Reproof is Necessary

“But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof:” (Pr 1:25 AV)

This is wisdom speaking.  Wisdom is personified in the book of Proverbs and given a voice in which to address mankind.  In chapter one, the foundation is laid for the whole book.  Wisdom is necessary for mankind to enjoy the existence God always intended.  There are consequences for poor wisdom and blessings for applying wisdom.  In the first chapter, there is a rebuke from wisdom to mankind.  She correctly states the nature of man in relation to wisdom.  Man does not want her.  The reason is stated above.  Man, in his pride, does not want wisdom because wisdom necessarily requires correction.  Error must be exposed so that wisdom becomes obvious.  This means for man to accept wisdom, he must allow wisdom to examine him and the choices before him, showing the foolishness of the choice he really wants to make as opposed to the one that he should make.  Reproof is not rebuke.  Reproof is merely exposing error without judgment of character or intent.  Reproof simply says, “that is wrong and this is right.”  No judgment here.  Yet, man cannot take criticism no matter how graciously it is delivered.  So, we go on in our foolishness and suffer the consequences.  To grow in wisdom takes humility and honesty.  Both enable reproof.

My career in High School sports was very short-lived.  I tried out for the freshman basketball squad and made the cut.  We met after school every day.  One of the exercises we did was shin-splints.  Others call these exercises suicide drills.  There are different names for it.  Basically, we ran to the quarter court line and back to the backline.  Then turned and ran to the half-court line and back.  Then to the three-quarter line and back.  Finally, the to opposite line and back.  All that was good and fine, but the coach gave us a pre-determined amount of time to complete this drill.  We ran it as a team.  If any team member did not complete the drill in the set amount of time, the entire team did the drill over again.  Needless to say, the entire team never did make it back in the allotted time.  So we ran and ran and ran.  Each time, there was always someone lagging behind.  It only stopped when the coach could tell we were getting fatigued.  I finally quit the team because of something that happened which I could not help.  We had the ‘smoker’ on our team.  That was the cool kid (or at least he was in his own eyes) who smoked, grew his hair really long, and was academically lazy.  He was also the class tough guy.  The coach would not allow us to laugh about anything.  Not a thing.  If we bumped our knee and we were laughing out of pain, up and to the suicide line we went.  Anyway, this ‘cool’ dude was ahead of me on the lay-up drill and he was trotting to the basket, he tripped over his own size fourteen shoe just as he was launching the shot.  This caused to ball to sail onto the stage that was about fifty feet behind the basket.  Seeing how cool he wanted to be and the wipe-out he just had, I chuckled.  That was the end of my basketball career.  I digress.  Back to the suicides.  I never understood why the coach would wear us down like that until just recently, I was watching a program and a former basketball player was advising a young man as he shot baskets.  He explained that if he did suicides before he shot, it would simulate a real game.  It would train this player to play fatigued.  Well, that’s all the coach needed to do was explain to us the insanity of suicides.  I didn’t like the reproof so I left.

I know the LORD has dealt with me over this principle before.  I may have even used the same example.  Why?  Because it is our nature.  We have to battle pride every day of our lives.  We stand in our own way and because we do, we do not take reproof well.  Wisdom does not restrain herself to those who desire her riches.  I the soul genuinely wants wisdom and will take the time to listen, she will share.  All he has to do is to approach wisdom with a humble and willing heart.  Wisdom is correct here.  We do not, by nature, desire all that she has to offer.  We are too stubborn.  We are too prideful.  We are too independent.  We want to learn things the hard way.  We don’t want to admit our limits and faults.  We strive to overcome them by our won efforts or intelligence.  Wisdom sits on the sideline, waiting for those humble enough to see their need to call out for her.  She is ready to disseminate.

When Ignorance is Bliss

“The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.” (Joh 3:8 AV)

Living by faith necessitates accepting things as true without being able to figure them out.  Jesus is speaking to Nicodemus regarding the new birth.  Salvation requires a new birth.  We were born in the image and practice of Adam’s sin.  Our physical birth is wrought in sin.  This will not do.  We cannot inherit eternal life in our natural state.  There must be a change.  The new birth is a second birth.  It is the birth of the spirit and soul.  The Spirit regenerates our soul and spirit that we might be a new creature made in the image of Jesus Christ.  This new man we have become is capable of inheriting eternal life.  The actual means by which this happens is impossible to understand.  Jesus is referring to the ministry of the Holy Spirit in the operation of the new birth.  We may know the truth of regeneration, but to understand exactly how the Spirit accomplishes it is beyond natural man’s ability to understand.  This is where faith comes in. Faith, in order to be faith, cannot stand completely on reason.  Reason has much to do with faith.  Faith without reason is often misguided.  Faith requires reason.  But reason alone cannot be the sole foundation of faith simply because there are things beyond our ability to reason that is nonetheless true.  Faith takes over where reason cannot go.

The wonder of walking with God is we cannot know everything.  This is not a frustration.  It is actually a pleasure.  Have you ever gone to a museum, zoo, or garden with someone who knows way too much?  We have the Borneor Botanical Gardens here in Milwaukee.  They are not as big as the one in Chicago, but impressive nonetheless.  My wife and I have been twice.  Around the holidays, they have a light show.  There are hundreds of ornamental lights of different shapes and subject matter.  Going at night, it is something to behold.  This is something to just soak in.  One of those times, we were near a group with someone who knew every fact a human being could know of every display along the route.  Who fashioned the sculpture.  Why it was in the shape of its appearance.  The number of lights that were in the sculpture.  The hours it took to create.  The year it was added and under what circumstances it was added.  This person even gave a review of the next sculpture before they got to it.  All that information and preview ruined the experience for us.  We had to hustle around them to enjoy the display.  When this individual shared way too much information, he removed the unique experience most of us could have if we didn’t know.  We were not there for a history or science lesson.  We were there to see amazing works of light art and the ambiance it created.

Now, the LORD does not want us to stay purposely ignorant of things that we can know.  We are told to study to show ourselves approved unto God.  We are instructed to read the Word daily.  Take notes.  Write a journal.  Look up words.  Compare verses.  We are not told to avoid truth revealed in the word of God so we can experience the wonder of God more deeply.  In fact, ignorance can lead to a misunderstanding of God.  There is a balance between studying the word of God and limiting the expectation of what we can know.  God is infinite in all His attributes.  Therefore, we can never know God completely and fully.  The way He does things is past finding out.  So, we can read about it and not have to obsess over it.  The is an element of ignorance that makes our walk with God all that more wonderful.  The fact He cannot be understood is not a bad thing.  If He could be, we would be more equal to God than we actually are.  Seminaries do a disservice to their students when they lead them to believe if we can think it, we can figure it out.  Not so.  There is partial knowledge in verse five.  We can feel the wind and hear the wind.  We may even be able to pattern the winds.  But when it comes to a very local application, we may not be able to tell from where it comes.  Note the paper plate that blows off the picnic table or the kite that once flew, but comes crashing down.  We may think we can figure it all out, but we cannot.  And that is a good thing.  It is the awesomeness of God that gives us the faith to endure things we cannot control.  Ignorance can indeed be bliss.

Remember The Scars

“If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things which concern mine infirmities.” (2Co 11:30 AV)

Paul is speaking of the qualifications for, and evidence of, his Apostleship.  He does not want to glory.  Or, he does not want to list his qualifications and evidence.  In his true humility, he does not want to speak well of himself.  However, he cannot allow his ministry to suffer undue criticism.  Paul would be used by the Holy Spirit to write the majority of the New Testament.  If his apostleship is cast into doubt, so too would the majority of the New Testament.  Therefore even though he didn’t want to defend his office, he had to.  Yet, it is what he chose to use which tells us of his character.  What preceded this statement is a rather extensive list of things that Paul went through in the service of the Savior.  The infirmities are not sins of faults.  They are the virtual laundry list of all that Paul endured for the sake of Christ and His people.  His defense isn’t in his education, pedigree, or lineage.  His defense is in the blood, sweat, and tears that went into his ministry.  In other words, his qualifications were his faith and his heart.  Of these two, there could be no dispute.

I was sitting in my recliner the other day having a nice conversation with my love.  As we were talking about something, my eyes caught some of the scars I have on my hands.  We were talking about our memories of how those scars came to be.  She has a few.  My hands have many.  There are the scars we have from surgeries.  I have three from shoulder surgery.  She has had gallbladder surgery and three c-sections.  Then there are those in other parts of our earthly house.  I have one on my knee.  I cannot recall how that one came to pass.  I have one on my arm which was a scar from surgery to remove a benign cyst.  Then there are many on my hands.  Some I remember.  There is a deep stain on my right thumb from when I jammed a pencil into it.  That had to be fifty or so years ago and it is still there.  There is the one between my thumb and forefinger where a sculpting tool was jammed in and a doctor had to surgically remove it and added a few stitches.  I have a good-sized on the first finger of my left hand from a slip of the knife while skinning a deer.  I have about six or so on the tops of my hands from where I cannot remember.  Working with my hands in a pizzeria and a factory, they could have come from any number of possibilities.  My finger on my right hand was broken while playing volleyball, and it is a little malformed.  All these scars are a history of what I have done.  They are the manifestation of what my life has been all about.  They testify not of what I have accomplished, but rather, the dedication possessed at the time of accomplishment (or failure).  The scars are the evidence that supports the claim.  Scars are an indication of commitment, and not necessarily accomplishment.

This is Paul’s point.  We can look at all that we have done, or failed to do, and become discouraged.  We can bring into question the value of our service or what others may have thought of it.  But no one can remove the scars.  These pieces of evidence are indisputable proof of someone who has tried as hard as he could.  Scars may be an indication of success.  Perhaps not.  But that is lasting proof of intensity and intent.  A skier with a broken leg will never be criticized for lack of commitment.  A boxer with two black eyes may be criticized for failing to duck and dodge.  But his heart is never in doubt.  So, when the devil tries to tell you your life doesn’t amount to much, time to do an examination.  It is time to make a list of all those things God has brought you through and remember God did accomplish something by all those scars.  Perhaps it is discernable.  Maybe it is not.  But the scars remain.  They are still there.  They are a reminder our lives meant something to someone, but especially to God.  Never let the Devil convince you your life had no point.  There are scars on the heart, in the mind, and maybe on the body that tells a different story.  That record can never be undone no matter how much Satan wants to undo it.

He Is The Son Of God

 “And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God.” (Joh 1:34 AV)

 These words were spoken by John the Baptist as the Dove of heaven descended upon the LORD Jesus Christ.  As the Holy Spirit rested upon the Son of God, the Father spoke confirming who Jesus was.  John has known of Jesus his whole life.  Although they did not grow up together, they must have known of one another.  As close as Mary and Elizabeth were and the event of miracle conception.  Elizabeth conceived in her old age and Mary conceived by the Holy Spirit.  Mary visits Elizabeth as she came to term to help her aunt.  When she arrives, John leaps in the womb at the coming of his cousin and the Messiah of Israel, Jesus.  No doubt, these two would not have been strangers.  Perhaps meeting at the different feasts wherein all of Israel gathered, these cousins would not have been strangers.  When Jesus comes to John to be baptized of him, they would not have been foreign to one another.  What John saw was not who Jesus was, but what Jesus was.  John’s life was transformed because it was in the river Jordan where he finally saw with the mind and heart that his cousin was indeed the Savior of the world.  His knowledge went from a passing knowledge of a carnal nature to a spiritual one springing up into eternal life.

I was raised all my life to know who Jesus was.  He was the son of God.  He came to earth as a baby and grew into a man.  He did many miracles.  He helped a lot of people.  Then the Pharisees got upset with him and delivered him over to be killed on a cross.  After three days, he rose from the grave and now sits in heaven.  I knew all these things without really knowing Him.  I knew who and what Jesus Christ was in a factual way.  What I knew in a factual way had no effect because I didn’t know Him in a spiritual way.  Faith was not mixed with fact.  The existence and record of Jesus are hard to escape.  The Bible isn’t the only record of the life, death, and resurrection of Christ.  First-century historians testify as to the factual accuracy of the Biblical record.  To deny that Jesus came to earth, died, was buried, and rose again is to deny more than the Bible.  It is to deny the common record.  However, assenting to facts doesn’t do anything but make us correct concerning those facts.  What we know in the head must arrive in the heart.  Faith must mix with fact in order for the life of Christ to mean anything to the individual.  What we know to be true must meet faith that depends upon what we know to be true for the salvation of our souls.  It wasn’t until a few weeks shy of my eighteenth birthday that Christ finally became personal to me.  I knew of Him in all my adolescent years.  I celebrated Christmas and Easter.  I assented to the facts.  But it wasn’t until a lovely spring day almost forty years ago what I knew to be fact became a real person to me.  I saw that Jesus was indeed the Son of God and the Savior of my soul.

John knew who Jesus was supposed to be.  He knew who he was.  He was the forerunner spoken of by Isaiah the prophet.  He knew he would meet the Messiah, eventually.  He knew the Messiah would be revealed within his lifetime.  All those years, he knew by word of mouth, who Jesus might be.  No doubt, because his parents told him who he was and what role he would play for Israel, he must have also been told who his cousin was.  Perhaps he knew all along who Jesus was, but it wasn’t until His baptism that he really knew.  And this is our point:  once he knew, he had to tell everyone.  This should be the life of every saint.  Once the Son of God arises in our hearts and it is evident He is what He says He is, then we shouldn’t remain silent.  We need to bear record.  John was the voice of one crying in the wilderness.  He was the one anointed to preach the coming of the Messiah and declare to all the world once He was known.  If Jesus is known to the heart of the saint, then he or she must bear record as well.  This is what we must do.

The Principle of Sowing and Reaping

“But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.” (2Co 9:6 AV)

Not a difficult passage to understand.  Specifically speaking, Paul is talking about financial gifts to the cause of the kingdom.  He is speaking to a church that does not have a whole lot.  The principle is the same no matter our status.  Those that sow abundantly will reap the same.  Those who sow sparingly will not receive all that much of a blessing.  This principle is not limited to generosity alone.  This truth applies in all areas of life.  It applies to investments.  It applies to relationships.  It applies to physical fitness or our health.  What is of most concern in this truth is the obvious nature of it, yet the lack of application which we see in our lives.  We know that in order to realize much, we must invest much.  Yet, we pass up opportunities to do just that.  Then we wonder why we suffer need.  Many problems of life could be avoided if we learned to part with little to gain much.

The obvious example here is a farmer.  The more seed he sows, the greater the crop.  Or an investment banker.  The more capital he has in the game, the greater the return.  These are obvious applications. Tithing is another.  With tithing, the return can be material blessings.  More times than not, they are spiritual blessings.  The same is true of our relationships.  The more of ourselves we invest in them, the greater the return.  I know I have written this many times, but the LORD has been so good to me to allow me to wed my very best friend.  He has also blessed us with the opportunity to spend a lot of time together.  When our family was very young, we worked opposite shifts and barely saw one another.  Those were not good years.  That is, in the sense of getting to know one another and drawing closer.  Once things calmed down and our schedules meshed, the LORD allowed us to spend quite a bit of time together.  As Lisa reduced the hours she worked, this allowed even more time.  Now, she works part-time and I work mostly from home.  Outside of about four or five hours four days a week, we are together.  There is a lot of time vested between the two of us.  I wouldn’t have it any other way.  We go almost everywhere together.  We go shopping together.  We go out to eat together.  We stay in and cook together.  We clean together.  We run errands together.  We go to appointments together.  We even sit in on one another’s appointments.  A lot of time has been vested into this relationship.  And the returns are equally wonderful.  The same was true of my sons.  We often receive compliments on our sons and how they turned out.  We are often asked how that happened.  All I can say is that through trials, the LORD allowed me to spend a lot of time with them.  We caddied together.  I coached and they played.  We spent a lot of time on the golf course, hunting, or watching sports.  Time is, and always will be the greatest asset of investment anyone can make.

All of this to prove a point.  Those who are selfish with their time, resources, and person will eventually suffer want.  Those who are generous will realize a return greater than the investment.  We live in trying times.  Resources, time, and commitment are strained.  We feel like we cannot do what we really think we should be doing except that to do otherwise means we will suffer in some way down the road.  It first takes a will.  Then it takes prioritizing.  If we want a great return, we have to sacrifice and invest.  That is how God’s economy works.

The Courage To Walk With God

“And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was.” (Ex 20:21 AV)

What made Moses so special?  What makes the men of God different from others?  Are they more holy?  Are they less apt to make mistakes?  Did they always implicitly trust God and never failed to take steps of faith?  Why did God use Moses?  Why did God use Jeremiah, Isaiah, David, or Noah?  Why was Paul so successful?  Peter, with his impulsiveness and his denial of Jesus, was still a chosen vessel for the LORD.  Why?  What did God see in Abraham as he fathered a child with Hagar?  What did God see in Solomon when he increased to him strange wives?  And what about a woman of ill repute like Rahab?  Or what of Ruth whose people were banned from the temple?  There isn’t a person whom God uses who also is without imperfections.  Some of them are rather serious.  In the sight of people, they would probably be judged as disqualified.  But not with God.  Why is it that God used Moses after he murdered another man or struck a rock rather than spoke to it?  After Moses wanted to pick God’s man rather than trusting God’s pick, God still used him.  Why?  The answer is above.

Let's consider David for a moment.  He is the only one to whom it is said that he is a man after God’s own heart.  The defining moment of David’s life for which he is most known is the slaying of Goliath.  In the slaying of Goliath, David reveals the kind of man he is.  Some would say that David is courageous.  The book of Hebrews tells us it was faith that drove David.  Others would say that his integrity and love for the glory of God is what found the five stones in the brook and made the stone land true.  All of these are manifestations of the most important quality of anyone whom God uses.  David had the inner strength to look at something that could destroy him and approach regardless of the circumstances.  I think that no matter the outcome, David would have done what David did no matter what.  It wasn’t pride that drove him.  It wasn’t arrogance that gave him the strength.  It was looking at an intimidating set of circumstances and determining he was not going to cower no matter how outmatched he was.  He was not going to allow his own shortcomings and chances of success to diminish a resolve to face what needed to be faced.  What is true of David is true of all those who walk with God.  It is not perfection that opens the door of walking with God.  It is not total surrender that determines if a man walks with God and is used of God.  This would require perfection of which we will not have until we are glorified.  What David and Moses had was the resolve to walk with God even though they had imperfections.  Even though they failed, they got up and continued on.

Moses went where no one else would go.  He went into the thick darkness with God.  He knew with all his heart that God was not out to destroy him.  He knew of the mercy and grace of God.  After so many times of doubt, fear, and failure, God was still with him.  He did not go into the thick darkness with God because he had no imperfections.  He went into the thick darkness with God in spite of them.  He did not go into the thick darkness with God because he had been perfectly transformed in the image of Christ.  He went into the thick darkness as he was.  Faults and all.  The faith that David and Moses had was faith in God’s mercy and forgiveness.  This is why David could make such egregious errors and still go on.  It is not that he took sin lightly.  He mourned over it.  He confessed it.  He accepted the consequences for it and welcomed God’s correction.  But what he and Moses did was not allow those mistakes to handicap them from knowing and serving God.  So, what makes these men different?  What makes them so special?  They learned that to walk with God requires we approach God, faults and sin and all, counting on the mercy and grace of God to overcome all they had done or failed to do.  They did not allow the adversary to convince them that the holiness of God was too overwhelming for such despicable creatures as ourselves and we will never keep company with God!  NO!  God loves sinners.  He gave His life that we might live and dwell with Him.  We just need the resolve to do so.  Get up, brush yourselves off, confess your sin, and live in the mercy and grace of God!  Have the courage to do so and you will walk with God.

Worth More Than A Gaze

“And the LORD said unto Moses, Go down, charge the people, lest they break through unto the LORD to gaze, and many of them perish.” (Ex 19:21 AV)

The people had an opportunity to ascend the mount with Moses, yet because of the presence of God on the mount, they feared and refused.  Now, the LORD is about to call Moses up to receive the law and gives Moses this charge.  The people are to keep their distance from the mount.  Both man and beast were to stay off the mountain except for Moses and Joshua.  If they were to approach beyond the set barriers, they would be killed on the spot.  The phrase used here is ‘to gaze’.   What they refused to do in worship they were denied to do for curiosity’s sake.  They were too intimidated by the glory of God to ascend the first time they were offered an opportunity.  They would not approach the glory of God for fear of His presence.  Once they were accustomed to the glory of God, they were not permitted to explore God.  They were not to treat Him as a curiosity to investigate and probe.  If He cannot be approached with fear and reverence, He should not be approached at all.

When one visits a museum, he will notice certain items, if not most, are encased or out of the reach of those who gaze upon the item.  The more valuable the item, the less direct access the patrons have to it.  Most museums have that one item that is prized above all others.  Perhaps it is a complete skeleton of a dinosaur.  Or, maybe an artifact from some ancient civilization.  One such artifact has stuck with me for over two decades.  The reason is not what one might think.  We were visiting the museum of natural history in Chicago, IL.  When the visitor enters the museum, one of the first exhibits is a huge pendulum that spans three stories.  It rotates ever so slowly showing the gravitational forces on the earth.  There is an actual model of a working mine which the visitor can descend.  This museum also houses the two lions of the film, The Ghost and The Darkness.  There is another impressive exhibit of timepieces through the centuries.  Another exhibit showcased shoes.  I remember the oriental shoes and how small they were.  All that aside, the one exhibit that struck the most interest in me was not all that elaborate.  It had no direct historical identification.  It wasn’t a possession of a world leader of millennia ago.  This piece was the oldest of all pieces in the entire museum.  Located in the ancient Egyptian exhibit, it was a piece among many others like it.  It was a small brass ornamental piece like one worn around the neck and chest.  A simple round metal ornament about the size of a softball.  Nothing spectacular about it other than the age.  It was more than 4000 years old.  Why this stuck with me all these years was this little piece had no special place among all other items.  It was the oldest artifact of the ancient world ever discovered yet it was a mere curiosity.  I remember wondering why it didn’t have a special place with extensive security to guard it against theft or abuse.  But there it was, a plain brass ornament that didn’t seem all that special and if it wasn’t for the placard which told the observer what it was, no one would have ever known how special it was.

It occurred to me that much of the respect and fear once afforded God is becoming a lost atmosphere in our worship and walk.  God is becoming too common.  He is not treated with the respect our Creator deserves.  He is not a source of entertainment.  He is not a subject to be studied.  He is not a curiosity.  He is not some interesting thing that stirs the thoughts.  He is the Creator and sustainer of all we see.  When I think of the last time a sight intimidated me, I cannot think of something recent.  There was the raw power of Niagara Falls.  There was a tornado that came within five miles of our house.  There was another tornado that started its descent over our house and touched down briefly two miles to our south.  There was a snowstorm that buried us for two weeks.  These events tend to increase our respect for similar situations.  When the sirens went off, we were a bit quicker to get to the basement.  That is, those of us who understood the power of what could happen.  Others, because they were curious, stood outside to see if they could catch a glimpse of the funnel cloud as it went by.  How we treat God tells us a lot of how much respect and fear we have for Him.  The children of Israel would not approach God when invited.  Once they got used to His glory, they treated Him as an exhibit of no particular value.  We have lost the fear we once had.  We have lost the respect that was once there.  It is time to remember who and what God is.  He is the Creator and sustainer of all things.  Above our ability to understand and beyond our scope of influence, God is God and we are not.