Goads and Nails

"The Preacher sought to find acceptable words; and what was written was upright--words of truth. ¹¹ The words of the wise are like goads, and the words of scholars are like well-driven nails, given by one Shepherd."

Ecclesiastes 12:10-11

During a recent phone conversation with my dad, he drew my attention to this passage.  For much of his life my dad has both preached the word and worked as a carpenter.  Let's say he knows the difference between a well or poorly-driven nail!  In this passage King Solomon uses two illustrations to state the value and purpose of a discourse built on biblical truth.  God did not provide us His Word so we might merely observe, but so it could do a work in us.  Both goads and nails are used for work.  Both are honed to a sharp point to be effective.

A goad is a sturdy long stick sharpened to a point of either wood or iron which is used to guide and motivate cattle through discomfort.  As oxen pulled a plow, the farmer would stand behind them and administer a firm nudge with the goad to urge the oxen forward.  The goad moved an ox to perform work when he would rather stand around and graze.  God's Word is a call to service and action.  The Holy Spirit uses it to prompt us to do things we wouldn't naturally do.  When confronted with the supernatural wisdom of God and conviction through the Holy Spirit, we are taught and urged to action.

Nails are made in many shapes and sizes but all have a single purpose in construction:  to hold building materials tightly together.  There are roofing nails, finish nails, duplexes, nails for pneumatic guns, and nails for paneling, siding, and lath.  Though nails may be made out of different metals and have a variety of shapes and sizes, they are designed for a particular job.  A carpenter might even blunt the tip of a nail before driving it to keep wood from splitting.  As a carpenter chooses the right nail for the job, a preacher carefully chooses words to hold his discourse together and have the appropriate impact.  It takes anointing and teaching of the Holy Spirit to rightly divide the Word of truth.

The world goads us into sin, while Christ guides us into righteousness.  He is the Good Shepherd who protects, guides, teaches, and provides for us.  His words are like goads and sharp nails which always accomplish the work He intends in our lives.  As we faithfully hold forth God's Word as led by the Spirit, we too can use words which will touch hearts and keep people from wandering from the truth.  Isaiah 55:11 says, "So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it."  God goads us when we need it, and uses the right nails in the correct way to do work in and through us.  He meets the needs of each one of His sheep.  I wonder:  what wisdom is God speaking to you right now?

Failing God

God never fails!  What He establishes will stand, for His Word endures forever.  The only way I can fail God is if He fails me, for any good in me springs from Him! Though man is feeble, frail, and makes mistakes in abundance, a Christian is not to view himself as a failure.  A dead man cannot fail because a dead man cannot do.  It is God who works in us both to will and do according to His good pleasure.  A man sees himself as a failure when he believes God depends on him in some way, or that he is able to help God in his own strength.  The reality is God has raised me from death to life in Him.  If we are disappointed in ourselves it shows we have trusted in our own strength.  God is the one who makes the dead rise alive for eternity, and it is in Him we live, breathe, and have our being.  What He has cleansed, redeemed, empowered, and indwelt we should not call a failure.

Praise God He does not condemn us as sinners after He has paid our debts through His shed blood!  Church ought to be a place not where sinning is promoted, but where sinners are welcome.  God does not fault us for being ourselves, yet He does not free us from the responsibility to live in holiness:  "Be holy, for I am holy."  He whom Christ sets free He sets free indeed - not only from sin and death, but from guilt and shame.  Let us follow Jesus confident in Him as we humbly trust!  Can we fail if it is He who does the work?

Behold What Manner of Love!

When I look carefully at the diamonds in my wedding band, a random rainbow of color gleams from each stone.  As the light passes through the gems, light is reflected in a board spectrum of beautiful color.  Each facet of the diamond is a tiny window to amazing beauty.  In a similar but grander way, when we take time to look upon the character of God as revealed in His Word God's beauty is revealed to our eyes and hearts.  The indescribable grandeur of God's holiness, mercy, faithfulness, and grace leaves us powerless to do anything but thank and praise Him.

Lately for me the facet of God's character which has come into more clear focus is God's love.  The first part of 1 John 3:1 reads, "Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!"  I believe we do well to do the first thing:  "Behold!"  We ought to consider, understand, and seek to know what manner of love God has lavished upon us.  To think quickly or in passing is not beholding:  it is not only to engage the eyes but the heart.  When Pilate brought Christ after being scourged before the angry mob wearing the crown of thorns and purple robe the governor said, "Behold the man!"  How people must have stared into that beaten, bloodied, suffering, unrecognizable face!  People no doubt cringed at the sight.  But they still looked upon Him:  God made flesh came as a suffering servant to seek and save the lost, not willing any should perish.  As Jesus walked in obedience to the Father, why would He suffer so?  Because of love for His Father and us.

The only way man could be redeemed and have his sins atoned for was by the precious shed blood of the righteous Lamb of God.  God has bestowed such love upon us at His own expense:  Jesus endured the shame, humiliation, and suffered as a sinner yet without sin, and the Father endured the sacrifice of His only begotten Son without intervention so we might be called children of God.  Romans 5:6-10 reads, "For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷ For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. ⁸ But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. ⁹ Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. ¹⁰ For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life."  Jesus rose from the dead, proving His power over sin, Satan, the flesh, and death.  In one moment Christ revealed love of such potency and magnitude that for eternity we will be praising Him.

The willing sacrifice of Christ, though monumental, is merely a gleaming facet of the great love He has towards all people.  His active, eternal love is constantly pursuing and seeking acceptance from all.  Love so great demands awe-inspired praise, worship, and eternal adoration.  We are only mindful of the smallest amounts of God's love and grace:  how much deeper it reaches!  Behold God's love for you today with renewed enthusiasm and appreciation.  John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."  How wonderful that we rebels have obtained by God's mercy and grace Living Water from the Rock of Salvation and live forever as sons of the Most High!  Behold such love in wonder and reverence!

Quote from Principles of Spiritual Growth

Occasionally I will scan the titles of books in my personal library.  I am always amused when I find a book I do not recognize.  Somehow I manage to acquire books without my knowledge due to family, friends, or the gently used book fairy!  Anyway, yesterday I picked up Principles of Spiritual Growth by Miles J. Stanford.  I'm in the middle of a couple of massive puritan tomes, so the narrow spine in addition to the title was inviting.  Though I've read a few chapters, I don't feel like I've read too much of Stanford because he quotes other people very often.  But I like Stanford very much because he knows an excellent quote when he sees one!

The first three chapters are titled, "Faith," "Time," and "Acceptance."  These three things alone are critical aspects to spiritual growth in Christ.  In my own life I must say these are three primary areas of struggle because they are fundamentally contrary to our natural man:  we want to trust ourselves, we want things according to our schedule, and we kick against the goads of grace.  How important that our faith is in Christ according to the Word of God!  Even in Bible teaching churches people willfully remain under the Law, reject the grace of God, and only trust when the odds based on appearance are in their favor.  What sorrows Christians pierce themselves through when they will not take God at His Word!

God's grace is so hard for us to grasp because it is not of an earthly, tangible nature.  Grace is a divine attribute only found in God.  We resist receiving because we cannot believe.  We cannot believe because we see our unworthiness, yet God's grace gives love in spite of our wretched condition!  An ounce of grace liberates a man to love and serve God more than a ton of Law.  Stanford quotes William R. Newell on pages 20-21 concerning grace:

"There being no cause in the creature why Grace should be shown, the creature must be brought off from trying to give cause to God for his Grace...He has been accepted in Christ, who is his standing!  He is not 'on probation.'  As to his life past, it does not exist before God: he died at the cross, and Christ is his Life.  Grace, once bestowed, is not withdrawn:  for God knew all the human exigencies beforehand:  His action was independent of them, not dependent upon them...

The Proper attitude of Man Under Grace:  to believe, and to consent to be loved while unworthy, is the great secret....To refuse to make 'resolutions' and 'vows'; for that is to trust in the flesh.  To expect to be blessed, through realized more and more lack of worth...To rely on God's chastening [child training] hand as a mark of his kindness....

Things Which Gracious Souls Discover:  to 'hope to be better' [hence acceptable] is to fail to see yourself in Christ only.  To be disappointed with yourself, is to have believed in yourself.  To be discouraged is unbelief, -as to God's purpose and plan of blessing for you.  To be proud, is to be blind!  For we have no standing before God, in ourselves.  The lack of Divine blessing, therefore, comes from unbelief, and not from failure of devotion....To preach devotion first, and blessing second, is to reverse God's order, and preach law, not grace.  The Law made man's blessing depend on devotion; Grace confers undeserved, unconditional blessing: our devotion may follow, but does not always do so, -in proper measure."

Let us examine ourselves to see if we are in the faith.  Let us also consider if we are growing in grace as we follow our Saviour Jesus Christ!  Thank God He gives us exactly what we need!