Chicken or Duck?

When I was a kid, I saw the Disney movie "The Ugly Dachshund" starring Dean Jones.  It was a modern adaptation of "The Ugly Duckling," the classic fable written by Hans Christian Anderson.  The Disney tale is about a Great Dane raised among Dachshunds who believed he was a Dachshund, despite the obvious differences!  It isn't until "Brutus" saw another Great Dane at a dog show that it made sense:  he had been a Great Dane among Dachshunds, but living and thinking as a Dachshund.  Instead of crawling along the ground, he stood tall and impressed the judges - and hopefully that female Great Dane too!

My dad told me a similar story about my sister and brother-in-law who keep egg-laying hens.  After my family and I left for Australia, they acquired a duck.  The duck was kept in the chicken's hutch.  Because I have two young nieces and a nephew, the chickens and the duck are pets that receive much love and attention - as only determined young children can provide!  It was always sweet to see them carrying around their chickens after catching them again and again.  My dad told me that they filled a plastic tote with water and that is when the duck discovered its element!  My mom later sent me a video and boy was the duck having fun!  The chickens couldn't be bothered, because they are chickens.  They are content to hunt and scratch.  But ducks are made for water!  They have webbed feet, oiled-feathers and down, and are designed to spend much of their lives in water.  "So there's no danger of the duck flying away?" I asked.  "Eventually it might happen," my dad replied.  "But that duck thinks it's a chicken."

Ducks and chickens are both birds, but how diverse they are!  Their beaks, feet, behaviours, calls, and places they typically live are very different.  Ducks can fly and swim almost effortlessly.  Chickens, on the other hand, do not fly and typically do not swim well.  Their wings and bodies are not designed for flight, their feet are not webbed for swimming, and their feathers become quickly saturated with water.  Being a Christian in this world is like being a duck raised among chickens.  People in the world seek after the things of the world.  People scratch out a living, acquire possessions, have children, maybe have a "nest egg," but their inevitable end always looms before them.  No chicken lives forever.

Ducks can scratch around in the dust like a chicken, but that is not what they were designed to do.  They are designed by God to fly, soaring high into the heavens.  They are meant to swim in the water, diving deep into rivers and streams to eat small fish.  Instead of one rooster for many hens, ducks for a year or sometimes more remain monogamous.  God meant for all people to be ducks, to live on a higher plane in continual fellowship with Him.  But when Adam sinned, sin passed to all men and death through sin.  Men throughout all the ages have sought after what cannot satisfy.  Man has sought to find significance in physical relationships, earning a comfortable salary, pursuing pleasure, traveling, even through religious exercises.  But this will leave a person feeling out of place, just like a duck among chickens.  A man hopefully at some point of his life looks at the chickens busy all around him, knowing the axe is being sharpened, and says, "Is this it?  Is this all there is to life - clucking, scratching, laying, and pecking each other?  I want more than this rat-race!  I was made for greater things than this!"

To that man or woman I say:  yes, you have been designed for greater things than scratching out a living on earth.  Your life is much more than eating, seeking a career, having sex, raising children, retiring, traveling, and eventually dying.  You are designed to fly and swim!  You have been designed by God to have intimate, eternal relationship with Him.  As I grow closer to Jesus Christ, the more the things of this world lose their lustre.  I'm no longer interested in scratching around and hen-pecking others.  I want to soar in worship of God in the beauty of His holiness.  I want to dive deep and swim around in that stream of Living Water issuing forth from Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.  There is much more than the little kiddie pool filled with water we have been swimming in:  there is abundant life and joy unspeakable for all who trust God and obey His Word.  Once you have lived the life of a duck - freely flying, swimming, and diving - only a fool would go back to live with the chickens confined in a small pen.  Once we have tasted and seen a life with Christ is the only life worth having, we cannot with joy return to the beggarly elements.

The pleasure we experience from earthly things will pass away.  It is not until we are adopted into the family of God as children by faith in Christ that we will finally fit in.  It is only in a relationship with God when we discover why all that time we remained empty and dissatisfied with life.  It's because we had not yet laid hold of eternal life through Jesus.  Once we see God for who He is, we discover who we are in Him.  Let us spread our wings and leave the life of a chicken behind.  "The cross before me, the world behind me.  No turning back, no turning back."

Giving as a King

Few things make as large an impact as simple generosity.  Being generous makes others feel welcome and loved.  It is both personal and practical.  The beautiful thing about giving is you need not be a king to have the generous heart of one.  God was more pleased with the two mites of the poor widow than the surplus gold of the wealthy.  All the money and precious resources of the earth are already Gods:  He loves to see a heart lay hold of His giving heart.  2 Corinthians 9:7 reminds us of God's perspective:  He loves a cheerful giver.  Givers consider the needs of others more important than bolstering their own reserves.  Because Christians find their provision and security in God and not in things of this world, our giving ought to emulate the giving of our Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Last night I read a great example of giving in 2 Samuel which describes the aftermath of David numbering the children of Israel.  A grievous plague broke out among the people, and King David approached Araunah with an offer to buy his threshing floor for the purpose of offering a sacrifice to God.  2 Samuel 24:22-24 reads, "And Araunah said unto David, Let my lord the king take and offer up what seemeth good unto him: behold, here be oxen for burnt sacrifice, and threshing instruments and other instruments of the oxen for wood. ²³ All these things did Araunah, as a king, give unto the king. And Araunah said unto the king, The LORD thy God accept thee. ²⁴ And the king said unto Araunah, Nay; but I will surely buy it of thee at a price: neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the LORD my God of that which doth cost me nothing. So David bought the threshingfloor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver."

Araunah was not a king, but verse 23 says he had the generosity of a king.  He offered his threshing floor, oxen, and even his tools and equipment for kindling wood!  David had asked to pay for the threshing floor, but Araunah offered the threshing floor, oxen, and tools at no cost!  He gave unto his king as he would unto God.  Though David was a king, he refused even such kingly benefits.  He knew something about giving to God as well.  David refused to give to God which cost him nothing.  Araunah's generosity revealed his heart.

David's philosophy of giving is one we ought to observe.  If he would not give to God what cost him nothing, then all David gave to God cost him something.  In fact, it is clear through scripture that because Jesus has purchased believers with His own blood, we owe Him everything!  Everything God requires us to do will come at a cost.  Yet it is an amazing thing:  giving unto the LORD is not without great benefits!  When we give in faith, we recognise that God knows our needs, has led and enabled us to give, and will not forget to supply our needs - even as He faithfully supplies food and water for birds every day.  Once our eyes are opened to how God freely has given to us, we then follow His example to give as He leads.

Let's give God our first and best.  Let us not be content to give our leftovers, but tithes and offerings which He richly deserves.  God's willing to receive your tithes and offerings, but not your donations.  It's a funny thing - I've never known anyone who gave themselves into bankruptcy.  People become bankrupt when they overextend their finances on themselves.  A man who goes bankrupt giving unto God can never be bankrupt, because such a man is rich in God.  He is a wise man who gives as a king on earth and stores up heavenly rewards which do not make wings and fly away.  Let us give of our time in God's service, even if it is at great cost to us.  Jesus is coming quickly, and His reward is with Him!

None of Self, All of Thee

In The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis, one of the antagonists was a churlish boy named Eustace.  He was cynical, spoiled, and a thankless snob.  After finding himself with his cousins in Narnia aboard the Dawn Treader, Eustace was introduced to a world of adventure, talking animals, and Aslan.  When they came to a certain island, Eustace left the others and slipped an enchanted bracelet onto his arm.  While he slept, he magically turned into a great dragon.  The novelty of being a hulking beast was short-lived.  He felt very sorry for himself:  he was unable to communicate and the bracelet bit painfully deep into his foreleg.  As a beast, however, Eustace began to change.  He became an asset and friend rather than a self-absorbed loner.

The final turning point for Eustace is when he was met by the great lion, Aslan.  The lion led dragon-Eustace to an inviting bubbling pool and told him before he could enter he must first undress.  So Eustace dug a claw into his hide and stepped out of his skin painlessly, only to see a fresh skin in its place.  After three failed attempts, Aslan told Eustace that only he could undress him.  Eustace was desperate for a change from being a dragon.  He lay still and Aslan pierced him to his very heart, painfully tearing away the dragon flesh.  Aslan placed Eustace in the pool and he was changed back to being a human.  But Eustace was no longer the same Eustace:  he was a new boy, born again.

This story is an allegory concerning the fact that no man can change his own heart.  Eustace was filled with wickedness, and no effort of his own - even repeated, sincere attempts - was enough to change him from being a dragon to a boy.  The change had to come from outside Eustace.  The only one who has the power to transform a man is the one who raised Himself from the dead:  Jesus Christ.  The point God keeps hammering home to my heart is complete surrender to Him.  Eustace could not have only have his legs or arms cleaned of dragon flesh:  it all had to come off.  When we first make a commitment to follow Jesus Christ, we are hardly aware of all the areas God desires to change within us.  God desires our first and best, seeing this is His just due.  He wants our spiritual appetites, dreams, desires, and future to be completely placed in His hands.  While Satan and the world are only too happy to control and oppress us, God waits for us to voluntarily give ourselves to Him.  Too often we are like Eustace at the beginning, thinking that we can change ourselves with the spiritual power and authority Jesus grants by grace.  No, God must change us.  He will only do it when we are desperate to be done with the dragon.

The danger of the deception of partial commitment to God is revealed in the lives of Ananias and Sapphira.  Changed hearts in the early church was evidenced by transformed lives.  People generously gave all they had in the service of God for His use and glory.  Ananias and Sapphira, like other people, sold a possession and brought the proceeds to the apostles.  However, under the pretense of giving all, they had agreed to secretly keep back a portion of the sale.  They lied to the Holy Spirit and therefore had lied to God.  Their deceit and hypocrisy cost them their lives, for they were struck dead by God.  Their sin of holding back proved costly.  What was a secret before men was laid bare before God.

Should God always act in this fashion, I confess I would have been dead many years ago.  How many times did I say "I surrender all!" when I had no intention to take steps to do so!  Perhaps He spared my life so I could die to self for His glory every day until He takes me home.  I am grateful for God's patience and faithfulness to die for me when I was a sinner and enemy, and thank Him not destroying me even after I sinned against His grace by continuing to live for self.  In William MacDonald's book My Heart, My Life, My All, a poem by Theodore Monod on page 154 strikes at the heart of the matter:

Oh, the bitter shame and sorrow

That a time could ever be,

When I let the Saviour's pity

Plead in vain, and proudly answered,

All of self, and none of Thee.

Yet He found me; I beheld Him

bleeding on the cursed tree;

Heard Him pray, Forgive them, Father,

And my wistful heart said faintly,

Some of self, and some of Thee.

Day by day His tender mercy,

Healing helping, full and free,

Sweet and strong and ah! so patient,

Brought me lower while I whispered,

Less of self, and more of Thee.

Higher than the highest heavens,

Deeper than the deepest sea,

Lord, Thy love at last hat conquered:

Grant me now my soul's petition,

None of self, and all of Thee.

The sooner we are fed up with ourselves and the passing pursuits of this world the better.  It is time to submit all we are and all we have to the God who has purchased us with His own blood.  Forgive me Father for all the times I have only offered some when I needed to give all.  No price is too great to pay.  Strip me of self!  None of self, and all of Thee.

The Minister As Shepherd Musings

A pastor recently recommended I read The Minister As Shepherd by Charles Jefferson.  I thoroughly enjoyed the book, a collection of lectures delivered in 1912.  Jefferson lamented the fact that pastors were falling short of their calling as shepherds.  He defines the shepherd's work in chapter 2 as consisting of seven parts:  acting as a watchman, guard, guide, physician, rescuer, feeding and loving the sheep.  Instead of a distant, unapproachable master, the Good Shepherd Jesus Christ was a humble, gracious, loving leader.  As a pastor, I am glad to be reminded that in all things, even the pursuit of my calling, I am to emulate Jesus Christ.

Although many things have changed since 1912, much remains the same.  What people perceive as pastoral work has been reduced to teaching Bible studies and supplying leadership of a body of believers.  Charles Jefferson rightly deduces that many pastors and the laity alike see pastoral visitation and direct involvement with each member of the family as an antiquated practice held by those who had nothing better to do.  There is a grave deception that people do not need a pastor but only need to be taught.  Again, we see this belief perpetuated throughout the world today.  The laity is uncomfortable with giving a pastor access to their struggles, and there are so many struggles the pastor feels his calling is best pursued among only the willing leaders of his fellowship.  I am of Jefferson's mind.  I am of Richard Baxter's mind, who visited every family in his parish every year (many hundreds).  I am of Ichabod Spencer's heart, who intimately involved himself with people continually.  I heartily recommend his book A Pastor's Sketches (two volumes).  I believe these men emulated Christ with the way they served as under-shepherds in the flock of God.  Call me outdated and impractical, but Christ's example will never be outdated.  Impractical though it may seem, given the dynamics of a westernised modern-culture, the needs of people remain the same.

There is a difference between teaching and leading.  People are fine with being taught:  they resist being led.  They are content to sit under teaching on a Sunday, but are generally disinterested with giving up or sharing their independent lives.  This is not to say that a pastor has all the answers.  Hopefully a pastor is someone who absolutely believes God has all the answers and reveals them through His Word and the Holy Spirit.  Feeding sheep is fine and good, but there is more to tending the flock than feeding.  Our day is marked by abundance and lack.  Those who have abundance eat too much, and others are wasting away from spiritual starvation.  The same can be true spiritually.  Some churches make the preaching and teaching of God's Word the ultimate end, while other churches have substituted experience and emotion for substance.  The end result is sedentary Christians who know much but do little, or a life devoid of the foundational doctrines of Christianity that barely survives from one emotional high to another.

After reading the book I had to ask myself:  am I willing to be shepherded by Christ?  Do I also see my need to be tended by under-shepherds called by God to watch, guard, guide, aid in healing, rescue, feed, and love me?  I say yes!  To think that mere teaching alone is enough to sustain and guide me in everyday life is foolish.  Every person needs the closeness of a relationship with Jesus Christ and people they can shake hands with or hug, laugh or cry with, support one another through the storms of this life, and share their hearts without fear of negative reprisal.  As a Christian I am called to weep with those who weep and mourn with those who mourn.  As a Christian I am called to love one another as Jesus loves me.  As a pastor, the scope grows in depth and intimacy.  Even as Jesus opened up His arms to Jerusalem with love for all, so I am to open my arms and heart in offering love and acceptance to all people.  And like in the case of Jesus we can open our arms, reaching out with fervent desire, and people will run away.  Only Jesus Christ is sufficient for these things.

How about you?  Is Jesus Christ your Good Shepherd?  Have you personally realised the benefit of pastoral ministry?  I know I have.  Being a pastor is not a job or a career, but a calling.  It is a calling God wants me to embrace fully and grow in.  It is a life devoted to God and His people:  loving God, loving people, and making disciples of Jesus Christ.  It is a hard life, but not without great reward on both sides of heaven.  I thank God for the people who God has used to pastor, encourage, and strengthen me in faith.  May you too have a testimony of the people God has brought into your life to aid you as you follow Jesus faithfully.  To God be the glory, both now and forever!

I Shall Not Want

"The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want."

Psalm 23:1

How profound is this simple truth!  This immortal psalm was penned by King David, a man who knew God as a sheep knows his shepherd.  A good shepherd is faithful to meet all the needs of the sheep in his flock.  Because God was David's shepherd, he lacked no good thing.  That is not to say David's life was easy.  For many years David was homeless and in hiding, fleeing from the wrath of King Saul.  Yet whether David found himself in a cave or a palace, the Word of God remained true.

It is common for us to use the word "want" in relation to our desire.  That is not the meaning of the Hebrew word used here.  The Strong's Talking Greek and Hebrew Dictionary defines "haser" as "to lack; by implication to fail, want, lessen; be abated, bereave, decrease."  David is saying, "The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not lack.  I shall not fail.  I shall not be abated or bereaved."  This sentiment is confirmed many times in scripture.  He would later write in Psalm 34:10, "The young lions lack and suffer hunger; But those who seek the LORD shall not lack any good thing."  How ironic is this!  Even young lions, with their sharp claws, teeth, and skills for hunting, still end up going hungry.  But those sheep of God's fold will lack nothing.  All our needs are met in our Saviour, Jesus Christ.

We see this lived out even in our day.  The prominent politicians, the powerful businessmen, the wealthy men and women of this age die empty and dissatisfied with all the world can offer.  No amount of fame, riches, or possessions enables a man to enter into rest.  The things a man pursues to fulfill himself end up being a mirage.  Like smoke, it ends up being without substance.  How people impale themselves upon their passions and pursuits!  What a price people pay to obtain what will only destroy them.  If a rock star lives to be 60, he has outlived most of his peers.  It is no secret that many lottery millionaires cite their winning the lottery as the worst day of their life - in retrospect.  Most people will not give up what strangles them.

One of the things people long for is love.  The Bible says the love of God "never fails."  David had experienced this love.  God was his shepherd, so he did not lack.  He goes on to write how God provides contentment, peace, and rest in Psalm 23:2:  "He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters."  He spoke of the healing, restorative work of God's grace and how God always directed him in the right way to live in Psalm 23:3:  "He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name's sake."  David's Good Shepherd had removed all fear from him, because he remained continually in God's presence as evidenced in Psalm 23:4.  Those whom God loves He corrects.  "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me."  Even his daily bread was supplied abundantly by God.  Psalm 23:5 reads, "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over."  God even provided a future that no one could separate David from!  He was so convinced of this David concludes in Psalm 23:6:  "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever."

Can you say, "The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want?"  Is your current life lacking?  If this is the case, then we can know we have not been looking to our Good Shepherd Jesus Christ to supply our needs.  Jesus says in John 10:10-11, "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. ¹¹ I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep."  It is very easy for even Christians to fall into the rut of dissatisfaction and covetousness.  Our wants increase while our needs for fellowship and guidance from God are neglected.  It is for this reason Paul writes in Colossians 3:1-4, "If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. ² Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. ³ For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. ⁴ When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory."

Because Christ is our life, we shall not want!  His love never fails.

Love and Hope for All

No one can receive God's love without being dynamically changed by it.  Instead of focusing upon self, love turns its gaze towards God and others.  There is compassion and grace where there was once only selfish preoccupation.  Love makes our hearts grow in breadth and depth.  Knowledge paves the way to feelings of incredible persistence.  God's love is so profound, tangible, and real.  A person who tastes of this love sees it is good, and nothing in or of this world can compare.

God's love seek release through acts of service and salvation.  No one filled with the Holy Spirit and His divine love can read shocking statistics of how many children and adults are trafficked for the purpose of sexual exploitation and remain unmoved.  The world has sown to the flesh through sexual sin and is reaping a bumper crop of deception, oppression, pain, ruin, disease, horror, addictions, and death people don't even want to think about.  But love won't look away.  Love cannot avert its eyes from suffering and pain.  Love wants to do something:  love must do anything possible to deliver bodies and souls from the pain of physical or sexual abuse.  Love does not falter in the face of sin's ugliness.

Awareness of the issue of sexual slavery is growing.  But awareness of a problem does not mean we have the capacity to fix it ourselves.  So what is to be done?  The Bible tells us that our fight is not against flesh and blood - the pimps, Johns, drug pushers, or people who knowingly sell their children for sex - but against principalities and powers, the demonic rulers of wickedness who increase the sway of Satan in this world.  These are spiritual beings of great power who seek to destroy the bodies and souls of people by their lies and lusts, people young and old created in the image of God.  It is only through God we can do valiantly and bring down the strongholds which daily grow stronger.

If you are someone who has been wounded and damaged through sexual abuse and/or slavery, you are of great value to God and to me.  I love you.  Only in Jesus can you find rest for your soul.  Jesus demonstrated His love for you on the cross and rose again, defeating death.  His love for you is everlasting and there is no stain of sin His precious blood cannot cleanse.  Only God knows how greatly you have suffered:  the tears you have cried, pain you have endured, humiliation words cannot begin describe.  Even when you cannot bring yourself to cry, God knows.  That is why Jesus laid His life down on the cross:  to free you from guilt, to heal your mind and heart, and so you can live with Him forever when you repent and trust in Him.  Perfect love casts out all fear.  Cast your cares upon Christ, for He cares for you.  I am praying that God would set you free physically and spiritually from your bondage!

Let us be faithful to pray for the deliverance and eternal salvation of those who suffer the slow death of sex slavery and abuse.  May the deeds shrouded in secrecy and darkness be overwhelmed with the light of life found only in Christ.  Let us pray that those taken captive by the devil to do his will to be freed, and for the fear and shame of the victims to be swallowed up in victory through Jesus.  May God forgive us for our apathy and for not walking in love as He has demonstrated by dying on the cross for us while we were yet sinners.  Thank you Jesus, for the tangible love you have granted us by your grace.  I am no Saviour, but Jesus is!  Here I am, LORD.  Use me to set the captives free.

Camp Kedron

Last night I came home from a week at Camp Kedron, a wonderful Christian camp on the edge of a national reserve.  I was part of a team hosting a holiday camp for years 7 through 10.  Even with the rain it was a massive success:  kids had an awesome time, the Gospel was shared and discussed, and Jesus Christ received the glory.  As I drove up Mona Vale road, the sunset was breathtaking:  rays of light peered through plumes of clouds, lining the edge with a glistening ribbon of white.  Two vertical pillars were illuminated with a swath of orange and blue as fog swirled like a fragile membrane between them.  "God, how could something be so beautiful?" I asked.  "I have done greater than this in the hearts of many this week," was His response.  And God's right - nothing is a beautiful as the transforming, redeeming work He does within the soul of a person by His grace.

As the camp speaker for six days at an Australian holiday camp, it was a fresh experience for me.  Distinct from a church camp or retreat, it was my role to hold forth the word of God to a largely unbelieving group.  I felt as Jesus was lifted up and glorified there was a holy hush upon those who heard, for together we ventured upon holy ground.  A ten-minute talk gave way to lively cabin groups which discussed and questioned the things we were learning about the great God who made all things.  Hard hearts softened as young minds wondered aloud.  Decisions were made to follow Jesus Christ for the rest of their lives.  Kids whose parents don't believe God exists soberly admitted they were not far from the kingdom of God.  Leaders where challenged and encouraged to go deeper in faith.  Life for the hundred or so in attendance, me included, will never be the same.

One of the greatest snapshots of the fun we had at camp came into focus when I walked by a boys cabin.  The leader was serenely reading through the Bible as five or six kids covered in sleeping bags with their feet sticking out thrashed all over each other, wrestling around.  Muffled grunts and groans came from the bags as they traded positions.  As I stopped and watched the match, wondering how stuffy and uncomfortable it must be inside those sleeping bags, a boy walked up and threw his sock two meters above the leader's head.  The sock stuck beautifully to the wall and was followed by the second.  Ingenious, sweaty, and stinky kids.  Gotta love 'em!  

Throughout the week I was blessed to meet and speak with many of the leaders and campers.  In my prayers last night I was able to recall about 50 of them!  I am comforted that God will not forget a single one.  When they grow up, He will always recognize them too.  I was greatly encouraged by what a leader said:  "Even if speaking at Camp Kedron was all you did during the next two years in Australia, it would be an eternal success."  I feel the same, by God's grace.  I have thrown my hat into the ring to be a leader in the future.  Should God open the door and give opportunity, I'll be paying my dues as a youth leader all over again.  It's funny how the dues are never fully paid!  Praise God for the fact He has paid my debt, and for that I will be forever grateful.

Remembering Ross

This week I said a final goodbye to a good friend, Trevor "Ross" Tooke.  As I looked at him as he lay peacefully in a casket before his funeral, I didn't need words.  I smiled through teary eyes.  After battling brain cancer for many years, he was finally a man who embraced eternal rest with His Saviour Jesus Christ.  Ross will always be an amazing man.

I had the great privilege of getting to know Ross when I accepted he and Joan's offer of hospitality.  I had accepted the offer of pastoring Calvary Chapel Sydney and needed a place to stay for two months.  During that time I was afforded a special view into the life of a man I love, respect, and admire.  Ross took me on as a project of sorts, happily teaching me the intricacies of Australian pronunciation, lingo, and culture.  While under the wing of Ross you learn a lot of things:  how to clean a pool, how to make a proper cup of tea, handle a BBQ, and to show love through service.  Every time I have a cup of English Breakfast I remember my mate Ross.

If I could use three words to sum up the heart of Ross, it would be "love through service."  When I arrived in Australia in October 2010, the prognosis for Ross was not good.  His second brain operation had been an initial success, but that stubborn tumour was back again - and growing fast.  Between going in for scans and treatments, Ross toiled away on my immigration paperwork.  We spent hours driving from open house to open house, submitting applications, looking for a place for my family and I to rent.  He would sit at his computer for hours, looking at property listings while Poncho soaked up the rays by his side.  Let me tell you, no one wants to do those things even when perfectly healthy!  But that was Ross.  He could have done anything but paperwork.  No one would have blamed him.  But even after his third operation, Ross kept plugging away.  Love through service, even when life was brutal.   

I always loved to hear the stories Ross would tell.  One of my favorites was when he had come home very late from work and the house was dark.  Joan would always wrap up a plate for Ross to eat when he came home.  As he felt around he found a plate of biscuits (cookies).  "These biscuits are rather ordinary," Ross said to himself as he choked it down. (In Australia, the term "ordinary" is used to describe something which is poor or lousy.)  It was only after finishing the biscuit that Ross realised he had just eaten one of Poncho's dog treats!  Ross had a very dry, quick wit.  I once asked him to describe his sense of humour in a word.  Without hesitation Ross said, "Australian!"

1 Corinthians 4:2 says, "Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful."  Ross was one of those faithful stewards.  The love of Jesus Christ came out of his life in such practical ways.  Because he set his love and faith upon Christ, Ross is one of the jewels spoken of in Malachi 3:17:  "They shall be Mine," says the LORD of hosts, "on the day that I make them My jewels. And I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him."  I love you, Ross.  You ran well.  Until we meet again in the presence of our Saviour, may I follow your example to be about the LORD's business.

The Planting of the LORD

"So it was, whenever Israel had sown, Midianites would come up; also Amalekites and the people of the East would come up against them. ⁴ Then they would encamp against them and destroy the produce of the earth as far as Gaza, and leave no sustenance for Israel, neither sheep nor ox nor donkey."

Judges 6:3-4

In the book of Judges, we are told that there was no king in Israel:  everyone did what was right in his own eyes.  God promised to reign over His people, but they rebelled from under His rule.  They sacrificed to idols and forsook God.  Then God delivered them to oppression by the hands of their enemies.  The Israelites toiled in their fields rising early and staying late, but their crops were destroyed by the Midianites.  The people of Midian and Amalek waited until the children of Israel had sown their crops before they would destroy everything.  They left them nothing to eat, even killing their animals.  It was a desperate time.  But it always took utter devastation and hopelessness before the people cried out to God.  He was always faithful to raise up a deliverer to save His people.

When I read this passage I considered the spiritual battle Christians, as God's adopted children, face on a continual basis.  The enemy is constantly on the lookout, seeking to hinder fruitfulness from the planted seed.  In the Parable of the Sower, the seed is the Word of God.  The devil seeks to attack a man after the good seed is sown.  Man's heart is naturally wicked and deceitful, and his flesh only propagates wickedness exponentially and cannot please God.  Satan turns his efforts on those who may slip from his grasp through belief in God's Word.  Jesus says in Luke 8:5 and 11-12 "A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it...¹¹ "Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. ¹² Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved."  The Midianites and Amalekites swooped down upon the fields of the Israelites to impoverish them.  If they could not drive out the Israelites, they would starve them.

This is the same tactic Satan uses in the lives of believers.  He can kill the body, but he cannot touch the soul.  The devil rages against God and His people with vicious hate and tenacity.  Whom he cannot kill he will impoverish.  He will lure followers of Christ to seek after the passing pleasures and amusements of this world.  This same desire is seen in the Philistine leaders when they approached Delilah because they sought to destroy Samson, a man empowered with the Spirit of God.  Judges 16:5 reads, "And the lords of the Philistines came up to her and said to her, "Entice him, and find out where his great strength lies, and by what means we may overpower him, that we may bind him to afflict him; and every one of us will give you eleven hundred pieces of silver."  Don't you smell the sulfur on their breath?  Entice Samson so we might overpower him:  then we can bind him to afflict him!  How many people in this world are overpowered by circumstances, bound by sin, and afflicted with guilt and shame!

Whether you are teaching the Word of God or reading it, that will mobilise the enemy of your soul to rob you of the fruitfulness God desires.  Praise God that no weapon fashioned against us shall prosper, for we have a Redeemer and Deliverer in Jesus Christ!  He is the Living Bread from heaven, even as the Midinianite spoke of the vision with the loaf of bread which rolled down into camp, struck a tent, and threw it down (Judges 7:13).  Through Jesus we can cast down arguments, strongholds, and everything which exalts itself against Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 10:3-6).  Let us not be caught off guard by Satan's attacks which are designed to impoverish us.  You may feel fatigued when the alarm goes off early so you can spend time in God's Word.  Get up immediately trusting God to supply your strength, even as He did for Moses during his two 40-day fasts from food or water.  Believe He can gird up your mind even as Elijah girded his loins and outran a chariot pulled by horses!

If you find yourself in a situation where the Israelites, having departed from the Living God, being afflicted and oppressed without victory or hope, follow their example in crying out to God for salvation and deliverance.  Put away your idols (not in a closet but in the rubbish bin!) and seek the LORD with all your heart, mind, and strength.  The promise God has given to His people Israel has a valuable application to Christians in Jeremiah 24:6-7:  "For I will set My eyes on them for good, and I will bring them back to this land; I will build them and not pull them down, and I will plant them and not pluck them up. ⁷ Then I will give them a heart to know Me, that I am the LORD; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God, for they shall return to Me with their whole heart."  God plants His Word in our hearts to be fruitful for His glory, and we also are the planting of the LORD (Is. 61:3).  Even Satan cannot pluck us from God's hand, nor separate us from the love of God.  In Psalm 1:3 those who delight in God and His law are compared to a tree planted by the rivers of water, bringing forth fruit in season, with leaves which do not whither, and prosperous in all things for God's glory.  Thank God for this everlasting truth!

Giants in the Woods?

A misunderstanding which has led to much disillusionment among Christians is the concept of easy victory.  When we look at the example of the Israelites, it is clear that God gave them victory over their enemies when the Promised Land was divided among them.  But it was not a victory without fighting or obedience.  The land was divided by God, but it was the responsibility of the people to obtain the land.  It was hard.  And it was a job they never fully completed, despite the power of God.  It was not the weakness of God which prevented them, but the people themselves.  We can be our greatest hindrance to a deeper walk with Jesus.

God gave His people a rich land, a land flowing with milk and honey.  But there were also established strongholds, giants, and fighters with better weapons than the Israelites.  The tribe of Joseph approached Joshua with a question:  "Why don't we have more land allotted to us?"  Joshua's answer was basically, "If you need more land, go ahead and take it!"  If we are dissatisfied with the lack of depth of our relationship with Jesus, He would say to us, "Dive deeper!  I have given My Word, the Holy Spirit.  Don't think you can serve both idols and Me!"  Though we are to look to Him to supply our needs, it does not free us from our responsibility to live a consecrated life of obedience for God's glory.

In Joshua 17:15 we read the words of Joshua to the tribe of Joseph:  "If you are a great people, then go up to the forest country and clear a place for yourself there in the land of the Perizzites and the giants, since the mountains of Ephraim are too confined for you."  Clearing forests is tough work, especially without the benefit of modern equipment.  If the tribe of Joseph wanted to expand, they would need to put their logging sandals on, beat their plows into axes, and begin the slow process of cutting down a forest.  By the way, in case you missed it, the forest was inhabited by giants!  The tribe of Joseph, just like most people, weren't too keen on clearing away a whole forest or fighting the giants who lurked there.  They would have preferred an easier way.

Their response is found in Joshua 17:16.  "But the children of Joseph said, "The mountain country is not enough for us; and all the Canaanites who dwell in the land of the valley have chariots of iron, both those who are of Beth Shean and its towns and those who are of the Valley of Jezreel."  Unlike Caleb, who based his ability to drive out the giants based upon the infallible word of God, the tribe of Joseph focused on the difficulties before them.  "Even if we cleared the mountain, it wouldn't be sufficient.  And in the valleys all the Canaanites have chariots of iron!  We're stuck between a mountain and a valley!"  Isn't this typical to the way we feel when we are challenged with our need to "dive deeper" and "climb higher?"  Taking the mountain or the valley would be hard work.  They would both require effort, dedication, and determination.  It would require faith!  That's exactly where we can find ourselves.  We lose sight of God and His promises because of the giants in the forest and the chariots of iron in the valleys.

Let us look at their excuses more carefully.  "The mountain country is not enough for us."  They claimed God had not given them enough, even before they would lift a finger to lay hold of it.  That is like a poor beggar refusing a $50 because it is not a $100!  What an insult, to say that God's provision is lacking!  Forgive me God when I have done the same!  It was not God's provision that was lacking:  it was the faith of the people and their willingness to labour and fight that was deficient.  Their second complaint was no doubt hyperbole:  "All the Canaanites who dwell in the land of the valley have chariots of iron!"  I am sure that not "all" the Canaanites had chariots of iron.  Even if they did, what is a chariot compared to the power of the Living God who is on your side?  Had not God taken the wheels off the Egyptian chariots in the midst of the Red Sea (Exodus 14:25)?  The Egyptians recognized God was fighting for Israel and sought to flee, but in their current situation the children of Joseph forgot about that.  I bet Satan has more of a clue how powerfully God fights for us than we do.

I love the response of Joshua.  Though the children of Joseph were ungrateful, walking by sight, forgetting about the promises and power of God, making one excuse after another, Joshua 17:17-18 reveals the great grace of God:  "And Joshua spoke to the house of Joseph--to Ephraim and Manasseh--saying, "You are a great people and have great power; you shall not have only one lot, ¹⁸ but the mountain country shall be yours. Although it is wooded, you shall cut it down, and its farthest extent shall be yours; for you shall drive out the Canaanites, though they have iron chariots and are strong."  Whether they liked it or not, the mountain country had been given to the children of Joseph.  The strength of their enemies and the abundance of their resources and fighting power was of no consequence.  "Although it is wooded, you shall cut it down, and its farthest extent shall be yours..."  That God would find among His people those who are willing to cut down the dark forests in their hearts and minds so His light may shine brightly again!

As David met the giant Goliath armed with only stone and sling (and the power of the Almighty God), he shouted in 1 Samuel 17:46-47:  "This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. ⁴⁷ Then all this assembly shall know that the LORD does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the LORD'S, and He will give you into our hands."  The battle is the LORD's, but we must be willing to run at that giant and sling that stone for God's glory.  Do we have numbered among us those who are willing to fight the good fight and finish the course with joy?  The call is an upward call, and there are many obstacles and enemies.  Let us recall the promise of Isaiah 54:17 to mind:  "No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is from Me," says the LORD."

If that is my heritage in Christ, I gladly take it.  All God has given me I fight to lay hold of, whether it is the strongholds of giants in the wooded hills or chariots of iron in the valleys.  Many might be cut down as we take the hill, but we will be victorious through our God.  If God is for us, who can be against us?

The Wart War

Over the course of my life, I have had different skin-related issues.  By God's grace I have successfully battled athlete's foot, dandruff, dry patches of skin, and an occasional wart.  Warts can be particularly annoying because they are so durable!  Caused by a virus, warts have the amazing ability to regenerate even after being burned, cut off, or persistently treated.  I have had about five warts over the course of my lifetime, and they have never been cured without an all-out fight.  This is certainly not a glamorous post, but I trust it will do some good.

At the moment I am well on my way to ridding myself of a wart on the pad of one of my toes.  Since it wasn't giving me any pain, I ignored it for some time.  It was never that large, but it amazes me how fast skins grew around it for protection.  After many months, I decided the wart was part of my body I no longer wanted and committed myself to dealing with it.  So every other day I cut a small pad coated with an acid designed to break down the wart.  Then I carefully cut away any dead skin and apply another fitted pad.  The wart had feeling, a blood supply, and seemed to constantly regenerate.  It was like a parasite, a sensitive, painful area that draws strength from the body.  It is a two steps forward, one step back fight - a fight I was devoted to winning.  The reason why I still have the wart after a couple of years is because there were times that I thought the fight was over and stopped monitoring my toe.  Hello!  A month later the wart would be back, like it had never left.

It's a weird thing, to be fighting against your own body.  But this fight with the wart is just like our fight with sin.  Sin is a part of us because of our fallen nature.  If we are in Christ, God opens our eyes to parts of ourselves that should not be.  We must decide to deal with our sin and then diligently fight the battle.  It is true that those who repented and placed their faith in Jesus Christ have been forgiven from sin.  However, sin can grow in the life of a believer like a wart.  Unchecked and ignored, it can grow large and spread.  But sin is much more than unsightly:  it is deadly and destructive.

Just like there are steps I must take to rid myself of a wart, so we must take steps to eliminate sin from our lives.  We must recognize the sin that we have cultivated and allowed to remain.  We should not try to hide it from sight or deny its existence:  sin must be brought out in the open.  One man deals with the wart on his foot by going to a doctor for treatment; another man constantly wears socks, ashamed to show his toes.  When it comes to sin, hiding it only increases the power Satan has over our lives.  Unforgiveness is a foothold which can turn into a stronghold.  It cannot be seen with the naked eye, but is evident when seen through the lens of scripture.  2 Corinthians 2:10-11 reads, "Now whom you forgive anything, I also forgive. For if indeed I have forgiven anything, I have forgiven that one for your sakes in the presence of Christ, ¹¹ lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices."

If you are aware of an area of sin in your life, do not rest until you confess it to God and those you have wronged (James 5:16), repent, and forsake it.  The weaknesses in your flesh you will have for the rest of your days.  But weakness does not mean defeat if we are in Christ.  We must be vigilant and aware that we can fall back into old sins, ways of coping, addictions, and unscriptural thought patterns which will lead to our destruction.  We should not shrug off sin because we are confident in our salvation.  If Jesus died for my sins, I have no right to persist in them.  Let us fight the good fight without losing heart or hope.  Our God is able to keep us from stumbling.  When we do trip and fall, we have a God who is able to lift us up to our feet and lift our head so we might gaze into His eyes of everlasting love and take heart.

Declare war on those warts, and don't give up!  God has given us the victory, healing, and cleansing through Jesus Christ our LORD!

Jesus Must Be LORD

Reading is a critical part of the life of every Christian.  I am always concerned when a Christian tells me they are not fond of reading, seeing as God has provided His Word to us in written form!  As followers of Jesus Christ, we ought to be people "of the Book."  That being said, there are many profitable books written that give glory to God.  Books challenge the way we think and are an impetus to growth.  It is important that we read wisely, seeking to find material which lines up with the truth of scripture.  In my experience with Christian bookstores today, only a fraction of the books written fit this criteria.  From the Puritan era probably 90% of books are worth reading, and in the modern era 10% are worth reading.  In the last century there has been a rapid departure from the authority of God's Word.

Ever so often I am introduced to a book which makes me wonder, "Where has this book been all my life?"  I am in the middle of Alan Redpath's book, The Making of a Man of God.  Written in 1962 and reprinted in 1990, it has easily been catapulted into the top-five category at the moment.  The author masterfully crafts object lessons from the life of David into challenging applications concerning the life of discipleship in Christ.  Straightforward, powerful, and loving, this book is a great addition to the library of any disciple of Christ.  When you buy it, you might as well procure two so you will have one to perpetually lend!  Here is an especially potent excerpt from chapter 15 as Redpath explains the necessity to make Jesus Christ your King and Ruler of your life in truth (The Making of a Man of God, Redpath, pg. 176):

"Now then do it!"  Don't go on just wishing and resolving - may the Holy Spirit push you into decision.  There have been times in my life when quite frankly I have felt the Lord pushing me back to the wall.  It is as if He had got me in a corner, and I had to face the issue squarely.  I hope that now you are feeling the pressure of God's Spirit pushing you back in your seat so that you must face this issue of the kingship of Jesus Christ.

"Now then do it," for unless you do (and I don't say this to frighten you), your heart has only to miss about a half a dozen beats, and you will be in hell - with all your good intentions, with all your resolves, with all your professions of faith, with all your sound theology.  You who sought in times past to make Jesus King, you the child of Christian parents, the frequent attender at the house of God, the listener to the Word of God, the hearer of the gospel - all these privileges and benefits will be merely millstones around your neck in a lost eternity unless you make Him your King.

Couldn't have said it better myself, Mr. Redpath.  My desire is not only to agree with what has been written, but that Jesus would be in reality my LORD so He might be my Saviour.  I have never met someone who thought they would be the ones who say, "Lord! Lord!" to whom Jesus responds, "Depart from me!  I never knew you - you who practice iniquity!"  But I know that it could easily be me as well as any nominal believer - one who honours Christ in word but not in deed.  I know I have unknowingly met such people through my Christian walk.  Instead of judging one another, let us judge ourselves and follow Jesus faithfully!

The Wonder of God's Word

I am constantly amazed by the wisdom of God in His Word.  It is deeply profound, yet very simple.  The Bible is not so much something to be explained by men, but to be read, believed, and obeyed as the Holy Spirit teaches us.  How much of Christ's teachings oppose what man naturally thinks!  Take this teaching of Jesus found in Luke 16:10-13, for example:

He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much. ¹¹ Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?¹² And if you have not been faithful in what is another man's, who will give you what is your own?" ¹³ No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.

In our natural state, we are convinced that we can be slack in the small things but faithful when it comes to what is most important.  Jesus says otherwise!  I have heard people say (and at time have even thought myself) something to the point of, "If I was in ministry as a job, I would pray a lot more and spend more time studying the Bible."  It doesn't work like that.  Unless one is praying, reading the Bible, and studying before he enters into ministry, his personal habits of devotion will not magically improve one day.  A pastor recently told me that the first thing he asks people who believe they are called to leadership is about their personal time with God.  A man's quiet time in communion is an indicator of spiritual health.  Plenty of people can prepare sermons and studies, but is the man who bends his knees daily before the Father whom God will use.

Jesus points out that our responsibility with financial resources is a little thing compared to the heavenly wisdom and knowledge He entrusts to man.  If I am not obedient to God in tithing, offerings, and faithfully spending within my means, what makes me think I can handle the riches of God obediently?  Verse 12 is a wonderful challenge.  How many times have I lent books never to receive them again, or when I do they are returned unread?  Borrowing a book and reading it promptly is a little thing.  But if we will not even read a borrowed book and or return it in damaged condition, what makes us think God will give unto us the treasures contained in His Word?  By not being responsible in the little areas, we have proved ourselves unworthy to handle greater things.

Finally, Jesus drops a bomb of heavenly wisdom to shatter our foolish perceptions in verse 13:  we cannot serve two masters.  How much of our lives have we spent trying to do just that?  We run back and forth between serving self and God, between trusting God or money.  Politicians and business executives know it is imperative in the world to serve many masters.  Jesus says otherwise!  He says that no man can serve two masters.  If a man is not actively serving the One True God, then he serves a lesser god - and that god is usually self.  Satan blinds men and takes them captive to do his will.  Many professing Christians think they are able to do what Jesus says no man can do:  a life of trying to serve two masters.  This is certainly not the life God intended man to live, and it leaves us with a bitter taste and gravel in our gums.

So I must examine myself:  am I being faithful in the areas some would say are insignificant?  Am I deceived to think I can serve two masters?  Am I truly surrendered to Jesus Christ in my life or am I living to please myself?  Praise God for His wisdom which He has revealed through Christ and His Word.  God wants to do more than challenge or confront us:  He wants us to be transformed through the renewing of our minds.  God, I invite this change:  transform me into your likeness, so I might live in the way which fully pleases you!

Fear the Holy God

"Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. ²⁹ For our God is a consuming fire."

Hebrews 12:28-29

Last night when driving home from church, I was reminded that God is a holy God.  He is flawless in character, beautiful in perfection, fierce, infinite in power, and a consuming fire.  Every example I can give in comparing God to man is woefully lacking.  He is like molten gold in comparison to dung, flowing lava that consumes chaff in an instant.  We are made of corruptible elements of earth, while God is unchanging, timeless, and a supernatural Spirit.  No man dare stand before Him, and only fools believe they can fool Him.  If a man should think twice about attacking the Leviathan mentioned in the book of Job, who can fight against God?

In a day when personal rights are embraced and protected more than ever, the pride and arrogance of man is ever increasing.  We stand up for our rights, freedoms of speech, and freedom of expression.  People carry signs, chant slogans, camp out in public, cover their mouths in duct tape, burn their bras, live in trees, and set themselves on fire to make their point.  Authority of any kind is met with fierce resistance because "We have rights!"  Courts are filled with cases where people have locked horns over the compensation they feel they rightfully deserve.  From children to corporate executives, greed is a chronic malady.  People are naturally selfish, stubborn, vengeful, and proud.

While man runs around fighting for his rights, standing up for himself while being steeped in sin, God is holy.  God does not operate like a democratic government that allows people to collect signatures to place an issue on the ballot.  God is absolute, and is absolutely holy.  He allows man to have his own will and do as he pleases.  Because He loves man and desires that none should perish, God gave man His unalterable laws.  Man is only condemned by God's law and proven a gross sinner.  Then God sent His only begotten Son Jesus Christ revealed in the form of a man without reputation, and He laid down His life on Calvary so all who believe in Him should not perish but have eternal life.  He rose from the dead, proving His power both over sin and death.  But God is still holy.  He still cannot abide with sin.  His holy nature is a consuming fire.  All who think they can approach a holy and righteous God in their sin are gravely mistaken.

After Joshua accompanied the children of Israel into the Promised Land, he said some interesting things.  Even though the Israelites were to serve only God, they still carried with them idols from the land of Egypt (Josh. 24:14).  Joshua rebuked the people, telling them they needed to choose whom they would serve.  Then he said something every person on the planet would do well to hear in Joshua 24:19-20:  "But Joshua said to the people, "You cannot serve the LORD, for He is a holy God. He is a jealous God; He will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins. ²⁰ If you forsake the LORD and serve foreign gods, then He will turn and do you harm and consume you, after He has done you good."  We cannot serve God, nor be forgiven if we are living in sin.  He is a righteous, holy God.  If any man think he has something to offer God, hear again the word of the LORD:  "You cannot serve the LORD, for He is a holy God...He will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins."

God cannot ignore sin.  His righteous character is a consuming fire which instantly ignites any chaff in His presence.  No Christian has the right to be in sin.  Moses wrote in Deuteronomy 10:12-13:  "And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, ¹³ and to keep the commandments of the LORD and His statutes which I command you today for your good?"  God has requirements of His people and those He will save by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.  Being washed with the blood of Jesus does not free us to pursue sin, but it condemns us because we knowingly trampled the blood of Jesus underfoot and have counted His sacrifice as rubbish (Heb. 10:26-31).

So what is to be done? 1 John 1:7-9 reads, "But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. ⁸ If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. ⁹ If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."  Everyone has sinned, and the wages of sin is death.  Jesus reaches out to all men today with great love - not because it is our right - but out of His grace.  Here is the true picture of how God views humanity according to holiness and righteousness:  Romans 3:9-18 (NKJV) "What then? Are we better than they? Not at all. For we have previously charged both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin. ¹⁰ As it is written: "There is none righteous, no, not one; ¹¹ there is none who understands; there is none who seeks after God. ¹² They have all turned aside; they have together become unprofitable; there is none who does good, no, not one." ¹³ "Their throat is an open tomb; with their tongues they have practiced deceit"; "The poison of asps is under their lips";¹⁴ "Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness." ¹⁵ "Their feet are swift to shed blood; ¹⁶ destruction and misery are in their ways; ¹⁷ and the way of peace they have not known." ¹⁸ "There is no fear of God before their eyes."

That is only half the picture.  Mankind is absolutely sinful, but God is absolutely good.  As fierce as His wrath burns towards sin, His gracious love towards man glows bright.  Jeremiah 31:3 says, "The LORD has appeared of old to me, saying: "Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you."  It is also written in 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17:  "Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace, ¹⁷ comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work."  We are sinners, and there is grace in God.  The way to receive of this grace is to repent and receive forgiveness for sins (Luke 24:47).  God promised in 2 Chronicles 7:14, "...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."  As Christians we must repent, believe on the LORD Jesus, and then we can obey and serve Him.

If we want to go to heaven, then Christ is the only way (John 14:6).  Only His blood can wash away the stain of sin, and only He can provide the robe of righteousness needed to gain heavenly entry.  Even after receiving Christ, we have no rights as slaves - only God's grace as adopted sons.  Heed therefore the words of Romans 13:11-14:  "And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. ¹² The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. ¹³ Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. ¹⁴ But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts."  God has said "Be holy, for I am holy."  He's talking to me, and He's talking to you.

Wise Comparisons

In many cases, making comparisons is a path which leads to sin.  Comparing ourselves against others will move us to be self-righteous because we see ourselves as better.  We can also become envious and jealous because we don't measure up.  It is a product of our fallen nature:  humans delight in gossip, lies, back-stabbing, or cutting each other down with words.  When I am compared with another person in a positive light, I instantly feel uncomfortable.  I know it is only a matter of time before the same person compares me with another person negatively.  I find comparing is a hair's breadth from judging, something God tells us not to do.  Matthew 7:1-2 says, "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."

Paul was clear in his words to the Corinthian church concerning the danger of unwise comparisons.  2 Corinthians 10:12 reads, "For we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise."  When a man measures himself by himself, he begins and ends with diverse measures and weights.  What he perceives is not always the truth.  I might look back on aspects of my life where God has changed me greatly and I might be tempted to be self-assured.  There are also areas where I have not changed at all for the better, and areas of immaturity I am not even yet aware of.  Because I have seen improvements in some areas, I am not motivated to hold myself to a higher standard than my own - a scriptural standard.  I always ought to compare my life against the Word of God, not according to my perceived maturation.

The same thing is true when I measure myself against others.  My flesh can always find room for self-justification by the wrongs others do:  "At least I have never killed anyone!"  Comparisons lead to dissatisfaction with what God has done or provided, and can also give way to complacency.  On a practical level, what wife would be pleased if her husband was always bringing up how she compares with other women?  She would be continually worried that someone better than her might come along and thus she would become expendable.  If a woman's value is only a comparative value, where is the basis for love in the relationship?  Love keeps no record of wrongs but delights in the truth.  The truth is found in Proverbs 18:22:  "He who finds a wife finds a good thing, and obtains favor from the LORD."  If we would look at our relationships through a scriptural lens, comparisons and judgments melt away.

The best and wisest comparisons are those which bring glory to God.  After Jesus healed a man who had been blind from birth, the religious leaders sought to accuse Jesus.  They brought before them the man who could now see to interview him concerning the miraculous change which had taken place.  John 9:24-25 reads, "So they again called the man who was blind, and said to him, "Give God the glory! We know that this Man is a sinner." ²⁵ He answered and said, "Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know. One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see."  The religious leaders compared Christ according to the traditions of the elders and deemed Christ a lawbreaker.  They stood in judgment of Him even though Jesus had only done a good deed.  The blind man refused to take sides.  Instead, he simply held forth his condition before and after Christ.  "I don't know if He is a sinner or not.  One thing I know:  I was blind, but now I see."  That was a comparison which gave God the glory.

We have opportunities every day to remember the wonderful things God has done for us.  The children of Israel were once slaves in Egypt, but God delivered them and later brought them into the Promised Land.  I was once a judgmental Pharisee, but God changed my heart through the truth of His Word.  He brought me out of Valley of the Shadow of Death and has brought me safely into green pastures near still waters.  I used to be filled with wrath and vengeance, but God has restored my soul by His grace.  Instead of comparing ourselves with ourselves or against others, may we align our lives according to the truth of scripture.  Let us make wise comparisons which give glory to God!

The Sin of Accommodation

"Now Solomon brought the daughter of Pharaoh up from the City of David to the house he had built for her, for he said, "My wife shall not dwell in the house of David king of Israel, because the places to which the ark of the LORD has come are holy."

2 Chronicles 8:11

Solomon was a man endowed with great wisdom from God.  Unlike most men, his wisdom lessened with age.  After God granted his request for wisdom to govern God's people, the report of his great wisdom reached far and wide.  But as he grew in affluence and power in a land without war, he let his guard down.  Moral lapses gave way to abominable idolatry.  He multiplied wives and horses to himself, and ended being a great fool because he ceased to seek after God with all his heart, soul, and mind.

Most of us have heard about sins of commission (sin willfully committed) and omission (good left undone).  One of the ways we justify sin is when we grant sin accommodation.  Marrying the daughter of Pharaoh was good politics, but a transgression of God's laws.  Solomon knew this in his heart.  He justified his marriage to a foreign woman contrary to the Law by building a special house for her.  He knew his marriage with the daughter of Pharaoh was an unholy one, but he accommodated his sinful relationship by keeping that part of his life carefully compartmentalised - or so he thought!

Keeping up appearances was more important to Solomon than simple obedience to God.  He continued to multiply wives and concubines to himself while he pursued greater building projects of great beauty.  Enormous tax revenue, tribute, and unfathomable riches poured year by year into his treasury.  Nations all around sent gifts and accolades as Jerusalem entered into a time of unprecedented peace and wealth.  In the beginning of Solomon's reign he was as David, but at the end of his reign he looked more like King Saul.  1 Kings 11:4 & 6 reads, "For it was so, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned his heart after other gods; and his heart was not loyal to the LORD his God, as was the heart of his father David...⁶ Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD, and did not fully follow the LORD, as did his father David."  Accommodation of sin led to disloyalty and evil deeds in the sight of God.  Because of this, God stirred up adversaries against Solomon and ripped away 10 of the 12 tribes of Israel to be ruled by his servant, Jeroboam.  Instead of repenting, Solomon sought to kill Jeroboam - just like King Saul had done to his father David.

This tragic tale is repeated over and over to this day.  The scenery is different, but the hearts of men are still as deceitful and desperately wicked as ever.  Solomon did not reject God's ways in a day, but it was a slow slide during his reign of 40 years, deliberately departing from the wise truth which he received from the mouth of God.  If Solomon, the wisest of men was not able to abide in the wisdom which he knew, what hope is there for us?  The only hope man has is found in the person of Jesus Christ.  He has become wisdom and righteousness for us (1 Cor. 1:30-31).  We must be cautious that we never grant accommodation for sin.  It is imperative that we check our lives continually against God's righteous standard as revealed in scripture and heed the promptings of the Holy Spirit.  This is why Paul exhorted in 2 Corinthians 13:5:  "Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?--unless indeed you are disqualified."  No one would expect that a physical exam undergone 20 years ago is adequate for today.  Daily we are called to examine ourselves so we might walk in the way which fully pleases God.

Beware of the slippery slope of sin accommodation.  It has cast down many wounded, and all were strong men.  Some of the most wise who ever lived are numbered among the willing victims.  Paul prays according to God's will for your life when he relates his desire in Colossians 1:10-14:  "...that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; ¹¹ strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; ¹² giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. ¹³ He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, ¹⁴ in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins."  Let us abide in Christ, making no provision for the flesh.  In Jesus is abundant life!

Baseball Story continued...

A few months back I shared how God had blessed me with an opportunity to play baseball.  After suffering a shoulder injury and not making the school team at 15 years old, I walked away from the game for good - so I thought.  21 years later, I had no idea that I would be called by God to be a pastor, move to Australia, or take up the game of baseball.  My first season back in the game playing for the Rouse Hill Wildcats came to a wonderful conclusion Saturday as we beat the Castle Hill Knights in the Grand Final 15-5.  We are the "premiers" of the Sydney Metro Baseball league, H-Grade.  Much of our team had never played baseball before, much less play in a Grand Final.  Here's a team picture, each of us with our engraved trophy mugs - complete with a handle!

Left to right: Randall, myself, Gav, Liam, Cam, Keith, Trav, Paul, Donna (scorer), Kyle, Pete, Pat, and Stacy

 I thank my teammates for a great season, and most of all I thank God for enabling me to be a part of a team in a sport I never thought I'd play again.  Less than two years ago my throwing shoulder hurt so bad I could not even perform a single push-up, and to think I pitched for a complete-game win in a Grand Final is nothing short of miraculous!  Thanks be to God for His healing touch and all glory, honour, and praise goes to Him.  I would say it has been a magical season, but magic had nothing to do with it:  it is all of God's grace.

A Life Without Repentance

Repentance is a theme which has been running through my mind for the last month or so.  This morning in prayer the LORD showed me PVC fittings and pipes for irrigation in my mind.  I found this most bizarre.  Why would I suddenly be thinking of irrigation?  As I prayed for wisdom and understanding I thought back to when I laid the pipes to irrigate my front yard.  After I dug trenches according to my set of drawings to the prescribed depth, I began to fit the pipes together without glue.  When every length of pipe had been cut, after every coupling, elbow, riser, and sprinkler head was in place, I began to glue the pieces together.

The glue was a dark blue colour, suitable for wet or dry applications.  In a very short time the glue set strong enough to handle the water pressure.  But the way the glue is applied is key.  Glue must be liberally applied to the inside of the coupling as well to the clean-cut end of the pipe.  Quickly the pieces must be pressed fully into each other and turned a quarter turn.  The glue will ooze from the new joint, fusing the plastic pieces together as one.  If glue is applied incorrectly, or if the water is turned on before the connection is set, the pipe will leak.  The leaking connection must be cut out and then the whole process starts over.

God showed me that a lack of repentance in a believer's life is similar to the pipes being laid without the glue.  The job may look complete when no water is pressurising the system, but as soon as the water is turned on the system will be revealed as full of leaks and rendered useless.  What is Christianity without complete, continual repentance?  Since Christ is our strength, what strength could we possible have if we willfully pursue the desires of our flesh without repentance?  Another way to cut corners is to dry-fit the pipes and glue the point of connection from the outside.  This gives the appearance of being properly glued, but any amount of pressure and the connection will fail.  We can appear repentant from the outside, but God knows the heart.  Only a little bit of pressure from the world or the flesh will reveal to us how weak and sinful we really are.  The only way for the system to work is to completely and properly glue every single joint.

Repentance is a funny thing.  We can be fooled into thinking that once we have repented, we need not repent any more.  But how many times did I have to repair leaks in sprinkler heads, valves, and unions!  How many times did areas need to be dug up and re-addressed because the turf had built up around the heads or the pressure reducer shut off entirely!  Just because the pipes were covered with dirt didn't mean that the system did not need to be carefully maintained.  Our lives, in the same way, need to be maintained daily with repentance for our sins.  Galatians 5:19-21 reads, "Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, ²⁰ idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, ²¹ envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God."  Is there anything on this list that is a current issue for you?  If we practice such things without repentance - a change of mind, a change of heart, and a change of direction/lifestyle - we will not inherit the kingdom of God.

So what is to be done?  Only God by His grace can enable a man to repent in truth (Acts 11:18).  Jesus says in Revelation 3:19, "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent."  We must be born again through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ.  Then we must choose to put off the deeds of our old flesh nature, be renewed in the spirit of our minds, and put on the new man according to God's Word.  I close with Paul's exhortation in Ephesians 4:20-32:  "But you have not so learned Christ, ²¹ if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: ²² that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, ²³ and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, ²⁴ and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. ²⁵ Therefore, putting away lying, "Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor," for we are members of one another. ²⁶ "Be angry, and do not sin": do not let the sun go down on your wrath, ²⁷ nor give place to the devil. ²⁸ Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. ²⁹ Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. ³⁰ And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. ³¹ Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. ³² And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you."

Hearing God

As I was reading through the book of Numbers last night, I came to the portion where Moses commanded the people to keep the Passover at the appointed time:  the 14th day of the first month.  Men approached Moses with an important question.  Certain men had been deemed unclean by the Law because they had come in contact with a dead body.  However, they desired to keep the feast and offer the appropriate sacrifice to the LORD - but were unclean.  Numbers 9:8 reads, "And Moses said unto them, "Stand still, and I will hear what the LORD will command concerning you."  God spoke to Moses and told him that those deemed unclean under ceremonial Law could keep the Passover on the 14th day of the second month, as long as it was carried out in precisely the same way as it should have been done a month earlier.

What struck me about the passage were the words of Moses when faced with this dilemma.  If I was in a situation like Moses, I would have said something like:  "I'll ask God about that in prayer and see what He says."  But Moses said, "Stand still, and I will hear what the LORD will command concerning you."  Moses recognized that God already knew the situation.  He didn't need to explain the whole background concerning these men before God.  God was fully aware of their need for wisdom and guidance even before asking.  Jesus says in Matthew 6:8, "...For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him."  Sometimes we fall into the trap of thinking we need to inform God of what is going on in our world, even as the disciples rushed to Jesus in the midst of the storm saying, "Don't you care that we are perishing?"  Jesus knew.  It was only in desperation they would cry out for His aid and then He could work miracles.

The second thing which captured my attention is the Hebrew word translated "hear" in this instance.  It is "shama," which in the Strong's Concordance is described as:  "to hear intelligently, often with implication of attention and obedience."  This word is also translated in the KJV as:  "hear," "hearken," "obey," "publish," and "understand."  It carries the idea of carefully hearing with the purpose and intent to obey fully the directive given.  Throughout our days we hear a lot of things.  We don't believe, trust, or obey everything we hear because that would be foolish.  We immediately sort out what directives we will heed and what we will ignore.  It is a very dangerous place to be when we do the same with what God says.  Only disaster will follow those who read God's Word and pick and choose what they will "hear."

How often do we not hear God speaking because we are not listening!  We do not stand still to hear what God says, but rush about and walk according to the way which seems right to us at the time.  The scripture says that there is a way which seems right to a man, but the end of it is death.  We also read that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word which proceeds from the mouth of God.  How critical it is to stand still and hear God's voice with intent to fully obey.  Let us say someone has asked you for advice.  You offer them wise counsel which they decide to ignore completely.  After this cycle is repeated over and over, at some point you will withhold your wisdom from such a fool who has no intention to act according to your word.

We have all been that fool with God.  God does not offer advice:  He offers divine wisdom and knowledge from His infinite stores.  God holds forth righteous judgments and commands according to His character.  He plainly says what is the right and wrong way for a man to live in relation to God and others.  Jesus has become wisdom for all who believe, as it says in 1 Corinthians 1:30.  Jesus says of the Holy Spirit whom has now been sent in John 16:13:  "However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come."  We should not take the written Word of God nor the promptings of the Holy Spirit "with a grain of salt," but see them in truth as the words of life:  words which must be obeyed.

Romans 11:33 says, "Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!"  He who has ears to hear, let him hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches.  It is time for us to seek the LORD, stand still, and hear what He says with intent to obey.  It is in this place where we discover His perfect will.

Who's Your Master?

When people think about slavery, a variety of thoughts and feelings are invoked.  In the United States, the fight over slavery is one that affected the whole nation.  Quoting history.com, "In 1865, the U.S. House of Representatives passes the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, abolishing slavery in America. The amendment read, "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude...shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction." It is not uncommon to meet people to this day whose ancestors were either slaves or slave owners.  Some people are shocked that slavery still exists in many forms in the world today.  The truth is, slavery is as prevalent, oppressive, and destructive as it has ever been in the world's history.

Consider these excerpts from Webster's Dictionary (1828 edition) concerning the the noun "slave:"  1) A person who is wholly subject to the will of another; one who has no will of his own, but whose person and services are wholly under the control of another; 2) One who has lost the power of resistance; or one who surrenders himself to any power whatever; as a slave to passion, to lust, to ambition."  We often think of slavery as when a person is either sold, acquired, or forced to work against their will for nothing to show for it but their life.  Slaves are not paid and are denied rights and freedoms others enjoy.  There is a slavery more sinister than being sold like an ox at an auction and working for a cruel master:  the slavery of sin.  Satan and sin are cruel masters which lead to eternal death.

In our natural state every man is sinful, "sold under sin."  Even as wicked Haman had condemned the Jews to die, so sin has doomed every person who draws breath.  All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.  We are either slaves of God or Satan.  You might say, "Wait a second!  I don't even believe in Satan!  How can I be serving him?"  "Warlock" Jack Malebranche, a member of the Church of Satan in an interview shown during "Way of the Master" episode 19 explained, "On a certain level, Satan is a part of ourselves that we tap into. When we say, "Hail Satan!" to a certain extent, I'm saying, "Hail me!"  Jesus says in John 8:34, "...Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin."  If you have sinned, than you are therefore a slave to sin.  If I live for myself, I sow to the flesh and will of the flesh reap corruption.  The wages of sin is death, eternal separation from God in the torments of hell.

But God in His mercy, made a way for slaves to be set free - even under the Old Covenant!  In Leviticus 25, we read how a kinsman could redeem a slave from slavery.  Leviticus 25:48-49 reads, "...After he is sold he may be redeemed again. One of his brothers may redeem him; ⁴⁹ or his uncle or his uncle's son may redeem him; or anyone who is near of kin to him in his family may redeem him; or if he is able he may redeem himself."  No one is able to redeem himself from the power of sin and death.  In His love, the Father sent the Son as a Redeemer, not only for His Jewish countrymen, but to be the sacrifice for sin for all who believe throughout the world!  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."  Jesus instituted the New Covenant in His blood so all who repent, place their faith in Him, and become His disciples shall be given eternal life through Him.

Everyone in this world is a slave.  We may not have been bought or sold with money, but we are either slaves of sin or righteousness.  Romans 6:16 states, "Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one's slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?"  Who is your master?  This question cannot be answered with words:  only your thoughts, actions, and life will provide an adequate answer.  Jesus says in Matthew 6:24, "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon."  Today is the day of decision.  Choose to serve God, for He is a worthy LORD and Master who rules with love.