Abiding Forever

 "And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever."

1 John 2:17

John's statement brings an eternal perspective to our lives that can be lacking.  Those who long to establish utopia on earth may set their aims incredibly high, but they are not high enough.  The wise look beyond this world to God who created the heavens, earth, people and all living things.  People will always fail to create a perfect world because we are all sinners in a world cursed by sin that, like us, will pass away.  No government, ideology, or democracy can overthrow the sovereign God who created all things.  While monuments people make for themselves crumble and rot, those who do God's will shall abide forever.

Life is full of illustrations how new things grow old, damaged and wear out.  Sometimes it is damage to a new thing that compels our perspective to change and take loss less personally.  When that new car receives a noticeable scratch or dent we are reminded it is superficial damage that heralds its ultimate demise.  Our vehicles often grow in "character" as it fulfills its designed purpose of transportation.  People can be protective of their vehicles and possessions because they reflect an image they wish to present to others.  Once that mirage of perfection is shattered by a fender-bender, we can more easily accept imperfections because of this shift of perspective from working to maintain perfection to reality in a broken world.

I remember years ago Laura and I spent a good deal of time and money ordering custom benchtops for our kitchen.  The cost was more than the cabinets (thanks to my dad building them) and appliances combined!  The benchtop had not been installed long before a stray beach ball collided with a chisel that dropped onto the surface and gouged out a chunk near the sink.  I weighed whether I should hire a contractor to fill the large chip but decided against it.  That missing piece from the countertop was a good reminder that it was perishable and would one day perish, and we were blessed to have its usefulness in the meantime.  It was like a wink and nod from God who has given us all things:  rather than becoming furious over an accident, we could give grace to others as God has extended to us.

Cars and kitchens will pass away along with envy of newer appliances and better storage.  Every day we prepare food and coffee in our kitchens that supplies the needs of our bodies that are never permanently satisfied, but he who does the will of God abides forever.  Today we can rest and abide in Christ by faith in Him, obediently doing His will.  There is a rest we enjoy in God that satisfies us more than possessions we accumulate and labour to protect and maintain.  All the objects, tools and spaces we have carefully crafted will pass away, but God graciously enables us flawed folks to enjoy eternal life through the Gospel.  Isn't it amazing of all the wonders of this world God has chosen to save and glorify us?

Wait For God

"Are there any among the idols of the nations that can cause rain? Or can the heavens give showers? Are You not He, O LORD our God? Therefore we will wait for You, since You have made all these."

Jeremiah 14:22

The prophet Jeremiah interceded in prayer on behalf of the children of Israel in the midst of drought.  Unlike those who offered sacrifices and incense to idols in the hope of bringing rain, Jeremiah looked to the God who created the heavens and earth.  There was no power in idols or the heavens itself to bring rain, for the heavens were shut up overhead as the water evaporated, grass withered and beasts perished.  There was no sense in looking anywhere else for the water God created and could provide, and thus Jeremiah determined to wait for Him.

Waiting is something we do not naturally enjoy--especially if we have been conditioned to believe we are entitled to speedy service, convenience and ease without effort.  Since patience is a fruit of the Spirit, the implication is our flesh tends to rush, hurry, worry and fret when our needs are not met.  If we discover our regular shop is out of a product we want, we go to another shop.  If our efforts are still frustrated, we check our online ordering options; we message friends, make calls or chat with bots.  We are persistent with our impatience over things we want:  how much more desperate we would be to supply our needs if we lacked water for drinking, cooking or washing, when our lives depended on it?

As I considered waiting for God's provision, guidance and answer to prayer, I was reminded of how we used to call people on a "landline" years ago with a rotary or push-button phone.  After the phone number was dialed, the caller could hear a click of a connection being made and subsequent ringing.  Some phones would ring and ring while others were connected to an answering machine that would record a message.  Because phones were not portable in those days, it would take several rings for someone to hear the phone and answer.  An impatient caller would let the phone ring, and as soon as the answering machine began a recorded greeting would hang up, wait for a few seconds, and call back again.  Some people preferred to "screen" their calls and waited for the caller to start talking--and if they knew the caller and felt like talking would pick up.  If the caller was unwilling to leave a message, however, communication would not happen.

It struck me today when it comes to waiting for God, we can be like that impatient phone caller with God.  When we don't receive an immediate answer we do the equivalent of hanging up and vent our complaints to anyone who will listen.  Verses like Isaiah 65:24 demonstrate God's omniscience and does not need to "screen" calls or requires caller ID to know intimately the needs of everyone who cries out  to Him:  "It shall come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear."  God would have us demonstrate our faith in seeking God and waiting for Him, trusting He will provide for our needs.  Jesus taught in Matthew 6:30, "Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?"  Only God who created us is able to meet our needs, and let us be those willing to patiently wait for God's answer.

A Holy Life

Recently I had a chat with a fellow believer and a well-known worship song writer came up in conversation.  "I hope he continues to follow God and lead a holy life," she said.  "It's always a shame when Christians fall."  I agreed with her sentiment wholeheartedly.  It is a shame when Christians fall into sin or choose to walk away from the LORD.  It is awful when a private or public scandal leads to an opportunity for unbelievers to blaspheme--and it can happen to a man after God's own heart.

David, the shepherd, king and sweet psalmist of Israel, sinned by committing adultery and then resorted to murder to try to hide his transgression.  From a human standpoint, David managed to sin without any negative personal consequences.  But because the God of Israel is loving and all knowing, He sent Nathan the prophet with an indictment in the form of a story.  David became incensed to hear a rich man had stolen and butchered the only lamb of a poor man and pronounced the sentence of death upon him.  Nathan famously answered, "You are the man!"  Publicly in the royal court, Nathan spelled out the sins of king David in excruciating detail for all to hear.

2 Samuel 12:13-14 reads, "So David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the LORD." And Nathan said to David, "The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die. ¹⁴ However, because by this deed you have given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also who is born to you shall surely die."  David did not make excuses or try to justify himself:  he confessed he had sinned against the LORD.  God revealed by his sinful deed he gave great occasion to the enemies of God to blaspheme, and as a consequence the child would die.  Sin brings death--literally.  The enemies of God were given an excuse to blame God for what had occurred, to revile and reproach God who is only good.  It is a sobering thought our sin can bring reproach and blame upon God who is righteous, holy and pure.

God's enemies will stop at nothing to blame God:  they would blame him for anointing David to be king knowing he was imperfect and what he would do and blame God for the death of the child!  It struck me the worst thing about what David did with Bathsheba and Uriah was give great opportunity for God's enemies to blaspheme Him.  This knowledge ought to prompt Christians to live for God's glory and continue walking with Jesus.  I am encouraged God anoints imperfect men to be kings, and that He loves us enough to expose and convict people of sin so we might repent and grow in relationship with our LORD.  The LORD also puts away our sin when we repent, forgives and cleanses us, and gives us abundant life now and for eternity.  May the LORD guide and help all His people to walk in newness of life.

Newness of Life

"Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life."

Romans 6:4

Because God is the creator of all things, He can also make "all things new."  This is not speaking figuratively or spiritually but literally and truly.  It is possible for the newness of the life we have in Christ to wear off on us because we can quickly become dull, forgetful and unwise.  If we are not actively looking to the LORD Jesus and consider Him, we can become wearied and faint in our minds (Hebrews 12:1-3).  Thankfully it is not by our good performance or the willpower of our flesh where our strength lies, for the LORD is the strength of our hearts and the lifter of our heads.

Paul spoke of Jesus who was pierced, battered and bloodied on the cross where He died and was buried.  He contrasted the body of Jesus dead three days with Jesus risen from the dead glorified, and His disciples were able to converse with Him, touch Him and confirm He was truly living.  The difference between the dead body of Jesus and the risen Christ was stark, and this is the difference God makes in the lives of believers who are born again by faith in Him.  We were once dead in sins, and having been crucified with Christ now we have been raised to new life in Him.  Thus we ought to walk in newness of life, for the life of Jesus is now being lived out through us.

The marked change in God's people in Isaiah 17:7-8 illustrates this fundamental change of perspective and life from within:  "In that day a man will look to his Maker, and his eyes will have respect for the Holy One of Israel. ⁸ He will not look to the altars, the work of his hands; he will not respect what his fingers have made, nor the wooden images nor the incense altars."  God is able to change the outlook of people and what they value.  The prophet spoke of a man whose habit and preference was to look to his shrines and the idolatrous works of his own hands for help and guidance--who suddenly looks to his Maker with respect and adoration.  Instead of man tending to look to what he made himself, God draws our attention to our creator who made us in His image.

Coming to Jesus Christ as our Saviour doesn't merely impact part of our lives--a spiritual itch that needs scratching--but results in a transformation from the inside out.  While this change is divinely enabled, we have a role to play in learning to forsake sin and to do what pleases God as is written in 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5:  "It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; ⁴ that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, ⁵ not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God..." (NIV)  Self-control is a fruit of the Spirit, and this good fruit is produced in our lives by choosing to deny oneself and willingly submit to God.  Paul exhorted Romans 6:19 that as Christians used to present ourselves as slaves of uncleanness, we are to present ourselves as slaves of righteousness for holiness.  Because Jesus makes all things new, He cares about all aspects of our lives--inside and out--for good.