A Beautiful Thing

Posted on by July 18, 2014
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Psalm 133:1-3 — Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments; as the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.

Did you ever wonder why the Psalmist makes such a big deal,of this. Well, it’s not certain who wrote Psalm 133 — but if it was David, he certainly knew about bother with brothers.
It is a beautiful thing when brothers dwell together in unity. It’s a beautiful thing when sisters dwell together in unity to! The trouble is … It doesn’t happen nearly as often as it should.
Why is it, do you think, that brother so often fights with brother, and sister so often falls out with sister? Why did Cain kill Abel, why did Leah hate Rachel? I think I have an idea.
If you have brothers and sisters, did you happen to go down to the sibling store and pick them out? I didn’t think so. Children are God’s gift — “Lo, children are a heritage of the Lord : and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth.” (Psalm 127:3-4)
The other thing about families is that most of us (if we’re lucky, as I was most of the time) have to grow up with them — and when you have to live in close contact with a bunch of people that you didn’t pick there’s friction. No surprise really.
So it’s not so surprising that families aren’t always happy. How come brothers pick on brothers, and sisters scratch at sisters? Well, here’s a couple of key scriptures:

And the boys grew: and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field; and Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents. And Isaac loved Esau, because he did eat of his venison: but Rebekah loved Jacob. (Genesis 25:27-28)
And Laban had two daughters: the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. Leah was tender eyed; but Rachel was beautiful and well-favored. And Jacob loved Rachel; and said, I will serve thee seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter. (Genesis 29:16-18)

Did you get it? Brothers are different. Sisters are different. Those differences affect the way people react, and we notice. “You like him, better than you like me”, “She’s your favorite, it’s not fair”! I love the Bible. It just describes reality perfectly.
So ok, I think I understand it — but what’s to do? Let me know if you have the perfect answer. I know it’s possible — Mary and Martha lived (more or less) in harmony. Simon Peter and Andrew … James and John … They pulled it off. All I can think of is something that Rick Warren talked about. There are people you have to regard as “extra grace required” … and maybe that applies to brothers and sisters more than anybody else!

Evil

Posted on by July 17, 2014
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Jeremiah 17:9-10 — 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.

There are those who claim evil does not exist. Consider these remarks by a gentleman called Enoch Tan writing on a website called mind reality.com:

Good and evil does not exist. At a fundamental level, there is really no good and evil in the universe. Everything just is. It is perception that frames reality. Good and evil is based on perception. Therefore the perception of good and evil depends on the one perceiving it. If you perceive something as good, then to you it is good. If you perceive something as evil, then to you it is evil. We can choose our own frame of reality or we can choose to follow the frame set by another in his perception of good and evil.

I beg to differ. From time-to-time I hear of events so horrific that I am convinced once again of the reality of evil. Child abuse, human trafficking, murder … Our view of these is surely shaped by more than perception. Today we heard of the shooting down of flight MH17 over Eastern Ukraine. The murder of 295 innocent people in a Malaysian Airlines flight on its way to Kuala Lumpur cannot be a matter of perception. It is evil.
“But”, some will argue, “how can evil exist in the same reality as an all-knowing, all-powerful, all-good God?” That sounds good, doesn’t it? It’s one of those fluffy-looking comments that sounds like it ought to be true … but it isn’t. It’s a failure to understand the real nature of evil.
Biblically, evil has several aspects — misfortune, corruption and wickedness. But whatever the form, it has its root in the disobedience and rebellion of the human race against God His will starting with Adam and Eve in the Garden if Eden. Evil occurs if ever God’s will is not fulfilled.
There is still this question. “Did God create evil?” That would be incompatible with His nature. The Bible resolves the issue by telling us that God made mankind with the ability to choose sin, of doing evil. He never leaves us struggling with temptation without providing an escape route — but He does us the honor of leaving us with freedom of choice … It is our wrong choices that create (or amount to) evil.
So don’t listen to anyone who tells you it’s just a matter of perception. Evil is real, and the problem is us.
I’m praying tonight for the comforting of the families of the passengers and crew of MH17. Don’t tell them evil isn’t real.

Transformation

Posted on by July 16, 2014
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2 Corinthians 3:18 —  But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

Myra and I are reading an Oswald Chambers devotional in the mornings, as well as our Bible sections, and his commentary this morning, on John 1:14,”And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” started a train of thought today.

That glory … what has to happen to us that we could behold it? Peter, James and John saw it. We cannot see the glory of the Lord unless we can reflect it. We cannot reflect it, unless we have an open face. Unlike Moses, who saw the glory of the Lord and veiled his face, so that the Israelites – who feared to see it – could not see the glory, we must be prepared to reflect it so that all can see it. There’s another difference between us and Moses though. With Moses the glory was external, the reflection was physical. With us, the glory must be internal, the reflection radiating from the inside, from the heart.
Before we can reflect the glory we must be dedicated, set aside and enabled … We have to be saved, sanctified and filled with the Holy Spirit. The process of salvation is pretty well understood, I believe — but sanctification and the filling of the Spirit not so well, perhaps.
Sanctification is a long word for another of those Biblical concepts that is not so hard to explain, but not so easy to achieve. It is the process of allowing God to change you in to the image of His Son by the working of His word. This means that we have to know His word, understand His word and love His word. It’s not something, though, that we can achieve on our own. Wayne Grudem, in “Systematic Theology” makes it clear:

But it is specifically God the Holy Spirit who works within us to change us and sanctify us, giving us greater holiness of life. Peter speaks of the “sanctification of the Spirit” (1 Peter 1:2, author’s translation), and Paul speaks of “sanctification by the Spirit” (2 Thess. 2:13). It is the Holy Spirit who produces in us the “fruit of the Spirit” (Gal. 5:22–23), those character traits that are part of greater and greater sanctification.

Ephesians 5:18 tells us we are to be “filled with the Spirit”. It’s a constant process of renewal. It’s not a complex process. The first step is to want it. The second is to prepare the ground by confessing your sins and repenting. The next is to yield control of every area of your life to the Spirit — and then ask Him to fill your entire being.
Salvation. Sanctification. In-dwelling. The words can be an obstacle, but the concepts are not hard to grasp. Go through the processes and the transformation will inevitably follow. Some though, although it sounds simple, few of us will achieve it in this life!

It’s A Mystery To Me

Posted on by July 15, 2014
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Isaiah 48:5-6 — I have even from the beginning declared it to thee; before it came to pass I showed it thee: lest thou shouldest say, Mine idol hath done them; and my graven image, and my molten image, hath commanded them. Thou hast heard, see all this; and will not ye declare it? I have showed thee new things from this time, even hidden things, and thou didst not know them.

Some things in life are just mysteries. Actually this piece is a bit of a mystery to me. I thought I was writing about something today, but The Holy Spirit seems to have decided otherwise. It’s so mysterious I’m not even sure where this is leading! So let’s investigate together …
Isaiah 48 is all about God’s dealings with Israel. A big picture view shows that He has used suffering to purify and refine her, and to bless her especially when she has turned to Him, and that He will do so again. We can be comforted by the knowledge that the same process applies now to those who repent and turn to Him to accept Him as Lord and Savior. We will be purified, and refined, and blessed.
Verses 5 and 6 of Isaiah 48 tell of the mystery of prophecies. “In times past, I’ve told you things that I had planned, and then they happened — and now I’m going to do it again.” How does He do that? I don’t know. Of course I know God is omniscient — but that doesn’t mean I know how it works.
In modern usage a “mystery” is just something to be searched out. In Biblical times it carried the extra idea of something that had been hidden, but then was revealed. The apostle Paul added an extra layer to the notion:

Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, but now is made manifest, and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith: to God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ for ever. Amen. (Romans 16:25-27)

In the New Testament, the notion of mystery becomes the idea of a secret that is revealed by God to His servants through the Holy Spirit. Jesus talks to His disciples about “the mystery of the kingdom of God”. To Paul, however, the “mystery” to be unfolded is God’s plan of salvation and Jesus’s place in it. Paul also uses “mystery” to refer to the future resurrection of Christians, the restoration of creation in Christ, the inclusion of Gentiles in the church and the eventual salvation of Israel, lawlessness, and the godliness of Christ.
Wow! That’s a lot of mystery! You know what I’m feeling right now? I’m feeling there’s a lot of stuff for me to know more about. Maybe, from time to time, I’ll try and unravel a mystery or two …

The Right To Be Forgotten

Posted on by July 14, 2014
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Isaiah 43:25-26 — I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins. Put me in remembrance: let us plead together: declare thou, that thou mayest be justified.

Here in The United States the right to free speech is a cherished privilege. There’s a free speech right in Europe too, but now there’s a “right to be forgotten” as well — at least as far as the online world goes.
Do you have the right to be forgotten online? In May, the most Senior Court The European Union’s ruled that search engines like Google must consider requests to have links to damaging content removed from its search engines. The links must be removed unless there’s a public interest reason for them to stay a part of the search engine’s results.
Did you know you have a “right to be forgotten” with God too? God promises that He will wipe our sins off the register — not because we deserve it, but because He is impelled by His passionate love for us.
Do not make the mistake, though, of thinking that “forgetfulness” comes without a price. It is a special offer to those who have been “justified”. God offers to the Israelites that He will hear them — that they might convince Him of their righteousness.
For us it is, in a way, simpler. Paul writes to the Colossians:

And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; (Colossians 2:10-14)

Jesus paved the way for us — He took any debt we owed, stamped it paid, and nailed it to the cross, leaving us just one step to take:

Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; (Acts 3:19)

Of course God isn’t really forgetful — it’s more like He has a ledger in which our sins are written, and He wipes them out when we confess them and, admitting Jesus is God’s Son, take Him as our Lord.
God isn’t really forgetful. He remembers us, every one of us:

Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me. (Isaiah 49:15-16)

God has a perfect memory. He remembers perfectly, and He forgets perfectly. You have a right to be forgotten … If you claim it!

Sunday Best?

Posted on by July 13, 2014
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Matthew 22:11-12 — And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment: and he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.

How much does it really matter? The way we dress when we go to the house of The Lord? I know that when I was a young man there was a very well understood “dress code”. Everybody wore their “Sunday Best”! I know that when I look about me in most churches today, things are very different. “Sunday Best” is an idea that has had its day. (It was a pretty new idea anyway — for throughout history most people could never have afforded a special Sunday suit anyway).
So, how much does it really matter? At a first glance at my key verses, it seems as though it might. But we should look closer at the intention of the parable. What was it about this man that was so objectionable? Alexander MacLaren is one of many commentators to make the matter clear:

What, then, is the wedding garment? It can be nothing else than righteousness, moral purity, which fits for sitting at His table in His kingdom. And the man who has it not, is the nominal Christian, who says that he has accepted God’s invitation, and lives in sin, not putting off ‘the old man with his deeds,’ nor putting on ‘the new man, which is created in righteousness.’

There are, to be sure, good reasons to have a care how we dress for church. To dress in a way that in any way promotes ourselves, or distracts others, must be wrong. Yet beyond this, it is not so great a matter. Peter and Paul both (and I’m not sure either one was any kind of fashion model) commented on the relative importance of outward appearance and inward reality.
Peter, talking about the proper behavior of wives said:

Whose adorning, let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; but let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. (1 Peter 3:3-4)

Paul, for his part said:

I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting. In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with braided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; but (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works. (1 Timothy 2:8-10)

Both Peter and Paul were writing to specific audiences at a particular time. What they said was addressed, especially, to the issue of “better off” women in the first century Christian church queening it over their poorer sisters. But those same comments could be addressed with equal force to today’s churchgoers, men and women. Anyone who pays more attention to how people are dressed than to their attitudes and activities is completely missing the point.
So go ahead. If you feel it’s God-honoring, wear your Sunday Best. But don’t make it a point of difference between you and those around you in church.

Healing Available, No Charge

Posted on by July 12, 2014
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Jeremiah 8:21-22 — For the hurt of the daughter of my people am I hurt; I am black; astonishment hath taken hold on me. Is there no balm in Gilead? is there no physician there? why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered?

Are you carrying wounds that were inflicted a long time ago, from which there seems to be no healing? If not, if you have never been hurt, or if you know that you have recovered from every wound, congratulations — maybe you can share this with a hurting friend!
For the rest of us …
Jeremiah was full of grief, for Israel was wounded so greatly that there was, it seemed, no healing. There should have been healing — Israel’s special relationship with Jehovah should have ensured it. But Israel had so far offended Jehovah by there pursuit of idols that He would punish them until justice was done.
It was, so Jeremiah said, as though the trees of Gilead had ceased to produce the balm for which it was famous, and the healers of Gilead had lost there skill.
Now, however, things have changed. There is a healer who will never lose His touch! When asked why He associated with sinners, Jesus said “They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.” (Matthew 9:12). There is a healing balm — the blood of Christ will heal any injury or sickness of the soul.
There’s a wonderful old spiritual, the first I ever heard. Thirty of us, boys in a private English school, singing a song about pains none of us could know and a cure none of us understood:

There is a balm in Gilead to make the wounded whole
There is a balm in Gilead to heal the sin-sick soul

Sometimes I feel discouraged and think my work’s in vain
But then the Holy Spirit revives my soul again

Don’t ever feel discouraged for Jesus is your friend
And if you lack of knowledge He’ll ne’er refuse to lend

If you cannot preach like Peter, if you cannot pray like Paul
You can tell the love of Jesus and say, “He died for all”.

It’s only since I became a Christian that I have learned the great truths in this wonderful old song. Jesus has healed many wounds for me, and is working on the rest.
There are times when I can’t even think what to say, or how to say it — but Jesus has provided the Helper and He always gives a word at need. He gives me the chance to talk about Him, and to share what I know of Him. I don’t “preach like Peter or pray like Paul” but I can tell the love of Jesus. There is a balm in Gilead!

When Is It Time To Speak Up?

Posted on by July 11, 2014
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Ecclesiastes 3:1, 7 — To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
… ; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

Myra suggested this topic, and it really resonated with me. In a world where new outrages against morality pop up every day, and Christianity is increasingly under attack, when should we speak, and when should we keep silence?
German Pastor Martin Niemöller spoke about his imprisonment in a nazi prison camp:

First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

It seems pretty clear, doesn’t it. When there is wrong, it’s time to speak up. But it’s not so simple. Consider these verses from Proverbs:

In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise. The tongue of the just is as choice silver: the heart of the wicked is little worth. (Proverbs 10:19-20)

To me that says we need to exercise discretion. I can’t help thinking that the advent of social media — things like Twitter, Facebook and Google+ — gives far too many people the opportunity to speak up when they should pipe down. There’s another proverb that it’s good to keep in mind:

Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding. (Proverbs 17:28)

So we need to speak up in the face of oppression — but we need to exercise discretion. How do we find the balance? One more passage from Proverbs perhaps holds the answer:

Open thy mouth for the dumb in the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction. Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy. (Proverbs 31:8-9)

There is a time to speak up — but it’s not when we are personally aggravated or offended.
The time to speak up is when there is somebody who can’t speak up for themselves, especially when they are in desperate danger.
The time to speak up is when there is somebody who is unable to fend for themselves. “Such as are appointed to destruction” is literally translated as “children of bereavement.” The idea either “those destined to be bereaved of life or goods” or “bereaved or fatherless children.” Speak up for orphans!
We are to speak up for the poor and needy.
So there you have it. The time to speak up is not when we’re offended. It’s when the defenseless need a voice. Speak up!

When Is It Enough?

Posted on by July 10, 2014
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Proverbs 16:1-3 — The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the Lord. All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the Lord weigheth the spirits. Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established.

I am an over-committer. I don’t always know when enough is enough. There. I’ve said it. I’ve owned up to yet another character flaw. I’m working on it, but it’s difficult for me to say “no”. I’ve been wondering why it is. It seems there are practical, emotional and spiritual reasons, and I’ve decided to share them with you — just in case it helps!
Let’s talk about the practical stuff. That’s short and sweet. I’m not great at guessing how long stuff is going to take, and I’m optimistic about how much free time I’m going to have in the future.
Then there are the emotional issues (which are spiritual too). I have to admit, it makes me feel good when people want me to do something for them … and it makes me feel good when I get things done. The other thing is that I know there’s a corner of my heart where a little bit of insecurity lives. I know where it comes from, and it’s mostly dealt with, but every now and then it makes me suspect that people will think less of me if I turn down a request for help. Now I know those two emotional issues are a couple of spiritual wolves — pride and lack of faith — in disguise. They carry their own penalties, and I’m working on them!
The big spiritual issues that I want to talk about are the ones my three verses from Proverbs talk about.
The first issue is that no matter what I commit to, no matter what I plan, God is in charge! Even when I have prepared my heart, even when I am truly well-intentioned, the answer is God’s and He has plans that take priority over mine!
The second issue, highlighted in then second verse, is about that question of being “truly well-intentioned”. “All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes”. Yes. It’s a rare person who intends evil, and knows it of himself. I can remember very few occasions when I have deliberately set out to do wrong! God, though, knows when I take on yet another task whether my motives are pure or whether — perhaps — there is a hint of selfishness, or pride or vanity.
The third issue that I must touch on is one of humility. “Commit thy works unto The Lord”. There is a challenge! Having taken on yet another “commitment ” trust to another — to The Lord, no less — to provide the means for its delivery.
So there it is. A whole catalog of reasons why I over-commit. Perhaps I should turn it into a checklist and run through it when new requests come along! Maybe you should too? Then maybe both of us will know when enough is enough!

How Are Your Preparations?

Posted on by July 9, 2014
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Matthew 24:36-37 — But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

I suppose most of you will know that it’s Hurricane Season here in Florida. It begins on June 1st, and runs through November 30th.
The impact, from year to year, and even from storm to storm, is not predictable. It can, of course, be devastating. It’s reckoned that the most terrible hurricane to strike the United States hit Galveston, Texas in 1900. Although estimates vary it seems that at least 8,000 people were killed by this hurricane,and the East, West and South sides of the city were destroyed as far as  five blocks inland by a storm surge up to 15 feet high. An estimated 3,500 homes and buildings were destroyed.
Every year we Floridians get regular reminders to update our hurricane plans and provisions. Most people are sensible enough to do the necessary things.
Terrible though they are, hurricanes are somewhat predictable. Nowadays there’s usually several days warning. Other natural disasters, of course, are not so predictable and can bring devastating destruction. The Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004 struck without warning and killed 230,000 people!
These natural disasters are terrible, but there is another storm coming — one that will sweep away the world. Are you ready for it? It’s discussed in different places in the Bible but here, in the twenty-fourth chapter of his Gospel, Matthew tells of Jesus’s telling of the future to come. It’s actually quite a complicated telling, pulling together multiple “end times” events. At the heart of the story is “the day of The Lord”. William Barclay quotes a fearsome description if this terrible time:

The sun and moon will be darkened, swords appear in heaven, trains of horses and foot march through the clouds. Everything in nature falls into commotion and confusion. The sun appears by night, the moon by day. Blood trickles from wood, the stone gives forth a voice, and salt is found in fresh water. Places that have been sown will appear as unsown, full barns be found empty, and the springs of wells be stopped. Among men all restraints of order will be dissolved, sin and ungodliness rule upon earth. And men will fight against each other as if stricken with madness, the friend against the friend, the son against the father, the daughter against the mother. Nation will rise against nation, and to war shall be added earthquake, fire and famine, whereby men shall be carried off.’

So how about it? Are you ready? How are your preparations? I can tell you! You’re not really ready, and
any “preparations” are pointless.
About being ready: Jesus says that we can tell that the day of The Lord is approaching but “of that day and hour knoweth no man”.
About preparations: Jesus says “then let them which be in Judea flee into the mountains: let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.” (Matthew 24:16-18 KJVA). To me that adds up to “if you’re still here, don’t bother with preparation, there’s just no point”.
Now I’m trusting that most people reading these pieces are born again Christians — but it wouldn’t feel right if now and again I didn’t reach out just in case …
If, somehow, you haven’t admitted your sinful nature, believed that Jesus is the Son of God and confessed that He is your only rightful Lord then, please, do it now. It’s the only meaningful preparation you can make — and all you need.
So, really, how are your preparations?