Promises Made and Kept

 

For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory. And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee. (1 Corinthians 1:20-22 ESV).

 

Perhaps you are one of those folks who have never broken a promise. It may be you have much more restraint than I do and simply don’t make promises that you can’t keep. Unfortunately, I’m not nearly that disciplined. When our oldest son was very young, we bought him a peddle-driven firetruck, much like the one I’ve pictured here. One afternoon after I arrived home I was greeted by a downcast little boy whose world had obviously come perilously close to ending. Getting the story, it seemed that he had left his firetruck in the garage and Mary didn’t see it until she ran over it with our suburban. Needless to say it was in great need of repair. I assured my son that I could repair it and promised to get to it quickly. A week turned to a month, a month to a year, and finally I did repair it, though five years had passed since it was damaged. He was no longer small enough to use it, neither was his next youngest brother, though our youngest son was (I suppose there’s some good in that).

 

Was my promise sincere… of course it was. Was I trustworthy… my actions certainly didn’t support such a claim. I had lots of excuses. After all, I was very busy, delays just seemed to crowd the repair further and further away. Yet, it was an unfulfilled promise. We still laugh about that firetruck, but it is a memory that serves as a reminder how important promises are to keep.

 

God needs no reminders. He has never failed to keep His promises. The apostle Paul says that every question is answered with a definite “Yes.” With God, there’s not a single “hopefully,” “maybe,” “probably,” or “I don’t know.” And the result always matches his promise. We celebrate Lent because God makes reliable promises and keeps them. He promised to send the Messiah for our salvation, and he delivered. If God kept his greatest promise to us at the cost of his Son, will he not keep every other promise he has made? Lent is a good time to renew our hope in the promises of God.

 

The Ox Is in a Ditch!

 

One Sabbath, when he went to dine at the house of a ruler of the Pharisees, they were watching him carefully. And behold, there was a man before him who had dropsy. And Jesus responded to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?” But they remained silent. Then he took him and healed him and sent him away. And he said to them, “Which of you, having a son or an ox that has fallen into a well on a Sabbath day, will not immediately pull him out?” And they could not reply to these things. (Luke 14:1-6 ESV).

 

I have heard and used the phrase “my ox is in a ditch.” You may not be familiar with that common idiom. It is chiefly used in the southern United States, though as our culture has become more mobile it can be heard all over the states. It means that there is a pressing problem, an emergency, that has developed that must be dealt with immediately. I have had a number of those moments in my life.

 

One in particular stands out in my memory. One Sunday afternoon during the years I was the pastor of Southern Oaks Baptist Church in Tyler, Texas, one of my friends called and somewhat panicky asked me if I could come help. It was explained that he and another friend had gone to a local catfish farm where we had been given permission to hunt the feral hogs that were damaging the holding ponds. The problem with that was the reticence my wife had to “working on the Sabbath.” “Work” meant anything other than church related activity or relaxing at home. In our discussion while I was grabbing my rifle and rushing to their aid, I simply said, “Sugar, they’ve got their ox in a ditch and really need my help.” The short version of the ending was I did go out to the fish farm and found them standing over an abandoned well with no hog in sight. Curious, I asked, “Where’s the hog?” One of them pointed to the well and said, “Down there.” Well, we did manage to get the hog out of the well and to the butcher, but we were all sweaty, dirty, and muddy. Arriving at home, I was greeted with a skeptical look that said, “I told you not to go.” I did clean up and make it to church on time, but barely. (By the way… for my Tyler friends who may doubt the veracity of this story… talk to Ron Skinner or Jerry Billups)

 

The comparison to our spiritual lives was inescapable. We are severely mired in sin and troubles. Some of us may seem upright; others are obviously bent; still others seem irreparably damaged. Our sin has different faces, yet we all need help. I could have declined to help, though that seemed the worst decision at that moment. Notice the reaction of Jesus in our story. There was no hesitation. He took the greatest risk and plunged into the deepest ditch to rescue us. He did not merely extend a long arm that we could grab on to. He came down, slipped underneath us, lifted us up, carried us to safety, and sent us on our (his) way.

 

Lent is a good time to thank Jesus for coming to our aid even when we find ourselves in the worst of circumstances!

 

Always Present!

 

On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” (Mark 4:35-41 ESV).

 

It is very easy to feel alone in a crisis. Even if we are surrounded by people, it can feel like we have no one who understands and is willing to walk with us through our difficulty. Well, Jesus both knows what it is like and is always present to walk with us, sometimes even carrying us through it. Our reading shows this truth with great clarity. After a busy day, Jesus suggested an evening boat trip across the lake. Soon he was napping while the disciples handled the oars. But then a sudden squall came upon them. The Scripture says that “Jesus was in the stern”—that is, in the back of the boat—and during this squall he was “sleeping on a cushion” (v. 37).

 

This startling story reminds us that Jesus is present in the stormy times of our lives—the severe, harsh, hard times. And when he rebukes the storm—“Quiet! Be still!”—the disciples know that he cares for them in their times of severe struggle and even fear and terror. Later the disciples were alone in a boat on that same lake, “straining at the oars, because the wind was against them.” Jesus “went out to them, walking on the lake” (cf. Mark 6:48). Again, he was present in a severe time.

 

I’ve grown old enough that I have experienced a few difficulties. In every case Jesus has proven Himself to be ever-present as He calms the storms of life and works all of it to my good. Lent helps us remember that Jesus endured the most difficult suffering of all so that we might live in hope under his mercy. Trust in Him!

 

Slow Down!

 

The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?” He said to them, “Come and you will see.” So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour. One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ). He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John. You shall be called Cephas” (which means Peter). (John 1:35-42 ESV).

 

As I have mentioned, Mary and I enjoyed our drive to Georgia where we spent some time with David and his family. The cabin was in the mountains, and it was both fun and restful to be with them. On the drive we noticed that many gas station names highlight how quickly we could fill up and get on our way: “On the Run,” “QuikTrip,” “QuikStop.” Of course, being “in a hurry” did not keep us from stopping at all three Buccees along the way. If you have ever been in one of these massive “gas stations” you know that “quick” is not a word that will describe your stop. However, the stop is always worth it. There are those times when speed is essential. Although I have come to realize that slowing down allows me to experience life in a much different way. Perhaps the sloth in our meme today does indeed have it right.

 

Our reading today indicates some of that. When John the Baptist pointed out Jesus to two of his own disciples, they followed Jesus and asked him, “Where are you staying?” When Jesus invited them to come and see, “they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him.”

 

For the disciples and Jesus, there was no other pressing responsibility. They simply stopped what they were doing to spend the time with Jesus. And what began with an awkward, sandal-shuffling question ended up as one of the richest days of their lives. Lent is a good time to slow down and spend some time with “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).

 

Surprise!

 

“Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but sit shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it. For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress; instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle; and it shall make a name for the LORD, an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.” (Isaiah 55:6-13 ESV).

 

I have heard people quote the eighth verse of our reading today when life takes a surprising twist. We say something like “Well, God’s ways certainly are not our ways.” That is true in that context; however, it is not the central message in this text. We must not overlook the context. Isaiah writes: “Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.” (v. 6-7). After those words, our verse for today begins with “For.” Our way is not to extend mercy and pardon to people who wrong us. We tend to nurse grudges, harbor bits of bitterness, and avoid offenders. We often seek the role of victim to gain an advantage.

 

But God’s way is totally unlike ours. In effect, God says, “When you sin, seek me out, and I will pardon you—freely, immediately. I know that’s not the way you think. You put your offenders on hold before you reluctantly forgive them, but that’s not my way. Come on, talk to me about it. You’ll be surprised at how quickly I will forgive you. And when we’re back together, you will go out in joy and be led forth in peace.’”

 

What a new way of thinking! Who would have imagined that the holy Lord Almighty (cf. Isaiah 6:3) would think and act that way toward people like us! Lent is a good time to be surprised by God’s way of thinking about sin and forgiveness.

 

A Mug of Hot Chocolate

 

What shall I render to the LORD for all his benefits to me? I will lift up the cup of salvation and scall on the name of the LORD, I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people. (Psalm 116:12-14 ESV).

 

Today, as I sit writing the weather has turned cold and dreary. It is actually February 29^th, the added day to account for the synchronization of our calendar with the solar path of Earth, has returned us to winter in Texas. With a drizzling rain and cold temperatures, I have succumbed to the temptation of writing with a mug of hot chocolate nearby. I have several preferred mugs. One is from Texas A&M, another is from the Donut Friar, and the third is a gift from some friends who brought it to me from their trip to Zion National Park. I choose these mugs because they are bigger than usual and heavily crafted. I like the feel of them; and I think that makes the chocolate taste even better. After all, taste is indisputable.

 

The taste of the Lord is also indisputable. The psalmist invites us to “taste and see that the LORD is good.” I have tasted, and I agree. The Lord is good. He is very good. He is superlatively good. He is unfailingly and eternally good. We don’t need preferred mugs to enhance the “taste of the Lord”. His character and grace toward us is more than enough to declare His goodness. The song is right: “God is good—all the time.”

 

Lent is a good time to “lift up the cup of salvation” and say, “The LORD is good.” Perhaps today would be a good day for you to take inventory of hoe God has shown you His goodness. Perhaps it is in unexpected blessing that He has given you. Or it may be that He has proven Himself to be your strength in a time of challenge. I am finding more as I age that His promises are the best expressions of His goodness toward me. Take the time to think about who He is in your life today as we move closer to the celebration of the greatest gift of all… eternal life!

 

Engraved on His Hands

 

Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth; break forth, O mountains, into singing! For the LORD has comforted his people and will have compassion on his afflicted. But Zion said, “The LORD has forsaken me; my Lord has forgotten me.” “Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you. Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me. (Isaiah 49:13-16 ESV).

 

Our reading today is one of those favorites that is often memorized and quoted. However, the principal verse is often translated incorrectly “I have engraved your name on the palms of my hands.” Actually, the word picture in the Prophet Isaiah’s writing indicates that God has engraved not our names, but our very selves, on his hands. The point is to show that God loves us, cares for us, and will never forget us. We are always in the palm of His hand and thus in His mind.

 

Perhaps you have fallen into the habit of carrying notepaper with you to write reminders for later; or, you have mastered the technology at our fingertips with the “Notes” app on your phone. I have not been able to do either. I always seem to forget that my phone will do that, or worse, I will not have paper to write on. So, I have developed a habit of writing on my hands. It may be a phone number or address, or even a reminder that always seems to be important at that moment.

 

Life is a serious pursuit. The end is already determined for believers. It will end with Jesus’ victory and his hands still holding us securely. Those hands were scarred by the nails of the cross, but he promised that he would never let go of his loved ones. All who have been called to faith in him as Lord and Savior are safe and secure in the palms of his hands.

 

As Jesus promised, “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand” (John 10:28-29). He will never forget us or forsake us. Lent is a good time to reflect on God’s powerful hands—and to see ourselves engraved there.