righteously poured out on you without intermission.  He pleads with you through me.  Drop your weapons; lay aside your poor excuses.  Choose instead to open the gates of your heart in peace toward Him!  He will accept all who receive Him.

Broken Reeds

Has anyone you trusted let you down?  God allows circumstances in our lives to teach us that He is the only one worthy of worship and absolute confidence.  Even after we make a decision to follow Christ, we can lean on our own understanding rather than trusting in God.  It is good when God forces us to let go of our false supports and learn only to rely upon Him.  What is a primary way God makes a man decide to let go?  Pain.  When we pick up something hot, the message of searing pain tells us to drop it quick!

There is an instance in scripture when King Hezekiah rebelled against the king of Assyria.  He sent a messenger named Rabshakeh to intimidate the people of Samaria to surrender.  Though he was a false accuser, a blasphemer, and did not fear the true God of heaven and earth, Rabshakeh held forth some valuable insights in 2 Kings 18:20-21:  "You speak of having plans and power for war; but they are mere words. And in whom do you trust, that you rebel against me? ²¹ Now look! You are trusting in the staff of this broken reed, Egypt, on which if a man leans, it will go into his hand and pierce it. So is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him."  Rabshakeh accused Hezekiah and his people of looking to Egypt to save them, which was not true in this instance.  But the analogy of the staff piercing the hand is a good one to consider.

A staff is a walking stick, a sturdy piece of wood selected to carry in the hand to provide stability and help when traversing difficult country.  People commonly carried a staff during travel to support themselves.  We may not carry a staff as we walk through the city, but there are things we rely upon just the same.  We trust in our mobile phones and apps that will help us to safely navigate the city or to call for aid.  You may look to your job or financial situation to provide security.  We rely upon our health and mental well being.  There might be people in your life like parents, your spouse, children, a mentor, or pastor you trust or rely upon for direction and help in time of need.  But compared to God, all of these supports are false.  They are all like a staff that pierces your hand and causes painful injury.  The trouble is, once we have had our hand stabbed through we are increasingly reluctant to extend that hand to others.  Even when God reaches out to help us in love, we withdraw our hand because we've been hurt before.  This is ironic because only God has the power to heal our soul, mind, and body.

The hands God extends to you have been pierced:  the nail-pierced hand of Jesus Christ.  Jesus only trusted the Father and performed His will, yet the sins of the world - your sin and mine - were placed upon Him on the cross.  Jesus knows our pain and He only did what was right.  The pain which we experience in this life God allows so we might toss aside all false supports and trust in Him entirely.    The Bible tells us those who seek to be rich pierce themselves through with many sorrows.  You may have been burned by people.  The betrayal has cut you deep.  When the depth of our pain is unbearable and the temptation is strong to withdrawal from fellowship with God or others, consider that the intensity of the pain often correlates to the weight you place on that broken reed which could not save.  When we lean lightly on broken reeds, the damage is minimal.  When all our weight is pressed upon false supports, far greater damage is inflicted.

Christ reaches out to save us with His scarred hands.  May we extend our wounded hands to grasp His, for salvation and healing is found in Him alone.

I Know You're Out There

I may not know you, but I know you're out there.

You're hurting.  Betrayed, disillusioned, confused, you don't know who to trust.  Perhaps you suffered abuse at the hands of people you trusted as a child.  Your body no longer shows the bruises and the bleeding has stopped, but inside the wounds are fresh.  Just as painful was the fact no one knew how you suffered as you stuffed your hurt deep inside.

You're afraid.  You carry fear that gnaws you from the inside.  Sometimes you feel like a child, alone in the dark.  You fear rejection and the thought of being all alone.  You fear your spouse.  You fear for your life.  And you are very afraid to die.

But in a perverse way you would welcome death, given your experiences of life.  The weight of sorrows, disappointments, grief, and anger is more than you can bear.  The anger inside of you has a grip you can't escape.  It breaks your heart when you hurt others with fists and words.  You don't want to be like this anymore, but you are helpless, adrift, and living without life.  Your body is alive, but you are dead inside.

You're hooked.  Things you used to find exciting and fun have brought you under bondage.  You are a slave to alcohol, to pornography, to lying, drugs, selling your body, and giving away pieces of your heart and soul.  You feel like a fish sometimes, hooked through the nose and pulled along by Satan himself.  You hear voices and you fight to resist them.  But inevitably you lose. When they win, you do things you hate.  The shame is unbearable but the cycle continues.  You hate everything, yourself - and even God.

You're miserable.  You long for true love, but it has always evaded you.  Financial security and outward success have left you empty.  You have discovered many different ways to cope, various numbing agents to avoid the pain, darkness, and poverty within.  Is this all there is?  Hopeless and helpless, you desperately are seeking a way out but are afraid to take it.  You have decided you will never be vulnerable again.  You secretly cut yourself to feel something.  You desire release and think of taking your life.  How hard would it be to cut a little deeper?  Would anyone care?

I know you're out there.  God prompted me this morning to think about you and pray for you.  He moved me to tell you that there is help and hope for you in Jesus Christ.  You might be looking for God, you might not.  But God is not lost.  He is the One who seeks after the helpless, the sick, the hopeless, and sinners - people who aren't perfect - regular people like you and me.  He knows your pain.  He understands.  Jesus was betrayed by a friend, forsaken by His friends, abused, tortured, and killed by sinners even though He did nothing wrong.  He did only good.  Yet He suffered and died on the cross because He loves all people:  the broken, the wounded, abused, and addicted.  He died for you.

During His life, Jesus did many miracles and signs pointing to His deity.  He healed the blind, lame, cleansed lepers, and raised the dead to life.  But the greatest portrait of His love is when He stretched out His arms and His hands were nailed to the cross.  Naked, ashamed, and humiliated, He bore the punishment for your sins and mine on that cross.  Sin came into the world and death through sin.  Sin also is the cause for all sickness, sadness, crying, and suffering.  Jesus embraced all those things for you because He loves you.  He did not fear death because He knew He would rise again the third day and prove His power over sin, death, the devil, and hell.  Glory to God, Jesus Christ DID rise from the dead.  He's alive to this day and will ever be.

I know you're out there, and I don't even know you.  But God does.  He created you, knit you together in the womb of your mother.  He sees through the facade; His eyes pierce the masks we wear.  He knows your fear, doubts, anger, and hate.  He knows you are wounded and all the injustices you have endured.  God demonstrated His love for you through the greatest injustice ever committed on this earth when Jesus was crucified on the cross.  God redeemed that grave tragedy, and God can redeem your life too.  He invites you to come to Him.  He gently speaks words of peace.  He coaxes you to trust Him.  People may have abused, betrayed, and forsaken you, but He will not.  He offers you everlasting love, life, redemption, forgiveness, and hope.  Christ offers you Himself.  John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."  Come to Him today as a frightened child.  Confess your sin and admit your great need for forgiveness and salvation.  Trust in Christ and He will wash you clean.  He will break your bonds and open your eyes.  He will give you new life and unfailing love.  He will hug you close as a daddy you never had.

If you choose to repent and follow Christ, Revelation 21:3-4 paints a picture of your certain future:  "And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. ⁴ And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away."  Our God makes all things new.  Apart from God you are without hope.  If you will trust in Him, He will set you free and give you a fresh start to a new life through Him.  Won't you trust Him?

Time to Start Sewing!

While reading through Revelation this week, the LORD showed me a wonderful analogy of how our position of righteousness in Christ and good works are knit seamlessly together.  It is written in Revelation 19:7-8, "Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready." ⁸ And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints."  Scripture tells us there is none righteous, no not one.  The righteousness which comes through the law is as filthy rags.  The law was like a schoolmaster, taking us by the hand and leading us to faith in Christ.  The law revealed to our conscience our sinful stains, and the blood of Christ through faith in the Gospel washes us clean and imputes His righteousness to us.

The picture God gave me is one of a groom and his future bride in ancient Israel.  During the betrothal period, the bride and groom would not see each other whist the groom was building an addition onto his father's house.  But the groom would often supply gifts such as fine linen for her wedding garment.  It was the bride's responsibility to wisely design, cut, sew, and alter the garment to fit properly.  She needed to be ready at a moment's notice so at the sound of the trumpet heralding the wedding procession she would be dressed and ready.

In the Bible, the church of Christ is often referred to as the bride of Christ.  Christ has supplied us with His righteousness, and the onus is upon us to walk therein.  We are His betrothed, legally married together even now, for He is the Head of the Body of which we are many members.  Ephesians 2:8-10 says, "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, ⁹ not of works, lest anyone should boast. ¹⁰ For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them."  It would be sad if the groom at great expense provided expensive, flawless linen for his future wife to wear on their wedding day - and she never bothered to unwrap it!  If she loves her future husband and is happily awaiting the big day, the wife would tackle the project earnestly, rejoicing in the fact that her husband loved her so much to provide linen she never could have afforded.  We should be like that faithful bride, diligently working to craft a wedding garment worthy of royalty adorned with love.

The church is only as faithful as each individual member.  Instead of leaving the fine linen wrapped up until we trim down our figure, let's labour to put on His righteousness today in humility for God's glory.  Jesus has given us the pattern to follow through the instruction and wisdom of His example and Word.  May we walk worthily of Christ's sacrifice, having payed the bride price with His own blood.  Let us labour to be ready for His return, for He comes quickly.  Time to sew!

Give Accordingly

The example of giving generously has been demonstrated by God to all people.  There is nothing we are or possess which did not first pass through His hands graciously to us.  The question which can stump people is, "How much should I give?"  When I read Deuteronomy 16:17 this morning, it answers the question well:  "Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD your God which He has given you."  The question then becomes, "How much has God blessed me?"  We are to give cheerfully to God according to the blessing which He has given us.  We humans are funny creatures:  we want blessings with no end in sight, but we set limits on giving unto God.

Jesus says in Matthew 7:12, "Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets." This is commonly called the "Golden Rule."  Long before that in Deuteronomy, God had established what could be called the golden rule of giving:  according to the blessing you have received, give as you are able.  We know that when God calls us to do something, it is He who will provide the strength and means to accomplish His purposes.  Therefore God would never call us to give unless we are able to do so.  As long as we have life, we are called to give unto God as we are able according to the blessing God has given us.

All throughout scripture we see examples of this cheerful giving.  When Abram and his servants defeated four kings, he gave tithes of the spoil to the King and High Priest Melchizedek.  David refused to give unto God what cost him nothing.  The poor woman put her two mites into the treasury in the Temple, giving more than even the most wealthy because she gave all she had.  Mary, sister of Martha and Lazarus, broke an alabaster box filled with precious oil - the value of roughly a year's wages - and poured it over the head of Jesus.  The greatest gift was when Jesus gave Himself freely into the hands of sinners and embraced the cross in obedience to the Father.  He gave Himself according to the will of the Father so that all might be saved through His atoning sacrifice.

Take some time to count your blessings and consider what great things God has done for you.  May those who recognise the blessings God has given us say with the Psalmist in Psalm 116:12, "What shall I render to the LORD for all His benefits toward me?"  Those who have been blessed much should give much.  Instead of feeling guilty for the blessings God has graciously provided, choose to give to God as you are able according to the blessing which He has given you.  The Holy Spirit will guide you to give according to His perfect will.  All you can give has already been given you by God!  Whoever said, "You can't out-give God!" was right.  It's not a contest, but it should be a daily practice as we give unto God the glory due His name.

God's Word Stands

Yesterday I was afforded the very rare privilege to watch a San Diego Padres baseball game.  I set the DVR to record and watched bits and pieces during the day.  It had been years since I actually watched a Padres game.  When I lived in San Diego I would watch a majority of the games (or bits of them) on Channel 4.  Even though the Padres lost to the Red Sox, it was fun and nostalgic to see the many new faces of a team I have followed since 1984.

Now I always smile to myself when people are sympathetic to sports teams who have historically been doomed to defeat.  Not once have I heard commentators mention the San Diego faithful.  Neither the San Diego Padres or Chargers won a world championship on the biggest stage.  The Chargers were smashed in the 1994 Super Bowl, and the Padres were whooped in the MLB World Series in 1984 and 1998.  Man, it's been a long time since we were even that good - or bad, however you want to look at it.  Maybe, just maybe, the Padres or Chargers will win it all.  If recent seasons are any indication, I could be waiting awhile.  But that's OK.  If I have endured this long as a die-hard fan, won't the wait make it that much sweeter?

It's a funny thing how people are deeply affected by their team winning or losing the "big" game.  After all, it is a game.  After I turned off the game yesterday I thought to myself, "How would my life be different if the Padres had beat the Red Sox?"  I might have been happy for a few minutes, but that's about it.  I thought back to San Diego's playoff losses:  "How would my life be different if the Chargers won the Super bowl in 1994 or the Padres won in 1998?"  Absolutely nothing!  I might have some good memories, but that would be it.  As it is, I still have some very fond memories of Dave Jordan's hot wings I ate during the Charger's loss.  In the grand scheme of things, what does it matter?  In time my memories will fade, and when I go the way of the earth they will be lost forever.

There are an innumerable amount of things that seem so important to us that in the light of eternity are trite and passing away.  Take politics, for example.  Some people are as rabid over party policies and legislation as the most faithful cricket or rugby supporter.  When a bill is approved, flags are waving and cheers erupt  to commemorate the victory.  The "losing" side grits their teeth and wonders what the world is coming to.  The fact is, God is the ultimate Judge who only does right.  Man can never legislate righteousness, for God has already ordained and established it.  The straying of men to the right or left cannot alter God's perfect standard.  Let us stand for righteousness; let us stand for what the Bible says is right.  But as this world waxes worse and worse, may it confirm to our hearts we are indeed in the last days.  As legislation is passed around the world that stands in direct opposition to scriptural truth, a Christian still can rejoice that God's truth stands regardless.  God's Word is untouched by the accusations, ravings, or legislation of men.

Paul sums it up well in 2 Timothy 3:1-17:  "But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: ² For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, ³ unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, ⁴ traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, ⁵ having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! ⁶ For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, ⁷ always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. ⁸ Now as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, disapproved concerning the faith; ⁹ but they will progress no further, for their folly will be manifest to all, as theirs also was. ¹⁰ But you have carefully followed my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, perseverance, ¹¹ persecutions, afflictions, which happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra--what persecutions I endured. And out of them all the Lord delivered me. ¹² Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. ¹³ But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. ¹⁴ But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them,¹⁵ and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. ¹⁶ All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, ¹⁷ that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work."

The One Who Forgives Sins

Jesus was invited by a Pharisee to his home for a meal.  During the meal, a woman - a well-known "sinner" in the town - came to see Jesus.  She was so moved she washed Christ's feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair.  She then kissed his feet and anointed them with precious oil from an alabaster box she broke for that purpose.  Not everyone was pleased by this display of affection and generosity.  Luke 7:39-40 reads, "Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he spoke to himself, saying, "This man, if He were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner." ⁴⁰ And Jesus answered and said to him, "Simon, I have something to say to you." So he said, "Teacher, say it."

Did you see that?  The critical Pharisee spoke to himself, meaning this was an internal conversation he had in his mind.  What happened next proved that Jesus was more than a prophet:  He answered him!  This is one of many evidences that Jesus truly is the Son of God, a discerner of the hearts of men.  Simon the Pharisee had something to say, but social decorum demanded he keep it to himself.  Jesus had an answer for his unbelief and criticism, if he would hear it.  Jesus explained to the self-righteous Pharisee that the woman poured out a sacrifice of love upon Christ because she loved much.  She loved much because she had been forgiven much.  Simon was offended that Christ did not rebuff the woman because she was a great sinner.  What he did not know is Jesus has the power to forgive sins because He is God!  She no longer was stained by her sin because she was made righteous by grace through faith.  Therefore her sacrifice of love and praise was acceptable and pleasing in God's sight.

Luke 7:48-50 concludes the passage:  "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."  Not only does Jesus know the hearts and minds of people, able to discern thoughts and answer them, but He forgives sins.  This woman's faith was accounted to her as righteousness like Noah, Abraham, Moses, and the harlot Rahab before her.  The shed blood of Jesus Christ through repentance and faith is able to cleanse us from all sin and make us righteous before God.  1 John 1:9 says of Christ, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

Do you love God much?  Those who have been forgiven much love much, but those who have been forgiven little love little.  Does your life demonstrate you have been forgiven much by God?  Praise the Word who became flesh, the One who is more than a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart!  He is the only One able to cleanse us with His shed blood and present us faultless before the Father with exceeding joy.  Hear Him!

Final Visa Update!

This long awaited day has finally arrived, a day that at times I wondered would ever come:  our family received word from immigration that we have been approved for permanent residency.  The notification reads, "You have been granted a permanent visa which allows you to remain in Australia indefinitely."  It feels unreal even as I read those words now.  The walk of faith in Christ provides unimaginable twists, turns, and surprises.  It is like a roller coaster where one feels the anticipation of the slow ascent, big drops, corkscrews, the sickness in the pit of the stomach, and g-forces all combine to make it a ride that at the conclusion you laugh and say, "Let's do it again!"  Well, almost like that.  I am glad beyond words the forms, documentation, physicals, and expense is concluded with a positive result.  I am blessed that this chapter of our immigration process is complete.  God-willing citizenship is only a year and a half away!

It feels so good to know that I'm not crazy - or at least, crazy in a good sense.  When God placed the east side of Australia on my heart in 2005, I wasn't sure if I was going insane or if God was truly calling me to quit my career, later resign from my ministry position, sell my house, uproot my family and move to OZ.  He confirmed His Word again and again that "I would preach, and I would be sent."  It became clear that the only way that I could immigrate to Australia, much less serve in a church as pastor, would be through His doing.  Over the years there were wilderness experiences, doubters, rejections, questions, and the ever-oppressive uncertainty.  Even during this final stretch of the visa application process there were obstacles to overcome when we had to re-submit our application and payment.  A time came when I was forced to hand over everything to the LORD again:  "God, if you just wanted us here for a short season, your will be done.  If this obstacle is your doing, we embrace it.  If it is the work of the enemy, overcome it!"

With the granting of our permanent visa, it is the stamp of God's gracious approval.  It is His will we are here.  It is God's will that I should serve Him and the flock at Calvary Chapel Sydney.  All those years ago when God gave me a vision to reach the east side of Australia with the gospel, I wasn't insane.  Yet I do not see the granting of the visa primarily as validation of my perception, but a demonstration of the guidance, provision, grace, mercy, and power of my God.  Coming to Australia was never my idea.  It was God who put Australia on my heart because He loves all people and is not willing any should perish but that all should come to repentance.  He has graciously provided a window of my time on earth to labour for His glory in OZ, and I rejoice He has established my family and me here.  My desire is to live out the rest of my days in Australia, moving rocks, sowing seed, and reaping a bountiful harvest of souls for His glory.

Thanks to everyone who has laboured in prayer, helped with finances, submission of the paperwork, and supported our family through this visa process.  We are grateful and humbled with the open door God has placed before us.  By His grace, we are walking through the door.  The end of the visa process brings a new beginning as permanent residents.  As you rejoice with us, please remember to thank God for all He is doing - not only in Australia, but in your life and across the globe for generations.  You never know the plans God has for you or where He will send you.  God will give you the discernment, wisdom, and strength to march forth in step with Him!  The question remains to be answered:  will you go where He leads?