Power of Love

As I drove home from church this afternoon I heard a familiar refrain with a twist:  "You've got the whole world in your hands."  It was set to the tune I used to sing in Sunday School as a lad proclaiming God has the whole world in His hands and all is under His authority.  It turned out to the be an ad by ABC Radio promoting a new app that puts the "whole world in your hands."

It occurred to me that this perspective has appeal to people from the beginning.  What was the temptation dangled before Eve in the Garden by Satan?  "You will not die but shall be like God, knowing good and evil." (Gen. 3:4)  From the beginning man has wanted to be like God.  We have an insatiable appetite for knowledge and the supposed power it brings.  We want to sit in God's judgment seat and do what is right in our own eyes.  The false idol of every age has been self.  It is not self-hatred but the sin of self-love which ensnared men in its tendrils from the beginning.

Jesus came to this earth and demonstrated love for His heavenly Father and fellow men.  Jesus created this world by His words from nothing, and despite His power and authority He became a servant of all.  He sacrificed self out of love for others, giving no thought of His own life.  If a sinful man was god, he would live quite differently.  Jesus could have crushed His enemies with legions of angelic beings and protected Himself, yet He embraced the suffering of the cross and death so we could live through the Gospel.  Jesus allowed His body to be pierced with crude Roman nails so His redeemed could be engraved on His hands (Is. 49:16).

This is true power.  Jesus was willing to suffer so others could be saved.  Knowledge is one thing, but actually following through with a spirit of gentleness and meekness in the face of pain for the good of others is another.  I encourage you to read through the Gospels and recognise how differently Jesus responded to opposition, hatred, and betrayal than we naturally do.  His self-control, wisdom, and grace is beyond compare.  May Christians demonstrate His love, mercy, and strength in our everyday interactions so His name will be praised.

The Judgment Alert

Lately, for whatever reason, it seems people are highly concerning about the hypocrisy of others.  I hear them talk about it and I see people pointing out the hypocrisy of others on Facebook.  Everyone seems to have burning observations about the recent election which are focused on the behaviour of others.  I imagine you have seen this phenomenon too so I likely do not need provide examples.  People are boasting, complaining, angry, shocked, mourning, accusing, slanderous, gleeful, resigned, or couldn't care less.  As I observe others I do well to first examine my own heart and motives, knowing what the Bible says about me.

After Paul explained how God is holy and we are all under His judgment for sin, Romans 2:1 begins with this zinger aimed at the self-righteous:  "Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things."  God's judgment is one thing, but man's judgment is another.  This passage teaches us when we judge others we only condemn ourselves.  Take hypocrisy, for example.  If I am keen to point out the hypocrisy in others it reveals my own hypocrisy.  Before God I need to own the sin I judge to be in others.  "It takes one to know one" is an appropriate cliche in this context.  God's judgment comes from a place of righteous, holy perfection, but my judgments are naturally justified by my own crookedness.

This works in a similar fashion concerning our suspicions of others.  If we are suspicious people are talking about us behind our backs, it should be a signal to alert us of our own modus operandi.  If I am bothered by people gloating over a victory, I can know it is my natural inclination to do the same.  A person who is preoccupied their spouse could be cheating on them may themselves be unfaithful in their hearts.  We are all without excuse, for we are all sinners before the righteous Judge of all the earth.  Instead of judging others for their faults, we are called to repentance and obedience before God.  If we love Him, we will walk in the light as He is in the light.  Should we see a fellow Christian in sin, we are to check our own hearts and seek to restore such a one in a spirit of humility and meekness (Gal. 6:1) because we too can succumb to the exact same sin.

Those who judge practice the same things.  We do better to remove the plank from our own eyes first so we can see clearly to dislodge the speck from someone else's eye.  What I have found to be true is when I confess my sin and repent for my plank-eye and look with clear eyes on others, the specks often disappear.  Praise the LORD for clarity of vision He brings through His Word and the Holy Spirit into a world darkened with hypocrisy.

The Royal Tailor

Last night I was reading through Zechariah when Joshua the high priest was standing clothed in filthy garments before the LORD and His angels with Satan opposing him.  Satan is an accuser of the brethren, and likely in his mind he had a valid point given Joshua's filthy appearance.  But God rebuked the devil and did not debate the fact Joshua was indeed filthy.  God compared to Joshua being a "brand plucked out the fire," and if you have ever touched wood which has been scorched you know soot and ash is nigh impossible to clean.  God knew full well Joshua's condition before He brought Joshua into His presence.  God's grace would prove abundant.

Now the part of the story which opened my eyes with excitement is in Zechariah 3:3-4:  "Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and was standing before the Angel. ⁴ Then He answered and spoke to those who stood before Him, saying, "Take away the filthy garments from him." And to him He said, "See, I have removed your iniquity from you, and I will clothe you with rich robes."  See what God did for Joshua?  He plucked him from the burning, removed his filthy garments from him and had rich robes prepared especially for Him.  Notice God removed Joshua's stained clothes, supplied new robes, and also clothed him with them.  Joshua had no power to remove his clothes himself, as they were a picture of his iniquity.  Joshua also could not clothe himself with the robe God promised to supply.  He needed to submit to God for His cleansing and his new clothing.

This is a great picture of how Satan works to oppose and accuse Christians who have been saved from destruction through repentance and faith in Christ.  The devil doesn't stop his attacks by virtue of us being in God's presence:  he may ramp up his assault!  But God be praised, for our Saviour rebukes the enemy, removes our iniquity, and imputes unto us His righteousness.  We can fall prey to the devil's accusations because of our sin and despair, forgetting God desires to cleanse and restore us.  We can become frustrated in the efforts of our flesh to absolve ourselves of guilt and to walk in holiness.  Only God can do these things and He is glad to do so for all who repent.

How gracious is our holy God, who loves us enough to pull us out of the fire, remove our iniquity, and clothe us in His royal righteousness.  Let us rejoice along with God's people in Isaiah 61:10:  "I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels."  Jesus Christ is our royal tailor, and our righteousness is in Him.

Your Choice on Election Day

"Thus says the LORD: "Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart departs from the LORD. ⁶ For he shall be like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see when good comes, but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land which is not inhabited. ⁷ "Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, and whose hope is the LORD. ⁸ For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes; but its leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will cease from yielding fruit."

Jeremiah 17:5-8

In Australia the upcoming United States presidential election is big news.  People ask me all the time for my thoughts on the election "as an American."  As someone who has called Australia home for six years, I feel a bit distant from the pulse.  But I tell you the truth:  the problems facing the United States are beyond the capacity for any man or woman to change for the better.  It is not primarily a social, racial, medical, or financial problem but a spiritual one.  Even government authority and godly leaders established by God cannot by themselves affect positive change in people who have placed their hope in man.

After God birthed the nation of Israel and He established them in Canaan, it wasn't long before they wanted a king like all the nations around them.  They would not have God rule over them any longer and wanted a man to lead them and fight their battles.  It wasn't long before they resembled the idolatrous and weak nations around them.  The passage in Jeremiah explains the progression well:  when a man trusts and looks to men for strength his heart departs from the LORD.  He will find himself under a curse, dry and thirsty "like a shrub in the desert."  Looking to men for strength causes a man to find himself parched, not able to receive the good things God desires to supply.  Years of drought will cause him to wither, fear increased heat, and be anxious at the prospects of drought.  When you consider a potential 8 years of President Clinton or Trump, do you think America will resemble an oasis or a wasteland?

Yet consider the different picture of the man who trusts in the LORD, whose hope is not in man but in God!  No matter the social or economic circumstances this one will find rest, abundance, and fruitfulness in the LORD!  A tree does not stockpile food, weapons, or ammunition in fear of an uncertain future, nor does it threaten to leave a country if a particular man or woman is elected president.  Followers of Jesus Christ shall be blessed even when the heat comes, when there are decades of godless leadership, even when a peaceable life seems impossible.  Your vote or voice may not seem to be heard by men unworthy of trust, but God hears all who call upon Him in faith.  Hope from God does not depend upon Republicans or Democrats, on Presidents or Prime Ministers, on government policies or welfare payments. The scripture says blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, and cursed is the man who trusts in man.

Choose this day if you will be cursed or receive God's blessing.  If the outcome of this upcoming election shakes you to your core, confess and repent before God you have placed hope in men, and find a firm foundation in Jesus Christ to set your trembling feet.  In Him is life, Living Water, and rest for your soul.  You can be like a well-watered and fruitful tree no matter the political climate when you trust in God and make Jesus Christ your hope - or you can be weak, dry, not seeing when good comes, afraid, anxious, and fruitless.  I pray you make the right choice this election day and always!