Belonging to God

How blessed Christians are to be God's adopted, beloved children!  Young children might be small, weak, and vulnerable and learn to rely upon their parents for understanding and help.  A child who is loved can be secure and carefree knowing their parents are near.  The simplicity of a child's trust and reliance upon their parents is a lesson to all followers of Jesus Christ we should never grow out of.

Paul provides an example of this when a voyage which began with a gentle breeze turned stormy and deadly.  When all hope seemed to be lost, Paul stood up and addressed the crew and fellow prisoners with words of encouragement.  He said in Acts 27:22-25, "And now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. ²³ For there stood by me this night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve, ²⁴ saying, 'Do not be afraid, Paul; you must be brought before Caesar; and indeed God has granted you all those who sail with you.' ²⁵ Therefore take heart, men, for I believe God that it will be just as it was told me."

Paul exhorted the distressed men to take heart because God promised their lives would be preserved.  Notice how Paul viewed his relationship with God:  "...to whom I belong and whom I serve."  Much of our lives on earth, especially in our younger days, is to work to fit in somewhere, to belong.  Those who were blessed with a loving family understand how belonging impacts life, knowing you are the child of parents who provide, teach, discipline, and help.  No matter how people were treated by their parents, everyone has the opportunity to belong to God as His child through faith in Jesus.  Paul belonged to God and thus was secure and at rest even when his ship was tossed by waves.

As one who belonged to God, Paul served God.  The people I have grown closest to are those I spend time with and have shared experiences.  Since Paul belonged to God and God was with Paul, they conversed with each other.  Paul had great confidence all would happen as God told him through an angelic messenger.  Receiving a message from an angel would be a novel experience, but we do not need a heavenly vision to read and understand the Word of God, know God, and know we belong to Him.  No one can earn this sense of belonging through service or sacrifice:  it is only by the grace of God we are accepted and belong.  May God grant us the faith and confidence of Paul who was bold to live out his glorious identity in Christ.

Speaking in Symphony

In a meeting this week I was asked to describe the way God spoke to me when it came to deciding to move to Australia before I was aware of any open door.  I suppose I can describe it as similar to a symphony:  a crowd of musicians playing a variety of instruments led by one Conductor.  God is unlimited in the means and manner He speaks to us, confirming His leading by the Bible, other people, what some people might call "coincidence," and the witness of our own conscience, motives, and thoughts.  God is intimately acquainted with all people and knows the way to communicate in a way we can receive.  When we seek the LORD He is faithful to speak.

I remember the day very well God's call to go to Australia was crystalised in my mind.  Even the date was significant and unforgettable, commemorated in the title of this blog:  March 4th, 2009.  From early in our relationship my wife always said "March 4th" was her favourite date because it was also an action--something I never thought of.  On a day that started like countless before it, I rose early to spend some time with the LORD in prayer and reading the Bible.

On that particular morning I read Luke 23 and was struck by Luke 23:26:  "Now as they led Him away, they laid hold of a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, who was coming from the country, and on him they laid the cross that he might bear it after Jesus."  I imagined what was going through the mind of Simon, a Gentile who was "laid hold of" to carry the cross for the bleeding, dying Jesus.  He had come out of his country, something I vaguely felt for years God was leading me to do.  The fact Simon was laid hold of suggests there were no volunteers willing to assist Jesus.  It occurred to me:  that is what the life of a follower of Jesus looks like.  I cried out to God in prayer basically saying, "Let that be me!"

That afternoon the pastoral staff was invited into the pastor's office for our regularly scheduled meeting.  My pastor was impressed by the testimony of a missionary he just heard of:  Gladys Aylward.  He conveyed this amazing story of how she was a British woman who went to China, ended up buying an orphaned child, and ended up being greatly used by God.  When I went back to my office I looked deeper into her story and was gobsmacked:  this was the first person I ever heard of who had a particular place on her heart--God put China on her heart without knowing anything about it, and God had done the same to me concerning Australia, specifically the east side.  Very strange indeed!

Being a Wednesday, I went home from work to exercise, shower, and have dinner before returning to church for the evening service.  As I walked past the globe in our home, I thought to myself:  what is the furthest east point of Australia?  I spun the globe and found Brisbane.  I tackled exercise with earnest, literally raising my voice to God to provide direction and help me to know His will.  Ten minutes in I thought I heard my flip-phone ring and contacted my wife Laura who told me I needed to check my email.  One of the high school students in the youth group needed a personal reference right away.  I opened the email and found an attachment of a template for the reference written in gibberish--all except the heading which read:

To: Somebody, Someone

100 Long Street
Brisbane, Australia

I seriously started shouting!  "What!?  God, you are CRAZY!  You are wild!"  After I calmed down a bit I thought, Brisbane eh?  And that's where I started looking.  I found there was a Calvary Chapel plant in Springwood and sent a letter introducing myself and telling my strange story about how I believed God was leading me to somehow minister in some capacity in Australia.  Amazingly my letter received a positive response and it was the first connection I made in Australia which has grown exponentially.  Hearing from God did not mean the process was quick or easy but God was faithful to speak in symphony and provided enough information for each next step of an amazing journey of following Jesus.

I am not a special case.  On the basis of God's Word I have all confidence God will speak to you too when you seek Him in His time and way.  God spoke to Samuel when he was a child who did not even know the LORD!  God has provided His Word and is the best communicator.  We are the weak link with our lack of seeking God and our chronic unbelief.  But praise be to God for His goodness, grace, and mercy.  He has done all things well.

The Love of God

It is important to understand how the coming of Jesus was intended to impact the views of people previously under the Law of Moses.  As believers who hold to the divine inspiration and relevance of all the Bible, it is vital to our understanding that the New Testament holds precedence over the Old.  This is not to say the Old Testament is of lesser value or is in any way outdated.  It is all the infallible Word of God and the context, with the help of the Holy Spirit to compare scripture with scripture, guides us into rightly dividing the word of truth with practical application.

Just this morning I was reading what David wrote in Psalm 139:19-22:  "Oh, that You would slay the wicked, O God! Depart from me, therefore, you bloodthirsty men. ²⁰ For they speak against You wickedly; Your enemies take Your name in vain. ²¹ Do I not hate them, O LORD, who hate You? And do I not loathe those who rise up against You? ²² I hate them with perfect hatred; I count them my enemies."  David viewed those who walked wickedly as enemies of God, despised them, and even desired their destruction.  In seasons of self righteousness I have sadly done the same.  To his credit the very next verses David humbly implored God to search his own heart and see if there be any wicked way in him so he could be led to life everlasting.  But just because David hated bloodthirsty blasphemers would it be righteous for me to do so?  King David was a ruler under Mosaic Law which governed him in his execution of justice.  Jesus Christ, the KING OF KINGS, has the right to overrule those who came before Him and who could not comprehend the grace of the Gospel yet to be revealed.  It was because of God's love for all the world--sinners deserving and destined for destruction--that Jesus came to seek and save the lost.

Jesus said to the amazement of His disciples who revered David in Matthew 5:43-48, "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' ⁴⁴ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, ⁴⁵ that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. ⁴⁶ For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? ⁴⁷ And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? ⁴⁸ Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect."  We are not made perfect through the hatred of others but by faith in God and are enabled by Him to love them as He does.  God's love in no way tramples on divine justice for Jesus was crucified on Calvary as a substitute for sinners.  Seeing God has graciously atoned for our sins, forgiven us, and imputed the righteousness of Christ to us by faith, we are to love others--even our enemies.  God knows who His enemies are and will deal with them in His time and way, and we are to do righteously in loving them in the meantime.

It's natural to hate the haters, yet as we receive the grace and love of God and walk in it we will be hated for it.  The apostle John wrote in 1 John 3:11-16:  "For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another, ¹² not as Cain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother's righteous. ¹³ Do not marvel, my brethren, if the world hates you. ¹⁴ We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death. ¹⁵ Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. ¹⁶ By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren."  David's love and hate seemed very much black and white, an "us and them" based upon works or affiliation.  John threw a curveball in emphasising our call and responsibility to love the brethren:  our fellow believers.  We wouldn't hate other professing Christians, would we?  Of course we would, and we have!  We have loved others less because we knew them well, because we were close to them, because we had high expectations they did not rise to meet.  We are often far more critical of people in our circle and forget to extend to others the patience and grace God has freely given to us.

Loving others means to speak the truth motivated by the love of God and others even when it is unpopular or hurts.  And when we have chosen to exercise faith in God by loving others sacrificially we ought not to be shocked when we are hated by the world for it.  Our call is to go far beyond "an eye for an eye" or even the Golden Rule (to do to others as we would have done to us) but to love one another like Jesus loves us.  Loving strikes at our hearts and souls, continuing to refine us when our exterior seems clean and sanctified.  We are finite in every respect but God's love is infinite.  Love is of God and the only way we can begin to love like Him is when we are born of God through faith in Christ and know God as the Holy Spirit fills us.  Brothers and sisters, let us love one another even when we are hated.  As we have freely received let us freely give.

Tempting Thieves

I don't think we can imagine a world where the almighty, living God is not good.  If God was not good, there could be nothing resembling good in the world.  It is only because God is good there are admirable and praiseworthy characteristics in people.  Love, joy, peace, and kindness are a reality to be desired because in God we find all these things.

Today I checked out a new sandy spot to metal detect and I saw a sign which was amusing and confronting at the same time.  The beautiful natural landscape was in stark contrast to the reminder that everything is not right in the world.

The sign read in all caps:  "BEWARE:  DO NOT TEMPT THIEVES, DO NOT LEAVE VALUABLES IN VIEW, LOCK YOUR CAR."  The only reason why these signs were placed throughout the car part was because people do not keep God's 8th commandment which says, "Thou shalt not steal."  The signs warns and urges law-abiding citizens are to take precautions against thieves because only a little temptation is required to bring wickedness to the surface which negatively impacts everyone.  It is a tragedy innocent people need to take responsibility to prevent "tempting" criminals when people shouldn't steal in the first place.  But stealing is what thieves do, always looking for an easy score.  Jesus is the only one who can fundamentally change the hearts and minds of thieves.

How grateful I am for the righteousness and wisdom of God!  Instead of being a thief He is a generous provider of gifts out of His storehouses of grace.  Not only does He provide for our physical needs but through the Gospel makes a provision for corrupt thieves to be given a new heart which desires to please God.  Without God there would be no hope for thieves, liars, fornicators, and idolators--for anyone!  Faith in Jesus Christ as LORD is all He requires for salvation, for Jesus spoke from the cross to the repentant thief:  "Assuredly I say unto you, today you will be with me in Paradise."  Isn't that awesome?  How great is the benefit for all mankind because of the God's goodness.

Though the signs did not instill any confidence in the security of the lot, I did find a handful of items--probably nothing anyone would be interested to steal. :)

Textbook Hypocrisy

God has many lessons to teach us outside of church, practical sermons we can put to personal use.  Yesterday I was gifted one such lesson.  Our church building is located in an industrial park which has unit numbers painted on each space in the carpark in addition to a sign on the kerb.  I removed the signs to prep the concrete to install new signs and placed them on top of the kerb in the meantime due to rain.  When I arrived at church yesterday the signs had been thrown into the planter.  There are almost always people who utilise our parking spaces since we do not keep regular business hours.  Seeing those signs in the planters made me shake my head and smile, imagining people could then justify parking in our spots.  This is a picture of hypocrisy that seeks to justify self.

I was suddenly reminded of an event which unfolded over 15 years ago when I worked in the shipyard at NASSCO.  One of my work mates came into the shack before work absolutely beaming, and this was out of the ordinary because of his usual sullen disposition.  He couldn't contain his excitement as he gleefully produced a one hundred dollar bill:  "Look what I found!"  Then he proceeded to tell the story.  As he was walking in the gate he noticed what looked to be money "working its way out" of another worker's pocket.  When the bill fell out of the pocket he quickly pounced on the cash and pocketed it.  "Finders keepers!" he said triumphantly.  I was aghast.  "You know who dropped the money?  You saw it fall?  That's stealing!" I asserted.  He did not feel guilty in the least:  he justified keeping the money because he didn't take it out of the man's pocket but picked it up off the ground.

Now as I considered these two sets of experiences I was driving to an appointment.  50 metres ahead of me a large bus suddenly indicated to merge into my lane.  Not content to dawdle behind a bus I sped up beyond the speed limit rather than slowing down.  There was plenty of room behind me anyway.  Then it struck me:  what if that bus had been a police car?  I can say without question I would have slowed down and welcomed the police car to take a position in front of me.  I don't know anyone who enjoys being tailed by police.  What did my actions demonstrate?  Textbook human hypocrisy!  It is the same folly that justifies parking in reserved spot because there wasn't a permanent sign affixed; it is the same hypocrisy which justifies stealing because someone else's money touched the ground without their knowledge.  Me speeding up to pass the bus gave me insight into my own heart and my need to confess and repent of my sin.

It is one thing to recognise hypocrisy in others or to freely admit we are hypocritical too, but to take the lesson to heart is to repent of our own hypocrisy and walk uprightly in the future.  So the next time there is a bus or anyone else indicating to merge, I ought to treat them with the same care as a police cruiser I have no intent to offend.  This "respecting of persons" (or vehicles!) is not potentially in play only when driving but in all interactions.  As a child of God it is my calling to walk in love towards all whether behind the wheel or picking up after vandals.  Praise the LORD He is patient, gracious, and forgiving because without Him I would be adrift and lost forever.

Forgiveness With God

"If You, LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? ⁴ But there is forgiveness with You, that You may be feared."

Psalm 130:3-4

Last night I tossed and turned after going to bed.  Summer heat coupled with sinus congestion made initial attempts to sleep fruitless.  So I decided to meditate on noble and praiseworthy aspects of God's character in gratitude.  Paul's exhortation in Philippians 4:8 is fitting for night and day:  "Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy--meditate on these things."  Who is more true, noble, just, pure, lovely, good, virtuous, or praiseworthy than God?  He is the ultimate personification of all these qualities and infinitely more.

Isn't it amazing a holy and just God of absolute purity should be forgiving?  If God gave us sinners what we deserve we would be consumed in eternal fire.  God is forgiving because He is loving but not at the expense of justice.  If God marked our iniquities forever eternity in hell would be our just lot.  It is phenomenal that not only does God forgive us of sins but fully pardons us through the atoning blood of Jesus Christ.  We who place our faith in Jesus as LORD and Saviour and are born again He expunges our permanent record of sins.  Having nailed the Law which condemned us to the cross, we are forever free of condemnation.  In His grace the righteousness of Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, is imputed or credited to each soul purchased by the Gospel.

The Psalmist makes a remarkable conclusion concerning the impact being forgiven ought to have on us:  "But there is forgiveness with You, that You may be feared."  The fear of God is not always accompanied with forgiveness and salvation, for even the demons tremble in fear before the Almighty.  The point is all who have been forgiven ought to fear and reverence God.  It would be a grave error to not fear God after He has revealed Himself to us, offered Himself as a sacrifice for sins as our substitute, redeemed us from the curse, and has adopted us as His own beloved children.  If the fear of God worked in us as aliens from the commonwealth of God, condemned by our sins for eternity, how much more ought we fear Him as LORD and Father!  On the basis of His forgiveness alone He deserves our fear, obedience, and undying love.

The Psalmist concluded the song with the result of forgiveness and fearing the LORD in Psalm 130:5-7:  "I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in His word I do hope. ⁶ My soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning--yes, more than those who watch for the morning. ⁷ O Israel, hope in the LORD; for with the LORD there is mercy, and with Him is abundant redemption."  In the fear of the LORD the psalmist waited for the LORD and hoped in His Word.  There was an expectancy in hearing from the LORD which was more sure than sun rising over the horizon.  In the darkness we can hope in the LORD because there is mercy and abundant redemption in Him.  How good is God and great is His kindness and grace to us!  Praise the LORD there is forgiveness with Him, and blessed are those who fear and hope in Him.

Embracing Personal Change

Positive though change may be, there is in everyone natural resistance to personal change we don't want.  Maybe we cannot see the benefit or need to change; changing requires too much sacrifice or does not fit our ideal.  Receiving Jesus Christ as Saviour brings about a dynamic, transformational change of the heart and mind of Christians that is continual and relentless as we grow in grace.  As long as we remain in these bodies of flesh there will be conflict Paul described between our flesh and the new man created after Jesus Christ.  Our call is not to focus primarily on the need of others to change but to hear the echo of Christ's words to Peter who wondered about John's responsibility:  "What is that to you?  You follow Me."

Even as the flesh resists the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit, so those who reject Christ as Saviour rebuff the efforts of God's people to affect godly transformation.  An example of this tendency is seen in Acts 17:5-8 which took place in Thessalonica:  "But the Jews who were not persuaded, becoming envious, took some of the evil men from the marketplace, and gathering a mob, set all the city in an uproar and attacked the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people. ⁶ But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some brethren to the rulers of the city, crying out, "These who have turned the world upside down have come here too. ⁷ Jason has harbored them, and these are all acting contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying there is another king--Jesus." ⁸ And they troubled the crowd and the rulers of the city when they heard these things."

Motivated by envy, the outraged mob resorted to violently dragging Christians before the rulers of the city, slandering them as rabble--when it was they who were guilty of such things.  They mis-characterised the believers by accusing them of being loyal to Jesus rather than Caesar and troubled the people.  While it is true the Christian's loyalty and obedience to God is to be the utmost priority, what they did not understand or glossed over were the teachings of Jesus which commanded believers to honour and obey the authorities He has established.  Followers of Jesus ought to be numbered among the most honest, obedient, and faithful citizens as they minister unto the LORD.  There is a way a half-truth can be told which obscures the real truth and troubles minds who know not Christ as LORD.  Besides, turning a world "upside down" isn't a bad thing when it puts things right.

The Christian call is not to turn the world upside down but to follow Jesus Christ in faith.  In a world fixated on activism, rebelling against authority, or places faith in government to change society Jesus empowers us by His grace to be personally transformed and live for Him.  God can mightily use one person yielded in submission to Him (and even a graceless wretch!) to impact others and the world for good.  The examples in scripture and even in our day are beyond number.  God used reluctant Moses to deliver the children of Israel out of bondage in Egypt.  God called and filled John the Baptist with the Holy Spirit to prepare the way for all people to see the salvation of God through Jesus.  Paul was born again through faith in Jesus and led by the Holy Spirit to bring the Gospel to the Gentiles.  The impact of what men and women have done in obedience to God to this day continue to reverberate around the globe with eternal ramifications.

The dynamic between the unbelieving world and the church can also be seen between individual believers and the Body of Christ.  During seasons of personal growth there is always a temptation to look upon "the church" with disdain:  the church is too worldly, not sufficiently engaged with social issues, not committed enough to mission work, quenching the Spirit, worship is dead, preaching is dry, people are not politically engaged, ad nauseam.  In this case what is true in society is true in the church, that the church can only change as much as individuals are changed.  It is not other people changing which is to be our main goal but to look to Jesus in faith and obedience.  It is not even changing myself which is to be my primary aim because only God has the power to accomplish this!  I must take personally the call the embrace my own sanctification--not to lament the lack of sanctification in others or "the church."  I am grateful God uses people to help us in our sanctification, and He graciously uses us to aid others too.  It is more blessed to give than to receive, but we must submit to both to grow in spiritual health and fruitfulness.

Praise the LORD!

Words fail to describe how awesome and praiseworthy God is.  He stands apart and alone from all that is created in power, righteousness, and love.  David mused in Psalm 8:1-4: "O LORD, our Lord, How excellent is Your name in all the earth, Who have set Your glory above the heavens! ² Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have ordained strength, because of Your enemies, that You may silence the enemy and the avenger. ³ When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained, ⁴ what is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him?"  The inescapable irony is man who God graciously created in His image is often not mindful of God.

Even when we think of God, our deepest considerations of Him are shallow and short-sighted.  This is to be expected because we are beings with limited intellects bound by times and measurements.  God is better than we can conceive and we can crown Him "the best" but this extends into a realm we cannot fully see or know.  Superlatives and adjectives fail to adequately describe the greatness of God because He transcends language and eternity.  At the same time He is able to reveal Himself to us mere mortals who are but dust and ashes, unworthy and unable to look upon Him in glory without out being physically undone.  While we were yet sinners God demonstrated His love for us in sending His only begotten Son Jesus Christ to die in our place.  Wondrous grace this!

The apostle wrote concerning the glorious future of God's redeemed in 1 John 3:2, "Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is."  When we are ushered glorified in the presence of the Living God, I imagine words will fail us.  The living creatures in the presence of God are described as night an day proclaiming, "Holy, holy, holy!"  Holy carries with it the sense of being sacred and pure.  From a worldly vantage point God is something completely apart from all that has been created, distinct from the restraints of time and pollution of sin--a Being of unapproachable majesty.  Yet this is God who has set His favour upon sinful mankind, bestowing love and acceptance with the promise of everlasting life in His presence:  He desires, invites, and makes it possible for you and me to dwell with Him forever!

Praise the LORD for His greatness, goodness, and love.  Bless His holy name!  Psalm 68:32-35 says, "Sing to God, you kingdoms of the earth; oh, sing praises to the Lord, Selah ³³ to Him who rides on the heaven of heavens, which were of old! Indeed, He sends out His voice, a mighty voice. ³⁴ Ascribe strength to God; His excellence is over Israel, and His strength is in the clouds. ³⁵ O God, You are more awesome than Your holy places. The God of Israel is He who gives strength and power to His people. Blessed be God!"  David couldn't make it through a sentence about God's great worthiness without a "Selah" which is a directive to pause and consider.  How good it is to praise the LORD and worship our awesome God.

Agenda and Motive

I was looking for a C.S. Lewis quote I mentioned in a previous blog post and on the first page of Google results there was a blogger who wrote an expose on the occult agenda of C.S. Lewis in his Narnia books.  The internet is rife with this sort of thing, people who claim to have discovered a "hidden agenda" which may or may not be true.

As I thought this claim to knowledge over, it occurred to me that "having an agenda" often directly corresponds with personal motive.  Because we cannot perfectly know the hearts of men making absolute claims about the motives of others is dicey at best.  Take for instance in western culture the marriage of people who are vastly different in age:  a young woman marrying an older wealthy man could be viewed by some as a gold-digger or some might call the old man a pervert.  But the reality is the couple could very much be in love, regardless of what is common practice in society or our judgments based on appearances and limited knowledge.  Even when we have heard two sides on a matter we haven't heard the whole story.

God is the only One who perfectly knoww the hearts and thoughts of men, something Jesus demonstrated on a regular basis in the Gospels.  Jeremiah 17:5-10 says, "Thus says the LORD: "Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart departs from the LORD. ⁶ For he shall be like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see when good comes, but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land which is not inhabited. ⁷ "Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, and whose hope is the LORD. ⁸ For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river,and will not fear when heat comes; but its leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will cease from yielding fruit. ⁹ "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it? ¹⁰ I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings."  Walking according to sight has many pitfalls, but trusting the LORD keeps us from anxious thoughts and makes us fruitful.  Our heart is naturally deceitful:  if we cannot know the depravity and hidden agenda of our own hearts, how can we be sure we know the motives of others?

Now there are ways hidden motives of the hearts can be revealed by the things we say and do.  But let us examine our own hearts because we are quick to assume we know the motives of others:  quick assumptions and judgments we make say more about us than others.  We are to guard our hearts, to examine our motives, to weigh our feelings and thoughts against the straight-edge of scripture to ensure we are aligned righteously with God and our fellow men.  A heart regenerated and illuminated by God may not be more discerning of others but sees the need for personal repentance and reformation as David in Psalm 51:10-12:  "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.¹¹ Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. ¹² Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,and uphold me by Your generous Spirit."  There is much which may concern us about others, but in our praying let us draw near the LORD for our own sakes in desperate need for revival, renewal, and restoration.

Troubled By God

Because of our limited understanding and ignorance we can tend towards oversimplifying biblical truth.  There are many clear-cut doctrines in scripture which are objective and plain.  But like the apostle Peter who was filled with the Holy Spirit, we can admit there are teachings in scripture which are hard to understand.  He wrote in 2 Peter 3:15-16, "...and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation--as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, ¹⁶ as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures."  To understand, rightly divide, and apply the scriptures requires being born again by the Holy Spirit and discernment only God provides.

One challenge all followers of Jesus face is the personal application of God's Word, how we put things into practice by faith.  There are all sorts of beliefs and practices in the lives of people which are traditional but not scriptural.  Traditions are not bad in themselves and can serve many good functions like discipline, remembrance, and can glorify God.  But doing things merely out of tradition or copying others because it seemed to work for them can lead us by degrees away from active faith in Christ and obedience to Him.  We can assume what we heard was true and repeat it before we even check to see if the Bible actually says it.  I am grateful that the God who does not change has given us His Word which is true and will never pass away.  Truth and wisdom from God needs no revision.

What I have been reading in the Bible lately plays right into what I've been thinking, how God is intimately involved in the physical and spiritual aspects of our lives.  Like magicians who are masters of misdirection and sleight of hand, Satan utilises these tactics to turn our eyes from Jesus.  Concerning the spiritual realm he aims to move us to extremes:  to be obsessed over demonology or dismiss the whole thing as a sham; to tout our authority as children of God in pride or to imagine Satan as absolutely powerless to even tempt us.  The devil is pleased when we give him credit for our troubles (as a consequence of our sin) and be helplessly resigned to believing lies.  The devil would have us imagine fighting spiritual battles depends largely upon what we do or don't do or the precise words we say rather than what Jesus has accomplished and our identity in Him.  I imagine Satan loves it when we try to take the fight to him ourselves rather than walking in the victory Jesus Christ has already won.

I have been reading in 1 Samuel how the Spirit of God departed from King Saul and how an evil spirit was sent by God to trouble him.  This is put bluntly in 1 Samuel 16:14-15:  "But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him. ¹⁵ And Saul's servants said unto him, Behold now, an evil spirit from God troubleth thee."  It was no secret to Saul or his servants God sent an evil spirit to trouble Saul.  How much good, do you suppose, would rebuking the evil spirit have done for Saul--when the spirit was fulfilling God's purpose at His direction?  Saul's problem was not the demon but his broken relationship with God!  He had been lifted up with pride, was disobedient, stubborn, sought his own glory rather than God's, and when confronted with sin made excuses.  God rejected Saul from being king because Saul rejected God.  But God loved Saul and desired He would repent and be restored.  He gave Saul opportunity and motivation to repent because of his distress caused by this unclean, malevolent being.  This satanic oppression was a divine rebuke for Saul's pride.

Saul was anointed king by the almighty God who rules in the heavens, the One before whom Satan and the demons tremble.  Saul did not need a exorcist:  he needed to repent and be restored to God who is a Saviour.  There was not a particular prayer to utter, holy water to sprinkle, or for a prophet to lay hands on him for deliverance.  See how this relates to what is written in James 4:6-10:  "But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: "God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble." ⁷ Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. ⁸ Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. ⁹ Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. ¹⁰ Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up."  The distress and trouble Saul faced was more to do with his relationship with God than the evil spirit.  If Saul would have drawn near to God, God would have drawn near to Him like Jesus did the demon possessed man in Gadara.  Saul was not possessed but certainly distressed, and only repentance and restoration to God who sent the evil spirit could change that.

And this is a key point:  Saul and his men sought a godly musician to play the harp to soothe his distress.  The music played by David for a time seemed to do Saul good.  But rather than changing circumstances by simply removing the demonic influence, God desired Saul change:  to humble himself in repentance, seek the LORD with all his heart, and submit under God's rule.  No one could make Saul do this, and God wouldn't force him.  Instead of being afraid of demons or their influence, we do well to draw near to God who rules over all, the Saviour before whom the demons shudder.  Saul rebuking the unclean spirit would have accomplished nothing because he was sent on God's holy errand.  The Bible has many more examples of God rebuking men and the need for men to rebuke one another than rebuking evil spirits.  It is best for the LORD to do the rebuking of the devil (Zec. 3:2, Mal. 3:11, Jude 1:9), and should He employ angels or men to do so He is to be praised and glorified forever by His humble servants.

Easter In the Bible

The Bible is packed with amazing insights God provides generously by His grace.  I was intrigued by what I read this morning concerning Herod's arrest of Peter in Acts 12:4:  "And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people."  I read my devotions and study out of the King James Version because of the Strong's concordance so I can look up the original words.  I have read this many times before but it struck me "Easter" was used instead of "Passover" way back by learned and pious scholars who embarked on the seven year, peer-reviewed process of fulfilling King James' commission to translate the scriptures in 1611.

I found the inclusion of "Easter" ironic and illuminating.  Some of the more conservative-leaning folks in Christendom prefer to avoid the term and utilise "Resurrection Sunday" to avoid any pagan connection.  There are some who prefer the King James Version of the Bible because they believe it is more true to the original languages and intent of the Author.  I believe the translation of "Easter" fits well with New Testament doctrine that the Law was the shadow of what Christ is the substance (Col. 2:16-17).  Devout Jews continued to observe Passover according to the Law of Moses, but things were different for all Jews and Gentiles after Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead on the first day of the week.  Instead of the translators deferring to Passover this switch to Easter focuses on the blood shed on Calvary and victorious resurrection of Jesus Christ.  It is good to remember God's deliverance of the Hebrews from Egypt and the Spirit of God sparing their firstborn, but to Christians Easter meant assurance of the forgiveness of sin, resurrection from the dead, and eternal life through faith in Jesus.

The KJV rendering of the passage from Acts enforces the New Testament doctrine that calling the day "Easter" or "Resurrection Sunday" is of infinitesimal consequence compared to the spiritual regeneration and transformation of sinners through the Gospel.  Paul had much to say on this subject in Romans 14 and other places concerning the Christian liberty unto the LORD to eat, drink, to observe a day or not, and we can extend this doctrine to the terminology we use when referring to said day.  Romans 14:5-6 says, "One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. ⁶ He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks."  If Easter is an offensive term to you (which was not offensive to the KJV translators of scripture), God provides the freedom to use another.  Who Jesus is and all He accomplished in His death and resurrection ought to be our focal point--not terminology.

Is terminology or words important?  Of course.  But fancy splitting hairs over terminology as a measure of spiritual maturity or righteousness before God when we could unite in praise and adoration of our LORD and Saviour Jesus Christ who has made us righteous by faith!  Paul warned of this very thing in 1 Timothy 6:3-4:  "If anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which accords with godliness, ⁴ he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions..." (bold emphasis mine)  In itself calling a day "Easter" is no less pleasing or offensive to God than "Sunday," a word not found in the KJV which we have unquestioned freedom to use.  Call it Passover, Easter, or what you will without spiritual snobbery or worrying of offence, for God looks upon the heart.  Let each be fully convinced in their own mind and give more grace.  To Christians what many call Easter is at its root worship, praise, and adoration of Jesus Christ and acknowledges and celebrates the Living Hope God has provided by grace.

A Glorified Body

Today I officiated a funeral for a much loved mum, nana, and friend.  It was an emotional time for all to hear touching tributes that conveyed the depth of love and gratitude coupled with mourning great personal loss.  Saying goodbye to a loved one is always hard, and it is a great blessing when grief can be tempered with the knowledge of a future reunion in heaven through faith in Jesus Christ.

During the service attendees were invited to place a flower on the casket adorned with a lovely bouquet, Scottish tartan, and smiling portrait to the sound of bagpipes.  All the flowers provided were ultimately laid on the closed casket soberly and with tears.  It occurred to me after the service how the person we honoured and remembered was no longer with us, though the deceased body remains.  The real person created in the image of God, the soul of the departed, had already gone to God.  What remained in that casket could be compared to a seed, a husk that bears no resemblance to the plant that springs from it.  A living plant, flower, or tree looks nothing like the seed.

Paul employed this example speaking of the resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15:35-44:  "But someone will say, "How are the dead raised up? And with what body do they come?" ³⁶ Foolish one, what you sow is not made alive unless it dies. ³⁷ And what you sow, you do not sow that body that shall be, but mere grain--perhaps wheat or some other grain. ³⁸ But God gives it a body as He pleases, and to each seed its own body. ³⁹ All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of animals, another of fish, and another of birds. ⁴⁰ There are also celestial bodies and terrestrial bodies; but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. ⁴¹ There is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for one star differs from another star in glory. ⁴² So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. ⁴³ It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. ⁴⁴ It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body."  Our physical bodies will one day die and decay, but Jesus is the Resurrection and Life who gives eternal to all who trust in Him.

The glory of the terrestrial body bears no resemblance to the glory yet to be revealed.  The death of the body is the gate through which Christians pass into eternal life in the presence of God forever free from pains, sorrow, sickness, suffering, and regret.  The natural processes of the body like the conversion of oxygen into carbon dioxide or the pumping of blood through veins and arteries is unseen but it is happens in living people continuously.  God has put eternity in our hearts and explained in the Bible not only how to live in this life but how to have assurance of eternal life in heaven instead of perishing in hell.  In rising from the dead glorified Jesus gave certainty to the resurrection, forgiveness, and eternal life available through faith in Him.

Praise the LORD for the living hope we have through Jesus Christ.  Farmers do not weep over the seed they sow because the planted seed is the source of hope for plenty.  It is fitting we weep over the passing of our loved ones into eternity, but we can rejoice knowing the planting of the seed of our bodies in death instantly triggers a glorious, everlasting future in the presence of God--the almighty God and Saviour we can know and rejoice in today.  What consolation and comfort God gives by His grace. 

Wounded by Friends

From the cross Jesus uttered the opening verse of Psalm 22 which went on to describe the suffering of the Saviour.  Roman crucifixion was the way God chose to fulfill Psalm 22:16:  "For dogs have surrounded Me; the congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me. They pierced My hands and My feet."  As unbelieving, unclean men mocked and scorned Jesus Christ He hung by nails which pierced hands and feet.  The Jewish religious rulers arrested and delivered Jesus to Pilate for judgment, saying Jesus ought to die for claiming He was the begotten Son of God (John 19:7).  Jesus went to God's chosen people with the Good News, but they rejected and delivered Him to the Romans to be crucified.

Isn't it ironic how a majority of the persecution and wounds Jesus carried were caused by His own countrymen?  We do not read of the Greeks plotting to destroy Him, nor of the Romans arresting Jesus for alleged insurrection:  it was the Jews to whom Jesus was sent who caused much of His pains.  I do not say this to point the finger or lay blame upon the Jewish nation as being awful or worthy of punishment, for all happened as God ordained.  Jesus came to the lost sheep of Israel and having been rejected the Gospel would be brought to Gentiles so they too might be brought into God's fold.  The Gentiles have not absorbed or replaced the Jews because as Paul explained in the book of Romans the Jews can be grafted back into the Vine who is Christ.

The suffering and piercing of Jesus on Calvary reminds me of a relatively obscure reference in Zechariah 13:6: "And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends."  Many have been wounded by enemies, but the Person addressed in Zechariah 13:6 was wounded in His hands in the house of His friends.  Mr. Fred Rogers was close to the truth when he sang, "It's the people you like the most who manage to make you feel baddest."  If Jesus experienced pains and attacks by His own countrymen we should not be surprised in Christian ministry when a majority of our pains and sorrows are caused by fellow believers in the church.  It is one thing for enemies to shout threats outside the door but a different sort of pain to be betrayed from the inside by a friend or countryman, to be given the silent treatment or the cold shoulder by people who profess to love God.

When we suffer in the service of Jesus Christ we discover a depth of fellowship with God not achieved in other ways.  I regret many of the painful situations I have encountered in Christian ministry and my worst experiences only begin to hint at the reality of Christ's sufferings.  The apostle Paul suffered greatly for the cause of Christ but there was an edifying purpose leveraged with every physical beating by the Jews or when pierced by slanderous accusations of brethren in the church.  Through faith in Christ Paul pressed on rejoicing with this aim in Philippians 3:10:  "...that I may know Him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto His death..."  It was not his depth of suffering which made Paul worthy of the resurrection of the dead to eternal life but righteousness of Jesus imputed to Paul by faith.  The lumps Jesus and Paul took and the opposition they faced primarily came from their own people.  If we expect this we will not be caught off guard when it happens.

Peter wrote in 1 Peter 4:12-14, "Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; ¹³ but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. ¹⁴ If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified."  What we have suffered is nothing compared to Who suffered for us.  The source of our suffering is also not the main point, be it from outside or inside the church, from the work of the devil or the hand of God.  All suffering has redemptive and edifying properties when we continue to press on in faith looking unto Jesus because He will exchange it all for His eternal glory.  He is glorified in a servant who has been pierced in the house of his friends and keeps on loving, keeps on giving, and keeps on rejoicing in the LORD, for our Master has set us an example.

Kingdom Renewal

At the people's request and God's permission, the prophet Samuel anointed Saul as king over Israel.  The ironic thing is people demanded a king yet many rejected the king at his coronation.  They weren't satisfied even when their request was granted in full.  This lack of contentment and refusal to accept or submit fully to God's authority is a chronic malady in man.  There were many people who were loyal to king Saul, gave gifts, and honoured him as the anointed of the LORD, though in the eyes of the majority he was without authority or power.  The following passage illustrates this.

1 Samuel 11:1-4 reads, "Then Nahash the Ammonite came up and encamped against Jabesh Gilead; and all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, "Make a covenant with us, and we will serve you." ² And Nahash the Ammonite answered them, "On this condition I will make a covenant with you, that I may put out all your right eyes, and bring reproach on all Israel." ³ Then the elders of Jabesh said to him, "Hold off for seven days, that we may send messengers to all the territory of Israel. And then, if there is no one to save us, we will come out to you." ⁴ So the messengers came to Gibeah of Saul and told the news in the hearing of the people. And all the people lifted up their voices and wept."  When Nahash the Ammonite came against Jabesh Gilead they offered to serve him--because they were not really serving the king God anointed to rule over them.  They took it upon themselves to make deals with potential enemies instead of immediately sending word to their king of their predicament.  They did not even believe Saul was able or willing to help them for they said, "We will send messengers to all the territory of Israel and if no one will save us we will come out to you at the expense of our right eyes."  Isn't this insane?

What the men of Jabesh Gilead didn't count on came to pass:  Saul was incensed when he heard their predicament, gathered hundreds of thousands of men to fight for their deliverance, and destroyed the Ammonites in a day.  After the people rejoiced in salvation of the LORD through Saul's leadership, a compelling event took place.  1 Samuel 11:14-15 states, "Then Samuel said to the people, "Come, let us go to Gilgal and renew the kingdom there." ¹⁵ So all the people went to Gilgal, and there they made Saul king before the LORD in Gilgal. There they made sacrifices of peace offerings before the LORD, and there Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly."  Saul was crowned king in the previous chapter but it took the incident at Jabesh Gilead to consolidate the power and authority of the kingdom upon the LORD's anointed.  The kingdom was renewed in Gilgal because it was evident the people had not been viewing Saul as their king.  Saul was the LORD's anointed, but the people tried to make peace with enemies themselves.  The renewal of the kingdom lead to great rejoicing because they accepted God's appointment of Saul united as one man.

This is an illustration of the renewal we need in our personal lives after trusting in Jesus Christ as our King, the anointed One of the Father.  Though He is our LORD and Saviour we can be like the men of Jabesh Gilead where we are not regarding Jesus as the rightful King He is.  We can try to make peace in vain with enemies Jesus has the power to destroy in a moment, and we wonder if anyone could possibly help us.  We suffer reproach not for the sake of faith in Christ but for our lack of reliance upon Him to guide, provide, and protect us.  Having delivered us from eternal punishment  we deserved due to our sin, we ought to place all our confidence in Jesus our King.  When we have been distant from our King let us renew our relationship with Him in the kingdom of God by returning and communing with Him.  Distance from God leads to despair, but when we follow Jesus Christ closely we experience rest and peace.

The Surfactant of Relationship

Due to a prolonged drought in NSW, level 2 water restrictions are now being enforced.  This means sprinklers and hoses are no longer permitted for watering lawns or washing cars.  All watering must be done by hand with a bucket or watering can.  Had I known water restrictions were coming I wouldn't have put so much effort or time to beautify the lawn in spring!

Because it has been so dry and hot lately when I bucket water on burnt spots the water just runs off.  The soil and roots desperately need water but the hardness of the ground repels it.  When I was trained to remove asbestos as a union mechanical insulator it was common to add a "surfactant" or wetting agent to the water before spraying the material to be removed.  Because asbestos is most dangerous when airborne a key part of the removal process is to thoroughly wet it.  The high surface tension of water does not allow it to penetrate the material and much of the water is wasted as runoff.  But when a little detergent is added to a sprayer it is remarkable to see it almost magically absorbed by a previously hydrophobic surface.  What a difference a surfactant makes!

It isn't just soil which can become hard and dry:  it can happen to our hearts as well.  The irony is love, kindness, and grace do not always penetrate a hard heart that thirsts for it, just like a bucket of refreshing water can run off hard ground without effect.  After we are rebuffed it may seem like a waste to "invest" or continue to pour ourselves into people who repel our efforts.  It occurred to me today a surfactant can make all the difference.  When removing asbestos it didn't matter what brand or kind or detergent was used, and only a few drops made a huge difference.  In a similar way there are many things which impact the hearts of people like a wetting agent which enables them to receive instruction, care, and love.  Shared experiences, building rapport through faithfulness, gentleness, and patience are key.  If I boil it down, the key wetting agent for hard hearts is loving relationship.  Having a genuine relationship with a person makes them more apt to receive what God graciously supplies through others.

Building and cultivating relationships is much more difficult, time consuming, and costly than maintaining a green lawn in drought conditions.  But praise the LORD there is never any restrictions on His infinite supply of love, grace, and goodness.  Like the widow's oil and flour that was miraculously replenished day by day according to God's Word, God provides the Holy Spirit for those who are born again by faith in Jesus without measure.  Every vessel has a limit of capacity, but Jesus has promised He will cause Living Water to overflow from us.  We are not sufficient for these things, yet God is!  Instead of despairing over perceived hardness of hearts in others, we ought to ensure we are humbling ourselves to walk in love and be spiritually well-hydrated ourselves in our relationship with God.  It is good to identify ourselves as the only hard-hearted one we have a responsibility to change through repentance, submission, and obedience to God.  Let us not write-off those who repel our efforts to love and minister to but labour to add the surfactant of loving relationship. 

Gift of Repentance

Speaking of Jesus Christ, Peter and other apostles told Jewish rulers in Acts 5:31:  "Him God has exalted to His right hand to be Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins."  Jesus humbled Himself to be crucified for sinners, and God exalted Him above all by raising Him from the dead in eternal glory.  Jesus willingly laid down His life on Calvary and took it up again according to His Word, and provided salvation and redemption for all through the Gospel.

Peter's explanation provides insight concerning repentance and forgiveness.  When people think of repentance it is often in the context of something we must do, an obligation and responsibility of a sinner before a holy, just God.  Repentance is more than being sorry or feeling guilty:  it is when a person sorrowfully acknowledges their sin and guilt and turns from it in submission and renewed agreement with God.  It means to change, to reform, to turn from sin to doing what pleases God instead.  It is a change of mind which results in an amended life.

Have you ever thought of "repentance" as a gift from Jesus Christ?  It is!  The awareness of our need to repent from sin, the opportunity God has granted us to turn to Him from sin in repentance, and the forgiveness, cleansing, and salvation resulting from repentance are all of God's grace.  How privileged and blessed we are to be able to repent, be forgiven, and have the righteousness of Christ imputed to us through the Gospel.  Without Jesus being the Way, the Truth, and the Life there would be no atonement for our sins.  Repentance, forgiveness, and salvation are gifts from God we ought to be grateful and thankful for.

Repentance is a gift that keeps on giving because it is not a disposable or "one use" item:  as long as we are in a body of flesh we will need to repent because we are sinners.  The worldly wisdom concerning sin is to do anything but repent:  try to justify ourselves, make excuses, deny guilt, deflect blame upon others, pander to sin, flaunt and embrace it.  After they sinned Adam and Eve wove fig leaves to cover their nakedness, but God had already defined sin and would hold them accountable despite their vain efforts to hide.  We can use language to cover up the truth but God looks upon the heart.  We cannot justify ourselves, but when we repent of our sin and trust in Christ God justifies us.  By grace through faith in Jesus all our sins are expunged and we are declared righteous as He is.

Praise Jesus for the gift of repentance and forgiveness of sins through Him!  How blessed we are to be loved, accepted, and forgiven by God.

Longsuffering Love

God is infinitely good, and one of the aspects of His character I have appreciated lately is how longsuffering He is.  We labour to avoid suffering however we can, and when we suffer our main objective is to find relief.  If God was not longsuffering, patient, and compassionate He would have wiped us wretched sinners from the globe ages ago.  See how Paul introduces a description of God's love in 1 Corinthians 13:4:  "Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up..."  Love suffers long.  The death of Jesus Christ on Calvary was a demonstration of His love:  every insult, physical blow, and slanderous accusation against Him was patiently received.  With every step towards Calvary His longsuffering character was on display.

Having been born again through faith in Jesus Christ, it is God's will this longsuffering love of God would be displayed as we bear our cross daily.  It involves self-sacrifice to walk in love when we are hurting.  I was reminded of this the exhortation to pastor Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:1-2:  "I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: ² preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching."  Those who labour in the Word of God rejoice when we see a hunger in people to feed on God's Word and apply it personally to their lives.  As long as we preach the Word, however, there will be a continual flow of people who do not or will not receive it.  If this were not the case why would rebuke, exhortation, and longsuffering continue to be necessary?  I do not say this as one who has great knowledge or understanding but as one who owns being a weak, flawed, and foolish sinner.  It is only by the grace of God I stand and speak.

Oh, to be longsuffering like Jesus!  As He physically hung on the cross covered with His own blood and the spit of people who rejected Him Jesus said, "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do."  The longsuffering love of God continues beyond what is humanly possible to experience.  When God tells us to love one another, follow Him, and daily bear our cross we cannot do this--I cannot do this.  It is not a difficult thing to walk on the narrow road of the fellowship of Christ's suffering with joy:  it is an impossibility only made possible by the life of Jesus Christ living through us because we by faith have been crucified with Him.  To suffer is never man's aspiration, but to be longsuffering is the calling of every believer.  Suffering naturally produces bitterness, but God's love suffers long and is kind without envy, boasting, pride, and keeps no record of wrongs.  How great God's love is!

Not Godforsaken

Places that are inhospitable or bleak are sometimes called "godforsaken," but looks can be deceiving.  No matter how barren the landscape or isolated the place the Bible teaches the presence of the almighty God is available and accessible right there and now.  In the darkest dungeon, in the most frantic emergencies, when no help is coming and no one seems to care, God is there and ready to save.

Remember the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego?  They were Jews who were taken captive by the Babylonians and trained to serve King Nebuchadnezzar.  He made an image of gold and commanded when music was played all his subjects would bow down in worship before it.  These three men of faith refused.  They were ultimately thrown into a furnace heated seven times hotter than normal.  In that moment a remarkable miracle occurred:  those who threw them into the fire were consumed by the flames, but only their bonds were burnt off.  They walked free in the midst of the roaring furnace with the Son of God, and when they emerged alive and unharmed from the furnace they did not even smell of smoke.

In Australia we have been reeling from tragedy upon tragedy.  Lives, homes, towns, and countless animals have been lost in the bushfires across the eastern states.  Weeks ago a report reached our shores of a terrible tragedy when White Island erupted in New Zealand and killed many people--including Australians.  Daily there are horrific reports of conflict, tragedy, and great suffering by people all over the globe.  This earth is full of trouble and troubled people looking for someone to blame, looking for answers, trying to make sense of the mayhem.  One thing I know for certain is this world is not godforsaken:  the great I AM has revealed Himself, He has come, and He is here.

Christians look unto Jesus our Saviour who will someday return in glory to judge the world in righteousness.  But in the meantime we are called to walk in love as we follow and serve Him, making disciples of Jesus.  The irony is we can know the abiding presence of Jesus Christ who was forsaken on Calvary when the the sins of the world were laid upon Him.  From the cross He cried out in the darkness, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me?" hearkening back to the opening words of Psalm 22 penned by David.  David was not forsaken by God (though it felt like it), but Jesus experienced desolation, cut off from the Father.  Because Jesus was thus afflicted those who trust in Jesus as LORD will never be because atonement has been made.  Just because this world isn't what we wish it was Hebrews 13:5 exhorts us to remember what God has promised: "Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."

In Christ our Saviour we sinners find all our needs miraculously met because through Him God has supplied all we need for life and godliness.  Our eyes look for hope and help, for answers which evade our sight, but what we see is like a slight-of-hand trick with cups where the hand is faster than the eye.  We who have beheld the glory of God in the person of Jesus Christ can know we are not forsaken, nor the world God loved enough to send His only begotten Son.  God sent Jesus to seek and save the lost, to open the eyes of the blind, to turn hearts back to faith in God so people might be redeemed.  With our renewed minds and faith in Jesus we can see beyond the current circumstances and how we feel to know God is with us and will never leave or forsake us.  It is Jesus Christ who gives the the strength in fiery trials to trust and press on with joy.

Jabez and Prayer

At the moment my family and I are reading through 1 Chronicles, a book heavy with genealogies.  Because the names can be a mouthful and sound foreign to English speakers the temptation might be to skip them.  Even in genealogies there are some delightful insights, like Jabez in 1 Chronicles 4:9-10:  "Now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, "Because I bore him in pain." ¹⁰ And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, "Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!" So God granted him what he requested."

The Strong's Concordance defines the name "Jabez" as "to grieve, sorrowful."  The birth of Jabez was painful, yet out of pain was borne great blessing because he called on the God of Israel.  He prayed believing and God granted him what he requested.  Jabez is mentioned here because he was more honourable than his brothers, yet his prayer was answered because God is good and gracious.  The prayer uttered by Jabez is not to be viewed as a formula to obtain blessing from God, but all who call on the God of Israel will surely be blessed.  Even those who do not call upon God or acknowledge God's existence have been unknowingly blessed by God without measure.

Jabez called out to God and asked for the blessing of His presence.  Jabez was so named because his mother bore him in pain, but he did not want to be a pain.  Through God's answer to his prayers he was kept from evil and was not defined by his name.  I praise God He answers prayers not to rise above a bad name but to shed our sinful nature by being born again through faith in Jesus.  In a moment the one who repents of sin and trusts in Jesus Christ as Saviour has a new identity and infinite blessing which endures forever.  This is God's will for everyone:  to know, trust, and dwell with Him always.

Many people hope for utopia or enduring peace on earth, but until Jesus Christ in judgment peace will remain a mirage.  Those who receive Christ now are not guaranteed land ownership on earth but a place in heaven where righteousness dwells.  By the grace of God He is not only with us but has made us His dwelling place.  Jesus has redeemed us from the power and penalty of sin, having provided wisdom, guidance, and strength to walk uprightly in a world full of sin.  In this world we will experience pain and suffering, yet one day all things will be made new and our eyes wiped free of every sorrowful tear.  We do not need to wonder if God will answer this prayer, and it is not only the "more honourable" God will hear.  God will answer the humble heart that cries out in faith, "God be merciful to me a sinner!" can be justified right now and for all eternity.

God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.  Praise the LORD, for all blessings come through Him.