Do Not Suffer Fools Gladly?

Posted on by April 9, 2014
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2 Corinthians 11:17-19 — That which I speak, I speak it not after the Lord, but as it were foolishly, in this confidence boasting. Seeing that many glory after the flesh, I will glory also. For ye suffer fools gladly, seeing ye yourselves are wise.

I’m a little dissatisfied with myself today. I’ve been traveling, visiting some important customers. Today’s visit was very poorly organized. And at one point, I let my irritation show. The truth is, for a long time I wasn’t good at tolerating people I didn’t think were doing a very good job.
Since I became a Christian I’ve tried to do a better job. The words of Jesus, in Matthew 5, in which He condemns first anger, then contempt, and finally the destroying of another persons morals and character. I have tried to break myself of these kind of thought patterns. But today I was struck by the thought that I should think a little more carefully about the issue, and my attention was drawn to Proverbs 26:1-12 where King Solomon lays out his prescription for dealing with fools.
Fools are not to be treated with honor. A fool is not to be taken seriously, especially if he utters threats – especially the folly of fools is not to be dignified with a reply that seems to take it seriously. The answer returned to a fool should be the rebuke appropriate to his folly.Even when it seems that a fool might be making a good point it needs to be regarded with great suspicion.
The preacher king makes it clear that the wise man keeps the fool at arms length for “The great God that formed all things both rewardeth the fool, and rewardeth transgressors.” (Proverbs 26:1-10)
By the time I had finished my look at Proverbs 26, I was feeling a little better about my snippy attitude to today’s fool. Then I came to Paul’s passage in 2 Corinthians 11. Its clear from the context that Paul is being ironic. He is actually saying “Look you Corinthians, if you’re so smart, how come you deign to listen to stupid people? Part of being wise is being smart enough to push the fools off.”
Well, I get Paul’s point — but I know I’m kidding myself a little. Very few people in business a really fools. Usually when people don’t do a good job there’s a reason. Something is disrupting their ability to perform. I need to have the imagination to remember that and the willingness to give them grace, knowing that I have my foolish days too. You see, the verse from Solomon makes it clear — “Vengeance is mine says The Lord, I will repay — and oh, by the way, I’ll take care of the fools!”

Prepare To Be Amazed.

Posted on by April 8, 2014
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Hebrews 9:27 — And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

A tragic event here in Southwest Florida has brought the force of this verse back to mind. A much loved local weatherman was riding his bicycle on Sunday afternoon, hit a sign and incurred traumatic head injuries, and died.
A man who had made an important contribution to his local community, relaxing on a Sunday afternoon, is suddenly in the presence of Jesus. A man a couple of years older than me, snatched away from friends and family, having to account for his life. I don’t know about you, but it strikes a chill note for me. I am reminded, once again, of the uncertainty of life.
As I think about these tragic events I know that I know nothing about the state of the dead man’s soul. I don’t know what the thought would happen when he died. I know he wasn’t expecting it would happen as he road his bike on a sunny Sunday afternoon.
I think every one of us will be amazed on the day we die — weather we see it coming or not.
Christians are going to be amazed, I believe, by just how wonderful being in the presence of Jesus. Remember what Paul says in his letter to the Corinthian: “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.” (1 Corinthians 2:9)
Of course, there may be more to the amazement that the faithful feel. I think we all have expectations of reward when we die — and we are going to be amazed at what God thinks of our expectations. “If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.” (1 Corinthians 3:14-15) — some of us are going to be amazed because we have overvalued our kingdom contribution … And others of us will be amazed to find the “nothing much” we have done is a very big deal to Jesus indeed.
Tragically, there are others whose amazement will be of a very different order. There are those who don’t confess Jesus as Lord. For them the judgment may be a complete surprise as they have denied the truth of another of Pauk’s comments — “because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath showed it unto them.” (Romans 1:19)
Only you and God know where you stand. Prepare to be amazed!

Man Proposes, but God Disposes

Posted on by April 8, 2014
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Proverbs 16:9 — A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth his steps.

As I write today’s devotion, I am feeling the strength of this scripture in more ways than one!
I am in mid-air, hoping against hope to make a very unlikely connection in Detroit on the way to Canada. It seems increasingly likely that I will have an overnight stay in Motor City.
When my company travel department made my reservation I asked them if the proposed connection was feasible, and they assured me it was. The airline had assured them that it was a workable connection. I don’t think they checked with God though …
King Solomon knew that it didn’t matter what we think is a good idea, or a plan …. He understood it so well that he said it again and again. Proverbs 3:5-6 which is known so well as to not need quoting, or Proverbs 19:21, “There are many devices in a man’s heart; nevertheless the counsel of the Lord, that shall stand.” It’s as if he were saying to that hypothetical son to whom the Proverbs were addressed, “listen, this is important … listen, let me put it another way … listen, have you got it now?”
There are some wonderful devotional books that nowadays don’t, perhaps, get read as much as they should. Two or three of them … Brother Lawrence’s “The Practice Of The Presence Of God”, Julian of Norwich’s “Revelation Of Divine Love” and Thomas a Kempis’s “Of The Imitation Of Christ” are special treasures to me.
It seems likely that the encapsulation of God’s sovereignty at the top of this devotion, Solomon’s message in the Proverbs, comes to us from “The Imitation Of Christ”.
Thomas wrote in Latin of course, and his phrase was “homo proponit, sed Deus disponit” which may be exactly translated as “man proposes, but God disposes”. The whole passage is beautiful:

For the resolutions of the just depend rather on the grace of God than on their own wisdom; and in Him they always put their trust, whatever they take in hand.

We see from Thomas’s wisdom that the disrupting of our plans is God’s providence for the just. It is the very fulfillment of Romans 8:28. The events that occur in our life may not follow our plans … my journey may not go in the direction I have planned, but The Lord is directing my steps.
This plane will land when it lands. Maybe I’ll get to Canada today, maybe tomorrow. Maybe I’ll sleep in a nice hotel bed in downtown Toronto, or Maybe it’ll be on an uncomfortable seat in an airport terminal in Detroit … but the end of it is what another of my heroes (heroine really — it was Julian) said … “but all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.”

Missed Opportunities

Posted on by April 7, 2014
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Hebrews 3:7-8, 13 — Wherefore as the Holy Ghost saith, Today if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: But exhort one another daily, while it is called Today; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

Yesterday I talked about ignored or Unintended consequences. There’s another issue though that perhaps is driven by a similar mindset. Missed opportunities, like unintended and neglected consequences, have their roots in a lack of awareness and thoughtfulness.
This passage in the letter to the Hebrews would have spoken very directly to its original hearers, speaking as it did about painful incidents in their history. The words translated as “provocation” and “disobedience” are actually two place names, Maasah and Meribah. God offered wonderful blessings to the people of Israel. They failed to trust Him and obey Him, and so missed those benefits. Why was it, though, that they failed to trust and obey? Somehow, they forgot — or looked away from — all that He had done for them. I wonder if that’s what David had in mind when He wrote “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:” (Psalm 103:2).
Groups have an important dynamic — the group members influence one another. (if they don’t, maybe it’s not a group!). That influence can work neither way. For the Hebrews in the wilderness it worked in a negative way. Instead of reminding each other of all the amazing and wonderful things God had done, they stood at the entrances to their tents and murmured and their hearts became hardened.
Paul is anxious that his hearers avoid the mistakes of the original Hebrews. He wants the group dynamic to work the other way. “Talk to each other every day”, he says, “let’s not make the same mistake again!”
In Paul’s instructions one word needs to be carefully considered. “Today”. What does Paul mean when he says “today”. Today is today. Yesterday was today. Tomorrow, if it comes, will be today. Today is every day — until we run out of today’s. Today is all we have, and we need to pay attention. For us, individually, “today” means our lifetime. For the church, as a whole, it means the church age. We can never take our eye of the ball without risking the hardening of our hearts that leads to a loss of the blessings God has I’m store for us.
So how are we doing? Well look around. What do you see? I’m in one of those “party cities” this weekend. What I see is people completely oblivious to their opportunities. But what do you see where you are? Are you surrounded by people who are just as blind as the ones I see, or are you blessed to be in a community of mindful people encouraging one another every day?

Unintended And Ignored Consequence

Posted on by April 6, 2014
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Genesis 2:15 — And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.

There are many ways in which we can devote our energy and passion. We have to be selective to be effective. For that reason I don’t often indulge my “environmental” bump. But I do have a deep seated love both for England, where I was raised and the corner of America in which I am now blessed to live. Sometimes I hear or see something that stirs up a desire to “do something” about the careless neglect of the garden that God gave us to tend.
For some time now Myra and I have been saddened by the seemingly inevitable drift to extinction of the Florida Panther. This beautiful animal is down to less than 100 now, and it seems we hear, almost monthly, of yet another panther being killed on the local roads. You might wonder why such a precious species is not being fought for, tooth and nail by those with the power and influence to do so. Sadly, it seems that there is all too clear an understanding that the loss of the Florida Panther is an inevitable consequence of the erosion of their habitat as land is taken for commercial and residential building and the supporting infrastructure. The development is “required” so the consequences are ignored.
Then there’s the water vole in my native England. It was called back to mind when I heard a piece on the radio a few days ago. Now I know some people will think of the water vole as just another rodent. But anyone who has seen these river dwellers will surely know that they are a graceful and maybe even vital part of the ecosystem. The Water Vole, too, is being driven to extinction. This time it’s not a predictable but ignored consequence. Rather, it’s an unintended consequence. Let me tell you what happened.
In times past (not so long ago) ladies wore fur coats. One of the most prized furs was that of the mink — black, sleek and beautiful. So popular was the mink coat that special farms we created — “mink ranches” to industrialize production. But then a tender hearted animal rights movement lobbied fiercely against the cruelty of the practice. Eventually the farms were closed. If the farms were closed, what to do with the mink? To simply kill them would be unthinkable … so they were just released into the wild. Well, a mink’s got to eat … and it turns out that mink are vicious and successful predators … and that’s where the Water Vole comes in … as breakfast, lunch and dinner. So really, no bad intentions here. Just unintended consequences. Truly, the road to hell … or extinction … can be paved with good intentions, your own and others’.
What do you suppose God will do about those unintended and ignored consequences? We are talking about the God here who “will by no means let the guilty go unpunished”. Do you think He’s going to say “Well, I know you meant to dress and keep my garden, so I’ll give you credit for good intentions”? Or will He rather say “How come you didn’t think more about the consequences of your actions and take better care of what I gave you?”?
As I said at the beginning, we have to be selective about where we invest our energy — but perhaps, without making an all-out environmental push, we can try to live a life that’s just a little more “garden friendly”?

Weighed In The Balance

Posted on by April 4, 2014
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Daniel 5:25-28 — And this is the writing that was written, Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin. This is the interpretation of the thing: Mene; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it. Tekel; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting. Peres; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.

For many people, this should be a very frightening scripture.

A good translation of the words which Daniel (and no one else) could read is “numbered, numbered, weighed, divided”. The words are mysterious on the face of it, but they are ominous when interpreted by Daniel.
“God hath numbered thy kingdom and ended it”. God knows how many days He allocated to your kingdom, the days have been counted and your kingdom is ended.
“Thou art weighed in the balances and found wanting”. Either, you yourself have been weighed against the weight of God’s expectation and you’re a lightweight, or your good deeds have been weighed against your bad deeds — weighed and outweighed.
“Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians”. And that very night Belshazzar died and the kingdom went over to Darius the Mede.
So much for the interpretation — but why do I say that this should be a very frightening scripture for some people? It is because I believe that there will be a critical time of judgment in every life and that for some of us, the judgment may be fatal. Belshazzar had his court drink out of the sacred vessels of the temple. He arrogantly despised God, and justice followed swiftly and certainly. There are more and more people today who think that God can be ignored, or treated casually, or insulted. They should know that justice may be delayed. But when it comes it will be swift and certain.
Belshazzar did not see His judgment coming. He was in party mood. He “made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand. … They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone.” (Daniel 5:1,4) We live in an increasingly hedonistic world. More and more people have the gaining of material wealth as their highest objective. What is that if not praising “the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone.”?
It’s hard, perhaps, to see yourself as an oriental King. But I think I know a few Belshazzars, and I hope they wake up before they are weighed up … And found wanting!

How Hard Can It Be?

Posted on by April 3, 2014
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Ephesians 5:15-17 — See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.

You might remember that I do some online witnessing through GMO Volunteers. (See http://www.globalmediaoutreach.com). It is really easy to do something that just might have an eternal impact. Respond to emails from people who want to know more about Jesus — maybe provide some spiritual mentoring — as much or as little time as you have available.
The reason I mention it is that I got a message today from someone I’m starting to disciple asking how to know the will of God. “It’s so hard” he said …
Is knowing the will of God really hard? I really don’t think so. I do think that we’ve somehow formed the odd idea that the way to know the will of God is to keep asking Him for special communications. What a strange idea!
Now I don’t deny that sometimes God does speak specially, in answer to prayer or to communicate something. But there are three far more usual ways by which we can know the will of God.
First, consider the circumstances in which you find yourself and the opportunities that present themselves. It is God who manages our lives and He is not a trickster — very often what happens is a pointer to His intentions.
Second, be advised by godly counselors. They are in your life for a reason. Proverbs 15:22 tells us “Without counsel purposes are disappointed: but in the multitude of counselors they are established.”
Thirdly, and perhaps most importantly, read the Bible. Here’s just a few verses to start with:
— In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. (1 Thessalonians 5:18)
— For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: (1 Thessalonians 4:3)
— For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men: (1 Peter 2:15)
These are just a few that explicitly mention God’s will. Or consider these, that provide a framework for our life, which if we observe will surely ensure we are in His will:
— He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? (Micah 6:8)
— If ye love me, keep my commandments. (John 14:15)
In truth, the Bible provides both a general guide to the will of God and specific answers to many of our questions.
To claim we do not know, or cannot discern, the will of God is — in the end — a denial of His provision for us!

The Hound Of Heaven

Posted on by April 2, 2014
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Psalm 139:7-10 — Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.

Last Thursday our Bible and Life Group had a Pot Luck. Great fun! We were blessed by a presentation from two people that Myra and I are blessed to call friends. They told us about the genesis of their organization — Reciprocal Ministries International (RMI). For more about this remarkable enabling ministry PLEASE visit www.rminet.org.
In the early 1950’s, the 19 year old girl who would become Shirley Shoemaker first went to serve in a Christian mission in Haiti. That was the start of a lifelong ministry for Shirley, and Herb whom she eventually married. But there’s an interesting thing about their ministry experience …
It was often hard for Shirley and Herb to feel the significance of their work. Oftentimes there was a question about whether they should continue. Once they were even close to moving to a different mission field. Somehow, though, what Francis Thompson (and later C. S. Lewis) called the “Hound of Heaven” would not let them go. It was not until the 1970’s, with the inspiration came to launch RMI that the point of the Hound’s pursuit became clear.
The Hound of Heaven, in Thompson’s poem is the Holy Spirit.

I FLED Him, down the nights and down the days; I fled Him, down the arches of the years;
I fled Him, down the labyrinthine ways of my own mind; and in the mist of tears I hid from Him, and under running laughter.
Up vistaed hopes I sped; and shot, precipitated, adown Titanic glooms of chasmèd fears, from those strong feet that followed, followed after.
But with unhurrying chase, and unperturbèd pace, deliberate speed, majestic instancy, they beat—and a voice beat more instant than the Feet — ‘All things betray thee, who betrayest Me.’

How is it that we can feel driven by the Holy Spirit, and yet not feel the significance in what we do? Or how — as it seems to many of us from time to time — how is it that we can be marooned, stuck where we are, doing what we are doing but not seeing the point?
The question of the value of what we do is mistaken. When I ask instead “what, of all I do, is there that God cannot do without me?” perhaps the answer becomes clear. There is nothing we can do that God can’t do. The point of all we do is not in the results. The point is to stop running from the Hound of Heaven and to obey. We run and run from love. When we stop, and obey — whether we go or stay, whatever the visible results, it is then that what we do is truly significant.

Gentleman Jesus Is Still Calling

Posted on by April 1, 2014
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Matthew 8:7-8 — And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him. The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed.

Yesterday I wrote “Jesus is a gentleman”. I invited you to see if you could find an instance of Jesus sending to someone and asking that they come to Him. I think, if you took up my challenge, you would have found it a fruitless search. Turn it round, though, and look for instances of Jesus going to those who needed Him … whether it was convenient or not. I think you will find many instances!
Of course Jesus was freely, it seems, at the service of His friends. Consider the raising of Lazarus from the dead. Against the protests of his disciples — “Master, the Jews of late sought to stone thee; and goest thou thither again?” (John 11:8) — Jesus goes to Bethany, and calls Lazarus from the grave.
But it wasn’t just His friends. The Centurion has a servant whom He thinks Jesus can heal. Jesus doesn’t say “send him along and I’ll see what I can do”. No, He says, “I will come and heal him,”
Here, for instance, is a master caring for His servant. Jesus doesn’t question the merits of the case … He responds to the need.
Then there was the daughter of Jairus. The little girl was sick, and Jairus, a leader of the synagogue, appeals to Jesus for help. Again, Jesus sets off on a mission of mercy. Pausing only to respond to another desperate appeal, from the woman who had been bleeding for twelve years, He goes again to where He is needed.
This time it’s a parent seeking help for a child. Jesus doesn’t ask, as we might have done, “are you on my side”. He goes to help.
It wasn’t always so spectacular. Again and again we find Jesus going aside for peace — for meditation and prayer. Again and again we find Him being pursued by those who want something from Him — healing, or help, or teaching. For example, from Mark’s Gospel:
And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed. And Simon and they that were with him followed after him. And when they had found him, they said unto him, All men seek for thee.
Jesus was always available. In that respect, at least, death and resurrection makes no difference. He says “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 KJVA). Jesus is infinitely available to all who seek Him. I wonder if there is any other supposed “god” of whom any such thing can be said …

Gentleman Jesus Is Calling

Posted on by March 31, 2014
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Revelation 3:20 — 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.

Jesus is a gentleman! The thought came back in to mind this morning as I read John 21. The disciples went out fishing. Not for the first time, they caught nothing, but on the way back they saw Jesus on the beach and he invited them to breakfast.
As I thought about this, I realized that we sometimes make that remark about Jesus being a gentlemen, but never get into the detail of how he really behaved. So here’s a challenge for you. Go read the four gospels, and see if you kind find instances of Jesus sending for people, telling them to come to Him.
Both in general and in particular, Jesus never demanded, never insisted.
One way that I look at Jesus’s ministry leading up to His crucifixion is that it is the entry, royal progress, and eventual rejection of the King. Jesus came, set out His stall and proclaimed His message. People flooded to Him … some stayed, some left. He was saddened by those that left — to my ear John 6:67 “Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?” sounds one of the saddest notes in the Bible — but He never threatened or even scolded them. By the end many had left … but the road was open for them to return.
It’s still the same. The invitation is always open – but that’s what it is, an invitation not a summons. Maybe that works against us when we think about evangelism. We want to talk to people about following Jesus, but we can’t ever say “you have to come”. We have to follow our master, being winsome, courteous and open … we can’t be aggressive, rude or directive!
Of course there’s a punchline to this story. You can read about it in Matthew 22. Those people who received an invitation to the wedding supper of the Lamb and turned it down will be forced to acknowledge their foolishness. Those who try to go to the wedding without cleaning up first will be punished for their discourtesy. In other words, those who refuse salvation, or who claim to be saved but don’t repent their sins and show the fruit of repentance, will find that gentleman Jesus can only be pushed so far!