Global Warming

Posted on by January 9, 2014
Reply

Acts 2:3-4 — And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

The recent freezing weather, and the stranding of a bunch of scientist in an expedition in Antarctica, have refocused attention on “Global Warming”. I’ve put it in quotes as there is, to put it mildly, a lot of disagreement about whether it exists, what is it, and what causes it.
Now let me pin some colors to the mask. I do think there’s something going on. I think, on average, temperatures are rising a little. But I have no idea what’s causing it, and whether it’s a permanent effect, reversible, or cyclical!
A lot of people are going to disagree with me. They are going to point to places where it’s seems getting colder. They’re going to giggle, and point out that the scientists got caught because there was too much ice, and that Chicago has been colder than the South Pole! Well, fair enough. I’m not going to be dogmatic about it. But I want to suggest that there might be a sort of “spiritual global warming” going on! There are more Christians in the world today than ever before. Every believing Christian has been filled with the Holy Spirit, touched with those tongues of fire. That ought to mean a lot of spiritual warming!
Once again, A lot of people are going to disagree with me. They are going to point to places where it seems the church is getting weaker. They’re going to sneer, and point out that many Christians are sinners and hypocrites, and that sometimes “brotherly love” can also seem colder than the South Pole! I am going to be dogmatic this time. The nay-sayers are wrong. The fire is rising — and it’s such a fire as will sweep through lives and change them forever.
We need to nurture that warming trend! We have to take the torch out and start small fires wherever we can. Who knows when we shall start a warming trend like that in the days of the Book of Acts when the Holy Spirit camping roaring forth,when God said:
…on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: and I will show wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke: (Acts 2:18-19)
There’s a modern worship song we learned last year called “Here For You”. Its chorus starts with words that feel like they are the prayer I want to finish this devotion with

To You our hearts are open, nothing here is hidden, You are our one desire
You alone are holy, only You are worthy, God, let Your fire fall down

Pray with me. Call down the fire. Carry the torch. Spread the flame. Let’s promote spiritual global warming!

Learn A Little, Teach A Little

Posted on by January 8, 2014
Reply

Proverbs 15:7, 14 — The lips of the wise disperse knowledge: but the heart of the foolish doeth not so.
The heart of him that hath understanding seeketh knowledge: but the mouth of fools feedeth on foolishness.
It seems like the amount of email I’m receiving inviting me to attend this webinar or download that white paper just to get myself more educated about this and that technical or business topic. I get more and more offers to buy this commentary or read that blog to improve my Biblical knowledge.
The flood of information — and we’re talking good stuff, not junk mail — threatens to become overwhelming. It’s making me more selective, more choosy about what I collect and consume. The second of the two verses from Proverbs 15 reflects on this, and Harry Ironside comments wonderfully:

Our food has much to do with making us what we are. The same is true of us morally. We become like that on which we feed; and we feed on what our hearts crave. The man of understanding values knowledge, and devotes himself to its pursuit. The fool cares not for that which would build true character and draw him from his evil ways, but feeds on folly and vanity, thus becoming all the time more empty and foolish than before.

How about you — what do you know? What are you learning? How about being more intentional and designing yourself a mini educational program?
“Well yes”, I hear you say, “but why? And how do I decide on what to choose?” Good questions. That’s where the other verse came to mind. “The lips of the wise dispense knowledge”. Actually what it says is something like “There’s a trail of knowledge from the lips of the wise”, or “the wise sprinkles knowledge”. … But the heart of the wise doesn’t do that … “The heart” — because words flow from the heart. Remember what Jesus said to the Pharisees?

O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.” (Matthew 12:34-35)

Knowledge brings responsibility. It’s not enough for me just to collect knowledge, I need to share it — usefully. There are three kinds of “foolish man” that can be thought of:

  • The one who “feedeth on foolishness”
  • The one who seeks neither knowledge nor foolishness
  • The one who collects knowledge — but doesn’t share it.

    • So what about it? Are you seeking knowledge. And then are you looking for ways to share it? I’m not claiming to be wise — but I am becoming more intentional about collecting and “sprinkling” wisdom!

    Tic Toc!

    Posted on by January 7, 2014
    Reply

    Psalm 49:6-12 — They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches; none of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him: (for the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceaseth for ever:) that he should still live for ever, and not see corruption. For he seeth that wise men die, likewise the fool and the brutish person perish, and leave their wealth to others. Their inward thought is, that their houses shall continue for ever, and their dwelling places to all generations; they call their lands after their own names. Nevertheless man being in honor abideth not: he is like the beasts that perish.

    Can you hear? The drum keeps beating. The clock keeps ticking. Time goes on. So do we, until one day we don’t.
    If you think I’ve said this before, or at least talked about this topic before, you’re probably right. I make no apologies. It’s critical that everyone “gets” this — and takes action.
    Yesterday, I had a really nasty shock. I heard that a young colleague — a young man less than half my age — had died over the holiday period. At Thanksgiving he had been diagnosed and hospitalized. By the end of the year he was dead. He was a nice guy, with a loving family — not married, early in his career, all his life before him. Yes — All his life before him until, suddenly, he had come to its end.
    I am reminded of two things. I don’t know how much time I have to talk to people — and I don’t know how long they have to listen. Yes, I’m sure of my salvation … But I can’t stop there. That’s the starting point.
    There are people I know that have Jesus as their Savior and Lord. But there are others I’m not sure about, and some I know for sure are not saved. At any moment they could die — and that would be the end of any chance of witnessing to them. Oh, I don’t have to worry about them ever blaming me — I’ll never see them again. but there will be an accounting …
    Of course that accounting could be at any moment too. I could die at any moment too.
    Yes, I know this isn’t a very cheerful devotion. I know the thought of death isn’t necessarily your favorite. To be honest it’s not mine either — but it’s one I’m trying to entertain more cheerfully, and with more purpose. After all, I have something to look forward to, and maybe some of those people I “haven’t had time to talk to” don’t. In his commentary on Psalm 49, Charles Spurgeon says “Let them weigh their gold in the scales of death, and see how much they can buy therewith from the worm and the grave.” There is the truth of it. Once our friend is dead, there is nothing we can do to call him back, there is nothing we can say to lead her to Christ.
    The drum keeps beating. The clock keeps ticking. Can you hear?

    Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus

    Posted on by January 6, 2014
    Reply

    Matthew 2:11 — And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.

    Today, January 6th, is the Feast of The Epiphany, the traditional Twelth Night. That makes it the occasion for what is really the last of a set of 2013 Christmas devotions. It marks the visit of the Magi to the child Jesus. They saw His face, and worshipped.
    It comes to all of us, that meeting with Jesus. My thought today is about which face we see at that meeting, and how we react to it. I’m pretty sure that the Magi saw a face that radiated God’s glory, and they reacted by worshipping.
    I’m reminded of a favorite hymn, written by Helen H. Lemmel in 1922.

    O soul, are you weary and troubled? No light in the darkness you see? There’s light for a look at the Savior, and life more abundant and free!
    Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.
    Through death into life everlasting He passed, and we follow Him there; O’er us sin no more hath dominion—For more than conqu’rors we are!
    His Word shall not fail you—He promised; Believe Him, and all will be well: Then go to a world that is dying, His perfect salvation to tell!

    I was told about more than one Jesus in my early life. I was told about a “gentle Jesus meek and mild”. I was told about a great, wise, kindly teacher. I was told about a kind of superman miracle worker. But when I had my meeting with Jesus, which I think I had been avoiding for quite a few years, I didn’t meet a Jesus who looked like any of those. Those faces were always out of focus for me …
    It took me a while to make the connection with the “glory and grace” of the hymn.
    At first I did not see that the “grace” is not about elegance but about the undeserved mercy, and the glory the glory of Jesus’s perfect holiness that allowed Him to make the ultimate gift.
    Once I made the connection between the gifts of the magi, and Jesus’s sacrifice, the face came into focus.
    When I met Jesus, the face I saw wasn’t the face of a baby. It wasn’t a face radiating glory either. Nor was it the face of some kindly teacher. The face that I saw was the haunted, beaten face, with blood flowing down from the crown of thorns. Whenever I think of Jesus now, it is the crucified Christ that I see — and it is a wonderful face that I see.

    How Do You Like This Weather?

    Posted on by January 5, 2014
    Reply

    Matthew 5:45 — that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
    I’m British by origin, so maybe it’s surprising that the weather doesn’t inspire me more often! Today, though, it has. In the North, a good part of America is shivering in some of the coldest weather for many years. Here in Southwest Florida the weather is much pleasanter, but unpredictable. Our local NBC news affiliate says:

    The good news for the second half of our weekend is we’re set to see improving weather today as moisture exits and gives way to some sunnier and warmer weather. Today will be much warmer with highs back in the low 80s. But just as the next warming trend begins, it comes to an end–and in a dramatic way. A piece of arctic air will dive south into the Florida peninsula Monday, bringing us the coldest weather so far this season.

    So how do you feel about all that? If you’re living in the North, do you feel picked on? Are you thinking “How come this is happening to me?” or “Somebody round here must have done something really bad to bring this on us!” If you’re here in Southwest Florida are you feeling smug, or deserving?
    Now I should be careful to say that what Jesus was doing in the verse above was drawing attention to God’s universal goodness. Sometimes we in the West misread it because we don’t always see rain as a blessing. Jesus’s audience would have been in no doubt. Rain is one of God’s most important gifts — and He gives it to everyone, good and bad alike. But not only is God even-handed about who He gives to, He is even-handed about what He gives — something Job understood very well when he said “… What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? … (Job 2:10).
    I said to someone today that I supposed I was a little unusual, because I love all sorts of weather. Sun, rain, thunder, lightning, heat or cold — every variety of weather has it’s charms.
    I know that I should be able to treat every circumstance, good or bad, in the same way. I have to say I don’t always do a good job! It’s not for nothing that Paul says “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18), but sometimes I don’t feel very thankful for the circumstances I find myself in.
    The thing is, rain or shine, good or bad, God is providing the best circumstances for my situation. There’s a story told about Charles Spurgeon that provides the right perspective. One day, it is said, Spurgeon was walking through the English countryside with a friend. As they strolled along, the evangelist noticed a barn with a weather vane on its roof. At the top of the vane were these words: GOD IS LOVE. Spurgeon remarked to his companion that he thought this was a rather inappropriate place for such a message. “Weather vanes are changeable,” he said, “but God’s love is constant.” “I don’t agree with you about those words, Charles,” replied his friend. “You misunderstood the meaning. That sign is indicating a truth: Regardless of which way the wind blows, GOD IS LOVE.

    Turning Back To God

    Posted on by January 4, 2014
    Reply

    Psalm 51:4,10 — Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.
    … Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.

    Saturday morning is often the best chance that Myra and I have to talk about spiritual things, and sometimes we get to look more closely at ideas we thought we already understood. Often a conversation gets triggered by our Bible reading or the morning’s devotion.
    This morning a devotion by Oswald Chambers, based on the story of the Prodigal Son, had us looking more closely at repentance.
    It was no surprise that Psalm 51 is the touchpoint for both of us as we think about repentance. We both tended to focus on the sorrow David expresses for the murder and adultery that led to the death of his child. Chambers pointed out to us that sorrow — even genuine sorrow — for sin is only one aspect of repentance. Another critical feature is a change in direction, a turning back to God.
    As I thought about it I realized that I needed to look more deeply at repentance. As I have done so, I have studied the word that is translated “repentance”. It is the Greek word “metabolism”. Literally it means “mind change” and is also translated as “conversion”. That usage provided me with what I think is the real sense. We need to have our minds changed (or changed back) so that we look at our sin with the mind of God.
    Repentance is not just an emotional regretting of our actions, and even less a regretting of the consequences of our actions. Instead, it is a process.

  • The first step is to have a better understanding of our actions, after they occur.
  • Second, there must be a change of mind, as a result of that better understanding.
  • Third, as a result of that change of mind, there must be regret for our actions.
  • Last, there must be a change of behavior because of the improved understanding, change of mind, and regret.

    • In 1896, the episcopal preacher Treadwell Walden wrote an essay, “The Great Meaning of Metanoia”, in which he pointed out that in Mark’s gospel, when Jesus says “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.” (Mark 1:15), the word translated as “repent” is “metanoiesete”. This Greek word literally means: “change the way you think about reality”.
    To “repent” is not to regret our misdeeds (though this may be included). It is to go through a process that changes the way we think about reality to the way God thinks about reality — as best we can. Only then can God “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.”

    Rest!

    Posted on by January 3, 2014
    Reply

    Matthew 26:38, 40, 43 — Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me. And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy.
    There are times when we need to stay awake — but we just can’t do it! I guess this thought came on me today as I have returned to work after the Christmas vacation.When that happens, we have to revert to our “working” sleep schedule: To bed at 10:00 and up at 5:30 during the week. One of the few times my beloved Myra gets even a little tetchy is when I start to drop off before bedtime!
    There are times when we need to be awake. We find ourselves dealing with conflicting forces. One is our ability to endure, another is the expectation (ours or somebody else’s). Another is the importance of the situation.
    I have often wondered what the failure of the three disciples in the garden teaches us. One way to look at it is as a purely human drama. A man, at the end of his tether, asks his friends to support Him. The friends, exhausted by the drama of the previous few days, simply can’t deliver. In the end, as Jesus Himself said, “the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak”.
    There’s another way of looking at it. What happens in the garden is yet one more element in the spiritual battle Jesus must fight. There is an inexorable process marching Jesus to the cross, to the place where He is absolutely alone, where the agonized cry — “My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?” — is torn from His Lips. His family are not with Him. Now His favorite disciples are cracking. Soon they will all be gone. Jesus is driven to the tenderest of rebukes — “what, could you not watch with me one hour?”, but then to recognize, perhaps, that these men that he has labored over for three years are still not ready — cannot be ready until they go through their lesser crisis as He goes through His supreme crisis.
    So, too, it is with all of us. There are times when we are beyond our limits. We want to endure, we want to meet the expectations, we know how important the situation is — but we are beyond our limits. What can we do? There is a time when we must surrender our pride, and confess our weakness. Perhaps this is the lesson, in the end, that Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” taught him, for what did God tell him? ” My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.”(2 Corinthians)
    I’m not sure I’ve really managed to express what I mean today. I know I haven’t got far enough into the questions of the sleepy disciples. I’d welcome insights from others!

    Work!

    Posted on by January 2, 2014
    Reply

    2 Thessalonians 3:10-11 — For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat. For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies.
    Work has always been important to Christians. For many years it was believed that good works demonstrated a living faith — faith without works being dead (James 2), a professed Christian without works could not really be saved. Martin Luther was the catalyst for a shift to a view that (salvation being by grace alone) work was a consequence of being predestined to be saved — a fruitful life being not a requirement for salvation, but it’s evidence. From this idea sprung what German sociologist called “the Protestant work ethic”.
    But we can look back past the salvation implications of work to a more practical view — one that we can find here in Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians, and also in Dietrich Boenhoffer’s “Life Together”.
    Paul points out that there are practical consequences to idleness. “Those who don’t work”, he says, “cause trouble”. Indeed. After all, we can see that, as far back as Genesis, work was part of God’s plan for us.
    Pastor Boenhoffer’s took the same idea and expanded on it:

    In a Christian community everything depends upon whether each individual is an indispensable link in a chain. Only when even the smallest link is securely interlocked is the chain unbreakable. A community which allows unemployed members to exist within it will perish because of them. It will be well, therefore, if every member received a definite task to perform for the community, that he may know in hours of doubt that he, too, is not useless and unusable.

    It might seem that this idea breaks down in a society like ours where employment often ends, and retirement kicks in as we reach 65 years of age. That perception is wrong. There is no Biblical presumption of a time at which we stop working! When paid employment ceases, the opportunity arises for a new kind of work. We get the chance to turn to ministry — which may take many forms. There are those whose focus is increasingly on the care of a beloved spouse. Others can minister to their neighbors, both in small acts of service and in witness. Yet others can give more time to the church. All of these options are good. The only bad option is to do nothing, and to become one of Paul’s disorderly busybodies!
    I’m not sure why this was given as my theme today — except, perhaps, that this was the day that I returned to work after my vacation. Sometimes, perhaps, I don’t value my work as much as I should. Reading the passage from “Life Together” last night reminded me that it is essential to me, and those among whom I live!

    Start Again

    Posted on by January 1, 2014
    Reply

    Joshua 1:8 — This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. (ESV)
    Well, if we must, let’s start again. Let’s reset the calendar, restart the clock and start again.
    One cycle that Myra and I restart every year is our annual read through the Bible. We don’t quite manage what Matin Luther did, but for the last seven or eight years we have been faithful in this. Luther said, if his regular practice:

    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.

    We, too, are seeking to shake the branches, and while I don’t usually like to give the impression that I think I know what people should do, I would like to invite you to join us in this little bit of “forestry”.
    There is one peculiarity to the way Myra and I pursue our daily devotional reading. Each year we choose a different translation. I know that will be anathema to some of you, but let me try to make a case.
    First, let me say that I believe there are no perfect translations of the Bible, a few bad ones and quite a few very good ones. The issues of selection can be quite complicated! There’s a good discussion in Bible Study Magazine:
    http://biblestudymagazine.com/preview/choosetranslationWeb.pdf
    So there’s a good argument, the way I see it, for reading more than one translation of the Bible. But there’s more to it, for Myra and me.
    Every time we come to the Bible we come to it as different people, with different needs. And we see the Bible as a beautiful jewel, with many facets — and each translation shines a light from a different direction. I’m reminded of what Danish theologian Soren Kierkegaard said — “When you read God’s Word, you must constantly be saying to yourself, ‘It is is talking to me, and about me.'” The best of friends will always tell you the truth and they will always be consistent in their principles — but they won’t keep saying the same thing in the same way! So why should our best friend, God, be tied to one translator’s view of what He’s saying?
    So this year we’re reading a new translation. Our Pastor let us know, a few weeks ago, that He was shifting to use the English Standard Version, a fairly new version in the tradition of the King James Version. So we’ve added it to our stable and will be reading it morning by morning … In fact we started the cycle today!

    Transitions

    Posted on by December 31, 2013
    Reply

    John 5:24 – Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

    So tomorrow is New Year’s Day. I’ve said before that I really believe the fuss that’s made over the man-made transition of years is really so much nonsense. However, it seems much of the rest of the world doesn’t share my opinion, so that many changes seem to happen at this time of year. Here in America, the income tax counter gets reset, new laws take effect (an estimated 40,000 in 2014!) and many other changes occur.
    There is a change the takes place between December 31st and January 1st that even I can’t deny. We step from one day to another. And we cannot step back. James talks about that transition:

    Go to now, ye that say, Today or tomorrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. (James 4:13-15)

    In the last week Myra and I have heard of two deaths. A lady that we knew, a little, died in a sad — but perhaps expected — way. A little girl that we did not know, but who was connected to people we love, was carried off with shocking suddenness by a vicious form of pneumonia. We can say, with some confidence, that we know where each of them is now. The lady was a mature Christian. The infant, we can be assured, was one of the elect

    (Al Mohler and Daniel Akin have masterfully addressed this topic. If you would like to read their article it may be found at: http://www.essentialchristianity.com/pages.asp?pageid=31701)

    Both of them are in Heaven. Sadly there are many others, friends and family, whose destination — if they passed between one day and the next — is not nearly so certain. There is a transition waiting for all of us — from physical life to physical death and to our eternal destination. We have no control over much to do with the physical transition. We don’t know the how, the where or the when. But strangely we don’t have to be so helpless when it comes to the eternal transition — which is what “passed” in John 5:24 suggests. We can transition, as that older woman did, from a prospect of eternal death to a certainty of eternal life. If we hear Jesus’s word, believe and (which is implied in “hear”) receive it, condemnation passes away and hope steps in.
    I said a day or two ago that I don’t really do New Year’s Resolutions. I’m going to make an exception. This year I resolve to have another try with some of those friends and family members and see if I can’t say something that makes a difference. How about you.