10 February 2010

A prayer for today and always...

Make Me Thy Fuel

From prayer that asks that I may be
Sheltered from winds that beat on Thee,
From fearing when I should aspire,
From faltering when I should climb higher,
From silken self, O Captain, free
Thy soldier who would follow Thee.

From subtle love of softening things,
From easy choices, weakenings,
Not thus are spirits fortified,
Not this way went the Crucified,
From all that dims Thy Calvary,
O Lamb of God, deliver me.

Give me the love that leads the way,
The faith that nothing can dismay,
The hope no disappointments tire,
The passion that will burn like fire,
Let me not sink to be a clod:
Make me Thy fuel, Flame of God.

- Amy Carmichael
(quoted from Start Where You Are, Swindoll, pg. 187)

07 February 2010

Hope for the Hopeless

Have you ever found yourself in a situation that seemed hopeless?  Bad situations often become worse.  It is easy to be burdened under stress and trials which churn out turmoil without end.  Perhaps you have been in an abusive relationship, as a child or an adult.  Maybe a loved one is dying with a terminal illness or you have been diagnosed with one yourself.  Your expectations have been crushed, your hopes shrouded in frustration and disappointment.  Hopelessness occurs when we measure our abilities against a scenario and find them wanting.  We are faced with the reality that we do not possess the power to create change in another person or situation.  How can we live in the face of our frailty and failures?

In the Bible the Answer to this question is given.  To this day, leprosy remains incurable yet treatable.  In the days of Christ, it included grotesque disfigurement of the body, living in isolation with others who were suffering like affliction, and certain death.  When one contracted leprosy there was no hope for restoration.  Luke 17:12-14 tells us an occasion in the life of Jesus Christ:  "Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off. [13] And they lifted up their voices and said, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!" [14] So when He saw them, He said to them, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed."  Jesus enters the village of these hopeless men, stricken with leprosy.  They stood afar off, but Jesus went to them.  This reminds me of Ephes. 2:13, though I'm a little ahead of myself:  "But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ."  From the depths of their hopeless situation they called out to Christ who was able and willing to bring healing to them as they obeyed.  Obedience to God does not mean we will be free from disease, but God is free to accomplish His will in our lives.  In this case, Jesus healed these men and changed their lives miraculously, dramatically, and completely.

Paul and Silas provide another example of a hopeless situation changed by the grace of God.  There was a fortune-telling slave girl who had a demon which Paul cast out of her in the name of Jesus Christ.  When her masters saw their hope of making money through her was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and the whole city was in an uproar.  They had delivered a girl from the enslavement of the demon but were incarcerated themselves.  Acts 16:22-23 says, "Then the multitude rose up together against them; and the magistrates tore off their clothes and commanded them to be beaten with rods. [23] And when they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely."  They were stripped, beaten severely, and thrown into prison.  This was a seemingly hopeless situation.  Paul and Silas were traveling through Macedonia and found themselves bleeding in a dungeon, chained in stocks, with their clothes ripped to shreds.

Instead of Paul and Silas bemoaning their situation or focusing on themselves, they praised God.  Acts 16:25 tells us, "But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them."  There was a great earthquake, the doors flew open, and all the chains were loosed.   Acts 16:27-34 says, "And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself. [28] But Paul called with a loud voice, saying, "Do yourself no harm, for we are all here." [29] Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. [30] And he brought them out and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" [31] So they said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household." [32] Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. [33] And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized. [34] Now when he had brought them into his house, he set food before them; and he rejoiced, having believed in God with all his household."

The prison guard prepared to fall upon his own sword, his life being forfeit if a prisoner had escaped.  To die by his own sword would be better than enduring the torture performed on those who failed in their duties as a Roman guard.  Paul called out, preventing the man's death.  The guard called for a light and said, "What must I do to be saved?"  At midnight in a Roman dungeon, he had seen the Light of Salvation shining brightly in these two bloodied prisoners who sang and prayed with all their might out of the darkness.  Paul explained that trust in Jesus Christ as LORD is the path of salvation.  Though Paul and Silas could have drowned in hopelessness and self-pity, they rejoiced and praised God who had given them life which they could share with others.  Notice that the passage ends with the guard rejoicing, "having believed in God with all his household."  The Bible is clear in teaching that Jesus Christ is God.  This passage provides ample irrefutable proof of that!  As Jesus says in John 14:6, He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.  No one comes to the Father except through Him.

As Christians, we live in a dark world that we are powerless in ourselves to change.  We see people everywhere sick in sin and without hope.  They numb themselves with alcohol, mask their depression with pills, cut themselves, binge, purge, hate, lie, and bounce from one abusive relationship to another.  These people go to church every Sunday morning.  There is hopelessness that creeps into our hearts when we think about the people we are forced to deal with, situations at work that will not change, sickness in a loved one, and broken relationships having split in divorce.  Tack on the earthquake in Haiti, starvation, exploitation of children and adults in the sex trade, addictions, racism, violence, abortion, and the downward spiral of morality in the world, and we can be overwhelmed!

The answer to hopelessness is Jesus Christ.  If we focus on the problems, we will never find the solution.  If we try to find the answer within, we find we are bankrupt.  Even if we had all the money in the world, we could not ensure children would not be beaten or molested, or that food would be provided for everyone.  Money does not buy happiness, nor can it buy hope.  But if Jesus could bring hope and healing to those lepers suffering from an incurable disease, He can bring hope and healing to you today.  Christ provides not only the answer but power for living through the Holy Spirit.  If God is able to bring hope and deliverance to men who were beaten and locked in a Roman dungeon, He can bring hope and deliverance to you right now.  If Jesus Christ could bring salvation and rejoicing to a Roman guard, He can bring salvation and rejoicing to you today.  He is not dead, for He is risen!  Jesus is not the God of the dead, but of the living.  He brings life and hope to all who trust in Him.

Praise Jesus Christ!  Pray with thanksgiving, for in Him we have the unfading hope of eternal life!  Do not be overcome with evil, but overcome evil with God.  Hopelessness comes from a perspective not focused solely upon Christ.  This is hope we can share with all who hunger and thirst for it!  May the words from the famous hymn ring true:  "My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness.  I dare not trust the sweetest frame but wholly lean on Jesus' name.  On Christ the solid Rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand, all other ground is sinking sand."

05 February 2010

Remember Peleliu

I've been watching "The War," a WWII documentary that aired on PBS some time ago.  I recognize the names of many of the places battles were fought from the ships I worked on in the shipyard like the Belleau Wood (WWI) Tarawa, and Peleliu.  The focus of a good part of the fourth DVD was concerning the battle of Peleliu.  An airstrip on Peleliu was heavily defended by the Japanese and the Major General of the 1st Marine Division believed the battle would be over in four days.  Though there was an intense offshore bombardment from battleships, cruisers, and carriers for days before landing on the beach, the Japanese positions remained virtually unharmed.  Of all the battles in the Pacific, it had the highest casualty rate for the U.S. armed forces.  What some thought would be quick and easy took over two months and with 1,794 Americans killed and 8,010 wounded.

As I watched the tragic history of the battle unfold, I thought of the spiritual warfare involved in foreign missions.  The Japanese were heavily armed, well-fortified and supplied, knew the topography of the island and the placement of traps, and were ready for any attack.  When a missionary goes into an area where God's Word has little or no foothold, one can be certain Satan will have many strongholds in that nation.  Some run with the "if God is for us who can be against us" cavalier mentality, and believe we can rush into battle, repeat some phrases or consult a book to obtain instant victory.  I mean, we've gone through Bible school and training!  This is God's will, that all would come to the knowledge of the truth, some flippantly say.  Why take this spiritual thing so seriously?  This expectation of easy victory has been the cause of neglect of prayer, disillusionment, the retreat, and even casualties.  Those who think they stand should take heed lest they fall.

Many of the Marines who landed on Peleliu were battle-seasoned, trial-tested men.  Yet Peleliu was a meat grinder for both sides.  Every American was at war, yet it was the men in the field that had a firsthand view of the horror of war.  It is the one in the field who will be on the front lines, and the one in the prayer closet that faces strongest attacks.  Satan will never relinquish his strongholds without a fight.  When I think of Australia and the pervasive spiritual climate of darkness, there is part of me that shudders because I know what lies ahead.  I don't know exactly, but I know it will be brutally tough.  It will be an absolute dogfight.  There is no romantic hue I can attach to physical or spiritual battle.  I know the battle is beyond me, but I am more than a conqueror through Jesus Christ.

If a man can give all and sacrifice his comfort for country, a Christian must be willing to give all for His LORD and Savior.  Jesus Christ provides not only comfort through the Holy Spirit, but the ultimate victory over sin and death.  It does us well to remember how our servicemen and women gave and give for the sake of country, and let us never forget the price Jesus paid with His own blood.  In light of what Jesus has given, could I ever give too much to Him?

01 February 2010

Fullness of Joy

Today as I was insulating pipes at the UCSD northern housing development, a smile spread across my face.  When we work as unto the LORD, there is no drudgery in it.  I realized working in the trade for me is a labor of love.  It is not that I love fiberglass clogging my pores, hitting my hardhat on pipes, or cutting the dickens out of my knuckle with a sharp hanger strap:  I love the job my God has given me to perform.  I want to please Him and be about the business He has granted to me as steward.

I thought to myself, I don't have to do this.  There's a lot of easier things I could be doing, things that are more comfortable and less strenuous.  Have you ever had to wear a hardhat, a respirator (dust mask), and safety glasses at the same time, climbing up and down a ten foot ladder hundreds of times a day carrying knives and cutting fiberglass?  It's a strange life, but one I wouldn't change because it's what God has given me to do.  It feels good to work hard, and serving God is hard work.  Paul made tents not as a hobby, but to support his ministry towards the Gentiles.

Jesus did not have to do the good things He did.  He did not have to heal people, perform miracles, teach the multitudes, hold little children, or go where the diseased and lepers were.  He was never forced to do anything.  But He lived to please His Father in heaven, and His Father was well-pleased with Him!  Jesus told His disciples, "These things I say to you that your joy may be full."  Jesus had this fullness of joy and was therefore able to give it to others.  Our joy is full when we walk in obedience to the Father, fully pleasing Him.  Paul wrote in Colossians 1:9-12:  "For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; [10] that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; [11] strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; [12] giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light."

The joy Jesus brings does not depend on circumstances.  Joy is not obtained through a girlfriend, a new car, a dream job, or your team winning the Super Bowl.  Jesus is the source of true joy, and it is received when we walk in the Spirit and abide in Him.  Like Paul, we can be in prison and sing heartfelt songs of praise.  We can be thankful and filled with joy when we are coated with a thick layer of itchy fiberglass.  We can rejoice without knowing all the answers, resting in the fact God is our Father and we are His precious children.  He gives us eternal life, and no one can snatch us from His hand.  Praise Him!