Off the Rails

It is newsworthy when a train derails, and always bad news.  No train goes "off the rails" without incredible damage due to the sheer size and weight of the train.  With immense force linked carriages pile into one another, creating a twisted pile of metal carnage.  A train which leaves the track whilst transporting people is a greater catastrophe still.  The aftermath is a nightmare for all involved.

Sometimes the lives of people have been compared to a train wreck, a personal disaster which causes people to stare and wonder in amazement.  A life which seemed to be going along smoothly to a profitable destination suddenly veered off course possibly due to bad choices.  Complications and severe consequences can quickly escalate out of control.  We say such a person has gone "off the rails."  A life which was once promising can be stopped in its tracks through drugs, alcohol, and debt.  There are undoubtedly many factors which lead to the derailment of a train, and there are a myriad of potential dangers to a healthy, fruitful, and prosperous life.

When we ask ourselves how someone with such positive potential - or really with so much to lose - could go "off the rails," it is important to recognise life for us is not like a train on a rail which can only go forward, reverse or stop.  A train is a machine at the mercy of the engineer, the design and quality construction of the track, and the arbitrary schedules of men.  It has no will of its own like a man does.  A man is more like a pioneer, exploring a wide world on foot and trying to find a place for himself to build a life which best meets his ideal.  Human beings could only be "off the rails" if they were first on a rail, and the only path a man is on from birth is a scenic descent to hell.  This is one area where man has no choice, for sin is master and ruler over us all from the womb.  Ultimately eternity in hell is the place where all will go, having fallen short of God's righteousness.

Those who recognise their eternal end afar off and repent, seeking salvation through trust in Jesus, will be delivered from this fiery destruction.  A train is rightly restricted to a track, but Jesus Christ has brought freedom, forgiveness, and deliverance for all who trust in Him.  Going "off the rails" in this sense is the best thing ever!  AC/DC sung a song about heading down a highway to hell, a "season ticket on a one-way ride." and people happily sing along.  Ozzy Osbourne has long sung of a crazy train he's riding, saying "I'm living with something that just isn't fair."  He expresses resentment for the hand he has been dealt, wounds that never seem to heal.  On the Day of Judgment, all whose names are not written in the Book of Life will receive what is fair, for the wages of sin is death.  But by the grace of God we can turn around and avoid our deadly destination, and Jesus will save us from what we deserve by trusting in Him.

I don't know about you, but I will never use the phrase "off the rails" the same way again!  I am eternally grateful for the freedom and the new life I have realised through Jesus and the glorious future which awaits all those who love Him.

The Aerated Heart

We have been experiencing summer in full swing in Sydney, and areas of our lawn without shade have begun to dry out.  Though the Sir Walter turf is very hardy, additional water is needed at times to keep it green and growing.  It took me mowing and edging to notice the dusty and dry condition of the lawn.  It's funny, isn't it?  I look across our green lawn every day, but it isn't until I tend to it that I notice areas of neglect which escaped notice.  Yesterday I spent a good half-hour watering the lawn and offering my skin to thirsty mosquitoes (I found this out later).  The soil was so dry it took a while before the water penetrated the surface.  A large portion of the turf slopes down to the street so it was necessary to water above the area I wanted to soak because of the water runoff.  Thirsty and dry as the soil was, it was like it was incapable to drink the water in.

As I stood watering, it occurred to me dryness is one of the reasons soil is aerated from time to time.  Sun-hardened soil and roots packed tightly together do not allow water or fertiliser to adequately penetrate.  To aerate a machine with sharp teeth pulls plugs out of the soil, and this stimulates growth by ensuring water and nutrients are able to soak in beneath the surface.  As Jesus compared the condition of human hearts into various soil types in the Parable of the Sower, this sun-baked ground was also instructive to me.  Dry and thirsty souls are often incapable of receiving the Living Water God supplies through the Holy Spirit.  God allows words and situations to cut us deep like the sharp teeth of an aerator so we will be receptive to His truth.  He allows our hearts to be broken so He can graciously heal them.

Pain is an impetus to prayer.  For those who have the Holy Spirit within us, pain breaks the fallow ground of our hearts and moves us to offer petitions, requests, and praise to God we wouldn't be mindful of otherwise.  I find physical pain wakes me up and helps me rise in the mornings for prayer when I might be tempted to remain in bed for a few more minutes.  When we perceive danger to ourselves or others we pray fervently and more diligently.  All the while God rains His grace, love, and truth upon our hearts, stirring us to consider Him in our pains.  God breaks us to restore and save.  Financial ruin, marital woes, work and family conflicts have worked salvation for many who have suffered such things, for it is often a heart painfully aerated by trials which is most receptive to God and spiritually refreshed in the end.  The pierced heart is a soft one, divinely prepared for fresh growth.

Friend, are you dry?  Perhaps you haven't invited the LORD to search your heart for a while.  God invites you to come to Him as it written in Isaiah 55:1, "Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price."  We are perpetually thirsty, but Jesus is able to satisfy what this world cannot.  He said to a Samaritan woman in John 4:13-14, "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, ¹⁴ but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life."  He is our Source; He is our life.  Those who are thirsty need never be thirsty again, for Jesus provides eternal life.

The Prosperous Word

This is a picture I took in 2005 during my first trip to Israel of the theatre in Caesarea.  Though there are various accounts, this location may be the spot where Herod Agrippa was struck by God according to the historian Josephus (Josephus, Antiquities 19.8.2 343-361)  The biblical account is found in Acts 12:21-24:  "So on a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat on his throne and gave an oration to them. ²² And the people kept shouting, "The voice of a god and not of a man!" ²³ Then immediately an angel of the Lord struck him, because he did not give glory to God. And he was eaten by worms and died. ²⁴ But the word of God grew and multiplied."  There is debate over the exact malady which killed the proud ruler, but the Bible is clear Herod's grave, worm infested condition was God's judgment upon a man who denied God rightful glory.

The people flattered Herod for his fine oration as a god who walked among them, and Josephus recorded his silver clothing shone brilliantly in the sun.  Herod's voice would be swiftly silenced, and verse 24 holds forth a contrast:  "But the word of God grew and multiplied."  There are many voices in this world, and often it seems voices which contradict God's word are plentiful and amplified.  Many are unwilling to glorify God, much less acknowledge His existence.  But we can rest assured man's word will not endure as God's word, nor can the effectiveness of it be compared.  Notice the passage does not bother to tell us what Herod said, for the power of his words - polished as they may have been - perished with him.  God's Word, on the other hand, will endure forever (1 Peter 1:25).

Today at Calvary Chapel Sydney we considered Isaiah 55 and the divine authority and power of God's Word.  Isaiah 55:10-11 says, "For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, ¹¹ So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it."  Into the darkness God said, "Let there be light!" and there was light.  With the power of His words God spoke into existence the earth, plants which bear fruit and seeds, the atmosphere of the earth, the sun, and all living things.  From nothing God brought life!  A seed sown in the ground may not impress you immediately, but it will sprout in due season according to God's design.  In the same way, the scriptures of the Bible are effectual and will accomplish what God pleases with power.  Caesarea is a reminder how man's words will fail and ultimately be forgotten, but God's Word will prosper, grow, and multiply.

Dare To Joyfully Receive (what you didn't ask for)

One of the first things which happened after followers of Jesus were filled with the Holy Spirit on Pentecost was the healing of a lame man at the gate of the Temple.  Peter and John were going to the Temple at the hour of prayer when a beggar asked for money.  Acts 3:4-5 reads, "And fixing his eyes on him, with John, Peter said, "Look at us." ⁵ So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them."  I imagine some people walked by the beggar as if he did not exist, and others dropped a coin into his lap without a word.  But Peter and John stopped and spoke to the man, and he gave them his full attention because he expected to receive something from them.

The man had asked for money, but what Peter said next must have amazed him and all who stood by.  Acts 3:6-7 says, "Then Peter said, "Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk." ⁷ And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength."  This is a bit out of the square, isn't it?  The man sought a charitable donation, but Peter offered healing and strength by the power of Jesus Christ.  Immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength from God, and the man stood to his feet.  Has it ever occurred to you that there are content beggars in the world?  They are quite comfortable shaking coins in a cup at passersby, and some who claim they make more begging than working!  The expectancy of this man was rewarded with healing, and the passage tells us he rejoiced to receive this gift he didn't ask for from God.  Acts 3:8 tells us, "So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them--walking, leaping, and praising God."

It is common in some households to know what a Christmas gift is because it was asked for!  I have seen people disappointed after opening a gift to discover it is not what they asked for or "what they really wanted."  We Christians rightly ask God for many things, but you might have noticed He doesn't always give us what we want.  The question is, will you receive what God has for you joyfully - even it is isn't what you asked for?  The lame man dreamed of receiving silver or gold from a generous soul, but a man who had neither silver or gold provided something through Jesus he perhaps stopped dreaming of:  healing and strength for his weak and lame feet.  How tragic it would have been for the man to stand to his feet healed, then sit back down and place his garment in his lap, sighing and disappointed silver or gold wasn't on offer.

The man who entered the temple walking, leaping, and praising God is a great illustration of how we should respond to all gifts from God - even when we didn't receive what we hoped for.  God allows us to experience injuries, pain, and limitations in our lives for the purpose of drawing us closer to Him.  A gift from God might be a loss He can transform into practical and eternal gain.  God is good and He is able to cause to work for good all things in the life of a Christian.  Even when you haven't received what we wanted or asked for, in looking to God expectantly we will receive good things beyond price.  Let us give God our full attention, expecting to receive all we need from Him.  Ephesians 3:20-21 provides a fitting conclusion:  "Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, ²¹ to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen."