Thanksgiving Forever

It is eternally appropriate to give thanks to our great God.  In every season and at all times He is merciful, gracious, and compassionate.  Even circumstances intended by our enemies for evil He can redeem for good.  Every day is a fitting day of thanksgiving unto our God from whom all good things come from.  Whether we are among family or even feel isolated from friends, we can rest in the presence of Jesus who calls us friend.

Psalm 103:8-12 says, "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."  We are all guilty of sin, but God has not dealt with us as condemned criminals awaiting eternal justice.  He has made a way for our crimes against Him to be expunged, to be released from our bonds, and deemed righteous by the Gospel of grace.

How wonderful it is to know as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is God's mercy to those who fear Him.  Though man possesses powerful telescopes and orbiting satellites scan into the far reaches of space, no end can be seen.  It goes on forever, and so is the mercy of God for us.  As far as the east is from the west, God has removed our sins from us.  I believe David the psalmist did not say "as far as the north is from the south" because there would be a definite and measurable end at the earth's poles.  Walk, drive, boat, or fly far enough, and you could find evidence of your damning guilt and transgression.  But David said God removes our transgressions from us "as far as the east is from the west."  Travel east or west as long as you like on earth, but you will never reach the end.

Thanks be to God who only does glorious things, is merciful, slow to anger, and abundant in mercy.  Praise the LORD for removing our sins from us, never to be reckoned or remembered again!  Let us always remember the goodness of our Saviour and thank Him, for He is worthy of all praise and honour forever.

God's Work is Good

It is encouraging to be part of the living, dynamic Body of Christ.  Jesus Christ is the Head of this Body composed of many members with different roles, gifts, and callings.  Jesus went to the lost sheep of Israel, and Paul was chosen as an apostle to the Gentiles.  Jesus worked to advance the kingdom of God, and He continues to do this through His people today.  It is amazing how God uses our own backgrounds and experiences to burden us for particular groups of people.

Harold Morris was falsely accused of a double-murder and spent over a decade in prison.  Upon his miraculous release one might think Harold would never step foot inside a prison again, but ministering to prisoners became a focal point of his life's work.  All Christians are born again and filled with the Spirit, but there is no question Harold's experiences opened his eyes to needs others are ignorant of.  Being imprisoned gave him insights into how convicts think and feel, and provided common ground and credibility as an equal which enabled him to be an effective witness for Christ.

Pastor Bill Wilson is a man who knew from personal experience how it felt to be homeless, abandoned, and alone as a child.  His experiences paved the way to a outreach ministry among children and youth who were in the grip of unthinkable poverty, violence, and the lure of gangs.  At the same time, God is not limited by our experiences or history.  The late pastor Chuck Smith was used by God to make inroads with the Gospel during the counter-culture hippie movement in the '60's.  He wore a suit and a tie and perhaps never smoked a cigarette or went to a dance in his life, but aptly ministered to barefoot hippies who reeked of alcohol and marijuana at church.  God calls and equips us to do His will, and His ways are higher than ours.  In our weakness and inability His sufficiency is evident.

It may seem cliche, but my heart yearns to aid and support churched people to faithfully persevere in following Jesus.  I have been a regular churchgoer since I was a child, and over those years I have seen countless youth and adults forsake fellowship as they plunged into all manner of sin.  How tragic to have heard Gospel truth, to experience the love of God, but for hearts to fall short of steadfast faith in Jesus!  I have seen professing Christians battle addictions, fall prey to lust, turn their backs on God, tear apart their marriages, and be estranged from their grown children.  I have known pastors who were caught up in drugs, depression, and even commited suicide.  Kids I went to Sunday school with as adults were incarcerated, one was shot dead by police, and others lived in sin:  their decisions funnelled into the downward cycle Jesus saved their parents from.  About 85% of the kids in my youth group where I served for many years left the church upon graduation.  My heart is for the 85% who left and the 15% who stayed:  for pastors, ministry leaders, parishioners, their little ones and families.

I believe the people who attend church and profess Christ are as much at risk of spiritual pride or apostasy than a homeless kid on the streets to be hooked on drugs and alcohol.  Praise the LORD He is able to save our souls for eternity but also protects and delivers us from all evil now.  Satan would sneer at the disillusioned wounded, fallen, and apostate saying, "See?  What kind of Messiah is Jesus to have followers such as these?"  There is no denying genuine Christians fall far short of God's glory, but there is no accusation Satan can rightly bring against God nor His elect.  There is no rebuttal against the resurrection power of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit who regenerates people dead in sins and transforms them by His grace.  Just one transformed life by faith in Jesus is a miracle which stops men's mouths and brings them to marvel:  the changed heart we observe is the work of God.  God is working, and ours is a faith that works.  Wherever He has you and whatever you put your hand to do, do it with all your might as unto Him.

The LORD Your God

As a family we have been reading through the book of Leviticus, and I was struck by the repetition of God saying, "I am the LORD" to punctuate His righteous commands.  God did not repeat this phrase because He was forgetful or enjoyed pumping Himself up.  The Law is righteous, a reflection of God's holiness which undergirds His statutes.  Because God is the LORD, the almighty, self-existent One, it was fear of God and faith in Him which urged people to walk in obedience before Him.  Here is a passage as an example in Leviticus 19:1-18:

"And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, ² "Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say to them: 'You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy. ³ 'Every one of you shall revere his mother and his father, and keep My Sabbaths: I am the LORD your God. ⁴ 'Do not turn to idols, nor make for yourselves moulded gods: I am the LORD your God. ⁵ 'And if you offer a sacrifice of a peace offering to the LORD, you shall offer it of your own free will. ⁶ It shall be eaten the same day you offer it, and on the next day. And if any remains until the third day, it shall be burned in the fire. ⁷ And if it is eaten at all on the third day, it is an abomination. It shall not be accepted. ⁸ Therefore everyone who eats it shall bear his iniquity, because he has profaned the hallowed offering of the LORD; and that person shall be cut off from his people. ⁹ 'When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not wholly reap the corners of your field, nor shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest. ¹⁰ And you shall not glean your vineyard, nor shall you gather every grape of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the stranger: I am the LORD your God. ¹¹ 'You shall not steal, nor deal falsely, nor lie to one another. ¹² And you shall not swear by My name falsely, nor shall you profane the name of your God: I am the LORD. ¹³ 'You shall not cheat your neighbour, nor rob him. The wages of him who is hired shall not remain with you all night until morning. ¹⁴ You shall not curse the deaf, nor put a stumbling block before the blind, but shall fear your God: I am the LORD. ¹⁵ 'You shall do no injustice in judgment. You shall not be partial to the poor, nor honour the person of the mighty. In righteousness you shall judge your neighbour. ¹⁶ You shall not go about as a talebearer among your people; nor shall you take a stand against the life of your neighbour: I am the LORD. ¹⁷ 'You shall not hate your brother in your heart. You shall surely rebuke your neighbour, and not bear sin because of him. ¹⁸ You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbour as yourself: I am the LORD."

Typically when phrases are repeated they lose impact, however in this case the opposite is true.  The repetition of "I am the LORD your God" or "I am the LORD" points back to God's character, wisdom, knowledge, and sovereignty as the reason to obey.  For instance, in verse 3 God directed children to honour their mother, father, and keep His Sabbaths and concluded with, "I am the LORD your God."  God had provided each child with a mother and father.  Men were not created for the Sabbath, but the Sabbath rest for man.  God met the needs of children to be nurtured, trained, and provided for, and even set apart a day for them to rest from their labour.  Knowing God supplied our every need should compel us to be thankful, obedient, and trust Him.

In verse 14 God told His people to not curse the deaf or place a stumbling block in front of the blind "...but shall fear your God:  I am the LORD."  The deaf could not hear the curses hurled at them, nor could the blind see the obstacle placed before them - but the God who hears all and sees all perceived the wickedness of His people.  The God who formed the ear can hear Himself, and He who designed the eye can see all things with immaculate clarity.  It was a gracious reminder given to people who can hear but do not always heed, and can see with their eyes yet can be senseless to the feelings of others.  The fear of God keeps us from evil, and knowledge of the LORD our God's ability to hear, see, speak, and do mightily aids us to walk uprightly.

As an exercise, I encourage you to read through the portion from Leviticus once more, taking special note of every time God said, "I am the LORD."  Consider in light of His commands why He would remind them of His divine sovereignty and character each time.  Meditating on this will open your understanding of how great and awesome our God is, and how He is worthy to be praised and feared above all.  Often our reasons for seeking to do good or avoid evil is limited to the benefit of others or keep ourselves from trouble, but how good it is when we do the right thing for the right reason:  because God is our LORD!

Empowerment by Submission

In this fallen world things which seem to be freeing actually place us in greater bondage.  A common lie perpetuated today is how throwing off the shackles of biblical morality and propriety results in "empowerment."  The feelings of self-empowerment may be euphoric at the beginning, but they ultimately sour after the brief honeymoon stage.  The bankruptcy of soul is often covered up by what we can acquire or achieve, numbed with alcohol, or drowned out by new pursuits. There is no enduring empowerment to be found in adulterous affairs, one-night stands, stripping, prostitutes, or pornography.  The sickly sweet sense of empowerment ends up being bitter poison in the end, putting a wounded soul at the mercy of an increasingly cruel taskmaster.

There is a temporary sense of godlike-euphoria in doing whatever you want, and the devil knows this well.  But there is no sustainable, enduring hope in self.  The body flaunted today can be dead tomorrow, and all illicit loves create wounds time cannot heal.  The so-called "sexual revolution" of the 60's was really nothing new, and the fallout of broken marriages, families, and lives continues in the Tinder-hookup era on a global scale.  The world says it is empowering to assert your dominance, to fulfil sexual conquests, to take off your top to make a statement, to make demands and take no prisoners, but like all things of this world it cannot deliver on a single promise.  The stuff we work for will pass to others and decay into ruin.  We still have to live with our own consciences, consequences, and the niggling thought there is a God we will be required to stand before naked and sober on the Day of Judgment.

The Bible makes the unique claim the world pushes against at every turn:  real empowerment comes through total submission to God.  It is only when I believe in Jesus, repent of my sin, and submit to God He graciously endows me with His power and strength.  Man's power is limited in scope and duration, but God's power is infinite and eternal.  The power God grants is not to improve my self-esteem, to feel more confident or better about myself, but so I can joyfully live in the way that pleases God.  Self-esteem and self-confidence are snares which enslave, but slavery to God is liberating from sin, self, the values of the world, and the opinions of other people.  Having power is not the reason why we submit to God, but is the blessed result of believing in Him, loving, and obeying Him.

Today people mistakenly believe they are the master of their own destiny, they can do anything, and be anyone.  Yet no body modification, surgical augmentation, workout regimen, or preferred pronoun can touch our eternal souls:  like it or not, God has made us as He intended.  We can do many things with the bodies and minds He has provided us, but there is nothing we can do to cleanse ourselves of sin.  There is nothing we can do to wash ourselves clean of the lies, rebellion, selfishness, and deceit.  But God has given us all the ability to decide if we will receive Jesus Christ as our LORD and Saviour, to believe in Him as a child trusts his parents.  We can be born again and made new creations by the power of God!  Speaking of Jesus it is written in John 1:11-13, "He came unto his own, and his own received him not. ¹² But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: ¹³ which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God."  On our own we are absolutely powerless, and how incredible it is God grants those who believe power to be adopted as His children, forgiven of sin, and receive eternal life.  It's not a better you but a new creation Jesus lives His life though.

It is not in asserting self we are empowered, but in submission before our holy God.  Our bodies will all go the way of the earth and moulder away, yet as many as humble themselves before Jesus as King and receive Him are given power to live forever in heaven.  Praise God for the exceedingly great power God has exhibited in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and we are His beneficiaries (Eph. 1:15-23).