pastor d's thoughts

Happy Birthday To Me!

2012-01-31T08:22:00.001-05:00

Thank you, everyone, for your kind birthday greetings!

I am treating myself to a second cup of coffee and pondering the significance of my birthday.

My first thought was about the difference between how the Americans and Chinese calculate a birthday.

We Americans say, "How old are you?" We mean, "How long has it been since you were born?" The answer for me on this day is, "Fifty-Six Years."

When the Chinese think about someone's age, they are thinking about what year of life are you currently living. A newborn baby is in its first year of life. Yesterday was my last day in my 56th year of life. Today is my first day in my 57th year of life. So from that perspective, I am in my 57th year.

On the one hand, a birthday is just a day. On any given day I am one day older than I was at this point a year ago - so what's the fuss? I am only one day older than I was yesterday! Nothing has really changed, has it?

On the other hand, a birthday is like a mile marker showing you how far you have traveled down the road of life. But in the case of age we don't know how long the road will be, so the information has limited value for trip planning. It is unlikely that I will make it another 56 years - though some people have done so in the past. I might be tempted to think that I would CERTAINLY have another 20 years - or even 30 - but it is hard to say for sure.

The only sure thing is that I have lived through 56 years. Have I learned anything along the way? Certainly. Have I learned everything I should have? Certainly not!

(James 4:14) For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.

The days are fleeting. We barely get up and get started and the day is over - it's time for bed again. Our opportunities to apply ourselves to work for the glory of God are brief and we are beset with distractions. We say we will apply ourselves better tomorrow - but we are not sure we will have a tomorrow.

Questions to ask myself:
"How will you use THIS day for the glory of God?"
"To what will you apply yourself today?"
"Are you still learning, everyday?"
"Which of your goals are truly worthwhile?"
"How have you expressed your gratitude to God today?"
"How have you expressed your love to your dear ones today?"

Peace & Tranquility

2012-01-27T14:43:00.000-05:00

Do you long for peace and tranquility?

Birds singing (not too loudly.) Gentle breezes blowing (warm, but not too hot.) Sunshine (filtered through nice big trees.) Nothing urgent on your calendar. No cell phone. No traffic. No work to be completed. No sales pitches confronting you. No danger.

A hammock would be nice too - rocking gently.

Sweet peace!

Does this describe your life?

No?

Mine either!

But, I do have peace!

Jesus said, "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28–30)

In Jesus I've found rest for my soul. In spite of the fact that I could never do enough to be right with God, I have peace with God through my Lord, Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1). I can rest in the finished work of Jesus. In Him I have complete peace and safety.

What other kinds of peace do I have?

Well, "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, PEACE, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law" (Galatians 5:22–23).

As I learn to put down the works of the flesh, I find that my relationships with others are much more peaceful as the Holy Spirit guides me into these universal virtues. The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life are the source of all kinds of turmoil - especially interpersonal turmoil, but the fruit of the Spirit brings peace.

Jesus said, "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid" (John 14:27).

I have the peace of knowing that Jesus has everything under control. He knows where I am. I am under his protection. He is coming back for me. Nobody can thwart his purposes. I am safe and sound in his care.

Peace, sweet peace!

Money & The 99%

2012-01-16T20:31:00.001-05:00

I heard an "Occupy" person being interviewed on the radio this evening. He was disgusted that the Occupy organization was accepting donations of money. He thinks that they should only accept donations of food, clothes and other necessities. He said that he agrees with the saying "Money is the root of all evil."

Isn't that interesting? Here is a truly clueless young man! There are many relatively clueless people in the world, but this guy is world class in his cluelessness.

He will accept food donations, but not money. Where does he think the food came from? Doesn't he realize it has been purchased with money? Does he think that money is something that literally grows on trees? Does he think money is a category of things occurring in nature - like fruits and nuts?

He agrees that money is the root of all evil, does he? Well, that is NOT the saying. The old King James Bible says, "The LOVE of money is the root of all evil..." (1Timothy 6:10). Newer translations say, "The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil."

The Occupy folks seem to me to be just as enamored with money as the people they are protesting. It may be that 1% of the people have the vast majority of the wealth, but the occupy people (who may be only .01% of the 99%) love money just as much. Isn't one of their objectives a redistribution of the wealth away from the 1%? What is that, if not an affection for money (and the things it can buy.)

What is the basis of their claim on the money of the 1%?

It may be that some people are paid amazing amounts of money for their work. But they are working and being paid. This is not inherited wealth. If they go to work and get paid - why should someone else have a claim on their wages? What is fair about that? Do you want to get paid? Go to work and earn a paycheck - don't camp in the park and protest what other people are earning at their jobs.

Who is greedier - the person that works for a paycheck or the people who protest that the worker should share his wages with them?

Godly Sorrow

2012-01-12T09:20:00.000-05:00

(2 Corinthians 7:10 NKJV) For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.

People can be very sorry for their sin without being repentant.

They are sorry they failed.
They are sorry they disappointed people.
They are sorry they got caught.
They are sorry they feel embarrassed.
They are sorry they face the consequences.

They are seriously sorry, too. They are weeping, depressed and ashamed. Some are even self-destructive. They are "really tore up."

But it doesn't matter a snap unless it is godly sorrow that produces repentance that leads to salvation.

Godliness is proper reverence for God. If you love God it will change the way you live - not just make you feel bad about continuing to live the same old way.

Repentance is a turning away from sin and a turning toward God in obedience. Repentance is the flip side of Faith. To have faith in God is to repent of my sin against God.

Salvation is not a single narrow dimension of life. Salvation is all encompassing. We are saved from our sins. Not just the penalty for our sins, but also from the power of sin in our lives. Too many people would like to be saved from the ultimate penalty for their sin, but they don't want to give up the enjoyment of the sin in their present life. So they are not repentant - just pensive.

We are saved to be dead to sin and alive to Christ (Romans 6).

God, grant us godly sorrow that leads to repentance and salvation. Cleanse us for your own glory! Bring yourself praise through delivering us from our sins!

Week In, Week Out

2012-01-09T09:00:00.000-05:00

My morning scripture reading included the following verse:

(Matthew 6:34 NKJV) Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

I live with the delusion that there is such a thing as a routine week made up of routine days. I love the idea that I could be in a routine that operated smoothly - with every step predictable and manageable. It is a comforting thought. Maybe it is a quest.

In fact, nothing is predictable or manageable. Life is a string of surprises and overwhelming challenges.

How will I get everything accomplished?
How will I get ANYTHING accomplished?
How will I survive, much less thrive?
What is going to happen?
Should I curl up in a ball and hide under the covers? (I really like this option best!)

I try to remember...
It is not about me - live for the glory of God!
It is not by my power - live by the grace of God!

Without Christ, we can do nothing.
With God, all things are possible.

So we can go out with Gideon and face overwhelming forces.
We can go out with David and face the giants.
By God's grace we can finish the course with Paul and keep the faith.

But only with God, through God and by God's sustaining grace.
Week in and week out - it is all God's grace.

Sense of Humor

2012-01-06T20:55:00.000-05:00

How is your sense of humor?

I worry that mine is overactive. Too often I see humor in things that nobody else sees. Sometimes, even in very serious settings, I am tempted to crack a joke or giggle about something that was said. (Fortunately, I've gained in the self control department over the years.)

I think humor is related to irony and I LOVE irony. But you have to be careful about pointing out irony at the expense of the person who is being ironic. Satire and Sarcasm can be hilarious, but at whose expense?

The other day I was standing on a ladder with my head partly between two 2x4's in the ceiling while I tried to nail another cross piece in place. I banged my head on the 2x4 in front of me and jerked back so that I banged my head on the one behind me, then jerked forward to bang into the front one again! Bang, bang, bang went my head - and it hurt. It was so much like a bell clapper that I laughed out loud!

I figure it was OK to laugh at myself - but it wouldn't have been good to laugh at someone else in the same situation.

For that matter it is good to be able laugh at yourself and unhealthy when you take yourself too seriously. I notice that when people are tired or stressed, they tend to lose their sense of humor. They become touchy - easily offended. It is best to be careful not to make jokes to people who are in that mood. You might get an unexpected outburst of unhappiness all over you.

My advice? Take joy in laughing at yourself and in the many absurdities and ironies of life. But be very careful about pointing out those ironies and absurdities to people whose sense of humor might be broken.

Typewriter Thoughts

2012-01-04T15:31:00.001-05:00

I am happy to announce that I finished my project for the course I took back in October. (It remains to be seen if I get a passing grade on it - but it is done.)

Now remember that the last time I took seminary classes was back in the 1980's. Back then I didn't have a computer - not even a word processor (remember them?). When I was in seminary I had a manual typewriter that was passed down to me from my father who did his dissertation on it back in the 1960's. (Nice thing about manual typewriters - they lasted for decades!)

You might think that using a manual typewriter was a disadvantage, and to a large extent you would be right. My computer does instant spell checking and also makes suggestions about grammar. On a computer you can keep different elements of a paper in different places and then just blend them at the end. You can search a computer file and make changes to the whole paper with only one click. (Handy if you sometimes misspelled the name of one of the authors you quoted repeatedly. On a computer you can set up a format for things like footnotes or references and never have to think about it again. Besides that, the computer holds everything you write in a nice neat package - without pages flying about and getting smudged, crumpled or lost. (Not to mention that typing on a computer is much easier on your fingers than typing on a manual typewriter.)

But on the other hand... The computer makes editing almost too easy - so easy that it is hard to make any progress. When I should be typing my thoughts and moving on, I am stuck changing things back and forth - trying to get just the right wording. And that leads to editing mistakes where you leave some of the things you meant to change in the midst of the things you did change... In the old days I did my rough copy ("free writing") on a yellow pad and generally when I typed, except for errors, I had my final copy.

Being able to edit things on a computer is great. I can move whole chapters from place to place in the paper and the computer changes the page numbers automatically. Wow! But on the other hand, I miss seeing the paper start to build up in a stack on the desk - next to the typewriter. The computer tells you that you have 40 pages typed, but it isn't the same as hefting them and leafing through them. (And probably mixing them up.)

The typewriter is loud - it clacks and clanks and rings a bell when you return the carriage. (Any kids are saying, "Return the what?") The only sound from my laptop is the faint noise from hitting the keys as I type. I probably hit them harder than necessary - a carryover from the old typewriter days.

The paper is done - it was sent electronically from my computer to the computer of my professor. Think of the paper we have saved! Things move onward and forward.

Time to register for my next class!

Happy New Year?

2012-01-02T19:12:00.000-05:00

On New Year's Eve or Morning we had uninvited guests.

When I took the dog into the side yard on Sunday morning I noticed my lawnmower was over beside the shed. "How did that get there?" I wondered. When I looked at the shed I noticed the doors were swinging freely and there were pry marks on the left hand door.

Sometime between 10:00 PM and 8:00 AM someone broke into our shed. The were evidently pros. They knew just how to break this particular latch. They probably opened it faster than I could have done with the key!

Sure enough, they took nearly everything in the shed except for hand tools. They took the walk behind snowblower, the yard vacuum, two leaf blowers, three string trimmers and the grass catcher from my lawnmower. I figure they either forgot the lawnmower was beside the building and/or they were scared off suddenly. I wish they had at least left the grass catcher with it!

So - happy new year! Rotten low life crooks. What dirty dogs!

But, it is important to remember it is, after all, only stuff and it can be replaced. I was immediately reminded of Jesus' words:

(Matthew 6:19–21 NKJV) 19 ¶ “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal;
20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.
21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

The fact that thieves can steal it demonstrates that it is just the sort of thing Jesus was talking about. And while I am not thrilled to have it stolen, since it is not my real treasure I can't be thrown into despair by its loss either.

As Job said when he had lost far far more than this, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked shall I return there. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; Blessed be the name of the LORD.” (Job 1:21)

Indeed, blessed be the name of the Lord! Amen.

Goodbye 2011

2011-12-31T07:34:00.001-05:00

God has richly blessed me this year - far beyond all expectation.

This year we had three adults and two children make professions of faith.
In April, I was able to travel to China to help teach church workers there.
In June, Lola and I traveled 6,107 miles on a trip through western states
In August, Lola were enabled to buy our first house.
In October, I was privileged to take a week long class at Grace Seminary
November and December have been very busy with renovations, moving, membership classes, a new Sunday School curriculum and finishing my class project.

Praise the Lord - Great things He has done!

"The Right Thing To Do"

2011-12-27T13:34:00.000-05:00

A news article today is from the AP and datelined "Greenwood Village, Colorado." A man who was getting on a plane in Las Vegas found two envelopes full of money - $10,000.00. Ultimately, he returned it to another man who had won it gambling, but had dropped it on his way to his plane.

The man who returned the money said that he wanted to show his children that it was the "right thing to do."

Now, here's the question. Why is it the right thing to do? And how does he know it is the right thing to do?

From a Darwinian perspective, it is the WRONG thing to do! If everything is about improving your own survival and the perpetuation of your genetic heritage - you really should keep the money to feed, nourish and promote those children... Right? The honest man in this story has betrayed his own children - his own heritage.

The only way returning the money can be the right thing to do is if there is an ultimate arbiter who has a standard of right and wrong that he can apply to you. And there is no knowledge of this objective reality of right and wrong if the ultimate arbiter has somehow made it known in objective terms.

Otherwise, any rationalization will do. "Finders keepers, Losers weepers." "Easy come, easy go." "One man's loss is another man's gain." Even this quasi religious gem from Ben Franklin - "God helps those who help themselves."

I applaud the honesty of the man in the story. I hope he knows the God who makes the right thing the right thing.

Poor Christopher Hitchens

2011-12-17T19:33:00.000-05:00

I'm sure he would be disgusted to hear that I (or anyone else) feel sorry for him. But I do. Christopher Hitchens - famous atheist - author of "God Is Not Great" - and cancer victim - is dead.

And I am sorry for him.

His life was short. Only 62 years.

Worst of all, he never realized the truth - that God IS Great!

He missed out on the glory behind the wonder of this world.

And he missed out on God's promise of eternal life in the next world.

And what exactly is the point of trying to dissuade people from believing in God? What have you accomplished when you are done? How have you benefited? How have you helped?

And what if you are wrong?

Poor Christopher Hitchens!

(Psalms 14:1) The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.”

Fixed To Death

2011-11-23T12:44:00.000-05:00

This clock was in bad shape when I found it. The glass was missing from the bezel. The clock didn't run. The chimes didn't work. The hands were twisted and jammed.

So I fixed it.

I got it running. I got the chimes working. I bought replacement glass for the bezel. I put it on a shelf in my office and enjoyed hearing it chime every quarter hour.

I was delighted! This clock was a major victory!

But I wasn't satisfied. Every so often I would try to tweak something or another. I got it to keep time more accurately. I fixed the latch in the back.

But there was still something else and I thought I needed to take the works out of the case one more time. Unfortunately, when I was working to get the hour hand loose, I pulled too hard and some of the pins let loose in the mechanism. Teeth were sheared from the gears! The clock was dead for good!

NUTS!

The perils of perseveration.

Don't stand here

2011-11-23T12:31:00.000-05:00

It is raining here, but when you get gas at Murphy's they have a big roof to keep you dry.
Almost.
I was pumping gas this morning, when I was surprised by several big fat drops of water on top of my head!
I should have noticed the puddle. Evidently it is raining hard enough that some water gets inside the structure and then finds its way out there in the middle ... a few drops at a time.

Jedi Dog's Blast Shield

2011-11-23T12:30:00.000-05:00

As a Jedi, my dog practices his skills with a blast shield over his eyes.

In this picture he is trying to draw food from the breakfast table to himself.

He had remarkable success.

My Dog Is A Jedi

2011-11-18T08:15:00.000-05:00

Tiny - the Jedi Master

My dog may look like a poodle who needs a trim, but he is really a Jedi. He knows the Jedi mind trick.

Without a word, he can make me open the door to let him out - even though he was just outside thirty minutes ago.

He communicates telepathically. While I am cleaning up the breakfast dishes and talking to my wife, he is communicating directly with my brain. While I am preoccupied with other things, I find myself at the door, with my hand on the doorknob, starting to open it at his bidding. Sometimes he is out the door and off the back porch before I realize what is happening.

Occasionally, I catch myself and tell him the Jedi mind trick will not work on me. But he knows it does.

Magic

2011-11-01T10:45:00.001-04:00

We like the idea of magic. Give me three wishes. Give me a magic potion, a magic wand, a magic word.

Isn't this the appeal of many advertisements? Slice and dice your vegetables! Lose weight! Grow hair! Get rid of hair! Flatten your abs! Cook perfect omelets!

Whatever it is, it works like magic! Perfect results every time! Never needs sharpening! Takes just pennies a day! No salesperson will call! Visible results in just thirty days or your money back! Call now!

Magic is so appealing that we are all at risk of this kind of thinking. We want great results, but we don't want to do the hard work it takes. We don't want to make a real commitment. We don't want to feel any pain. We don't want to sacrifice any pleasure. We don't want to pay any significant cost.

We think there must be a pill, or a tool, or a book, or a program, or a person, or a seminar that we can purchase for just pennies a day... Somehow - somewhere - there must be a magic answer to all of my problems.

So people are searching. And they will keep searching... for something that will magically satisfy all of their problems and fulfill all of their dreams.

Sailing Through Ministry

2011-10-24T11:30:00.002-04:00

(1 Corinthians 16:9 NKJV) For a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.

On a calm day a sailboat will not give you any trouble, but it won't move forward either. You need a brisk wind to fill the sail and provide the energy to move you through the water.

But that is only part of the story.

Unless you are content to be driven in whatever direction the wind is blowing, you also need a keel and a rudder. The rudder - at the stern of the boat, allows you to turn the boat. The keel extends down into the water and creates resistance to drifting sideways. Now the energy from the wind can be harnessed to allow you to sail across or even into the wind.

Good progress in sailing requires some resistance. So does good progress in ministry. If all we do is preach happy messages to happy people we are becalmed. When the winds of adversity blow, our keel and rudder reach down deep into God's word and allow us to make good progress. Sin and heartache are turned into righteousness and hope.

Don't pray for calm. Pray for wisdom in trimming your sail and setting your course to maximize the Glory of God from your situation.

Climate Change & Modernity/Postmodernity

2011-10-07T11:51:00.000-04:00

"It's one thing when people disagree on the effectiveness of different approaches to fix a problem; it's worse when they refuse even to believe that a problem exists — despite an overwhelming scientific consensus that says it does. One of America's major political parties has, in effect, adopted denial as policy. How did we get here?" http://news.yahoo.com/why-climate-change-denial-powerful-091004995.html

The quote above is from an article by Bryan Walsh in "Time" entitled, "Why Climate-Change Denial is So Powerful." You can read if for yourself, but the gist of it is that most scientists agree that we have a climate-change problem created by human beings, but people are denying it because of the extreme propaganda blitz funded by big oil and big business.

It is fitting that Bryan Walsh and others would be stunned that anyone could disagree with SCIENCE! Science in our world is seen in the naturalism & materialism of our age as the only trustworthy arbiter of truth. Everyone should bow in worship of the "overwhelming scientific consensus."

But what Mr. Walsh is missing is that the same worldview that gives us Scientism also robs us of anything beyond our life in this world.

In the naturalistic, materialistic worldview of scientism everything is determined. There is no such thing as free will. You do what you were programmed to do. Your "decisions" are an illusion. Beyond this, (according to naturalism) there is no life beyond this one. There is no higher authority to whom we will give an account. There is no reward and no punishment. When you die - you are just gone.

Under these circumstances, why should anyone worry about the effects of their decisions on future generations? Life has no purpose. There is no morality. How can you say my actions are good or evil? Why should you get rid of your big comfortable car on the chance that it might make a difference to a future generation that might or might not exist?

Perhaps some companies did put money into propaganda about climate-change. But I don't think that is the deciding factor. (The other side does the same thing.) I think that people are living according to the worldview that scientism has pushed off on them.

Scraping By

2011-10-04T10:18:00.001-04:00

(1 Kings 17:11–14 NKJV) 11 And as she was going to get it, he called to her and said, “Please bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.”
12 ¶ So she said, “As the LORD your God lives, I do not have bread, only a handful of flour in a bin, and a little oil in a jar; and see, I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die.”
13 ¶ And Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go and do as you have said, but make me a small cake from it first, and bring it to me; and afterward make some for yourself and your son.
14 For thus says the LORD God of Israel: “The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the LORD sends rain on the earth.’ ”

Elijah lived at the widow's house. Every day they used up everything they had. Every day God supplied everything they needed for that day. But God provided just enough to meet their needs, every day.

This is the God we serve, but we often live with the illusion that WE provide for our needs and that we have stored up resources to meet our needs for years to come.

Sometimes we need a good long drought that drives us our of our complacency and lets us see the daily provision from God.

Praise God for providing our needs - every day.

Different Kinds of Prayer

2011-09-29T11:18:00.000-04:00

(1 Thessalonians 5:17 NKJV) PRAY WITHOUT CEASING!

I grew up with an uneasy awareness of the command to "Pray without ceasing." Over the years my prayer life has gone through many stages - it has grown up with me. Still, I feel uneasy about praying without ceasing. No doubt part of that is my American style rationality. I read, "pray without ceasing" and think it means pray constantly without break or interruption.

But it can't mean that we should spend all of our time, everyday, without stopping in a private place in full-fledged heart-felt and focused prayer. I know that because the Gospel accounts reveal that this was not how Jesus prayed. Jesus spent time praying that way. But at other times he prayed in other ways.

There are different kinds of prayer.

There is intense, private and extended prayer. For this kind of prayer Jesus taught that we should go to a private place.

(Matthew 6:6 NKJV) But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

In this same passage Jesus condemns those who make long prayers in public. Such people are evidently praying in public in a way that should be reserved for private. And they are praying to be heard by (and praised by) other people, rather than focusing on God.

Jesus himself spent extended times in private prayer by withdrawing to a remote place.

(Mark 1:35 NKJV) ¶ Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.
(Matthew 14:23 NKJV) And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there.

But Jesus didn't spend all of His time in this kind of prayer. He had a busy life - so much so that at times he didn't have time to eat (Mark 6:31.) But Jesus obeyed the command to "pray without ceasing" by engaging in other kinds of prayer.

Jesus prayed in public in John 11:41-42. This prayer is brief - only two sentences. He prays to point people's attention to God the Father and His involvement in the miracle Jesus is about to do.

Jesus prayed when he was serving food to people in Matthew 15:36; 26:27; Mark 8:6; Luke 2:38; 22:17, 19. We don't know much about these prayers, except that he "gave thanks."

Jesus prayed in the intimate group of the disciples. In John 17:1-26 Jesus' prayer was largely about the disciples and their continuing ministry after Jesus' crucifixion.

Jesus prayed alone when his ordeal on Calvary was imminent.

(Luke 22:41–44 NKJV) And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and prayed,
42 saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.”
43 Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him.
44 And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.

This was a time of intense and earnest prayer that reflected the difficulty of the task before him. This prayer was not completely private or solo. Jesus had urged the disciples to pray at the same time, for themselves as well as for him. I would call this parallel prayer.

(Luke 22:45–46 NKJV) When He rose up from prayer, and had come to His disciples, He found them sleeping from sorrow.
46 Then He said to them, “Why do you sleep? Rise and pray, lest you enter into temptation.”

This is not an exhaustive list. My point is that there are different kinds of prayer in our lives. The different situations we face day to day and throughout each day call for different kinds of prayer. The command to pray without ceasing means that we should respond to each situation and opportunity with the kind of prayer that is appropriate. We should be like Jesus - people who are in constant contact with God as we go through our days.

(Ephesians 6:18 NKJV) praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—

Paper Cuts

2011-09-08T08:03:00.002-04:00

Last week I was completing some mailings... writing letters, printing labels, buying envelopes & stamps. The real drudge work, though, is the assembly... folding, stuffing, labeling, stamping and sealing.

As I applied my self to this unpleasant work I thought of the curse, "May you die of a thousand paper cuts."

Wouldn't you rather be killed outright?

I think we all suffer the emotional equivalent of paper cuts everyday. Paper cuts are insignificant. They hurt, but not with overwhelming pain. We can keep on going - and accumulating more paper cuts. They don't stop us. They just irritate us. They sting. They bleed just a little, if at all. They catch on the things we handle. They make us flinch. They are unpleasant, but not overpowering.

But how many of them can you stand? There is a point where even paper cuts can drive you over the edge. Your fingers are a patchwork of bandaids and your papers are dotted with your own blood. You feel like you can't take it anymore. You just want to collapse into self-pity and nurse your poor fingers in some safe corner.

Hang in there.
Don't give up.
Don't be discouraged.
Keep up your good work.

(Galatians 6:9–10 NKJV) And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.

God is for us! And if God is for us, who can stand against us?

(Romans 8:38–39 NKJV) 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come,
39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Faith versus Gullibility

2011-08-25T09:08:00.001-04:00

(Hebrews 11:1 NKJV) Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Some people wrongly assume that faith is just another word for gullibility. For them, faith means believing in things for which there is no empirical evidence. For them, faith is accepting what you are told - hook line and sinker - no matter how bizarre or illogical. For them, faith is primitive superstition used to explain things primitive people don't understand.

But the Bible consistently links the idea of faith to knowledge.

(2 Corinthians 8:7 NKJV) But as you abound in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all diligence, and in your love for us—see that you abound in this grace also.
(2 Peter 1:5 NKJV) ¶ But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge,

Biblical faith is believing in things that cannot be proven to the satisfaction of a skeptic - but that doesn't mean there is no genuine evidence for the things that are believed.

As a child I was taught that the Bible was the inspired word of God - and I believed it. That might have been my childish gullibility. But as I got older (and more skeptical,) I grew in my experiential knowledge of the Bible, the physical world, the people in the world, etc. In my case my faith grew stronger with my increased knowledge. What I find in the Bible is consistent with what I find in the world around me. The things in the world match what the Bible says about them. The people in the world are just like the Bible describes them to be. That helps me accept by faith the statements of the Bible that I cannot test by experience.

Some people are frustrated that their ideas about things like macro-evolution cannot be proven to the satisfaction of a skeptic. But it isn't like they can do an experiment in which life springs into existence from nothing or evolves an eye on demand. They say it makes sense because there is such a thing as changes in living things through adaptation. They say is is the only truly "scientific" explanation because it doesn't include recourse to the supernatural.

But the more I know about the world and the people in the world, the more it is clear that macro-evolution doesn't fit the facts. To believe it I would have to swallow the complete LACK of evidence for complex systems developing themselves and for complex codes compiling themselves. I would need to ignore all the evidence to the contrary - the physical laws by which systems tend toward disorder and everything moves toward entropy. I would also have to believe - against all I observe in myself and others - that good and bad and right and wrong have no objective meaning. That there is no purpose or meaning in human existence. That there is no ultimate justice.

So what is faith and what is gullibility? For me, faith corresponds with the evidence that is available - even the scientific evidence.

Dr. Sam Harris: Atheist Morality - Part 4

2011-08-23T11:00:00.004-04:00

Sam Harris says that he shares the concern of religious people that "unless we have a universal moral framework... a sense that good and evil and right and wrong really mean something, then humanity will lose its way."

But what does he mean by "lose its way?" This seems to imply that there is a "best way" that could be missed. But how can that be, given Harris's naturalistic and materialistic world view?

Toward the end of the same video Harris and Dawkins chortle together over the idea that all decisions are made before the person is conscious of what they are. At that point they are affirming their belief in determinism - that there is no "ought" - only what is. According to them, while people THINK they are making real decisions, in fact it is only an accident of their biochemical existence that is traced back through the evolutionary process over millions of years.

Harris has posed the question, "Who says science has nothing to say about morality?" The answer seems obvious to everyone except Harris and Dawkins. EVERYONE says that. The secularists and atheists in the scientific community are pretty much unanimous on this point. Harris admits that himself in his little talk. The various religious communities certainly do not look to science for the answers to questions about morality.

When you look at things a bit more closely, you realize that even Harris is unable to say that there is a scientific answer to the questions of morality because his naturalistic, materialistic presuppositions push him into a mechanistic determinism that robs him of any "ought." If his world view is correct, then what exists is inevitable. What people do or don't do is predetermined by biochemical accidents.

In his world without God there is no basis for saying that anything is right or wrong - or good or bad. Someone's behavior is just the result of his evolutionary background. If Harris feels that the other person's behavior is "bad" his feeling is simply the result of HIS evolutionary background. But there is no "universal moral framework" for secular atheism.

And humanity has indeed lost its way.

On Textual Criticism

2011-08-13T09:52:00.003-04:00

People of faith don't like the term "Textual Criticism." Perhaps to them it sounds as if people are criticizing the Bible. Skeptics like the idea of textual criticism because to them it sounds as if the text of scripture is unreliably fallible.

A recent article on the internet was headlined, "In Jerusalem, scholars trace Bible's evolution."* This is an article about the textual criticism of the Old Testament text of the Hebrew Bible, from the perspective of the secular skeptic. You can almost hear the author of the article chortling over the "evolution" of the text. You can certainly recognize the author's prejudice that the text has been fundamentally altered over time and cannot be trusted.

She points out three examples of textual differences that are being explored.

From Malachi: "The verse in question, from the text we know today, makes reference to "those who swear falsely." The scholars have found that in quotes from rabbinic writings around the 5th century A.D., the phrase was longer: "those who swear falsely in my name.""
From Deuteronomy: "In another example, this one from the Book of Deuteronomy, a passage referring to commandments given by God "to you" once read "to us," a significant change in meaning."
From Jeremiah: "The Book of Jeremiah is now one-seventh longer than the one that appears in some of the 2,000-year-old manuscripts known as the Dead Sea Scrolls. Some verses, including ones containing a prophecy about the seizure and return of Temple implements by Babylonian soldiers, appear to have been added after the events happened."

It boggles her mind that the people engaged in this study are (and have been from the start) devout believers in the authority of the Biblical text - in this case Orthodox Jews. She does not see (nor do many of the "KJV Only" persuasion) how textual criticism can be reconciled with faith. "What we're doing here must be of interest for anyone interested in the Bible," said Michael Segal, the scholar who heads the project." I agree completely.

The study of textual criticism is necessary because all manuscripts before AD 1450 (the printing press) were hand written and every single copy varied slightly from every other copy. Since the Exodus was about 1450 BC, that leaves almost 3000 years of copying texts by hand.

The vast majority of the variations are going to be spelling differences. There will also be some transpositions in word order (a difference that doesn't usually affect Hebrew meaning.) But for about 98 or 99 percent of the text there will be no significant questions about the original reading.

In the 2% or so where there are doubts about the original reading - the question is not the meaning of the text, but what exact words were used to communicate that meaning. For example, "Those who swear falsely" are certainly swearing by God's name - so perhaps a scribe added the last part - or maybe left it out as redundant. But the meaning is the same, regardless. In her second example, whether the commandment was given "to you" or "to us," it was still given and you know what it is. The meaning is unchanged.

As for correcting the book of Deuteronomy by the "2,000 year old manuscripts known as the Dead Sea Scrolls," it is not as impressive as it sounds since these scrolls were produced about 600 years after the original book was written. What must be considered is that only "some" of these Scrolls include the shorter reading. Older versions (e.g., the Greek translation called the Septuagint) contain the longer reading - so where did the shorter reading come from? Were they shortened for some purpose - or were portions lost somehow?

The study of textual criticism is not something that believers need to fear. They should actually appreciate it. Our confidence in the preservation of the text is not a blind leap of faith. Our confidence in the text is solidly supported by the hard work of these devoted people who track down the original reading and root out even the minor differences that have been introduced over the years. It is abundantly clear that the original meaning of the text is well preserved. We know WHAT was said, even if 2% of the time there is debate over HOW it was said.

*http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5itVOexAUQyzm63cPPJabqJgexpHw?docId=6af926e599c0480daf772f95786ad395

As A Little Child

2011-08-10T10:10:00.005-04:00

(Mark 10:13–16 NKJV) Then they brought little children to Him, that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked those who brought them.
14 But when Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased and said to them, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God.
15 Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.”
16 And He took them up in His arms, laid His hands on them, and blessed them.

On Monday I preached at the funeral for a baby who lived just less than two months. One day she was thriving. The next day she was gone and her family was thrown into an agony of grief. It is a terribly difficult circumstance that weighs heavy on your heart and brings sympathetic tears to your eyes.

Some theologians have doubted the eternal destiny of infants who die before they can understand - much less respond to - the gospel. But I think the matter is clear in the scriptures. There is a consistent presumption that infants who die are safe with God.

The basis of this confidence is not the ability or inability of infants to believe the gospel message. The basis of this confidence is the character of God.

The God of the Bible is holy - infinitely good. Among God's attributes are justice, love, goodness and truth which He has in infinite perfection. He is omniscient and so is perfect in wisdom. He is omnipotent and so is perfect in freedom to act according to His character.

Abraham, concerned for the welfare of his nephew Lot, asked a rhetorical question, "Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?" (Genesis 18:25 NKJV) There is only one possible answer. It is inconceivable that the One who is the measure of all things could do anything other than what is perfectly right.

Like little children, we are completely dependent, and God is completely dependable. This is the nature of child-like faith.

We can entrust ourselves to Him. We can entrust our children to Him.

Have faith in God.

Dr. Sam Harris: Atheist Morality - Part 3

2011-07-29T12:30:00.002-04:00

Early in his lecture on morality Harris chides theists for arguing against atheism based on the utility of theism in providing a basis for morality. I could agree with that. The main point for theists should be that God exists. But Harris is in the same trap - and has perhaps misrepresented the theists' arguments.

I believe - based on what I consider to be the best evidence (and despite Harris' and Dawkins' and Hitchens' disbelief) - that God exists and has revealed Himself to mankind in general and to me in particular. I know God and have a relationship with Him. I believe there is a universal moral framework that is based on the reality of God's existence. That moral framework shows up in written revelation, in the historical life of Jesus Christ and even in Sam Harris' gut reaction against man's inhumanity to man around the world. I am not arguing for the existence of God based on morality - I am pointing out that true morality is based on the existence and character of God.

But utility is all Sam Harris has for the basis of his universal moral framework. There is no objective moral standard for Harris - everything is relative. He doesn't have an ought. He cannot say, "you OUGHT NOT to torture, murder or oppress each other." He cannot say, "you OUGHT to live in peace and harmony and love and kindness."

At best he can say, "there is greater utility in doing A instead of B." Utilitarianism holds that the guiding principle of conduct ought to be the greatest happiness or benefit of the greatest number. This is all Harris has to work with in coming to a universal moral framework and it is not a new idea.

One of the side effects of that is that Harris is inconsistent in his application of his (so called) moral standards. For example, he would support a woman's right to abort her unborn baby, but oppose a Muslim father's right to kill his daughter. These views have nothing to do with some objective reality like the inherent value of human life. (Harris is promoting the deaths of far more people than he is worried about saving.) It is simply Harris' opinion that one is right and the other is wrong.

Instead of an objective morality based on the existence and character of God, we are left with a relative morality based on the existence and character of Sam Harris. If utility is not a good basis for an argument for theism (and it is not), then it is no better as an argument for morality.

(Romans 1:28–32 NKJV) 28 ¶ And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting;
29 being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers,
30 backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
31 undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful;
32 who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.

Dr. Sam Harris: Atheist Morality - Part 2

2011-07-18T12:10:00.002-04:00

Dr. Sam Harris thinks that secularists and atheists should be able to establish a "universal moral framework" - based on consensus that "the worst possible misery for everyone is bad." This moral framework would work for the "greatest possible well being of conscious creatures."

At first blush this sounds reasonable. And that is exactly what Harris thinks it should be... a product of reason and not religion. But take a second look at this objective and see that it doesn't really have any foundation. There is no hook to hang it on. There is no fulcrum to give leverage to his rationality.

Harris is an atheist who espouses naturalism (no supernatural) and materialism (the material universe is all there is.) According to these presuppositions, everything that exists is a meaningless accident of natural laws at work. Laws of chemistry and physics governed the contraction and expansion of the materials of the universe that over the course of time resulted in the present order of things. Life is an accident of nature - not designed - without purpose or meaning.

In such an accidental, meaningless and purposeless world, nothing is bad or good - it just IS. Every event, every action, every reaction is simply the continuation of the laws of chemistry and physics as the purely material world moves through time. Gravity pulls one or another galaxy into the vortex of a black hole. The chemical reactions of one person's brain results in rape and murder. The chemical reactions in another person's brain results in healing and nurture. Life and behavior are random. Nothing is good or bad - it just is.

In that philosophical context, what is the basis for considering anything - life, death, pain, pleasure, etc. - as morally good or bad? Why would the well being of conscious creatures be good, but the suffering of conscious creatures be bad? What if the well being of some conscious creatures was improved by the suffering or destruction of other conscious creatures? What if Sam Harris decides that it is good to end the "suffering" of conscious creatures who don't share his view of the universe?

Although Harris claims he wants right and wrong to really mean something, he has no objective purpose or value in the universe on which to base that meaning. He is left with his purely subjective feelings which (according to his worldview) are accidents of nature and are in no way superior to the worst examples he cites of child rapists, radical Islamists, etc.

Home Again, Home Again

2011-07-10T21:39:00.000-04:00

We have been home again for a full week now. It was good to be back in my pulpit after three weeks away. Little by little we are catching up on the things that got away from us while we were on the road.

But we had a WONDERFUL time. God blessed us with safety and good weather over 6107 miles of traveling. We praise His name!

Sunrise Over Vishnu Temple at the Grand Canyon - June 17, 2011

Dr. Sam Harris: Atheist Morality - Part 1

2011-06-27T13:22:00.002-04:00

I recently watched a fascinating video of a Richard Dawkins production. It is a brief lecture at Oxford by Sam Harris entitled, "Who Says Science has Nothing to Say About Morality?"

Sam Harris identifies himself as a secularist and an atheist, but admits that he is troubled by the prospect of a world without "a universal moral framework." He points out that religious people have long suggested that atheism would lead to an erosion of moral standards. Dr. Harris says that he shares the concern that "unless we have a universal moral framework... a sense that good and evil and right and wrong really mean something, then humanity will lose its way."

Harris outlines his theory for atheist morality beginning with the premise that "the worst possible misery for everyone is bad." To him this seems obvious. Since that is so, he says he has a basis for morality quite apart from religion. According to Sam, the universal consensus should be that it is good to seek the "well being" of conscious creatures.

Sam focuses on the the "sadism and misogyny" of the Taliban in Afghanistan as an example of he thinks must be agreed upon as being truly bad. He describes the misery and peril of women and girls in Afghanistan. He points out that women there die at world record levels. He uses the example of a father throwing acid in his daughter's face as punishment for learning to read.

Harris mocks an unnamed woman who apparently shares his atheism/secularism but who, in discussion with him, said that the sadism and misogyny of the Taliban was not objectively evil, but only evil in Sam's opinion. Harris laments the irony that it is the religious dogmatists that agree with him about the moral evils of such things.

I empathize with Dr. Harris over the his feelings that we need a universal moral framework. But I disagree completely with his idea that any consensus of human opinion can ever be an adequate basis for any moral standard. I believe that a true moral standard is determined by its correspondence to a morally perfect Creator God.

For one thing, if moral standards depended on the consensus of human beings there would never be moral standards because there are very few things that we could reach a consensus about. A consensus is much more than a simple majority. A consensus requires general agreement. Even in the matter of Harris' example of the Afghan Taliban Sam would not be able to come up with at consensus that it was morally wrong. As he points out, his fellow secularists and atheists think it is just a matter of opinion. The billion or so Muslims in the world (14% of earth's population) might object to his views.

For another thing, even if consensus over morality were possible, we would still be left without the desired "universal moral framework... a sense that good and evil and right and wrong really mean something." This is because such a consensus could (and almost certainly would) change over time.

Besides that, the consensus would not mean anything universal. The "evildoer" in Dr. Harris' example, who throws acid into the face of his little girl might be hailed as a hero in his Afghan village - or even in the wider Muslim community - for putting his piety above his family. If this were the case, how does Dr. Harris' belief that this act is "evil" really mean anything at all?

Unless there is a personal moral being who is greater than man and who can bring man into judgment, then every man will be a law unto himself.

(Judges 17:6 NKJV) In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

Science of the Gaps

2011-06-06T08:25:00.001-04:00

In arguing that evolutionary science is empirical and creationism is not, evolutionists have often mocked what they call the "God of the Gaps." They say that when creationists come to something that they cannot explain - like what could be a reasonable precursor of the biochemical molecular machines in cells - creationists jump to the idea of divine design rather than continue to pursue a naturalistic explanation.

Of course the biochemical machines in question are more complex and elegant than any man made technology - say a cell phone or laptop computer - and they operate according to large volumes of programmed information (DNA) without which they would be meaningless structures - like a cell phone without a network. Evidently if an evolutionist found a cell phone on the sidewalk, he could imagine that it was NOT the product of design, but somehow fell into place by fortunate accidents.

I was watching a BBC program about modern cosmology. Starting with the Big Bang they outline the "Standard Model" and the ability of scientists to apply mathematics to the observed universe according to the theory that everything sprang from nothing 14 billion years ago in a huge explosion. (I won't deal here with the fact that 14 billion years - even if it were all given to biological evolution with a "positive" mutation in every generation - could not begin to be enough time for the complexity of life as it now exists.)

How fascinating! The Big Bang and the Standard Model explain everything we can observe!

Except that there is a uniformity in the universe - all the same temperature/energy all the way through and across and in every direction. That doesn't fit the theory. If there was a Big Bang then things should be as uneven as in any explosive blast.

Solution? INFLATION. The Big Bang was not so big after all, but remained relatively small for a billion years until all the energy evened out throughout it. THEN the universe suddenly inflated (at many times the speed of light) to its enormous size. How or why this should happen is completely unexplained. But it is an accepted theory because it allows science to cope with the fact that the Standard Model doesn't explain the uniformity of the energy in the universe.

Wonderful! The Big Bang and the Standard Model, plus Inflation explain everything we can observe!

Except that the galaxies we observe don't behave like the model predicts they should behave. Given the known laws of gravity the galaxies are spinning wrong. The outside elements are moving at the same speed as the inside elements. That cannot be happening. But we can see it with our own eyes.

Solution? The Theory of DARK MATTER. There must be more matter out there than we can observe. It must actually be more of the stuff of the universe than the matter we CAN observe. It must be invisible and it must be completely uninhibited by visible matter. We cannot see it. We cannot catch it. We cannot measure it. (Can you say, "Blind Faith?") But it must be out there because it balances the equations for us.

Tremendous! The Big Bang and the Standard Model, plus Inflation, plus Dark Matter explain everything we can see in the universe!

Until we discover that unlike the Standard Model predicts, the universe is both expanding and accelerating in its expansion. The Model predicts that expansion should slow - that the enormous mass of the universe should cause gravity to pull everything back together. But the acceleration of everything away from everything else means there is still some sort of energy operating on the universe that is greater than the pull of gravity!

Solution? There must also be DARK ENERGY. We cannot see it. We cannot measure it. We know not where it originates or why. But it must be out there because otherwise the equations don't work.

Fantastic! The Big Bang and the Standard Model, plus Inflation, plus Dark Matter, plus Dark Energy explain everything we can see in the universe!

But wait! There are places in the universe where the objects are behaving in a very peculiar way! There are places where everything seems to be swept up in a stream and funneled together. This shouldn't be happening. How can this be?

Can you guess the solution? There must be something called DARK FLOW! (The program suggests that this is not widely accepted yet - but it seems to be the leading candidate to explain the observations.) Somehow there are unexplained rivers of energy sweeping up hundreds of galaxies.

As far as I know, all of these theoretical fixes to the standard model may someday be proven in some objective way. That doesn't bother me. I believe that the God of the Bible created the universe and that He has made it wonderfully complex for His own glory. (Inflation - the universe moving out to its current size in a few micro-seconds at a speed far exceeding the speed of light - sounds more like the biblical account of creation than like the big bang.)

The more important point from my perspective is that these naturalistic scientists - who cannot admit any "supernatural" elements in their theories - are nevertheless incorporating unobserved, unmeasurable and inexplicable elements of Inflation, Dark Matter, Dark Energy and Dark Flow. It seems to me to be science of the gaps. Any explanation will do, as long as it does not lead to God.

(Psalms 19:1–2 NKJV)
1 ¶ The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork.
2 Day unto day utters speech, And night unto night reveals knowledge.

Chasing Rabbits

2011-06-01T08:18:00.000-04:00

There is a rabbit in this picture. Can you see it? Tiny is willing to chase rabbits - even anxious to chase rabbits. But since he only sees in black and white - he cannot see the rabbit unless it moves.

He looks kind of sheepish here because he didn't find the rabbit when I told him it was there. He ran out into the yard and looked everywhere but where the rabbit was. He got to within about six feet of this rabbit - and STILL didn't see it.

At that point he spotted a different rabbit and ran after it. (He didn't run very fast, though. He has an agreement with the rabbits not to actually catch them.)

I called to him with instructions about where to find the first rabbit, but he didn't understand. He kept looking, but he never did see it. Poor Tiny.

He wants to please me. He felt guilty that he couldn't spot the rabbit.

After he came back to the porch he kept looking for the other rabbit. He knew he had missed it. He kept looking and looking.

Sovereign Comfort

2011-05-31T13:55:00.001-04:00

(Philippians 1:6 NKJV) being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;

What a wonderful verse - full of sovereign comfort!

As human beings we are conflicted by the fact that we WANT to control things and the fact that we CANNOT really control anything - including ourselves.

I have long believed that depression is related to our inability to control our world. Loved ones die. Trusted ones betray us. Disaster comes on us unexpectedly. Our expectations remain unfulfilled. Our ambitions are crushed.

Isn't that depressing?

Many people avoid depression by denying these facts of life. They pretend that they can control all of life. The world is full of promises of health and prosperity through one or another secrets... vitamins, science, philosophy, religion, government, exercise, etc. But eventually the truth will catch up with everyone.

Should we be depressed? CERTAINLY NOT!

We cannot control the world, but we can know the God Who is Infinitely Good. God does not change. God's purposes cannot be thwarted. God's love will never fade. God's promises are sure.

(Hebrews 11:6 NKJV) But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

We find in God the Person we can trust absolutely. We can even trust Him with all the "Whys" of our lives.

(Lamentations 3:22–23 NKJV) Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.

Rain, Rain...

2011-05-23T09:52:00.000-04:00

It feels like the rain is following me.

It rained here in Canton all through the beginning of last week.
When I traveled to New York last Wednesday, it rained all along the way.
While I was there it rained everyday- but here in Canton there was no rain.
Now that I'm back in Canton... surprise... It is raining again!

They should import me to drought stricken places to see if the rain would follow me there.

THE END IS NEAR!

2011-05-18T05:30:00.001-04:00

(With Harold Camping proclaiming that May 21 is the date for the Rapture and the Day of Judgment, I thought it was a good time to re-post this blog from last year.)

The iconic image of the religious fanatic is a mangy looking man in a robe holding a sign. What does it say on the sign? "The End Is Near."

Why is this the universal language for "religious fanatic?"

The man with the sign is anachronistic. He is on a modern cement sidewalk next to modern city buildings being passed by modern people in modern business attire - but he is barefoot, wearing a robe, with long (wild) hair and beard.
The man's message is trite. Many have said that the end is near and some have predicted the exact date and time for the end. But we are still here. The end has not arrived. The promise (or threat) is unfulfilled.
The man's point is vague. What exactly does he expect people to do about it? Can they avoid the end? Should they try? Is there any way to prepare for the end? Will panic help?
The man's authority is questionable. Who told him the end is near? Did he figure this out on his own? Is there astrological evidence? Was this direct revelation? Has he broken some secret code from some sacred text? Why is this man alone in his proclamation?

Nevertheless - it is my fanatical duty to state in no uncertain terms that "the end IS near." (In the interest of full disclosure I will admit that: I do have a beard - but it is short. As I write this I am dressed in a polo shirt and shorts and my feet are bare.)

THE END IS NEAR! How near? I'm not sure, but I am sure that it is nearer than most people would like to think.

At the very least, our personal end may be VERY near! Hundreds of thousands of people die everyday. Old people, young people, good people, bad people, white people, black people are dying right now. They die of disease or in an accident or by murder - for them, the end has arrived. And what makes you or me any different from them? You might be carrying some unknown disease that has not yet appeared in symptoms or tests. You certainly cannot know about the accident you will have this afternoon.

Even if our personal end is years ahead of us, it is nearer than it may appear. I am 54 years old. I don't feel much different than I felt when I was 27 - half my life ago. I am unlikely to live another 54 years - but what if I lived another 27 years to the age of 81? The last 27 years have passed like a flash of lightening! I suspect that the next 27 will seem just as fast or faster.

(James 4:14) ...you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.

So, the end is near. But what is the point of saying so? There are several...

Make the most of the time you have left. There is no time for procrastination. The opportunities you have today are not guaranteed for tomorrow.
Don't be presumptous about your ability to keep yourself alive. Acknowledge your dependance on your Creator who has granted you life - and honor Him with your life.
You had better find out now what God requires of you. You do not know when you will be called to account. What answers will you be able to give God when He examines you - and will they be sufficient?

(2 Peter 3:3–4) knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts,
4 and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.”

What about authority? Up to this point I have used logical authority... everyone has an end that is more or less near. But beyond this we have revelation from God - the Bible - that clearly says God will someday call a halt to the current order of things.

(Romans 13:11–12) ¶ And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.
12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.
(James 5:9) ¶ Do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door!
(1 Peter 4:7) ¶ But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers.

The end is near! Do not ignore this warning!

(Hebrews 9:27) ...it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment,

Reality?

2011-05-17T07:50:00.001-04:00

I don't watch much TV. We got rid of TV back in 1985 and now we only see it when we are staying in a hotel or at someone else's house.

Last Friday, my wife and I were at a hotel and were able to catch a glimpse of the wave of Reality TV.

Wow!

This is popular????

Why on earth do they call this "Reality" TV? If anything, it is sheer FANTASY. What I saw was so unbelievably fake I could hardly stand it.

A young couple with four children wrestles with the difficult decision of which vacation home to buy in Fiji. Their budget is limited to a half million dollars. (What does this guy do for a living?) The struggle is agonizing, but they somehow muddle through and settle for a $450,000.00 property. Which will be perfect once they do a little work on the railings and add several thousand dollars in new furniture. After the purchase they also come back to Fiji (again without the kids) to initiate the place with a huge party - at which the Fijians welcome them with traditional drinks and dance. No doubt.

Reality? You must be kidding, right?

I only saw ads for "Real Housewives." I am very glad I didn't see more. From the sound of it, they could better call it, "Real Fishwives." That would fit with the shrieking and slandering that are evidently a big part of the dialogue. Otherwise, REAL has no place in the title unless you are referring to the work of their plastic surgeons and hair stlylists.

Bizzare!

I watched a little bit of a cooking contest show where teams of chefs cook for celebrity food critics and a rock band in a sad RV kitchen. Then they come in to be grilled by the panel about their cooking. Nothing about that is real. Wouldn't you rather have a REAL job? But instead you can make money allowing yourself to be embarrassed on national TV! I guess money is money.

I did enjoy some REAL cooking shows where celebrity chefs cook at home. There you might learn something about cooking. (I did learn that you should not add the garlic to the hot oil - because it will get burned. Add the garlic later.) The food looked great!

I also watched "House." House wasn't at all real either, but it isn't called a reality show. Nevertheless, it had an interesting story line. It was frustrating that I could not rewind to catch things I missed (like on a DVD.) It was also maddening that after five minutes of the show you had to endure five minutes of terrible commercials.

We won't be subscribing to cable anytime soon.

Weird Rules

2011-05-16T09:42:00.000-04:00

I remember an old Bill Cosby routine where he talked about the strange signs on public buildings. In particular, he described a sign on the post office door that said, "No Dogs Allowed." Under that it said, "(Except Seeing Eye Dogs.)" His question was - about the last line. He asked, "Who is that line for?" Is the dog supposed to read it? Or is it for the blind person?

I thought of that the other day as I was using the restroom at Lehman's Hardware in Kidron, Ohio. Clearly the health department must have a rule about posting signs in places that serve food. You see such signs in all restaurant rest rooms. They say something like, "Employees must wash their hands before returning to work."

I wonder who this sign is for? Don't the employee's KNOW they should wash their hands before returning to work? Do they need this reminder? (I shudder to think...) Maybe the signs are to reassure the customers that the employees will wash their hands. (But that doesn't seem right, because I've noticed the signs are in the language most likely to be read by the employees - Spanish in Mexican restaurants and Chinese in Chinese restaurants.)

Assuming the reminder is needed, where should you post such a sign? Many places post the sign near the sinks. But if an employee is not inclined to wash his hands, he might never even see the sign as he rushes from the toilet to his place in the food preparation line. (Ewwwww....)

At Lehman's the sign was posted on the wall above the urinals. I suppose that was a good spot. That way the employee could think about this reminder while he was taking care of business, then he could remember to go to the sinks afterward. But this sign had something else. Underneath the English lettering there were tiny bumps... Braille!

Now who do you suppose THAT is for?

How would a blind person even know that the sign was there at all? If he could see well enough to see the sign, he could also read it. If he can't see at all, should he just feel the wall above the urinals to see if he can find any Braille messages? Should the health department be encouraging people to read Braille messages while they are standing at a urinal? (Yuck....)

I don't read Braille - but I think the meaning of that sign is clear. "The health department is an example of bureaucracy running amok."

Double-minded

2011-05-04T10:35:00.001-04:00

(James 1:5–8 NKJV) If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

God is is not a vending machine for the things we want. He is the Sovereign Creator, Eternal, Omnipotent, Omniscient, Holy, Righteous and Glorious!

God cannot be conned. God cannot be manipulated. He sees our hearts. He knows our motives. God hears both our spoken words and our innermost thoughts.

Double-mindedness is a prideful disrespect for God. When we should be sincerely seeking God's will and God's leading into His will, we are often only interested in what we want. We want God to serve our will - as if He were our servant, our ox or our tool. We see God as powerful, but not as the sovereign of all the universe.

Double-mindedness is impurity. Instead of having pure motives of honoring, serving and glorifying God, we really want to build our reputation and serve our own pleasures. (This can be especially pernicious in church ministries... "Lord, build your church so I will look good!" or "Lord, give me a good sermon/lesson/solo so I will be praised.")

(James 4:8 NKJV) Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

Double-mindedness is halfhearted commitment to God's will. We know what God wants us to do, but we love our pleasures. It is hard to get up and study God's word, spend serious time in prayer, learn to share the Gospel with others or reach out to serve. Double-mindedness results in tokenism. We glance in our Bible and call it study. We mumble a few words and call it prayer. We leave a track on a park bench and call it evangelism.

(Psalms 119:113–115 NKJV)
113 I hate the double-minded, But I love Your law.
114 You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in Your word.
115 Depart from me, you evildoers, For I will keep the commandments of my God!

Double-mindedness is unbelief. The double-minded do not love God and so they do not love God's word. They are evil-doers who have not genuinely devoted themselves to keeping God's commandments. Their religion is a sham.

So what can we do? Believe in God and believe God's word. Meet with God and develop genuine love for Him. Make God's delight your own joy. Carefully examine your heart and root out your sinful & selfish motives.

(James 4:8–10 NKJV) Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.

Such As I

2011-05-02T12:30:00.001-04:00

It has been a wet Spring. Out on the parking lot I can find many of these doomed worms.

They've been driven out of the ground by the water and now risk drowning in the puddles. They are easy prey for the birds. If they escape the birds and the damp, they will dry out and become worm crisps.

Meanwhile, they blindly grope in the vast blackness of the parking lot. They have no eyes, no map, no hope. They are doomed. Do they know it?

Isaac Watts wrote "Alas! and did my Savior bleed? And did my Sovereign die? Would He devote that sacred head for such a worm as I?"

But this kind of language is unpopular now. Our church hymnal reads, "...For sinners such as I?" Others are evidently shy about even calling people "sinners." They have, "...For such a one as I?"

I believe that Watts had it right and that it is good for us to recognize the truth about ourselves and about our salvation.

(Romans 5:6–8 NKJV) For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Jesus did not die for us because we were so attractive to God, but in spite of the fact that we were repulsive rebels - hopeless & helpless. We were doomed. We were slimy with sin. We were groping about blindly while waiting to die.

(Ephesians 2:4–5 NKJV) But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),

It doesn't require mercy to be kind to nice people. It is not remarkable to show love to people who love you. There is no grace in giving people what they deserve.

But we were truly worms - dead in our trespasses and in sins - willing subjects of the Prince of the power of the air - children of disobedience who walked according to the course of this fallen world.

Only when I recognize the truth about myself in my lost condition can I properly appreciate the magnitude of God's love for me in Jesus Christ.

Alas, and did my Savior bleed?
And did my Sovereign die?
Would He devote that sacred head
For such a worm as I?

Was it for crimes that I have done,
He groaned upon the tree?
Amazing pity! grace unknown!
And love beyond degree!

Well might the sun in darkness hide,
And shut his glories in,
When Christ, the mighty Maker died
For man the creature's sin.

But drops of grief can ne'er repay
The debt of love I owe;
Here, Lord, I give myself away,
'Tis all that I can do!

~ Isaac Watts

Joy in Trials

2011-04-25T15:52:00.000-04:00

(James 1:2 NKJV) My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials,

Why joy?

Because the trials prove the genuineness of our faith.
Because the trials lead to patient endurance.
Because the trials are necessary to developing maturity.
Because the trials assure we will be completely equipped.

Anyone can say (and many do say) that they have faith. Is that faith genuine or false? It is interesting that we can ask, because some people don't recognize this as a possibility. Nevertheless, the Bible asks the question and provides this means of answering. The profession of faith may be genuine or not, but the proof of the faith is demonstrated under the pressure of trials.

In chapter two, James will say it a bit differently: "Faith without works is dead." (James 2:20, 26) His point is the same, however. Abraham's faith was put to the test in the requirement that he offer up his son, Isaac. But since his faith was genuine - he unflinchingly moved to obey - and his faith was demonstrated to be genuine. Rahab's faith was put to the test in the treasonous decision to side with Israel by hiding the spies - instead of turning them over to the authorities of Jericho. She did it because her faith was genuine. (James 2:20-26)

Some poet said, "When in trouble, when in doubt, run in circles, scream and shout!" but patient endurance is more attractive. Nobody wants to see people lose their temper or their composure. A person who is ranting and raving or running away has failed the test. But trials endured build patient endurance and that is what we want - so we can rejoice in trials. This is how we grow into maturity.

I suppose that many Marine recruits might think the training program is too difficult. Running, jumping, marching, practicing, polishing, crawling, climbing, etc. But for people heading into combat, it would be no favor to ease off the trials of training. They need every muscle and every skill to be completely developed so they are ready for whatever they will face in the war. Moreover, they want every other recruit to be trained to the same level so they can all count on each other.

This is the message of James to the Christians. These trials are not an accident. They are planned by God to develop you. As you patiently endure these things you will become completely equipped - ready for your continued service for God.

Count it all joy when you fall into various trials!

Terra-Cotta Soldiers

2011-04-15T15:14:00.002-04:00

I was excited to be able to visit the site of the terra-cotta soldiers near Xi'an, China last week. Some of the museum displays were closed the day I visited, but the major exhibits were open. They did not disappoint.

The soldiers are fascinating on many levels. For one thing, they are an art form of their own. They are life size with tremendous detail. Heads, hands and legs were made separately.

Some are in armor, some are in robes. There are infantry and cavalry soldiers. There are standing archers and kneeling archers. There are officers and regular soldiers.

The heads are each unique individuals. The different hats and topknots designate people from different people groups of the time.

In these pictures you can see that each soldier has a different facial expression. Some look pleasant and happy - others more serious or even unhappy.

What was most surprising is the size of the army. In the picture above, there are more than ninety soldier in just the first three rows. The official count is over 6,000 warriors. This would have been a considerable military force - had they been real soldiers.

But, in fact these were just clay. Emperor Qin began the construction of his tomb and these soldiers soon after he became emperor at age thirteen. Preparations were not yet complete when he died about forty years later - in spite of a conscripted work force of over 700,000 real people. In spite of all of his efforts, neither his vast human army, nor his large clay army could help the Emperor when he faced death.

(Psalms 20:6–8 NKJV) Now I know that the LORD saves His anointed; He will answer him from His holy heaven With the saving strength of His right hand.
7 Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; But we will remember the name of the LORD our God.
8 They have bowed down and fallen; But we have risen and stand upright.

Big Wild Goose

2011-04-14T08:58:00.000-04:00

While in China, I visited the "Big Wild Goose Pagoda."

It is an impressive tower, originally built with five stories
in 652. It collapsed after 50 years and was rebuilt with ten stories in 704. In 1556 an earthquake damaged the pagoda and it was reduced to the current seven stories.

The pagoda and various buildings on the grounds of this Buddhist Monastery commemorate the travels and work of a famous Chinese Monk named Xuanzang.

Xuanzang lived in the 600's and traveled to India to aquire a complete set of the Buddhist scriptures. His journey took over 17 years and involved many adventures. When he came back, he translated the scriptures into Chinese.

Inside the Temple

It is interesting to me that Xuanzang's work in bringing the complete Buddhist scriptures to China are contemporary with the arrival of Christianity in China in 635. (This is also around the time that Islam was being developed in the Arabian peninsula - but Islam didn't come to China until much later.)

Man Burning Incense & Praying

At the temple many of the people were tourists like ourselves, but there were also those who were participating in Buddhist worship. This involved burning incense, bowing and praying, and lighting candles.

Lighting Candles & Incense

While the setting is different, it occurred to me that the practice is not all that different from the practice of some groups that call themselves Christian.

The golden images, the saints, the incense, the bowing, the candles, the pilgrimages are all hallmarks of religion based on human works. It makes no difference at all if the image is of Buddha or Jesus or Mary. The underlying premise is that by our act of worship I am earning the favor of the Deity.

Biblical Christianity recognizes that salvation cannot be earned. Salvation in the Bible is a gift of God's grace through the completed works of Jesus Christ - both His sinless life and His atoning sacrifice of Himself for sinners.

Woman Bowing and Praying at the Incense Trough

Religious China

2011-04-13T13:54:00.002-04:00

While in China I saw many expressions of religion that are not at all common in the USA. The picture here was taken on the sidewalk just yards from our hotel in Xi'an. Notice the chalk circle drawn on the sidewalk. If you look closely, you might notice that the circle has an opening on the side.

Apparently, it represents a grave. People draw the grave, then burn papers and fake money in the circle to for the benefit of their deceased relatives. Exactly how this benefits the dead was not clear to me.

Vendors, conveniently located near the Buddhist temple down the street, sell supplies of paper ventilated with square holes (to assist the burning process) and all sorts of oversize paper money (including Chinese & US currency).

In the morning you would find the circles all down the sidewalks with smudges of ash still in the center. I saw these both in Xi'an and in Beijing.

I don't know what exactly is going on in the minds of the people who are participating in these practices. But it does seem to me that they are at least thinking about fact of human mortality.

Praise God that as Christians our hope is in Jesus Christ, who overcame the power of sin and death by His resurrection. We will not need to hope that our living relatives will burn counterfeit money for us after we are dead. We have an eternal dwelling - provided by God for us.

Back From China

2011-04-13T11:13:00.001-04:00

Late last night I came home from my brief trip to China.

Xi'an - Ancient Drum Tower (at right)

Even if I were not seriously jet-lagged, it would be impossible to sum up my impressions of China in only a few words. The country is huge. It has a recorded history that dates back to thousands of years before Christ. The cities I visited were very busy places packed with people. Their economy seems to be booming with literally hundreds of building cranes visible in every direction erecting high rises.

My greatest impression, however, is about the people there. They were friendly, polite, helpful, curious and wonderfully unassuming. Of everything I encountered in China - the people were what made my trip such a delight!

I will write more about my experiences there once I get caught up on my work.

Remember Lot's Wife

2011-03-30T21:26:00.002-04:00

(Luke 17:32 NKJV) Remember Lot’s wife.

This is one of those verses kids love to memorize because it only has three words. But what does it mean? Who was Lot's wife and why should I remember her?

The story is told in Genesis 19. God has decided to judge the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by raining fire and brimstone on them. Before bringing this destruction, however, God sends angels to rescue Lot and his family. Rescuing this family turns into quite a chore, however.

First of all the men who are supposed to marry Lot's daughters don't believe him when he tells them. They think it is a big joke and just laugh at Lot. Secondly, Lot and his wife and daughters can't seem to get ready to leave. In verse 16 they "lingered" in spite of the warning to hurry. So the angels actually take them by the hand (by God's mercy) and bring them out of the city.

He wants to be saved, but not right now.

At this point the angels tell them "escape for your life..." and warn them not to stay anywhere on the plain and not to look behind them, but to run for their lives to the mountains. But even here, Lot dithers. He doesn't want to go to the mountains. He wants to stay in the small city of Zoar.

He wants to be saved, but not THAT saved.

Finally, as the family is fleeing to Zoar, the fire and brimstone start falling on Sodom and Gomorrah. I suppose that it must have been pretty spectacular - similar to a volcano erupting nearby. (The probable location is now the lowest place on earth - near the Dead Sea.) I imagine there was a lot of ash and smoke and noise.

They should have been highly motivated to keep on going... But Lot's wife looked back - and was turned into a pillar of salt. (I think of her when I see people who have been excavated from Pompeii - turned to rock when they were engulfed in hot ash.)

This is the history of the instruction to "Remember Lot's wife." In Luke 17, Jesus is teaching about the coming day of judgment. He is saying that we should be intent on escaping and not hesitate. This will be true in the final days that Jesus is predicting, but it is also true today.

People are today confronted with the Gospel. They admit they are sinners who deserve God's judgment. They believe that Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead to save them from their sins. They know they should call on Jesus for salvation.

BUT... they hesitate. They want to be saved, but not right now. They want to be saved, but THAT saved.

They want to be saved, but they turn back for a last longing look at their past life.

And that can be their undoing. They don't make it. They are ensnared in their past life. They are frozen there - a pillar of salt at the edge of the destruction - entrapped and entombed.

Remember Lot's wife.

Don't hesitate. Don't look back. Give up your old life. Give up this world's values. Keep your eyes on heaven and run for your life!

Lord, Lord...

2011-03-22T10:08:00.000-04:00

(Luke 6:46 NKJV) ¶ “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?

I am a proponent of defining terms when we are talking to people about religious beliefs. One of my pet peeves is the question, "Do you know the Lord?"

This question is definitely one of the worst ways to start a conversation with someone about their beliefs. Who do you mean by "Lord?" What do you mean by "know the Lord?" Virtually anyone in any Christian denomination or cult will surely answer "yes." Many people in non-Christian groups might honestly answer "yes." (For example, the Hare Krishna mantra is devotion to "Lord Krishna.")

We need to be more specific. "What is your relationship with Jesus of Nazareth?"

What do you believe about him? Who is he? What did he teach? Is the Bible account about him truth or fiction? What is the meaning of his life and death? Did he arise from the dead? Is he alive today? Is he coming back again?

What difference does Jesus make in your life? Do you worship him as God? Do you follow him as your Master? Do you trust Him as your Savior - the atonement for your sins? Is he the basis of your access to God and your hope in God?

"Do you know the Lord?" could mean almost anything, so it means nothing. Those who use it think it helps them open a conversation, but in fact it stops them from having the conversations they need to have about the biblical claims for Jesus of Nazareth as Lord and Savior.

Snappy Comebacks...

2011-03-16T08:20:00.002-04:00

(Proverbs 15:1 NKJV) A soft answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger.

Quick acceleration is admired in an automobile, but the ability to come up with a quick reply is dangerous.

(Proverbs 15:2 NKJV) The tongue of the wise uses knowledge rightly, But the mouth of fools pours forth foolishness.

Quick answers are usually considered "witty." That is, "showing or characterized by quick and inventive verbal humor." But humor is based on irony and irony is closely related to sarcasm and sarcasm is frequently employed to embarrass or even to silence another person.

(Proverbs 16:13 NKJV) Righteous lips are the delight of kings, And they love him who speaks what is right.

Quick answers are not necessarily righteous answers. They depend too frequently on puns - things that were not intended by the first speaker and that add no value to the conversation.

(Proverbs 16:18 NKJV) Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall.

Quick answers often spring from a proud heart. But because they are QUICK answers, they cannot be carefully considered, and might be the equivalent of accelerating quickly into the path of an oncoming truck.

(Proverbs 16:21 NKJV) The wise in heart will be called prudent, And sweetness of the lips increases learning.

How much better to be cautious and careful with our answers! The true value of our answer is not measured in speed, but in wisdom.

(Proverbs 16:23–24 NKJV) The heart of the wise teaches his mouth, And adds learning to his lips. Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, Sweetness to the soul and health to the bones.

We don't need "snappy comebacks." We need wise answers - well considered answers - God honoring answers - helpful answers that are "sweetness to the soul and health to the bones" of those who hear.

(Proverbs 16:32 NKJV) He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, And he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.

The victories we should be pursuing are not verbal victories over other people, but internal victories over our own spirit.

Glory Thieves

2011-03-09T10:28:00.001-05:00

(John 15:5 NKJV) ¶ “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

Spring is almost upon us! The snow has pretty much disappeared. But I haven't seen any sign of early Spring flowers - not yet. Where are the crocuses and daffodils? Nothing yet, but the little dogwood looks like it is going to bloom again.

On the ground I have a litter of small branches, twigs and leaves. They litter the ground and are just litter. Broken from the tree, they are lifeless. They are good for nothing but to be raked up and disposed of.

Jesus tells His disciples that it is the same way with us. Life and productivity come only from our life giving connection with Jesus. With Jesus we can bear fruit. Without Jesus we can do "nothing."

Nothing? What about the people who don't know Jesus (or disbelieve in Jesus), but still seem to be able to do something? There are many nice people in the world who do many good things, champion good causes, raise good families, etc. all without reference to or belief in Jesus Christ.

Well, whether they believe in Him or not, the Bible says that Jesus is the Creator who sustains all things.

(Colossians 1:16–17 NKJV) For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.

This being true, even the unbeliever owes everything good to Jesus and this results in a surprising irony. The unbeliever's "good" will bring them God's condemnation because they fail to give God the glory He deserves for His grace in their lives.

They are glory thieves! When they take the credit for their good, they blaspheme the God who is the true source of all good.

Who made them into the wonderfully complex and self aware creatures they are? Who imbued them with a sense of right and wrong or of good and evil? From whom did they get the life that animates their otherwise material body?

Without God - we can do nothing. All glory for all good things belongs to God.

(Romans 1:20–23 NKJV) For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,
21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
22 Professing to be wise, they became fools,
23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.

Missing Opportunities

2011-03-08T15:26:00.000-05:00

(1 Peter 3:15 NKJV) But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear;

I like to think that I am pretty evangelistic. I pray for opportunities to talk to people about my faith in Jesus Christ. I deliberately go to places where I think I will have a chance to talk to people about Jesus Christ. I read books on talking to people about Jesus Christ. I preach to other people about talking to people about Jesus Christ. I get excited when I do have a conversation with somebody about Jesus Christ.

I sure blew it last night! I had the perfect chance to talk to someone and I just flat out dropped the ball! My wife and I went grocery shopping at Walmart. We gathered our groceries and various items. We went through the checkout and had a nice conversation with the woman there.

Then, on our way out, we realized we hadn't been charged for eight of the nine storage containers we wanted to buy. So - no problem - I go back into the store to speak to the woman at the checkout.

Talk about your golden opportunities! Her line was suddenly EMPTY. The light was on, but nobody was lining up and waiting on us. I showed her the receipt - she put in the code and charged me for eight more containers - I paid for them. STILL nobody in line! She thanked me for coming back and being honest....

...and I didn't take the chance to say, "I am a follower of Jesus Christ - He has changed my heart and I want to please Him in everything I do."

I didn't say anything about Jesus Christ at all. I just smiled and mumbled something meaningless and left the store, kicking myself all the way. I can't stand it! It is TERRIBLE!

So what happened?

I didn't plan it as I went back into the store.
I didn't think of an answer fast enough when the door opened.
I was too willing to steal God's glory for a good deed!
I was too lazy to take the time & energy at the end of a long day!
I was a pathetic tongue tied fumbler! Ahhhhhhhhhh!

Now I am very very sorry.... but it doesn't really help. I didn't love that woman enough to get the gospel to her when I had a wide open opportunity. I didn't love the Lord enough to give Him the honor and glory He deserved in that situation.

I've missed a chance that cannot be recovered. But I can learn from it. By God's grace I won't miss another one like that! Lord, forgive me and help me!

(1 Peter 3:15 NKJV) But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear;

Comprehend This...

2011-03-01T08:31:00.000-05:00

(Exodus 20:1–5 NKJV) And God spoke all these words, saying:
2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
3 “You shall have no other gods before Me.
4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth;
5 you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,

The God of the Bible claims that He is the only REAL God and that He alone should be worshiped AS God. He further orders that He should be worshiped as He IS - and not in any representation developed by humans. God has revealed Himself - in His works - in His Son - and in His word. That is how we know whatever we know about God.

But this is not attractive to many people. This God of the Bible is too much for them. "Eternal? Omniscient? Sovereign? Omnipotent? Invisible? Holy? Both transcendent and immanent? Both merciful and just? How can these things be!? This God is INCOMPREHENSIBLE!"

Unless they can comprehend everything about God (and thus perfectly predict or even control Him) they disbelieve God's revelation about Himself. Instead they take the a la carte approach to God. "I'll take a big serving of the Love, but hold the Justice. And leave the Omniscience on the side. And no Sovereignty - I'm allergic to Sovereignty other than my own."

This approach is idolatry. They refuse to accept the role of creature and cast themselves as God's creator. They must have a God who is completely comprehensible to them. A God who makes sense to their prejudices and doesn't offend their sensibilities. So, if they use the Bible at all, they are constantly explaining away this and that to remove God's offensive features.

The problem is that such a god is not God the God of the Bible. Such a god is too puny to even be called a god. Such a god is only a figment of a person's imagination. That god cannot help them and will not rescue them from the ONE TRUE AND LIVING GOD of the Bible.

The God of the Bible can be known - but He cannot be comprehended. He is infinite. We are finite. He is the Creator. We are creatures. He is independent. We are dependent.

I find this very comforting. God is able to handle all of the problems of the world from beginning to end. He can take care of me through every difficulty. None of my big problems is any threat to Him. I can rest in Him - take Him at His word. I don't need to BE God. I only need to BELIEVE God.

(Romans 11:33–36 NKJV) ¶ Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!
34 “For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has become His counselor?”
35 “Or who has first given to Him And it shall be repaid to him?”
36 ¶ For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.

What is your life?

2011-02-25T10:41:00.001-05:00

My son's car after a collision on 02/24/2011. He had been traveling north (left to right) through the intersection you see behind his car. Another car turned left in front of him. Both cars are totaled. Neither driver had serious injuries. Praise the Lord!

In my last post (02/22/2011) I said that I "let my son die" each morning when I yield him to God's perfect will. Yesterday evening we had a reminder of how suddenly things can happen. David was driving up the street, just a few blocks from the house, when a man suddenly turned left in front of him. Both cars were severely damaged and ended up in the side street. Neither driver was hurt.

Praise God! Praise God nobody was hurt. Praise Him for the airbag that caught David before he could hit the steering wheel. Praise God nobody was in the Honda's passenger seat! Praise God that both cars stopped short of the car waiting at the stop line in 4th street. Praise God that both cars had insurance - good insurance - State Farm insurance.

We place our lives in God's hands. We should not be deluded that we are in control. But God, Who is very much in control, is good and merciful - no matter what challenges He allows in our lives.

Go with God.

What's That Cross For?

2011-02-22T11:31:00.001-05:00

(Luke 9:23 NKJV) Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.

Contrary to popular opinion, the cross is not some "burden we bear" in life - some difficult aspect of our daily lives. The cross was something far more sinister. The cross was the implement of execution. The purpose for the cross was to complete the act of self denial by death.

(1 Corinthians 15:31 NKJV) I affirm, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.

I died this morning, did you? I also let my son die. I also let my wife die. In fact I let all of the people who are dearest to me die.

Do you think it hurt? It sure did!

Death hurts whether it is your own death or the death of someone you love. We are born to live. Our whole experience is life. We naturally struggle toward life and away from death. But in our calling to follow Jesus Christ we are called to death.

(Luke 9:24 NKJV) For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.

Following Jesus Christ involves embracing death here and trusting Christ for a greater life in exchange. He died and rose again. We follow him to death on the promise of resurrection.

(Galatians 2:20 NKJV) I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

How did I die this morning? I died when I prayed with full understanding, "Let your kingdom come and let your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."

I died because I understood that I was yielding myself completely to God's will. Life or death. "Not my will, but Thy will be done."

I let my son die today when I prayed with my full understanding, "Lord, I yield him to you for your glory - whether by life or by death."

(Galatians 6:14 NKJV) But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

We need a cross daily, because every day we need to execute ourselves again. We are attached to this world and the pleasures of this world. We are attached to our loved ones - it tears us apart to think of something happening to them. We fight against death and strain to maintain control and achieve safety.

Then we come to our face time with God. Who will be in control? Whose will do we really want done? What will we withhold from God? How much are we willing to give to God's glory? Who are we willing to yield to God's glory?

What does it mean to follow Jesus, if we are not willing to imitate His complete obedience to the will of the Father - even when it meant incredible pain and suffering?

Does this strike you as morbid? Perish the thought! In fact, this daily cross means wonderful peace and great blessing! Every morning you go through the searing pain of yielding up your life and the lives of your dear ones to the glory of God. But then we get what we have requested - glory to God - and it is worth everything. We have no worries. We don't need to scramble about like we need to control the universe. Nothing that happens can shake us - we already went through the pain. Having given up everything in the morning, we are often blessed to have it returned to us later in the day for our enjoyment. (But of course, tomorrow will be another day - to yield these again.)

I am afraid that too often people want "heaven on earth." We want everything to be perfectly calm here on earth. We want all of our loved ones to live forever right here with us. We want to escape from every trouble and enjoy all the pleasures this life affords.

But this world is not heaven, and if you lived 1000 years and never had a dear one get sick or die or lose a job or have a problem... it still is not a speck on what heaven really is.

Heaven is the presence of God and the glory of God and the will of God and the praise of God in perpetual perfection... But you can't have heaven and this broken, dysfunctional, sin sick world too. Don't even try! Give yourself and all of your loved ones to God. Trust God more than you trust yourself.

(Colossians 3:1–4 NKJV) If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.
2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.
3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
4 When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.

Thy Kingdom Come...

2011-02-15T13:07:00.000-05:00

(Matthew 6:9–10 NKJV) In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.

Your kingdom come! Your will be done!

I have often thought of this as a matter of sacrifice, humility or obedience... That we should submit our will to God's will and recognize His sovereignty over our lives. Certainly that is true.

But last night I watched, "The King's Speech," about the man who became King George VI on the eve of World War II. In this movie, the crown weighed heavy on each of the kings in the story. Both King Edward VIII (who eventually abdicated) and George VI break down and weep at the prospect of the burdens of being king.

It made me remember that "Your kingdom come" is less of a sacrifice and more of a desire for blessing. We long for deliverance, not just from various human governments, but from our own sinful self government. The better we know Jesus and the better we know ourselves - the more we will ache for His absolute rule and His perfect will.

Your kingdom come! Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven!

(Revelation 22:20 NKJV) He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming quickly.” Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

Amen! Come, Lord Jesus! Deliver us from ourselves!

My Valentine

2011-02-14T10:34:00.002-05:00

Valentine's Day - February 14, 2011

Spring is in the air today. It is warm - well above freezing anyway. The groundhog did not see his shadow. People are already seeing robins returning from their winter vacations.

(Proverbs 18:22 NKJV) He who finds a wife finds a good thing, And obtains favor from the LORD.

Today I want to publicly praise God for my good wife, Lola.

This summer we will celebrate our thirty-third year of marriage. Over these years we have become increasingly joined together - heart and soul and mind. Of all the blessings God has poured on my life, Lola is my greatest blessing after salvation.

We have been blessed by God. We have experienced what our marriage vows predicted...

Better and worse, richer and poorer, in sickness and in health.
Young love, new life together and babies.
Financial distress, rice and beans and indoor snow drifts.
Years of school, changing schedules and incredibly busy times.
Many moves, disrupted lives, uncertainty and adjustments.
Labors of ministry, victories and defeats, joys and sorrows.

In every time of our life together, Lola has been a blessing to me - a "help-meet" - fitting partner - complement - encourager - counselor.

I love you, Lola, with all of my heart!

“Arise, my love, my beautiful one, and come away,
for behold, the winter is past; the rain is over and gone.
The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come,
and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.
The fig tree ripens its figs, and the vines are in blossom; they give forth fragrance.
Arise, my love, my beautiful one, and come away.
O my dove, in the clefts of the rock, in the crannies of the cliff,
let me see your face, let me hear your voice,
for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely. (Song 2:10–14 ESV)

Collecting Rubbish

2011-02-11T10:39:00.001-05:00

I don't know about you, but I like to collect rubbish. Eventually I will need to sort out my sock drawer because there are many things in there besides socks. A lot of what is in that drawer needs to be thrown out because it is rubbish. Same with my desk drawer. Same with the basket next to my chair in the living room. Also true of some boxes left over from our move three years ago.

There are trinkets and mementos and broken odds and ends. There reams of forgotten papers and piles of rusted paper clips. There are old keys to doors left far behind. There are old calendars and souvenirs from businesses that are now out of business.

It is all rubbish and I am a rubbish collector.

(Philippians 3:7–8 NKJV) But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ

In my experience this is more difficult than it sounds. Paul gave up his prestige as an upwardly mobile Pharisee in Israel in order to obey the truth about Jesus Christ and become an itinerant minister of that truth. Now he is hated and despised by those who once respected him. Now he lives in poverty, danger and uncertainty.

But it doesn't matter to Paul. His goal is Christ: not material wealth, not human respect, not physical comforts, not a secure retirement.

(Philippians 3:9 NKJV) and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;

The security that matters to Paul is in Christ. It is not something Paul has developed for himself through his achievements. It is not something that can be attained by human goodness or effort. It is a right standing with God provided by God through faith in Christ.

This righteousness of God is a gift of grace, but it costs Paul everything. The rich young ruler was told to sell everything he had and give it to the poor and follow Jesus. (Matthew 19:21) He didn't, but Paul did. The original disciples "left all" to follow Jesus.

I would suggest that this is necessary for EVERYONE who really follows Jesus. To follow Jesus is to follow Him regardless of the cost, the disrespect and the difficulties. Jesus said, " narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life." (Matthew 7:14)

(Philippians 3:10–11 NKJV) that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

Fellowship means sharing. Following Jesus involves sharing in His sufferings. Jesus warned his disciples that they would have the same hostile reception that He had in this fallen world. (John 15:18-20) They might even be put to death. Most of them WERE put to death. Paul was ultimately put to death. But even that didn't matter.

Why doesn't it matter? Because our goal is not ease in this life, but "the resurrection of the dead."

We believe that God provides us with eternal life in Christ. By faith we follow Him through thick and thin, regardless of the cost, in spite of the difficulties, even to death if necessary. And then we believe His word that we will have life forevermore with Him.

Our goal cannot be our own pleasure, our own comfort, our own safety, our own reputation. Our only goal should be the glory of God - our Savior. We must stand for Him and His truth against all adversaries until we see God face to face.

Lord, help me to put down the rubbish and take up the cross - everyday.

(Matthew 16:24–26) Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?

If It's Broken...?

2011-02-06T17:02:00.001-05:00

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it."
OK, but what if it IS broke(n)?

I am gradually learning that many broken things cannot be easily fixed.
In fact, many broken things cannot be fixed at all - by me.

This is true enough in the world of physical things that break.
It is far more true in the realm of people and the things that break their souls.

The impulse to DO something is a dangerous impulse.
Should I attempt neurosurgery with and old hammer and a socket wrench?

Things get broken in people's souls and we need to do something.
But often what we need to do is wait, pray, be patient.

It can't be forced. It is beyond our reach. It is up to God Himself.
So we give it to God and wait on God and cry out to God.

And God works. He changes hearts. He brings repentance and faith.
God reconciles sinners to Himself and makes new creatures of them.

(1 Thessalonians 1:5 NKJV) For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance...

Genuine Value

2011-02-03T16:30:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I was frustrated when I called our cell-phone company about our bill. A month ago we jumped through all kinds of hoops and spent hours on the phone to take advantage of a 15% discount through Lola's union.

This month we found out that all that hassle did not result in a 15% discount, but an 8% discount. And the 8% discount was not on the whole bill, but just on the one phone line. And the $6.40 we saved was off-set by the fact that they charged us a month advanced payment so our first bill was half again what our previous monthly bills were.

With our new discount we will break even in about fifteen months. WHAT A DEAL! And we still have all the inconveniences of having a "new" account - which so far will not let me pay online, etc.

What a SCAM! Somebody is laughing all the way to the bank, but it isn't us.

What we need is a REAL VALUE!

(Proverbs 4:5–7 NKJV) Get wisdom! Get understanding! Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth.
6 Do not forsake her, and she will preserve you; Love her, and she will keep you.
7 Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding.

(Proverbs 16:16 NKJV) How much better to get wisdom than gold! And to get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.

Here is a biblical value - Wisdom. Wisdom will always pay dividends. So where do we find wisdom?

(Psalms 111:10 NKJV) The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments. His praise endures forever.

Wisdom begins with a right relationship with God and obedience to God's Word. In submitting to God's righteousness - salvation by Grace through faith in Jesus Christ - there is ETERNAL VALUE. Living in obedience to God's word yields eternal dividends.

In Christ there are no false promises and no disappointments!

Moment By Moment

2011-02-01T12:10:00.000-05:00

(Matthew 6:34 NKJV) Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Sometimes I look at my planning calendar and get a panicky feeling! "I have too much scheduled. How will I ever get everything done?"

God says, "Relax and trust Me."

I only have the present moment. I need to give this moment my attention. When this moment is over, I will deal with the next moment.

The moments will pass. The hours will pass. The days will pass. The weeks will pass.

I can't handle everything all at once. For that matter, I can't handle one thing at a time. I can only trust God and look to Him moment by moment.

God is completely sufficient. My confidence must be in Him. I must always depend on Him.

(James 4:14–15 NKJV) whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.
15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.”

Striking Sparks?

2011-01-28T11:10:00.000-05:00

(Proverbs 27:17 NKJV) As iron sharpens iron, So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.

I have always liked this verse. To me, this is one of the points of fellowship. Christians get together with other Christians to build up (edify) each other. That is positive, but involves things that we sometimes don't think much about.

Iron sharpening iron sometimes strikes sparks. In our fellowship we need to allow for some sparks of controversy and argument. Getting to the encouragement and refreshment of fellowship requires a willingness to be challenged. Such challenges drive us to the Word of God and to more careful thinking.

Iron sharpening iron is abrasive. The two iron objects scrape against each other and tear off little bits of each other. Gradually the edge is made fine and sharp. Feathers don't sharpen iron. Butter won't sharpen iron. The friends need to work on each other with serious discourse of point and counterpoint.

Iron sharpening iron takes time. We live in the world of instant gratification. But iron sharpening takes effort over time. If we are going to have the benefits, we need to put in the time and the effort. Otherwise we will become increasingly dull.

Iron sharpening iron doesn't last. We don't actually use all that much iron in modern times. We are used to hardened steel - even stainless steel. Iron, on the other hand, gets dull pretty quickly and is subject to corrosion. We can't just get sharpened once and then think we are good to go for a year. We need frequent sharpening - friends - people to talk to who can be our iron counterpoint.

I praise God for the iron people God has put into my life over time. I have benefited from my parents, my church families, my professors, my classmates, my wife, and my colleagues in ministry. I have had mentors and friends. I have been blessed by local fellowships, state fellowships and national fellowships of churches. These are not just for entertainment. They are not just a place to get a pat on the back. They are for the hard work of sharpening the iron.

Fellowship is worth the effort because iron sharpens iron.

Humility Meter?

2011-01-25T20:25:00.001-05:00

(1 Peter 5:5 NKJV) ¶ Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.”

Most people are proud of how humble they are. I thought I would try to come up with some indicators of pride. See if you can see yourself in any of these. (If you only see other people in this list, I have some bad news for you...)

I talk more than I listen.
I talk about myself.
I always try to top other people's stories.
I don't ask for directions.
I don't ask for help.
I get extremely upset when I make mistakes.
I seek praise through belittling myself.
I don't pray.
I have outbursts of wrath.
I carry a grudge.
I'm unforgiving.
I'm bitter.
I resent direction from others.
I resent authority.
I am bugged by experts who disagree with me.
I accuse others of arrogance.
I am impatient with people.
I'd rather do something myself than teach someone to do it.
I'm never completely satisfied with my work.
I'm never satisfied with other people's work.
I believe some jobs are beneath me.
I can't stand people who are better than I at what I do.
I believe I am better than people who are different from me.
I treat service people rudely - waiters, waitresses, counter workers, check out clerks.
I am stingy with praise.
I am quick to criticize.
I feel under-appreciated.
I am quick to excuse my own sins.
I am patronizing.
I am condescending.
I take other people for granted.
I expect people to defer to me.
I rage against the sins of others.
I mock people from other cultures.
I think my own culture is the apex.
I have no sympathy for the down and out.

Pride is our default setting. Salvation by Grace is the great leveler. We have no good thing in ourselves. We have no ability to save ourselves from God's justice against our sins. We are completely dependent on the Grace and Mercy of God. How, then, can we continue in our prideful ways?

(Philippians 2:3–4 NKJV) Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.
4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.

The Preacher's Problem

2011-01-24T14:16:00.000-05:00

(2 Timothy 4:1–4 NKJV) I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom:
2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.
3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers;
4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.

There is friction in this passage! There is a problem for the preacher! There is a bright light, but threatening clouds are always looming on the horizon.

Our charge before God is a bright light! "Preach the Word!" This is what every genuine preacher - every preacher called by God and ordained by God - wants to do with all his heart. He wants to preach the word of God! He wants to study it, understand it and proclaim it! "Thus says the Lord!"

The clouds that darken our sky are the rest of the passage.

Our hearts and the hearts of our listeners are sinful. Sinners don't enjoy having the word of the Holy God preached. It brings about reproof, rebuke and exhortation and these things hurt people's feelings. Preaching the word may make people angry and the threat of their anger hangs over the preacher's head. He is tempted to soften the message to avoid the wrath of these people.

But the preacher's job is to provide "sound doctrine." That is doctrine that is healthy and whole. That is doctrine that is true to the word. That is doctrine that is actually God's doctrine - God's word - the Truth. If we spin our message so that it won't offend people, we are not "preaching the word." We are doctors who have watered down the medicine. Now it doesn't taste bad, but it also won't bring a cure!

Preach the word and some people will walk away. It happens in thousands of churches every week! There is a huge nomadic tribe of itchy people drifting from one ecclesiastical oasis to another looking for the place that scratches their particular itch. High church, low church, traditional music, contemporary music, stained glass, padded pews, coffee, better coffee, coffee cake, blue jeans, suits and ties... these are all just side issues... But at the heart of everything is the matter of what is being preached.

Are people getting the unadulterated word of God or some dumbed down, eviscerated, politically correct "happy thoughts?"

The preacher's problem is that he is tied to God's word. If he were just giving a speech, the preacher could (like a politician) say just what his audience wants to hear. But he is not free to come up with his own message that is calculated to please. The preacher - to really be a PREACHER - must preach the word of God - the message that God has already delivered in the Bible.

(Jeremiah 23:25–26 NKJV) ¶ “I have heard what the prophets have said who prophesy lies in My name, saying, ‘I have dreamed, I have dreamed!’
26 How long will this be in the heart of the prophets who prophesy lies? Indeed they are prophets of the deceit of their own heart,

Our Strong Tower

2011-01-19T15:14:00.000-05:00

(Proverbs 18:10–11 NKJV) The name of the LORD is a strong tower; The righteous run to it and are safe.
11 The rich man’s wealth is his strong city, And like a high wall in his own esteem.

Some people - even many people - think that they are secure because of their money and possessions. But in fact, our only real security is the name of the Lord. If the LORD doesn't save us, nobody can.

(Psalms 18:2 NKJV) The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

I picture the people of a medieval village running for the safety of the castle tower when raiders are headed their way. They are not foolish enough to try to fight it out. They just run to the safety of the fortress. That is exactly what we should do.

(Proverbs 29:25 NKJV) The fear of man brings a snare, But whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe.

Why do we do the things we do in the way we do them? Why do we speak the truth, or not? Why do we tell people the gospel, or not? Why do we do the right thing, or not? Isn't it true that when we are afraid we tend to shrink back from our better intentions?

(Psalms 56:11 NKJV) In God I have put my trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?

The things of this world are temporary and we are corrupted by sin. No matter how much wealth we accrue, it will never bring us the security we crave. Trust in the LORD!

(Hebrews 13:5 NKJV) ¶ Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

The Entrance?

2011-01-17T14:35:00.000-05:00

I wonder how much money Walmart could save if they just left the Entrance & Exit lettering off their buildings? They might just as well, because pretty much everyone ignores the signs anyway. People are constantly entering at the exit and exiting at the entrance. You can't get in because people are coming out the entrance. Later you can't get out because people are coming in the exit. It is a confusing jumble.

Maybe they should post a sign that says - "USE WHATEVER DOOR APPEALS TO YOU - JUST PUSH THOSE OTHER PEOPLE OUT OF YOUR WAY." But that would be superfluous since everyone is already doing that.

One place where you cannot use whatever door you want is heaven. Jesus said,

I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. (John 10:9 NKJV)

He also said,

“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. (Matthew 7:13–14 NKJV)

There is one door by which we gain entrance to heaven and it is Jesus Himself. There is one gate and one way that leads to eternal life - and it is not the way most traveled.

This is a message that is not popular and not politically correct. It doesn't meet the postmodern standard of tolerance because it doesn't affirm everyone's views as equally truthful. This claim of exclusivity is seen as out of step with multiculturalism in our pluralistic society.

But I didn't make it up. I am just quoting it. This is from the Bible. God is speaking. He doesn't seem to feel constrained by the dictates of our postmodern sages. He also says,

(Proverbs 16:25 NKJV) There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.

So you will need to choose. You can choose what you want. But your choice is not "right" just because it is your choice. Believe or disbelieve what the Bible says, but there are consequences.

That's Faith

2011-01-07T09:55:00.000-05:00

(Hebrews 11:6 NKJV) But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

Faith is trusting God. If you have faith:

you trust God
you take God at His word
you believe what God says
you obey what God commands
you side with God against all enemies
you vindicate God to others and to yourself

But our faith is weak. We don't always obey. We sometimes retreat in fear. We doubt.

Isn't this the nature of the Christian life? Are we not constantly struggling to grow in faith - in trust - in confidence - in obedience? Oh we of little faith! Why do we fear?

Some people labor to disbelieve and others labor to believe. Some people come to God's revelation with their own presuppositions and measure the God of the Bible by their own prejudices. As a consequence they either reject the God of the Bible outright or they modify Him with rationalizations that will make Him fit in their box. Neither option is faith.

(1 Corinthians 2:14 NKJV) But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

Faith reads the revelation of God, believes what it says and trusts that God is right in His actions, judgments, plans and purposes. If they don't understand how certain aspects of God's dealings fit together, they trust that God's insight is greater than their own and that God's dealings are always right.

(1 Thessalonians 2:13 NKJV) ¶ For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe.

That's faith.

(Hebrews 11:1 NKJV) Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Storms of Life

2011-01-05T08:23:00.000-05:00

Sometimes we sail through friendly seas. The sun is bright, the dolphins play, the wind fills our sails and the water bubbles at our bow.

At other times we are in the storm. The clouds are dark and huge waves break over the ship. The deck is awash. The wind shrieks through the rigging. The ship pitches and rolls.

What can you do? You can't change the weather. You can't ignore it.

1) Lash yourself to the mast - or at least to something that will not be washed overboard. If you give up your ship will be lost - and you with it. In the storm, keep on trying. Be faithful.

2) Keep some sail on so you can make enough headway to steer. You may not be able to go where you want or as fast as you want, but it is important to do what you CAN. In the storm, keep on going. Persevere.

3) Steer into the waves so you ride up and over. Don't get caught sideways in the trough where the waves can capsize you. In the storm, pay attention. Be diligent.

4) Fix your eyes on the compass. It is easy to become disoriented. Even in the storm the compass points North and you can keep from running aground. In the storm, avoid rocks. Be humble.

5) Pump out the bilge. You are bound to take on water. Don't let it just fill you up and swamp you. In the storm, keep bailing. Don't become bitter.

As followers of Christ we still face the storms of life, but we don't need to be lost at sea.

Let God Be God

2010-12-28T12:17:00.000-05:00

When I think of idolatry I usually think of some sort of sculpture that represents a deity. After that, I think of something that is worshiped as a deity - even it there is not statue (like money, for example.)

There is another common form of idolatry that I am calling "managing God."

In this form of idolatry we sinful creatures decide that we have higher standards than the God Who has revealed Himself in the Bible. This is usually right after we read something in the Bible that we don't understand or don't like. People say things like:

"This can't be right."
"I could never believe in a god who would..."

Then we invent a god who measures up to our standards. No matter how sincere or cynical the inventor might be, the invented god is an idol. The God of the Bible is infinite. If your god can be comprehended (completely understood) by your finite mind, he/she/it is not the God of the Bible. The God of the Bible is holy. If you think that you have a better idea about how things SHOULD be than those God has revealed in the Bible, you believe you are more holy than God.

We are troubled by perplexing questions. Why did an omnipotent and omniscient God allow sin at all? How can a loving God send people to an eternal hell? Why would a holy God save ANY sinners? Why wouldn't an omnipotent and loving God save ALL sinners?

The list of questions is endless. The answers are not provided. God only tells us what He wants us to know - He is omnipotent, omniscient, loving, holy, just, merciful and gracious. But He doesn't tell us how all of these things fit together, other than to say that He "works all things according to the counsel of His will," (Ephesians 1:11)

To believe in the God revealed in the Bible requires faith.

Faith that God is omnipotent - that He can do whatever He determines ought to be done.
Faith that God is holy - that He is infinitely good and does what ought to be done.
Faith that God is just - that He does those things that ultimately satisfy His holiness.

God is God. We are but creatures - corrupted by sin and devolved by sin's effects on creation. We are called upon to TRUST God to be God - and give Him our unconditional praise, glory and gratitude.

Let God Be God!

(Hebrews 11:6 NKJV) But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

Merry Christmas

2010-12-25T13:50:00.000-05:00

Fear not, for I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people!
For unto you is born this day, in the city of David, a Savior, Who is Christ the Lord!

Whatever you do today.
Whatever traditions you observe.
Whatever gifts you give or receive.
Whatever foods or goodies you eat.
Whatever family you see, or call, or miss.
Whatever you do today, don't miss the main point!

Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners...

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!

Preach The Word

2010-12-24T14:51:00.001-05:00

Exegesis is a biblical word. The Greek word, εξηγεομαι, means to explain, to tell in order or to interpret. Exegesis - providing an ordered explanation and interpretation - is the basis for expositional preaching in which one gives an exposition of Scripture.

Exegesis is what Jesus does as the one who gives a perfect exposition of God. (John 1:18 NASB) "No man has seen God at any time; the only begotten God, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him." So Jesus could say, "Whoever has seen me has seen the Father." (John 14:9)

Eisegesis is another thing altogether. You can see the parallel between eisegesis and exegesis. The difference is the prefix. Instead of the "Ex" from the Greek word for "Out of," this word has "Eis" from the Greek word for "Into."

The difference in meaning is significant. Instead of carrying the meaning out of the text and unpacking it in order (as in exegesis), eisegesis means you carry meaning into the text and create a new meaning that was not there.

It has been said that "you can prove anything you want from the Bible." Well, that is not true if you practice careful exegesis. In careful exegesis you come up with the meaning that is already there through observing the words in their normal relationships and given their normal definitions and taking into account the bigger picture of the history and context and type of material that is being studied.

But in eisegesis it is true that you can prove anything. In eisegesis the meaning doesn't really come from the text at all - it comes from the mind of the person who is doing the eisegesis. That person is reading his or her thoughts and prejudices into the text. Why should we be surprised that they find their unique doctrine everywhere they look? One of the telltale indicators of eisegesis is that the interpreter has no problem teaching his point no matter what text he is looking at. He cannot see a contrary point anywhere - for him everything fits together beautifully!

Exegesis is hard work, partly because of the need to be careful to avoid eisegesis. As a preacher there is always a temptation to approach a sermon with a desire to make the text support what I want to say. But the job of expositional preaching is to find out what the text is saying and to preach THAT.

(2 Timothy 4:2–4 ESV) preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.
3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions,
4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.

Born Again?

2010-12-21T14:10:00.005-05:00

One night long ago a religious man approached Jesus of Nazareth with compliments.

(John 3:3 NKJV) Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

Why didn't Jesus tell him to believe on Jesus?

Notice that Jesus doesn't tell Nicodemus to DO anything. He doesn't say to repent, believe, follow, choose, accept, receive or to take any other action. Jesus tells him that he needs something to happen TO him. "Being born" is a passive voice verb.

Nicodemus is perplexed. "How can a man be born when he is old...? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb...?" He has no idea what to DO about it. And it is interesting to me that Jesus doesn't help him out by making it a simple action that "closes the deal" on eternal salvation. He doesn't ask him to raise his hand, walk down front, pray a prayer, "pray through," or get baptized.

Instead Jesus confuses him further:
(John 3:5–6 NKJV) Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

And He explains that it is like when the wind blows... you can't see the wind and you don't know where it is coming from or where it is going. All you see is the results - things are moved because the wind blew on them. You can't control it, you can only observe it.

Jesus says again - "you must be born again."
Nicodemus is at a loss. "How can these things be?"

It seems to me there are some important points in here that we would do well to be reminded of.
1) Salvation is not essentially an action that is in man's hands.
2) Salvation is essentially an action that is in God's hands.
3) Salvation is brought about by the Holy Spirit of God.
4) Salvation is not something you can control, but it brings about results you can see.

Too many would-be-evangelists are in a hurry to give people the magic words to say that will cast the spell that will make them eternally secure. They would do well to remind themselves of the approach of Jesus the evangelist, who started out by telling Nicodemus that he couldn't save himself - that he needed to look to God to save him.

Faith in Jesus is not a prayer you pray that brings you salvation. Faith in Jesus is the result of the Holy Spirit's work of regeneration, by which people are born again.

It is as thrilling as a tornado! You are talking to someone about Jesus - about His sinless life, sacrificial death and resurrection. You are urging them to repent of their sins and to trust in Jesus for salvation. You can see that they don't get it. They don't understand. They don't believe it. It isn't registering with them.

Then the wind blows through, their eyes widen, they say something profound like "OH!" Now they believe! Now there are tears, laughter, prayers and maybe jumping up and down (that's me.) They have been born again right in front of your eyes! WOW!

Don't settle for cheap imitations. Don't rush to give people something they can DO (especially not something they can do whether or not they are born again.) Remember, they must be born again. Tell them all about Jesus and let God do the DO-ING in your evangelism.

Jesus Is All In All

2010-12-16T07:54:00.000-05:00

Life and ministry involve some dauntingly difficult moments. This morning as I contemplated some of my challenges, the words of this old hymn were running though my mind. "Jesus is all the world to me."

It is a great reminder that Jesus is always sufficient. Let Jesus receive all glory and honor and praise! Let me serve Him faithfully, regardless of the task.

Jesus is all the world to me, my life, my joy, my all;
He is my strength from day to day, without Him I would fall.
When I am sad, to Him I go, no other one can cheer me so;
When I am sad, He makes me glad, He’s my Friend.

Jesus is all the world to me, my Friend in trials sore;
I go to Him for blessings, and He gives them over and o’er.
He sends the sunshine and the rain, He sends the harvest’s golden grain;
Sunshine and rain, harvest of grain, He’s my Friend.

Jesus is all the world to me, and true to Him I’ll be;
O how could I this Friend deny, when He’s so true to me?
Following Him I know I’m right, He watches o’er me day and night;
Following Him by day and night, He’s my Friend.

Jesus is all the world to me, I want no better Friend;
I trust Him now, I’ll trust Him when life’s fleeting days shall end.
Beautiful life with such a Friend, beautiful life that has no end;
Eternal life, eternal joy, He’s my Friend.

Words & Music: Will L. Thompson, New Century Hymnal (East Liverpool, Ohio: Will L. Thompson Co., 1904) (I found this on www.cyberhymnal.org)

The Nice Thing About Being Sick

2010-12-14T11:39:00.000-05:00

(James 5:13 NKJV) ¶ Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms.

I have been struggling with a sinus infection for almost a week now. It isn't any fun. My nose is sore. My head aches. My ears are ringing (well - they always do - but now it's worse.) My eyes hurt. I am having trouble breathing through my nose.

So, what's good about this, you may ask?

It may be unpleasant, but it is not serious. Many people have worse problems than this.
It may be unpleasant, but it is temporary. A week from now it will be forgotten - no doubt.
It is unpleasant, but it is not completely disabling. I can still make phone calls. I can still study. I can still do most of my normal work at almost my normal pace.
Because it is unpleasant, it is an occasion for gratitude that MOST of the time I don't have this problem. I praise the Lord that most of the time I don't have pain in my sinuses and I can breath through my nose without thinking about it!
Another benefit is that this minor suffering of mine makes me more empathetic about the sufferings of other people - some of whom face much more serious and chronic problems.
Because I didn't feel well yesterday, I avoided some of my normal work by cleaning off my desk and getting rid of various stacks of paper and books in my study. If I had felt well, I would have probably procrastinated that work for another month or so.

So praise the Lord for everything. Are you well? Praise the Lord! Are you sick? Praise the Lord!

(1 Thessalonians 5:18 NKJV) in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Cold and ice...

2010-12-04T11:03:00.000-05:00

(Job 38:29–30 NKJV) From whose womb comes the ice? And the frost of heaven, who gives it birth?
30 The waters harden like stone, And the surface of the deep is frozen.

This is our fish pond at 21 degrees. They have an ice wreath! I thought about coloring it with food colors, but decided against it.

I love the different seasons!

(Genesis 8:22 NKJV) “While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, Winter and summer, And day and night Shall not cease.”

If this is the kingdom...

2010-12-03T11:14:00.001-05:00

Amillennialism is the view that what the world is experiencing right now is Christ's Kingdom. They believe that it came to earth at Pentecost (Acts 2) and continues for an indefinite period of time (so far almost two millennia) until the final judgment and the ultimate eternal state.

While I agree that Christ is the King of King's and Lord of Lord's, I disagree completely with the view that this is or could be His kingdom. But my disagreement goes deeper. I don't believe that there is any biblical support for the idea that this should be the kingdom.

For one thing, what we have been experiencing for the past 2000 years in no way conforms to the Biblical portrayal of Christ's Kingdom. This is a blog, not a book, so I can't go into every detail. But consider just three examples.

The Lord Himself reigns over the earth with a rod of iron. (Psalm 2:9; Rev. 2:27; 12:5; 19:15) Do the last 2000 years look to you like it has been strictly controlled by Christ? Pardon me for saying so, but if this is the best He can do, it isn't very impressive. Just think of the horrible wretched things that have transpired over the past 2000 years!
During the Kingdom a person who lives one hundred years will be considered a youngster. (Isa. 65:20) Certainly it isn't true of our world so far. People who live to be one hundred right now are considered old everywhere on earth. This text cannot be talking about the eternal state, because at that point there will be no new births and no more death.
During the Kingdom the world will be free of predation - the lion lays down with the lamb, etc. (Is 11:6; 65:25) There will be no war - the implements of war will be turned to peaceful purposes, "they will beat their swords into plowshares," etc. (Is 2:4; Mic 4:3) Certainly not the world in which we live at this point.

Of course the amillennialists spiritualize the texts I've cited and many others. They explain them away as hyperbole. But why? Do they believe Christ is not ABLE to establish an earthly kingdom? Do they think that this is IMPOSSIBLE for God? I think they have their cart before their exegesis. They first posit that this age IS the kingdom, then they interpret Scripture in whatever fashion is necessary to make it fit the circumstances.

A second problem I have with amillennial teaching is that the Bible makes very plain statements about a MILLENNIAL (1000 year) Kingdom ruled directly by Christ. Revelation 20 speaks of 1000 years (a millennium) no less than six times in as many verses. At the beginning of that 1000 years and for its duration, Satan is bound and removed from any influence in the world (vv.2-3). At the beginning of the 1000 years, the redeemed dead are resurrected and work for Christ in his kingdom (v.4). The rest of the dead (not redeemed) are not resurrected until after the 1000 year period (v.5). The resurrected redeemed people reign with Christ for 1000 years (v.6). At the end of 1000 years Satan is released for a little while (v.7).

Amillennialist would say this is figurative language for a "long time." But why not just say "a long time?" Why all the specifics of when it begins, how long it lasts, what happens during the time, and what happens when it is over? There is no compelling reason to dismiss the 1000 years as figurative. In fact, it seems to be very specific, to be taken literally. Repetition is usually a device that emphasizes.
This 1000 year period is completely unlike the period in which we live. Satan is currently alive and well and is deceiving the nations as I write. There are no world leaders or government officials who are resurrected from the dead and now are reigning for Christ.

Frankly, if the amillennialists were correct, the whole book of Revelation - with the possible exception of chapter 21 would be pointless. According to them, chapter 20 is now and all of the judgments, etc. of the previous 19 chapters must have happened before. Some believe that they are figures for the Roman destruction of Israel that culminated in the destruction of the temple in AD 70. So what kind of message could it possibly have held for the churches of AD 95 when it was written? Instead of being a revelation of future events (which it explicitly claims to be) it is just a colorful memory of what has already transpired????

A third reason I reject amillennialism is that it suggests that Christ's rule in His Kingdom is not absolute. Every Biblical portrayal of Christ's kingdom is that it is absolute - Jesus is the King and the contest is over. But if this current period is Christ's kingdom, then He shares dominion with Satan.

Individual believers are saved out of Satan's dominion and into the dominion of Christ. If this were Christ's Kingdom, how could Satan still be " the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who NOW works in the sons of disobedience?" (Eph. 2:1-3; Col 1:13)
Believers in this world are "strangers and pilgrims" because their citizenship is in a different kingdom (that is evidently somewhere else.) (Eph 2:12, 19; Heb 11:13; 1 Pet 2:11)
Believers are instructed by the apostles to pray, "Let Thy kingdom come." If the kingdom was already here, it seems strange to suggest that we should still be praying for it to come. (Matt 6:10; Luke 11:2)

No, no, no... I believe that Christ is the King - and that He will literally return to the earth to reign as King - first for a 1000 year period, then for eternity, just like the Bible says in plain language. That is why the apostles instructed us to keep looking for His coming. The period we are in is NOT the Kingdom. We don't know how long this period will last. All we know is that Jesus is coming and we should keep watching for Him.

(1 Thessalonians 1:9–10 NKJV) For they themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God,
10 and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.

(Titus 2:11–13 NKJV) ¶ For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men,
12 teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age,
13 looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,

The Spice of Life

2010-11-30T13:19:00.001-05:00

We had great food and desserts over the holiday. The credit goes to the cooks, my wife and daughter. But their success depended on the spices they used to flavor the food.

As I stood here waiting for my coffee from the microwave, I surveyed the spices and thought of the different delights they seasoned. Anise seeds in our traditional springerle cookies. Cinnamon and clove and nutmeg for pumpkin pies. Rosemary and onion flakes for the roast on Sunday...
There are not many spices you would want to eat by the spoonful. Spices that make a roast taste great would be terrible in a pie. But without spices foods would be pretty bland.

God seasons our lives. Everyday we have some joys and some sorrows. We have pleasures and pains. We have things that are sweet and things that are sour. There is variety.

Every hour brings something new. Every day has its own character and composition. Every encounter with people is different.

Is life sweet? Is life bitter? Actually, life is flavorful! God provides what we need for today.

As it says above our spice rack, "Taste and see that the Lord is good." (Psalm 34:8)

Have Your Cake?

2010-11-29T16:39:00.000-05:00

"You want to have your cake, and eat it too!"

I was reminded of this saying today...

That always puzzled me as a child. What was the point of having a cake, if not to eat it? Of course I want to have it and eat it! Doesn't everybody? It turns out that it means you want to keep your cake whole - and at the same time eat it too. The two things are mutually exclusive. You cannot have it both ways.

But it is true - most people would like to have it both ways. A little boy steals the cookie, but when his mother appears he quickly stuffs it in his mouth while at the same time he says, "I'm sorry!" Adults would like to keep on doing whatever sinful things please them - but at the same time be right with God.

So they apologize. They quote scripture. They go to church. They profess faith. They are full of humility and religious platitudes. They say they have come to see the light and the error of their ways.

O.K. - GREAT! So how about putting that stolen cookie down instead of stuffing it in your mouth? How about breaking off your immoral relationship? How about reconciling with the wife you left? How about paying your child support? How about paying restitution? How about turning yourself in and doing your time?

No, they are not willing to do THAT! They want to have their cake and eat it too. They want to continue in their sin - but have God (and everyone else) forgive them because they said they were sorry. ("I SAID I was sorry," says the little boy as the mother starts to punish him.)

Does this matter? Is it addressed in Scripture? It sure is!

(Matthew 3:7–8 NKJV) ¶ But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance,

(Acts 26:20 NKJV) but (I) declared first to those in Damascus and in Jerusalem, and throughout all the region of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent, turn to God, and do works befitting repentance.

Notice that the call to repentance is coupled with a call to do things consistent with that repentance. You can claim to be repentant, but if you continue in the same sinful behavior as before, you reveal the fact that your repentance is just so many words.

People can be deceived, but God cannot. God sees the heart. He is not impressed with religious activities when the heart is unconverted.

(Psalms 51:16–17 NKJV) For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering.
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart— These, O God, You will not despise.

The Secret of His Presence

2010-11-23T11:58:00.001-05:00

(Psalms 91:1–2 NKJV) ¶ He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.”

I love the hour before dawn because that is when I spend my sweetest time with God in the study of His word and in prayer. The house is dark except for the pool of light around my chair. Interruptions at that hour are rare. The only sounds are the ticking of our antique mantle clocks and the soft snoring of our miniature poodle who is curled up on the couch.

This hour is not for planning or for working... it is devoted entirely to reading God's word and to prayer. To read and meditate on God's word. To softly sing hymns of praise. To praise and glorify God. To desire Him and His will above all earthly things. To lay out before Him every joy or sorrow - every plan or puzzle. To revel in His love. To rest in His love. To get a taste of heaven's joy.

In the secret of His presence how my soul delights to hide!
Oh, how precious are the lessons which I learn at Jesus’ side!
Earthly cares can never vex me, neither trials lay me low;
For when Satan comes to tempt me, to the secret place I go,
To the secret place I go.

When my soul is faint and thirsty, ’neath the shadow of His wing
There is cool and pleasant shelter, and a fresh and crystal spring;
And my Savior rests beside me, as we hold communion sweet:
If I tried, I could not utter what He says when thus we meet,
What He says when thus we meet.

Only this I know: I tell Him all my doubts, my griefs and fears;
Oh, how patiently He listens! and my drooping soul He cheers:
Do you think He ne’er reproves me? What a false Friend He would be,
If He never, never told me of the sins which He must see,
Of the sins which He must see.

Would you like to know the sweetness of the secret of the Lord?
Go and hide beneath His shadow: this shall then be your reward;
And whene’er you leave the silence of that happy meeting place,
You must mind and bear the image of the Master in your face,
Of the Master in your face. (Poem by Ellen L. Goreh - 1883)

Virtual Lives

2010-11-17T10:59:00.000-05:00

(Proverbs 6:9–11 NKJV) How long will you slumber, O sluggard? When will you rise from your sleep?
10 A little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to sleep—
11 So shall your poverty come on you like a prowler, And your need like an armed man.

The movie "The Matrix" has come true!

The premise of the movie is that machines have taken over the world and only keep human beings alive as a sort of biological battery that generates electricity. The humans are actually kept in dark drawers - asleep - hooked up to life support - in huge subterranean automated complexes. People experience life in a virtual world - the Matrix - while they in fact are lying in their drawer generating electricity for the machines. It seems real, but it is really a plugged in experience that happens over the phone lines.

Isn't this true for many people? Don't vast numbers of people spend hour upon hour plugged in to machines? Isn't it true that many people have more interaction with a virtual world than they do with a real world? People are known in the virtual world by their "nicknames." They are concerned about their avatar as much as they are about their own appearance. They experience life vicariously in on-line games - and in many cases care more about success in that world, than they care about relationships and experiences in the real world. They devote hours of effort earning virtual credits for accomplishing virtual tasks in a virtual world in competition with other gamers who they will never know outside of the game world.

So what's the problem?

Virtual life is not life! It is a substitute for the real thing. It is at best a dream, and at worst a delusion. Virtual life is very attractive - maybe even addictive. There are less risks in the virtual world than in the real world. You can do incredible things - fight epic battles - do magic - leap, shoot, jump, kick, flip and maybe fly. And you don't even need to stretch first. You will never get a bruise or bump or a torn ligament. You will not be embarrassed in the virtual world - nobody really knows it is you. Go ahead and shoot and steal and kill and maim in the virtual world - it is all pretend anyway! You might even get killed in the virtual world, but you live again a few moments later!

But the fact that it is not life does not make it safe. It is certainly entertaining, but it is not profitable. At the very least it is eating up people's lives. Instead of really living life, they are pretending to live life while their time on earth slips past.

Real life involves real people in the real world. There are relationships to develop and maintain through person to person interaction. There are real life tasks to be accomplished that take our physical presence and effort. In the real world our actions affect other people's real lives for good or evil. We might be genuine heroes - save a life, comfort the distraught or help a little old lady across the street.

Real life has real risks and benefits. A real life workout will improve your health, but you have to put up with the sweat and pain. A real life conversation about spiritual realities might lead a person to an understanding of the truth about eternal life, but it also might result in rejection.

Jesus Christ said that He had come that we might have life and that we might have it more abundantly. (John 10:10) When we face Jesus and give an account, will He be interested in the level of success we had in our virtual games? Will He be disappointed with the hours we spent entertaining ourselves when we could have been living a real life in His service?

(Romans 13:11–13 NKJV) And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.
12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.
13 Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy.

Thursdays

2010-11-11T11:34:00.000-05:00

(Mark 6:31) And He said to them, “Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.

I like Thursdays.

For a pastor, Sunday is the pinnacle of the week. It is both the best day and the worst day. Most of my work is aimed at Sunday. I usually have two messages (morning and evening) and a Sunday School lesson to prepare for Sunday. Sunday is full of activity and requires physical, emotional and intellectual energy. On Sunday I am wound up tight.

Consequently, on Monday I am wound down. Monday is my day for taking care of loose ends left over from Sunday - making calls, sending notes - and for planning the week ahead. It is not a good day for taking a break - I'm too tired and still have too much on my mind. On Monday morning ALL my work for the week is not even started. I am too preoccupied with it all to take the time off.

Tuesday is a utility day. It is the day when I usually complete the bulk of my studying. On Monday and Tuesday I am usually cranking out handwritten notes about the Bible passages and topics I am studying. By the end of the day on Tuesday I want to have the text, context, structure, meaning and special features of the passage all figured out. I will have read it in the original language and have looked up all of the more unique words. I will know what the meaning of the passage is, and I will be experimenting with ways to preach it.

Wednesday allows even more study, but it is also taken up with the Wednesday ministries. I usually want to have my draft of the bulletin more or less completed on Wednesday - though I won't send it out until Thursday. I also need to think about teaching the teen group on Wednesday night - and getting prayer requests ready for the people doing prayer meeting. Wednesday energy is mostly about Wednesday ministries - but I am still mulling over the material I'm working on for Sunday.

Then comes Thursday! It is a blessed day! It is far enough between Sundays that I am fully recovered from the previous one and not yet panicked about the next! If the week is going well, I can take Thursday morning off to go to the pistol range - without fear that I am neglecting important work. When I come into the office for the afternoon, I feel refreshed. Thursday is my most mellow day. (It helps if my shooting goes well - but even that doesn't matter too much.)

Friday is another busy work day. Friday is the day to get everything all together. Sermon outlines finished, illustrations developed, power-point presentation completed, bulletin inserts typed, etc. Monday and Tuesday are the rough work of sorting through all of the material, and Friday is the fine work of putting everything together. Friday is the day that I am most likely to feel panic. If things are not clicking by Friday morning, I am fretting.

See how the pendulum swings? At Friday I start getting wound up again for Sunday. I need to have my sermons and messages and lessons in mind. I need to know WHAT I am going to say and HOW I am going to say it. At this point time is running out fast!

Hopefully I get it resolved on Friday. Saturday is my family day. We work together on household projects, do cleaning, do the laundry, work in the yard. I may glance at my work a few times throughout the day, but usually just for tweaking. Then on Saturday evening, after supper, I get my computer and head back to the study for my final three hours (6-9) of work before Sunday. I do my final edits to polish things up, finish my notes and print them out. Then I go home to bed and go to sleep thinking about my Sunday morning message.

Taking The (Baptism) Plunge

2010-11-08T14:47:00.000-05:00

(Matthew 28:19) Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

After church last night, someone asked me about my views on baptizing children. It kind of caught me off guard since I wasn't thinking about that subject at all. But the question was appropriate because the Sunday School teachers and Children's Church teachers need to know how their teaching will fit with what I will do with children who come to me about being baptized.

Should children be baptized or not? Under what conditions would I baptize children?

1) Baptism is a normal part of discipleship.
I believe that baptism is commanded for believers. After a person comes to faith in Jesus Christ, they should be baptized as a public testimony to the fact that they are identified with Jesus' death, burial and resurrection. Acts 2:41 says that "those who gladly received his word were baptized..."

It is correct for us to teach this to children who make professions of faith. On the other hand, it is not necessarily true that we should baptize a child (or adult) just because they make a profession of faith. We need to do our best to assure that the people we baptize truly understand the Gospel, know the meaning of baptism and are ready to make the commitments suggested by baptism.

2) Baptism does not bring about salvation.
The scripture is clear that salvation is by grace through faith, not of works. (Ephesians 2:8-10) Baptism is properly thought of as a picture of the person's salvation through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. While baptism is normal and proper for people who are saved by faith, it is not essential to their salvation. Baptism is a picture of a spiritual reality - not the cause of the spiritual reality.

Down the road from me there is a church that would be horrified by my reluctance to baptize children! They believe it is baptism that seals the deal and assures the salvation of a person. Their basic reasoning is no different from the reasoning of those who baptize infants because they believe it removes their original sin - or that it places them in the covenant of grace. The Bible does not support any of those views.

3) Baptism is not urgent.
We feel a certain urgency to baptize children because we suppose that they will lose interest and will not want to be baptized by the time they become teenagers. But this is exactly why we should not rush to baptize children. If their profession of faith is so shallow that it will disappear in a few years, then it is not genuine Christian conversion.

Instead of rushing to baptize a child, we should encourage him or her to continue in his/her profession of faith and to demonstrate the truth of that profession through continued growth in knowledge and obedience to the word of God. If they are genuinely born of the Spirit, they will indeed continue and still want to be baptized a few years down the road.

4) Baptism should require a certain maturity.
For many children church is strictly a social event limited to Sunday mornings - and this only if there is an entertaining junior church program for them. For these children, almost everything comes before church. Is there a sporting event, a concert, a school activity, a family activity, a television show that conflicts with church? They will NOT be at church. Are their friends going somewhere else today? They will not be here either.

But they want to be baptized.

Jesus said that to be His disciple (and it is disciples that should be baptized) one must take up his own cross daily, deny himself, and follow Jesus. (Matthew 16:24) This requires a mature decision - a sober choice to follow Jesus whatever the cost. But many children will stop attending church as soon as they graduate from junior church and are expected to participate in the regular services of the church.

I believe that until a person is able to participate in the general assembly of the believers without specialized children's services, they are not yet mature enough to make the decision to be baptized. I think this is in harmony with the Jewish tradition of celebrating a person's bar mitzvah (or bath mitzvah for girls) at the age of about 13. While the Bible doesn't mention this specifically, it is interesting that it does tell the story of Jesus staying behind in Jerusalem and questioning the teachers there when he was twelve years old. (Luke 2:42ff)

5) Baptism is associated with church membership.
Not only does baptism identify the person with Christ, it also identifies that person with the other disciples. Acts 2:41 says that the believers were baptized, then continues to say..."and that day about three thousand souls were added to them." By submitting to baptism, believers are identified as members of the church.

The church has a responsibility to screen people who come for baptism to see if they are genuinely converted. It would be inappropriate for the church to admit non-believers into membership. With children this becomes more difficult to determine. Are they professing salvation and seeking baptism because of pressure from adults, parents or peers? Or are they genuinely born again? The heartbreaking fact is that 2/3 of children brought up in evangelical churches (baptized or not) will walk away from church as adults.

Conclusion:
Even after a child has graduated from junior church to the adult services, there are important questions to be asked. Are they there because they want to be, or because they are forced to come by their parents? Are they eager participants - singing out, paying attention and taking notes - or are they slouched in the back row goofing off and sending text messages? Are they eager to take part in the service or do they use every opportunity to escape to "help" in junior church or the nursery?

I think that we should teach children about baptism. But I think we should teach them that it is a serious matter that requires them to reach the age when they are able to participate in the adult church program and demonstrate by their attendance and participation that they are serious about their profession of faith, their desire to be baptized and their willingness to put Christ ahead of other priorities.

Putting off baptism does not harm a person who is genuinely born again. But baptizing a child who subsequently walks away may well inoculate them against the gospel ("I tried that..."). Furthermore, baptizing a person who is not genuinely born again creates a mixed multitude in the church membership that will ultimately cause harm - one way or another. At the very least there will be the pain of disciplining such people out of membership when they turn away from Christ.

Random Reactions

2010-11-05T11:24:00.001-04:00

I read the following quote this morning in Yahoo.com's "The Starting Point." Do you see any problems with it?

"There is no goal better than this one: to know as you lie on your deathbed that you lived your true life, and you did whatever made you happy." --Steve Chandler

I gather that Mr. Chandler's motto is "Do whatever makes you happy." So much for moral guidance. Do what makes you happy - tell the truth or lie, be faithful or betray, be gentle or violent, obey the law or break it, be kind or hurtful, be productive or parasitic. Whatever makes you happy, so you can congratulate yourself on your deathbed that you "lived your true life."

There is a positive to this quote. It is refreshingly honest about the ultimate selfishness of atheistic thought. Many atheists presume that because they have a moral conscience and are pleased to do things that are good, that means atheism is not antithetical to morality. All it means is that they are selfishly pursuing their own pleasures - and in some cases that pleasure is found in doing "good."

I read this yesterday in an article by Clara Moskowitz, entitled "8 Shocking Things We Learned From Stephen Hawking's Book" in LiveScience.com.

The past is possibility:
According to Hawking and Mlodinow, one consequence of the theory of quantum mechanics is that events in the past that were not directly observed did not happen in a definite way. Instead they happened in all possible ways. This is related to the probabilistic nature of matter and energy revealed by quantum mechanics: Unless forced to choose a particular state by direct interference from an outside observation, things will hover in a state of uncertainty.

For example, if all we know is that a particle traveled from point A to point B, then it is not true that the particle took a definite path and we just don't know what it is. Rather, that particle simultaneously took every possible path connecting the two points.

The authors sum up: "No matter how thorough our observation of the present, the (unobserved) past, like the future, is indefinite and exists only as a spectrum of possibilities."

How interesting an idea from people who declare in the same book that everything in the universe came to be organized as it is through a determinism based on simple physical laws!

How would they know this about such complex events in the "unobserved past?" Not only is creation the ULTIMATE in unobserved events (by humans), but it is also completely unknown in the present. Nobody has ever seen life spring from non-life. Nobody has ever seen matter spring from nothing. Nobody has ever witnessed macro evolution. But Hawking is sure they happened by purely natural means.

Of course, what they are really saying is that EVERYTHING is possible in the unobserved past - EXCEPT for SUPERNATURAL THINGS - because they don't believe in supernatural things. According to them - the organization of the universe and the origin of life have infinite possible NATURAL antecedents that cannot be known for sure because they were unobserved. From their atheistic perspective, an infinite number of natural antecedents must include the correct formula.

Hawking's problem is that the origin of the universe WAS observed and is described in detail to us by someone who was there.

Broken Cisterns

2010-10-29T11:20:00.001-04:00

(Jeremiah 2:11–13) Has a nation changed its gods, Which are not gods? But My people have changed their Glory For what does not profit.
12 Be astonished, O heavens, at this, And be horribly afraid; Be very desolate,” says the Lord.
13 “For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, And hewn themselves cisterns—broken cisterns that can hold no water.

I had hiked up the mountainside in the heat and dust of the summer. The biting flies and bees buzzed me. The creeping vines snatched at my feet. The sun was hot and heat waves shimmered in the distances. The barbed wire fences were tight and threatened to snag my clothes as I worked my way under them while the scratchy grass threw scratchy seeds down the neck of my shirt, were it stuck in the sweat on my skin.

But eventually I reached the cool shade of the forest and the mountain stream that burbled and bubbled in its channel. The fragrance of the wild mint growing on the bank mingled with the scent of the pine woods. That running water was ice cold and clear as crystal. I laid on my stomach and put my face into a small pool and drank. There I was refreshed and the heat and discomfort of the journey were past.

That is what I think of when I read about "living water." It is the flowing water of a living stream. The fresh tasting, teeth-freezingly cold water that can refresh you and give you life.

I remember a long ago trip to Israel. I remember the deserts on the West Bank of the Jordan near the Dead Sea. Again, the heat of the sun shimmered in every direction. We were carried to the top of Masada - a Herodian fortress on the top of a great rock mountain - a place with an amazing history. Part of that tour took us to giant rooms apparently cut out of the rock. These rooms might have been storerooms - but at least one was supposed to be a cistern.

I suppose that the idea was to catch rain during the rainy season and channel it into the cistern. There it could last a long time in the dark of the cave. The cistern was carved because there were no natural springs on top of that rock mountain (and few in the surrounding desert) - and people need water to live.

But I don't remember there being water in that great big cistern. Maybe there was some mud. Perhaps the channels that were supposed to direct the rains to the cistern have been plugged. Perhaps there was not much rain that rainy season. Perhaps some earthquake cracked the rock of the cistern and allowed most of the water to drain away. I sure don't know. But I think of that big empty cavern every time I read Jeremiah 2:13.

Cistern water is not as good as the living water of a bubbling stream. It tends to be brackish and tepid. There might be a scum of algae or mold floating on the top. Even so, if a cistern did hold water - it could sustain life.

But the false gods of this world are cisterns that cannot even hold water. The values of this world - Pride, Possessions and Pleasure are broken cisterns. They cannot refresh you. They cannot give you life.

Only the One True and Living God - the Creator of life - only He can give us what we really need. But humans have abandoned Him and turned to gods of their own invention. No wonder people are so miserable! They are dying of thirst for the true water of life!

(2 Timothy 3:1–7) But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come:
2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good,
4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!
6 For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts,
7 always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

If only

2010-10-26T14:05:00.000-04:00

If only I was older...
If only I was younger...
If only I had more money...
If only I had more time...
If only I had more energy...
If only I was smarter...
If only I had more education...
If only I was stronger...
If only I was more attractive...
If only I could speak another language...
If only I was more disciplined...
If only I was not in debt...
If only I had better credit...
If only I was more articulate...
If only I was more creative...
If only I had taken a different path...
If only I was brave...
If only I was a people person...
If only I had better hair...
If only I was taller...
If only I was an expert...
If only I had a bigger audience...
If only people would listen to me...
If only I was not so sleepy...
If only I could forgive...
If only I had a faster computer...
If only I were artistic...
If only I weighed more...
If only I weighed less...
If only people would behave...
If only I had better ideas...
If only something dramatic would happen...
If only my life would settle down...
If only I had less interruptions...
If only someone would call...
If only it were a different season...
If only people understood me...
If only people were not so bizarre...
If only I were in charge...
If only it was warmer out...
If only it was cooler out...
If only I had something to wear...
If only I had the right equipment...
If only I had the right curriculum...
If only I had turned left...
If only I had a GPS...
If only I had a map...
If only I had a cooler phone...
If only I'd prepared better...
If only I had slept better...
If only I'd had a quick comeback...
If only I'd kept quiet...
If only I were appreciated...
If only I were valued...
If only I could go somewhere...
If only I could stay home for awhile...
If only I didn't have so many meetings...
If only I could get some people together...
If only I knew the right method...
If only I could memorize easier...
If only my kids would be good...
If only I could remember...
If only I could forget...
If only I'd kept my cool...
If only things were cheaper...
If only I were free...
If only people were committed...
If only there was a pill...
If only there was an app...
If only they would make up their mind...
If only they would give me more time...
If only I had the opportunity...

If only I didn't have so many excuses...

Your Best Ideas

2010-10-21T12:50:00.000-04:00

This week started out with two days away from home while I attended the annual conference of the Ohio Association of Regular Baptist Churches that was held in Albany, Ohio - at Albany Baptist Church. I had a great time - a refreshing time. I came away encouraged, challenged, and tired out.

While I was there I had some ideas for blogs - but no time to even jot them down, much less develop them. I am sure that some of them were really great ideas - profound ideas - brilliant ideas.

What I did write down was, "the best ideas are the ones you don't write down and can't remember."

Odd how that happens.

But it does.

The Meaning of Love

2010-10-15T12:36:00.002-04:00

Last Sunday evening I had occasion to compare Old English word meanings with Modern English meanings for the same words.

Take the words "suffer" and "let."

"Suffer" now means to endure pain, but it used to mean to "let or permit" someone to do something. Maybe the change was related to "putting up with" the other person's actions.

"Let" now means "to allow," but it used to mean "restrain." These meanings seem so contradictory that I have trouble imagining what brought about such a complete change.

That made me think today about the Bible's use of the word "LOVE." I think there has been a complete turnaround with the meaning of this word too. But the switch here has been more subtle. We would still use the same word, but its meaning in modern culture is completely changed.

Today the word love is used to describe INTENSE LIKES, as in, "I love ice cream!" Whether it is ice cream or people - love refers to some level of liking. The phrase "love at first sight," describes an infatuation and, as with other crushes, is just an intense feeling of liking someone.

Where marriage vows used to include a commitment "to love, honor and cherish til death does us part," modern vows are as likely to say, "to honor and cherish til LOVE does us part." In the past, we would commit to LOVING someone for a LIFETIME. In the present, people only commit to the relationship as long as they still LIKE each other.

LOVE in the Bible is not infatuation, but commitment. Love in the Bible is not a feeling, but an action of the will. Love in the Bible is not something you fall into - it is something you decide to do.

John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son..." The modern reader is bound to think that God had an intense LIKE for "the world." But in fact, God was at war with the world.

(Romans 5:6–8) For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
(Romans 5:10) For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.

"For God so loved the world..." doesn't say God liked us. It says that God chose to commit Himself to us. He determined to act on our behalf, in spite of our sin, in spite of our unworthiness, in spite of our wholesale rebellion against Him. He decided to commit Himself to the salvation of all who will believe - by giving His own Son as our redeeming sacrifice.

"...that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

Pesky Obsessions

2010-10-13T08:47:00.000-04:00

I finished a jar of peanut butter this morning while packing my wife's lunch. This was a pretty big jar - 40 oz., down to its last PB&J sandwich worth of peanut butter.

As I was reaching down into the cavernous depths of the jar through the wide mouth opening, I wondered if I should break out the spatula. For one thing, I don't like getting peanut butter on the handle of the knife - much less on the back of my hand as I work to scrape out the last smears of peanut butter. Besides that, the spatula will clean that jar out slick as a whistle.

Here is where I begin to struggle with my obsessions. I feel like I must use every last drop of peanut butter out of this big jar. But I have two more of these jars - brand new and full to the brim with peanut butter - just waiting in the pantry closet. And I have enough peanut butter on the sandwich already - even by my somewhat obsessive standards it is a nice even layer of brown covering every bit of the two pieces of bread.

I resolved the issue by deciding that even if the jar was not as empty as a spatula might get it, it was as empty as a table knife could get it. I threw the (relatively) empty jar in the trash and wiped the peanut butter off the back of my hand with a paper towel.

This drama was over in five minutes - and it wasn't even an extra five minutes. It was just the normal five minutes that it takes to make a sandwich for Lola in the morning. But it made me think about how easy it is to give emotional energy to things that don't really matter. (Did I throw out one peanut or two?)

It would be easy to obsess about the fact that I threw out the jar. Why not recycle it? And it was a plastic jar - why didn't I buy a glass jar? And I used a paper towel! Why not a reusable dishcloth or washcloth?

Do you see where this is going? People in our society spend far too much of their energy and attention on things that are of minimal importance - and far too little time focused on things that are of vital importance.

If I am going to be obsessive, let me obsess about knowing God and His revelation of Himself. Let me obsess about communicating the Gospel of Jesus Christ to people who have never heard. Let me obsess about how I can please God, my Savior, and bring Him the glory due to His holy name!

(1 Corinthians 10:31) ¶ Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

Keeping Track

2010-10-06T08:56:00.000-04:00

So much of life is keeping track of things.

I just added up my checkbook - keeping track of my balance. I enter the receipts from various purchases and subtract to see what is left.

As I work in my checkbook, I try to keep track of upcoming bills. What needs to be paid next? Do I have or will I have money to cover these expenses?

It is Wednesday morning. I need to keep track of the week. Counting today I have four days til Sunday. I need to keep track of my work. How is my morning worship sermon progressing? What about my evening worship study? What about the Sunday School class I will be covering? Am I on my way to being ready?

I need to keep track of my work. Tonight we have Prayer Meeting and I have the Teen Group. I need to plan to have everything in readiness - lessons, refreshments, materials, technology - for them tonight. Tomorrow is also the deadline for getting my draft of the bulletin out to Dottie and Dean. I need to start that today.

What about my church members? I need to keep track of them. One is having a surgery tomorrow. I will need to call him tonight and plan to see him at the hospital tomorrow. That changes the flow of my work. Today is the monthly adult meeting - the "Keenagers" - I plan to attend, but how long should I stay so I can get everything done? Others I need to call. Some I need to text.

What about my family? My folks are on their way back to Florida for the Winter. My wife is at work. My son is working on finishing his CDL. My daughter and her family are in Indiana. I need to keep track of them, pray for them and see what I should do to support, encourage or help them.

There are various chores and projects that I need to keep track of. The dog needs a bath and trim. There is yard work to complete before winter. There are meals to plan, groceries to buy, technology to install, cleaning to do. These are shared responsibilities, but I need to keep track of them.

Above all, I need to keep track of myself. Am I on track? Am I staying close to Christ? Am I in His word? Am I taking enough time for prayer? Am I sensitive to my faults and repentant for my sins? Am I bold to witness for Christ? Am I true to His will?

It is easy to lose track of things. We lose track of the time. We lose track of projects. We lose track of people. Paper piles up - some of it is important and most of it is trash - but I lose track of important things in the pile.

It is not enough to just live from moment to moment - we must be careful to keep track of what is truly important.

Decaffeinated

2010-10-05T18:19:00.000-04:00

Once again I am decaffeinating myself. I've done it before. I knew what to expect. I took it slowly and now I'm down to just one precious cup of delicious coffee at breakfast.

There are many potential advantages.

I have been reminded of how to spell "decaffeinate."
I don't feel jumpy or jittery - very calm and peaceful.
My precision pistol shooting has improved - less shaking, I suppose.
I have cut back on grocery expenses - three scoops instead of four each morning.

But it is a DRAG to go through.

I LIKE coffee - I REALLY, REALLY like coffee.
I've had to endure a few minor headaches as I've "dried out."
I am "dragging my wagon" these days - feeling a little bit subdued.
The weather is cold and rainy - I sure would like a cup of coffee!
Tea (decaffeinated of course) is thin and pale compared to coffee.

My coffee use (like so many things) sort of sneaked up on me slowly. I had a cup with Lola at breakfast and another during my devotions. (Coffee drinkers know that "a cup" is really a mug that holds at least two cups.) Then I would make a full 12 cup (6 mug) pot of coffee in the morning because our son MIGHT want a cup.

But he rarely did - and I would drink the extra - my third. And - on a summer's afternoon an iced coffee would be good! That would involve another 16-24 oz. of coffee. Or if I had a breakfast meeting with someone I would drink coffee at home with Lola AND have coffee at the restaurant. Or, if it was Sunday, I could get another cup of coffee in the fellowship hall before Sunday School! Or, if I had a lunch meeting at Panera Bread, I could get good coffee there too. Things were really hopping - and so was my heart rate, I'm sure.

Then, a few weeks ago, I went to Dublin, OH for an eye exam. The doctor dilated my eyes - and I wanted to wait for the effects to wear off before heading home on a sunny day. So I waited at a nice coffee shop where I drank down three big mugs of strong coffee. This on top of my normal three mugs of coffee at home. Way too much.

That's the week that I decided I needed to get a grip. And now I am down to one cup of coffee a day - and I'm glad - a little groggy, but glad. I'll be better off for the change - I'm sure.

(1 Corinthians 6:12) ¶ All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.

Eternal Security & Easy Believism

2010-10-01T09:09:00.000-04:00

Every few months I get a newsletter from the "Grace Evangelical Society." I always read it and I am almost always repulsed and enraged by its sad excuse for biblical exposition and theology. But it makes me think!

In the last GES newsletter, Bob Wilkin held forth on the superiority of his easy believism theology from the perspective that it contributes to a sense of security. In that system, salvation is an instantaneous transaction in which God is bound by contract to save the person who has believed. The focus of security is that moment in which the person prays the sinner's prayer. The question is whether or not the person is, AT THAT MOMENT, believing the necessary truths about their sin and Jesus' work of salvation, and if they are genuinely sincere in that faith AT THAT MOMENT. According to Wilkin, subsequent developments in the person's life have no bearing on the veracity of the person's profession of salvation or the person's ultimate security in Christ.

In that last newsletter, Wilkin claimed that preaching about the possibility of "false professions" makes people feel insecure - and is intended to make them insecure - about their salvation. He celebrated the fact that in his home church everyone feels perfectly confident about his or her eternal destiny. They believe there is no such thing as a false profession of faith as long as the basic content and the sincerity of the moment are not in question.

I have a few observations.
1) It seems to me that even if the "easy believism" system was biblical, you could always second guess yourself about the sincerity of your belief at some past moment. Besides that, it is clear that in that system people are always wrangling about what truths must be included in saving faith. For example, do you need to believe in the trinity, the virgin birth, and the resurrection to be saved? Did you understand all of those things when you "believed?"

2) The biblical language about believer's faith is invariably about present tense - continuing action - faith. Unbelievers are urged to believe in the future. Believers do think about when they "first believed." But once people believe, they are of the "household of faith" and they are "believers." The believers are not people who believed once in the past. The believers are people who started believing at some time in the past and are continuing in that faith today.

3) The Bible contains many instances where people in the churches are challenged to make sure that they are of the household of faith. For example: (2 Corinthians 13:5) Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified. Do you notice that the focus is not upon their previous profession of faith, but on their current faith?

4) The proper basis for security is not some previous point in life where we came to faith, but the fact that we are - in truth "in the faith" and trusting confidently in God to save us. When we first came to faith we understood something of the Gospel of Grace and trusted God to save us. As we have continued in the faith we have learned even more about the Gospel - and we have believed that too. So the content of our faith continues and grows.

5) Faith is more than believing doctrinal content. (James 2:14-26) Saving faith is a commitment to the truth that shows up in our actions. To believe that the bungee cords will keep you from falling to your death is not the same as believing in the efficacy of the bungee cords AND throwing yourself off the bridge. Having saving faith in Jesus Christ (a continuing faith) keeps on showing up in the lives of believers.

(1 Thessalonians 1:6–10) And you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became examples to all in Macedonia and Achaia who believe.
8 For from you the word of the Lord has sounded forth, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place. Your faith toward God has gone out, so that we do not need to say anything.
9 For they themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God,
10 and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.

6) A believer's confidence is strengthened by the evidence of his conversion that shows up in his life. There is the fruit of the Spirit. There is the love of the brethren. Contrary to Wilkin's assertions, the teaching of what he calls "Lordship Salvation" brings encouragement to people who are genuinely saved. They know they are trusting God and they see evidence in their lives that God is at work - conforming them into the image of Christ.

(1 John 3:18–19) My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him.

According to the Bible, faith in Jesus as Savior cannot be separated from the way it works out in the person's life.

(1 John 5:1–5) Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him.
2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments.
3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.
4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.
5 Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

7) The most serious problem I have with Bob Wilkin and the Grace Evangelical Society is that he is giving a sense of security to people who should not be secure. The fact that someone once prayed the sinner's prayer in deep sincerity will NOT SAVE THEM. That past event is not what the Bible describes as saving faith.

People are being encouraged to be confident in their eternal security because of a past event in spite of the fact that they show no evidence of God's work in their hearts and lives ever since. This sense of security in their present lives is not going to be of any consolation when they face God. The persons who are teaching this are doing such people a grave disservice.

Being A Grown-Up

2010-09-29T11:22:00.000-04:00

I had this thought as I opened the dishwasher to begin unloading it.

Children like to pretend that they are grown-ups. They play house. But being a grown-up means taking the responsibility and initiative to do the things that need to be done.

Nobody loves unloading the dishwasher or putting out the trash. But these things need to be done. Kids might do such things - but usually under pressure from an adult. Adults see that things need to be done, and they decide to do them because they accept the responsibilities of adulthood.

Adults get up in the morning to get to work and do the things that need to be done. Adults go to their job everyday, even when it is difficult. Adults take care of business, focus on their work and care for their children. They plan meals, do grocery shopping, do the laundry, mop the floor and fix the broken window. Grown-ups live in their budget and make sacrifices. Grown-ups clean up their own mess - and often the messes of others. Somewhere between infancy and adulthood we transition from everyone else taking care of us to being responsible to take care of ourselves and others.

To some extent this is a constant struggle against our innate selfishness. We want to be served rather than to serve. We want to be entertained rather than to expend mental and physical energy on work. We want to sleep in. We want to eat, but we don't want to cook. If we cook, we don't want to clean up. If we clean up, we don't want to empty the drainer.

So we sigh. But because we are grown-ups we go ahead and take responsibility and do what needs to be done. Maybe we are pretending a little bit ourselves, but we go ahead and empty the dishwasher - eventually.

Legislating Morality

2010-09-24T12:56:00.001-04:00

"You can't legislate morality." I don't know where that saying came from, but it seems to me that it has always been part of my consciousness - and I'm old enough that my consciousness stretches way back to the last ice age. Well - not quite - but definitely back into the 60's and 70's.

It seems to me that many people that I agree with on conservative social issues have missed the point. You cannot legislate morality.

I am not opposed to having laws against things that I consider immoral. The purpose of civil government is to provide order (versus anarchy) and to maintain peace for the citizens.

(Romans 13:3–4) For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same.
4 For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil.

I'm glad that the government sets up the laws by which we all drive on the same side and mostly all follow the same basic rules of the road. I am glad to see the police cars out on the highway encouraging people to restrain themselves and follow the rules. Not everyone DOES follow the rules, but many people do - out of fear if for no other reason.

I am also glad that there are laws against murder and promoting self defense. It doesn't mean that I am absolutely sure I will not be murdered, but at least the police would investigate if I were murdered - and MAYBE that will restrain my potential murderers.

I believe that abortion is the murder of an unborn child. I am in favor of laws that would protect the lives of those millions of children who would otherwise be murdered by their own mothers. It wouldn't save the lives of every unborn child - not by a long shot - but it would save many.

So, I am in favor of such laws and I will vote that way - for politicians who could make a difference in the laws and the judges who have so much influence.

But having said that, I will not use the Church as a tool of the political process to influence the vote. The political process is the political process. It certainly has an important place. But the Church is not a political instrument or a political platform. The problems of our society are moral problems created by selfishness and immorality in people's hearts. All the laws in the world cannot change the hearts that are at the root of the problems. The law has temporary and limited effects in people's lives. It cannot do anything positive - it only punishes those who do not comply.

But the Church is all about changing people's hearts. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is applied by the Spirit of God to bring about "new birth" - a conversion from death to life - from spiritual darkness to spiritual light. The Church is about changing enemies of God into the people of God. The Church is about ordering our hearts according to the truth as revealed by God to His people.

God's work in people's lives - of which the Church is a part - is miraculous and eternal. It goes way beyond anything that can be accomplished in the arena of politics.

My point is this. You can't legislate morality. When you hijack the Church and divert it from it's life changing mission to use it in the political process - THAT is IMMORAL. If we win the political battles, but fail to do what we have been commissioned to do - to make disciples for Jesus Christ - then we have sinned against Him.

Keep your eye on the ball. You cannot legislate morality. The only real solution to immorality is to have people become genuine followers of Jesus Christ - and for the followers of Jesus Christ to be instructed in the truth of His Word.

(Matthew 28:19–20) Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

The Grace To Shut Up

2010-09-21T08:44:00.001-04:00

(Mark 9:5–6) Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah”— because he did not know what to say, for they were greatly afraid.

I have great empathy for Peter in this passage. He did not know what to say, but felt like he needed to say something... and he is ultimately rebuked by God directly from heaven.

It is too easy to say the first thing that comes into my mind and end up communicating things that I did not intend. So far I've never received an audible rebuke from heaven, but I am sure that many times God has disapproved of my outbursts.

(James 1:19–20) ¶ So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

I should have kept my mouth closed and my ears open. I should have kept my temper and my pride in check. I should have rested my confidence in God and held my peace. I should have thought through the implications of what I was about to say. I should have been careful about who I was contradicting and where I was contradicting them. I should have been more careful with what I thought would be humorous - and realized that someone would not think it was funny, or that it was funny at their expense. I should have had the grace to shut up.

As I have matured, I have slowly learned that I don't need to express everything I think. I don't need to correct every error I encounter - and especially not where it will embarrass the other person. Sometimes, if I listen for a little while longer or ask a few questions, I will learn that I was mistaken in the first place about what the person was saying. Other times, I need to have longsuffering & mercy on people who have the same problem I do. They talk too much.

(Proverbs 17:28) Even a fool is counted wise when he holds his peace; When he shuts his lips, he is considered perceptive.

I don't want to be a silent fool. I want to be a person who is often silent because he is wise. Lord, give me the grace to shut up.

Crime & Punishment

2010-09-17T10:53:00.000-04:00

How can there be justice unless the punishment perfectly fits the crime?

For example, if a thief steals $2.00 we expect a different punishment than if he steals $20,000.00. If someone accidentally drops a gun and it shoots a person, that is different than if he deliberately shot the person from ambush.

But how can justice be served in any of these cases? To have a thief pay back the money is not justice because there is no punishment. But how much punishment is appropriate? The Old Testament standard a required 20% penalty in addition to the restitution. To cut off the hand of a thief (as is done in some cultures) seems overly severe. The Old Testament "eye for an eye" standard set a LIMIT on punishment so that the punishment would fit the crime.

Most people would agree that the punishment SHOULD fit the crime, but how can we agree on what that means in any given circumstance? The requirements of the law might satisfy a majority of the people, but there will be some who think the punishment is too harsh and some who think the punishment is too lenient.

Beyond that, the application of "justice" is not necessarily even. One murdering rapist gets off on a technicality while another gets the death penalty. There is plenty of evidence that the skin color or the educational attainment or the socioeconomic standing of the person will affect the outcome of the trial and the punishment imposed by the court.

What of limits on "cruel and unusual" punishment? If someone kidnaps, abuses, tortures and kills a child, how could society begin to mete out real justice? If he was sentenced to death in the USA he would still have 30 years or so to live in prison before his appeals ran out. Then, if he is put to death, it must be painless. Is this justice? Some would say he should be tortured to death, but then how are we not stooping to the same level of brutal barbarism as the criminal?

How can there be real justice? It is a cinch that real justice - absolute justice - cannot be achieved in our societies. Only some criminals are caught. Of these only some are convicted. Of these different ones will get different sentences. In every case the court imposed punishment will be imperfect and limited.

But there is God and He is just!

While our understanding and power are limited, God is infinite, all powerful and eternal. We can only catch some - but God will catch all. Our courts are flawed, but God's judgment is perfect. We can only deal with people in this life, but God can deal with them for eternity.

But consider the rest of the story. While we are concerned with justice for crimes against other people, God is also concerned with justice for crimes against Himself. Our crimes against humans are one aspect of that, but the deeper issue is our responsibility to recognize, submit to and obey the one who created humans. Since God is infinitely good, our rebellion against Him is even more offensive than the most heinous crime of humans against other humans.

(Revelation 20:12–15) And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.
13 The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works.
14 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
15 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.

God's justice is perfect, and we all deserve the ultimate sentence. But praise God that He provided a way of answering the demands of justice against our sin while granting mercy and grace to those who call on Him in faith.

(2 Corinthians 5:21) For He made [Jesus] who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

(1 Peter 2:24) who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.

In the work of Jesus Christ we have both justice and mercy. He paid the just punishment for the sins of everyone who will call on Him for salvation.

Obscurity Endures!

2010-09-15T11:37:00.000-04:00

The Frank & Earnest comic from 9/14 shows them sitting on a park bench with a dazed look on their faces. Frank is speaking. "Fame is fleeting... but obscurity just drags on and on."

Ha, ha, ha! That is exactly right! I will print that out and post it on my study wall.

I am sure that I am not the only person in the world who was ever bothered by his obscurity. Human pride shouts, "Look at ME!" I am special! I am talented! I am strong! I am smart! I am special! We spend our time jumping up and down and shouting (one way or another) hoping that people will notice us and we will rise from obscurity to fame.

Is there any evidence?

What about blogging? Here I am blogging! Why am I blogging? Well, I have some ideas to share - things I think could be helpful to thinking people. Do I care at all if anyone reads my blog? You know I do - and so do ALL bloggers and tweeters and facebook posters.

Nobody wants to be obscure! We want millions of followers! We want fame and fortune. We want our own reality show! We want to win "America's Got Talent!"

We had better get over it!

(James 4:6) ¶ But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.”

Fame and obscurity are relative terms. If you are consumed with a desire for fame, you will never be satisfied, no matter how famous or infamous you become. (Consider the incredible, self-destructive, made for the tabloids lives of many famous people. Too much is never enough!)

You may feel you are obscure - but you are the most important person in someone's life. Everyone has a sphere of influence in which they affect people's lives. A kind word or a smile from you can make someone's day. Your service to the people you know might be the best thing that happens to them this week. You are famous in their lives. You are a blessing to them.

No, you are not likely to be a household name around the world. (Be thankful! Who wants that kind of responsibility?) I am convinced that 75% of the two dozen hits on my blog each day are just computer robots! (That explains why they never leave comments. Sad - just two dozen hits and most are not even real people!)

Oh, well. I hope that what I have written is an encouragement to those of you who are real people! That is the secret - do your best to be helpful to the people in your circle of influence. Don't worry about the fame that this world has to offer. As Frank says, "Fame is fleeting..."

But God knows who you are.

(2 Timothy 2:19) Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.”

Running The Race

2010-09-13T09:45:00.001-04:00

(Hebrews 12:1) Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,

It seems simple. The Christian's life is like a race.

But it is not so simple. It is an endurance race that lasts our lifetime. It is, by its nature, difficult. Every step requires effort. Every moment we decide again to stay the course. Every day reveals new challenges of rough terrain, narrow paths, confusing options and the temptation to give up.

But we have encouragement from the Lord. There is a "cloud of witnesses" who have lived by faith through difficult times and whose testimonies are found in Scripture. They speak with a united voice to say, "The Lord is faithful and sufficient."

Our perfect example is Jesus our Savior.

(Hebrews 12:2–3) looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
3 ¶ For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.

Jesus never slipped, never faltered and never despaired. He never wavered, but always obeyed the Father. By His obedience Jesus faced down our greatest obstacles - sin and death - so that we don't have too.

Lay aside every weight.

The Lord says, "lay aside every weight." We need to examine each thing we pick up and see if it is part of the race - or just extra weight. It is so easy to accumulate things that hinder us in our race - physical stuff, entertainment, people, politics, hobbies, interests, fears, pride, loves, jobs, obsessions, hatreds, resentments, grudges, self-pity, ambition, lies, superstitions - the list is endless.

When we allow these things to bog us down we are like a distracted driver - talking on the phone, texting, drinking coffee and applying make-up while traveling 70 miles per hour just ten feet from the car in front of us. We are a disaster just waiting to happen. There will be a sudden turn, a flash of brake lights, and we will be off the road!

Hang up and drive. Lay aside every weight. Keep your eyes on Jesus.

Run with endurance - for the glory of God.

(Colossians 3:17) And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

Notes On 9/11

2010-09-11T08:21:00.002-04:00

Today is the ninth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks in the USA. I remember the call from my daughter telling me that a plane had hit the first tower and my naive thoughts about what must be wrong with the air traffic control system to allow such an accident.

The events of that day were certainly horrible by every measure.

My heart still goes out to those who so suddenly lost people dear to them.

Death is a certainty - but we expect it to come after some warning. We expect aging and illness to announce the approach of death. We expect there to be time to say good-bye and, "I love you." I am sorry for those whose lives were so rudely interrupted by the wicked machinations of evil people.

Lessons Learned:

Remember to cherish your loved ones.
Tell people how much you love them.
Don't take a single day for granted.
Make sure you are ready to face eternity.
Note the stark difference between religions that require people to establish their own righteousness and biblical Christianity, which offers God's righteousness to men through the work of Christ, by God's grace, received by faith.

BAPTISTS: Elder Rule or Congregational Government?

2010-09-10T09:40:00.000-04:00

I was with a group of Baptist pastors recently where the question of "elder rule" came up. Elder rule means that the pastor or pastors make the decisions in the church. Elder rule is the opposite of congregational rule. The question that was raised was whether or not this was true to Baptist church polity.

Nobody argued that most Baptist churches in North America have traditionally held to congregational rule. On the other hand, everyone in this group knew that over the past 50 years many Baptists in North America have moved away from congregational polity and toward elder rule. This evolution was not generally a matter of doctrinal conviction, but of pragmatic efficiencies. It is easier to run a church when you don't have to get the whole church together to make decisions.

Some pastors said that while congregational rule is the norm in North America, Baptists in other countries and on other continents have other forms of church governance. Someone suggested that church government probably reflects the civil government. (I tend to doubt that. Think about it - dictatorial governments, monarchies, etc.)

Someone pointed out that even Baptists in North America don't include congregational church government in the "B-A-P-T-I-S-T" acrostic that they use to teach the distinctive teachings of Baptists. (i.e., Biblical authority, Autonomy of the local church, Priesthood of all believers, Two ordinances - believer's baptism & the Lord's supper, Individual soul liberty, Separation of church and state, Two Offices - Pastor & Deacon.)

Someone else said that congregational rule was much less important to Baptists than local church autonomy. I think he was suggesting that autonomous churches allow other autonomous churches to tune their polity to suit themselves. True enough.

It is absolutely true that individual autonomous churches will vary in their polity as laid out in their constitution and by-laws. Constitutions and by-laws are not divinely inspired. They are there to make sure we do things decently and in order. Different churches will be slightly different.

It is impossible for churches to be completely congregational. For an extreme example, a pastor is granted authority to preach and teach and counsel as he sees fit. He doesn't need to have a vote of the church on every decision he makes. Similarly, pastor's and deacons and other church leaders are granted some degree of authority for taking care of the business of the church. Usually they can spend a limited amount of money for the church and make certain business decisions for the church without consulting the congregation.

The degree of delegated authority will vary greatly from church to church. I have no problem with that. But I have a big problem - a theological problem - with moving completely to full fledged ELDER RULE.

My concerns are centered under the "P" in the BAPTIST acrostic - the Priesthood of all believers. We believe that all believers are on equal footing in Christ. All believers have the indwelling Holy Spirit. All believers have access to the word of God and the illumination of the Spirit of God. All believers have access to God in prayer. All believers have the same Mediator - Jesus Christ.

(1 Peter 2:9)But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;

(Colossians 3:11) where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all.

(Galatians 3:28) There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

(Romans 12:1) I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. (Note: "reasonable service of religious ministry.")

(1 Timothy 2:5) For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus,

The point is that there is no Christian leadership class that is somehow more spiritual or has better access to God than another class of believers. Some believers are less mature. Some believers are disobedient. But all believers are on the same ground - disciples of Jesus Christ. Congregational church government is an expression of this truth.

I have no problem with a Baptist church having multiple pastors, calling the multiple pastors "elders," or delegating various authority to the elders & deacons to achieve some pragmatic efficiencies in ministry - AS LONG AS THEY DON'T FORGET THAT THE CONGREGATION OWNS THE AUTHORITY DELEGATED TO THEM.

But when pastors and deacons and church boards operate as if they were self perpetuating leaders with a divine right to rule they are neglecting some important aspects of doctrine that Baptists have traditionally held dear. Beyond that, they are in jeopardy of falling afoul of the caution given by Peter.

(1 Peter 5:2–3) Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; NOR AS BEING LORDS OVER THOSE ENTRUSTED TO YOU, but being examples to the flock;

Wolf Warnings

2010-09-09T19:12:00.000-04:00

(Acts 20:28–29) Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock.

I like "shepherding the church" by leading the flock in the systematic study of the Bible. But a shepherd also has to keep an eye out for wolves.

Now wolves don't usually come right up to the shepherd and reveal themselves as wolves, so you need to watch the sheep. If there is a wolf at the edge of the flock, the sheep are unsettled. The wolves are lurking there, upsetting and harassing the sheep with bad doctrine.

It helps when some of the sheep send the shepherd an e-mail or a text or they call on the phone with the questions raised by the wolf. And that is exactly what has happened. There are wolves bothering my flock! It is time for me to take up "the rod" (a shepherd's club) and protect my flock. It is time to go to the Scriptures with the specific purpose of attacking a false doctrine and teaching the truth in its place. My goal is to strengthen the sheep with the truth and give them some clubs to use in beating back the wolves.

(Acts 20:30) Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves.

On Burning The Koran

2010-09-07T17:10:00.000-04:00

"Dove World Outreach Center" doesn't sound like the name of a hate group, but it evidently is. They have announced that September 11, 2010 is "Burn A Koran Day." They plan to do just that.

Despite the fact that it will likely inflame passions around the world.
Despite the fact that it will likely endanger American Troops (and others)
Despite the fact that they can't get a permit from the fire department

I suppose that if burning a Koran was vitally important to their mission of "world outreach" they could justify breaking the law and costing some people their lives. But it is hard for me to see what kind of outreach they hope to accomplish. Is their message really, "We hate you?" What kind of outreach is that?

I think that instead of spending time burning Korans the folks at the "Dove World Outreach Center" should spend some time reading their Bibles. In particular they should read the following passages.

(Matthew 5:43–48) “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’
44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,
45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
46 For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?
47 And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so?
48 Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.

AND

(Romans 12:18–21) If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.
19 Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.
20 Therefore “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.”
21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Stephen Hawking Says...

2010-09-03T10:53:00.001-04:00

Reuters - September 3, 2010
In "The Grand Design," co-authored with U.S. physicist Leonard Mlodinow, Hawking says a new series of theories made a creator of the universe redundant, according to the Times newspaper which published extracts on Thursday.

"Because there is a law such as gravity, the universe can and will create itself from nothing. Spontaneous creation is the reason there is something rather than nothing, why the universe exists, why we exist," Hawking writes.

Stephen Hawking is a famous theoretical physicist and atheist - though saying so is redundant since his theories have always been in pursuit of explaining away the Designer while examining the intricacies of a universe so obviously designed. Is it interesting to you that his new book is entitled, "The Grand Design?"

But the quote above shows one of the major flaws of Hawking's reasoning. "Because there is a law such as gravity..." ignores the question of where that law of gravity originated. Gravity has no reality apart from a physical universe. If there was a law of gravity - but no physical universe to be affected by gravity - there would be nothing for gravity to act upon. Not even Stephen Hawking can make that scenario go bang. So the question, Dr. Hawking, is not just how did things come to be organized as they are organized, but where did all this stuff come from to start?

God doesn't claim to have made the things that we find in the universe out of things that already existed. God claims to have made EVERYTHING that exists - and the laws that govern those things.

Stephen Hawking can say anything he wants to say. He can say there is no "need" for God. He can say matter organizes itself into complex systems. (Though how he explains away the second law of thermodynamics is a mystery.) He can say that life simply springs into existence from non-life. (Though this has never been observed and, in fact, nobody has ever been able to create life out of non-living things even on purpose.) He can say whatever he wants - and people who don't want to reckon with God can take comfort in his pronouncements.

But God says,

(Genesis 1:1) In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

And...

(2 Peter 3:3–7) knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts,
4 and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.”
5 For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water,
6 by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water.
7 But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.

Excuses

2010-09-03T10:50:00.000-04:00

(Hebrews 1:1–3) God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets,
2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds;
3 who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

Sometimes people excuse their unbelief because of the bad behavior of people who are supposedly Christians. They say, "The church is full of hypocrites."

And to some extent they are right. The church is full of people whose aspirations to holiness far exceed their performance. Christians are not perfect people and some people who claim to be Christians are not genuinely converted. Hopefully, imperfect Christians have humble hearts and a genuine love for Christ. In that case they admit their imperfections and continue to strive to do better. Unfortunately, some are proud and self-righteous so they continue in brazen bad behavior. They give Christianity a bad name.

But in the end, the unbeliever's excuse is just an excuse.

The truth of Christianity doesn't depend on any Christian's perfections. Christianity depends entirely on the perfections of Jesus Christ and the truth of His claims to be God and Savior.

He is God & The one who reveals God perfectly to men.
He lived a sinless life of perfect obedience to God's commands and moral standards.
He died as a sinless substitute to take upon Himself the wrath of God against my sin.
He rose again from the dead to demonstrate His victory over death and hell.
He offers forgiveness of sins and His own righteousness to everyone who trusts Him.
He is coming again to bring everything to its final consummation.

Even if I could not point to a single Christian whose life had been transformed by Jesus Christ (though I can,) it would not matter. The point is not the pragmatic offer of a change in your life (though that is real.) The point is that Jesus is exactly Who He claimed to be and following Him is worth it, even if you have to follow Him alone.

(John 14:6) ¶ Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

Eagle In My Backyard

2010-09-01T11:05:00.000-04:00

A few days ago I was startled to look up and see an eagle about 30 yards away from me. Eagles are massive compared to vultures and my first thought was it must be a great gray heron - they have a wide wingspan too.

But it was an eagle. I grabbed my binoculars and watched as it rode the updrafts in lazy circles. Eagle wings, eagle head, eagle tail - an eagle. Right in my back yard! Lola and I took turns with the binoculars until the eagle disappeared at great altitude somewhere in the direction of the Akron-Canton Airport.

Wow! I've lived in places where eagles were common, but I didn't expect to see one in suburban Canton!

It is hard to miss an eagle up close, but I am sure I would not have noticed this eagle if it had flown over at ten thousand feet. His sudden appearance in my back yard was unmistakeable and undeniable - there are eagles around us.

I think this is true of Christ as well. We know His promise "I am with you always," and "I will never leave you or forsake you," and "where two or three are gathered together in my name, I am there in the midst of them." But we sometimes (often) don't perceive His presence because we don't expect to find Him here with us.

We miss the "Wow!" We don't grab the binoculars. We don't celebrate.

But when people demonstrate the work of God in their heart through the fruit of the Spirit of God - Jesus is there. When people are converted from unbelief to faith in God - Jesus is there. When believers enjoy sweet fellowship in worship together instead of worldly competition and suspicion - Jesus is there.

Keep your eyes open and be encouraged. Jesus is among us!