Limes and Mandarins

When we first moved into our home in Australia, I didn't notice there were fruit trees in the back yard.  Because of their small size and the lack of fruit, they more resembled bushes than trees.  After a month or so, I examined the shrubs more closely and realized someone had planted two citrus trees in the corner of the yard.  One turned out to be a lemon tree, and the other seemed to be a lime tree. For several months I monitored the progress of the bumper-crop of limes and wondered how I could best use them.  Then seemingly overnight, much to my shock, the small green fruit turned bright orange.  I had misjudged the tree by its fruit.  I didn't know it at first, but my lime tree was a mandarin tree (tangerine for you American readers)!

 As I sampled a mandarin this morning (very glad it wasn't a lime!), I thought about how Jesus says, "By their fruits you shall know them." (Matt. 7:20)  The works of the flesh are very distinct from the fruit of the Spirit.  Fruit takes time to develop and grow.  When I first saw the tree, a cursory glance did not reveal any fruit.  But it was there.  And after a while I saw the fruit and thought it to be a certain variety.  But time and the miracle of growth proved that I again was incorrect!  Though I was wrong from start to finish, now I am the beneficiary of delicious fruit.  I didn't plant the tree, I didn't prune the tree, I hardly watered the tree, but now I enjoy God's results.

How true this is of our spiritual perceptions at times!  We look according to appearance and make judgments based upon what we can see or understand.  How wise we would be not to make such judgments concerning others!  Sin in scripture is clearly defined and must be seen as such.  But speaking for myself, I have misjudged fruit even as I have been blind to the hearts and intentions of others.  I am learning to leave all judgments to the LORD.  God grants time for fruit to ripen to maturity.  I think mandarins are more useful than limes, but God makes limes, lemons, grapefruit, and oranges too - different flavours, different colours, but all of the citrus family.  God has made us all different with unique personalities and ways we communicate.  A mandarin is no better than a lime:  both have been designed and crafted miraculously according to God's will.

Praise God Christians are part of the Body of Christ and Jesus is the Head!  He has saved us, forgiven, and purified us, ordained, called, and equipped us to serve Him and others.  Instead of judging, let us commit our ways and the ways of others to the righteous Judge, Jesus Christ.  Isn't all the fruit made by Him and for Him anyway?

More than Dawn Watchers

At Calvary Chapel Sydney, we have a weekly prayer meeting which begins at 6am.  When I visited Calvary Chapel Santee in the USA, I was pleased to hear they also have a weekly prayer meeting on the same day at the same time!  They call their time of seeking the LORD the "Dawn Watch" prayer meeting.  A great name, I thought.  Since we're on the other side of the world they won't care if we use the same name for our prayer meeting, right?  Prayer is intended to be a great privilege and delight for every believer.  While others might be sleeping, I want to be one who is watchful and expectantly waiting on the LORD.

A scripture association which comes to mind with the name "Dawn Watch" is Psalm 130:6:  "My soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning-- yes, more than those who watch for the morning."  Who are those who watch for the morning?  One example is seen in Job 7:4:  "When I lie down, I say, 'When shall I arise, and the night be ended?' For I have had my fill of tossing till dawn."  Job grieved the loss of his children and health, and spent his nights in sleeplessness.  He had been afflicted by the hand of Satan and could find no comfort even among his wife or friends.  Another example is seen in the book of Acts when Paul endured a storm on the sea.  For many days no one had eaten food and their chance of survival seemed slim.  After Paul shared a word of encouragement from the LORD, the words in Acts 27:29 well-describe the watchfulness of the crew:  "Then, fearing lest we should run aground on the rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern, and prayed for day to come."  These stories share the same themes:  intense suffering, lack of rest, and counting on the new day to bring fresh hope and consolation.

These examples of those who wait for the morning add force to what the Psalmist says:  "My soul waits for the LORD more than those who watch for the morning..."  This is the kind of intensity which should mark our praying.  We should seek God with more fervency than a man who has tossed and turned in agony all night.  We should desire to enter into the presence of God with more urgency then desperate men fighting for their lives.  When we take our eyes off Jesus, it is easy for us to despair.  It is natural for us to be overwhelmed by circumstances out of our control.  Our lack of entering into God's throne room of grace with prayer compounds our struggles.

But praise be to God, who has given us an advocate in Jesus Christ!  No matter how the wind and seas might rage, He is able to calm them with a word!  I love the story when Jesus slept through a fierce storm as His disciples were crossing the Sea of Galilee.  Panicked, they woke up Jesus and screamed, "Jesus!  Don't you care that we are perishing?"  In their minds they were thinking, "Do something to help out, Jesus!  Grab and oar, control the rudder, help us get these sails down!  Give us a hand!"  But Jesus did something so unexpected, so divine, that they were dumbfounded.  Mark 4:39 reads, "Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace, be still!" And the wind ceased and there was a great calm."  They wanted Jesus to grab an oar:  Jesus planned to still the storm.

Out of the depths of suffering comes great hope in God.  The lamentations of Jeremiah contain the gut-wrenching consequences of sin.  Even in the midst of darkness, God's promises and truth shone bright.  If those words were written in times of ease and plenty, they would not hold half the significance they do, being spoken out of suffering few have endured.   Lamentations 3:21-26 states, "This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope. ²² Through the LORD'S mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. ²³ They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. ²⁴ "The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "Therefore I hope in Him!" ²⁵ The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. ²⁶ It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD."

Do you seek God more than those who watch for the morning?  May we be numbered among them, for great is God's faithfulness!

Counselor or Companion?

"Ahithophel was the king's counselor, and Hushai the Archite was the king's companion."

1 Chronicles 27:33

There is a difference between a counselor and companion.  Ahithophel and Hushai both played important roles in David's life, and the stark contrast of their relationships occurred when Absalom usurped King David's throne.  Ahithophel gave counsel to Absalom even as he had done with David.  He was loyal to whomever sat upon the throne in Israel.  Yet Hushai remained loyal to David and gave counsel to undermine that of Ahithophel so David might survive and regain his rightful place on the throne.  When Ahithophel saw Absalom and his men favored Hushai's advice over his own, he set his house in order and hung himself.  If you are interested to read the biblical account, it can be found in 2 Samuel chapters 15-17.

As Christians, we find a counselor and companion in our Saviour, Jesus Christ.  When we are justified by grace through faith in Jesus, the Holy Spirit takes up residence within us.  He guides us into all truth not as a paid informant, but as the closest friend.  As a good husband encourages and loves his wife faithfully and sacrificially, so God tangibly reveals His love for us.  No woman simply wants counsel from her husband:  she desires a companion.  God counsels us as the closest companion.  Most people are happy to give counsel, but few are willing or able to walk the long road of a lifetime commitment to God and one another sound marriage requires.  God's love is infinite, and it never fails.

Amazing as it sounds, this is what God desires from us too:  communion and companionship.  God needs no counsel from us (a good thing to remember in our prayers!), but He desires us to be faithful companions to Him.  He wants us to remain loyal even if the entire universe were to attempt to dethrone Him.  Interesting that the word "companion" is translated as "neighbor" 102 times and "companion" five times (KJV Old Testament).  Jesus says that the greatest commandment is to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind.  The second is like it, to love our neighbor as ourselves.  Because of the love God has shed abroad in our hearts, we are to love God and all other people with this same love, the love of a companion.  What a revolutionary thought for us people who ration out our love depending on feelings and familiarity with someone!

Jesus says in John 15:12:  "This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you."  The question then must be asked:  how does Jesus love us?  Completely, eternally, sacrificially, faithfully, graciously, without prejudice or partiality.  How can we love one another like this?  We must first receive of Christ's love and be filled with the Holy Spirit.  No man can love like this, but through the power of the Holy Spirit Jesus can love others through us.  We must be willing to be a companion to those who are lost, a close friend to our neighbors, and a lover of the unlovable.  Everyone has opinions on how other people should live their lives.  It is the love of a companion which often is completely missing.

Let's be willing to grow in the gracious love modeled by Christ:  2 Peter 3:18 says, "...but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen."

The Victor Gives Victory

"Some of the spoils won in battles they dedicated to maintain the house of the LORD."

1 Chronicles 26:27

One attribute of God's character is described in His name "Jehovah-Jireh:"  the LORD will provide.  God provided bountiful, rich land for His people whether they were employed in the fields or serving in the temple of God.  People were commanded to bring a tithe of their increase to the temple so priests and Levites who were not able to work the field or raise cattle could be sustained.  This passage also reveals spoil kings and fighters obtained from victories in battle was also brought to the house of the LORD.  It was the spoil from victory that provided the necessities to maintain the building.  It is an interesting thought, that victories and losses on the battlefield had a direct impact on temple maintenance.

As I mused over this fact, I thought about the various conditions which existed concerning the temple of God.  King Solomon built a gorgeous temple with gold, precious stones, and bronze that was razed to the ground by Nebuchadnezzar.  Even when it was later rebuilt, it did not have the same glory.  There were seasons when the doors were actually sealed shut and the inside was filled with so much rubbish no one could enter!  During the reign of some kings the book of the Law was read, and at other times it was misplaced for years!  Many factors went into the good or poor maintenance of the house of God:  wicked or righteous kings, the negligence or devotion of the high priest and Levites at the time, and sometimes the people were more preoccupied with their own houses and ceased to give.  Other times the giving was so abundant that the people were told to please stop!

My mind carried this thought another step further because the Bible teaches that Christians are now the temple of the Holy Spirit.  As it was true for the physical temple made with hands, so it is true for us spiritually:  how greatly can spiritual condition vary from person and person and season to season!  Though we have been given the victory through Jesus Christ, we need to personally appropriate and maintain the good condition of our hearts, minds, and lives.  Some seasons are filled with joy, strength, and courage.  But even after being delivered from our sins and embracing the victory affording in the person of Christ, we can become battle-weary, fearful, self-focused, and beaten down.  We can be the ones being spoiled!  We can be robbed of our joy and be deceived and influenced through the lies of Satan and our flesh.

Over time (and speaking for myself), this temple of the Holy Spirit can fall into physical and spiritual disarray.  We grow weary of cohabiting with Tobiah and his filth (Neh. 13:7), and try our best to ignore altars to idols set up in the most holy place.  We plug our ears at the annoying cries of the moneychangers and give up trying to clean up after all the animals the Pharisees are hawking.  Sometimes we are content to close up and bar the doors because we are so fed up with the cacophonous confusion!  But by God's grace, He gently reveals it is high time to make a whip purge the temple of the Holy Spirit by the authority and virtue of Christ's blood.  Because of the victory Christ has won, we are to be purified, sanctified, and consecrated wholly unto God again.

Were we unfaithful yesterday?  It matters not, long as we repent and are faithful from now on.  Love keeps no record of wrongs but rejoices in the truth without failing.  We are the temple of the Holy Spirit if we have repented and trusted in Christ.  The spoils Christ has won He gives to us that we might present ourselves as living sacrifices, holy, and acceptable unto God.  God will sustain us, but we also have a responsibility to maintain a life marked by holy, righteous, good works all to the glory of God, who has purchased us with His own blood (Acts 20:28).  Christ is victor, and freely grants us the spoils of victory:  He gives Himself according to the power of the Holy Spirit.

1 Corinthians 1:30-31 reads, "But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God--and righteousness and sanctification and redemption--³¹ that, as it is written, "He who glories, let him glory in the LORD."

The Promise for your Children

When I returned to my seat at a recent conference, pamphlets titled "A Revival Promise" written by C.H. Spurgeon were placed upon each chair.  According to the back of the publication, this is a sermon taken from Volume 20 of The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit.  There was a paragraph I though particularly relevant for all those who have children.

"I will pour my Spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring."  Parents, lay hold greedily upon these points of the promise.  I am afraid we do not think enough of the promise which the lord has made to our children.  Grace does not run in the blood; we have never fallen into the gross error of birthright membership, or the supposition that the child of godly parents has a right to Christian ordinances.  We know that religion is a personal matter, and is not of blood nor of birth; we know also that all children are heirs of wrath until the grace of God regenerates them; but still there is some meaning in that gracious saying, "The promise is unto you and your children, even to as many as the Lord your God shall call."  Paul was assuredly not wrong, but sweetly right, when he said to the jailer, in answer to his question,  "What must I do to be saved?" Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved, and thy house."  Lay hold of those words, Christian parents, and do not be content to get half the promise.  Pray to God to fulfill it all.  God to Him this very day, you mothers and fathers, and implore Him to have pity upon your offspring.  Cry to Him, and say, "Thou hast said, 'I will pour my Spirit on thy seed, and my blessing on thine offspring:' do it, Lord, for Jesus Christ's sake."

Guts to Trust

As I reflect upon my recent trip to the United States for a pastor's conference, I have a renewed appreciation for the Bible.  It is the divinely inspired, living and authoritative Word of God.  No man could ever exhaust the wealth of wisdom contained within those pages.  There is always more for us to learn and obey.  Though God's Word does not change, it changes us and remains relevant still.  To every person in whom God has breathed a living soul have these words been written.

A danger grows from our familiarity with passages, phrases, and events in the Bible.  When we listen to a sermon or read the Word, we can fall into the trap of simply confirming our current beliefs.  Instead of reading for the purpose of entering into God's presence and listening for the still small voice of the Holy Spirit, we read only to stroke our spiritual pride.  There is a big difference between agreeing with God's Word and believing it.  A man might agree that a course of action is good and right, but that does not means he will actually work toward that end.  In Aesop's fable called "Belling the Cat," a group of mice agree their safety would be greatly improved if a bell was attached to the collar of the cat.  The ringing of the bell would alert them to his presence and give them advance warning so they might escape.  A venerable mouse stood up and said, "This is a great idea - but who is going to bell the cat?"  Everyone agreed in the plan, but it didn't mean they would actually have the guts to put it into practice.

For us the question is not of guts but of faith.  Do our lives reveal we actually believe what God has said in his Word enough to obey?  Another danger is we would limit God according to our limited understanding of scripture or theology.  Yesterday I began to work on a poem about a man who was shackled by sin and was imprisoned awaiting a death sentence.  Jesus appears to Him and offers salvation:  "If you repent and trust in Me, I will free and grant you eternal life!"  The man places his trust in Christ and the chains fall from his hands.  For a while, he delights in reading the Bible as he grows in knowledge and the wisdom of God.  But as time passes, he becomes rigid in his theology and limits God according to what he can understand.  He builds himself a safe, predictable house fortified with his personal experience and theology.  He bars the door to make sure no heretics could possibly enter.  Sadly, the man dies in this prison of his own design because of his pride like so many Pharisees before him.  At the beginning he was chained in sin:  after being freed the poor man used his knowledge to confine God with shackles.  The moral of the story?  Faith frees both God and man.

Jesus couldn't do many miracles in His hometown because of unbelief.  If I refuse to believe what God says in His Word, I limit His work in my own life.  The children of Israel were not able to enter into the land of promise because of their unbelief.  Asaph writes in Psalm 78:40-41: "How often they provoked Him in the wilderness, and grieved Him in the desert! ⁴¹ Yes, again and again they tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel."  How tragic that I would limit God by my unbelief!  When I walk by sight and not by faith, I hinder the miraculous work He desires to do.  How sad that the ones who God delights in can grieve and provoke Him even after He has paid the price of our deliverance and atonement!  God's Word says He makes all things new!  God's Word says that nothing is impossible with God!

What grace God gives:  even after we construct a little box where we give Him permission to operate, He opens our eyes and hearts to trust Him.  He frees us from our spiritual pride and rigid unbelief.  He softens us to yield to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  May we never read the scriptures to remind ourselves of what we already know, but so we might grow in ways we once never thought possible by grace through faith in Christ.  May God give us the guts to trust!

Fire from on High

"And David built there an altar to the LORD, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings, and called on the LORD; and He answered him from heaven by fire on the altar of burnt offering."

1 Chronicles 21:26

It's easy to gloss over a passage like this and miss the significance and personal application for us.  I confess I have missed it many times!  It is beautiful when God by grace removes the scales from our eyes and we see clearly something we never noticed before in His Word.  I pray today this is true for you and me.

David chose to number the people of Israel and the thing displeased the LORD.  After admitting his sin, king David was given three choices by God:  three years of famine, three months of being destroyed before their enemies, or three days of divine pestilence.  David chose to fall into the hands of God for three days "for very great are His mercies."  A grievous plague broke out and seventy thousand of the children of Israel were slain.  1 Chronicles 21:15 reads, "And God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it. As he was destroying, the LORD looked and relented of the disaster, and said to the angel who was destroying, "It is enough; now restrain your hand." And the angel of the LORD stood by the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite."  After purchasing the threshing floor from Ornan, David set up and altar to the LORD.  He made ready the sacrifice and prayed to God in heaven:  God answered Him from heaven with fire upon the altar!

When I was a little boy, I read the story of Elijah calling down fire from heaven to prove that God was the true God, not Ba'al.  I gathered some stones and piled them up in the shape of a small altar I had seen in my picture Bible.  I didn't have a sacrifice, but I balanced some pine needles from our tree carefully on top.  God didn't answer me with fire that day, but I knew He could have.  In scripture many times God answered with fire to show His divine approval.  God used fire as a revelation of His presence and power, both in leading His people and in judgment.  When King Solomon dedicated the temple, 2 Chronicles 7:1 records what happened:  "When Solomon had finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the LORD filled the temple."

I built an altar to the LORD as a boy not understanding the sacrifice of Jesus Christ has made the offering of animals obsolete for atonement.  Jesus once for all died to save and atone for sins of all who repent and trust in Him.  The covenant of the law has been fulfilled and we live in the days of the new covenant of Christ's blood.  The temple also was rendered unnecessary for worship, for those who are regenerated with the Holy Spirit are now themselves the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19).  The only time we see fire come down from heaven in the New Testament by a person is when the false prophet deceives people by performing this particular sign which will convince many:  Revelation 13:13 says, "He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men."

When I read the 1 Chronicles 21:26 passage, I immediately thought of when the Holy Spirit fell upon the believers on the day of Pentecost who appeared as tongues of fire over their heads.  Should we sacrifice an animal on an altar and pray that God answer with fire from heaven, we should expect nothing to happen.  God desires that the Holy Spirit fall upon His people who are called to be living sacrifices!  It is written in Romans 12:1:  "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service."  Jesus has been made a sacrifice for sin, and as receivers of His forgiveness and love we are to be living sacrifices unto Him.  May we expect such an outpouring of fire from on high as we pray and seek the face of our Saviour!

What would you rather see:  fire from heaven devouring the carcass of a dead animal, or the fire of the Holy Spirit consuming you as a living sacrifice?  A person filled with the Spirit of God is better than all the animal sacrifices offered from the beginning of time until now.  Let us prepare ourselves to see the LORD, breaking up our fallow ground as we seek His presence.  May God set His church afire for His glory!

READ the Bible!

I attended the Calvary Chapel senior pastor's conference for the first time in Murrieta, California.  The week was marked with great teaching and a tremendous time of fellowship with other pastors.  Another highlight for me was searching through the old volumes at the used bookstore.  Among the books I purchased is the Bible pictured here, printed by Samuel Bagster and Sons in London around 1860.

When I pulled this Bible off the shelf, a huge smile spread across my face.  As I turned it over and over in my hands, I was struck by the craftsmanship of the volume.  The gilt pages were etched with beautiful designs and the leather cover was also decorated with intricate patterns.  As I opened the book to examine it further, one thing became apparent:  this book had never been read!  There was no staining of the pages, no oil residue left from fingers, and no marks of any kind.  Apparently it had been a gift given to Reverend Benjamin Darcus who laboured in the Irish parish of Tullyaughnish in 1860.  It is an amazing, well-preserved bit of history.

This beautiful Bible testifies to two facts.  The first is that the Bible has not changed from 1860.  The inspired Word of God has not been changed since it was penned thousands of years ago by men inspired by the Holy Spirit!  Translated from original texts before and after Christ, the Holy scriptures are the same today as they have ever been.  Unlike other religious sects whose texts are edited and changed within a hundred years of being first printed, the Bible remains true and authoritative.  It has endured the most exhaustive scrutiny of both science and history, and remains true and unchanged!

The second fact to which this volume testifies is not good:  for over 150 years, this book remained unread.  It was more of a relic or trophy than actually employed for the purpose it was carefully transcribed over the centuries:  the Bible is to be read, believed, and obeyed.  I would contend that most Bibles remain mostly unread.  This is a terrible tragedy and an affront to God.  Over the years I have loaned out many good books to friends.  It is not uncommon for me to receive a loaned book back many months or years later unread.  How disappointing this is!  People are happy with the concept of gleaning wisdom or truth from a book that might do them good, but are not willing to put in the effort to mine it for themselves.  God must be grieved that His Word is so often neglected and unheeded even by those He has redeemed.

Is reading the Word of God a priority for you?  Is your Bible a trophy on a shelf or food for your soul?  Though it might reduce the resale value of this classic Bible, I intend to read it cover to cover.  The Bible was given by God to be read by men so we might receive His truth and share it with those willing to hear.  Jesus has the Words of life!  What a treasure we have in God's Word!

God the Merciful

I recently arrived in San Diego and am preparing to head north to the Calvary Chapel senior pastor's conference in Murrieta, California.  I'm looking forward to catching up with friends, meeting fellow co-labourers in Christ, and seeking God through times of study and worship.  I don't know how free I will be to blog, but as I was reading this morning I came across a fresh passage I thought I would share.

It is no secret that a tendency in people exists to elevate men because of their wealth, fame, or abilities.  Unfortunately this can be common in the church as well.   Men are praised and revered for their preaching or their gifts as musicians and singers.  Sometimes we think people are chosen to serve God in a particular role because of their unique and special talents.  A verse which shatters this misconception is found in 1 Chronicles 16:41.  When David brought the ark of God into the place prepared for it, the writer explains why certain men were called by name to lead others in worship:  "...and with them Heman and Jeduthun and the rest who were chosen, who were designated by name, to give thanks to the LORD, because His mercy endures forever..."

Men were called by name to play musical instruments and sing - not because they were amazing singers - but because God's mercy endures forever.  It is not about the men who praise, but all focus is placed on the praiseworthy God whose mercy endures forever!  We sometimes choose men to serve or lead because of their talents or gifts, but it is God who calls and deserves all the glory.

Some have been chosen by name to preach and teach because God's mercy endures forever.  Some are called as apostles or deacons because God's mercy endures forever.  Men and women are called as prophets or gifted in helps, administration, and faith because His mercy endures forever!  All people everywhere are called to glorify and praise God through their lives because God's mercy endures forever!

As it is written in Romans 9:16:  "So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy."  A well-known pastor might be very honorable, but God deserves all honor and glory.  God is the one who shows mercy, and He is the one to receive all glory!

Die, Plank-Eye!

Christianity is a lifestyle unlike any other.  The longer I walk with Christ, my sense of inadequacy and failure increases.  This occurs because I am drawn to greater faith in Christ, recognizing my inability to do the first works on my own.  Also I am realizing more and more how wrong I have been in the past while at the time I was sure I was right!  Little by little, God removes the spiritual pride that knowledge and experience can bring.

The LORD gave me some fresh insight on Matthew 7:1-5 as I mowed the lawn today:  "Judge not, that you be not judged. ² For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. ³ And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? ⁴ Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your eye'; and look, a plank is in your own eye? ⁵ Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye."

How many times over the years have I suffered from "plank-eye syndrome"?  I looked upon a situation and judged people involved:  who was right, wrong, what could have or should have been done.  How easy it is to ignore our own faults and disobedience because of the perceived wrongs and faults of others!  When we have a plank in our own eyes we CANNOT see clearly or even think correctly.  I find that when I repent and remove the plank in my eye, the speck I thought I saw in my brother's eye disappears too.  Had my brother changed?  Not at all:  but my perspective was clarified through repentance.  A wise man once said, the best men seen themselves in the worst light.  When I am caught up in finding fault in others, I am at fault.  How wicked my sins appear in others!

We do well to keep in mind the last verse in the book of 2 Peter, chapter 3 verse 18:  "But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen."  I cannot be content with yesterday's grace, even as yesterday's faith does me no good:  I must grow both in grace and faith today.  Only God can do this work within me, for it is God who works in me both to will and do of His good pleasure.  My role is to abide in Christ, repent of sin, break up my fallow ground, and rest in the forgiveness of my Saviour.  Micah 6:8 reads, "He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?"

Do Christians make mistakes?  Sure!  What is that to me or you, fellow believer?  I am to deny myself, take up my cross daily, and follow Jesus.  When I make a mistake, it is my divine duty to admit fault and resolve to remain free from the scourge of sin.  It is only the grace and mercy of God which convinces a man that he has been all wrong, that all along he is the one with the plank in his eye.  Romans 2:1-5 says, "Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. ² But we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things. ³ And do you think this, O man, you who judge those practicing such things, and doing the same, that you will escape the judgment of God? ⁴ Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? ⁵ But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God."

God have mercy on me, a sinner!

Unity First!

"Unity is necessary for the outpouring of the Spirit of God."

A.W. Tozer, quoted from the sermon "Unity that Brings Revival"

While listening to a sermon delivered by Tozer online today, I was struck by the aforementioned quote.  Unity of the church is a topic that seems to keep popping up in my mind lately.  This morning in our church prayer meeting I was prompted to pray for unity.  In talking with a fellow follower of Christ this afternoon, unity was a topic emphasised over and over.  Unity is very important in the church, perhaps more important than we think!

In his message, Tozer says that people make the mistake of praying for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit so we might be united.  His claim is that prayer is in the wrong order:  God does not send His Spirit to unite us, but sends His Spirit when we are already united in Christ.  Tozer quotes Acts 4:31-33: "And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness. ³² Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common. ³³ And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all."  He claims, and I am in agreement, that these Christians were of one accord and one mind:  therefore they were filled and empowered by the Spirit to glorify God.

Think in relation to the natural operation of a human body.  The heart may have the power and force to pump blood swiftly though a leg or arm, but if limbs are severed from the body they are no longer connected to the source.  A gas heater might be plugged into a power point to operate the fan, but unless the heater is connected to the gas line there will be no heat.  For us to be filled with the Spirit as a body of believers, we need to be united together in Christ.  The body of Christ is one body made of many members with Christ as the head.  To paraphrase Tozer's thoughts, he says something to this effect (and I paraphrase):  "How will God revive this church?  The only way He'll do it is when there is among us a oneness, a determination to glorify the LORD alone.  We have as much of God as we want."

Jesus says in Matthew 18:19:  "Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven."  There is power in unity.  What is the immediate context of this statement?  Right before this Jesus is explaining our duty to seek out those who have offended us for reconciliation.  Right after this statement Jesus explains our duty to forgive.  If we harbor offense, unforgiveness, bitterness, or judgments in our hearts, we cannot be united.  It is simply not possible.  We might both share a real love and desire to follow Christ in faith, we might agree on certain doctrines, but until we are willing to humble ourselves and obey God's command to forgive we are not abiding in Christ.  We are like a branch cut off from the Vine.  But if we seek Christ's glory in our unity, we will again have sweet fellowship with Him and one another!

Let us be united, brothers and sisters!  Family can be a messy business, but thank God we have a loving, gentle Father who seeks to restore!  You want the power of the Holy Spirit?  You know what you must do!

A Christian's Labour

How true it is:  unless the LORD builds the house, they labour in vain who build it.  The great fallacy is that if God is doing the building, men need not labour.  The deception is that somehow, someway, the house will be built without us.  God works in and through His people.  Each man is responsible to built his own house:  we are either building for God or someone else.  In His wisdom beyond our comprehension, God has chosen to use men to labour for His glory.  Certainly the angels appear from a human perspective more suited for such heavenly work than mere men!

I read yesterday about when David desired to bring the Ark of God into the city of David.  Since King Saul had killed the priests at Nob, no one had inquired of the LORD with the Ark (1 Chron. 13:3).  The Ark was placed on a new cart pulled by oxen amid celebrating people who sang and played instruments unto God.  As the procession moved along, the oxen stumbled and Uzza steadied the Ark with his hand.  Suddenly he was struck dead and the procession halted.  God's anger was kindled against Uzza because he had touched the Ark in disobedience to the Law, and David was displeased that such a joyous occasion ended in tragedy.  The Ark remained in the house of Obed-edom for three months and his house was richly blessed by God (1 Chron. 13:14).

How could this tragedy have been prevented?  The Ark was designed to be carried on poles by Levites, men chosen and sanctified for this role.  It was never intended to bump along a path pulled by oxen just as they would haul dung in a cart!  Carrying the Ark of God was a man's job, not just another thing for oxen to drag along.  This breach upon Uzza caused David to do research, prepare a place for the Ark to rest, and properly organize the priests and Levites.  In 1 Chronicles 15:12-13 David said to them, "You are the heads of the fathers' houses of the Levites; sanctify yourselves, you and your brethren, that you may bring up the ark of the LORD God of Israel to the place I have prepared for it. ¹³ For because you did not do it the first time, the LORD our God broke out against us, because we did not consult Him about the proper order."  How important it is to consult God in everything!  Only after consulting with God can a man know the proper order.  God works in us both to will and do His good pleasure.  This communication only comes through communion.  Reverence is the good fruit of divine revelation.

This story has a joyous ending!  1 Chronicles 15:25-26 reads, "So David, the elders of Israel, and the captains over thousands went to bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD from the house of Obed-Edom with joy. ²⁶ And so it was, when God helped the Levites who bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD, that they offered seven bulls and seven rams."  It was men who bore the Ark, but it was God who helped them.  Unless men stood up and were sanctified to do the work of God, the Ark would have remained in the house of Obed-edom.  God did not want to bless a single house, but the whole nation.  Notice how God "helped the Levites."  The word "helped" in Hebrew means, "surround, protect, or aid."  God protected them as they walked according to God's design.  He aided them in providing them physical strength and courage to perform His will.  Labour comes at a cost, and seven bulls and rams did not come cheap.  A principle of sacrifice for God is it must cost us something.  Any work we do for God will involve commitment and sacrifice.  Our greatest sacrifice is nothing when compared to the reward for obedience.

The Ark of the Covenant at one time housed the 10 Commandments on two tables of stone, a pot of manna, and Aaron's rod which budded.  People still wonder what may have happened to the Ark.  Because the 1st Covenant of the Law has been superseded by the 2nd Covenant of Christ's blood, the Ark is only a relic.  It used to be that the Spirit of God dwelt between the cherubim over the mercy seat which was sprinkled with the blood of sacrifice.  Every born-again Christian is now the Temple of the Holy Spirit, having been sprinkled with the blood of Jesus Christ through faith.  Though we do not need to carry the Ark around on gilded poles, all Christians are tasked to carry the Gospel and the presence of God everywhere.  God doesn't simply want to bless our families or church groups:  we are to spread the words of life to all who are lost, to those outside our comfortable circles.  God has sanctified every follower of Christ to carry this message of salvation and peace.  It's not a job only for men or Levites:  it is a calling for every Christian both young and old.

How wonderful it is to know that God will help us when we carry the Good News to the world!  He will surround us with angels, protect us with His mighty right arm, and aid us in wisdom, understanding, and utterance.  We need not fear when we are on God's side.  Instead of bringing the threat of death, Christ brought the hope of life.  Let us be faithful imitators of Him!

Wages of Sin

"So Saul died for his unfaithfulness which he had committed against the LORD, because he did not keep the word of the LORD, and also because he consulted a medium for guidance. ¹⁴ But he did not inquire of the LORD; therefore He killed him, and turned the kingdom over to David the son of Jesse."

1 Chronicles 10:13-14

Reading the Bible lately has been a testimony to the depth and wisdom of God's Word.  God has been faithful to teach me new things from familiar passages.  What joy comes from the knowledge and wisdom of God, that He brings newness from scriptures which have been in existence for thousands of years.  The Bible is distinct from all books written by men because it is the inspired Word of God which will endure forever.

I grew up in a church where the Bible was taught faithfully and raised by parents who read the scriptures daily.  For thirty years the Bible has been a close companion, but never closer to me than now.  And I am convinced I have more to learn from the scriptures than ever before!  The crazy, miraculous thing is that God still teaches me new things all the time.  This isn't because I'm special, have a level of spiritual maturity, a discerning mind, or have been trained:  it is because God is good and faithful to His promises.  He says, "Open your mouth wide and I will fill it."  Like a bird bringing food to her helpless young, God delivers the goods daily to hearts which hunger for it and will receive.

So as I read the 1 Chronicles passage today, I was struck again by fresh insight from the LORD.  As previously stated, I have always found King Saul fascinating.  How the humble become mighty and the mighty fall tragically amazes me.  The first part of Romans 6:23 explains the principle at work in the life of Saul:  "For the wages of sin is death..." Saul was unfaithful to God, did not keep God's Word, and consulted with a medium contrary to the Law.  He was the kind of man who wanted God to bail him out of a tough spot when it suited him, but had no desire to humble himself in submission.  Saul earned his own untimely death - even at his own hands - through his rebellion and unrepentant heart before God.  The wages of sin is death.

As I considered this indictment against Saul, I saw that verse 14 says Saul did not inquire of the LORD.  In fact, on the surface it might seem to contradict 1 Samuel 28:5-6:  "When Saul saw the army of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart trembled greatly. ⁶ And when Saul inquired of the LORD, the LORD did not answer him, either by dreams or by Urim or by the prophets."  When Saul was overwhelmed and afraid (because he trusted in himself!), then he sought the LORD.  Instead of repenting for his sin, Saul longed for some passive means of hearing from God.  He hoped for guidance while he slept through a dream or desired a prophet would come to him with a word from the LORD.  That word never came.  Some might even blame God for not responding when Saul attempted to inquire of the LORD.  Notice that Saul attempted to inquire of the LORD by Urim.  This leads us to consider a tragic event which made inquiring of the LORD by King Saul impossible.

Saul felt threatened by David who slew Goliath, the giant from Gath.  He considered David an enemy and sought to kill him on numerous occasions.  When David fled for his life he stopped at Nob to speak with Ahimelech, the chief priest.  Under the guise of a secret mission, David was able to procure a sword and bread.  Saul heard later from Doeg the Edomite, a man loyal to him and chief over his herds, that Ahimelech had helped David escape - albeit unknowingly.  Saul was enraged and condemned Ahimelech to death for this treason of helping David.  No one would move a muscle to carry out that wicked command.  So Saul commanded Doeg to slay the priests.  That day Doeg slew 85 priests.  He was far from done!  1 Samuel 22:19 explains further the destruction Saul allowed:  "Also Nob, the city of the priests, he struck with the edge of the sword, both men and women, children and nursing infants, oxen and donkeys and sheep--with the edge of the sword."  Saul ordered the slaughter of all of the priests.  Only Abiathar, son of Ahimelech, was able to escape and sought refuge with David.  David had the capacity to inquire of the LORD through Ahimelech, but Saul had cut off his mediator to God!

Ironic, isn't it?  God had commanded Saul to exterminate the Amalekites and all their possessions because of their wickedness towards God and Israel.  Yet Saul disobeyed and chose to save the choicest of the sheep, oxen, fatlings, lambs, and even King Agag (1 Sam. 15:9).  Everything that seemed good to him he saved alive, under the pretense of offering it to God as a sacrifice.  Saul rebelled from the command of God, and the consequence was that the kingdom was taken away and given to David and his seed.  Saul's zeal for God was overshadowed by his zeal for himself!  Feeling betrayed by the priests, Saul had them slaughtered.  He annihilated all the priests in Israel save Abiathar, and utterly destroyed Nob with the edge of the sword!  What Saul should have done he left undone, and Saul did wickedly as he never should have done!

The chief priest would use the Urim and Thummin carried in the breastplate of the ephod to inquire of the LORD.  He was the only one sanctified and anointed to stand in the gap and inquire on behalf of the king or the people.  Saul slaughtered anyone who could have fulfilled this role.  The fact that 1 Samuel 28:6 says "And when Saul inquired of the LORD, the LORD did not answer him, either by dreams or by Urim or by the prophets" leads me to believe he attempted to inquire of the LORD himself.  In doing so he only added to his sin!  On one instance in 1 Samuel 13:12, Saul even offered a sacrifice which should only have been done by Samuel or a priest!  He had seen the ritual performed:  perhaps Saul thought God would regard and honor his attempt to inquire of the LORD.  But like Cain's sacrifice, it was unacceptable.

Thank God that there are two parts to Romans 6:23:  "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."  Jesus is our High Priest:  He did not offer the flesh of bulls or the blood of rams to atone for our sins, but allowed His own blood to be shed for our redemption.  Without Jesus as our Mediator, there is no salvation for us.  There was salvation available for the men who scourged Jesus, and there remained hope in Christ for the ones who drove the nails through His hands and feet.  If we confess our sins and repent, God is faithful and just to forgive us from all our iniquity.  Communion and fellowship can be restored if we will humble ourselves at the foot of the cross.  But he who tramples the blood of Christ underfoot robs himself of eternal life with Jesus.

Allow me to close with the comforting words of Ephesians 2:13-18:  "But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. ¹⁴ For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, ¹⁵ having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, ¹⁶ and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. ¹⁷ And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. ¹⁸ For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father."  He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

Jonathan or Ishbosheth?

I think every reader of the Bible has wondered what is the point of reading chapters of genealogies like ones contained in Numbers and 1st Chronicles.  Should we actually trudge through every name?  Even these more audibly-daunting passages serve valuable purposes:  they prove the historical authenticity of the scripture, verify that Jesus Christ was a descendant of the line of David, and actually contain much spiritual insight.  As I read through a couple chapters of genealogies today, the LORD shed light on a profound truth.

One of the characters which intrigues me in scripture is that of King Saul, who hailed from the tribe of Benjamin.  1 Chronicles 8:33 reveals the lineage:  "Ner begot Kish, Kish begot Saul, and Saul begot Jonathan, Malchishua, Abinadab, and Esh-Baal."  The Bible introduces us to Saul as a young, humble man.  Though tall in stature, he remained small in his own eyes - that is, until he had been king of Israel for a few years.  God had given him a new heart, but Saul later rebelled against the commands of God.  Saul had four sons:  Jonathan, Malchishua, Abinadab, and Esh-Baal - also known as Ishbosheth.  King Saul's reign ended with him seeking the advice of a medium and committing suicide during a battle with the Philistines.  All save his youngest son died with him on Gilboa.

Most are familiar with Jonathan, an honorable man whom was close friends with David.  After the death of Saul, Ishbosheth reigned for two years before he was slain by traitorous servants.  It has been said that children are often a reflection of their parents, if not the image!  As I read the 1 Chronicles passage quoted above this morning, the name Esh-Baal caught my eye:  I could not recall one of Saul's sons having this name!  But as I studied further, I found the downward spiral of Saul was revealed even in the names of his children!  Consider the meaning of the names of Saul's sons:

• Jonathan:  gift of Yahweh (God)
• Malchishua:  king of wealth
• Abinadab:  father of generosity
• Esh-Baal:  son of Baal (later known as Ishbosheth:  man of shame)

It is an amazing, tragic progression!  Saul was grateful to God for giving him the kingdom at first.  Later he became focused on amassing the best Israel had to offer:  the best food, chefs, menservants, maidservants, warriors, and even weapons.  There was a time when Saul and Jonathan owned the only swords in Israel!  Saul was lifted up with pride, considering himself benevolent and generous.  But then he turned his back on God, even naming one of his sons after the false deities of the heathen Canaanites!  The Philistine archers wounded Saul on the battlefield.  Fearing abuse at their hands, he fell on his own sword and died.

As a ruler in Israel, Esh-Baal was known as Ishbosheth:  man of shame.  How shameful it was that the son of the king of Israel was named after a false heathen god!  In the two years of Ishbosheth's reign, he lost the allegiance of the tribe of Judah, and after the death of his general 2 Samuel 4:1 says "...his hands were feeble, and all the Israelites were troubled."  It would not be long before his short, weak reign would end with him stabbed and beheaded while he slept in the heat of the day.

We are born into shame as slaves of sin.  We all have the choice whether we will be a son of righteousness that trusts in God or a son a shame.  God does more than change our name when we repent and trust in Christ:  He gives us a new heart and His own nature!  Will I be a Jonathan who charged up a mountain with his armour bearer, strengthened by faith in God - or be a feeble, troubled, sleepy kind of Christian?  Will I pick up the Sword of the Spirit and put it to proper use or drowse among soft pillows without armor?  We have all slept long enough, dear ones.  It is day at the present, but night is coming when no one can work.  Let us pray according to Matthew 9:38:  "Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest."  If you pray this prayer, you are praying for yourself first!

Everlasting Treasure

My sons recently began playing the computer game "Minecraft."  In the game the player explores a huge pixelated three-dimensional environment, either mining in the ground or building structures.  After watching them play awhile I decided to have a go, seeking the ever-elusive gold ore and diamonds.  Within an hour I found a huge cavern underground which led me to another cavern with waterfalls of water and lava.  When I was a kid I used to dig around looking for quartz crystal and this game brought back those old feelings, without the blisters!

As I continued to place torches for light and explore my surroundings, deeper and deeper I went.  Before too long I had found what I was looking for:  iron ore, diamonds, gold ore, and redstone dust.  But in our excitement (my kids of course were coaching me throughout!), we had gone deeper than initially planned and were running short on torches and wood.  I felt like Injun Joe in Tom Sawyer, trying to escape from a deep cavern without any light!  Try as I might, I could not locate the way out.  I kept walking in circles, unable to progress.  And since my pick wore out from digging up all those diamonds, digging would have taken forever.

So we decided to risk building a path over some flowing lava to hopefully make our escape.  My character was carrying all our precious metals and materials.  To my dismay I slipped off the pathway and fell into the lava!  I had not saved the game because I didn't want to go back to the title menu.  It suddenly hit me that all the valuable items I collected were gone for good, lost in the lava.  I would be able to recover them, wouldn't I?  My boys just stared at me:  no, all the items were lost.  "Everything?  Falling in the lava cost me everything?"  Perhaps the game was closer to reality than I first thought!

How true this is in life!  We can spend our days searching after all these elusive treasures of the world only to lose them in the end.  Or our search for significance and meaning takes us to the deepest recesses of sin from which there is no escape apart from Christ.  To have the words of life and not to use them would be such a tragedy!  It's true:  nothing from the world but what is of God will last.  God's character, love, His Word, and those washed in the blood of the Lamb will endure forever, but all is lost for those who deny Christ and die in their sins.  How important it is that we invest our lives in what really matters in God's eternal economy.  We ought to store up treasures in heaven, where moth and rust won't corrupt, where thieves can't break in and steal, where all your goods can't be consumed in a lava flow.  Where our treasure is, there will be our hearts also!  Give your heart to Jesus today!

Goads and Nails

"The Preacher sought to find acceptable words; and what was written was upright--words of truth. ¹¹ The words of the wise are like goads, and the words of scholars are like well-driven nails, given by one Shepherd."

Ecclesiastes 12:10-11

During a recent phone conversation with my dad, he drew my attention to this passage.  For much of his life my dad has both preached the word and worked as a carpenter.  Let's say he knows the difference between a well or poorly-driven nail!  In this passage King Solomon uses two illustrations to state the value and purpose of a discourse built on biblical truth.  God did not provide us His Word so we might merely observe, but so it could do a work in us.  Both goads and nails are used for work.  Both are honed to a sharp point to be effective.

A goad is a sturdy long stick sharpened to a point of either wood or iron which is used to guide and motivate cattle through discomfort.  As oxen pulled a plow, the farmer would stand behind them and administer a firm nudge with the goad to urge the oxen forward.  The goad moved an ox to perform work when he would rather stand around and graze.  God's Word is a call to service and action.  The Holy Spirit uses it to prompt us to do things we wouldn't naturally do.  When confronted with the supernatural wisdom of God and conviction through the Holy Spirit, we are taught and urged to action.

Nails are made in many shapes and sizes but all have a single purpose in construction:  to hold building materials tightly together.  There are roofing nails, finish nails, duplexes, nails for pneumatic guns, and nails for paneling, siding, and lath.  Though nails may be made out of different metals and have a variety of shapes and sizes, they are designed for a particular job.  A carpenter might even blunt the tip of a nail before driving it to keep wood from splitting.  As a carpenter chooses the right nail for the job, a preacher carefully chooses words to hold his discourse together and have the appropriate impact.  It takes anointing and teaching of the Holy Spirit to rightly divide the Word of truth.

The world goads us into sin, while Christ guides us into righteousness.  He is the Good Shepherd who protects, guides, teaches, and provides for us.  His words are like goads and sharp nails which always accomplish the work He intends in our lives.  As we faithfully hold forth God's Word as led by the Spirit, we too can use words which will touch hearts and keep people from wandering from the truth.  Isaiah 55:11 says, "So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it."  God goads us when we need it, and uses the right nails in the correct way to do work in and through us.  He meets the needs of each one of His sheep.  I wonder:  what wisdom is God speaking to you right now?

Failing God

God never fails!  What He establishes will stand, for His Word endures forever.  The only way I can fail God is if He fails me, for any good in me springs from Him! Though man is feeble, frail, and makes mistakes in abundance, a Christian is not to view himself as a failure.  A dead man cannot fail because a dead man cannot do.  It is God who works in us both to will and do according to His good pleasure.  A man sees himself as a failure when he believes God depends on him in some way, or that he is able to help God in his own strength.  The reality is God has raised me from death to life in Him.  If we are disappointed in ourselves it shows we have trusted in our own strength.  God is the one who makes the dead rise alive for eternity, and it is in Him we live, breathe, and have our being.  What He has cleansed, redeemed, empowered, and indwelt we should not call a failure.

Praise God He does not condemn us as sinners after He has paid our debts through His shed blood!  Church ought to be a place not where sinning is promoted, but where sinners are welcome.  God does not fault us for being ourselves, yet He does not free us from the responsibility to live in holiness:  "Be holy, for I am holy."  He whom Christ sets free He sets free indeed - not only from sin and death, but from guilt and shame.  Let us follow Jesus confident in Him as we humbly trust!  Can we fail if it is He who does the work?

Behold What Manner of Love!

When I look carefully at the diamonds in my wedding band, a random rainbow of color gleams from each stone.  As the light passes through the gems, light is reflected in a board spectrum of beautiful color.  Each facet of the diamond is a tiny window to amazing beauty.  In a similar but grander way, when we take time to look upon the character of God as revealed in His Word God's beauty is revealed to our eyes and hearts.  The indescribable grandeur of God's holiness, mercy, faithfulness, and grace leaves us powerless to do anything but thank and praise Him.

Lately for me the facet of God's character which has come into more clear focus is God's love.  The first part of 1 John 3:1 reads, "Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!"  I believe we do well to do the first thing:  "Behold!"  We ought to consider, understand, and seek to know what manner of love God has lavished upon us.  To think quickly or in passing is not beholding:  it is not only to engage the eyes but the heart.  When Pilate brought Christ after being scourged before the angry mob wearing the crown of thorns and purple robe the governor said, "Behold the man!"  How people must have stared into that beaten, bloodied, suffering, unrecognizable face!  People no doubt cringed at the sight.  But they still looked upon Him:  God made flesh came as a suffering servant to seek and save the lost, not willing any should perish.  As Jesus walked in obedience to the Father, why would He suffer so?  Because of love for His Father and us.

The only way man could be redeemed and have his sins atoned for was by the precious shed blood of the righteous Lamb of God.  God has bestowed such love upon us at His own expense:  Jesus endured the shame, humiliation, and suffered as a sinner yet without sin, and the Father endured the sacrifice of His only begotten Son without intervention so we might be called children of God.  Romans 5:6-10 reads, "For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷ For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. ⁸ But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. ⁹ Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. ¹⁰ For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life."  Jesus rose from the dead, proving His power over sin, Satan, the flesh, and death.  In one moment Christ revealed love of such potency and magnitude that for eternity we will be praising Him.

The willing sacrifice of Christ, though monumental, is merely a gleaming facet of the great love He has towards all people.  His active, eternal love is constantly pursuing and seeking acceptance from all.  Love so great demands awe-inspired praise, worship, and eternal adoration.  We are only mindful of the smallest amounts of God's love and grace:  how much deeper it reaches!  Behold God's love for you today with renewed enthusiasm and appreciation.  John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."  How wonderful that we rebels have obtained by God's mercy and grace Living Water from the Rock of Salvation and live forever as sons of the Most High!  Behold such love in wonder and reverence!

Quote from Principles of Spiritual Growth

Occasionally I will scan the titles of books in my personal library.  I am always amused when I find a book I do not recognize.  Somehow I manage to acquire books without my knowledge due to family, friends, or the gently used book fairy!  Anyway, yesterday I picked up Principles of Spiritual Growth by Miles J. Stanford.  I'm in the middle of a couple of massive puritan tomes, so the narrow spine in addition to the title was inviting.  Though I've read a few chapters, I don't feel like I've read too much of Stanford because he quotes other people very often.  But I like Stanford very much because he knows an excellent quote when he sees one!

The first three chapters are titled, "Faith," "Time," and "Acceptance."  These three things alone are critical aspects to spiritual growth in Christ.  In my own life I must say these are three primary areas of struggle because they are fundamentally contrary to our natural man:  we want to trust ourselves, we want things according to our schedule, and we kick against the goads of grace.  How important that our faith is in Christ according to the Word of God!  Even in Bible teaching churches people willfully remain under the Law, reject the grace of God, and only trust when the odds based on appearance are in their favor.  What sorrows Christians pierce themselves through when they will not take God at His Word!

God's grace is so hard for us to grasp because it is not of an earthly, tangible nature.  Grace is a divine attribute only found in God.  We resist receiving because we cannot believe.  We cannot believe because we see our unworthiness, yet God's grace gives love in spite of our wretched condition!  An ounce of grace liberates a man to love and serve God more than a ton of Law.  Stanford quotes William R. Newell on pages 20-21 concerning grace:

"There being no cause in the creature why Grace should be shown, the creature must be brought off from trying to give cause to God for his Grace...He has been accepted in Christ, who is his standing!  He is not 'on probation.'  As to his life past, it does not exist before God: he died at the cross, and Christ is his Life.  Grace, once bestowed, is not withdrawn:  for God knew all the human exigencies beforehand:  His action was independent of them, not dependent upon them...

The Proper attitude of Man Under Grace:  to believe, and to consent to be loved while unworthy, is the great secret....To refuse to make 'resolutions' and 'vows'; for that is to trust in the flesh.  To expect to be blessed, through realized more and more lack of worth...To rely on God's chastening [child training] hand as a mark of his kindness....

Things Which Gracious Souls Discover:  to 'hope to be better' [hence acceptable] is to fail to see yourself in Christ only.  To be disappointed with yourself, is to have believed in yourself.  To be discouraged is unbelief, -as to God's purpose and plan of blessing for you.  To be proud, is to be blind!  For we have no standing before God, in ourselves.  The lack of Divine blessing, therefore, comes from unbelief, and not from failure of devotion....To preach devotion first, and blessing second, is to reverse God's order, and preach law, not grace.  The Law made man's blessing depend on devotion; Grace confers undeserved, unconditional blessing: our devotion may follow, but does not always do so, -in proper measure."

Let us examine ourselves to see if we are in the faith.  Let us also consider if we are growing in grace as we follow our Saviour Jesus Christ!  Thank God He gives us exactly what we need! 

Waiting on Myself

Studies have been done which estimate how long a person on average will spend during their lives eating, waiting at red lights, or watching television.  I wonder how much time we actually spend waiting on other people.  I remember going to Souplantation (a buffet-style restaurant in the U.S.) and waiting for a woman who meticulously harvested every piece of chicken out of the chicken noodle soup into her two bowls.  I didn't even want that particular soup, but this chicken-vulture hunkered down and spread her wings over the clam chowder as well!  As the minutes passed and people in line politely waited, I gazed awestruck at the oblivious woman who dipped, dipped, dipped, and dipped again.

No one is a stranger to waiting on others.  If we ring someone we have to wait for them to answer.  When we send an important e-mail we have to wait for someone to send us a response.  Our glass may have been emptied of soda ten minutes ago, but we must flag down the waiter or waitress to request a refill.  Delegating tasks can enable a person to multiply his effectiveness, but it can have the opposite effect if those working do not share his level of urgency.  Some common reactions to waiting on people can be impatience, annoyance, disillusionment, and frustration, especially if we believe we have waited long enough!  There's no rule posted over the chicken noodle soup, but I'm thinking more than three minutes borders the ridiculous.

Lately God has been showing me something wonderful in the Body of Christ.  Many times when we feel or think we are waiting for others, we are waiting for ourselves.  Some people have this concept that they must wait for their pastor to "get it" before they will be a force for God.  It is the idea which suggests my spiritual well-being and progress is not only tied to but in a sense dictated by the actions of other people.  We make excuses and justify our own disobedience.  We are inactive, yes, but that is because of the lack of support of our wives.  Our church is not reaching the world, true, but that is because we are waiting for revival.  It is God's fault, not ours.  If only someone else would do what we should do, then we would take the next step.  Dear friends, we have all shuffled around in this dark pit awhile.  It has been in our spiritual DNA from the moment Adam and Eve fell into sin.

If I am waiting on a person, I wait on myself.  As a Christian, I am supposed to actively follow my LORD Jesus Christ as led by the Holy Spirit.  I am to wait in earnest expectancy, be swift to listen, slow to speak, and purpose to obey.  But there is no human being in the world I need wait on when it comes to my spiritual growth and development.  My career must be second to your Saviour.  Jesus calls pastors while they study at a prestigious university or as they serve their ninth year of imprisonment for their faith.  Jesus calls evangelists while they work as computer programmers and beauticians.  God calls all men, women, and children to hear His Word, believe, and live their lives for His glory.  Don't wait for your pastor, man of faith.  Honor God with your time.  Don't wait for your husband, dear believing wife.  You follow Jesus today!  Don't wait for your mom to act like a Christian, young man:  you be a real Christian today.  While you delay you only wait on yourself!  Jesus leads the way, and He seeks people to follow NOW!

Compliments to my Chief

I enjoy cooking and baking almost as much as eating!  One thing I especially like is an American-style breakfast.  Toast and tea is a fine starter once in a while, but I prefer food from scratch cooked to perfection:  eggs, bacon, sausage, waffles, pancakes, omelets, french toast, muffins, fried eggs, zucchini bread, and sour-cream coffee cake (not all at one time!).  My idea of fruit for breakfast usually ends up as jam spread on an English muffin or pumpkin or apple pie!  Whereas most people have cereal for breakfast every day but once a week, I try to have cereal about once a week.  Breakfast is so good I don't even mind having it for dinner - how about a egg-bacon wrap or some huevos rancheros?  Count me in!

Today I did something a little different and made some buttermilk biscuits from scratch.  The last couple times I wanted to make them I didn't because there is no cooking shortening in Australia, and I don't own a pastry blender.  I decided to make them anyway, substituting butter for the shortening minus 1/4 teaspoon of salt.  I also had to blend the dough "crisscrossing two knives," a royal pain with firm butter!  But in a short while the buttermilk biscuits were hot from the oven with flaky golden brown edges and were arranged on a platter in the center of the table.  It was a success, and now buttermilk biscuits will be fair game when the ingredients are on hand.

Laura was very liberal with her praise, and her obvious eating enjoyment clearly revealed her appreciation.  My boys, however, seemed much more interested in the honey on their spoons than the biscuits!  So after the meal I asked Zed what he thought of the biscuits.  After a lengthy pause he said, "They were fine."  "That's it?" I said to him.  "Just fine?"  When good food is prepared and cooked, it feels good for the effort and labour to be appreciated - even if the results aren't perfect.  When the food turns out great and both our mouths and stomachs reap the benefits, thanks and compliments are in order.  It seems that my culinary talents, limited though they are, sometimes seem wasted on my sons.  I want my sons to enjoy their food, but I also I want them to fully appreciate the labour that went into the process.  It would have been much easier to give them oatmeal, cereal with milk, or toast.  But this morning's breakfast was a labour of love.  I wanted them to eat something good and a make it a little special too.

In mulling this over, I'm certain God knows exactly how I feel.  I'm not offended in the slightest, but I want my kids to be excited over a delicious meal.  How many times has God cooked up a great meal from His word that I yawned and dozed through?  The power and wise insights were completely lost on me.  I didn't even appreciate all the labour that went into the writing, transcribing, translating, editing, printing, and the anointing with the Holy Spirit of the author of God's Word.  God has so much to say through the Bible and we hit  the snooze button.  We know it is rude not to thank someone for feeding us, even if the food isn't our favorite:  have we remembered to thank God for the food from His Word He lavished upon us this morning?  Let us give Him our compliments, though much of the truth might be lost on us.  Just like when Christ fed the 5,000 with five loaves and two fish, there will always be holy leftovers of the Living Bread who came down from heaven.  There's always more than we can handle.

Thank God for the sustenance He provides for our souls!  Let us feed on Him today and be resolved to thank Him for His labour of love towards us:  while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.  He rose from the dead and has sent the Holy Spirit to teach us eternal wisdom which supplies us spiritual nutrition.  What He sets before you eat, whatever He says do it, and thank Him too!

Learn to Live Forever!

Last night my sons and I watched a program that showed the experiences of men from Tanna who visited the United States.  These indigenous people went from a tropical environment and loincloths in a remote village to living with people in a cabin in Montana!  As these men cooked for the first time, toured a cattle ranch, went to a rodeo, and experienced snow, they more resembled children than men in their excitement.  I was fascinated by their observations and insights which were both simple and profound.

As they stood under the big Montana sky, they spoke to each other about how big America was.  One of them remarked to the best of my recollection:  "All these people have to do is learn to live forever.  How sad it is to have all this land and fat wallets and die like everyone else."  I was staggered by this simple wisdom.  Here is a man who had never likely enrolled in what western civilization would call an "accredited school" but showed wisdom which exceeds many post graduates.  He recognized the same thing that King Solomon spoke of in Ecclesiastes:  the good and bad die alike.  Heaping up riches on this earth is vanity and futile, for all your hard work will benefit someone else in the end.

This man perhaps had never heard of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, who promises eternal life to all who repent and trust in Him.  The secret to living forever is not found in a fountain, balm, or hidden remote area:  it is found only in Jesus.  While those in the world focus on heaping up perishable riches which make wings and fly away with the rate of exchange, Jesus tells us to lay up treasure in heaven.  Matthew 6:19-20 reads,  "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; ²⁰ but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal."  We cannot take our earthly treasure where we are going, and only those who treasure Jesus Christ will receive of His heavenly reward.

Sometimes a fresh perspective in minutes can give us insights which for many years have remained hidden from our eyes.  This island native in the documentary described in his own dialect the futility of materialism.  His words are a rebuke to all people who live for today with no thought of the future.  Are we laying up treasures in heaven?  1 John 2:17 states, "And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever."  That is good news indeed:  Christ died for sinners, and all who rely upon Jesus will be saved!  Repent and trust in Christ today!

Not Them But Us

When I was a youth, there was a woman at our church who raised foster children.  Let's say they didn't quite fit in with the "churched" kids:  they had tattoos, smoked, and hung out behind the church in the dark.  There were parents who felt very uncomfortable about their lifestyle, that those teens would have an adverse impact upon their children whom they sought to protect from "worldly" influences.  It seemed like many would have been glad for them not to be at church.  I may have been relatively sheltered growing up, but I never understood this view.  Didn't these tattooed smokers need Jesus too?

I knew these kids smoked, but that didn't mean I was forced to put a cigarette to my lips.  Listening to the complaints of some parents it would seem their kids would have no choice but conform under such peer-pressure.  I wonder:  was the God they served able to save them from the mouths of lions?  Could their God open the eyes of the blind, part the Red Sea, or raise the dead to life?  Was their God able to release them from bondage to sin and Satan?  My God can.  My God can keep me from sin and protect me too.  We shouldn't drive away the people who need Christ because they do not conform to our convictions.  Those who are founded upon Christ need not feel threatened by dissent or even direct opposition.

It is good for God's people to extend grace and love and acceptance to all!  He desires that all would come to the knowledge of the truth and be saved.  God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.  People should not be accepted because they act like us or even agree with our opinions, but because God loves them.  Just because there may be non-Christians hanging out in our churches does not give us license to be un-Christian!  I thank God that He loves me just the way I am.  God is faithful to conform us into His image once we are born again!  Guess what?  Some Christians - real Christians, mind you - have tattoos and smoke.  What is that to me?  Does Christ love them any less?  If a man will confess his sin, repent, and trust in Christ, he will be saved - smoker or not.

Instead of seeing non-Christians as "them," may we labour for them to be "us" as true followers of Jesus Christ.  This does not happen through outer conformity, but an inner transformation by the power of God!  That is why God has seen fit to keep us here:  to share the truth of the Gospel through the love of Christ!  Let us die to self again that we might be raised in Christ's power!

Reserved NOW for You

I am convinced most Christians do not lay hold of blessings freely offered by God.  I number myself among them.  There are several reasons which contribute to this:  lack of faith, ignorance, lies of Satan long believed, trusting in self, wrongly dividing the Word of truth, and immaturity.  When we repent and are justified by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, Ephesians 1:3 teaches us a wonderful fact:  "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ..."  These blessings are not reserved in the heavens for us to someday experience, but we can fully experience them now in faith.  There will come a day when our souls will leave these bodies and be girded with immortality in a new, perfect body.  But spiritually we are already alive and seated in the heavenlies with Christ.   Unless God said this in His Word, I couldn't have believed it!

Consider Ephesians 2:4-7:  "But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, ⁵ even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), ⁶ and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, ⁷ that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus."  The scripture does not say we "will be seated" with Christ once our flesh dies, but that God has "made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus..."  For those who have died to sin and been made alive through Christ (born again), the same are positionally in the presence of God as truly as the Holy Spirit lives within us.

Allow me to demonstrate what I mean.  For much of my life I have heard from others (and preached myself!) on the Parable of the Talents.  To the servant who was faithful Matthew 25:21 tells us, "His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.'"  Immediately following this Jesus speaks of the last judgment when He will divide the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.  Those who are counted righteous through Christ's atoning blood will enter into eternal glory, while those who die in their sins will enter into eternal torment.  The immediate context dictates this correct application:  we will be held accountable for our lives on earth, and all are responsible to live a life pleasing to God.  Though our righteousness is imputed through Christ, we ought to live righteously.  Those who verbally claim to be servants of God but are not in truth will be weeded out unto their own destruction.

If this was all we learned from this passage, we might very well think that we cannot enter the joy of the LORD until our bodies have perished from the earth or until the day of judgment.  But this is hardly the case!  I have found that when I am faithful in service to God I find great joy.  When we obey God today He says, "Well done, good and faithful servant.  Enter into the joy of the LORD."  As I am faithful in doing good, through Christ I enter into the joy of the LORD.  What peace and satisfaction come from honoring God's leading!  Serving God and doing all as unto Christ is literally a path to blessing and joy unspeakable.  We all long that God will say at the end of our days "Well done!" and by His grace be ushered into glorious eternity.  But it gives Him pleasure to say the same to us today if we will be be faithful and do good for His worthy name's sake.  He will grant us entrance into heavenly joy.

For the Christian, eternity in the heavens has already begun.  Why don't we simply take God at His Word and walk with Him, receiving the riches of the kingdom according to His great and precious promises?  We are already raised with Christ:  may the joy of the LORD be our strength today and always!

Confessions of an ex-Pharisee

No one is born a Christian, but all are born with a degree of Pharisee in them.  Pharisees were the Jewish religious leaders who upheld the traditional interpretations of the Law of Moses in the time of Christ.  They believed strict adherence to their traditions was necessary to be acceptable in God's sight.  In the sermon I delivered Sunday (5/1/11) at Calvary Chapel Sydney, one of the themes touched upon was the danger of legalism.  Legalism can be defined as when people impose their own convictions upon another in addition to faith in Christ..  Luke 18:9 explains the purpose of a parable Christ told:  "...He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others."  When a man trusts in his own righteousness to commend him before God, the end result is he despises others.  The problem is, there are none who are righteous (Ps. 14:2-3) except Jesus Christ.  We might see ourselves as relatively righteous, but that is like a crack-cocaine dealer saying he's not quite as bad as a heroin dealer because smoking drugs isn't as bad as shooting them.  All have sinned and fallen short of God's perfection.

Allow me to quote what I could describe as an "anti-Pharisaical rant" by Jesus Christ in Matthew 23:23-29:  "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. ²⁴ Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel! ²⁵ Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. ²⁶ Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also. ²⁷ Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness. ²⁸ Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness."

Let me freely confess that for too many of my younger days (to my shame!) I was a Pharisee.  Raised in church, filled with knowledge, relatively righteous in conduct and speech, being right was paramount.  My life appeared very clean but my heart harboured disrespect and disgust for those who disagreed with the "right" way:  my way, of course!  I would strain a single word out of place from a sermon and stand in judgment, yet miss the whole point of what was being said.  I was a blind guide, a whitewashed tomb filled with the stench of death.  Funny thing is, at the time I had no idea!  As I fumbled through high school, I didn't drink, cuss, or sleep around.  I didn't stash dirty magazines and respected the curfew set by my parents.  I received high marks at school and was responsible.  But my life was dictated often by what I didn't do, not by what I did for God.  I read the Bible but was more concerned about finishing chapters than putting into practice a single verse I read.  As I look back I can't believe how blind I was.  And with that blindness how much more miraculous that God brought me out of that pit I dug for myself!

I was asked a very thought provoking question following the sermon:  how did I escape from the scourge of legalism?  Only by the grace of God:  there can be no other answer.  It was not through any labour on my part, but the goodness, faithfulness, love, and persistence of God to convict my heart of sin.  Pharisees love to remain under the Law and have the steps laid out perfectly.  But the Holy Spirit isn't a dictator:  He leads us.  The path of deliverance for one person will vary greatly, yet with one common denominator:  the love, grace, mercy, forgiveness, and power of Jesus Christ.  No one can be delivered from being a Pharisee without Jesus!  Think about how many ways a person can be broken out of prison!  Paul and Silas were in a prison and an earthquake flung open the doors and the chains fell off.  Peter was lying between Roman guards when an angel kicked him and told Peter to stand up and follow him.  Joseph started a day as a prisoner and ended the day a free man, second in command of the nation of Egypt after interpreting Pharaoh's dream!

The path of brokenness for sin was the way of my deliverance.  Years of struggle with a particular sin led to me to the end of myself.  For a long time I had trusted in myself and despised others:  at the moment when I fell to my knees at the cross, I despised myself and trusted God.  I was not only filled with a love for God but for others.  It was like the scales fell from my eyes and I saw myself in my wretched, helpless condition.  No one needs to be taught to esteem themselves, for Ephesians 5:29 states, "For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church."  Our pride can disguise our love of self and sin in countless ways.  The battle between my sinful flesh and the Holy Spirit was over when I yielded to God's truth and cried with many tears, "You were right all along, God - I have been wrong!  Please forgive me!"

The night which enveloped me for a long season gave way immediately to the brightest of days, a season of light which continues until now.  The whitewashed Pharisee was dead:  the tomb stirred with new life!  Instead of the stench of rotten flesh rose the aroma of Christ, sweeter than precious perfume.  Like when Lazarus rose from the dead in obedience to the call of Christ, God raised me up by His grace.  Done were the days of comparing myself to others, judging, and feeling pressure to conform for acceptance.  By the grace of God I am who I am.  Sin has no lasting grip on me anymore, for death has been swallowed up in the victory purchased with the blood of Jesus.  Am I perfect?  No.  But my Savior is, and has filled me with the Holy Spirit.  Instead of being ruled by the letter of the Law, I am led by the Spirit who inspired it.

He is a wise man who sees himself as God does.  My identity no longer comes from what I do or don't do, but from my Saviour who loves me, saved me, and transformed me.  I am a great sinner, but Jesus is a greater Saviour!