Hasn't the LORD Been Good?

Do you ever sit back in awe of the things God has done in your life?  I remember going to a youth camp and pastor Chuck Smith led us all in a song that I learned over the course of the days we spent there:  "Hasn't the LORD been good to us?  Hasn't the LORD been good?  He's done all the things that He said He would.  Hasn't the LORD been good?  So love God, hate sin, reckon the old man dead.  Love God, hate sin, and by His Spirit be led."  I want to testify that God is good and has been so good towards me.  He has been true to His Word and has never left or forsaken me.  As I think back through the long road we have traveled together, I am absolutely amazed and struck with how awesome God is.

God has done things in my life that I never imagined.  Even ten years ago I would never have imagined God would have called me to be a pastor, took me out of my trade, brought me into the ministry, led me and my family to sell our home, and moved us to Australia for the purpose of pastoring a church.  All these steps in my life were unknown to me even as I moved towards them.  But God knew.  Along the way He opened my eyes to the fact that His hand was upon my life, guiding and leading me to undertake things I never thought possible.

I remember working in the back yard of my new house and praying.  God said clear as anything:  "You will preach, and you will be sent."  At the time I had no aspiration to be a pastor or preacher.  I honestly did not want to be a pastor, and I didn't want to go anywhere!  I was happy; I was comfortable.  I was active in a church leading a home fellowship and serving in various ministries.  It began with willingness, and God caused willingness to give birth to desire.  I finally embrace the idea that God had called me to be a pastor and to teach His Word.  But how would this happen?  When?  Then the waiting began.  Had God not divinely revealed His plan concerning the call to pastoral work, I would not have needed to wait on God.  It seems the more He reveals to us, the more we are called to wait in expectant anticipation of His answer.  Instead of fretting or worrying about the details, God equips us to place our situation in His hands, content and at rest.

Last night I read chapters of the Luke account which highlighted events of the life of Jesus Christ.  After Jesus was baptised by John to fulfill all righteousness, Luke 2:23 tells us that Christ was about 30 years old when He began His public ministry in Israel.  I remember well conversations Laura and I had about me quitting my trade of 10 years and entering into full-time ministry at our church.  We knew that if I were to quit my job and be supported by the church, my wages would be diminished to the point we might have to sell our home.  It was one thing to give up foreman status, benefits, and wages:  it was a more difficult choice to part with the house we had renovated.  But God brought us to a point we were able to give our home into His control.  We were willing to step through the door if and when our church invited us into the ministry.  The day finally came!  Though my wages were nearly halved, God enabled us to keep our house by supplying students who rented a room.  God was gracious and good to supply all our needs.

Consider the grace of God!  I put in a written notice and left the trade for the ministry.  I remember my last day at work, carting all my tools out of Nassco and handing in my identification badge.  It was a surreal moment.  But the most surreal moment of all occurred when I walked up to the church building for the start of my second career.  Would you believe that my first day of work at church, a Monday, just happened to be my 30th birthday?  When I read that passage last night about Jesus entering public ministry at the age of 30, it sent a thrill through my heart as I thought back.  God had plans for Jesus long before He entered the public eye, and He has plans for you and me.  We cannot see the big picture with our limited sight and little faith, but we can know God is working to accomplish the plans that concern each one of us.  God has not forgotten you.  He certainly remembers His promises and will be faithful to fulfill His Word.  1 Corinthians 15:58 says, "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord."

Instead of lamenting what God has yet to do, consider the wonderful things God has already done.  It will lift the clouds of doubt as the Son shines through.  Hasn't the LORD been good to us?

Guest Author: Paul Zastoupil

I came across a great post from a friend of mine, Paul Zastoupil.  We've known each other since high school and I have been blessed by his friendship and faithful service unto the LORD.  I thought, why not post this to my blog so other people can read it too?  If you would like to read more of Paul's work, check out his blog!  Enjoy!

Who Is Qualified to Rule?

By Paul Zastoupil

It has been almost 7 years since my first post on politics.  My views have not changed much.  It is still generally the same shape, maybe a slightly different shade.  Time does that.  I have heard my father on more than one occasion lament that he had never voted for anyone, only against someone else.  There is always disappointment in his voice when he says it.

I have not written it in a post here before, but I believe that a requirement for someone to hold high office is that they do not want to do it.  If they want the office, it is an indication they are unqualified to rule.  Two of the United States’ greatest presidents were that way.  Both Washington and Lincoln did not want the office but rather accepted it as something they must do, knowing that it would be better for them personally to seek other activities.

Why is that important?  For any man to rule over another, rights must be surrendered from one to the other.  This is an exchange that should be entered into reluctantly.  A good man will not seek to rule another.  And the other ought not to seek to be under the yoke of a man.  It is a requirement for the functioning of society, but it should be seen as a necessary evil, a civic duty not to be celebrated.  A true leader should humbly and reluctantly accept his duty, just as those who are led should reluctantly follow.

It is not human nature to consider what is best for society, but only what is best for oneself.  There are many exceptions to that rule, but I still hold that it is a rule.  That means from time to time someone will arise that truly is a good leader.  However, there will never be a mob of self disinterested people pushing forward that good leader.  In fact, more and more often, the good leaders are marginalized because of those same factors.  There is not enough selfish interest to amass behind a good leader, there is nothing to please the masses.  Whenever we see people overly excited about a politician, we should be worried.  There are many historical analogies to draw from to illustrate this point, choose your favorite.

I think my father has it just right.  We should never vote for anyone, we should always except to vote for the lesser of evils and vote against the greater.  But where does that leave us?  If I follow this logic to its conclusion, I will always be on the losing side.  Who is going to be excited about someone who does not want the job?  It is the losing side, but it is merely temporary.

Ancient Athens had something close to a direct democracy.  They called it δημοκρατία – demokratia – democracy.  The franchised people, those who could vote, directly voted on issues relating to their government.  The Romans further developed the idea of a republic.  They used the ideas from Greek philosophers like Plato and his πολιτεία – politeia – republic (loosely).  People were elected to represent others in the government.

Neither of those words appear in the bible.  We do find another ancient Greek word when it comes to government, it is βασιλεία - Basileia – Kingdom, or βασιλεύς - Basileus – King.

"From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom (βασιλεία) of heaven is at hand.” Matthew 4:17 NKJV

"Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war.His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written:  KING (βασιλεύς) OF KINGS (βασιλεύς) AND LORD OF LORDS." Revelation 19:11-16 NKJV.

There will be no question about Christ’s fitness to rule, nor will there be a vote taken.  Heaven is not a democracy, nor will we be forced to submit ourselves to the will of men.  But we must wait for the right time.

"Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king (βασιλεύς), He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone." John 6:15 NKJV

It was not the right time then, it is not the right time now.  For now we suffer, something I have written a lot about. (See the Heart Know series, and Romans 8:18-25).

Gleaning Gold

I had the opportunity to go on Abel's class trip to Bathurst, the site of the first gold-rush in New South Wales, Australia.  We visited Hill End, the place where Holtermann's Nugget was found.  That huge slab of gold mixed with slate weighed about 235 kilograms!  It was a busy few days and a great blessing.  We also toured through the Jenolan caves.  It was a great introduction to some of the history and sights I have yet to see during my time in Australia.  To share that experience with my son and his classmates, teachers, and fellow volunteers was a wonderful privilege.

During the trip we had two opportunities to pan for gold, something I once did on a similar trip with Zed.  One of the times we panned each camper received a pan full of sand which had been "salted" with a small amount of gold.  The other opportunity was in a riverbed without any planted gold.  Needless to say, the gold salted in the pans was far easier to find than the miniscule dust showed us by master miners in the riverbed!  The kids found panning for gold very difficult.  Since they were not immediately rewarded by large obvious pieces of gold, many of the kids were immediately disinterested.  They enjoyed swinging the mattock or throwing things at each other while they were trampling over potential treasure.  I found three tiny specks of gold in five pans of sand - not too bad!  Gold was there to be found but it took a lot of labour to find it.

Miners are like fishermen, in that they will never on their lives divulge the best spots.  Why?  Because they reserve the best spots only for themselves!  Reading God's Word is like entering a mine rich with wisdom and knowledge.  Instead of hiding His truth from the humble, diligent seeker, God's response resembles that of Boaz with Ruth.  He looked upon Ruth with favour and love as she faithfully gleaned in his field.  He commanded his reapers to intentionally leave a good amount of grain on the ground so it would be easy for her to leave with plenty.  God does the same with those who treasure Him enough to study His Word.  He gladly leaves some nuggets even laying right on the surface just waiting to be picked up by those who prize and heed them.  Have you been faithful to glean the truth God has left for you to find?  Keep on looking and remember to thank Him for such treasure!  Where else can we find the Word of Life?

Golden Bowls Full

"Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints." 

Revelation 5:8

God's love is so remarkable!  He extends His love and grace to all people, despite our flaws and weaknesses.  When we were disloyal, untrustworthy, wretched, lost, hateful, and His enemies, God demonstrated His love for us by sending Jesus to die upon the cross and rise again.  We can see therefore that God's value for mankind is not dependent upon our performance or perceived "goodness."  He values us because He is good, gracious, kind, merciful, and loving.  God prizes men to such an extent that He chose to purchase us with the blood of His only Son.  When we repent and are born again through the Holy Spirit, He adopts us as sons.  Because God values us, He values our prayers as well.  Every child of God through faith is a saint in His view.

We see this fact displayed in this Revelation 5:8 passage.  The prayers of the saints are sweet-smelling incense held in golden bowls.  When I read this last week, I was struck with the idea of these golden bowls.  The only gold I own is a small, bottomless hole to put flesh and blood in - my wedding ring!  To own even one bowl made entirely of gold would speak of great wealth.  If I owned such a bowl, I assure you I would not leave it on the bench or coffee table!  I would not use it as a candy bowl or for something to throw my keys in.  Because the bowl was made of gold it would be very valuable indeed.  I would hire a safety deposit box to keep the bowl protected from theft or damage.  Many people buy insurance to protect their jewelery and a large bowl made of solid gold would be worth insuring.

To God, the bowls of gold described are of little value.  What God values is the contents of the gold bowls:  the prayers of the saints.  If we understood how much God values our prayers, how sweet and precious they are to Him as gifts given by His beloved children, how much more would we appreciate this gift of access God has given to us!  God has given us all we have and by His grace we are who we are.  Prayer is a gift man can freely give back to God.  Do you wonder what you can give the King of Kings?  After giving Him your heart, give Him the gift of your prayers.  That is a fitting gift for the Lover and Saviour of your soul!  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."  God is not like King Ahasuerus of the Medes and Persians who one night had trouble sleeping (Esther 6:1).  To help him drift off to sleep, the king had the book of the chronicles read to him - reading so dry he would certainly be asleep before long!  Our God does not slumber or sleep.  He is not so inundated with prayers that He cannot respond, nor is He so busy He does not care.  Even now God delights to hear prayers raise from your heart to His.

Man values gold, but God values the prayers of His people far more.  May our prayers indeed be a sweet-smelling savour unto Him!  Let us rejoice to fill those golden bowls to the brim!