Can We Earn It?

In one of the final scenes of "Saving Private Ryan," a dying captain uttered his last words.  Captain Miller had scoured war-ravaged countryside and many men died in their efforts to find and escort Private Ryan to safety.  As his life ebbed away on the bridge, Miller directed his attention to Ryan and said, "Earn this...earn it."  He exhorted Ryan to live a life worthy of the sacrifice he and others had given to save him.  As the elderly Ryan stood at the tombstone of Captain Miller, he said he remembered those words every day and did the best he could.  But was it enough?  Ryan wasn't so sure.

All those who attempt to earn the gracious sacrifice of others will always fall short.  Captain Miller in his dying moments demanded something of Private Ryan he simply could not give.  How could he possibly "earn" the sacrifice of Miller and valiant soldiers who gave their lives so he could live?  What short of sacrificing his own life could even begin to measure up?  Since many men he didn't know had already died for Ryan, how could he possibly repay them?  And how could the one life Ryan had to offer be enough to pay for all the men who perished on the battlefield for his sake?  It seemed to me the sacrifice of others haunted him because he could never fully rid himself of the weight of perceived debt.

Many people think they can earn God's favour through personal sacrifice.  But no man can earn the gracious sacrifice of Jesus Christ.  What an insult, to think we must earn what God has offered as a free gift of forgiveness and salvation for sinners!  God demonstrated His own love for us, that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.  We were not noble, worthy kind of man Private Ryan turned out to be.  We were dead in sins, mockers and scoffers, enemies of God Jesus loved enough to seek and save.  It would be impossible for us to earn Christ's sacrifice on Calvary.  But we can receive the gift of salvation through faith, live our lives in light of that divine love, and share His love with others.  With the help of the Holy Spirit, we can walk worthily of His sacrifice.  We don't need to worry about being denied heaven because we haven't quite earned it.  We are unworthy and Christ died for us anyway.  We were hopeless, lost rebels, yet He has loved us with an everlasting love.  We are unfaithful and foolish, yet He calls us by name to faithfully seek us.  We were all like Steamboat Willy, and Jesus took the bullet for us.

We can't earn loving sacrifice.  When we realise Christ wasn't simply following orders but loved and sought us when we were worthless and gave His life in our place, what joy and peace is ours.  Let us rejoice in what Jesus has done.  Jesus has no tombstone, and we do not need to wonder if He hears us.  He is risen, just as He said!  Not only has He saved those who repent and trust in Him, but He invites us into His presence so He can help us.  Hebrews 4:16 says:  "Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need."  Instead of, "I hope I have done well enough" we can have the God-glorifying perspective of, "Let me tell you of what Jesus has done for me!"  That is the abundant life worth living!

Affliction, Pain, and Favour

The rapid advances in medical treatment and effective medications have changed the world in more ways than we might realise.  We have easy access to tablets of many kinds to relieve inflammation and discomfort, elevate iron levels, and balance hormones.  The accurate diagnosis and treatment of all manner of diseases and illness has prolonged the life of countless children and adults alike.  Physical damage to joints and bones once considered permanent can be restored through surgery.  Because of the access and availability to pain-numbing drugs, pain is often seen as a terrible inconvenience - even a great evil - that we should no longer need to endure.  When the pain hits our thoughts are typically something like, "How can I make this pain stop?"

During my reading of Psalm 25, I was struck with David's quite different approach to affliction and pain.  Our tendency is to try to avoid trouble or misery at any reasonable cost.  Many are so desperate to end their awful pain, taking their own lives seems a reasonable trade for that prospect.  David wrote in Psalm 25:18:  "Look on my affliction and my pain, and forgive all my sins."  I must say, I was a bit shocked as I carefully considered what David said.  He did not ask God to change his troubled circumstances or to eliminate the pain he experienced.  He simply asked God to look upon his affliction and pain.  Like a person who goes to a doctor for a thorough physical examination, David did not demand God take a certain course of action.  It is common for us to use the internet to diagnose and treat our symptoms.  Because of our abundance of knowledge, doctors have lost some of the authority they used to have.  We think we know our bodies and symptoms better than anyone, and our doctor has become a means to accomplish our desired end.  We just want them to write a script for tablets so we can start feeling better.  How presumptuous we can be!

David didn't approach God in that manner.  He humbled himself before God, exposing what hurt him before the Great Physician and Saviour of our souls.  In this case, David did not ask God to relieve his pain.  In fact, a study of David and others in scripture reveal affliction and pain for God's people is a sure sign of future divine favour.  Let this fact sink into your hearts!  Remember when pregnant Hagar ran away from her heavy-handed mistress?  The angel of the LORD met her in the desert and told her to go back to that difficult situation with this promise in Genesis 16:11:  "And the Angel of the LORD said to her: "Behold, you are with child, and you shall bear a son. you shall call his name Ishmael, because the LORD has heard your affliction."  How about the sad state concerning Leah, forced to marry a man who didn't want her?  Genesis 29:31 reads, "And when the LORD saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb: but Rachel was barren."  She recognised the blessing of a son was a direct result of God seeing her affliction.  The next verse reads (Gen. 29:32), "So Leah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Reuben; for she said, "The LORD has surely looked on my affliction. Now therefore, my husband will love me." A similar story is found in 1 Samuel 1, where Hannah was provoked severely by a rival wife for her barrenness.  She cried out to God in her affliction, God heard her, and she ended up giving birth to the prophet Samuel and five other children besides.  What about when David fled from Jerusalem and Shemei cursed and accused him, throwing rocks and kicking up dust?  Abishai begged David to allow him to go over and cut of Shimei's head!  David refused.  He did not pray God would make his great affliction or pain stop because he recognised God was in complete control.  2 Samuel 16:11-12 says, "And David said to Abishai and all his servants, "See how my son who came from my own body seeks my life. How much more now may this Benjamite? Let him alone, and let him curse; for so the LORD has ordered him. ¹² It may be that the LORD will look on my affliction, and that the LORD will repay me with good for his cursing this day."  When God looks upon the affliction and pain of His beloved children, He knows what to do in every case.  We might want our circumstances to change or the pain to end, but God knows better still.

The thing David requested of the LORD in Psalm 25:18 was to look upon his affliction and pain, and forgive him of all his sins.  God will be faithful to do this to all who ask Him.  1 John 1:9 says, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."  God allowed His own Son Jesus to face the agony and pain of the cross, and has exalted Him above all others.  Jesus was bruised and afflicted, but He opened not His mouth.  He asked on the cross for God to forgive those who were responsible for His crucifixion and those who scoffed and mocked as He died:  "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do."  Though Jesus was made a sacrifice for all sin, He remained the Lamb of God without blemish or spot.  The Messianic Psalm 22:23-24 says, "You who fear the LORD, praise Him! All you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him, and fear Him, all you offspring of Israel! ²⁴ For He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; nor has He hidden His face from Him; but when He cried to Him, He heard."  The atonement for our sins has come through faith in Christ, and we know God will look upon our affliction.  Our afflictions and pains are not worthy to be compared with the glory God will reveal in us.  Our Father will certainly hear our cries and answer!

I Shall Not Want

I have begun the process of preparing to speak at a teen holiday camp (Kedron) next week.  I have been struck with the simple, old truth of Psalm 23:1:  "The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want."  The Hebrew word translated "want" the Strong's concordance defines as, "to lack, by implication to fail."  Because the LORD was David's shepherd, he knew with absolute certainty he lacked no good thing.  Having God as his shepherd assured David he would not fail.  Every word of God's promises would come to pass.

We are born in this world in desperate want, far beyond our minds can understand.  We are born naked and helpless.  Humans begin life without the capacity to speak, walk, design, provide money, or even see clearly with developing eyes.  Every one of us was born completely dependent on others for food, clothing, physical touch, washing, protection, and training.  Even when we mature and develop, our needs do not lessen.  Greater responsibilities and requirements are added upon us in adulthood than we ever realised as little children.  The trouble is, in our later years we can be duped into thinking we have become self-sufficient.  We may think we no longer need the shepherding of our parents and teachers - or even God.  This is great folly and evil, for it is God who supplies all people living with breath during our allotted time on earth.  We never outgrow our need for love, forgiveness, and God's gracious salvation.

The LORD impressed upon me the thought that He has made every person unique, but there is not one original thing about any of us.  We all are followers of someone or something.  Should we play the rebel, we cannot deny many rebels have blazed that same trail.  We follow our favourite celebrities, fashions, sports teams, musicians, or the "almighty dollar."  All the people we follow are following someone too.  We are all born with stomachs which are never permanently satisfied, with eyes that never grow weary of seeing.  As we grow we realise there is more of this world we want, yet the more we have the less satisfaction we seem to experience.  It didn't matter if David was a shepherd in a field, a fugitive in a cave, or a king in a palace:  the LORD was his shepherd.  "I shall not want," said David due to the character of God revealed in scripture.  David knew God would always provide for his needs graciously and abundantly.  He wrote in Psalm 34:10, "The young lions lack and suffer hunger; but those who seek the LORD shall not lack any good thing."

David had everything he needed, and knew His future was secure in God.  Should David follow God's leading, he could not fail.  These facts provide those who follow the Good Shepherd Jesus Christ with great consolation.  David did not say, "The LORD is my shepherd, therefore my needs are met."  The implication David's needs had been met, and he spoke confidently of the future:  "I shall not want."  David had enough today, and God would be faithful to supply his needs tomorrow.  David was led by God in the present and knew God would lead him tomorrow as well.  Do you experience such assurance and peace?  Unless the LORD is your shepherd, you cannot say with certainty what David did.  God is perfect, unchanging, and good.  David faithfully demonstrated the wisdom Jesus later exhorted His disciples to embrace in Matthew 6:31-33:  "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."

Teach Me!

"Show me Your ways, O LORD; teach me Your paths. ⁵ Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; on You I wait all the day."

Psalm 25:4-5

How great is our need as Christians to be taught by God!  Those who worshiped God in the writing of the book of Psalms highly emphasise their desperate need to be taught.  Like babies straight from the womb, as born-again children of God we do not have the natural capacity to know God's will or His ways.  We cannot do the simplest spiritual exercise without God's leading and empowerment.

There is a difference between "learning" and asking someone to "teach" you.  It is quite possible to learn on your own.  With our capacity for thought and observation of life, we can learn many sensible things.  We can learn from a book or a television program.  We can learn what to do, and what not to do by observing others.  But this is a far cry from being taught.  When we make a request for someone to teach us, it demonstrates humility and submission.  It is a claim of weakness and ignorance.  A teacher is a person to whom a man willingly hears and obeys, believing his teacher and trusting his judgments.  True disciples of Jesus Christ are not mere learners, but those who have asked Jesus to teach them and have chosen to heed His Word, instruction, and correction.

When I read this passage, I thought about how common it is for me and perhaps other Christians to pray for God's leading, guidance, help, empowerment, protection, and strength.  But how often do we pray for God to teach us?  God is willing and pleased to teach those who humble themselves before Him.  Let's make it a daily practice to ask God to teach us in all areas of our lives.  He is not like a counselor who gives advice we can take or leave.  May God open our eyes to see our great lack and to value His teaching above our own experience or what we perceive through our senses.  God will show us His ways and teach us His paths.  He will lead us in His truth and teach us - if we ask, we will receive!