I remember my dad reading from Norman Rockwell's Christmas Book when I was a kid. One of the stories in the book is called "Christmas Every Day" by William Dean Howells. A man tells his daughter a story about a little girl who wished every day was Christmas. To her initial surprise and delight, her wish became true. But it was not long before she was so tired of everything having to do with celebrating Christmas - the packages, food, and activities - that she wished it would never be Christmas again! Everyone was sick from eating candy, turkeys were so scarce hummingbirds were being used as substitutes, people lost their tempers from the stress, and everyone was dirt poor. The moral of the story is the conclusion that Christmas is very special because it is one day a year, and that is enough. It is possible to have "too much a good thing."
As a believer and follower of Jesus Christ, it is possible to appreciate and thank God for Christ's coming to earth every day out of the year. Real life does not have to be suspended for me to rejoice that Jesus came to mankind to seek and save the lost. With how commercialized the holidays have become it would be unreasonable to "celebrate" them daily. Today is "Thanksgiving" in the United States, and happy Thanksgiving to all my family and friends back home who will be gathering for a special meal, desserts, maybe some football, and prayers of thanksgiving to God for our country and all the blessings He has graciously bestowed upon us. It is my personal favorite because it is a scriptural holiday that gives glory to God. One of my pet-peeves is when people call Thanksgiving "Turkey Day." Instead of focusing on giving God thanks, it places great value and emphasis on a stupid bird over the Creator of the universe. That is something man excels at, worshiping the creature over the Creator.
Though the celebration of Thanksgiving in America is based upon the historical events of the Pilgrims and American Indian's first meal together and giving thanks to God, this is a holiday for all people for all time. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 reads, "Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." When the cultural stuff is stripped away from traditional celebration of Thanksgiving, the most basic elements are: rejoicing, prayer, and thanksgiving. This sums up Thanksgiving very well. Psalm 118:1 says, "Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever." God always remains good, and His mercies are new every morning. Whether we are poor or rich, whether Dallas beats the Saints, even if we have no one to share a meal with on Thanksgiving day, God deserves thanks. When the Grinch stole all the Christmas presents from Who-ville Christmas came just the same. We can have Thanksgiving without turkey, football, and pumpkin pie. We should gave thanks to God for everything every day, every moment of the day. That is the will of God for each of our lives.
Today and every day, may we give God thanks for His goodness and mercy toward us. Take time to think over how wonderful God is and all He has done. Let us rejoice with the Psalmist in Psalm 136:1-9, 23-26 (but read the whole passage if you can): "Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. 2 Oh, give thanks to the God of gods! For His mercy endures forever. 3 Oh, give thanks to the Lord of lords! For His mercy endures forever: 4 To Him who alone does great wonders, For His mercy endures forever; 5 To Him who by wisdom made the heavens, For His mercy endures forever; 6 To Him who laid out the earth above the waters, For His mercy endures forever; 7 To Him who made great lights, For His mercy endures forever--8 The sun to rule by day, For His mercy endures forever; 9 The moon and stars to rule by night, For His mercy endures forever...23 Who remembered us in our lowly state, For His mercy endures forever; 24 And rescued us from our enemies, For His mercy endures forever; 25 Who gives food to all flesh, For His mercy endures forever. 26 Oh, give thanks to the God of heaven! For His mercy endures forever."
25 November 2010
23 November 2010
The Big "If"
Small things can make a big difference. When baking bread, cakes, or cookies, a small omission of salt or baking powder will make a tremendous impact on the outcome. All the ingredients work together with the heat of the oven to rise properly and form the correct consistency. One little teaspoon of salt missing from the batter can have disastrous results!
Little words in the English language have great power. Take the word "all," for instance. In three letters everything can be lumped together. Every person in the world, every rock in the universe, every star in the heavens, every molecule and atom are included in "all" things. Another huge word is "if" when used in a conditional sense. Galatians 6:9 reads, "And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart." The immediate context of the passage is teaching the principle of sowing and reaping: if we sow to the flesh we will reap corruption, and if we sow to the Spirit we will reap life everlasting. The passage above states that when we do good without growing weary we will reap IF we do not lose heart. This reveals it is possible to do good and not reap benefits because we have given up. The KJV version says, "...in due season we shall reap if we faint not." Faint literally means "to relax." When we stop laboring for God's glory and relax, we will backslide and lose ground.
How tragic to plant a big field of crops, tend the field, guard from pests and destructive animals, and lose heart before time to reap. Much labor, time, and expense would be wasted if farmers relaxed during the reaping phase. Farmers work from dark in the morning to dark in the evening to harvest their crops. As we travel through this life following Jesus Christ, by His grace our lives will be transformed. This is a process called sanctification in the Bible. Every day we have the choice to sow to the flesh or sow to the Spirit. We can invest ourselves in the temporal, perishing things of this life on earth or we can labor for the glory of God. It is hard work to raise a field of crops, and it is also hard work to keep our lives clean from sinful influence. Like leaves that continually blow into the pool, sinful thoughts and attitudes drift into our hearts and need constant removal. Many people start the race, and far less people finish than begin. Why? Because they lose heart when faced with struggles, trials, and hard work. They choose worldly relaxation instead of spiritual rest in Christ.
Instead of focusing on the negative - the big "if" in this passage - it would be fruitful for us to consider the positive. When we do good and live for God, we will reap bountifully. There is great reward for following Jesus Christ faithfully. I know when I was little, I wanted instant results when I planted seeds in the ground. Every day I would look at the bare earth where the seeds had been planted and wonder if they would ever grow! After a few days or a week passed I wondered if it was really worth the effort of keeping the soil moist. Maybe the seeds weren't growing! Maybe it was all a waste of time! But when good seed is planted in soft soil in the right conditions, it will grow and be fruitful. Sometimes we labor to walk in obedience to God and wonder if the struggle is worth it. God's Word is good seed, and though there may be little visible growth at times we can KNOW we will reap a great crop. A lot of growth occurs unseen under the surface. As we abide in the Vine Jesus Christ, we will be fruitful for His glory.
In this life we can grow weary, but we can be sustained by the power of the Holy Spirit so we will be strong to persevere. Jonah 2:7 reads, "When my soul fainted within me, I remembered the LORD; And my prayer went up to You, into Your holy temple." It took Jonah reaching his lowest point before he remembered the LORD and cried out to Him. God delivered Jonah from the belly of the great fish, and God will deliver us from our apathy, foolishness, and vices when we seek Him. Sometimes we can be lulled into thinking we are sufficient in ourselves. We might see fruit forming in our field and think the time for hard work is over. We must continue to wait on the LORD and sow to the Spirit so we will be able to reap for God's increase. When our hearts are devoted to God and the performance of this will, our hearts are guarded from pride and sin. We will reap, if we faint not!
Little words in the English language have great power. Take the word "all," for instance. In three letters everything can be lumped together. Every person in the world, every rock in the universe, every star in the heavens, every molecule and atom are included in "all" things. Another huge word is "if" when used in a conditional sense. Galatians 6:9 reads, "And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart." The immediate context of the passage is teaching the principle of sowing and reaping: if we sow to the flesh we will reap corruption, and if we sow to the Spirit we will reap life everlasting. The passage above states that when we do good without growing weary we will reap IF we do not lose heart. This reveals it is possible to do good and not reap benefits because we have given up. The KJV version says, "...in due season we shall reap if we faint not." Faint literally means "to relax." When we stop laboring for God's glory and relax, we will backslide and lose ground.
How tragic to plant a big field of crops, tend the field, guard from pests and destructive animals, and lose heart before time to reap. Much labor, time, and expense would be wasted if farmers relaxed during the reaping phase. Farmers work from dark in the morning to dark in the evening to harvest their crops. As we travel through this life following Jesus Christ, by His grace our lives will be transformed. This is a process called sanctification in the Bible. Every day we have the choice to sow to the flesh or sow to the Spirit. We can invest ourselves in the temporal, perishing things of this life on earth or we can labor for the glory of God. It is hard work to raise a field of crops, and it is also hard work to keep our lives clean from sinful influence. Like leaves that continually blow into the pool, sinful thoughts and attitudes drift into our hearts and need constant removal. Many people start the race, and far less people finish than begin. Why? Because they lose heart when faced with struggles, trials, and hard work. They choose worldly relaxation instead of spiritual rest in Christ.
Instead of focusing on the negative - the big "if" in this passage - it would be fruitful for us to consider the positive. When we do good and live for God, we will reap bountifully. There is great reward for following Jesus Christ faithfully. I know when I was little, I wanted instant results when I planted seeds in the ground. Every day I would look at the bare earth where the seeds had been planted and wonder if they would ever grow! After a few days or a week passed I wondered if it was really worth the effort of keeping the soil moist. Maybe the seeds weren't growing! Maybe it was all a waste of time! But when good seed is planted in soft soil in the right conditions, it will grow and be fruitful. Sometimes we labor to walk in obedience to God and wonder if the struggle is worth it. God's Word is good seed, and though there may be little visible growth at times we can KNOW we will reap a great crop. A lot of growth occurs unseen under the surface. As we abide in the Vine Jesus Christ, we will be fruitful for His glory.
In this life we can grow weary, but we can be sustained by the power of the Holy Spirit so we will be strong to persevere. Jonah 2:7 reads, "When my soul fainted within me, I remembered the LORD; And my prayer went up to You, into Your holy temple." It took Jonah reaching his lowest point before he remembered the LORD and cried out to Him. God delivered Jonah from the belly of the great fish, and God will deliver us from our apathy, foolishness, and vices when we seek Him. Sometimes we can be lulled into thinking we are sufficient in ourselves. We might see fruit forming in our field and think the time for hard work is over. We must continue to wait on the LORD and sow to the Spirit so we will be able to reap for God's increase. When our hearts are devoted to God and the performance of this will, our hearts are guarded from pride and sin. We will reap, if we faint not!
22 November 2010
From Dry Bones to New Life
"And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. 4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away." 5 Then He who sat on the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new." And He said to me, "Write, for these words are true and faithful."
Revelation 21:3-5
The context for this passage is a time when God will create new heavens and a new earth because the first passed away. The Bible teaches us that a day is coming when He will dissolve this world and all the works and sin within it. All who have rejected Christ will face eternal damnation, and all those who have repented of their sins will spend eternity with God in the new heavens and earth He creates. Because of sin, no person is a stranger to pain, sorrow, crying, sickness, and death. How wonderful it is to realize that God makes all things new! He does not just remove pollution, sickness, or feelings. He makes new, and in what is new is no trace of what was old. Outside of the realm of time what is made new remains new, for it cannot grow old.
But is this promise of God only meant to be applied to life in heaven? No! But unfortunately, many Christians live as if that is the reality. We have all been there. A dog returning to his vomit may well describe our life at the moment. We can be tricked to willingly drown in depression, disappointment, and disillusionment brought through belief of Satan's lies. He would tell us such a promise does not apply to us, that we are too far gone for such a change to take place. We have struggled with sin too long, our faith is too small, and we do not deserve such a blessing. The fact is we have struggled with sin too long, our faith is small, and we do not deserve such a blessing. But God has promised to give new life to all who repent and trust in Christ by His grace! That is the wonder of the Gospel! Completely unworthy of life, we can receive new life through Christ. God will make us new from the inside today if we will ask Him believing in His promise.
Perhaps you cannot bring yourself to believe this. There have been times when you were sure you were changed but before long you found yourself back in a pit dug dug with your own hands. The only way to combat such deep-rooted doubt bred into us through sin is through confrontation with the truth of God's Word. Are you familiar with the passage in Ezekiel 37 concerning the valley of dry bones? God brings Ezekiel in the spirit to a valley full of dry bones and asks him, "Son of man, can these bones live?" Ezekiel said something I would not have said. I would have said, "Obviously not!" He said to God, "O LORD God, you know." There is no potential for life in such a thing as dry bones, at least from our human perspective. But to God, the one who Creates from nothing, nothing is too hard for Him.
God tells Ezekiel to prophesy to the bones and they were covered with sinews, flesh, and skin. God caused these bones to stand up resurrected and breathed life into them. They stood on their feet and were an "exceeding great army." The purpose of this vision was a sign of what God would later do: Ezekiel 37:12-14 says, "Therefore prophesy and say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "Behold, O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. 13 Then you shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your graves. 14 I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the LORD, have spoken it and performed it," says the LORD." God's people would know He was the LORD when He opened their graves. He would put His Spirit within His people, and He would bring them into their own land.
After Jesus died on the cross, His dead corpse was placed in a tomb carved out of stone guarded by Roman soldiers. Three days after His death, Jesus would rise from the dead. But did you know something wondrous happened at the moment when Jesus died on the cross? The veil of the temple was torn top to bottom, there was an earthquake, and Matthew 27:52-53 confirms the word spoken in Ezekiel: "...and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; 53 and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many ." Can these dry bones live? Yes they can! God has granted us access into His presence through the person of Jesus Christ. After the resurrection of Christ, men and women long dead came out of their opened graves and appeared to many! After Christ's ascension into heaven, He sent the Holy Spirit to fill His followers on the Day of Pentecost. It was about 60 years ago when Israel was made a nation once again and were brought into their land.
Without Christ, we are dead bones: dead spiritually and condemned to die eternally. But God is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance and be born again. Just because you have made a commitment to follow Christ, it will not be easy to walk in this newness of life. We can be tempted to go back to old habits, old ways of thinking, the ways we used as coping mechanisms before we were transformed through the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 6:3-6 reads, "Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin."
Once God opened the tombs and raised those saints from the dead, they didn't remain in the graves but came forth as Lazarus. Those who have been born again have now been raised from death to life. Satan frantically works to deceive us to crawl back into our graves, isolate ourselves from God's help in self-pity, and roll the stone back over the opening to shroud us in darkness! Many believers are in this pitiful state. They have listened to and believed the lies of Satan rather than the truth of God's Word, condemning themselves when Christ has redeemed them! Can these dry bones live? YES! Praise be to God, He makes all things new. His mercies are new every morning, and He grants us perpetually the promise of new life in Him.
Are you sick of your life? Are you weary of the stench of death when God has made you alive? Only God can give you this victory. Cry out to Him for new life for He has said, "I make all things new." A man said at this week's conference, "Because of this conference, we will never be the same." That's just the kind of talk that disillusions people, for the emotional feelings will fade over time. It is because of Christ we have been made new. We don't ever have to be without Him and the power of renewal again! Conferences will come and go, songs of worship have a beginning and end on earth, but fellowship with our Savior is for eternity. New life can only be found in Him!
21 November 2010
The Word Conference
Last night me and two mates took the red-eye from Perth to Sydney following the weekend conference at Calvary Chapel Albany. We all were blessed by messages and testimonies from pastors Raul Ries and Bill Welsh, as well as from Ryan Ries of The Whosoevers. The common qualities between these men are a genuine love of God, compassion, and a contrite spirit. Whether they shared passages from scripture or detailed events of their lives, the power of Jesus Christ to save and deliver was central. Being grounded and obedient to the Word of God was another uniting point of every discussion.
I was not only able to spend quality time with my traveling buddies Ian and Paul, but also met a lot of great people like Russ, Bruce, Luke, Bryan, and many more. The more I travel around Australia the more I am struck by the fact we serve the same God. We come from different backgrounds with different accents and roles in the Body of Christ, but we love and honor the same LORD. It's amazing how powerful the Gospel of Jesus Christ is, and how it has remained unchanged since the very beginning. What was Good News then is STILL Good News now. The message never grows old because this world is still full of sinners who need forgiveness and new life in Christ. Because there are more people on the world than ever, the need for salvation grows bigger by the day.
There will likely be a string of posts borne out of this conference as I consider what God is showing me. He still wants to completely change and revitalize my relationship with Him. Am I willing to grow in faith, obedience, and prayer? Am I willing to believe that what God has promised He is able to perform? Because of Christ we are never destined to remain in a rut or repeat past mistakes. Our God makes all things new. This promise is not only for those who have just made a commitment to follow Christ. God desires to bring a newness to the way you approach God, a freshness to His Word, and graft into our hearts a renewed desire to please Him and fall back into love with Him again. He wants our dry eyes moistened with divine affections, and our hearts to be full of love for Him and the lost. We are not doomed because of our past, not even by what you did yesterday or today. Because of Christ, we now have a future. Will we live for Him?
I was not only able to spend quality time with my traveling buddies Ian and Paul, but also met a lot of great people like Russ, Bruce, Luke, Bryan, and many more. The more I travel around Australia the more I am struck by the fact we serve the same God. We come from different backgrounds with different accents and roles in the Body of Christ, but we love and honor the same LORD. It's amazing how powerful the Gospel of Jesus Christ is, and how it has remained unchanged since the very beginning. What was Good News then is STILL Good News now. The message never grows old because this world is still full of sinners who need forgiveness and new life in Christ. Because there are more people on the world than ever, the need for salvation grows bigger by the day.
There will likely be a string of posts borne out of this conference as I consider what God is showing me. He still wants to completely change and revitalize my relationship with Him. Am I willing to grow in faith, obedience, and prayer? Am I willing to believe that what God has promised He is able to perform? Because of Christ we are never destined to remain in a rut or repeat past mistakes. Our God makes all things new. This promise is not only for those who have just made a commitment to follow Christ. God desires to bring a newness to the way you approach God, a freshness to His Word, and graft into our hearts a renewed desire to please Him and fall back into love with Him again. He wants our dry eyes moistened with divine affections, and our hearts to be full of love for Him and the lost. We are not doomed because of our past, not even by what you did yesterday or today. Because of Christ, we now have a future. Will we live for Him?
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