The Dog Days

Posted on by July 14, 2013
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July 14, 2013

 Galatians 6:9 – And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

 They call these days “The Dog Days of Summer”. The days from early July to mid-August, the days when energy-draining heat and humidity sap the enthusiasm for life. I get hot and tired and lazy some of these days. These are the days when fights start and friends fall out. These are the days when every journey can seem uphill in both directions, and reading another good book, or writing another message in the on-line ministry system, can seem like a little more trouble than it’s worth. Of course the dog day climate here in Florida is not the same as the dog day climate in the Mediterranean, where the term was coined in Biblical times, but somehow the effect is the same! Satan loves the summer heat and humidity, when the weight of the very clouds can press down and make heads ache.

These are the days to remember how easy we have it. I went back and looked at I Kings 17-18 and reminded myself of those days when Elijah felt like he was fighting a one-man battle against worship of the baalim. It didn’t rain for three years. And I looked at Numbers 33 — all those stops and starts the Israelites made as they wandered in the wilderness of willfulness.

Our verse today speaks of not slackening the will (being weary) nor slackening the efforts (fainting). It says, “don’t let’s give into the evil while doing the good”. But it says more than that … it also says that in God’s good time we will reap the rewards of our efforts if we stay strong. Paul has been talking about doing the things that God has called us to — not the things that seem like a good idea to us. It’s a challenge, isn’t it, to stay focused when it’s so easy to slack off, slow down and relax when the temperature and humidity both head into the 90’s? At least it is if you’re a softy, like me. But then I get to thinking …

Jesus and the disciples did their work … traveling from place to place. The land is hard. I read a description from about 100 years ago, of the road from Jericho to Jerusalem, imagining Jesus’s entry:

“The long, hard day’s climb up from the plain of Jericho was ended. The morning blessing of blind Bartimæus, rejoicing in his sight, was already a thing of the past. The way stretched behind, bare and barren, over red-clay paths, with scanty grass, dry and sear, and bright spring flowers intermingled.”

Imagine walking around the barren land (not all barren, of course, there were refreshing places) but imagine. Imagine walking from place to place and at the end of the journey to spread the word of the kingdom in the face of unrelenting hostility.

The apostles had it, if anything, even harder. How many times were they harried from place to place. How many times were they stoned, and beaten, without growing weary. Imagine how they have reaped. It’s a harvest beyond our dreams.

So if like me you sometimes feel beaten down by the dog days, stand a little taller. Walk a little faster. Sow a little broader. Then wait for God’s due season …

What Keeps You Awake?

Posted on by July 13, 2013
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July 13, 2013

Psalm 6:6-7 I am weary with my groaning; all the night make I my bed to swim; I water my couch with my tears.Mine eye is consumed because of grief; it waxeth old because of all mine enemies.

I don’t know why this Psalm came to mind in my quiet time today. Perhaps I have some unconfessed sin that I am unaware of … I really don’t know. But the Psalm, and these verses in particular, really made me stop and think. It’s one of seven so called “penitential” Psalms. They are the Psalms that express sorrow for sin. And when David “expresses sorrow for sin” it’s not a little sorrow – he is broken, broken-hearted. I cannot claim to have ever got so close to God’s feeling about my sin.

Have you ever been kept awake by anything, groaning and weeping? What was it that kept you awake? Myra and I talked about it, and the only times that we could really think about were times when we had been tormented by our circumstances, not by our consciences. We have both been kept awake by an awareness of sin, at various times, but neither of us could lay claim to David’s depths of desperation.

As I contemplated this more, and it turned over in my mind, it seemed connected to something else – “blessed are the poor in spirit, blessed are they that mourn.” Here’s what that most valuable of commentators Matthew Henry has to say:

The poor in spirit are happy. These bring their minds to their condition, when it is a low condition. They are humble and lowly in their own eyes. They see their want, bewail their guilt, and thirst after a Redeemer. The kingdom of grace is of such; the kingdom of glory is for them. Those that mourn are happy. That godly sorrow which worketh true repentance, watchfulness, a humble mind, and continual dependence for acceptance on the mercy of God in Christ Jesus, with constant seeking the Holy Spirit, to cleanse away the remaining evil, seems here to be intended. Heaven is the joy of our Lord; a mountain of joy, to which our way is through a vale of tears. Such mourners shall be comforted by their God.

Have you ever wondered why David, who was guilty of some dreadful acts, was so beloved of God? I think that one reason is that He had no false pride. He knew who he was, and was appalled at the opportunity he gave his enemies to scoff at godliness. He knew the wicked could say, “If that David is the best God can do, we can look down on the people of the Lord”. Well, I know that if people like me are the best Jesus has got, the kingdom might be pretty poor. But I know it’s not so. There are those whose eyes are consumed with grief because of their sin. Bless you if you are one of their number. For the rest of us, we will keep seeking after a truer, deeper repentance.

Walk Worthy

Posted on by July 15, 2013
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July 12, 2013

Ephesians 4:1-3 – I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Um … I’m a bit uncertain about this. If I’m right, today’s devotion is supposed to be a sharing of how petty I am. I’m not sure how worshipful it’s really going to be, but I’m drawing comfort from knowing I’m not the only one like this.

Today did not start well. I woke to a collection of text messages, voicemails and emails telling me that my flight from London was delayed, so I would not make my connection and wouldn’t get home today. I determined not to succumb to the temptation to be grumpy. It was a big promise, because I’m prone to letting travel aggravation wear me down.

I got my first good news of the day when I was able to contact my airline and get switched to another that would get me home only an hour or so late. 11 hours sitting next to bathrooms but maybe I could improve that…

Online check-in with airline… They had better seats … but wouldn’t assign them online! Still not grumpy. Off to the airport.

Heathrow airport. Ticket counter … “You need to go to check-in Kiosk”. Check-in Kiosk … “Go stand in line”. Trying for humor not grumps! Check-in desk … Claire is having a bad day already, so I try to make her smile “Yes! We can move you …” … a bright spot. Now, off to the lounge for somewhere with a little peace and quiet to work. “Oh, you moved airlines … no lounge for you today!” OK, nearly grumpy… time to sing a little … “Breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out, praise God out loud!” …Ahhh … yes, that got it.

“Get some water, find a seat, let’s sit and do some email. Oh no … the best airport in the world and Wi-Fi access won’t work? This is NOT good. I am going to be sooo behind”. If I let him, satan’s going to be creeping in. This is how it happens. Forget where I’m walking and get distracted by the petty irritations, the trick is, keep walking…

Talking of walking … 15 minutes from lounge to gate? Really? Keep walking, keep singing, keep praying.

So here I am on the flight … still walking, even while I’m flying … time for a break.

Chicago — long process through Immigration, Customs, changing terminals, security. Email etc. still tricky …  it’s tough to keep smiling after that 9 hour flight … but I get to speak with my sweetheart!

What’s this all about?  It’s about walking worthy. I’m called to be a disciple, and that means dealing with whatever I get. Today has been an object lesson!

 

 

What Do You Expect?

Posted on by July 15, 2013
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July 11, 2013

Colossians 3:22-23 — 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;

I was in some meetings yesterday, and I have to admit I was disappointed. Some of the people I was with had not really been working well for one of our customers. I let that disappointment show — kindly, and fairly, I think — but still I let them know.
The thing is, they should have done better, and they knew they should have done better … but there were some things that had made it difficult. There were some real things they had to deal with. So what should I have done?
The thing is, I look at things I read in the Bible, and it’s complicated — it’s plain that work is a gift from God to me, and that I’m expected to take it seriously and enjoy he gift, working for the right reasons — and I see all these people not living up to my expectations. Oh, wait … what did I just say?
My expectations. Is that where the problem really lies? I wasn’t brought up in a family setting that created a Protestant Work Ethic (I was a TERRIBLE student!), but somehow I’ve grown one. I’ve become uncomfortable with some of the compromises I see people making — compromises I would have been perfectly OK with earlier in my career, before I became a Christian.
So who made me God? Why am I laying my expectations on other people? I have to keep reminding myself of one of the things Jesus said that really struck home to me: “What is that to you? Follow thou me.” In other words — “You do your job, mind your own business, don’t be a busybody”.
It goes beyond “mind your own business” though, doesn’t it. Christians have the option to do right. Non-christians are still under sin’s control — how can they be expected to do the time? In fact, shouldn’t be a pleasant surprise when they get something right? It’s what all that complicated stuff Paul writes about in Romans 6 about being the servant of whoever you obey. Why am I surprised when people that I know to be slaves of sin are obeying sin? What do I expect?
So what am I supposed to do? I’ve got to do what I’m supposed to do. Sometimes that means being the clean-up squad. Sometimes it means taking on extra work. Sometimes it means explaining to people what I think I’ve seen ,,,, but I’ve got to stop holding other people up to my expectations!

Home, Hotel, Hospital, Heaven?

Posted on by July 15, 2013
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July 10, 2013

Home, Hotel, Hospital, Heaven?

 Hebrews 10:24-25 — And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and aso much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

 I wonder how many messages you’ve heard based on this verse from Hebrews. Look, if you’re reading this you probably go to church already. That’s not what this is about …

I’m sitting in this cool London hotel where I’m lucky enough to be staying (it’s not ritzy, but anywhere that has bunnies in the room and espresso in the lobby is OK by me!). It struck me … I wonder if this is how some people see church? I’ll explain what I mean in a bit. And then I started to think about how different people might look at church … differently …

You know there are people (who don’t come to church because of it) who think churches are supposed to be mini heavens full of saints waiting to be called to Heaven, I don’t know about but as for me I know a couple of things. First, they wouldn’t let me in! Don’t hold it against me, but I’m not a saint — or at least, not the kind of saint that would be in such a place. Second, if they did let me in, I’d go crazy ….

Now Timothy Keller the wonderful founding pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City, New York says “The church is a hospital for sinners, not a museum for saints”. That certainly goes with what Jesus said, “They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” The trouble is, I don’t like hospitals. I’m sorry, I just don’t. They often feel cold and regimented — run for the staff and not the inmates. All too often, people don’t get well.

It does seem that some people see churches as hotels. You know — turn up when you feel like it, and not when you don’t. Pick the accommodations that suit you. Move to another house if you don’t like the decor, the staff, the music … No need to do your share of the chores, no need to get to know anyone you don’t like the look of … The biggest difference, I suppose, is that a lot of people find the bill optional!

No, for me, church is like home. Some of the furniture needs a refresh, I’m expected to help with the running costs, and dig in with the odd jobs. I don’t get to choose who I share with — all family members are welcome, and nobody’s perfect. I don’t always get to hear what I want to hear — sometimes there are awkward truths, and (very rarely!) I don’t always like all the music. I get fed — spiritually, emotionally and sometimes even physically. I’ve even been known to have the odd snooze …

When you assemble with us in church are you coming to heaven, hotel or hospital, or are you coming home?

Pray Without Ceasing.

Posted on by July 9, 2013
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July 9, 2013

 1Thess. 5:16-18 — Rejoice evermore. Prayy  without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

 I flew into London yesterday morning. I haven’t been in a big busy city for a while. I have to say that I liked London yesterday. People were busy, and cheerful, and looking good. Perhaps it’s because London has been blessed by a startling warm and beautiful week of summer weather.

I walked around. It’s something I love to do in cities – and people DO walk in London. I was walking as the bustle of the day was quieting a little, stretching into a warm evening, with people outdoors. In London days are long in summer.

I’m staying in Southwark (please say Sutherk and not Sout-Wark 🙂 ) It’s an old and fascinating part of the city, being reinvented by a new generation and a new cultural mix, as happens to every part of this ancient city from time to time. It IS old. It’s where Chaucer’s Pilgrims started (“And thus at Southwark one spring day, at the Tabard where I lay …”). It’s the home of Shakespeare’s Globe, and Lilian Baylis’s Old Vic. More recently the Tate Gallery has sprouted a modern art wing, and the London Fire Service has set up Headquarters. This is a busy, buzzing spot where work and play, homes and shops, … everything rubs shoulders…  And then I came across Christ Church Southwark and its garden.

Christ Church Southwark is an Anglican Church. You might think that’s a weakening denomination, a fading Tudor rose, but at Christ Church it’s not just the circular flower beds and wild garden that are blooming. Just walking by and reading the notice board lifted my spirit. It has simple instructions for passers by. There are ideas about flowers, about lighting candles, but most tellingly about prayer: “We try to keep the church open for prayer as much as possible.  If you have something or someone you want prayer for, write it on the paper provided and put it on the notice board inside. We will pray for it through the week.” It’s a praying church. They pray for those they know, and those they don’t. I BET they pray without ceasing. One day I’m going to write about the simple  absolute instructions in scripture. But today I want to share with you the reminder I received yesterday to pray without ceasing, in season and out, for those we know and those we don’t, WITH those we know and those we don’t, and FOR those we know and those we don’t. Let us pray!

I walked in crowds the other day, and heard a still voice softly say, “Now’s the time that you should pray.”

Jonah And The Worm …

Posted on by July 8, 2013
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July 8, 2013

 Jonah 4:7 — But God prepared a worm when the morning rose the next day, and it smote the gourd that it withered.

 I’ve said it before (and I know I’ll say it again, fairly often) — it’s not really right to have favorite bits of the Bible — but you can’t help it, and neither can I! One of my favorites is the story of Jonah and the whale… or as I like to call it, “Jonah and the worm” …

The Book of Jonah is chock full of great lessons, starting with “don’t think you can run away from God’s plan.” The biggie though, the one where the work comes in, is that God really doesn’t play favorites. He cares for all of His creation.

I’d really like to tell you the whole story, because I can’t help thinking that most tellings of the tale – especially in kid’s Sunday School – miss the point. It’s really about God giving the most practical of evidences of His nature; who He really is.

Start by remembering how God introduces Himself:

And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation. (Exodus 34:6-7)

The Lord is “merciful and gracious – keeping mercy for thousands” – or in the case of the Ninevites, even hundreds of thousands. In Saturday’s devotional I quoted the Lord as being willing that none should perish. Perhaps there was never a more powerful testimony than His sending of Jonah to be the first foreign missionary, to the Assyrians who were feared as efficient in battle (they were the first to use iron weapons) and ruthless in victory. Jonah, or course, didn’t want the job and headed off in the opposite direction!

The story brings out another aspect of God’s nature. He is longsuffering – he’ll put up with a lot! Jonah gets a second chance – but when he gets with the program and Nineveh repents is he pleased? Not a bit of it!

It displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry. And he prayed unto the Lord, and said, I pray thee, O Lord, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil. (Jonah 4:1-2)

That is, “I knew you were a compassionate God and wouldn’t punish these wicked people if you had half an excuse not to!” Now at this point, you might expect God to get angry with Jonah. Instead, the Longsuffering Lord decides to teach him a gentle lesson, provoking him to care about the gourd that provides him with shade. Then ,when Jonah complains when the worm destroys the gourd, God points out that if Jonah gets worked up about a tree he had no hand in the rearing of, he can hardly be surprised when the Lord cares for so many people, all of whom He created in their mother’s wombs. Sadly, the story finishes there, but I bet Jonah stomped off muttering! He never realized that of all those in the story, he might have been the biggest recipient of compassion from the Lord – who could have let him stay in the belly of the whale until he rotted!

I wonder how many times I have muttered when God didn’t do things the way I expected when I should have been looking to see what He was teaching me about who He is?

If I Fail To Praise Thee …

Posted on by July 7, 2013
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July 7, 2013

 Luke 19:40 — And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.

 We’re singing a great song in the choir at the moment: “If we fail to praise you Father then will the very rocks and stones cry out!” I love it. I love praising God. I think Jesus said, Ian, if you don’t praise God, you’d be a bigger blockhead than any of these rocks!” Sometimes people catch me at it … a snatch of a song bursting out, almost without me knowing it. It’s the same thing bubbling inside me, I suppose, that makes me especially pleased when Myra and I come to Psalms 145-150, twice a year, in our devotional reading cycle. Look at the subjects of these Psalms:

145 — David’s Psalm of praise to God, the person. David praises God for His glory, His goodness, His kingdom, His provision and His saving mercy
146 — Praise for God’s generosity and shows God to be the only one whose promises we can rely on.
147 — Declares the joy to be had in praising God (it’s true – if I am down, I praise God, and He lifts me up and makes me joyful), and declares the reasons for it – His goodness to Zion, His care for and pleasure in the humble, and the wonders of His creation.
148 — Provides an invitation for all of God’s creatures – from the archangels in heaven to the rocks and trees, animals, birds and insect to every man, woman and child to join an eternal chorus of praise. Here is an offer to all of the Lord’s people to bless Him who has so mightily blessed them!
149 — Now comes the call to “sing a new song”. Why? Because God loves His people – and will “beautify the meek with salvation”. Ahh. .. salvation, when Jesus says, “Behold, I make all things new”. Sing a new song, for a new heaven and a new earth!
150 — Now the mountain top is reached – “Praise God in His holy place and in His heaven. Praise Him for what He does, and who He is. Find every way of making music, and everything with a breath in its body and  … PRAISE THE LORD!”

Robert Alter, a great scholar of Hebrew and Literature has produced a wonderful translation and commentary on the Psalms, and His version of Psalm 150 is like this:

Hallelujah. Praise the Eternal in His holy place, praise Him in the vault of His power.
Praise Him for his mighty acts, praise Him as befits his abounding greatness.
Praise Him with the ram’s-horn blast, praise Him with the lute and the lyre.
Praise Him with timbrel and dance, praise Him with strings and flute.
Praise Him with sounding cymbals, praise Him with crashing cymbals.
Let all that has breath praise Yah. Hallelujah!

That says it for me. If you’re breathing, praise the Lord! If you don’t, you’ve got rocks in your head, and they’ll rattle in praise instead! So be warned – praise the Lord!

 

Four Last Things

Posted on by July 6, 2013
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July 6

Hebrews 9:27 — And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

Yesterday, I wrote mostly to the “family” – fellow Christians – but I did include a note to others, begging them to join us. Today, if the family will pardon me I want to address those other folks about something theologians over the years have called “four last things”: death, judgment, heaven and hell. If you expected the normal sort of devotion, that you might read through and perhaps trigger some thoughts of your own, I’m sorry. But this is important — it won’t let go of me. Maybe you could use this and pray for someone who is not yet saved.

I don’t suppose I have to spend a lot of time convincing anyone that we all die. I really don’t suppose anyone who doesn’t accept that would irritate themselves by reading Christian devotionals. But what comes next?

If we’re agreed about death, that really only leaves the other things to talk about: Judgment, heaven and hell. Now whether you’re prepared to talk about them depends on how you feel about God. The apostle Paul said that God is angry with men who know about Him, but suppress that truth in themselves. I believe that, because I remember that when I was a kid I knew there was a god, and that he had to be all-powerful — but it took me 40 years to surrender my life to Him. But if you are not yet ready to grant the possibility of God, we don’t have anything to talk about.

Still with me? Good. So here’s what I believe about judgment, heaven, and hell.

  • When we die, we all are judged by Jesus.
  • Those who are reckoned as “righteous” join Jesus in heaven.
  • Those who are not reckoned as “righteous” go to hell.

There are three things I want to share that come from my belief – what heaven is like, what hell is like, and what it means to be righteous.

Let me be honest. The Bible isn’t completely specific about heaven. Oh, it contains some specifics but a quick thought might reveal that if there is a place better than anything we can imagine, a complete description might be a challenge – or as 1 Cor. 2:9 says, “eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” There are some Biblical specifics that I love, and give me some idea: Revelation 21:4 says, “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” That’s what I’m looking forward too!

What about hell? There are MANY more specifics. I want to start with an example that made it real for me. Someone once asked me if I had ever burnt my finger – just a little burn? Of course I had, and it was a really painful thing – so imagine being in a lake of everlasting fire. Hell is a place of place of weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 25:30) of unending sorrow, and utter darkness. Oh please, if you are reading this, don’t go there!

So how do you choose heaven, and not hell. Easy. “All” you have to do is live up to God’s standard of perfection, being perfect and sin free! If you can’t do that, off you go to hell … unless.

I hope it’s clear that I don’t want anyone to fall at the last judgment and go to Hell. But the way I feel is NOTHING compared to how God feels about it. One of Peter’s letters in the Bible says “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” It’s answering the question, “why hasn’t the end of the world happened yet”. The answer is that God has provided a way out and leaving plenty of time for us to take it. Make no mistake, the price for sin has to be paid. But Jesus, God’s perfect Son stepped in. He was crucified to pay for all of us. All that’s left for you to do is to take the gift! If you will admit you have plenty of sins to pay for, and that Jesus, God’s Son, paid for them – and if you will take Him as your Lord, you will be declared righteous at the judgment.

Maybe this all sounds simple. Maybe it all sounds too easy. Sometimes Christians can do that. Let me tell you that everything I have said so far is true. But once you take that step, you are going to find your life changes in ways you can’t imagine. Some of those changes will be really hard – but never beyond your ability to cope. Real Christians have taken a step out of the world, and become citizens of heaven, strangers in a strange world.

Come join us. Be a stranger!

People Know We Love Each Other …

Posted on by July 5, 2013
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July 5, 2013

 John 13:35 — By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

I love you! I’m assuming I’m writing for the family – fellow Christians. (If you’re not a Christian, I beg you find one, find out how to be a Christian, and become one. The rewards are greater than anything you could possibly lose).Yesterday might have seemed a bit of a depressing view on our citizenship. Today, I hope, is much more cheerful.

There is something unique, and amazing, about being a Christian. People recognize us by the way we love each other. How do you recognize people of other faiths? What’s the special characteristic that allows you to say “that must be a Hindu, or a Buddhist or a Moslem”? I can’t think of one. But Christians “have love one to another”.

“Hang on”, you might say, “I know Jesus said that’s how it should be, but I can’t see it. I see churches full of arguments, backbiting, and gossip”. Well I’m not going to argue with you. We’re a bunch of sinners, and church is a great place to learn how to deal with it. All I can say is that I know what I find. In no place, other than with Christians, have I found unmerited, unsolicited, unstinted love and kindness. I’ve had my share of disappointments, people who didn’t come through in a time of need, or people who reacted unkindly to things Myra and I have done. But I have been invited, encouraged, and applauded. I have been comforted, counseled and consoled. I know that in my Christian family, there are people who mourn when I mourn and rejoice when I rejoice …

You see, we have dual citizenship. Yes, we are citizens of earthly countries … but when we become Christians “we are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God” (Ephesians 2:19). “For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Phillipians 3:20) – “Conversation” – “Politeuma” in the Greek, is really “place of citizenship”. Our Christian family is a fellowship of the citizens of heaven! You can bet that love is the common currency!

People notice this stuff. I can’t count the number of times people have commented on the way Myra and I are with each other. But it’s not just couples… people notice that when times get hard, Christians band together to help one another, or even those who are not Christians yet.

Don’t you love being in this Christian family!