Another Cure For Fainting

Posted on by February 28, 2014
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Colossians 3:22-24 — Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God: and whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.
Yesterday I wrote about the idea of “fainting away”. It occurred to me, as I sat at my desk today, that I had another cure facing me. At Christmas Myra presented me with a nice desk clock carrying the text — “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for The Lord …”. It’s a restating of Colossians 3:23, which is the second verse at the head of this devotion.
How we deal with work, especially when it is repetitive work with no obvious end and not much in the way of obvious material reward, is a spiritual issue. We all have masters … employers now, but in Paul’s time perhaps even owners. We do not necessarily choose our masters, and we work at their direction and have little choice but to receive whatever payment they offer, but how we work should be independent of those conditions. How we work shows who we are and we are Christians! As Christians we should be ashamed if how we work shows an attitude of the heart that is unworthy of our heavenly Master.
These verses from Colossians provide instruction and encouragement. We are to obey in all things, and to do whatsoever we do “heartily”. What we do is not the point. Even results are not important. What God is looking for is an obedient heart and nothing else. There’s another thing too. Many of the people Paul was writing to were slaves … There was nothing they could inherit and nobody they could inherit from. Now however, Paul tells them, they will receive an inheritance from Christ. From Paul, that is a very specific promise. He speaks often of the Kingdom of God as the inheritance and here he is saying that those who claim Jesus as Lord will have a place in His Kingdom.
When we talked about this passage, Myra asked an interesting question. Is the work Paul talks about “spiritual” work like praying, or witnessing, or Bible study? The answer’s interesting too! No, it’s not … He’s talking about our normal every day work. No matter how “special” or how dull — or even hard– it is, our daily work is to be a labor of love — a labor that, as Paul notes in 1 Thessalonians 1:3, is produced by love. This is a beautiful thing … We become Christians. We are known for our love. We express our love through our work. Working with all our heart, we give joy to Jesus!

Are You fainting In The Way?

Posted on by February 27, 2014
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Matthew 15:32 — Then Jesus called his disciples unto him, and said, I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days, and have nothing to eat: and I will not send them away fasting, lest they faint in the way.

There are days that feel really tough. To be honest I’m feeling really tired right now. I’m thinking that if I was one of those folks that had been following Jesus for three days I might have felt like this — except I’ve been pretty well fed and watered!
That idea of “fainting away” talks of several different conditions to me. The first is the bone weariness that comes from honest hard work. That’s the one I’m dealing with today. I guess I’m getting old and two days of flights and meetings early and late, and late to bed and early to rise, in the middle of the work week leave me feeling this way.
The second “fainting in the way” condition is one that arises from feeling beaten down by circumstances. Now I know those who will proclaim that a Christian has no business living “under the circumstances” — but honesty should force us to admit that most of us will eventually buckle if the daily journey always seems uphill!
The last “fainting in the way” condition is the most insidious. It creeps up on us. It’s the weariness caused by the spiritual battle. When day after day your values are attacked by the media, by those around you, by coworkers, friends, and even family. When, somehow, all your spiritual disciplines seem to be going nowhere. It might be the most distressing of all the things that cause us to “faint in the way” — and it’s one we all run into.
So how do we deal with these unpleasant conditions? The first is probably the easiest — although the remedy is one of those irritating prescriptions that falls into the “easier said than done” collection. Get some rest!
The other two have the same remedy. The heart of it is to be willing to dare to do what the “multitude” didn’t dare to do. They did not dare ask Jesus to feed them. We certainly can. In fact turning to Him, “waiting” on Him is the only remedy for circumstantial or spiritual “fainting”. The beautiful verse from Isaiah nails it: “but they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31). Truly it’s not talking about physical strength — it’s about emotional and spiritual renewal, the only defense against fainting!

More Things Work Together Than You Think

Posted on by February 26, 2014
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Romans 8:28 — And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Me again. Midair again. On my way home, praising The Lord again!
I’m on my way back from Charlotte, after a two-day trip that I really hadn’t been looking forward too. We had meetings set to visit three key clients with a new Senior VP from our company — my bosses new boss.
Now don’t get me wrong … So far the new guy seems pretty gracious — but all the same there was pressure to perform. And some of our interactions with these particular clients have been pretty rough over the past few months, so these calls weren’t shaping up to be pretty.
So here I am, sitting on the plane, praising God. What happened? You guessed it — the meetings went really well, the clients seem happy with our performance and direction, and we might get to sell quite a bit more software and services business.
While I was sitting in the airport I called Myra to keep her posted on my travel progress and we talked a bit about the way the meetings had gone. She gently — ever so gently — rebuked me. “But sweetheart”, she said, “shouldn’t we expect good outcomes.” At that moment you can imagine me slapping myself upside the head. Well yes. Of course. God has promised us that He will take care of us. Now that doesn’t mean that only good things will happen, and never anything bad. But I do believe that it’s reasonable to expect that most often good things will happen, and not bad. God is not some heavenly trickster setting bizarre and complex puzzles.
So it was like God whispered in my ear. “Ian, Ian, don’t you trust Me? Don’t you believe My word?” Such a quiet, gentle whisper. With a slight sense of shame I called this famous verse to mind. Chapter 8 of Paul’s letter to the Romans is a high peak in a majestic theological mountain range. Verse 28 is the base camp for the final assault on the glorious summit… And yet…
I, like so many other Christians, have done a poor job of internalizing the truth of the wonderful promise. All things work together for good … Whatever happened in my meetings yesterday, new Senior VP and cranky clients notwithstanding, was bound to work together for my good.
Now I admit that there are conditions on this blessing. R. C. Sproul describes them well. I have to be “one of them that love Him”. Sproul says of this, “It is not in the final analysis a matter of mental assent but of affection for God. Obedience, discipleship and living the Christian life are a consequence of loving God.” And I must be “called according to his purpose”. This calling is not just the calling to repentance, salvation and fellowship with God – it is God’s effectual calling. Sproul’s comments again: “What is meant by the effectual call of God is that, when he calls, he calls sovereignly and effectively by an inward call which goes beyond the ears into the soul and into the heart. What we are speaking about is regeneration. Only God can do that and he does so by the power of his Spirit through the Word.”
I know I love God, and I believe I have heard the effectual call. I should never be surprised when my day works out well!

Being Safe On The Journey

Posted on by February 25, 2014
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Psalm 121:1-8 — I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.
My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.
He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber.
Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.
The Lord is thy keeper: the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand.
The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.
The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul.
The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.

As Pastor Hayes teaches through the Psalms of ascent, I intend one devotion a week to focus on them.
As someone who travels fairly often, I am fond of Psalm 121, which reminds me both of the dangers of travel and of my protection.
The faithful would make the journey up to Jerusalem three times a year for the great festivals. Though the journey was familiar it was not without difficulty and risk. It is easy for me to imagine the wary traveller looking uneasily up to the hills wondering if there were robbers lying in wait, ready to pounce.
It’s not just when I’m on the road that I can feel the need for caution. In daily life, life’s journey if you like, I can see the dangers too. There’s a wonderful old phrase “the world, the flesh, and the devil” that encompasses the dangers that beset me.
“The world” represents the threats from our surroundings — especially the media, with their seductive promotion of materialism and immorality. “The flesh” represents the threats that come from the remains of my pre-Christian self … a selfish, immoral, unkind self. “The devil” of course, is the arch-enemy who as well as being behind the other threats send his own messengers to tempt me off the safe road.
Again, when I imagine that wary traveller watching the hills for an attacker, I see him lifting his eyes — looking up — looking to the The Lord for protection. I too look up, not physically but mentally and spiritually. I look up to my Heavenly Protector and pray “deliver us from evil”.
Psalm 121 provides a catalog of protections for the traveler:
— The Lord will not suffer his foot to be moved — he will stay on the right path.
— The Lord’s protection is seven days a week, twenty-four hours a day.
— The Lord will provide necessary “shade” — protection from the natural perils that surround him.
— The protection will extend from the natural to the soul-threatening super-natural.
— The protection will be lifelong.
When I consider all these protections that God provides as I travel through life’s journey, I am relieved of the ill-at-ease feeling that I might otherwise feel, and instead filled with gratitude. Thank God for His protection along the way!

Cherish Them!

Posted on by February 24, 2014
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1 Thessalonians 5:12-13 — And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labor among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; and to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. And be at peace among yourselves.

As we go through a season of prayer in our church, based around Matthew 7:7 (“Ask,Seek, Knock”) my thoughts are being drawn to some common prayer themes. One of them is the need to care for our pastoral staff. It starts, of course, with our Senior Pastor who carries a great spiritual burden. But recently I’ve been noticing our other “professionals” and realizing two things. The first is how hard they (and often their families too!) work in their ministries. The second is that (shame on me) I know very little about most of them. When I thought about these things my attention was drawn to these verses — perhaps not surprisingly. When I looked at them, I realized there was much more to them than might be apparent at a superficial glance.
There are those who are to be known and “highly esteemed”. They perform three essential tasks – they labor among us, they are over us, and they admonish us. First, note that these men (for they are over us, and must therefore be men) labor among us. Pastors, deacons, Bible and Life Group leaders — they come along side, they do not lord over us. But still, they are over us, the church is a structured organization, with Christ at the head. And they admonish us. “Admonish” usually means “warn” but the Louw-Nida Greek Lexicon translates the word used here as “to provide instruction as to correct behavior and belief—to instruct, to teach, instruction, teaching”.
Then there is how we are to regard these men. We are not just to obey them, or even to respect them. We are to love them. Why is that? Perhaps it is because they are under an obligation to serve us — not because we deserve it, but as a pure work of grace. Albert Barnes expresses it beautifully: “The very nature of the office requires them to do good to others, and there is no benefactor who should be treated with more affectionate regard than he who endeavors to save us from ruin; to impart to us the consolations of the gospel in affliction; and to bring us and our families to heaven.”
The last thing that strikes me about these verses is the last thing! In a way “And be at peace among yourselves.” seems a strange little tag line. “Continually be at peace with each other”. Yet I think the instruction follows naturally … How best to show love to our leaders? To ease their minds by giving them a flock at peace, rather than a fractious, murmuring, silly lot of sheep!
When we know our leaders, love them, and live at peace we stand in the same relationship to them as Jesus’s sheep do to Him. What could be sweeter?

Not Everyone Can Go

Posted on by February 23, 2014
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Luke 8:38-39 — Now the man, out of whom the devils were departed, besought him that he might be with him: but Jesus sent him away, saying, Return to thine own house, and show how great things God hath done unto thee. And he went his way, and published throughout the whole city how great things Jesus had done unto him.

A post on Facebook pointed me to a really-thought provoking article the other day. And it brought these verses from Luke’s Gospel to mind.
It also crystallized something in my mind, and help me get a clear perspective on something I’ve often wrestled with.
Here’s the original article:
http://pippabiddle.com/2014/02/18/the-problem-with-little-white-girls-and-boys/
The heart of the article is this:

Before you sign up for a volunteer trip anywhere in the world this summer, consider whether you possess the skill set necessary for that trip to be successful. If yes, awesome. If not, it might be a good idea to reconsider your trip. Sadly, taking part in international aid where you aren’t particularly helpful is not benign. It’s detrimental.

You see, I’ve often thought about a short-term mission trip, but I’ve always been deterred by the knowledge that I am (humiliating confession …) practically useless. Give me a hammer, I’ll probably drop it. Want a nail bent? Give it to me. Want that picture to fall of the wall? I can hang it … But still, surely I should go and share the Word? I’m a nice guy, like telling stories, love to worship …
This article really made me think about why Jesus wouldn’t let the man from whom he had driven the demons go with Him. I saw there were at least two reasons. The first is embodied in the text — “Return to thine own house, and show how great things God hath done unto thee”. If you have plenty of people at home to share with, maybe that’s your mission field. The second reason isn’t so obvious — but perhaps a man who has been possessed by demons for a long time really isn’t equipped.
Now don’t get me wrong … This devotion isn’t meant to tell anybody not to get involved in missions activity. The fact that I’m not mechanically gifted doesn’t excuse me from the Great Commission. It just means I have to be thoughtful about my proper part in it. I’m familiar with (and I’m sure you are too) the idea that there are four great compartments to missions — praying, equipping, sending and going … Your talents, resources and Spiritual gifting will certainly allow you to play a part in one or more of these areas. Not only that, but this age provides some unique opportunities for “going” that may not need you to travel or get involved in practical tasks for which you are just not suited. For myself, I participate in an online ministry (see http://www.globalmediaoutreach.com for details) that allows me to help new or returning Christians by playing to my strengths.
So there it is. If you’re “a little white girl (or boy)” make sure your missions activities really do promote the Kingdom — or stay at home!

It’s Not Who You Know Of But Who You Know

Posted on by February 22, 2014
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Acts 19:13-15 — Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth. And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so. And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?

So what’s the big deal about witnessing and missions? I say it’s about changing relationships from “who you know of” to “who you know“. Myra focused my attention on this crucial difference as she drove me to work on Thursday.
When I talk about knowing somebody, I’m really talking about intimate personal knowledge.
The sons of Sceva are a perfect illustration of what I mean. They plainly “knew of” Jesus, but they didn’t “know” Him. In fact perhaps it was worse, since they were plainly claiming to speak with His authority and they were frauds … And the evil spirit knew it!
The sort of knowledge I’m talking about is the kind of knowledge Jesus was talking about when He said “I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.” (John 10:14-15). The word He uses is “ginosko”. The Complete Word Study New Testament, by Greek scholar Spiro Zodhiates, defines “ginosko” as “to know experientially.” It’s about a very personal, and much more than just a general, knowledge.
We believe that everybody knows of God. The Apostle Paul said:

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath showed it unto them. (Romans 1:18-19)

If everyone has the knowledge of God, our job is to reach out and be the channel through which they gain the crucial intimate personal knowledge that is the result of getting saved and then getting remade in the likeness of His Son. When I thought about that I realized that when I tried to witness (side note, if you are “trying” to witness, you’re almost certainly doing it wrong) I was focusing entirely to much on what I knew, and Who I knew of — and not nearly enough on who I am and who I know. How about you? Like me, do you need to change your approach?

Thank God For Barnabas!

Posted on by February 21, 2014
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Acts 9:26-27 — And when Saul was come to Jerusalem, he assayed to join himself to the disciples: but they were all afraid of him, and believed not that he was a disciple. But Barnabas took him, and brought him to the apostles, and declared unto them how he had seen the Lord in the way, and that he had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus.

I have two Barnabas’s in my life. One has been with me for quite a long time — I’ll talk about that later. I’ve known the other for quite a while, but he’s definitely been more active for the last year or so, and sadly this year he’ll be moving away from the area where Myra and I live. That realization is what has really prompted today’s devotion.
Barnabas — “son of encouragement” or “son of consolation” — was one of a circle of friends that developed around Paul after his experience on the road to Damascus.
Barnabas was the one who vouched for Paul. He was his faithful companion, despite their brief falling out over John-Mark’s reliability. He was trusted to transport the churches funds. Everybody needs somebody like Barnabas in their lives!
My other Barnabas? My wonderful wife Myra, of course! From time to time when I think of Myra I think of the way the angel Uriel describes Eve in Haydn’s oratorio, “The Creation”:

With fondness leans upon his breast the partner for him form’d, a woman fair and graceful spouse.

“The partner for him form’d” — there is no better description of the way my lovely Myra supports me. She encourages me and supports me, lifts me up when I am down, pushes me when I hang back … But there is something special about my other Barnabas. You see, he’s a “volunteer”. He doesn’t have the obligations of marriage to make him my sponsor, supporter and encourager. In fact, though we’ve never talked about it, I believe he looks out for people to encourage — to push in the right direction, to build up, to cheer on …
The role of Barnabas is a biblical one. Could you be a Barnabas? Not everyone is cut out for the job. Actually, it’s underpinned by a Spiritual gift — the gift of encouragement (or exhortation). Paul names the gift in Romans 12:8. In fact the word He uses really calls it the gift of “coming alongside” — which is a perfect description of what Barnabas did for Paul! There are some ways to tell if it’s the job for you. Here’s some clues:
— Do you feel the Holy Spirit promoting you to reach out to people?
— Do people seek you out for advice and guidance?
— Are you delighted when you see someone you have taken an interest in flourish?
— Are you patient with people?
— Would you rather guide someone directly than pass them on to someone else?
Or maybe you need a Barnabas in your life? How can you tell? Easy. If you’re breathing, and you haven’t got one, you need one. If it was good enough for Paul, it’s good enough for you!

Imagination

Posted on by February 20, 2014
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Romans 1:21 — because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

Yesterday I wrote about taking thoughts captive. The foundation was the passage from 2 Corinthians 3-5. As well as talking about “taking thoughts captive” that passage also talks about “casting down imaginations”. That put the odd thought in my mind that the Bible doesn’t seem very impressed by “imagination”. I thought I’d see whether the scripture supported my impression.
The word used in Romans 1:21 is usually translated “thoughts” and is the root of our word “dialog”.
In 2 Corinthians 10:5 the word used means “argument”.
In Luke 1:51 the word in Mary’s song of praise is “mind”.
Acts 4:25, quoting Psalm 2 uses a word that can be translated as “practice”.
Vain thoughts, cast down imaginations, scattered minds, vain practices … so far I’d say my sense that the scripture writers didn’t think much of imagination might be well founded.
I looked further — at verses like Ephesians 3:20 for instance, “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,” — that word “think” has been translated as “imagine” sometimes — although it might also be translated as “understand”. However you take it, it’s clearly talking about or limits … we cannot imagine all that God can do.
I think the limited scope of our imagination is one reason why the Bible doesn’t think very highly of it. Why would you invent things — especially ideas — when you have access to the real thing, to God’s truth. That’s not to belittle the creative capability. Creativity is one of the ways in which we reflect God’s image, but it needs to be applied to the right things. All too often it’s applied to the wrong things and not to the Glory of God, and then, like the people Paul is talking about in Romans, the “imagineers” descend into darkness.
The descent into darkness is what I think of as the other risk of imagination. I believe this is what Jesus was talking about when He said “But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:” (Matthew 15:18-19) Much that is sinful arises from our imagination … It’s the same thing that James was talking about when he said “but every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.” (James 1:14)
Imagination is a powerful capability — but often used for the wrong things, and in the wrong way. It is not an alternative to truth. Nor does it reach to the heights of God’s creativity!

Decline The Distractions

Posted on by February 19, 2014
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2 Corinthians 10:3-5 — For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds;) casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

Once again, I’m writing at thirty thousand feet. Leaving Las Vegas … and happy to be so. When I was a younger man, before I became a Christian, I enjoyed Las Vegas. It was a place whose reality matched its reprehensible reputation — and I loved it, although I would never dare sample its “headier” delights. I would gamble some, drink to much, sleep too little, ogle the girls and always leave feeling much worse than when I arrived.
Now, it’s different. The first thought I had, when I arrived at McCarran airport and saw the slot machines that greet the arriving traveler was that most of the people I saw walking to the departure gates were leaving much worse off, in one way or another, than when they arrived. They had been sucked into a whirlpool of sensation, and it had stripped away their joy and was spitting them out, bruised and battered.
Those slot machines … and then the gaudy advertising in the arrivals hall. They are designed to remove the visitor from any sense of reality as quickly as possible, and to soften them up for the lures of gambling, high living and sexual immorality.
It can’t be denied that many of the higher end hotels and casinos are masterpieces, full of spectacular artifacts and imagery, all designed to deepen the isolation. Then there are the retail and dining experiences … just in case someone should be lucky enough, or wise enough, not to gamble their fortune away!
So how is a Christian to deal with all this? The first, and obvious response is “Don’t go there!”. If you don’t have to go to sin city — either literally, or figuratively — then don’t go. Don’t go to Las Vegas, and if you must, then don’t go to the casinos, immoral shows, bars … I was fortunate this time, as the layout of the hotel and convention center I was at meant that I never had to walk through the casino, so I didn’t.
The well known passage from 1 Corinthians offers another layer of protection. If you have to go to the battleground, remember the war we are fighting! It may seem like the attractions are carnal … but the warfare is spiritual. So treat every distraction as an attack and use the power of prayer to take every thought that is provoked captive. The Las Vegas marketeers of sin have the foolish imaginations that the “high thing” that they purvey — hedonistic pleasure — is somehow higher than the knowledge of God it is for us to spear their conceit, and decline the distractions.