Independence through Dependence?

I am about halfway through reading the memoirs of A.E. Wilder-Smith called Fulfilled Journey.  He concisely describes his observations as to the cause of the "disintegration" of the modern education system.  A couple of sentences stood out to me:  "School is too often no more than a means for the manipulation of opinions and the leveling of society for ideological reasons.  It is no longer for training in independent thought and the formation of one's own opinions based on facts and data.  In such a school system the development of an independent personality is neither possible nor desired." (Fulfilled Journey, Wilder-Smith, pg. 202)  I heartily endorse and agree with this observation as being true to my experience.  In my university days it seemed the focus was more on freedom of speech and expression rather than freedom of thought.

I appreciate A.E. Wilder-Smith's perspective because he is a scholar, scientist, an intellectual, and also a Christian.  A common misconception in the world today is this breed cannot possibly exist.  If someone confesses belief in God and that the Bible is the inspired Word of God in some people's minds is the equivalent of a complete lobotomy.  But history shows that the exact opposite is true:  some of the most independent and intelligent minds believed in the existence of God and the veracity of scripture.  Jesus is the prime example of independent thinking.  Have you read the Sermon on the Mount?  Jesus Christ, the man who claimed to be God-made-flesh, trumped the Law based upon His own authority, and rightly so.  He dashed the teachings of the scribes and Pharisees with supernatural wisdom.  He did not come from their schools of theology, but Jesus crushed them over and over until they were afraid even to question Him.  When Jesus was crucified, rose from the dead, and ascended into heavenly glory, even then the light of truth did not pierce the darkness of their hearts and minds.

The idea that schools once were "for training in independent thought and the formation of one's own opinions based on facts and data" was almost a startling revelation.  When I attended university, it was elementary for me to deduce between what was taught and what was believed.  It was not long before philosophy teachers no longer taught philosophy, but proudly displayed their own philosophy as the standard.  Biology and geology presented a similar experience:  we were never taught how to think scientifically or do the work of a scientist, but to accept as fact only what actual scientists had already discovered.  To pass the course, one only needed to regurgitate information.  Ironically, every year or so the books were reprinted as new editions with changes and adjustments to accommodate recent scientific discoveries which rendered old facts obsolete.  Our knowledge was limited to textbooks written according to the consensus of scientists much smarter than us or even our professors.  Are professors allowed to teach independently of material they believe inaccurate based on facts - the same facts which will be rendered obsolete in mere months?  Not if they want to keep their jobs.

Should we desire to develop an "independent personality?"  The answer will differ based upon your worldview.  If you believe that God has created all human beings in His own image individually with unique talents, gifts, and insights, the cultivation of an independent personality should be expected.  But if you believe that we exist based on the random activity of chemicals, energy, from data that somehow appeared and assembled itself over time, an independent personality does nothing to aid evolutionary progress.  I am convinced that the most independent people are those most dependent on God.  They do not need to fear the consequences of being fired for their insolence to oppose the status quo, for these people do not even fear death!  Christians are those who historically have joyfully faced the prospects of deprivation, loss of all things, even loss of life, for the excellency of the knowledge of our God and Saviour, Jesus Christ.  Paul states in Philippians 3:8-9, "Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ ⁹ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith..."

Man manipulates, but God convinces.  He does not shout from the heavens, "Believe me or else!"  In Isaiah 1:18 He says through the prophet, "Come now, and let us reason together," says the LORD, "though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool."  Jesus came to earth and allowed the best and brightest of the world to take their shots:  He overcame every one.  God does not force, but He draws us by His lovingkindness.  He does not burden us with rules or ideology (though man is only too happy to oblige!) so we might stay in His favour, and will not crush us if we have questions or struggle to understand.  John 8:31-36 says, "Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. ³² And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." ³³ They answered Him, "We are Abraham's descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can you say, 'You will be made free'?" ³⁴ Jesus answered them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. ³⁵ And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. ³⁶ Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed."  Praise God for allowing us to be free:  free to think and speak, free to act, and free to live for His glory.  You will never know freedom until you are freed by Christ.

Somebody to Love?

Love is the ultimate pop-culture icon.  The word and associated baggage are tramped around on a global stage, saturating music, movies, and all media.  In the English language, "love" is a word so generic that the meaning has been diluted and virtually lost.  "Love" has been reduced to the vague description of a feeling or a sexual act, a complete abandonment of the biblical description.  Forget God, sing musicians:  love is all you need.  But what is love without God?  What is our basis of love?  Is it really nothing more than a casual excitement of glands?  How does the world's idea of love differ from God's?

The Yardbirds sang long ago, "For your love I would give the stars above...For your love I would give you all I could."  It is hard for us to detach love from sex, something which stunts our concept of love greatly.  On one hand the Yardbirds were vying for physical intimacy, while at the same time petitioning for the affection and loyalty.  Is it honorable to offer a bribe for love, even as money is offered to a prostitute for services rendered?  How different from Christ is this offer!  Jesus did not offer things He could not give (though He owns the stars and calls them all by name!).  Romans 5:8 says, "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."  Love sacrifices without guarantee.  Love is not contractual.  Real love is not, "You give me your love, and I will then give you diamond rings and things brought to your door."  Love is free and of grace.

Justin Bieber's hit "Somebody to Love" runs in a similar vein.  He pleads over and over again, "I just need somebody to love."  Playing on the natural desire on doting fans to BE loved, he tantalizingly portrays himself as one who longs to love - but hasn't found someone to lavish his love upon.  "I need somebody...I don't need nothing else, I promise girl, I swear, I just need somebody to love."  What rings hollow about this love is that it is an impersonal, false counterfeit.  Justin is looking for "somebody" - not you and definitely not me!  But will anyone do?  We are left uncertain.  Real love doesn't hold back for approval.  God's love is unlimited and infinite, not solely for "someone," but offered freely to all!  John 3:16 reads, "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."  Justin sings about needing somebody to love:  I wonder if he needs someone to love him?  Do you need someone to love you?

Queen's song sums up the feelings of many people, but misses the forest for the trees.  The first verse goes, "Can anybody find me somebody to love? Each morning I get up I die a little, can barely stand on my feet. Take a look in the mirror and cry, Lord what you're doing to me! I have spent all my years in believing you. But I just can't get no relief, Lord!  Somebody, somebody!  Can anybody find me somebody to love?" (punctuation mine)  The longing to love and be loved go hand in hand.  While Queen's focus is on the physical aspects of love, there is a clear ignorance of God's love!  Jesus is somebody to love who loves us with an everlasting love, and through lovingkindness has drawn us to Himself (Jer. 31:3)!  Man does not need more love than God can give.  God's love satisfies completely, surpassing the love of men and women.  All God has done is lavish His love upon unworthy, sinful, ignorant men like myself.  "Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so."

God is not waiting to prove His love to us:  Jesus did that on the cross.  God is not waiting for us to accept His love before He offers it to us:  it has been offered already to all.  We cannot earn His favor, nor gain the worthiness to receive it through the bribes of "good works," because God's love is a gift to be received.  We can only reciprocate.  How does the Bible describe this active, sacrificial love?  1 Corinthians 13:4-7 says, "Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; ⁵ does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; ⁶ does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; ⁷ bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."  Love never fails.  Unless you know Jesus Christ personally, you cannot comprehend this love.  You have never experienced it, and you cannot give it.  But you may have it!  If you will submit to receiving the love of God through repentance and faith in Christ, your life will then be marked by this transforming love.

Are you looking for somebody to love?  More importantly, are you willing to receive God's love through faith in Jesus Christ?  It is only through the power of God that we can love how we were designed and intended to.  1 John 3:16 states, "By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren."  Instead of giving you stars, flowers, diamonds, God saw fit to shed His own blood for you (Acts 20:28).  That's real love, and it's really awesome!  Receive His love today!

Give All to God

When driving yesterday I saw a bumper sticker which read, "Yes, this is my truck. No, I will not help you move."  Everyone who has owned a truck or ute knows well the high demand of friends and acquaintances to use it!  I once had a friend who was so tired of people asking to borrow his truck to help them move that he bought a fiberglass cover for the bed!  The usefulness and practicality of moving greatly reduced, he rarely had to deal with requests.  When he wanted to move something, it was no trouble for the top to be removed again!  Most people don't buy a truck hoping every weekend someone will borrow and load it with sand, bricks, or furniture.  The bumper sticker emphasizes the perspective that my things are for me, not for you.

This is the common philosophy of the world:  my things are mine.  In the Russian fable of the Little Red Hen, she planted, watered, tended, harvested, threshed, milled, and used the wheat to make flour into bread that only she ate because only she had worked on it.  My grain, my bread.  But the Christian perspective is to be completely different.  We are called to recognize that all things we have - even our own lives - are not our own but a gift from God to be willingly, joyfully, given back to Him.  Did the little red hen create the earth, provide the sun, and engineer the water to cause her wheat to grow?  Did she give herself life?  Did the ability to work originate in herself?  Was she instrumental in the creation of the wheat to cause it to bear seed so it might produce more wheat?  All along God provided and created the means for bread to be baked to satisfy her hunger.  Your life is a gift from God not to be used for yourself, but for the glory of God.

When God gives you a gift or talent, it is not primarily for you.  God did not gift me to write and teach so I could become a famous millionaire:  He has gifted me so others will come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ to the glory of God.  We Christians are to make God's name famous!  He has given me life and a certain amount of time on this earth not for me, but for Him to work in and through me for His glory.  1 Corinthians 6:19-20 reads, "Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? ²⁰ For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's."  Our ability to see, hear, speak, think, work, and do is intended by God to be used with Him and others in mind.

Has God granted you spiritual gifts?  See that you use them faithfully for the glorification of God and the edification of the Body of Christ, the church.  Has God committed time, finances, talents, and abilities to your trust?  These were never intended to bolster your self-esteem or give you confidence in yourself, but that you might commit them completely to the use of your Heavenly Father.  Instead of using your talents to draw attention to yourself, all talents are to be invested to bring glory to God.  If God has given you a truck, be open to helping people move.  If God has given you skill in fixing computers, baking, cleaning, writing, singing, running, tutoring, being a good listener or anything else, commit what you have into the hands of Jesus for Him to use.  It may cost you a little petrol or a scratch here or there, but using what you have to glorify God is better than hiding it in a garage and only gathering dust!  What good will a shiny ute be on the Day of Judgment?

Can you imagine if Jesus had the philosophy of the Little Red Hen?  "I planted the seed, I cut the corn, I took it to the mill to be made into flour, and I made the bread, all by myself. I shall now eat the loaf all by myself."  The pig, the duck and the cat all stood and watched as the little red hen ate the loaf all by herself. It was delicious and she enjoyed it, right to the very last crumb."  Jesus is the Bread of Life.  He could have kept Himself all to Himself.  He could have denied us because of our sin, faithlessness, and open rebellion against God.  Instead, Jesus operated in love and grace.  He is not willing that any should perish, and takes no pleasure in those who are starving in soul and heading for eternal destruction because of sin.  Jesus did nothing of Himself (John 8:28), but acted and spoke according to the will of the Father.  If Jesus should so willingly give His life for us sinners, shouldn't we freely give ourselves for His use?

Commit your life to God today.  God has given you all that you have, and has made you all that you are.  It may seem as insignificant as five loaves and two fish, but think of how many thousands were fed when that little bit was committed to the hands of Jesus!  The results are not your responsibility.  He will do the work.  Be open and allow God to use all He has given you for His glory.

G. Campbell Morgan Quote

Reading is something I do every day.  I am always in the middle of several books in addition to the Bible.  Over the years I have either purchased or acquired books that I have yet to read.  There are some books I read every couple years of so, like Charles Spurgeon's Lectures to My Students, Foxes Book of Martyrs, and a 1st edition copy of J. Oswald Sander's book Spiritual Leadership.  I also have some large sets which were purchased as an investment because of the incredible price I am still working through.  One of these is a 10-volume set titled The Westminster Pulpit which feature the preaching of G. Campbell Morgan.  Slowly and surely I intend to read through the thousands of pages still unread in my library.

I read a passage this morning I thought was very beneficial.  G. Campbell Morgan was preaching on the conversation of Jesus Christ with two distraught, disillusioned disciples on the road to Emmaus.  It is my pleasure to share a portion of this illuminating message with you.

What were the things that He said?  Nothing new.  I am increasingly impressed with this.  He did not bring to them any new message.  It was the old, so said as they had never heard it said before.  "Beginning at Moses and all the prophets He interpreted to them in the scriptures the things concerning Himself..."

...Then when He took their prophets one by one, how wonderful to hear Him explain, and how marvelous the rapture of their heart as they heard Him tell how all the prophets led up to the Messiah Who died just as they had seen that Man die, of Whom they had been speaking so kindly.  As they listened to Him they would find out that he was David's King, "fairer than the children of men"; and in the days of Solomon's well-doing He it was that was "altogether lovely."  He was Isaiah's child-king, with a shoulder strong enough to bear the government, and a name Emmanuel gathering within itself all excellencies.  He was Jeremiah's "Branch of Righteousness, executing judgment and righteousness in the land"; Ezekiel's "Plant of renoun," giving shade and shedding fragrance; Daniel's stone cut without hands, smiting the image, becoming a mountain, and filling the whole earth; the ideal Israel of Hosea "growing as the lily," "casting out his roots as Lebanon; to Joel "the hope of His people and the strength of the children of Israel"; the usherer in of the great vision of Amos of "the plowman overtaking the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed"; and of Obadiah the "deliverance upon Mount Zion and holiness"; the fulfillment of that of which Jonah was but a sign; the "turning again" of God of which Micah spoke; the One Whom Nahum saw upon the mountains publishing peace; the Anointed of Whom Habakkuk sang as "going forth for salvation"; He Who brought to the people the pure language of Zephaniah's message, the true Zerubbabel of Haggai's word rebuilding forever the house and the city of God; Himself the dawn of the day when "holiness unto the Lord shall be upon the bells of the horses" as Zechariah foretold; He the "refiner's fire," "the fuller's soap," "The Sun of righteousness" of Malachi's vision.  All these things passed in rapid survey as He talked.  He was taking their own prophets and unlocking them, flinging back the shutters and letting the light stream in.  He talked of them, and they were silent; and there broke upon them a new vision of the truth, a new understanding of things which they were perfectly familiar, and in this new vision they found new understanding of all the things which they long had known.

Their burning heart, what was it?  The thrill of a new discovery of their Lord and the shame of the past failure to appreciate Him, and the passion of a new endeavor which should set their feet in the pathway which led to ultimate victory. (The Westminster Pulpit, G. Campbell Morgan, Vol. 1, pg. 92-94)

What treasures lay dusty in your library?  What truth lies hidden in your Bible yet to be discovered!  What an amazing, life-giving resource we have available in God's Word when illuminated through the Holy Spirit!  Read on, read on - but not alone:  invite Jesus to walk with you as you read.  No longer will it be dry dull passages, but words bursting with life and meaning!  It is Christ who will sustain our souls!  It is Jesus who makes all things new!