God's Lovingkindness

"Thus says the LORD: "Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, nor let the rich man glory in his riches; ²⁴ but let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight," says the LORD."

Jeremiah 9:23-24

Last night during our family devotions we read through this passage.  What a wonderful reminder it is of the loving, gracious, and holy character of God.  How easy it is for our ideas of God to be warped by the opinions of those who do not know Him or through our own prejudice!  People's ideas of God range from imaginary to real, a benevolent "Santa Claus" or Genie contrasted with the fire-breathing destroyer and hater of men.  To magnify a single aspect of God's character at the expense of ignoring another contorts our perception of God.

In the Jeremiah passage, God entreats the wise not to glory in his wisdom, nor the mighty man in his might, or the rich man in his riches.  Instead, whoever who glories should glory in the fact he understands and knows God.  This is a wonderful truth, that God has revealed Himself to man primarily through His Word and the person of Jesus Christ.  Man can understand and know His Creator in a personal way, even as a man knows a close friend.  The character of God is revealed through His righteous law, perfect justice, and gracious lovingkindness.  The automatic spell-checker does not believe that "lovingkindness" is a real word, and most people have no idea of the incredible lovingkindness of God.

For many of those who do believe and affirm there is a "God," He is a strictly impersonal, judgmental, passive, and potentially volatile god.  They would nod their heads if I described Him as just and righteous.  But does He exercise lovingkindness and actually delight in it?  The transliteration of this Hebrew word is "hesed," meaning "kindness, favour, mercy, pity."  God is a loving, gracious God.  He is loving to punish wickedness, and His lovingkindness is evident through His correction, grace, and mercy towards us.  Romans 5:8 reads, "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

This morning I read two incredible messages by G. Campbell Morgan titled "The Sifting of Peter" and "The Turning Again of Peter" (The Westminster Pulpit, Vol. 1, Chapters 15 & 16).  He details how Peter denied Jesus after boasting he would not.  Instead of being angry or offended at Peter upon meeting with him again, Jesus was compassionate and filled with love.  Peter was deeply ashamed because of his failure and cried bitterly.  He was broken over the fact he had denied Christ on the night He was betrayed in public, and for the fact that Jesus knew it.  Jesus did not confront Peter as many of us would have if we had been betrayed.  Jesus did not say, "I told you so," glare at Peter, or make cynical comments aimed at belittling him in front of others.  He asked Peter a simple, direct question:  "Do you love me?"  The fact that Jesus loved Peter was undeniable.  Jesus had chosen, called, and taught Peter, and even saved him from drowning.  Jesus had washed Peter's feet, showed His undying love through the cross, and had risen from the dead.  At that moment Jesus had just fed Peter and the disciples breakfast.  He asked Peter, "Do you love me?"

Jesus asks you today:  "Do you love me?"  Instead of "keeping us in line" through threats of judgment or the risk of our sin being found out by others, it is Christ's lovingkindness which draws us to repentance.  Jeremiah 31:3 shows us clearly the heart of God towards all flesh:  "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 should not be the threat of God's wrath that keeps us from sin, but the love of Christ.  When we struggle between right and wrong Jesus Himself stands with us, places His arm around our shoulders, looks us in the eyes (and we cannot hold that penetrating gaze of compassion, being ashamed of our sin and continual failure), and says with love:  "Do you love me?"  What a weighty question to which everyone must respond.  Our words carry little weight:  it is our life that will provide our answer.

Perhaps your dad related to you by fear, an imposing figure of terror or violence.  Maybe you have suffered much through men who abused their authority or position.  You could be deeply wounded by a pastor or a priest who claimed to be a man of God!  But I implore you in the name of Jesus, never allow the sins of men to poison your perceptions of God.  Go to scripture and read of this God, the Creator of All Things, the One who delights in exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness.  Instead of trying to balance your beliefs through the opinions of others or negative experiences, seek the truth from the Source.  Forget all your bias, admit your ignorance, and seek God with your whole heart.  You will see that He created and knows you, and He desires to be understood and known by you.

I close with the words of Psalm 103:1-18.  Read and believe, if you dare!  "Bless the LORD, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name! ² Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: ³ who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases, ⁴ who redeems your life from destruction, who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, ⁵ who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's. ⁶ The LORD executes righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed. ⁷ He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the children of Israel. ⁸ The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy. ⁹ He will not always strive with us, nor will He keep His anger forever. ¹⁰ He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor punished us according to our iniquities. ¹¹ For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; ¹² as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. ¹³ As a father pities his children, so the LORD pities those who fear Him. ¹⁴ For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust. ¹⁵ As for man, his days are like grass; as a flower of the field, so he flourishes. ¹⁶ For the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. ¹⁷ But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him, and His righteousness to children's children, ¹⁸ to such as keep His covenant, and to those who remember His commandments to do them."

Trust God's Healing Hands

Yesterday marked the first day of baseball season for the Grisez boys, and it was nostalgic for me to be back on the field as a third base coach.  Both boys had two hits and scored a run, so it was a great boost to their confidence.  One thing that is different about playing baseball in Australia is the absence of the Pledge of Allegiance and the Little League Pledge.  Near the scoreboard of Little League fields all over America, the American flag flies.  After stating the Pledge of Allegiance, the players recite:  "I trust in God, I love my country, and will respect its laws.  I will play fair, and strive to win, but win or lose, I will always do my best."  Play ball!

I am happy to say the Pledge is still around, even after all these years - just like God!  For me, saying that pledge is still a statement of fact.  I do trust in God, I do love my country (currently Australia).  I will play fair and do my best to win.  When two teams show up to play no matter the sport, either team can win.  One team could be better in every statistical category, have the best talent and equipment, and still lose.  That is why the game is played and what makes it exciting:  you never know exactly how things will play out.  That's one of the amazing things about God.  He does not operate in the way we would expect.  He doesn't often tell us what He's planning to do.  But if we trust Him, it will always be for the best.

An illustration to confirm this is still a vivid memory for me.  A young man I knew dislocated his knee and experienced incredible pain.  After he was given medication, he was taken by ambulance to the hospital.  Upon seeing him, the doctor nonchalantly began to examine the leg and - snap!  He quickly manipulated the leg back into place, causing excruciating pain for an instant.  When the young man asked the doctor why he didn't warn him, the doctor explained that if he had told him what he planned to do, he would have resisted him.  He used the tactic of surprise to quickly put the limb back into place safely so the healing could begin.

This is what God so often does with us.  We experience pain and wonder, what is God thinking!  How could he allow me to have such deep, excruciating, gut-wrenching pain?  Trust the Good Shepherd, little lamb.  He knows what parts of your life must be manipulated so the healing can begin.  He will bring the relief and healing you desire.  If the doctor did not adjust the leg, the young man would have remained a cripple.  It was love and desire for restoration that motivated the doctor to cause a little pain.  The young man now serves in the armed forces and the injury is only a distant memory.

No matter what you're going through, no matter how deep the searing pain, trust God.  He never changes, and His thoughts are good towards us, to give us a future and a hope.

A milestone...and still miles to go!

Blogs are interesting animals.  I suppose the motivation for regularly maintaining blogs are endless.  For some it might be strictly cathartic, for others it might be the opportunity for self-revelation.  Though an avid reader, I spend virtually no time reading blogs.  Some are chronological family reports, while others are dedicated to political rant.  I have the feeling that some blogs scream, "Look at me!" in a frantic attempt for significance in the vast yet cluttered cyberspace.

I am convinced people write blogs so people will read them.  I write because I believe it is what God wants me to do.  With the amount of writing I do in study and sermon preparation, it seems unnecessary for me to write more.  This blog is a medium which allows me to share the truth He teaches me with others who care to hear it.  Today this blog has notched over 10,000 page views from all over the world, and to me that is a significant milestone.  Tack on another zero and that will be another milestone.  If you are curious, the most views have come from these countries:  United States, Australia, Malaysia, South Korea, and the United Kingdom.  As great as it is to see people browsing the blog, my prayer (and yes, I pray that God uses this thing) is that through reading people would come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ and be encouraged in their faith.  One page-view God uses to this end is worth a billion views to me.  In the end, I can take no credit because I have only done (and sometimes left undone) what is my joyful duty to do.

Thank you for taking the time to read.  Just because someone puts in effort to write does not mean it is worth reading.  I am humbled and blessed to have a LORD and Saviour Jesus Christ who gives us gifts which we can give back to Him for His glory.  What gifts has God given you?  How can you use them to bring honor and glory to His name?  Whatever God has gifted you to do, do that thing.  Do it well, seek to improve, and keep doing it.  In a parable Jesus told, He illustrated the benefits of simple faithfulness.  Matthew 25:21 says, "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.'"  You don't need to wait until heaven to hear well done.  You don't need to physically die before you enter into the joy of the LORD.  If you are obedient and faithful, you do well to enter into the joy of the LORD today!

Independence through Dependence?

I am about halfway through reading the memoirs of A.E. Wilder-Smith called Fulfilled Journey.  He concisely describes his observations as to the cause of the "disintegration" of the modern education system.  A couple of sentences stood out to me:  "School is too often no more than a means for the manipulation of opinions and the leveling of society for ideological reasons.  It is no longer for training in independent thought and the formation of one's own opinions based on facts and data.  In such a school system the development of an independent personality is neither possible nor desired." (Fulfilled Journey, Wilder-Smith, pg. 202)  I heartily endorse and agree with this observation as being true to my experience.  In my university days it seemed the focus was more on freedom of speech and expression rather than freedom of thought.

I appreciate A.E. Wilder-Smith's perspective because he is a scholar, scientist, an intellectual, and also a Christian.  A common misconception in the world today is this breed cannot possibly exist.  If someone confesses belief in God and that the Bible is the inspired Word of God in some people's minds is the equivalent of a complete lobotomy.  But history shows that the exact opposite is true:  some of the most independent and intelligent minds believed in the existence of God and the veracity of scripture.  Jesus is the prime example of independent thinking.  Have you read the Sermon on the Mount?  Jesus Christ, the man who claimed to be God-made-flesh, trumped the Law based upon His own authority, and rightly so.  He dashed the teachings of the scribes and Pharisees with supernatural wisdom.  He did not come from their schools of theology, but Jesus crushed them over and over until they were afraid even to question Him.  When Jesus was crucified, rose from the dead, and ascended into heavenly glory, even then the light of truth did not pierce the darkness of their hearts and minds.

The idea that schools once were "for training in independent thought and the formation of one's own opinions based on facts and data" was almost a startling revelation.  When I attended university, it was elementary for me to deduce between what was taught and what was believed.  It was not long before philosophy teachers no longer taught philosophy, but proudly displayed their own philosophy as the standard.  Biology and geology presented a similar experience:  we were never taught how to think scientifically or do the work of a scientist, but to accept as fact only what actual scientists had already discovered.  To pass the course, one only needed to regurgitate information.  Ironically, every year or so the books were reprinted as new editions with changes and adjustments to accommodate recent scientific discoveries which rendered old facts obsolete.  Our knowledge was limited to textbooks written according to the consensus of scientists much smarter than us or even our professors.  Are professors allowed to teach independently of material they believe inaccurate based on facts - the same facts which will be rendered obsolete in mere months?  Not if they want to keep their jobs.

Should we desire to develop an "independent personality?"  The answer will differ based upon your worldview.  If you believe that God has created all human beings in His own image individually with unique talents, gifts, and insights, the cultivation of an independent personality should be expected.  But if you believe that we exist based on the random activity of chemicals, energy, from data that somehow appeared and assembled itself over time, an independent personality does nothing to aid evolutionary progress.  I am convinced that the most independent people are those most dependent on God.  They do not need to fear the consequences of being fired for their insolence to oppose the status quo, for these people do not even fear death!  Christians are those who historically have joyfully faced the prospects of deprivation, loss of all things, even loss of life, for the excellency of the knowledge of our God and Saviour, Jesus Christ.  Paul states in Philippians 3:8-9, "Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ ⁹ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith..."

Man manipulates, but God convinces.  He does not shout from the heavens, "Believe me or else!"  In Isaiah 1:18 He says through the prophet, "Come now, and let us reason together," says the LORD, "though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool."  Jesus came to earth and allowed the best and brightest of the world to take their shots:  He overcame every one.  God does not force, but He draws us by His lovingkindness.  He does not burden us with rules or ideology (though man is only too happy to oblige!) so we might stay in His favour, and will not crush us if we have questions or struggle to understand.  John 8:31-36 says, "Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. ³² And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." ³³ They answered Him, "We are Abraham's descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can you say, 'You will be made free'?" ³⁴ Jesus answered them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. ³⁵ And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. ³⁶ Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed."  Praise God for allowing us to be free:  free to think and speak, free to act, and free to live for His glory.  You will never know freedom until you are freed by Christ.