January 2004
At the beginning of this year, I was thinking about a pastor we once had who gave us a Scripture passage each January as our “Verse for the Year.” It seemed a good idea to give one to each of our children. As I prayed for our children and grandchildren, specific verses came to mind for each one. I put the verses on cards and, after explaining why, gave the cards to them.
Our youngest granddaughter, who has not yet considered Christianity, received John 3:16. When she read it, she looked at her older sister and said, “I don’t understand it. Do you understand yours?”
Her sister said she did. The younger one looked puzzled. “Do you understand mine?” When she got an affirmative response, she frowned again. Then her sister, who had accepted Christ some years before, said, “Just keep reading it. One day you will understand it.”
Without realizing it, she gave an incredibly wise response. Sometimes biblical realities can be explained, but with a verse as easy to understand as John 3:16, it seemed obvious that the younger one needed time for the Holy Spirit to open her eyes.
In 1 Corinthians 2, the Apostle Paul explains that God’s wisdom is hidden to the “natural” man. By this he means that God’s words are a mystery to those who do not have the Spirit of God living in them. He says we need to have them “revealed to us by His Spirit.”
I can vouch for that. When I was about thirteen, I decided a “real woman” read the Bible every day, just like my mother did. So I read it, but I didn’t understand any of it. Oh, I knew the meaning of the words, but they held no significance whatsoever. Further, I read it every day for about sixteen years, and still did not understand what it meant.
Finally, everything changed. In one day, one Scripture verse (in another book) jumped out at me. Suddenly I realized that Jesus was God, come in the flesh to die for my sins. At that moment, I believed in Him and gave my life to Him. At that moment, I also began to understand the Bible.
Now I also understand the problem I had not understanding it. For years, I was such a vain, proud person. I did everything right and no one else knew as much as I did. My life was in control and I controlled it. Then, it fell apart. My marriage failed. I was a failure. That perch was knocked out from under me. I could see things now that I could not see before. One thing I saw was that I did not do everything right. I needed help. I also realized I did not know everything. I needed both knowledge and wisdom. I started looking for it, but the book I was reading that day was about to take me in the wrong direction.
God, in His great wisdom and grace, decided to turn me around. He used the one verse of Scripture in that book to open my eyes. When I saw Him and realized what He had done for me, I tossed the book aside and began reading The Book with renewed enthusiasm and an understanding that had not been there before.
I know my granddaughters will be blessed by their verses for this year. While the younger one does not understand her verse, as the older one said, she will get it. Actually, knowing the way God works, that verse will eventually take hold of her!
Showing posts with label God changes lives. Show all posts
Showing posts with label God changes lives. Show all posts
Monday, July 30, 2018
Monday, September 4, 2017
Tap, tap, tap .......... Parables 636
April 13, 1999
In some parts of the world, where roads were made of stone and before the days of gravel crushers, women were placed before a large rock and given a small mallet. They tapped the rock, their blows feeble yet relentless. Eventually the rocks disintegrated into smaller pieces suitable for making a new road.
Once I was like a large and stubborn rock, unyielding and determined to be what I was, do my own thing. But God has a mallet. I was not aware of the tapping or if I was, I dismissed it as mere noise or nuisance. However, those light blows to my self-determination came relentlessly, determined. He knew what He needed to do to me to make a new life. Eventually, my hard exterior crumbled into millions of pieces.
Critics say God’s mallet is useless, old fashioned and irrelevant to all but fanatics or weaklings who need a crutch. The critics are wrong. This mallet can be turned upside down and leaned on by the weak but it is also a relentless tool that God uses to break hard hearts, like mine.
Over twenty-five years ago, I strongly believed I could run my own life and handle whatever challenges came my way. And they came, tap, tap. I firmed my chin and lifted it higher. My way to overcome doubt was with assertive, self-confidence. I bluffed away my insecurities. I held my ground. I refused to be wrong, ever.
As the challenges grew, the tapping continued, relentless, firm, not annoying, more like a call, an invitation. I hardened myself. The mallet never skipped a beat. Deep inside, I was crumbling, but shook it away, dared not examine it.
More tapping. Layered in a crust, the strong will inside grew less sure, but still contained by weakening resolve. Then one day, one small tapping day, the crushed inner core found a crack and begin oozing out. The shell yielded. Everything hard turned to mush.
Despite appearances, this was no disaster. God was lovingly in control. What He was doing was for my good. Although it was painful for a short while, had I known what God was going to make of the pieces of my life, I’d given in to His mallet much sooner.
The mallet? The Word of God, but not the Bible by itself. I’d read it daily for sixteen years without consciously understanding what it said. Everyone can read the Bible. Not everyone feels the mallet. Besides Scripture, God combines it with life and reads both into our hearts.
However, Scripture is the main part of His life changing tool. No matter why anyone would read it, the possibility is strong for it to do its tapping. God says His Word “will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” Even used as a literature textbook, in God’s hands, it can do its work.
And that work? First to reveal Himself so we can be changed by what we see. He says that those who see God are slain, slain to their old, stubborn and self-focused way of life, dead to it and ready for new life. But how can a hard, self-determined person see God? My stubborn independence kept getting in the way. God began using His Word as a mallet, tapping, tapping.
Second, the mallet is not merely for crumbling rock but to make it into something new and useful. He says, “I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
Under the tapping, my stubbornness crumbled but I also became “His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works” which He prepared in advance for me. My life is different, better, richer, filled with peace and joy and with much to do for God.
But first He needed to crack me open. For that, He used a small mallet.
In some parts of the world, where roads were made of stone and before the days of gravel crushers, women were placed before a large rock and given a small mallet. They tapped the rock, their blows feeble yet relentless. Eventually the rocks disintegrated into smaller pieces suitable for making a new road.
Once I was like a large and stubborn rock, unyielding and determined to be what I was, do my own thing. But God has a mallet. I was not aware of the tapping or if I was, I dismissed it as mere noise or nuisance. However, those light blows to my self-determination came relentlessly, determined. He knew what He needed to do to me to make a new life. Eventually, my hard exterior crumbled into millions of pieces.
Critics say God’s mallet is useless, old fashioned and irrelevant to all but fanatics or weaklings who need a crutch. The critics are wrong. This mallet can be turned upside down and leaned on by the weak but it is also a relentless tool that God uses to break hard hearts, like mine.
Over twenty-five years ago, I strongly believed I could run my own life and handle whatever challenges came my way. And they came, tap, tap. I firmed my chin and lifted it higher. My way to overcome doubt was with assertive, self-confidence. I bluffed away my insecurities. I held my ground. I refused to be wrong, ever.
As the challenges grew, the tapping continued, relentless, firm, not annoying, more like a call, an invitation. I hardened myself. The mallet never skipped a beat. Deep inside, I was crumbling, but shook it away, dared not examine it.
More tapping. Layered in a crust, the strong will inside grew less sure, but still contained by weakening resolve. Then one day, one small tapping day, the crushed inner core found a crack and begin oozing out. The shell yielded. Everything hard turned to mush.
Despite appearances, this was no disaster. God was lovingly in control. What He was doing was for my good. Although it was painful for a short while, had I known what God was going to make of the pieces of my life, I’d given in to His mallet much sooner.
The mallet? The Word of God, but not the Bible by itself. I’d read it daily for sixteen years without consciously understanding what it said. Everyone can read the Bible. Not everyone feels the mallet. Besides Scripture, God combines it with life and reads both into our hearts.
However, Scripture is the main part of His life changing tool. No matter why anyone would read it, the possibility is strong for it to do its tapping. God says His Word “will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” Even used as a literature textbook, in God’s hands, it can do its work.
And that work? First to reveal Himself so we can be changed by what we see. He says that those who see God are slain, slain to their old, stubborn and self-focused way of life, dead to it and ready for new life. But how can a hard, self-determined person see God? My stubborn independence kept getting in the way. God began using His Word as a mallet, tapping, tapping.
Second, the mallet is not merely for crumbling rock but to make it into something new and useful. He says, “I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
Under the tapping, my stubbornness crumbled but I also became “His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works” which He prepared in advance for me. My life is different, better, richer, filled with peace and joy and with much to do for God.
But first He needed to crack me open. For that, He used a small mallet.
Friday, May 5, 2017
Power to change ................ Parables 584
(Tear sheet has no date)
My brother the skeptic says scandal in the American White House is not a new thing. He named incidents in the past and asserts, correctly or not, that the current president will never reform or change. He implies a bad apple is always a bad apple.
In a different context, a church is looking for a suitable pastor. Someone cautioned them that “Past actions determine future behavior.” In other words, watch out for the flaws in the previous ministry of any potential candidate. They will continue the same pattern in your church.
Howard Hendricks, a well-known Christian speaker, writer and professor at a large seminary says, “Change is the one thing people resist the most, yet for Christians, change is our destiny.” He firmly believes there is hope, both for fallen presidents and others who seem to be stuck in a rut.
The Bible is filled with stories of change. David was a shepherd who became king of Israel. He had his faults. When he was a teenager, his brothers thought he was impertinent and self-seeking. As king, he fell into sin because he could not resist beautiful Bathsheba. Yet God changed him and eventually called him “a man after My own heart.”
Saul, in the New Testament, also changed. His story starts with him on a vendetta to kill all the Christians he could find. In hateful rage, he was on his way to Damascus when the Lord stopped him. Within moments, Saul was on his knees in submission. God changed his motives, his character, and even his name. He became Paul, a great man of God who loved God’s people with all his heart and spent his life serving them.
What accounts for the transformation of a person’s life. Is it turning over a new leaf? Certainly the Bible tells us to change, to think differently, to behave in a manner that pleases God and does good toward others.
However, there is a part of us that we are unable to change. It is that deep-rooted resistance, not only to change, but also to God and to the things of God. Romans 3 says God looks at us and declares, “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.”
Because this is true, God offers to change us. He does it by giving us new life. Jesus called it a new birth. Paul described it this way: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”
The Bible clearly teaches that we are saved from our sinful rebellion and the judgment that is on sin by God’s grace, not by anything we do: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God–not by works, so that no one can boast.”
Paul said, “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” He added that nothing he could do “means anything; what counts is a new creation.”
For some, abandoning the “fun” of sin sounds impossible but it can be done. The Bible says Moses “chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time.” For him, short-term sensual pleasures were no match against freedom from sin’s bondage or against the hope of eternal life.
Change does mean doing things a different way, abandoning old habits and getting in step with the plan of God but whatever else change brings, we do not have to try and do it ourselves. Our most earnest efforts cannot be compared with the transforming power of God’s grace.
My brother the skeptic says scandal in the American White House is not a new thing. He named incidents in the past and asserts, correctly or not, that the current president will never reform or change. He implies a bad apple is always a bad apple.
In a different context, a church is looking for a suitable pastor. Someone cautioned them that “Past actions determine future behavior.” In other words, watch out for the flaws in the previous ministry of any potential candidate. They will continue the same pattern in your church.
Howard Hendricks, a well-known Christian speaker, writer and professor at a large seminary says, “Change is the one thing people resist the most, yet for Christians, change is our destiny.” He firmly believes there is hope, both for fallen presidents and others who seem to be stuck in a rut.
The Bible is filled with stories of change. David was a shepherd who became king of Israel. He had his faults. When he was a teenager, his brothers thought he was impertinent and self-seeking. As king, he fell into sin because he could not resist beautiful Bathsheba. Yet God changed him and eventually called him “a man after My own heart.”
Saul, in the New Testament, also changed. His story starts with him on a vendetta to kill all the Christians he could find. In hateful rage, he was on his way to Damascus when the Lord stopped him. Within moments, Saul was on his knees in submission. God changed his motives, his character, and even his name. He became Paul, a great man of God who loved God’s people with all his heart and spent his life serving them.
What accounts for the transformation of a person’s life. Is it turning over a new leaf? Certainly the Bible tells us to change, to think differently, to behave in a manner that pleases God and does good toward others.
However, there is a part of us that we are unable to change. It is that deep-rooted resistance, not only to change, but also to God and to the things of God. Romans 3 says God looks at us and declares, “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.”
Because this is true, God offers to change us. He does it by giving us new life. Jesus called it a new birth. Paul described it this way: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”
The Bible clearly teaches that we are saved from our sinful rebellion and the judgment that is on sin by God’s grace, not by anything we do: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God–not by works, so that no one can boast.”
Paul said, “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” He added that nothing he could do “means anything; what counts is a new creation.”
For some, abandoning the “fun” of sin sounds impossible but it can be done. The Bible says Moses “chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time.” For him, short-term sensual pleasures were no match against freedom from sin’s bondage or against the hope of eternal life.
Change does mean doing things a different way, abandoning old habits and getting in step with the plan of God but whatever else change brings, we do not have to try and do it ourselves. Our most earnest efforts cannot be compared with the transforming power of God’s grace.
Monday, June 13, 2016
No One can be Good Enough! .................. Parables 444
October 25, 1994
A certain alcoholic man decided to leave his Christian wife. He said she was “too good for him” and he could never be “that good.”
Another person responded in a similar way when she first encountered Christians. She said, “Everyone at church is so godly. I’ll never be good enough to belong in that place.”
Many of the Christians I know are amazed and saddened at statements like that. For one thing, we do not see ourselves as being “that good.” Even though we know Christ has changed our lives, we also know we constantly are in need of forgiveness and cleansing from sin. The nearer we draw to God, the more we realize how imperfect we are.
The idea that a person must be “good” in order to belong also saddens us. While Christ calls for holiness and obedient living, we are well aware it comes as a result of knowing Him, not as a prerequisite. Goodness is the consequence of believing, not the criteria.
Further, a genuine Christian should never be making an effort to be something they are not. The goodness observed by both the alcoholic husband and the new church attender is an unconscious goodness, put there because they know Christ. It is only in that relationship with the Son of God that the above described wife and congregation could possibly have characteristics that qualify as “godly.”
Is it possible for anyone be godly even when they are certain they are unable to be “that good”? Of course it is. God Himself promises to change lives. He says in Isaiah 1:18: “Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white a snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”
That means that anyone who is willing to confess their sins to God will receive His forgiveness. As He wipes the slate clean and gives them a new heart, they experience freedom from guilt and a new ability to behave as He intended. This ability comes from His Spirit, a gift to every born-again child of God.
Along with that freedom and ability, Christians find themselves without crippling despair. Instead of fighting a horrible sense of never being able to “measure up” they simply acknowledge it is true. As the Bible clearly says, everyone falls short of the high standard of God and not one person can stand before God on the basis that they are “good enough.” God accepts sinners for entirely different reasons.
This is why Romans 5:8 says Christ died for us, not after we pull up our own bootstraps, but “while we were still sinners.” He offers us love and His own godliness with no prerequisites but need. His offer of forgiveness of sin and eternal life is for to those who realize they do not deserve it.
Compare it to medical care. Those who are healthy do not need a doctor, only those who are sick. In the same way, Jesus came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance and new life. Anyone who recognizes themselves to be in that category and is willing to admit it before God, can ask for forgiveness and receive a new, changed life.
The irony is that those who honestly feel they are not good enough to be Christians are far closer to God than anyone who insists they are good enough the way they are.
A certain alcoholic man decided to leave his Christian wife. He said she was “too good for him” and he could never be “that good.”
Another person responded in a similar way when she first encountered Christians. She said, “Everyone at church is so godly. I’ll never be good enough to belong in that place.”
Many of the Christians I know are amazed and saddened at statements like that. For one thing, we do not see ourselves as being “that good.” Even though we know Christ has changed our lives, we also know we constantly are in need of forgiveness and cleansing from sin. The nearer we draw to God, the more we realize how imperfect we are.
The idea that a person must be “good” in order to belong also saddens us. While Christ calls for holiness and obedient living, we are well aware it comes as a result of knowing Him, not as a prerequisite. Goodness is the consequence of believing, not the criteria.
Further, a genuine Christian should never be making an effort to be something they are not. The goodness observed by both the alcoholic husband and the new church attender is an unconscious goodness, put there because they know Christ. It is only in that relationship with the Son of God that the above described wife and congregation could possibly have characteristics that qualify as “godly.”
Is it possible for anyone be godly even when they are certain they are unable to be “that good”? Of course it is. God Himself promises to change lives. He says in Isaiah 1:18: “Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white a snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”
That means that anyone who is willing to confess their sins to God will receive His forgiveness. As He wipes the slate clean and gives them a new heart, they experience freedom from guilt and a new ability to behave as He intended. This ability comes from His Spirit, a gift to every born-again child of God.
Along with that freedom and ability, Christians find themselves without crippling despair. Instead of fighting a horrible sense of never being able to “measure up” they simply acknowledge it is true. As the Bible clearly says, everyone falls short of the high standard of God and not one person can stand before God on the basis that they are “good enough.” God accepts sinners for entirely different reasons.
This is why Romans 5:8 says Christ died for us, not after we pull up our own bootstraps, but “while we were still sinners.” He offers us love and His own godliness with no prerequisites but need. His offer of forgiveness of sin and eternal life is for to those who realize they do not deserve it.
Compare it to medical care. Those who are healthy do not need a doctor, only those who are sick. In the same way, Jesus came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance and new life. Anyone who recognizes themselves to be in that category and is willing to admit it before God, can ask for forgiveness and receive a new, changed life.
The irony is that those who honestly feel they are not good enough to be Christians are far closer to God than anyone who insists they are good enough the way they are.
Wednesday, December 16, 2015
The Power of Repentance ............. Parables 366
April 20, 1993
Imprisoned television evangelist Jim Bakker is now saying, “I have been convicted twice...”
A small news item reports Bakker is asking former supporters to forgive him. He claims that a study of the words of Jesus has deeply convicted him of his guilt in teaching false doctrine. He admits that he once believed having money was a sign of God’s favor on a person’s life. He now says, “if that is true, then crooks, pimps and drug lords are blessed of God — and that cannot be.”
Bakker’s downfall produced far larger headlines than did this story. Perhaps that’s because his reputation seems forever scarred by deceit. Few editors want to publicize what seems like another false claim by an exposed has-been.
But what if the change is real? Could it be that the Bible has the power to transform lives, just as God claims?
This lack of publicity concerning Bakker’s confession could indicate society is more interested in bad news than good news. Certainly the sordid stories of Bakker’s sins, complete with photographs, gained attention. However, isn’t it newsworthy that reading the Bible can turn people from lies to honesty? from sin to godliness? This is good news and good news should attract attention too.
Yet some people don’t want to hear about the power of God to make bad people good. It is acceptable to fantasize or talk about a world of wonderfully good people, but in reality, does anyone care to know if God can make us that way?
Notice the Bible knows what we are like. It says, “There is none righteous, no, not one. There is none that understands, there is none that seeks after God. They are all gone out of the way, they have all become unprofitable; there is none that does good, no, not one” (Romans 3).
According to God, no one is interested in being holy. He says that whenever we try to be godly, our efforts are a mere “form of godliness” lacking divine power. Even though some “religious” people pretend to be holy and some “good” people try hard, He says none of it holds a patch on the true holiness He wants and will even give to us.
Some might wonder why God would bother giving anything to a religious traitor who preached a false gospel of prosperity and kept wanting more, bigger, and better (to prove God favored him?). When this man became blinded by his lies, tripped over his own error and fell into disgraceful immorality, onlookers even mocked the Christian faith he claimed to have. For months after his trial and conviction, he still insisted he was not in the wrong. Why wouldn’t God simply let a hopeless case like him fade out of the picture?
First and contrary to the way we tend to think, God is interested in hopeless cases. Jesus said He came to call sinners to repentance. Working a change in the likes of a convicted hypocrite is just what He loves to do.
Second, if Bakker really does know God, then God is committed to change him. The Lord does not accept sinners because they are already righteous but because He plans to transform their lives and make them into godly people. He does it all the time. But this good news seldom makes headlines.
Imprisoned television evangelist Jim Bakker is now saying, “I have been convicted twice...”
A small news item reports Bakker is asking former supporters to forgive him. He claims that a study of the words of Jesus has deeply convicted him of his guilt in teaching false doctrine. He admits that he once believed having money was a sign of God’s favor on a person’s life. He now says, “if that is true, then crooks, pimps and drug lords are blessed of God — and that cannot be.”
Bakker’s downfall produced far larger headlines than did this story. Perhaps that’s because his reputation seems forever scarred by deceit. Few editors want to publicize what seems like another false claim by an exposed has-been.
But what if the change is real? Could it be that the Bible has the power to transform lives, just as God claims?
This lack of publicity concerning Bakker’s confession could indicate society is more interested in bad news than good news. Certainly the sordid stories of Bakker’s sins, complete with photographs, gained attention. However, isn’t it newsworthy that reading the Bible can turn people from lies to honesty? from sin to godliness? This is good news and good news should attract attention too.
Yet some people don’t want to hear about the power of God to make bad people good. It is acceptable to fantasize or talk about a world of wonderfully good people, but in reality, does anyone care to know if God can make us that way?
Notice the Bible knows what we are like. It says, “There is none righteous, no, not one. There is none that understands, there is none that seeks after God. They are all gone out of the way, they have all become unprofitable; there is none that does good, no, not one” (Romans 3).
According to God, no one is interested in being holy. He says that whenever we try to be godly, our efforts are a mere “form of godliness” lacking divine power. Even though some “religious” people pretend to be holy and some “good” people try hard, He says none of it holds a patch on the true holiness He wants and will even give to us.
Some might wonder why God would bother giving anything to a religious traitor who preached a false gospel of prosperity and kept wanting more, bigger, and better (to prove God favored him?). When this man became blinded by his lies, tripped over his own error and fell into disgraceful immorality, onlookers even mocked the Christian faith he claimed to have. For months after his trial and conviction, he still insisted he was not in the wrong. Why wouldn’t God simply let a hopeless case like him fade out of the picture?
First and contrary to the way we tend to think, God is interested in hopeless cases. Jesus said He came to call sinners to repentance. Working a change in the likes of a convicted hypocrite is just what He loves to do.
Second, if Bakker really does know God, then God is committed to change him. The Lord does not accept sinners because they are already righteous but because He plans to transform their lives and make them into godly people. He does it all the time. But this good news seldom makes headlines.
Wednesday, December 2, 2015
Spiritual war and the power of God ............. Parables 360
March 9, 1993
“The last thing I ever expected to happen to my life was to become a refugee,” said the young man we met in Salzburg.
He went on to tell us about his university education and teaching degree and his hopes and dreams for a rich full life but he had to flee his home land. He was now without papers or nationality and his goals seem unreachable.
As many do, he had applied for refugee status in the United States. In the meantime, the Austrian government provided food and a place to live. He had no idea how long that would last. Furthermore, he had no money and could not work. His friends gave him a ride to church each week, a sacrifice on their part because gasoline is over $4.00 a gallon and this fellow lives 60 km out of town.
He also told us how he became a Christian. He met a Christian girl and for a while “confused the love of Christ” with romantic love. Then he recognized that Jesus was the One who loved him so very much and asked Him to forgive his sins. He didn’t tell us why he had to flee his home land but we know that people who become Christians in his country (in the Middle East) are severely persecuted, even killed.
Despite all this, he is not without resources; he is a child of God. He can depend on divine help. As he explained to us how he deeply desires to somehow minister to others, his shining face clouded with the mention of so many obstacles. We tried to encourage him to trust God even though it sometimes seems He does not hear our prayers. We can not always see what God is doing but can be sure He cares and will respond.
The experience of Daniel, an Old Testament prophet, sheds light on one reason prayer sometimes seems futile. Daniel had been praying for three weeks. Finally, an angel appeared to him and said; “Daniel, you who are highly esteemed... since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard and I have come in response to them. “
Then the angel tells of a battle in which he had been resisted during those three weeks when Daniel was praying. Finally another angel came to his aid. Only then was he able to fully respond to Daniel’s prayer.
This is what the Bible calls spiritual warfare. Christians, as well as angels, are included in the struggle and “our battle is not against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers and spiritual wickedness in high places.”
The Bible also says the weapons of our warfare are not what we might use to fight in a human sense but spiritual — prayer being a primary weapon against all evil forces.
As our friend prays and wonders if God is hearing, we sensed that God has indeed has heard and the answer is on its way even though nothing has happened for several months. God does not ignore His children’s pleas. While He prepares the answer, we need to continue praying. Not only are we engaging in spiritual warfare for one another but we are also developing our “spiritual muscles” as we participate in this wonderful Christian privilege.
We told this young man that we would ask people to pray for him, knowing that God also wants fullness of life for him. While we may never see what will happen in this specific instance, we can be sure that someday a certain young man from the Middle East will be praising God for His flawless response to his prayers.
“The last thing I ever expected to happen to my life was to become a refugee,” said the young man we met in Salzburg.
He went on to tell us about his university education and teaching degree and his hopes and dreams for a rich full life but he had to flee his home land. He was now without papers or nationality and his goals seem unreachable.
As many do, he had applied for refugee status in the United States. In the meantime, the Austrian government provided food and a place to live. He had no idea how long that would last. Furthermore, he had no money and could not work. His friends gave him a ride to church each week, a sacrifice on their part because gasoline is over $4.00 a gallon and this fellow lives 60 km out of town.
He also told us how he became a Christian. He met a Christian girl and for a while “confused the love of Christ” with romantic love. Then he recognized that Jesus was the One who loved him so very much and asked Him to forgive his sins. He didn’t tell us why he had to flee his home land but we know that people who become Christians in his country (in the Middle East) are severely persecuted, even killed.
Despite all this, he is not without resources; he is a child of God. He can depend on divine help. As he explained to us how he deeply desires to somehow minister to others, his shining face clouded with the mention of so many obstacles. We tried to encourage him to trust God even though it sometimes seems He does not hear our prayers. We can not always see what God is doing but can be sure He cares and will respond.
The experience of Daniel, an Old Testament prophet, sheds light on one reason prayer sometimes seems futile. Daniel had been praying for three weeks. Finally, an angel appeared to him and said; “Daniel, you who are highly esteemed... since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard and I have come in response to them. “
Then the angel tells of a battle in which he had been resisted during those three weeks when Daniel was praying. Finally another angel came to his aid. Only then was he able to fully respond to Daniel’s prayer.
This is what the Bible calls spiritual warfare. Christians, as well as angels, are included in the struggle and “our battle is not against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers and spiritual wickedness in high places.”
The Bible also says the weapons of our warfare are not what we might use to fight in a human sense but spiritual — prayer being a primary weapon against all evil forces.
As our friend prays and wonders if God is hearing, we sensed that God has indeed has heard and the answer is on its way even though nothing has happened for several months. God does not ignore His children’s pleas. While He prepares the answer, we need to continue praying. Not only are we engaging in spiritual warfare for one another but we are also developing our “spiritual muscles” as we participate in this wonderful Christian privilege.
We told this young man that we would ask people to pray for him, knowing that God also wants fullness of life for him. While we may never see what will happen in this specific instance, we can be sure that someday a certain young man from the Middle East will be praising God for His flawless response to his prayers.
Monday, November 30, 2015
I am not invincible! ............. Parables 359
March 2, 1993
The “high point” of our vacation was Mount Hafelekarspitze in the Alps! I am terrified of heights — so what was I doing 2334 meters, or nearly 8000 feet, up? Well, my husband wanted me to go. He’s a skier, we were in Austria and who could visit Innsbruck, home of the Winter Olympics, without checking out the slopes?
I argued. Most average ski slopes contradict my desire for stability. Some of those runs are far from average. The sign said they angled at 70o. So much for the idea that those wild ski films are done with the camera tilted. There even were people defying the warnings about alpine risks and actually skiing down them! Besides, the cable car was far above the tree tops and the ski lodge at the top looked like it was much too close to the edge.
This was one of those situations when any acrophobic like me gives some thought to why people would want to defy gravity and put themselves in danger. Even Bob admitted one slip and a skier would not stop rolling for hundreds of feet. Perhaps they do it because they are somehow convinced of being invincible, or maybe they cannot imagine our own death?
Whatever the reasons, the reality about our lives is not invincibility. We all know that Hebrews 9:27 is true: every one of us is “destined to die once.” Yet to me, risk-taking is a serious business. For one thing, destiny (some call it fate) does not mean it is safe to take foolish chances. No one knows for sure when their time is up so why push it? Besides, taking risks may not mean we will die but it could result in a painful and crippling injury. That, I can imagine.
Maybe the notion of being invincible actually disguises a fear of dying; a reluctance to face the issue. We knew a man who would take risks but refused to use the word death. When his parents were killed in an automobile accident, he never talked about it at all.
Hebrews 9:27 applies to that fear too. The entire verse says “Man is destined to die once, and after that faces judgment.” Perhaps risk-taking, defying death, fear of dying and a desire to be invincible, are all somehow connected to a stubborn hope that judgment can be bypassed, that it does not apply to me, that it will not really happen.
No wonder the Bible says the fear of death holds us in bondage, even robs us of the enjoyment of living. It was that thought that coaxed me up Mount Hafelekarspitze. I decided whether or not God choose this as my time to die, I did not need to fear death because Jesus died for me on another mountain nearly 2000 years ago. Furthermore, He conquered death three days later and invited all to participate in that same overcoming power.
This is simply power to beat odds, odds that seem unbeatable: billions to 1. Yet anyone can conquer death by receiving His gift of eternal life through forgiveness and justification by faith. That means God looks at us just as if we have never sinned, and in His eyes we are clean as the snow on alpine peaks.
Because of Jesus, the view at the top was awesome. We gazed at miles of valleys below and over 400 other mountain tops. He not only created all of it but, through faith, gave us a deep sense of His power to overcome fear (even acrophobia) and replace it with appreciation and worship.
No wonder the psalmist says of God, “Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the great deep. O LORD, you preserve both man and beast.”
The “high point” of our vacation was Mount Hafelekarspitze in the Alps! I am terrified of heights — so what was I doing 2334 meters, or nearly 8000 feet, up? Well, my husband wanted me to go. He’s a skier, we were in Austria and who could visit Innsbruck, home of the Winter Olympics, without checking out the slopes?
I argued. Most average ski slopes contradict my desire for stability. Some of those runs are far from average. The sign said they angled at 70o. So much for the idea that those wild ski films are done with the camera tilted. There even were people defying the warnings about alpine risks and actually skiing down them! Besides, the cable car was far above the tree tops and the ski lodge at the top looked like it was much too close to the edge.
This was one of those situations when any acrophobic like me gives some thought to why people would want to defy gravity and put themselves in danger. Even Bob admitted one slip and a skier would not stop rolling for hundreds of feet. Perhaps they do it because they are somehow convinced of being invincible, or maybe they cannot imagine our own death?
Whatever the reasons, the reality about our lives is not invincibility. We all know that Hebrews 9:27 is true: every one of us is “destined to die once.” Yet to me, risk-taking is a serious business. For one thing, destiny (some call it fate) does not mean it is safe to take foolish chances. No one knows for sure when their time is up so why push it? Besides, taking risks may not mean we will die but it could result in a painful and crippling injury. That, I can imagine.
Maybe the notion of being invincible actually disguises a fear of dying; a reluctance to face the issue. We knew a man who would take risks but refused to use the word death. When his parents were killed in an automobile accident, he never talked about it at all.
Hebrews 9:27 applies to that fear too. The entire verse says “Man is destined to die once, and after that faces judgment.” Perhaps risk-taking, defying death, fear of dying and a desire to be invincible, are all somehow connected to a stubborn hope that judgment can be bypassed, that it does not apply to me, that it will not really happen.
No wonder the Bible says the fear of death holds us in bondage, even robs us of the enjoyment of living. It was that thought that coaxed me up Mount Hafelekarspitze. I decided whether or not God choose this as my time to die, I did not need to fear death because Jesus died for me on another mountain nearly 2000 years ago. Furthermore, He conquered death three days later and invited all to participate in that same overcoming power.
This is simply power to beat odds, odds that seem unbeatable: billions to 1. Yet anyone can conquer death by receiving His gift of eternal life through forgiveness and justification by faith. That means God looks at us just as if we have never sinned, and in His eyes we are clean as the snow on alpine peaks.
Because of Jesus, the view at the top was awesome. We gazed at miles of valleys below and over 400 other mountain tops. He not only created all of it but, through faith, gave us a deep sense of His power to overcome fear (even acrophobia) and replace it with appreciation and worship.
No wonder the psalmist says of God, “Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the great deep. O LORD, you preserve both man and beast.”
Friday, October 16, 2015
The Source of Violence ................ Parables 340
October 20, 1992
It is Sunday afternoon and the stores are packed with back-to-school shoppers. Suddenly a young man races through the mall with another fellow in angry pursuit, each yelling loudly at the other. When they pass us, the second is saying to the first, “You are dead meat, man. I will get you... you are dead, for sure.”
Other shoppers are uncomfortable. Some laugh. My husband says someone should call the security guards. Moments later, a dozen youth and two guards move quickly in the same direction as the first two. They all talk at once. We hear one of them say, “He yanked out a knife.” A few minutes after that, we see an R.C.M.P. officer hurrying in the same direction.
No, this was not in Hong Kong or even New York but in a small city in southern British Colombia, in broad daylight, with hundreds of witnesses. We wondered what drove this young person to make such a threat, endangering not only his intended victim but his own freedom. Why do so many people resort to violence when no one really wins anyway?
Sociologists and psychologists have a myriad of answers: inadequate education, deteriorating family values, peer pressure, poverty, television and so on, yet with all their wisdom, young lives continue to slip through the cracks into the streets where the only laws are written by the survivors.
Historically, violence began right after Adam and Eve were put out of Eden. Cain killed his brother Abel in cold blood and violence began to permeate society. The Bible paints the same bloody picture of humanity out to destroy humanity by acts of aggression and brutality as does our daily news; however, the Bible gives a different reason violence exists. According to the Word of God, brutality is evidence of sin in the human heart, and sin is an attitude of rebellion against God.
I can relate. There have been a few expressions of savagery in my life. While I didn’t pull a knife on someone, I have thrown things, including a punch or two. Reflecting on my anger at people, I realize I was actually angry with God at the time; I didn’t like the things He was allowing to happen in my life, so I lashed out in retaliation. Instead of trusting His choices for me and His power to make things right, I was going to force my own way.
The Word of God (and the bitter consequences of my anger) have taught me that God hates violence. Psalms 11:5 says, “The LORD tests the righteous, but the wicked and the one who loves violence His soul hates.”
He also has been known to severely judge violence: “God said to Noah, ‘The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; I will destroy them with the earth’” (Gen.6:13). He did just what He said by sending a catastrophic flood that drowned those who were in rebellion against Him. Sometimes God allows brutal people to self-destruct, destroyed by their own ferocity: “The violence of the wicked will destroy them because they refuse to do justice” (Proverbs 21:7).
God offers a model of non-violence though, even for those who have every reason to retaliate. His Son Jesus was innocent of any sin, yet was hated and treated brutally. Instead of breathing out threats, He “entrusted Himself to the Father who judges righteously” and “He did no violence...”
Jesus’ submission to His abusers meant death for Him but through His death, we are offered forgiveness and a new heart, including those who resort to personal retaliation as the only answer to injustice. Jesus gives grace and peace to the angry, protection and hope to the victims.
God promised His people that someday, “Violence shall no longer be heard in your land, neither wasting nor destruction within your borders; but you shall call your walls Salvation, and your gates Praise” — all because of Jesus.
It is Sunday afternoon and the stores are packed with back-to-school shoppers. Suddenly a young man races through the mall with another fellow in angry pursuit, each yelling loudly at the other. When they pass us, the second is saying to the first, “You are dead meat, man. I will get you... you are dead, for sure.”
Other shoppers are uncomfortable. Some laugh. My husband says someone should call the security guards. Moments later, a dozen youth and two guards move quickly in the same direction as the first two. They all talk at once. We hear one of them say, “He yanked out a knife.” A few minutes after that, we see an R.C.M.P. officer hurrying in the same direction.
No, this was not in Hong Kong or even New York but in a small city in southern British Colombia, in broad daylight, with hundreds of witnesses. We wondered what drove this young person to make such a threat, endangering not only his intended victim but his own freedom. Why do so many people resort to violence when no one really wins anyway?
Sociologists and psychologists have a myriad of answers: inadequate education, deteriorating family values, peer pressure, poverty, television and so on, yet with all their wisdom, young lives continue to slip through the cracks into the streets where the only laws are written by the survivors.
Historically, violence began right after Adam and Eve were put out of Eden. Cain killed his brother Abel in cold blood and violence began to permeate society. The Bible paints the same bloody picture of humanity out to destroy humanity by acts of aggression and brutality as does our daily news; however, the Bible gives a different reason violence exists. According to the Word of God, brutality is evidence of sin in the human heart, and sin is an attitude of rebellion against God.
I can relate. There have been a few expressions of savagery in my life. While I didn’t pull a knife on someone, I have thrown things, including a punch or two. Reflecting on my anger at people, I realize I was actually angry with God at the time; I didn’t like the things He was allowing to happen in my life, so I lashed out in retaliation. Instead of trusting His choices for me and His power to make things right, I was going to force my own way.
The Word of God (and the bitter consequences of my anger) have taught me that God hates violence. Psalms 11:5 says, “The LORD tests the righteous, but the wicked and the one who loves violence His soul hates.”
He also has been known to severely judge violence: “God said to Noah, ‘The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; I will destroy them with the earth’” (Gen.6:13). He did just what He said by sending a catastrophic flood that drowned those who were in rebellion against Him. Sometimes God allows brutal people to self-destruct, destroyed by their own ferocity: “The violence of the wicked will destroy them because they refuse to do justice” (Proverbs 21:7).
God offers a model of non-violence though, even for those who have every reason to retaliate. His Son Jesus was innocent of any sin, yet was hated and treated brutally. Instead of breathing out threats, He “entrusted Himself to the Father who judges righteously” and “He did no violence...”
Jesus’ submission to His abusers meant death for Him but through His death, we are offered forgiveness and a new heart, including those who resort to personal retaliation as the only answer to injustice. Jesus gives grace and peace to the angry, protection and hope to the victims.
God promised His people that someday, “Violence shall no longer be heard in your land, neither wasting nor destruction within your borders; but you shall call your walls Salvation, and your gates Praise” — all because of Jesus.
Monday, September 7, 2015
A special dunking ................ Parables 323
June 23, 1992
One day last May we took a ten-hour drive to Alberta to watch our oldest son get dunked in a swimming pool. It was not an ordinary dunking.
Standing outside on the lawn in front of the building, he explained to family and friends why he was doing this. He related how his own abilities to wisely govern his life had failed him. He said God called him to commit himself to a relationship with Him, one in which God governed and he obeyed. He believed God had a valid claim on his life and wanted to publicly acknowledge that claim in the manner God commands — so he was baptized.
People understand baptism in various ways. For some it is the entrance requirement into a particular religious system or church denomination. Other consider it a necessary work or action for salvation; no one can go to heaven without it. Yet biblically, it is neither of those.
True, some religious organizations can make it an initiation rite or say baptism is necessary to get to heaven, but the Bible says those who have saving faith already have eternal life — because of it they are automatically members of the family of God. Furthermore, Jesus was baptized and He had no need for either. So why be baptized?
First, Jesus was baptized as a demonstration of His willingness to fully obey the righteous demands of God. Therefore, for Christians, it is a step of obedience because God says that is what we should do: “Repent and be baptized...” By it, we follow Jesus.
Second, baptism involves identifying oneself with Christ. Just as Christ died and was buried for our sins, so those who believe are immersed in a symbolic grave. Then, just as Christ rose from the dead to new life, so the Christian rises out of the water to signify the new life he has already received.
Notice, new life does not come by baptism. Baptism is only a symbol of it. The Bible teaches clearly that new life comes only from Jesus Christ. “God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life” (1 John 5). It does not say he who is “baptized” is given life.
Third, baptism is a renunciation of the world and its influence, a declaration that the new Resident Manager is the Lord. Our son made this plain in his explanation of why he was going to be dunked. He said that his old life was out of control and filled with things that he didn’t want. So he offered it to Christ, was placed in the Kingdom of God, and now renounced the old kingdom and its dominion over him.
Finally, baptism is an affirmation of what God has done. The person participating, in effect, says: God has done an act of grace in my heart. I once rejected Him and was lost, separate from Him and in sin. But now I belong to God and by this act of obedience, I am showing my intention to live in such a way that I will bring Him glory.
Baptism does not insure against making mistakes or sinning again; neither does new life. However, God works to conquer old habits and their power. We have seen that in our son and rejoice in what God has done and is doing in his life.
One day last May we took a ten-hour drive to Alberta to watch our oldest son get dunked in a swimming pool. It was not an ordinary dunking.
Standing outside on the lawn in front of the building, he explained to family and friends why he was doing this. He related how his own abilities to wisely govern his life had failed him. He said God called him to commit himself to a relationship with Him, one in which God governed and he obeyed. He believed God had a valid claim on his life and wanted to publicly acknowledge that claim in the manner God commands — so he was baptized.
People understand baptism in various ways. For some it is the entrance requirement into a particular religious system or church denomination. Other consider it a necessary work or action for salvation; no one can go to heaven without it. Yet biblically, it is neither of those.
True, some religious organizations can make it an initiation rite or say baptism is necessary to get to heaven, but the Bible says those who have saving faith already have eternal life — because of it they are automatically members of the family of God. Furthermore, Jesus was baptized and He had no need for either. So why be baptized?
First, Jesus was baptized as a demonstration of His willingness to fully obey the righteous demands of God. Therefore, for Christians, it is a step of obedience because God says that is what we should do: “Repent and be baptized...” By it, we follow Jesus.
Second, baptism involves identifying oneself with Christ. Just as Christ died and was buried for our sins, so those who believe are immersed in a symbolic grave. Then, just as Christ rose from the dead to new life, so the Christian rises out of the water to signify the new life he has already received.
Notice, new life does not come by baptism. Baptism is only a symbol of it. The Bible teaches clearly that new life comes only from Jesus Christ. “God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life” (1 John 5). It does not say he who is “baptized” is given life.
Third, baptism is a renunciation of the world and its influence, a declaration that the new Resident Manager is the Lord. Our son made this plain in his explanation of why he was going to be dunked. He said that his old life was out of control and filled with things that he didn’t want. So he offered it to Christ, was placed in the Kingdom of God, and now renounced the old kingdom and its dominion over him.
Finally, baptism is an affirmation of what God has done. The person participating, in effect, says: God has done an act of grace in my heart. I once rejected Him and was lost, separate from Him and in sin. But now I belong to God and by this act of obedience, I am showing my intention to live in such a way that I will bring Him glory.
Baptism does not insure against making mistakes or sinning again; neither does new life. However, God works to conquer old habits and their power. We have seen that in our son and rejoice in what God has done and is doing in his life.
Wednesday, July 8, 2015
Golfing and Grace .............. Parables 297
December 17, 1991
The fourteenth hole at Hillside Golf Club has a creek meandering through, first in front of an elevated tee box, then along the right side and back across the fairway just before the green. For some reason, my golf balls always think they are ducks when we play the fourteenth hole.
That fourteenth hole confirms the golf pros who tell me that this is a game of concentration. Obviously one has to ignore the water and concentrate on where the golf ball should go, but after a few direct hits into the drink, it is tough to put that hazard out of your mind, even while taking aim at something a little less liquid. Personally, the harder I try to not think about the water, the more my ball is apt to head straight for it.
The first time we played that hole, my husband laughed with me as my ball sailed into the creek. Then he hit two in a row — both splashing in the same spot — right in front of a mallard duck. After a few more rounds on the back nine, it didn’t take a calculator to figure that our golf ball budget would last longer if we just skipped the fourteenth.
However, avoiding the tough holes will not improve my aim. Nor will wishful thinking do anything for my back swing. Concentrated effort and continual practice are necessary. Even at that, I’ll never be a golf pro.
Sometimes I feel the same about the flaws in my character as I do about my performance at the fourteenth hole. If certain situations could be avoided, maybe no one would notice those shortcomings, but life is not like that. Even on the golf course, you wind up running over other people to get around the parts you don’t like. So I must find another solution.
In golf, the best answer is hours at the driving range, yet for players like me, there is no guarantee that the next time I swing my driver, the ball will go where I want it to. Thank God, His remedy is a little different for character flaws.
Instead of trying to change myself, God promises to get me to my goal if I will only just LOOK and keep on LOOKING at the target. Since flawless character is the goal, of course that target is Jesus Christ. He is the “bull’s eye,” the perfect mark, the total hope and aspiration of anyone trying to live to please God.
Obviously, we must rely on God’s power to become like Him. Our part includes complete commitment, refusing to be like we once were yet allowing Him to renew our minds and change our lives (Romans 12:1,2). Key to change is total honesty before Him, not hiding our sin or pretending to be what we are not. (That would be like trying to hide a hook or slice — what a joke!)
And here is where the lesson of the fourteenth hole comes in: we must concentrate on the target... because He promises that when we do, we will be “transformed into the same image from glory to glory... by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Corinthians 3:18).
That does not mean it is easy. Just try thinking about God for 60 seconds without losing concentration. Distractions easily draw away our attention and our aim, and we find ourselves hitting something far less than the perfect target of Christlikeness. If it were not for His grace, I’m sure none would ever come even remotely close.
Someone once told me it was better to aim at the stars and hit the woodpile, than to aim at the woodpile and hit your foot. It doesn’t work in golf. Aiming at the pin and hitting the water is not any better than aiming at the water and hitting the water. But aim is important in ironing out those flaws. When Jesus is the target, whatever I hit is an improvement over how I would live without Him.
The fourteenth hole at Hillside Golf Club has a creek meandering through, first in front of an elevated tee box, then along the right side and back across the fairway just before the green. For some reason, my golf balls always think they are ducks when we play the fourteenth hole.
That fourteenth hole confirms the golf pros who tell me that this is a game of concentration. Obviously one has to ignore the water and concentrate on where the golf ball should go, but after a few direct hits into the drink, it is tough to put that hazard out of your mind, even while taking aim at something a little less liquid. Personally, the harder I try to not think about the water, the more my ball is apt to head straight for it.
The first time we played that hole, my husband laughed with me as my ball sailed into the creek. Then he hit two in a row — both splashing in the same spot — right in front of a mallard duck. After a few more rounds on the back nine, it didn’t take a calculator to figure that our golf ball budget would last longer if we just skipped the fourteenth.
However, avoiding the tough holes will not improve my aim. Nor will wishful thinking do anything for my back swing. Concentrated effort and continual practice are necessary. Even at that, I’ll never be a golf pro.
Sometimes I feel the same about the flaws in my character as I do about my performance at the fourteenth hole. If certain situations could be avoided, maybe no one would notice those shortcomings, but life is not like that. Even on the golf course, you wind up running over other people to get around the parts you don’t like. So I must find another solution.
In golf, the best answer is hours at the driving range, yet for players like me, there is no guarantee that the next time I swing my driver, the ball will go where I want it to. Thank God, His remedy is a little different for character flaws.
Instead of trying to change myself, God promises to get me to my goal if I will only just LOOK and keep on LOOKING at the target. Since flawless character is the goal, of course that target is Jesus Christ. He is the “bull’s eye,” the perfect mark, the total hope and aspiration of anyone trying to live to please God.
Obviously, we must rely on God’s power to become like Him. Our part includes complete commitment, refusing to be like we once were yet allowing Him to renew our minds and change our lives (Romans 12:1,2). Key to change is total honesty before Him, not hiding our sin or pretending to be what we are not. (That would be like trying to hide a hook or slice — what a joke!)
And here is where the lesson of the fourteenth hole comes in: we must concentrate on the target... because He promises that when we do, we will be “transformed into the same image from glory to glory... by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Corinthians 3:18).
That does not mean it is easy. Just try thinking about God for 60 seconds without losing concentration. Distractions easily draw away our attention and our aim, and we find ourselves hitting something far less than the perfect target of Christlikeness. If it were not for His grace, I’m sure none would ever come even remotely close.
Someone once told me it was better to aim at the stars and hit the woodpile, than to aim at the woodpile and hit your foot. It doesn’t work in golf. Aiming at the pin and hitting the water is not any better than aiming at the water and hitting the water. But aim is important in ironing out those flaws. When Jesus is the target, whatever I hit is an improvement over how I would live without Him.
Friday, April 10, 2015
God Changes Lives .............. Parables 259
(March 20, 1991)
What kind of people go to Bible school? The average person might think only holier-than-thou types, or Bible-thumpers, or the exceptionally religious would be interested in full time Bible study. But how about a group of bikers who ride Harleys and wear leathers? Or those who have spent time in prison?
The Bible college I attend, well-known as a good school and one of the largest in North America, has just that among the 700-plus student body.
Before I tell you about one of them, it is important to know what the Bible says about people with a past who have come to faith in Christ. Not only has God forgiven them, He also has changed their very natures: “...if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
New life means new interests. The bikers may still like their bikes, but like all sinners they no longer like their sin. Because of changed hearts, actions begin to change. The Bible puts it this way: “... and such were some of you: but now you are washed, and you are sanctified, you are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.” (Notice those verbs are in the past tense.)
Grady (not his real name) is one of those people most would not expect to wind up in Bible college. He used to be a high-roller, financially successful but spending it faster than he earned it. He also had a problem with drugs and alcohol. Somehow he began thinking his wife was an obstacle to what he wanted in life. Obsessed with the idea of getting rid of her, he contracted someone to do it for him. The man said he wouldn’t do it, but gave him the name of someone who would. Grady didn’t know the second person was a policeman.
His wife was safe; he was arrested and sentenced to nine years for conspiracy to murder. He began the prison term and within weeks turned to the Bible. Through the assistance of other Christians and the power of the Spirit of God, he saw his need to be forgiven of his sins. He invited Jesus Christ into his heart and new life began.
Grady says out of all prison “conversions” only about 1% make their life count for God when they get out. The Lord had definite plans that Grady be in that small percentage. Through unusual circumstances, he found himself at Briercrest Bible College, remarried, and in his 4th year of a B.A. program, heading into a Master’s in the fall.
All of that is outstanding but there are more things that show the power of God in a person’s life. Grady came through the last semester under a great deal of stress. A baby was born. Finances were tight. His work load in this last semester was difficult with final courses and an internship, but he came through with a 95.75 % average. Besides that, Grady served this past year as Student Body President!
Every time I see Grady in the halls I think of how Jesus Christ is in the business of putting broken lives back together. Actually, looking in the mirror often gives me the same thoughts. Every one of us has a “past.” How much God loves His children; He not only forgives the past but cleanses our hearts and lives. How wonderful His grace for those whose faith is in Him!
It is not only the Gradys of this world who can have hope and permanent change. Life does not need to stay a mess when we mess it up. The Lord is able to make good things out of whatever raw material we give Him. All He wants is a humble admission of our need before Him and a willingness to give Him our trust and our selves so we will let Him have His way with us.
It may be a frightening concept for some to turn their lives over to a Person they cannot see, yet when we think it through, how could God hurt us? In fact, the Bible asks: “If God is for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?”
The “all things” may not mean money, fame or power but it does mean a fresh start and the inner resources to live a life that pleases God. Take note, with grace and love, He can even make a prisoner into a president!
What kind of people go to Bible school? The average person might think only holier-than-thou types, or Bible-thumpers, or the exceptionally religious would be interested in full time Bible study. But how about a group of bikers who ride Harleys and wear leathers? Or those who have spent time in prison?
The Bible college I attend, well-known as a good school and one of the largest in North America, has just that among the 700-plus student body.
Before I tell you about one of them, it is important to know what the Bible says about people with a past who have come to faith in Christ. Not only has God forgiven them, He also has changed their very natures: “...if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
New life means new interests. The bikers may still like their bikes, but like all sinners they no longer like their sin. Because of changed hearts, actions begin to change. The Bible puts it this way: “... and such were some of you: but now you are washed, and you are sanctified, you are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.” (Notice those verbs are in the past tense.)
Grady (not his real name) is one of those people most would not expect to wind up in Bible college. He used to be a high-roller, financially successful but spending it faster than he earned it. He also had a problem with drugs and alcohol. Somehow he began thinking his wife was an obstacle to what he wanted in life. Obsessed with the idea of getting rid of her, he contracted someone to do it for him. The man said he wouldn’t do it, but gave him the name of someone who would. Grady didn’t know the second person was a policeman.
His wife was safe; he was arrested and sentenced to nine years for conspiracy to murder. He began the prison term and within weeks turned to the Bible. Through the assistance of other Christians and the power of the Spirit of God, he saw his need to be forgiven of his sins. He invited Jesus Christ into his heart and new life began.
Grady says out of all prison “conversions” only about 1% make their life count for God when they get out. The Lord had definite plans that Grady be in that small percentage. Through unusual circumstances, he found himself at Briercrest Bible College, remarried, and in his 4th year of a B.A. program, heading into a Master’s in the fall.
All of that is outstanding but there are more things that show the power of God in a person’s life. Grady came through the last semester under a great deal of stress. A baby was born. Finances were tight. His work load in this last semester was difficult with final courses and an internship, but he came through with a 95.75 % average. Besides that, Grady served this past year as Student Body President!
Every time I see Grady in the halls I think of how Jesus Christ is in the business of putting broken lives back together. Actually, looking in the mirror often gives me the same thoughts. Every one of us has a “past.” How much God loves His children; He not only forgives the past but cleanses our hearts and lives. How wonderful His grace for those whose faith is in Him!
It is not only the Gradys of this world who can have hope and permanent change. Life does not need to stay a mess when we mess it up. The Lord is able to make good things out of whatever raw material we give Him. All He wants is a humble admission of our need before Him and a willingness to give Him our trust and our selves so we will let Him have His way with us.
It may be a frightening concept for some to turn their lives over to a Person they cannot see, yet when we think it through, how could God hurt us? In fact, the Bible asks: “If God is for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?”
The “all things” may not mean money, fame or power but it does mean a fresh start and the inner resources to live a life that pleases God. Take note, with grace and love, He can even make a prisoner into a president!
Monday, April 6, 2015
No one is changed by wearing a label .............. Parables 257
(March 6, 1991)
“In Communist days, Christians were called ‘repenters’... and they were persecuted, so the last thing I wanted to be was a repenter.”
The little pastor from Romania glowed with joy as he described how God changed his mind and his life: he did become one of those repenters.
The change was so definite that even though he witnessed horrible atrocities in his homeland and was even himself a victim, he became a pastor and preached the gospel wherever and whenever he could. Finally, he became such a threat they tried to kill him in a deliberately planned automobile accident. He not only survived, but his life was so committed to Christ that he further amazed his persecutors by continuing to preach.
Eventually, this changed man was used to bring great changes to his homeland. For the first time in many years, carols were sung last year in Romania on Christmas day and Christians are now free to worship Christ without abuse. Surely, “repenters” was an appropriate label for him.
In other parts of the world the Christian is not so easily marked. In fact, the label “Christian” is often slapped on a member of any religious group, whether they follow Christ or not. Some cults use it and at least one military faction in the Middle East calls themselves Christian. Canada used to be called a Christian nation. Some groups call themselves Christian rock stars. I suppose there are people who consider their dog or cat Christian.
The label “Christian” came into use after the New Testament church was organized. Thousands had repented, believed and surrendered their lives to Christ. Soon persecution began and believers were scattered all over the known world including north of Israel, where a church was formed in a city called Antioch. It was from there the Apostle Paul launched out on his missionary journeys and from there the, “disciples were first called Christians” (Acts 11:26).
Oddly enough, this is the only place in Scripture where that label is used, likely because historical accounts indicate that CHRISTIANOS, a Roman term, was used in a derogatory way in those days. The writers of the Bible would not use a word that others used to ridicule them. Even “believer” is an uncommon title, used only two times in the Bible.
Jesus and the New Testament writers seemed to prefer “disciple.” It is used over 250 times. It means “a learner or one who follows.” In the gospel story, some “learners” left Jesus and turned back to their own ways. Only a few repented and went on to a genuine change of lifestyle.
Obviously the twelve disciples (except for Judas) had truly turned from their sins and were changed. In Acts 4:13 it was said that the people “saw the courage of Peter and John and realized they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.”
Peter and John changed. Peter had been a brash, undisciplined, overly self-confident fisherman who denied Christ when the crunch came. He became a bold but humble preacher who proclaimed the gospel in the face of persecution.
Even though the Romanian label was also used with some scorn by those who opposed the Christians, I like “repenters.” It says it all. When a person comes to Christ in faith, this is what happens. They repent: turn, change direction, reject the reign of sin, and place themselves under the lordship of Jesus Christ. It is essential; in fact, Jesus even said that unless a person repents, they are excluded from forgiveness and from God’s kingdom.
Repentance is also essential to going on in the Christian life. Jesus taught that if a person does not depart from sin and obey Him, that person is only fooling themselves. The evidence of being one who believes in Him and follows Him is the change in our lives, not in our name tag.
The label “repenter” is more difficult to live up to than “Christian” or even “disciple” because it is a title that describes change. But, as that pastor from Romania illustrates, when a person truly does turn to God, those changes have exciting and far-reaching possibilities.
“In Communist days, Christians were called ‘repenters’... and they were persecuted, so the last thing I wanted to be was a repenter.”
The little pastor from Romania glowed with joy as he described how God changed his mind and his life: he did become one of those repenters.
The change was so definite that even though he witnessed horrible atrocities in his homeland and was even himself a victim, he became a pastor and preached the gospel wherever and whenever he could. Finally, he became such a threat they tried to kill him in a deliberately planned automobile accident. He not only survived, but his life was so committed to Christ that he further amazed his persecutors by continuing to preach.
Eventually, this changed man was used to bring great changes to his homeland. For the first time in many years, carols were sung last year in Romania on Christmas day and Christians are now free to worship Christ without abuse. Surely, “repenters” was an appropriate label for him.
In other parts of the world the Christian is not so easily marked. In fact, the label “Christian” is often slapped on a member of any religious group, whether they follow Christ or not. Some cults use it and at least one military faction in the Middle East calls themselves Christian. Canada used to be called a Christian nation. Some groups call themselves Christian rock stars. I suppose there are people who consider their dog or cat Christian.
The label “Christian” came into use after the New Testament church was organized. Thousands had repented, believed and surrendered their lives to Christ. Soon persecution began and believers were scattered all over the known world including north of Israel, where a church was formed in a city called Antioch. It was from there the Apostle Paul launched out on his missionary journeys and from there the, “disciples were first called Christians” (Acts 11:26).
Oddly enough, this is the only place in Scripture where that label is used, likely because historical accounts indicate that CHRISTIANOS, a Roman term, was used in a derogatory way in those days. The writers of the Bible would not use a word that others used to ridicule them. Even “believer” is an uncommon title, used only two times in the Bible.
Jesus and the New Testament writers seemed to prefer “disciple.” It is used over 250 times. It means “a learner or one who follows.” In the gospel story, some “learners” left Jesus and turned back to their own ways. Only a few repented and went on to a genuine change of lifestyle.
Obviously the twelve disciples (except for Judas) had truly turned from their sins and were changed. In Acts 4:13 it was said that the people “saw the courage of Peter and John and realized they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.”
Peter and John changed. Peter had been a brash, undisciplined, overly self-confident fisherman who denied Christ when the crunch came. He became a bold but humble preacher who proclaimed the gospel in the face of persecution.
Even though the Romanian label was also used with some scorn by those who opposed the Christians, I like “repenters.” It says it all. When a person comes to Christ in faith, this is what happens. They repent: turn, change direction, reject the reign of sin, and place themselves under the lordship of Jesus Christ. It is essential; in fact, Jesus even said that unless a person repents, they are excluded from forgiveness and from God’s kingdom.
Repentance is also essential to going on in the Christian life. Jesus taught that if a person does not depart from sin and obey Him, that person is only fooling themselves. The evidence of being one who believes in Him and follows Him is the change in our lives, not in our name tag.
The label “repenter” is more difficult to live up to than “Christian” or even “disciple” because it is a title that describes change. But, as that pastor from Romania illustrates, when a person truly does turn to God, those changes have exciting and far-reaching possibilities.
Monday, February 23, 2015
Discarded and Useless? ................. Parables 239
(October 17, 1990)
The old crab apple tree was dead, an eyesore in the back yard. It’s owner remembered years of fruit-bearing as he sadly axed the tree and cut it into firewood for his barbecue pit. While he chopped, an elderly neighbor dropped by. The owner remarked how his tree was rotten to the core and no longer useful. The neighbor looked through the growing pile of wood, selected a few pieces, and asked if he could borrow them. The tree owner nodded and went back to his axe.
A few days later, the neighbor came to the door. In his hand was a small wooden plate and an intricately carved wooden gavel. “Just thought I’d return your ‘useless’ firewood,” he said.
“Rotten and useless” is sometimes a matter of “Sez who?” The peach I refuse to eat may be perfectly acceptable to a pig who isn’t quite as fussy. What I might save for recycling, someone else would toss out. And how about people? Are some really rotten through and through? When it comes to evaluating folks, our estimation might be just a matter of opinion.
There were some definitely rotten characters in the Bible. One was Cain, who murdered his brother Abel — because he was jealous. Another was Judas Iscariot, who sold Jesus Christ for 30 pieces of silver. We might expect God to put these on the discard pile.
Or how about Jacob? He duped his older brother into trading a bowl of porridge for his birthright, an important status in a Jewish family. Not only that, he dressed up in his brother’s clothes and fooled his father into giving him the blessing that didn’t belong to him. He wrangled and dealed for years and had he lived today, he would have been labeled a no-good cheat.
Then there was a king named Manasseh, who “seduced (the people) to do more evil than the nations whom the LORD destroyed... he did wickedly above all that the Amorites did... made Judah sin with his idols... shed innocent blood... till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another... made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem do worse than the heathen, whom the LORD had destroyed...”
Sounds like four rotten-to-the-core people. Would God discard all four? Surprisingly not; two of them were redeemed. That is, two were forgiven and became righteous, useful citizens.
At first, it appears the other two, who didn’t rate, were tossed aside because their sins were worse. However, when examining Scripture, the degree of sinfulness is not a significant factor to redemption. Instead, it appears God reached out His loving hand to all four, but only two reached back.
Jacob literally wrestled with God, not to get away from Him but with a strong effort to obtain a blessing, something he definitely didn’t deserve. God touched Jacob’s life and changed him from a scheming cheat to a godly man. Manasseh wrestled in a different way. God sent an enemy nation to destroy his reign. As the Assyrian army carried Manasseh off to Babylon bound in chains, he “humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers, and prayed unto Him.” God heard his prayer and brought him back to reign again. Manasseh took away the idols and restored worship. He was a changed man.
Cain and Judas didn’t fare so well. Neither one sought the Lord with humility or a contrite heart. One “went out from the presence of the Lord” and the other tried to deal with his guilt by destroying himself.
When it comes down to it, most of us evaluate “rotten people” like the man with the axe and the crab apple tree. We too easily see only useless lives, whereas God can see potential and purpose. Not only that, when yielded to Him, uselessness can become something beautiful in His hands.
The old crab apple tree was dead, an eyesore in the back yard. It’s owner remembered years of fruit-bearing as he sadly axed the tree and cut it into firewood for his barbecue pit. While he chopped, an elderly neighbor dropped by. The owner remarked how his tree was rotten to the core and no longer useful. The neighbor looked through the growing pile of wood, selected a few pieces, and asked if he could borrow them. The tree owner nodded and went back to his axe.
A few days later, the neighbor came to the door. In his hand was a small wooden plate and an intricately carved wooden gavel. “Just thought I’d return your ‘useless’ firewood,” he said.
“Rotten and useless” is sometimes a matter of “Sez who?” The peach I refuse to eat may be perfectly acceptable to a pig who isn’t quite as fussy. What I might save for recycling, someone else would toss out. And how about people? Are some really rotten through and through? When it comes to evaluating folks, our estimation might be just a matter of opinion.
There were some definitely rotten characters in the Bible. One was Cain, who murdered his brother Abel — because he was jealous. Another was Judas Iscariot, who sold Jesus Christ for 30 pieces of silver. We might expect God to put these on the discard pile.
Or how about Jacob? He duped his older brother into trading a bowl of porridge for his birthright, an important status in a Jewish family. Not only that, he dressed up in his brother’s clothes and fooled his father into giving him the blessing that didn’t belong to him. He wrangled and dealed for years and had he lived today, he would have been labeled a no-good cheat.
Then there was a king named Manasseh, who “seduced (the people) to do more evil than the nations whom the LORD destroyed... he did wickedly above all that the Amorites did... made Judah sin with his idols... shed innocent blood... till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another... made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem do worse than the heathen, whom the LORD had destroyed...”
Sounds like four rotten-to-the-core people. Would God discard all four? Surprisingly not; two of them were redeemed. That is, two were forgiven and became righteous, useful citizens.
At first, it appears the other two, who didn’t rate, were tossed aside because their sins were worse. However, when examining Scripture, the degree of sinfulness is not a significant factor to redemption. Instead, it appears God reached out His loving hand to all four, but only two reached back.
Jacob literally wrestled with God, not to get away from Him but with a strong effort to obtain a blessing, something he definitely didn’t deserve. God touched Jacob’s life and changed him from a scheming cheat to a godly man. Manasseh wrestled in a different way. God sent an enemy nation to destroy his reign. As the Assyrian army carried Manasseh off to Babylon bound in chains, he “humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers, and prayed unto Him.” God heard his prayer and brought him back to reign again. Manasseh took away the idols and restored worship. He was a changed man.
Cain and Judas didn’t fare so well. Neither one sought the Lord with humility or a contrite heart. One “went out from the presence of the Lord” and the other tried to deal with his guilt by destroying himself.
When it comes down to it, most of us evaluate “rotten people” like the man with the axe and the crab apple tree. We too easily see only useless lives, whereas God can see potential and purpose. Not only that, when yielded to Him, uselessness can become something beautiful in His hands.
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