Never Forsaken

Posted on by February 23, 2015
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Deuteronomy 31:6 — Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

From time to time I exchange emails with people seeking to find God or get closer to Him. Today I answered a question from someone wanting to know if God had forsaken them.
I looked back on these devotions and was surprised to find that I have not been called to address this topic of feeling abandoned before. It’s something that every Christian I know seems to go through at some time or another. The Spanish poet, monk and mystic St. John of the Cross gave it a name — “The Dark Night of the Soul”.
As I meditated on this topic three pieces of scripture came to mind. The first is a reminder that there are certainly times when God may turn His face from us … for a moment …

For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee. In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer. (Isaiah 54:7-8)

My second text reinforces that thought of the Lord’s faithfulness:

For the Lord will not forsake his people for his great name’s sake: because it hath pleased the Lord to make you his people. (1 Samuel 12:22)

Let me delay my third text for a moment, and return to John of The Cross.
In a Lenten season it seems appropriate to reflect on the monk’s idea that the soul must pass through a personal experience of Christ’s passion in a period of fear and uncertainty and even doubts of God — but there is a promise that on the other side is a wonderful fellowship with God.
This idea to me is related to the notion that, in the end, there is nothing we can cling to but our faith. We may easily let go of possessions, we may even let go of our relationships, but can we let go of even the comfort of our security?
Back then, to my last text. Here is that final reassurance that we are never, really, abandoned.

I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now; being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: (Philippians 1:3-6)

Even the desert times are part of the finishing process. We are never, ever, forsaken.

Infinite Creator

Posted on by February 22, 2015
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Leviticus 11:13-19 — And these are they which ye shall have in abomination among the fowls; they shall not be eaten, they are an abomination: the eagle, and the ossifrage, and the ospray, and the vulture, and the kite after his kind; every raven after his kind; and the owl, and the nighthawk, and the cuckoo, and the hawk after his kind, and the little owl, and the cormorant, and the great owl, and the swan, and the pelican, and the gier-eagle, and the stork, the heron after her kind, and the lapwing, and the bat.

I haven’t written much of today’s devotion! A much greater author is making my points for me today …
There are so many times when I am brought to a stopping point by something I read in the Bible. The other day, it was this passage in Leviticus.
I have extracted just a few verses from Chapter 11. The chapter is really about clean and unclean foods — but what struck me when I read it this time was the amazing variety, especially in this passage about the birds.
I love the many passages in the Bible that can be read as hymns to creation. Of course there is the beautiful opening in Genesis, but there are so many others. Here are just a few …

Job, chapters 39 and 40 — “Will the unicorn be willing to serve thee, or abide by thy crib? Canst thou bind the unicorn with his band in the furrow? Or will he harrow the valleys after thee?” (Job 39:9-10)

Psalm 19 — “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth his handiwork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge.” (Psalm 19:1-2)

Psalm 29 — “The voice of the Lord breaketh the cedars; yea, the Lord breaketh the cedars of Lebanon. He maketh them also to skip like a calf; Lebanon and Sirion like a young unicorn. … The voice of the Lord maketh the hinds to calve, and discovereth the forests: and in his temple doth every one speak of his glory.” (Psalm 29:5-6, 9)

Psalm 104 — “O Lord, how manifold are thy works! In wisdom hast Thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches. So is this great and wide sea, wherein are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts.” (Psalm 104:24-25)

Nehemiah, chapter 9 — “Thou, even thou, art Lord alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshippeth thee.” (Nehemiah 9:6)

Revelation, chapter 5 — “And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.” (Revelation 5:13)

Wherever you read in the Bible, if you let the Word speak to you, you will find the truth that God made the world and all that is in it, as well as the infinite universe that surrounds it. There are, I know, many who deny it:

For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. (Romans 1:20-21)

Once again, my reading was brought to a stop and my imagination was seized by the Bible’s consistent declaration of the glory of God’s creation. I’m looking forward to the next stopping point!

Tell Nobody!

Posted on by February 21, 2015
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Mark 5:43 — And he charged them straitly that no man should know it; and commanded that something should be given her to eat.

Why does Jesus tell Jairus and those with him not to broadcast the news of his daughter’s return from the dead?
Matthew Henry makes a strong case: “He charged them straitly, that no man should know it. It was sufficiently known to a competent number, but he would not have it as yet proclaimed any further; because his own resurrection was to be the great instance of his power over death, and therefore the divulging of other instances must be reserved till that great proof was given: let one part of the evidence be kept private, till the other part, on which the main stress lies, be made ready.” Jesus’ own resurrection was to be the first, and greatest, demonstration of His power over death — even though He could not forbear to exercise it in so touching a case as that of Jairus’s daughter.
It is strong case, but surely not complete — because there are other cases to consider. There was the leper whom Jesus told to conceal His healing, and tell only the priest to whom it must be reported.
Then there is the evidence of Matthew 12:16-19. Multitudes flocked to Jesus, and he healed many, but told them not to make their healing known. Matthew quotes Isaiah to account for Jesus’ instructions. “He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets.” Kehl and Delitzsch comment beautifully on this: “Although he is certain of His divine call, and brings to the nations the highest and best, His manner of appearing is nevertheless quiet, gentle, and humble; the very opposite of those lying teachers, who endeavoured to exalt themselves by noisy demonstrations. He does not seek His own, and therefore denies Himself; He brings what commends itself, and therefore requires no forced trumpeting.”
Jesus’s humility undoubtedly was part of this mystery. But there is one other thought, clarified by Myra this morning. There is an old idiom, “seeing is believing”. It’s said to be based on Thomas’s inability to believe in Jesus’s resurrection until he had seen Him. Jesus’s response was telling, and surely reflects on our question: “Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.” (John 20:29) That was the point Myra made. Jesus wants us to believe first, and then see — not see first and then believe. “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1)

Guilt And Restitution

Posted on by February 17, 2015
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Leviticus 4:1-2 — And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a soul shall sin through ignorance against any of the commandments of the Lord concerning things which ought not to be done, and shall do against any of them:

In our annual journey through the Bible, Myra and I have now reached Leviticus, and this morning we read through chapters 4 and 5. At first sight, these chapters seem to be bloody — perhaps even barbaric to modern eyes. Surely this business of slaughtering oxen, goats, rams and turtle doves has nothing to do with twenty-first century Christians? On a closer inspection of the passage though, it’s clear that it contains principles relating to guilt and restitution that are just as applicable today as they were in Moses’ day.
First, all sin must be paid for! No surprise there,I’m sure. God says of Himself, “I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; and showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.” (Exodus 20:5-6). Sin has consequences — and often those consequences hurt those closest to us. Leviticus makes it clear that every sin, intended or unintended but realized – must be payed for; guilt must be wiped out.
Second, those in authority will pay more highly for their transgressions than those who are not so highly placed. When this realization finally sunk in, it was a surprise to me, but it’s true. When you read these chapters over you will see that restitution is different for the priest, the leader and the ordinary man. In a democratic society this might seem unfair, but it matches reality. For me, it also called to mind Jesus’s comments about blessings and responsibilities:

And that servant, which knew his lord’s will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required; and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more. (Luke 12:47-48)

Finally, justice must be tempered with mercy. Penalties have to be adjusted to match the means of the guilty party. The going rate for the combined sin offering and guilt offering was a lamb or a goat but in Leviticus 5:7-10 we find that a poor man could bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons (one for the sin offering and one for the burnt offering.) In verses 11-13 we find that an extremely poor man could even bring an offering of flour.
These are beautiful principles gloriously embodied in Jesus sacrifice — which must surely occupy our mind with Lent starting tomorrow. All sin must be paid for. “Jesus paid it all”. Jesus, as the highest of us, paid with all He had. We, in our absolute poverty, have noting further to pay.
If you don’t love some of these long and seemingly dry books in the Bible, can I ask you to dig a little deeper. Every one is full of springs of refreshment!

Valentine, A Little Late

Posted on by February 16, 2015
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Proverbs 5:15-19 — Drink waters out of thine own cistern, and running waters out of thine own well. Let thy fountains be dispersed abroad, and rivers of waters in the streets. Let them be only thine own, and not strangers’ with thee. Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth. Let her be as the loving hind and pleasant roe; let her breasts satisfy thee at all times; and be thou ravished always with her love.

O.K., I know Valentine’s Day was on Saturday. I didn’t miss it, I promise — but my eye was caught by this lovely passage in Proverbs today, and I thought I should write a belated Valentines devotion.
The thing is, all the cards, candy and roses fluttering around the modern Valentines Day have alienated some Christians, and somehow created the impression that God isn’t in favor of romantic love. Nothing could be further from the truth!
It’s not just in this passage that the Bible hints at the sweetness of romantic love between husband and wife. The whole of the Beautiful book known as the Song of Solomon can be taken, at it face value, to sing of the love between a betrothed couple. The book of Hosea tells of the devotion of Hosea to his faithless wife Gomer.
There’s more to the biblical romances than just what lies on the surface. They tell of the pursuit by God of His faithless lover, Israel.
In the New Testament there’s another Divine romance. It’s the romance between Christ and His bride, the church:

Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. (Ephesians 5:25-28)

I think there’s another romance hidden in the Bible. It’s the romantic pursuit by the Holy Spirit. The Amplified Bible has a translation of James 4:5 that says “Or do you suppose that the Scripture is speaking to no purpose that says, The Spirit Whom He has caused to dwell in us yearns over us and He yearns for the Spirit to be welcome with a jealous love?”
Have I made my point? Father, Son and Holy Spirit … All great romantics. So be like Myra and me … Love one another!

Women In Service

Posted on by February 15, 2015
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Exodus 38:8 — And he made the laver of brass, and the foot of it of brass, of the looking-glasses of the women assembling, which assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

Are you a “Downton Abbey” fan? Myra is. I’m on the fence. The historical detail is wonderful and the dialog is usually fine — but the story lines make such a soap opera! The characters are great … with the women mostly more lively than the men, especially, “below stairs” — in service.
This piece is about women in service too — but a very different service. It’s a story that I think is hidden in plain sight in the Bible. It’s the story of women in the service of the Temple, and later the Church.
It’s easy to pass over this verse in Exodus. But it says so much.
I suppose I might get in trouble for saying this but I believe Eve probably saw her reflection in one of the rivers that ran through Eden, and women have set a lot of store by mirrors ever since. Mirrors weren’t easy to come by in Moses’ days. There was no glass, and polished bronze was the best reflector available. So for these women to give up their mirrors was a big sacrifice. But they were women who ministered at the tabernacle of the congregation. Here’s what Matthew Henry has to say about such women:

It seems in every age of the church there have been some who have thus distinguished themselves by their serious zealous piety, and they have thereby distinguished themselves; for devout women are really honourable women (Acts 13:50), and not the less so for their being called, by the scoffers of the latter days, silly women.

There’s lot’s of evidence of a “formally” lower view of women in Jewish society. And yet there are Biblical hints of a different “working” view — consider, for instance, the “Proverbs 31” woman who buys and sells goods and land.
Women could not penetrate beyond the outskirts of the Temple, and later could not get involved in the activities of the synagogue because they were levitically unclean for several days every month during their menstrual cycle. And yet there were women like Anna the prophetess who greeted Jesus (Luke 2). There were women who supported Jesus. Move forward just a little bit into the book of Acts, and you find women like Lydia and Priscilla who played an important part in the emerging church.
What does all this mean? I think it means that women have always had a vital part to play in the church. They have often made great sacrifices to support the ministry. Sometimes Paul’s directions about leading and teaching can be misinterpreted and that can lead to the role of women in the church being undervalued. If all the scriptures are taken together, the whole story comes into focus …

Small Things

Posted on by February 13, 2015
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Matthew 26:10-11 — When Jesus understood it, he said unto them, Why trouble ye the woman? for she hath wrought a good work upon me. For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always.

There are verses in the Bible that are regularly misapplied. Sometimes those abuses are horrific. This one might be the one that irritates me most of all. There are people — “Christians” — who seem to think it’s a reason for not giving, an excuse for not being concerned about poverty!
What Jesus said was not meant as a prophesy of never-ending poverty, or as a sign of approval. It was a prophesy of His death.
Here’s a scripture that those mean-spirited Christians might do better to take to heart:

For the poor shall never cease out of the land: therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land. (Deuteronomy 15:11)

So that’s pretty self-righteous of me isn’t it? This ought to be the time when I explained how before I got saved I was really mean, and then my whole attitude changed. I wish that’s how it was. Honestly though, I still have my mean moments. If you catch me on a bad day — maybe one of those days when my job doesn’t feel quite secure — you might find it hard to get a gift from me, no matter how good the cause was that you wanted me to donate to.
I don’t suppose I’m unique though. In fact I think a lot of you reading this might be pretty much like me. And just like me, I suspect you have your good days too, even your moments of greatness — days when you really dig into your savings to move the kingdom forward a little. The thing is, Jesus said something else about how we should treat people with misfortunes:

Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was ahungered, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. … And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal. (Matthew 25:41-46)

Misinterpreting the Bible, twisting it to mean-minded ends, was one of the things Jesus had against the “religious” of His day:

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. (Matthew 23:23)

Are these small things — a little meanness, a little misinterpretation … I don’t think so!

Devotion

Posted on by February 11, 2015
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1 Corinthians 10:31 — Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.

We honored some people in our choir tonight. Each of them had sung in the choir for more than twenty years. As I heard them talk about their experiences, the notion of devotion came irresistibly to mind.
“Devotion” seems to have first appeared in the English language in the sixteenth century. It can be traced back to an old French word and from there to Latin.
The Latin “devotionem” speaks of an “act of consecrating by a vow,” also “loyalty, fealty, allegiance;” in Church Latin, “devotion to God, piety.” This was the original sense in English.
Those people we honored tonight have truly devoted a lot of their time and talent to God.
In “A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life” in 1728, the Church of England Priest William Law wrote:

Devotion signifies a life given, or devoted, to God. He, therefore, is the devout man, who lives no longer to his own will, or the way and spirit of the world, but to the sole will of God, who considers God in everything, who serves God in everything, who makes all the parts of his common life parts of piety, by doing everything in the Name of God, and under such rules as are conformable to His glory.

Law’s comment broadens the meaning of devotion. In his description, devotion is not just an act — it’s an attitude.
It’s not just singers, or preachers, or teachers … Devotion is an attitude, a way of life that can be practiced by anyone and everyone. I’m reminded of Dorcas, in Chapter 9 of Acts — she “was full of good works and almsdeeds which she did.” (Acts 9:36). She was, surely, devoted in her life. As Matthew Henry said, “Such characters as Dorcas are useful where they dwell, as showing the excellency of the word of truth by their lives.”
Devotion does have to be practiced. It requires planning, commitment and awareness. Think of those three singers — they had to plan to be, over the years, at more than a thousand practices and about as many services. They had to plan, and to be really committed. As to awareness — as Law says, above, devotion implies considering God in everything. True devotion is practicing the presence of God.
The truly devoted person is, I suggest, rare. I might be fooling myself, but I believe most of you are like me. You’re committed … but not perfect. Let’s stop to honor the folks who are a little bit closer!

My Bad!

Posted on by February 10, 2015
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1 Peter 4:14-16 — If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men’s matters. Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.

Something happened today that (eventually) brought this scripture to mind.
I was asked for something I didn’t have. I didn’t have it — because it didn’t exist! The person that asked me for it accused me of not wanting to share. I’m ashamed to say that I lost my temper.
Controlling my temper used to be a daily challenge for me. Over the years, with God’s help, it’s become much less of a challenge. Every now and then though, there’s a rush of blood and I’m reminded that, as God warned Cain, “sin lies at the door”. That’s not my main point though …
Now I can’t claim that what happened to me was because I’m a Christian. Nor was it much in the way of “suffering”! But I didn’t “deserve” what was said. But Peter is talking about something else — something that really matters.
We live in an unjust world. All of us are going to get blamed for things, but what does Peter say? The great Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary puts it like this — “let him not be ashamed—though the world is ashamed of shame. To suffer for one’s own faults is no honor,—for Christ, is no shame.”
So far, the advice is sound — if you’re falsely accused, don’t be angry, and don’t be ashamed. If you are made to suffer because you are a Christian, don’t be ashamed … But Peter goes further. He says “glorify God in this behalf”. What does he mean? He’s talking about reaction, the part of the action we can control. “Let your reaction cause God to be glorified in these circumstances”.
Peter has returned to a theme he has spoken if earlier in his letter, “Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.” (1 Peter 2:11-12). His point is that we are being watched all the time — and our good actions, or reactions, cause even unbelievers to give glory to God.
I missed an opportunity to glorify God today. My bad! But maybe you can do better …

The 5 “C”s Of Churchgoing

Posted on by February 9, 2015
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Luke 9:56-62 — And it came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain man said unto him, Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God. And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house. And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.

Our Bible and Life Group teacher talked about three types of churchgoer as part of this Sunday’s lesson. The Congregation, the Committed, and the Core. I’d add two more … The Casual, and the Cautions.
The Congregation is formed of the majority of those who attend church. Church on Sunday is part of their life, but that’s as far as it goes. If the church was only made up of people like them it would be like the church of Laodicea, “I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:” (Revelation 3:15-17)
Fortunately, churches have the Committed too. They are the ones who don’t just attend on Sunday, but who are there at other times too, and probably engaged in some kind of service. In all fairness, it seems likely to me that the three “would-be” disciples whose eyes Jesus opened would be in this group … They were committed, but not part of the Core. The Core are those churchgoers who are “sold out to Jesus”, disciples who are always willing to sacrifice their own agenda for Jesus’s.
That leaves me with my two “extra C’s” — the Casual and the Cautions.
The Casual are like the one’s I call the “CEO”s — Christmas and Easter only! They come to church now and then — but not if there’s a good round of golf to be had or an interesting art show to go to!
And now we come to the Cautions … sadly, every church has them. They often conceal themselves among the Committed and the Core. They are the ones who put their own agenda ahead of Jesus’s, and so remind me of the scribes and Pharisees — “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.” (Matthew 23:27-28)
When I heard the 3 “C”s I was really challenged. I think I know which group I fit in, and I want to do better. Where do you fit? (I know you’re not in one of my two extra groups!)