Still Waters

Posted on by August 7, 2014
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Psalm 23 — The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

I hope that, sometimes, I have something different to say — something that makes you think. Today I have no such expectations. I just want to share a simple pleasure, and let you make of it what you will.
Myra and I have not been out for our evening walk for a while. A combination of awkward circumstances and bad weather have prevented us. Today, however, the weather was fine and nothing prevented us, so out we went.
As we walked through our Development the weight of the day rolled off my shoulders. There was a rabbit to make us smile. There was a squirrel to amuse us, to bring out a little laugh. And then we came to the lake behind the Community Center.
Monday’s record rainfall had filled the lake. In fact the water had risen so fast that the reeds that usually line the side of a lake were now several feet from the water’s edge. Between the water’s edge and the reeds, two or three coots were gently swimming. It was a beautiful, peaceful, scene. I said to Myra that this was one of the times that I wished I was an artist. I could see the picture, but I could never paint it. It didn’t matter; we were walking besides still waters.
God’s creation is a wonderful thing. It sustains us, at times it heals us and at times, like tonight, it calms us.
Now here’s a funny thing. We were blessed by coots tonight. Sometimes it’s ducks. You won’t find ducks or coots mentioned in the Bible! It doesn’t matter. All of creation has been made for our stewardship, use and enjoyment — and that includes the coots!
One of the things I love about this Christian life is that it is seamless. There are no compartments. There are no “God areas” or “Not-God areas”. It’s not just about worship on Sundays or even prayer, quiet time and Bible study on all the days of the week. It’s an all the time and every day thing, and whenever I will let Him, God leads me beside still waters.

The Greatest Love

Posted on by August 6, 2014
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John 15:13 — Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

I am so blessed to sing in our worship choir. It’s not just the singing, or the fellowship, or the worship … all of which I love. It’s the words. As we sing great songs, week by week, there’s a chance to savor wonderful words that tell deep Biblical truths. Just now we are rehearsing a song called “His Cross”. It’s a beautiful focus on the salvation story:

His Cross was not the first cross to stand on Calvary’s hill, his cross was not the last cross, where man’s blood, by man was spilled.
But his cross was the first and last cross where once for all God’s lamb was slain, and his blood was the first and last blood that can can wash away sins stain.
…
His tomb was the first and last tomb where life and death would collide, and his tomb was the first and last tomb where death itself would surely die.
For he arose on the 3rd day evermore to live again.
Soon he’ll return, for all his children, we shall go and live with him and in his home there’ll be no sorrow, former things are passed away. In his presence, we’ll live forever, oh hallelujah oh what a day.

In a few short verses, this beautiful song covers so much ground. Indeed Jesus’s cross was not the first cross. Thousands of Jews had been crucified in Israel before Jesus. But there were, of course, many unique things about this crucifixion. For a start, the victim was a volunteer. The Son of God “being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” (Philippians 2:8)
This cross carried the lamb whose blood was the only blood that God would accept in payment for man’s sins.
The tomb where they laid Jesus was the tomb where life and death collided, and from Friday to Sunday history changed direction, death lost its sting and the grave lost its victory.
On that Sunday, on the third day, “Now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.” The resurrection became reality.
As if these great truths about redemption and resurrection were not enough, the song speaks about the rapture too. Jesus is coming back for His children, and we will live with Him forever.
One song, so many great truths. Week by week rehearsing allows me to be drenched in the wonderful words of the faith. This week, I’m reminded of the greatest love of all. Next week, perhaps, my mind will be focused on another great truth!

An Ugly Story

Posted on by August 5, 2014
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Judges 19:28-29 — And he said unto her, Up, and let us be going. But none answered. Then the man took her up upon an ass, and the man rose up, and gat him unto his place. And when he was come into his house, he took a knife, and laid hold on his concubine, and divided her, together with her bones, into twelve pieces, and sent her into all the coasts of Israel.

Myra and I read this ugly story again this morning. Now let me remind you “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17) So this story is in the Bible for a reason. What could it be?
If you read all the way through Judges 19, I’m not sure you’ll find a single person to like. There’s the Levite, who fore some reason has wandered far from his family … and turns out to have a really dark side. There’s his concubine (maybe the most sympathetic of the cast) who is, at least, unreliable. The concubine’s father — well, maybe the worst that can be said about him is that he was too attached to a party life style. And then we come to Gibeah …
“And his master said unto him, We will not turn aside hither into the city of a stranger, that is not of the children of Israel; we will pass over to Gibeah.” (Judges 19:12). Talk about a bad decision! There was something bad about Gibeah. Maybe the Levite should have known something was up when none of the townspeople was willing to offer hospitality. The only offer came from the “old man” who basically said “I’m a stranger here myself, but don’t stay in the square.” it turns out that it didn’t matter. The men of the town came knocking — and the Levite and his host gave up their women folk to protect themselves!
So really, how is this horrible story “profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works?” At least two things come to mind.
Firstly, this report of the dreadful state of Israel when “there was no King in Israel, every man did that which was right in his own eyes” adds to the credibility of the Bible. There’s no sugar-coating, no hiding the ugly stuff.
Secondly, there is a warning. This is not a tale about wicked Canaanites. The townspeople are the Lord’s people — of the tribe of Benjamin. This is what happens when the people of God have no governing moral authority.
The warning carries a question. If we are Christians, what would happen if the Levite rode into our town? Are we sure we would do so well? How solid is the Christian history? Do we have any ugly stories in our past?

Is This You?

Posted on by August 4, 2014
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Colossians 3:12-15 — Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering; forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.

There are times when I think about a scripture that describes the Christian life — and then I think “are you kidding?” I mean, seriously, I’m only human! Look at the list of virtues we are suppose to manage — mercy, kindness, humility, meekness, persistence, tolerance, forgiveness, … and on top of all that, love and peace!
So, you know, if that’s the checklist, how are you doing today?
Paul provides the base from which we should be able to launch ourselves into the life of love that he describes. We are the “elect of God, holy and beloved”! I asked the other day if you know who you are. If you are a Christian, that’s who you see. You were chosen by God before your birth, you are set aside for His service, and He loves you! If we can cling on to those truths surely the challenges are manageable!
Paul describes the attributes that are to characterize our lives using a beautiful metaphor — one he uses elsewhere — we are to “put them on” like garments. We might take a moment to distinguish the beautiful spiritual items of clothing one from another. “Bowels of mercies” is really sympathy, the ability to share another’s suffering. “Kindness” is the desire for another persons good. “Humbleness of mind” is the recognition that we have no right or reason to be prideful. “Meekness”, that much misunderstood virtue, is power under control. (Of humbleness and meekness, Andrew Murray says “Men sometimes speak as if humility and meekness would rob us of what is noble and bold and manlike. O that all would believe that this is the nobility of the kingdom of heaven, that this is the royal spirit that the King of heaven displayed, that this is Godlike, to humble oneself, to become the servant of all!“. He understands these two pieces of the Spirit-provide wardrobe perfectly.) Lastly, “long-suffering” is the ability to show restraint under provocation. It is a divine attribute. How does God describe Himself — “And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin…”
We are the elect of God, holy and beloved. And it is love, if you like, that should be the bond that ties our clothes together.
I am, at best, less than perfectly dressed by these high standards that Paul has prescribed for us. But I know that if I become more able to wear these garments of love, so I will be the better for it, with the peace of God ruling in my heart! How about you? Is this you? Do you recognize yourself in these clothes!

The Joy Of Sunday

Posted on by August 3, 2014
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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’ve written before about the official Southern Baptist position on the topic that was traditionally called “Lord’s Day observance”. I pretty much agree with that position, but every so often I like to examine Sunday from one angle or another. Today, I want to talk abut Sunday grace.
I’m going to beg a little forgiveness here, and say that I pretty much see the Lord’s Day (Sunday) for Christians as equivalent to the Sabbath (Saturday) for Jews. If you want to chastise me, or disagree with me, feel free — but I will take the liberty of adopting some if Jesus’s sayings about the Sabbath and apply them to the Lord’s Day. In particular, I think it’s fair to reckon that when We read “And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath: therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.” we can assume He would have said the same about Sunday.
One of the differences between Old Testament Judaism and New Testament Christianity, it seems to me, is that Judaism is very prescriptive about how life should be lived, whereas Christianity provides a framework on the foundation of grace and expects the believer to decide what that says about how life should be lived. This distinction can be clearly seen when instructions for the seventh day are considered. The Jew has precise instructions to follow. The Christian has the merest hints for guidance.
The plainest thing that I can see is that the Christian should not regard himself (or herself!) as bound by a “rule” to do anything special on Sunday — or on any other day.
Some of the clues I see are as follows.
— We should, so far as we are able, neither work nor force others to work.
— We should join with other believers in worship.
— We should not use “it’s Sunday” as an excuse for not serving others.
You may find other clues which I have missed, and which you feel led by the Holy Spirit to take as directions for your Lord’s Day observance. Excellent! But keep in mind that you must “be fully persuaded in your mind” — just and I am fully persuaded in my mind. If you regard the day unto The Lord, you will do well.

Who Do You Think You Are?

Posted on by August 2, 2014
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Mark 8:29 — And he saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Peter answereth and saith unto him, Thou art the Christ.

Growing as a Christian, it seems one gains a sort of informal body of knowledge. Things that aren’t in the Bible, but it seems that most mature Christians know …
One of those bits of tribal knowledge is that every one of us must answer Jesus’s question for ourselves. But there’s another question that has started to present itself to me as equally important. Who do you say you are?
It’s a question every one of us has to answer for ourselves sooner or later — “Who am I”? Most of us are not who we dreamed of being when we were young.
Now it’s possible that someone reading this is a movie star, or an Olympic athlete, or a Nobel prize winner. But I’m thinking that most of you are more in the middle of the talent spectrum, as I am. So is that O.K. With you? Or are you secretly disappointed in yourself?
Let’s look at it the other way. Do you know all your gifts and abilities? Every Christian has a “before” identity and an “after” identity. When you were saved, you were given gifts by the Holy Spirit, special gifts to us in the service of God’s kingdom. Now those gifts don’t come with a certificate. So do you know what yours are? If you don’t there are two things you might consider. The first is to look for one of the “inventories” that are available. They’re not infallible, and you probably don’t want to use them without the advice of an experienced Biblical counselor, but they do help. The other is to try serving in various ministries in your church. When you’re using your Spiritual gifts, the service will be filled with an extra measure of energy and joy.
Let’s go back, for a moment to this idea of being secretly disappointed that childhood dreams haven’t been fulfilled. Actually, whoever you are, I hope you’re not disappointed. If you’re doing what God wants you to be, you’re just fine. But there’s more to it.
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17). That’s me, and you. We are in Christ and we are new creatures. It’s not the old us that makes our decisions, it’s an us that has been given a whole new set of standards to judge by. Look at yourself through Jesus’s eyes. You are just fine. You are a child of God!

Empathy In The Vineyard

Posted on by August 1, 2014
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Matthew 20:6-7 — And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle? They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive.

In yesterday’s piece I spoke about empathy. Maybe that stirred this one in my head.
There are many lessons to be drawn from the wonderful parable of the laborers in the vineyard, which Matthew recounts in the first sixteen verses of the twentieth chapter of his gospel. The “big” lesson, of course, is that the last shall be first and the first shall be last — but that’s not my focus today.
My heart breaks for the laborers who were still standing around at the eleventh hour. It was not, as some commentators (even distinguished ones) have suggested, that they were lazy latecomers. All through the centuries men have stood, and waited, and hoped … and gone home. It still happens in Florida (as well as other parts of America) today.
Jesus knew how those laborers felt. “How come you guys are standing around? Because nobody gave us a job.” The word “idle” in verse 6 means nothing more than that they were not working — like engines idling.
This wonderfully empathetic note reminded me of some things. The first is just how much I love Jesus, and how much He loves me. You see, I came to Jesus late. Maybe not the eleventh hour, but certainly the ninth! Jesus operates on a “no child (of God) left behind” principle.
The second thing is that Jesus knows how I feel. When I feel unwanted, unvalued, and useless He let’s me know I’m wanted, valued and useful. He can see deep into hearts and see hurts, and if we let Him, He heals those hurts.
The final reminder is that Jesus was (is) the Master Teacher. Every parable has layers, with several lessons for several audiences. Consider this one — it has the following (at least, you may see some more):
It tells the disciples, and us, that no privileges attach to being saved sooner rather than later. (It might also be a warning to the Jews that their selection as God’s chosen people would not give the pre-eminence in the kingdom of Heaven.)
The parable tells us that God will welcome us whenever we choose to come. If we deliberately reject Him, that’s one thing — but if we have not rejected Him, He will not reject us.
God’s generosity is enormous — and never limited by our service, but tailored to meet our need.
The parable is a reminder of God’s compassion.
So many layers, so many lessons. But for me, today, it’s about the empathy in the vineyard.

Drive Someone Crazy Today

Posted on by July 31, 2014
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Galatians 6:9-10 — And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

Let’s talk for a moment. Are there times when it all get’s a bit much? You know, being a Christian? For myself, I have to admit that there are times when I get weary — not so much of well doing, as of being good natured. Every so often I have to reach round to the back, take myself by the scruff of the neck and shake! When I get to that point, this scripture helps.
The first thing to notice is Paul’s empathy. “Let us not be weary in well-doing”. You think he’d write that if he’d never been there himself?
Then there’s the way he recognizes the situation. A loose translation of “let us not be weary in well-doing” would be “let’s not lose heart doing the work God has given us to do.” It’s just the way things are — sometimes we get tired doing the right things.
Paul recognizes the problem, empathizes, and then provides the compensation “for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not”. If we have the faith to depend on God for the will to persist, then in His sweet time we will be rewarded.
Have you seen the sign? “Smile at everyone you meet today, it will drive them crazy!” Well that’s not really right (honest). But that’s sort of what comes next. “As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men” — “while we have opportunity”, any chance we get, let’s do good to everyone we meet. It’s weird, but you know I’m right — one of the best ways to feel better is to make other people feel good.
Every chance we’ve got, “let us do good unto all men”. No matter what our calling is, we’re all in the recruiting business! If I let things slip and let my grumpy side surface, I’m going to do anything but good to someone I meet. They might even think “if that’s what Christian looks like, I don’t want it!”
While we’re being busy doing good to everybody, though, Paul throws in a reminder: “Do good … especially unto them who are of the household of faith.” I think it’s another recognition of the realities of the Christian life. I can imagine him talking to a young Christian who’s a bit down and saying “Yes, I know it’s tough, but all these great people are in the battle with you. So if you get the chance, be nice!”
The truth is, I think there will always be days when I need encouraging — it’s the way I am. But I know that if I work on “doing good”, sooner or later it will lift my spirits — so I’m going to keep smiling at people and driving them a little bit crazy!

Is Sunday School Broken?

Posted on by July 30, 2014
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Proverbs 30:5-6 — Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.
1 Corinthians 2:12-13 — Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

I read a news story today that’s bothering me.
I know that most people reading this piece will share my love of the Bible, and believe in it’s perfection. So how do you feel about the idea that teaching children about God’s Word might damage their ability to tell fact from fiction?
I didn’t make it up. I came across a study called “Judgments About Fact and Fiction by Children From Religious and Nonreligious Backgrounds” published in a journal called “Cognitive Science” that says exactly that. (The academically minded can read the paper at http://www.bu.edu/learninglab/files/2012/05/Corriveau-Chen-Harris-in-press.pdf)
Here’s the bottom line conclusion of the study: “The results suggest that exposure to religious ideas has a powerful impact on children’s differentiation between reality and fiction, not just for religious stories but also for fantastical stories.” So what are we to do with that?
One stance, of course, would be to pooh-pooh the whole thing. We could accuse the authors of the study of some kind of bias and reject the whole thing.
I’d like to suggest we do the exact opposite. Let’s assume the results of the study are well-founded. What would that mean to the way we taught children about Jesus? Would that mean that Sunday School was broken? I don’t think so …
I think we have to look before and after Sunday School. Sunday School is what it says. It’s one hour on Sunday (or Saturday for some kids!) What happens for the other one hundred and sixty seven hours? Parents have to own this issue — and it might be the most important issue our society is facing.
I know that if you’re a parent (or maybe a grandparent) right now you might be sighing. Isn’t it hard enough? But I think there are several things you have to do for your children:
— Make sure they know the Bible.
— Make sure they know the Bible is true!
— Make sure they know what fiction is.
— Make sure they know fiction is not true.
— Make sure they get schooling that helps!
The last one might be a challenge. Public schools are not going to be interested in dealing with it. Christian schools are expensive, but might help.
You might wonder why I’m so bothered about this. I’m bothered because children that grow up with a problem distinguishing fact from fiction will grow up with a problem credibly defending their faith. We can’t afford to raise a generation that doesn’t have all the tools to combat a rising tide of liberal secularism.

The Good Guys

Posted on by July 29, 2014
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1 Thessalonians 5:12-13 — And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labor among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; and to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. And be at peace among yourselves.

Pastors are amazing. I know it’s not Pastor Appreciation Month, but I’ve been writing quite a lot this week and it struck me how amazing it is that pastors write sermons every week, week in, week out. That’s like writing a decent sized book every year. And from what I hear, pastors face their reviewers every week!
It’s hard to get exact statistics but in 2011 there were about 400,000 active clergy, working between 55 and 75 hours weekly and earning an average of just over $31,000 per year. It’s not surprising that so many pastors burn out and quit every year!
Paul knew how heavy a burden was laid on Pastors. That’s why he wrote with such feeling on their behalf to the Thessalonians. “We beseech you”, he said as if to say “I ask you, with all the passion I am capable of”. And what was he asking of them?
“Know them which labor among you”. That doesn’t just mean know their names and faces, but build a foundation of appreciation by knowing what they do, and just how much the efforts must cost them.
“know them which labor among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you;” The pastors of Paul’s day were not likely to be supported purely by their ministry — they were self-supporting through their day jobs. Then, they had to provide leadership and direction, without a long established “play book” to fall back on. Teaching, leading and guiding. “Admonish” is a word meaning “put in mind”, “teach by words”. The pastor’s job, then as now, was tough.
Paul wanted the Thessalonians to love their pastors because of the work they did. I’m pretty sure most of the people in our church love our pastor — but I’m completely sure that most of us have no idea how much effort he has to put into teaching, leading and guiding us.
Then Paul slips one final “ask” into his pastor appreciation plea. “Be at peace among yourselves”.
The “and” is not in the original. Not just peace in the flock, but peace between the flock and the shepherd. That’s another thing that hasn’t changed much. According to pastoralcareinc.com, “#1 reason pastors leave the ministry — Church people are not willing to go the same direction and goal of the pastor. Pastors believe God wants them to go in one direction but the people are not willing to follow or change.”
So, to go back to my original point — pastors are amazing. So if it seems your Pastor is running a bit long this weekend, love him for the works sake!