Sunday, June 30, 2019
Guardians - Pt 1
[Jesus said] “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven. What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish. (Matthew 18:10-14 ESV).
Our reading today has been one of the most encouraging and yet misunderstood passages containing the teachings of Jesus. Jesus speaks of the “angels” that “always see the face of my Father who is in heaven” (v. 10). John Piper wrote that Jesus meant: Let the magnificence of every unimpressive Christian’s entourage of angels silence our scorn and awaken awe at the simplest children of God. To really understand this concept of “guardian angels” we need to first clarify who “the little ones” are. They are true believers in Jesus, viewed from the standpoint of their childlike trust in God. They are the heaven-bound children of God. We know this because of the immediate and wider context of the Gospel of Matthew.
This section in Matthew 18 began with the disciples asking, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” (Matthew 18:1). Jesus answers, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3-4). In other words, the text is not about children. It is about those who become like children, and thus enter the kingdom of heaven. It’s about true disciples of Jesus. The “little ones” are those “who believe” in Jesus. Therefore, in our reading, when Jesus refers to “these little ones” whose angels see the face of God, he is talking about his disciples — those who will enter the kingdom of heaven — not people in general.
Now, as we shall see tomorrow, this service does not increase or decrease our safety. Being the children of God means that we have God Himself, in the presence of the Holy Spirit, within us. There is no greater power anywhere than that! Our safety is in His hands. Nothing can overcome that power (cf. Romans 8:31-38). The service of these angels does, however, give us pause. Only royalty requires the service of others. To think that these mighty celestial beings are in our service should serve to remind us of the incredible position we have in Christ. The next time you begin to doubt how blessed and privileged you are, think of the angels that serve you. We are children of the King of kings and Lord of lords. No greater position exists than that which we occupy!
Saturday, June 29, 2019
The Martin House
Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. (Matthew 10:29-31 ESV).
Earlier this week, after the thunderstorm, I went out to view the possible damage and finding none, I noticed a small fledgling bird off to the side in the back of our yard. Now, our yard is a little over an acre, so there is plenty of room for all the critters. Mary and I enjoy watching the birds and keep a full feeder all year round. Some of the other birds we like to watch are the purple martins. I keep a house for them well away from the house and each year it is full of nesting pairs who hatch their chicks and teach them to soar through the air as easily as they do. One of the other things I’ve noticed each year is how there’s always one chick that seems to have difficulty getting his wings under him. This year was no exception. The fledgling I saw at the back was just sitting on the ground, which is very unusual for a martin. I could see it was not hurt, but it was having difficulty getting airborne. That’s a recipe for disaster with three dogs also in the yard.
I walked slowly toward the little bird, hoping to simply get it to take off. It hopped off and I began to notice all the adult martins were circling in protection. They were not unaware of the little bird’s plight. Yet, it still couldn’t quite get off the ground. I thought it might just need a little height to begin to glide through the air. So, I slowly approached and gently took it in my hands, walking it to the fence. It was unhurt, but just couldn’t get off the ground. Once I set it on the fence, it jumped into the air, flapped its wings a few times and gained enough altitude to rise on the breeze. Soon it was joined by the others as they swooped through the air finding insects for their breakfast!
I was reminded how often God has treated me like that. I’ve often found myself “grounded” by some difficult circumstance when I just couldn’t get off the ground. I needed someone to lift me up where I could catch the breeze and do what I was designed for. God has never failed to come at just the right time, in just the right way to lift me up gently. That knowledge has given me strength to endure whatever momentary difficulty may be a part of my journey.
Whatever your circumstance is at this time in your life, please know that God sees you and knows precisely what you need. He will place you gently into the perfect place to begin flying again. We are so much more valuable to him than birds of the air!
Friday, June 28, 2019
Storms - Pt 4
Thursday, June 27, 2019
Storms - Pt 3
When the fourteenth night had come, as we were being driven across the Adriatic Sea, about midnight the sailors suspected that they were nearing land. So they took a sounding and found twenty fathoms. A little farther on they took a sounding again and found fifteen fathoms. And fearing that we might run on the rocks, they let down four anchors from the stern and prayed for day to come. And as the sailors were seeking to escape from the ship, and had lowered the ship's boat into the sea under pretense of laying out anchors from the bow, Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved.” Then the soldiers cut away the ropes of the ship's boat and let it go. (Acts 27:27-32 ESV).
Sometimes we will do everything possible to avoid the storms of life. These are those times when something more practical than “trusting his promise” comes along. We become more pragmatic than faith-filled. That night, the sailors were tempted to take this more pragmatic approach (vv. 27-30). They were willing to trust the promise of Paul’s God when they had nothing else to go on. But as soon as anything else appeared on the horizon, they were ready to jump ship.
Pragmatism says, “Abandon ship and take your chances rowing for shore.” Faith says, “Stay aboard a sinking ship and trust God’s promises.” In our lives, how quickly do we abandon God’s sure promises when something more practical appears on the horizon? In our daily lives, the Scriptures are great when we feel hopeless, but how quick are we to jump ship the moment a more practical solution appears?
After Paul convinces the sailors to cut away the ship’s boat, the story comes to a crashing finish: they strike a reef and run the ship aground (vv. 41-44). Notice verse 44: And so it was that all were brought safely to land. We all knew this was how the story would end. We had no doubt God would keep his promise. Strange, isn’t it? When we read God’s word, we never wonder how the story is going to end. It’s a foregone conclusion. God will keep his promise because he always does. The real question then becomes, how will God keep his promise? That’s the question we find ourselves asking over and over again in the storm: How? When Paul needed reassurance that God was going to deliver him, God didn’t tell him how. In fact, God simply reminded him of the promise he had already made.
Tomorrow I will give you a few other promises from the Scripture. Today, I want to encourage you to remember those times in your live when all seemed lost and God simply plucked you from the fire of destruction. All is not lost today, even if it seems there is no way out. You’re merely learning how to sail your ship through the storms!
Wednesday, June 26, 2019
Storms - Pt 2
Since they had been without food for a long time, Paul stood up among them and said, “Men, you should have listened to me and not have set sail from Crete and incurred this injury and loss. Yet now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. For this very night there stood before me an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I worship, and he said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar. And behold, God has granted you all those who sail with you.’ So take heart, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told. (Acts 27:21-25 ESV).
You lose your job. Your home feels like a battleground. You’ve just been diagnosed with a serious illness. Your financial situation is in dire straits. In seasons like these, many of us feel like we need something new; we begin to look for a “new word” from God that applies directly to our situation. Our reading today is a continuation from yesterday’s reading. The apostle is making his way to Roman. The trip starts off well. At the first port, Paul is given liberty to visit friends. On top of that, the ship is headed for a place called Fair Havens to spend the winter. But then everything starts to unravel. The wind suddenly shifted. As the ship left Fair Havens for the tempestuous sea, it was as if God himself was blowing against Paul.
When the winds are against us and no fair haven is in sight, we have to regroup. We get so wrapped up in doing something for God. He is concerned with what he is doing in us. He leads us into winds and storms to show us just how unbreakable his promises are. Paul warned the crew that a storm would come, and it did come. A violent wind rumbled over the island of Crete, blowing Paul and his shipmates into the murky, angry depths of the sea. Into that moment of utter despair, God sent an angel to Paul, saying, “Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar. And behold, God has granted you all those who sail with you” (v. 24).
The promise that Paul would stand before Caesar is not new. Two years earlier, Jesus himself stood by Paul in prison and promised, “As you have testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome” (cf. Acts 23:11). In the midst of Paul’s terrifying storm, he didn’t need a new promise or a new revelation; he needed to remember the promise God had already given. God stripped everything away from Paul and his companions so they couldn’t put their hope in cargo, tackle, or even the ship itself. Paul’s only hope was God’s promise. That night, Paul strengthened the crew with the assurance of that promise (Acts 27:21-26). We, too, should remember that not all storms come to disrupt our lives; some come to clear the path forward.
Tuesday, June 25, 2019
Storms - Pt 1
And putting out to sea from there we sailed under the lee of Cyprus, because the winds were against us. And when we had sailed across the open sea along the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra in Lycia. There the centurion found a ship of Alexandria sailing for Italy and put us on board. We sailed slowly for a number of days and arrived with difficulty off Cnidus, and as the wind did not allow us to go farther, we sailed under the lee of Crete off Salmone. Coasting along it with difficulty, we came to a place called Fair Havens, near which was the city of Lasea. Since much time had passed, and the voyage was now dangerous because even the Fast was already over, Paul advised them, saying, “Sirs, I perceive that the voyage will be with injury and much loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives.” (Acts 27:4-10 ESV).
Texas thunderstorms are very common in our part of the state this time of the year. In fact, our local news stations typically find it difficult to accurately predict the severity and size of the storms. They simply say that one is likely to erupt and advise us to be “weather aware.” That typically means they don’t know what’s really going to happen, so stay tuned and we’ll look out our window too! That happened again just last night (I’m actually writing this devotional Monday, June 24th). The day started hot and humid for our area; storms were predicted. However, when they blew in they came with a vengeance. The lightning was incredible and a strike must have hit a transformer nearby as all the electricity went out for a number of hours. That’s very unusual for our area. The utilities are underground and rarely affected. We haven’t had the storm candles out since we moved in three years ago.
I’m not one to panic in weather. I’ve lived through major hurricanes, watched tornados spin overhead, and seen plenty of flash flooding. Standing at the French doors overlooking the neighborhood, watching the lightning last night, Mary said, “You’d better move away from the glass. That lightning is the striking kind.” That’s our expression for describing lightning that goes from sky to land violently. I found a picture of an old barn set in a prairie with a thunderstorm blowing in with lightning striking in the distance and I began to think of the storms of life.
That took me to our reading today. After more than two years of waiting, the Apostle Paul was finally sailing for Rome. His whole life had led up to this moment. All of his training and experience had prepared him to preach the gospel before Caesar himself. But on the journey from Jerusalem to Rome, Paul faced one of the fiercest storms of his life. And the strength he needed did not come from a new promise, but an old one. A brief study of his experience will help us weather seasons in life when friends are far away, fair havens have faded from the horizon, we are storm-tossed at sea, and everything we need has been stripped away. Even if we appear like the old barn, weathered and old with age, we don’t need anything new. We merely need the eternally consistent grace of our God and Savior, Jesus!
Monday, June 24, 2019
Forever Life - Pt 6
[Jesus said] “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” (John 6:37-40 ESV).
The tombstone marking Matthew Robison’s grave may be one of the most creative works anywhere. It was designed by his parents to bring hope to everyone that saw it. Matthew died at 11 years of age having suffered with a critical illness for since birth. It is an encouragement because it portrays the truth that eternal life is not interrupted at death. Everyone who has eternal life by faith will never have that life stripped away from him; even if he dies, he will live. Physical death will not turn eternal life into temporary life.
One of the most powerful moments in my early life in the ministry was at the funeral of one of a dear older lady from our church. I was an associate pastor at the time working under one of the finest pastors I have been privileged to know, Bill Shamburger. My purpose at the funeral was to further my pastoral training. I remember well, at one point “preacher” (as everyone knew Bill Shamburger) lifted his voice and said with tremendous authority, "Betty James is not dead! For Jesus has said, 'Everyone who lives and believes in Me shall never die.'" Indeed, eternal life is not interrupted by death.
We must also understand that a part of our forever life is the truth that we are made complete at the resurrection. Eternal life will be made complete when our bodies are raised from the dead and reunited with our spirits. Our reading tells us that this is the will of God: Jesus said, "This is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him, may have eternal life; and I Myself will raise him up on the last day" (v. 40). He is not only the life, as he said (11:25–26), he is the resurrection.
Since that funeral, over 40 years ago, I have officiated at hundreds of funerals. I am now as convinced as ever, none of these, who were believers, are dead. They are alive with eternal life in heaven with Christ (cf. 2 Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:23). But their fullest experience of eternal life will come when the Lord descends with a trumpet and with the archangel's call and the dead bodies of all those who are in Christ are raised from the dead.
Sunday, June 23, 2019
Forever Life - Pt 5
When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. (John 17:1-3 ESV).
It is essential to recognize that in believing, we have eternal life now, not just in the future. Jesus says, "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life [not "will have" but "has"—now!], and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life." (John 5:24). In other words eternal life is not something you wait for until after death. It is something you have now if you are believing in Jesus. Believing is the link that unites us with the life of God in Christ now. If we have Christ, we have his life now. And his life is eternal.
And it is a personal relationship now through this eternal life. It is a personal relationship with God the Father and God the Son. Our reading today gives us the direction of this truth. Eternal life is a personal, intimate knowing of God. It is not like an inoculation against the disease of death, that works unconsciously like a spiritual antibiotic. It is a conscious experience of knowing and relating to God.
To see why this is true we should connect this with a truth we have examined earlier: "In him was life, and the life was the light of men" (John 1:4). The life is the light. What does that mean? It means, I believe, that when the eternal life of Christ comes into your life through faith, it sheds light on God and on Christ so you can know them personally. You now can see them far more clearly than you ever could before. You saw them as through a fog before faith. Then God enabled you to see enough to draw you into faith. Now in faith the life comes and with it the lights start to go on everywhere, and the personal reality of God is so powerful that you can know him and relate to him and fellowship with him.
Absence does not “make the heart grow fonder.” Absence dims the passion of relationship. God, knowing this, has already made it possible in our forever life to know him intimately now. There are many ways to accomplish this, though the best is through a familiarity with the Scripture. Even a casual reading of the Bible each day will deepen our relationship with Him. Devote yourself to a consistent reading of the Bible. Begin in the Gospel of John if you seem to be intimidated by the sheer length of it. You will find it to be more than enough to open your heart and mind to the person and presence of God.
Saturday, June 22, 2019
Forever Life - Pt 4
[Jesus said] “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.” (John 15:1-6 ESV).
Recently I constructed an arbor to plant a grapevine. I already have some wild muscadine vines growing near a small grove of trees on the property, however, I thought a white variety would make a better recipe for jelly. Both vines are doing well and with proper care and pruning I anticipate we’ll be making some muscadine jelly next year!
Our fourth stage in experiencing this forever life through Christ is the acknowledgement that we receive it through believing in Christ. When we hear the words of life, and yield to the drawing power of God, and believe in Jesus, we receive him into our lives and with him we receive eternal life, because he is eternal life (cf. John 14:6). Our reading today is even more specific as Jesus says, "I am the vine you are the branches" (v. 5). In other words by believing in Christ, we are united to him the way a branch is united to a vine, so that the life of the vine flows into the branch. His eternal life flows into us and we now have eternal life.
This is a great work of God that he is performing all over the world every day.
The metaphor in this passage of John 15 is of a vine and its branches. The vine is the source and sustenance of life for the branches, and the branches must abide in the vine to live and bear fruit. Jesus, of course, is the vine, and the branches are people. While it is obvious the fruit-bearing branches represent true Christians, the identity of the fruitless ones is in question. Some Bible students say the barren branches are Christians who bear no spiritual fruit. Others believe they are non-Christians. As always, however, we must look to the context for the best answer. The true meaning of the metaphor is made clear when we consider the characters in that night's drama. The disciples were with Jesus. He had loved them to the uttermost; He had comforted them with the words in John chapter 14. The Father was foremost in His thoughts, because He was thinking of the events of the next day. But He was also aware of someone else—the betrayer. Judas had been dismissed from the fellowship when he rejected Jesus' final appeal of love. He was disconnected from “life.” Forever life can only be found in our connection to Jesus. As we will see, this is also a work of grace. So, allow God to do his work in your life; you will make a great jelly!
Friday, June 21, 2019
Forever Life - Pt 3
So the Jews grumbled about him, because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” They said, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” Jesus answered them, “Do not grumble among yourselves. No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. It is written in the Prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me—not that anyone has seen the Father except he who is from God; he has seen the Father. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. (John 6:41-48 ESV).
Geese are some of the most curious of migratory birds. I love watching them fly in their v-formation, always hearing them before seeing them. There is always a leader who places themselves in the position of taking the entire flock to the next stop along their route. God is like that for us in our journey of eternal life. This bring us to the most often posed question of “how?” We constantly question how we should or could do some specific task. Jesus was often asked how to gain eternal life. In our reading today, he is very clear: God draws people to Christ. The third stage of experiencing eternal life is in the hearing of the words of eternal life as God draws us to Jesus.
In our reading today Jesus says, "No one can come to me unless the father who sent me draws him" (v. 44). Christ is where eternal life is received. We must come to him if we will have it (cf. John 5:40). The words of life offer it and describe it and tell how to have it and beckon us to it. To attach any effort or mechanism through which we play a role in having eternal life is a serious error. God calls us to Jesus; the Holy Spirit quickens our heart; and, then we have eternal life.
Unfortunately, our sin nature causes us to hate the light of life (cf. John 3:20). We don't want to come because we are laid bare and exposed by the light of life. Our only hope is the merciful "drawing" of God. He overcomes our hatred for the light and opens our eyes to start seeing Christ for who he really is. This is the essence of grace.
You have seen the bumper stickers, "Start seeing motorcycles." That's not because people aren't seeing them in one sense. It's because they need to see them in another sense. So it is with Christ at a very different level of seriousness. People know about him, but they don't really see him for who he is, or they would be overwhelmed with his greatness and beauty and power and goodness and wisdom and love. If eternal life is going to come into our lives, we have to start seeing Jesus. Take a look at Him today!
Thursday, June 20, 2019
Forever Life - Pt 2
And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.” After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. So Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.” (John 6:65-69 ESV).
Yesterday we looked at the first stage in the experience of eternal life. Today, we can see from our reading that we additionally find eternal life through the words of Jesus. The background for our passage is a difficult teaching from Jesus. Many people began to drift away. Jesus turns to his disciples and asks if they would leave him like everyone else had, Peter's response is one of the most powerful passages in the gospels. He simply said, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (v. 68). He knew where truth originated. He had heard the voice on the Mountain saying, "This is my Son, whom I love; listen to him!" He had seen Jesus' words change reality and destroy barriers to God's love and truth. Indeed, he knew that there was no one else who had the words of eternal life.
The life of Christ is mediated to the world through his words. He himself is called the Word of God: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God . . . and the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us" (John 1:1, 14). And when he was with us on the earth, he spoke the words of life. And he taught his disciples to go and teach the way he taught. And he said that others would come to believe on him through their word (cf. John 17:20). So, eternal life is extended from Christ to others through his Word.
This brings me to a few conclusions. I often hear people who tell me they have so little time to “study” the Bible. And, I would be the first to admit that we live in a very hectic world. We prize the “bigger, better, faster” philosophy of life. However, I find it hard to believe that we could not make some time each day to read or listen to the Scripture. The discipline to hear the words of eternal life from Jesus is a matter of desire, not time or ability. And, it is not about “study.” You need no additional training or education to hear these words of eternal life. Last, we must understand the true nature of “worship.” So many people believe that a “worship service” is centered in the music. I enjoy music as well as most; however, worship has always been about the preaching and teaching of the Scripture. We drift too far away from this when we clamor for the entertainment of many church gatherings today. The music can only bring us to eternal life in so much as it reflects accurately the words of Jesus! He has the words of life!
Wednesday, June 19, 2019
Forever Life! - Pt 1
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. (John 3:16-18 ESV).
We are a people obsessed with “forever.” The Tumulus of Bougon or Necropolis of Bougon is a group of five Neolithic barrows located in Bougon near La-Mothe-Saint-Héray, between Exoudon and Pamproux in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France. This group of five mounds is a burial ground that was built in 4800 BC; they were rediscovered in 1840 and have spiked the interest of archaeologists and anthropologists since then. They also represent the oldest man-made structure known in the world, over two thousand years older than the Pyramids of Giza.
Going from the ancient to the future we find the 10,000 Year Clock. It is interesting to note that the 10,000 Year Clock, which is the brainchild of inventor Danny Hillis, was dreamed up in 1986 as a way to encourage people to think about humanity’s distant future. After spending a decade designing the clock, Hillis and the San Francisco-based Long Now Foundation he co-founded are building and installing it within the Sierra Diablo of West Texas. The land is owned by Amazon and Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos, who has invested $42 million in the project thus far.
Combined with the words of Jesus in our reading today, I am compelled to think a bit about “forever” over the next few days. So, what I hope to do is walk us through the stages of eternal life. I encourage you to think about where are you in these stages, as well as what your experience of eternal life really is today.
The first stage is being “in Christ.” Eternal life is in Christ. Eternal life is first and foremost the life of the Son of God. It is God's life. Therefore it is supernatural. It is not something we have by nature. If we get it, we get it as a gift (cf. John 17:2; 10:28) and as a supernatural act above what we can manufacture. Eternal life is Christ's life. "In him was life, and that life was the light of men." Being “in Christ” places us qualitatively into the heart of forever. The quantity is immeasurable and therefore unable to be grasped by our minds. That also becomes the root of the value of this gift of God. There is nothing to compare to it because it simply stands apart from everything else other than God. That is our beginning. Have you begun?
Tuesday, June 18, 2019
Wisdom from Gunsmoke
Monday, June 17, 2019
A Smoldering Wick
At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, “Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.” He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, and those who were with him: how he entered the house of God and ate the bread of the Presence, which it was not lawful for him to eat nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests? Or have you not read in the Law how on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are guiltless? I tell you, something greater than the temple is here. And if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.” (Matthew 12:1-8 ESV).
If my experience has taught me anything, it is that many people feel like their lives are no more than “a smoldering wick.” Their spiritual lamp has almost gone out. Jesus will not quench the little spark of spiritual life left in you. The Spirit of the Lord is upon him gentle for now. As long as this life lasts the atmosphere of Jesus is all oxygen. The faintest spark of spiritual life will glow and grow when it comes into contact with Jesus. "God sent not the Son into the world to condemn the world but that the world through him might be saved." Jesus did not come to snuff out your struggling flicker but to fan it carefully into a torch for his glory.
These are comforting words from God's Word. However, there must be a caution at this point. Jesus did not speak tenderly to everybody. The bruised reed and the smoldering wick are the penitent sinners who are crushed by circumstances or by their own failures. They are despairing of their own wisdom and resources to make anything worthwhile out of life. They are the poor in spirit who mourn (cf. Matthew 5:3-4). They are the publican who cries out "God be merciful to me, a sinner!" For these there is great tenderness, forgiveness, healing, and comfort.
But the tone of our Lord is very different toward the unrepentant. There are a lot of people today who feel just as miserable as a bruised reed and a smoldering wick but who have no intention of turning to Jesus. They are like the rich young man when Jesus told him to “sell what you possess and give to the poor," the man turned away sorrowful (cf. Matthew 19:22). His heart was untouched by the Spirit of God. We must be cautious in our encouragement to others that we don’t fail to challenge them in their sin with the Gospel. Loving words for the unrepentant are words of warning, not words of comfort. But for the poor in spirit, who humble themselves and cry out for mercy and turn from their sin, Jesus is a tender healer and life-giver. "He will not break a bruised reed or quench a smoldering wick." He waits for all of us… come to Him!
Sunday, June 16, 2019
A Bruised Reed
Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations. He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; a bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice. (Isaiah 42:1-3 ESV).
Just one more thought of encouragement for our consideration continues in Jesus’ teaching from Matthew, chapters 11-12. He quotes from our reading today to the disciples concerning “the bruised reed.” Jesus uses it to encourage and comfort us. When Jesus finds us, we are often bruised reeds. Our circumstances, whether self-induced or not, may be close to destroying us. These circumstances may have at least destroyed our peace of mind. As a result of these wounds we may have acquired a bitterness and resentment which have produced further injury. Jesus did not crush the bruised reed. He came not as a judge, but rather as a healer and savior.
This is also true of “the smoldering wick.” This is a reference to the person who has little love left. Once perhaps there was a flame, once they may have felt loved by God; however, there have been so many disappointments in life that trust has become almost non-existent and loving relationships almost impossible. No one can live without love. Jesus wants to fan the smoldering wick into flame again. And, only Jesus can demonstrate ultimate strength and then apply that same unique strength in the most tender of ways. The same Jesus who has the power not only to throw down tables in the temple courtyard, or to expel demons from the possessed, or even to call a dead man out of a grave, this Jesus also has the capacity to show tenderness to those who are most delicate and fragile.
There was none stronger than Jesus. He was fearless before those who opposed him. He never once hesitated to say what needed to be said, even when he knew it would provoke violent opposition. He confronted those who needed to be called out. And he claimed victory over sin and death. This was no weak man. And yet, in Jesus, enormous strength does not lead to insensitivity. The capacity to challenge and confront doesn’t lead to unnecessary conflict. He can crush a serpent, but he can also hold the most delicate in his care. The arm with which this God effects his mighty rule is the same arm which gathers up the lambs. The God who can level mountain ranges and topple superpowers is the same God who carries the weakest and most tender close to his heart. If you are that bruised reed today, come to Him! His burden really is light… His way will lead to rest!
Saturday, June 15, 2019
Doubts - Pt 4
All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:27-30 ESV).
When Jesus had sent John’s disciples away, he said something stunning about John: no one born of women had ever been greater. This, right after John questioned who Jesus was. Then he continues to teach those who had gathered to be healed or delivered. It is that wonderful invitation we read today: Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest (v. 28).
Shabbat Shalom! Sabbath is traditionally from Friday evening at sunset until Saturday evening at sunset. The Hebrew salutation on this day is “Shabbat Shalom.” The traditional translation is “Good Sabbath.” This is an acceptable translation, but the phrase is very nuanced. For those of you who do not read Hebrew, let me explain a bit. Shabbat means the seventh day of the week, a day of religious observance where work is restricted and prayer is intensified. The word is derived from the Hebrew word shevet which means “to dwell.” These two words are also related to the Hebrew word shevat, or “seven.” Shalom is generally translated as peace, but it, too, goes deeper than mere peace. Shalom means wholeness or completeness.
So when someone wishes you Shabbat Shalom, they are saying to you “May you dwell in completeness on this seventh day.” I can't remember the guide’s full name our first trip to Israel, though his first name was Ari. He explained to me, sitting at a small table in the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem that this common phrase was actually a blessing to another that the last day of the week alone will be as fulfilling as the first six were combined.
So, as we close this little series today, I wish you Shabbat Shalom! In our day, even the greatest, strongest saints experience deep darkness. None of us are spared sorrow or oppression. Most of us suffer agonizing affliction at some point. Most of us will experience seasons when we feel as if we’ve been abandoned. Some of us will die hard deaths. However, we may take comfort that our Savior does not “break the bruised reed” (Isaiah 42:3). He hears our pleas for help and is patient with our doubts. He does not condemn us. He has paid completely for any sin that is exposed in our pain. In John’s darkness and pain Jesus sent a promise to sustain John’s faith. He will do the same for you! After all… He is the Lion of Judah!
Friday, June 14, 2019
Doubts - Pt 3
When Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in their cities. Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.” (Matthew 11:1-6 ESV).
So, John, the Baptist, this powerful prophet sits alone, languishing in a dark, dank prison and wonders: “Is He the One?” We should not mistake John’s doubts for any lack of trust. Even with his doubts, there remained in John a deep, unshakable trust in Jesus. Jesus would tell him the truth. He just needed to hear from him again. So he sent two of his closest disciples to ask Jesus, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?”
The affection that radiated from Jesus is unmistakable. Jesus was familiar with John’s sorrows and grief. He knew experientially what it was like to feel alone against the insidious questioning of the Devil. After, all, he had spent a long time in the wilderness being assailed by the Deceiver. He loved John. However, He also knew the importance of deepening John’s understanding of who He was. Jesus uses an interesting word in the last of his message to John’s disciples: Blessed is the one who is not offended by me (v. 6). The word “offended” is a unique choice in this context. It is the root word from which we get the English word “scandal”. It means “to cause a person to begin to distrust and desert one whom he ought to trust and obey.” It is a gentle reminder that He is God. Whatever circumstances John faces is within the provenance and purpose of God. There is no reason to doubt God’s good end, even in that which he faces now.
So, he invited John’s faithful friends to sit near him as he healed many and delivered many. Then he turned to them and said, “Tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them” (v. 5). John would recognize Isaiah’s prophecy in those words. This promise would bring the peace John needed to sustain him for the few difficult days he had remaining. Additionally, Jesus didn’t include Isaiah’s phrase “proclaim liberty to the captives” (cf. Isaiah 61:1). John would understand. Sometimes, we are not delivered from our circumstance; sometimes our circumstances are the vehicle through which we are delivered by the Lord into our eternal home. Death is no longer a threat to any believer. Jesus has seen to that! Death is not the enemy of the children of God. It is merely a door to our ultimate eternal home!
Thursday, June 13, 2019
Doubts - Pt 2
When Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in their cities. Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.” (Matthew 11:1-6 ESV).
John the Baptist sat in Herod Antipas’s prison waiting likely execution and afflicted with doubts about Jesus. “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” (v. 3). It’s unclear exactly when John first consciously knew that Jesus was the Son of God, whose way he had come to prepare. The Apostle John quotes him as saying, “I myself did not know him” (cf. John 1:31) around the time he baptized Jesus. Remember that John’s mother, Elizabeth, had known. She knew because John announced it to her in utero by leaping when she heard Mary’s voice. Was she not allowed to tell him? We don’t know. Regardless, John had known even before he knew.
What is clear is that when the revelation came it was an overwhelming experience for John. That day, when Jesus approached him at the Jordan near Bethany, John couldn’t contain the shout: “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” With awe and trembling hands he had baptized his Lord. And then saw the Spirit descend and remain on him. That day had also marked the beginning of the end of his ministry. From that point he had joyfully directed people away from himself to follow Jesus. And they had.
Now he sat in Antipas’ filthy prison. He had expected this. Prophets who rebuke sinful kings usually do not fare well. Herodias wanted him dead. John could see no reason why she would be denied her wish. What he hadn’t expected was to be tormented by such oppressive doubts and fears. Since the Jordan, John had not doubted that Jesus was the Christ. But stuck alone in this putrid cell he was assaulted by horrible, accusing thoughts. It felt as if God had left him and the devil himself had taken his place. He tried to recall all the prophecies and signs that had seemed so clear to him before. But it was difficult to think straight. Comfort just wouldn’t stick to his soul. The thought of being executed for the sake of righteousness and justice he could bear. But he could not bear the thought that he might have been wrong about Jesus. His one task was to prepare the way of the Lord. If he had gotten that wrong, his ministry, his life, was in vain. That’s when Jesus answers with a gentle reminder… “I got this!” And, he does. Believe that, regardless of your circumstance today!
Wednesday, June 12, 2019
Doubts - Pt 1
When Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in their cities. Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.” (Matthew 11:1-6 ESV).
I often use Monday morning as a time to write. Such is the case as I muse about the things that cause doubt today. I am in debt to my oldest son, Kyle, for the inspiration to take this little quiet walkway in our journey through Morning Devotionals. Sometime ago he was asked to preach the Sunday morning sermon at our church in his absence. I have heard him many times both teaching and preaching. He was my primary substitute when I was pastoring in Tennessee. The folks enjoyed him coming, and I enjoyed having him in my stead. His message came from our reading today.
This passage is such a stark reminder of the humanity of the great characters of the Scripture. No one can question the position and faith of John the Baptist. Even Jesus said of him: Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist (Matthew 11:11). Yet, we see a very real side of him here. He had doubts. The picture accompanying today’s devotional is titled “Archangel Michael.” It is a fresco in a Byzantine church in the ruins of Geraki castle from the 13th century. Much of the fresco has been lost to the vagaries of time, but that which remains shows a mighty archangel, Michael, who stands ready to defend any attack with a sword ablaze with light and fire. The expression leaves no room for doubt in this angel’s ability or the ultimate outcome of the battle.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have that kind of assurance? Wouldn’t it be an incredible gift to have the resolve to face any circumstance in life with an absolute, unwavering faith in the successful outcome of any challenge? The artist seems to have captured that in his depiction of this angel. Yet, my experience is often the same as John the Baptist. I doubt. Perhaps you find yourself in this position as well. Perhaps your circumstance is health related. It may be that your body simply as begun to age in a way that weakness, or illness, it now your daily struggle. Or, maybe you’re facing a relational conflict in your family or marriage that simply is more than you can imagine being able to continue to even hope for a successful outcome. Whatever the circumstance, we can learn so much from John’s simple question and Jesus’ answer. Today, I would simply point you to Jesus. He is the One with the words of life, there is no other!
Tuesday, June 11, 2019
Encouragers
For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing. (1 Thessalonians 5:5-11 ESV).
Our reading today is a litany of reason why we might be an encouragement to others. I have found the most helpful thing I can do is simply encourage others. I have also discovered that I cannot separate encouragement from faith. And, it is not the amount of faith possessed at any given moment; it is completely centered in the way faith is applied in our lives. It should bring us to an unshakeable conviction that the “can” of life has already been settled. God can do all things at all times in all circumstances. Faith is not hoping that God can; it is knowing that God will!
Encouraging others is just another way of expressing our love for one another. In Romans 12:7-8, Paul lists encouragement among the gifts of grace. When people accomplish a common objective together, all are encouraged. Fellow believers encourage one another to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18).
The Thessalonian Christians faced struggles and an uncertain future. Paul wrote to encourage them, reminding them of their faith and love and hope in Christ, all of which prepared them to be ready for the Lord’s return. And with these assurances they could keep encouraging one another and building each other up. The gift of encouragement is important in our lives. En¬cour¬agement is a gift in the home, the workplace, the church—wherever we find ourselves. We can come alongside others and be there for one another. We can listen, comfort, console, affirm. It’s a way of living out the command to love one another.
Take time to recall the people who’ve been encouragers in your life. They’re the ones who were there when you thought you’d never laugh again. They were the ones who listened to you; whereas others just talked. Then ask yourself, “When was the last time I encouraged someone?” It’s not difficult, and the people you encourage are so blessed by it.
Monday, June 10, 2019
A New Tune - Pt 4
Fear not. For thus says the Lord of hosts: Yet once more, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land. And I will shake all nations, so that the treasures of all nations shall come in, and I will fill this house with glory, says the Lord of hosts. The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, declares the Lord of hosts. The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, says the Lord of hosts. And in this place I will give peace, declares the Lord of hosts. (Haggai 2:5b-9 ESV).
The last principle of singing this new tune is found as we dream into the future. And so in faith, we turn from the former glory, and strain toward what’s ahead, resting in the promise of God’s empowering. Here the charge beautifully captures the Christian faith-work dynamic for good resolves, and the promise of the covenant points to a strength and hope all the more true for the new-covenant Christian. “Work, for I am with you” (v. 4) goes straight to the heart of what can make a resolution truly Christian. Work, because I’m at work in you. All too often we find ourselves stuck in the past. The regrets cause feelings of shame and failure; the misunderstanding of the power of God, even in our failure, brings fear and anxiety.
The Apostle Paul remixes Haggai in his letter to the Church at Philippi: “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13). In both the apostle and the prophet, it’s the presence of God than energizes and inspires our exertion of effort to fulfill godly resolves. And so we pray with Paul for the faith-powered completion of Christian commitments.
It is in Jesus, that we can turn from the past and dream into the future, and say with Haggai, as he does three times, in 2:15–19, “From this day onward . . .” For the Christian, any today can mark a new era. “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts” (cf. Psalm 95:7; Hebrews 3:7, 15). With the crucified and risen Lord on his throne as the king of the universe, and his Spirit alive and on the move, any today can signal a new tomorrow when pursued in faith.
And for God’s pleasure and glory, the beginning of a new year is just as good a day as any to make the faith-filled resolve, From this day onward. How about it? Are you ready to embrace a new tune? Are you ready for a change? You can be!
Sunday, June 9, 2019
A New Tune - Pt 3
In the seventh month, on the twenty-first day of the month, the word of the Lord came by the hand of Haggai the prophet: “Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to all the remnant of the people, and say, ‘Who is left among you who saw this house in its former glory? How do you see it now? Is it not as nothing in your eyes? Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, declares the Lord. Be strong, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land, declares the Lord. Work, for I am with you, declares the Lord of hosts, according to the covenant that I made with you when you came out of Egypt. My Spirit remains in your midst. Fear not.” (Haggai 2:1-5 ESV).
Fresh starts and new tunes require us to turn from the past. I selected a picture of our home in Tennessee to illustrate this principle. We have had many houses through the years; and, we live in one that is marvelous now. However, this one might have been the toughest one to leave behind. The structure was not one of the best we’ve lived in, but it might have been the place where we thought we had finally arrived at our destination earthly location. Of course, God had other designs in mind. We subsequently moved from this house to our present house in Texas. It is smaller in size, and already larger in memories. It is a reminder that regardless of what we might think about the past, good or bad, God gives us the present while guaranteeing an incredible eternal future.
Our reading today begins with a second oracle from God. Some of the people were old enough to have seen the former temple, and they could tell already that this makeshift reconstruction operation by the remnant could not compare “the former glory” (v. 3). These verses should remind ourselves that for God’s people, the glory days lie ahead, not behind. Whether it’s the remnant of returned exiles looking back to Solomon’s temple, or the retro Reformed gazing endlessly at the Puritans, or conservative Boomers daydreaming nostalgically about the 1950s, Christians need not be caught thinking our best times lie in the past. Whatever glory we’ve seen, whatever tastes of grace we’ve had, whatever sentimental feelings we have about some bygone era, whether last year or decades ago, it is not worth our ceaseless attention, or grumbling about how things aren’t now what they used to be.
For the Christian, the best is always yet to come. We have reason to have more real hope than any other people on the planet for what is ahead in the next year, the next decade, the next century, and for all eternity. The grace of God, manifest in Jesus, is our rock-solid liberation from crippling nostalgia and from bellyaching about the “former glory.” By faith, we expect a latter glory that far outstrips the little foretastes of the glory we’ve had so far.
Saturday, June 8, 2019
A New Tune - Pt 2
Thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways. Go up to the hills and bring wood and build the house, that I may take pleasure in it and that I may be glorified, says the Lord. You looked for much, and behold, it came to little. And when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why? declares the Lord of hosts. Because of my house that lies in ruins, while each of you busies himself with his own house. Therefore the heavens above you have withheld the dew, and the earth has withheld its produce. And I have called for a drought on the land and the hills, on the grain, the new wine, the oil, on what the ground brings forth, on man and beast, and on all their labors. (Haggai 1:7-11 ESV).
So, let’s begin this little trek through the prophet’s writing. Remember, the first wave of exiles had returned to Jerusalem from Babylon in 538 B.C. Now, some twenty years later, the temple still lay in ruin. Instead of rebuilding God’s house, the people were pouring their energies and monies into renovating their own houses. They were saying that “the time has not yet come to rebuild the house of the Lord” (Haggai 1:2). Yet, God had a different opinion. First, comes the rhetorical question: “Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins?” (Haggai 1:4). Then follows the command: “Build the house, that I may take pleasure in it and that I may be glorified” (Haggai 1:8).
The threshold of your fresh start, you new tune, can be a time to examine yourself. It may be there is something God has been increasingly been calling you to, but you’ve either ignored it, or worse, dismissed it saying, “The time has not yet come.”Each of us ought to be in a constant state of examination for that direction of God to build, or to engage, so that God “may take pleasure in it and that [he] may be glorified”? We must recognize the ways we simply build our own kingdom, while neglecting God’s? It might be that God’s blessing is being withheld because his house “lies in ruins, while each of us busies ourselves with our own house” (Haggai 1:9).
Perhaps this little reminder will spark with you to stop procrastinating what God has been drawing you toward. Perhaps it’s time to change your tune from the excuse “the time has not come” to the resolve “the time has now come”.
I have found that this first step is always the most difficult. Somehow we become accustomed to being a people with “holes in our bags” (v. 8). That has never been Gods intent. His desire is that we have life and that abundantly. Perhaps your abundant life just needs you to start with a step.
Friday, June 7, 2019
A New Tune - Pt 1
In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came by the hand of Haggai the prophet to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest: “Thus says the Lord of hosts: These people say the time has not yet come to rebuild the house of the Lord.” Then the word of the Lord came by the hand of Haggai the prophet, “Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins? Now, therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways. You have sown much, and harvested little. You eat, but you never have enough; you drink, but you never have your fill. You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm. And he who earns wages does so to put them into a bag with holes.” (Haggai 1:1-5 ESV).
If you read some of the previous devotionals (“Mountain Roads”) you know Mary and I have recently returned from an extended trip where we flew to Washington DC and drove home. Of course, we took the route leading through the Smokies! How could we resist that! You may also know that part of the reason for this trip was to acquire a “new” car. Our youngest son, Aaron, who also lives and works in DC, has had a 2006 Mazda Tribute since it was purchased new. He rarely drives and when our leased vehicle came due to turn in, he offered to give us his car. The savings to us is enormous and it is nearly new sixteen years later. It only has 90K miles on it and has been mechanically and cosmetically kept pristine. You can tell from the picture that the only things we had to do were to add an Aggie sticker and a Smoky Mountains emblem.
Of course, we had to do a few practical things as well. It did need new tires, since the others were six years old and had begun to dry rot from a lack of driving; and, of course we needed to have it inspected and tagged in Texas. Well, “Delilah” (the car’s name, and don’t ask “why?”) passed inspection with flying colors. She is now truly a Texan! She is also a “new tune” for us. There are some things about this car that are different from our 2016 vehicle just off lease. Mary’s one big adjustment is the absence of a back-up camera. We do have a long up-hill driveway to get to the street, so it is a bit more inconvenient, though that merely requires backing the old-fashioned way.
All of this reminded me of a relatively unknown and unread little book in the Old Testament. It is Haggai. Tucked near the end of the Old Testament, third from last on that biblical road-less-traveled called the minor prophets, it’s one of Scripture’s shortest books, and one of its best for singing this “new tune” in life. Haggai helps us understand the ingredients for a fresh start. It is not with willpower or determination, but faith-filled resolve. We’ll look at some ways to do this in the next few days. Today, simply pray for the wisdom and strength to sing your new tune!
Thursday, June 6, 2019
A Post-note to Christian Hedonism
Send out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling! Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy, and I will praise you with the lyre, O God, my God. (Psalm 43:3-4 ESV).
I hope you have been encouraged and challenged with the last few devotionals focusing on the topic of “Christian hedonism.” It certainly has prompted more replies than usual! With that in mind, I thought it might be of benefit for us to look at a post-note in regard to this concept. Two basic principles are true: one intellectual, the other emotional. We will have to be convinced intellectually that the objections to Christian Hedonism are not valid, and we will have to awaken new and powerful emotions in our hearts for God. Let me address four objections to Christian Hedonism as it relates to worship.
1. First, Christian Hedonism does not mean that God becomes a means to help us get worldly pleasures. The pleasure of any believer must be found in God himself. He is the end of our search for joy, not the means to some further end. He is our exceeding joy, not the streets of gold, or reunion with relatives, or any other blessing of earth or heaven. God cannot be seen as a divine vending machine.
2. Second, Christian Hedonism is aware that self-consciousness kills joy, and therefore kills worship. As soon as you turn your eyes in on yourself and become conscious of experiencing joy, it’s gone. We must know that the secret of joy is self-forgetfulness. We must set our whole attention on the object of the source of our joy, and not on our emotions. Therefore, in worship there must be a radical orientation on God, not ourselves.
3. Third, Christian Hedonism does not make a god out of pleasure. It says that you have already made a god out of whatever you find most pleasure in. Therefore, seek the one true God, who is the Father of our Lord, Jesus Christ.
4. Fourth, Christian Hedonism does not put us above God when we seek him out of self-interest. A patient is not greater than his doctor because he comes to him to be made well. A child is not greater than his father when he wants the fun of playing together. Suppose on December 21, I bring Mary fifty long-stemmed red roses to celebrate our 50th anniversary. And when she says, “They’re beautiful, thank you,” I respond, “Don’t mention it. It’s my duty.” With that word, all moral value vanishes. Yes, it is my duty, but unless I am moved by a spontaneous affection for her as a person, the very exercise of my duty belittles her. Worship involves a radical orientation on God, not ourselves.
That is what has to be changed in our lives. We belittle God when we go through the outward motions of worship and take no pleasure in his person. The chief end of man is not just to glorify God and enjoy him forever. The chief end of man is to glorify God by enjoying him forever. And if we don’t enjoy him, we don’t glorify him. Therefore, I hope you will become a worshiping people who cannot tolerate anything less than the presence and power of God in a personal and pervasive relationship.
Wednesday, June 5, 2019
Happy Birthday, Mary!
The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. (Numbers 6:24-26 ESV).
Birthdays are a wonderful experience, especially for loved ones. They are a glorious moment in which we celebrate the anniversary of our birth and give thanks for another year of life! They're also an opportunity to give our love to family and friends by sharing heartfelt gifts and words of appreciation. As you know if you have been following Morning Devotionals for any time at all, it has been my practice to celebrate the birthdays of my immediate family with Scripture and some teachable moments. Today is Mary’s birthday! You may know, or simply surmise that Mary is my wife (almost fifty years now), and my friend, confidant, and partner in life.
I do wish that I had the space to detail all of the memories we have made together over these five decades of life together. Some of them surround the events of our children and grandchildren; some of them are centered in the incredible places we have visited all over the world; and, still others are at the heart of the ministry we have been called to over the years. I would like to be able to share all the incredible things of these years, however, space cannot be given to the incredible life I have been blessed with as she has been beside me. These times were not always free of challenge. We have had health challenges, and seen the hand of God in each; we had experienced financial challenges, and God has always provided us with all we could need. Through each experience I have come to treasure each moment... there never seems to be enough time fir each! It is not by coincidence that the one song that resonates most in my memory is the one performed by Jim Croce, just a few years after we were married. It is titled, “Time in a Bottle.” You may listen to it at the following address: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dO1rMeYnOmM. The first of the lyrics are:
If I could save time in a bottle
The first thing that I'd like to do
Is to save every day
'Til eternity passes away
Just to spend them with you.
Happy Birthday, Mary! I pray for many more decades together!
Tuesday, June 4, 2019
Christian Hedonism - Pt 6
I will extol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up and have not let my foes rejoice over me. O Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you have healed me. O Lord, you have brought up my soul from Sheol; you restored me to life from among those who go down to the pit. Sing praises to the Lord, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name. For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning. (Psalm 30:1-5 ESV).
When I was much younger (and some would argue much dumber), Mary and I took the boys to Disney World. One of the first rides we took was Space Mountain. I can’t imagine a time in my life when I would voluntarily allow myself to be strapped into a series of cars to ride off into the darkness up and down and all around! Perhaps I was tricked into the ride by the incessant requests of my children who said, “Come on, Dad! It will be fun!” It was certainly different from being ferried from one cherubic scene to another as happy children sang “It’s a Small World!”
I had ridden roller coasters before, so, how bad could it be? I followed the family trustingly behind. Blind trust accurately describes the only reason I remained in that serpentine line winding slowly past signs that warned If you have a heart condition, do not ride this ride, and If you are prone to anxiety attacks, panic disorders, or fainting spells, do not ride this ride. Not even the sign that said Secure your hats and glasses prior to entering clued me in to what was ahead. Finally it was our turn, and the attendant directed me to the front seat in the front car. My new husband sat immediately behind me. I buckled in, the attendant checked my seat belt, and I settled back for the ride. Must be a constellation show, I thought, noticing that the room on the other side of the small doorway through which we would soon travel was dark. And, that’s the last pleasant memory I have of Space Mountain.
Life often chugs along smoothly. We have money in the bank, our bodies are healthy, and our relationships with friends and family are strong. But sometimes the sky grows dark. Uncertainty looms. The bottom drops out from under us, and we wonder if the slender cord we’re trusting in is enough to hold us. Worse yet, we wonder if the One in whom we’re trusting might not be worthy of our trust. Even worse, we wonder if it was He who buckled us into the very car that will carry us to our destruction? Have we been tricked? Blindsided? Betrayed? Thankfully God’s Word answers these questions for us: Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning (v. 5). If you feel like you’re on a roller coaster in the dark today, I pray these truths will comfort and encourage you. When all is said and done, and we have reflected on as many wonderful biblical realities as we can, and we have cried out with David for the restoration of our joy, our biblical lot is to wait for the Lord. We are not to despair. That is the way of the Christian Hedonist… and it works! He will get you to the end of the ride perfectly safe and secure, forever in heaven!
Monday, June 3, 2019
Christian Hedonism - Pt 5
You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book? Then my enemies will turn back in the day when I call. This I know, that God is for me. In God, whose word I praise, in the Lord, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me? (Psalm 56:8-11 ESV).
God gathers our tears in a “bottle” (v. 8). I must confess I do not know all of the meaning of the psalmist in making this declaration. However, I do know that it is indicative of how we are to view our relationship with the Lord. He will never be indifferent to our pain and suffering, whether it is a result of our actions or not. There are times when we cry from the sorrows of life. At other times we cry at the remembrance of a significant event in our lives. At times it is the intense physical pain we may be enduring at the moment that brings tears to our eyes. And, of course there are the tears we shed at the thought of some hurt we may have caused to someone through our sin.
We should consider this understanding of the tears of contrition and the tears of sorrow carefully. I have known many people who have sought my help as they confess that when their joys go down, they simply feel bad. It is this miserable emotion that prompts their tears. Often they also confess that, although their deepest desire is to have joy, they simply cannot find a way through the thick fog of guilt. They want to read their Bible with gladness and happiness and thankfulness and strength, and they simply don’t. That may be the place you find yourself today.
These are what have been called the tears of the fruit of languishing joy in Christ, impeded by weariness or weakness or sin. In other words, when joy fades and you feel sorrowful and contrite and brokenhearted because of this fading joy that you should have in Christ, is not the feeling of sorrow. It is the feeling of regret and the feeling of contrition evidenced by the fact that your soul is the kind of soul that has a taste for the goodness of God, the sweetness of God in Jesus!
This should be an encouragement to rejoice. Thus, these tears are evidence that we are born of God. They show that our soul has been made into the kind of soul that will never be satisfied apart from God. Even when joy has gone away, there is an aftertaste of joy that is weeping, and the weeping is the aftertaste of joy giving evidence that our soul is the kind of soul that will have joy forever. Relish these tears. They are significant enough that God notices, and collects each one, saving them as a memorial to our relationship. You see, Christian Hedonism is not the seeking of pleasure; however, it is the seeking of our God who brings us pleasure through redemption and relationship! Celebrate that!
Sunday, June 2, 2019
Christian Hedonism - Pt 4
For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. (2 Peter 1:5-10 ESV).
It is essential that we make a distinction between the absence of intense joy in Christ on the one hand, and the presence of intense joy in sin on the other. It is possible for our spiritual affections to weaken without this being the sign that our carnal affections are triumphant. Of course, we should be concerned with becoming cooled toward Christ, because that could lead to the destruction of our lives if we fail to confirm our calling and election (v. 10). But we should not assume that the cooling of our affections on any given day is the same as the flaming up of insubordinate rebellion against God and his ways. It could lead to that. But it need not.
In God’s mind, fervency, zeal, or passion aren’t descriptions of how emotive we are. They’re gauges that display what our heart treasures, and therefore what fuels our lives. Just like God is far more impressed by sincere prayers in secret than longwinded public prayers (cf. Matthew 6:5-6), he is far more impressed (or not) by what truly enthralls us than by any outward emotional exhibition. For what enthralls us determines how we prioritize our lives.
We’ve been living in our present home nearly three years. This is the first house I have had a dedicated space for my woodworking equipment to remain set up. I can walk out the door to the garage (the converted workshop) and begin working on a project immediately. Someone earlier in the week came by and saw me working on a specific project and asked, “Is this your therapy?” My first reaction was affirmation. However, as I began to think about it, that is a recipe for disaster. What if we were forced to do something different with the space; or, what if we no longer could afford that use of the space? The circumstances would change, and with that change my emotions would also change negatively. It is wonderful to have this convenience, but my happiness cannot be determined by such an outward circumstance. That means I simply need to change what I “treasure.” The same is true in our Christian lives. We do cool off in our passion; however, reignite your fervency through relationship, not experiences.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)