Hint or Question?

From a young age, I remember my dad putting into practice the truth of scripture:  "Ask and ye shall receive."  While some parents are content to ask leading questions of their children, it was clear that if I wanted something I would need to ask for it.  More and more these days I notice people don't actually ask for things:  they will hint or resort to manipulative tactics to achieve their ends.  For instance, let's say you see a child struggling to open the lid of a container.  He grunts and groans, making his frustration known.  His mum notices the struggles of her son and says, "Do you want me to open that for you?"  The child nods and brings it to his mum to open.  This is an unscriptural way to deal with this issue.  If a child wants help, he must be required humble himself to ask for it.  God requires no less of His children.  Before long this can become a deeply entrenched habit the boy or parent won't even recognise which can affect not only his relationship with men, but his approach to God.

Here is another perfect illustration of this hinting in the movie "Napoleon Dynamite."  Kip gets his wish, though he never asks a question.  He simply makes a statement.  But like most of us, Napoleon took the hint and responds to a statement as if he was asked. 

James writes of common problems of people in James 4:2-3:  "You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. ³ You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures."  We have not because we ask not, and when we do ask it is often with selfish motivation.  Like that child struggling with the lid, we might suppose we have actually asked God to help us when all we have done is grunt and groan in frustration.  We vent our anger to God, we lay out our frustrations, but we never actually ask Him to do anything.  And when we do ask Him to intervene, we do so not led by the Holy Spirit, but according to our selfish dictates.  Even worse, we choose to complain or consult with people rather than taking our issues to God at all.  It's not until we are on a severe downward spiral before we even think to speak to God in prayer.

Jesus teaches us in Matthew 7:7, "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you."  God does not exist to supply our lack, but it is His good pleasure to give us the kingdom!  He is a gracious provider, a generous giver, and hears the prayers of the humble.  We are evil and know how to give good gifts:  how much more is the Father able and willing to give to Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?  It a is wonderful consolation that God does many things for our benefit without us asking.  His will is not restricted by our poor pseudo-questions.  But when we desire something, we ought to ask.  Instead of resorting to manipulation or hinting, let us humble ourselves before both God and man to ask direct questions.  In answering a question, let our words be obedient to what Jesus commands in Matthew 5:37:  "But let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No.' For whatever is more than these is from the evil one."  May our requests of God be actual questions!  Only after we ask will the answer come.

Excuse to Doubt or Reason to Believe?

In this age of information, the irony exists that men have more excuses than ever to doubt.  Conspiracy thrives on the internet and all manner of media with unrelenting force.  People will believe what they want to believe, and it's not hard to find people with all sorts of opinions.  Truth has become a virtual cornucopia which allows the freedom of opposite and conflicting opinions to carry the same weight.  Evidence is open to wide interpretation - if you have the luxury of actually possessing it.  Personal opinion is often the strongest evidence most people's beliefs are founded upon, about as stable as oil and eroding sand.  If we hear it enough, we can be convinced two plus two equals five.

The world changes, but people stay the same.  We are naturally parrots upon whom the conspiracy vultures prey.  Conspiracy and doom are big business with books, DVDs, and conferences raking in millions annually.  Funny isn't it, that people who stumble upon this "secret" information are willing to bare all for a few bucks?  A topic cools down, and ten more pop up from nowhere.  Even after these self-proclaimed prophets and insiders are proven wrong because of incorrect "facts," two or three more documentaries from the same group are already in the works to tie up the loose ends and take it a step further.  If someone is wrong once, they can be wrong again.  If a prophet speaks in the name of LORD and the thing does not come to pass, they are not to ever be heeded again.  Unlike leopards, men change their spots.  But God and His Word never change.  They are the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Because God loves His people, God sent prophets to warn them of the certain negative consequences of their sin.  One of the prophets was named Ezekiel.  God directed him to do all sorts of strange and bizarre things to capture the attention of the people and illustrate what the future held.  Although Ezekiel faithfully warned the people about the coming judgment, famine, sword, and captivity, they did not believe him.  He lamented in Ezekiel 20:49, "Ah, Lord GOD! They say of me, 'Does he not speak parables?'"  Instead of believing the sober words of Ezekiel, the people chalked up his words as merely symbolic, a story they could explain according to their own dictates.  They didn't like Ezekiel's words, so they made up a meaning to suit themselves they were comfortable with.  They rolled their eyes at this loon and ignored his pleas to listen.  God certainly wouldn't let them be judged by Babylon!  Ezekiel must be mad!  Month after month, year after year, Ezekiel continued to warn.  Ultimately all he said came to pass because God does not lie.  The people had reason to believe, but they made excuses to doubt.

God has given everyone many reasons to believe.  He has given every man a conscience which agrees with His moral law.  He has sent Jesus Christ in fulfillment of scripture, who died and rose again from the dead.  He has sent the Holy Spirit to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment.  Unfortunately, not everyone is pleased with what God has to say.  2 Corinthians 4:3-4 explains, "But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, ⁴ whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them."  The Bible says that a day is coming when every man will be judged according to God's Law.  It is appointed to man once to die and then comes the judgment (Heb. 9:27).  The only hope for man to be saved from eternal wrath is to receive Christ through the Gospel.  But Satan has blinded the eyes of men and prejudiced their hearts against the truth, to the point it seems like foolishness to them.  The natural man cannot receive the things of God.  It is only through the power of Jesus and the Holy Spirit that blind eyes can be opened and the dead raised to life.

God warned His people in Isaiah 1:18-20:  "Come now, and let us reason together," says the LORD, "though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool. ¹⁹ If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; ²⁰ but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword"; for the mouth of the LORD has spoken."  Truth can bear examination.  Have you ever considered the historical and geographical evidence, the fulfilled prophesies, and the flawless perfection of God's Word as reasons to consider and believe the claims?  Do not comfort yourself with "The Bible is full of mistakes" without having read and studied it yourself!  I have never met someone who made this claim except out of admitted ignorance.  The Bible is not just another book:  it is the Word of God without flaw.  In it we find the words of life which point to Jesus Christ as the Saviour of the world.

No drowning man would refuse a life-preserver because the orange colour doesn't match his shirt, yet many people will not even open the Bible that explains how to have eternal life.  If man will give anything to prolong a miserable existence on earth a couple years, of how much greater value is his eternal soul!  What rational excuse does man have to ignore the claims of the Word of God?  Maybe the Bible does contradict your life.  But what life do you have beyond your fleeting existence upon this planet?  Without Christ, there is no life at all:  only death.  He is the Way, Truth, and Life (John 14:6).  Three days after being crucified and dying on a cross, Jesus rose again and was seen by hundreds of eye-witnesses!  Isn't that alone reason to believe Him?

Passion for Christ - Fruit to Follow!

During my first visit to Australia, I stayed with a wonderful family in Brisbane.  A good portion of the back of the house and porch was covered with a lush, green, passion fruit vine.  I was amazed by the amount of foliage and fruit generated by a single seed.  The vine was enormous, but the connection to the ground was very small.  From what I can remember, my hosts said every year they would give it a big trim.  It would begin growing again, creeping up the bannister and up to the second story with a bumper crop of delicious passion fruit.

Jesus said in John 15:5, "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing."  Just like the passion fruit vine's life, growth, and food production depended on the vine's connection to the earth, so we as Christians are only viable when we are connected to Christ.  It would be foolish for the branches to be so awed by their rich foliage and heavy fruit that they no longer see the need to be connected to the root system.  This can occur in the ministries of the church.  We can be so focused on growth or evident fruitfulness that we neglect to protect and tend to our connection to Christ.  It may not be obvious overnight, but ministries that move away from abiding in Christ instantly begin to wilt and die.  Apart from Christ all strength for life, growth, and fruitfulness is gone.

The best strategies and plans of men will fail, but those who abide in Christ are granted life and vitality.  As a gardener daily inspects his vines for disease or insects, so we must constantly consider the condition of our hearts.  Am I wandering from complete devotion to Christ?  Is my mind dwelling on things above or am I entertaining sinful thoughts?  Are my eyes focused on Jesus or am I distracted and frustrated by lack of growth?  Are there little foxes - spiritual attacks - that I need to guard against?  Am I lifted up with pride because of the apparent success of a ministry instead of glorifying God for His grace and provision?  Without Jesus Christ we can do nothing.

Let us acknowledge and praise God for the life provided through Jesus.  May we grow and thrive as we abide in Him!

Do You Want to Be Made Well?

Our eyes are valuable because they enable us to see.  During our waking moments we are almost entirely dependent upon them.  It it difficult for someone who can see to even fathom living without the blessing of sight.  Yet there are limitations even to a set of eyes with perfect vision.  We cannot see through thick fog or solid objects.  Our range of vision is limited by distance and the direction we currently face.  No one actually has functioning eyes on the back of their heads, though some people can make you wonder by their uncanny ability of perception!

Man is constantly stretching the boundaries of what he can do and accomplish.  But there will always be a boundary.  The time for a human being running 100 meters will never be 0.00.  Because of the things we can see and do we sometimes forget there is more to the picture.  From our limited perspective, we create expectations of what needs to happen in our lives.  As Christians, we often pray according to what we can see.  We pray according to sight, not by faith.  We observe what appears to be a huge problem and tell God how we think He should handle things.  And when He doesn't operate in the way we expect we can become bitter and disillusioned, wondering if God hears our prayers or actually loves us at all.  From time to time God will pull back the veil on things that happened years ago and we see clearly what He was doing we didn't perceive then:  He was with us and acting for our good the whole time.

In John chapter 5, a passage talks about a man who suffered from a debilitating infirmity for 38 years.  It was no doubt a source of great struggle and difficulty.  He lay by a pool called Bethesda, waiting for the moving of the water.  John writes that from time to time an angel would stir the water and whoever stepped in first would be healed from whatever infirmity they suffered.  Jesus visited this man.  John 5:6-8 reads, "When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, "Do you want to be made well?" ⁷ The sick man answered Him, "Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me." ⁸ Jesus said to him, "Rise, take up your bed and walk."  Jesus asked the sick man if he wanted to be made well.  Instead of answering the question, the man pointed out that being healed seemed impossible since he had no one to help him be the first in the water.  He had figured out what he thought to be his best and possibly only chance for healing.  Unless he had a man to put him in the water, he was doomed.

Jesus asks you the question:  "Do you want to be made well?"  How do you answer?  Do you tell God what needs to happen before you can be healed?  For 38 years or more you may have suffered from your condition, and you are still waiting for God to acquiesce to your plan.  It is time to stop pointing to the obstacles, blaming others, or yourself.  If it time to look to Jesus and say, "Yes.  I want to be healed and I know you can do it.  I give you freedom to ask or do anything you wish because I trust you."  How silly it was for the man to be lamenting he did not have a man when the God-Man Jesus Christ stood before him with the power and willingness to heal!  The Saviour stands before you today, knocking at the door, and calling out your name.  He may not act in the way you expect, but expect Him to act!