Upheld and Carried by God

It is a great tragedy children and even older folks can be viewed as "burdens to society," a concept never put forth in the word of God who values and loves all people created in His image.  Those who appear strong and supportive in their prime of life can be gone in an instant, and this reminds us that health and strength of people with the most robust constitutions are limited and temporary.  Believers are called to carry one another's burdens, but we are also called to carry our own load.  It is when we are unable to carry our own load, small though it may be in comparison to others, that we realise we need God to carry us.

Do you know God promised to do this for His people?  Even whilst they were in the throes of idolatry, labouring needlessly to find favour with foreign gods when they were established and blessed by the living God, He reached out to them through the prophet Isaiah.  Isaiah 46:1-4 reads, "Bel bows down, Nebo stoops; their idols were on the beasts and on the cattle. Your carriages were heavily loaded, a burden to the weary beast. ² They stoop, they bow down together; they could not deliver the burden, but have themselves gone into captivity. ³ "Listen to Me, O house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel, who have been upheld by Me from birth, who have been carried from the womb: ⁴ even to your old age, I am He, and even to gray hairs I will carry you! I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you."

God used a remarkable illustration to promise He would hold, carry and deliver them all their days.  The prophet described strong beasts of burden struggling under the weight of heavy carriages loaded down with idols that could not hear, see or do anything.  Where they were placed there they would remain and collect dust.  They would lose their shine as the precious metals corroded and the wood began to rot.  The weight of the idols was so great these bulls collapsed under the weight from exhaustion, and all their precious idols were taken.  God pictured himself in contrast to these weary beasts and dumb idols:  they perished in the worship of their idols, but God would carry and save them.

Consider the contrast between carrying a heavy idol of stone or wood and being carried by God to His intended destination!  A man took great pains to prepare a plot of ground or temple to adequately house the idol, ensure it was not exposed to the elements and did not tip over--and was not always successful.  God, on the other hand, lifted the burden off His people as He listened to them and acted for their good.  He was the One carrying them to safety, kept them upright and delivered them from destruction.  People guarded their idols which could be stolen, but no one could snatch God's people out of His hand.  We are called to be casting our burdens upon the LORD because He is able to bear them without being burdened by them, so great is His power to save and love for us.

Isn't it wonderful to know God stoops to carry us from the womb to our old age?  As recipients of such love and grace, let us joyfully walk in it no matter our season of life.  While we are upheld in His hands by faith we can fulfill our purpose to bear one another's burdens, for He is faithful.

Treasuring God

On the first day of the week, two disciples walked along the road heading away from Jerusalem to Emmaus.  They discussed and could make no sense of what had happened:  during the Passover feast, Jesus had been arrested, crucified and buried in a tomb.  Luke 24:15-17 reads, "So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. ¹⁶ But their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him. ¹⁷ And He said to them, "What kind of conversation is this that you have with one another as you walk and are sad?"  It is fitting their discussion and reasoning resulted in sadness because they did not realise or believe Jesus was risen, alive and walking with them.

There are things in life that do not make sense to us, no matter how much we obsess or think it over.  The disciples talked, reasoned and perhaps vented but it did not change the reality the one they believed would redeem Israel was dead, nor could they understand why it happened.  Jesus knew beforehand what His crucifixion and resurrection would accomplish, and He graciously drew near to open the scriptures so these sorrowing disciples would have a change of heart and mind.  This was not an isolated incident, for God still speaks through His word and the power of the Holy Spirit.  We should not "hope" for an experience with God as if we could be disappointed, but we ought to expect to hear from God every time we read the Bible because God has spoken and the Holy Spirit lives within us.

As a kid I enjoyed reading Calvin and Hobbes, a comic strip by Bill Watterson.  One strip illustrates well six-year old Calvin's perpetual joy for life.  Calvin, wearing a pith helmet, was digging for buried treasure.  In Calvin's words he found “a few dirty rocks, a weird root, and some disgusting grubs.”  His stuffed tiger Hobbes asked, “On your first try?”  Calvin enthusiastically replied, “There’s treasure everywhere!”  While rocks and grubs can be interesting for a little boy, nothing compares to the treasure of God and His word.  When we open the Bible we hold in our hands God's divinely inspired words of life that sets hearts on fire with awe and joy.  God has comfort for broken hearts, revelations for the believing seeker and hope for the future regardless of circumstances.

When we open God's word in a humble posture in faith, by God's grace we can receive truth and wisdom beyond the reasoning of men that is profound and intellectually satisfying.  We find, not so much an answer to life's questions, but a God who loves us and is the Way, the Truth and the Life.  God is the treasure we ought to value over all.  Unlike treasures on earth which are hoarded and kept for ourselves, God is the treasure we joyfully share with all.

Fruit Unto God

I remember a singular experience years ago at the start of youth group on a Sunday night.  One of the youth workers was visibly frustrated as he told us of his decision to stop serving as a leader after several months.  "Guys, I'm just not seeing any fruit," he said.  "I'm going to Horizon" (a different church in southern California).  After he voiced his displeasure at our lack of maturity and growth, the meeting had just begun when he walked out the door and I never saw him again.

I was thinking today of how common it is to look for results from our efforts and how we can be disillusioned when we do not see them.  Like that youth worker we have made sacrifices, laboured faithfully and been patient and yet we cannot see any positive impact.  I am convinced fundamentally the youth worker's issue was not with us kids, ratbags though we were:  his frustration was actually with God.  Genuine believers must recognise the temptation we face when we see immediate, tangible results from our efforts or none whatsoever.  Believing we are the ones making a difference provokes pride in us, and the absence of arbitrary "fruit" from our efforts leads to disillusionment and despair.  It is possible at the root of the youth worker's outburst was unbelief in God and the power to accomplish His good purposes in providing His word.

Could it be God prevented the youth worker's eyes from seeing the profound impact God was making on the lives of young people so he himself would be changed and grow in maturity?  He was a man who had spent much time in a gym and was used to seeing gains in his physique:  perhaps he imagined working with youth should be no different.  People embrace workout routines to achieve goals, yet no amount of effort can change a heart or save a soul.  Jesus compared the word of God to seed that is sown in the soil, and depending on the variety of seeds we observe in nature the germination process is different.  Some seeds spring up quickly in prepared soil and others can be dormant for years because they require the heat of fire to germinate.  Who but God knows what it will take for His good seed to grow and be produce fruit?  There is always a gap of time between sowing and reaping, and let us not lose heart in the meantime.

Jesus said in John 15:1-2, "I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. ² Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit."  On occasion I have trimmed fruitful citrus trees, and I have found this guarantees the tree will not fruit for at least a year.  Having trimmed the tree myself I expect there to be a season of fruitlessness in a good tree as it redirects nutrients to build stronger limbs to support a greater capacity for fruit.  Jesus says as a Vinedresser the Father takes away branches that do not bear fruit, and the fruitful branches He prunes.  He cuts off a bit of fruitful branches so they will be more fruitful still.  It is Jesus who supplies our spiritual life, vitality and fruitfulness, and God expertly manages the fruitfulness of His people.  This is why "looking for fruit" in the lives of others can be a snare:  it has more to do with what we want to see or feel our efforts deserve rather than what God intends to accomplish according to His divine purposes.

The situation with the disgruntled youth worker who left our church group in a huff provokes the question:  are we looking for fruit in other branches or to the LORD who makes us fruitful?  May the fruit of our lips be seasoned with salt, grace and wisdom as our hearts are yielded in faith to the power of God and His word.  Any fruit we see is not for our encouragement or satisfaction but for God (Romans 7:4).  Galatians 6:9-10 has an exhortation and promise to God's faithful labourers:  "And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. ¹⁰ Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith."

Eyewitnesses of His Glory

Recently it occurred to me:  unless Jesus was physically seen by eyewitnesses alive after His death and burial, claims to His resurrection would be along the lines of tabloids or sites that claim Elvis is alive.  John wrote concerning Jesus that He is the Word who became flesh and dwelt among us.  John continued in the introduction in 1 John 1:1-3:  "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life-- ² the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us-- ³ that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ."  It is reasonable to give credence to the natural senses God has given us, otherwise the term "eyewitness" becomes meaningless.

Paul wrote that over 500 people saw Jesus alive at one time after His resurrection before ascending into the heavens as one evidence of the resurrection.  The resurrection of Jesus fulfilled prophecy and people watched it unfold in real time, and the observable reality confirmed what God had said.  We live in a day, however, where our God-given powers of observation are challenged and undermined.  It used to be said, "I'll believe it when I see it."  Now we have reached a point where people will not believe even when they see it because they are afraid to fall for falsehoods.  People cite the editing of videos or pictures as reasons not to believe what they see (and fair enough), yet at the same time refer to videos or pictures to as evidence of credible research.  The irony!  When it comes to the resurrection of Jesus the words of Abraham spoke to the rich man about his unbelieving brothers in Luke 16:31 rings true:  "If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead."

I was reading Thru the Bible and McGee commented on how widespread the knowledge of Christ's crucifixion was in Jerusalem.  When Jesus incognito approached the travellers to Emmaus and asked them what had happened that made them sad, Cleopas was shocked this stranger had not heard about Christ's crucifixion.  McGee said, "It would be difficult for someone to live in this day and age and not know that someone has been to the moon and back to earth." (McGee, J. Vernon. Thru the Bible, Volume 4. Thomas Nelson, Inc, 1981. page 358) McGee was writing as an eyewitness along with the rest of his generation who had seen the situation unfold in 1969:  television and radio reported on the "space race," interviews were conducted with astronauts, Apollo 11 was seen launching by millions, people were keen to hear and see the successful landing on the moon, and the returning astronauts were picked up by the US Navy after their splashdown as heroes.  Because McGee was an eyewitness of what occurred, he found it difficult to imagine someone in his "day and age" would not know about the moon landing.  Friends, we are in a day and age where people know what they have been told but do not believe despite evidence they can see for themselves.

Only the power of God can break through the unbelief in the heart of men that refuses reason.  We kid ourselves to imagine all the facts, articles, pictures or even eye-witness accounts will have any impact on a heart blinded by unbelief.  Christians are not to be gullible and believe everything we hear or see.  At the same time we should not throw aside the powers of observation and reasoning God has provided so we can confirm the life, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ as true.  What the Bible says and historical, eye witness accounts work together to confirm the truth of what we know and have personally experienced: through faith in our risen Saviour Jesus Christ we have eternal life and fellowship with God and one another.  Our walk with Jesus Christ is by faith and not by sight.  At the same time God has graciously opened our eyes and we ought to wisely use them as eyewitnesses of His glory.