We do not know the evil we do
With one complaint,
The slightest murmur upon the lips
Of God’s own saint.
Forgive, O Lord, our lack of thanks
For gifts of joy;
By shrunken hearts prevent that we
Your grace destroy.
Buries His Hand in the Dish
O those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer …
I come from a long line of work-aholics … therefore, I’ve always struggled in this area. Work first, play later–but later there’s always more work to do! Because I’ve always filled every moment of every day with tasks to accomplish, I’ve never really learned to relax or develop hobbies. Industriousness, after all, is praised in the Bible:
“Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise …. A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest — and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man” Proverbs 6:6-11.
But so is rest! “There are six days when you may work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of rest …” Leviticus 23:3. I know, I know, that’s Old Testament Law and meant for the Israelites, but does that mean that we in the New Testament age should never rest?
I suppose that many in my position as an evangelist of a small church in a remote area of the U.S. surrounded by all of the cultural opulence and abundance of the 21st Century might go the opposite direction and be lazy in leisure and luxury. I cheer inwardly when I read the many proverbs against this, like … “The sluggard buries his hand in the dish; he is too lazy to bring it back to his mouth” Proverbs 26:15.
But maybe it’s because that’s someone else’s problem, not mine! We had a cat who would eat lying down with her head in her dish, munching every once in a while when she was not napping there. We mocked her for it, but she didn’t care–she was a cat!
It’s easier to point out the sins of others than deal with our own weaknesses. Isn’t that what the self-righteous Pharisee said about the humble tax-collector too ashamed to lift his eyes? “God, I thank you that I am not like other men–robbers, evildoers, adulterers–or even like this tax collector” (Luke 18:11).
Maybe that’s the point. In this polarized age of immersing ourselves in what we agree with, we cannot do that with God’s Word. We have to let the double-edge of the Sword come back on us (Hebrews 4:12-13) and let ourselves be taught, corrected, rebuked, and trained (2 Timothy 3:16-17) by the passages that make us squirm the most.
So, I think I might go read a book … right after I mow the lawn.
To the Interests of Others
The man in the WWII hat shuffled towards the door of the bank I was exiting, and even though I was in a hurry, I waited and held the heavy door open for him. Surely my general courtesy could extend so far. Then, he stopped in the doorway, thanked me, and asked if I knew of a Volkswagon dealership in the area. I didn’t and it would have been so easy to politely tell him that so I could get to my errands, but instead I took out my smartphone and googled the information for him right there.
I. Philippians 2:1-8. So often we tell ourselves that we love others and, of course, love God when we really are just looking out for our own interests. God says that if we love others, we first love Him by making His joy complete by being like-minded and one, focused as one on the goal of heaven.
II. 1 John 3:16-18. We need to love others like Jesus did us: dying for our sins and rising for our redemption. This means action and sacrifice! We understand this as parents, but we must extend this to others, some who have done nothing for us or may even be enemies (Romans 5:6-8).
III. 1 John 2:3-6. When Jesus took on flesh, He did not take a vacation among His creation. He emptied Himself of His Godness and became like us in every way, so that He could suffer, die, and rise from the dead–for us! We are to have that same attitude; we must obey to walk as Jesus did.
This time the sacrifice of my time took about half a minute, and I was able to tell this elderly veteran what he needed to know. Referring to my phone, he said he might have to get himself one of those “frizzly-frazzly” things. Though it may cost, how do you look out for the interests of others?
Deep fear of you
Awesome God, awaken in us that deep fear of you which recognizes your majestic Person, seeks the pure holiness of righteousness and love, and draws upon your unbroken promises to step firmly toward the future. Let reverence for your Oneness keep us from taking your love for granted. Your judgments are perfect, O Lord! Remind us that sin will be thrown into the lake of everlasting fire. We fear you as him who can destroy both body and soul. And we rejoice that true fear draws us near to you, rather than making us shrink back from your manifestation. Such is your purpose, and in it we glory.
But If It Loses its Saltiness
Most lessons on salt from the Bible have to do with its unique ability to flavor, preserve, and create thirst–all qualities Christians should possess for the world around them. But what does salt have to do with the cost of discipleship?
I. Luke 14:1-35. It costs much to have saltiness, for someone to stay on the narrow path. There are sacrifices that need to be made and hard choices to endure … and God doesn’t take excuses. Rather, He looks for a disciple who will put God’s Kingdom first in His life–or is worth his, erm, salt.
II. 2 Peter 2:20-22. There are ways that Christians lose their saltiness. In just the example from Luke 14, we see that they can exert worldly strength over godly weakness, exalt self, look to be repaid here, believe excuses will justify contrary behaviors to God, not put God’s Kingdom and righteousness first, not carry his cross, or place too much emphasis on material goods.
III. Luke 12:32-34. We must hold onto our saltiness. Our eternity depends on it. In the Old Testament, which was a shadow of the reality to come, salt was required when offering sacrifices (Leviticus 2:13). So, how much more should we include salt in ourselves offered as living sacrifices to God in the New Testament time (Romans 12:1)?
We must hold onto our saltiness–persevering through our many trials and living for God!
The Missionary
The Missionary [I wrote this towards the beginning of my now twenty year mission]
Today I removed a stump.
I loved a child who knew not love.
I was her father for she had not one.
She played with my kids and ate dinner not from a box or delivered by a car.
She bowed her head at a table with a family
and heard the man who took her in submit himself to God in prayer.
My wife held her and hugged her and rocked her and told her that she was loved.
The child learned that Jesus was hope and not a vain epithet muttered in angry hopelessness.
She stayed the night because there was not a place for her at home.
The roots of the stump ran generations deep.
Did I uproot it in one day?
No, but countless days, chopping and straining against the gnarled behemoth.
And still, shoots from the old wood may spring forth and dominate.
For now there’s a hole.
Not much to show, it seems, for my effort.
But a place to plant a seed.
Around me are the holes of many absent stumps
with sprouts from seeds I have planted.
Tomorrow it may be rocks I must remove
lest the roots beshallow and the plant be scorched.
Or maybe tomorrow I will pull the life-choking thorns that spring so readily
from this hard ground now that there are holes in the canopy.
The Master Farmer has sent another to share in the toil!
When I have fallen, he has lifted me up.
When the cold gripped the rugged land, we kept each other warm.
When wolves attacked, trampling and tearing at the tender shoots,
we were not overpowered but stood back to back.
Twice, herbicide was sprayed across the rough field.
How we mourned the dead!
How we struggled daily to purify the soil and nurse the sick.
We look now at the field and see holes–
empty places where the old growth once shielded seed from the Son,
empty places where boulders once laid unyielding,
empty places where thorns once sucked life.
We also see poking through the debris and amongst stumps, rocks, and thorns yet to be pulled–
young plants.
Some have thickened in their trunks, having persevered through countless storms.
Most have blossomed and are nourishing fellow plants.
They are leading and loving, giving and growing.
But from the distant watchtower those who squint see only the holes.
“Where are the new and mighty trees? Have you not cast any seed?”
What can I answer?
Today I removed a stump.
The difference in this world
Psalm 1.2
O God, help me to find pleasure in obedience. Let my thoughts be taken up day and night with your blessed word. Keep me from the wicked way.
I want to please you. I want to know you better. I want to live in your light.
Make me the difference in this world that shows where love and peace and hope abide.
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem
O how it hits a parent’s heart to hear his child cry out, “I hate you!” yet that is exactly how it hits God when we turn away from Him by sinning. How do we know? A passage in Luke tells us so ….
I. Luke 13:22-35. The question that is asked strikes right to the core of God in the flesh, “Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?” God, who doesn’t want anyone to perish but come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9), knows the reality that few will find the narrow path that leads to eternal life. And, as Jesus pauses on His way to Jerusalem, we hear the Creator lament that He has often longed to gather those made in His image, who are far from Him because of sin, together. Here, we glimpse the heart of God.
II. 1 John 4:10-12. Next, we glimpse the hand of God. Because He loves us, He will not take away our choice to love Him back. We must be like Jesus at Gethsemane, who willingly submits to His Father’s will (Luke 22:41-43). Speaking as God, Jesus admits that He has often longed to gather those He created together, but they “were not willing.” A good and loving God, He longs to give us many blessings–even eternal life–but we keep ourselves from receiving them because we are not willing to love Him back by our obedience.
III. 1 Peter 4:1-6. We must return to the arms of God. If we suffer in our bodies, we are done with sin and live now for the will of God. We certainly have “spent enough time” in all sorts of sin and selfishness. How much more do we need? Aren’t we sick of our sin and the separation from God that it brings? God calls us to repent–to turn our lives, our attitudes, our ways back to Him. Once we become willing, He will gather us like a hen does her chicks and bless us in every way (Joel 2:12-14).
God’s love for us is unconditional and deep. He’s already demonstrated that by His Son on the cross. And, though He loves you, unless you turn to Him by repenting, He cannot remain just and claim you. Won’t you return to Him?
In the midst of confusion
Father, in the midst of confusion, bring us clarity.
When doubt appears, give us faith.
When ignorance rears its head, bring knowledge to bear.
With temptation, show us our escape.
When emotions flare, let peace descend upon us.
At the first sign of social pressure, let love for Christ prevail.
Worries would dog us daily, so let our prayers deliver them up to you.
Feelings of failure threaten to drag us down, but show us the fruit of spiritual labor.
When we feel weak, show us the power of your Holy Spirit.
Stand Before Me in the Gap
What better time to talk about leaders than Father’s Day! The pioneer man facing a snarling wolf in the doorway of a log cabin while shielding his family within is an iconic picture of fatherhood … and just what Jesus did for us.
I. Ezekiel 22:6-31. God’s people of the Old Testament had sinned greatly over the centuries, and so God was going to sweep them away into captivity. A statement at the end of this passage tells us that He looked for a man to stand before Him in the gap, but that He found none. None at that time were without sin and could save His people from the spiritual wolves growling at Jerusalem’s door.
II. John 10:11-15. Only Jesus could, and He does by His work on the cross. Only the Lion of the Tribe of Judah who is the Lamb that was slain is worthy (Revelation 5:1-12). He is the Good Shepherd who lays His life down for His sheep. It is a serving and sacrificial leadership that He demonstrates. No wonder that the Son that is given is called “Everlasting Father” Isaiah 9:6-7.
III. Joshua 1:1-18. Like any good father-leader, God, though He is able, is not going to do it all for us. Just taking over from Moses, Joshua was told repeatedly to “be strong and courageous” when entering the Promised Land and facing the difficult trials that awaited him. It was enough that God told him that He would never leave or forsake him. So it is with us as we face the wolves at the doors of our lives and protect those around us (Matthew 28:18-20).
There are spiritual gaps everywhere: in the people we know, in the church, in our families, in our marriages, in ourselves! The spiritual wolves are snarling at them, ready to destroy and devour. God is still looking for those, made perfect in Christ, to stand before Him in the gap with the same servant/sacrificial leadership that Jesus had. Are you strong and courageous?