Looking Forward

As you consider the future, are there things you are looking forward to?  Whether it is an event, an opportunity, a celebration, or accomplishment, there are things we all look forward to with joyful expectancy.  When I purchase a gift for someone, I look forward to the moment I can give it to them.  To give is better than to receive, but it is perfectly valid to look forward to receiving a gift as well.  I remember very well circling the Christmas tree at my Grandpa and Grandma's house, casually taking note of the intended recipient of each gift.  It was not permitted on Christmas Eve to pick up a gift, but looking at the gifts was fine.  We kids looked forward to receiving the gifts intended for us to receive.  As we mature we learn to value the giver over the gift.

Do you know God has gifts intended for each follower of Jesus Christ to receive whilst on this planet as well upon our entry into eternal glory?  Is there found in us a heart of gratefulness and thanksgiving for all we have already received and also a sense of expectancy in looking forward to our future home in heaven?  I believe it is completely legitimate for us to look forward to our future heavenly reward provided by God's grace.  There are some super-spiritual people who say things like, "I've been so blessed now, anything I receive in heaven will be a bonus."  While in a sense this is true, should we minimise the value of the reward God has set aside for us?  Heaven is something to look forward to, and I don't want to miss out on any reward God intends for me.  John gave this exhortation in light of the deceivers in the world in 2 John 1:8:  "Look to yourselves, that we do not lose those things we worked for, but that we may receive a full reward."

It is not selfishness or pride which moves us to receive all the gifts God has for us.  Paul said we should earnestly desire spiritual gifts, and the obedient seek to lay hold of all God offers.  When we receive a crown of glory in heaven, it will be of such purity and value like nothing we possessed in our mortal frame.  In our fallen flesh we give God our sin and He provides His righteousness in exchange.  The work of Christ is described in Isaiah 61:1-3:  "The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; ² to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn, ³ to console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified."  See these divine exchanges?  We can only give ourselves, and in ourselves we are no prize.  Praise the LORD He values us, loves us, and can be glorified through these clay vessels (to which we are compared), that His glory shines through us.

In the Book of the Revelation twenty-four elders are described as casting down their crowns before the throne of God in worship.  It is a lovely picture of the redeemed emphatically and completely giving to God what God had given to them.  We don't need to wait for heaven to do this, for we can give unto God the glory due His name today.  That being said, more and more I look forward to being in the presence of God in a glorified body without the hindrance of the flesh and this mind which needs constant renewing and reminding and giving God praise.  Our vision is a bit blurry now, but one day it will be flawless.  All we have is a gift provided by God, and God is not through giving.  It follows we ought to look forward to receiving these gracious gifts, for in doing so we will bring Him greater honour and praise forever.  Are you looking forward to heaven?  Are your affections engaged with God there?  Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.  There is more treasure in store for those who treasure Christ above all.

On the Rooftop

The world is filled with problems too large for anyone to fix.  We would like to think in our modern day we have outpaced the sins of our fathers, but human nature has remained unchanged and corrupted.  Like weeds which spring up from the dirt, we see in our generation the same bigotry, racism, violence, politics, and intolerance in abundance.  Followers of Jesus Christ like me find ourselves trying to find a quiet place on the corner of the rooftop to avoid being swept away by the rising flood of secularism and are immediately drenched to the bone by the dripping of liberal Christians who dismiss our biblical stance.  I don't expect applause from the world for standing on the Word of God.  I don't expect to be understood or appreciated by people who oppose my biblical position or even to be realistically portrayed or represented by those who publicly claim to speak for Christians.  God is my only real Advocate.

In Australia there will soon be a national vote held to discern if people are in favour of changing the Constitution to allow for same-sex marriage, departing from the narrow definition established by God in the Bible.  People are divided if there should be a vote at all, not to mention how people should vote!  I expect the volume of this debate to keep rising over the coming days because that is what happens once everyone has said their piece - without much effect.  A vote will not settle the subject, for even if a change was decided upon in Parliament people would still hold to their beliefs.  All a vote will prove is we do not agree.  My view of what marriage is has never been contingent on a government, constitution, or man's tradition but based upon my understanding of what God has said in His unchanging Word.  Regardless of how a government or society views or defines marriage, God's ordination of a marriage between one man and one woman has been clearly expressed in the Bible and this truth will endure.  Years ago I wrote a parable on this topic called "Sodium Chloride and the Chemist."

It is one thing when people outside the church disagree, but it is a stern challenge of unity when people who claim loyalty to Christ see things differently from scripture.  Even still, we do not need to become angry, frustrated, unloving, or fierce towards others.  We are called to be joyful, patient, and endure to the end.  The Bible has foretold many times in the New Testament that people will depart from the true faith, "...having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof" (2 Tim. 3:1-5)  People will have "itching ears" and heap unto themselves teachers who tell them what they want to hear rather than teachers who according to scripture convince, rebuke, and exhort others to live righteously according to God's standard (2 Tim. 4:3-4).  This was happening in Paul's day, and it is happening even now.  When we find ourselves forced onto a rooftop we ought to plainly declare the Word of God, keep believing it, and continue obeying it.  Regardless of what others were doing, Paul exhorted Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:5, "But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfil your ministry."

Whether Caesar Nero was in power or there were wolves in sheep's clothing in the church spouting falsehood, Timothy was to keep his eyes open, endure afflictions, continue to share the Good News of the Gospel, and finish the work God had called him to do.  And what is the work God has called us to do?  The primary part of doing God's work is to believe on Jesus, the One God has sent (John 6:29).  God had called Timothy to feed the flock of God by preaching the Word, even as Jesus and Paul had done.  The scripture is perfectly capable to make a man of God complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17).  When we love God and love others, we don't need to be afraid of what is happening in the world or angry at those who wrongfully accuse us.  We will not be required to answer for the policies of our government, but we will be judged for our attitudes, behaviour, words, and responses towards other people.  How important it is we honour God's Word over the opinions of men!  Jesus is the Judge who will provide for us a robe and crown of righteousness, having purchased us with His own blood.  Instead of living to please ourselves and those who will pass away, let us honour the One who endures forever by proclaiming His love from the rooftops.

Learning to Cut Straight

When reading the Bible, prior knowledge, commentaries, and personal notes can be an obstacle to learning.  We can easily gloss over basic observations which have obscured by our familiarity with a passage.  People (myself included) can limit the observations, interpretations, and applications of scripture to our prior understanding instead of considering the text as if we have never read it before.

I am convinced the most important step in studying the Bible may be the most simple one:  the step of observation, gleaning facts from the scripture.  Just like a detective meticulously inspects a crime scene, we must leave the passage undisturbed by our personal bias or experience.  We must not allow a sermon we heard years ago (true and meaningful as it was) to derail thorough observation today. We should never assume we already know all God intends to reveal to us, no matter how much knowledge we possess.  God's Word is like a fire, like a hammer that breaks rock in pieces.  It can burn within us like the disciples Jesus taught on the road to Emmaus, and it can pulverise our hard hearts like the convicted people who earnestly said in light of their sin, "What shall we do?"

No matter how much we study the Bible, one error all can fall into is to insert ourselves into the text whilst observing it.  If we place ourselves into the text in the observation phase, our interpretation will be skewed and fall short of the meaning of the passage.  Understand the Bible is divinely inspired and written by human authors in various formats such as historical narrative, poetry, prophecy, instructive letters, and parables.  The Bible is God's Word to us, yet it was given to others before us.  We must consider the context.  On our quest for divine truth, the path, process, and destination are all important.  In physics class it was impressed upon me the correct process was of greater importance than the "right" answer.  Being able to explain why we have arrived at a conclusion and being able to replicate it is superior to copy the right answer without showing your work.

I encourage you, brothers and sisters in Christ, be willing to take time to cultivate the skill of solid Bible study with interpretation and personal application.  Paul's exhortation in 2 Timothy 2:15 is fitting for every child of God to apply personally: "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."  The word for "dividing" means to "cut straight, to dissect correctly."  Having worked in a trade with my hands for over a decade, I can affirm learning to cut straight is a skill developed by practice.  Just because a perfectly straight line is marked on a sheet of stainless steel does not mean a person can cut perfectly on that line.  Manual dexterity and strength is important to complete the job.  Using the right tool is only part of the process, for we need the Holy Spirit to guide us into all truth.  Knowing what you believe is good, but can you explain the basis of your belief and corresponding actions from scripture?  Understanding how we arrived at a particular destination will help us navigate even difficult passages in the future.

When Liberty is Beside the Point

A born-again follower of Jesus has been freed from the penalty and power of sin by the Gospel.  The freedom and liberty from sin we have in Christ is not license to sin.  Many who tout their "liberty" as a Christian approach it as a "right" we have as children of God - usually to justify themselves.  This assertion of "liberty" effectively ends any conversation about sinful behaviour or potentially stumbling others.  While it is true a Christian is not under the Mosaic Law and all things are lawful, Paul affirmed not all things are good for me or others (1 Cor. 6:12).  It is in this case liberty is beside the point.

Perhaps an illustration would be beneficial.  I knew a man who was diagnosed with diabetes, a serious condition which effects the entire body.  Complications of diabetes can significantly impact the quality and length of life.  There is no cure for diabetes, but it can be managed through medication, diet, exercise, and monitoring glucose levels.  Unhealthy activities like smoking cigarettes should be avoided, as it negatively affects blood circulation.  I am sad to say the life of my friend was cut short because he did not take seriously the impact of his lifestyle on his illness.  He was a heavy smoker and from what I remember he ate what he wanted when he wanted.  Even after he lost his foot and leg to gangrene, he kept on smoking.

Now my friend was a Christian and did not practice anything immoral or illegal (to my knowledge).  He was a man who enjoyed milkshakes, cheeseburgers, and cigarettes, and he was at liberty to do all of the above.  But these choices proved to be damaging to his body and prematurely left his wife without a husband and his young children without a dad.  Because we live in a body of flesh in a world steeped in sin, there are temptations which will stir up our desires to sin.  Many things are not evil in themselves, but they do us no good.  There are things we can take in through our eyes, ears, and mouths which are legal but are not helpful; we have freedom and liberty to watch what we want without condemnation yet we wound our souls.  I am sure my friend's life would have been prolonged had he established some clear boundaries in his life according to his doctor's orders, and many people's spiritual well-being has been compromised because under the guise of liberty in Christ they slowly are poisoning and killing themselves with practices which lead to sin.  We must be led by the Spirit, and He will lead us to do what is righteous.

When it comes to our decisions, we make a mistake to limit the impact of our choices to ourselves.  It is helpful for us to consider how our decisions could impact others negatively.  I wonder:  if my friend could have seen into the future and knew foods he ate and cigarettes he smoked would have ended his life so soon, would he have made radical changes?  What if that was you?  Paul was willing to forgo liberties to avoid even the potential of stumbling others because he loved God and others.  Rather than toeing the line or dancing around sin, it would be better for us to answer these questions honestly:  is this good for me?  Is it helpful for my walk with Jesus?  Does it provide any occasion to stumble one who is a young Christian?  Is this thing bringing me or my thoughts under its power?  Are my decisions based on love for others?  All sacrifices we make for Christ because we love Him and others will only enrich us and provide greater freedom.