What Fills Your Hope Tank?

Posted on by June 4, 2015
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1 Corinthians 13:13 — But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love. (NASB)
I talked the other day about filling my faith tank. I know I was influenced by Dr. Gary Chapman, the writer of “The Five Love Languages” who talks about keeping the love tank full. Reflecting on that led me back to this verse in 1 Corinthians. So we ‘re taking care of the faith tank and the love tank — but what keeps the “hope tank” full?
I know it’s really important to keep hopeful … even when times are tough. (Interestingly, somebody said to me today “You’re amazingly hopeful … for an Englishman!”). Proverbs 13:12 puts it in a nutshell: “Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.” Fortunately, I have an ultimate undeniable reason to be hopeful. 

There are those who rely on the resources they have gathered as the basis of hope. They’re the ones spoken of in Psalm 20:5-8: “We will rejoice in thy salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners: the Lord fulfil all thy petitions. Now know I that the Lord saveth his anointed; he will hear him from his holy heaven with the saving strength of his right hand. Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the Lord our God. They are brought down and fallen: but we are risen, and stand upright.” Did you get it? Some people have fancy cars and all sorts of other asstest, but that “stuff” can all vanish when times get tough. But God will meet the needs of those that trust in Him.

The Psalms are full of this kind of help. Here’s another great example: “Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee. My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever. For, lo, they that are far from thee shall perish: thou hast destroyed all them that go a whoring from thee. But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare all thy works.” (Psalm 73:25-28). There’s another principle. Some people rely on the world’s morality and practices — they are far from God. They have no hope and no future. But “God is the strength of my heart, and my portion forever”.  

I know what my future is. God is my portion forever and I know he has a plan for me. That gives me a vision, and a vision you can trust is the key to filling the hope tank. Whenever mine is empty I look at the vision, and the character of Him that underpins it … and my tank is instantly full again. It is not so for those who trust in anything else. Proverbs 29:18 provides this plank to my foundation: “Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.”

So how about you? What fills your hope tank?

  

No Quitting

Posted on by June 3, 2015
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1 Kings 19:15-18 — And the Lord said unto him, Go, return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus: and when thou comest, anoint Hazael to be king over Syria: And Jehu the son of Nimshi shalt thou anoint to be king over Israel: and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abelmeholah shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room. And it shall come to pass, that him that escapeth the sword of Hazael shall Jehu slay: and him that escapeth from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha slay. Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.

There’s a little boy sitting under a tree. His arms are wrapped around his knees, his knees are pulled up to his chin, his head is down. This kid has had it with the world. Everything’s going wrong, the world hates him, and he’s fed up. A man comes by. It’s his dad. “Hey buddy, what’s up?” “I’m fed up. Nobody likes me, and I keep getting picked on.”  “Well that’s too bad. Are you sure? Trust me, things are going to get better. It’s going to be fine. You’ll have friends soon.”
That’s the story. Abba Father sees Elijah beaten down by everything that’s happened. He’s tried so hard, but people just don’t seem to get it.

And then the magic happens …

The Lord opens Elijah’s eyes to what he hasn’t been able to see around him, and let’s him know that help is on the way. He doesn’t promise that everything is going to be perfect. In fact it looks like there’s a lot more work ahead. But at his lowest point, Elijah gets a boost from the Lord — even though he hadn’t even thought to turn to him and look for it.

So how is it with you? How is your day, or week, or month, or year going? Are you in one of those stretches when it seems that everything that could be against you is  against you, and if there’s anything that hasn’t gone wrong it’s because it’s just about to? I know what those times are like. In fact I doubt if there’s anyone who doesn’t.  Being a Christian doesn’t exempt you from the uphill struggle either. There’s a reason Paul talks about being “in journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;“. There’s a reason for Peter to say “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.“. 

Life is tough. But if you hang in there with God, he will provide help when you most need it. Help to endure. So hang on — no quitting!

 

Rain

Posted on by June 2, 2015
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Isaiah 45:8 — Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness: let the earth open, and let them bring forth salvation, and let righteousness spring up together; I the Lord have created it.

I love rain. Today we had the afternoon rain that seems so typical of Southwest Florida at this time of year. It pours down, floods down, a wonderful refreshing rain.

Did you ever think about how rain works? Rain – hail and snow – are formed when warm moist air cools and the moisture condenses into liquid because warm air can hold more water than cool air. That liquid is the rain that blesses us. It’s actually a little more complicated because there are three ways that warmer air cools down. One is when a body of warm air meets a body of cooler air. Another is when a body of air rises over high ground. The last is when the ground heats up, hot air rises, and the atmosphere is disturbed … 

So I know what you’re thinking. “Thanks for the cool science lesson, but isn’t this supposed to be a devotion?” Well, yes, it is. So go back and look at that verse from Isaiah. It speaks of an idea that is mentioned a few times in the Bible. The goodness of God flows down from heaven and righteousness flows up from earth to meet it.

The idea was especially suited to Biblical lands where, without the blessing of rain the land would be parched and the crops would be sparse. But for the grace of God there would be little righteousness on earth.

Isaiah is talking immediately of the prospect of the Jews return to Israel, and the good things — the peace and plenty which would follow. That’s the “down to earth” interpretation. But, as with many prophesies there is a more distant, even a heavenly interpretation. The best thing to drop down from above will be the coming and reign of the Messiah. When Jesus comes again He will bring salvation and call out righteousness from His people.

The Florida rains can be pretty impressive. The rain pours down and can flood roads in a matter of minutes. There are no mean half-measures. So it is with the righteousness that pours down from heaven. It is a glorious flood. The earth round here smells wonderfully clean and fresh after the summer rains. That’s how it is with the righteousness from heaven, too. It leaves us wonderfully cleansed and refreshed.

I love rain. It is a gift from God.

Words Of Faith

Posted on by June 1, 2015
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John 3:16 — For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 
Did you wonder what prompted yesterday’s piece? Well here it is. John 3:16 is one of my “words of faith”. Verses or portions of scripture that fill up my faith tank.
Words of faith need to be handled with care. There are two things people do that really devalue them and diminish their impact. Let’s get them out of the way and then look at John 3:16.

The first thing people do is to treat words of faith as “magical”. You know — trotting them out as the clichéd response to a predictable situation. It doesn’t work. “All scripture is given by inspiration of God” but that doesn’t make it magic! It makes it “profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness”. Words of faith need work!

The other thing that people do is to “skate over” the words. See them as an old friend — valued of course, but taken for granted. Again, words of faith need work.

So as I looked at John 3:16, here is what I was reminded of. I was reminded that it is full of superlatives.

God so loved the world. “God”. There can be no greater lover — and only God could love could love like this.

God so loved the world. “So”. God’s love was the greatest kind of love, the greatest love of all. He paid the highest of prices for the greatest of gifts.

He gave His only begotten Son. His Son, Jesus. He gave His only Son, paying the price that He had not, in the end, required of Abraham. He gave His Son — God in His own right.

He so loved the world that whosoever believeth in Him … He loved every person ever born, without limits. Whosoever …

Whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. He purchased the greatest of gifts — everlasting life — for that highest price. 

This is how it is for me with words of faith. I can revisit them, meditate on them, see deeper into them or remember what I saw before. Each time I do, my faith tank is refilled. I’m reinvigorated, ready to take up the challenge again. It doesn’t make me a mighty warrior or anything … It makes me ready for another day or so in the trenches. 

Words of faith are priceless. Find yours and hang on to them!

Fill Your Tank

Posted on by May 31, 2015
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1 Corinthians 16:13 — Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.

So how is it? Your faith tank I mean? Easter is in the rear view mirror, Christmas is a long time away … What’s filling your tank? I know that they are magical-seeming high points for a lot of people, spiritual peaks that refresh, invigorate, refilling the faith tank. But what about the “in-between” times, the long stretches when life, for good or ill, has to be lived through? How do you keep your tank full?
There are a few things I do that help fill my tank. The first is sort of the “official” approach. Church on Sunday … or even Saturday if there’s a really good reason why Sunday’s impossible. The “book” verse is, of course, “not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:25). I’m thinking the writer was smarter than me … I think he was also saying, “being exhorted (built up) by one another”.

The second thing I do is I eat and drink. Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 8:3 when He said, “It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4). The Bible is food for me, and prayer is living water. Without both of them, my faith tank runs dry.

The last thing I do … maybe you’ll think I’m crazy. I try to empty my tank. Faith is one of those strange things. It’s like love. The more you use it, the more you have. If you don’t believe me, try it. 

So how is it? Your faith tank? If it seems empty, I’m going to guess you haven’t tried any of those things for a while. Do this for me. Scrape the bottom of the barrel. Pray the prayer of the father of the boy with a demon, “And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.” (Mark 9:24). Then try a few things … Get back to church, read your Bible, pray … and one more thing…

Faith is a funny thing. Jesus was often frustrated with those “of little faith” … but I don’t think it was people whose faith tank was running dry. I think He was calling out those who never believed because He also spoke of the power that comes with just a little faith, “faith as a mustard seed”. So plant a few seeds … your tank will soon refill itself!

Pilate’s World

Posted on by May 30, 2015
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John 18:38 — Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find in him no fault at all.
Pontius Pilate asked a critical question. What a pity he didn’t wait for the answer. What do you suppose he meant by his question?

I’m afraid we are living in Pilate’s world now. If I asked the question, how many people would say “Don’t be silly! Truth is truth. Especially, truth is what God says!”? What answers would I get? What did Pilate mean?

Perhaps Pilate was being a pragmatic Roman. “I’m in charge and truth is whatever I say it is … now let’s go and deal with the situation.” A lot of people today work that way — the truth is whatever they need it to be; for governments it’s whatever suits government policy.

Another popular idea of truth is “truth is what I can feel, or taste, or see, or smell, or hear.” Truth is whatever can be experienced by the senses. Perhaps Pilate thought that the truth of Jesus was what he could see in him … and he could see no harm. This idea of truth is related to the idea that truth is what can be felt emotionally — always popular with young people, and seemingly more so now than ever.

Then there’s the belief that truth is what can be proved logically. Truth must be rational to be believed. Rationally, Pilate could only see a man, and “logically” a man with no army could be no threat …so move on. Tell the Jews there is no fault, and move on.

There’s another idea — it doesn’t really define truth so much as what is not true. Something that doesn’t fit in with everything else can’t be true. Truth is defined by a collection of items that are consistent with each other. Perhaps Jesus didn’t fit into Pilate’s system and so he turned away from him.

Francis Bacon perhaps implied that Pilate didn’t want to know the truth — “What is truth? said jesting Pilate, and would not stay for an answer“. Pilate did not stay for an answer. He did not wait to hear “I am the way, the truth, and the life”. His life spiraled down after Jerusalem. What might have happened if he had known the truth?

We are in a world now when, for many people, truth is individual. “It’s O.K. For you to believe what you believe, but I believe what I believe.” Francis Schaeffer said “Today not only in philosophy but in politics, government, and individual morality, our generation sees solutions in terms of synthesis and not absolutes. When this happens, truth, as people have always thought of truth, has died.” It’s tragic, because all those theories of truth are wrong. Truth is objective — and ultimately it’s what God defines it to be. It cannot be convenient, felt, defined by feelings or reason — it can only be believed.

Don’t be a Pilate. Have faith. Let truth live in you.

The Mind Of God

Posted on by May 29, 2015
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Romans 11:33-36 — O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor? Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.

Do you understand what’s going on in your life, good or bad? If you do, cherish the moment! For me, the number of times I really knew what God was up to have been very few. Oh, there have been quite a few times when I thought I knew … but looking back I have so often seen that I was so wrong.
Paul has been describing God’s plan of redemption … The amazing intertwining of the history of Jews and Gentiles. It’s not a plan any human agency could have conceived! Paul breaks out into this ecstatic glorification of God — typical of the passion bubbling under all his writing. Let’s take a closer look.

First, comes the recognition of the limitless scope and variety of divine imagination. Nobody can penetrate those depths. The reasons for God’s decisions cannot be understood and He’s not about to explain Himself. Nobody can understand God’s ways — we can see His footprints, but we can’t see His passage, “The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.” (John 3:8)

Next, Paul turns to the question of who gives advice to God. That’s an easy one. Nobody gives advice to God. Nobody could. Nobody knows what God is thinking about — so nobody can possibly advise Him!

Then there’s a question of who owns the resources. Who can give something to God so that God has a debt to pay back? Nobody! “Who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again?” Is an approximate quotation from Job: “Who hath first given unto me, that I should repay him? Whatsoever is under the whole heaven is mine. (Job 41:11 ASV)”. 

In the end, everything is from God, flows to us through God, and will flow back to Him in worship. No wonder Paul ends by giving glory to God — and so should we all!

A World In Motion

Posted on by May 28, 2015
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Exodus 2:22 — And she bare him a son, and he called his name Gershom: for he said, I have been a stranger in a strange land.

I’ve had a difficult subject on my mind — Africa to Europe. South America to North America. Myanmar to Thailand. There’s a whole lot of migration going on. Huge populations are moving from poverty towards wealth, from hunger to feeding, from fear to security. Though the green grass the migrants are seeking often turns out to be a dry and dusty patch of earth the urge to move is irresistible. What should a Christian’s attitude be?
God’s people have always been on the move. Moses called his son Gershom. It’s not exactly clear Whether Gershom means “Stranger There” or “Stranger Is His Name” — but “Ger” is “stranger” or “sojourner”. Moses was a stranger in a strange land.

Abraham was a migrant. The Jews were taken from Israel to Babylon. Peter wrote to “the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,” (1 Peter 1:1)

Those already living in the countries that migrants are heading into are prone to resent them. In some ways it’s natural. Many “residents” were migrants themselves once and arrived “legally”. Then there’s a fear of economic consequences. Migrant populations can harbor, all unknowing, people with darker reasons to flee, or people with sinister intention. So what should a Christian do?

The Bible is very clear. Treat the migrant well — “ki ger hayitem be’EretzMizrayim” – “for you too were a stranger in the land of Egypt”. (Exodus 22:20). The thought occurs again and again. You can find it in all these verses:

— Exodus 23:9

— Leviticus 19:10

— Leviticus 19:33-34

— Deuteronomy 10:19

— Deuteronomy 23:8

— Deuteronomy 24:17-18

— Deuteronomy 27:19

Then there’s Jesus. He didn’t really address the issue, but he did say “For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:” (Matthew 25:35). There’s that word stranger. It’s pretty clear Jesus cared about the outsiders and didn’t much care about the legalities. That’s not surprising to me because I don’t think His kingdom takes much note of earth?y boundaries, nor that He would recognize “illegals” as being in anything other than His Father’s image. What does all that mean for Christians?

It must, at the end, be a Christian’s position that all of our neighbors must be treated with love. Does that mean we should remove all boundaries, and all legal obstructions? I don’t think so — but perhaps we are called to rethink our view of a proper legal framework. I don’t profess to be clever enough to know what that might be, but I think we need to pray that our treatment of migrants doesn’t leave us among the goats and not the sheep! 

Heartland

Posted on by May 27, 2015
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Deuteronomy 6:6-9 — And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.

Myra and I have been away for a week in Winter Garden, near Orlando. It was a delightful time, but perhaps the most encouraging thing was what we discovered as we drove back through the heartland of South Florida. 

It’s easy to be convinced, bludgeoned by mass media, that Christianity is dead and belief is foolish sentimentality. As we drove back we stopped in a small town — a “Main Street America” town committed to protecting its heritage and faith.

The first clue to the sort of place we were in was the way that, when we parked, there were four places of Christian ministry in direct line of sight. 

The second clue was in a small diner where we stopped for a drink. Our coffee came in mugs donated by the local Baptist church. When I went to pay our check there was a pad of “prayer request” forms next to the register. No concern there about political correctness or offending the non-Christian!

The last thing that really struck us about our resting place was the War Memorial. A monument remembering many of America’s war dead — a plaque for each major war, with a count of the dead and missing. And one plaque with no numbers — the cost of the Iraq war is yet to be counted.

It was heartening to be in a small town where the Holy Spirit was clearly active. What was even more encouraging to me was that there was nothing unique about the town we stopped in. In each town we passed through there were churches almost round every corner.

It’s easy to be distracted by anti-Christian propaganda. It’s easy to be fooled into thinking that God, if He isn’t dead, is dying. Taking a trip through the heartland is a powerful reminder that there are people with God’s word in their hearts, making sure their children know what they need to know, taking their faith wherever they go.

Be of good cheer. He is risen, as He said!

Pay What You Owe

Posted on by May 20, 2015
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Jonah 2:8-9 — They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy.But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the Lord.

Jonah often gets a bad press, and I don’t think it’s completely fair. To be sure, he denied the Lord’s first command to go to Nineveh, and he never really got on board with God’s compassion on the Ninevites, but for all that I think he had qualities that were almost heroic.
When it became clear that the sailors on the boat he was fleeing on were at risk Jonah didn’t hesitate. “Throw me overboard he said” — and they did. Knowing that his rejection of the Lord’s instructions was what had got him into the deep water, as soon as he had the chance he headed for Nineveh after all. And it should be clear — Ninevites were brutal, and Nineveh was not likely to be a healthy place for a Hebrew prophet of the Lord.

To me, one of the most remarkable things about Jonah was his prayer. Stuck in the belly of a whale he passes from despair to repentance to a wonderful declaration of faith and commitment. It’s that declaration that I want to look at today.

First, Jonah points out the futility of worshiping false Gods  — literal idols, or any of the other things in which men may put their trust. He was probably thinking of the sailors, whose boat didn’t protect them and whose “Gods” were no help either. But he generalized — anybody depending on “lying vanities” “forsake their own mercy” — and what is that mercy, the only hope of mercy? They forsake the living God.

Next, Jonah says that he will sacrifice to God what he has vowed. With a shout of Thanksgiving he will, of course, make the sacrifices due but beyond that he will sacrifice to God something God cherishes much more — obedience. As a prophet he had committed himself to a life of obedience. In seeking to escape to Tarshish he had turned his back on that commitment. Now he will recommit himself. It’s a statement of faith, made from the belly of the whale.

At the end of the prayer is, fittingly, a bottom line “strong salvation comes from the Lord”. When  the believer surrenders whole-heartedly salvation is not a paltry rescue from danger, but a glorious restoration to a wonderful future.

As it was in Jonah’s time, so it is today. We can either choose to serve God or chase after idols. Chasing after idols will gain us nothing and lose us everything. We need to commit ourselves to wholehearted following, discipleship, of Jesus. When we do we gain an eternal salvation which only the Lord can deliver. Jonah slipped — but he got the message. Give him some credit!