Choosing Good

A camper last week described his intentional effort to show self-control with his tongue.  His statement reminded me of myself when I was that age, measuring success primarily off what I avoided doing:  "I have only sworn twice all year!"  I commend the lad's efforts to stop cursing.  Jesus taught the words we use reveals the truth of the condition of our hearts, for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks (Matthew 12:34; Luke 6:45).  Trying to cease cursing with our mouths is futile without a change of mind and heart by God's grace.

When I heard the young man's comment I recalled the responsibility of believers not only to avoid sin but to do good, to speak the truth in love.  Better than avoiding gossip our words ought to encourage; rather than harsh censure we can edify others with gracious words.  Realising the Christian walk is more about doing good than avoiding evil was a revelation from God.  The call to self-control goes far beyond speaking and is shown by listening patiently and choosing to remain silent instead of speaking our mind.  We can demonstrate love by refusing to negatively judge or condemn people who do not seem to be making the concerted effort in areas we are.

How about you, believer?  Have you begun to embrace your sanctification beyond surface level and dealt with matters of the heart?  King Solomon gave instruction concerning folly to avoid and also directives to follow in Proverbs 4:20-27:  "My son, give attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. ²¹ Do not let them depart from your eyes; keep them in the midst of your heart; ²² for they are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh. ²³ Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life. ²⁴ Put away from you a deceitful mouth, and put perverse lips far from you. ²⁵ Let your eyes look straight ahead, and your eyelids look right before you. ²⁶ Ponder the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established. ²⁷ Do not turn to the right or the left; remove your foot from evil."

It is easy to trip when we are moving forward and our eyes are not on the path right before us.  Following the car in front of us can lead us to drift from the centre of the lane.  If we will walk uprightly, we must keep godly instruction from God's word in our hearts, be on our guard to avoid hypocrisy, ponder the paths of our feet, and walk in the way God has established.  It is Jesus Christ--the Way, the Truth, and the Life--who alone has the words of life.  His sheep hear His voice and we are to incline our ears to hear the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit who indwells us.  When we are convicted for sin it is good we remove our feet from evil:  let us take the next bold step of repentance to do what is right and pleases God.

God's Sovereign Goodness

After the earth began to be repopulated by people after the flood, the people banded together in Shinar.  They decided to make bricks, build a great city with a tower that reached to heaven, and make a name for themselves so they would not be scattered across the earth.  God knew their plans and decided to miraculously disrupt them and bring about exactly what they worked to prevent.  Genesis 11:7-8 reads, "Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another's speech." ⁸ So the LORD scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city."  The name of the unfinished tower was called "Babel" because it was the place God confounded the languages of the people.

The inability to understand one another ended the singleness of mind and purpose the people once shared.  Without anyone to translate what they said and meant their efforts turned into a ruin.  This incident, more than merely showing how the multitudes of languages in the world came to be, reveals the importance of communication.  This can be seen in marriages, families, the workplace, and church.  God was observant of the reason behind the building project in Shinar, and He also is keenly aware of what His ultimate plans are for His glorious kingdom.  The people wanted to unite all in one place, yet God was determined to send them forth.

The situation at Babel is a good reminder of God's sovereignty and plans that are infinitely better than our own short-sighted goals to make a name for ourselves.  I recently read a biography of David Wilkerson and he once attended a church filled with notable preachers and worship leaders.  The church did not last long and one of the senior members put it like this:  "Too much salt."  Jesus told His followers they were the salt of the earth and they were pleased after His ascension to remain in Jerusalem.  It was not long after the Holy Spirit came upon them in power great persecution arose against Christians who scattered and brought the Gospel with them to Jews and Gentiles alike.  I do not suggest this to justify church "splits" or irreconcilable differences among believers which hinder fellowship but to say God's ways are higher than ours.

We can be content to make a name for ourselves and settle down when God has other plans.  I was very settled and content in the east county of San Diego before God moved me and my family to Australia.  Instead of finding rest in a marriage, job, house, or familiar surroundings God intervened to teach us to discover rest in Him wherever He places us.  When we first came to Australia I was connected to pastors who also had ministry in Australia on their heart and sought to plant a church in the Sydney CBD.  It was like the A-team huddled up and was on mission to minister for the glory of God.  But for whatever reason, it did not come to pass as imagined.  Those pastors are now scattered across four nations (at least!) in fruitful pastoral ministry.  I am convinced their efforts were not a failure because their uniting led to seeking the LORD and He moved them according to His will.

How awesome are the works of God who does glorious things!  The confounding of languages led to friends moving apart but new friendships and horizons were discovered.  Trying circumstances and upheaval led to exploration and visions of grandeur far greater than a tower made with bricks and slime.  In the breakdown of the building project many other leaders were forged.  Without the comforts of city walls people looked to the LORD for guidance and protection in ways they never needed to in the past.  Blessed be our God whose mighty, redemptive works are beyond our desire.  When we look back with eyes of faith, our great regrets of unfinished works can miraculously melt in His sovereign goodness.

Replaced With Praise

God is better to us than we know.  Even when we credit Him for all good things we have received by His grace He is infinitely more worthy of praise and honour than the thoughts in our heads or the words on our lips.  Every day provides countless opportunities to praise and honour the God who does everything.

I was impacted by the song of David in Psalm 144:9-15:  "I will sing a new song unto thee, O God: upon a psaltery and an instrument of ten strings will I sing praises unto thee. ¹⁰ It is he that giveth salvation unto kings: who delivereth David his servant from the hurtful sword. ¹¹ Rid me, and deliver me from the hand of strange children, whose mouth speaketh vanity, and their right hand is a right hand of falsehood: ¹² that our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth; that our daughters may be as corner stones, polished after the similitude of a palace: ¹³ that our garners may be full, affording all manner of store: that our sheep may bring forth thousands and ten thousands in our streets: ¹⁴ that our oxen may be strong to labour; that there be no breaking in, nor going out; that there be no complaining in our streets. ¹⁵ Happy is that people, that is in such a case: yea, happy is that people, whose God is the LORD."

David sang of salvation and deliverance given him by God.  He prayed to be rid from those who spoke vainly, for prosperity, and that there would "be no complaining in our streets."  The mouth that compliments can also complain, and it is a shame we would use our mouths given us by the grace of God to complain rather than speak praise from a glad heart.  Lying and gossip says something about the sinful condition of our hearts and complaining is the same.  Complaints show a lack of appreciation and thanks for what God has given us; it reveals discontent and ultimately reveals a lack of faith in God's provision, power, and wisdom.  The very nature of complaining puts self in primary focus and how our expectations or perceived needs have remained unmet.  David prayed for deliverance from vain talkers (because they were around) and would not join them in their disgruntled murmurings.

Happy is the people whose God is the LORD:  the LORD who saves and delivers from vain talking and from our own habitual complaining.  God desires we would grow to maturity and be spiritually fruitful, that we would be pure on the inside as well as polished on the outside.  David sang in Psalm 35:27-28, "Let them shout for joy, and be glad, that favour my righteous cause: yea, let them say continually, let the LORD be magnified, which hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant. ²⁸ And my tongue shall speak of thy righteousness and of thy praise all the day long."  God has pleasure in our prosperity, yet we ought not define prosperity in the narrow sense of health and wealth.  God has prospered us in body, soul, and spirit enough to praise Him all the day long.  Complaints fade in hearts touched by the grace of God and are replaced with praise.  Believer, through our Saviour Jesus Christ we are most blessed!  May we live to magnify our LORD with praise.

Worship in Vain

"Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying: ⁸ 'These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honour Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. ⁹ And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'"

Matthew 15:7-9

Jesus minced no words when He addressed self-righteous Pharisees and scribes who sought to destroy Him.  They put great emphasis on having a clean exterior according to the Law of Moses but neglected the condition of their hearts.  Jesus perceived the greed in their hearts which moved them to seek the praise of men over the glory of God.  The religious rulers drew near to worship God with their mouths but their hearts were far from Him.

The worship of the self-righteous rulers Jesus said was in vain:  empty, worthless, fruitless, and ineffective.  Their worship of God was vain because they taught as doctrines the commandment of men.  God has provided the Bible to reveal sound doctrine (teaching) concerning God and His righteous ways.  When Jesus applied the words of Isaiah to the Pharisees it must have been deeply shocking and confronting.  Jesus exposed their words as empty because their hearts did not match.

No matter how much we know or how long we have followed Jesus, there remains the potential our worship of God is in vain because of hypocrisy which blinds us to the truth.  I am grateful Jesus does not pander to those ensnared to hypocrisy so they might recognise their need for repentance.  Jesus has given us new hearts through faith in Him and He enables us to respond to the conviction of the Holy Spirit, owning sin we never saw as sin before.  How good is our LORD and gracious to speak to the Pharisee in each one of us so our worship will not be in vain.

Shut In by God

Noah was a righteous man who walked with God.  Enoch walked with God and was not (translated into heaven) and God saw fit to allow Noah to remain by His grace.  According to God's revelation and instruction Noah built an ark so people and animals would be preserved from coming judgment.

While the exact amount of time Noah spent building the ark is unknown, it spanned many decades.  He was a builder and also a "preacher of righteousness" according to 2 Peter 2:5.  He publicly proclaimed the word of the LORD a great flood was coming and his faith was demonstrated by building a massive ship on dry ground.  After the ship was completed, seven days before the flood, God told Noah and his family to enter the ark along with other animals God drew there.  Genesis 7:8-10 reads, "Of clean animals, of animals that are unclean, of birds, and of everything that creeps on the earth, ⁹ two by two they went into the ark to Noah, male and female, as God had commanded Noah. ¹⁰ And it came to pass after seven days that the waters of the flood were on the earth."

One significant aspect of Noah and all the animals entering the ark was the door remained open for boarding for seven days.  I imagine Noah's construction project provoked great curiosity of all who saw it, and the diverse kinds of animals streaming into it was a unique event.  Noah, being a preacher of righteousness, was willing to explain the reason behind this strange phenomenon to confirm judgment from God was coming.  Because no one but Noah's immediate family was willing to enter the door of the ark, it seems his words fell on unbelieving ears.  After many decades plus seven days of invitation to board Genesis 7:16 says, "So those that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded him; and the LORD shut him in."

After 120 years from the first proclamation of judgment (Genesis 6:3), God shut Noah in.  The focus is not on all the animals or unbelieving people who were shut out.  When God shut the door of the ark it meant peace, safety, and deliverance for Noah and all who demonstrated faith by obedience.  It was not at Noah's discretion but God who determined the time for judgment and brought salvation.  I am reminded how Jesus Christ said in John 10:9-10, "I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. ¹⁰ The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly."  Jesus has the keys and opens doors no man can shut, and shuts doors no man can open (Rev. 3:7).  To all living today the Door to salvation is open wide, an invitation to be saved from wrath to come and be saved for all eternity by grace through faith in Jesus.

How tragic it was for people who viewed that open door for years to find Noah shut in and to be shut out themselves when the skies opened and the waters rose.  When God shut Noah in his future was set for good.  Everyone has the opportunity today to walk through the door of salvation through Jesus Christ, the One who died for the sins of the world so those who trust in Him will live.  Only God knows when our lives will end or when judgment will come, and all those who repent and rest in Jesus by faith will be preserved safe and have fellowship with God now and forever.  Praise God He shuts us in!

The Way to Life

The LORD has blessed me to observe and glean truth from the Bible I have read before but never noticed.  At each reading of the Bible we, our circumstances, and our receptivity are different.  Because God's word is living and active our eyes are opened to seeing new things and a fresh perspective.  At a distance a fish may appear grey and colourless, but when we examine it closer we notice individual scales that reflect the full spectrum of light with rainbow colours.

Genesis 3:24 says God drove Adam from Eden for his sin to till the ground under the curse brought on by sin:  "So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life."  God guarded the entrance to the garden of Eden with cherubim, angels who serve God continually.  There is also described a sword which turned every way "...to guard the way to the tree of life."  I suspect Adam did return to the garden God planted where he was placed by God and once called home.  The fierce angels and the flaming sword which flashed continually deterred him from attempting to eat from the tree of life so he could live forever.

The phrase which impacted me was how the flaming sword guarded "the way" to the tree of life.  It was not just the tree which was inaccessible, but the way to the tree was made deadly.  Eternal life was permanently barred to man because man disobeyed by eating the fruit forbidden by God.  Fruit pleasant to the eyes and delicious for the body resulted in bitter regret and wages of sin which are death.  Adam once lived in the presence of God and tended the garden planted by the LORD, yet was faced with the difficult task of tilling ground which resisted his efforts and bore thorns and thistles which brought pain and choked out the good seed planted.  Adam would die and his body return to dust because of the consequences of sin also passed to all men.

Praise the LORD Jesus Christ is revealed to the be Way, the Truth, and the Life in John 14:6.  He has come to us and proclaimed the Gospel so we can be forgiven from sin, saved from death, and receive righteousness and eternal life through faith in Him.  It is most fitting therefore that in His first address to the seven churches in Revelation Jesus says in Revelation 2:7:  "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God."  No weapons existed to overcome the cherubim who guarded the entrance to Eden, and no one could sneak or run past the flaming sword which turned every way to block all from the tree of life which and was wiped off the earth by Noah's flood.  When all hope was lost for eternal life, Jesus Christ is the Way and will supply eternal life to all who trust in Him.  Isn't God good to provide for all our needs now and forever?

Freedom to Choose Life

I have been reading through the creation account recorded in the Bible.  By the power of His word alone God created the heavens and earth and spoke all thing into existence.  From the earth He brought forth plants, trees, birds, reptiles, and fish in abundance.  Finally on the sixth day God formed man from the dust of the ground in His own image and breathed into Adam a living soul.

Before today I never considered how God created countless living things to reproduce after their own kinds yet created a single human being.  When God created the human body He thought of everything and placed him in the Garden of Eden God planted.  Genesis 2:8 says, "The LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed."  God gave man responsibility to tend the garden God planted and a command to eat from every tree save one in Genesis 2:15-17:  "Then the LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it." ¹⁶ And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; ¹⁷ but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die."  God spoke to Adam having provided him the capacity to reason, a conscience, and to communicate using words and language--again, different to plants, beasts, and birds.

Genesis 2:18-20 continued:  "And the LORD God said, "It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him." ¹⁹ Out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name. ²⁰ So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him."  Having given Adam dominion over the garden and the animals God created, God brought animals to Adam "...to see what he would call them" and the names stuck.  I find the freedom God allowed Adam to name the animals compelling.  How gracious is God who allows man to make decisions which have enduring consequences.

In all creation there was not a being comparable to him, so God caused Adam to fall into a deep sleep and from one of his ribs made woman because she was taken out of man.  From Adam and Eve God joined in marriage have all humankind descended.  How privileged we are as human beings to know God, to have been placed by Him in profitable labour, to hear His voice and receive His commands.  Even now He has graciously given all men and women the opportunity to make decisions that stick in regards to placing our faith in Jesus Christ as Saviour.  The first Adam sinned and died, and through the death of Jesus--the second Adam, the Word who became flesh--all who were once dead in sins who trust in Him shall live forever.  Jesus Christ has been given all authority in heaven and earth, far more than Adam ever dreamed of.

Paul expertly explained in 1 Corinthians 15:42-49:  "So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. ⁴³ It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. ⁴⁴ It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. ⁴⁵ And so it is written, "The first man Adam became a living being." The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. ⁴⁶ However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual. ⁴⁷ The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven. ⁴⁸ As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly. ⁴⁹ And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man."

God's Word is Pure

"Your word is very pure; therefore Your servant loves it."

Psalm 119:140

Psalm 119 is famous for being the longest chapter in the Bible, yet it has at least one other outstanding feature:  nearly every single verse therein praises God's word, commandments, and statutes.  The psalmist had a healthy obsession with the word of God and sought to heed it continually.  As this verse plainly states, the purity of God's word is a reason why servants of God love it.  Compared to good seed that is fruitful in prepared hearts by Jesus, it is living and active to instruct, guide, and help us to know God and follow Him.

The heavens and earth will pass away but all of God's words will endure forever in full force.  The Bible has remained unsullied and pure until now and will continue to provide life-sustaining wisdom forever to all who read and walk according to it.  Proverbs 30:5 says, "Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him."  The absolute, eternal truth of God has been miraculously distilled into words that have been translated into many languages and has remained pure to this day.  All impurities of the world and opinions of men have been prevented from tarnishing this unique revelation of God.  In an unclean world the Bible remains pure and worthy of being called God's word.

Don't fall for the lie Satan has used to dupe many that asserts the exact opposite--that over years it has been corrupted and is no longer of relevance.  Those who agree the Bible is the word of God ought not to explain away doctrines and teaching which contradicts what we think or what the world values.  If we will know God and the faith once delivered to the saints the Bible is the means God has used to reveal the mystery of the Gospel and the hope all can have in Jesus Christ the Way, the Truth, and the Life.  David wrote in Psalm 138:2, "I will worship toward Your holy temple, and praise Your name for Your lovingkindness and Your truth; for You have magnified Your word above all Your name."  What a marvelous statement this is, that God would magnify His word "above all His name" and submits Himself to all He has said.

Photograph of "A Man in Christ" by J. Sidlow Baxter

Yesterday I started reading His Deeper Work in Us by J. Sidlow Baxter and am enjoying it thoroughly.  Now here is a man who knows and breathes the inspired truth of scripture.  No fluff or quaint cliches here:  just meaty, thought provoking words worthy of being meditated upon because they are from God's Word.  Directly after reading these words I found it necessary to read them again because there is too much to digest in a single pass:

Holiness, as taught in the New Testament, is no mere negative concept--a being freed merely from the disfigurements of sin.  Besides the negative aspect of being rescued from the tyranny of hereditary depravity, there are all those wonderful positive traits which accompany the Holy Spirit's deeper renewal of the mind into the image of Christ.  According to the New Testament picture of holiness, the garden is not only cleared of ugly weeds, it is filled with fragrant flowers and rich fruits...

In other words, the New Testament emphasis is not so much on our being ridded of something (though that is necessarily included) but rather on our being filled with a spiritual vitality and health which leave the sin-disease no environment in which to thrive.  That life of victorious fulness is the shining challenge of the written Word to every Christian believer.  It is a fulness of new spiritual life which is positive holiness--brought about through an invasion of our being by the Holy Spirit Himself (wonderful mystery!).  One has only to glance through the New Testament to know whether many or few Christians today are living according to the divine standard.

Look again at the New Testament photograph of "a man in Christ".  He has within him "the peace of God which passeth all understanding (Phil. 4:7).  He "rejoices with joy unspeakable and full of glory" (1 Pet. 1:8).  He has "the wisdom that is from above" (Jas. 3:17).  He "walks in the light as God is in the light", having continuous "fellowship with the Father and with His Son (1 John 1:3, 7).  He is "renewed in knowledge after the image of God" (Col. 3:10), and is renewed into "true holiness" (Eph. 4:24).  He "beholds with unveiled face the glory of the Lord, and is changed into the same image" (2 Cor. 3:18).  In him "perfect love casts out fear" (1 John 4:18).  He "dwelleth in God, and God in him" (1 John 4:16).  He is "filled unto all the fulness of God" (Eph. 3:19).  He lives the "more abundant life" (John 10:10).

In his prayer-life he "asks and receives", till his "joy is full" (John 16:24).  He finds God "able to do exceedingly abundantly above all he asks or thinks, according to the power that worketh in him" (Eph. 3:20).  To his praying heart the risen Lord "manifests Himself" (John 14:21).  In him, "the Spirit beareth witness that he is a child of God" (Rom. 8.16).  The "Spirit of life" has "set him free from the law of sin and death" (Rom. 8:2).  He knows by experience that he is "sealed" with the Holy Spirit, and that he has the inward "earnest" of the Spirit as a foretaste of the heavenly "inheritance" (Eph. 1:13, 14).  He is "endued" by the Spirit with "the power from on high".  His character is beautiful with "the fruit of the Spirit:  love joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness..."

When "troubled on every side" he is not "cast down" but the life of Jesus is "manifested" through him (2 Cor. 4:8, 10).  In "tribulations" he is "more than conqueror through him that loved us" (Rom. 8:37).  In "infirmities" and "reproaches" he sings, "when I am weak then am I strong" (2 Cor. 12:10).  "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me" (Phi. 4:13).  He has "full assurance of hope" (Heb. 6:11) and "full assurance of faith" (10:22).  In a word, he is "filled continually with the Holy Spirit (Eph. 5:18).  (Baxter, J. Sidlow. His Deeper Work In Us. London, Marshall, Morgan & Scott, 1967, pp. 16–18.)

This photograph of those who are in Christ is not theoretical or a fantasy only to be enjoyed in the distant future.  Here are qualities of followers of Jesus Christ because the Holy Spirit has indwelt and empowered us by the grace of God.  A young aspiring bodybuilder hangs posters of muscled, ripped bodies in his makeshift gym because he hopes to work towards the body he idolises as an ideal:  God provides the true picture of the reality for believers in Christ we never dared to dream.  Faith in Jesus Christ and obedience to Him is the path to glory.  It is not the glory of the muscle-man who feeds and flaunts the flesh but humility and submission to God and by His using these weak, broken vessels the glory of Jesus Christ will shine through, and people will catch a glimpse of Him.

A Converted Soul

While preparing a sermon I have the practice of consulting with various commentaries to educate myself on what other notable believers have gleaned from the passage.  One of my favourite commentaries is one of the older ones I reference:  a condensed version of Matthew Henry's commentary penned in the early 1700's.  Perhaps one of these days I can acquire the full original version.  Every commentary penned by men has its flaws and limits, yet the concise volume remains instructive and insightful until today.  Today's reading was absolutely brilliant, a commentary on Jesus' words found in Luke 11:21-23:  "When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace. ²² But when a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoils. ²³ He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters." Here are Matthew Henry's words on the subject:

"When Christ cast out devils he was stronger than they, and could do it by force, and did it so as to ruin Satan's power.  Now this is applicable to Christ's victories over Satan both in the world and in the hearts of particular persons.  And so we may observe here,

(1) The miserable condition of an unconverted sinner.  In his heart, which was fitting to be a habitation of God, the devil has his palace; and all the powers and faculties of the soul are his goods.  The heart is a palace, a noble dwelling; but the unsanctified heart is the devil's palace.  All the prejudices with which he hardens men's hearts against truth and holiness are the strongholds which he erects for the keeping of his palace.  There is a kind of peace in the palace of an unconverted soul, while the devil, as a strong man armed, keeps it.  The sinner has a good opinion of himself, is very secure and merry; he flatters himself in his own eyes, and cries peace to himself.  Before Christ appeared, all was quiet, because all went one way; but the preaching of the Gospel disturbed the peace of the devil's palace. 

(2) The wonderful change that is made in conversion.  Satan is a strong man armed; but our Lord Jesus is stronger than he, see that manner of this victory:  he comes upon him by surprise, when his goods are in peace and overcomes him.  See the evidences of this victory.  First, He takes from him all his armour wherein he trusted.  Christ disarms him.  When the power of sin and corruption in the soul is broken then Satan's armour is taken away.  Secondly, He divides the spoils; he takes possession of them for himself.  All the endowments of mind and body are now converted to Christ's service.  Yet this is not all; he makes a distribution of them among his followers, and gives to all believers the benefit of that victory.  Hence Christ infers that, since the whole drift of his doctrine and miracles was the break the power of the devil, it was the duty of all to join with him, to receive his gospel and come heartily into the interests of it; for otherwise they would justly be reckoned as siding with the enemy (v. 23):  He that is not with me is against me." (Henry, M. edited by Church, L., 1974. Commentary On The Whole Bible By Matthew Henry. 14th ed. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, p. 1452.)

Praise the LORD for the overcoming power of Jesus Christ who is faithful and true, the eternal Word who rules in righteousness, mercy, and grace.  Our hearts have not only been swept clean of satanic defilement but have become habitations of the Holy Spirit through the Gospel.  When the Gospel goes forth the kingdom and power of Satan is shaken and the enemy of our souls is plundered.  A strong man fully armed is no match for our Saviour Christ who is the mightiest now and forever.  Isn't the work of conversion accomplished by Jesus marvelous?

God is Good and Wonderful

"Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men!"

Psalm 107:8

God's will is often viewed as a nebulous unknown.  We can wonder what God's will is for a particular situation and can be unsure of how to best pray.  Our confusion grows when we are confident what God's will is and it seems the furthest thing from reality.  God has richly blessed us with His word that speak of His unchanging character, provides examples which show God's will often involves suffering for people He loves, and give directives we can follow by His grace.

Psalm 107 is a beautiful song which extols the greatness and majesty of God.  Four times he repeats the same exhortation that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men.  The goodness of God is beyond reckoning and His wonderful works to us without precedent.  God's goodness is infinite, yet we are finite in our perishing state on earth.  We are ignorant, forgetful, and run out of ideas when there are countless aspects of God's wonderful character yet to be praised.

When I was learning mathematics in school, seeing examples of a formula or process helped me understand how to do the work properly myself.  Similar to how I was taught by my maths teachers and professors, the psalmist gives examples of God's goodness we ought to thank Him for, what His wonderful works look like, and how we put this into practice.  After each repetition of this longing for men to thank God the psalmist provides and example we can put into practice.  Here is a list of things God has done and ways we can thank Him:

• Psalm 107:8-9:  "Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men! ⁹ For He satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness."
• Psalm 107:15-16:  "Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men! ¹⁶ For He has broken the gates of bronze, and cut the bars of iron in two."
• Psalm 107:21-22:  "Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men! ²² Let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare His works with rejoicing."
• Psalm 107:31-32:  "Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men! ³² Let them exalt Him also in the assembly of the people, and praise Him in the company of the elders."

God satisfies and fills the hungry soul with goodness.  Our lives which were once empty have been satisfied with the Bread of Life Jesus Christ and the Living Water of the Holy Spirit.  There is nothing good in us and God graciously fills us with Himself.  Like the children of Israel who were in bondage, God has miraculously delivered us from bondage and hell.  We languished without hope of salvation until Jesus crushed the head of Satan and set us free.  These are just the edges of His good ways all who are in Christ have experienced.

In thankfulness for all the goodness God has shown us, we are to "sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving and declare His works with rejoicing."  We may at times feel justified to complain about our troubles or trials, yet it is better and more fitting for us to give the LORD a sacrifice of praise and proclaim His works rejoicing.  When everything seems to be going wrong, God smiles upon us with everlasting love we should celebrate.  This rejoicing and exalting of God is fitting not only in private time with God but in the public assembly.  Singing, prayer, and personal testimony in public and in the congregation are fitting ways for us to extol God and exalt Him.

"Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men!"  Isn't our awesome God worthy of all the thanksgiving we can give?  Let us rejoice even our limited praise and thanks is accepted by our great God who loves us according to His grace.

What Cleaning Reveals

Examining our hearts in light of God's word is important for all Christians to do.  As I sat reading the Bible this morning, the light of the sun shining through the window illuminated floating specks of dust previously unseen by my eyes.  The sun's rays did not create the dust but revealed their existence.  God's word and the presence of the Holy Spirit work in a similar manner to reveal the conditions of our hearts.  Psalm 119:105 says, "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path."  The Bible guides our steps and also provides insight into sin-darkened areas of our lives we never knew existed.

When we become serious about self-examination and take stock of our lives, the need for cleansing goes beyond what we initially see.  We may realise our tendency to exaggerate or curse but didn't notice our habit of gossip and harsh judgments.  I saw a great example of this yesterday when I mopped the predominately white tiles in our house.  As the clean damp mop moved over the surface, removed discoloured spots, and gathered lint it revealed tiny drops of white paint which were invisible when the tile was dry.  The moisture in the mop which lifted dust off the floor showed more than a mop was needed:  the paint was easily removed with a fingernail.  I could see the floor needed mopping, and the act of mopping compelled me to go even further for a quality clean.

A similar thing is true when we are born again and these unpleasant discoveries of the depth of our natural sinfulness becomes evident.  Though our sin is bad news praise the LORD He has provided the good news He is able to wash us clean of all sin and forgive us through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ once and for all.  We are new creations through faith in Jesus yet regular maintenance and even deep cleaning is necessary to maintain a healthy relationship with God.  The longer we live in a house the more potential there is to have dry rot, a roof or shower-pan leak, a pest infestation, spent globes, and grime on benchtops, cabinets, and power points.  Let us not be complacent in the cleansing of our hearts and our need to repent.  Intentional repentance and turning from sins shows us additional hidden sins must be confessed and forsaken.

On Being An Ally

One term I have heard often lately is the importance of being an "ally" to others.  Covenant Eyes, a screen accountability service, also uses the term for people to whom personal internet browsing data is sent to support and encourage healthy internet habits.  Alliances among nations and rulers unites separate groups with the aim to accomplish a goal together.  Both a verb and a noun, the term "ally" is defined as a noun by the Merriam-Webster dictionary in this way:  "a sovereign or state associated with another by treaty or league; one that is associated with another as a helper : a person or group that provides assistance and support in an ongoing effort, activity, or struggle."

Being an ally to support others in their struggles is a noble cause, but the term to me is impersonal and falls short of the ideal:  by their very nature alliances are created due to a cause or joint pursuit rather than the love of people.  Alliances are utilitarian and should the aim be achieved a new cause must rise up to maintain unity.  Alliances enable sovereignty a superficial unity whist enabling permanent separation to exist between the various groups.  These are the the thoughts which spring up in my mind when I hear of my responsibility to be an ally of people who suffer racial discrimination.  At best being an ally is a start but not a satisfactory conclusion for my role in the lives of others because it falls woefully short of the love of God.  More than an ally, I desire is to be a faithful friend to a person who has intrinsic value in themselves.

These musings caused me to consider if I live as a friend of God or I see Him as my divine ally to help me accomplish my aims.  It is possible those who believe in God to seek His power in a utilitarian way rather than humbling ourselves before our sovereign God as His servants.  God is much more than an ally who has power to stop bullies, judge abusers, or overthrow corrupt governments.  Jesus called His followers friends, even as Abraham was called a friend of God because of his faith and obedience.  John 15:12-15 says, "This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. ¹³ Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends. ¹⁴ You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. ¹⁵ No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you."  Jesus died for sinners and was proved to be their friend by His sacrifice and revelation of divine truth.

The love of God is foreign to this world of alliances, causes, and shifting sands of culture.  God's love and grace is extended to all people of every tribe, nation, and tongue.  God created us for relationship with Him and one another united by His love, joy, peace, and grace.  Jesus did not help us obtain forgiveness and salvation and then take little notice of us until our next struggle:  it is we who are guilty of doing this with Him.  Being an ally to help others in a worthy cause is great, but being a friend to others like Jesus is to us is far better.  

Praising and Blessing

At the prompting of a brother in Christ yesterday I read Psalm 135:1-3:  "Praise the LORD! Praise the name of the LORD; praise Him, O you servants of the LORD! ² You who stand in the house of the LORD, in the courts of the house of our God, ³ Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good; sing praises to His name, for it is pleasant."  This passage is full of praise and acknowledges the worthiness of the Almighty God, the Creator of heaven and earth.  That God would dwell in a house in Jerusalem where He placed His name is amazing, but even more stunning is God allowed men to enter and serve Him.  No house can contain the infinite, eternal I AM, the one true God who is good and glorious.

The psalmists bids us praise the LORD because He is LORD!  He chose Israel to be His special people and bids all sinners to come to Him and find eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ the Son of God.  We were blind, lame, and deserving of hell yet God has shown compassion and mercy on us by His grace to make our hearts His dwelling place:  the habitation of the Holy Spirit.  Those who desire blessings from the LORD ought to realise in Himself God is greater than all temporal riches, health, and earthly prosperity.  He is most worthy to be praised and receive glory from all His creation.

I find compelling the transition from praising to blessing in Psalm 135.  To praise is to shine, glorify, to make a boast, to boldly proclaim, and the psalmist begins with praising God.  Psalm 135:19-21 concludes, "Bless the LORD, O house of Israel! Bless the LORD, O house of Aaron!  ²⁰ Bless the LORD, O house of Levi! You who fear the LORD, bless the LORD! ²¹ Blessed be the LORD out of Zion, Who dwells in Jerusalem! Praise the LORD!  It is as if from the sheer weight of God's goodness, holiness, and power, the psalmist went from standing to falling to his knees, overcome by our awesome God.  To bless is defined in the Strong's Concordance "to kneel; by implication to bless God (as an act of adoration), praise, salute."  It is fitting we willingly kneel in adoration before the God who calls and enables us to stand in His presence, to be strong in the LORD and in the power of His might.

Praising and blessing God is a reward in itself because He is worthy of all glory and honour.  He is the LORD and we are His willing servants.  We did not choose Him but He chose us out of the riches of His grace.  Whether we stand, walk, or run let us bless the LORD at all times with His praise in our hearts.

All Our Springs in Jesus

Psalm 87:7 has been in my mind of late and says, "Both the singers and the players on instruments say, "All my springs are in you."  The context of the song of the singers and musicians is Zion is a source of blessing because of God's presence there.  God is the sole source of life in heaven and earth, and He is man's only provider of salvation, contentment, and rest for eternity.

The Gihon spring is a natural water source in Jerusalem.  On a couple of occasions I have enjoyed treking through "Hezekiah's Tunnel" located underneath the city of David.  It is important to note the Psalmist said, "All my springs are in you" and not "...from you."  A spring of water flowing from underground can cover a great distance and the water downstream can be polluted or stagnate in pools.  It is true all the blessings we enjoy in life come from God, yet they are only realised when we are in Him through faith.  Even believers at times value what we receive from God more than His presence and who we are in Him.  The picture of water flowing from the rock in the wilderness was a great picture of God's presence, refreshing and satisfying those who partake of Him by grace.

Though God's people affirmed all their springs were in Him, due to their folly they sought to satisfy their thirst elsewhere.  The prophet said in Jeremiah 2:11-13:  "Has a nation changed its gods, which are not gods? But My people have changed their Glory for what does not profit. ¹² Be astonished, O heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid; be very desolate," says the LORD. ¹³ "For My people have committed two evils: they have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, and hewn themselves cisterns--broken cisterns that can hold no water."  The irony is thick here:  the heathen in countries around Israel were loyal to their powerless idols yet God's people forsook the Living God!  Imagine choosing broken, leaking cisterns which collected muddy run-off water over the LORD who is the fountain of living waters.  Let us not for a moment think we are spiritually superior than these who changed their Glory for what did not profit, for we have all been guilty of the same.  If we are not guilty than we are righteous in ourselves and have no need for repentance, forgiveness, or salvation.

Once Jesus entered Samaria and asked a woman who came to draw water from the well for a drink.  She initially balked at His request as Jews had no dealings with Samaritans.  Her curiosity was piqued when He could supply her with living water.  John 4:13-14 reads, "Jesus answered and said to her, "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, ¹⁴ but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life."  The woman was thinking only about H²O but Jesus was speaking of spiritual water supplied by the Holy Spirit.  She preferred living water (fresh, moving water) over stagnant water in a well to temporarily quench her thirst, and the Living Water Jesus promised is infinitely superior, springing up into eternal life.  All our springs are in Jesus:  the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

Are you thirsty today?  Jesus bids all who thirst to come unto Him and drink.  John 7:37-39 reads, "On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.³⁸ He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water." ³⁹ But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified."  After Jesus died on the cross He rose from the dead glorified.  He ascended into the heavens and has sent the Holy Spirit to supply us with Living Water so we might be the source through whom others taste and see that God is good.  Our hearts once hard as stone can become fountains of living water which supply eternal life to all who trust in Jesus and are born again by faith in Him.

The Power of the Word

"The prophet who has a dream, let him tell a dream; and he who has My word, let him speak My word faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat?" says the LORD. ²⁹ "Is not My word like a fire?" says the LORD, "and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?"

Jeremiah 23:28-29

These were key verses from the sermon preached today at Calvary Chapel Sydney.  The supremacy of God's word over the imaginations, ideas, and dreams of men is without question.  The irony is we can give great credence to the claims of people who claim to speak for God without comparing their words with the scripture once delivered unto the saints (Jude 3).  This chapter reveals many priests and prophets in Israel who claimed to have received revelations from God spoke falsehoods from their own hearts.  Compared to the nutritious grain of God's Word their words were worthless as dry and dusty chaff.

Those who have God's word ought to speak it faithfully, and when received in believing hearts God's word grows and produces spiritual fruit in our lives.  The chaff is nothing to the wheat and even a slight breeze will cause it to blow away and be lost forever.  There are many books in Christian bookshops which are useful to convey spiritual truth, but they can only do so by revelations from God's word.  A lot of books and DVD's available today are nothing more than chaff, glitter that sparkles, dazzling the eyes but cannot meet our real spiritual need.  A person can fill their belly with chaff but ultimately will starve because their dietary needs remain unmet.

Verse 29 is a glorious truth:  God's word is like a fire, like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces.  It is not the passion of the preacher in the pulpit or his hammering on a point which affects any change in men:  it is the divine work of God's word which accomplishes dynamic, transformational change.  God's word consumes like chaff the empty dreams, deceit, and lies of men.  The scripture can crack the hardest heart and break the stubborn will of those with ears to hear.  It is not the pounding of a pulpit which impacts listeners but the still, small voice of God which speaks in the pages of the Bible.  God sets our hearts aflame with shame of our sin to purify us and breaks us so we might be healed and restored to fellowship with Him through repentance.

Moving Day

Over the past week my family and I have moved into a new house down the road.  Our prayers to own a house in Sydney have been answered by our gracious and generous God who has fulfilled His promise to establish us in Australia.  Like Joshua affirmed, not one word has failed from God's promises to His people and we are thankful and grateful for His faithful provision.

The days this week ran together as we rose early and stayed up late packing, moving, arranging, and organising in the new house and cleaning the house we vacated.  My thoughts have been as scattered as the books, boxes, and furniture around the house and the chaotic mess around me.  I have been easily distracted by jobs unfinished and I forgot as soon as I remembered.  A couple of maxims have been confirmed during this move, and one of these is it is better to be done than perfect.  Striving for perfection from the onset leads to analysis paralysis or sets up an impossible standard to meet.  Better to be satisfied with your best effort given the circumstances rather than giving up or procrastinating and accomplishing nothing.

As we moved furniture and boxes into the new house, I learned new doesn't mean perfect.  One might assume a new house is free from defects or flaws but this is an unrealistic expectation.  We have found several flaws in the design and workmanship the professional builders ignored or missed, and this should be expected because no one is perfect.  Our second day of living in the house I dug tools out of boxes to fix a fitting on our rainwater tank that had been dripping for months.  The inspector we hired wrote reports of defects and commented on the poor quality of aspects of construction and thankfully none of them are serious.

The concept of new not being perfect reminds me of our lives after we come to Jesus in faith.  After being born again the Holy Spirit regenerates us through the Gospel and makes us new creations.  Not one person who is made new is instantly made perfect.  As long as we live in these bodies we will fall short of perfection.  We retain deeply flawed in our ways of thinking and feelings can lead us to stray from Christ.  Moving into a new house means carrying a lot of your old stuff (and junk!) from the old house into the new one, and we can bring sinful habits into the new relationship we have with God.  We are wise to make the most of the new start God gives us initially (and every day) to keep our minds and hearts clean of rubbish and filth.

Praise the LORD for the opportunity for relationship God extends by grace to all.  Knowing Him is better than a new house which will grow old, fade, gather dust, and require expensive maintenance.  Even now Jesus is preparing a place for us to live together with Him forever, and as suitable as this new house is I am really looking forward to moving day with Him.

Life from Life

Since my youth I have always had a great interest in science.  Over the years I took classes of biology, chemistry, physics, and geology.  It is evident through my studies there are certain aspects of science which are "settled," like the law of gravity and biogenesis.  The composition of elements have been established, and mathematic formulas have been discovered to unlock technology and even make space travel possible.  One aspect of science which I have always struggled to process (and my feelings on the subject range from comical to even the ridiculous) is how Darwinian evolution has been crowned by many a "consensus view" and the answer to origin of the universe, our earth, and even life itself.

The other day I was looking up the work Louis Pasteur on biogenesis, the scientist who is credited by many for proving by a simple experiment how living cells can only be reproduced by living cells--a counter position from spontaneous generation.  Pasteur was making no claim to suppose how life began, but he and others through their tests and corresponding evidence confirm life only naturally arises from life.  The Wikipedia page is concise and brief (with only a handful of sources) because biogenesis was effectively proved long ago.  On a whim I decided to look at Wikipedia's offering concerning abiogenesis, and it did not disappoint.  The very lengthy page, sporting hundreds of sources heavy with modern scholarship, begins like this:

"Abiogenesis, or informally the origin of life, is the natural process by which life has arisen from non-living matter, such as simple organic compounds.  While the details of this process are still unknown, the prevailing scientific hypothesis is that the transition from non-living to living entities was not a single event, but an evolutionary process of increasing complexity that involved molecular self-replication, self-assembly, autocatalysis, and the emergence of cell membranes.  Although the occurrence of abiogenesis is uncontroversial among scientists, its possible mechanisms are poorly understood."

This is how I would sum up this fancy statement:  "Abiogenesis is a given but no one has any idea how."  And when it comes to origins, science is absolutely in the dark concerning why we exist.  Based on my survey of the article on the subject, abiogenesis is as far from "settled science" as science gets.  It was settled by Pasteur but no one seems to care.  We live in an incredibly complex world full of design, order, microscopic cellular machines, and biological marvels yet Pasteur's study shows me the truth can be simple.  If life only comes from life it follows a living being created our world and all living things in it.  The evidence all around us shows cells, plants, animals, and people reproduce after their own kind.  It is no stretch for me therefore to believe Genesis 1:1 is true:  "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."  Of course this verse does not scientifically prove the existence of God or how the miraculous creation of life on our earth (finely-tuned to support life in countless forms) was made to flourish--but it seems adherents to abiogenesis can do no better.

Who God Teaches

"Who is the man that fears the LORD? Him shall He teach in the way He chooses. ¹³ He himself shall dwell in prosperity, and his descendants shall inherit the earth. ¹⁴ The secret of the LORD is with those who fear Him, and He will show them His covenant."

Psalm 25:12-14

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and Jesus Christ is wisdom for us.  His wisdom is infinite and absolute yet God chooses unique ways to teach every person.  Unlike a school environment where the course curriculum is set and all students take the same exams, God teaches each of His children in the way He chooses.  It is awesome how God individually tailors the way He instructs us though His Word does not change.  We read the same Bible and see the same sun rise and set every day but the way He teaches you is different to how He teaches me.  The scripture assures us the man who fears the LORD shall be taught by God.

In an attempt to be efficient and ensure the necessary information is conveyed and understood many schools and countries have standardised tests.  When we walk in the fear of the LORD and place our faith in Him the wealth of God's wisdom is opened to us.  The souls to whom God has revealed His covenant through the Gospel will prosper now and forever.  Jesus said in Matthew 5:7-9, "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. ⁸ Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. ⁹ Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God."  God is the source of divine mercy, purity, and peace.  The only way a man can meet the conditions to be blessed in these ways is to be born again through faith in Jesus Christ, and having been born again God makes us to grow.

It is amazing how fast infants begin to develop and grow, gain awareness, dexterity, and discover their finger and toes.  Slowly they gain strength to hold their heads up, roll over, sit up by themselves, crawl and walk.  Their personality begins to shine through and it is delightful for a parent to observe the process.  What the future holds for our children largely is a mystery, but our future is not a mystery to God.  He created our personality and knows what He is preparing us to do.  We do not always understand why God allows trials and difficulties in our lives, what He possibly could be accomplishing through lessons we would rather avoid.  Teachers are powerless to teach the student who skips school but not God--as Jonah learned in the belly of a great fish.

Do you trust God to teach you and others in the way He chooses?  Clothing is not "one size fits all" and the same God teaches His children in different ways.  Praise the LORD the good lessons He teaches us are applicable to others and provide encouragement to fear the LORD.  As we walk with Jesus He is faithful to teach us many things.  To celebrate a revelation from God is to rejoice in Him, and God delights in this prosperous soul.

Commit Your Way to the LORD

The Bible provides God's wisdom for life.  God graciously provides blessing to those who seek Him and obey His Word.  Psalm 37:3-5 says, "Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. ⁴ Delight yourself also in the LORD, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. ⁵ Commit your way to the LORD, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass."  Trusting in God and faithful reliance upon Him to supply our needs now and for the future are central themes in scripture.

David's exhortation to trust in the LORD hearkens back to the goodness of God in the past and present.  God who fed them in the wilderness provided them land as an inheritance where they flourished.  Those who delighted themselves in the LORD would have desires which aligned with the One who delights to do good and save.  The Word He provided would be a lamp unto their feet and a light unto their path to show the right way to live.  David urged, "Commit your way to the LORD, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass."

The definition of the Hebrew word translated "commit" may surprise you.  The Strong's concordance says it means, "to roll (literal or figurative), commit, remove, roll (away, down, together)."  Webster's 1828 Dictionary says (among many options) it is:  "to give in trust; to put into the hands or power of another; to entrust; to put into any place for preservation; to deposit."  A "commital" is a traditional part of a funeral service, to commit the deceased to the earth or sea.  When a person commits a crime they are irreversibly guilty of breaking the law.  David says to commit your way to the LORD as we trust Him to sovereignly guide us.  Psalm 37:23 reveals the one whose ways is committed to God:  "The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, and He delights in his way."

In 10-pin bowling, a heavy ball is rolled from a distance to knock down pins and score points.  60 feet from the pins there is a foul line the bowler's feet are not permitted to cross.  Once a bowler reaches the foul line the ball must be released from the hand.  It might be tempting to walk past the line and roll the ball at point-blank range to improve a result, but that is not bowling:  one must aim at the mark, commit the ball to the lane, and trust the ball to hook into the pocket for a strike.  To commit is to release and roll away from us, and that is something we can be loathe to do.  We like to have control and affect an outcome for our benefit.  We feel uneasy to trust God and our grubby hands clutch our ways, foolishly thinking we know more and do better than God.  We would love to cut corners off the course God has set for us to run to reach the end more speedily.  Yet when we hold on in unbelief we can disqualify ourselves from God's gracious blessings.

Proverbs 16:9 dovetails well with the conditional promises in Psalm 37:  "A man's heart plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps."  Because God has given each person a will of their own there will always be tension between our will and God's will, between our responsibility and God's sovereignty.  The man whose steps are ordered by God in whom He delights trusts in Him, delights in God, and commits his way to the LORD.  The way we commit our way unto the LORD is to trust and obey Him.  There is only so much that depends upon us, and even our dependence upon God is by the grace of God.  The one who trusts God and commits his way to the LORD in faith will ultimately enjoy a favourable outcome in God's time and way.  After all, what is more favourable than our faithful God delighting in us?

The Beloved

Regardless of what country, city, church or family you belong to, there will always be people doing the wrong thing--and sometimes that person will be me or you.  I do not point this out to justify sin or hypocrisy or pride but that these are endemic to mankind.  It takes one to know one it is said, and often this is true.  But no matter how wrong we believe others are, we are called as Christians to do what it right in following Christ's example.  He taught His followers to pray for their enemies, and when He prayed all night it suggests He had a lot of them.

God will someday judge all the ungodly of the earth for their words and deeds against Him, and the ones deemed godly are only by the grace and mercy of God by faith in Jesus Christ.  Jude 1:16-21 says, "These are grumblers, complainers, walking according to their own lusts; and they mouth great swelling words, flattering people to gain advantage. ¹⁷ But you, beloved, remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ: ¹⁸ how they told you that there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts. ¹⁹ These are sensual persons, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit. ²⁰ But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, ²¹ keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life."

The words of Jude hearken back to what Jesus told Peter when he asked about John:  "What is that to you?  You follow me."  Our prayers can focus on all we see that is wrong with people or the world:  "Lord, there are complainers and arrogant boasters!  There are deceivers and greedy looters!"  To such troubled souls God's Word directs us to introspection and sanctification:  "But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, ²¹ keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life."  The ungodly actions and words of others work to prompt us to focus on edifying ourselves in faith in Jesus, prayer, to intentionally walk in love, and look for the mercy of our LORD Jesus Christ.  It is we who have a life beyond this world worthy of rejoicing, for we are not our own.  We are God's treasured possession and inheritance, and no one can snatch us out of His hand.

There will be grumblers but I should not join them; there will be complainers yet you should refuse to be numbered among them.  There will be those who walk according to their own lusts who speak with pride and flattery and cause divisions:  let us walk according to the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the exhortation of scripture.  Beloved brothers and sisters, let us keep ourselves in the love of God--even when the love of others grows cold.  Being beloved of God we are able to freely love others as God loves us.

The Thin Wedge Edge

“What a mercy it is when the preacher knows that his Master is coming after him, when he can hear the sound of his Master’s feet behind him! What courage it gives him! He knows that, though it is very little that he can do, he is the thin end of the wedge preparing the way for One who can do everything.”

C.H. Spurgeon as quoted in the Bible Knowledge Commentary

When I was a teen I enjoyed the challenge of splitting wood. It was one of the chores I rushed to do, too impatient to allow the wood adequate time to dry! Many times one wedge was completely buried in a log of wet wood, and a second was needed to remove it. I always enjoyed the "Lumberjack Show" at Sea World and splitting wood by hand was an opportunity to use tools and to do what seemed grown-man work. The steel wedges we used did not need to be sharp to split the wood when the force of a sledgehammer wielded by uncoordinated youths was applied to them.

I love the illustration Spurgeon employs because it is very true. Our ability and strength to do God's work does not rest in us but in the God who fills believers with the Holy Spirit. If you want something lifted or wood split or a jar opened you look for someone with a little muscle, and God supplies all the power needed to do His work with joy. The "thin end" of the wedge needs to be sharpened, and we too require spiritual maintenance to operate to our full potential. The idea of people and nations being a tool in God's hand is clear in scripture and a notable example is found in Jeremiah 51:20 in reference to King Nebuchadnezzar and Babylon: "You are My battle-ax and weapons of war: for with you I will break the nation in pieces; with you I will destroy kingdoms..." God does everything but He often employs people to do His will and fulfill His purposes.

Jesus sent out His followers to prepare people to receive Him in Luke 10 with the intent to follow after those He sent as lambs among wolves. On their own they could do nothing--like a wedge of steel lying on the ground. Having trusted and obeyed Jesus God would use them to cause Satan to fall like lightning from the sky with their proclamation of the Gospel. Sent out two-by-two they were sharpened and steeled to face opposition, to joyfully minister God's peace to all. Their confidence was not in their pitch or technique but was in Christ who can do everything. Those who make Christ their confidence can do so rejoicing, knowing we will not barren or unfruitful in the knowledge of God in His service. We can do all things Jesus directs us to do through Him, for it is He who does the work.

The Love of God

It is delightful when an intended insult is a blessing instead.  A memorable parting shot is when I was told, "You know, there's more to Christianity than love!"  This critique was offered because God's love was viewed to be an unnecessarily pervasive theme in my teaching at church.  Instead of feeling defensive, it was music to my ears and a testimony of God's grace and faithfulness because I know love is not of me.  I had been upbraided before for being "too black and white" and insensitive with my remarks, but this was something new:  the LORD had been doing a work in my heart and changing the way I thought.  Rejoice with me friends:  God can change a hardened, self-righteous Pharisee to the point love becomes so prominent a theme it bears mention by others.

It is true there is more to Christianity than love, but looking from another angle reveals there cannot be Christianity without love.  God's love is foundational in providing for our salvation, to govern all aspects of our lives, the primary fruit of the spirit, and a defining characteristic of God's character.  The new commandment Jesus gave to His disciples was to love one another as He loved them.  Paul wrote in Romans 13:8-10:  "Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. ⁹ For the commandments, "You shall not commit adultery," "You shall not murder," "You shall not steal," "You shall not bear false witness," "You shall not covet," and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." ¹⁰ Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law."  Jesus did not come to destroy the Law but to fulfill.  God's active, sacrificial love is a main theme of scripture and demonstrated by Christ by dying for sinners.

In his epistle John wrote in 1 John 4:7-13:  "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. ⁸ He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. ⁹ In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. ¹⁰ In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. ¹¹ Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. ¹² No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us. ¹³ By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit."  Through faith in Christ a believer is indwelt with the Holy Spirit who enables us to love God and others.  Walking in God's love is a convergence of freedom and joyful duty in response to the love of God we have freely received.

God's love is perfected or fulfilled in us when we love one another.  His strength is made perfect in our weakness.  When we walk in love towards one another it proves God has empowered and enabled us to do what we cannot do ourselves.  The love of God was manifested to us through Jesus Christ, and the love of Jesus is then expressed through us by the Holy Spirit.  The love of God is not discovered at some lofty peak of divine revelation where angels fear to tread but in humility, brokenness, and weakness where Jesus finds us hungry and thirsty for Him.  I have not arrived; I have not attained.  But I rejoice in the miraculous work God has done in demonstrating His love for me and enabling me to value and proclaim His love more than before.  May the love of God be perfected in all who believe that the world may also know God's love and that we are in Him.

We the People

In Mr. Kennedy's year 8 class, we were made to memorise the Preamble of the Constitution of the United States (with the assistance of School House Rock):  "We the people of the United States in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this constitution for the United States of America."  The Constitution was signed by 56 delegates who represented the 13 colonies to declare their independence from British rule and was a united effort to join together as one nation under God.

The eyes of the world are watching the events unfold in the United States with interest.  Some might be like the school children who shout "Fight!" and gather around the scuffle with their phones out, keen for a spectacle  Others, like myself, are deeply saddened and grieved over the violence, vitriol, looting, and wounds which appear incurable.  In my expat eyes it seems instead of united as "we the people" the States has increasingly grown to be an "us" and "them" mentality.  Great cracks have appeared in the pillars of the fear of God, love of others and respect for God's authority which undergird healthy society.  Confidence in man is a snare, but with God there is always hope and deliverance when people turn to Him.

In light of devastation those who fear God in scripture consistently presented their needs before God with repentance.  Righteous men like Nehemiah and Daniel included themselves as sinners when they interceded on behalf of their nation.  It is as John wrote in 1 John 1:10:  "If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us."  It does us no good to confess the sins of others unless we are willing to include ourselves:  we have sinned against God, we have abused authority, we have oppressed and hated, we have stolen and cursed.  We have committed anarchy and treason in our rage against God.  At the revelation the gates of Jerusalem were burned with fire and the wall was broken down Nehemiah fasted and prayed to God in Nehemiah 1:5-6:  "I pray, LORD God of heaven, O great and awesome God, You who keep Your covenant and mercy with those who love You and observe Your commandments, ⁶ please let Your ear be attentive and Your eyes open, that You may hear the prayer of Your servant which I pray before You now, day and night, for the children of Israel Your servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel which we have sinned against You. Both my father's house and I have sinned."

Nehemiah prayed 70 years on, "We have sinned, and I have sinned."  The prayer of repentance is not one of "us" and "them" but "we" and "I."  Unless we will own sin ourselves at least being equally guilty--and perhaps even more corrupt in our hearts and motives than the chief of sinners--our prayers may be sinful and hypocritical.  In Luke 18 Jesus spoke of a Pharisee who thanked God he was not like other men who were sinners, and smugly compared himself with a tax collector he despised.  The tax collector would not so much as lift his eyes to heaven in acknowledgement of his sinfulness and said, "God, be merciful to me a sinner!"  Jesus said the humble tax collector who was broken for his own sin went home justified.

Are you furious at the sight of a detained citizen being kneeled on by law enforcement?  Are you grieved to see people resort to violence and looting?  Do you feel compassion towards those who are injured in a demonstration or peace officers following orders who have been attacked?  How are you directing those emotions and thoughts?  Bringing our brokenness to God through prayer and fasting is not a cop-out, and it is not the only thing to do.  If we desire God's intervention and action it is vital we come to a place of humble personal ownership of sin and pray as Daniel did in Daniel 9:4-10:  "And I prayed to the LORD my God, and made confession, and said, "O Lord, great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and mercy with those who love Him, and with those who keep His commandments, ⁵ we have sinned and committed iniquity, we have done wickedly and rebelled, even by departing from Your precepts and Your judgments."  We the people have sinned and rebelled by departing from God.

We have sinned; we are to blame.  We find ourselves in great distress and trouble like a woman in labour unable to give birth.  Have mercy upon us, O LORD, for there is no balm for our wounds, no end of the violence, brutality, and hatred.  We have sinned and are brought very low.  I am reminded of God's words to Solomon in 2 Chronicles 7:12-16 after the dedication of the temple:  "Then the LORD appeared to Solomon by night, and said to him: "I have heard your prayer, and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice. ¹³ When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, ¹⁴ if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. ¹⁵ Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to prayer made in this place. ¹⁶ For now I have chosen and sanctified this house, that My name may be there forever; and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually."  There stands no temple on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem today, but God remains true to His Word:  by grace He has made those who trust in Jesus the Temple of the Holy Spirit who dwells in us.  God is attentive to the prayers of His people, and when we humble ourselves and pray and seek God's face He will hear and answer.  His eyes and His heart will be with us perpetually, even when we have sinned.