Quiet Time

“Be silent, O all flesh, before the LORD: for he is raised up out of his holy habitation.” (Zec 2:13 AV)

That time is coming!  May the world be prepared for it.  But they won’t be.  Our world is a very loud world.  Riots abound.  Complaints persist.  Nation is against nation.  Self-interest groups are clashing because they think their interest is the most important one.  Chaos is everywhere.  It seems everyone has a bullhorn and has nothing productive to say.  They shout and scream at God.  They hate Him with every fiber of their being.  Humanity is marching on to destruction and they are not being quiet about it.  They think just the opposite.  The louder they get, the more they think they are winning.  But there is coming a day when God will speak in a very dramatic and obvious way to the degree that all the world will be so dumbfounded and full of terror, that not a word will be spoken.  God will speak and no one will answer.

Have you ever noticed the tactic those who hate righteousness employ when losing an argument?  Knowing they have no rebuttal that will score points, they cut off their opponent in mid-sentence.  And the worse they are losing, the louder they get.  It is an intimidation tactic.  If you cannot win an argument, be sure the other guy cannot as well.  The reality their voice is rising, and they will not allow you a word, implies that they know they are losing.  This happens to me every now and again while going door-to-door.  I try to leave without stirring a controversy.  I don’t seek obvious confrontation.  But that doesn’t stop some.  The vast majority, I might add, are not so.  We are cordial.  We are polite.  We are friendly.  And so are they.  We may disagree, but we rarely get into it with anyone.  But there are those times.  It usually happens right after we give them a gospel tract and before we ask leading questions.  They immediately start defending what they believe.  It is at this time we seek to implore the principles of Prov 26:4.  But that doesn’t always work.  We try to get a word in edgewise, and all we get in response is loud arguments.  At this point, we are looking for a segway.  We seek some way we might graciously leave without seeming angry or upset.  This is the way of the rebelliously stubborn.

But the world is God’s porch.  Or, better yet, His footstool.  He doesn’t have to leave.  You are in His house.  Creation belongs to Him.  Man thinks too highly of himself.  God doesn’t have to politely bow out.  He is the Creator and in Him we have our being.  He is in control of all things.  Even our eternity.  So, it doesn’t matter how loud mankind gets.  God is much louder.  It doesn’t matter how much man hates.  God is far greater.  There will be no arguing. There will be no temper tantrums.  There will be no threats, no riots, no bullhorns.  When Jesus comes back, our Savior, Redeemer, and God will put to silence the most violent rebel and all the flesh will fall silent before Him.  GLORY!

A Question Worth Entertaining

“Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? who hath gathered the wind in his fists? who hath bound the waters in a garment? who hath established all the ends of the earth? what is his name, and what is his son’s name, if thou canst tell?” (Pr 30:4 AV)

These words are penned by a humble King Agur.  This king admits he is not the brightest bulb on the tree, but I think he is being a bit modest.  He wouldn’t be a king if he wasn’t wise and smart.  In this verse, and those that precede and follow it, he is making a point.  He is not comparing himself against others in that others are far smarter.  Rather, his question is a question that applies universally to all people.  The majesty of God is something we cannot fully understand.  The question above could point to Agur’s desire to know a God who is evident by what He does.  If God holds all things in His hand and His majesty is beyond his comprehension, then he desperately wants to know Him.  Therefore, tell him the name of God and the name of God’s Son.  I believe that is what is going on here.  It is the king’s deepest desire to know God far more than he does.  The thirst for the knowledge of the Holy is admirable here and something to which every human being should aspire.  But in particular, those of us who call ourselves the children of the most High!

Many, many years ago, as a young boy, I walked a paper route.  For those who don’t know what that is, there was a time many years ago when the news was printed and distributed.  The newspaper companies paid children to deliver these papers to the homes in their neighborhoods.  We would load up a canvas bag or a basket on our bike and ride around several neighborhoods delivering these newspapers.  There were two newspapers in my home town.  There was the morning edition and the afternoon edition.  There was also the local newspaper and the major newspaper from our nearest major metropolitan city center.  We liked the morning routes better because we had to get up for school anyway.  So, getting up an hour earlier was no big deal.  It was a lot of work, especially on the weekends, but I got a lot of thinking time in.  In the quiet of the morning when barely anyone was moving, and particularly snowy mornings when people slept in, it was the best time of day to muse.  And muse I did.  I remember having a thought that I learned a decade later was a famous one of an ancient philosopher.  What if we are nothing more than a figment of someone else’s imagination?  What if a bear, hibernating in his den is dreaming, and my reality is nothing more than his dream?  Yes, a ten-year-old can have a thought like that!  It was during those walks that the LORD mused with me to make Himself more real than He had ever been before.  It was because of those walks the LORD was able to build in my heart His reality and a desire to know Him.  It would take about eight years and a few problems along the way to drive me to the presence of God, but praise be to Him that He saved me by His grace and faith in His Son and that He finally gave me the desire of my heart.  A personal relationship with the Holy!

God has been so good to me, I am ashamed that I have not been better for Him.  This begs a question.  How much do we still want the knowledge of the Holy?  Does the wonder of who He is, what He does, and His love for us drive us to His presence?  Or, has the knowledge of the Holy which we do possess suffice us for the curiosity which we once had?  How much are we still enamored with the God of the universe?  How much of what He does still amazes us?  When was the last time we spent any significant time with God in prayer for nothing more than conversing in intimate exchange with no requests, anxieties, or needs?  How much do we still want to know the God who saved us?  How much do we still want His presence above all others?  Agur had a question.  That question was founded upon his wonder of what God does. He wanted to know the God who has all things in His hand.  Agur is the seeker we all need to be.  Every hour of every day!

Darkness Hinders Not

“The just LORD is in the midst thereof; he will not do iniquity: every morning doth he bring his judgment to light, he faileth not; but the unjust knoweth no shame.” (Zep 3:5 AV)

The unjust of this verse are the prophets and priests of the previous verse who had perverted their office.  They ceased to serve God and served their own desires.  The temple service had been corrupted.  The people came but the religious practice of the day had devolved into idol worship and perversion.  Yet, the LORD was in the midst of it.  Not to give what they were doing and credibility.  Rather, to contrast Himself and His ways against what the religious leaders of the day were doing.  As hard as they might try, the rebels cannot extinguish the light of God.  False religion may abound, but the truth of the word of God pierces the darkness as a great light of hope to those who are seeking the LORD.  In the midst of the spiritually darkened temple was the light of God from His word.  A light the corrupt religious leaders of the day could not cover.

When we took a trip to Europe, the LORD opened my eyes to exactly how spiritually dark the rest of the world is compared to the U.S.  That is not to say we are more spiritual, but we do have more light.  The gospel is not rare here.  Religiosity is not as prevalent.  The Bible is commonplace even though we have corrupted ourselves more so than the rest of the world.  When you visit Europe, you are struck with how much one religious tradition dominates the culture and people.  It is hard to find a gospel-preaching church.  The word of God is confined to church buildings.  Yet, the word of God still pierces the darkness.  We had an evangelist come through a few weeks back.  His wife is from a European nation.  The very one my wife and I visited.  We were talking of the people we knew as she remarked that in that nation, all the independent Baptist preachers are well known.  They are a small bunch.  Not too many of them.  So, to find out she came to America to study at a Bible college was a rare surprise.  A third of the way around the world the LORD brought together two people with a heart for God’s work.  How does that happen?

We live in a spiritually dark world.  It is getting darker by the hour.  Wickedness is all around us.  What was once hidden is out in the open.  What was once shunned is now protected and celebrated.  Even our churches are morphing into a society of debauchery.  I recently read a church was hosting a drag show.  How does that happen?  How can people who profess Jesus Christ as their LORD and Savior live and do the exact opposite of what He would want?  We can look at the dark cloud descending and become very discouraged.  But the fact of the matter is, no matter how dark the clouds may get, the sun still shines through.  The sun may be obscured, but it is there.  God will not allow the light of His truth and the hope of the gospel to be extinguished.  That is why we go into the neighborhoods and share Christ’s love with people.  We are piercing the darkness with the light of the gospel.  There is hope.  We simply must stop our obsession with the storm clouds and fronts passing through and remember, that there is always a sun behind the darkness that will pass.

Choose The Higher Ground

“The LORD God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds’ feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places. To the chief singer on my stringed instruments.” (Hab 3:19 AV)

This is an incredible verse.  Especially considering what comes before it.  There are times of great dearth prophesied by the seer.  These times will inflict Israel.  These times are bleak.  They are times of no refuge.  Yet, in the last two verses of his prophecy, the sage promises to rejoice in the LORD.  The above verse is a testament to the prophet’s demeanor.  He promises to make his gait like a hind’s gait.  The hind is the female of various wild game like the deer, roebuck, or mountain sheep.  The gait of the hind is quick, light, and ready.  The buck, not so much. He has horns by which he can face an adversary.  The hind’s best defense is flight.  He knows the LORD will place him on high.  Or, in a state that allows him to live above the circumstances around him.  The prophet is saying amid the confusion and trouble God will bring to mankind, he will flee to God, walk with Him, and live above the circumstances which others have caused.

Just because there is chaos all around us doesn’t mean we have to be a victim of it.  We have many truths to which we can cling.  Just because the five senses tell us things are spiraling out of control doesn’t mean we have to participate.  Emotionally, anyway.  We can choose to separate from all the emotional turmoil that the circumstances of our world seem to heap upon us.  We can turn it off and choose to live above it.  For example, I used to be an avid consumer of news.  I would watch for hours on end.  But then I discovered several things.  Those broadcasting the news haven’t a clue what they are reporting.  Even if they have all the facts correct, the real significance of it all escapes their mind.  There is a worldview that they know nothing about.  They cannot define the events of today in the context of a divine plan.  Christian news isn’t much better.  Even though they have the correct worldview, priorities are a bit skewed.  Rather than concentrating on what Jesus left us; namely the great commission; we are drawn to the latest prophecy update or conspiracy theory that explains the government’s behavior.  We are locked on to the turmoil like a gawker drawn to a car accident.  The drama is addicting.

Not anymore!  Yes, what is happening in Israel interests me to the point of praying for their salvation.  Gog and Magog may soon commence and that means the rapture is right around the corner.  Taking offense at the protesters who hate Israel is rather easy.  But the truth of the matter is, that Palestinians and Jews alike need Jesus.  Jesus died for them both!  As the days march on and the trouble seems to mount, we can choose to live above it or be sucked into it.  As food becomes more scarce, gas lines increase, violence rises, and we lose our homes, we can choose to run to God and live above it all, or we can become emotional hostages to the whims of a world gone mad.  Like Habakkuk, we can choose to see all the chaos around us and flee to the person of God, or we can be dragged down into the muck and mire of despair that is the world.  The choice is ours.

He Has The Storm In His Hand

“The LORD is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the LORD hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.” (Na 1:3 AV)

This is easy to remember when there is no whirlwind or storm.  Quite another when we are in the midst of one.  We understand the whirlwind and storms mentioned above are representative of the pending judgment on Nineveh for their treatment of Israel.  That is the theme of the book of Nahum.  It is also prophetical in that history will repeat itself.  God controls all things.  Especially those things that are out of man’s control.  Hard as they might try, mankind can do little to affect the weather.  We may be able to initiate a catastrophe, but we cannot control it.  This verse points to the coming return of Christ wherein Israel’s enemies and the enemies of Jesus Christ will be destroyed.  As an observer, this has to impact Israel.  Like the plagues of Egypt, they will be affected by the storm and whirlwind.  Not directly, but when things seem out of control, it will cause a bit of anxiety.  The LORD will care for them just as He always has.  God controls the uncontrollable.  It is in His hand.

Several years ago, something terrifying happened and it was evident God was in control of something uncontrollable.  When it comes to driving in wintry weather, Yankees tend to give Southerners a hard time.  When there is snow or a threat of snow, our warmer friends tend to hunker down like it is the apocalypse.  My wife and I used to go shopping in this kind of weather because we knew how to drive in it and were certain we would have the roads all to ourselves.  One such morning we were off to Nashville, TN.  We went there often.  Usually on some sort of errand or on our way to see relatives.  On this particular morning, there was a black ice advisory.  In the North, that is not as big a deal as in the South.  In the north, black ice is usually covered with enough snow to give the driver traction.  In the south, not so much.  We were on Highway 24.  Because of the weather, I was driving about ten to fifteen miles under the speed limit.  We went over several bridges with no problems.  Most of them were short enough that the heat of the embankments and roads beneath kept them thawed.  But I hit a bridge that was twice to three times as long as many others.  I immediately felt the car begin to slide.  I took my foot off the gas.  I let the steering wheel freely move.  The worst thing you can do is fight against the ice.  I was sliding more than driving.  The potential of losing complete control and ending horribly was staring me in the face.  A quick prayer went up.  We slid over that ice with very little variance.  When I hit dry pavement, there was a slight jarring of the car, but nothing terribly alarming.  God kept my potential out-of-control situation under control.

The thing about whirlwinds and storms is there is little if anything we can do about it.  They are forced infinitely bigger than ourselves.  We cannot lasso a tornado.  We cannot calm a storm.  As much as mankind wished he could, he could do nothing to dissipate a hurricane.  Life is like this.  There are times when we feel everything is out of our control.  For us, my wife’s cancer diagnosis was one of them.  When the doctor speaks the ‘C’ word, immediately you enter a whirlwind of emotions, hypotheticals, treatments, and doctor’s appointments.  Just the other day, at a cancer support group meeting, one individual remarked out a three-month hiatus from tests and appointments felt like he had won the lottery.  We felt the same way when our Oncologist told us she didn’t need to see Lisa for another four months.  We looked at each other and asked, “Now what do we do?”  God has the tiger by the tail.  He holds the whirlwind in His hand.  To Him, the storm is a passing raindrop.  The thing is, the more we try to fight the storm, the larger it seems to be and can even grow.  The smart thing is to let God and allow God to be God.  He is the only one who can control the whirlwind.

Bearing the Indignation

“I will bear the indignation of the LORD, because I have sinned against him, until he plead my cause, and execute judgment for me: he will bring me forth to the light, and I shall behold his righteousness.” (Mic 7:9 AV)

There is a great deal of maturity here.  Micah, speaking as Israel, is resigned to accept whatever the LORD chooses to do, knowing that when it concludes, the light of God’s presence and His righteousness will be the result.  To accept the indignation of the LORD without complaint or rejection takes humility and maturity.  This, of course, is future for Israel.  They have not fully accepted the consequences of their first Messianic rejection.  All the trouble they have experienced since the first century and what they are going through now is, in part, a result of rejecting Jesus Christ.  When they fully come to the end of themselves and finally accept the LORD’s indignation for their rebellion and rejection, no light nor righteousness is coming.  What is said of Israel can also be said of the church-age saint.  It takes a serious grown-up to accept the consequences of his actions without complaint or rebellion.  But the promise at the end of the verse is what motivates that maturity.  The desire for God’s presence and righteousness must be in the heart or maturity will not follow.

Over the years, I have had the privilege to help people who have gotten themselves into serious situations that were life-altering.  There have been marriages that fell apart, jail sentences, severe physical diagnoses caused by lifestyle choices, financial collapse, and a host of other situations.  When helping those who are repentant, how they approach the consequences they have caused determines their future with the LORD.  I have seen some who seek to place the blame elsewhere, circumvent their circumstances, and go on as though nothing serious had happened.  Rarely does it change anything.  The circumstances tend to circle back but when they do, it generally gets worse and not better.   I have seen those who go through hard times brought on by choices they had made, endure through it, and continue on the same path thinking they dodged a bullet that will never return.  Still, others endure the consequences but blame God for all of it.  These people are generally the minority.  Those who are genuinely saved seem to blossom after their divine visitation.  Indignation from the LORD comes, and their response is to repent and accept whatever the LORD deems appropriate for their actions.  They know they deserve much worse and are eternally grateful at the mercy of God.  Often, they experience intense spiritual growth that propels them far beyond where they were or think they would be.

Our reaction to God’s feelings regarding our choices speaks volumes of our maturity in Christ. There are several stages to this.  The most immature runs from circumstances like a child running from his father who holds the belt.  Then an adolescent will avoid the belt, but accept it with resentment.  The teenager will react with an attitude.  Somehow, he justifies his actions and determines correction is not warranted.  Or, he will find a way to condemn the inflictor as unworthy to inflict the correction.  But an adult will stand before a judge and confess his fault.  He may seek mercy, but in the end, whatever the judge determines is just and right.  He will accept it in silence and remorse.  He finds no fault other than his own.  This maturity is what every child of God should seek and strive after.  Accepting the consequences of life with a heart willing to turn, love, and obey is what we should covet.

Peace is Coming

“And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the LORD of hosts hath spoken it.” (Mic 4:3-4 AV)

Kind of appropriate considering all that is going on in the world, isn’t it?  These verses are a promise to Israel and Judah in light of the pending invasion of Assyria and Babylon.  Because of their apostate condition, God had no choice but to allow the enemies of Israel into their borders to break up and carry away the nation.  God has a way of balancing judgment with mercy.  The hope of Israel, when the invaders arrive, is the circumstances of their disobedience will not last forever.  We know several things.  First, we know God made a covenant with Abraham because he chose to believe in God.  This promise was passed down through the descendants of Isaac.  This covenant, among other things, promised a nation, land, and many offspring.  This covenant was and still is, unconditional.  At times it was suspended.  But it is still in force.  We also know God made an unconditional promise to David.  It would be by David the eventual Messiah would come.  This Messiah, Jesus Christ, would sit in governance over the entire world and bring in a time of peace, righteousness, and prosperity.  These promises were rehearsed time and again in the ears of the Hebrew people.  So, when Micah raises the subject again, it is a reminder to Israel that even though the covenant will be suspended while they spend time in Babylon, God has not forgotten them.

When we look at the turmoil in the Middle East, we must look at it through the reference of the unconditional covenants.  The promise above is absolutely mute if the wars in the Middle East rage on.  Israel has made available some footage of the horrible things inflicted upon its citizens.  No doubt, all who would watch it would have a dramatic reaction.  I read of a pool of reporters assembled for a press conference.  I think it was 200 European reports of all stripes.  The IDF showed films of these horrible things and someone said, “Please make it stop.”  Although we are comparing apples and oranges here, war is horrible no matter which side one fights for.  The causes might be different, but the tragedy remains the same.  Warfare is violent and ugly.  No one really wants the tragedy associated with it.  No matter how driven one might be, when a loved one dies or a buddy loses his or her life, there is sorrow, bitterness, and anguish.  Peace is the only answer.

The problem is, that peace is impossible without a central authority figure to whom all submit.  Peace is impossible as long as that authority figure is unrighteous.  The only hope of Israel and the rest of the world is the Son of God.  The promise above is a wonderful one.  There will come a day, perhaps in the near future, when all warfare ceases.  The Messiah will reign for 1,000 years and there will be perfect peace.  There will be no need for weapons of war.  Those living during those years with flesh and bone will be busy meeting the needs of their family and serving the LORD in whatever business He desires of them.  The promise above is absolute.  It is coming.  Knowing this, we can pray for the coming of the LORD Jesus Christ which is the only hope for the peace of Israel.  Until they are willing to accept Jesus, these wars will continue.  It is their only hope.

Fainting Is Normal. But Seek God.

“When my soul fainted within me I remembered the LORD: and my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple.” (Jon 2:7 AV)

What a great verse.  It matters not that Jonah was in the belly of the whale.  This verse is true regardless of the cause of our fainting.  There are a few ideas which the Holy Spirit has given me. First, it is not out of the ordinary for the saint to feel faint of spirit amid very difficult circumstances.  Jonah’s was self-inflicted.  He was called to go to the city of Nineveh (modern-day Iran) and preach the word of God to them.  God was fixing to destroy them because of their wickedness.  Jonah knew God was a gracious God and that if there was any hope for them, the LORD would repent of the judgment He was contemplating bringing.  Nineveh was a cruel kingdom, as they still are, and regularly harassed, murdered, and raped, the Jews abiding on the eastern border of their nation.  Jonah had no love loss for them.  So, he ran from God.  He found himself in the belly of a whale which had to be utterly horrible.  The bends would be bad enough.  Because of his choice to run from God, he was faint of heart.  Yet, God heard him.  We don’t have to be in disobedience to be faint of heart.  Persecution, normal life, and trials of faith can find us equally despaired.  It is normal to be faint of heart.  Give yourself a break.  But secondly, and equally important, is that when we pray, God hears us.  He hears the prayers of the faint of heart no matter the cause.

My wife had a very complex and serious surgery a bit over a year ago.  She was diagnosed with stage IV NET cancer.  Her primary tumor was on her small intestine.  Her cancer had metastasized to her liver, lymph nodes, and near her uterus.  Her surgery was around five or so hours.  They removed the primary tumor on her intestine, twenty percent of her liver, and the lymph nodes in that area.  Her scar runs from the middle of her chest to her belly button. The surgeon requested she be admitted to the Center for Advanced Care for her recovery.  This is where patients stayed, who needed more attention than an ICU could provide.  She was in the hospital for about a week and recovery was slow.  I paced those halls and put on several miles as she lay there in her bed, slowly getting back on her feet.  As I walked the halls of her floor, I noticed the design of the floor was not a typical layout of other units.  Usually, there is a nurses’ station in the center of the unit.  Even in nursing homes, it is more typical to have a central nurses station.  But not on the thirteenth floor of the Center for Advanced Care.  The nurse's stations were actually set up three or four to a wing.  It was a cut-out part of the hall that contained a desk, communications, and a computer.  The nurse’s tools were extremely portable.  Even though the patient’s bed had a call button, there wasn’t a need for it.  The attending nurse could hear her patients from where she or he sat.  The nurse’s ear was attuned to her patients no matter how faint a cry was made.

A God who is in all places and knows all things surely can hear the faintest of cries from His distressed children.  The only thing stopping us from realizing this is a heart of faith.  As a mother who can no longer allow her child to suffer, God cannot allow us to be faint of heart without grave concern for our situation.  Jonah was faint-hearted.  It was self-inflicted.  He deserved what he was getting.  God sent it Himself.  But that didn’t stop God from hearing the cries of someone empty of all strength.  God hears the faint-hearted.  Don’t beat yourself up for being so.  You and I are not God.  We are not supermen.  We have our limits.  Life has a way of draining us from all strength.  You are human.  Therefore, allow yourself the reality of being faint-hearted.  But don’t remain that way.  Believe that God hears you because He does.  Even if our cries are as soft as a whimper, God hears our cries.  Place your trust in Him and allow Him to strengthen your heart.  He stands at the ready, waiting for your prayer to enter His temple.

Publish

“The Lord gave the word: great was the company of those that published it.” (Ps 68:11 AV)

 The context that surrounds this verse is most interesting.  The context is God’s final judgment on the wicked.  The world hates God.  It says it loves God, but in reality, it hates Him.  The world will not conform to the righteousness of the Bible.  It rejects Jesus Christ as both Lord and Savior.  The world refuses to judge wickedness and even goes so far as to celebrate it.  The question is, what justification does God have and what is He waiting for?  The answer is above.  Because the LORD sent His prophets into the world and they preached the word near and far, God is justified in judging the world for rejecting.  This brings us to the second part of the question.  What is He waiting for?  Could it be He is waiting until the saints find a way to publish the word worldwide?  Could it be He is waiting for His word to be everywhere and in every nation before He can judge the world for rejecting it?  If the church wants to be raptured out of this wicked world, there is only one way that will happen.  We must publish the word!

It is hard to sympathize with those who have been adequately warned of the coming consequences and choose to ignore them.  That doesn’t change the ethical responsibility of those ‘in the know’ to inform those who are not.  In fact, it is a moral imperative.  We have these yard signs all over the place.  They instruct drivers to slow down.  Especially around schools and residential areas.  It seems we are always in a hurry.  There is one stretch of the road where these signs are extremely prevalent.  The reason is, the street is a boulevard.  That means it is double-laned and split.  When we drive on this type of road, we are used to increased speed limits.  Twenty-five miles an hour just doesn’t seem right.  However, this road is heavily residential.  There are several apartment buildings along this stretch and there seem to be many young families with children as well.  At the end of this stretch the speed limit changes.  It is at that change that police with radar are often set to catch those who ignore the speed limit.  There are plenty of signs, both municipal and private that warn drivers there are consequences for speeding.  The appearance of such notifications gives the authorities the moral and ethical right to issue summonses.

Never in the history of man has the word of God been as prevalent as it is today.  Perhaps the day of Noah was the last time the word of God was everywhere.  With radio, internet, and cell service, the word of God can and does go to almost every corner of the world.  It might be broadcast, but it is not always heard.  We still have work to do.  I knock on doors several times a week.  I meet people all the time who have never heard of the sufficiency of Jesus Christ alone for the saving of their souls.  They may celebrate Christmas and Easter, but they have no idea their religion will not save them.  They have never heard that salvation is by repentance through faith in Jesus Christ alone. We speak to people all the time.  The point is, if we want to graduate to heaven, we still have much work to do.  If the company is great and they are publishing the word, then God will return in the person of Jesus Christ.  He must.  Or His word means nothing.

Remember Your Place

“Therefore thus will I do unto thee, O Israel: and because I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel.” (Am 4:12 AV)

The prophet is speaking to a disobedient and wicked nation.  Israel had abandoned God.  She had taken up pagan worship.  It went so far that they were offering human sacrifice.  The people of God had so thoroughly perverted themselves from the perfect law that the LORD gave them, that God has no choice but to bring the nation to a temporary end.  Assyria would invade the north and carry away almost the entire population.  BTW, Assyria is modern-day Iran.  Then Babylon would come a few decades later and carry Judah and Benjamin away.   BTW, Babylon is in modern-day Iraq.  Because they refused to walk with God, the LORD told them to prepare.  Regardless of their desire to be with God, God was going to be with them.  He was going to be with them as a God of judgment.  This got me thinking.  Are we too familiar with God that we do not fear Him as we should?  Do we pray so often that we forget exactly who it is that we pray to?  Do we speak of Him so often that we downgrade His divinity and sovereignty?  Do we make Him less than what He is?  Not that we do this on purpose.  We would never dream of it.  But the warning to prepare to meet thy God is another way of saying they had forgotten just who and what God was and that they were unprepared to meet Him.

I know I have used this example before, but it still works.  My wife’s OB/GYN’s name was Dr. Roger Olander.  At the time, he was one of the best in his field.  He was highly recommended by many of those in our church.  When we were pregnant with our first son, Nathan, we got to know Dr. Olander very well.  He was a good doctor and a good friend.  He treated my wife as though she was his only patient.  He was amazing.  When Lisa went into labor, the Dr. was there the whole time.  He wasn’t one of those who would wait at home for a phone call when birth was relatively close.  He was in the hospital for almost the entire delivery process.  Because Nathan had gotten the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck, every time Lisa had a contraction, his heartbeat went dangerously low.  This resulted in an emergency C-section.  After six or eight hours of labor, the Dr. finally called it and we raced down to the OR.  He scrubbed in and was waiting in the OR.  He went out to meet me, calmed me down, and gave me instructions on scrubbing in, then into the room he went.  By the time I had scrubbed in and entered, Nathan had almost been born.  The whole process took less than three minutes.  Then came Nathan.  He was perfect.  Everything went super well.  When we finally went to our room I had been up for for about 36 hours.  I told Lisa I was going home for a shower and a few winks, but I was so pumped at being a new father, I couldn’t sleep.  So, back to the hospital I went.  It was then that I saw Dr. Olander in the hall as I was waiting for an elevator and greeted him by his first name.  To which he replied, “It is Dr. Olander.  Not Roger.”  I was so elated that I forgot my place.

This is the concern I have for myself and the rest of N.T. Christianity.  We have lost our place and the fear of God is not as it should be.  God has become a subject of study in our classrooms.  He has become a source of entertainment.  God has become so familiar with us that the wonder and majesty of His person have become something common.  When Amos tells Israel to prepare to meet their God, he did so from the reference of judgment from an angry God.  This we understand.  God may not be angry with us in the same way He was with Israel.  But the potential is still there.  God has not changed.  He is still the Almighty God perfect in holiness.  He is still the God of righteousness who demands we conform to His perfect will.  He is still the same God who hates sin and must destroy it in all its forms.  He is still the same God who loves righteousness and holiness and declares it is for this reason He created all things.  We have lost our place.  We have lost our way.  We need to get back to a healthy fear of God.

Because He Said

“The lion hath roared, who will not fear? the Lord GOD hath spoken, who can but prophesy?” (Am 3:8 AV)

Absolutely!   The prophet, once hearing from God, cannot keep himself from sharing the word of God with others.  Perhaps this verse was Amos’ calling.  Amos was a simple shepherd.  He was a farmer.  He had no formal training.  He had no royal pedigree.  He didn’t come from a well-known family.  Amos was a nobody.  A normal guy doing a hard day’s work hardly intermingling with the world outside of necessary commerce.  He stuck to his farm, took care of his family, and loved God with his whole heart.  But then he heard God speak.  When he heard the voice of God, that changed everything.  Like the shepherds in the field to whom the host of heaven appeared, once they saw the Christ-child in a manger just as the angels had said, they could not keep silent.  One does not need ordination or a bible college degree to testify to what the LORD has done and what the LORD God said.  All one needs is integrity, love for people, and opportunity.

Silence is killing the house of God.  It is safe to stand behind a pulpit and behind stained glass windows to declare the truth of God’s word.  At least for now.  This safety has muzzled the word of God going into the world.  We do not take risks.  We speak to a friendly crowd.  But that is not good enough.  Not by a long shot.  The problem we have is the word of God is not making a huge enough impression on our minds and hearts to do something with it.  It is not the Bible’s fault.  We have filled our minds and hearts with the things of this world and the word of God cannot compete.  We have shut out reality.  Reality is not an app or a show.  Reality is what happens to the souls of men, women, and children as they pass off into eternity.  I read the local news every day.  I live in a county with 1.5 million people.  There are murders somewhere in our county almost nightly.  Just the other day, a young man of 24 was shot and killed in a parking lot not too far from where I live.  His soul is in eternity.  A few weeks ago, a police officer only two blocks from my house was required to take the life of a young man wielding a weapon.  He is in eternity, somewhere.  The people of God must get a glimpse of eternity.  We must get our minds out of our alternate reality and plug into the only one that counts.

Amos gives us his life’s verse.  God has spoken.  The world must tremble.  As a lion roars and those who hear fear, so too must the prophet preach and the people be affected.  Something has to happen.  God’s word is just as true today as it was six thousand years ago.  Nothing has changed.  We have changed.  One wonders how many more Amoses there will be before the LORD calls us home.  Will you be the one?  Again, you need not a call into full-time ministry in order to do what Amos did.  Amos’ ministry lasted only as long as his book.  He heard the voice of God and proclaimed it.  Once his message was heard, he went back to the fields.  It doesn’t matter what our life’s career is.  We do not need to be a pastor, missionary, or evangelist.  What we need to do is take what we know from the mouth of God into a lost and dying word. Why?  For the mere fact that God said it!  That should be enough.

The Siren Is Blaring

“Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand;” (Joe 2:1 AV)

What a verse!  Recently, I read an article on another Christian blog sight that reflected the view of those under 40 years of age.  There is this idea that our age is not different than any other age.  The horrible things we see going on have always gone on.  This is true to a point.  However, the Bible clearly teaches that things do go from bad to worse.  The concern from the younger generation is the older generation is giving up and waiting for the LORD’s return.  I am sure for some of us, that is true.  But not for all of us.  For most, the imminent return of Christ has only served to make us more vocal.  Not less.  Paul tells us we should anticipate and look forward to the coming of the LORD.  In his letter to Timothy, he warns of perilous times that are coming.  If every age is the same, there would be no differentiation between the times Paul was in, and the perilous times that he says are coming.  Regardless of how close or far away the coming of Christ is, the fact that He is coming should be a great source of strength and hope!

A siren is a great sound.  That is if you are in need of the vehicle to which it is attached.  If you are in a car accident and are in need of an ambulance or rescue vehicle, hearing that siren is a great comforting sound.  Many years ago, I was having what I thought was a heart attack.  Pressure at work came to a head.  I was driving down a street and my eyesight was collapsing from the peripheral inward.  My heart was racing.  I was in a rage.  When my eyesight began to go, I was terrified.  So, I called my wife.  I told her I was scared and didn’t know what was happening.  She yelled at me for not stopping and calling 911, which didn’t help matters, but I was almost home anyway.  After I hung up with her, I called 911.  I told them where I was and where I was headed.  I told them I would leave the front door unlocked.  Then, I went home and collapsed on the couch.  I remember hearing the ambulance’s siren.  I could tell it was pretty far away.  Or at least, that is what it sounded like.  I can’t tell you how long it took for the ambulance to arrive relative to when I heard the siren, but I can tell you the closer it got, the more relieved I felt.  My wife followed the ambulance from the depot to our home.  She walked in with the techs.  I immediately felt better.

That is how I see our world.  The siren is blaring.  It may be close.  It may not be.  But the fact that it is on the way makes our horrible world worth reaching for Christ.  We cannot bury our heads in the sand and refuse to acknowledge our world is worse off today than it ever was before.  Sure, there has been murder since Cain killed Abel.  Yes, there has been sodomy since Sodom and Gomorrah.  Yes, drug use was been around since the opium dens of China.  Adultery is as old as Ruben and his stepmother.  Earthquakes, famine, and disease have always been part of man’s existence.  But by the sheer numbers of the increase in population, some of these things are growing exponentially.  However, not since the time of Noah have all these curses been global and all at once.  The things the millennials like to point to are cyclical and localized.  With the invention of global travel and communication, they are not worldwide.  We do live in worse times than ever before.  The great news is, the siren is blaring.  The LORD is coming.  And nothing will ever change that! 

Stay AND return?

“They that dwell under his shadow shall return; they shall revive as the corn, and grow as the vine: the scent thereof shall be as the wine of Lebanon.” (Ho 14:7 AV)

The shadow of God takes several forms.  In Psalms, the shadow of God is His secret place.  For Jonah, the shadow of God was the gourd.  For Isaiah, the shadow of God was His hand upon the prophet’s mouth.  In Job, the shadow of God was a resting place for industrious servants.  In our passage, the shadow of God is restored Israel.  What is puzzling to the scholars is the point of this morning’s devotion.  They cannot reconcile abiding in the shadow, and at the same time, returning.  How can one dwell, yet still return?  The answer is simple.  The key is the function of a shadow.  A shadow returns a thing to its former state before it was overwhelmed by the heat and rays of the sun.  Job gives us a clue.  “As a servant earnestly desireth the shadow, and as an hireling looketh for [the reward of] his work:” (Job 7:2 AV)  As the nation of Israel dwells in the shadow of a restored nation with Christ as their king, they will return to the state which God intended for them all along.  By using the word ‘revive’, our prophet gives us a clear picture of how someone who dwells in the shadow of God, also returns.

There are two things regarding a shadow that I think are pertinent here.  First, a shadow is a source of relief.  And sometimes, protection.  Those overburdened with their environment can find relief from heat, rain, wind, or all sorts of adversity if a shadow is available.  For some critters, a shadow is also a good spot for protection from predators.  Finding prey in the sunshine is often easier than trying to find it in the shadows.  More importantly, a shadow is a reflection.  It is an indication of the object which grants the shadow.  The caster of the shadow is found in that shadow.  The caster of the shadow stands between the source of the threat and the object of that threat.  In a way, the one casting the shadow is sovereign over the threat above it.  In this sense, we can see why returning to a former condition is possible.  God is the one casting the shadow of relief and protection for His saints.  All we need to do is dwell beneath it and we can return to what God intended us to be all along.

If we are sin-sick, weary of labor for the LORD, or troubled by our lack of faith, it is the shadow of the almighty that awaits us.  If we are worn out with the battles and we cannot think of going any further, it is the shadow of the Almighty that will revive us.  Israel returned from Babylon and God protected them.  They were able to rebuild the Temple and the walls.  They veered from God and rejected the Messiah.  For the last two thousand years they have wandered in the wilderness of the world.  But they have returned and will someday realize that Jesus, all along, was their Messiah and accept Him as such.  Then they will dwell in the shadow of Israel.  The LORD will bless them and they will thrive.  We may leave the shadow of God from time to time.  But He is still there.  He watches over us with everlasting love.  He does not force us under the shadow.  We are beckoned.  We are called.  We are wooed.  The shadow of God’s presence, provision, and protection has never moved.  He had provided His word, His church, and His Spirit as the manifestation of His shadow.  Run there.  Stay there.  And you will return to what you once were.

Not Destined to Fail

“Ephraim compasseth me about with lies, and the house of Israel with deceit: but Judah yet ruleth with God, and is faithful with the saints.” (Ho 11:12 AV)

We know that Judah eventually went the way of Israel.  In fact, they did worse.  They had the temple.  Israel did not.  One could understand Israel, for national sovereignty’s sake, building their own temple.  God would not have blessed this.  One can understand them building their own altars.  God did not bless this either.  Because they chose to culturally separate from Judah, this easily led to adopting paganism.  This all happened because of a warped sense of self-determination.  Solomon went after strange wives (pagan) and God judged the house of David for it.  The House of David lost governance over ten of the twelve tribes.  The ten northern tribes, because of their rebellion, immediately fell away from God.  Judah, however, remained faithful for a few hundred years following the split. This is what Hosea is referring to above.  Judah yet ruled with God even though Israel did not.  Just because our brother falls doesn’t mean we have to.  We can continue on with God regardless of whatever one else does.  It is not easy by any stretch of the imagination.  But it is possible.

Over the years, I have seen several saints fall.  It is not pretty.  Some of them were men of God who served in very public ways.  This is a tragedy and should be a grave concern for all.  We should pray for those who have fallen.  We are called to restore them in the spirit of meekness lest a worse thing come upon us.  I have seen whole churches go down paths that were not biblical.  One of whom I am very familiar with and had very close ties with went down the path of compromise and worldliness all for the sake of higher numbers.  Now, they are slowly becoming a shell of what they once were.  Churches all around us are either compromising, closing, or both.  It is hard to stay faithful.  It is difficult to maintain one’s passion for right when the numbers of those who do so are diminishing.  The scary thing is, if we consider Judah, we can fall as well.  This is why Paul tells us to “restore such an one in the spirit of meekness”.  The warning is the same or worse could happen to us.  But it doesn’t have to.  That is the point this morning.

Yes, we need to consider the failures of others in the deepest sobriety possible.  We are no different.  We are men of like passions.  We are tempted in all areas as everyone else.  We also cannot take for granted that short-term success automatically means long-term success.  We are not destined to fail just because someone else did.  This is where secular psychology has it wrong.  Just because my parent or parents were predisposed does not mean I have to be.  Salvation changes all that.  So, too, does walking in the Spirit.  The promise is clear.  If we walk in the Spirit, we will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.  Even if others have.  The race is individual.  Paul ran the race that he might obtain.  He did not run a relay race.  His life was not dependent on the actions of others.  He ran his own.  And we do, too.  So, take heart!  You are not destined to fail just because others have.  God will restore them.  He has promised.  But you; you don’t have to go down that road at all.  It is your choice.

Go To The Healer

“Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up.” (Ho 6:1 AV)

 Just this morning, I thanked God for His correction.  It may seem a bit uncomfortable at the time, but if we hate sin as we should, we welcome the correction.  The promise above is to Israel.  But a Father treats all His children with consistency and devotion.  What is true of Israel is true of the church.  What is true of Israel and the church is also true for the individual saint.  The LORD may have to inflict some corrections; some of them severe; but He will not leave us in a broken state.  He will heal the places that hurt. He will hug us (bind us up) when we feel isolated.  He will draw us closer than we have ever been before.  The mercy of God fails not.

I noticed something as a father of three sons.  Their attitude toward reconciliation changed a bit when they hit their adolescent year.  When they were small, I chastened them and the experience was so unpleasant, that the first thing they did was seek emotional affirmation by a hug.  They clung to me after the corporal punishment was over and did not let go until after the sobbing was over.  Sometimes, they would cling to my leg and they reach up to be picked up.  I picked them up, held them, hugged them, and consoled them.  I never apologized for having to punish them.  Rather, I restated the reason for the punishment but always affirmed my unconditional love for them.  Then something happened.  They got a little older and seeing as how reconciliation seemed more important to me than to them, they went off and pouted; expecting me to chase them and feel bad for what I needed to do.  I never did.  Doing so would undermine to whole experience.  Rather, I waited until the separation was so bad for them that they made the first move before I reconciled.  The thing is, a loving father never wants to remain at odds with his erring child.  He must because of their actions.  But he doesn’t want to.  He wants to fix everything.  He wants the pain to stop.  He wants his child to be happy again.  With our heavenly Father, it is no different.

The encouragement of the Prophet is to return to the LORD.  The basis of this return is that God will heal and bind up.  If God did not heal and bind up, there would be little reason to return.  The worst thing a father can do is to be permanently estranged from his child even after punishment is inflicted.  I have met some fathers like that.  Unless his child does not please him in all things, then he wants nothing to do with the child.  How sad.  The comfort we have is that when we disappoint our Father, we can always return.  Our hope is that when we fail Him, He will love us with everlasting love, and fix us up.  We know that whatever mess we make, it is never big enough that God cannot fix us despite it.  He may not remove all the circumstances we created, but our relationship can be reconciled and grow stronger.  And in the end, that is the most important matter.  What a gracious and loving Father we have.  We have nothing but hope!  Fear is abated.  Shame is extinguished.  Our standing before God is eternally secure.  All we need to do is return so that He can repair all the damage we have done to our relationship with Him.