The Positive Negative

I enjoyed catching up on a sermon preached by Bob Roche when I was away last week which focused on Zephaniah 3.  One thing mentioned that struck me was how a negative can teach a positive.  God summed up sins of His own people Israel in Zephaniah 3:2:  "She has not obeyed His voice, she has not received correction; she has not trusted in the LORD, she has not drawn near to her God."  Because Israel departed from the LORD sin was added upon sin.

Although God's people were perverse and polluted, stubbornly refusing to obey God's voice, this implies He continued to speak to them.  God continued to offer correction to His people despite their refusals.  God remained trustworthy and could be found by them if they would repent and seek Him with their whole hearts.  Isn't the loving pursuit of God amazing?  What grace, that He would continue to express desire for the restoration of people who shunned Him?

The failures of God's people could not be blamed on God remaining silent, His refusal to guide or teach, His reneging on the covenant, or Him abandoning them.  He continued to be faithful though His people were unfaithful.  Let us praise the LORD who seeks the redemption and salvation over all people, for He desires we would repent and turn to God for salvation.

Open Wide

"Hear, O My people, and I will admonish you! O Israel, if you will listen to Me! ⁹ There shall be no foreign god among you; nor shall you worship any foreign god. ¹⁰ I am the LORD your God, Who brought you out of the land of Egypt; open your mouth wide, and I will fill it."

Psalm 81:8-10

The God who was faithful to bring His people out of Egypt provided for their needs, giving them manna from heaven and water from a rock.  Their survival was completely dependent upon God in the wilderness, and God met all their needs.  God bid His people open their mouths wide and He promised to feed them.  And this, my friends, requires faith.

Have you ever heard the loud chirping of hungry baby birds?  Whenever their mum or dad draws near, these helpless and blind birds spring to life.  Though they have no feathers to fly, they certainly are unhindered to make noise!  They instinctively open their mouths wide to eat whatever their parents drop in.  Baby birds are not picky eaters:  they do not push food around on plates, complain about temperature, or comment on how the flavour or texture is disagreeable.  They open their mouths wide trusting their parents to drop in healthy, nutritious food.

I wonder how many of us are willing to open our mouths wide, trusting God will fill it?  The Hebrews looked to idols they brought out of Egypt to provide sun, rain, and bountiful harvests.  They prayed to idols and not to God, opening their mouths to make requests of images who could not speak, hear, or save.  God lamented His people did not hearken to His voice.  Instead of receiving His Word in faith, they closed their mouths and hardened their hearts.  God has put in all people the triggers of hunger and thirst to ensure the needs of our physical bodies are met, and He also supplies the Bread of Life Jesus Christ who gives life for our souls.

As we follow Jesus the Good Shepherd, He leads us in green pastures and beside still waters.  All our needs are met in Him.  He satisfies our hunger with His Word, and provides us the Holy Spirit who is Living Water for our souls.  Let us open our mouths wide and trust He will fill them with good according to His promise.

The Feast of Grace

I was recently reminded of the movie Babette's Feast based on the book by Isak Dinesen and the wonderful illustration it provides of grace.  I like Philip Yancey's description of grace, that it costs everything for the giver and nothing for the recipient.  We are mistaken to think the grace of God is free because it came at a tremendous cost to Him, even as the feast Babette prepared.  As adopted children of God our freedom came at the cost of God's only begotten Son.

It's a funny thing how things we receive for free are not valued like things we worked to earn.  The guests at Babette's feast (save the amazed and verbose General) had no appreciation for the quality of the food and drink placed before them course after course.  Had they been accustomed to such foods it is likely they could have even been critical, not complimentary as the General was.  Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 6:17, "Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy."  It is God who has richly given us all things to enjoy in life, and having received such bountiful love and grace we should be perpetually thankful.

Babette chose to spend her lottery winnings on others rather than herself, and it was the sheer delight to bless others which motivated her.  It was not to show the spinsters she lived with how her culinary skills were superior, or to show the superiority of French cuisine over cod and gruel.  That is what makes her humble gift of an exquisite meal so remarkable, that all the townsfolk needed to do was attend to receive a free meal.  Their presence was a gift Babette was pleased to receive so she could serve.  Hasn't our God done even a more remarkable thing that He would invite sinners to receive of the Holy Spirit, a new nature, forgiveness, and salvation?  May our hearts be filled with gratitude for the Living Bread come down from heaven who offered Himself freely so we might live.

Come to the Light

"He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. ¹⁹ And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. ²⁰ For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed."

John 3:18-20

At Teen Camp this week I used an illustration of what it means to "come to the light."  I told the kids to imagine we had a party at an abandoned home with music pumping, people were drinking, dancing, and increasingly rowdy.  People at the party started vandalising the house by smashing bottles, breaking furniture, and punching holes in walls.

Suddenly a guy runs into the party, shuts down the music, and informs us of approaching police cars.  The lights are quickly turned off and a hush falls over the crowd.  The tyres of the cars crunch gravel, brakes squeak, and the baying of dogs ring out.  The faint sound of a chopper can be heard in the distance.  A beam of light pierces the darkness and is fixed upon the front entrance, and the voice of a constable is heard over a speaker.  "OK kids, we know you're in there.  If you come out the front now, no harm will come to you.  You have 10 seconds until we send in the dogs."

In this situation, what would you do?  If you've ever watched an episode of COPS, you know one tactic is to trust your own legs, to climb out the back door and attempt to futilely run from the "eye in the sky" with heat-sensing cameras.  After inevitably being caught the arrested would face additional charges.  Some might choose to barricade the door and arm themselves with whatever they could find.  Others might try to climb into a dark spot like an attic, a closet, or under the floorboards to escape.  But what of the dogs?  And the additional squad cars and firepower?  In this situation, the best possible outcome is to demonstrate faith in the safety promised by the constable, walk towards the snarling dogs and drawn firearms, and come into the light with empty, raised hands.

This scene is an illustration of what God requires of sinners.  We are condemned already, our lives forfeit because of sin.  God has made a way of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ:  if we confess our sins, repent, and ask God for forgiveness and salvation, He will justify us.  All our sins will be forgiven and our guilt washed away.  But if we try to hide our sin, blame others, claim ignorance, or try to escape by running we will be bound and cast into outer darkness and eternal torment.  Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.  No one can be forgiven or see the kingdom of God without Him.

The question remains:  will you hate the light and choose darkness or come into the Light of Life in full surrender?