Bright Monday

Posted on by April 6, 2015
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Romans 14:5-6 — One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks.

I wasn’t really raised as a Christian. I was, however, educated in a Christian school system and absorbed quite a bit of knowledge. One thing I learned was quite a lot about the Anglican Church calendar … Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter …High Days and Holidays …

It was a bit of a shock to me when I got saved in a Baptist Church and discovered that the year was much less structured. There’s Christmas, and Easter and as far as formal dates go, that’s about it.

The realization struck me with renewed force today. There was Good Friday, and Easter Sunday and now it’s Monday — you could almost call me “Letdown Monday”.

Different parts of the church family do calendars differently. When it comes to Easter the Eastern Orthodox Church really goes to town — the whole week from Easter Sunday is “Bright Week” and the days have “Bright” prefixed to their names — so today is “Bright Monday”. I really like the idea — but how much does it matter?

Look at what Paul says about making days special. Some people think there are special days … other people think one day is much the same as another. As long as everyone is sincere in their belief and observance, truly serving God it makes no difference.

I don’t believe that “days” are a test of faith. Still, I think the notion of “Bright Week” can underpin an important attitude. Celebration should not be reserved for “special” days. Every day, new Christians invite Christ into their lives. Every day, sin is crucified in Christian lives. Every day, Christians are raised from death to eternal life. Every day is Christmas, Good Friday, Easter Monday. … The Christian calendar is a never ending feast of celebration to the right mind!

The church is always growing. There may be more than one stream,and each may flow slightly differently, but each is made up of a flood of humanity to the cross. Every day new people join the flood. Every day is special!

Nearer To Thee

Posted on by April 5, 2015
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Hebrews 2:17 — Wherefore in all things it behooved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.

Isaiah 43:2 — But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.

“Nearer My God To Thee”: Does it seem an odd choice of hymn to inspire an Easter devotion? Perhaps you remember the story of the band on the deck of the Titanic as she sunk into the icy waters. That’s not what’s in my mind though … It’s the first verse that British actress Sarah Walker write, back in the 1840’s.

Nearer, my God, to thee, nearer to thee!NE’en though it be a cross that raiseth me. Still all my song shall be, nearer, my God, to thee, Nearer, my God, to thee, nearer to thee!

The crucifixion brings us closer to God in two special ways. 

We are, perhaps, familiar with the idea that The Son, in dying, shared our experience of death. He was born, lived and died. He was hungry, thirsty, tired. He feared, suffered, was beaten and died. One way and another they are experiences we will all pass through.

What though, of the Father?  He looked on, and saw His Son die — powerless to save Him, if He was to follow through His plan to redeem mankind. The Father was bereaved … We can know that  when we pass through the waters, he will be with us.

The little hymn has another verse though …

Or, if on joyful wing cleaving the sky, Sun, moon, and stars forgot, upward I’ll fly, Still all my song shall be, nearer, my God, to Thee.

The Resurrection gives us a certain knowledge if we will claim it, that one day Jesus will return for His own. We will live with Him, always in His presence.

Are there times when God seems far away? You can be sure that he is always near. Sometimes though, we turn away. If at times He seems far off, remember Good Friday and turn your eyes to the cross. Remember Resurrection Sunday and be lifted up to meet Him again. Let all your song be, “nearer, my God, to Thee.”

 

Selah

Posted on by April 4, 2015
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James 5:7-8 — Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.

“Selah”. It’s that mysterious never-translated word in the Psalms that seems to mean “pause” — take a break, consider where we have come to and where we are going. Did you pause today? I hope you did.

Easter Saturday is, for so many people, a “throwaway day”, the empty space between Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Please don’t let it be so for you. Don’t deny yourself the pain and hope of a true Easter Saturday.

Jesus is dead. The Son of God is dead. That is the truth of this day. Yesterday they put Him on a cross and crucified Him. They put Him in a tomb. He’s dead. That was what the disciples KNEW.

And they, when they had heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her, believed not. (Mark 16:11)

And their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not. (Luke 24:11)

Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. (John 20:19)

The disciples KNEW Jesus was gone, the dream was over, they were huddled together for safety and to decide what to do next.

We do have an “advantage” over the disciples. They suffered from “faith blindness”. Jesus had told them what was going to happen next … but they couldn’t see it. Sure “The Son of man is delivered into the hands of men, and they shall kill him;” but  “and after that he is killed, he shall rise the third day.” (Mark 9:31). The disciples had not been able to connect the experiences they were going through with the prophesies of Jesus. They had no ears to hear or eyes to see … 

The disciples blindness gave them a real advantage however. There was a stunning, joyful, “Easter morning” awakening to the truth. If we refuse the dark emptiness of Saturday, we cannot fully experience the joy of Sunday.

If, then, you have not done so, pause now. Try for a moment to forget what you have known so long, and feel the pain of Jesus death raw and new. I promise the glorious opening of your eyes will make it it worth the effort.

Under The Sun

Posted on by April 3, 2015
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Ecclesiastes 4:1– So I returned, and considered all the oppressions that are done under the sun: and behold the tears of such as were oppressed, and they had no comforter; and on the side of their oppressors there was power; but they had no comforter.

It is a beautiful day today. There is a beautiful blue sky, fluffy white clouds, a golden sun. Yet I was reminded, as I had my time alone with God this morning that, in all corners of the world, wicked things are happening. There are oppressors with power, and oppressed people without a comforter.

On that day, more than two thousand years ago, when judges and people conspired to murder the holiest of men, it seems the sky was not blue and for a time the sun forgot to shine. The sun turned away from the sight, but there were oppressors with power, and an oppressed man who, at the end, cried out “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me” when for a moment His last comfort failed.

As I thought on this less than cheerful topic, another passage from Ecclesiastes came to my mind:

Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them; while the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain: in the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out of the windows be darkened, (Ecclesiastes 12:1-3)

I know that the passage speaks about a man’s decline into old age, but it reminded me too that kingdoms and empires decline and eventually fall. Jerusalem did not long survive the murder of Jesus, and Rome itself came to destruction like the Babylonian, Persian and Greek empires that went before it.

It is too easy, on Good Friday — especially on this Good Friday,  to see the dark and miss the light.  It is tempting to believe that the “principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this world and spiritual wickedness in high places” have the upper hand, and that moral defeat at home and abandonment of our friends abroad is inevitable. Never believe it!

The empires that surround us slip, even now, from the heights of their power. They may rule under the sun — but God rules in heaven, and the last word is not yet spoken!

 

Have A Care

Posted on by April 2, 2015
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Deuteronomy 22:8 — When thou buildest a new house, then thou shalt make a battlement for thy roof, that thou bring not blood upon thine house, if any man fall from thence.

To me one of the beautiful things about the Bible as a book of the law is the way it intersperses laws relating to the love and duty we owe to God with those that relate to our fellow man. This is not, of course, random or accidental. Jesus made it very clear, when He restated something that was very clear to His fellow Jews:

Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. (Matthew 22:37-39)

The first and greatest law — and much that flows from it — defines our first and greatest obligation, but the second makes clear the duty of care we owe to our “neighbor”. As to who that neighbor might be, Jesus made that very clear in His telling of the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:29-37). The “neighbor” relationship is defined by nothing other than need — such matters of proximity or family are beside the point. So our duty of care, essentially, extends to everyone we come into contact with. 

But what has Deuteronomy 22:8 got to do with all this?  “The New Manners and Customs of the Bible” says:

The purpose of the parapet, which was a low protective wall or railing along the edge of the roof, was not for the purpose of decoration or defense as the KJV word “embattlement” infers, but to keep people from falling off the roof. The roofs were flat with a slight rise in the center to allow water to run to the edges and out holes in the parapet. Because of the heat in that climate, the family would often sleep on the roof at night and even eat meals there.

Having that battlement, or parapet, was a requirement to protect anyone, family or visitor,  who went up in the roof. It’s a “love your neighbor” thing. It’s a mistake, though, to regard the Torah, or the New Testament’s articulation of “laws” as being a complete and precise list of all the obligations of life.Rather, they should be considered as statements of principle to be applied to any circumstance where they might reasonably be applied. I believe that thought is what lies behind the vast body of rulings — the oral law — written down in the Mishnah. There is a vulgar tendency to poke fun at the precision of some decisions that now seem obscure or outdated — I’m sure that’s a mistake. That application of law is exactly what’s intended.It follows from all this that the requirement to have a “battlement” around the house to prevent harm to any visitors defines a general duty to think about what risks any of our activities might pose to anyone affected by them … and to plan accordingly.The idea goes further. I’ve often heard someone say “the Bible doesn’t say I can’t do that” or “Jesus doesn’t  say I have to do this”. Well it does, and He does. The verse I quoted from James the other day puts it in a nutshell: “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.” (James 4:17)

In sum, therefore, have a care. Protect your neighbor.

You Are Mighty!

Posted on by April 1, 2015
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Deuteronomy 20:1-4 — When thou goest out to battle against thine enemies, and seest horses, and chariots, and a people more than thou, be not afraid of them: for the Lord thy God is with thee, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. And it shall be, when ye are come nigh unto the battle, that the priest shall approach and speak unto the people, and shall say unto them, Hear, O Israel, ye approach this day unto battle against your enemies: let not your hearts faint, fear not, and do not tremble, neither be ye terrified because of them; for the Lord your God is he that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you. 
There are plenty of times when I see a job in front of me and it just looks beyond me. The obstacles are too great, there are too many people who might not be enemies, but who just won’t cooperate.
I’ve come to realize that I can get through all of those situations. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not always successful — but quite often I am, and even when I’m not, the results are rarely as bad as I might have expected.
I’ve never really understood why I’ve been able to get through tough times, but over the last year or so the answer has become pretty clear. There’s a song we’ve started singing … It has a great chorus:
I know who goes before me
I know who stands behind me
The God of angel armies
Is always by my side
The one who reigns forever
He is a friend of mine
The God of angel armies
Is always by my side
Whom Shall I Fear (God Of Angel Armies) — Chris Tomlin
Looking at my verses from Deuteronomy today, I realized I could really “own” those verses — especially if I thought about the “formula” it suggests.
First, the Israelites we’re going to be fighting battles the Lord had prepared for them. If I am sure that whatever I’m facing is part of God’s plan for my life, I can be sure He will be taking care of me on the journey. 
Second, the Israelites could be sure their God was with them … and I can be sure that God is with me. In fact I have His promise to that effect.
Then, the Israelites had their priest to lead them into battle. Well:
Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. …
Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:14, 16)
I have a High Priest who will go into battle with me … especially if I remember to pray.
When things get tough I can stand on the promises of God — and so can you, and then you are mighty!

No In- Betweens!

Posted on by March 30, 2015
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James 4:17 — Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.

For the last two weekends I have had to spend time working, when I really wanted to do something else. I found myself in a position I get into from time to time, with duty interfering with desire.

There are times when I know what I should be doing, but I just don’t feel like doing it. Unfortunately, “no” is just not an option. For thousands of years, the Lord has had simple requirements of His people and made them plain in His word. He made His expectations clear through Moses:

 And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, to keep the commandments of the Lord, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good? (Deuteronomy 10:12-13)

He said pretty much the same thing through Micah:

He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? (Micah 6:8)

Now it might be said that Moses was some kind of aristocrat, and Micah of Moreseth a country boy … But the message didn’t change. And it didn’t change when it was delivered in the New Testament by James, the brother of Jesus. If you know what the right thing to do is, and you don’t do it, that’s sin.

The message has come down the centuries, and been passed on to us. But we live in a modern world don’t we, where absolutes are to be questioned? Surely there’s room for a little compromise, a middle way? I’m afraid not. In fact Johnny Mercer nailed that idea in his song “Accentuate The Positive” in 1944:

To illustrate my last remark, Jonah in the Whale, Noah in the ark, What did they do, just when everything looked so dark

They said we better, accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative, latch on to the affirmative,

But don’t mess with mister inbetween

When it comes to doing the right thing, there’s no room for compromise in the believer’s life. Never has been, never will be. So I spent a good chunk of time working over the last two weekends, and I’ll be working on finishing my taxes this weekend. Duty. I’s the only option.

See What God Has Done!

Posted on by March 29, 2015
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Psalm 118:22-24 — The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner. This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.

Today our church celebrated becoming debt free, about two years ahead of a schedule that got drastically revised by the financial chaos caused by the collapse of the property market. Only God could have provided in such an amazing way. As if to put His special seal of approval on proceedings today has been a picture-perfect Florida Spring day — temperatures in the high seventies, not a cloud in the blue sky, nice cooling breeze … 

We heard some great testimonials from people whose lives had really been enriched by the facilities the church’s campus makes possible. A young teenager had grown up in the church and it’s school, a young single mom had turned her life around, an older couple had found a new church home after a frustrating search … Just three of what, I am sure, could have been hundreds of beautiful stories. Only God could have done it …

The events of the day made me look back over the nine years that the church has been paying off the debt and thinking about what God has done in my life. When it started, I had been a Christian for a few short years. Even then I could look back over a life which, though it had not been especially wicked, contained enough selfishness and self indulgence to make it nothing to be proud of. I remember looking back and thinking I was doing O.K. …

What does it look like nine years later? 

Myra and I went through a period when we thought we were going into ministry — and were disappointed when that same financial crisis put a stop to our support raising.

My job has been a perilous roller coaster, with more probability of downs than ups — not through any fault of mine, but because the business has been very “challenged”.

I’ve been writing these devotions for almost two years. The process has taught me — and keeps teaching me — more than I could ever have imagined.

I could say so much more, but I hope you’re getting the picture. I’m not the man I was nine years ago. I know now that the Christian life can be as much down as up — if not more. I’m starting to know that there can be as much joy in the valleys as there is in the hills.

Only God could have made the changes in my life that He has made. “This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes“. … But I am only one in millions of millions … See what God has done, is doing, and will do. A debt-free church isn’t much to God, although I suspect the army of faithful givers will make Him smile … but the changed life, ah that is a miracle.

The Lord Said …

Posted on by March 28, 2015
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Numbers 15:37-40 — And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and bid them that they make them fringes in the borders of their garments, throughout their generations, and that they put upon the fringe of the borders a ribband of blue: and it shall be unto you for a fringe, that ye may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of the Lord, and do them; and that ye seek not after your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye use to go a whoring: that ye may remember, and do all my commandments, and be holy unto your God.

Here is (most of) the third and last part of the Shema, the Hebrew daily declaration of faith. If the first part acknowledges the unity of God, and the second part stresses obedience, this third part stresses remembrance.

The Jews were God’s special people. That did not make them naturally any less prone to sin than the people around them. There were, however, things that God did to help the Jews with sin. Earlier in the chapter in which our text is found are the instructions for atonement for sin. How much better it would be, however, if sin were avoided. So God provides the means of avoiding it.

The Jews have been given the fringes to help them remember. It is a most precious gift. To my mind Christians have been given a much more precious gift for remembrance. Jesus said:

These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you. But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. (John 14:25-26)

So, in three days we have looked at the three parts of the Shema. It is the daily Jewish prayer of dedication. Yet we have found riches in it for Christians too. The main glory is found in the verse that follows our text:

I am the Lord your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: I am the Lord your God. (Numbers 15:41)

Know that there is one God, obey Him, never forget it — He has chosen you. He is always with you. He is a covenant God. “if we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.” (2 Timothy 2:13)

Carefully Heed!

Posted on by March 27, 2015
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Deuteronomy 11:13-14 And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto my commandments which I command you this day, to love the Lord your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul, that I will give you the rain of your land in his due season, the first rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil.

Another way of translating how the start of the second part of the Hebrew confession of faith, the Shema, — “vehayah im shamoa tishmau” — is “if you will earnestly heed the commandments I give you this day” (Deuteronomy 11:13). The words are really important in this passage. It raised four points for me. Let’s start with the obvious instructional elements and then get into a couple of really detailed “language” issues.

The first thing is that it’s not enough just to listen, or hear, or hearken. The force of the word is “pay attention!”. And pay attention doesn’t just mean concentrate. It means “hear and obey”. It’s exactly what James was talking about:

But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. (James 1:22)

The second thing Is that it’s good to pay attention — but you have to pay attention diligently. It can’t be an occasional attention, it must be consistent and committed. It’s another point that James makes:

Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin. (James 4:17)

The third point is the first of the “language” issues.  Perhaps the most important word in this passage is one of the smallest! “If”. The issue is about choice. It might be argued that, in both Jewish and Christian faiths, choice is the big issue. The space between God’s will and man’s will is the space where salvation and damnation are decided. For the Jews of Moses’s day it was the space between blessing and cursing. We need to choose to hear and obey, of our own free will.

The last point is the second “word” issue. Did you know ancient Hebrew doesn’t contain a word that strictly means “obey”? Modern Hebrew does — but it’s an Aramaic loan word. In the Old Testament, “obey” is usually a translation of “shema” which might well be translated “to hear intelligently”. 

So putting it all together, make your mind up to listen carefully to God’s instructions and do what He says, and be blessed … or don’t, and be prepared to be cursed.

It’s not that complicated is it?