May 7, 2002
We attended the April 28 Memorial Service at Sky Reach Center for the four soldiers killed in Afghanistan. Those involved expressed their grief in various ways. The music and military participation were a solemn testimony to human feelings about this tragedy.
All the same, it was an odd event. While God was prayed to, His Son was never mentioned. Jesus said, “No one can come to the Father but by me.” Political correctness and the unpopularity of Jesus Christ ruled over the need for people to hear a message of hope.
A second oddity was the darkness. We could not see the stairs as we tried to get to our seats. My feet had to feel each riser. My husband said it was a safety violation. We wondered the reasoning for turning out all the lights except those in the outer hallways and on the platform. Was this one way to express the blackness of being without hope?
The most profound oddity was the fact of the event itself. I never experienced the first world war but remember Vietnam and Desert Storm. People died. They even died under so-called friendly fire. Neither the United States or Canada held memorials each time. Why now? What is this saying? What are they trying to do?
A memorial simply means “in memory of someone.” The men who died will be remembered. However, even more realities belong in our memory banks. Men die to keep our country free. We need to realize that freedom comes at a price. War is very costly.
Beyond remembering, we also say at a memorial that we do not want this to happen. Aside from the tragic circumstances, that we are at war and that men die is something we do not want. We want to live in peace. We want our young men to marry, raise their families and live out full lives. We do not want wars.
I felt that this particular memorial service was a human attempt to say “no” to war, “no” to the terrorism that threatens our freedoms, and “no” to the downhill slide of the world into violence and fear. If this is an accurate evaluation, then it explains the odd sadness that I felt; a sadness apart from seeing survivors weep, seeing one of them on a stretcher with a patch over his war-damaged eye. My sadness relates to the fact that saying “no” will not stop war, terrorists, violence, or fear.
The Bible talks about the direction the world is going. Jesus made several statements regarding the future. Many of them are already history, but some have not yet happened. They are sobering prophecies about wars and a final war. Fear, and that final violence, will bring greater disaster than anything mankind has seen thus far.
Yet there is hope. Our hope is not in our own ability to make it stop; we have neither the power or the resources. Instead, our hope is in our God, and in His Son. Jesus will return and conquer all fear and evil. His reign will be righteousness and just, without any violence at all. The enemy of our souls, the one who works in the hearts of unregenerate and unbelieving people to cause chaos and harm, will be banished forever. All his followers will go with him, and under the Prince of Peace, peace will govern a peace-hungry world.
This reads like a fairy tale to those who do not know Jesus, to those who hold on to their sin and refuse to give it to the One who died for it and for them. They have only their own determination to make this world work, but without Jesus, they do not have the ultimate power or righteousness to do it. They only have themselves, their darkness, and a futile voice that yells “no” against a force that they cannot conquer.
Trust Jesus. “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Showing posts with label hope. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hope. Show all posts
Monday, June 4, 2018
Monday, February 13, 2017
What can be done with guilt and shame? .......... Parables 549
March 10, 1997
Certain pro-choice advocates claim that women who have had an abortion suffer less trauma than those with an unwanted child. This argument supposedly comforts anyone who struggles with the emotional aftermath of the choice they made to terminate their pregnancy.
It seems to me that comparing the degree of trauma people experience depends more on individual personality and maturity than it does on the differences in their experiences. However, actions that people take after a trauma can indicate the measure of hardship they personally felt.
Statistics provide information in this area. For instance, one country reports women who undergo abortion have a suicide rate three times higher than normal and six times greater than the amount of suicides associated with childbirth. According to those statistics, trauma after an abortion seems very high.
Those who experience this say their feelings include guilt, a sense of shame and even grief over the loss of their child. It is important to remember that feelings like this are not restricted to women who have had abortions. Mothers who cannot take care of their children also feel a certain sense of guilt and shame. All parents in the process of raising children struggle with difficulties and sometimes feel guilty about their performance.
Guilt, shame, grief, sorrow and pain are part of the human experience, as are poor choices. Even if we could perfectly choose our experiences, sorrow and pain would not be avoided. Next best to avoiding negative situations is learning how to deal with them and the consequences. In the case of emotions like guilt, shame and loss, they can be overcome but not by denying the degree to which they are felt.
It is normal to feel terrible when we violate our own standards, never mind God’s laws. Denial of those feelings prevents us from discovering guilt’s remedy. Acts 13:38 says, “Therefore, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you.”
Like guilt, shame is also a natural emotional response to behavior that violates our conscience. We feel embarrassed and humiliated before other people and before God. Again, to deny its reality or its severity also prevents us from finding God’s remedy. The Bible says, “Jesus endured the cross, scorning its shame” that we might know the freedom of sins forgiven.
It also says that “anyone who trusts in Him will never be put to shame.” Forgiveness not only clears our hearts of guilt but wipes away shame’s pain and protects us from any further threats of shame.
In one sense, loss has no cure. A dead child cannot be restored to life, nor will having more children fill the emptiness or assuage the grief. This is one horror of abortion. It is so final. However, God also has an answer for grief and even a reason. Jeremiah wrote: “Though He brings grief, He will show compassion, so great is His unfailing love. For He does not willingly bring affliction or grief to the children of men.”
We experience grief because we are designed by God to feel loss and the consequences of our destructive choices. However, He intends that those feelings draw us closer to Him. He knows He is the only one who can give us comfort and peace.
Abortion critics need to recognize that guilt, shame and grief can bring a woman into such deep despair that she may commit suicide. After-the-fact judgment is not going to help her. It may even push her deeper into that pit.
Instead, women, or anyone in despair, needs God’s protection from the dark powers of suicidal depression and the good news of His love, forgiveness, comfort and hope.
Certain pro-choice advocates claim that women who have had an abortion suffer less trauma than those with an unwanted child. This argument supposedly comforts anyone who struggles with the emotional aftermath of the choice they made to terminate their pregnancy.
It seems to me that comparing the degree of trauma people experience depends more on individual personality and maturity than it does on the differences in their experiences. However, actions that people take after a trauma can indicate the measure of hardship they personally felt.
Statistics provide information in this area. For instance, one country reports women who undergo abortion have a suicide rate three times higher than normal and six times greater than the amount of suicides associated with childbirth. According to those statistics, trauma after an abortion seems very high.
Those who experience this say their feelings include guilt, a sense of shame and even grief over the loss of their child. It is important to remember that feelings like this are not restricted to women who have had abortions. Mothers who cannot take care of their children also feel a certain sense of guilt and shame. All parents in the process of raising children struggle with difficulties and sometimes feel guilty about their performance.
Guilt, shame, grief, sorrow and pain are part of the human experience, as are poor choices. Even if we could perfectly choose our experiences, sorrow and pain would not be avoided. Next best to avoiding negative situations is learning how to deal with them and the consequences. In the case of emotions like guilt, shame and loss, they can be overcome but not by denying the degree to which they are felt.
It is normal to feel terrible when we violate our own standards, never mind God’s laws. Denial of those feelings prevents us from discovering guilt’s remedy. Acts 13:38 says, “Therefore, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you.”
Like guilt, shame is also a natural emotional response to behavior that violates our conscience. We feel embarrassed and humiliated before other people and before God. Again, to deny its reality or its severity also prevents us from finding God’s remedy. The Bible says, “Jesus endured the cross, scorning its shame” that we might know the freedom of sins forgiven.
It also says that “anyone who trusts in Him will never be put to shame.” Forgiveness not only clears our hearts of guilt but wipes away shame’s pain and protects us from any further threats of shame.
In one sense, loss has no cure. A dead child cannot be restored to life, nor will having more children fill the emptiness or assuage the grief. This is one horror of abortion. It is so final. However, God also has an answer for grief and even a reason. Jeremiah wrote: “Though He brings grief, He will show compassion, so great is His unfailing love. For He does not willingly bring affliction or grief to the children of men.”
We experience grief because we are designed by God to feel loss and the consequences of our destructive choices. However, He intends that those feelings draw us closer to Him. He knows He is the only one who can give us comfort and peace.
Abortion critics need to recognize that guilt, shame and grief can bring a woman into such deep despair that she may commit suicide. After-the-fact judgment is not going to help her. It may even push her deeper into that pit.
Instead, women, or anyone in despair, needs God’s protection from the dark powers of suicidal depression and the good news of His love, forgiveness, comfort and hope.
Friday, December 23, 2016
Death and Despair or Hope? .......... Parables 527
September 10, 1996
Dr. Jack O’Brian Poe, Chaplain of the Oklahoma City Police Department, spoke in Edmonton this past weekend. He told several stories describing rescue operations after the April 19, 1995 bombing in their city. Even over a year later, words from someone who had been there made this tragedy more vivid than did television pictures filmed live as those events happened.
One of Poe’s stories illustrated the difficulty rescuers had with the gigantic task before them. They arrived to save lives but were soon forced to make a mental and emotional shift — there were no living people to rescue. Searching for life and finding none produced despair beyond imagination.
Poe said he, his wife, and others spent hours with workers who came one after another into the Chaplaincy headquarters. They were emotionally traumatized, physically exhausted and unable to go on. They asked for prayer so they could return to the task. Poe stressed that prayer held these devastated people together and kept them doing what had to be done.
Despair even engulfed their search dogs. These animals are trained to bark when they find a living person and whimper if the person is dead. Poe said the dogs whimpered so often that they became depressed and refused to enter the building. To encourage them to get on with their gruesome task, rescue teams had to place some living people in the rubble.
Perhaps in a less literal way, looking for life is a universal endeavor. When we walk into a garden in the spring, we search for new shoots and evidence of growth rather than examine decayed plants or leaves. Because we value life, nurseries are far more appealing than morgues.
The Bible says even the whole of creation yearns for life. He says creation is frustrated by its “bondage to decay.” That is, everything that is now alive is subject to death and decay but even creation, like people, longs to see genuine, lasting life. He puts it like this: “The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed.”
In this context, Paul equates the children of God with genuine, lasting life. He has already explained that after God’s people die, the eternal life they have through Christ is glorious. It lasts. It is so real and so wonderful that even the best we could face while here on earth is nothing in comparison.
It is true that God’s people are also subject to death and decay, but because of life from Christ, they will completely overcome death. The eternal life He gives is true and real. It is a life that cannot die. It is the life that every person, even every living creature longs to have.
Paul celebrates this life. Those who have it, he calls “the sons of God.” Those who do not have it and all else in creation yearns for it, even longs for merely the appearance of those who have life. Creation longs for God’s life-bearing children to come forward, to be seen, to give hope and to share their wonderful life.
Unfortunately, some of creation searches in vain — like the rescue dogs. Our planet, like the Oklahoma Federal Building, seems to be filled with bodies that have no life and those who look for it are filled with despair. They move through the rubble of their existence without any evidence of genuine, lasting life. Their vain search drags them into hopeless depression.
Few physically survived that terrible bombing, but Christ offers hope to all for eternal survival. As people search for true life, Christians need to demonstrate it. We also need to pray with the searchers and for the searchers, so they do not give up. When they do find Christ, who is our Life, their destiny will then depend on their prayers and on their willingness to reach out and grab hold of the Rescuer who will gladly pull them from the bondage of decay.
Dr. Jack O’Brian Poe, Chaplain of the Oklahoma City Police Department, spoke in Edmonton this past weekend. He told several stories describing rescue operations after the April 19, 1995 bombing in their city. Even over a year later, words from someone who had been there made this tragedy more vivid than did television pictures filmed live as those events happened.
One of Poe’s stories illustrated the difficulty rescuers had with the gigantic task before them. They arrived to save lives but were soon forced to make a mental and emotional shift — there were no living people to rescue. Searching for life and finding none produced despair beyond imagination.
Poe said he, his wife, and others spent hours with workers who came one after another into the Chaplaincy headquarters. They were emotionally traumatized, physically exhausted and unable to go on. They asked for prayer so they could return to the task. Poe stressed that prayer held these devastated people together and kept them doing what had to be done.
Despair even engulfed their search dogs. These animals are trained to bark when they find a living person and whimper if the person is dead. Poe said the dogs whimpered so often that they became depressed and refused to enter the building. To encourage them to get on with their gruesome task, rescue teams had to place some living people in the rubble.
Perhaps in a less literal way, looking for life is a universal endeavor. When we walk into a garden in the spring, we search for new shoots and evidence of growth rather than examine decayed plants or leaves. Because we value life, nurseries are far more appealing than morgues.
The Bible says even the whole of creation yearns for life. He says creation is frustrated by its “bondage to decay.” That is, everything that is now alive is subject to death and decay but even creation, like people, longs to see genuine, lasting life. He puts it like this: “The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed.”
In this context, Paul equates the children of God with genuine, lasting life. He has already explained that after God’s people die, the eternal life they have through Christ is glorious. It lasts. It is so real and so wonderful that even the best we could face while here on earth is nothing in comparison.
It is true that God’s people are also subject to death and decay, but because of life from Christ, they will completely overcome death. The eternal life He gives is true and real. It is a life that cannot die. It is the life that every person, even every living creature longs to have.
Paul celebrates this life. Those who have it, he calls “the sons of God.” Those who do not have it and all else in creation yearns for it, even longs for merely the appearance of those who have life. Creation longs for God’s life-bearing children to come forward, to be seen, to give hope and to share their wonderful life.
Unfortunately, some of creation searches in vain — like the rescue dogs. Our planet, like the Oklahoma Federal Building, seems to be filled with bodies that have no life and those who look for it are filled with despair. They move through the rubble of their existence without any evidence of genuine, lasting life. Their vain search drags them into hopeless depression.
Few physically survived that terrible bombing, but Christ offers hope to all for eternal survival. As people search for true life, Christians need to demonstrate it. We also need to pray with the searchers and for the searchers, so they do not give up. When they do find Christ, who is our Life, their destiny will then depend on their prayers and on their willingness to reach out and grab hold of the Rescuer who will gladly pull them from the bondage of decay.
Monday, November 7, 2016
Hope .......... Parables 507
April 2, 1996
A small boy spies a bright red bicycle displayed in a store window. After a longing gaze, he carefully notes the price and rushes home. He dumps dimes and quarters out of his ceramic pig and asks his father if he has enough. Of course, he does not. His father calculates the remainder and writes it down as a goal. The boy hopes with all his heart that when he has saved enough money, the bicycle will still be in the store.
His sister comes home from school. She opens the front door and catches the faint scent of cinnamon. “Oh, I hope that is what I think it is,” she exclaims, “and I hope I can have one.”
Her mother answers from the kitchen, “Yes, it is your favorite — cinnamon buns. As soon as you come through the kitchen door, I will give you one with a glass of milk.”
Two longings. Two hopes. The first is a “I-hope-so” wish. The second is a “I-know-so” certainty. The first child tries to make his hope happen. The second knows hers is already prepared for her and will definitely be hers. Someone who loves her has made a promise.
The Bible uses the word “hope” more than 150 times. Most uses refer to the second kind of hope, which is far more than the enticing scent of a delicious cinnamon bun. The Bible says our hope is eternal life based on the love of God. Because Christ died for us, He has prepared a place for us with Him. We will have new bodies and be like Jesus.
In this life, we catch the sweet scent in the promises of God, but until we go through heaven’s door, our hope is unseen. As Romans 8 says, “For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has?”
The foundation of our hope is God’s love and His many promises. God proved His love by sending His Son. He says, “Whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life.” Psalms 147:11 says, “The LORD delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.”
As for our heavenly hope, The Apostle Paul wrote this prayer: “I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints.” In another place he talked about “the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven...”
Paul also said we have “a faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time.”
Again, God promises eternal life so those who trust Him can consider it a sure hope. In fact, the Bible says, “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.” We can “hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful.”
Finally, as if heaven were not enough, we also hope for personal perfection. John writes, “Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.”
Hope is incentive to live for God. Think of it. The boy who wanted the bicycle may get discouraged and stop saving his money because his hope is uncertain. However, his sister’s hope is a sure thing. She does not want to ruin it before she gets to the kitchen by being willfully disobedient to the one who made the promise.
Our hope is the same. Besides enabling us to live with expectation, even catch a faint whiff of it in the air as we go on our way toward it, hope gives us a God-ward focus and changes the way we live.
A small boy spies a bright red bicycle displayed in a store window. After a longing gaze, he carefully notes the price and rushes home. He dumps dimes and quarters out of his ceramic pig and asks his father if he has enough. Of course, he does not. His father calculates the remainder and writes it down as a goal. The boy hopes with all his heart that when he has saved enough money, the bicycle will still be in the store.
His sister comes home from school. She opens the front door and catches the faint scent of cinnamon. “Oh, I hope that is what I think it is,” she exclaims, “and I hope I can have one.”
Her mother answers from the kitchen, “Yes, it is your favorite — cinnamon buns. As soon as you come through the kitchen door, I will give you one with a glass of milk.”
Two longings. Two hopes. The first is a “I-hope-so” wish. The second is a “I-know-so” certainty. The first child tries to make his hope happen. The second knows hers is already prepared for her and will definitely be hers. Someone who loves her has made a promise.
The Bible uses the word “hope” more than 150 times. Most uses refer to the second kind of hope, which is far more than the enticing scent of a delicious cinnamon bun. The Bible says our hope is eternal life based on the love of God. Because Christ died for us, He has prepared a place for us with Him. We will have new bodies and be like Jesus.
In this life, we catch the sweet scent in the promises of God, but until we go through heaven’s door, our hope is unseen. As Romans 8 says, “For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has?”
The foundation of our hope is God’s love and His many promises. God proved His love by sending His Son. He says, “Whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life.” Psalms 147:11 says, “The LORD delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.”
As for our heavenly hope, The Apostle Paul wrote this prayer: “I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints.” In another place he talked about “the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven...”
Paul also said we have “a faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time.”
Again, God promises eternal life so those who trust Him can consider it a sure hope. In fact, the Bible says, “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.” We can “hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful.”
Finally, as if heaven were not enough, we also hope for personal perfection. John writes, “Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.”
Hope is incentive to live for God. Think of it. The boy who wanted the bicycle may get discouraged and stop saving his money because his hope is uncertain. However, his sister’s hope is a sure thing. She does not want to ruin it before she gets to the kitchen by being willfully disobedient to the one who made the promise.
Our hope is the same. Besides enabling us to live with expectation, even catch a faint whiff of it in the air as we go on our way toward it, hope gives us a God-ward focus and changes the way we live.
Friday, November 20, 2015
God invites all to His river of life ............. Parables 355
February 2, 1953
Three generations of unsuspecting people drank from it, swam in it, gave it to their animals and children, sprayed it on their plants, and said it always tasted good, but now are being told the Techa River is the most polluted river in the world.
Over 40 years ago, atomic waste was jettisoned into this body of water in Russia. For the past several years, residents downstream have experienced cancer, anaemia, stillborn babies, paralysis and numerous other problems related to continual exposure to radiation. Apparently the cause of these and other horrors is an ignorant and tragic mistake made years ago by a few nuclear scientists.
One article about the Techa includes “river of death” in its title. But a river is not supposed to bring death. It is no wonder the survivors, who drank and used its water without realizing there was anything wrong with it, feel betrayed and devastated. My own outrage is difficult to describe. This is so sad particularly because there is nothing to be done. Once exposed, radiation damage to the human system is irreversible.
It is bad enough when we foolishly do things that are obviously harmful and others get hurt in the process, but these people were completely unaware of their danger. We might well ask how could God allow this? It seems these people didn’t have a hope. Yet that is only partly true. Hope is not limited to this life and hope is never beyond those who still live and breathe and can make decisions. Hope is always available.
This week, we will be returning from eastern Europe. Writing in advance of the trip, we have not been able to include the former Soviet Union in our itinerary, but if we could, I would go to Techa’s banks and tell these suffering people about another river: the river of life, a river described in the first verses of Revelation 22.
“And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.”
We cannot imagine water so clear, water that tastes of life itself, eternal life, life that heals and cleanses and refreshes. No river on earth can compare with it. It is perfect, totally unpolluted, completely without defilement.
Life, since the first sin in Eden, has been marked by tragedies of many kinds, most of which can be directly connected to human sin and error. We are guilty of ruining our own environment, whether through mistakes made in ignorance or deliberate defiance. Environmentalists and others wonder if it is too late to turn things around.
The sad truth is that the book of Revelation also talks about judgments on sin that include defiled oceans and rivers, “a third of the sea became blood; and a third of the living creatures in the sea died.... a third of the waters became wormwood, and many men died from the water because it was made bitter” and “the rivers and springs of water became blood...”
At the end of these terrible prophecies, the river of life is described and the invitation is made to all who want to escape the sorrows of this world: “The Spirit and the bride (the church) say, ‘Come!’ And let him who hears say, ‘Come!’ And let him who thirsts come. And whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.”
Anyone can be refreshed and restored for all eternity by this river, even those who drink the polluted water of the Techa.
Three generations of unsuspecting people drank from it, swam in it, gave it to their animals and children, sprayed it on their plants, and said it always tasted good, but now are being told the Techa River is the most polluted river in the world.
Over 40 years ago, atomic waste was jettisoned into this body of water in Russia. For the past several years, residents downstream have experienced cancer, anaemia, stillborn babies, paralysis and numerous other problems related to continual exposure to radiation. Apparently the cause of these and other horrors is an ignorant and tragic mistake made years ago by a few nuclear scientists.
One article about the Techa includes “river of death” in its title. But a river is not supposed to bring death. It is no wonder the survivors, who drank and used its water without realizing there was anything wrong with it, feel betrayed and devastated. My own outrage is difficult to describe. This is so sad particularly because there is nothing to be done. Once exposed, radiation damage to the human system is irreversible.
It is bad enough when we foolishly do things that are obviously harmful and others get hurt in the process, but these people were completely unaware of their danger. We might well ask how could God allow this? It seems these people didn’t have a hope. Yet that is only partly true. Hope is not limited to this life and hope is never beyond those who still live and breathe and can make decisions. Hope is always available.
This week, we will be returning from eastern Europe. Writing in advance of the trip, we have not been able to include the former Soviet Union in our itinerary, but if we could, I would go to Techa’s banks and tell these suffering people about another river: the river of life, a river described in the first verses of Revelation 22.
“And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.”
We cannot imagine water so clear, water that tastes of life itself, eternal life, life that heals and cleanses and refreshes. No river on earth can compare with it. It is perfect, totally unpolluted, completely without defilement.
Life, since the first sin in Eden, has been marked by tragedies of many kinds, most of which can be directly connected to human sin and error. We are guilty of ruining our own environment, whether through mistakes made in ignorance or deliberate defiance. Environmentalists and others wonder if it is too late to turn things around.
The sad truth is that the book of Revelation also talks about judgments on sin that include defiled oceans and rivers, “a third of the sea became blood; and a third of the living creatures in the sea died.... a third of the waters became wormwood, and many men died from the water because it was made bitter” and “the rivers and springs of water became blood...”
At the end of these terrible prophecies, the river of life is described and the invitation is made to all who want to escape the sorrows of this world: “The Spirit and the bride (the church) say, ‘Come!’ And let him who hears say, ‘Come!’ And let him who thirsts come. And whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.”
Anyone can be refreshed and restored for all eternity by this river, even those who drink the polluted water of the Techa.
Friday, November 13, 2015
The benefits of being injured ............. Parables 352
January 12, 1993
While January snows pile up outside and winter winds chill the bones and make noses red and skin chapped, I was planning to send this column from a beach far south--where my nose would be getting red from the sun and the only white stuff in sight would be sand and the tops of ocean waves.
But it didn’t happen. Two days before Christmas, I stepped down from a box and felt the back of my leg explode as if someone hit it with a sledge hammer. The doctor called it a ruptured calf muscle and the physiotherapist said he was good but not quite good enough to get me walking the beach by the second week of January. In fact, he thought it may take two months to fully heal.
So our Christmas celebrations were definitely different this year. One son decorated the tree. The other one put away groceries and scolded me every time I moved. My husband did all his regular chores and mine too, including cleaning the house and helping me get from bed to bath to kitchen to living room, etc. My mother baked apple pies and made breakfast. Our daughter brought cookies and good humor. Her mother-in-law fed us turkey and all the trimmings. I was able to wrap gifts (even one for me) and made jokes about having a “two-C Christmas” (crutches and codeine).
But in a way, this helplessness has been a gift. I have noticed an increase in my compassion for hurting people. News stories about car accidents and injured children tug at my heart in a new way. I can more easily identify with their pain and frustration of trying to move a limb that refuses to respond because it takes all my concentration to move my toes toward my nose, as the therapist says I must. I know what it feels like to have muscles that simply will not do their work.
I can also feel the hope of those mentioned in the Bible stories that came to Jesus because they were lame. How each one must have rejoiced when they realized Isaiah’s prophecy, made six hundred years before, was now coming true. He foretold a time when “the lame would leap like a deer and the mute tongue would shout for joy.” Even though Isaiah’s prophecy will not be completely fulfilled until heaven, Jesus, during His time on earth, certainly gave many people a taste of what to expect in eternity. All who go there will know the fullness of complete health, every limb will work as it should. There will be no more sorrow or pain.
Yet the best gift right now is seeing my family, as Job said, being “feet to the lame” (29:15). They have taken over my responsibilities with great gusto (but refuse to let me to feel sorry for myself). I can relate to the Apostle Paul when he expressed his joy over the ministry of the Philippians to him. He said that he was not “looking for a gift, but looking for what may be credited to (their) account.” In other words, he rejoiced to see them demonstrating Christian virtues.
Seeing my family rallying together is a blessing. Almost all of them have said something like: “God has a purpose in this” or “There is a good reason that you can’t go on holidays right now.” It delights me that not one seems to perceive that they themselves have demonstrated some of God’s reason and purpose for my injury. Through them, I have seen and appreciated His compassion and loving kindness in a new way.
While January snows pile up outside and winter winds chill the bones and make noses red and skin chapped, I was planning to send this column from a beach far south--where my nose would be getting red from the sun and the only white stuff in sight would be sand and the tops of ocean waves.
But it didn’t happen. Two days before Christmas, I stepped down from a box and felt the back of my leg explode as if someone hit it with a sledge hammer. The doctor called it a ruptured calf muscle and the physiotherapist said he was good but not quite good enough to get me walking the beach by the second week of January. In fact, he thought it may take two months to fully heal.
So our Christmas celebrations were definitely different this year. One son decorated the tree. The other one put away groceries and scolded me every time I moved. My husband did all his regular chores and mine too, including cleaning the house and helping me get from bed to bath to kitchen to living room, etc. My mother baked apple pies and made breakfast. Our daughter brought cookies and good humor. Her mother-in-law fed us turkey and all the trimmings. I was able to wrap gifts (even one for me) and made jokes about having a “two-C Christmas” (crutches and codeine).
But in a way, this helplessness has been a gift. I have noticed an increase in my compassion for hurting people. News stories about car accidents and injured children tug at my heart in a new way. I can more easily identify with their pain and frustration of trying to move a limb that refuses to respond because it takes all my concentration to move my toes toward my nose, as the therapist says I must. I know what it feels like to have muscles that simply will not do their work.
I can also feel the hope of those mentioned in the Bible stories that came to Jesus because they were lame. How each one must have rejoiced when they realized Isaiah’s prophecy, made six hundred years before, was now coming true. He foretold a time when “the lame would leap like a deer and the mute tongue would shout for joy.” Even though Isaiah’s prophecy will not be completely fulfilled until heaven, Jesus, during His time on earth, certainly gave many people a taste of what to expect in eternity. All who go there will know the fullness of complete health, every limb will work as it should. There will be no more sorrow or pain.
Yet the best gift right now is seeing my family, as Job said, being “feet to the lame” (29:15). They have taken over my responsibilities with great gusto (but refuse to let me to feel sorry for myself). I can relate to the Apostle Paul when he expressed his joy over the ministry of the Philippians to him. He said that he was not “looking for a gift, but looking for what may be credited to (their) account.” In other words, he rejoiced to see them demonstrating Christian virtues.
Seeing my family rallying together is a blessing. Almost all of them have said something like: “God has a purpose in this” or “There is a good reason that you can’t go on holidays right now.” It delights me that not one seems to perceive that they themselves have demonstrated some of God’s reason and purpose for my injury. Through them, I have seen and appreciated His compassion and loving kindness in a new way.
Wednesday, November 11, 2015
Woe to those who call good evil and evil good............. Parables 351
January 5, 1993
Apparently there is a very unusual super-sniffer in Mexico who can detect illegal drugs even in passing cars. So far, he is directly responsible for 113 arrests. Authorities say he is never wrong!
This super-sniffer is a German Shepherd crossbreed. Obviously he is a threat to the profitable life style of illegal drug dealers. They have offered a $25,000 reward to anyone who will kill him.
We have heard that “crime pays” but putting a police dog on a HIT LIST gives a new twist to it. Imagine criminals putting up Wanted-Dead or Alive posters for the good guys; criminals paying criminals to put away law-enforcers. Such cooperation is what we normally expect from the good guys, not the crooks.
Speaking of the good guys, there is a contradictory twist in that camp too. More and more law-makers and law enforcers make news headlines for moving closer to the other side. These days, it is difficult to be certain who is on what side of the law.
Confusing good and bad is not a new thing. The ancient nation of Israel, even though they possessed the Law of God which was intended to help them govern their lives, became confused about good and bad. God said of them, “My people are foolish, They have not known Me. They are silly children, And they have no understanding. They are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge” (Jeremiah 4:22).
In their early days as a nation, the Israelites were governed by kings like David, who was called “a man after God’s own heart” and his son Solomon, who asked God, “Give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil.” Both recognized their inability to judge and govern without God’s help.
Later on, during Jeremiah’s life time, both kings and citizens had turned from God to worship idols. In doing so, they earned the labels “foolish” and “silly children.”
One reason the Israelites were unable to do good was simply because they no longer knew what good meant. In departing from God, who is the source of goodness and all ethical standards, they also turned their backs on the very principles which would have guided them. Furthermore, they placed themselves in danger of divine judgment. God said to them, “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil...”
The Word of God calls everyone, including Israel, to a true understanding of goodness, a goodness that can only be found in Him. Jesus said, “There is none good but God...”
Jesus offers hope to those who rely on Him and guidance for personal and national goodness. What a difference it would make if people would live by such commands as, “Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good... do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12).
Most people still long for goodness, yet we need to remember where it is found. If any person or nation abandons God and turns away from His Word, they can expect the only consequence possible--moral deterioration. Without God, evil prevails.
Unfortunately, those drug dealers may find and kill that super-sniffer dog, yet the Bible makes it clear that they (and anyone else who calls good evil and evil good) will eventually have to explain their lives to the Ultimate Judge. He has every right to try, convict, and condemn them--and He will do it according to His definition of good and evil.
Apparently there is a very unusual super-sniffer in Mexico who can detect illegal drugs even in passing cars. So far, he is directly responsible for 113 arrests. Authorities say he is never wrong!
This super-sniffer is a German Shepherd crossbreed. Obviously he is a threat to the profitable life style of illegal drug dealers. They have offered a $25,000 reward to anyone who will kill him.
We have heard that “crime pays” but putting a police dog on a HIT LIST gives a new twist to it. Imagine criminals putting up Wanted-Dead or Alive posters for the good guys; criminals paying criminals to put away law-enforcers. Such cooperation is what we normally expect from the good guys, not the crooks.
Speaking of the good guys, there is a contradictory twist in that camp too. More and more law-makers and law enforcers make news headlines for moving closer to the other side. These days, it is difficult to be certain who is on what side of the law.
Confusing good and bad is not a new thing. The ancient nation of Israel, even though they possessed the Law of God which was intended to help them govern their lives, became confused about good and bad. God said of them, “My people are foolish, They have not known Me. They are silly children, And they have no understanding. They are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge” (Jeremiah 4:22).
In their early days as a nation, the Israelites were governed by kings like David, who was called “a man after God’s own heart” and his son Solomon, who asked God, “Give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil.” Both recognized their inability to judge and govern without God’s help.
Later on, during Jeremiah’s life time, both kings and citizens had turned from God to worship idols. In doing so, they earned the labels “foolish” and “silly children.”
One reason the Israelites were unable to do good was simply because they no longer knew what good meant. In departing from God, who is the source of goodness and all ethical standards, they also turned their backs on the very principles which would have guided them. Furthermore, they placed themselves in danger of divine judgment. God said to them, “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil...”
The Word of God calls everyone, including Israel, to a true understanding of goodness, a goodness that can only be found in Him. Jesus said, “There is none good but God...”
Jesus offers hope to those who rely on Him and guidance for personal and national goodness. What a difference it would make if people would live by such commands as, “Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good... do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12).
Most people still long for goodness, yet we need to remember where it is found. If any person or nation abandons God and turns away from His Word, they can expect the only consequence possible--moral deterioration. Without God, evil prevails.
Unfortunately, those drug dealers may find and kill that super-sniffer dog, yet the Bible makes it clear that they (and anyone else who calls good evil and evil good) will eventually have to explain their lives to the Ultimate Judge. He has every right to try, convict, and condemn them--and He will do it according to His definition of good and evil.
Friday, July 10, 2015
Abundant Gifts for You .............. Parables 298
December 24, 1991
For many, this is the happiest time of year. Family gathers and warm memories are shared. Happy celebrations around the piano singing, around the table laughing. Gifts opened and squeals of delight echo through the house and Christmas is a time of abundance.
For some, this is the saddest time of year. Perhaps memories are not heart-warming; a Christmas past brought heartache. Perhaps celebrations are not happy; a family member is addicted to spirits of a chemical variety. Perhaps gift-giving brings no joy; hard times or foolish spending robbed the children of their toys. And those who yearn for an abundant Christmas spend it in physical, mental and emotional poverty.
The occasion is the birth of Christ (remember?) and the party is in His honor. Will the fact that the party has been ruined a few times destroy forever that abundance longed for and yet seemingly so out of reach? Or does the Christ child, now a resurrected and exalted King, still have a gift unopened for you?
For those who mourn and cannot applaud His birth, Jesus reaches out across time, across a million scarred and ruined holidays and cries, “This thief came to steal and kill and destroy... but I have come that you may have life, and that you may have it more abundantly.”
Abundant life. Anyone who searches the Word of God looking for more presents, a bigger tree, a nicer car, a larger wardrobe, a fancier house, will not find that kind of abundance. Jesus says anything that rots, mildews, or rusts is not worthy of our Christmas list. He has far more valuable treasures in His “santa sack”.
The first parcel is labeled “PARDON.” He offers it with this word: “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the LORD, and He will have mercy on him... for He will abundantly pardon.” The gift tag is made out “To __________”, so whoever wants this parcel can fill in their name and help themselves.
The second gift is labeled “RENEWAL.” This abundance is for those whose lives have been scarred by their own foolishness, at Christmas time and otherwise. When they fill out the tag on the first gift, this is what they receive: “...not by your good works, but according to His mercy He saves you, through washing you with new life and renewing you by the Holy Spirit... whom He poured out on you abundantly through Jesus Christ your Savior.” This Gift-giver trades His New Life for your old memories.
The next parcel is labeled “SATISFACTION” for He knows we need more than tinsel and glitter. “They (those who receive the first two parcels) are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of His house, and He gives them drink from the river of His pleasures.”
Whether the tree be buried under a great mound of worldly treasures or barren as a greedy man’s heart, the Lord’s gift of satisfaction doesn’t depend on cash flow. Furthermore, it also is free!
Is there any more? Yes, for those memories and miseries that threaten joy all year round, He offers still more surprise-packages. But these have no label and no one knows what is in them until they help themselves. Here is their promise: “He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us....”
Whatever we ask for, whatever we can imagine that would make Christmas and all of life wonderful... He is able to do more, exceedingly abundantly more. And as we turn away from our rotting, rusting treasure and allow Him to give us His gifts, we find the last and most lasting parcel there for us.
It is called “HOPE,”the promise of “an entrance supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
With that, He vows someday the celebration will be totally without tears. For now, we can bring the sorrows of our celebrations to Jesus and let Him turn every one into abundance.
For many, this is the happiest time of year. Family gathers and warm memories are shared. Happy celebrations around the piano singing, around the table laughing. Gifts opened and squeals of delight echo through the house and Christmas is a time of abundance.
For some, this is the saddest time of year. Perhaps memories are not heart-warming; a Christmas past brought heartache. Perhaps celebrations are not happy; a family member is addicted to spirits of a chemical variety. Perhaps gift-giving brings no joy; hard times or foolish spending robbed the children of their toys. And those who yearn for an abundant Christmas spend it in physical, mental and emotional poverty.
The occasion is the birth of Christ (remember?) and the party is in His honor. Will the fact that the party has been ruined a few times destroy forever that abundance longed for and yet seemingly so out of reach? Or does the Christ child, now a resurrected and exalted King, still have a gift unopened for you?
For those who mourn and cannot applaud His birth, Jesus reaches out across time, across a million scarred and ruined holidays and cries, “This thief came to steal and kill and destroy... but I have come that you may have life, and that you may have it more abundantly.”
Abundant life. Anyone who searches the Word of God looking for more presents, a bigger tree, a nicer car, a larger wardrobe, a fancier house, will not find that kind of abundance. Jesus says anything that rots, mildews, or rusts is not worthy of our Christmas list. He has far more valuable treasures in His “santa sack”.
The first parcel is labeled “PARDON.” He offers it with this word: “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the LORD, and He will have mercy on him... for He will abundantly pardon.” The gift tag is made out “To __________”, so whoever wants this parcel can fill in their name and help themselves.
The second gift is labeled “RENEWAL.” This abundance is for those whose lives have been scarred by their own foolishness, at Christmas time and otherwise. When they fill out the tag on the first gift, this is what they receive: “...not by your good works, but according to His mercy He saves you, through washing you with new life and renewing you by the Holy Spirit... whom He poured out on you abundantly through Jesus Christ your Savior.” This Gift-giver trades His New Life for your old memories.
The next parcel is labeled “SATISFACTION” for He knows we need more than tinsel and glitter. “They (those who receive the first two parcels) are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of His house, and He gives them drink from the river of His pleasures.”
Whether the tree be buried under a great mound of worldly treasures or barren as a greedy man’s heart, the Lord’s gift of satisfaction doesn’t depend on cash flow. Furthermore, it also is free!
Is there any more? Yes, for those memories and miseries that threaten joy all year round, He offers still more surprise-packages. But these have no label and no one knows what is in them until they help themselves. Here is their promise: “He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us....”
Whatever we ask for, whatever we can imagine that would make Christmas and all of life wonderful... He is able to do more, exceedingly abundantly more. And as we turn away from our rotting, rusting treasure and allow Him to give us His gifts, we find the last and most lasting parcel there for us.
It is called “HOPE,”the promise of “an entrance supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
With that, He vows someday the celebration will be totally without tears. For now, we can bring the sorrows of our celebrations to Jesus and let Him turn every one into abundance.
Monday, December 8, 2014
Choosing reality, choosing Life ................. Parables 206
(February 28, 1990)
This uncontrollable swing of weather from balmy thaw to bitter below zero and back again is hard on the system. My old body doesn’t know what to expect next. It would be nice to promise it a vacation somewhere in the sunny south... such a pleasant thought! But keeping that promise is beyond my present capacity. So body, you just have to take what comes. Ah, but my soul... that is a different matter.
Some people say we don’t have a soul. They usually mean there is no part of us that lives on after our bodies die. I’m not too sure why anyone would deny the existence of their own soul, but fear might have something to do with it.
The Bible talks about people who are so afraid of death that their fear has them in bondage. Death is the great unknown, but besides that, it is not easy getting away from the suspicion there is more after this life, whether more is wanted or not. Thus death - the event, might not be dreaded as much as death - the repercussions. As with a lot of uncomfortable topics, this one, some will just push aside and leave alone.
When it is -40 outside, I can easily turn my mind to anything other than going outside. In fact, I’d rather sit in front of the fireplace and look at a picture book of Hawaii and pretend I’m on Kihei beach. It doesn’t get me there nor does it change the reality of the temperature outside, it’s just easier. Maybe that is why some people prefer to convince themselves “when you’re dead, you’re dead”. That’s easier to handle than a question mark, judgment, condemnation or whatever else might be feared.
Nevertheless, just saying a thing isn’t enough. Just saying it isn’t cold outside doesn’t change the weather. Just saying I’m going to Hawaii, won’t get me there. Just saying I’m going to heaven when I die won’t get me there... nor will just saying there is no life after death make that a reality. We don’t call things into existence. Whatever I vocalize, apart from what God says about it, is mere wishful thinking.
However, He doesn’t want to leave anyone without hope. The Bible offers this: even though the issue of death and life after death are beyond our choice, we can decide where we will spend eternity! “I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life...” (Deuteronomy 30:19)
Eternal life is a gift for those who choose to believe what God says. He tells us that if we want to spend eternity with Him, we need to believe in and receive His Son, not cling to our own ideas, however pleasant they may seem. God says, “He who has the Son has life...” and choosing to believe in and serve Jesus Christ NOW makes the difference in what happens to our soul LATER.
The Christian hope is not based on denying realities. We acknowledge we have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. We acknowledge we have a soul. We know we can’t handle the issue of death ourselves. We don’t make rash promises we can’t keep. (Such as, “Oh, you’re such a good guy, after you die, you’ll go to heaven.”) We admit it is “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us...” (Titus 3:5) Such reality may not feed the ego but better that than feeding it a lie and being horribly shocked when reality must eventually be faced.
Our expectation is on the One who has the capacity to keep all His promises, the One who promised “...whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” Instead of trying to escape God by denying our soul, we ought to deny any notions of trying to cross over death without Christ. He can change fearful uncertainty into confident expectation. But the choice needs to be made now, while we can choose.
Later, we have to take whatever we get.
This uncontrollable swing of weather from balmy thaw to bitter below zero and back again is hard on the system. My old body doesn’t know what to expect next. It would be nice to promise it a vacation somewhere in the sunny south... such a pleasant thought! But keeping that promise is beyond my present capacity. So body, you just have to take what comes. Ah, but my soul... that is a different matter.
Some people say we don’t have a soul. They usually mean there is no part of us that lives on after our bodies die. I’m not too sure why anyone would deny the existence of their own soul, but fear might have something to do with it.
The Bible talks about people who are so afraid of death that their fear has them in bondage. Death is the great unknown, but besides that, it is not easy getting away from the suspicion there is more after this life, whether more is wanted or not. Thus death - the event, might not be dreaded as much as death - the repercussions. As with a lot of uncomfortable topics, this one, some will just push aside and leave alone.
When it is -40 outside, I can easily turn my mind to anything other than going outside. In fact, I’d rather sit in front of the fireplace and look at a picture book of Hawaii and pretend I’m on Kihei beach. It doesn’t get me there nor does it change the reality of the temperature outside, it’s just easier. Maybe that is why some people prefer to convince themselves “when you’re dead, you’re dead”. That’s easier to handle than a question mark, judgment, condemnation or whatever else might be feared.
Nevertheless, just saying a thing isn’t enough. Just saying it isn’t cold outside doesn’t change the weather. Just saying I’m going to Hawaii, won’t get me there. Just saying I’m going to heaven when I die won’t get me there... nor will just saying there is no life after death make that a reality. We don’t call things into existence. Whatever I vocalize, apart from what God says about it, is mere wishful thinking.
However, He doesn’t want to leave anyone without hope. The Bible offers this: even though the issue of death and life after death are beyond our choice, we can decide where we will spend eternity! “I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life...” (Deuteronomy 30:19)
Eternal life is a gift for those who choose to believe what God says. He tells us that if we want to spend eternity with Him, we need to believe in and receive His Son, not cling to our own ideas, however pleasant they may seem. God says, “He who has the Son has life...” and choosing to believe in and serve Jesus Christ NOW makes the difference in what happens to our soul LATER.
The Christian hope is not based on denying realities. We acknowledge we have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. We acknowledge we have a soul. We know we can’t handle the issue of death ourselves. We don’t make rash promises we can’t keep. (Such as, “Oh, you’re such a good guy, after you die, you’ll go to heaven.”) We admit it is “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us...” (Titus 3:5) Such reality may not feed the ego but better that than feeding it a lie and being horribly shocked when reality must eventually be faced.
Our expectation is on the One who has the capacity to keep all His promises, the One who promised “...whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” Instead of trying to escape God by denying our soul, we ought to deny any notions of trying to cross over death without Christ. He can change fearful uncertainty into confident expectation. But the choice needs to be made now, while we can choose.
Later, we have to take whatever we get.
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