The SpongeBob Lesson

During scripture class recently I asked a year six boy, "If you could ask for anything in the world, what would it be?"  His eyes looked up at the ceiling as he grinned, thinking it over.  "I know what I would ask for," he said almost bashfully.  "Well, what would it be?"  He replied, "It's about someone who is yellow and square."  "Oh?  Would that be SpongeBob SquarePants!"  "Yes!" he gleefully shouted.  "The SpongeBob SquarePants movie!"  Later I thought to myself the boy had set the bar ridiculously low.  He was given the freedom to ask for anything in the world but chose a DVD.  Imagine being able to supply someone's ultimate dream for $20!

Do you know God once asked Solomon a similar question in 1 Kings 3:5?  In a dream God said to Solomon, "Ask!  What shall I give you?"  God did not include the caveat "up to half of my kingdom" typical of royalty.  Our answer to the question depends on who is asking and what is reasonable.  If my grandmother Gammy had asked me this, I knew she had many children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.  She didn't have an endless supply of resources so a DVD might have been appropriate.  But God's wealth is not spread thin!  There's nothing He cannot give!  Because God is the Creator of everything and all is subject to Him, He could have given Solomon anything he asked for.  Solomon asked for wisdom to rule God's people, and God gave him that and much more besides.

As I thought about the SpongeBob SquarePants Movie answer, I was convicted when the LORD spoke to my heart.  It occurred to me God has everything and yet many of my prayers and requests aim very low.  Before a God who desires to do the impossible and be extravagantly powerful, generous, and gracious to His people, my requests are the equivalent of asking for a DVD.  I sometimes ask for things God has already promised to be doing or for things He has already given!  As children of God through faith in Christ we have complete access to our Father in heaven whose great pleasure is to give us the kingdom, yet we fix our desire on insignificant things.  I imagine for that lad SpongeBob won't seem so wonderful years from now.  How about asking God for things only He can give and do?  Why not ask for the impossible?  We can be silly and shortsighted with lame requests when God offers us His presence, power, and wisdom.  Can you imagine God offering us Himself, forgiveness, and grace and we sigh because it wasn't the DVD equivalent we had our heart set on?  God's wants our hearts set on Him and He is worthy!

How cool is that?  God is so amazing He can use even a SpongeBob DVD to teach valuable life lessons of eternal value!

Sorry School House Rock!

When I was a kid, there was a popular educational program called "School House Rock" which used the slogan, "Knowledge is Power!"  School House Rock helped me to memorise the Preamble in my year 8 History class taught by Mr. Kennedy.  I even had a retro School House Rock t-shirt when I was in high school!  But as educational and useful as the program was, after assessing the slogan biblically I must confess the slogan "Knowledge is Power!" is untrue.  Whilst knowledge is beneficial when used wisely, it has no power in itself to accomplish anything.  Education alone does not have the power to cure any ills.  Being able to recite the Preamble in no way supplies power to live in the way the forefathers of the United States intended.

Knowledge is a useful means, but not an end.  God lamented His people perished for a lack of knowledge.  He had the power to save and deliver them, but they continued to ignore His Law and live as was right in their own eyes.  Yet God's people also exposed the pitfalls of knowledge which led to pride and self-righteousness.  The Jews made the knowledge of God's Law and putting it into practice according to tradition the end instead of realising the Law was given so people might have fellowship with God.  Paul wrote in the second part of 1 Corinthians 8:1, "We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies."  We have all been given the knowledge of good and evil, but knowledge of good does not supply us the power to always do good.  Knowledge could never make a man be good.

This fact is plainly demonstrated in many aspects of life.  I may be able to read and understand a recipe which tells me the ingredients in measure, the heat of the oven, and the proper order to  mix the batter.  But this knowledge does not mean I will choose to follow it, nor does it mean my best efforts will result in a good outcome!  I may know the rules of baseball, but that does not mean I am physically able to play it.  I might know what shot to play in cricket when a bouncer comes at my head, but that doesn't mean I can execute the shot.  I may know how to read and write and do advanced maths, but it does not mean I will be admitted into my preferred university or obtain the job I desire.  Sorry School House Rock, but knowledge is not power.  Knowledge is incapable to supply the power necessary to accomplish anything or see it properly applied to my life.

The power of knowledge in itself is a mirage, but there is true power in Jesus Christ demonstrated by His resurrection from the dead.  The knowledge that a man has three weeks to live will not prolong his life or change the doctor's diagnosis.  But there is power in the Gospel to save souls and transform hearts and minds.  Knowledge of the Gospel is the path to the power of God received by faith in Jesus.  As it is written in 2 Timothy 1:6-10, "Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. ⁷ For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. ⁸ Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, ⁹ who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, ¹⁰ but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,"  Paul reminded Timothy of what he had received through the Gospel:  a spiritual gift and vitality, a spirit of power, love, and of a sound mind.  Jesus has abolished death for all who repent and trust in Him, and has brought life and immortality to light by the Gospel - critical knowledge indeed!

It is God who saves, not knowledge.  Knowledge is very important and involved in salvation, don't get me wrong:  but knowledge in itself has no power to do, save, or redeem.  It is Christ who justifies, not our knowledge of Christ or understanding of the doctrine of justification.  Knowledge of God according to the Bible leads to unending and infinite power through Jesus Christ.

Accept All Things

One of the audio messages which has been a blessing to me lately was one spoken by the late pastor Steve Mays called "Being Content."  He broke down the last chapter of Philippians 4 into three major points:  I accept all things, I can do all things, and I have all things.  Paul had learned in whatever state he was to be content in Christ, and it seems through many trials Steve Mays could say the same.  Often God uses trying circumstances to teach us these invaluable lessons.

The point "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" was the one most often stressed by my teachers during my young life with Christ.  Yet with added clarity looking back, because I could not say "I accept all things" or "I have all things" meant I actually could not do all things!  It is a seldom discussed concept that there are things God allows in our lives we must learn to accept.  In some things we overcome not by their removal from our lives but by our continued perseverance despite them.  Paul was brought to that point of acceptance when God saw fit to allow a messenger from Satan into his life.  God didn't remind Paul that he could "do all things" and therefore labour to remove this perceived hindrance from his life.  What Paul called a thorn God used as a goad to humility and increased usefulness.

Whether concerning personal life or ministry, we are often not content because our identity is not founded solely on Christ.  We think we cannot do all things because we do not have all things.  You see, if we had all things, we could do all things, and then our situation would be acceptable!  What Paul had learned was in Christ he already had all things, therefore he could do all things, and was content in every situation - even when it concerned a messenger of Satan which buffeted him.  There is much speculation and debate about what the thorn was, but Paul already made it plain:  a messenger of Satan.  The details don't really matter, for the lesson is applicable to all seasons and trials of this life.  Acceptance of what God has allowed is not a passive "letting go" or "giving up" but is a intentional act of reliance upon God as we expectantly wait on Him.

It is a glorious day when we joyfully praise God for the trial, not thanking God in spite of it.  A person who accepts all things from the loving hand of God realises through faith the supernatural ability and abundance we have through Jesus Christ.  In Christ we have all things and we are without limitation.  Paul's prayers had been answered, and this poses a question for us:  will we accept all things and be content?

God and Oysters

I am amazed and grateful how God is able to redeem flawed people for His glory.  In the fable of Rumpelstiltskin, that conniving imp was able to spin straw into gold but God does infinitely greater still.  Even the most fantastic fantasies cannot measure up to the wisdom and power of God in saving lost sinners and making them children of God.  God's grace and power is revealed in our weakness, even our failings He redeems for practical good and eternal glory.

After preaching yesterday, God spoke to me as I sung songs of worship to Him.  I had concluded the message, but God had more to say to me.  In a lovely way He laid out some additional points I hadn't even considered during study - really good ones.  When Jesus fed the 5,000 to the full there were still leftovers, and it was true concerning the message preached yesterday.  I trust even as God was able to speak to my heart, He spoke to others as well despite my shortcomings.  Over lunch we discussed the sermon as a family and when called out on a point needed to admit I made an error in interpretation.  It was over a minor point, but even making small mistakes hits hard when you aim to do your best.  Praise the LORD, for even with word-fumbling, mis-reading, or poor interpretation, God is able to speak unhindered.  I love that!

It reminds me of an "Our Daily Bread" devotion I read years ago called "The Oyster Man" by Cindy Hess Kasper.  Here is a large portion of the 9 April 2008 entry by Kasper:

In the days of John Wesley, lay preachers with limited education would sometimes conduct the church services. One man used Luke 19:21 as his text: “Lord, I feared Thee, because Thou art an austere man” (KJV). Not knowing the word austere, he thought the text spoke of “an oyster man.”  He explained how a diver must grope in dark, freezing water to retrieve oysters. In his attempt, he cuts his hands on the sharp edges of the shells. After he obtains an oyster, he rises to the surface, clutching it “in his torn and bleeding hands.” The preacher added, “Christ descended from the glory of heaven into . . . sinful human society, in order to retrieve humans and bring them back up with Him to the glory of heaven. His torn and bleeding hands are a sign of the value He has placed on the object of His quest.” Afterward, 12 men received Christ. Later that night someone came to Wesley to complain about unschooled preachers who were too ignorant even to know the meaning of the texts they were preaching on. The Oxford-educated Wesley simply said, “Never mind. The Lord got a dozen oysters tonight.”

Praise the LORD how He can use anyone to be a useful part of His Body, the church.  The best efforts of our flesh fall short, but God is a Redeemer.  Jesus can take a meagre lunch for a boy and in His hands turn it into a feast for thousands!  There is more where that came from!