Faithless Falling

“He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.” (Ro 4:20-21 AV)

One might think this not a totally accurate statement.  After all, Abraham did father a child through Hagar.  Yet, one must remember that was a result of Sarah’s unbelief.  Not Abraham’s.  I believe that to which Paul is referring is the offering of Isaac in conflict with the promises God made to Abraham.  The word ‘…staggered…’ is of particular interest to me this morning.

In our earlier marriage, Lisa and I lived in the northeast.  Where the snow blows five months out of the year and walking on an icy surface was a regular challenge.  Having grown up ice skating, walking on ice was no real concern of mine.  However, to Lisa, just looking at a patch of ice would see her falling to her backside.  It was truly pitiful.  The first time it happened was understandable.  The second time, not all that much stranger.  After the second time, I gave her lessons on how to walk on the ice without falling.  It didn’t matter much.  Visiting her parents was particularly treacherous.  Their driveway is on a hill.  Getting into the car meant walking slightly downhill.  I even gave her lessons on how to approach the car and walk safely on an icy surface.  That didn’t matter much.  I then had to hold her up while she walked to the car.  Still, her feet were not settled on the ice.  Her problem was failure was predestined.  She had no faith in what I taught her even though I have slipped on ice only once in my life.  Because I took for granted the safety of a situation, I injured myself slipping on a ramp of accumulated hail.  The point is, if Lisa doesn’t believe it is possible to get to the car without falling, she will fall every time.

Being fully persuaded is the basis of walking by faith.  There may be some unanswered questions.  There may be some obscured line of sight.  There may be some dark places along the way.  But one must be fully persuaded.

Compassion Which Conquers Our Troubles

“And it came to pass, that the father of Publius lay sick of a fever and of a bloody flux: to whom Paul entered in, and prayed, and laid his hands on him, and healed him.” (Ac 28:8 AV)

It is quite impressive that even in the midst of affliction, Paul had enough faith to minister to the needs of others.  He was on his way to Rome to stand before Caesar for his life.  They had just been shipwrecked.  Even after the experts ignored the man of God and almost killed everyone.  He had every right to be pre-occupied with his own troubles.  Yet, there was someone in need of a touch from Jesus.  This takes a great amount of maturity and sacrifice.  This takes a great amount of love.   To care for another especially when their need is not a serious as one’s own is the true meaning of Christlikeness.

Internists are required to go through a time of extreme testing.   They may be asked to work 24 to 36 hours straight.  Allowed to take a nap or two they are back at it with every new patient.  Wondering why the exhaustive training is necessary, I often thought it might be more prudent to simply hire more help.  But the nature of traumatic healthcare cannot be eased with more providers.  The point of pulling such long hours is to train the perspective trauma specialist the nature of medicine might require deep self-sacrifice.  A plague or severe accident involving many victims would require doctors and nurses so save lives when they are extremely exhausted.  Getting called into surgery in the middle of the night with only a few hours sleep will happen from time to time.  One cannot think of one’s own needs first.  The nature of medicine will not allow it.

Serving in the ministry has its ups and downs.  No one other than men of your calling will ever understand the sacrifices you make or the troubles your asked to endure.  No one.  Whether we like it or not, we are asked to experience things that no other calling in life is asked to do.  Paul is an example equal to no other than the LORD Jesus Himself!  May we always be more concerned about the needs of others than we are the deep waters of which we are required to cross.

He Just Doesn't Get It

“Then answered Simon, and said, Pray ye to the Lord for me, that none of these things which ye have spoken come upon me.” (Ac 8:24 AV)

It really bothers me that Simon doesn’t get it!  There has always been debate on whether Simon accepted Christ earlier in the chapter or if he never did.  I am of the ilk that he never truly repented and trusted Christ by faith.  He believed.  But belief isn’t faith.  Belief is something you have.  Faith is something you do.  All Simon can see is the intercessory work.  He sees himself as being a positive force in the lives of the people through his sorcery.  They leave him for Christ, so he believes also.  Now, he wishes to continue his influence with Apostolic power.  He believes it is something that can be bought.  He came so close.  But he never really got it.  What I think he missed was grace.   He had done for others and not he wants to do for others again.  What he cannot accept is being done unto.

He is trapped because he is works based.  He cannot see it.  Now, he wants Peter to pray for him that eternal damnation does not come as if the prayers of Peter can save him.  They cannot.  The simplicity of faith is beyond his ability to fully comprehend.  It really bothers me that he cannot get this. 

We struggle with the will of God all the time.  We just don’t get the simplicity of it.  Simon appears to me like the squirrel in Over The Fence.  Running around going each and every which way but the way he should go.  Scurrying about trying to find some other way than God’s way.  Simon doesn’t get it because he doesn’t want to get it.  To Simon, it is all about Simon.  But Salvation and God’s will are all about Christ!  That is what Simon is missing.  Our generation is the ‘me’ generation.  Life is defined within the experiences and effects things have on us. Our world view is very centric.  We miss God’s will because life is all about us.  We cannot see the bigger picture.  We just don’t get it!

Boldness from Adversity

“And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word, By stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus. And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.” (Ac 4:29-31 AV)

The reaction God’s people had to the threatenings against Peter is the right reaction.  Putting myself in their place, as Peter described the actions and words of the rulers, I might have been inclined to retreat and regroup.  But what I think motivated these saints was how Peter and the others reported the facts.  If they did so with a spirit of defeat, then the church would have coward.   However, if Peter stayed true to his personality, he reported the actions and words of the rulers as a privilege to suffer for the LORD Jesus Christ.

As God’s people, we are way to easily discouraged.  We get one polite rejection and we are ready to quit.  We knock on a few hundred doors are with no results and are ready to retreat.  We get so used to retreating that we don’t even recognize and opportunity when we see on.  The other day I was treating some church members to lunch and the manager was over friendly.  On my way out the door he wished me well and hoped I would come back.  It wasn’t a statement in passing.  He actually raised the level of his voice to share that with me.  Rather than turn around and give him a tract, I was headed out the door because I had another place I needed to be.  I was expecting a phone call that was certain to come within the next few minutes or seconds.  We miss opportunities because we are used to giving up too quickly!

What we need to pray is the LORD to turn our road-blocks into boldness.  Rather than get discouraged from sharing, we need to get more bold.  Only the Holy Spirit of God can do that for us.  We need to!  By the way, it is far more fun

Why The Turn?

“Then came Jesus forth, wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe. And [Pilate] saith unto them, Behold the man! When the chief priests therefore and officers saw him, they cried out, saying, Crucify [him], crucify [him]. Pilate saith unto them, Take ye him, and crucify [him]: for I find no fault in him.” (Joh 19:5-6 AV)

It has always astounded me that a week earlier, the Jewish people were laying their coats in the streets of Jerusalem hailing Christ as their promised Messiah and now they want Him dead!  What happened within less than seven days that caused the people to want Him dead?  It wasn’t enough they turned on Him and followed Him no longer.  Now, they wanted the Roman government to mercilessly torture and kill Him!  What happened?  Why were the people so fickle in their faith?  Why did the mob rise to a level of violence in such a short period of time?  Was it because they had become disillusioned?

Just one week earlier, the people came to the conclusion that Jesus was the Messiah.  They hailed Him as the son of David.  This was significant.  They were ready to crown Him king of Israel.  However, what they witnessed was anything but as political ruler ready to avenge the nation of Israel on their Gentile enemies.  Rather than a conquering king, they saw a man whipped and beaten. Rather than a warrior, they saw a servant.  Rather than a provider for all of God’s people, they saw a man stripped of all His worldly possessions standing before all the people mocked and scourged.  They wanted a King.  What they saw was a victim.

Saints and prospects place on God expectations which they have no business placing.  God is not required to meet all our demands in order for us to follow Him!  We follow Him because of who He is.  NOT WHAT HE CAN DO FOR US!  Peter knows full well that trouble and trials are the way of life.  Paul testified that problems would be the nature of the believer’s life.  A cleansing and trusting life.  Not a life of roses.  Not a life of untold blessings.  I dated this young lady once who was going towards the road of salvation.  Shouldn’t have been dating her, but that is for another blog.  Anyway, she was getting close.  They her seven-year-old niece passed away.  She judged God as cruel and unfair.  She never did accept Christ.  When we place on God the expectations that He will solve everything and life will be heaven on earth, we will quickly become disillusioned with what being a Christian means.  Have you turned on God?

He Prayed For Me, Too

“Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;” (Joh 17:20 AV)

When Jesus prayed for the twelve, He was also praying for me!  Imagine that!  With Him, it wasn’t some arbitrary person, either.  It was an individual whom He knew would come to Him almost 2,000 years later.  Imagine that!  When the LORD Jesus Christ prayed for His little band of believers whom He intimately knew, He was also praying for each and every individual whom He knew would eventually repent and believe.  Not merely as a group of hypothetical people.  But real people.  Jesus is God!  He knew before the world began who would repent and who would not.   He knew before He set the whole plan in motion who would come to Him and who would not.  Therefore, when He is praying for those who would come to Himself by the propagating of the word, He knew exactly who He was praying for!

Meditating upon this truth should be significantly humbling.  To think that two thirds of the Godhead is constantly making intercession for me is beyond my ability to really comprehend.  Especially when one considers how much I have offended my heavenly Father by my wickedness and sin!  I remember years ago when one of my siblings deeply offended and disrespected our parents.  Your loyalty goes to the parents.  At least it did for the rest of my siblings and me.  We were greatly moved with anger that this disrespect happened that we, for a time, refused to have anything to do with this sibling.  Over time, forgiveness by all and reconciliation with all came to pass.  But it brings to mind what might have been.  Perhaps if we had been more of intercessors for our erring sibling, one wonders if reconciliation would have happened sooner than later.  We wouldn’t have taken anyone’s side.  My parents were right to be offended.  Yet, reconciliation is still a beautiful thing.  Like David and Absalom, David was in the right and need not humble himself at all.  It was all on Absalom.  But an intermediary in the person of Joab was needed.

This is what Jesus does for us!  He prays for us!  Just when we start to think our prayers are ineffective, we can count on the LORD Jesus Christ to speak to our Father on our behalf.  He cannot turn down His own Son!  Praise be to God!

More Than Just a Tag Phrase

“And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” (Joh 14:13 AV)

How many time do we pray and add the phrase, “in Jesus’ name” as a mere tag that had to be included like a password for an email account?  We add that because Jesus clearly teaches that we must pray in his name or our prayers are not heard.  That phrase, however, is not a tag line at the end of our prayer making it official.  There is actually a purpose for it being there.  Yes, the LORD will not answer prayer unless we pray in Jesus’ name.  There is another significant purpose for adding this at the end of the prayer which is far greater than gaining the answer which we seek.  We add the phrase “in Jesus’ name’ so that the Father is glorified in the Son.

The key to this verse is the definition of the phrase “that will I do.”  This phrase means to cause.  Not to accomplish.  We are to pray to the Father.  However, when we pray in the name of Jesus we are including the active participation of Christ in our prayer.  In other words, when we ask in the name of Jesus, we are not giving someone a phrase that gets us into the throne of God.  What we are really doing is inviting the LORD Jesus Christ to be our active intercessor the cause the outcome of the prayer by the active asking with and on our part!  What an awesome thought!

I have several older brothers.  I am sure there were times when I desired something from my dad which I knew would get shot down just because of my age or lack of experience.  It was in those times I might ask my oldest brother to come with me as I ask for that which I desired.  He would some with me and testify that it was a reasonable request and that he would either take responsibility or that he had done due diligence investigating my worthiness of that for which I was petitioning.  It was the pleas of my older brother that granted the request.

When we are praying is Jesus’ name, what we are actually doing is as the word of God describes.  Heb 7:25 “Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.”  GLORY!