09 December 2014

Lying Down in Green Pastures

Near my house there many acres of pasture where cows, horses, and sheep continually graze.  The recent summer rains have made the grass grow green and lush.  Large catchments of water are filled to capacity, and God has supplied enough rain in the last days to ensure well-watered grazing for a month!  As I drove by the property yesterday, it struck me:  I have sped by the sheep in those fields hundreds of times, yet to my knowledge not once have I ever seen them laying down.  Mixed in with the cows and horses, the sheep seem to perpetually stand.  It reminded me of a passage in Phillip Keller's classic, A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23.  Keller writes:
The strange things about sheep is that because of their very make-up it is almost impossible for them to be made to lie down unless four requirements are met.  Owing to their timidity they refuse to lie down unless they are free of all fear.  Because of the social behavior within a flock sheep will not lie down unless they are free from friction with others of their kind.  If tormented by flies or parasites, sheep will not lie down.  Only when free of these pests can they relax.  Lastly, sheep will not lie down as long as they feel in need of finding food.  They must be free from hunger.  It is significant that to be at rest there must be a definite sense of freedom from fear, tension, aggravations and hunger.  The unique aspect of the picture is that it is only the sheepman himself who can provide release from these anxieties.  It all depends upon the diligence of the owner whether or not his flock is free of disturbing influencesPhillip Keller from A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 (Zondervon, 1970), 35-36.
From what I have witnessed of those roaming sheep, they have never been under the guidance and protection of a shepherd.  Without the care of a shepherd, it is not surprising the four requirements for sheep to lie down are not met.  The lifestyle of those sheep is similar to the lives of many people who do not have Jesus Christ as their Good Shepherd.  Even Christians can wander from reliance upon Christ and are troubled by fears, tormented by worry, and aggravations.  Jesus is a Good Shepherd who lays down His life for the sheep.  He is the one who David spoke of in Psalm 23, the one who "maketh me to lie down in green pastures" (Psalm 23:2).  It is not His negligence which causes us to be troubled and fret to exhaustion, but our self-reliance and unbelief which causes us great anxiety.

Jesus said in Matthew 11:28-30, "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."  Jesus is the only one in whom we can find rest for our souls.  We think if only the pesky flies would leave us alone, we would have rest.  We try to create conditions where we feel safe and secure, only to have our problems and difficulties mount.  We feed on all the world can offer us, but remain hungry.  We wish our personal disagreements would be resolved and imagine true rest to be satisfied by a holiday or relaxation.  But it never comes.  True rest, the Bible tells us and experience confirms, is found only through faith in Jesus Christ.  He is the One who makes us to lie down in green pastures, for in Him all our needs are completely satisfied.

You may know Jesus as LORD as Saviour, but are you experiencing His rest today?  You can if you are willing to draw near to your Good Shepherd and seek Him with your whole heart!

05 December 2014

Willing Dependence

I have concluded that human independence is merely a mirage.  Yesterday we experienced a storm which sent rain and hail hammering down as lightning flashed and thunder boomed.  During one of the lighting strikes, all the devices drawing electrical current dimmed.  The boys were both playing video games at the time and they simultaneously groaned, because they realised a power outage would end their gaming session.  It occurred to me they were completely reliant upon a stable electrical current to play their games.  To do anything we want to do, we have to rely upon something our someone to accomplish it.

It is always a sad day when an person can no longer drive because of health reasons or physical limitations.  I have heard this referred to as "losing your independence."  This is an ironic statement, seeing those who have a car are dependent upon their car to drive anywhere!  To use a different example, this morning I mowed the lawn.  I was completely dependent upon an operational lawn mower to perform the task.  When I bake a cake by myself I still need to have the ingredients, a bowl to mix them, a pan to pour the mix in, and an oven which needs electricity.  I am also dependent upon the proper function of my body to stand upright, maintain consciousness, and pay attention to what I am doing.  Our bodies are dependent upon a multitude of things:  oxygen, water, food, sleep, proper nutrition, and various systems of the body work together in harmony.

If I want to go to the shops, I rely upon something to transport me - whether it be a car, pushbike, my legs, public transport, or a ride from someone else.  I am dependent on money to purchase the item I desire.  I also depend on the shop to presently stock the item I seek to buy.  Even in our most independent and "self-sufficient" stages in life, we are not independent nor are we self-sufficient.  There is no one living who can claim true independence.  There is a level of dependence inherent in life, and I believe God designed it in such a fashion.  Our bodies are dependent on themselves as well as outside resources to do anything, and our survival depends on it.

Dependence is more than a mind set:  for a Christian it is to be our way of life.  All the resources and things of this world lure us to find our peace and security in them, when it is God in whom we are to depend.  If we cannot accomplish a single physical task without depending on something, how could we possibly do anything for God's glory without relying upon His strength and wisdom?  It is an interesting dynamic that everything concerning our lives is dependent upon God - whether we rely upon Him or not.  We live, move, and breathe only by God's grace.  Yet what a blessing it is when we willfully depend upon God, relying upon Him to guide, provide, protect, and save us!  No one is truly independent, yet we can choose a life independent from God.  Are you willing to admit your dependence on others or self?  If "losing our independence" causes us to become more dependent upon God, have we lost anything?  Sometimes what we perceive as loss God transforms into gain.

04 December 2014

No "Plan B"

God responds with answers to those who rely upon Him.  As long as we have a backup plan, the very existence of such a plan shows our faith is not in God.  To paraphrase a quote from Transformational Discipleship (by Geiger, Kelley, Nation), our "Plan B" is an offense to God.  God should not be at the top of our personal pecking order, but the One in whom we seek refuge.  There is to be no other retreat for a believer.  God is not to be our last resort, nor should we line up options should He not respond according to our demands or impatience.

There is a telling contrast in the Bible between two kings:  King Saul and King Hezekiah.  With impending war looming on the horizon, each of these kings responded quite differently.  Despite their differences, both these kings share something in common:  they both sought the LORD first.  The condition of their hearts and the reality of their faith would be revealed to us, even as it was known by God before they approached Him!  Let us begin with the example of Saul found in 1 Samuel 28:4-8:  "Then the Philistines gathered together, and came and encamped at Shunem. So Saul gathered all Israel together, and they encamped at Gilboa. 5 When Saul saw the army of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart trembled greatly. 6 And when Saul inquired of the LORD, the LORD did not answer him, either by dreams or by Urim or by the prophets. 7 Then Saul said to his servants, "Find me a woman who is a medium, that I may go to her and inquire of her." And his servants said to him, "In fact, there is a woman who is a medium at En Dor." 8 So Saul disguised himself and put on other clothes, and he went, and two men with him; and they came to the woman by night. And he said, "Please conduct a seance for me, and bring up for me the one I shall name to you."  Saul was a man with a "Plan-B."  He had forsaken God for decades, yet in a moment of desperation he did all in his power to seek God.  He sought an answer from prophets, and even waited for God to speak to him in a dream!  No answer came.

Since God did not respond to proud and unrepentant King Saul, he implemented his backup plan.  He told his servants to find a medium so he could inquire of her.  God didn't provide Saul an answer, so Saul sought the counsel of devils.  Saul decided to resort to seeking advice of those he had been tasked to remove from the land because of their abominations.  In his mind, he had no choice.  He easily justified going to a medium when God did not answer, even as he "forced himself" to sacrifice unto the LORD when Samuel did not arrive as quickly as he hoped (1 Samuel 13:8-14).  Saul's eyes were ever upon himself and others - and did not look to God in faith.  He feared when the people began to scatter from him, and feared when enemies encamped against him.  Saul's fears of defeat were fully realised the very next day when he was wounded on Mt. Gilboa and decided to end his life by falling on his own sword in battle.

Over the course of time, Hezekiah became king in Jerusalem.  The King of Assyria sent a vast army on multiple occasions to intimidate and threaten Hezekiah and the people.  2 Kings 19:1-7 tells us what happened:  "And so it was, when King Hezekiah heard it, that he tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the LORD. 2 Then he sent Eliakim, who was over the household, Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, to Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz. 3 And they said to him, "Thus says Hezekiah: 'This day is a day of trouble, and rebuke, and blasphemy; for the children have come to birth, but there is no strength to bring them forth. 4 It may be that the LORD your God will hear all the words of the Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to reproach the living God, and will rebuke the words which the LORD your God has heard. Therefore lift up your prayer for the remnant that is left.' " 5 So the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah. 6 And Isaiah said to them, "Thus you shall say to your master, 'Thus says the LORD: "Do not be afraid of the words which you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed Me. 7 Surely I will send a spirit upon him, and he shall hear a rumor and return to his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land."  Hezekiah tore his clothes in grief, and immediately went into the house of the LORD.  He sent word to Isaiah the prophet to pray for the people, for they were in great strife.  Immediately an answer from God was sent.  Hezekiah was commanded not to fear, for the LORD would send their enemies away.  He would fight for them through a rumour to draw the army away from the doorstep of Jerusalem.

But the fight wasn't over.  The Assyrians sent a letter to Hezekiah, telling him it was pointless to trust in God.  Hezekiah followed the same pattern as previously.  2 Kings 19:14-19 reads, "And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the LORD, and spread it before the LORD. 15 Then Hezekiah prayed before the LORD, and said: "O LORD God of Israel, the One who dwells between the cherubim, You are God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. 16 Incline Your ear, O LORD, and hear; open Your eyes, O LORD, and see; and hear the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to reproach the living God. 17 Truly, LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands, 18 and have cast their gods into the fire; for they were not gods, but the work of men's hands--wood and stone. Therefore they destroyed them. 19 Now therefore, O LORD our God, I pray, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You are the LORD God, You alone."  Amazingly, the prophet Isaiah sent an answer of peace and promises (without Hezekiah even sending messengers this time) in 2 Kings 19:20:  "Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, "Thus says the LORD God of Israel: 'Because you have prayed to Me against Sennacherib king of Assyria, I have heard.'"

The King of Assyria had spoken high things against God, and Hezekiah sought refuge in God.  He was not looking to Egypt, his weapons, army, or the Temple of the LORD:  he looked to the LORD of the Temple!  Without a backup plan Hezekiah spread out the letter before the LORD, and God answered.  2 Kings 19:32-37 says, "Therefore thus says the LORD concerning the king of Assyria: 'He shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with shield, nor build a siege mound against it. 33 By the way that he came, by the same shall he return; and he shall not come into this city,' says the LORD. 34 'For I will defend this city, to save it for My own sake and for My servant David's sake.' 35 And it came to pass on a certain night that the angel of the LORD went out, and killed in the camp of the Assyrians one hundred and eighty-five thousand; and when people arose early in the morning, there were the corpses--all dead. 36 So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and went away, returned home, and remained at Nineveh. 37 Now it came to pass, as he was worshiping in the temple of Nisroch his god, that his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer struck him down with the sword; and they escaped into the land of Ararat. Then Esarhaddon his son reigned in his place."

When we face conflict, we are given the choice to line up our options.  These examples reveal the folly of trusting in self or resorting to a "Plan B" when God sits on the throne.  If we have a "Plan B," God will not be our "Plan A!"  God regards, defends, and fights for those who trust wholly in Him.  Is He not able to supply all our needs?  The God who created the ear, shall He not hear?  The God who formed the eye, shall He not see?  The God who created all things remains in total, complete control.  Fear Him, seek Him, and your eyes will see the salvation of the LORD!

03 December 2014

Gutter Maintenance

At the end of a sweltering summer day, Sydney was doused with a welcome shower.  Wind whipped the trees and the cool rain bucketed down.  During the cloudburst, I noticed a few areas where rain was spilling over the edge of the gutters.  This morning after seeing the boys off to school, I pulled out a ladder and confirmed my suspicion.  The large tree which provides lovely shade in our front yard also drops leaves in abundance, and the gutters needed to be cleaned.  It only took a short time to remove the leaves, and hopefully the next rain will prove my effort of maintenance successful.

Since the gutters are elevated, it took a rainstorm for me to notice the flow of water was impeded by leaves and debris.  Buckets of leaves had slowly accumulated out of my sight.  Many had turned black due to the decomposition process.  Because I do occasionally clean the gutters, it was not a big chore to clear them this morning.  It made me think about the spiritual maintenance required for our lives to remain pure, so the Living Water of the Holy Spirit may flow unabated through our lives.  Often the temptation must come in a deluge, a storm kicks up that unsettles us, or we experience a power outage and subsequent darkness which brings us to our senses that something is quite wrong.  We may think we are doing very well spiritually until we have a great fall.  It is only afterwards we realise the warning signs were there for quite a while.  Sinful thoughts and selfish attitudes in our hearts had slowly been accumulating like leaves in the gutter.  Clear skies and light breezes didn't alert us to our wayward hearts.  But when the storm hit in the form of a fight when we used unkind words, exhibited uncontrolled anger, or sinful choices made clear our wretched condition.  Slowly resolve against temptations eroded as our desire or curiosity intensified which resulted in additional sin.  We can praise God for His grace to allow the gutter to overflow so we might see our desperate need for Him. 

The gutter on our house was powerless to clear itself of the leaves.  The massive volume of water packed leaves under stabilising brackets which cut off the flow, and strong winds added more leaves still.  Even as Christians, we are absolutely powerless to cleanse ourselves from sin and restore ourselves to a close relationship with God when we choose sin.  It is good when our sin brings us to a place of desperation for God's intervention in our lives.  If our need for cleansing and deliverance from sin does not overwhelm us, it may be we have not looked into the recesses in our hearts.  If our mind and heart is like a gutter packed with refuse, God supplies the only salvation and deliverance through repentance and faith in Christ.  When our eyes are opened to our powerlessness and Christ's sufficiency, we can make the contemplation of David in Psalm 142 our prayer:  "I cry out to the LORD with my voice; with my voice to the LORD I make my supplication. 2 I pour out my complaint before Him; I declare before Him my trouble. 3 When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then You knew my path. In the way in which I walk they have secretly set a snare for me. 4 Look on my right hand and see, for there is no one who acknowledges me; refuge has failed me; no one cares for my soul. 5 I cried out to You, O LORD: I said, "You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living. 6 Attend to my cry, for I am brought very low; deliver me from my persecutors, for they are stronger than I. 7 Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise Your name; the righteous shall surround me, for You shall deal bountifully with me."

The gutters on our house could not clear themselves, but it was easy for me to do.  No matter what your struggle, no matter how long those leaves have been accumulating, cleansing you of sin is no problem for Jesus.  How would you like to have a new start?  How would you like to be delivered from the prison of sin you find yourself stuck in?  Seek refuge in the LORD, trusting only in Him.  Repent, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another that you may be healed.  Keep an eye on the condition of your heart and mind, performing regular checks and soul maintenance.  Then when the stormy temptation hits, the cleansing, refreshing power of God's Word and the Holy Spirit will flow freely through you.