The Clean Heart

I've been thinking lately about the importance our examining our motives according to God's Word as we draw near to Him.  As critical as it is to come to God at the beginning in humility and submission to His will by grace through faith, so we must continue in this posture in seeking the fullness of His Spirit.  We can at any point of our Christian pilgrimage begin to unknowingly entertain selfish motives.  Our desires can degrade to what God can provide for us or do our will rather than humbling ourselves to seek His.  Instead of selfless desire for the glory of God, we can be focused on our problems, pain, or how God should end them for us.

God will not become a means to our end.  God knows what we need, but will acquiesce to our greed and selfishness to chasten us back to Him.  This sobering reality is demonstrated in Psalm 106:13-15:  "They soon forgot His works; they did not wait for His counsel, ¹⁴ but lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, and tested God in the desert. ¹⁵ And He gave them their request, but sent leanness into their soul."  If we willingly forget God's works and do not seek Him, pray God does not grant your request.  The excitement of the prayer answered will soon be swallowed up in despair and spiritual drowsiness and weakness.

The sacrifices of the LORD are a broken heart and contrite spirit, not insatiable demands of the proud or self-righteous. Joel 2:12-13 says, "Now, therefore," says the LORD, "turn to Me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning." ¹³ So rend your heart, and not your garments; return to the LORD your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness; and He relents from doing harm."  Praise the LORD He hears our cries, and He is able to make our hearts pure before Him when we repent.  His hand which breaks us can also heal and restore.  James 5:11 reads, "Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord--that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful."

The Voice of the LORD

"The voice of the LORD makes the deer give birth, and strips the forests bare; and in His temple everyone says, "Glory!"

Psalm 29:9

In my recent study of Psalm 29, this verse stood out among others in this chapter which speaks often of the powerful and far-reaching impact of the voice of God.  It struck me the sound of God's voice impacts people differently, even as it causes the deer to give birth or stripping a forest bare.  One is left exposed and broken by the God's voice, and the other is startled into bringing forth new life.  Recognising God remains in control regardless of any circumstances we face is an abiding comfort in the life of a follower of Jesus.

The heart strengthened by faith in God as revealed in His Word is convinced He makes all work for good in the life of those who love Him (Romans 8:28).  Despite storms, pain, and trials, God's people are able to rejoice in Him regardless.  It is one thing to read about the faithful people of God who were blessed to endure, but it is God's will for all people to personally experience the upholding power of God's Spirit.  At the voice of God, all those who worship God in the beauty of His holiness say, "Glory!"  Paul was able to rejoice despite persecution, unjust imprisonment, and slander.  He said in the face of death, "Rejoice in the LORD always!  Again I will say, rejoice!"  He had the ability to see the power and sufficiency of Christ in the midst of the trial without focusing on how he had been mistreated, his pain, or what potential misfortunes awaited him.  He was no believer in luck or "fortune" but in the sovereign power, goodness, and wisdom of His glorious Saviour.

God is speaking today.  Are you listening?  Whether His voice strips you bare of deceit and reveals sinful motives or awakens in you new desire to worship and draw near to Him, listen and obey.  The God who made man's mouth also made His ears.  The God who confounded the languages at Babel has the authority and power to be clearly understood by all.  It is when we quiet our hearts before Him we can hear His still small voice which strikes through our souls like a bolt of lightning.  Speak O LORD, for you servant hears (by your grace)!

Humble Privilege

Yesterday I travelled to Rotorua, New Zealand to meet with friends at the Calvary Chapel Bible Institute.  It just so happened Australia played New Zealand in the World Cup Rugby Union final for the first time in history.  As with most teams who face the legendary “All Blacks,” a respectable effort from the Aussies ended up as second best.  For the first time ever, a team has won the World Cup back-to-back, and with it “bragging rights” for the next four years.

The term “bragging rights” is an interesting one.  The concept in the sporting world is when your team wins and you “have scoreboard,” you have the right to remind others of your victory and their defeat when it pleases you.  It occurred to me that bragging is never good when it springs from a root of pride, and the scoreboard says it all.  Better than being proud over our personal accomplishments or those of the teams we support, the biblical approach is to consider the humble privilege of competing in lieu of boasting.

Since my hiatus from organised sport as I rehabilitated my surgically repaired knee, I have seen even the opportunity to compete as a gift of God.  Even when my team struggles or I do not achieve what I consider a respectable standard, I should be grateful to God for the opportunity to compete and be thankful for the opposition (regardless of their attitude), umpires (regardless of their questionable calls), gear, and grounds (regardless of the condition) which makes the game possible.

As a child of God, I have the privilege and responsibility to walk in humility before God and men – even on the sporting fields.  Instead of taunting, criticising others, or indulging in my “bragging rights,” I ought to honour God by attitudes which reflect His grace.  I can live out the joyful humble privilege, thanking God for every opportunity He supplies whether as a competitor in the arena or a spectator.  God is not interested in making competitive people catatonic and careless, but to bring the flesh under the power of His Spirit that we might honour and glorify Him with more fervency still.

Here One Day, Gone the Next

Everything which seems so solid, secure, and predictable in this earth can suddenly change forever.  Powerful nations which ruled others have been subdued and forgotten.  Well-built houses, and established trees suddenly plunged into a sinkhole or were wiped from the earth in a devastating tornado.  People who are healthy and strong can perish in an instant.  Jesus taught in the Temple, but He also used the massive stones of the Temple to illustrate how the things which seem immovable can be quickly cast down and ruined forever.  Some say the future is uncertain, and in a sense it is.  No one knows precisely how the future will play out.  From a biblical perspective, however, the future of the world is absolutely certain:  it is all going to perish.

Matthew 24:1-2 tells the story:  "Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. ² And Jesus said to them, "Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down."  Some of the stones used in building the Temple weighed hundreds of tons.  When I visited the Western Wall Tunnels just weeks ago, I placed my hands on the Western Stone which is estimated to weigh 570 tons!  The words of Jesus came true years later in 70AD when the Romans sacked Jerusalem and pulled apart the Temple.  Based upon the size of stones used in the Temple, the disciples likely thought it would last for generations!  But as Jesus said, the buildings of the Temple were all thrown down and left as a heap of rubble.

The claims of Jesus piqued the curiosity of His disciples.  Matthew 24:3-8 reads, "Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?" ⁴ And Jesus answered and said to them: "Take heed that no one deceives you. ⁵ For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many. ⁶ And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. ⁷ For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. ⁸ All these are the beginning of sorrows."  The disciples asked three specific questions which Jesus answered in the remainder of Matthew 24 and chapter 25.  What Jesus addressed in this passage was 1) when these things would be (the destruction of the Temple) and 2) the signs of His coming.  Since the Temple was destroyed in 70AD and Jesus has not yet returned, we are currently living in the days of which He spoke.

When I hear of wars and rumors of wars, I am not surprised.  When I hear of earthquakes in various places, I am not afraid.  This is exactly what Jesus said would happen.  I am saddened to hear of the horrors of war, the loss of life, and the terrible conflicts which consume fighters, families, and little ones.  "All these things must come to pass," Jesus said, "but the end is not yet."  If we have seen the beginning of sorrows with genocides, the Jewish holocaust, tsunamis, earthquakes, forest fires, terrorist attacks, diseases, and hate, what will the end of these things be?  As Jesus said on His way to being crucified, "If they do these thing in the green wood, what will be done in the dry?" (Luke 23:31) Thank the LORD for the comfort and eternal security He offers through faith in Jesus Christ!  Because I am in Him, I am not worried about the end of all things, fearful with uncertainty.  But I ought to be mindful that my end can come in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye.  At any second my life can be over and I will be judged before the Living God.

This world has not seen the end of war and tragedy.  With burgeoning conflicts between the nations, it is like the powers of the world are dusting off their swords to go to battle.  The escalation will continue, and the rhetoric will someday end with real fighting.  Politics and policies will be powerless to stop the tide, and nations will fall.  Yet Christians need not be troubled or afraid at the dangerous spectre of these things.  Did not Jesus tell us beforehand?  Jesus spoke to His disciples in John 16:33:  "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."