My Little Faith - Pt 1

The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you. “Will any one of you who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and recline at table’? Will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, and dress properly, and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you will eat and drink’? Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’” (Luke 17:5-10 ESV).

In our reading the apostles ask Jesus to increase their faith. I find myself often in the same position. I intellectually know the answers; however, applying them often requires more faith than I seem to have. Luke recalls how Jesus helped them with their seeming lack of faith. Both of these speak truth into their minds and souls. So, today and tomorrow we’ll examine each of them in the hope that it will help you develop even more strength in your faith too. First, he strengthens our faith by telling us that the crucial issue in accomplishing great things not the quantity of our faith, but the power of God. He says, “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.” By referring to the tiny mustard seed after being asked about increased faith, he deflects attention away from the quantity of faith to the object of faith. God moves mulberry trees. And it does not depend decisively on the quantity of our faith, but on his power and wisdom and love. In knowing this we are helped not to worry about our faith and are inspired to trust God’s free initiative and power. Often we are confused with the admonition that we need to know more information. If I just knew more theology; or, if I knew the original languages of the Bible; or perhaps, if I could have more experience, then I could really believe. After all, doesn’t strength come from a good plan? And, doesn’t a good plan come from knowing all the pertinent information related to that decision? If I really knew the future, I could be strong in the present, right? NO! That’s simply wrong-headed. We don’t need to know the future because we can know the One who does. Knowing the One who does know the future we can also know that He only has our good in mind for every circumstance we may experience. Now my faith, my belief in those unseen things becomes easy to both possess and apply. Tomorrow is no step for a stepper; and, we walk with the greatest “stepper” of all!

What am I Going to Do?

Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” But he said to him, “Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?” And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.” (Luke 12:13-21 ESV).

Have you ever really given much thought to why we struggle so much with unfounded fear? Our reading today simply says we don’t need to. It points to at least four things that we are prone to fear. First, in verse 4 Jesus says, “I tell you, friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.” So it implies that we are prone to fear death, especially death by persecution. Death is not a thing to fear for the child of God. Second, in verse 11 Jesus says, “And when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not be anxious how or what you are to answer or what you are to say; for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.” So Jesus implies that we are prone to fear public shame. We are prone to be anxious about what others will think of us if we don’t have the right thing to say. Our culture is built on the prized position of peer acceptance. The only acceptance that makes an eternal difference is that which we have already received in Christ. Third, in verse 22 Jesus says, “Therefore do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat nor about your body, what you shall put on.” So he implies that we are prone to worry about whether our basic physical needs will be met, food and drink and clothing and shelter. The truth is that death is not the worst thing, hell is. And God will keep you out of hell and care for you with detailed tenderness. He says the hairs of your head are all numbered. Jesus also tells us that the Holy Spirit will teach you what to say in an hour of public testing. You will not be left alone. And, last Jesus reminds us that our Father knows our daily needs and is far more inclined to give you what you need than he is to feed the ravens and clothe the lilies, but look how he takes care of them! So Jesus does not want us to fear. That is great news! There is now no fear of death, no fear of public shame, no fear of poverty and want. He wants us to see that God is the kind of God whose people do not need to fear.

Peace

But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. (John 14:26-27 ESV).

Maybe it’s the dreary skies or colder temperatures of winter, whatever the motivation, I’m brought back to memories of times spent traveling the roads through the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. This picture today was taken at sunset in Cades Cove. There have been a few times when we have been and though good fortune we have found a moment when it appeared we were all alone in this idyllic setting. Sometimes I wonder why we didn’t go more frequently when we lived so close. Perhaps that was a squandered opportunity. I do know, that the memories I have of those trips are all filled with a strong sense of peace and joy. Today, I miss that. So, I have turned to the Scripture for a bit of encouragement. Perhaps it’s that kind of day for you and these verses will be of help to you as well. Let’s begin with today’s reading. Jesus was facing his imminent betrayal and arrest that would lead to his death. His concern was that his friends be left with peace. So he simply declares that blessing on them. I am no different than they; he has bestowed that peace on me as well. To really feel that peace in my soul I simply must recognize that this day is really temporary. The psalmist says we are “to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12). That’s just encouragement to be a wise steward of my remaining days. That great day of home-going is getting closer with each passing moment. David understood that. Luke writes in Acts, “David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep” (Acts 13:36). Whatever I do today, I really do pray it has been done to serve the purpose of God for me in my time. This past year has been full of surprises. It doesn’t take long to think that the “status quo” is forever and change is impossible. How far from the truth that has been! It has been a great reminder for me as the changes have come, that God is never changing. Whether it was a diagnosis of a chronic illness for Mary, new health issues for me, or the move of our middle son and his family to Florida I can be at peace knowing that it is His peace I have been given. So, now I am looking forward to brighter days both here and there. Now, I am certain they will come. Now, I am at peace. Think on these things with me as I pray for you and you for me. We are overcomers in His wonderful name!

A Friend

A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. (Proverbs 18:24 ESV).

It’s been almost five years now since 10-year-old Christian Bucks thought his family was moving to Germany for his dad’s job and his mom showed him brochures about his potential new schools. He would be the new kid there; he would be the one without anyone to play with. He was just in first grade then, but he knew what loneliness on the playground looked like. He’d seen it at his own elementary school in York, Pa. But one German school he and his mom looked at had a solution for this. It was called the buddy bench, and if a child was sitting on it alone, it was a signal to the other kids to ask him or her to play. Christian’s family never did move to Germany, but the little boy is credited with introducing buddy benches to America. There are thousands scattered across the country in schools and parks. They may not be a timeless staple like the chain-link swings or the classic monkey bars, but the buddy bench is certainly a wonderful addition. Think of it in spiritual terms for a moment. While it is no more than a simple wooden seat planted on the edge of the kid-filled chaos, it is a silent summons to be seen instead of overlooked, fortified instead of forgotten, loved instead of lonely. It carries no stigma nor shame; it merely issues an unspoken invitation: Will you join me in my time of need? It’s a question we’ve all asked, isn’t it? Haven’t you asked that question at some point in your life? When the discouragement of life presses us from so many directions and our sadness seems to overwhelm us like a flood, we wonder who will offer us hope, extend to us mercy, or ease our burden. It is then that we must have the “friend” spoken of in our reading today. Thankfully we do. Thanks to Christ’s accomplished work on the cross, we are all invited to sit next to Him in prayer and find someone who sticks closer than a brother. The writer of Hebrews puts it like this: Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:16 ESV). Sounds a little like a spiritual “buddy bench” to me! So, the next time there seems to be no one to sit with you in your struggles, turn to Jesus. And, if you happen to look closely, you may see someone who is sitting alone. Go sit with them. You don’t need any answers; you only need to be present. Be that friend!

The Thicknesser of Life

For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed. Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. (Hebrews 12:11-14 ESV).

Over the Christmas holidays, our youngest son, Aaron, came home. He is an excellent cook, an amateur gourmet chef. When we visited with him in the summer at his home in Washington DC, I noticed his cutting board was very small and well-used. I asked if he wanted one bigger. His answer was revealing: “Sure. But they are really expensive to get a good one.” Well, I’ve got the answer to that. We could build it when he came home. I have all the necessary tools for such a fun project. We took a trip to a local exotic wood dealer and bought some hardwoods. We choose Purpleheart, walnut, African mahogany, curly maple, and oak. Our first step in the process was to get the wood to the same thickness and desired width for each piece. Without taking a lot of time describing that process, suffice it to say it required some significant cutting and shaving of the wood. After we were done with that step there was plenty of sawdust and shavings on the floor! One of the machines essential in this process is a “thicknesser” (planer). If you’ve never seen one of these in action you will find it difficult to imagine. Let me merely say that it is rather “violent.” There are very sharp blades that rotate very fast and “shave” the wood all across its surface. That must be repeated as often as necessary to get it the right thickness. If the wood had “feelings” I’m sure it would be very painful! Yet, that is the only way to get it to the place where it can become a beautiful, useful piece for the kitchen. So, here’s the application. God designs and ordains what we are to become from the beginning. Along the way, it may require that we be run through the “thicknesser.” I’ve been there; and, I know from those experiences that they are never painless. This is not punishment. Jesus took all of our punishment on the cross. This is the Master Craftsman making us into that perfect piece for our lives. Real beauty and usefulness is rare in combination. Yet, this is precisely what God does in our lives. I know it sounds crazy for me to tell you to welcome those times on your life, even though that’s exactly what our reading today directs us to do. Remember, the pain is not forever. It will pass and leave an incredible work in your life. Draw strength from that truth.

Feeling Fragile

And I lifted my eyes and saw, and behold, a man with a measuring line in his hand! Then I said, “Where are you going?” And he said to me, “To measure Jerusalem, to see what is its width and what is its length.” And behold, the angel who talked with me came forward, and another angel came forward to meet him and said to him, “Run, say to that young man, ‘Jerusalem shall be inhabited as villages without walls, because of the multitude of people and livestock in it. And I will be to her a wall of fire all around, declares the Lord, and I will be the glory in her midst.’” (Zechariah 2:1-5 ESV).

Receiving packages in the mail is one of life’s little pleasures. You’ve placed your order and the day of delivery has arrived. You see the carrier drive up and politely wait, showing some dignity befitting someone of an adult age even though you feel like a three-year-old on Christmas morning; and, you open your door and there on your porch the package sits, crushed and mangled beyond recognition. It is broken and ruined. We’ve all been there both literally and emotionally in our lives. There are simply some days when we wake up feeling fragile and expecting to be broken by some yet unrevealed disappointment. The word is “vulnerable.” It’s often vague. No single threat. No one weakness. Just an amorphous sense that something is going to go wrong and I will be responsible. It’s usually after a lot of criticism. Lots of expectations that have deadlines and that seem too big and too many. By the way, according to research the number reason why packages marked fragile are damaged is: “Packaged in an old box.” Well, that’s no help for me. I am an “old box!” As I look back over the many years, I am amazed how the Lord Jesus has preserved my life. There is always both a compelling temptation to run away and an exhilaration concerning the responsibilities of life. The only way I have ever overcome the temptation to run away is reviewing the “I wills” and the “I shalls” of God. It is through those Scriptures that God has always answered my fears with concrete promises.” Today’s reading is one of those passages. After having my life broken and left in pieces recently I was reading in Zechariah as this promise jumped off the page for me: “I will be to her a wall of fire all around, declares the Lord” (v. 5). If it is true for the vulnerable villages of Jerusalem, it is true for me, a child of God. God will be “a wall of fire all around” me. And it gets better. Inside that fiery wall of protection he says, “And I will be the glory in her midst.” God is never content to give us the protection of his fire; he will give us the pleasure of his presence. It is so typical of God. He has consistently rescued me with concrete promises. This time he said, “I will be to her a wall of fire all around” and “I will be the glory in her midst.” Cry out to him. Then ransack the Bible for his appointed promise. We are fragile. But he is not. No matter how old your box is, God is new every morning!

Remembering - Pt 6

He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. (Psalm 23:1-4 ESV).

This is the last of our brief look into the “remembering” of Deuteronomy. I have chosen a very familiar reading for today. David wrote this psalm while he was traveling a particularly challenging path in his life. Yet, he comes to this incredible thought that no part of the path, even “the valley of the shadow of death,” is too much for our Shepherd. Even there we have no need to fear. He is with us and that is the message that relieves us of any questions concerning our safe arrival home. As Christians, we focus so much on triumph and victory, which is definitely the outcome we will experience, that we fail to remember there's a middle step. We can't be over-comers without anything to overcome. I am thankful for the confirmation of the Scripture and how it confirms so many things in my life. I haven't made a wrong turn anywhere along the way of my journey, even though I have at times strayed off the path. I'm just walking in an area that requires me to hold His hand a little tighter and to draw in a little closer because He can see things in darkness I could never see in broad daylight. It's not by coincidence, it's not by happenstance, but it's by design that you are where you are. I know the promise of Jeremiah 29:11 is primarily about the nation of Israel; however, since Christians are the “New Israel” we may lay claim to the truth in it for all of God’s children. There the prophet declares that God “knows” the plans for us. May I remind you that is just another way of saying we don’t know them. God is the one in control and He's the one ordering our steps and He knows the way. Even if that way happens to go through the darkest, lowest, loneliest times of our life, it's worth being there because it is taking us precisely where our good will be produced. It may not look good, and Lord knows it doesn't feel good, but be confident in knowing that it's all for your good. Take assurance in knowing that He purposely brought you to this "valley" so He could purposefully bring you out. This dark place is just another opportunity to experience Christ in a closer way. God covers us on all sides. We have not been forgotten, though there are times when it feels that way. He walks with us, sometimes carrying us through every experience. Trust Him!