Do You Do Daily Quiet Time?

Posted on by January 19, 2015
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John 15:4-7 — Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches. He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit; for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

I  was talking with Myra this morning as she drove me to work, and she said that the first thing she had to do when she got home was to do her quiet time.
Now I know my beloved wife. She abides in Jesus and He abides in her. She is talking to her Lord all the day long. So I knew what she meant. If it hadn’t been Myra, though, two words would have stood out — “had” and “do” — she “had” to “do” her quiet time. But to her it wasn’t a matter of duty, but of getting essential spiritual oxygen … But I have talked with so many to whom quiet time is a duty, just one more item on the “to do” list. That’s so sad …
So here’s the truth. You don’t have to have a quiet time. You won’t affect your salvation. But you will affect your spiritual health and happiness!
The Bible tells us to pray constantly — and so we should. We should constantly be seeking the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Those are both excellent practices — but it’s a bit like chatting with somebody through the day, while you go about your daily activities. It’s not like sitting down with your best friend and sharing the most intimate thoughts and concerns from the bottom of your heart. That’s what quiet time is for. It’s a time to visit with the Holy Spirit, sharing what’s on your heart and listening for His guidance — it’s really not something you have to do, it’s something you get to do!
I know there are people who don’t have a quiet time because they don’t know how to and are worried they might do it wrong. Well, here’s the good news. There really isn’t a wrong way of having quiet time. There are some useful ideas though. Let me offer three:
First, find a time at which you will have your quiet time every day — unless providentially prevented! It will be hard to be reliable if you do it at random times, it will never become a good habit.
Second, pick a favorite spot and make it a comfortable retreat where you have a fair chance of being undisturbed.
Finally, have a process — I like to read a little scripture, spend some time meditating on it, and spend the good part of the time praying. There’s nothing sacred about my process, but it’s a good idea to have a plan.
That’s what works for me — but the important thing is to be there — if you show up, your best friend absolutely will.
Have a wonderful time!

The Poorest Copy

Posted on by January 18, 2015
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Luke 15:18-21 — I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.

The verses above are the climactic point of perhaps the most touching of Jesus’s parables. Charles Dickens called it the greatest short story ever told. One of its wonders, to me, is the number of ideas that it launches that are quite separate from its main theme. One of those ideas seized my attention today.
The younger son has chafed under the constraints of living at home. The elder son, it turns out at the end of the story, had only been dutifully, joylessly, obedient. So how is it that the father had been so unsuccessful with his sons?
I don’t have an answer to the mystery of how the loving father of the prodigal had the sons he had. All I know is that the story is compelling in its reality. I am sure that, like me, you know many good men who have been quite unsuccessful as fathers. In fact there are many examples in the Bible — starting with Adam. Abraham let one son be driven into wilderness, Isaac’s two sons couldn’t live together, most of Jacob’s sons conspired to murder Joseph and one of David’s sons was a rapist. Those, of course, were the good men!
That leads me into the deeper mystery that I’ve been wondering about today.
We were made in God’s image. So much of our lives are, in some way, types of heavenly realities. How is it that we do such a poor job in making father-son relationships a copy of the Heavenly Father-Son relationship? How many earthly father’s can (and do) say “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” I suppose it’s just one more way in which the corruption of sin pervades our lives. Even Solomon, author of so much wonderful advice to his own son in the Book of Proverbs, didn’t do all that well. Rehoboam, his son, was so foolish that the kingdom was torn in two and the greater part ripped out of his hands. Father-son relationships … the poorest of our copies!

The Joy Of The Lord.

Posted on by January 17, 2015
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Zephaniah 3:14-17 — Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel; be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem. The Lord hath taken away thy judgments, he hath cast out thine enemy: the King of Israel, even the Lord, is in the midst of thee: thou shalt not see evil any more. In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear thou not: and to Zion, Let not thine hands be slack. The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.

I’m back! I said this week promised to be tough, and it certainly fulfilled it’s promise! So much so that when this thought filled my mind and heart yesterday, I was just too tired to write about it. Today though, I have had time to breathe.
Zephaniah 3:17 has always been a “slip over” verse to me. My eyes have usually “slipped over” it. Yesterday, though, it jumped out at me. Imagine, the Lord rejoices over His people! I tried to imagine what that’s like. Honestly, I really can’t, but I have this notion of wonderful surges of energy pulsing out from the throne and filling God’s Angels and His people with joy. Can I really find that in the Bible? Not quite … but I can find clues.
Jesus told the parable of the lost sheep. How did it finish? “I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.” (Luke 15:7). The way I look at it, there’s a lot of sinners getting saved — so that’s a lot of joy!
As I was contemplating this, another phrase came to mind — “the joy of the Lord is my strength”. I’ve heard it so often, but I couldn’t place it. So I hunted, and tracked it down:

Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength. (Nehemiah 8:10)

What a great idea. The joy of the Lord is our strength. With all that joy, that has to be a lot of strength.
This is one of those circular ideas that I love. Wonderful things flow from the Lord through to His people … and then from His people right back to Him!

Who’s Better Than You?

Posted on by January 12, 2015
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2 Corinthians 10:12 — For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.

Before I start, let me just say that I might have to miss a day or two this week. I have some business meetings that seem like they might be starting early and ending late, leaving me very little time to write!
God does not grade on the curve. In fact He doesn’t really grade at all. With Him, it’s pass/fail. “Did you accept my Son as Lord and Savior, or not?”
Unfortunately, we people are not like that. We are always comparing ourselves with each other. I’ve got to admit I do it myself, all the time. “That guy is such a good Christian”… “That man is so much smarter than I am” … I could go on all night identifying people who are better than me, in one way or another. But that would be a mistake.
The Apostle Paul has a point of view on comparison. Basically, “don’t!” In this passage he’s talking about “teachers” who were comparing themselves (favorably, of course) with him, but the principles apply generally. People often seem to gain and exercise influence over others comparing themselves to those with a legitimate claim. This is particularly foolish when the authority being claimed is spiritual authority. There is only one source of spiritual authority, and He isn’t about to give it to those who compare themselves with legitimate leaders and elect themselves to higher positions!
Of course, Paul goes further. It’s as if he says: “Look, if you must compare yourself, at least pick a decent standard — don’t just compare yourself with yourself!” It’s great advice. Looking in a mirror will show me nobody who looks any better than I do — and nobody who looks any worse either. If you must compare, at least look up! If you do, you do run the risk of feeling silly. As Calvin says of the silly teachers Paul was dealing with, “if they had compared themselves with Paul, or any one like him, they would have felt constrained to lay aside immediately that foolish impression which they entertained, and would have exchanged boasting for shame.”
But really, don’t compare. There’s God and His standards, and there’s the rest of us and the way we are. It doesn’t matter how good we are, or how bad, between us and God there is no comparison!

Get Smart!

Posted on by January 11, 2015
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Proverbs 3:1-6 — My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments: for length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee. Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: so shalt thou find favor and good understanding in the sight of God and man. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

Verses 5 and 6 of this text are very well known — “Trust in the Lord …”. They were verses that I learned very early in my Christian walk. Verses 1 to 4 get talked about less often but maybe their advice is just as valuable.
The first thing to note is the scope of Solomon’s instruction. “My law … My commandments”… He’s not talking about laws and commandments that he had invented. Whether he is continuing the personification of wisdom begun in chapter 2, or speaking in his own voice, he is clearly talking about God’s law, and God’s commandments.
More than mere memorization is expected. “bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart” … in effect, Solomon says, make the law and commandments the guiding principles of your life. Always have them “top of mind” whenever you make a decision.
Of course it’s not enough to know the law and memorize the commandments. It is necessary to obey them, to trust in the Lord and be directed by Him.
Observing the law and commandments, says Solomon, brings great benefits.
The first blessing is “Length of days” — that is, as much life as is desired, and no more. The second, “Years of life,” is closely related. It speaks of having life worth living. Psalm 90 tells us “The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labor and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.” Solomon is talking of a life that never becomes “labor and sorrow”. Then there is “Peace;” — “shalom”, that Hebrew word that carries so much more than just “peace”. It might just as well be defined as “prosperity, success; welfare, state of health; friendliness; deliverance and salvation.”
As well as these wonderful “general” benefits, the son will receive “favor and good understanding in the sight of God and man” — that is he will be well thought of, and well spoken of.
All those years ago, Solomon knew what he was talking about. The law and commandments must frame our life, and if we let them the benefits will be wonderful!

Evil

Posted on by January 10, 2015
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Matthew 6:13 — And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

Terror, wickedness … Evil …
Evil is the context, the framework in which all human sin occurs. Love and evil are, I think, the two hardest of phenomena to understand. Today I want to have a go at, at least, some aspects of evil. I know full well that I can only scratch round the edges of some questions that are often asked — what is it, where does it come from, and why does it exist?
Evil is variously defined, and there are quite a lot of different words used for it in the Bible. In the Old Testament the main word is “ra” and the main themes are the rejection of God’s law and the denial of the rights of others. In the New Testament there are multiple different words. The two main words are “kakos” and “poneros“. The best distinction I have seen between the two is “The ‘kakos’ may be content to perish in his own corruption, but the ‘poneros’ is not content unless he is corrupting others and drawing them into his own destruction.” The word Jesus uses in His model prayer is related to “poneros”. He’s teaching us to pray to be protected from being corrupted and drawn to destruction …
Where does evil come from? There is an inescapable truth. There is nothing that does not come from God. Ultimately, wherever evil comes from, that source comes from God. Is that conclusion uncomfortable? The alternative is the heretical conclusion that there is something that exists independently of God. More directly, Jesus tells us:

For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: all these evil things come from within, and defile the man. (Mark 7:21-23)

Evil comes from the heart of men. It has been that way since Satan planted evil in the hearts of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.
Why does evil exist? It’s a mystery that has engaged the minds of wise and holy people for thousands of years. Let’s be clear … God does not choose for evil to happen. That needs to be clarified a little, since there are times when God does punish people by allowing bad things to happen to them. But God does not choose moral evil. The key is that word “choose”. God does not choose evil. Man chooses evil, as the evil in His heart responds to the prompting of Satan.
You might say that these are very simple views. I might even agree. Who am I to describe in a short devotion what has occupied so many brilliant minds for so long? And is there no defense against evil? That, at least we can answer. Jesus directs us, as we have seen, to pray. And we have a powerful ally that Jesus has sent us — The Holy Spirit — if we have chosen to accept the freely offered gift of salvation.

Wickedness

Posted on by January 9, 2015
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Jeremiah 17:5-10 — Thus saith the Lord; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord. For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited. Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit. The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings

I wrote, yesterday, about terrorist attacks in France. There is no doubt that those attacks were wicked. In some ways, though, they are understandable. There’s another kind of wickedness though, that recent events have laid on my heart, and it is inexplicable — at least to me.
On Thursday, five-year-old Phoebe Jonchuck’s father dropped her from a bridge into Tampa Bay and killed her.
In May last year, Ebony Wilkerson drove her Honda Odyssey van and her three children into the Atlantic Ocean in Daytona Beach. As onlookers rushed to rescue them, the three children (aged ten, nine and three) were crying and saying, “Our mommy’s trying to kill us, please help”.
In White Springs, Florida, on Monday the Kornegays left daughters Misty (15) and Nicole (11) at home with their three-year-old sister. According to police, the older girls broke into their parents’ locked bedroom got the couple’s gun, loaded it and shot their sixteen-year old brother while he slept on the living room floor.
These crimes are horrible to me, and impossible for me to understand. I find these verses from Jeremiah to be a comfort — especially “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings”. In my mind it connects to “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:” (Matthew 15:19 KJVA).
These wicked crimes happen because there is something broken in the hearts of those who commit them. I don’t understand it. I don’t understand it — but Almighty God does, and He will reward the wicked according to their ways.

Terror

Posted on by January 8, 2015
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Psalm 10:17-18 — You, Lord, hear the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry, defending the fatherless and the oppressed, so that mere earthly mortals will never again strike terror. (NIV)

I was too late last night to reflect fully on the attack on the French satirical magazine, Charlie Hebdo. Tonight though, I’d like to say a few things.
John Peter Lange, in his commentary on these verses, says what I feel about terrorists — any terrorists:

The enemies of the pious are not only strong, crafty, unscrupulous, cruel, and eager to devise the ruin of their opponents, but they are likewise without faith, and godless even to the extent of denying that there is a God. But whilst they rage. scorn, and blaspheme, and in their pride wickedly disregard all Divine commands, and offend against all human order and rights; God sees how they act and how His servants suffer; and God reveals to them both the power of his hand, as the God who is always and eternally King.

That’s how I feel about all terrorists. I don’t care what your cause is — God, country, race, environment — I don’t care. Terrorism offends against God and man.
The way I feel about terror and terrorists doesn’t make me supportive of the virulent anti-Islamic abuse that has followed. One disgusting comment I saw today said “It’s time to start a jihad against Islamic terrorists.” It is not our job to start holy wars! Paul covers the question very thoroughly:

Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:17-21 NIV)

In other words, hard as it is, It is our duty as as Christians to reach out to Arabs and Muslims, and to resist the easy option of Islamophobia (which, like anti-semitism is on the rise in Europe).
The last thing I want to say is pray! Pray for the victims at Charlie Hebdo, and the staff who remain and are committed to printing 1m copies of next week’s edition. Pray for the families of the victims. Pray too, for the people of France.
These terrible events always ask questions of us. In the face of terror what kind of Christians are we, will we trust that almighty God will defend the fatherless and the oppressed, so that mere earthly mortals will never again strike terror?

The Lurch Of Time

Posted on by January 7, 2015
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Psalm 37:25-26 — I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread. He is ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed is blessed.

I know I passed 60 last year. It was a bit startling today though to receive no fewer than four of those invitations to lunch/dinner with a retirement seminar. That was really rubbing salt into the wound!
I love Psalm 37. These two verses have always seemed odd though. I have seen the children of decent people having to beg for their daily bread. But the older I get — like the Psalmist — the more I see the points being made.
Let’s start with the most straightforward point. “I have not seen the righteous forsaken”. It’s not about physical security of course — if it was there would have been no martyrs. It’s about spiritual security, knowing that Jesus has promised “I am with you until the end of the age” and knowing that He never breaks His promises.
On the face of it, the next point, “I have never seen his seed begging bread” is harder to understand. While it may be true that the children of the righteous generally do well, there are examples to the contrary — and many of those children pass through times, at least, of hardship. We should not misinterpret those times however … there is a difference between times of testing and God’s long term plan. But maybe this isn’t about physical security either. Remember what Jesus said? “But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4) Perhaps that’s the “bread” that the seed of the righteous will never beg for — the spiritual bread on which we all depend.
Next comes “The righteous is ever merciful and lendeth”. Merciful, in the Hebrew, speaks of more than simple mercy — it speaks to empathy, compassion — the righteous man has compassionate understanding of those around him, and “Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.” (Matthew 5:7)
The next point is that the righteous man lends. There’s more to that than meets the eye, too. The righteous man, lending to a fellow Jew was, in effect, making a gift: “Thou shalt not lend upon usury to thy brother; usury of money, usury of victuals, usury of any thing that is lent upon usury: unto a stranger thou mayest lend upon usury; but unto thy brother thou shalt not lend upon usury: that the Lord thy God may bless thee in all that thou settest thine hand to in the land whither thou goest to possess it.” (Deuteronomy 23:19-20). That is, lending is without interest being charged.
The last point, “The seed of the righteous is blessed” is straightforward. The child of a righteous parent is blessed indeed …
This exploration of these two verses is becoming typical for me. Scriptures don’t seem clear. But if I take time, if I wait, the explanation surfaces …

The Evil Eye

Posted on by January 6, 2015
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Mark 7:21-23 — For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: all these evil things come from within, and defile the man.

Sometimes the idea behind these pieces comes out of nowhere. Sometimes they come from the events of the day. Sometimes, like this one, they come from the day’s Bible reading. I read Mark 7 today, and I was reminded of something that I think it’s worth understanding.
Jesus has just said something that for the Jews turns right and wrong on their head. Uncleanness is from the inside … Not the outside. Hundreds of years of law and tradition set aside.
In His revolutionary statement, Jesus provides a list of the pollution that spews out of a man’s heart. In that list there are two that you might think seem rather innocuous — covetousness (Desiring to possess something at the expense of the legitimate owner) and “an evil eye” (envy, a desire for another’s gifts, possessions, position or achievements, closely associated with jealousy).
These two closely related sins are subtly different but, be very sure, they are wicked.
The Greek word for covetousness is “Pleonexia, which William Barclay describes as “that lust for having which is in the heart of the person who sees happiness in things instead of in God”. That is, it amounts to idolatry. Jesus calls it out for just the same reason that it is forbidden in the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:17).
Jesus used the idea of the evil eye when He told the parable of the laborers in the vineyard. When those who arrived early and worked all day complained about the full payment given to late arrivals the owner said “Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good? (Matthew 20:15). It makes the sin clear — it amounts to questioning God’s decisions about who gets what …
There’s another reason, I believe, for Jesus to make such a big deal of these two sins. I see them as “root” sins — sins from which many others can grow. Covetousness and envy both take God off the throne and replace Him with our own selfish selves.when we see something we want, we steal it, with not a moment’s delay. If we envy someone else’s good fortune, we don’t hesitate to undermine it. Envy and covetousness are terrible diseases.