Brought Into God's World

We have been studying through the book of Ruth at Teen Camp this year and I have been blessed to consider Christ as our Redeemer through the book.  During this study I have better observed the choices Ruth made beyond deciding to accompany Naomi to Bethlehem.  After clinging to Naomi at the crossroads between Moab and Israel, Ruth continued to listen to and follow her guidance.

When Boaz saw Ruth gleaning in his field, he told her not to go in anyone else's field and to stay with his servant girls.  Naomi said the same thing after she brought back a large haul of grain.  Then Ruth was bold and courageous to obey her mother-in-law when instructed to go to Boaz as he slept on the threshing floor and to uncover his feet.  "I'll do everything you say," Ruth responded and followed through on all she said.  Her inclination may have been to bustle around and distract herself with activity as she awaited word from Boaz, but she hearkened to the wise advice:  "Sit still, my daughter."

The act of Boaz spreading his garment over Ruth meant that she was coming under the protection of Boaz, to be brought into his world--even as she had come to trust under the shadow of the wings of the almighty God.  Boaz was not to be likened to God in her eyes, but Boaz desired to fulfill his role under law as a kinsman redeemer and raise up seed for the house of Elimelech by taking Ruth as wife.  I read from a Jewish perspective that a person's world ends where his coat ends, and thus a married person is one whose garment extends over other people as well.  It is a beautiful picture of how we, as foreigners of the kingdom of God, come to Jesus Christ by faith to enter His world and enjoy an eternal relationship with Him.

Jesus far exceeds Boaz in His kindness toward us, for Boaz agreed to Ruth's request because she was known to be a virtuous woman.  She had washed, anointed herself and wore clean clothes.  Not one of us is virtuous in coming to Christ for salvation; none of us can cleanse ourselves from the stench of death and stain of sin.  Yet while we were yet sinners, Christ demonstrated His love by dying for us!  By the power of the Gospel we have been given the right to become children of God, to have Him as our Father, and to enter His world--His kingdom where righteousness dwells.  Out of the wreckage of our lives tainted with self and sin, God makes us new creations and fruitful by His grace.

The question is:  will we draw near to Jesus in faith and obedience, or will we continue to go our own way alone?  Will we seek satisfaction in less than God or discover contentment by being brought into His world by a relationship with Jesus Christ?  With all Jesus has done, the choice is ours.

LORD of Hosts With Us

"The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved; He uttered His voice, the earth melted. ⁷ The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah"

Psalm 46:6-7

The contrast presented here between the kingdoms of the earth and the power of God is striking.  While the nations rage like the sea, troubled and powerful, the LORD rules on high over all.  Kingdoms and nations are agitated in rage; people are moved even as the earth rotates around the sun.  Yet God does not need to move to utter His voice and melt the earth in majesty.  People react in response to what they see or feel, but God acts to further His divine plans and purposes.  He is always ahead of the most perceptive person or spirit, for the intent of hearts are laid bare before Him.

The sons of Korah acknowledged "The LORD of hosts is with us," and this remains true when nations rage.  When the rhetoric starts flying, the sabres are rattling or missiles are firing, the LORD of hosts is with us and the God of Jacob is our refuge.  Knowing what God has already said and promised in His word is a firm foundation for our feet in all seasons of life.  The LORD of hosts remains in command of every spirit and world power, and the nations are a drop in the bucket compared to Him.  At His word kings are raised up and deposed, and we can rest assured of His mercy even in judgment.

The "God of Jacob is our refuge," sang the psalmists, and a glance at the life of Jacob reveals a man whose wits and physical strength were no match for his many enemies that were of his own household.  His brother Esau who at one stage plotted to kill him was a mighty hunter when Jacob was a man of the tents.  Jacob's father-in-law Laban exceeded him with his conniving ways, tricking him into years of labour and changing his wages.  Unreasonable expectations were placed upon Jacob to protect the flock, yet God was his refuge.  In the midst of family drama, scandals in the community or famine in the land, God protected Jacob all His days and caused him to prevail and grow in faith.

Have you grown to appreciate who God is for you, that He is with you and a refuge?  The LORD is not like a bomb shelter or tower that is far away or difficult to access, for God is with us in the person of the Holy Spirit by faith in Jesus.  He is acutely aware of our needs even before we ask Him for help,  Sometimes we resemble those troubled and raging nations when faith in Christ provides sure rest and refuge in our LORD.  Our refuge has come to us in the person of Jesus, and He will never leave or forsake us.  May we learn as Ruth to come to trust in the shelter of His wings, knowing He is with us wherever we go.  The God of nations is a shelter for the one who is humble before Him.

Humble in God's Sight

"But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. ¹⁵ For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation."

Galatians 6:14-15

Being born again by grace through faith in Jesus Christ is the one way to be righteous in God's sight.  Though the Gentile believers in the church in Galatia once knew this, they caved to the influence of pressure exerted from Jewish legalists to keep the Law of Moses as a means of righteousness.  What appeared to be submission and humility before God and His Law was in reality the strivings of the flesh to accomplish what only the Spirit of God could do.  People began to pride themselves in their sacrifices and looked down on others who did not follow their legalistic convictions.  Circumcision did not make anyone closer to God, and ironically taking pride in subjection to the rite did the opposite.

My son came home from leading a Christian camp this week with the hairstyle of a monk, and as a family we were intrigued by the significance of an odd haircut of monastic orders.  Apparently hair was cut in a singular fashion as an act of humility and identification with Christ because the ring of hair around the head loosely resembled the circular crown of thorns Jesus wore on the cross.  It is possible a haircut could be a means of showing humility, yet because it is an outward act it can easily be motivated by a desire to be seen by others and gain favour in their eyes.  It is important to examine our own hearts that our motivation of our hearts is pure before the LORD, for a good act is quickly corrupted when it is not by faith in God.  It is what we do in secret where true humility shines.

Jesus taught His disciples concerning this in Matthew 6:1-6:  "Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. ² Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. ³ But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, ⁴ that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly. ⁵ "And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. ⁶ But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly."

There is nothing wrong with doing charitable deeds or praying and being seen by others doing so:  what is wrong is when we do charitable deeds and pray in public to be seen by others.  Jesus said it is hypocrisy to do anything charitable or good because of the glory you may gain from others.  Jesus emphasised again and again God sees what we do in secret, and He will reward us openly for it in His time and way.  It is faith in God that is satisfied by this arrangement, and it exercises humility God enables us to do by virtue of our new birth.  When we humble ourselves in the sight of the LORD, He will exalt us.  Those who humble ourselves to be exalted continue to operate according to fleshly and worldly principles.  A haircut can be humbling, yet those who wear it to appear humble are anything but.

The Mouse Problem

When we first moved into our current house, it wasn't long before we had an uninvited visitor:  a mouse that easily slipped under the garage door to explore what had previously been his domain.  I suppose during the build phase of the house the mouse had become accustomed to scouring the place for snacks left by workers, and with no garage door or interior doors this was easily done under the cover of night.  I immediately took steps to set out traps in the garage and constructed an aluminium "mouse guard" mounted underneath the door to prevent any further incursions.  Thankfully, it wasn't long before the mouse problem was no more.

One thing I discovered after baiting mousetraps with a little peanut butter (I recommend American style) is it can attract crickets that chirp all night.  Crickets and roaches love peanut butter and easily clean those traps in a night without setting them off.  Since I didn't want to trade one pest for another, I decided to keep the empty traps in place--just in case another mouse happened to wander in and look around.  Over time, the traps snapped closed for one reason or another due to wind from a leaf blower or a nudge from a box or broom, and I didn't bother setting them again.  There was no evidence of mice, and over time only one of the clean traps remained loaded by the internal garage door.  This week as I was coming in from gathering the recycle, I noticed the bare trap had caught a mouse!  Upon closer inspection, the mouse was at the early stages of decomposition with a bit of a smell.  Unless the trap had been set, a new mouse problem was set to start all over again.

The situation illustrated well the persistence of vermin and my need for vigilance when there is no evidence of a "mouse problem."  Due to a series of factors--especially the lack of mice--I had become complacent in my policing of the traps and ensuring they were ready for action.  With the exception of the sole trap that was set, the other traps served no purpose whatsoever.  Without thinking about it, I had adopted a reactionary approach to pest control rather than active prevention.  Had I seen chewed plastic or cardboard, if I noticed animal waste, I would have sprung into action to do everything in my power to eradicate destructive and potential disease-carrying pests.  The reality is there are mice outside, and experience has taught me I cannot keep them out of the garage.  Since I am aware of this, it is up to me to be observant and persistent to prevent the pests from making my garage their abode.

Being watchful of the state of a garage is important, and how much more do we need to be vigilant to be on guard of the state of our minds and hearts!  Mice and the devil share at least one thing in common, that they are opportunistic and prefer to operate under the cover of darkness.  1 Peter 5:8-9 says, "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. ⁹ Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world."  I have never lived in a place where lions roar and prowl around looking for prey, and I imagine it could take a close call to impress upon a person the seriousness of the life-threatening risk lions present.  Christians are called to be vigilant to resist the devil by steadfastness through our faith in Christ, knowing we are not alone in the conflict.  Not one of us can match the devil's persistence, and thank God we have a Good Shepherd Jesus who is always aware of Satan's schemes.  The apostle continued in 1 Peter 5:10:  "But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you."

It takes a surprising amount of effort to keep a garage tidy and free of vermin, and it is far more difficult to resist an unseen enemy who is as sneaky and powerful as Satan.  We might not be able to get on top of a pest problem without professional help, but we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.  God has called us to glory, and we are called to walk by faith in Jesus and live righteously.  When we recognise sinful thoughts, attitudes and desires, we are to take them captive even as a snap-trap catches a mouse.  Unlike traps that can be set that allow us to be passive and check on them occasionally (maybe only after we smell something), we are called to be sober and vigilant when the roaring is faint or afar off.  We must be aware that the problems we must be mindful of are primarily not "out there" in the world or in others, it is in the confines of our own flesh, hearts and minds where this battle is fought and won.  Even as springtime brings an influx of mice and insects, so a season with personal spiritual growth supplies opportunity for sin to sneak in and find a comfortable place to visit, hang out and finally settle in.