Fighting Fire with Fire?

Have you heard of the term, "Fighting fire with fire?"  To prevent massive fires, small controlled burns are utilised by fire fighters to protect areas potentially at risk.  Burning brush removes the fuel source which could allow a fire to rapidly grow out of control and spread into inhabited areas.  "Back burning" is commonly done in preparation for fire season to reduce risk of damage to property.  Inaccessible areas abound in Australia, and back burning in controlled areas help wildfire prevention and limit resulting devastation.

Fighting fire with fire is one way to prevent massive fires, but it doesn't ensure success.  Sometimes even after starting a back-burn in ideal conditions with professionals and equipment on hand, things can flare out of control.  An intended preventative measure can spiral into a complete disaster.  Today I thought about how Christians can try to fight the flesh with the flesh.  It is common to use external methods in an attempt to control what we say and do.  Facing a sinful temptation?  Ride a bike, go for a jog!  This way of dealing with temptation is sorely limited.  There is no way to possibly remove all the fuel from the fires of sinful passion which threaten to consume our hearts and minds.  Removal of temptation does nothing to change the deceitful condition of our hearts.  The only way to truly overcome the flesh is through walking in the Spirit.

In the movie "The Fellowship of the Ring," Gandalf revealed to Frodo that the ring of power wanted to be discovered by its master:  the wicked lord Sauron.  Frodo throughout the film and the two following films became more and more controlled by the power of the ring.  Though he realised placing the ring on his finger was a great danger, Frodo at times brought the ring from his hiding place close to his heart, stroked the ring and stared at it instead of sleeping, and grew possessive and defensive about his habits.  The ring wanted to be found, and by the end it was the ring that controlled Frodo.  Had not Gollum intervened, the ring would have led to Frodo's certain demise.  The same is true spiritually about the flesh we live in.  Our flesh wants to be dominated by sin.  It wants to be ruled by idols, addictions, vain pursuits, excitement, and fun.  Paul said in his flesh dwelt no good thing.  What that means for us is because of our sinful nature, we have a propensity to take perfectly good things and distort them into great evils which threaten our souls.

Paul wrote to the Galatian Christians in Galatians 5:16:  "I say then: walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh."  When we have the ability to remove temptations to sin from our lives, we are wise to do this.  Yet even the removal of outward temptation or opportunity does not solve the issue of the sin which resides in our flesh.  There are seasons for back-burning in our hearts and lives, for fuel can accumulate which threatens our spiritual vitality and closeness to God.  We can adopt habits and practices which should be culled.  But the victory over all temptation is found through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, whose shed blood cleanses us from all sin.  The Christian life is not one primarily of sin avoidance or resistance, but a lifestyle of righteousness through the power of the indwelling Spirit.  It is a practical, positive life of intentionally living for the glory of God.  1 Corinthians 15:57-58 says, "But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁵⁸ 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."

Sold and Sent

"And Joseph said to his brothers, "Please come near to me." So they came near. Then he said: "I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. ⁵ But now, do not therefore be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life."

Genesis 45:4-5

How good it is that God is in control, even when it may seem everything is crashing down around us!  God has the power and ability to redeem and restore, accomplishing His divine purposes no matter how sinister the schemes of our enemies.  After Joseph revealed his identity to his brothers, he bore no hatred towards them.  He did not seek revenge, for he understood God was in control.  He did not even mourn being sold into slavery or being thrown into prison.  I would think most people would be grieved or angry to have such things happen to them, yet Joseph begged his brothers - those personally responsible for selling him into slavery - not to be grieved or angry.  He was not grieved or angry!  They meant it for evil, but God meant it for good!

Joseph did not see himself as a victim of a terrible crime, though he was.  Because he recognised God's ultimate control, he viewed himself as purposely sent by God to preserve life.  Through eyes of faith Joseph processed and acknowledged without conflict (perhaps not immediately!) his brothers had sold him into slavery, but God had sent him to Egypt to save lives.  What an unorthodox way to be sent somewhere by God!  When we are angry and grieved over what has happened to us, it can be because we are not convinced God is in control and He remains good - despite terrible circumstances and pains we may experience.  God worked in mysterious ways and revealed His intricate plan years later in a way Joseph understood and used to comfort and encourage others.

2 Corinthians 1:3-5 reads, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, ⁴ who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. ⁵ For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ."  No matter what tribulation you have endured, there is abundant consolation in Jesus Christ.  The greater our suffering, the greater our comforts.  Joseph received the comfort from God in the midst of a cruel trial, and the result was he was able to offer consolation to others for their guilt.  As a man with supreme power in Egypt Joseph could have taunted his brothers and commanded them, "Get away from me!"  Instead he pleaded with them to draw near and not to be grieved or angry about the things they had done.  This was a man who had forgiven those who had wronged him years before they even saw each other again.  Joseph received God's consolation by grace, and freely offered it to those who had hurt him.

Do you want to be free of anger and grief over prior wrongs done to you?  Recognise that God is on the throne and He is always good.  There is great evil, pain, and horrors in this world filled with sin.  Yet God is able to take even the most dastardly schemes of wicked men and Satan and redeem them for good.  The things which are evil God has the power to redeem and provide comfort and consolation for us so we might offer comfort to others!  Praise God for His redemptive power, love, and grace!  

Think, People!

On Tuesdays I teach scripture at a local primary public school to a class of year-six students - that's 6th graders, for those reading from the States.  Over the school term we have grown to have more of a routine.  We usually start with a passage from the Bible and spend the last third of our time in workbooks.  In the workbooks there are crossword puzzles, mazes, fill-in-the-blank questions, and the highly-sought after "find-a-word."  There are days where there seems to be a decent level of understanding, and other days the chore of eliciting reasonable responses is like attempting to pull teeth from a toothless baby!  It is a great consolation to me that God's Word never returns void.  I might be a lousy teacher, but the Holy Spirit isn't! :)

Today I asked a couple of questions to the class before opening the scriptures.  It is imperative to connect real life with the things we speak about from the Bible.  I am not interested in merely a transference of knowledge, but to have these young people apply Biblical truth to their own lives.  Today showed me, however, the kids would rather not think.  After labouring through the second question one girl asked, "Can we get started now?"  She wanted to read the Bible passage.  She knew once we read the Bible passage then she can do the fun workbook.  "We started already," I told the class.  "I am here to help you use your brains."  "What's a brain?" a boy in the back drawled out.  This is going to be a good day, I thought to myself.  And by God's grace, it was.  I witnessed my share of offhand remarks and glazed looks, but I trust God used it to make a difference for eternity.

Kids love to learn, but they don't always like to think.  These kids would love for me to do some storytelling, show them pictures of distant places, entertain them with puppets and drama, and let them spend time in their workbooks. They like finding the correct verse in the Bible and reading it out loud for the group.  They are happy for me to do all the thinking and tell them what to do.  But when it comes to these kids actually thinking about what the passage means, I tend to hear a lot of ridiculous statements or pervasive silence.  It seems to me these students have been trained to hear words, and repeat back when asked verbatim.  They are out of their depth to even hazard a guess what the words mean, much less how the truth applies to their personal lives!  It is so important to encourage critical thinking instead of merely conveying information.  Today reminded me how many children remain unreached in Bible classes and Sunday schools.  Don't get me wrong.  Many of these unreached children know a lot of Bible facts - maybe even more than their teachers.  Because they have never been challenged to think critically about what they are hearing, the truth has not actually been applied to their hearts.  Knowledge about the Bible can pass as a cheap substitute for knowledge of God, and this is a tragedy beyond words.

While adequate preparation and an engaging delivery of a lesson is the aim and responsibility of every teacher, no Bible teacher needs fear their efforts are being wasted.  Is not God a Redeemer?  My confidence must not be in my experience, preparation, visual aids, object lessons, or activities:  it must be in the Spirit of God to open the hearts and minds of kids to consider God's infallible truth and how it demands action on their part.  The Bible is not just facts to know but opens our gaze to our loving Creator, pure and holy.  The Bible introduces us to our Saviour Jesus Christ and how we can be born again through faith in Him.  No matter if we teach children or adults, our best will be useless when we step up confident in self.  Days like today remind me I cannot teach anyone anything.  I need God, and He doesn't need me!  Thank God for sending the Holy Spirit who will guide us into all truth!  Thank you for choosing to use this frail, sorry vessel to pour forth your love and light.  Praise God for His wondrous grace!

Content in God

It's been a long week.  My wife and I have been floored with a virus since last Wednesday.  I can't remember if I have ever had a fever for five straight days, and I hope that is the last time!  We were very thankful to have a doctor home visit and have scripts written for both of us for a course of antibiotics.  This is the first time I have missed teaching on a Sunday morning due to illness in almost nine years, which is quite remarkable.  It is not a testimony to my constitution, but to the grace and sustaining power of God.

As bad as it is to be sick and exhausted, Laura and I talked about how gracious God has been to our family since arriving to Australia concerning illness.  When moving to a new country there are many new strains one can be exposed to.  Despite the differences, I believe God protected us and kept us healthy.  This is where some become quite cynical:  "Does God only answer your prayers?  What about the people who have been sick many times?  How about those with cancers and debilitating illnesses who suffer every single day?"  God did not keep our family from illness because of any goodness in us or because we are more "special" than other people.  God gives people good health who don't even believe in Him!  He gives according to His grace.  We have asked Him for good health and God gave it to us.  We have thanked Him profusely.  And guess what?  This past week He said "No" to good health.  I hate being sick and run-down, but if God sees fit to allow me to be sick, then I am content in Him.

God is only good, in total contrast to this fallen world.  He is trustworthy.  My family and I are sheep of His pasture.  Jesus is our Good Shepherd who watches over us, protects us, binds up our wounds, heals our bodies, and brings rest to our souls even when we are sick.  This world cannot offer true rest, healing, and restoration!  There is no peace in the hearts and minds of the cynics who lash out angrily at God only when things go wrong and credit themselves when things go well.  Some are happy enough to forget about "God" until they feel a need to blame someone.  Job asked his wife, "Should we receive good from God and not evil?"  A fair question.  If God is in control and knows what is best, who are we to doubt Him when He allows discomfort and pain?  Never forget He is a Redeemer.

David wrote in Psalm 120:1 after the priests had been slaughtered in cold blood save one:  "In my distress I cried to the LORD, and He heard me."  When I was in agony during these days I have cried out to God in my distress like I have not for a long time.  It was a good reminder that I need to have that sense of urgency to seek God when it is not my body or comfort on the line.  God uses distress and illness even for good concerning those who love God.  What a wonder, to be heard by God!  To be heard is a greater blessing than to be healed!  When bad things happen, how much greater and good is our God!