Agony For Me

“And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.” (Lu 22:43-44 AV)

Sometimes we read something so often that the impact of the passages doesn’t hit us like it should.  According to Luke and others, when Jesus was in agony praying for the world, He bled sweat drops of blood.  That is no small thing.  According to my web browser’s AI answer, “The phrase "sweat drops of blood" refers to hematidrosis (or hematohidrosis), a rare medical condition where extreme emotional or physical stress causes capillary blood vessels around sweat glands to rupture, mixing blood with perspiration.  This phenomenon is most famously associated with Jesus Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane, as described in Luke 22:44, where his sweat became "like great drops of blood" due to his profound agony.”  The problem with this, albeit a slight one, assumes Jesus’ body had a defect.  We know He was perfect in all His being, so when He sweat drops of blood, his agony must have been immeasurable.  To take this to the natural conclusion, when Jesus was in prayer, He had me in mind!

There is no one who agonized and is agonizing for us like Jesus.  No one!  I know I have used this example before, but it is the closest I can come to.  Many years ago, serving as a Chaplin, I got a page to the room of a patient who was facing some very bad news.  He was a diabetic and was looking at a quadrupedal amputation.  They were going to take his arms below the elbow and his legs below the knee.  Some may remark that a diabetic who does not take care of themselves faces the possibility of a similar outcome.  They would be totally wrong.  Especially in this case.  When visiting with this fella, I learned that he had recently lost his wife to cancer.  This man has spent the better part of a decade caring for his wife and neglected to care for himself.  One can hardly blame him.  If my spouse were in such a way, I wouldn’t worry about myself, either.  It is the nature of caregiving.  He sacrificed his own health so that he could make the last years of his wife’s life a bit more bearable.  He suffered in agony so that another might be made free.

What the patient above did pales in comparison to what Jesus did for us.  Praying so hard that He bled through His pores was only the beginning.  He still had His passion to endure.  He still had a horrible execution to suffer.  What Jesus faced for the sinner cannot be compared to any torture since.  He suffered!  But what He experienced in the garden was not something that was done to Him.  It was something He did himself.  He prayed.  He prayed in such a way that His body literally began to bleed.  He agonized over the lost souls of mankind and the coming debt He was to pay for us all.  When we complain about things required of us from a loving Savior who prayed so hard He bled, perhaps we won’t mind reciprocating that love.  He prayed.  He prayed hard.  He prayed so hard that he bled. What is the least we could do for Him?

He Has It All

“LAMED. For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven. Thy faithfulness [is] unto all generations: thou hast established the earth, and it abideth. They continue this day according to thine ordinances: for all [are] thy servants.” (Ps 119:89-91 AV)

The writer of Psalm 119 equates the eternality of the word of God and the stability of our present planet as similar.  As impossible as it is for mankind to obliterate the entire planet into non-existence, it is equally impossible to alter or destroy God’s written word.  Much has been written and debated on the latter.  It is the former point to which I wish to meditate.  The present world exists and operates by the sovereign will of God.  That includes all that happens on this rock.  God’s sovereignty is not limited to nature.  His sovereignty also extends to the actions of mankind.  Nothing happens without God’s direct or indirect will affecting it.  Mankind may have a belief that he is a free agent capable of acting as they wish without divine intervention or cooperation.  This simply is not true.  We live in a rapidly changing world.  The threat of Gog and Magog lies at the door.  If we were uncertain yesterday, tomorrow promised to be even more concerning.  This are going downhill faster than we can record them.  The last bastion of Judeo/Christian influence is quickly ascending the pit of secular hedonism.  One election isn’t going to stop it.  Unless there is a worldwide revival of many coming to Christ, the next major event will be the coming of the Antichrist.  The child of God cannot forget that the world and its systems continue because God has a plan!

One major truth the scoffers forget is the last part of our passage.  Both the word of God and the created universe continue according to the ordinances God has in place.  There are universal laws baked into God’s creation that might be stretched, but they cannot be broken.  There are physical laws that our brightest minds are well aware of and it is by these laws they make new discoveries.  What is true in the physical world is also true of the moral and metaphysical world.  Just as someone cannot jump of a tall building without wings or a chute and expect to land safely thousands of feet below, man cannot live without morals and expect to life safely.  Mankind cannot exist without submission to its Creator without fear of consequences.  The material universe exists by His power and for His purposes.

As we await the conclusion of all things, let us wait in patience.  God does not promise a smooth journey.  No doubt there will be some serious bumps along the way.  But it will be all good!  Eternity awaits the child of God.  Eternity awaits those who have trusted in Him.  Eternity awaits the dear saint whose hope is not in the present, but in the eternal presence of the Creator.  Don’t fret.  God has it all under control.  Nothing will escape His notice.  He will pull the plug in His time.  We will be safe in eternity where no more harm can come.  He has it all!

The Uncomfortable But Loving Truth

“Open rebuke [is] better than secret love.” (Pr 27:5 AV)

Although not pleasant, correction is far better than flattery.  No one likes to be rebuked.  I cannot think of a single soul who hopes his day is filled with the critical remarks of others.  Most would rather have the opposite.  In our proverb, the king is making a comparison.  The one who could rebuke or possesses secret love is one and the same.  The secret that he keeps is the issue of rebuke.  The love is not secret because the receiver is unaware of that love.  Rather, it is secret because he is unaware of the rebuke he needs.  The second party has a choice.  Either correct an errant brother for his own good and those show open love for him.  Or bury the transgression and love him anyway while the transgression continues.

We often allow behavior to continue because “that’s just his nature and everyone knows it”, or “that poor soul has had a rough time of it and we pity him”, or “we don’t want to lose him so we all put up with what he is and love him, anyway”.  Now, the Bible does give counsel to pass over transgressions and not make issue of them.  Sometimes forgiving and forgetting is the best thing to do.  We are not talking about a one-time minor issue.  Rather, I think Solomon is speaking of habitual behavior that is unacceptable, would be an embarrassment to the offender, or cause immediate and irreversible harm to others.  Letting something go may not be prudent.  But that doesn’t mean we need to point out everything, either.  The point is simple.  If the honorable saint observes poor behavior that is destructive to the errant one, ignoring it is not love.  I agree with Paul that any correction should be offered in the spirit of meekness with great wisdom.  Being blunt is a last resort.

Being on the receiving end of thoughtful correction is not comfortable.  It is not easy taking advice from others.  It is difficult to hear where we might be failing.  However, if we are honest, we would rather have someone intervene and perhaps deal with short-term ill will than to go on in our error and cause great harm later on.  This is the point Solomon is making.  If we truly say that we love others, it is better that we say something with a heart of charity and meekness than to ignore it, thinking that loving on them is the better choice.  That is not love.  That is self-love.  We don’t like confrontation.  We don’t like to be the bad guy.  We want to be the one everyone likes.  In the interim, we are allowing great harm to be the result of our silence.  It is time to do ministry.  It is time to say something.  It is time to love someone even though they may not at first appreciate it.

Wasted Blessings

“And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine. It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.” (Lu 15:31-32 AV)

The wealthy father spoke these words to the faithful son upon the return of his wayward brother.  He spoke these words to an envious son because he didn’t realize what he had all along.  Note that all that the father possessed was in the control of the faithful son.  There was nothing the faithful son was prohibited from doing with the remainder of what the father had.  The fatted calf could may have very well been slain, and a party thrown, for the faithful son anytime he wanted.  As far as the father was concerned, what he had, his faithful son had as well.  We often find fault with the prodigal.  As well, we should.  He wasted his father’s living on a self-indulgent life.  Before we empathize too much with the faithful son, in a manner of speaking, he wasted his father’s living as well.  He was too self-righteous to enjoy a bit of the blessing of the father.  He blames his father.  He states that the fatted calf was never slain for him, nor a party thrown.  Well, who stopped him?  What struck me was how ignorant we are of God’s blessings and how under-used they often are.

Isn’t that just like us, sometimes?  We think it more noble to be self-abasing beyond what God might require.  My mother made some extraordinary cutout cookies.  They were to die for.  My wife got her recipe, and it took about eight years before she finally perfected it.  These cookies are so good that we have had professional bakeries asking for the recipe.  At Christmas time, our family would bake and fill a freezer with her cookies.  It was an eight-hour process.  If each batch took ten minutes, you can do the math.  That was a lot of cookies.  As we were baking, she would often leave a few to the side.  She wouldn’t say a word.  She simply left them there.  She intended for us to nibble here and there.  After all, who can bake and decorate cookies without the temptation to eat them?  Some of us had her voice stuck in the back of our heads.  “Don’t eat those before dinner.  You’ll spoil your dinner”.  But she left them there!  She did so out of the kindness of her heart.  Still, our overly active conscience forbade us to nibble until she released them to our pleasure.  We had a blessing right in front of us that was expected to be enjoyed, but because of our lack of initiative, they went uneaten.  This is how we are with God’s blessings sometimes.

Pride, masquerading as humility, is often our enemy.  We don’t deserve God’s blessings.  So, we torture ourselves by refusing His blessings, thinking that somehow He is impressed with our sacrifice.  One has to wonder the reasons behind the faithful son’s sacrifice.  Perhaps he wanted to earn the respect of his father not knowing he already had it.  Perhaps he saw enjoyment as indulgence.  Whatever the cause the loss was his.  His father told him as much.  When the faithful son complained at the lack of pleasure in his life, the father rightly placed the blame right at his feet.  If God has blessed us, there is no sin in enjoying those blessings.  There is no sin is having a life which the LORD has already given.  The key is our focus of life.  For the prodigal, pleasure was what defined his life.  Whereas for the father, pleasure was a benefit and not a goal.  The same could have been true for the faithful son.  We are so blessed, yet the blessings of God often go unused.  Especially the spiritual ones.  We don’t spend time in His word or in prayer.  We pick and choose which church service to go to like we were going out for ice cream.  We have the blessing of service, yet we would much rather spend our time in personal pursuits.  The fatted calf has always been there.  Why not use it?

More Than Bare Necessities

“The life is more than meat, and the body [is more] than raiment.” (Lu 12:23 AV)

The soul that learns this is most contented of all.  This goes far beyond mere materialism.  Jesus is speaking of the necessities of life here.  He is not speaking of a nice home, two cars in the garage, and a hefty retirement account.  Our Savior is speaking about survival.  He is speaking of food and protection from the elements.  He is speaking about healthcare, the grocery bill, or the means to work for a living.  Our Savior is not speaking of a closet full of options.  He is speaking of that one set of clothes needed daily.  He is not speaking of struggling over the menu because of too many options.  Rather, He is speaking of that one can of soup in the cupboard.  Jesus is telling us that life is more than our absolute needs.  Life is more than finding a cure for horrible diseases.  Life is more than a full stomach.  Life is more than heat in the winter or water to drink.  Life is more than all the things of our temporary world.  Life is far more than what we think is absolutely necessary.

Recently, I visited my new favorite place.  I have several.  There is Top Of The Falls Café at Niagara Falls, NY.  There is the Gap of Dunloe in Ireland.  I enjoy the shores of Lake Michigan when the wind is blowing briskly from the east.  But my new favorite place is Eagle Point Park in Dubuque, IA.  It sits atop a bluff that overlooks the Mississippi River valley.  The bluff is about 150 above the waterline.  It is called Eagle Point Park because bald eagles winter there.  The first time I heard an eagle call out, before I saw it, I knew what it was.  They have a distinct call.  The park was quiet.  Not too many people were there.  The scenery was absolutely breathtaking.  It was peaceful.  Now I have this ambition to take a camp stove during a warm winter’s morning and cooking a hot breakfast while watching the eagles and the river.  Complete with hot chocolate or coffee, my hope is to sit in warm clothes and a hot breakfast and just enjoy the open spaces, quietness, and the clean air.  There are more fulfilling things in life than what we think we need.  To make it the best morning ever, the Bible and time with God would be the center of it.  While sitting and overlooking the river, a plate of vitals in front of me, the Bible would be open as I read along.  Prayer would be offered as the Spirit would lead.  That is a special place.

It is interesting what those who are close to eternity desire from life.  Those who know God and have walked with Him are not really concerned about the meal card that needs completing.  They are not all that worried about what treatment lies ahead.  They are not concerned about the roof that needs patching, the taxes that need to be paid, or even the laundry that needs to be washed.  What they are most concerned about is meeting their Savior.  That is where their heart is.  Life is not about all those necessary things.  Life is about our walk with God.  The things of this life will perish with the using.  The only part of this life that carries on to the next is our relationship with the Father through Jesus Christ.  It amazes me how many people treat their walk with God as an add-on to life.  Rather than treat their walk with God as the only essential, it is an extra somewhere between a holiday and a night out.  This is really sad.  When Jesus tells us that life is more than the essentials we think we need, it is the most important truth we could ever learn.  Praise God for His wonderful salvation in His Son, Jesus Christ.

A Great Question, Or a Tough Challenge?

“And he said unto them, Where is your faith? And they being afraid wondered, saying one to another, What manner of man is this! for he commandeth even the winds and water, and they obey him.” (Lu 8:25 AV)

A piercing question to be sure!  Although I am not so sure given the same set of circumstances, that I wouldn’t react the same way.  The master is asleep.  The ship upon which they rode was close to breaking apart.  Their lives hung in the balance.  Yet there was Jesus, asleep in the hull.  Being rocked to and fro like a baby in a cradle, our Savior was sound asleep with no concern regarding the future of the ship or His twelve.  The twelve should have taken a que.  If the master is unconcerned and asleep, perhaps they should relax.  Easier said than done.  What we do know is that Jesus corrects them for having no faith.  They should have.  Even though they possessed little to no faith, the LORD took mercy on them and calmed the seas.  When our lives are turned upside down, we can ask the same question.  Where is our faith?  The question above is a good one.  Especially for an unsettled heart.  It could be that Jesus is not so much rebuking them as He is teaching them.  At a time when they should have had faith, they did not.  Perhaps the above question is a challenge.  Perhaps Jesus is asking, and then rhetorically answering it with a miracle.  Perhaps His question could be understood in the following: “where is your faith? I will show you where your faith should be.  Now, have faith.”

My wife and I used to watch cooking shows.  We watched all sorts of them.  We particularly liked the competition-based shows.  We enjoyed watching contestants use their imagination to come up with a dish the judges would like.  The shows we liked best were the Master Chef Kitchen series.  There were different themes each night, and after the evening was over, one or more chefs were disqualified.  Sometimes, there were specific dishes each chef had to prepare.  One particular beginning round was frying the perfect egg.  The more the chef could do, the less likely he or she was eliminated.  The dishes that were most difficult seemed to be the sweets, or the baked goods.  There was the time each chef had to make a sleeve of macaroons.  Then there was the challenge to assemble croquembouche.  But the one that was featured the most was baking a souffle.  They are extremely finicky desserts.  Once in the oven, faith in the recipe and process is paramount.  If the souffle falls, regardless of its taste, is seen as a failure.  Take the dessert out of the oven one minute too soon or late, and the dessert could taste like a million dollars, but it would still be considered a disaster.

Faith is not easy to come by.  It comes by a process.  The process starts with learning the truth.  Then is begins to mature as the truth is examined and verified.  Then it must be tested.  That is the hard part.  It is hard knowing things by experience and not merely academically.  One can look at a rollercoaster and know that it is engineered with safety in mind.  Not until one rides it is he sure.  We can only imagine what it must have been like for the disciples.  They were tossed around like a pinball.  There was no logical guarantee for their safety.  To see one wave after another breach their hull, bailing out water all night, and rowing in any direction to reach land, they had every right to be frightened.  The difference was that Jesus was in the boat with them.  He was not destined to die by drowning.  He had an appointment with a cross.  As long as He was safe, they were as well.  But there is only one way to know for certain.  One must go through storms.  One must pray to God.  One must stay in the boat with Jesus.  One must call upon the LORD for help.  One must hang on until the duration.  One must be at the conclusion and not just the beginning.  Where is our faith?  It is growing.  It is there, but not sufficient.  Where is our faith?  Under the care of the Master who controls all things.

Sweet On The Inside, Sweet On The Outside

“For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes.” (Lu 6:44 AV)

What do thorns have to do with the type of fruit a tree or vine produces?  Having grown up with the woods, I am a bit familiar with fruit produced on thorny trees or vines.  As a pattern, fruit produced on thorny trees or vines tend to be tart or sour as opposed to overly sweet.  This is not always true.  But it is a pattern.  I read of the wild orange tree that, when young, possesses thorns.  The fruit is very bitter.  However, as it matures, the thorns go away, and the fruit becomes sweet.  What I wondered is if the presence of the thorns and the nature of the fruit are somehow related.  Not that the thorns produce bitter, tart, or sour fruit.  However, I wondered if the gene that produces the thorns also cause the fruit to be bitter, sour, or tart.  Most sources will say no.  But then I read of the orange tree.

The orange tree will grow thorns early in its life.  It does so to protect the bark and the fruit.  For the first few years, the young tree is focused on maturing.  During that time, the bark contains thorns.  As the tree ages, the bark outgrows the thorns.  What is fascinating is that the orange tree, if grown from seed, will take 7-15 years to produce sweet oranges.  Until then, the immature tree may produce bitter and inedible fruit.  That leads me to believe that in some species, the genetic makeup of the tree or vine correlates with thorn production and fruitfulness.  Thorns do not produce bitter fruit, and bitter fruit do not necessitate the appearance of thorns.  However, both are the result of an inward quality of the plant.  The two are related in the sense that they both come from the same gene pool.  A general rule is that thorns are always present.  Unless they die and fall off or are snapped off, thorns are pretty much there until the plant dies.  Fruit, however, is cyclical.  It arrives in the spring and is harvested in the fall.  Therefore, thorns are a great indicator that waiting for edible fruit is a waste of time.  What is inside and produces the thorns will also eventually produce unusable fruit.

Which brings us to our application.  What we are inside will come to the surface.  If someone has a thorny personality, then do not expect words of a sweet-smelling savor to come from his lips.  If a person has a cantankerous, churlish, or agitated state of being, then one cannot expect words that will do some good.  The same is true of those who may not be naturally so.  We can be surly, impatient, frustrated, or angry at any given time.  We can be argumentative, disagreeable, or downright mean.  Perhaps it is best to remain silent at such a time as this.  What we are on the inside comes out on the outside.  The thorns of a disagreeable spirit are evident before the words flow from the lips.  It is best to have that sweet spirit before the can look for sweet words.  I like the orange tree because when it is young, it is prickly.  But time, experience, cultivation, and outside influences grow a tougher skin.  The bark overgrows the thorns.  The thorns disappear because the tree allows patience to have her perfect work.  Perhaps the key to eliminating the thorns is to have thicker skin.  Then our fruit can be sweet to all who enjoy it.

Ever-present Word

“As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began:” (Lu 1:70 AV)

Which would have necessarily included Adam!  There has been no time since the beginning in which God has left us without witness.  What a perfect truth!  Never has mankind been without the revealed will of God.  Never has mankind been without a human voice declaring the mind of God.  Never has there been, or will be, a time when God refuses to verbalize His will to the inhabitants of the earth.  Just because the written word did not appear before Moses wrote it down does not mean the word of God was hidden.  On the contrary.  According to Luke, prior to the written word inspired to Moses, the necessary word of God appeared and was preserved perfect in the mind and speech of God’s holy prophets.  This makes complete sense.  God is not going to require of mankind obedience to His will without also providing His will to which we can conform.  The first thing God did with Adam was to give him direction regarding the naming of the animals, tending the garden, and building a family.  God didn’t create Adam and then leave him with no purpose or command.  By the mouth of the Creator, Adam knew what the will of God was and the consequences for disobedience.  God communicates.  He always does.  He has from the beginning and He will do so into eternity.  Always, and at all times, and in all places – the will of God is declared.

I find archeology fascinating.  I find it fascinating from some of the wild ideas that modern scholarship proposes.  This is probably true regarding many disciplines.  Either the scholar has a biblical worldview and a reference point acclimated toward God’s existence, or the scholar is secular and natural in his worldview.  The latter is what amuses me.  They find something and because they are not accustomed to think biblically, their explanations are way out there.  It takes more faith to believe what the secular scholar proposes than what the Bible reveals.  A case in point was a particular video I watched regarding a site in the middle east.  A bit over one hundred years ago, biblically oriented archeologists happened upon a site once belonging to the Amorites.  The Bible refers to the iniquity of the Amorites as yet being ended.  The word of God indicates that the iniquity of the Amorites will be practiced until Jesus returns.  This archeologist found human remains of young people and babies that seemed to be butchered and burned.  They were contained in different parts of the dig, as if left in the open and not buried as would normally have been done.  They concluded that the site they had uncovered was a high place of the Amorites where children were sacrificed to false gods.  Infanticide is still practiced today in the form of abortion and other atrocities.  Since then, all but the photographic evidence has been scrubbed from the site and instead, the powers that be have redefined the site as a place where eight nations gathered to form a peace alliance.  If the Bible did not tell us who the Amorites were and what they did, the evidence would have been lost to a biased viewpoint.

Praise the LORD that He has left us revelation and illumination for our entire human existence.  The book of Romans declares that even if the written word is not available, the truth of God and His offer of redemption is written in the patterns of our natural world.  The Psalmist testifies that the heavens declare God’s handiwork.  His revelation is all around us.  He has not left His creation ignorant.  That would be unethical.  God is moral and all His works are right.  That is exactly why there have been prophets from the moment man walked his first steps.  God has spoken by His prophets from day six.  Without exception, the word of God has been present.  Praise be to God that He has not left us blind.

Faith And Witnessing

“Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen. And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” (Mr 16:14-15 AV)

By coupling the great commission to lack of faith in the eleven, it is suggested that if they did have faith that Christ arose, then they would have naturally published the news everywhere they went.  We don’t blame the eleven for their lack of faith.  We would probably react the same way.  Although the LORD sufficiently taught them of His pending death and resurrection, they simply did not have the faith that Jesus could raise Himself from the dead.  Sure, they saw Jesus raise three people from the dead.  But that is a far cry from raising one’s self.  It was the resurrection that was the power behind their preaching.  The more that they believe that Jesus was risen from the dead, the more zeal they have to proclaim it.  Jesus is saying to the eleven that His promise prior to His death and resurrection with the testimony of those who saw Him should have been sufficient to start the great commission!  The great commission is usually disconnected from any other context.  It is a context all its own.  They may be true in Matthew.  There could have been more than one time that Jesus commissioned the eleven.  In fact, He did so in Acts as well.  That was a different time and place.  What we do know is the above event was immediately following His resurrection.  The above event was meant to solidify the fact of His resurrection and the proper response the eleven should have to it.

When Jesus ascended into heaven, the eleven did the same thing.  Jesus told them to be witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost parts of the earth.  They watched Him ascend and then stood there for a great while looking heavenward.  An angel rebuked them and asked them why they were gazing up.  He then reminded them of the promise that Jesus would return in the same manner in which he ascended.  This time, they understood.  Following the rebuke, they returned to Jerusalem and began their public ministry.  In short, the resurrected and ascended Christ should have naturally led to preaching the gospel.  Lack of faith is what hindered it.  The eleven were stunned at the miracles they had witnessed.  He rose from the dead and then 40 days later ascended alive into heaven.  Never before had anyone ever seen such things.

The application is obvious.  We will share the gospel with others to the extent we feel the miracle of salvation affected our lives.  The closer we become and the more faith we have in God, the more we will share Him with others.  The more our interaction with our Creator and the more work He does on our behalf, the more we are apt to tell others about Him.  We are silent because we have not yielded to His hand.  We do not share Him with others because He doesn’t mean all that much to us.  We do not think He can make a difference in the life of others because we haven’t allowed Him to make that much of a difference in our lives.  Is short, Jesus ties the great commission to faith in His resurrection because the more faith they had that their Savior rose from the dead, the more they would share that good news with those who need Him.  The more they realized that the resurrection made their salvation secure, the more they were not afraid to share the good news of Jesus with others.  The same is true for us.  The more faith and security we have in Christ, the more we are likely to share Him with others.

Compassionate Yet Uncomfortable Truth

“And Jesus saith unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered.” (Mr 14:27 AV)

The truth of what we are is sometimes uncomfortable.  Jesus is speaking to the eleven regarding his near betrayal and crucifixion.  Of course, they all objected.  They did not think themselves capable of cowardice.  Yet, Jesus’ words were true, nonetheless.  The only one who was faithful through the whole ordeal was John.  Everyone else fled, or in the case of Peter, denied the LORD.  However, we see in the words of Jesus Christ a kindness.  It is better they be forewarned of their pending failure from a heart of compassion and understanding rather than a statement of rebuke afterward.  In this statement, Jesus was forgiving them before the transgression occurred.  Facing what we are before we act on what we are is humbling and gracious all at the same time.  Knowing what we are beforehand is not always easy.  But is does soften the blow when we do fail.  I think this was our Savior’s motive.  He didn’t condemn them for an action yet taken.  Rather, He was softening the conscience once the failure occurred. What a Savior!

Those in leadership experience this from time to time.  The LORD surrounds us with good people.  They rarely let us down.  However, the leader does know the limits of his people.  He knows what they can and cannot do.  Many years ago, I had an incident regarding a fella who wanted to do me great harm.  He had a wide influence among the greater population of our county.  He had a loyal following.  We fell out of graces because I would not support a decision he wanted me to make.  For him, the decision was a very personal one.  It was a very emotional one.  My issue with it was his wishes was not in the best interests of those closest to him and would also bring reproach on the name of the LORD.  He took great offense at my counsel and refusal to accommodate his wishes.  This led to a smear campaign that involved thousands of people.  The leadership of our church would not stand with me and confront this individual.  They could not.  Some were related to him.  Others were very emotionally close to him.  But as the leader, I already knew they would not stand with me.  I left it with the LORD and went on serving with and loving on them.

Jesus does not expect us to change overnight.  He knows our weaknesses.  He knows our frame.  As the sweet psalmist says, “For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we [are] dust.” (Ps 103:14 AV) What I see in the words of Jesus is a very compassionate way of informing His disciples that He knows what they are and what they will do, yet deeply loves them anyway.  What I see is a God who knows us better than we know ourselves and will soften the blow of guilt and disappointment we feel when we fail Him.  What I see is a Savior who died for souls who can never live up to His standard, and did so with an everlasting love.  I don’t see condemnation.  I don’t see judgment.  I don’t see disappointment.  What the Spirit wants us to know is that God understands.  God knows what we will do or fail to do from eternity.  He came and died for us, anyway.  What I see in His words is eternal love.  What I see in His words is paternal patience.  What I see in His words is someone who loves us more than we can ever comprehend.  What love!

Loving the Lost

“Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.” (Mr 10:21 AV)

The first six words of this verse are very sweet.  The rich man claimed blamelessness before the law.  He fully expected Jesus to exonerate him from additional requirements before the law.  Knowing the heart of this young man, Jesus did not choose rebuke.  He did not castigate this young man for his presumption.  Rather, he saw a man who was trying the hardest he knew yet coming up short.  What this young man did not learn was self-denial.  He did not learn sacrifice.  If he were to be a disciple of Christ, it wasn’t enough to simply profess a saving knowledge of Him.  To be a disciple, he had to learn Christlikeness.  This came at a cost.  But it is the first six words that really touch my heart.  Rather than seeing a young man failing in his pursuit of discipleship because of selfishness in his heart, the LORD loved him.  He loved him enough to tell him the truth in a way that got to the heart of the matter in an indirect but obvious way.  He did not condemn the man.  Rather, the LORD put a condition before him where the young man condemned himself.

We are not always as loving when instruction or correction is warranted.  One of the worst memories of Bible college was my Problem Text class.  This class was organized to teach the students that there are no mistakes in the word of God and that if there seemed to be one, there was a logical and acceptable answer to it.  Most are common sense.  Names are common among several people.  Just because one person existed at one point in time and another with the exact same name appears years later does not mean they are the same person.  Similar events may have different details.  There is no discrepancy.  In one particular problem text, three different numbers are given for the same group of people.  Then answer is the purpose for the recording and from what perspective the number was given.  Still another has the measurements of the same articles as different when the standard from which the items were measured is never mentioned.  Obviously, two different references give two different numbers.  In this class, our instructor thought it was ‘love’ to berate us and abuse us.  We were given a problem text and then paneled before the instructor to defend our position.  He was brutal.  There was no love at all.  Just ego!  There was no interest in instruction.  Only winning a debate.

When Jesus beheld this young man, as wrong as this young man was, Jesus loved him.  When Jesus heard the young man’s charged question, rather than put him in his place, Jesus loved him and instructed him out of the law.  Rather than take advantage of a young man, Jesus responded in love and very subtly accused the young man of his sin of materialism.  What strikes me is the emotional foundation of his interaction with someone who was obviously not what he appeared.  Jesus saw this young man for what he was.  He was a lost soul who was under the delusion that financial success meant God’s affirmation.  This young man was under the misunderstanding that God looks on the heart first.  He did not understand the relationship between Christlikeness and the lack of things.  All he saw was that obeying the law to the letter and enjoying the blessings that come with it are proof there is no need for anything else.  How false!  That is for what the LORD had compassion.  This young man needed to have his bubble burst.  It was going to be a hard truth to swallow.  May we love all who need Christ in the same manner!

Salt

“For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt. Salt [is] good: but if the salt have lost his saltness, wherewith will ye season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another.” (Mr 9:49-50 AV)

Salt is an antiseptic.  It cleanses bacteria which we cannot see.  The Old Testament law required that all sacrifices be salted before they were placed upon the brazen altar.  This assured that the sacrifice was pure down to the microscopic level.  Salt was often placed in an open wound before dressing.  Salt was added to meat that was stored.  Salt was more than just a seasoning.  It was a preservative.  Verse 49 has commentators baffled.  The ‘every one’ is said to be those who are lost and refuse to repent.  However, the antiseptic nature of God’s presence works on the lost and on the saved.  We are saved yet so as by fire.  The fire of God’s cleansing or the fire of God’s judgment; either way, every soul will experience one or the other.  The application above can be thought of two ways.  First, it might be a call to salvation.  To have salt in oneself could mean to go through the cleansing of God’s holy fire and be saved by the blood of Jesus Christ.  But it could also mean to have the flame of God’s cleansing as a permanent influence on the soul.

Sodium Chloride is the chemical name for salt.  Sodium Chlorine is a stable mineral.  Pure salt will always be salty.  So, how does salt lose its saltiness?  There are several ways in which salt can lose its saltiness, but it all boils down to one cause.  When salt is neglected, it will lose its saltiness.  How is that possible if sodium chloride is a stable compound?  The answer is in how it is harvested, stored, and used.  Rarely does salt appear in its purest form.  Salt is often mixed with other compounds.  It is harvested and stored, then purified, then sold.  Since salt is water soluble, when neglected, the humility or rain will wash the salt away from the other minerals and what is left looks like salt.  But it doesn’t taste like salt.  I have also noticed that heat will do the same.  We keep our rock salt in the front entryway, which is almost completely glass.  It is easily 20 degree hotter than the outside.  The heat mixed with the humidity turns the salt into a shallow puddle.  The salt has to be stored in a cool and dry place.  In other words, the best way to manage salt is to purify the latent minerals from it and then use it.  Salt loses its saltiness when it lays there unused.

When the LORD challenges all people to have salt in themselves, it is a call to salvation and yielding to the effective ministry of the Holy Spirit.  This implies a choice on our part.  Unlike the sacrifice of the Old Testament that didn’t have a choice in the matter, we do.  Whether we choose to be cleansed by the blood of Christ or burn in the eternal fires of damnation, it is our choice.  God will not force anyone to accept Jesus.  If they refuse, then God does force them to suffer eternally for their refusal of His grace.  For the saint, God does not force us unto a life of purity.  We must yield to the work of the Holy Spirit.  We have to allow salt to do its work.  It also appears by the word ‘have’ that this choice is a proactive one.  It is a choice of pursuit as much as it is a choice of yielding.  To have something, one must reach out and grab it.  Jesus knows what we need.  He knows better than anyone.  The salt of God’s cleansing by the word of God and ministry of the Holy Spirit is something we both pursue and allow.  I don’t know about you, but the smell of rotting flesh or food is not something I enjoy.  If we don’t allow the Holy Spirit to do His work, then our testimony will not be something God or others will appreciate.

Faith of the Guilty Conscience

“And king Herod heard [of him]; (for his name was spread abroad:) and he said, That John the Baptist was risen from the dead, and therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him.” (Mr 6:14 AV)

Herod spoke this of Jesus Christ.  He believed that John the Baptist had come back from the dead and was now more powerful than he had been in his prior life.  Stop for a moment and consider what it is that a rebel is testifying to.  Remember that Herod had John the Baptist beheaded.  We also know that the disciples of John retrieved his remains and buried them.  Mark, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, calls the body a corpse.  This is the only place where this word is used.  No other verse in the entire word of God calls the body of a deceased a corpse.  The Greek word used for corpse is only used three times.  Each time is refers to a dead body that has been desecrated.  In the other two mentions, the bodies have been lying in the open, rotting under the elements.  This leads the writer to believe that the disciples gathered the headless body of John to bury and did not include his head.  Or, if it did, it was still unattached.  Therefore, for Herod to believe that John had risen from the dead, he had to believe in reanimation following decapitation.  That is a leap for a man who was living in open rebellion towards God.

Fear and anxiety can lead us to believe some rather impossible things.  Herod was fearful because he had beheaded a prophet of God.  And he knew it.  When the daughter of his wife asked for the head of John on a charger, he was distraught.  He knew that John was a prophet, and all the people held him as such.  Herod had married his brother’s wife against Jewish law.  If Philip had died and Herod took his wife as a widow, he would have been okay.  However, history tells us that Herod took his brother’s wife while he lived.  At the preaching of John, Herod was brought under deep conviction.  John was incarcerated but still alive and well-tended to.  His wife, however, was deeply offended.  When her daughter danced before her stepfather, he promised her anything up to half of the kingdom.  That should caution the reader right away.  For a mother to be okay with her daughter dancing before her stepfather and stirring him to reward her should have given her pause.  She should have been offended.  Rather, she was more offended in the truth from the preacher than she was at the lust of her husband toward her daughter.  Now, as Jesus is preaching and healing, Herod exercised more faith in what God is able to do than most of Israel.  He believed Jesus to be the resurrection of someone who was without a head!

Herod had every reason to think irrationally.  He was condemned before God for adultery and murder.  He was unrepentant.  His wife was a piece of work whom he could not control.  But the child of God who is repentant and who desires to walk with Him has no cause for irrational fears.  We are made free from the wrath of God by the blood of Jesus Christ.  The wrath of God does not abide on the child of God.  This does not imply that the child of God is free from divinely sent correction.  This does not imply that the child of God is free from the consequences of sinful choices.  On the contrary.  We face them on a regular basis.  What we need to guard against is the idea that God’s vengeance or vindictiveness will be visited on His people. It never will be.  That was the whole point of Jesus’ suffering.  The wrath of the Father was poured out on the Son.  He took the wrath of His Father for our sakes.  If we are suffering from irrational fears, then our faith must run to God and not away from Him.  I know that fears and anxieties have many causes.  Sometimes they are physical.  A sick endocrine system can cause feelings of fear or anxiety.  Trauma to the body can cause fears and anxieties years after the trauma.  Irrational fears may be caused by external influences.  But the answer is always the same.  It must include a close and intimate relationship with the LORD!

What's In A Name?

“And James the [son] of Zebedee, and John the brother of James; and he surnamed them Boanerges, which is, The sons of thunder:” (Mr 3:17 AV)

It is interesting what some suggest as the reason for the surnaming.  In the word of God, surnaming meant an additional name that signified a particular event or characteristic related to the one receiving it.  Some suggest that because these two wanted to call down fire from heaven as Elijah did that Jesus named them the sons of thunder.  Others suggest that because of some particular physical trait like a booming voice was the cause for the name.  Either way, a surname was added to their names of identity.  Some surnames align with a family's career.  Such is the case with Smith or Shoemaker.  Other surnames identify a place of origin, as some surnames add a Von, Mc, Van, or Mac prior to the place or family of origin.  When Jesus surnamed, or nicknamed James and John, it was associated in a much more personal way.  One wonders if Jesus were to give us a nickname, what it might be.

I come from a state that makes nicknaming a cultural pastime.  In fact, there were several sitcoms set in my home state, and nicknaming was a regular part of the dialogue.  Most of it is derogatory.  However, some of it is complimentary.  William Shakespeare was known as Avon’s swan.  Margaret Thatcher earned the name The Iron Lady.  Thomas Edison was called the Wizard of Menlo Park.  Michelangelo was known as Michael the Angel; an obvious play on words.  And who can forget Honest Abe – Abraham Lincoln?  While I managed a restaurant, we gave people nicknames.  Most of them were endearing.  It was a way of building a personal relationship with someone while still maintaining the proper authority structure.  The names could not be demeaning.  It had to be complimentary.  It had to be something endearing, or it became insulting.  The more use we made of the nickname, the more our employees felt as part of the family.  Nicknames, if done right, can bolster a person’s confidence and affirm their worth to the whole body.

All that being said, I had to wonder what the LORD would nickname me.  I wonder if I have proved myself worthy of one.  Usually, good nicknames take a bit of time.  Our employees did not get one until they had placed their stamp on the business.  Until they exhibited a distinctly different and positive contribution to the business, their given name sufficed.  I wonder if I have done enough to earn a nickname.  I wonder if I have made my mark on the gospel of Christ so that He would give me a name different from all others.  We know that there are two names given to the saint of which no one will know until they are given.  The Revelation of Jesus Christ states that there are two names given.  One of those names is a new name of God written on the saint.  The other is a new name written on a stone and given to the saint.  That second name is unique to the saint.  That new name is new because no one knows us like God knows us.  No one will be able to know that name until the LORD reveals it.  I wonder what mine will be.

Faith In the Absence of Details

“He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you.” (Mt 28:6-7 AV)

It occurred to me that none of the gospels give a detailed description of the process of the resurrection.  The gospels do not give a scientific or even an observational report of the process of regeneration.  There is no verse that states the steps Jesus took as He exited the tomb.  He is buried.  Then he is reported to have risen.  There is no information between those two events.  For instance, it takes four to six weeks for someone who has donated blood to be back the way he or she was before the donation.  Plasma is the quickest to revive.  Usually 24-48 hours.  But the rest take time.  That is why giving blood is regulated.  It would be dangerous to donate if done too frequently.  The body begins to deteriorate the moment blood is removed.  That is why cryogenics will never work.  The moment a cell is deprived of what it needs, the cell wall begins to break down.  Jesus lost all his blood.  We are not completely clear on the exact makeup of His glorified body.  If still completely human, somehow He would have had to produce enough blood to live in only three days and night when it would take at least a month or more.  If His body did not contain human blood, then of what did it consist?  We don’t know.  And there is the challenge.

We know Jesus died and was buried.  We also know He rose again.  500 or more eye witnesses attested to this very fact.  Even secular historians will give credibility to the resurrection of Christ.  Non-believers of the first century knew the resurrection of Jesus Christ was an established fact of their time.  The challenge is in understanding the ‘how’ of this divine miracle.  No doubt that of all the miracles of God, the resurrection of Jesus Christ was the greatest.  In fact, the resurrection from the dead is that single miracle that proved the divinity of Jesus Christ.  The fact that He could raise Himself from the dead proved He had power over life and death.  He had proven power of creation and generation by calming the seas and feed the thousands.  Now, He walked abroad proving that He had power over death and life.  Especially His own.  Only God had that power.

But again, here is the challenge.  We don’t know the mechanics of this miracle.  But then again, we don’t know how He calmed the sea or fed the thousands, either.  Just because we do not know how God does things does not make them less believable.  I remember my childhood instructors of a false religion.  They tried to rationalize all the miracles of Jesus and explain them in terms we would accept.  It was mass hallucinations, they said.  It was cunning manipulation.  It was an exaggeration to prove a point and not a record of historical fact, they would claim.  Skeptics do the same today.  They will not accept a provable fact from history that was a miracle from God.  They will not accept it because they cannot explain it.  So sad.  Faith begins where reason ends.  Jesus left us in the dark because He requires faith.  Even if we knew the ‘how’, skeptics would refuse it unless they could duplicate it.  In short, refusal to live by faith makes one his own god.  I don’t need the rational explanation of how Jesus regenerated.  I don’t need to know the details of how he exited the tomb.  All I need to know is that He is risen!

Who Is Really In Control?

“And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver.” (Mt 26:15 KJB)

Obviously, Judas never read James 4:15, “For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.”  It is ironic that an evil man believed he could control the events surrounding the son of God.  When he went to the Pharisees to arrange a deal, he had this crazy idea that somehow he could control the whole event.  Jesus is God.  Nothing happens without His approval.  If Judas does betray God, it is only because God allowed it.  This idea of perfect and complete self-determination is erroneous.  If we have any freedom of choice or movement, it is because the sovereign God of creation has purposed or allowed it.  We think Judas a bit irrational with rebellion.  Yet we often live the same way.  Perhaps not to the degree of evil, but we do make choices believing God is required to accept those choices.  We often think we are the captain of our own ships, when in reality, the God who created all things also controls all things.  How silly to live any other way!

Many years ago, we went on a trip to Ireland.  We took a group of teenagers on a missions trip.  The first week was spent with a little church helping them conduct a VBS.  My son and his good friend, Oscar, loved the game of chess.  They had brought a set and were playing a match.  The pastor came over and asked what they were doing.  They said they were playing chess.  He asked if he could watch.  They agreed.  The pastor said he had never heard of the game and wanted to know how to play.  They taught him the rules and then played another match.  Along the way, they explained why they had made certain moves.  He asked more questions.  Then he asked to play.  So, he started out with my son.  The first match went as you would expect.  My son won that match rather quickly.  They played a second match, and this time my son won but took a bit more time.  The pastor said he thought he had learned quite well and wanted to play one more time.  So, my son set up the board, and within two minutes the pastor won the match.  My son sat there, stunned.  He had no idea what had just happened.  Then the pastor announced he was the chess champion of his county.  The pastor gave the illusion that my son was in control of the matches he played.  In reality, the chess master knew what he was doing all along.

This is not to suggest that life is a game and God is a player.  This is not to suggest that God does not take our lives any more seriously than a board game.  This is not true.  Rather, the point is that we think we are in far more control of our lives than we actually are.  Judas thought that he was in control of Jesus’ life.  He thought he could make a deal and that by his actions Jesus was destined to die.  And for no other reason that by his hand.  How ludicrous.  Judas was merely part of God’s divine plan.  This was planned, known, and decreed before Adam and Eve were created.  In fact, the book of psalms predicted it hundreds of years before Judas was a small little boy growing up in Israel.  For some, this can be aggravating and an insult to our egos.  But for the saint, it is a comfort.  What we need to remember is that any freedom of self-determination is given to us by a God who will hold us accountable for it. 

The Greater The Need, The Louder The Cry

“And the multitude rebuked them, because they should hold their peace: but they cried the more, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, [thou] Son of David.” (Mt 20:31 AV)

Every time I read this I get a chuckle.  These two men reacted to the crowd shushing them by getting louder.  Not softer.  Rather than apologize for their impertinence, they doubled down.  I don’t think this was out of rebellion.  I think it was out of desperation.  These two men felt their blindness was cause enough to make as much noise as they could.  They knew the crowd was growing louder, and if they didn’t yell the loudest, Jesus may never hear them.  They did not quiet down as Jesus got closer.  They couldn’t see that he was approaching.  As far as they knew, Jesus was still a way off.  They yelled as loud as they could until they got an answer.  The greater the mercy needed, the louder the child of God will shout!

It is not easy serving as a chaplain in a hospital.  There are wards that are pure joy.  The maternity ward comes to mind.  As the chaplain makes rounds, very rarely will he encounter a sad face or someone in severe pain.  Hospice, although not a joyful place to be, is rather sedate.  There may be sobbing or crying at the passing of a loved one, but for the most part, the souls assembled have resigned to the inevitable.  They have come to terms with the end, and they are at peace with it.  When a soul passes into eternity, there are many tears.  Maybe even a bit of wailing.  But for the most part, the mourners are at rest, knowing the suffering of their loved one is over.  There are also those wards that are general care wards.  Less serious situations and also by and large, quiet.  But there are those wards set aside for severe cases.  These cases are usually contained in a single wing or floor.  These cases are not quiet at all.  There is great pain and discomfort.  There are constant calls for the nurse.  They are doing all they can.  They have administered the largest dose of relief that the doctor has prescribed.  There is nothing more they can do.  Only the toughest work on this floor.  They guard themselves against over-empathetic hearts.  They wouldn’t survive if they did not.  As a general rule, the one who cries out the loudest is the one who gets the attention.  There are moaners and there are screamers.  There is everything in between.  As a Chaplain, relief is what we are supposed to offer.  We try our best.  The more someone cries out, the greater our desire to help.

These two men cried out because they had a great need.  Their need was for mercy.  For them, mercy would come by way of gaining their sight.  But there are other reasons someone might need mercy.  There is strength to endure a trial of faith.  Only the mercy of God can get us through.  There are doubts and fears.  Only the mercy of God can reassure us.  There is confusion of mind.  Only the mercy of God can show us the truth.  There is ambition yet unrealized.  Only the mercy of God can give us a calling in life.  There is loneliness.  Only the mercy of God can fill that vacant heart.  There is concern for others.  Only the mercy of God can help.  There are unspoken prayer requests.  Only the mercy of God knows what they are and what we need.  Most of all, there are sins that need forgiveness.  Only the mercy of God can provide the peace that comes from divine forgiveness.  The point is, the greater the need for mercy, the louder or more persistent our prayers.  Perhaps our prayer life is anemic because we do not realize our great our need for mercy truly is.  Don’t worry, we will learn this soon enough.  When we do, we are to cry loudly and persistently until the Son of God approaches!

Profound Gratitude

“Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.” (Mt 17:4 AV)

I think in Peter’s words we see a profound gratitude for the experience Peter is witnessing.  What I don’t see is an immature excitement of something new and different.  I don’t see an immature attitude of competition comparing himself against the nine that were not invited.  What I see is a man who understood the event.  I see a man who had walked with Jesus for a bit and began to understand who it was that was transfigured.  I see a man who is deeply grateful for the experience as one who does not deserve anything.  What I see in Peter is the spirit that should be in the heart of every believer.  Especially during those quiet times of prayer and Bible study.  What I see is the heart that should rest its head at night deeply grateful for the adoption to which we are called the children of God.  Circumstances change, but the presence of God does not.  What I see is a heart that is so grateful that he will never forget this moment.  I see in Peter a heart that is profoundly grateful to the point that it is understood there is nothing we can do that will equal it.

I also see a heart that understands the profound nature of the event and how it will change him.  Peter will never be the same again.  And I think he knew this.  Because of their question regarding Elijah, the three disciples truly understood that the mount of transfiguration was not a mere miracle.  It was far more than that.  They understood that they were experiencing Jesus in a vastly different way and they were the first ones.  I think they understood why it was so very important when Jesus told them that they were not to share this experience until after the resurrection.  They understood that the evidence of the deity of Christ was not to be the mount of transfiguration, but rather, that he would rise from the dead.  They understood this event was founded upon the faith of the three to believe what they were seeing.  They saw Elijah and Moses with Jesus Christ.  They knew who these two individuals were.  They had no problem with it.  In that moment, their faith grew exponentially.

I think we have lost our heart of gratitude for the relationship we have in Christ Jesus.  In particular, I think we have lost our heart of gratitude for the hand of God that brings us through experiences that grow us up.  Challenging times are growing times.  Profound times are times of maturing.  Have you ever been in a situation that you did not completely understand or felt overwhelming, but you knew it was good to be there? Fear abated.  Calm anticipation and a heightened sense of purpose ruled.  This is how our devotional and worship times should be each time we enter them.  Every time God speaks to us we should feel as Peter felt.  It is good to be here.  Every time we are thrust into a situation we cannot control and we are forced to spiritually grow, we should respond that it is good to be in such a place.  The grateful and mature Christian is hard to find.  Taking each event in stride and being grateful no matter what it might mean is where we need to be.  It is good to be called a child of God.  It is good to have Him as our Father.  It is good to be in His presence and under His hand.  It is good!

The Faithful Must Still Bless

“Bless ye the LORD, all [ye] his hosts; [ye] ministers of his, that do his pleasure. Bless the LORD, all his works in all places of his dominion: bless the LORD, O my soul.” (Ps 103:21-22 AV)

This is an interesting scripture passage because it speaks to those who are already faithful in pleasing God.  Note that the psalmist is speaking to those who are presently doing the pleasure of God.  Note also the encouragement to bless the LORD is to all His works (that which He has created) that are in His dominion (or those surrendered under His will).  The command is a peculiar one.  To bless the LORD would be a given if one is in the will of God and also doing His pleasure, right?  Wouldn’t the two go hand in hand?  Wouldn’t serving the church, witnessing to others, and being a help to the children of God necessarily bless the LORD?  The key is in knowing the definition of the word ‘bless’.  The word means to kneel in adoration.  It is an emotionally oriented word.  Other uses of the same word can mean to be happy.  Or, it could mean doing something nice for others or for God.  But here, the psalmist tells the faithful servant who is in the will of God and doing His good pleasure not to forsake the personal aspect of his relationship with God.

There is a difference waiting on tables of complete strangers and waiting on a table of people you know and are close to.  In the restaurant I managed, these situations we common.  We had a dining area and served dine-in customers.  Our cashiers were also part-time waitresses.  They didn’t wait on the table directly, but did see to our guest’s needs.  Mostly they cleared dishes, got more soda, or delivered doggy boxes.  They were very good at waiting on customers at both the counter and the dining area.  That is, until someone they knew came in.  This happened quite frequently on Friday nights during High School football season.  Having employed many teenagers, it was normal to remind our staff that there were other customers to be waited on and spending too much time with the people they knew was not ideal service.  What was the difference?  Those whom the cashiers didn’t know were served faithfully.  They did not go without their order.  They were greeted cheerfully and cashed out the same.  There was no disconnect there.  But for those whom the cashiers did know, they enjoyed something others did not.  They enjoyed the cashiers’ hearts.  There was a connection.  The first order of service was wonderful.  But it lacked a personal connection.  The second received a level of service that the first would never enjoy because of an established personal relationship.

Our psalmist is reminding us that in our faithful service and walk toward God, let us not forget the personal aspect of our relationship.  Yes, He is our Creator worthy of our faithful worship and service.  Yes, He is almighty and above all He has created.  Yes, He should be feared.  However, the psalmist is reminding us that in all of this, do not forget to fall to our knees in adoration for the person of Jehovah.  Our drawing nigh to the Father does not stop with obedience and service.  It starts there.  What God wants above all other things is for His children to love Him with all their hearts and souls as well as their bodies and minds.  In short, the writer is encouraging us to draw nigh to God with more than our lips or hands.  He is reminding us to love the LORD our God as He is.  Our patient and ever-loving Father.

Unoffended and Blessed

“And blessed is [he], whosoever shall not be offended in me.” (Mt 11:6 AV)

These are precious words of our LORD to His disciples.  They are very true words.  The sceptic in us would debate the truth stated above.  We would be less than honest if we didn’t claim to agree with Israel from time to time when they say, “Ye have said, It [is] vain to serve God: and what profit [is it] that we have kept his ordinance, and that we have walked mournfully before the LORD of hosts?” (Mal 3:14 AV)  In times of persecution or need, perhaps we thought that being a Christian was not worth it.  Especially in those early years.  Like Israel who could not go into Canaan fresh from the exodus, we became a bit offended at the cost of being a believer.  So, when Jesus says those who are not offended in Christ are blessed, there were times we didn’t feel all that blessed.  Our experiences do not determine truth.  Being a wandering Jew, I am sure that most of the time they didn’t feel blessed.  That is why they murmured.  God was maturing them into a nation.  They were blessed and didn’t even know it.

Taking this verse as truth regardless of what we perceive to be reality helps us see life in a completely different way.  It changes the way we look at events not only from the past, but while they are transpiring as well.  Going out to eat is a good test to try the truth above.  Early in my walk with Christ, I would not pray all that long or that loudly while blessing the food.  Over the years, you lose your inhibitions and do as the Spirit leads.  Interesting things happen.  You get all sorts of ugly looks.  People may even move to another table.  If your walk with God spills over into table conversation with a guest, the reactions of those around you become more dramatic.  There may be a cross word or an all-out argument with someone you don’t even know.  More times than not, there is an interested soul within earshot.  At first, you don’t notice them.  They may have their backs turned to you, and you are unaware that they are listening.  Or, it might be your server who hears your conversation.  When the meal is done and you go to pay your bill, someone who heard you, stops and asks questions.  Or you see a smile that tells you the guest was a believer, and they appreciated someone who was not ashamed to speak of spiritual matters.

Yes, the Christian life is a hard one.  The LORD never promised anything different.  The older I get, the more I appreciate the truth above.  Life has taught me that being in Christ is indeed a blessed life.  It hasn’t always been easy.  There are more difficult days ahead.  With old age comes disease.  With old age comes uncertainty.  With old age come new fears.  With old age comes loneliness.  But to say that walking with God has not been blessed would be the worst lie of all.  The key is to fight shame over one’s identity in Christ.  If we are ashamed to be called a believer, the trouble we face will still be there.  But there will be no offramp.  To have a blessed life, one must embrace his or her identity in Jesus.  To have the best life possible, the saint must welcome what it means and what it costs to be a Christian.  Jesus made a promise.  If we are not ashamed of Christ, yet do not feel blessed, then the fault lies with us.

Our Greatest Need!

“But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house.” (Mt 9:6 AV)

This is an amazing truth.  Remember, this event was rather early in His ministry.  Remember that the foundation of the ministry of Christ was not medicinal.  It was spiritual.  In particular, the foundation of the ministry of Jesus was repentance and faith toward God.  The body will perish.  Those who are redeemed will receive a perfect and eternal body.  There is no deaf, dumb, or lame saints in glory.  When Jesus healed the sick, it was only temporary.  Eventually everyone whom He made whole would die of something.  Above, we see the real power of Jesus Christ.  We see the eternal power of Christ.  We see what matters most.  We see that the Son has power to forgive all sins.  The Father has bestowed upon the Son the privilege of judicial forgiveness.  The Son will sit upon His white throne and look upon those who have trusted in His grace.  He will say one word which opens the gates of heaven – FORGIVEN!  This word is uttered on earth before it is uttered in heaven.  The day a lost soul chooses to trust in the grace of his Creator and the gift of salvation bought by the blood of the Son is the day the Son shouted from glory – FORGIVEN!

Forgiveness is a natural human desire.  It is stronger in some than others, but it is there.  It is closely associated with our need to be affirmed.  We want someone to accept us regardless of what we have done or what we are.  If we are unacceptable, we turn to other means to drown out the sorrow.  But forgiveness is what we need and what we want.  One of the saddest circumstances I have ever had to deal with was that of a dying patient who was estranged from her daughter.  She was dying from emphysema.  It is a particularly cruel way to go.  The patient is slowly dying from oxygen deprivation.  She could not breathe.  One of her last wishes was to be reunited with her estranged daughter.  Apparently, they had a falling out decades earlier.  As to the measure of fault each held, that was not a detail divulged to me.  It really didn’t matter, anyway.  In any failure of relationship, the fault is usually shared.  This dear lady was in tears.  She simply wanted a brief visit from her daughter so she could gain forgiveness for whatever part of which she was responsible.  There was no manipulation.  There was no pretense.  She simply wanted her daughter to forgive her.  The daughter would not even speak to her mother on the phone.  As far as I know, this greatly humbled lady died as an unforgiven mother.  More time was not her greatest need.  Her greatest need was her daughter’s forgiveness.

The reaction of those assembled to the miracle they had just witnessed is very telling.  There were some who were deeply offended that Jesus forgave the sins of the lame man.  They would be right to be offended if Jesus was mere man.  If Jesus is not the Lord Jesus Christ, they would be righteous to be angry.  But then there were those who rejoiced that such power was given to man.  Some suggest the power to heal was that to which Matthew we referring.  But the context lends to eternal forgiveness being the power given to man.  In particular, the power was given to Jesus Christ who came in the form of a man.  Why?  Because forgiveness, and specifically eternal forgiveness, is man’s greatest need.  I can rest my head upon my pillow is peace every single night because I know that I have been forgiven!  I can walk upon this earth with no fear of death because I know I am forgiven.  I did not earn it.  I cannot earn it.  I am no better than anyone else and must worse than most.  But this saint has trusted in the grace of God by which forgiveness comes.  He does not owe it to me.  My faith in Him does not entitle me to His grace.  Rather, my Creator took pity on me and accepted the blood of His Son as full payment of all that I have or will do and for that which I have or will fail to do.  FORGIVENESS!  My greatest need met in the person and offering of the man who came with the power to forgive.  JESUS CHRIST!

The Cornerstone of Christ's Sermons

“From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Mt 4:17 AV)

Much is preached in our pulpits today.  Everything from encouragement for the weary to advice on raising a family.  The Bible has much to say regarding our life on earth.  Yet none of it matters unless there is repentance toward God and faith in Jesus Christ.  What makes this statement so powerful is the location of its appearance.  Matthew felt it necessary to inform us that Jesus made a priority of repentance and faith before He preached the Sermon on the Mount.  The first sermon Israel heard before the Messiah was presented was on repentance.  It amazes me how much sin and repentance are neglected in our pulpits today.  People want to know advice on relationships, direction of life, or financial responsibility.  They want to know how to have a better marriage, information on prophetical events, or some tidbit that they have never heard before.  YouTube apologetics is all the rage.  Our younger generation what to debate metaphysics or what they consider the deeper things of God.  Yet no one speaks of sin and repentance.  Never before in the history of mankind have we had so much information at our fingertips.  If I hear one more argument on the Nephilim, I think I will have a come-apart!

The world looks upon the church as a discredited group of quacks because we have lost the moral credibility to preach the gospel.  Repentance is just as much for the child of God as it is the lost.  Just because we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior and LORD does not mean repentance has been completed.  Not at all! It has just begun.  As a preacher, we don’t like the response to this message.  We have had several visitors as of late, and the LORD has led me to preach heavily on sin, hell, repentance, redemption, forgiveness, and heaven.  It is amazing how soon they leave.  They come for a few weeks, then you never hear from them again.  This is not new.  This happened when Jesus preached, too.  In John chapter six, he lost hundreds of followers because he dared to preach the truth.

We would be unethical to say the least, dishonest and worthless to say the most, if we neglected the ministry of repentance and faith.  Before Jesus taught of comfort; before He healed a crippled body; before He fed a hungry crowd; He preached repentance and faith toward God.  The Son of God made it is top priority to reveal the fallen and wicked nature of mankind to a planet that didn’t want to hear about it.  The Son of God could have drawn a crowd and kept that same crowd if He fed them, healed them, encouraged them, and never spoke of their wickedness.  Yet it is the sin issue that is our greatest problem.  Our bodies will fail.  We will spend an eternity somewhere.  God created us to know Him and love Him forever.  This is impossible unless there is repentance from sin, which so deeply offends Him.  The truth of repentance from sin and faith toward God as the cornerstone of Christ’s ministry cannot be lost.  The Sermon on the Mount was a great sermon.  Much encouragement and instruction.  The LORD’s prayer is a great prayer to study.  But unless there is repentance from sin and faith toward God, all of it matters not.  Repentance from sin and faith toward God are the beginning.  It is the cornerstone upon which all other truths rest.

Delight to Distain - How?

“Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.” (Mal 3:1 AV)

This prophecy clearly speaks of John the Baptist and Jesus Christ.  The messenger who prepares the way is John.  For several months, he preached the coming of the Messiah.  John preached preparation through repentance manifested by baptism in the River Jordan.  He preached that Jesus Christ was the fulfillment of the promises made to Abraham and David.  Through the seed of God and mankind, God was made in the likeness of man.  When Jesus came to be baptized by John, the Holy Spirit descended upon him, and a voice from heaven was heard by all stating that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that they were to follow Him.  Jesus began His public ministry by coming to the temple and cleansing it.  Just as Malachi had foretold.  He came to die for the sins of His people, rise from the dead, and come again.  When He comes again, he will set up and reign in the kingdom that God promised to the Hebrews.  Knowing how this ended, there is a phrase that sticks out at me.  “Whom ye delight in.”   Isn’t that odd?  If they delighted in their Messiah, why did they kill Him?

It is interesting how we can delight in a forthcoming promise, then reject it once it comes.  We want the blessings of it.  We had not counted the cost in that which we delighted in.  Imagine you are from a very poor family, and it is your life’s dream to go to college, earn a professional degree, work in a very profitable career, and help your parents for the rest of their lives.  You work hard.  You study.  You graduated at the top of the class.  It seems as though your dream just might come true.  Applications go out.  You submit your thesis explaining your wish to attend that particular school.  The administration meets and agrees that you are the perfect candidate.  There is joy in your heart until you find out the cost.  It appears your dream is coming true, but the financial obligation is far beyond your reach.  You apply for different grants and loans.  A few come in, but the chasm between what is available and what you need may as well be the Grand Canyon.  You are distraught.  Your intentions were good.  You wanted to help those who raised you.  You wept.  You prayed.  You asked the LORD to do something for you that you could not do for yourself.  He assured you that He would answer your prayer.  The last quarter of the last semester loomed large.  No answer.  Would He supply your need?  When the commitment letter came and you had to sign on the dotted line, there was still that very large sum that seemed like mount Everest.  God has not answered.  Will He?  Then, out of the blue, one of your old bosses heard of your dilemma and promised to cover the cost of your entire education.  Finally, your delight had come!

The freshman year started out rough.  What came easy in High School was super hard in college.  You found yourself falling further down the academic ranking.  What seemed like a delight was not a burden.  With the dream comes hard work.  With delight comes responsibility.  There comes a time when you must choose to see it all the way through or drop out.  Dropping out would be an insult to the one who paid your way.  What would you do?  That is exactly what Israel did with Jesus Christ and I am afraid many church saints as well.  We want the blessings of being saved.  We what God to be our benevolent Father.  We what heaven instead of hell.  But when the responsibility of the arrangement comes due, then all of a sudden what once was a delight becomes a burden.  Israel rejected Jesus because it meant rejecting Rome and living holy.  Accepting their Messiah meant short-term hardship for long-term bliss.  It is amazing that we reject what is best for us because of the responsibility of possessing it.

Holiness For All

“In that day shall there be upon the bells of the horses, HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD; and the pots in the LORD’S house shall be like the bowls before the altar. Yea, every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be holiness unto the LORD of hosts: and all they that sacrifice shall come and take of them, and seethe therein: and in that day there shall be no more the Canaanite in the house of the LORD of hosts.” (Zec 14:20-21 AV)

The pots and bowls were used for two distinct purposes.  They were also of different materials and quality.  The pots were earthenware made for seething meat over a fire.  The bowls were made of brass and used to gather blood from a sacrifice to apply to the altar.  The first was used for temporal needs and would be covered in evidence of its use.  The latter would be used for sacred purposes and ceremonially cleansed.  The first was common and used for temporal reasons.  The latter was special and used for sacred reasons.  However, when used for the purposes for which God intended, they were both holy.  Condition alone did not determine holiness.  A newly formed seething pot that sat unused was not considered holy.  A brass bowl, newly formed and polished was not considered holy.  Proper conditioning and use determined holiness.  This means holiness is not determined by one’s call or qualifications for that call.  Rather, holiness is determined by preparation for and execution of a divinely appointed purpose.

Somewhere along the timeline of Israel, they misunderstood the principle of holiness.  The seething pot, because it was a cooking vessel, was considered common and unclean.  The brass bowl, because it was used in the sacrifices of the tabernacle, we automatically considered holy.  What Israel forgot is the principle of divine decree.  No matter the vessel, as long as they were prepared and used, they were considered holy.  Somewhere along the line, the church may have forgotten the same truth.  Especially where it applies to people.  Social status, personality, abilities, public versus private ministry, or education are not determining factors to a person’s holiness.  Even though outward appearance is important, outward appearance alone does not define someone as holy.  There is a word of encouragement here for the seething pots.  Those who work for the LORD in more mundane or temporally defined ways are no less holy before the LORD than those who are serving in capacities of public attention or leadership.

Note in particular the promise given to the pots.  Notice also the distinction given to the Canaanites.  The promise to the pots of seething (the Canaanites) that their ministry will touch the lives of everyone who comes to worship.  The same is not given to the bowls.  The common and earthen vessels are met with those who need that which is contained within.  The bowls have become obsolete by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.  The pots of seething are never outdated.  People will need nourishment.  It reminds me of Paul’s comparison of the human body to the church.  The more needful parts are the more comely parts.  The big toe or thumb is needed more than the head or heart.  The Canaanite, or the Gentile, was forbidden from tabernacle service.  Only the Levitical priesthood could do service at the temple or tabernacle.  When Jesus comes, then all will be able to serve.  There is no distinction.  “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Ga 3:28 AV)   As long as we are in the center of God’s will striving after Christlikeness and purpose, then we are considered holy.  Praise be to God.

God's Delight - Our Failures

“My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction: For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son [in whom] he delighteth.” (Pr 3:11-12 AV)

This morning, I prayed and asked the LORD for some words of encouragement.  I wondered why every day has to be filled with correction.  Not that I don’t deserve it.  Probably far more than most.  This is before I knew what it was that I was going to read.  We started out in Zechariah chapters 10-12.  Chapters 10 and 11 regard the shepherds who lead the people astray or, at the very least, simply do not care about the people.  That is when I prayed that prayer.  Psalm 92 was next.  That is a great psalm.  It is filled with encouragement and praise.  I thought the LORD had answered my prayer.  Then we closed out with Proverbs chapter three.  And this is what I read.  Those who think the LORD has no sense of humor have not walked with Him very long or deeply.  So, here I sit with a chuckle in my chest and knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Father loves me!

There is one word here that often gets overlooked: delighteth.   It means, “to be pleased with, be favourable to, accept favourably”.  Now, note here in particular the tense of God’s delight.  It is not after the chastening or correction.  Rather, it is before the correction.  The delight of the LORD is present prior to correction being administered.  What an encouragement!  We know we displease the LORD when we sin, recoil in fear, or fail to live up to His expectations of us.  Our earthly fathers would definitely not be delighted in us.  They would be angry.  They would be displeased.  They might even be embarrassed.  Not God!  Not our heavenly Father!  Regardless of what I have done or failed to do, He is pleased, favourable, and accepts me.  It is my actions, or failure to act, that cause His displeasure.  It is important that we remember this.  If we do not, we will misunderstand our relationship with the LORD and see Him as a permanently angry God whom we can never please.

If we grow weary of correction from God, then we do not understand the nature of our relationship.  Remember also that His pleasure and favour are predicated on foreknowledge as well.  He knows before we do how we will respond to His hand.  He knows exactly what buttons to push that will get us where He wants us to be.  He is a confident Father who knows regardless of our immediate reaction to His hand that we will be transformed into the image of His dear Son and that nothing or no one can stay His hand.  What do you know?  He did give a great word of encouragement this morning.  You and I are children of God.  He is a Father who delights in His children because He knows what we will become far better than we ever will.  He rejoices not in what is, but what will be.  His favour is not completely based on our present condition, but rather, on what He knows we will be.  His delight, then, is manifested in part by correction.  Using the word ‘molding’ perhaps helps us to understand the hand of God a little differently.  Correction is not solely an act of justice.  Rather, correction from a father has shaping and mentoring as the motive.  That is delight!  Praise God that He delights in us!