Unchanging God

Posted on by July 28, 2014
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Psalm 102:23-27 — I said, O my God, take me not away in the midst of my days: thy years are throughout all generations. Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands. They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end.

There’s a song called “Unchanging God”. One verse goes:

Oceans will rise,
Kingdoms will fall
But the word of the Lord stands forever
The sun will start to fade,
The world will pass away
But the word of the Lord stands forever
And the death will try to come
The perfect love is won
Cause the word of the Lord stands forever
The word of the Lord stands forever
Forever

I wish the Church of England — or at least those who run it — knew and understood the great truths of unchanging God. The Psalmist knew it, and the modern song writer knows it, but it seems these modern church fathers don’t. On July 15th of this year, the General Synod of the Church of England voted to approve the consecration of women bishops. Though I cannot agree with the decision, it is the background that truly saddens me.
The synod rejected the idea of women Bishops in 2012. Conservative Prime Minister, David Cameron, said at that time “I’m very clear the time is right for women bishops; it was right many years ago,” he told Parliament on Wednesday. “They need to get on with it, as it were, and get with the program. But you do have to respect the individual institutions and the way they work while giving them a sharp prod.” The Archbishop of Canterbury (effectively the leader of the denomination) said ” … it seems as if we are willfully blind to some of the trends and priorities of that wider society”.
Now the civil and ecclesiastical leaders have their way. The word of God has not changed but it has been set aside because of an unwillingness to stand against pressures of worldly opinion.
I should not be too hard on the Anglicans, perhaps. After all, the largest Lutheran and Presbyterian denominations here in America have both given their blessing to the ordination of homosexual clergy.
What distresses me is the open embrace of worldly principles as the moving force for doctrinal change. Over the last two thousand years the church has changed positions on difficult issues — but decisions that have not been based on Biblical truth and inspired by prayer have often proven to be disastrous. I fear it will be the same with this latest decision. A church that bases it’s decisions on current opinion instead of timeless truth will soon have no principles left on which to stand.

Never Again!

Posted on by July 27, 2014
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Genesis 8:20-22 — And Noah builded an altar unto the Lord; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. And the Lord smelled a sweet savor; and the Lord said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake; for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth: neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done. While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.

It’s easy to miss the astounding nature of God’s promise.
In determining never again to curse the ground and destroy every living thing God determines to limit the exercise of His power, and tolerate man’s misdeeds — knowing full well that they will happen. In fact, He gives as His reason what we might very well expect to be a cause of His anger.
“I know”, God says, “that there is a seed of evil in every man. He cannot be anything but wicked. Instead of destroying him, I will woo him. I will draw him to me by the continued and reliable pouring out of blessings.”
God doesn’t just say it. He determines it in His heart. It is not evident in the scripture, and understanding how such a think could be is beyond me, but somehow I believe the three persons of the Trinity communed with each other and agreed this decree.
I believe there are deep truths underlying this wonderful decree. I’m not at all sure that I can do them justice.
One is that when God created man, He made room for us. Before the creation (more strictly, I suppose, before Satan’s fall) there was only God’s perfection. When God made man, He made room for man with all His weaknesses. It was an extraordinary surrender of absolute control.
The second is that man’s love for God, of which Noah’s sacrifice is a prime example, calls forth God’s forbearance and love for man.
If I am right in believing that God has in some sense withdrawn from occupying the whole of His rightful possession so that man may have his place, and that our slightest expression of love calls forth His great mercy, what might be our proper response?
We can surely only respond to God’s willingness to give us place and to treat our willfulness with mercy with a deep humility and repentance. How could we assert our rights, in the face of such forgiveness, how could we make any claim of righteousness.
Jesus took His place as a servant, and washed the feet of His disciples. No wonder He said “So the last shall be first, and the first last”! So must we.

Look!

Posted on by July 26, 2014
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Genesis 1:20, 24 –.And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. … And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.

I moved offices this week. And I went to a picnic. I know you’re wondering two things. What connects these two events? What has Genesis to do with a picnic and an office move? Creation is the link. God’s amazing, wonderful, diverse, creation.
As I walked across the little boardwalk that links the car park to the office building where my new office is, I chanced to look to my left and saw a beautiful tiny gourd (I think some call it the Confederate Vine), orange and about an inch high, perfectly framed by the foliage around it.
As I sat on the bench at the table at the picnic site, waiting for the food to be ready, Myra called me over — “Bring the camera, you have to see this!” It was an Eastern Lubber grasshopper — a spectacular yellow and orange beauty. It was “only” two or three inches long — they can grow to four inches. “Small” or not (actually it was quite big enough for me) it was a wonderful thing to see.
These two miracles of creation started me thinking about others I have seen, and how wonderful the diversity is.
Have you counted how many species there are? How many plants, insects, animals, fish … silly question I know. Scientists have estimated a number. It’s amazing! Somewhere between seven and a half and ten million. They don’t really know. More than a million have been discovered, and about fifteen thousand are discovered every year. Did I say it was amazing?
The thing is, as well as all the richness of creation, God has given us two beautiful gifts. He has given us the ability to see, and He has given us the gift of wonder. When we put those two gifts together we can be surprised by joy, as I was at the picnic and walking across the boardwalk this week. All we have to do is look.
Some of the most beautiful passages in the Bible describe the wonders of creation. Psalm 19, Psalm 104, Chapters 38 and 39 in Job, Chapter 14 in Deuteronomy — all these and more are like guidebooks to our beautiful world.
It is said that the best things in life are free. I’m not sure that’s always true (consider the price Jesus paid for salvation) but I am sure that the gift of creation is available to us at a small price — just walk and look!

There Are Special Moments

Posted on by July 25, 2014
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1 Timothy 6:17-19 — Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not high-minded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; that they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.

Myra and I went to the choir picnic tonight. It was a wonderful time, special moments with a group of people who really understand this passage that popped into my mind today.
It’s a funny thing about the people who we were with. They sort of turn the scripture upside-down. Now if any of you are reading this, please don’t get embarrassed. I know some other people who are like this too.
Nobody this evening was ashamed to enjoy the great food and company. They all know that it is the living God who gives us richly all things to enjoy.
There was fun and friendship — and maybe not everyone felt the same thing, but it felt like worship to me.
The next thing I know about the people I was with is that quietly they do good, they are rich in good works, they are ready to distribute, and (naturally, I suppose, for a choir, they are “willing to communicate”). Actually, they’re a fascinating bunch. When we sit down, from time to time things will slip out about a mission trip here, or a ministry there … incidentally, never as a boast or self advertisement, just part of the story telling.
The last thing I know about the group is that they are certainly not high-minded, nor trusting in uncertain riches! What I don’t know is which of them, if any of them, are rich in this world — it just doesn’t show!
I love what William Barclay says about this passage:

Every time we could give and do not give lessens the wealth laid up for us in the world to come; every time we give increases the riches laid up for us when this life comes to an end. …If wealth ministers to nothing but personal pride and enriches no one but the wealthy individual, it becomes that person’s ruination, because it impoverishes the soul.

I know a couple of men who have done well, financially, in life. Sadly, they don’t share … and as life has gone on they have become isolated and unhappy … I didn’t see anybody like that at the picnic tonight!

A Man’s Place Is …

Posted on by July 24, 2014
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Ephesians 5:22-25 — Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the savior of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

Look, I know it’s controversial. But are you going to take this scripture seriously, or not? This idea of submission just doesn’t sit well with many modern women, and that’s a problem.
This has been on my mind today because of some stories I’ve heard recently.
There’s the young man who had a great job, but moved to another state because his wife wanted them to live near her parents … Now he can’t find a job and they can’t afford anywhere to live.
There’s the couple who moved from one end of the country to another because the wife couldn’t stand the neighbors and the neighborhood … and then they moved back because she was missing her family and friends!
So what do you think? Are we living in a society full of overbearing women … or are we surrounded by men who just won’t step up, men who can’t take responsibility? I don’t think so. At least, I don’t think people now are essentially different from people fifty years ago. Rather, I think the balance of social forces had shifted, and not in a good way.
Time was when the Bible provided the moral and cultural framework. Don’t misunderstand me, I’m not saying that everyone was good, and moral, and well-behaved. I’m not that naive. But if you had asked most people what was right, and what was wrong, the Bible would have informed their answers.
How things have changed!
There has been a determined campaign to drive the Bible out of public life, out of schools, out of every sphere of cultural influence. The church that once was the leader and former of opinion has, all too often, become an impotent witness on the sideline of events.
The family, too, has been under ruthless attack. It is not just the definition of marriage, but roles in the family. The issue of so-called “gay marriage” has often been front and center. Issues of the sanctity of life have rightly raised passions. And yet it might be that these issues pale beside the satanic attack on the family.
The key phrases in that passage from Ephesians are “as Christ is the head of the church” and “as the church is subject unto Christ”. Devaluing the role of the husband and father in the family undermines the understanding of the role of Christ in the church. Devaluing Christ and undermining His authority devalues His sacrifice … devalues the path to salvation.
Time to win back the family. It’s a kingdom building block!

Sunset

Posted on by July 23, 2014
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Psalm 19:1,4,6 — The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth his handiwork. …
Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun, …
His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.

Can I say it? I had a tough day at work today. We’re due to deliver something to a customer next Tuesday. I found out today that it’s going to be two months late. (You would have been proud of me, I didn’t throw a fit!) It’s not my fault (honest) but the call with the customer tomorrow will be no fun, and I was feeling a little sorry for myself.
Myra had a good day today. A project for our home that she couldn’t get to go right yesterday worked out nicely today.
Here’s the thing … as we came home from choir tonight, we saw the sunset. It was glorious. It was glorious for Myra, and it was glorious for me. Tomorrow, the sun will rise. If things go as they usually do here in Southwest Florida, it will be beautiful. It was a reminder for me.
The heavens declare the creator’s glory. His glory is over all the earth, and no matter how the day goes, He is constant. And no matter how one day finishes, the next one gives a new opportunity and:

This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the Lord ‘s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:21-23)

It’s been said often — Christians should live above their circumstances — not under it. It’s not just about circumstances though, it’s happenstances. You know, those things that happen from day-to-day.
No matter what my circumstances, and no matter what random events might come along to make the days difficult, the sun rises and the sun sets, and the glory of God is never ending. And there’s more good news to come.
It’s not just God’s “compassions” that fail not. His promises never fail either. And I know that means that whatever happens to me today, or tomorrow, there’s a great future ahead. And the same goes for Myra. Yesterday was frustrating. Today was better … but the future is perfect and just like Little Orphan Annie said, “The sun’ll come out tomorrow”!

You Thank?

Posted on by July 22, 2014
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Luke 17:15-18 — And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.

There are only two times when people fail to say thank You — when they might be expected to be grateful, and when they might not be expected to be grateful!
Which was it, do you think, with lepers? Should Jesus have expected them to be grateful? “Well of course he should” I hear you say. And honestly, I agree with you. But some pretty amazing excuses have been offered:

— One waited to see if the cure was real.
— One waited to see if it would last.
— One said he would see Jesus later.
— One decided that he had never had leprosy.
— One said he would have gotten well anyway.
— One gave the glory to the priests.
— One said, “O, well, Jesus didn’t really do anything.”
— One said, “Any rabbi could have done it.”
— One said, “I was already much improved.”
Charles L. Brown, Content The Newsletter Newsletter, June, 1990, p. 3

So what are you thinking? Are you thinking those excuses are a real stretch? So here’s where the shoe pinches. Are you always grateful, and do you always say so? I have to say I’m nearly always grateful — but I don’t always say so. I’m working on it.
There were two excuses I was surprised not to find in Mr. Brown’s list (I’ve seen it suggested that he’s Charley Brown from Peanuts, but I’m not convinced 😉 ). I’m afraid I might fall back on them myself, too often.
The first excuse is “Well, He’s God, of course He healed me.” So here’s the thing — God doesn’t need your gratitude. Everybody else does.
The second excuse is “He’s God. I’m not really comfortable approaching Him.” Hmmm. Remember Hebrews 4:16? ” Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” One time you can be sure that God is never going to be anything but welcoming is when you approach Him with a grateful heart! I’m pretty sure that the same is true of most people you know, as well.
I’m working on being better at recognizing opportunities for being grateful, and taking advantage of them. After all thanks are one of the few things you have that cost you nothing and leaves you feeling richer, as well as the person you give them to!
Have I got you thanking?

Beware The Bible!

Posted on by July 21, 2014
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1 Timothy 1:3-7 — As I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine, neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do. Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned: from which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling; desiring to be teachers of the law; understanding neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm.

“Beware the Bible”? What kind of opening is that for a devotion? I know it seems odd — but in the wrong hands — or even the right hands used wrongly — the Bible can be a very dangerous weapon.
The devil knows the Bible — he even had the nerve to try to use it to lead Jesus astray (Matthew 4:1-11 has the details.) Of course Jesus knew more than enough to answer him! We should see the lesson in the story though — the devil knows the Bible and he will try to use it in whatever way he can to lead us astray.
Satan is smart. He’s not going to attack your belief in the Bible, or misquote it … Oh no. His techniques are more subtle.
One of Satan’s tricks is to take a scripture and focus your attention on part of it, or simply misapply it. Consider Proverbs 15:6, “In the house of the righteous is much treasure: but in the revenues of the wicked is trouble.” I’ve seen that verse used to suggest that “Good people have money, so if you don’t have plenty of money it means you’re just not good”!
A technique that, in a way, I find more troubling is when the devil puts scripture in the hands of a sincere believer and encourages him to use it as a stick to beat other believers with. Dr. Erwin Lutzer describes this phenomenon precisely:

Among Christians there is also a kind of legalism that teaches that, although we are saved through faith in Christ, sanctification is a matter of submitting to certain rules or standards. Thus, one’s Christian progress is judged by whether or not one keeps the prescribed rules: such as no movies, no dancing, no gambling, etc. Make no mistake, these rules might have value to keep Christians from certain select sins, but they are not a substitute for the fruit of the Spirit. Thus, once again rules are misused.

More obvious perhaps is simple misquotation. How about this one, for instance, “Money is the root of all evil.” The Bible says that, doesn’t it? Well. No. What 1 Timothy 6:10 says is “For the love of money is the root of all evil:”. It’s really easy for clever people to say things that sound good, and sound Biblical, but which are actually dangerous nonsense.
I’m just scratching the surface … but you get the picture. If somebody’s use of scripture makes you feel uncomfortable remember the devil has his own “satanic commentaries” and you need to go back to the Bible and check it out for yourself. Make sure you’re getting the whole story, and all the context, accurately quoted!

The Everywhere God

Posted on by July 20, 2014
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Romans 10:6-8 — But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.) But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;

“Everywhere God” is one of Myra’s names for God. And a very good name it is too, declaring one of the basic truth’s about our God. He is everywhere! The fancy word for it is “omnipresence” and it is very well defined by Augustus Hopkins Strong in “Systematic Theology”:

By this we mean that God, in the totality of his essence, without diffusion or expansion, multiplication or division, penetrates and fills the universe in all its parts.

To discuss omnipresence in depth might take several volumes, and still leave much unsaid. I don’t intend even to begin the task, as I want to move on to an important related topic — so let’s just touch on a few things suggested by God’s omnipresence.
God chooses that all of Him is really present, everywhere. It does not mean God can be everywhere. He is everywhere. And it’s not a bit here, a bit there … it’s all of God, all the time. And it’s that way, because that’s what He wants. So, do you understand all of that, and can you fully explain it and everything it means? No? Don’t worry, I think it’s the same for everyone, more or less.
Here’s the other thing I wanted to talk about though. If God is everywhere, all the time, how come we can’t always see Him? How come we can’t always hear Him?O.k. That one I can explain. You can’t see what you don’t look at, you can’t hear what you don’t listen to! One of the distinguishing features of the relationship between God and man is that God absolutely will not force Himself on us. To my way of thinking, Jesus says exactly how He feels about that:

Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. (Revelation 3:20)

We have to ask God into our lives, or we will never see Him! And hearing Him takes practice too. Another well known scripture makes the point:

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. (Jeremiah 29:11-13)

If you look for God in your life there’s a very good chance you’ll see His footprints wherever you have been, and His fingerprints on whatever you have touched. If you tune your ear to His voice there’s a very good chance you’ll find He’s been speaking all along …
He is the Everywhere God — Pay attention!

Time To Get With The Program?

Posted on by July 19, 2014
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Genesis 1:26-28, And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
Genesis 4:9 — And the Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother’s keeper?

I’m reading “Between Cross & Resurrection” by Alan E. Lewis. The theme is “What does Holy Saturday mean?” — but it’s a wide-ranging review of the relationship between theology and history. Honestly, it’s a tough read, but it’s full of wonderfully thought-provoking stuff. Today I came across this:

That “masculine,” coercive exercise of on which alienates humanity from nature also fosters the disconnectedness of human beings from each other. It widens the gulf so sacralized in contemporary society, between the public and private, the narcissistic myth that private behavior – or private enterprise – may be pursued to the hilt without reference to its consequences for the human community at large; and it reinforces the major premise of our global economy and ecosystem which presumes that one community may recklessly maximize it’s prosperity and comfort now, at whatever cost in damage and deprivation to locations and societies elsewhere or to human persons yet unborn.

OK, that’s a massive quotation, and it definitely has some “$10 academic” words — but I couldn’t see where to shorten it, and it makes some massively important points that speak more and more to me as I get older.
The core idea is that mankind, individually and collectively, pursues happiness and prosperity, and takes no account of God’s commission to take care of the earth, and to have a care for each other.
So how do you plead? Do you take more of the good things of the earth than you really should? Do you live in a greedy society that consumes more than its fair share of resources? I plead guilty.
That’s easy, isn’t it? Plead guilty, say “I’m sorry ” and throw myself on the mercy of the court. But it doesn’t really solve anything does it? So what will we all do ? If we all took Jesus at His word, would that do it? That’s another easy thing to say. But we’re never going to do it.
The truth is that mankind in general is like the Jews of the Book of Judges. We are repeat offenders, running to God when we’re hurt, and turning away from Him when we’re comfortable.
So am I preaching a gospel of despair then? No. I’m saying that this is, in it’s way, the best good news there is. Man can never look to man to solve these problems. We are driven, inevitably, to turn to God. He will be for mankind, in the end, what He is for some men now — the only answer.
This is the redemption story. God created and ordained. Man sinned. God sacrifices Himself, and redeems. There is no other answer to the problem of our individual and collective selfishness — but no other answer is needed.