Thursday, June 30, 2011

"The Lord's Doing"

 
     In the "battle of the prophets" (I Kings 18:21-39), the pagan god Baal's ministers cried, leapt upon their altar, and even cut themselves to make blood sacrifices in order to elicit their deity's response to Elijah's challenge (no response was forthcoming).
 
     Conversely, Elijah repaired the Lord's altar, dug trenches to hold the excess water with which he doused the sacrifice, and prayed a simple prayer whereby he asked the Lord to remind and restore His people.  The result?  The fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The LORD, He is the God; the LORD, He is the God" (I Kings 18:38-39).
 
    Elijah did nothing, and could have done nothing, to manipulate God's fiery consumption of the sacrifice.  In fact, he did that which would appear to have made success less likely (drenching the sacrifice with water).  The prophet simply restored the altar to be suitable for the offering it would hold, and then asked the Lord to do that which only He could accomplish.  God responded accordingly, and His people were restored to faith in their rightful Lord.
 
    The arm of the flesh seeks to add its doings and manipulations to the work of God, believing that He needs our help to fulfill His will.  The arm of the Spirit foregoes such carnal striving in order to bear witness and shine the spotlight on the hand of God.  He may use our faculties and members as His tools, but we and others will know that no explanation exists other than "this is the Lord's doing, it is marvelous in our eyes" (Psalm 118:23).
 
    We do well to often ask our Lord where we are crying, leaping and sacrificing rather than trusting, repairing and praying.  This is true both in our personal lives, and in our corporate experience together as assemblies of believers.  Could our doings and activities happen without God's involvement?  Are we adding carnal supplements to the work of the Spirit?  Or are we resting in Christ by the faith that seeks His working, and submits to being His steward rather than our own master and manipulator?  The answers to these questions will determine whether the Lord Jesus is clearly revealed in our lives, and whether His doings will truly be "marvelous in our eyes."
 
"My soul, wait thou only upon God, for my expectation is from Him."
(Psalm 62:5)

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

"Don't Do It?"



    I am currently rereading "Tale of Two Cities," by Charles Dickens.  You may recall the novel from school days, and in particular, the journey to Paris and apparent doom by one of the book's main characters, Charles Darnay.  Anyone who knows the story has the same reaction when reaching the part of the story where Darnay decides to make the trip: "Don't go, Charles!"  Sure enough, he shouldn't have gone...


    ...Except, however, for the fact that the trip makes possible the act of heroic self sacrifice that crowns "Tale of Two Cities" as an epic story of both tragedy and triumph.  "It is a far, far better thing I do than ever I have done" declares Sydney Carton, the ne'er do well who takes his place as one of one of literature's most unforgettable characters by the sacrifice he makes for Darnay and his family.


     When pondering the creation of humanity, it's easy to wonder why God would proceed with His purposes when He knew that Adam and his sad race would rebel to the degree of one day murdering its very Creator.  An outside observer might plead with God as He sets about to create the human race, "Don't do it, Lord!"  He nevertheless did it, of course, in full knowledge of the consequences to Himself and His beloved Son.  Thus, the Lord Jesus Christ takes His place as far more than a great character of literature, but as the exalted holder of that "Name which is above every name" (Philippians 2:9).  
Unfathomable mystery remains concerning God's determination to create us, but this we do know: untapped veins of grace and mercy that have always existed in our Lord's heart came forth into open display because of our sin, and because of His loving response to the greatness of our need.  "Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound, that as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 5:20-21).


    Attempting to understand the "Why?" of God's doings is an often impossible undertaking.  "My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways" (Psalm Isaiah 55:8). ( UPDATE: I erroneously noted this verse reference as Psalm 55:8.  It should have been Isaiah 55:8.  Thanks to Hugh.)
Seeming enigmas and conundrums present themselves for which no perfect solution is possible to our finite minds.  We are thus left with the opportunity for faith that affirms, "As for God, His way is perfect" (II Samuel 22:31).  In the case of His creation of humanity and all that would ensue, we can see and understand much of God's reasoning and purpose, but not all.  Thankfully, the clearest revelation involves our Lord's love, and the gracious mercy that so reveals the character of His heart.  Our sin, inexcusable and willfully chosen, serves as the dark backdrop for the light of Christ's lovingkindness to shine forth in sublime display.  This suffices as enough understanding to thrill our hearts, stimulate our minds, and establish us as the eternal showcase for the goodness of God...


"But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus."
(Ephesians 2:4-7)

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

The Being of Love



    We've all likely said or thought it in some manner: "I don't see how God could love me so much considering how often I fail Him."
     While perhaps humble in its intent, such a sentiment actually belies an incomplete or misguided perspective of both God and love.  "God is love" declared the Apostle John, revealing that love is something far more than the doings of our Creator (I John 4:8).  Love rather involves "being" in God.  It is who and what He is, and His holiness requires that He can never be anything less.
    Of no one else can this be said.  All others who know, experience and express genuine love do so in response to God's involvement and working on their behalf.  "The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which is given unto us" (Romans 5:5).  We cannot be love as God is love, and thus our experience waxes and wanes according to our response of faith and submission to Him.  This is never true of our Heavenly Father.  He always is who He is, and He cannot be other than Himself.  Accordingly, He loves us based upon who He is rather than upon who and what we are, or what we do.  Our often faulty understanding of love results from this completely different sensibility in God than exists in us.
    Humanity carelessly tosses about the word and concept of love when we actually have little real understanding of what love actually is.  The Bible alone defines love in its truest sense, and the Holy Spirit alone reveals genuine love in those who trust in the Lord Jesus Christ.  Growing understanding and experience of this sublime beauty of God's being and character will lead us not to wonder how He could love us, but rather to worship because He cannot be and do anything else.
"For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God."
(Ephesians 3:14-19)

Monday, June 27, 2011

"Full of Compassion"


 
      "Will God in very deed dwell with men on the earth?  Behold, heaven and the Heaven of heavens cannot contain Thee; how much less this house which I have built?" (II Chronicles 6:18).
     "The Lord is gracious and full of compassion" (Psalm 111:4).
 
     How much compassion exists in a being so vast as to be beyond dimension, scope and measure?  There is no way to answer to the question because fullness and infinity are by logical definition incompatible.
 
    Compassion, in Biblical terms, is defined as being moved by the sufferings of others, and to mercifully enter into their pain and difficulty.  The infinite God is "full" of such sympathy and empathy for human beings, to the degree He became as one of us in order to completely know the degree of our sorrow.  In fact, He knows it even more than we do because unlike any other, the Lord Jesus Christ was "in all points tempted like as we are" (Hebrews 4:15).  Our Savior knew the full range of the self-imposed misery humanity suffers because of its willful unbelief and disobedience.  We forged the furnace of our pain.  The Lord Jesus so compassionately loves us that He imposed the furnace upon Himself in order to know what we know, and more importantly, to save us from our self destruction.
 
    "You made your own bed.  You must lie in it!"  This is the sensibility that pervades humanity as we view the sufferings of others.  "You formed your own cross.  I will die on it for you!"  This is the sensibility that pervades the heart of God as He views humanity through the lens of His measureless compassion.  It must be our sensibility as well, and it is if we have believed because the Bible declares Christians to be "vessels of mercy" (Romans 9:23).  We may not always feel it, and we surely don't always express or practice it.  However, the God of compassion dwells in us by His Spirit, and He moves in mercy within us to cause our own empathy and sympathy for others.  We distribute that which we have received, and we do so to the degree of realizing how generous a portion of compassion our Lord gave concerning our own self imposed sufferings.  He did not leave us to lie in our own bed.  He left Heaven to hang on our own cross.  This is compassion, the boundless Divine sympathy and empathy that now dwells in us in order to be known by us.  "Having compassion one of another, love as brethren" (I Peter 3:8).
 
    These are hard words to write because I realize how hard my attitude often is toward others.  Thank God that His attitude is tender toward a human race so lost and wayward in its chosen and willful rebellion.  He could not be otherwise because, again...
 
"Thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth."
(Psalm 86:15)
 
"Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies."
(Psalm 103:2-4)

Friday, June 24, 2011

"The Blessing of Blessings" Part 3


 
    If Christ is the true blessing of our blessings, the joy of our joys, and the very life of our lives, our hearts are far more secure than we can ever fully understand.
 
    "Safety is of the Lord" (Proverbs 21:31).
 
    Born again believers in the Lord Jesus possess in the depths of our spiritual being the essence of all fulfillment.  Our Heavenly Father administers this joy and peace of His Son in countless ways.  He reveals Christ to us through things, thoughts, emotions, events, experiences, responsibilities, pastimes, quiet moments, and most of all, people.  We may or may not understand or acknowledge the Blessing of our blessings, but "all your need" is nevertheless supplied "by Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19).  He is the essence of joy, peace, life and love.  Everything else of goodness and value in our lives serves as His means of expressing the wonder of who and what He is to us.
 
    Thus, the only thing we cannot afford to lose, we cannot lose.  The vessels of Christ's expression may come and go - and they will - but the Essence remains.  Particularly concerning people, the loss of the special vessels through which our Lord blesses us causes real heartache, pain and grief.  This is not wrong, and does not necessarily imply a lack of faith on our part.  It does, however, call us to trust God in perhaps the most elemental undertaking of our relationship with Him.  We must determine to believe that the loss of the vessel  does not mean that we have lost the joy and fulfillment administered through the vessel.  Christ remains, although a particular means of expressing Himself may pass away.  This we must affirm amid the tears of our loss, and this we will discover to be abundantly true as the Lord Jesus finds new means and modes to reveal Himself to us as we trust Him to be the Blessing of our blessings.
 
   Again, our hearts are safe because the only thing we cannot afford to lose, we cannot lose.  God's gift to us is Himself.  We rejoice in the myriad of ways the Lord Jesus comes to us, and it is good and proper that we enjoy the vessels that display our Savior's goodness.  We remain vigilant, however, concerning the temptation to mistake the expression for the Essence.  "He is thy life" - nothing more, nothing less, nothing else (Deuteronomy 30:20).  In this perfectly safe haven, our hearts rest and rejoice in the Blessing of our blessings...
 
"Your life is hid with Christ in God."
(Colossians 3:3)

Thursday, June 23, 2011

"The Blessing of Blessings" Part 2


 
     Recognizing that the true gift of God's giving is Himself amplifies our thanksgiving for such generosity.  We sense the wind of the Spirit, as it were, in every breath provided by the heart and hand of our Heavenly Father who so loves us that He continually graces us with Himself.
 
    "And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God" (II Corinthians 8:5).
 
    The Apostle Paul references in this passage the first century believers of Macedonia, who themselves were in great poverty, but who nevertheless gave with much liberality to other suffering believers.  Such loving sacrifice involved the bestowal of more than material substance.  The Macedonians "first gave their own selves to the Lord," and thus joined Him in the Divine love whereby the heart of all giving is the heart of the giver.  Generosity as led and enabled by the indwelling Holy Spirit always involves this giving of something far more than the time, effort and expense sacrificed to provide for others.  Christ is known as the Gift of the gift, first in the giver, and then in the recipient.  Both parties are thereby blessed, and both give thanks for the experience of the Lord Jesus being known as the source and supply for every need.
 
    It is one thing to be grateful for the package, the countless expressions of "life and breath and all things" provided by God (Acts 17:25).  It is quite another to realize that the content of "every good gift and every perfect gift" is Christ Himself (Philippians 4:19).  The Giver comes with His gifts in a manner perhaps beyond our understanding, but not beyond the capacity of our hearts to know as we believe the Bible's clear declaration that "all your need" is supplied "by Christ Jesus."  Just as the Macedonians "first gave their own selves," so does the God who led and enabled their sacrifice.  He is the Blessing of our blessings, and the reason for a far greater and more impassioned thanksgiving than we often express.
 
"In everything ye are enriched by Him."
(I Corinthians 1:5)

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

"The Blessing of Blessings" Part 1


 
    "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights" (James 1:17).
 
   Our Lord is the essence of joy in those things whereby we genuinely and legitimately rejoice.  He is the tranquility of our peace, the contentment of our satisfaction, the strength of our abilities, the vibrancy of our enthusiasm, and the life of our lives.
 
    When asked to declare His name, God told Moses, "I AM" (Exodus 3:14).  We do well to hear the echoes of the ancient Voice ringing in our hearts through the pages of Scripture and the person of the Holy Spirit.  Every moment and every matter of genuine goodness in our lives has somehow been the living God revealed to us in myriads of means, modes and expressions.  "The Father of lights" is the giver of "every good gift and every perfect gift."  Even more, He is the very heart of the abundant generosity as He supplies "all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19; emphasis added).
 
    I do not begin to understand this truth intellectually, nor have I more than begun to assimilate it personally and practically.  I believe it, however, and I consider it to be unsurpassed in the consideration of God's wonder and truth.  The Giver comes with His gifts, and is in fact the very heart of their blessedness.  Thus, to give thanks for even that which might be considered the least of our blessings actually involves gratitude for the greatest bestowal of all.  Christ is the true blessedness of God's generosity, whether He comes in saving grace, or material provision, or friend and family, or the next breath.
 
"He is thy life."
(Deuteronomy 30:20)
"He giveth to all life and breath and all things."
(Acts 17:25)

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

"No Discernible Traces"

    In the movie "Remains of the Day," an English butler recounts the story of a fellow manservant in India whose lord's compound was invaded by a tiger.  After asking permission to use his lord's gun, the butler quickly, shall we say, remedied the situation.  He returned to report with quiet aplomb, "My lord, dinner will be served at the usual time.  And I am pleased to say there will no discernible traces of the recent occurrence by that time." 
 
    "He was manifested to take away our sins... As far as the east is from the west, so far hath He removed our transgressions from us" (I John 3:5; Psalm 103:12).
 
    The atoning sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ leaves "no discernible traces" of our guilt, culpability and alienation toward God when we trust in the Savior.  We still sin as believers, of course, and distrusting failure to obey can still have negative consequences in our lives.  However, our relationship with God is perfectly secure because even the most grievous sins of born again believers are not placed on our account because they were so completely placed on our Lord's account when He died on the cross. 
   
     "Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord will not impute sin" (Romans 4:8). 
 
     God relates to us as a father who views our relationship with Him as inviolable as is the bond between He and the Lord Jesus: "I have declared unto them Thy name, and will declare it, that the love wherewith Thou hast loved Me may be in them, and I in them" (John 17:26).  Surely He will deal with us firmly as necessary, and we do well to recall that it was to and of believers that the writer of Hebrews declared, "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God" (Hebrews 10:31).  Nevertheless, our sins do not jeopardize our relationship with God because, again, He views the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus as having removed them from us beyond finding.
 
    One day there will be no discernible traces of our sins in any manner.  Our Lord will have perfectly fulfilled the will of God to "save His people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21).  For now, no traces of our previous alienation from God exist.  Through the blood of the Lord Jesus, and by His ongoing heavenly intercession for us, we can approach and relate to God at any time, and in all circumstances (Hebrews 7:24; 10:19-22).  In times of both faithfulness and failure, the born again believer can come and must consistently come into the conscious presence of the Father who receives us by the merits of His Son.  Indeed, abundantly discernible traces of grace line the path to the throne where we shall increasingly discover the reception of love...
 
"He hath made us accepted in the Beloved."
(Ephesians 1:6)

Monday, June 20, 2011

"His Faithfulness"



    The Christian life is a life of commitment, of God's commitment to us.  "Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ" (Philippians 1:6).
    This does not, of course, preclude the necessity of our corresponding response to God.  "When Thou saidst, Seek ye My face, my heart said unto Thee, Thy face, Lord, will I seek" (Psalm 27:8).  Nevertheless, in the relationship of the Divine and the human, the devotion of the Former must be continually emphasized as first, foremost and primary.  The response of the latter must be continually acknowledged as dependent and derived from the faithfulness of God's working upon and within us to enable our devotion.  We "work out your own salvation with fear and trembling" because and only because "it is God that worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure" (Philippians 2:12-13).
    Failure to understand and maintain this perspective of grace received and assimilated by faith leads to two primary spiritual pathologies of failure.  Those given to discipline will become proud of their own consistency in exercising the outward forms of devotion to God - consistent prayer, Bible reading, participation in spiritual activity, outward acts of apparent obedience to the text of Scripture - "having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof" (II Timothy 3:5).  Others less regimented end up despairing of achieving consistent faithfulness, succumbing either to a nominal Christian experience at best, or almost none at worst.  Both sad paths lead to carnality in attitude and practice because they proceed from carnality in understanding and belief.  "To be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace" (Romans 8:6).
    Just as our new birth involved trust in God's past, present and future redemptive working on our behalf, so does a consistent life of godliness involve the same confidence.  "As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him" (Colossians 2:6).  Our faithfulness is ever and forever the fruit of His faithfulness received and acknowledged.  Such truth progressively delivers us from both pride and despair.  Most importantly, we remain connected to the dynamic source of Christ's life beyond life whereby we are both rightly humbled and righteously energized.  Our Lord Himself experienced such Another-enabled devotion in His earthly life - "I live by the Father" - and He calls us to the same blessed dynamic of grace by faith in our own spiritual pilgrimage...
"As the living Father hath sent Me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth Me, even he shall live by Me."

(John 6:57).

Friday, June 17, 2011

"Understated"

 
    A musician whom I greatly respect often said that the best notes played in a composition are often the notes unplayed.  Understatement rather than overstatement on the part of the player or singer usually produces the most beautiful music, although the listener is completely unaware of the missing sounds that enhance his enjoyment.
 
    "And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son" (Genesis 22:9-10).
 
    The Bible is the most understated document in existence.  For every word or fact it provides in accounts such as the offering of Isaac by Abraham, untold volumes could be written to fill in the blank spaces.  Precious little discourse between a father and son called to the most profound act of devotion inform our curiosity.  We aren't told of Abraham's emotions as he took his son into the mount of sacrifice.  No record of resistance or acquiescence on Isaac's part speak to us from the pages of Genesis.  The most bare bones accounting of so great an event presents itself, and we are left with far more wondering than understanding.  We do know from other Scriptures that Abraham believed God would raise Isaac from the dead, and that the "work" of offering his son was a necessary expression of faith and devotion in Abraham's experience of his Lord (Hebrews 11:19; James 2:21-23).  Nevertheless much is seemingly missing from the Biblical record that any engaged reader would love to know if given the opportunity.
 
     The Divine author of Scripture has no interest in merely titillating with us tidbits, or fascinating us with facts.  The Bible rather provides "doctrine, reproof, correction, instruction in righteousness" (II Timothy 3:16).  Truth shines "in the face of Jesus Christ" for the purpose of conforming us to His image (II Corinthians 4:6; II Corinthians 3:18).  We are on a "need to know" basis, and what we need to know involves only that which makes us "wise unto salvation" in both the saving and sanctifying sense (II Timothy 3:15).  Anything more would distract us at best, and stimulate our flesh with carnal entertainment at worst. 
 
    Mark Twain once said that the things he couldn't understand in the Bible didn't concern him very much.  "It's what I do understand that troubles me" confessed Twain.  Thankfully, the Scripture that "troubles" us also redeems and comforts us as we approach God's Word in confidence of its perfection, and in the humility that seeks its power to change by revealing to our hearts the living Christ.  An understated Bible therefore provides a focused laser beam of light whereby the trusting heart sees precisely the Truth it needs.  Nothing more.  Nothing less.  Nothing else.
 
"The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law."
(Deuteronomy 29:29)

Thursday, June 16, 2011

"From God"

 
    Living for God requires living from God.
 
    "Without Me, ye can do nothing" (John 15:5).
 
    "We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works" (Ephesians 2:10).
 
    Just as our Heavenly Father had to give us physical, earthly life in order that we might exist in the natural realm, so He must grant to us spiritual life in order that we might be "alive unto God" (Romans 6:11).  Just as He must give us breath in order to sustain our natural lives, so must He dwell within us by His Spirit in order to animate and empower our faithfulness.  Our calling as Christians involves the faith that believes in the promised presence and power of God, submitting our spiritual and natural faculties to Him in the confidence that He will faithfully enable our devotion.  "God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work" (II Corinthians 9:8).
 
    Our spiritual enemies do everything they can to discourage our confidence, pointing to past failures, present sense of weakness, and troubled thoughts about the future.  The choice is ever before us, in countless ways.  Will we believe the Bible's assurance concerning the promise of Christ's abundantly enabling presence in this moment of challenge and temptation?  Or will we believe our enemies' promptings to judge truth by our senses and natural understanding?  "Thus saith the Lord?"  Or, "Thus saith the world, the devil and the flesh?"  The answer of our hearts determines the course of our lives, both in the present moment, and throughout our days as we either grow in grace or stagnate in unbelief.
 
    Whether we know it, believe it, remember or forget it, the living God is the great reality of this and of every moment of our eternal existence.  Our spirits teem with a Life beyond life, indeed, with a life that has already passed through death and into undying resurrection.  The Apostle Paul prayed that believers would realize that the same "exceeding greatness" of power that raised the Lord Jesus from the dead now dwells in us (Ephesians 1:15-20).  Do we believe this in this vital hour of our existence, and in the context of whatever blessing, difficulty, opportunity, challenge, sense of strength or sense of weakness we presently experience?  We must.  The glory and will of God are at stake.  The peace and joy of our hearts are at stake.  The blessing of others is at stake.  And the appreciation of so great a gift that required so great a cost is at stake.  Our Savior died in forsakenness from His Father that we might live in faith from our Father.  He died so that in this moment we might affirm "the exceeding greatness of His power to usward who believe."  And He died so that we might live for God, from God.
 
"In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him."                                
 (I John 4:9)  

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

"Largely Unnoticed"


 
     Frances recently gave me an electronic reading device known as a Kindle.  The Kindle is small, lightweight computer to which you download books and documents almost instantaneously.  It is very comfortable to hold and to read, and was developed to make the reading experience as much like the traditional book as possible.
 
     "Our top design objective was for Kindle to disappear in your hands - to get out of the way - so you can enjoy your reading.  We hope you'll quickly forget you're reading on an advanced wireless device and instead be transported into that mental realm readers love, where the outside world dissolves, leaving only the author's stories, words and ideas" - Jeff Bezos, Founder and CEO, Amazon.Com.
 
     Mr. Bezos' stated goal reminds me of a similar "design objective" in God's intentions for our relationship with Him. 
 
    "When thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: that thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret Himself shall reward thee openly" (Matthew 6:3-4).
 
    Much of our relating to God and walking in His presence goes largely unnoticed in the direct field of our conscious awareness.  When we are most earnestly and sincerely praying, for example, we likely aren't thinking about the fact that we are praying.  We're focused rather on the Object of our communication, and upon the matters of prayer at hand.  When we are trusting God and obeying His commands, our attention rests not on our faithfulness, but upon the faithfulness of God and the particulars of whatever we are believing and performing.  Most importantly, loving our Lord likely most fills our heart and graces our steps when we don't even realize that the Holy Spirit is moving within us to fulfill the great purpose of our existence: "Thou shalt love the Lord with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength" (Mark 12:30).
 
    We require such unconscious holiness in our present existence because of the tendencies of our flesh to exalt itself when it perceives faithfulness on our part.  Certainly there are times when we know we are relating to God in faith and devotion, and when we rightly direct all glory to Him.  However, we shall likely discover one day that the vast portion of genuine godliness revealed by Christ's presence in our earthly lives blessed us without our even knowing that the glory of God was at hand.  Prayers prayed with inutterable groanings rather than words, acts of self sacrifice by the right hand never viewed by the left, thoughts of the Spirit that seemed like our own ponderings, and genuine love for God and man so quietly fulfilled that we didn't see it come and we didn't see it go.  "Surely the Lord is in this place, and I knew it not!" (Genesis 28:16).
 
    In that day when God affirms and rewards the works He wrought in us by the indwelling Holy Spirit, we may well be stunned.  "I didn't even know I did that, Lord!  Or that You did that in and through me!"  Our only response will be to fall before Him in the acknowledgement that the Lord Jesus alone is worthy of all glory, honor and credit.  "He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord" (II Corinthians 10:17).  Yes, if we have believed in the Lord Jesus and have submitted ourselves to His glory and will, devotion doubtless graces our lives with a Hand unseen, a Voice unheard, and a Heart unknown save for a deep inner peace that we somehow cannot understand, and a quiet joy we cannot explain.
 
"We walk by faith, not by sight."
(II Corinthians 5:7)

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

"The Vertical Line"


(A repeat from last year)

    Much of the world's so-called "great" and "classic" literature depicts a nihilistic despair of meaningless amorality or immorality.  Absolute truths to which all must answer do not exist in the world painted by many authors who may skillfully define certain realities about the human experience, but who ignore the great reality of all things:  "He worketh all things after the counsel of His own will" (Ephesians 1:11).

    In high school, a journalism teacher took me under her wing and directed me to classic literature.  I enjoyed and benefited from some of the material.  However, I found that much of it led me to an oblivion where truth exists only in the minds of each individual, and in countless varied forms.  Although not a believer in the Lord Jesus at the time, I nevertheless reacted strongly against the meaninglessness and relativism.  Somehow I knew that Truth exists in a purity and transcendence beyond ourselves, and to which we all must answer.  Even more, I sensed that despite my self-centeredness, the world had to revolve around something or someone bigger than myself and other human beings.

    It does.  "The earth is the LORD's, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein" (Psalm 24:1).  To miss the centrality of God's working in the world is to miss the very heart of our existence.  "In Him we live and move and have our being" declared Paul to the philosophers of Athens, adding that "life and breath and all things" are the direct gift of God to every human being (Acts 17:25-28).  The line of life is vertical, that is, the involvement of Heaven is the most powerful and prevalent reality in the world.  Conversely, the world's philosophy declares life to be horizontal.  Human to human relationships are considered to be the heart of our existence.  We hear it often: "family and friends are the most important things in my life."  Certainly devotion to people is a good and even Biblical emphasis.  However, the horizontal line of people to people cannot be viewed as primary in an existence wherein we live and move and have our being in God, and wherein He gives to us our very life-breath.

    "To live is Christ" declared the Apostle Paul (Philippians 1:21). The primary line of life is vertical.  We must "seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God" (Colossians 3:1).  Furthermore, we must see the line from Heaven to earth intersecting all things in our lives (interestingly, forming a cross as it does).  This is the truth and reality that leads to meaning, hope, and the proper experience of horizontal relationship with other people.   And this is the message of the most "classic" and "great" literature that exists...

"Thy Word is very pure; therefore Thy servant loveth it."
 (Psalm 119:140).

Monday, June 13, 2011

"Mercy and Truth, Met Together"

     Divisive personality cults arose within the carnal Corinthian church of the first century.
 
 
    "It hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you. Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ" (I Corinthians 1:11-12).
 
    Some in Corinth purported to follow Paul the teacher.  Others loved the orator Apollos.  Still others embraced the passion of Peter (Cephas), and then there were those who professed themselves above the fray by haughtily affirming no need of human teachers or influences - "We're of Christ." 
 
     The Apostle Paul dealt with this issue by indicting the divisiveness of the Corinthians - "Ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?" (I Corinthians 3:3).  He then decries the Corinthians' emphasis on the messengers rather than the Giver of the messages - "Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man?  I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.  So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase" (I Corinthians 3:5-7).
 
    Clearly the issue of Corinth, and our issue as well, involves our attitude toward fellow believers, particularly those with whom we regularly fellowship and minister.  Scripture calls us to "endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" (Ephesians 4:3).  We do not sacrifice our convictions in order to do so, but we do sacrifice the exalted view of both ourselves and of those ministers by whom we believed (and/or continue to believe).  "He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord" (I Corinthians 1:31).
 
    There are few greater challenges in our Christian lives.  Satan loves to sow the discord among brethren that God "hates" and declares to be an "abomination" (Proverbs 6:16-19).  Thus, God calls us a great tenderness of heart toward each other, and the determination to live with each other in merciful love.  However, we are also called to be a people that emphasizes doctrine, sound understanding and conviction (I Timothy 4:13-16).  We are to "walk in truth" (III John 1:4).  Clearly our Father calls us to heed the words of the prophet: "Love the truth and peace" (Zechariah 8:19; emphasis added).  But how do we do this?
 
    Only God Himself can motivate and enable this dual emphasis that often seems contradictory in our own minds.  He commands devotion to both truth and peace, and let us rejoice that our Lord's mandates are always accompanied by His gracious and empowering presence.  Our calling involves the determination to love both our brethren and the truth, trusting God to lead and enable us in the wisdom that only He can administer.  We are led, as always, to "look unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith" (Hebrews 12:2).  In Him, truth and peace perfectly unite, and through Him we can love the truth and love each other in a manner that glorifies our Lord and faithfully reveals His saving grace to a dying world.  How He will do this, we will not know until He actually leads and enables.  That He will do it is sure, however, as we trust Him and submit ourselves to the Truth and to our brethren.
 
"I will hear what God the LORD will speak: for He will speak peace unto His people, and to His saints: but let them not turn again to folly. Surely His salvation is nigh them that fear Him; that glory may dwell in our land. Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other."
(Psalm 85:8-10)

Friday, June 10, 2011

"Why We Pray"


 
    "When ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking" (Matthew 6:7).
 
    Few spiritual practices can more direct us to God than the blessed gift of prayer.  And few practices can more direct us to a fleshly focus on ourselves.  Indeed, we may one day discover that in sheer volume of words, the heathen did more praying in human history than did the holy.
 
    Quality far surpasses quantity in the matter of prayer.  One word cried in humility, sincerity and genuine devotion - "Lord!" - may bear more weight with God than a thousand uttered from lesser motivations.  True prayer concerns the heart far more than the mind and lips.  Genuine relationship with our Heavenly Father emphasizes motivation rather than manner.  Why we pray is more important than what we pray.  "The Lord looketh on the heart" (I Samuel 16:7). 
 
    Certainly much prayer will characterize the experience of those who walk with God.  As we grow in our Biblical understanding, we will also pray more intelligently and effectually.  However, we must never succumb to the temptation to think that we shall be heard for our much speaking.  True communion with the Lord emphasizes Him rather than ourselves.  An ongoing sense of wonder that He desires fellowship with us should and must accompany our determination to pray.  We also do well to often consider the price whereby access to God was made possible to those who believe.  "Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus... let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith" (Hebrews 10:19; 22).  Such sensibilities will go far in exchanging "vain repetitions" with seriously pondered expressions of love, faith, devotion and reality.  And in the long run, we may find ourselves praying more because we have devoted ourselves to the quality of our prayers rather than their quantity.
 
"Be ye therefore sober (of a sound mind), and watch unto prayer."
(I Peter 4:7)

Thursday, June 9, 2011

"The Second Man"

(Thanks to Jamey for inspiration on this one.)

 
    Many of you may have likely read the Internet story that recounts Astronaut Buzz Aldrin partaking of the Lord's supper on the moon.  It's a fascinating event, particularly when you consider that Commander Aldrin was the second man to ever walk on the moon.
 
    "And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven" (I Corinthians 15:45-47).
 
    Adam and the Lord Jesus are the representative federal heads of two races.  The first man Adam is the physical, earthly father of every human being ever born (other than Christ).  The Apostle Paul declares Adam to be an "earthy" man, that is, his distrusting and disobeying of God plunged Adam and his race into a carnal existence in which the natural rather than the supernatural comprises the source and environment in which we are born and exist.  "Dust thou art" (Genesis 3:19).
 
    Conversely, the Lord Jesus is the second man, the Lord from Heaven.  His Father is God, and while He possessed a tangible physical body, He lived by the power of God because He trusted and submitted Himself to His Father.  Those who trust in the saving grace made possible by Christ's death and resurrection are born into the spiritual race of this second man, becoming themselves heavenly constituted and empowered.  "God... hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 2:4; 6). 
 
    History records that Buzz Aldrin could have been the first man to set foot on the moon, and desired to do so.  However, the positioning of Neil Armstrong and Aldrin in the Apollo 11 space capsule made it easier for Armstrong to exit the vehicle first.  Thus, Aldrin became the second man rather than the first man to walk on the moon.  And thus, the second man to set foot on another heavenly body remembered and honored the Second Man who Himself had created the moon (Genesis 1:16; John 1:10).  It is a sublime thought, and I don't think I'll ever view the moon in quite the same way after having learned of Aldrin's obviously Spirit-led and inspired act.
 
    Those who don't see God working in history quite simply aren't looking.  As the saying goes, history is His Story.  If our eyes are open, light will fill our being in such measure that we will often find ourselves bowing head and heart to give thanks for so present and dynamic a Lord.  Be it on earth, or moon, or some far away galaxy beyond our physical vision, God is at hand...
 
"In Thy light shall we see light."
(Psalm 36:9)

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

"Look!"


 
    "The invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead" (Romans 1:20).
 
     "In Him, we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28).
 
    Despite the fact that we are as fish that swim in the ocean that is God, even the most devout and godly among us miss so much of the "clearly seen" reality of the Maker and Sustainer of our being.
 
     It says much about the weakness of our humanity that our Lord could give to us "life and breath and all things," and yet we still "see through a glass darkly" (Acts 17:25; I Corinthians 13:12).  The existence of sin in the human race brought death in countless forms, but none more pronounced than the burial shroud that blankets the eyes of unbelievers, and often still hinders the vision of God's trusting children in the Lord Jesus Christ.  "They seeing, see not" declared the Savior in His indictment of unbelieving Israel (Matthew 13:13).  Too often the same can be said even of believers, and let us bow grateful hearts in this moment for the gracious patience of our Heavenly Father in being merciful to His sheep who too often do not open their eyes wide enough.    
 
      "Look!"  I think the best response of the flock to its shared tendency to overlook the glory of its Shepherd is the frequent encouragement among ourselves to open our eyes and see.  The Apostle Paul taught that believers are "able to admonish (put in mind) one another" (Romans 15:14).  Thus, we can remind each other to behold our Lord by faith, "as seeing Him who is invisible" (Hebrews 11:27).  This involves both encouragement and challenge because sometimes a gentle nudge is all that is required to motivate the opening of our eyes to reality.  At other times, however, we require a brother or sister to be firm with us in the admonition to look and live.  Whichever may be the case, let us faithfully keep the word moving among the flock.  Our great and good and chief Shepherd is in our midst, and we are in His midst.  "Look!"
 
"Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the LORD our God."
(Psalm 123:2)

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

"Let Us Have Grace"


 
    "For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace" (Romans 6:14).
 
    Problems with sin have their root in problems with grace.  The Apostle Paul declares that God's undeserved favor granted to us through Christ frees us from the dominion of sin - "But God be thanked that ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.  Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness" (Romans 6:17-18).  Believers nevertheless still find themselves greatly challenged by temptation, and we still sin (I John 1:8).  Our imperfect understanding, experience and accessing of grace makes us susceptible to the prodding of the world, the devil and the flesh despite the truth that the mastery of sin in us has been replaced by the mastery of righteousness.
 
    It is vital that we understand this root issue concerning the ongoing challenge of temptation we face in so many forms.  Too often we blame fruit rather than the root.  "I'm not disciplined enough... I'm not dedicated enough... I'm not determined enough... I'm not serious enough... I'm not prayerful enough."  All of these and other spiritual liabilities may be true, but we fail to diagnose the true cause of unbelief and disobedience if we do not recognize such weaknesses as symptoms rather than the disease.  Again, by Biblical definition, problems with sin stem from problems with grace.  As the writer of Hebrews commanded, "Let us have grace, that we may serve God acceptably, with reverence and godly fear" (Hebrews 12:28).  Thus, in those matters in which we are not serving "acceptably, with reverence and godly fear," we are in some manner failing to "have grace."
 
    "Grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (II Peter 3:18).  The grace of the Lord Jesus that birthed us is the grace that sustains, nurtures and empowers us.  Our spiritual enemies are well aware of this, and thus ever seek to discourage, deceive, and distract us from the only way we can successfully relate to God.  All true godliness in our lives begins and continues with His freely given favor, and subsequent working in us "both to will and to do of His good pleasure" (Philippians 2:13).  We must increasingly understand and embrace such blessed truth if we are to experience the power thereof.  Our faithfulness to God is the fruit of the faithfulness of God.  To the degree we are growing in such awareness of so great a salvation and so great a Savior will be the degree to which we advance in matters of faith and obedience. Yes, let us have grace...
 
"By the grace of God I am what I am: and His grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me."
(I Corinthians 15:10)

Monday, June 6, 2011

Sparrow, Distracted... Undistracted


 
    It is pretty much impossible to walk our beagle Sparrow on the sidewalk.  Too many people, dogs, cats, bugs and who knows what else have left their fragrance in the cement for Sparrow's super-sensitive hound's nostrils to ignore.  A walk on the sidewalk becomes more of a drag because her snout stays pretty much glued to the path. 
 
    Our solution is to walk Sparrow in the streets of our neighborhood where rubber comprises the main scent (and which is of little interest to Sparrow).  Thankfully, we live in a fairly quiet area where not too many cars impede or endanger our way.  Still, the street harbors more peril than the sidewalk, and we have to keep eyes and ears open as we and Sparrow make our way.
 
    In similar manner, God must often escort His trusting children in Christ off the safe and beaten path in order that we might avoid the distractions that so allure our attention.  He leads us along ways of challenge, difficulty, loss and pain in order to direct our focus Heavenward.  "Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept Thy Word" (Psalm 119:67).  Our spiritual enemies' distractions offer less appeal when we are hurting, or when concern furrows our brow.  In times of trouble, therefore, we can be sure that God intends to turn our gaze toward the only true and safe Home of our hearts.
 
    You can learn a lot from a beagle.  I could write a book about the ones we've owned.  No, I could write volumes.  Mostly from Sparrow, lessons of sweetness, love and unwavering devotion grace us every day of our shared life together.  I don't know what goes on in animals' minds, and what, how, or if they think.  I do believe, however, that they feel.  Dogs, in particular, seem to feel deep and intense affection for their masters.  In Sparrow, she never seems distracted from loving us, just as our Heavenly Father never veers from being everything His children need Him to be in every moment.  Indeed, our attention often wanders from the One who created and sustains our very being (Acts 17:28).  Never for a moment does He look away from His trusting sons and daughters, however, and the more we understand and embrace the truth of His unwavering devotion, the more we will find our hearts increasingly directed toward loving even as we are loved.  Sparrow daily teaches us this vital lesson because even though she's easily distracted by the scents of the sidewalk, she never wavers from the sentiment of her heart.
 
"If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God."
(Colossians 1:1-3)

Friday, June 3, 2011

Of Grace and Resurrection


 
     "And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.  For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And He said unto me, "My grace is sufficient for thee (II Corinthians 12:7-9).
 
     "Therefore His sisters sent unto Him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom Thou lovest is sick... when He had heard therefore that he was sick, He abode two days still in the same place where he was" (John 11:2-4; 6).
    
    
      The Apostle Paul desired and prayed for removal of the painful thorn.  In His loving wisdom, God instead gave to Paul the grace of His unexpected and unmerited favor. The Lord Jesus Christ allowed Lazarus to die, delaying his arrival at the sad scene of His friend until a miracle not of healing, but of resurrection could be performed. 
 
    Our Heavenly Father often works in our lives to reveal the greater wonders of grace and resurrection.  We have prayed and sent messengers, as it were, but no Divine aid seems forthcoming.  We hurt, and our natural reasoning tells us that a thorn removed and a sickness cured would surely be the best supply for our need.  Instead, if we could audibly hear the voice of God, "My grace is sufficient for thee" would ring in our ears.  And if we could understand our Lord's delay, our hearts would rejoice in the coming resurrection that infinitely surpasses the lesser miracle of healing.
 
    It doesn't feel that we are being unexpectedly and undeservedly favored when our thorn remains.  Resurrections to come may seem far away when our particular Lazarus is gravely ill.  Nevertheless, in our present existence, the fragrance and beauty of the Rose of Sharon are often best experienced when the blood of its accompanying thorn streams from our pierced hearts.  Waiting for our Lazarus to rise again necessitates the faith that causes the born again believer to be truly and vibrantly alive in a measure that only patient trusting of God can foster.  "The just shall live by faith" (Romans 1:17). 
 
    Had Paul's thorn been removed, his story would not reach through the centuries to honor the grace of the Lord Jesus.  Had Lazarus been healed, the pages of Scripture would not bear the wondrous account of a man raised from the dead.  What will our Christ-exalting testimony be in times to come because our thorn remains, and our Lord delays His coming in order to reveal the surpassing glory of He who declared, "I am the resurrection?" (John 11:25).  We will likely only know in eternity.  However, of this we can be sure: if Paul and Lazarus could speak to us, they would proclaim that the thorn and the delay are prelude to joys known only by those honored to walk the path paved by our Savior Himself...
 
"We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. For we which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh."
(II Corinthians 4:8-11).

Of Grace and Resurrection


 
     "And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.  For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And He said unto me, "My grace is sufficient for thee (II Corinthians 12:7-9).
 
     "Therefore His sisters sent unto Him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom Thou lovest is sick... when He had heard therefore that he was sick, He abode two days still in the same place where he was" (John 11:2-4; 6).
    
    
      The Apostle Paul desired and prayed for removal of the painful thorn.  In His loving wisdom, God instead gave to Paul the grace of His unexpected and unmerited favor. The Lord Jesus Christ allowed Lazarus to die, delaying his arrival at the sad scene of His friend until a miracle not of healing, but of resurrection could be performed. 
 
    Our Heavenly Father often works in our lives to reveal the greater wonders of grace and resurrection.  We have prayed and sent messengers, as it were, but no Divine aid seems forthcoming.  We hurt, and our natural reasoning tells us that a thorn removed and a sickness cured would surely be the best supply for our need.  Instead, if we could audibly hear the voice of God, "My grace is sufficient for thee" would ring in our ears.  And if we could understand our Lord's delay, our hearts would rejoice in the coming resurrection that infinitely surpasses the lesser miracle of healing.
 
    It doesn't feel that we are being unexpectedly and undeservedly favored when our thorn remains.  Resurrections to come may seem far away when our particular Lazarus is gravely ill.  Nevertheless, in our present existence, the fragrance and beauty of the Rose of Sharon are often best experienced when the blood of its accompanying thorn streams from our pierced hearts.  Waiting for our Lazarus to rise again necessitates the faith that causes the born again believer to be truly and vibrantly alive in a measure that only patient trusting of God can foster.  "The just shall live by faith" (Romans 1:17). 
 
    Had Paul's thorn been removed, his story would not reach through the centuries to honor the grace of the Lord Jesus.  Had Lazarus been healed, the pages of Scripture would not bear the wondrous account of a man raised from the dead.  What will our Christ-exalting testimony be in times to come because our thorn remains, and our Lord delays His coming in order to reveal the surpassing glory of He who declared, "I am the resurrection?" (John 11:25).  We will likely only know in eternity.  However, of this we can be sure: if Paul and Lazarus could speak to us, they would proclaim that the thorn and the delay are prelude to joys known only by those honored to walk the path paved by our Savior Himself...
 
"We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. For we which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh."
(II Corinthians 4:8-11).

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Wind On the Water



    One of the best things about kayaking in the summer is the wind that almost always blows on the waters we navigate.  Yesterday was no exception, and after a particularly hot day on land, it was really nice to feel the late afternoon breezes that accompanied our journey on the river.
 
    The wind kicked up some pretty choppy waters, and at first we had to carefully make our way.  I recently capsized in a similar situation, so I tend to be extra careful in rough waves (Frances, as you might expect if you know her, is fearless.  Smart and not reckless, but fearless).
 
     We made our way through the moving surf, finding calmer water as we ventured into the main body of the river.  Perhaps because the first part of the trip had required such keen attention and focus, the smooth sailing (paddling, actually) felt especially relaxing.  The late afternoon sun was beginning to beautifully descend, fish were jumping in the river, a number of alligators could be seen making their serene and unhurried way, and the further we ventured from land, the more we could only hear the sounds of the river.  We were also blessed with several V-shaped formations of geese flying above us, a sight that never ceases to remind me of Genesis 1:20: "And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly... fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven."  The birds seemed to be carried along with the wind, and probably enjoyed it more than we did.  Well, maybe not.
 
    In that day when we go to be with our Lord Jesus Christ, born again believers will experience a sense of peace for which we have no present frame of reference.  We have peace now, of course, to the extent that it "passeth all understanding" (Philippians 4:7).  Nevertheless, our entrance into the direct presence of our Lord and our exit from the world's churning waters will still our hearts and fill our hearts with the tranquility known only in venues where the soft winds of the Spirit blow gently and in peace.  "He leadeth me beside the still waters" (Psalm 23:2).
 
    As we give thanks for both our present and our coming peace, let us recall its terrible price.  The Prince of peace entered into the raging waves of the wrath of man, and even more, the wrath of God.  "Some began to spit on Him, and to cover His face, and to buffet Him...  we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God (Mark 14:65; Isaiah 53:4).  A heart that had eternally known only the perfection of peace willingly entered into the foaming and turbulent waters of pain, sorrow, forsakenness and death.  Indeed, to the degree we are blessed with peace, the Lord Jesus experienced turmoil of spirit, soul and body.  We venture into still waters because and only because He ventured into the river of rage, man's rage against God, and God's rage against sin.  Thus, the wind on the water that stirs up both the difficulty of troubled seas and the blessing of calm moments bears the dual message of our peace, and of its price...
 
"Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus... the chastisement of our peace was upon Him."
(Romans 5:1; Isaiah 53:5)

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Bless Them Which Curse You

    "Bless them which curse you, bless and curse not" (Romans 12:14).
 
    Blessings involve verbal affirmations of God and of good.  The Apostle Paul commands that we respond to those who curse us with such words that express the Lord Jesus Christ and His ongoing purposes of redemption.
 
    The person who curses us disobeys the direct command of God - "Curse not."  What, therefore, can we say of God and of good about those who disregard His will?  First, we can affirm that the perpetrator "lives, moves and has his being" in God (Acts 17:28).  Indeed, the breath he used to curse us was breath received from the Lord who "giveth to all life and breath and all things" (Acts 17:25).  This does not mean that God instigated the sin of cursing, but rather that He chose to allow the misused breath for His purposes in our lives.  By the time the curse reaches us, our Heavenly Father is loving enough, wise enough and powerful enough to fit it into His good purpose for our lives (Romans 8:28).  Thus, we bless the person who curses us by acknowledging the primary fact of his God-originated and sustained being.
 
    We then proceed to affirm that the person is in our lives by Divine providence and the possibility of our ministry to them.  We are given opportunity to reveal Christ by our response of grace rather than vengeance.  Those who curse us either need to be born again, or as believers, they need realization, repentance and restoration.  We therefore pray for the person that whatever the need, God will work to reveal the Lord Jesus in saving and restoring grace and truth.  We bless our accuser with prayerful intercession rather than curse them with spiteful bitterness. 
 
    Finally, if we have opportunity, we speak directly to the person with a completely different spirit, attitude and words than those which we received.  We may well be forthright and honest, but we nevertheless "speak the truth in love" (Ephesians 4:15).  "A soft answer turneth away wrath" declared Solomon, but even more, it reveals the character, nature and way of the Christ who alone can enable us to bless rather than curse (Proverbs 15:1).  Such revelation may well impact the bearer of curses with the redeeming power of the One who for his sake bore a cross.  Thus, our blessing of those who curse us becomes the basis of peace both in our hearts, and in those who receive from us words far different than they gave.
 
"Being reviled, we bless."
(I Corinthians 4:12)