Election Complaints

Yesterday I read a sermon of Spurgeon on the subject of Election, and he made a good point concerning the nature of man to complain and find fault with God--even when God allows man to have his own way.  People who hate God always try to pin the blame on God when He is only righteous, just and good.  We have observed this in politics:  when people despise and oppose a leader personally, he cannot do anything right in their eyes.  We observe the same in God's people miraculously delivered from slavery in Egypt who murmured against God and Moses, complained about God's provision and refused to enter the land God promised to give them.  Praise the LORD even when people malign and misunderstand God completely, He continues to draw all people to Himself so they might know Him and be saved.  He does not prevent a single soul from entering into eternal glory (for Christ loves all and died for the sins of the world), but all must come His way by faith in Jesus Christ.

"But there are some who say, "It is hard for God to choose some and leave others."  Now, I will ask you one question.  Is there any one of you here this morning who wishes to be holy, who wishes to be regenerate, to leave off sin and walk in holiness?  "Yes, there is," says some one, "I do."  Then God has elected you.  But another says, "No:  I don't want to be holy; I don't want to give up my lusts and my vices."  Why should you grumble, then, that God has not elected you to it?  For if you were elected you would not like it, according to your own confession.  If God, this morning, had chosen you to holiness, you say you would not care for it.  Do you not acknowledge that you prefer drunkenness to sobriety, dishonesty to honesty?  You love this world's pleasures better than religion; then why should you grumble that God has not chosen you to religion?  If you love religion, he has chosen you to it.  If you desire it, he has chosen you to it.  If you do not, what right have you to say that God ought to have given you what you do not wish for?  Supposing I had in my hand something which you do not value, and I said I shall give it to such-and-such a person, you would have no right to grumble that I did not give it to you.  You could not be so foolish as to grumble that the other has got what you do not care about.  According to your own confession, many of you do not want religion, do not want a new heart and a right spirit, do not want the forgiveness of sins, do not want sanctification, you do not want to be elected to these things; then why should you grumble?  You count these things but as husks, and why should you complain of God who has given them to those whom he has chosen?  If you believe them to be good, and desire them, they are there for thee.  God gives liberally to all those who desire; and first of all, he makes them desire, otherwise they never would.  If you love these things, he has elected you to them, and you may have them; but if you do not, who are you that you should find fault with God, when it is your own desperate will that keeps you from loving these things--your own simple self that makes you hate them?  Suppose a man in the street should say, "What a shame it is I cannot have a seat in the chapel to hear what this man has to say."  And suppose he says, " I hate the preacher; I can't bear his doctrine; but still it's a shame I have not a seat."  Would you expect a man to say so?  No:  you would at once say, "That man does not care for it.  Why should he trouble himself about other people having what they value and he despises?"  You do not like holiness, you do not like righteousness:  if God has elected me to these things, has he hurt you by it?  "Ah, but," say some, "I thought it meant that God elected some to heaven and some to hell."  That is a very different matter from the gospel doctrine.  He has elected men to holiness and to righteousness, and through that to heaven.  You must not say that he has elected them simply to heaven, and other only to hell.  He has elected you to holiness, if you love holiness.  If any of you love to be saved by Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ elected you to be saved.  If any of you desire to have salvation, you are elected to have it, if you desire it sincerely and earnestly.  But if you don't desire it, why on earth should you be so preposterously foolish as to grumble because God gives that which you do not like to other people?" (Spurgeon, Charles Haddon. Spurgeon’s Sermons: V. 2. Baker Books, 2004. pages 75-76)

Call to God

What a wonderful privilege and opportunity we have to bring our requests to the LORD in prayer!  Speaking to God has none of the hindrances we experience with modern phones.  We can call but it does not mean anyone is available to talk.  They may not receive or hear a notification, and when we leave a message it can go unread and unanswered.  Our phones can run out of battery or be out of the range of networks which renders communication using them impossible.  Communication with God depends upon the LORD who knows and does all things, God who does not slumber or sleep, and His ears are always open to our cries.  The God who appeared Solomon and said, "Ask!  What shall I give you?" is just as eager and willing to respond to our praying.

The Bible has many examples of people who were locked up and prevented from contacting others yet had continuous communion with God--and sometimes it was God who initiated the call!  Jeremiah 33:1-3 says, "Moreover the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah a second time, while he was still shut up in the court of the prison, saying, ² "Thus says the LORD who made it, the LORD who formed it to establish it (the LORD is His name): ³ 'Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.'"  While Jeremiah was imprisoned, the God who created all things spoke to Jeremiah and invited him to call.  He did not need a mobile phone, data plan, remember the country code and to input a correct sequence of numbers:  Jeremiah only needed faith in the LORD God and willingness to pray.  He was not given the right to a single call but could speak with God continuously night and day by God's grace.  God promised to show him "...great and mighty things, which you do not know."  We can be swept up with wanting to know what to do, God's plans, or details concerning the future, but there is nothing greater or mightier than God Himself.  In learning to pray and calling to God in obedience we come to know God in ways we hadn't before.

It is faith in God that gives urgency in praying, confident God's will shall be done.  Though our lives on earth are a brief moment in time in the light of eternity, have you considered how your prayers do not have a shelf life?  They will not pass away with us.  Though we may not see the fulfillment of our request in person, we can know God will hear and answer as we pray according to His will.  There were Hebrews for hundreds of years born into slavery in Egypt who died there, yet their prayers for God to deliver his people were heard by Him.  The voices of those who perished under their burdens were in God's good time answered in the affirmative when He led the children of Israel out of Egypt with a mighty hand by Moses.  Pleas of intercession on behalf of God's people continued unabated even after voices were silenced by the grave until God did His wonders.  If it is worthwhile praying once, we are to pray without ceasing to God who invites us to call to Him and is inclined to show favour and goodness for thousands of generations.

God is longsuffering, but He is never slack.  God who sends lightning hurtling to earth faster than our eyes can perceive is able to answer our prayers in an instant; before we ask He is ready to answer.  David prayed in Psalm 86:6-7:  "Give ear, O LORD, to my prayer; and attend to the voice of my supplications. ⁷ In the day of my trouble I will call upon You, for You will answer me."  The same God who promised to reveal to His servants what to say in their hour of need (Matthew 10:19) is able to hear us in the day of trouble, answer and save.  Praise the LORD our sins which once separated us from God have been atoned for and purged by Jesus whose hands are extended to save and has ears that hear our prayers (Isaiah 59:1-2).

A New Name

Conceiving a child proved difficult for Rachel, and at one stage she said to her husband Jacob:  "Give me children or I die!"  He was angry with her request, for she demanded children from him that can only be given by God.  Jacob had done his part best he could, but Rachel's conception was beyond his power.  In time she did bring her request to God who responded to her in Genesis 30:22:  "Then God remembered Rachel, and God listened to her and opened her womb."  Rachel's firstborn son was Joseph, and she was confident God would give her another son.  He was birthed into the world in sorrowful circumstances.

Genesis 35:16-19 says, "Then they journeyed from Bethel. And when there was but a little distance to go to Ephrath, Rachel labored in childbirth, and she had hard labour. ¹⁷ Now it came to pass, when she was in hard labor, that the midwife said to her, "Do not fear; you will have this son also." ¹⁸ And so it was, as her soul was departing (for she died), that she called his name Ben-Oni; but his father called him Benjamin. ¹⁹ So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem)."  Rachel could not have known the last thing she would do as she was losing consciousness was name her son Ben-Oni which means, "son of sorrow."  Perhaps she realised she was not long for the world and sorrowed to leave her sons.

Though Rachel called her son Ben-Oni, Jacob overruled her and called him Benjamin--son of the right hand.  He did not allow Rachel's sorrowful passing overshadow his newborn son's life and future.  Jacob himself had been given a new name by God.  Jacob means "supplanter" or "heel-catcher" but he was called Israel by God he had wrestled with and prevailed with his tearful pleas to be blessed.  He became "one who struggles with God" and prevailed because of God's grace and goodness.  The remainder of his life Israel (Jacob) walked with a limp because of his encounter with God, and Benjamin embarked on the rest of his life without a mother and a new name because his father loved him.

This tragic and endearing passage reminds me how God brings life out of death, for while we were dead in sins, Christ demonstrated His love to die for us.  Because of who Jesus is and all He has done we can be born again and receive eternal life--something better than a name change.  Our sin only brought sorrow to God, us and the world, yet God has looked upon us favourably and adopted us as His own children by the Gospel.  We even read Jesus has a new name yet to be revealed for each one who overcomes through faith in Him in Revelation 2:17:  "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it."  Aren't we blessed beyond measure God has overruled sorrow and death and given us a new life and identity in Him?  Our new birth comes with fullness of joy and peace forever.

Jesus Has Overcome

"These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."

John 16:33

When Jesus told His disciples on the night He was betrayed they would not seem Him for a little while, and they would each be scattered to their own.  In a little while they would again see Him, and Jesus revealed He was going to the Father.  He spoke to them in proverbs they did not understand fully at the time, but they could bank on their sorrow being turned to joy that could not be taken from them.

From a human perspective there was not much comfort in what Jesus said because they could not comprehend what Jesus meant or how their lives would be impacted.  They expected and hoped Jesus would remain with them, so to hear He would soon be leaving was an impediment to peace and joy.  Yet in His wisdom Jesus summed up His long conversation with His disciples by saying, "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace."  This is a principle that remains in force today and forever for all Christians regardless of our circumstances of life.  In Jesus the disciples would have peace by faith in Him even when He was arrested, crucified and breathed His last.  They would have peace in Jesus after He ascended to heaven and they were hauled before magistrates who wanted to silence and kill them.

In the midst of tribulation God's people can be of good cheer because Jesus has overcome the world.  Notice Jesus said this in past tense before His crucifixion.  If Jesus said, "I will overcome," current tribulation and trials Christians face might prompt us not to believe having peace in not yet possible.  Jesus overcoming the world was not due to His crucifixion or anything He would do but on the basis of who He is, all He has promised and accomplished.  I am reminded of the word of God spoken to Baruch by the prophet Jeremiah who thought God had added grief to his sorrow and rest proved elusive.  The LORD spoke to Baruch in Jeremiah 45:5 with words that align with Jesus' words to His disciples:  "And do you seek great things for yourself? Do not seek them; for behold, I will bring adversity on all flesh," says the LORD. "But I will give your life to you as a prize in all places, wherever you go."  When we seek great things for ourselves, our perspective can be distorted to lose sight of Christ who is greatest and grants eternal life to all who trust Him.

Those who hear Jesus and obey His word He likens to a wise man who built his house upon the rock that could withstand all storms.  The winds will lash and the waters churn, yet in Jesus we have peace because He has overcome the world.  Jesus bids all come to Him, and just because we are familiar with the verses or have them memorised does not mean we faithfully do our part to trust and daily come to Him with our troubles.  Jesus said in Matthew 11:28-30, "Come to Me, all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."  When life is all too much, in Jesus we continually find peace and rest for our souls.  

A More Excellent Way

Paul exhorted the believers in Corinth to walk in the way of God's love and to desire spiritual gifts.  Being filled with the Holy Spirit and bearing good spiritual fruit is paramount for a Christian, and the greatest of these is love.  He asked in 1 Corinthians 12:29-31:  "Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles? ³⁰ Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? ³¹ But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way."  While God has comprised the church of people who serve in a variety of roles and have spiritual gifts that differ from one another, God's love is what ought to govern us always.

Paul told Christians to earnestly desire the best spiritual gifts, and in saying this he is not pitting gifts God gives against one another in a sort of competition.  Even as we learn to choose to use the right tool for the job, the best gifts are those divinely suited for an occasion as He leads.  The operation of spiritual gifts prompt us to trust God and throw ourselves upon His mercy to help us use them wisely and appropriately.  It is likely one reason why Paul urged Christians to earnestly desire spiritual gifts is because they were not sure where a gift from God began or ended; gifts did not appear as apples or oranges that could be plucked from a tree.  Perhaps it seemed presumptuous to desire a spiritual gift because they were not clearly defined, browsed like wares at a market or exchanged for currency we possess.  When it comes to eating new foods, I often defer to people who have knowledge of that cuisine and what seems most appealing to me.

What we see and experience creates a predicament when it comes to spiritual gifts because under the guise of spirituality and usefulness we can desire spiritual gifts for fleshly reasons, for personal validation and status rather than the glory of Jesus and the edification of the church.  One gift may appeal to one person more than another, yet we ought to come to God willing to receive and operate in gifts that is not our personal preference--like when we attend a catered meal and the food is presented before us without us having a choice--and there is not trading allowed.  Even before we ever received a spiritual gift we may have been like Samwise Gamgee in the The Lord of the Rings who was not impressed or grateful with the Elven rope Lady Galadriel handed to him because the nice, shiny daggers Merry and Pippin received looked better.  It is good for us to make our requests known to God concerning particular gifts, yet we ought to rejoice in every gift of God He graciously and sovereignly gives us--even those not on our wish list.

God's wisdom is shown in our praying in faith to receive a gift as well as exercising faith to operate in it.  For a myriad of reasons I have observed people not respond well to spiritual gifts even when they were used "decently and in order" as Paul exhorted in 1 Corinthians 14.  The flesh loves to shine, to be seen to do well and be admired, but I have found spiritual gifts bring a sober caution and careful examination of the heart can require prompting from the LORD to step out in faith and obedience.  Using a spiritual gift has resulted in relationships abruptly ending and people leaving the church, yet God has given gifts for us to use as He leads.  The prophet Jeremiah spoke the word of the LORD that was rejected by God's people:  isn't it likely people can still be offended when the Holy Spirit moves today in a way that is not their way?  How important it is for Christians to walk in unity with Jesus Christ and one another as we are led and empowered by the Holy Spirit to do God's will, for then our relationships with one another can be deepened rather than divided over different gifts God gives.  If we ever make gifts our focus, we can easily lose sight of the Giver.

Before I ever asked for any spiritual gifts or desired them at all, I recall being offended as a teen by a fellow youth who received a spiritual gift.  I confess my initial reaction was not to praise the LORD or be encouraged to ask God for spiritual gifts but was like the hard-sleeping harlot who went before King Solomon to resolve a domestic dispute in 1 Kings 3.  She had accidentally smothered her infant whilst she slept, so she rose in the night and switched her dead child with her roommate's living son.  The women appeared before the king and both claimed the living boy was hers.  Solomon commanded a sword be brought and the living child be divided between them--it was fair they both receive half.  The real mother begged the child to be spared while the thieving woman callously agreed to the murder:  she was willing to cut a living child in half out of envy for her loss and lack.  When I heard someone had a gift I didn't, my heart in that moment resembled the envious woman, willing to divide over my own pride.  Brothers and sisters, may we confess and repent when our hearts are thus inclined and neglect to walk in love towards all.  May our compassion identify us as God's own children.

Do You...Dissemble?

In a Bible passage I read today, God identified a sin in His people we likely never recognised as sin because it is a word I have never heard anyone say (in everyday discussions):  to dissemble.  You may not recognise the word because it is in the King James Version of the Bible, but the practice of dissembling is a natural part of everyday life in our modern day.  Though it impacts our actions and words, it is wicked deception that lurks out of sight in our hearts and likely out of our minds because of the influence it can wield over our motives and intentions that remain unspoken.

Webster defined dissemble in this way:  "To hide under a false appearance; to conceal; to disguise; to pretend that not to be which really is; to pretend that to be which is not; to make a false appearance of."  To dissemble is hypocrisy, and there are copious examples found in the pages of Scripture and in our own lives.  For instance, the Pharisees came to Jesus to ask a question about paying taxes under the guise of seeking spiritual insight--when their real motivation was to seek an opportunity to accuse Jesus and turn people against Him.  2 Samuel 4:6 tells of Rimmon and Rechab who went into the king's house under the pretence of picking up wheat with the intent to murder Ishbosheth the king as he slept in the heat of the day.  It seems it was not out of the ordinary for them to gather grain, and they used this reason to keep guards at ease and enable them to carry out their murderous plot.

God spoke of this sin specifically after Achan disobeyed God and stole the spoil of Jericho for himself.  God said to Joshua in Joshua 7:11, "Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff." (KJV)  God did not only know about the wedge of gold, silver and garment Achan stole and hid in the midst of his tent but how Achan and his family also "dissembled," translated "deceived" in the NKJV.  Perhaps Achan volunteered to usher Rahab and her family to safety but he could have done so to look for valuables.  He could have worn loose fitting clothing on purpose so concealing items would have been easier.  I am reminded of Judas who was offended Mary "wasted" valuable oil by pouring it on Jesus because it could have been sold and given to the poor.  John 12:6 shows Judas dissembled in his heart:  "This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it."

Studying the word "dissemble" and considering my own heart today has resulted in my confession of sin and a rekindled desire to walk in sincerity and truth.  We can easily avoid the appearance of sin by burying our motives behind good deeds or actions that are not wrong in themselves.  It is perfectly acceptable to pick up grain if your job is to deliver it; it is good to give to those who lack.  David may have gone out on the rooftop under the pretence of praying or enjoying an evening breeze when his real motive was to see if the pretty lady who lived nearby was bathing with her window open again.  After his deceptions were laid bare, David sang in Psalm 51:6:  "Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, and in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom."  By God's wisdom may He reveal when we dissemble in our hearts so we might repent and embrace the truth rather than living a lie.

Running With It

It is wonderful to teach the truth of God's word and for people to receive it gladly and run with it.  Years ago I led a course to equip people to share Christ, and it was great to see people put what they had learned into practice and exert more effort in doing outreach I never thought to do.  The people of Nazareth could have been impressed and pleased to hear the gracious words of Jesus as He read from teh scroll of Isaiah and addressed them in the synagogue.  "And to think--this is the son of Mary and Joseph who never went to proper school!"  Sadly for them, blinded by unbelief, they were offended by the Messiah who outshone them and sought to kill Him.

Another kind of "running with" suggests something is carried beyond what was originally intended.  I have seen this when Christians embrace a particular doctrine to the point they become divisive and sow discord among the brethren.  Verses out of context can be "run with" to support extreme and even erroneous views.  The works of Luther and Calvin I have read where they sought to push back against the "papists" were embraced by their followers and run with to the point we now have Lutherans and Calvinists.  In one sense Luther was not a Lutheran; Calvin was not a Calvinist.  I do not fault these reformers because their adherents carried their words further than they did.  These distinctions came later as their theological works were examined, further refined and more precisely defined.

Finally, the prophet Jeremiah spoke of prophets who ran to speak though God had not sent or spoken to them:  they ran bearing a deceitful message of their own hearts.  Jeremiah 23:21-22:  "I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran. I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied. ²² But if they had stood in My counsel, and had caused My people to hear My words, then they would have turned them from their evil way and from the evil of their doings."  Rather than running without being sent or spoken to, prophets in Jeremiah's day would have done better to stand in God's counsel and cause God's people to hear His words.  There is a literal example in 2 Samuel 18 of a man who ran without a message after the death of Absalom.  Ahimaaz was very keen to run and bear tidings to king David that the LORD had avenged him of his enemies.  Joab refused to send Ahimaaz and instead directed Cushi:  "Go tell the king what you have seen."  Still Ahimaaz was undeterred, for he wanted to run.  Apparently he liked running, and from happened later he was known for his running--for his stride and gait was recognised from afar.

Joab asked, "Why will you run, seeing you have no message ready?"  Ahimaaz did not answer.  He just said, "Let me run."  So Joab permitted it:  "Run."  Ahimaaz was a very good distance runner, but he had not been given a message.  Cushi, on the other hand, had been an eyewitness of what occurred and was sent by Joab to tell the king what he had seen.  While Cushi bowed and obeyed, insistent Ahimaaz continued to pester Joab to let him run after Cushi--whom he overtook by way of the plain.  In the passage we have two runners who went two different paths, one who loved to run and the other with a message.  What this section of scripture illustrates to me is the importance of being sent by God, hearing His words and speaking them accurately.  We are called to carry the good news of the Gospel wherever God sends us, but we must take caution we do not run with God's words to justify going beyond what He has said.  We disciples who have received the Great Commission and go into all the world ought to stand in God's counsel and cause people to hear God's word--rather than running because we want to run, competing with others when we ought to compliment.  Standing in God's counsel is what we ought to run with.

Pray in Faith

God is sovereign and supreme, and He is faithful to accomplish His good plans and purposes.  Though He rules over all, God is easily moved by the prayers of people who trust in Him.  God does all things without instruction or direction, yet He yields to answer prayers of His children as a king graciously responds to a humble request of his subject.  God is not whimsical or impulsive as our prayers can sometimes be, and it is a timeless wonder He chooses to respond to our cries.

We observe God answered the prayer of Isaac offered on behalf of his wife Rebekah in Genesis 25:21:  "Now Isaac pleaded with the LORD for his wife, because she was barren; and the LORD granted his plea, and Rebekah his wife conceived."  Isaac was likely very well-versed with God's promise to make of his father Abraham a great nation and the very long time he and Sarah waited before he was conceived in his mother's womb.  God waited until a miracle was required, and the deadness of Abraham's flesh and Sarah's barren womb were easily overcome by God's power.  Isaac interceded in prayer for his wife, and God answered his prayer when Rebekah conceived.

The joy of conception and the expectancy of becoming parents was overshadowed as Rebekah suffered an uncomfortable pregnancy.  Rebekah also prayed to God as it says in Genesis 25:22-23:  "But the children struggled together within her; and she said, "If all is well, why am I like this?" So she went to inquire of the LORD. ²³ And the LORD said to her: "Two nations are in your womb, two peoples shall be separated from your body; one people shall be stronger than the other, and the older shall serve the younger."  God revealed why her stomach felt like a cage match and much more than a sonogram ever could about the future:  she was going to have twin sons of whom God would make two nations.  At the request of Isaac God took action and gave Rebekah conception, and God responded to her inquiry by speaking to her and even told her of things to come.

God's ways of answering prayers of faith are more varied than the people who bring their problems, heartaches and hurts to the LORD.  In the Bible we see God often answered prayers in unexpected ways.  When God sent venomous snakes among His people who complained and murmured against Him, they asked Moses to pray that God would take away the snakes.  God responded to their prayer in a different way in Numbers 21:8-9:  "Then the LORD said to Moses, "Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live." ⁹ So Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived."  Rather than removing snakes to prevent additional people from being bitten, God made a way of healing for those who were dying--and anyone else who would be bitten.  The bronze serpent on a pole people looked at and were healed foreshadowed the coming Messiah Jesus who would be lifted up on a cross, that whoever believes on Him might not perish but have everlasting life.

When we are distressed by the fruitlessness of our efforts, life become a massive struggle and tussle, when we want dangers and what puts us in fear taken away from us, we can come to God in prayer.  We can intercede on the behalf of others and bring our requests to the LORD knowing He is inclined to hear us and will answer according to His grace and in His time.  Because the LORD is at hand we are wise to heed Philippians 4:6-7:  "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; ⁷ and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."  Peace is not found by obtaining our desired outcomes but by knowing and trusting Jesus Christ who is our peace and is always faithful to hear and answer prayer.

Stand in Faith

When we go to the shops to buy food, there are often varieties of fruit or vegetables to choose from.  The fruit that is presented in the shop has already been whittled down by the pickers and the shop to present the best quality options.  Sometimes I have observed the fruit to be fresh and abundant, and other times it is hard to find a single apple that does not appeared damaged, soft or mouldy.  I try not to touch any fruit or vegetable I do not plan to buy, so I take a good look before I pick up each piece and place it in the bag.  Buying quality meat also requires discernment, for I take note of the cut of meat, the portion itself and the marbling.

Since my dad was a carpenter, I learned the importance of looking at the grain of wood and sighting it to ensure the timber was not warped by the process of drying or storage.  The lumber that is twisted and is full of knots is set aside, and it may require digging far into the stack of wood before pieces worthy of purchase are found.  Not all apples are good ones, and not every 2 X 4 is remotely straight.  I was reminded by this when I considered the word of God spoken to the prophet in Jeremiah 15:19:  "Therefore thus says the LORD: "If you return, then I will bring you back; you shall stand before Me; if you take out the precious from the vile, you shall be as My mouth. Let them return to you, but you must not return to them."  Jeremiah was a man who feared God among many who were unfaithful to Him.  There were many lies spoken as the "word of the LORD" that were imaginations of sinful hearts.  God exhorted Jeremiah to be discerning to take out the precious from the vile--to single out the truth of God's word, to believe and proclaim God's wisdom in a current of falsehood and deceit.

In the passage of Scripture preceding God's command, Jeremiah wondered why his pain was perpetual.  He questioned if God had lied to him and become as a stream that failed.  Giving space to these doubts and accusations against God who is revealed as good and righteous caused Jeremiah to wander from Him.  Thus God urged Jeremiah to return to Him, to repent of entertaining the possibility God deceives people, fails to keep His word or is incapable of helping the wounded soul.  Jeremiah was not to return to those who spouted such lies, and if he took out the precious from the vile would be restored as God's mouth.  In speaking forth divine truth, those who trusted and feared God would be drawn to Jeremiah to heed the word of the LORD.  This is a good reminder for all God's people, for we have unclean lips among a people of unclean lips.  There were many in Jeremiah's day who claimed to speak for God, but their words were vile in God's sight.  Let us be those who look to God and His word in a sea of deceit, gathering His truth, proclaiming and submitting to it day after day.

God promised if Jeremiah returned God would bring Him back and stand before Him, and we are called to stand--having done all our LORD has commanded.  Having been born again and filled with the Holy Spirit, we need God to help us stand when the wind howls and the fiery arrows fall like a wave upon our position.  The shield of faith has no trouble at all to deflect and extinguish every arrow expertly aimed at us by our adversary.  Praise God for His protection and His promises, for He is faithful.

Tried and Found Faithful

One of the more well-known quotes from G.K. Chesterton about Christianity is, "The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting.  It has been found difficult; and left untried."  (Chesterton, G. K. What’s Wrong with the World. Ignatius Press, 1994. page 37)  Following Jesus Christ is no guarantee of an easy life, but all who are in Jesus know He is the Life!  Those who trust and love Jesus shall not want, for He is our Good Shepherd.  Just because we follow Jesus, however, does not mean we are always willing to follow His word when the world and our experience leads us differently.

It can be difficult to submit to God's word and obey Him because it is not our natural inclination.  It requires faith for us to trust and obey God when it comes to the administration of discipline, whether it be in the church or with our own children.  Recently I was in a conversation when we discussed the few times we had ever observed church discipline administered as Jesus taught in Matthew 18.  Paul's 1st and 2nd letters to the Corinthian church illustrate how Christians can swing like a pendulum to extremes:  first Paul rebuked the church for allowing blatant sin to be accepted among them, and then Paul had to exhort the church to receive the man who repented of sin and to affirm their love for him.  Every Christian is a sinner and we can be easily offended, yet we are not always willing to put Christ's commands into practice.

Jesus taught His disciples in Matthew 18:15-17:  "Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. ¹⁶ But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that 'by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.' ¹⁷ And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector."  For every time church leadership has failed to discipline an openly sinning member, there are likely many more times believers have told others or the church how others are at fault--rather than going to the offender personally alone because it was difficult.  This is how the Pharisees operated:  when Jesus did something that offended them they spoke to His disciples about it, and when the disciples offended them they complained to Jesus.  Brothers and sisters, let us not follow their example but Christ's commands.

The individual member who obeys Christ to go to their brother who sins against him with the aim of restoration and edification is the first step to implement church discipline.  Going to a brother and humbly confessing he has sinned against me is a difficult thing that requires faith in Jesus marked by obedience.  I exhort you, fellow Christian, lay aside any protests and doubts it will not produce your desired effect!  Could it be the LORD is testing you to see if you will obey Him or not?  When we want other people to admit wrong or change their ways, it could be the LORD is using them as His instrument to further refine your faith and obedience.  There have been a handful of times people have been obedient to God to confess I had sinned against them, and their obedience to Christ resulted in great blessing by His grace.  We trust Jesus to provide forgiveness and eternal life:  how about trusting Jesus to obey Him when it is difficult?  Try Him, for those who trust and obey Jesus shall not want.  He is faithful.

United We Stand

"Unless the LORD builds the house, they labour in vain who build it; unless the LORD guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain."

Psalm 127:1

I love the unflinching, unapologetic objectivity of God's word.  The almighty God who created all things and stands eternal supreme over all simply says how it is.  People can reject it, scorn or deride it; they can oppose it and rail against what they claim is unfair or incorrect, yet it stands unmoved and in full force.  This verse from Psalm 127 shows how dependant God's people ought to be on Him to help us do things we see as our right and responsibility.  Having purchased land and obtaining permits to build, we view it as our legal right to do.  Because there are thieves and enemies who would do us harm we set a guard over our cities and households.  But unless the LORD does the work and is with us, all our efforts will be in vain.  We won't be capable of perceiving or averting impending disaster even if we remain sleepless and vigilant.

Before Jerusalem was taken by king David, it was a city of the Jebusites who boasted that it was impregnable.  They taunted David by saying he could not take the city, and even the blind and lame would prevent him and his men.  With God's help the city fell almost without a fight, for Joab and his men crawled up a water shaft or gutter and opened the gate from the inside.  Fast-forward to the days of Jeremiah and the children of Israel did not look to God to save them, for they looked to an arm of flesh--the army of Egypt--to deter the Babylonian army.  God addressed His people in Jeremiah 37:9-10: "Thus says the LORD: 'Do not deceive yourselves, saying, "The Chaldeans will surely depart from us," for they will not depart. ¹⁰ For though you had defeated the whole army of the Chaldeans who fight against you, and there remained only wounded men among them, they would rise up, every man in his tent, and burn the city with fire.'"

The Israelites looked to their allies for help and the temple of the LORD like one who takes comfort in a "good luck" charm, but God told them not to be deceived:  even if the whole army had been destroyed and all that remained were wounded men, they would rise up and destroy Jerusalem.  In time God's word came to pass, for the Babylonian army returned, laid siege to the city, starved out the people and made it a ruin.  Without God's help and protection, Jerusalem could not stand.  Sounding the alarm and monitoring enemy movements did nothing to prevent the destruction that came upon those who departed from God and trusted in themselves and their allies.  What was fleshed out concerning the Jebusites and Israelites is true regarding our need for God in our marriages, families, churches, cities and nations.  Paul's warning in 1 Corinthians 10:12 is appropriate for God's people to consider:  "Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall."

As I observe troubles in this world and polarisation of people in my homeland that is quite beyond comprehension, the words of Patrick Henry in his final public address echo to this day:  "Let us trust God and our better judgment to set us right hereafter.  United we stand, divided we fall. Let us not split into factions which must destroy that union upon which our existence hangs."  What is to be done when people depart from God?  Draw closer to Him yourself:  seek His face, obey His voice, and as much as depends upon you live peaceably as you intercede in prayer on behalf of those who are spiritually blind rather than castigating them.  Unless the LORD builds the house we labour in vain who build, and no ideology, government, allies or humanist philosophy is capable of saving us from ourselves.  Union with God is paramount for God's people, and praise the LORD nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.

No Bad Days!

Growing up and living in San Diego, there was a graphic I saw occasionally on a t-shirt or stickers on the back of a car or van window.  With palm trees in the background, it said:  "No Bad Days."  The vibe reminds me a little of another bumper sticker that basically said, "A bad day fishing is better than a good day at work."  The implication of both these statements is the difference between a good and bad day is  based on geography and activity.  A day at the beach is a good day, while a day in the office is not a good one.  This view on the goodness of days can also be applied to what happens on a given day.  Many times people say they have had a bad day or year because of what transpired during it.

Scripture provides a different lens to view days and years--as gifts from God which in themselves are good because He is.  Psalm 118:24 has been made into a song we used to sing in Sunday School:  "This is the day the LORD has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it."  A company can have a "bad year" from a financial standpoint and bad things can even happen at the beach, yet the day itself and the time God has given us to see it and survive it are good things.  Even when our lives be required of us on a particular date or time and we breathe our last, the day not need be marred in our memory.  By faith in God who is the giver of all good gifts we can distinguish between the tragedy and the day God has given we ought to rejoice in.

As Christians, we can adhere to the view of "no bad day" when there are no palm trees in the background because the goodness of the day does not depend on what we have planned, where we are going, or what we are doing.  I have gone fishing on days that from a fisherman's standpoint were "bad" days for fishing, when the conditions were extreme and no fish were biting.  I remember once our family made the long drive to Lake Cuyamaca and we froze as the wind whipped and the rain drizzled down.  Though my dad had paid for our permits to fish, after about an hour we packed up and he drove us to town where we had a delicious breakfast in a warm cafe.  How grateful we were for the food and warmth!  We went to the Cuyamaca mountains unprepared for the cold and wet, and this made the unexpected pleasure of warming up and eating pancakes a special treat.

If only our gratitude for God would be stirred up to such a degree for the goodness God shows us every day!  Seeing every day as a gift from God helps us never take a day from granted.  Every day is divinely ordained opportunity to see God's goodness as David sang in Psalm 27:13:  "I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living."  Master Oogway in Kung Fu Panda had some wacky ideas, but he was right to say:  "Today is a gift--that's why it is called the present."  Gifts are given by someone, and every good gift--today included--is given by God (James 1:17).

Abiding Forever

 "And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever."

1 John 2:17

John's statement brings an eternal perspective to our lives that can be lacking.  Those who long to establish utopia on earth may set their aims incredibly high, but they are not high enough.  The wise look beyond this world to God who created the heavens, earth, people and all living things.  People will always fail to create a perfect world because we are all sinners in a world cursed by sin that, like us, will pass away.  No government, ideology, or democracy can overthrow the sovereign God who created all things.  While monuments people make for themselves crumble and rot, those who do God's will shall abide forever.

Life is full of illustrations how new things grow old, damaged and wear out.  Sometimes it is damage to a new thing that compels our perspective to change and take loss less personally.  When that new car receives a noticeable scratch or dent we are reminded it is superficial damage that heralds its ultimate demise.  Our vehicles often grow in "character" as it fulfills its designed purpose of transportation.  People can be protective of their vehicles and possessions because they reflect an image they wish to present to others.  Once that mirage of perfection is shattered by a fender-bender, we can more easily accept imperfections because of this shift of perspective from working to maintain perfection to reality in a broken world.

I remember years ago Laura and I spent a good deal of time and money ordering custom benchtops for our kitchen.  The cost was more than the cabinets (thanks to my dad building them) and appliances combined!  The benchtop had not been installed long before a stray beach ball collided with a chisel that dropped onto the surface and gouged out a chunk near the sink.  I weighed whether I should hire a contractor to fill the large chip but decided against it.  That missing piece from the countertop was a good reminder that it was perishable and would one day perish, and we were blessed to have its usefulness in the meantime.  It was like a wink and nod from God who has given us all things:  rather than becoming furious over an accident, we could give grace to others as God has extended to us.

Cars and kitchens will pass away along with envy of newer appliances and better storage.  Every day we prepare food and coffee in our kitchens that supplies the needs of our bodies that are never permanently satisfied, but he who does the will of God abides forever.  Today we can rest and abide in Christ by faith in Him, obediently doing His will.  There is a rest we enjoy in God that satisfies us more than possessions we accumulate and labour to protect and maintain.  All the objects, tools and spaces we have carefully crafted will pass away, but God graciously enables us flawed folks to enjoy eternal life through the Gospel.  Isn't it amazing of all the wonders of this world God has chosen to save and glorify us?

Wait For God

"Are there any among the idols of the nations that can cause rain? Or can the heavens give showers? Are You not He, O LORD our God? Therefore we will wait for You, since You have made all these."

Jeremiah 14:22

The prophet Jeremiah interceded in prayer on behalf of the children of Israel in the midst of drought.  Unlike those who offered sacrifices and incense to idols in the hope of bringing rain, Jeremiah looked to the God who created the heavens and earth.  There was no power in idols or the heavens itself to bring rain, for the heavens were shut up overhead as the water evaporated, grass withered and beasts perished.  There was no sense in looking anywhere else for the water God created and could provide, and thus Jeremiah determined to wait for Him.

Waiting is something we do not naturally enjoy--especially if we have been conditioned to believe we are entitled to speedy service, convenience and ease without effort.  Since patience is a fruit of the Spirit, the implication is our flesh tends to rush, hurry, worry and fret when our needs are not met.  If we discover our regular shop is out of a product we want, we go to another shop.  If our efforts are still frustrated, we check our online ordering options; we message friends, make calls or chat with bots.  We are persistent with our impatience over things we want:  how much more desperate we would be to supply our needs if we lacked water for drinking, cooking or washing, when our lives depended on it?

As I considered waiting for God's provision, guidance and answer to prayer, I was reminded of how we used to call people on a "landline" years ago with a rotary or push-button phone.  After the phone number was dialed, the caller could hear a click of a connection being made and subsequent ringing.  Some phones would ring and ring while others were connected to an answering machine that would record a message.  Because phones were not portable in those days, it would take several rings for someone to hear the phone and answer.  An impatient caller would let the phone ring, and as soon as the answering machine began a recorded greeting would hang up, wait for a few seconds, and call back again.  Some people preferred to "screen" their calls and waited for the caller to start talking--and if they knew the caller and felt like talking would pick up.  If the caller was unwilling to leave a message, however, communication would not happen.

It struck me today when it comes to waiting for God, we can be like that impatient phone caller with God.  When we don't receive an immediate answer we do the equivalent of hanging up and vent our complaints to anyone who will listen.  Verses like Isaiah 65:24 demonstrate God's omniscience and does not need to "screen" calls or requires caller ID to know intimately the needs of everyone who cries out  to Him:  "It shall come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear."  God would have us demonstrate our faith in seeking God and waiting for Him, trusting He will provide for our needs.  Jesus taught in Matthew 6:30, "Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?"  Only God who created us is able to meet our needs, and let us be those willing to patiently wait for God's answer.

A Holy Life

Recently I had a chat with a fellow believer and a well-known worship song writer came up in conversation.  "I hope he continues to follow God and lead a holy life," she said.  "It's always a shame when Christians fall."  I agreed with her sentiment wholeheartedly.  It is a shame when Christians fall into sin or choose to walk away from the LORD.  It is awful when a private or public scandal leads to an opportunity for unbelievers to blaspheme--and it can happen to a man after God's own heart.

David, the shepherd, king and sweet psalmist of Israel, sinned by committing adultery and then resorted to murder to try to hide his transgression.  From a human standpoint, David managed to sin without any negative personal consequences.  But because the God of Israel is loving and all knowing, He sent Nathan the prophet with an indictment in the form of a story.  David became incensed to hear a rich man had stolen and butchered the only lamb of a poor man and pronounced the sentence of death upon him.  Nathan famously answered, "You are the man!"  Publicly in the royal court, Nathan spelled out the sins of king David in excruciating detail for all to hear.

2 Samuel 12:13-14 reads, "So David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the LORD." And Nathan said to David, "The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die. ¹⁴ However, because by this deed you have given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also who is born to you shall surely die."  David did not make excuses or try to justify himself:  he confessed he had sinned against the LORD.  God revealed by his sinful deed he gave great occasion to the enemies of God to blaspheme, and as a consequence the child would die.  Sin brings death--literally.  The enemies of God were given an excuse to blame God for what had occurred, to revile and reproach God who is only good.  It is a sobering thought our sin can bring reproach and blame upon God who is righteous, holy and pure.

God's enemies will stop at nothing to blame God:  they would blame him for anointing David to be king knowing he was imperfect and what he would do and blame God for the death of the child!  It struck me the worst thing about what David did with Bathsheba and Uriah was give great opportunity for God's enemies to blaspheme Him.  This knowledge ought to prompt Christians to live for God's glory and continue walking with Jesus.  I am encouraged God anoints imperfect men to be kings, and that He loves us enough to expose and convict people of sin so we might repent and grow in relationship with our LORD.  The LORD also puts away our sin when we repent, forgives and cleanses us, and gives us abundant life now and for eternity.  May the LORD guide and help all His people to walk in newness of life.

Newness of Life

"Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life."

Romans 6:4

Because God is the creator of all things, He can also make "all things new."  This is not speaking figuratively or spiritually but literally and truly.  It is possible for the newness of the life we have in Christ to wear off on us because we can quickly become dull, forgetful and unwise.  If we are not actively looking to the LORD Jesus and consider Him, we can become wearied and faint in our minds (Hebrews 12:1-3).  Thankfully it is not by our good performance or the willpower of our flesh where our strength lies, for the LORD is the strength of our hearts and the lifter of our heads.

Paul spoke of Jesus who was pierced, battered and bloodied on the cross where He died and was buried.  He contrasted the body of Jesus dead three days with Jesus risen from the dead glorified, and His disciples were able to converse with Him, touch Him and confirm He was truly living.  The difference between the dead body of Jesus and the risen Christ was stark, and this is the difference God makes in the lives of believers who are born again by faith in Him.  We were once dead in sins, and having been crucified with Christ now we have been raised to new life in Him.  Thus we ought to walk in newness of life, for the life of Jesus is now being lived out through us.

The marked change in God's people in Isaiah 17:7-8 illustrates this fundamental change of perspective and life from within:  "In that day a man will look to his Maker, and his eyes will have respect for the Holy One of Israel. ⁸ He will not look to the altars, the work of his hands; he will not respect what his fingers have made, nor the wooden images nor the incense altars."  God is able to change the outlook of people and what they value.  The prophet spoke of a man whose habit and preference was to look to his shrines and the idolatrous works of his own hands for help and guidance--who suddenly looks to his Maker with respect and adoration.  Instead of man tending to look to what he made himself, God draws our attention to our creator who made us in His image.

Coming to Jesus Christ as our Saviour doesn't merely impact part of our lives--a spiritual itch that needs scratching--but results in a transformation from the inside out.  While this change is divinely enabled, we have a role to play in learning to forsake sin and to do what pleases God as is written in 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5:  "It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; ⁴ that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, ⁵ not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God..." (NIV)  Self-control is a fruit of the Spirit, and this good fruit is produced in our lives by choosing to deny oneself and willingly submit to God.  Paul exhorted Romans 6:19 that as Christians used to present ourselves as slaves of uncleanness, we are to present ourselves as slaves of righteousness for holiness.  Because Jesus makes all things new, He cares about all aspects of our lives--inside and out--for good.