Paddling Against The Tide

Posted on by July 8, 2014
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Hebrews 2:1 — Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.

In my quiet time this morning, I found my attention being stolen away. It wasn’t, as sometimes happens, the Holy Spirit refocusing my attention. It was real distraction, by my surroundings and by thoughts pouring in like the tide. Does that ever happen to you?
It’s the same in daily life, too. There are days when it seems that there are a thousand distractions to knock us off our proper course.
Taking a verse out of context is a risky business, and when a verse has “therefore” as it’s first word, it’s clear that there is a broader context — but I don’t think I’m too far astray with my thoughts about this one.
Hebrews 2:1 provides a warning and a protection and the context, if we explore it, an explanation.
Alexander Mclaren points out that “we should let them slip” might better be translated “we drift away from them”. The image is very clear. We should be tied to an anchor point, securely tied — not drifting, not swept away by the tide.
From this, we can first see the warning. The context makes it clear that our faith is like a boat bobbing on a dangerous sea, tied by our devotion to the anchor point provided by God’s Word. We start, as new Christians, full of enthusiasm. As time goes by familiarity can untie the knot, and we can be swept away by a tide of indifference. Or another tide, the tide of peer pressure, can seek to sweep us into a sea of conformity. Then there’s the tide — the tidal wave — of daily life threatening to overwhelm us. These are just a few of the tides that can set us adrift from the Word.
Returning to our verse, we can see that it clearly identifies our protection. It’s not faith alone, nor yet the Word itself that will keep,us anchored. “We ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard.” That’s another way of saying that we have to work hard — we have to paddle against the tides that seek to sweep us into a sea of unbelief. We need to be constantly reading our Bible, studying, staying fresh. Nor is study, alone, enough. We must constantly be putting our lessons in to practice. We must be actively paddling against the tide.
What is the explanation for this warning and advice? If the importance of staying anchored is not self evident what goes before this verse and what follows surely provides all the reinforcement we need. First, there is the person of Jesus, whose superiority is laid out in the first chapter.
Second, laid out in the verses that follow, is the danger of neglecting God’s Word and the punishment that will follow.
There is no safety in staying at rest. We will be swept away. We have to keep paddling against the tide!

Why Can’t We Just All Get Along?

Posted on by July 7, 2014
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Acts 14:1-4 — And it came to pass in Iconium, that they went both together into the synagogue of the Jews, and so spake, that a great multitude both of the Jews and also of the Greeks believed. But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles, and made their minds evil affected against the brethren. Long time therefore abode they speaking boldly in the Lord, which gave testimony unto the word of his grace, and granted signs and wonders to be done by their hands. But the multitude of the city was divided: and part held with the Jews, and part with the apostles.

Paul and Barnabas came to Iconium. And trouble followed. The city crowd was divided and things got nasty.
Over the centuries the story has played out time and time again. A conflict that’s hard to understand leads to violence, and blood is spilled. But we’re over all that now, right? Sadly, we know better … It’s a thirty-second internet search to see that riot, conflict and bloodshed is still endemic, worldwide.
It’s not just riot and bloodshed though, is it? One of the things that saddens me is the way people I know and like can hate each other. Oh, sometimes it’s very polite — there’s a nice surface — but the acid is lurking just below the surface. How can people be that way?
The Iconium event was typical. The unbelieving Jews — they were “nice, respectable people” yet their unbelief was the breeding ground for strife. Unable to win their argument, they set to and stirred up bitterness amongst the Gentiles. From the seeds of bitterness grew flowers of hate and the fruit of violence.
Unbelief is at the heart of all conflict. James understood it very well:

From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. (James 4:1-4)

In the end we all choose a side. Be a friend of God. Believe. Or, be a friend of the world. Cherish unbelief. But once you choose a side, conflict will follow. Maybe, if you’re lucky it will stay “civilized”. If not, there will be bloodshed. But if you’re on God’s side it’s not the physical warfare that matters, is it? “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” (Ephesians 6:12). There can be no peace.

An Open Family

Posted on by July 6, 2014
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Isaiah 48:16 — Come ye near unto me, hear ye this; I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; from the time that it was, there am I: and now the Lord God, and his Spirit, hath sent me.

There are things in this faith of ours that seem (more or less!) simple. There are other things that we will never fully understand, but about which we can only know and understand more. One of those matters is the business of the Holy Trinity.
When I wrote my first piece about the Trinity, last month, I quoted the Moody Handbook of Theology as saying (in part), “Human reason, however, cannot fathom the Trinity, nor can logic explain it, and, although the word itself is not found in the Scriptures, the doctrine is plainly taught in the Scriptures.” It should be clear then that what I offer here is offered, in humility with no claim of certainty.
The view of the Trinity is one of those things that separates a Western and Eastern Christianity. In the West there is (at least) an implicit acceptance of an Augustinian view of a hierarchy in the Trinity — the Father somehow (inexplicably) superior to the Son and the Son somehow (inexplicably) superior to the Spirit. In the Eastern (Orthodox) tradition the Trinity is a community giving and receiving love, sharing in each other’s presence and work. the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are three distinct persons sharing one common reality.
I’ve seen a suggestion recently that really resonated with me. It follows more of the Eastern view. It carries with it the idea that the Trinity is an open community, accepting each of us into the family. Somehow it seems to be in the spirit of a scripture that I love:

Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. (John 17:20-23 KJV)

My mind ran on these thoughts a little in church today. A sweet couple came with their twin daughters to dedicate them and commit to bringing them up so they might come to know Christ as soon as may. Then we sang Paul Baloche’s song, “Our God Saves”, which starts:

In the name of the Father, in the name of the Son
In the name of the Spirit, Lord, we come
We’re gathered together to lift up Your Name
To call on our Savior to fall on Your grace

Our church, under God, is a community of believers open to any that will come to it sincerely seeking God. It is, I believe, our joy to seek the presence and filling if the Holy Spirit. It is a precious communion.

A Door Of Hope …

Posted on by July 5, 2014
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Hosea 2:15 — And I will give her her vineyards from thence, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope: and she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt.

Yesterday, we celebrated, each in our own peculiar way, America’s independence. Not wishing to be too controversial, let me say that at the very least a large component of the founding population was undoubtedly Christian.
This nation came from a wilderness where it was not free to worship, into a promised land where religious liberty was guaranteed.
More than two hundred years later something really seems to have gone wrong. There is a concerted attack on marriage and family. The evidence of our eyes and ears seems to contradict the official statistics that suggest violent crimes are declining. The gap between rich and poor is growing. (Recent reports show the USA to have the fourth largest gap between rich and poor of any major developed country.) So are we doomed?
In the seventh chapter of Joshua we read of the stoning of Achan — the “troubler of Israel” in the valley of Achor — the valley of “trouble”. Taking what isn’t yours gets you into trouble!
Then in the second chapter of Hosea we find God’s amazing promise to adulterous, idolatrous Israel. “I’ll turn the valley of trouble into the valley of hope — when you let go of those things you should never have touched”. Albert Barnes expands this beautifully:

It was through the punishment of those who troubled the true Israel, “the destruction of Jerusalem”, that to the Apostles and the rest who believed, the hope of victory over the whole world was opened.” “Hope.” The word more fully means, a “patient, enduring longing.” To each returning soul, the valley of trouble, or the lowliness of repentance, becometh a door of patient longing, not in itself, but because God giveth it to be so; a longing which reacheth on, awaiteth on, entering within the veil, and bound fast to the Throne of God.

It is certain that in our troubled society there will be troubles. In time though — God’s time — there will be punishment, destruction, for those who trouble God’s kingdom. For those though who are repentant, returning, seeking the kingdom, the valley of trouble has become the valley of hope. The hope is for a season, a season of “patient longing”.
I thought I saw a first glimmer of hope in the Supreme Court’s rulings in the Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood cases. For the first time in a long time it seemed as though the highest (human) court in the land ruled in favor of the family and religious freedom. Perhaps these are the first signs of repentance and returning, and there is a door of hope opening …

When I Am Weak …

Posted on by July 4, 2014
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2 Corinthians 12:9-10 — And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

Myra and I have had a pretty strange Fourth of July. We haven’t been at a cookout, we haven’t been watching fireworks, we haven’t been at a parade … We’ve been working on a project in our house.
We battled through. The instructions for the bookcase were up to the usual standard. The relocated modem and router just wouldn’t connect. (Translation, for the less technically savvy … “The boxes and bits of string wouldn’t cooperate!”) And then we prayed, and called Comcast and had the modem reset, and everything worked.
Did you spot the (not-deliberate) mistake? We’re really trying to pray before we start a project. We want God’s blessing on our plans and help as we progress. This time we messed up. Now am I really saying that God stops things from working in a fit of pique? Of course not. But I do think He sometimes makes things run a little bit more smoothly if He’s in at the start of the project … but there’s something much more important.
When we go to God and ask for help, it’s an act of worship … more, and I hope I can do this idea justice, we are conforming ourselves in His image.
The worship part is plain, I think. We come to God and say “Father, this job is too big for me … But You Lord, nothing is too big for You! I am weak, but you are strong.”
The “conforming” part is a bit deeper in the text, but see what God said to Paul: “my strength is made perfect in weakness.” I have seen two interpretations of this clause, and I have one more that I dare offer.
The first, most obvious, and most commonly advanced is “I will give you more of my strength, the more you need and ask for”. Indeed, Paul was strengthened by being made aware that he already had all the resources he needed.
The second interpretation is that God gains glory when He comes to our aid when we confess our weakness. I don’t think much of the idea. I’m not convinced by the notion that God puts us through hoops so that He can polish up His image.
The idea that has occurred to me is this. God’s strength was made most perfect in the ultimate weakness of the cross. We conform to His image by taking up our cross, and confessing our weakness, our inability to cope unless we are hidden in Him.
The worshipful life, the conforming life, is the daily life. Discipleship is not some grand heroic activity. It is the moment-by-moment practicing of the presence of God. Listening, sharing, asking, obeying, loving. In weakness.

The Grain Of Sand

Posted on by July 3, 2014
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Matthew 13:54-57 — And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works? Is not this the carpenter’s son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas? And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things? And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house.

So, were you raised in a Christian family, Bible-Believing, church-attending, God-honoring …? I wasn’t, and nor was my beloved Myra. So here’s a funny thing. One of the most disruptive things either of us ever did in our lives was form a new relationship. When we gave our lives to Christ, each of us — in our way — messed up a whole lot of other relationships.
In a way, (OK, it was a very small way), we both had the same problem Jesus had. We challenged people’s perceptions and expectations of us, and ran into a wall of resentment.
“Son of a carpenter grows up, running around town, plays with the other kids … studies with the Rabbi … and now He’s working miracles, He’s explains the Torah to us? I don’t think so!” “You know, there was something funny about His birth … some story … Mary’s a fine woman, and the rest of her children, but maybe He should keep His head down”.
When Jesus brought the kingdom to His home town, His home town did not respect the unexpected. So it is, all to often with new Christians. When we bring Jesus into our home towns — or at least when we try to introduce Him to our family and old friends, they are not always impressed.
So this leads to another thought? When we become Christians should we give up all our old connections and relationships. Should we let go of all the skills and gifts that have previously endeared us (we hope) to friends and family? That’s not what Jesus expects. The last thing He said to His disciples before returning to Nazareth was “Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old.” (Matthew 13:52 KJV). When we become Christians (“instructed unto the Kingdom of Heaven”) we bring our own gifts (“treasures”) … and out of those treasures we bring new and old things.
So how are we we to deal with those people who turn on us when we turn to Jesus? I’m thinking we need to keep on irritating! That irritation may be the one thing they need to make them look into what’s got into us. That might bring them into the kingdom. Their irritation at the change in us might be the grain of sand that turns into a pearl for them!

By The Grace Of God

Posted on by July 2, 2014
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Psalm 131:1-2 — Lord, my heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty: neither do I exercise myself in great matters, or in things too high for me. Surely I have behaved and quieted myself, as a child that is weaned of his mother: my soul is even as a weaned child.

I am today, by the Grace of God, sixty years old. I hope you will not mind, therefore, if I indulge in talking about myself a little.
There were long stretches of my life, especially in some aimless years in my thirties and forties, when I doubted if I would see fifty. Here I am now, turning sixty and — despite the ups and downs of life — looking forward to a great future. What happened?
I met my beloved Myra, of course. And then God tapped my shoulder, and nothing has ever been the same.
Today, in our devotions, we read this sweetest of psalms. It says something about how I feel about a lot of things now. I used to have a reputation for being like a missile … wind me up, point me at an issue, and watch me explode. I’m a lot calmer now. (Not saying that frustration doesn’t still strike now and then — I’m not perfect!)
Thinking about this scripture led me to two other “child” scriptures. The first was 1 Corinthians 13:11, “When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.” Of course Paul is talking about the way that one day we will lay aside the things of this world for heavenly concerns, but at the same time he comments on the way that “we lay aside, as unworthy of our attention, the views, feelings, and plans which we had in boyhood, and which we then esteemed to be of so great importance.” (Albert Barnes). That works for me. Looking back I can see how my view of what is important in life has changed, and how alien to me are the aspirations of my younger self.
The second scripture was Mark 10:15, “Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.” Here is a scripture from which I draw two lessons today. First; to enter the Kingdom one must be born again — and plainly the one who is newly born is as a child. Second; the newborn child is, in the words, again, of Albert Barnes, “teachable, mild, humble, and free from prejudice and obstinacy.” I am born again, and I hope some of those childlike characteristics are emerging in me!
At first sight, these two scriptures say opposite things. One says be mature. The other says be childlike. But they come together for me in Psalm 131. Maturity is about stripping away the nonsense of the world — the kind of things I wanted to chase after in my earlier years — and accepting that my knowledge and significance is not so great, and that a childlike faith and a willingness not to pretend to involvement in “great matters” is just fine with God. I hope you are in a calm safe harbor too. If not, perhaps these few verses will help you calm the waters.

Tell Me Again About Exercise

Posted on by July 1, 2014
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1 Timothy 4:7-8 — But refuse profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness. For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.

Myra and I are making a concerted effort to exercise more. Let’s tell the truth. I need exercise, and my sweetheart is exercising to encourage me. We really pushed it tonight, so maybe that’s why my thoughts were running on these verses.
Perhaps I should be focusing, instead, on Hebrews 12:1 — “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,”. I really need to lose the weight — but somehow, that’s not what’s on my mind.
Paul tells Timothy, “exercise thyself rather unto Godliness” and I’ve often heard the verse used as an encouragement to “spiritual exercise”. Fine, but what does that actually mean?
I don’t know if there’s a fixed definition, but here’s my list of “spiritual exercises”.
It starts with being still before The Lord. Does that sound simple? I promise you that it isn’t. “Be still and know that I am God” is actually really hard. It us, however, essential. In that respect, spiritual exercise and physical exercise are similar. It’s important to concentrate, to get you mind right.
Then there’s prayer. That’s another one that’s deceptively simple. How hard can it be? Hands together, eyes closed, tell God what you want. If that’s how your prayer life is, I can promise that pretty soon you’re going to run dry. Prayer is about opening your heart to God, and lining up your will with His.
Next, Bible study comes to mind. “Wait,” I hear you say, “study is study, how is that a spiritual exercise?” I’m hoping, by now, that you see where I’m going with this. Spiritual exercise is all about beefing up your spiritual muscles so you can be fit to work with God. Bible study is about allowing God to speak through His word. That is a non-trivial exercise! It means looking at scripture from every angle. It’s doing Bible study the way Martin Luther described it — “For some years now, I have read through the Bible twice every year. If you picture the Bible to be a mighty tree and every word a little branch, I have shaken every one of these branches because I wanted to know what it was and what it meant.” That’s exercise!
Last — and only last because I have to stop before this little piece becomes, at the very least, a chapter — there’s worship. Worship. The most physical of the spiritual exercises! In some ways, worship is the end result of the other spiritual exercises. It’s praising God for what you know about Him. But you can worship at the top of your game — or not so well. The best worship is utterly focused — and that needs practice!
As I thought about this topic, and worked into it, I realized I had more and more to say, and to learn. I might come back to this one!

Honey, I Shrunk The World

Posted on by June 30, 2014
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2 Kings 6:17 — And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.x

Do you remember the movie? “Honey, I Shrunk The Kids”. Inventor Rick Moranis accidentally shrunk his kids (and a neighbor kid) to a quarter of an inch tall. They got a whole new view of the world!
This is one of those odd pieces which come into my mind, and I don’t know where it comes from, and I don’t know where it’s going! Are you coming for the ride?
I think we sometimes have an odd perspective on the world. Sometimes we see a small, small world … and sometimes it seems like we are midgets in a giant world!
The young man with Elisha didn’t see the world as big as Elisha did. In fact he saw “behold, a host compassed the city both with horses and chariots.” (2 Kings 6:15 KJVA). Elisha saw the world as it really was. In fact he saw beyond what most people ever see. Most of the time, most of us are like Elisha’s servant. We’re really good at seeing the host of problems, and not that great at seeing the resources God has surrounded us with to deal with those problems.
Sometimes we have the opposite problem. We feel like giants in a tiny world. “I am the center of the universe. The world rotates around me. I am a giant surrounded by midgets!” I like the way the Good News Bible puts one of Paul’s comments on this — “Don’t do anything from selfish ambition or from a cheap desire to boast, but be humble towards one another, always considering others better than yourselves. And look out for one another’s interests, not just for your own.” (Philippians 2:3-4 GNB). It’s so easy to fall into this trap. In fact it’s one I get sucked into, step by step. It starts with a little choosing of my own way instead of someone else’s, or a little self-congratulation (“I deserve it, don’t I? I’m worth it, aren’t I?”). That little step leads to a slippery slope. I’m the king of the world, and the world rotates around me — and it’s hard to see the little people round me … I suppose it’s a good thing the slope is slippery, because every time I get too big for my boots I know I’m going to end on my butt!
I’m not sure which is worse, seeing the world as too big or too small. I’m just praying that the Holy Spirit keeps correcting my eyesight!

Let Freedom Reign!

Posted on by June 29, 2014
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1 Peter 2:15-17 — For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men: as free, and not using your liberty for a cloak of maliciousness, but as the servants of God. Honor all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.

In our church we celebrated America today. We love to join worship and patriotism on the Sunday before the Fourth of July.
The beautiful song “My Country, ‘Tis Of Thee” has a verse that pulled out a key theme for me:

Our fathers’ God to Thee,
Author of liberty,
To Thee we sing.
Long may our land be bright,
With freedom’s holy light,
Protect us by Thy might,
Great God our King.

Freedom is the key. But freedom is an interesting thing. Freedom, despite what many might think is not a benefit conferred by a benevolent government. It is, and the founders rightly declared, a right with which we are endowed by our creator.
What is this thing called “freedom”? It is the right to choose. What is more, it is a right we share with our creator. It is not just the right that we share. We share the mystery of freedom too. For somehow, the exercise of freedom limits choices — His, and ours.
God gave Adam and Eve freedom of choice. When they exercised their choice, and chose to sin, He put into play His plan of redemption. Could He have chosen to do otherwise? Did His very nature, completely good, completely loving, compel Him? Where then, is perfect freedom?
The case for the limits on human freedom is more often debated, but equally hard to understand. We know these verses so very well:

For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. (Romans 8:29-30)

But at the heart of these verses lies a mystery. If we are predestined to salvation, where is our freedom of choice?
Freedom, it seems, has its limits — but the limits are there because of our nature. Peter said it — we are free, but as the servants of God. We are bound to love the brotherhood, fear God, and honor the king — or, in America, love the Republic.
I know I haven’t done a great job of explaining what I’m trying to understand about freedom and its limits. If it’s clearer to you, please help me out!