Jesus Christ = Mind Blown

During a lively discussion last night at the discipleship course, I was amazed afresh by the power of Jesus Christ.  Sifting through even a chapter describing the character and teachings of Christ will blow the mind of an earnest seeker of truth.  No matter how well a person combs through a passage of the living Word of God, the same objective truth comes to people in different ways.  I love how God is able to reveal Himself to all people who seek Him.  Instead of our unique personalities or viewpoints hindering us from understanding, the Holy Spirit is able to lend our individual perceptions to shed light on a passage for all to appreciate.

After Jesus arrived in Nain after the long hike from Capernaum, he saw the sad scene of a dead man being carried out of the city, the only son of a grieving widow.  A large crowd had gathered, for much of the city was there to support the woman.  Luke 7:13 says, "When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, "Do not weep."  Jesus knew the woman and her great loss, and He had compassion on her.  On the surface it may seem inconsiderate to command a weeping widow to stop crying, but Jesus knew what He would do.  Luke 7:14 continues:  "Then He came and touched the open coffin, and those who carried him stood still. And He said, "Young man, I say to you, arise."  Jesus spoke to the dead man as if he was alive and could hear him.  Was this some sort of hideous prank?  And then the unthinkable happened in Luke 7:15:  "So he who was dead sat up and began to speak. And He presented him to his mother."  At the command of Jesus, the dead man miraculously rose to life before many witnesses.  Having compassion on widow and talking to a deceased man is one thing, but through this resurrection Jesus revealed power and authority no living man who witnessed it could deny.  Death separates, but Jesus unites and restores.

Later in the chapter, Jesus accepted an invitation from a Pharisee to share a meal with him.  While Jesus was eating, a woman well-known by the locals for her life of sin poured an expensive box of perfume on Jesus, washed His feet with her tears, and wiped them clean with her hair.  The Pharisee who invited Jesus was completely disgusted with this display and judged Jesus to be a religious fraud.  Luke 7:39  reads, "Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he spoke to himself, saying, "This man, if He were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner."  The Pharisee thought to himself if Jesus was indeed a holy man of God, He would not allow this woman to touch Him.  But the next verse says something amazing:  Luke 7:40 says, "And Jesus answered and said to him, "Simon, I have something to say to you." So he said, "Teacher, say it."  The verse says, "Jesus answered..."  Jesus answered the silent thoughts of the judgmental Pharisee.  Are you kidding me?  It is one thing to know if someone is a sinner, but another thing entirely to answer the thoughts of another person and to respond with wise insight.

These sort of events were commonplace in the life of Jesus during His pilgrimage on earth.  He showed compassion on others, spoke to dead people and raised them to life, and knowingly responded to the thoughts and hearts of men.  Jesus lives today and still raises the dead to life and speaks to the hearts of all who seek Him and listen.  I believe God has something to say to me and you today if we will heed Him.  In Christ there is everlasting hope and life.  Jesus created the mind to reason, and it is nothing for Him to change a mind, heart, or life.  He stands at the door and knocks, desiring to dine with anyone who will receive Him.  That will be a dinner conversation to remember!

God and Democracy

It should be a sobering truth:  God gives people what they ask for.  Our gracious God loves and gives.  Despite this, the tendency of men is to look to other men for help, guidance, and provision in this life.  If man does not see God performing as he likes, he is glad to swap to new leadership.  At a time where many in the United States are voting for their preferred party or presidential candidates, concerns are mounting.  From what I see from afar in Australia, there seems to be no presidential candidate on offer who can span the chasm which currently separates parties and people, wealthy and poor, businesses and individuals.  A nation which in the past championed itself as "one nation under God" is as fractured, angry, disillusioned, apathetic, and without hope as I have ever seen.  When we look to men, women, a political party, or even the "power of the people" to save us, it is only a matter of time before we realise we have already lost.

After God brought His beloved people out of Egypt with a mighty hand and established them in the Promised Land, it was only a matter of time before He was deemed an unfit ruler by the masses.  The men of Israel demanded, "We want a king to rule over us like the other nations."  For a long time people had looked to Samuel the prophet and judge as God's mouthpiece, and it was clear to them his sons were not cut from the same righteous cloth.  They were wicked, accepted bribes, and perverted judgment.  Samuel was angry with the request of the people for a king, but brought their demand before God in prayer.  Some might assume God would also be angry and destroy all who opposed and criticised His rule, but He did no such thing.  1 Samuel 8:7-9 reads, "And the LORD said to Samuel, "Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them. ⁸ According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt, even to this day--with which they have forsaken Me and served other gods--so they are doing to you also. ⁹ Now therefore, heed their voice. However, you shall solemnly forewarn them, and show them the behavior of the king who will reign over them."  God told Samuel not to take personally the rejection of God's rule, for it was not Samuel who had been rejected.  This followed a clear pattern of behaviour consistent with God's people from the beginning. Yet God would not give the people their desire before they had first been carefully warned about what to expect from their future king.

God provided specific details about what to expect from their new king and his governance, a stark contrast to God's divine rule.  God had given, but this king would take and take.  Ironically, Saul spoke more about what he would give - fields, vineyards, and position - than what he would take! (1 Samuel 22:7)  Consider the warning given the people in 1 Samuel 8:11-18:  "And he said, "This will be the behavior of the king who will reign over you: He will take your sons and appoint them for his own chariots and to be his horsemen, and some will run before his chariots. ¹² He will appoint captains over his thousands and captains over his fifties, will set some to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and some to make his weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. ¹³ He will take your daughters to be perfumers, cooks, and bakers. ¹⁴ And he will take the best of your fields, your vineyards, and your olive groves, and give them to his servants. ¹⁵ He will take a tenth of your grain and your vintage, and give it to his officers and servants. ¹⁶ And he will take your male servants, your female servants, your finest young men, and your donkeys, and put them to his work. ¹⁷ He will take a tenth of your sheep. And you will be his servants. ¹⁸ And you will cry out in that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, and the LORD will not hear you in that day."  That last line should send a shiver through the most hearty soul.  It was their choice to have a king to rule, but they had no idea how much it would cost them.  Their foolish choice to reject God would silence their complaints to God and they would remain oppressed by the king they desired.  God is gracious and good to provide government which He has been established to punish evildoers and to reward those who do well (1 Peter 2:13-14).  Because men are to be governed by God and Christians have agreed to God as their King, we are called to submit to governors as an extension of His rule.

As much as people in a democratic process want to believe they hold the key to power, remember it is God who lifts up kings and deposes them (Daniel 2:21).  Though men and women run for public office, God maintains sovereignty over all nations.  God spoke in Jeremiah 18:7-10, "The instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, to pull down, and to destroy it,⁸ if that nation against whom I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I thought to bring upon it. ⁹ And the instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it,¹⁰ if it does evil in My sight so that it does not obey My voice, then I will relent concerning the good with which I said I would benefit it."  The dearth of candidates in recent elections does not surprise me, for the people have spoken and God has listened.  If people are intent to cast off His rule, His righteous judgments, and deny His authority, we are free to appoint those we choose.  Many times God judged his people by their godless rulers, and God's ways have not changed.  Hearken unto God, the One who tells us what manner of rulers we choose for ourselves.  King Saul began in humility and the fear of the LORD, but finished his course as a madman who consulted witches for guidance.  He died in battle, but not by the hand of the enemy:  in a wounded panic he fell on his own sword.  So it will be for all who refuse to submit to God's rule and look unto men for hope and help.  Such will be pierced through with many sorrows.  Without God no nation is able to stand.  The warning of Samuel is relevant today for those who place their trust in men:  do not expect deliverance from God in heaven until there is first contrition and repentance.  God is our only hope, and in God the wise trust.

Entrenched or Established?

Years ago our family had a little dachshund named Wendel.  He slept in a kennel inside the house, but the backyard was his domain.  When I mowed the lawn I was able to easily discern where his little paws had been, paths which become well-worn over time as he patrolled the perimeter.  He had a routine of running along the fence, stopping at a point and barking, then heading back on his circuit. Wendel and people alike can be creatures of habit and routine, and even our brains resort to common tracks of thought.  A single word or feeling can place our thinking like a slot car onto a track, destined to circle the same closed loop again and again.  We can become so taken with a particular observation or personal conviction we become entrenched in our thinking and are quite unable (and even unwilling!) to consider another view as equally valid.  Some people's thoughts resemble a simple oval and others are more elaborate with multiple lanes and loops, but the result is the same.  Round and round the slot car goes, but there is no winner in this solitary race.

I don't want to be entrenched in my thinking like a slot car in the track.  When Christians are entrenched in ways of thinking it is far from good.  It is actually tragic.  Taking an informed position in doctrine or having a personal conviction is right and good, but someone who is entrenched in their views resemble a vigilant soldier in a bunker on high alert.  The world is seen through the visage of a paranoid warrior ready to shoot in the direction of a unfamiliar noise in the darkness.  Everyone outside his way of thinking is seen as a significant threat.  He has fortified his position and is prepared for the eventual assault.  He has rations and ammunition enough to outlast his enemy in his cold, concrete dwelling.  His position is primarily defensive and nothing can convince him to lower his guard.  No one can coax him it is safe to venture out to enjoy a bite to eat in the sun.  A person with an entrenched mindset does not listen or consider the truth of what is being said by others but is preoccupied to share the observations of their closed loop.  The slot car on the track may move forward, but in reality it is a dead end.

Now consider the difference between an entrenched viewpoint and one that has been established by the truth of God's Word.  David wrote about a man who delights and meditates on God's law and compared him to a well-established tree in Psalm 1:3:  "He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper."  A tree is a living, growing organism that has strong roots as a foundation - quite a different picture than a musty, cold bunker with guns pointed at all who approach!  With a strong root system which draws water and nutrition from the earth, so a Christian who feeds on God's Word and obeys it will be strengthened, grow, and be fruitful.  New branches of thought, new leaves of personal revelation and application sprout from old truths which are entirely new to a person.  It is not uncommon for Christians at times to place undo emphasis on one doctrine, ignore the implications of others, or have a distorted view of God's Word.  But God in His grace, through biblical truth rightly divided, chops off these branches and new, healthy growth is promoted,  Jesus compared a man who hears His words and does them to a man who built his house upon a rock.  Because the house had been established on a sure foundation who is Christ, he did not need to fear damage from the wind, rain, or flood.

Doctrine does not change, but my understanding of it should.  I should not remain perpetually on a closed loop concerning the implications of a passage, but to let down my guard, admit my knowledge and perspective is severely limited, and there is much for me to learn.  Jesus said He had much to say to His disciples, but they were not able to receive it because the Holy Spirit had not been sent.  I am afraid to say there is much Jesus cannot say to Christians today through His Word or the Holy Spirit because instead of listening we blurt out to finish God's sentences:  we have a closed loop of thinking which is familiar and therefore comfortable.  If someone holds a different slant or perspective on an interpretation people can feel instantly threatened and defensive instead of being willing to be challenged by what the Bible says and means.  There are few things worse than entrenched orthodoxy, for it prevents growth and maturity.  It substitutes increased knowledge for spiritual growth, sacrificing life and sweet fruit in exchange for what A.W. Tozer called a "circular grave."  How good it is for our faith to be growing and fruitful, knowing we are established in Jesus by the Gospel!  Instead of being entrenched in doctrinal debates, having been established by faith in Christ, let us venture out of the bunker and extend peace to all in Christ's name:  ready to listen, and choosing to love.

Faith In Worship

I love the story of when Jesus was eating dinner in Bethany (Matt. 26:6-13) and Mary came to see Him.  She carried with her a valuable alabaster flask of perfume which some have estimated to be worth a man's wages for a year.  She broke the flask and poured it on the head of Jesus as an act of worship.  True worship must cost the worshipper something.  It will come with the cost of time, money, the sacrifice of other things, and obedience.  Worship is not the singing of songs - though we can worship through songs - but worship of God is acts of adoration by faith for God's glory. Mary's gift was accepted by Jesus, and He said her act would be spoken of wherever the Gospel is preached.

It is not necessary for Christians to burn money or pour out expensive fragrances for our prayers and praises to be accepted by God.  He is not like the idols formed by man's hands which demand much but give nothing.  God has freely provided for us all, and our worship is to be a response to His great goodness and love.  God is seeking people to worship Him in Spirit and in truth, and as we follow the promptings of the Spirit we will deny ourselves, take up our cross daily, and follow Jesus.  God looks for people who believe His Word and will trust Him enough to praise Him in the midst of pain and trials.  It is sweet to praise and thank God when all is well, but it requires faith to praise and thank God from the heart when all seems unwell.  This sacrifice of praise is well-pleasing in the sight of God.  Genuine praise from the depths of pain is a sweet savour before our Saviour.

Our prayers can be a sacrifice of praise we must persevere in.  Jesus told a parable to the end that men ought always to pray and not to faint.  He spoke of a widow who continually pleaded her case before an unjust judge.  Sick of the woman badgering him, the corrupt judge who did not fear God decided to act in the woman's favour to spare himself her entreaties.  Jesus said in Luke 18:6-8, "Then the Lord said, "Hear what the unjust judge said. ⁷ And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? ⁸ I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?"  God is longsuffering, and love enables us also to suffer long.  There is much singing in churches and many prayers uttered.  But does God find them prompted by faith in Him?  Even in the midst of our suffering we can demonstrate faith in worship and prayer, a commodity more rare and valuable in God's sight than the precious oil poured by Mary upon Jesus.  That is what Jesus commended in Mary:  it was not the monetary value of her sacrifice, but her heart willing to freely give all for Christ's sake.  That is the heart He is looking for.

The Everlasting Man Lives

I have completed reading The Everlasting Man by G.K. Chesterton and was impressed by his unique insights.  One point he makes strongly in the last chapters is how Christianity is distinct from all other religions and worldviews.  As different as human beings are to plants, so is Jesus Christ and His claims unique from all others.  Jesus did not call people to religion but to life, and this life could only be found in Himself.  His resurrection from the dead is also unique, without parallel in the history of the world.  The fact Jesus did not remain dead and His followers still continue strong in this age of reason is troubling to many.  It has been attacked by atheists, strangled by legalism, debated by scholars, scorned by intellectuals, and discarded by the inoculated.  And yet Christ lives on.  Chesterton wrote, "These people are quite prepared to shed pious and reverential tears over the Sepulchre of the Son of Man; what they are not prepared for is the Son of God walking once more upon the hills of morning."  (Chesterton, G. K. The Everlasting Man. San Francisco: Ignatius, 1925 Reprint. Print. page 258)

Christians have died many deaths, but like our Saviour Jesus Christ Christianity will endure forever with truth, hope, and love.  Chesterton's observations still ring true, and every rational, thinking mind cannot lightly dismiss them.  Like many before him and since, Chesterton is a man who values and speaks truth in a world that does not particularly care for it.  If we value the truth, then we will seek and obtain it at any cost.  And once obtained, we ought to strive to live our lives in light of that singular, objective truth.  Our natural eyes are unable to see it clearly.  Pontius Pilate asked, "What is truth?" when the Way, the Truth, and the Life was standing before Him in the person of Jesus Christ, the man who "broke the backbone of history."  The whole world is flowing downstream, and Christianity alone swims upstream as a testimony of inexhaustible life.  As the song goes, "He lives, He lives.  Christ Jesus lives today!  He walks with me and talks with me along life's narrow way."

'Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.'  The civilisation of antiquity was the whole world:  and men no more dreamed of its ending than of the ending of daylight.  They could not imagine another order unless it were in another world.  The civilisation of the world has passed away and those words have not passed away.  In the long night of the Dark Ages feudalism was so familiar a thing that no man could imagine himself without a lord:  and religion was so woven into that network that no man would have believed they could be torn asunder.  Feudalism itself was torn to rags and rotted away in the popular life of the of the true Middle Ages; and the first and freshest power in that new freedom was the old religion.  Feudalism had passed away, and the words did not pas away.  The whole medieval order, in many ways so complete and almost cosmic a home for man, wore out gradually in its turn and here at least it was thought that the words would die.  They went forth across the radiant abyss of the Renaissance and in fifty years were using all its light and learning for new religious foundations, new apologetics, new saints.  It was supposed to have been withered up at last in the dry light of the Age of Reason; it was supposed to have disappeared ultimately in the earthquake of the Age of Revolution.  Science explained it away; and it was still there.  History disinterred it in the past; and it appeared suddenly in the future.  To-day it stands once more in our path; and even as we watch it, it grows.

If our social relations and records retain their continuity, if men really learn to apply reason to the accumulating facts of so crushing a story, it would seem that sooner or later even its enemies, will learn from their incessant and interminable disappointments not to look for anything so simple as its death.  They may continue to war with it, but it will be as they war with nature; as they war with the landscape, as they war with the skies. 'Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.'  They will watch for it to stumble, they will watch for it to err, they will no longer watch for it to end.  Insensibly, even unconsciously, they will in their own silent anticipations fulfill the relative terms of that astounding prophecy; they will forget to watch for the mere extinction of what has so often been vainly extinguished; and will learn instinctively to look first for the coming of the comet or the freezing of the star. (Chesterton, G. K. The Everlasting Man. San Francisco: Ignatius, 1925 Reprint. Print. page 260-260)

Scriptures and Power of God

In my morning Bible reading, a statement by Jesus arrested my attention.  The passage listed occasions when those who doubted and hated Jesus sought to entrap Him in His words.  The Herodians, Pharisees, and Sadducees were groups who attempted to make Jesus look ignorant with their moral dilemmas and hypothetical debates, but they could not stump Jesus.  In response to the Sadducees, who only exposed their ignorance by taking their best shot at Jesus, the KJV rendering of Matthew 22:29 reads, "Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God."  It is ironic how the Sadducees would have claimed extensive knowledge of the scriptures, but Jesus whom they desired to expose as ignorant expressed this of them.  Their lack of belief in things spiritual left them severely hamstrung.  Their doubts left them wanting in both knowledge of the scriptures and experience of God's power.

What struck me as I read the words of Jesus is how the knowledge of the scripture exposes a man to the power of God.  The Bible begins with the matter-of-fact explanation concerning God creating the heavens, earth, and all that is in them in mere days.  God's miraculous power was known by the Egyptians and the Israelites when He visited great plagues upon the land of Egypt.  God delivered His people through the Red Sea, destroyed their enemies, and sustained them in the wilderness.  He provided food daily, supplied water from a rock, and miraculously healed those who were bitten by venemous snakes.  He caused the ground to open up and swallow people whole, and made the walls of Jericho to fall down when the people obeyed God.  Through judges, prophets, kings, and ultimately Jesus Christ, God's power was revealed to all.  It knowing the scripture we can know God's power, and when we are born again through the Gospel the revelation of God's power becomes personally tangible as He transforms us from within and empowers us for God's service.

No matter how I turn the statement of Christ around it shines forth brilliantly like a precious gem.  It can be said of all men we do err; we do make mistakes.  The cause of much of our sin is because we have not brought scripture nor the power of God to bear on our current situation.  It is a matter of perspective.  We have all sinned, but when we are born again we do not need to sin any longer.  God has given us the scriptures to guide us and imbued us with power from on high through the Holy Spirit.  I can say without exception when I sin it is because I have disobeyed the truth of scripture and have refused the power of God.  Often we are deluded by our assumptions, imagining our situation is most peculiar and difficult.  But the righteous, God-fearing perspective obtained through knowledge of the scriptures and walking in the power of God sets us straight.  God's people perish by a lack of knowledge, but even knowledge has its limits.  It is a starting point, not the end.

Our lives are lived worthily when we keep both the scriptures and the power of God in full view.  We Christians tend to lean one way or the other.  When we lose sight of either we will err.  We make a grave mistake when we hold to scripture whilst denying the power of God, or seek after a miraculous display of God's power without the guide of scripture.  It is only through the power of the Holy Spirit we can discern the scripture, and only by the scripture can we test the spirits to see if they are of God.  I am so grateful for Jesus and for His priceless wisdom.  He always knows exactly what I need and how to perfectly communicate truth when I am willing to listen and obey.

Playing God

"Do not say, "I will do to him just as he has done to me; I will render to the man according to his work."

Proverbs 24:29

"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you," the Golden Rule says.  This approach is contrary to the natural response of our flesh.  We prefer to take a stand upon our rights or a concept of fairness we agree with and hold others to that standard.  Doing unto others just as they have done to us requires us to judge not only their actions, but their motive.  When we are hurt by others we can be suspicious that was their intent all along, so we then seek how we can injure them.

Even as vengeance is the sovereign territory of God, so is the rendering to each man according to his works.  Should we do what Solomon forbids in this passage, we hastily clamber onto God's judgment seat.  It is one thing for a little child to innocently desire to sit in daddy's chair, but it is another thing altogether when we fueled by malice and revenge seek to bring down a gavel in judgment to punish others for their perceived wrongs.  David wrote in Psalm 62:11-12, "God has spoken once, twice I have heard this: that power belongs to God. ¹² Also to You, O Lord, belongs mercy; for You render to each one according to his work."

Jesus said upon His return He will reward men according to their works (Matt. 16:27).  It is not by works of righteousness we have done, but according to His mercy He has saved us (Titus 3:5).  God has saved us unto good works, and we begin doing the good works of God by believing He whom the Father has sent:  Jesus Christ.  He will reward and judge as well.  Jesus said in Revelation 22:12, "And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work."  Books will be opened, and those whose names are not found in the Book of Life will receive their wages of eternal damnation.  Can we add anything to that hell?

Let us not say we will do to others as they have done to us when they have sinned against us.  Let us do unto others as Christ has done for us with a heart of love, compassion, and mercy.  Jesus said in Matthew 5:7, "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy."  The Bible says with what judgment we judge we will be judged, and if we are severe with others the Living God will be severe with us.  There is a high cost for playing God, a price only fools judge wise to pay.

Lucky or Loved?

I've heard Australia called the "Lucky Country."  People use this cliche in a in a positive sense, apparently much to the dismay of Donald Horne who penned The Lucky Country, a book about Australia in 1964 written as a "wake up call to an unimaginative nation, an indictment of a country mired in mediocrity and manacled to its past."  It sounds a bit harsh not having read the book myself, but there's nothing quite like a good dose of Australian irony.  In my opinion Australia is a blessed country in a multitude of ways.  Because I believe we live in a world governed by God who has provided our natural resources, this beautiful and fruitful land, freedoms, our necessities, and even luxuries, we ought to credit Him where it is due.

Every so often I hear the phrase, "unlucky in love."  I wonder:  if people could have their choice of luck or love, what would they choose?  My grandfather has often said in jest, "I'd rather be lucky than good."  What is the lure of luck, anyway?  Is it a revelation we secretly desire something for nothing?  Or is it because we value a faceless, powerless entity who cannot protest called "bad luck" when we fail?  In thinking this over, I have decided I would rather be loved than lucky.  It would be better to live as a person loved by God than to have what men call good luck perpetually.  Luck is an empty promise which never delivers.  I do not consider The Beatles to be experts on such matters, but had they sung "All you need is luck" it would have sounded a bit hollow.

Today in church we sang a song by Brenton Brown called "Our God is Mercy."  It contains biblical wisdom the world and even Christians might recoil from:  "You're blessed if you've been torn apart; you're blessed if you've a broken heart, for hope is waiting at the door: salvation's near."  How can pain be a blessing?  For a Christian, the pain of God's correction is proof of His love.  Christians are reminded in scripture not to despise the chastening of the LORD, for in so doing He is treating us as beloved sons - even as a father disciplines the son in whom he delights.  Some might ask, how can being torn apart in any way be construed as love?  Most men must be deathly ill before they will seek the care of a physician, and men must be in a severe state before they will humble themselves in desperation before a holy God.  It is in being torn apart a man can discover healing and wholeness he never experienced before.  All the "blessings" in the world are curses if they turn our affections from God.  How good for us are hard times when they prompt us to seek the LORD!  Only then will we know salvation and the love of God, and luck hasn't saved a person yet.

Leaving All and Rising Up

"After these things He went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, "Follow Me." ²⁸ So he left all, rose up, and followed Him."

Luke 5:27-28

Careful observation of the scripture is critical for deeper understanding.  I do not profess to know secret knowledge or hidden mysteries, but even for the avid student of the Bible many plain truths lie undisturbed on the surface.  Before we figure we know the meaning of a passage, we must first examine what it says.  The order of the words unveils truth and personal application.  In reading Luke 5 this week I came upon something I had never noticed before, and it is profound.

The scene is simple enough:  Levi was sitting in his office on the clock.  He was a Jew employed by the Romans as a tax collector, and he had paid for the privilege.  The opportunity to be a "publicani" of a region was bid on for a set time and was paid in advance to the government.  Jesus walked up to the man and simply said, "Follow me."  It was a straightforward command but not one obeyed without consequences.  Verse 28 tells us, "So he left all, rose up, and followed Him."  The order of the words seems quite strange.  How could Levi leave all before he even stood up?  It would be easy to transpose  the phrases of the passage and give it little thought.  Is the order significant?  It certainly is!

When Jesus approached Levi and commanded him to follow Him, it was not an offer which could be negotiated.  An immediate decision was required, yes or no.  The order of verse 28 is significant because before Levi even stood to his feet, he had already left all behind:  his right to collect taxes, the significant financial investment and the interest on it, his position of authority, chance of future advancement, and remaining in good standing with the Roman authorities.  A problem common for those who attempt to answer the call to discipleship is they joyfully rise to follow Jesus without first deciding to leave all.  The decision to follow Christ can only be performed once we have decided to deny ourselves, our dreams, ambitions, the future of ease we long for.  Trying to put on the new man without first putting off the old man is an exercise filled with frustration and futility.  We must first purpose to leave all and then we can rise up and follow Christ as Saviour and enter into the joy of the LORD.

As long as we are in two minds about answering the call to Christ, we will never be free to do so.  So much of our Christian existence is a wrestling match between the flesh and the Spirit.  We are chained by worldly thinking and cares and therefore without the freedom to rise up to follow Christ.  The call to follow Jesus is one of self-denial, picking up our cross daily, and following Jesus.  Those who seek to save their lives will lose them, but those who lose their lives for Christ's sake will find them and be rewarded with life eternal.  You do not need to quit your job, end a relationship, move to a foreign mission field, give that money, or sell your house to follow Jesus.  But you must decide you are willing to do so joyfully at Christ's command.  Otherwise you will leave a bit of your heart behind and will never be able to truly say to your LORD and King, "I surrender all."  And if Christ cannot have all of us, we cannot have any part in Him.

Mr. Dan Wilson, My Friend

I am blessed as a Christian to be part of the body of Christ.  When God enlarges your heart with His love the circle of ones deeply loved extend far beyond the reaches of immediate family.  The connection made by Christ binds us with pure desire and mutual affection not only on this planet but for all eternity.  Moving overseas causes this circle to grow as your life begins to intertwine with others.  Distance, however, does bring hindrances.  No longer can I just drop by my parent's home, watch my nephews and nieces grow, or maintain family traditions I always enjoyed.  Life moves on at a frantic pace, and during my time in Australia life on earth for many of my dear friends has ended unexpectedly.

Yesterday I received word that one of my childhood friends, Dan Wilson, has passed away into eternity.  When I say childhood friend, you might suppose Dan was my age.  Dan was actually older than my dad, one of the very few adults I could ever call a friend of mine as a young boy.  I cannot say I have ever known a more kind and thoughtful man than Dan.  We had a point of connection he never forgot:  we shared the same birthdate, and I was told many times 29 August was the greatest day on the calendar to have a birthday.  For many years we attended the same church, and Dan always made a point to wish me a happy birthday and made me feel special even when our birthday was months away.

My favourite memory of Dan was when he and my dad were challenged by three older teenage boys to a wrestling match on the lawn in front of the church after evening service.  We kids ran around and gathered all our friends to witness the bout.  The anticipation and excitement was electric, and everyone was picking their winners.  For all the build up, the match was almost anticlimactic as the old timers demolished the competition.  My dad when in for a double-leg take-down and knocked the wind out of the oldest boy and rendered him incapacitated, and Dan in seconds had the other boy pinned on his back.  The third boy, seeing what happened to his cousins - with a hint of terror in his eyes - practically ran away when Dan with a wide grin pursued him.  Dan and my dad gained a bit of respect that night...from me, anyway. :)

When I heard of Dan's passing, I admit I selfishly wished he had not left this world so soon.  I so enjoy our chats and seeing him smile, and he has a way with that carne asada!  Dan had a huge heart, a ready smile, and gave for the good of others.  As I grieved I said, "Lord, I really would have liked to see Dan again."  And instantly I remembered that I will see him again in a place without pain, sorrow, suffering, or death, in a place in God's presence where Dan is rejoicing right now.  Praise the LORD for the consolation we have been given in Christ, that the death of the body for Christians is the gateway to eternal joy and happiness.  Our Saviour Jesus Christ said in John 11:25-26, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. ²⁶ And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?"  The resurrection of Lazarus and Jesus reveals the reality for all who repent and trust in Jesus.  He hasn't just pinned death to the ground, but He has killed it.  Thank you LORD Jesus for the hope we have in you.

Forgiveness For All

As I read through Luke 5 today and jotted down notes for this week's Discipleship Course at Calvary Chapel Sydney, I was blessed with many gems.  Priceless truth can be gleaned when we spend a little time carefully reading God's Word.  A single word has great power to shed light to our understanding, dispelling incorrect assumptions.

Take Luke 5:17, for instance.  It reads, "Now it happened on a certain day, as He was teaching, that there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting by, who had come out of every town of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was present to heal them."  As Jesus taught, Luke focused on the Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting by.  These men were eminent scholars, famous teachers themselves.  The following sentence should be a surprise to all - especially to those learned men - the power of the LORD was present to heal them.  Now these were likely able-bodied men, some having traveled great distances to hear Jesus.  They would have been offended to think they of all people needed anything from Jesus.  They were the masters, and here was this young man without any formal training who spoke gracious words with authority.

Little did they know an object lesson would be presented before them.  The power of the LORD was present to heal them, and during Christ's discourse suddenly dust and debris fell from the ceiling.  Shafts of light passed through swirling dust as the roof was uncovered and a paralysed man was lowered down.  Luke 5:18-19 says, "Then behold, men brought on a bed a man who was paralyzed, whom they sought to bring in and lay before Him. ¹⁹ And when they could not find how they might bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the housetop and let him down with his bed through the tiling into the midst before Jesus."  It was obvious the paralysed man was in need of physical healing, and a careful reading shows Jesus had the power and will not only to heal bodies but forgive lost sinners.  I expect the masters were annoyed to be thus intruded upon and all eyes were fastened upon the young Teacher who exuded infinite wisdom beyond His years.  Those judgmental Pharisees and self-righteous rulers of the Jews unknowingly saw themselves spiritually sprawled upon that dirty cot, for they saw themselves as blameless as they penned scathing critiques concerning the supposed blasphemous statements of Jesus.

Jesus said, "Man, your sins are forgiven."  Jesus healed the man before them all to show He indeed had power over sin, for it is sin which brought disease, sin, and death into the world.  There was a healing beyond the physical which was needed in every person in that room.  Jesus healed him, but there was power to heal and save them.  Later in the chapter Jesus was criticised for eating with sinners to whom He replied in Luke 5:31-32, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. ³² I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."  Only the power of the LORD can cleanse a man from sin, and the only means to receive this healing is through faith in Jesus Christ.  In sin we are all as that paralysed man, and Jesus looks upon us with compassion and grace.  Many think themselves in no need of a physician who are dying, and only those who see their need will seek healing.  Praise God Jesus has come, and through Him the power of God is present to save all!

Your True Identity

Your perceived identity can shape your destiny.  Our identity is often founded on temporary, transitory things like the opinions of others, our history, personal appearance, friends, and activities.  It is important as Christians we not hold to an identity based on the opinions of others or even ourselves.  If we will become all God desires we be, it is critical we see ourselves through His perspective.  Instead of fostering pride, walking according to our new identity in Christ is humbling and satisfying.

An angel came unexpectedly to Mary and said, "You are highly favoured among women, and the LORD is with you:  blessed are you among women."  The next verse reveals that Mary did not see herself this way.  Luke 1:29 says, "But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was."  She didn't say, "I knew it!  Finally someone else realises what I have known all along!"  She found the statement of the angel troubling even though it was the truth.  We can do the same.

Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress when the Angel of the LORD came to him and announced, "The LORD is with you, you mighty man of valour."  Gideon's perspective was quite the opposite and he questioned the veracity of the claim of the divine messenger.  Judges 6:13 says, "Gideon said to Him, "O my lord, if the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, 'Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt?' But now the LORD has forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites."  Needless to say, Gideon struggled and even resisted to agree with God's assessment of him and His plans concerning him..

Perhaps one of the most classic instances of people holding onto their own identity despite being at odds with God's assessment is Moses.  The Living God said to Moses in Exodus 3:10, "Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt."  For decades God had been preparing Moses to deliver His people from bondage in Egypt, yet Moses initially refused to budge.  He was the very man God planned to use to save the children of Israel, but Moses could not see it.  Exodus 3:11 says, "But Moses said to God, "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?"  God promised to be with Moses, but at that moment even that wasn't enough for Moses.

As Christians, our identity ought to be found in the person of Jesus Christ.  He demonstrated God's love for us through His death on the cross, and He rose from the dead in miraculous power.  The same Holy Spirit which came upon Him has filled all believers, and this should radically change the way we see ourselves.  It would be a grave error to distort this into a self-exalting or self-empowering theme.  In themselves Mary, Gideon, and Moses were unable to accomplish what God desired to do through them.  Each of these saints ultimately believed God's Word and walked in obedience to Him, and God brought deliverance and salvation through them.  When our eyes are fixed on Jesus and not on ourselves, then we can begin to live according to God's view of us.  God has great plans, and you can be part of them if you will trust and believe Him.

Matching Wine and Wineskins

People say it is what a person is on the inside which counts, and this is true.  This inner focus is likely pushing back against our human tendency to measure ourselves by externals.  We can obsess superficial and transitory aspects like the appearance of our body - the size of our nose or be self-conscious about a mole - more than the character of our hearts.  Jesus taught the words and deeds of a person is an extension of the inner reality:  out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks (Matt. 12:34).  We can conclude therefore both the heart and conduct of a person is important.  Man looks at outer appearance, but God looks at the heart.  If the heart of a man is right before God, he should take intentional steps to see his conduct and words reflect that reality.

Jesus told a parable in Mark 2:21-22:  "No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; or else the new piece pulls away from the old, and the tear is made worse. ²² And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins."  New fabric shrinks, and new wine expands because of the fermentation process.  One point Jesus is making here is how there should be an agreement between the torn fabric and the fabric used to make the patch; there must be agreement between the new wine coupled with new wineskins.  If new wine is placed into an old wineskin the production of carbon dioxide will cause the brittle wineskin to rupture and all the wine will leak out.  New wine requires a new wineskin.

When a Christian is born again through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, we are made new on the inside.  But we continue to live in a body of flesh saddled with a mind indoctrinated by the world and sinful habits.  A personal application for all to consider is a person who is born again must choose to live life in a new way according to God's Word.  A new spirit requires a new way of thinking, a new way of living.  Focusing on modifying behaviour without inner transformation is like buying a new wineskin for wine that has turned to vinegar.  Transformation within and holding onto the old life is untenable, like new wine in an old wineskin.  The old wineskin will burst and the wine will be wasted.  Like in the Parable where the seed fell on thin or thorny ground which sprang up yet remained without fruit, so it is for the professing Christian who is ensnared in worldly living.  Since God has changed us on the inside, we must be willing to continue changing on the outside too.

When a professing believer finds Christianity boring, reading the Word fruitless, and fellowship with believers tiresome, it may be that person has not been transformed within by the presence of the Holy Spirit.  He has laboured to appear as a new wineskin, but his original vinegar flavour has never changed inside.  Listen to what G.K. Chesterton says about the natural man and his appetites:

There comes an hour in the afternoon when the child is tired of 'pretending'; when he is weary of being a robber or a Red Indian.  It is then that he torments the cat.  There comes a time in the routine of an ordered civilization when the man is tired of playing at mythology and pretending that a tree is a maiden or that the moon made love to a man.  The effect of this staleness is the same everywhere; it is seen in all drug-taking and dram-drinking and every form of the tendency to increase the dose.  Men seek stranger sins or more startling obscenities as stimulants to their jaded sense.  They seek after made oriental religions for the same reason.  They try to stab their nerves to life, if it were with the knives of the priests of Baal.  They are walking in their sleep and try to wake themselves up with nightmares. (Chesterton, G. K. The Everlasting Man. San Francisco: Ignatius, 2008. Print. page 159)

People who become bored with Christianity and church resemble the pretender G.K. Chesterton speaks about.  It is not seen as strange a man should embrace the hobby of playing golf for years and sell his clubs to buy a bicycle, but people scratch their heads in disbelief when a man serves at church for years and walks away.  It is not for me to judge the hearts of others, but before God I am responsible to examine my own heart and conduct.  Is my inner man reconciled to my outer man?  Are my affections and desires in line with the will of my Father in heaven?  Too many professing Christians in word are not indeed Christians, for their conscience has been inoculated by their knowledge and service.  When we have increased the dose and we lose our buzz, the famished souls of men will search elsewhere.  Has following Jesus become stale?  Jesus Christ makes new creations, and a genuine new creation required newness of life.  Let us ensure our lives are reconciled to this truth.

Addressing Source or Symptoms?

Head colds are common ailments usually caused by viruses.  Symptoms include a sore throat, blocked or runny nose, and sinus pressure.  There are many over-the-counter medications which can alleviate the symptoms in varying degrees.  It is important for the sufferer to realise the runny nose is a problem and an irritation, but it is not the source of the problem:  the runny nose is indicative of a virus the body will overcome in due time.

It would be silly to think the source of the head cold was eliminated by jamming Kleenex in the nose or irrigating the sinus with a saline solution.  Treating the symptoms of a chronic illness or disease never touches the root cause.  It would be foolish to load up on caffeine to fight fatigue when the body is suffering anemia or heart disease.  Morphine is very good at numbing pain, but it does nothing to mend a broken bone or remove bowel cancer.  Unless the source is dealt with directly, all efforts to treat the symptoms will not promote healing or restoration.  Efforts to remove white patches off tonsils with a wire brush will only add complications to pain.  The alleviation of symptoms without discovering and addressing the cause is problematic as well, for it masks the insidious nature of the sickness which will continue to rage unchecked.

It may be we only want our symptoms relieved, but wisdom demands we discover the source of our symptoms and seek a genuine cure.  The symptoms of spiritual illness are often played out in the physical realm.  A lack of peace, joy, or contentment should be an impetus to seeking God and His counsel through the Word.  Waywardness of eyes and thoughts are often indicative of a wandering heart from steadfast faithfulness to God.  We can toil against the lusts of our flesh and eyes and not realise the problem is not with all the temptation offered in the world but the sin which sits enthroned in our own hearts.  We are called to guard our hearts, for from the heart springs all the issues of life (Proverbs 4:23).

Sinful conduct and habits is like a spiritually runny nose and fever:  it is an indicator something inside us is sick and in need of a physician's care.  It may appear passive to allow a virus run its course, but in truth the body is working overtime to see the viral threat destroyed.  God designed our bodies with an intricate defense system which identifies and attacks all threats to the health of the body, and God allows feelings we classify as bad, sickness, waves of depression, and circumstances so we might recognise our need to repent and refocus our trust on God once more.  It is not more self-control in one area we need, but to abide in Christ's love by making God's will our practice in all our lives.  Resist the urge to force superficial change in yourself by modifying behaviour without considering the implications of how your actions reveal your heart.  Unless a heart is humbled before God in faith and surrender, lasting transformation is not a viable option.  Efforts of the flesh to clean our exterior resemble a man with a fever who scrubs his inflamed tonsils with a wire brush - and that is an ugly picture indeed.

The Illegitimate Son

The strong negative stigma of having children or being born out of wedlock today has lost much of its former potency.  Not long ago even in western cultures children considered "illegitimate" or of dubious origin were mocked and shunned.  In the Bible we read that Jephthah was driven away from home by his brothers because he was the son of another mother.  Being deemed a bastard had legal consequences as well.  For instance, an illegitimate son could be denied an inheritance and could not be a rightful heir.  In Bible times there were strong consequences even in regards to worship.  Deuteronomy 23:2:  "One of illegitimate birth shall not enter the assembly of the LORD; even to the tenth generation none of his descendants shall enter the assembly of the LORD."  The exact meaning of the words translated "illegitimate birth" has been hotly debated by Jewish Rabbis, but the point is this:  the illegitimate nature of a person's conception had a far-reaching and often negative impact on life.

Even as a man and woman are necessary to conceive and bear children, so children have need of both their father and mother to raise them.  I cannot imagine how my life would have been impacted as a child without my dad or mum.  It used to be a boy who never knew his father was called a "child without a name," and I imagine the lack of a name would be the least of his worries.  I am grateful to have been raised by both my parents, but the day came when I left their immediate care.  Now I live on the other side of the world, and though the internet, technology, and modern transportation keeps us closer than has ever been possible, a divide remains.  A man need not leave a city, state, or country for a divide to exist.  The day comes when a son or daughter leaves home, embarks on a career, is married, and the nature of the parent/child relationship changes.  As much as a parent always wants to "be there" for their children, no one will live forever.  Praise God He has offered to be an eternal, heavenly Father who will always be there for His children.  He is not limited by distance or advancing age:  He provides, protects, and corrects us faithfully.

This morning I was listening to a message by Jon Courson and he reminded the congregation:  "Sin is not bad because it is forbidden; sin is forbidden because it is bad."  A good father who loves his son will discipline him.  If we have embraced a life of sin and are not under conviction or being chastised by God in a painful way for it, it may indicate we are not children of God at all.  Sobering words!  Listen to what Hebrews 12:5-8 says:  "...My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; ⁶ for whom the LORD loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives." ⁷ If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? ⁸ But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons."  People can be downright gleeful in their sin.  It may even seem for a prolonged season they are unaffected by sin which works for their ruin.  God loves all people, but those who have received His love through being born again by the Gospel, in His love He will swat us.  He will even allow us to go into oppressive captivity for a season, taken captive by Satan to do his will.  God ultimately inflicts sharp pain to correct His children - all working towards our ultimate restoration, deliverance, and refinement.  If we are bastards and not sons of God by the blood of Christ, then we cannot legally receive any inheritance of eternal life from Him.

Don't despise the chastening of the LORD, believer.  And we need not concern ourselves that God isn't chastening others as we think He ought.  Jesus is the Good Shepherd, and He knows very well how to manage His own flock.  He does not need advice from the sheep of how to best do this.  He is a loving Father who knows the hearts of  His children perfectly.  God knows the best way to discipline each one, and we must answer the call as His child to act as an obedient, reverent, and faithful child towards Him.  The words of Jesus to Peter when he asked concerning John ring in my ears as an appropriate application.  John 21:21-22 says, "Peter, seeing him, said to Jesus, "But Lord, what about this man?" ²² Jesus said to him, "If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me."  God is our good Father, and let us concern ourselves with being good sons and daughters.  Praise the LORD for His correction which prevents us from self-destruction!  It is better to be spared from future sin by pain now than for God to spare the rod and refuse to accept us as sons.  I would rather have a good Father who inflicts pain motivated by love than to live in my sin and suffer without help or hope.  What would you prefer?

Upheld by Love

As I reflect upon the trip I took to Cambodia in 2015, this image (courtesy of Vanny Phal, an amazing chemist and sister in Christ) is the one indelible memory of the trip.  To me it sums up the truth I realised in a very personal way.  I always want to be the strong one who helps others, but there are times when I am weak and need to be upheld by my sisters and brothers in Christ.  The sweet scene depicted in the photo played out for me as a literal parable.

During one of our medical clinics in a mountain village, I noticed this little man starting to fade into sleep as he patiently sat on the bench.  His mother was having dental work done, so his big sister picked him up, held him, and gently rocked him to sleep.  I watched amazed for over an hour as this little girl held her brother who was half her size without complaint or visible discomfort.  I had no idea how this scene would unfold in a personal way and in dramatic fashion.

After our time in Cambodia came to a close, we flew to Singapore before returning home to Sydney, Australia.  It was in Singapore I began to feel unwell.  It began with what I thought perhaps was hunger or indigestion, and I was glad to be boarding a flight heading home.  I had not been seated for a minute before I felt like it would be advisable to go to the toilet - just in case.  When I found the toilets locked, I leaned against a bulkhead to think and suddenly...I found myself lying on my back in an aisle, surrounded by concerned staff who asked me to tell them my name.  I had fainted and been unconscious for almost a minute!  After convincing everyone I was right as rain and was seated, I promptly fainted again.  I was deemed unfit to fly and wheeled off the plane utterly humiliated and disappointed to be denied passage home.  But I understood.  They did the right thing.

Eventually I did make it home, after being diagnosed with food poisoning.  What I haven't explained is how God used two women from our church who accompanied me on the trip to uphold me.  One of them literally caught me as I fainted so I didn't injure myself when I lost consciousness.  The other decided to stay with me in Singapore, denying herself the chance to fly home, so she could ensure our flights were quickly rescheduled and I was properly cared for.  You see, I was the little boy in the picture.  God provided two sisters in Christ to uphold me.  What I must remember is that I am still that little boy:  weak, frail, unable to be strong all the time, with genuine needs I cannot meet myself.  Just today I was so encouraged to hear from a sister in Christ that she is praying for me, upholding me and the ministry here in Sydney in prayer.

Sometimes God will use you to be the girl in the picture, but more often than we care to admit we resemble that little boy:  in need of love, care, and support.  Praise God for the family He has provided in Christ and all the support we receive we will never know about.  Thank you friends and family who faithfully support my family and me in countless ways.  God has made us a Body, the church, and when all its movements are governed by the love of Christ there is nothing more beautiful.

Reducing Belly Fat

I don't know how many different ads I have seen, but I've read belly fat can be reduced by a series of "weird tips."  It's a strange thing:  I have never seen an ad for removing fat from my hips, arms, or chest, but it appears we must make every effort to target that cursed belly fat.  The truth is, there are people who pay money to re-arrange their fat - to make parts of their bodies slimmer and other parts fuller.  I wouldn't have known sin without the mirror of God's Law, and I wouldn't have known belly fat was such a big problem without those ads constantly popping up.  I'm sure magazines and Photoshop doesn't help either.  And then there are my pants which always seem to be shrinking...moving on! :)

It occurred to me that even as we long to target our body fat selectively, so we can do the same with sin.  We can come to a place spiritually that as long as we can fit into our pants the growing belly isn't a big deal.  We might be a bit out of shape and breathless walking up a few stairs, so to speak, but at least we can wear clothes which conceal the truth from others.  Spiritually speaking, attempting to target a certain sin in isolation will not work.  We must be willing to commit to dietary changes and embracing of exercise so the entire body can benefit - not just our bellies.  We must allow His Word to pierce our hearts and bring our entire lives under the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ.  It is folly to say, "I'm happy for you to remove the fat I consider unsightly from my belly, but can't I keep a good layer on my arms and chest?"  It is telling that it is not the fat which jiggles under our skin, but the visceral fat which collects around our internal organs which is most dangerous.  Surgical removal of the subcutaneous fat may slim our waistlines for a season, but it doesn't make us healthy.

Visible sinful behaviour is evidence of sin in our hearts.  Sinful habits and choices are merely symptoms it is not well with our soul.  It is good when we recognise our need to change, and it is through repenting and walking in obedience to God according to faith in His word that our overall spiritual health begins to improve.  It is not just one area of your life that needs to change, for those who are born again by faith in Jesus are new creations!  All things have become new!  God has given us the opportunity of a new beginning, and we should joyfully seize it.  God desires much more for us than flat bellies and ripped abdominals, but a new heart, a biblical perspective, and a godly lifestyle.

Clean Your Plate!

The Bible provides spiritual milk and meat for the soul.  Those who teach God's Word have a duty of care to supply food for the soul, not empty chaff blown about by hot wind.  It would be a tragedy to have the tender fillet steak of God's Word available and set only bones before hungry souls.  Spurgeon wrote in Lectures to My Students, "Better far give the people masses of unprepared truth in the rough, like pieces of meat from a butcher's block, chopped off anyhow, bone and all, and even dropped down in the sawdust, then ostentatiously and delicately hand them out upon a china dish a delicious slice of nothing at all, decorated with the parsley of poetry, and flavoured with the sauce of affectation." (Spurgeon, C. H. Lectures to My Students: Complete & Unabridged. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Pub. House, 1954. Print. page 75)  The hypocritical Pharisees were ones who ignored the bread, meat, and Living Water offered by the wisdom of Christ and fought over the bones of the Law.  The Law is a meaty thing and bones have their place in hearty cooking, but to push aside meat to pick at the bones for the purpose of debate is to miss the whole purpose for why the Law was given.

Food is delicious and practical.  Without food and drink we would not be long for this world, and Jesus said His food was to do the will of the Father.  Jesus always did the will of the Father, and He offers eternal life to all who repent and follow Him in faith.  Christianity is not something to know - though it comes by knowledge - but it is a life to be lived in the real world.  Following Christ is practical, not technical.  Advancement in this world is often tied to education, knowledge, and performance, and it is a terrible error to think we advance spiritually in the same way.  Because education, knowledge, and works are part of the Christian walk it is easy to emphasise them and put the horse on the rider!  Many keen riders have been crushed by the heavy horse of legalism, and the pain of those powerful hooves are never forgotten!  Food is fine to look at, but it is not of any practical use until it is chewed in the mouth and digested in the belly.  Biblical truth is like a beautiful song to be danced to, not an assortment of instruments which can be separated into individual parts to be criticised and tweaked according to modern musical theory.  Theology is a science, but Christianity cannot be observed in a test tube.

I encourage all seekers of truth to consider that a Christian is not judged by God concerning his ignorance but if he has been obedient to what he knows.  A parent does not scold his child for leaving bones on his plate, but will see to it all meat is eaten before dessert is permitted.  God's truth must be adopted into our lives before we receive the reward.  To load your plate with food is like filling your head with knowledge:  it does us no practical good until the meat is voluntarily received and becomes part of us, fueling our thoughts and deeds.  We can know many technical aspects of doctrine and theology, but what matters most is our continual choice to practice loving, trusting, and obeying God.  We are called to love one another as Christ loves us.  We need to seek God about how He would have us demonstrate His love and actually do something about it which requires faith.  Knowledge is not the end, but a means to obtain wisdom.  If knowledge is our only end, we might not ever know God and be doomed to destruction.  This goes for the theologian, scholar, man on the street, you and me!

The Gift of Trust

I have been the happy recipient of the unexpected gift of trust.  It profoundly affected me.  Trust is something the world figures must be earned, but the impact of trust is greatest when it is all of grace.  Years ago I had an experience confirming this I will never forget.  The battery on my wife's car had gone flat, so during my lunch break I took it over to Viking Battery in Santee, California.  I knew the shop carried the type of battery I wanted.  When I walked into the tiny shop with a handful of batteries on display and a dog lazing on the dirty floor, it was far from the polished displays of conventional retail stores.

A friendly man (who I assumed to be the owner), supplied the battery I was looking for as I handed over my old one.  But as I pulled out my credit card to pay, he surprised me:  "Sorry, we don't accept credit cards here.  Only checks or cash."  I was flummoxed.  Having left my checkbook at home, I found myself in a bind.  Laura had already been without her car for the day and I didn't have time to return to pay.  To stretch the battery replacement to another day was a problem.  "I trust you," the man said.  "Tell you what:  take the new battery home and just send me a check in the mail when you can."  "Do you want me to leave my details or give you a business card?" I asked incredulously, wondering how this was a reasonable way to do business.  "No need," he said.  "I trust you."  I was dumbfounded.  The man didn't even know me, but he trusted me enough to make good on payment.  I thanked the man and left with my new battery.

I have never forgotten the man's gesture of goodwill and trust.  I did pay for the battery of course, and included a letter thanking him for trusting me.  Perhaps it was easier for the man to trust me because he did not know me.  Had I robbed him once he might have carried resentment and suspicion.  "Once bitten twice shy," the saying goes.  As a Christian, I am learning to extend grace like this man displayed - not trusting in the "good of humanity," but by actively trusting God. When I choose to entrust my circumstances and life to God, trusting other people can be an extension of my faith in God.  If we create a condition where trust can only be earned, we run the risk of creating an arbitrary, legalistic standard which is not obtainable by any means.  When I consider that God entrusted the keeping of earth to men, the scope of this phenomenal responsibility shocks me.  The fact God has entrusted a wife and children to me, given me ministry as a Christian and entrusted resources completely at my disposal is all of grace.  I never earned the right to have valuable souls entrusted to me, just like I did not deserve to walk out of the store with a new battery without paying.

Friends, I urge you to trust God.  Entrust you life and future into His capable hands.  He is able to protect, provide, and support you in every way.  May our lives be a beacon of God's grace, loving others and walking in obedience to the Spirit of God.  He is the One who binds our wounds and broken hearts so we can trust Him more.  You have received the gift of trust from God, though you did not ask for it nor deserve it.  Praise the LORD for His wondrous gifts and for His unspeakable grace.  Never forget that God is trustworthy!  Proverbs 3:5-6 says, "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; ⁶ in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths."  Trusting people may not always be profitable for business, but when it is borne of faith in God it is good.

Fellowship of His Suffering

Paul desired to be found in Christ so he might experience the power of Christ's resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings (Philippians 3:9-10).  He wanted to be conformed to the death of Jesus Christ so he could partake of His life and resurrection.  All men, Christian or not, are lured by a desire for power.  Most people would love to possess the miraculous power displayed in the life of Jesus Christ.  But very few people have any interest whatsoever to share in the sufferings of Christ.  All people suffer, and to increase our degree of suffering seems to have little upside from an earthly perspective.  It is important to recognise it is impossible to have the power of Christ without suffering with Christ.  And if you are content to have one without the other, there is a disconnect between God's will for your life and your own will.

When you think of suffering for Christ's sake, it is likely persecution which leads to suffering by unbelievers which comes to mind.  It actually goes far deeper than that.  When we choose to walk in love as Jesus did, we will suffer on all fronts.  You will experience the same feelings of rejection in sharing the Gospel with people who don't care as Jesus did when He invited people to follow Him and they refused.  You will understand a new depth of sorrow of watching people ignore biblical wisdom and destroy themselves with sin.  You will mourn over people who love to debate the truth which has never managed to impact their attitudes or choices.  How Christ suffered these same things Himself, called a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.  At the cross His pain could have stopped with that climactic moment in history, but no:  He rose from the dead as conqueror and overcomer, alive with a heart which loves, cares, and continues to feel profoundly.

Faith in Jesus Christ provides the power we can draw upon to suffer.  God's ministers suffer to a high degree in many ways, and Jesus gives the miraculous source of strength to persevere.  It is hard to lead Christians to the Living Water and watch them leave thirsty and despairing.  It is sad to offer the Bread of Life to a starving soul and watch them fade away into a spiritual coma.  It is sorrowful work to stamp out fires of the flesh when the desire of all believers is to see people baptised with the Holy Spirit and fire.  Jesus wept over Jerusalem because they refused His love, and it is a grief when we are reminded that  the nature of man towards the love of Christ or His ambassadors has not changed.  Love suffers long and is kind, and when our love reaches an end we can know it was our love, not God's.  It is shocking when the faithful follower of Christ becomes a prodigal, and to see them content with the companionship of swine with no desire to come home.

Yet this story of suffering and dying to self does not have a tragic end:  out of the terrible pain God brings new life!  Jesus suffering immeasurably on the cross for the sins of mankind, yet He rose glorified with healing in His wings.  Though we will suffer in this Christian walk, we have fellowship with God which brings wonder, joy, and contentment beyond price.  There are no shortage of encouragements and moments of ecstasy to see the light pierce through a darkened conscience, when the truth of the Gospel is received with joy and salvation comes to a household.  It is painful when people choose to leave the fellowship of the local church, but how lovely it is to see young lambs gamboling about!  The fellowship of Christ's sufferings makes these victories all the sweeter, and it is clear Jesus Christ is the author of these unspeakable joys.  It is His power which makes life worth living and to taste the sweet fruit of His sacrifice is a double blessing.

If you are in a season of suffering, do not despair:  fellowship with Jesus Christ is available to you through faith in Him.  He supplies the power to continue walking with Jesus.  Consider how Jesus suffered and that the Father never made Him suffer needlessly.  You need not suffer alone, for Jesus has opened His arms wide to you.  He will faithfully speak to you from the Bible.  The Father has sent the Helper and Comforter to indwell you.  He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it.  We will suffer upon the road, but Jesus will bring us to His glorious end.

The God Who Thunders

Whilst driving today I was caught in a massive downpour.  Traffic inched forward with very limited visibility as lightning flashed.  Asaph wrote in Psalm 77:17-18:  "The clouds poured out water; the skies sent out a sound; your arrows also flashed about. ¹⁸ The voice of Your thunder was in the whirlwind; the lightnings lit up the world; the earth trembled and shook."  There is something awe inspiring in the power of nature, and God put souls in men with the need to worship what is greater than themselves.  For this reason men have worshiped nature, the sun, moon, stars, and things God has made.  Men bow before their human idols in appreciation and admiration.  A violent storm cell brings men uniformly back to those common feelings which can become unfamiliar to us:  awe, fear, and the understanding we are small and our existence is precarious indeed.

As I cheered on God for the powerful display, my mind went to the passage in Psalm 29:1-6, a song of David:  "Give unto the LORD, O you mighty ones, give unto the LORD glory and strength. ² Give unto the LORD the glory due to His name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness. ³ The voice of the LORD is over the waters; the God of glory thunders; the LORD is over many waters. ⁴ The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is full of majesty. ⁵ The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars, yes, the LORD splinters the cedars of Lebanon. ⁶ He makes them also skip like a calf, Lebanon and Sirion like a young wild ox."  I have seen rain, hail, snow, lightning and heard booming thunder which pumps the adrenaline.  When the power of these elements are unleashed it brings people young and old to windows to admire and causes vehicles to pull off to the side of the road.  It is revelation of power so much greater than a man, and the power of God is far greater than this world.  This recognition of such power drives a man to worship.  It is his only response.  He must worship something; he cannot help himself.

Speaking for myself, I am convinced Asaph and David had it correct.  Skeptics would say those superstitious men of old foolishly attributed natural phenomena which can be explained scientifically to a "god."  But if the God who created and sustains the heavens and earth exists and does all things, couldn't He do a thing and reveal the science behind it to men?  To explain lightning does not mean mastery, and God has no master.  In light of His majesty I cannot just acknowledge Him with a wink or nod:  I must fall down before Him and worship Him as LORD over all.  It is foolish to worship the creature over the creator, and when God's power is displayed through the elements I impulsively worship my Maker.  Every man longs to be part of something bigger and greater than himself, some significant thing that will endure.  This desire is satisfied only in the worship and adoration of the great God of the Jews, the King of kings!  Nature itself bows humbly before Jesus Christ, for the wind and the waves obey Him.  Every man will one day bow the knee before Jesus Christ as well - some in worship and others at the prospect of His justice.  And a God who thunders like that...wow.  And thunder is compared to just His voice!  Think of it!

Chesterton and Comparative Religion

I have ramped up my reading of late and have been delighted with a book bought years ago but never actually read:  The Everlasting Man by G.K. Chesterton.  I encourage you to open and read your own books.  Many treasures sit unknown or forgotten on our own shelves as we place another online order of books.  Spread your branches far, but recognise depth of root is needed to support the growing weight of knowledge.  In the priceless gem that is Spurgeon's Lectures To My Students, he gave this exhortation:  “Master those books you have. Read them thoroughly. Bathe in them until they saturate you. Read and reread them…digest them. Let them go into your very self. Peruse a good book several times and make notes and analyses of it. A student will find that his mental constitution is more affected by one book thoroughly mastered than by twenty books he has merely skimmed. Little learning and much pride comes from hasty reading. Some men are disabled from thinking by their putting meditation away for the sake of much reading. In reading let your motto be ‘much not many.”

G.K. Chesterton was a journalist, prolific author, and brilliant thinker.  Those who tackle his books must be prepared for long paragraphs and deep thinking, but it is worth the effort.  In The Everlasting Man, Chesterton exposes many fallacies in thinking which impact the world today.  He exposes the "...habit of a rapid hardening of a hypothesis into a theory, and of a theory into an assumption."  (Chesterton, G. K. The Everlasting Man. 1925 ed. San Francisco: Ignatius, 2008. Print. page 75)  He explores the place of myth, legend, and comparative religion to the rational mind.  I was particularly intrigued by his claim that paganism is the only legitimate rival of the Church of Christ.  To introduce his point, Chesterton explained how Christianity is often and incorrectly lumped in with other religions:

Comparative religion is very comparative indeed.  That is, it is so much a matter of degree and distance and difference that it is only comparatively successful when it tries to compare.  When we come to look at it closely we find it comparing things that are really quite incomparable.  We are accustomed to see a table or catalogue of the world's great religions in parallel columns, until we fancy they are really parallel.  We are accustomed to see the names of the great religious founders all in a row:  Christ; Mahomet; Buddha; Confucious.  But in truth this is only a trick; another of these optical illusions by which any objects may be put into a particular relation by shifting to a particular point of sight.  Those religions and religious founders, or rather those whom we choose to lump together as religions and religious founders, do not really show any common character...In truth the church is too unique to prove herself unique.  For most popular and easy proof is by parallel; and here there is no parallel.  It is not easy, therefore, to expose the fallacy by which a false classification is created to swamp a unique thing, which it really is a unique thing.  As there is nowhere else exactly the same fact, so there is nowhere else exactly the same fallacy. (Chesterton, G. K. The Everlasting Man. 1925 ed. San Francisco: Ignatius, 2008. Print. pages 84-85)

I am glad God gifted men like Spurgeon and Chesterton to think deeply, logically, and communicate persuasively.  The truth of God lies in plain sight for all to receive and believe, and holding fast to Biblical truth is not faith against knowledge but according to it.  When you find an author who has a firm grasp of truth with genuine faith, those are the books to read.  There is no shortage of skeptics today who are most glad to inoculate others to truth with their skepticism.  Sowing doubt is their ultimate aim without ability to guide to truth.  They have no sure answers about anything - except they are right - and smugly adjust their agnostic badge.  I exhort all seekers of truth to go to the source of all truth:  Jesus Christ and the Word of God.  In this world you will find no parallel.

The Law and Grace

"I do not believe that any man can preach the gospel who does not preach the Law.  The Law is the needle, and you cannot draw the silken thread of the gospel through a man's heart unless you first send the needle of the Law to make way for it."

C. H. Spurgeon

A man must see the enormity of his sin and his offense before God before he can truly repent of it.  There may be many clever analogies used by preachers unfortunately without a basis in scripture, but this is not one of them.  Paul wrote, "I would not have known sin except by the Law." (Romans 7:7)  Sin is so natural to a human being we would never recognise it as wrong without the clean mirror of God's Law.  Without knowledge of sin there can be no repentance, and without repentance there is no hope for forgiveness or salvation.  A man must submit to the reality of his deadly disease before he will seek and receive the cure.  Unless a man submits to his condemnation under the Law, spiritual regeneration by the Holy Spirit - the Living Water Jesus spoke of - could not be received.

The truth of Spurgeon's claim is presented in a remarkable passage in the book of Numbers.  The children of Israel had been delivered by the mighty hand of God from Egypt, and God provided water from a spring in a miraculous fashion.  Numbers 21:16-18 says, "From there they went to Beer, which is the well where the LORD said to Moses, "Gather the people together, and I will give them water." ¹⁷ Then Israel sang this song: "Spring up, O well! All of you sing to it-- ¹⁸ the well the leaders sank, dug by the nation's nobles, by the lawgiver, with their staves." And from the wilderness they went to Mattanah..."  The Moabites had refused to provide the Israelites with water, but God would give them water.  He commanded them to gather together and sing.  God was the lawgiver who committed the Law to Moses who then passed God's directives to the people.  As the people sung in obedience and the nobles dug with their staves into the wilderness - which were symbols of authority - living water burst from beneath their feet.

Our hearts are naturally a dry wilderness, devoid of life.  It is significant God is called the Lawgiver, for the staff of Aaron which budded was proof of God's authority (Numbers 17).  God wrote the 10 Commandments on tablets of stone and effectively rendered the entire world guilty before Him (Romans 3:19).  The Law can only condemn and is compared to a schoolmaster which leads us by the hand to salvation through faith in Christ.  The Good News of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ is only good news when a man recognises he is damned and cut off without hope for eternity because of his sin.  When the Law breaks through the heart of stone of a guilty sinner, only then is the way cleared for repentance and salvation.  Drinking from the clear spring of Beer did not prevent eventual death for the thirsty Israelites, but Jesus promised Living Water who brings salvation in John 4:13-14:  "Jesus answered and said to her, "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, ¹⁴ but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life."  The needle of the Law makes the way for the Gospel, even as the staff directed by the Lawgiver made way for Living Water to flow forth.  Amazing truth from an awesome God!

Why Do You Weep?

God knows perfectly all motives and intentions of people.  We are called, as followers of Jesus Christ, to examine carefully ourselves with the probing sharpness of God's Word.  A splinter of wood covered by a callous of skin can be uncovered and removed only with a sharp instrument, and the sin which festers in our hearts is revealed by the sterilised scalpel of scripture in the hand of the Holy Spirit.  Our actions are more easily observed and judged than our motives.  Because it is outwardly visible our aim can be mistakenly on modifying our behaviour rather than dealing with the underlying sinful motive hidden within.  Man's tendency is to focus on relieving symptoms and with little thought of the root source.

Nothing is hid from God's sight, even when it is our motive in grief.  Tears do not fall from our eyes without a reason.  David recognised God's careful observance and divine documentation of his troubles and tears.  He wrote in Psalm 56:8, "You number my wanderings; put my tears into Your bottle; are they not in Your book?"  While this verse can be used to offer consolation to those who mourn and weep (and there is real comfort here), it is important we recognise not all tears are equal in God's sight.  There are tears flavoured with love and compassion for others, tears of repentance which mourn our sin before a holy God.  These tears are accepted by God.  But there are tears of self-pity, pride, hatred, and bitterness without the motive of love which are detestable and abominable, evidence of a heart opposed to God which only add to our guilt.

This fact is proved by Esau, a man who despised his birthright and was denied his blessing.  His only thoughts were for himself, his loss, and nursed a murderous grudge toward Jacob his brother (Genesis 27:38-41).  Further insight into Esau's weeping is seen in Hebrews 12:14-17:  "Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: ¹⁵ looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled; ¹⁶ lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. ¹⁷ For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears."  Esau wept much, but he did not weep tears of repentance.  He was sorrowful, but it was a work of the flesh.  His tears were the result of a sinful heart, and he was rejected - despite his show of contrition.  God knew his heart, and He knows our hearts too.

Consider the connection between God-honouring motives borne of faith and those of the flesh mentioned in Jeremy Taylor's classic book The Rules and Exercises of Holy Living:

Hezekiah repeated his good deeds upon his sick-bed, and obtained favour of God; but the Pharisee was accounted insolent for doing the same thing:  because this man did it to upbraid his brother, the other to obtain a mercy of God.  Zacharias questioned with the angel about his message, and was made speechless for his incredulity; but the blessed Virgin Mary questioned too, and was blameless:  for she did it to inquire after the manner of the thing, but he did not believe the thing itself:  he doubted of God's power, or the truth of the messenger; but she only of her own incapacity.  This was it which distinguished the mourning of David from the exclamation of Saul; the confession of Pharaoh from that of Manasses; the tears of Peter from the repentance of Judas:  for the praise is not in the deed done, but in the manner of its doing.  If a man visits his sick friend, and watches at his pillow for charity's sake, and because of his old affection, we approve it; but if he does it in hope of a legacy, he is a vulture, and only watches for the carcass.  The same things are honest and dishonest:  the manner of doing them and the end of the design makes the separation.

Holy intention is to the actions of a man that which the soul is to the body, or form to its matter, or the root to the tree, or the sun to the world, or the fountain to a river, or the base to a pillar:  for without these the body is a dead trunk, the matter is sluggish, the tree is a block, the world is darkness, the river is quickly dry, the pillar rushes into flatness and ruin; and the action is sinful, or unprofitable and vain. (Taylor, Jeremy. The Rules and Exercises of Holy Living. New York: E.P. Dutton. Print. pages 12-13)

Take care to examine your heart as well as your tears:  why do you weep?  Do your tears spring from a pure source, as when Christ wept over the city of Jerusalem, longing to gather the beloved of His soul?  These tears were evidence of great love.  Or is your spring of tears polluted with selfishness and spite as with Esau?  Only the LORD can give a man a new heart and purify our motives from within.  Invite the searching gaze of the Holy Spirit to examine your feelings and tears, for He is a faithful and true discerner of hearts.  Psalm 139:23-24 says, "Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; ²⁴ and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."