“The Friend of Our Hearts”

"The Friend of Our Hearts"       

    

   

   The so-called Information Age has led to great progress in knowledge and understanding of the world, resulting in exponentially enhanced technology that makes our lives more comfortable and more in jeopardy.  Never has the human race possessed such capacity to achieve great things for the benefit of multitudes, while at the same time drawing near to the possibility of broad scale destruction.  

   "And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.  And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded.  And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do" (Genesis 11:4-6).

    "And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved" (Matthew 24:22).

   The benefit of unlimited communication leads to the inevitability of utter destruction in a race of beings characterized by rejection of the living and true God.  Thus, the Lord confounded the languages at Babel in order to save humanity from the pride of accomplishment, and the peril of annihilation.  He will also do the same in times to come when  when yet again we figuratively possess one language and are thus able to unrestrictedly communicate with one another.  Indeed, good certainly occurs when human beings more and more communicate.  Were it not for the Lord, however, our long term prospects, based on the same opportunity for discourse, would lead to utter catastrophe.

   Why is this so?  The answer is actually simple.  We were made for communication first and foremost with God.  Our progenitors in the garden of Eden rejected such a wondrous gift, Eve listening to Satan, and Adam hearing and obeying Eve rather than the Lord (Genesis 3:1-17).  Thus, at the very outset of our existence, the human race fell away from the primary relationship and fellowship for which our Heavenly Father made us.  We seek association and socialization with people more than with Him.  Of course, we have problems communicating with each other, and still find varying forms of fig leaves whereby we hide ourselves from people.  This does not compare, however, with our flight into the trees wherein we seek to escape from God.  "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have every one turned to His own way" (Isaiah 53:6).  This results in disaster within our hearts both personally corporately as we fail to devote ourselves to the One whose Voice must be the one to which we are most inclined.

    Salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ redeems us from our personal flight from God.  "Ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls" (I Peter 2:25).  The new birth makes possible the experience of God serving as the primary relationship to which we avail ourselves   It is not inevitable in this lifetime that we will access such grace, and Christians must determinedly apply ourselves to the communion with our Lord that fills and fulfills our hearts.  In Christ, God gives to us Himself - "I am with you always" (Matthew 28:20).  Our Father becomes the indwelling Friend of our hearts through the presence of the Holy Spirit.  This is life, the Life of our lives, and this is the communication that must become primary in our consciousness.  Indeed, only God can be with us always.  This fact alone should tell us that He made us first and foremost for loving fellowship with Him.  What a gift, and what a calling to realize and access the wonder of communion with the Friend of our hearts in His Word, by His Spirit, and wonderfully, with each other as the primary relationship with Him leads to proper relationship with each other.

"When Thou saidst, Seek ye My face; my heart said unto Thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek"

(Psalm 27:8)

"And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart."

(Jeremiah 29:13)

Weekly Memory Verse 

    Reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

(Romans 6:11)

   

“The Company of the Conflicted”

"The Company of the Conflicted"       

    

   

   Why is atheism attractive to some people, and why are they often so passionate about their disbelief in God?  

   First, if there is no Creator, one can view the past without guilt, regret, and shame because no moral arbiter exists to whom we must answer for sins already committed.  Moreover, if there is no Creator, there is no Sustainer, and thus no Presence in the present who in this moment calls us to trust and submit ourselves to Him.  Finally, if there is no Creator and Sustainer, there is no Judge to whom we will give account of ourselves in the future.  The atheist thus breathes a sigh of relief as he dismisses the possibility of reward and retribution to come.   Atheism offers apparent relief regarding the most challenging aspect of past, present, and future, namely, the living and true God.    The atheist dismisses the Creator, Sustainer, and Judge as merely a troubling but non-existent phantom to be blithely ignored.

   Regarding the zeal and vigor to reject God that frequently characterizes the attitude and bluster of atheists, the Apostle Paul shines light on the matter.

    "The servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves" (II Timothy 2:24-25).

    "Those that oppose themselves" - this surely includes the professing atheist who exists in denial of the most obvious Reality in his life.  "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth His handiwork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge.  There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard" (Psalm 19:1-3).  From the moment of conception and throughout our earthly lifetime,  the Great Fact of God and His involved presence illuminates the path of all.  "The True Light... lighteth every man that cometh into the world" (John 1:9).  The atheist fights against the obvious, creating great turmoil in heart, mind, and even body as he rages against reality.  This often elicits much passion to deny God and His truth, based on deep inner frustration, uncertainty, and fear.  Thus, Paul calls us to counter the rage not only with Truth, but with the gentleness, patience, and meekness of peace that characterizes the hearts of believers who flow with the Divine current rather than against it.   

   Christians look to the past, seeing God there with thanksgiving for gifts given, pardon of sin, and confidence that God can weave all the moments of yesterday into the good of conforming us to the image of the Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 8:28-29).  We open our eyes in the present to view the Presence, namely, our involved and active Heavenly Father who "worketh all things after the counsel of His own will" (Ephesians 1:11).  Finally, we look to the future with hope because we have cast our eternal fate onto the safe arms of our Savior.  We trust Him for the assurance of eternal salvation regarding ourselves, and for His perfectly just judgment of our works (I John 5:13; II Corinthians 5:9-10).  We view the past, present, and future - history - as His Story.  We see Him in all because He is in all the moments of time, and the everlasting glory of forever.  This is peace because this is reality.  No need for turmoil of heart, mind, and body because, again, we flow with the current of God's reality rather than against it.  "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee, because he trusteth in Thee" (Isaiah 26:3).

   At the heart of all who reject the fact of God resides the fear of Him.  As the colleague of an atheist once said, "Chris doesn't believe in God - and he hates Him with all his heart!"  Indeed, atheists form the company of the conflicted.  The Lord whom they reject becomes the most significant issue in their hearts and lives.  We need not fear their bluster, but rather recognize the misery that causes it.  Thus, we heed Paul's command to be "apt to teach" in forthright communication of God and Truth.  But we do so without striving and in gentleness, recognizing that the contempt we often see in atheists proceeds from the conflict and consternation that cannot fail to characterize the hearts of those who rage against reality.

"The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God."

(Psalm 14:1)

Weekly Memory Verse 

    Reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

(Romans 6:11)

  

"Simple and Complex"

"Simple and Complex"       

    

   No secrets, formulas, or methods exist regarding our living the Christian life.  The Bible rather calls us to relationship with God, a calling that involves His involved presence and our response of love, faith, consecration, obedience, and expectation.  This life centers in the Person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ, and requires the leading and power of the indwelling Holy Spirit for growing experience of the walk to which our Heavenly Father calls us.

    "This is life eternal, that they might know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent" (John 17:3).

   The new birth ushers us into the reality of eternal life through fellowship with God.  Our reception and awareness are presently limited - "we see through a glass darkly" (I Corinthians 13:12).  However, we can see spiritual truth and reality if we have trusted the Lord Jesus.  We can know God and His Son, as revealed by the Holy Spirit and the Scriptures.  Returning to the theme of this essay, a formulaic view of the Christian life distracts us from the wonder of a life lived in relationship and fellowship with our Heavenly Father.  How could any mere method suffice to guide us into experience characterized by relating to an infinite Lord?  Biblical principles and doctrines all apply to the issue, of course.  However, one or even several verses, passages, chapters, and books are not meant to encapsulate everything involved in our walk with God.  Foundational doctrines unite with promises, commands, warnings, and even prophetic teachings throughout Scripture to inform our faith and and empower our steps.  The Christian life  thus requires determined response, assimilation, and application, again, as enabled by the Holy Spirit and our confident expectation in His working on our behalf.

   To live by faith is both simple and complex.  Our Lord would never have us to be overwhelmed by the challenge, but rather grateful for the possibility of a Christ-enabled bond with God that begins by resting in Him, and proceeds to our determination to "run with patience the race that is set before us" (Matthew 11:28; 12:1).  We run from rest, as it were, and we rest as we run by accessing God's strength for the journey.  Such grace received leads us to rejoice in a life lived in a multi-faceted reality of relationship with our Lord rather than mere ritualistic observance of supposed spiritual methods or formulas.  

"This is the way, walk ye in it… I am the way."

(Isaiah 30:21; John 14:6)

"To live is Christ."

(Philippians 1:21)

Weekly Memory Verse 

    Reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

(Romans 6:11)