God's Service

We can view deliverance as all or nothing, yet God was intentional to grant His people some deliverance.  Because His people humbled themselves before the LORD, He decided not to pour out His wrath on Jerusalem by Shishak, king of Egypt.  But He said in 2 Chronicles 12:8, "Nevertheless they will be his servants, that they may distinguish My service from the service of the kingdoms of the nations."  This made me consider:  how is the service of God distinguished from the service of the kingdoms of the nations?  Only after personally experiencing the two options the wise of God's people would come to appreciate and love God more because His yoke is easy and His burden light by comparison.

When God appeared to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and later revealed Himself to the Hebrews on Sinai, God made a covenant with them.  He made promises to make them great and prosperous, to provide for their needs, protect them from enemies and establish them in their own land as an inheritance.  He chose them, not because Abraham or the Jewish people were the mightiest people, but because He is a gracious, merciful and awesome God who chose them.  In the Law of Moses God gave His people statutes to keep and sins to avoid, and He did all this for their good and to enable privileged fellowship with Himself.  God gave His people a covenant and precious promises He would be faithful to keep, and they were beneficiaries of His goodness and generosity.

Shishak, on the other hand, was all about taking anything he wanted from the Jewish people.  He only sought to enrich himself from their labours.  He was not interested in helping or giving them anything.  There was absolutely no love, kindness or relationship to be enjoyed.  The children of Israel found themselves impoverished and lacking with no promise of prosperity or protection.  They were slaves to a cruel master who did not care about them, their children or future.  Compared to God Shishak had no power at all, yet the power he had was never inclined to be used for their good.  There was no satisfaction of a job well done but a fear of reprisal if Shishak was ever displeased--and it is doubtful he was ever pleased with them.

The children of Israel experienced the difference between serving to be blessed and serving because they were blessed.  They could never earn the favour or approval of Shishak, for this was never an option on the table.  They worked to placate an adversarial ruler, avoid punishment and grimly hang onto survival.  The service of God was completely different, for the LORD loved His people as the apple of His eye.  He cared for them like a good shepherd who led his flock, provided for their needs and protected them from harm.  Shishak would suddenly come with demands and leave, but the LORD dwelt among His people as their God who fought their battles, was faithful to bless and gave them peace.  The children of Israel had no idea how good life was under God, so God gave partial deliverance so they could compare serving God or Shishak.

To people weary and burdened by the cares of life under Roman occupation and the demands of lifeless religion, Jesus called in Matthew 11:29-30:  "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."  How blessed we are to serve alongside Jesus Christ because of His humility, gentleness and generosity.  He truly loves us like no one else would or could.

The Rest of Your Life

When I was thinking of my dad this morning I looked up a jazz/big band album that was among my favourites of his:  Woody Herman Thundering Herd from 1974.  The album cover was memorable because of some pretty amazing 70's hair on nerdy-looking guys posing as football players.  We kids were always allowed to play his records on his turntable, and over the years Dad introduced me to Glen Miller, Buddy Rich, Tommy Dorsey and classical music as well.  He would point out the instruments as I listened along and helped me learn to distinguish them.  A lot of his music was instrumental, so it was a perfect opportunity to practice whistling and imitating the sound of a trombone--an instrument he played.

Amazingly, when I searched for the album the first song that come up was the song I always thought of as "his song" to me because it features a long trombone solo.  I couldn't have told you what the title was before today, but it hit me a bit different because today happened to be his last day on earth.  The song is titled,  "What are you doing with the rest of your life."  There may not be what is considered a perfect song, album or life, but we can have our favourites--and Dad is that for me.  When I think about the body of work my Dad accumulated during his 70 years of life on earth, by God's grace he quietly and steadily accomplished incredible things.  He loved God, family and country; he ate, worked, read and slept with an emphasis on work.  Yet his work never took him away from us or people, for his labours always drew people closer.

At the end of a timed exam people are told by the teacher to put their pencils or pens down, and so it was for Dad--who was content to remain on the tools his entire carpentry career.  A day came (earlier than Dad expected) when God determined it was time for my dad to put down the tools, and he did.  He ran his race God set before him with joy even when there was bad news, unexpected obstacles, valleys and uphill climbs.  He faithfully expressed his love for God by using his gifts and building skills to help others free of charge.  There is no one I admired more or aspired to be like than Dad, and I'm grateful for a life filled with happy memories of a man with a sense of humour who didn't mess around, a fellow who swung a hammer for a living and also tied balloon animals with those calloused hands to minister God's love to kids at church or outreaches.

My dad's favourite verse in the Bible is found Psalm 116:15:  "Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His saints."  God loved us sinners so much He sent His Son Jesus to be the Saviour of the world, and He provided atonement with His own blood.  Considering the precious payment God made to redeem mankind, those He has purchased are most precious in His sight having chosen them as His own inheritance.  My dad said many times if he was ever to have a tattoo it would be, "Do not resuscitate" emblazoned across his chest because when God called him home, that is exactly where he wanted to be--glorified in the presence of God without pain and sorrow, loosed from a failing body, finally home and whole for eternity.  It wasn't that Dad wanted to die, but he earnestly looked forward to the day when He would see Jesus in person.

What am I doing with the rest of my life?  It's one of those questions that cannot be answered with words:  looking back may supply a more accurate assessment of our character moving forward than staring into the unknown or having aspirations.  Knowing Jesus is my life as His redeemed through the Gospel, may God help me to run the race set before me with joy, to faithfully follow Jesus all my days no matter what comes--a decision my dad nor countless saints will ever regret.  For those who are in Christ, the rest of our lives lead to rest in God's presence as we serve Him faithfully.

What God Does

There is no one more generous than God, for He has given everyone our lives and all that we have.  He is willing to give people what they want, like when the Hebrews told the prophet Samuel they desired him to anoint a king over them.  God will give justice to those who demand it, and He will also freely give the gift of salvation and the Holy Spirit to those who request this of Him.  God gives grace to the humble and demonstrates love even to His enemies, for Jesus laid down His life to save sinners.

Incredibly, all God gives is able to work towards and accomplish His good purposes from beginning to end.  I think about the parable Jesus told of the prodigal son, how at his demand the father gave his ungrateful and entitled son his inheritance early--likely knowing full well the money would not be invested wisely.  All his inheritance was subsequently wasted, and his lack led the son to come to his senses.  He chose to humble himself and return to his father, and this led to a restoration of a relationship the son never realised was so far gone.  Dad saying "yes" to his wayward son led to a change in his son that was as stark as the difference between death and life.

Daniel knew God as the almighty who raised up kings and deposed them, the sovereign God who rules over all.  The LORD who gives is also the LORD who takes away for His good reasons.  Job 12:24-25 says of the living God:  "He takes away the understanding of the chiefs of the people of the earth, and makes them wander in a pathless wilderness. ²⁵ They grope in the dark without light, and He makes them stagger like a drunken man."  As people with limited strength and resources, we can look to leaders for help and guidance.  It is not good when our leaders and bosses are heartless, without understanding and are like those who wander aimlessly, who are blind as those in darkness and stagger like drunkards.  This can be a very apt description of people we observe in positions of leadership, and God is willing to allow this so we might realise our need for Him!

See how God is infinitely greater than man and worthy of trust as it is written Psalm 146:3-9:  "Do not put your trust in princes, nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help. ⁴ His spirit departs, he returns to his earth; in that very day his plans perish. ⁵ Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God, ⁶ who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them; who keeps truth forever, ⁷ who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry. The LORD gives freedom to the prisoners. ⁸ The LORD opens the eyes of the blind; the LORD raises those who are bowed down; the LORD loves the righteous. ⁹ The LORD watches over the strangers; He relieves the fatherless and widow; but the way of the wicked He turns upside down."

To those who are unworthy, weak, hungry and oppressed, we can rejoice in God our help.  We know and serve our Creator who loves us, keeps truth, feeds us, gives freedom, opens our blind eyes and raises us when we are cast down.  Jesus loves us freely without reservation, and as those made righteous by faith in Jesus we rejoice to receive and walk in His love.  When God turns the way of the wicked upside down, He sets things right.  No matter what God allows to befall us in this world, He is our hope who freely helps those who trust Him.  Even when situations are not "good," we can know all things will work for good who know God, for He is faithful and true.

Chipping Away

We recently had a few problem trees felled on our property that were pushing over retaining walls.  Because one stump was very close to a fencepost encased in concrete and the retaining wall, the stump grinder was unable to remove a large portion of the stump.  So over the past week I have chipping away on the stump, removing bits at a time, as the stump under the surface of the ground must be removed before the retaining wall can be prepared.  And it isn't easy.

While pine wood is considered a softwood, a pine stump is a powerful force to be reckoned with.  The grain of the wood is twisted in every direction, and only repeated blows with a heavy digging bar makes any headway to chip and split the wood apart.  The impact of the 10 kilo bar on the stump transfers vibrations into the hands and fingers that cause blisters and tears skin.  As I toiled yesterday in the heat for awhile, I had to be content with slow progress and quit before I had my fill to conserve skin on my hands with the future sessions in mind.  It is amazing that in about 5 years the tree grew out of control and damaged the property, and how resistant even in death the tree roots were to being removed.

As I dropped the digging bar repeatedly upon the stump, it occurred to me it was a hard but necessary task.  If anything was every going to be planted there instead--grass, groundcover or shrubs--the stump needed to be removed.  The stump that impeded a plumb retaining wall also prevented anything new from growing in that spot.  This provided insight into the impact sin can have in our hearts.  Weeds can be insidious and tough to eradicate, but stumps require much more effort to remove.  It struck me that God has freed Christians from the curse of sin and the power it wielded over us, yet old habits can be engrained in us like a stubborn stump in the ground.  Sure, the tree isn't dropping pine needles in the gutters anymore, but our lives can still be impacted by stumps allowed to remain unmoved under the surface.

By the power of the Gospel Jesus cleanses Christians from the presence and power of sin, and we need God's strength and help to deal with the consequences of being a sinner, to be further sanctified in a corruptible body.  If we desire to have the fruit of the Spirit produced in our lives, we must take intentional action to put off the old ways of living and thinking and be renewed in the spirit of our minds.  Rather than doubling-down by the works of the flesh, we are to submit ourselves to the leading, guidance and help of the Holy Spirit.  We are justified in a moment by faith in Jesus, but sanctification takes time and hard work.  Paul used the example of an athlete who exhibits self-control in all things because winning the race or boxing match is paramount to a champion, and Paul brought his own body under subjection to avoid disqualification in ministry (1 Cor. 9:21-24).

Those who see the folly of sowing among thorns ought to recognise the silliness of sowing among stumps.  We Christians can feel we are fighting a losing battle with all the shoots that spring from the stumps of trees, of old sinful habits and ways God has cut down in our lives.  Rather than the half measure of dutifully pruning the green shoots of sin that seems to resurrect themselves in our words and deeds, let us do all we can to chip away at stumps as well--to deal with the heart of the matter, what lies under the surface where only God can see how deep it goes.  We can only see what is plainly visible, but the LORD looks at the heart and what is inside us.  Praise the LORD He is able to give us new hearts and minds, to do work impossible for us according to the riches of His grace.

My aching hands show me how it hurts us to remove sinful ways from our hearts that have been there a long time (our entire lives), things we actually at a stage valued and viewed as an important part of us.  The flesh resists and hates the sanctification process, and it whines and cries like a pampered child when it does not have its way.  Ground can lay fallow and unploughed due to neglect or because it is littered with stumps that need to go.  Faithfully chipping away at the stump reminds me of the exhortation in Hosea 10:12 all God's people ought to take to heart:  "Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the LORD, till He comes and rains righteousness on you."  Breaking up our fallow ground feels like it is breaking us, yet there is always healing, redemption and hope in our awesome Saviour who is righteousness for us.