After our family eats breakfast every day, we read a daily devotional called "Keys for Kids." Today's story was about a group of boys who made the habit of cutting the corner of a block by walking across a lawn. At first there was no evidence of their path on the turf, but toward the end of summer there was a clear trail of damaged grass. This brought to mind my own lawn. Mail carriers in Australia are called "posties," and instead of delivering mail on foot they ride small motorbikes. Because there is no fence around my lawn, the postie has made a habit of cutting the corner of our property. As I mow the lawn I cannot help but notice the deep ruts his tires have cut when he traverses the lawn in wet weather. The more he cuts the corner the deeper the track goes.
Our habits, whether good or bad, have repercussions. If a man habitually uses tobacco, his body inside and out will present evidence of that fact. In the same way, if someone is a weight-lifting enthusiast his muscle tone and strength will not be easily hidden. When I think about the postie cutting through my lawn, I am struck by the fact his habits affects me and my ability to have a nice lawn. It is a wise thing to consider that the habits we form and perpetuate can have long-lasting affects not just on ourselves, but on our spouses, children, and friends. Our habits can encourage and inspire or weaken and tear down.
Instead of looking at "habits" as being generally bad, we ought to work to cultivate and maintain good habits. Scripture affirms this with the exhortation found in 1 Corinthians 15:33: "Do not be deceived: "Evil company corrupts good habits." Habits can be good, and we must be mindful that our good habits are not corrupted. The word "corrupts" here means "to wither or shrivel." The slow process of atrophy hides the reality from our casual glance. We can be deceived to think that our associations and choices will not affect our good habits. A little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough, and a little compromise can endanger the survival of good habits!
Titus 3:8 reads, "This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly, that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men." May we take this to heart and choose our habits carefully!
07 August 2011
The LORD is Able
It's wonderful to witness the power and provision of God at work in another person. It's even more incredible when you have firsthand experience yourself of God speaking through His simple yet miraculous ways. Sometimes a simple impression on my heart through reading the Word or a coordination of events undeniably confirms just what I've been thinking or feeling. This week I had a lovely reminder of how God will provide for me and my family.
It began with God challenging me to trust Him in the area of finances. We all know that God "owns the cattle on a thousand hills" in our brains, but we can falter when it means giving by faith. As I sought the LORD's direction through prayer concerning giving, I came across an appropriate passage in 2 Chronicles 25. King Amaziah had hired men from the tribe of Ephraim as mercenaries and paid them 100 talents of gold, a kingly sum. A prophet of God visited Amaziah and told him not to allow the men of Ephraim to fight alongside the warriors of Judah, because God was not with them. 2 Chronicles 25:9 reads, "Then Amaziah said to the man of God, "But what shall we do about the hundred talents which I have given to the troops of Israel?" And the man of God answered, "The LORD is able to give you much more than this." Amaziah asks the prophet, "But what about my money? What about the loss of my investment?" The prophet shot back, "God can give you much more than this."
Upon reading this passage, in my heart it was confirmed what I must do in the area of giving. I took confidence in God and His Word and made a decision to follow through. Money will come and go, but the Word of the LORD will endure forever. I would have been happy with only this passage, but God gave me two more reminders of His faithfulness to provide. Later in the day I opened my bank account and saw that we had received a financial gift from friends. The words used to describe the transaction which grabbed my attention in all caps: "GIFT FROM GOD." How cool is that? Immediately after logging onto the site, I called my bank and spoke to one of the representatives. At the very end of the conversation in a very offhand way she said, "Oh, I see your savings account is at 4.75% How about I raise that for you to 5.75% for three months?" I hadn't asked for gifts, I hadn't asked for a better interest rate. But in His natural, supernatural way, to me God said this: "See? I haven't forgotten about you, and I will provide for your needs. Trust me!"
How awesome is our God! He doesn't promise us earthly riches, for all of this worldly system will someday pass away. But God uses it to show us how much more we need to trust and rely upon Him to supply those needs. Jesus has gone to prepare a place for us in heaven, and we ought to spend the remainder of our days on earth obeying and glorifying Him. Our God is one who lives, sees, provides, and speaks. Our God is able! I close with the benediction of Ephesians 3:20-21: "Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, 21 to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen."
It began with God challenging me to trust Him in the area of finances. We all know that God "owns the cattle on a thousand hills" in our brains, but we can falter when it means giving by faith. As I sought the LORD's direction through prayer concerning giving, I came across an appropriate passage in 2 Chronicles 25. King Amaziah had hired men from the tribe of Ephraim as mercenaries and paid them 100 talents of gold, a kingly sum. A prophet of God visited Amaziah and told him not to allow the men of Ephraim to fight alongside the warriors of Judah, because God was not with them. 2 Chronicles 25:9 reads, "Then Amaziah said to the man of God, "But what shall we do about the hundred talents which I have given to the troops of Israel?" And the man of God answered, "The LORD is able to give you much more than this." Amaziah asks the prophet, "But what about my money? What about the loss of my investment?" The prophet shot back, "God can give you much more than this."
Upon reading this passage, in my heart it was confirmed what I must do in the area of giving. I took confidence in God and His Word and made a decision to follow through. Money will come and go, but the Word of the LORD will endure forever. I would have been happy with only this passage, but God gave me two more reminders of His faithfulness to provide. Later in the day I opened my bank account and saw that we had received a financial gift from friends. The words used to describe the transaction which grabbed my attention in all caps: "GIFT FROM GOD." How cool is that? Immediately after logging onto the site, I called my bank and spoke to one of the representatives. At the very end of the conversation in a very offhand way she said, "Oh, I see your savings account is at 4.75% How about I raise that for you to 5.75% for three months?" I hadn't asked for gifts, I hadn't asked for a better interest rate. But in His natural, supernatural way, to me God said this: "See? I haven't forgotten about you, and I will provide for your needs. Trust me!"
How awesome is our God! He doesn't promise us earthly riches, for all of this worldly system will someday pass away. But God uses it to show us how much more we need to trust and rely upon Him to supply those needs. Jesus has gone to prepare a place for us in heaven, and we ought to spend the remainder of our days on earth obeying and glorifying Him. Our God is one who lives, sees, provides, and speaks. Our God is able! I close with the benediction of Ephesians 3:20-21: "Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, 21 to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen."
03 August 2011
Forget Not!
"Bless the LORD, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name! 2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: 3 who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases, 4 who redeems your life from destruction, who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, 5 who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's."
Psalm 103:1-5
It is God's will that sin would not reign in our mortal bodies. Because of this fact it is reasonable to conclude it is God's will that sickness, a product of original sin, would not reign in our mortal bodies either. While we agree to the first statement our faith can waver with the second. How can this be? What happens when God's Word seems to contradict our experience? Should we trust what we see with our eyes or the naked Word of God?
Our God is a God who forgives all our iniquities, heals all our diseases, and redeems our lives from destruction. Perhaps we falter at believing God's Words because the answer does not take the form we think it should. We think of healing as being the freedom of pain and limitation. I need not look further than Jesus Christ to know that He was limited in a body of flesh and experienced much sorrow and pain. Yet He was a partaker of the benefits of the same God who offers them freely to all who repent and believe.
I do not believe this scripture means that we will ultimately be forgiven from our iniquities or eventually be healed of our diseases. This is a promise to be entered into today! Our sins can be forgiven today, and today can be a day of healing and deliverance. Romans 6:8-14 reads, "Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: 9 Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. 10 For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. 11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. 12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. 13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. 14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace." Christians have been freed by the dominion of sin through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
I have an insightful book called Indwelling Sin in Believers by Puritan John Owen. He explains well the internal conflict of a Christian Paul discusses in Romans 7. When we are born again through grace and faith in Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit, we are justified before God. Our sins are forgiven and we are clothed with the righteousness of Christ. But does that mean we are perfect? No! Because our souls reside in a body of flesh, we will undoubtedly sin. The good we do is because we are dead and Christ lives through us. Romans 7:17 reveals a remarkable truth when we sin after justification: "But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me." In the way that sin should no longer govern our lives, sickness is no longer to have dominion over us! Our God forgives all our iniquities and heals all our diseases!
Does this mean that God-fearing people are guaranteed bodies that will never experience physical illness or pain? No. It is God's will that none should perish, yet there are many who do. There are many who are sick, but God has the power and desire to heal every one. Do you let your circumstances, emotions, or physical condition reign over you? Sickness can plague our bodies, but you are not to be governed by your sickness: we are now governed by Jesus Christ, the Healer of both body and soul! Choose to place your faith in Christ and believe the truth of the Bible!
Let us not forget the benefits of Jesus Christ freely bestowed upon those who rely upon Him. Does sin, sickness, or despair have dominion over you today? Our strength is not derived from the food we eat, but from the Saviour Jesus Christ who IS our life! Ephesians 6:10 says, "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might." Look to Jesus as LORD and King, for there is healing in His wings.
01 August 2011
Dolphins, Ants, and Bees
An article on CNN.com caught my interest yesterday written by Kaj Larsen. In the waters of San Diego (my hometown), the U.S. Navy trains dolphins and sea lions to counter the threat of combat divers and marine terrorist attacks. Quoting from the article, "While it seems strange that in this digital era, there's such a seemingly lo-fi approach to guard the Navy's most sophisticated and expensive assets. But according to Rothe, nothing in today's hi-tech world can compete with these mammals' biosonar abilities." Five times the CNN reporter tried to swim across the bay both on the surface and using scuba gear, only to be found and tagged by either a dolphin or sea lion. It's amazing that bottlenose dolphins have natural biosonar which is far superior to any device engineered by man.
I find it astounding that most people in the world believe that dolphins evolved this "biosonar" from some other species, developing these incredible abilities by random chance over time. Being a Christian, I am convinced by the overwhelming evidence that both man and animals have been designed by God, a Divine Being with intelligence not fully comprehended through any amount of technology or research. Compare the human eye made by God with the glass eye made by man. Both are functional, but serve different functions. Their only similarity is they both fill the eye socket and at a cursory glance appear similar. But how different they are! A natural eye can focus with amazing clarity and range while the other is an inanimate object without life.
It is neat how humans can train animals, but I think it more amazing that animals have the intelligent capacity to be trained. Even crazier still, many animals work amazingly without being trained! As I watched bees buzzing from flower to flower yesterday, I wondered how they know exactly where the flowers are, how to gather the pollen, and how to find their way back home. Hundreds of thousands of ants hurried along my back fence in the sun, carrying their eggs for whatever reason. There is an intelligence given them by God to do the things they do. Insects have small brains, but they have determination, focus, and efficiency that puts us big-brained humans to shame. I don't believe there was ever a day when ants and bees didn't fulfill their function for the good of their colonies. King Solomon wrote thousands of years ago in Proverbs 6:6-8: "Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise, 7 which, having no captain, overseer or ruler, 8 provides her supplies in the summer, and gathers her food in the harvest."
God, in His unfathomable wisdom, uses the foolish things of the world to confound the wise. I need look no further than ants, bees, and dolphins to know that there is amazing intelligence and wisdom among things which are created. There are too many other examples to count! In all that is created there is wisdom revealed of the glorious Creator who has made all things. I will spend the rest of my earthly days in awe of the glory of God revealed in nature, and all of eternity as well!
I find it astounding that most people in the world believe that dolphins evolved this "biosonar" from some other species, developing these incredible abilities by random chance over time. Being a Christian, I am convinced by the overwhelming evidence that both man and animals have been designed by God, a Divine Being with intelligence not fully comprehended through any amount of technology or research. Compare the human eye made by God with the glass eye made by man. Both are functional, but serve different functions. Their only similarity is they both fill the eye socket and at a cursory glance appear similar. But how different they are! A natural eye can focus with amazing clarity and range while the other is an inanimate object without life.
It is neat how humans can train animals, but I think it more amazing that animals have the intelligent capacity to be trained. Even crazier still, many animals work amazingly without being trained! As I watched bees buzzing from flower to flower yesterday, I wondered how they know exactly where the flowers are, how to gather the pollen, and how to find their way back home. Hundreds of thousands of ants hurried along my back fence in the sun, carrying their eggs for whatever reason. There is an intelligence given them by God to do the things they do. Insects have small brains, but they have determination, focus, and efficiency that puts us big-brained humans to shame. I don't believe there was ever a day when ants and bees didn't fulfill their function for the good of their colonies. King Solomon wrote thousands of years ago in Proverbs 6:6-8: "Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise, 7 which, having no captain, overseer or ruler, 8 provides her supplies in the summer, and gathers her food in the harvest."
God, in His unfathomable wisdom, uses the foolish things of the world to confound the wise. I need look no further than ants, bees, and dolphins to know that there is amazing intelligence and wisdom among things which are created. There are too many other examples to count! In all that is created there is wisdom revealed of the glorious Creator who has made all things. I will spend the rest of my earthly days in awe of the glory of God revealed in nature, and all of eternity as well!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)