As I read the Bible before bed last night, I came across Joel 3:14: "Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision." How true it is, I mused to myself, that the valley is the place of decision. The place of decision is not the mountain peak or the plain: it is in the valley. When we are at a low point every man must decide what he will do: dig a grave and lie down in it, or decide to follow Jesus to a higher plane. He stands at the right hand of the Father and bids us join Him. Every man is in the valley of decision, and the day of the LORD is near.
When everything is going smoothly in our lives we are happy to just keep plugging away. But when disaster strikes, the fiery trial brings us low, or the depression begins to take hold, we are in that all-too-familiar valley of decision: should we remain in the valley or climb out of it in God's strength? There is only one way to successfully navigate out of that valley. We need the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the unalterable truth of God's Word, and strength through Jesus Christ to emerge victorious. Sometimes we are led by the Good Shepherd through the valley of death - but it was never intended that we build a house there to dwell in. We must continue on, faithfully following. Jesus has offered us eternal life through repentance and faith in Him and is obtainable only by grace.
Mountain-top experiences are wonderful things in the life of a Christian. When God reveals Himself in love, power, and grace, our eyes are opened to the richness He has freely granted us. We stand on that mountain, drinking in the beauty. But being presently shackled to this earth and housed in these crude bodies, our minds often forget the heavenly vision. Our spiritual sense becomes dull and our resolve fades. We forget. We forget we have already decided to follow Jesus and it's a decision we need to make moment by moment. In the valley of decision we must resolve to trust in the LORD with all our hearts and to lean not on our own understanding. When we acknowledge God in all our ways He shall direct our paths.
The valley is a good place. It provides another opportunity for us to choose Christ. Are you in the valley of decision today? What is your decision? No decision is a "no" decision.
22 September 2012
13 September 2012
Are You Prepared?
Next week I plan to head down with a friend to Jindabyne. It will be our first time ever visiting the snowy mountains. While I am not too interested in the "snowy" bit, I am looking forward to fishing and having a little break from the normal routine. It's amazing how much preparation goes into planning even a short trip to be a success: accommodation must be booked, fishing gear prepared, planning for the weather conditions with clothing and boots, buying food, sorting out activities, and on. It's like a full-time job trying to prepare yourself to not be on the job! Perhaps a little bit of my American self is showing through: planning a getaway is so much work it is a relaxing thought to stay at home, go back to work Monday, and forget the whole thing!
All this preparation has me thinking: with all the prior planning necessary for a short holiday or vacation, how can it be that people think no preparation is necessary for eternity? It is planning of a different kind. Where we are going no one else can come, and we can bring nothing with us. Naked we were born, and naked we return to the dust. There are two potential eternal destinations: heaven or hell. The Bible says that it is appointed for man once to die and after the judgment. We will all stand before the Living God - whether you want to or not - and every thought, word, deed, attitudes, and even sins of omission will be judged according to God's perfect law. There is no one who will be innocent on that Day when judged according to our works. The wages of sin is death.
Thankfully, Romans 6:23 doesn't stop there. Paul continues: "...but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our LORD." Jesus is the Way to heaven, and we can prepare ourselves by making a heavenly booking through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. No long distance telephone call is required, and no details must be entered in a top-secret website. We must simply humble ourselves before God, admitting that we have terribly broken His laws and are without excuse. We must affirm we deserve hell for our great sins against Him and others. Then we must repent, meaning that He has changed our mind concerning sin. We decide to agree with God, committing to turn from our sin and follow after Jesus Christ in faith. Our reliance is no longer in ourselves, but upon Jesus Christ our Saviour and Messiah. He is God-Made-Flesh who died for the sins of the whole world so we too might be saved. Romans 10:9 says, "...if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." No man knows the day of his death, but everyone knows it is only getting closer.
You prepare for your holidays and vacations: are your prepared for eternity? What arrangements have you made? If you neglect this most important calling of every person born in sin, you are planning for eternal disaster and damnation. God implores all people through His Word in Ezekiel 18:30-32: "Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways," says the Lord GOD. "Repent, and turn from all your transgressions, so that iniquity will not be your ruin. 31 Cast away from you all the transgressions which you have committed, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O house of Israel? 32 For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies," says the Lord GOD. "Therefore turn and live!" Take to heart the words spoken by Christ in John 3:16-17: "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. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved."
All this preparation has me thinking: with all the prior planning necessary for a short holiday or vacation, how can it be that people think no preparation is necessary for eternity? It is planning of a different kind. Where we are going no one else can come, and we can bring nothing with us. Naked we were born, and naked we return to the dust. There are two potential eternal destinations: heaven or hell. The Bible says that it is appointed for man once to die and after the judgment. We will all stand before the Living God - whether you want to or not - and every thought, word, deed, attitudes, and even sins of omission will be judged according to God's perfect law. There is no one who will be innocent on that Day when judged according to our works. The wages of sin is death.
Thankfully, Romans 6:23 doesn't stop there. Paul continues: "...but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our LORD." Jesus is the Way to heaven, and we can prepare ourselves by making a heavenly booking through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. No long distance telephone call is required, and no details must be entered in a top-secret website. We must simply humble ourselves before God, admitting that we have terribly broken His laws and are without excuse. We must affirm we deserve hell for our great sins against Him and others. Then we must repent, meaning that He has changed our mind concerning sin. We decide to agree with God, committing to turn from our sin and follow after Jesus Christ in faith. Our reliance is no longer in ourselves, but upon Jesus Christ our Saviour and Messiah. He is God-Made-Flesh who died for the sins of the whole world so we too might be saved. Romans 10:9 says, "...if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." No man knows the day of his death, but everyone knows it is only getting closer.
You prepare for your holidays and vacations: are your prepared for eternity? What arrangements have you made? If you neglect this most important calling of every person born in sin, you are planning for eternal disaster and damnation. God implores all people through His Word in Ezekiel 18:30-32: "Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways," says the Lord GOD. "Repent, and turn from all your transgressions, so that iniquity will not be your ruin. 31 Cast away from you all the transgressions which you have committed, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O house of Israel? 32 For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies," says the Lord GOD. "Therefore turn and live!" Take to heart the words spoken by Christ in John 3:16-17: "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. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved."
11 September 2012
Safe in the Den
How important it is to place your trust in God! Many people rely upon things that are not God and have no power to save. Even we Christians can be deceived or deluded into trusting in an arm of flesh when only Christ can deliver us. Daniel was a man who trusted in God. Because God was with him, he had been highly promoted in both the Babylonian and Medea-Persian empires. There were high-ranking men in the Medea-Persian empire who were envious of Daniel and sought to kill him. Through treachery, they passed a law that prohibited anyone from praying to anyone but King Darius. Daniel, being a devout and faithful man, was unmoved by the law. He continued to openly pray as he always did three times daily. Thus he was found guilty of breaking the law, and King Darius reluctantly sentenced him to be thrown to the lions. He said to Daniel when they parted in Daniel 6:16, "Your God, whom you serve continually, He will deliver you."
During the night, Daniel was protected by an angel who shut the mouths of the hungry lions. When morning came, Darius hurried to the den and called out in Daniel 6:20: "Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?" Daniel answered in the affirmative, for nothing is too hard for the One True God. He was safely pulled from the den and the king greatly rejoiced. Verse 23 says no manner of hurt was found on him because "he believed in his God." For those men who had conspired to kill Daniel, the end of their story came swiftly without mercy. Daniel 6:24 reads, "And the king gave the command, and they brought those men who had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions--them, their children, and their wives; and the lions overpowered them, and broke all their bones in pieces before they ever came to the bottom of the den."
We see in this passage a picture of Christ and the severe retribution which will come upon all those who oppose Him. Jesus was wrongly condemned to death, yet He trusted fully in God the Father to deliver Him. Though He tasted the bitter cup of death and wrath of God when crucified and was buried in a tomb, God raised Him triumphant and victorious three days later. Though Jesus bore scars, no manner of hurt was found in His glorified body - because no sin was found in Him. Satan and all those who reject Christ, will face eternal damnation in hell which makes the quick end made by lions seem a delightful cakewalk. The accuser and enemy of our souls, who even now is like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour, Satan, that old serpent, will be utterly overcome and broken to pieces. His head has already been crushed under the foot of Christ and he rages on, knowing his time is short.
Blessed are those who trust in the Almighty God, the great I AM, YHWH, the Creator and Saviour of all who repent and trust in Christ. Like Daniel, we ought to trust and serve Him continually. When we walk in faith, the accusations and even violence of the enemies of God will not sever us from fellowship with Him. In Jesus Christ we find eternal life and pleasures evermore. David wrote a fitting conclusion in Psalm 56:1-4: "Be merciful to me, O God, for man would swallow me up; fighting all day he oppresses me. 2 My enemies would hound me all day, for there are many who fight against me, O Most High. 3 Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You. 4 In God (I will praise His word), in God I have put my trust; I will not fear. What can flesh do to me?"
During the night, Daniel was protected by an angel who shut the mouths of the hungry lions. When morning came, Darius hurried to the den and called out in Daniel 6:20: "Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?" Daniel answered in the affirmative, for nothing is too hard for the One True God. He was safely pulled from the den and the king greatly rejoiced. Verse 23 says no manner of hurt was found on him because "he believed in his God." For those men who had conspired to kill Daniel, the end of their story came swiftly without mercy. Daniel 6:24 reads, "And the king gave the command, and they brought those men who had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions--them, their children, and their wives; and the lions overpowered them, and broke all their bones in pieces before they ever came to the bottom of the den."
We see in this passage a picture of Christ and the severe retribution which will come upon all those who oppose Him. Jesus was wrongly condemned to death, yet He trusted fully in God the Father to deliver Him. Though He tasted the bitter cup of death and wrath of God when crucified and was buried in a tomb, God raised Him triumphant and victorious three days later. Though Jesus bore scars, no manner of hurt was found in His glorified body - because no sin was found in Him. Satan and all those who reject Christ, will face eternal damnation in hell which makes the quick end made by lions seem a delightful cakewalk. The accuser and enemy of our souls, who even now is like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour, Satan, that old serpent, will be utterly overcome and broken to pieces. His head has already been crushed under the foot of Christ and he rages on, knowing his time is short.
Blessed are those who trust in the Almighty God, the great I AM, YHWH, the Creator and Saviour of all who repent and trust in Christ. Like Daniel, we ought to trust and serve Him continually. When we walk in faith, the accusations and even violence of the enemies of God will not sever us from fellowship with Him. In Jesus Christ we find eternal life and pleasures evermore. David wrote a fitting conclusion in Psalm 56:1-4: "Be merciful to me, O God, for man would swallow me up; fighting all day he oppresses me. 2 My enemies would hound me all day, for there are many who fight against me, O Most High. 3 Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You. 4 In God (I will praise His word), in God I have put my trust; I will not fear. What can flesh do to me?"
10 September 2012
A Life Without Worry
Late this morning I took my wife Laura and my sons Zed and Abel to the Sydney International Airport. For some time now they have been looking forward to this return visit to the United States. It was on 5 January, 2010 when our family moved to Sydney. Since relocating to Australia we have been blessed to host both my in-laws and parents, pastors, a family friend, and even a young man we had never met before! So now Laura and the boys are able to be visitors and spend time with family and friends. We praise God for the prayer and monthly financial support, and this trip was made possible through a special gift for that purpose. We thank God for His provision and faithfulness towards us, and many people have been the conduits of that blessing.
It's a strange feeling, sending the family away with a few bags while I stay home. Almost every other time we head to the airport it has been the other way around - me leaving and the family staying behind. All sorts of crazy thoughts scamper through the mind. My main effort is in making sure they scamper through and I do not encourage them by dwelling upon thoughts not grounded by faith in God. There is no substitute for the pervasive peace and contentment which comes only from God. Perfect love drives out all fear. Because my family has been committed to God, I know they are in His hands. I do not need to load myself down with the burden of worry. By worrying I cannot add a centimeter to my height, nor can I protect my family from overseas. I rejoice in knowing that God is able to do so!
Jesus says in Matthew 6:30-34: "Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." Christ intends we live a life without worry as we rest all our hopes and desires upon Him to faithfully fulfill His Word. What have we to fear when we have such a Saviour and King?
It's a strange feeling, sending the family away with a few bags while I stay home. Almost every other time we head to the airport it has been the other way around - me leaving and the family staying behind. All sorts of crazy thoughts scamper through the mind. My main effort is in making sure they scamper through and I do not encourage them by dwelling upon thoughts not grounded by faith in God. There is no substitute for the pervasive peace and contentment which comes only from God. Perfect love drives out all fear. Because my family has been committed to God, I know they are in His hands. I do not need to load myself down with the burden of worry. By worrying I cannot add a centimeter to my height, nor can I protect my family from overseas. I rejoice in knowing that God is able to do so!
Jesus says in Matthew 6:30-34: "Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." Christ intends we live a life without worry as we rest all our hopes and desires upon Him to faithfully fulfill His Word. What have we to fear when we have such a Saviour and King?
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