October 16, 2001
When golf balls were first manufactured, they had smooth covers. Someone soon discovered that after they were roughed up, they could get more distance. That is why golf balls are now dimpled.
I can imagine the first time these dimpled balls appeared on the market. No doubt a few golfers took one look and snickered: “Why anyone knows, a smooth ball goes faster and farther than a rough one. This thing is flawed!”
“Flawed” golf balls cannot hog the spotlight. When it comes to surprises, God’s people can go farther with imperfections too. In fact, God says our weaknesses are useful. When my husband became a Christian, he decided to sign up for a particular ministry in a large church, although he told the leader that he felt totally inadequate for it. He didn’t know anything about it and was not sure he had any skills in that area.
To his surprise, the leader replied, “Good. That is just the kind of attitude we want you to have.”
What Bob didn’t know then is that God tells us when we are weak, then we are strong. This seeming contradiction is found in 2 Corinthians 12. Paul talks about having a problem in his life that he asked God to remove, but God did not remove it. Paul tells the reason: “But He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’
At that, Paul was able to say that he would boast gladly about his weaknesses so that the power of Christ would rest on him. He could even delight in his inabilities and troubles because “when I am weak, then I am strong.”
This can be explained. When a person becomes a Christian, we are given the Holy Spirit who adds a new dimension to our life and character. Yet we have the same personality as before. Scripture calls it the “old nature.” God exhorts us to put off the old, which is not only sinful and selfish but also unable to obey God. He says we need to put on the grace and power of our new nature so we can do His will.
It sounds good but there is a trick to it. When we are living in the power of the old nature, we strive for superiority, self-confidence, and a sense of power. We even try using this self-sufficiency to enable ourselves to do the will of God, but it doesn’t work. That old nature cannot obey God no matter how confident it feels.
The problem is this: when we yield to the Holy Spirit as we should, we feel our inabilities and weaknesses rather than a great flush of power . . . and who wants to feel weak? Nevertheless, in weakness we learn to trust God and ask for His help. Our difficulty is that we expect that along with His help He will remove that sense of weakness but He doesn’t. He knows if He did, we would quickly stop trusting Him.
So the Christian who walks with God discovers that a power-filled walk might look powerful to others but we ourselves do not feel powerful. Instead, there is a huge sense of helplessness. In faith, we learn to trust He is helping us but it doesn’t feel like it.
Such irony. The life that feels ‘flawed and dimpled’ becomes a great instrument in the hands of the Lord. We become people who can go the distance. We need to abandon our typical human trait of wanting to appear smooth and flawless and realize that by welcoming a sense of feeling useless and without power, we become people who can accomplish the will of God.
Monday, April 30, 2018
Friday, April 27, 2018
Enjoying the process ............. Parables 734
October 9, 2001
Like millions around the world, I have been bitten by the quilting bug and often mention this passion to people I meet. Some of them look at me with a frown and say “I don’t have the patience to make a quilt.”
That remark puzzles me. I cannot imagine why this enjoyable pastime requires patience. To me, quilt construction is like therapy. I’m enjoying the process, relaxed and absorbed and never getting quite enough of it. To me, patience implies waiting for something to happen. I suppose there is a sense of wanting the quilt to be finished yet making it is part of its pleasure. Quilting is not something to rush or be anxious about.
The dictionary also defines patience as “the capacity to tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without becoming angry or upset.” Those not interested in quilting (or any other handwork) may find themselves anxious to get it finished. They may be frustrated without the skill or equipment to do it properly. They might poke themselves so many times with their needles that the task is a trial not a delight. But for me, the process of quilting is relaxing in itself. If I never finished a quilt, the time spent working on it lowers my blood pressure and gives me great pleasure. The joy is in the journey and finishing it is like frosting on a cake.
Nevertheless, patience also intrigues me. The Bible describes it as a virtue, something to be desired. It says God is patient toward us and we need to be patient with one another. Another word for patience is ‘long-suffering’ or ‘endurance.’ For many reasons, life can be difficult but the person with patience is able to bear with those trials and continue walking with God. They have the right attitude, even though they are being tested. They also trust God for the outcome.
Maybe I’ve stumbled across the key to patience in my attitude toward quilting. While skill and strength are needed (try moving a queen-size quilt under a regular sewing machine arm), I can look at each step as an enjoyable challenge. I’m not fussing because the piece is not done yet but enjoying the process, relishing the challenges of the section or step that I am working on at the moment.
This patience is much like God’s patience with His people. We are not finished either. He is at work in our lives but we have a long way to go. Nonetheless, God is not anxious about us. He never goads or nags but like a parent, He delights in each wobbling step we take toward maturity. Can I not be like that with others?
Our Father urges us, like infants, to desire the Word of God so we will grow. He takes our hand as His children and walks with us, promising to “never leave or forsake” us. He challenges us as mature adults, yet never forgets we are “like dust” and frail. He tolerates our mistakes because they are not only forgiven and covered by the blood of Christ, but He can use each one to teach us more about being godly people.
The Amish purposely put a mistake in their quilts. They say to make a perfect quilt would be an insult to God. I’m not sure God is so easily insulted. Instead, as His people, we need to be aware that we are flawed with many mistakes. Yet God, who is the Master Craftsman, will patiently continue His work in us, moving pieces, patching rips, rearranging colors, until we are as He intended.
One day, those who trust Him will be ushered into His presence. The Bible says “we will be like Him for we shall see Him as He is.” Until we are perfected in heaven, we remain in process, unfinished. Even at that, Scripture says “He rejoices over us with singing!” That tells me that while we are being remade in His image, He is also enjoying the process.
Like millions around the world, I have been bitten by the quilting bug and often mention this passion to people I meet. Some of them look at me with a frown and say “I don’t have the patience to make a quilt.”
That remark puzzles me. I cannot imagine why this enjoyable pastime requires patience. To me, quilt construction is like therapy. I’m enjoying the process, relaxed and absorbed and never getting quite enough of it. To me, patience implies waiting for something to happen. I suppose there is a sense of wanting the quilt to be finished yet making it is part of its pleasure. Quilting is not something to rush or be anxious about.
The dictionary also defines patience as “the capacity to tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without becoming angry or upset.” Those not interested in quilting (or any other handwork) may find themselves anxious to get it finished. They may be frustrated without the skill or equipment to do it properly. They might poke themselves so many times with their needles that the task is a trial not a delight. But for me, the process of quilting is relaxing in itself. If I never finished a quilt, the time spent working on it lowers my blood pressure and gives me great pleasure. The joy is in the journey and finishing it is like frosting on a cake.
Nevertheless, patience also intrigues me. The Bible describes it as a virtue, something to be desired. It says God is patient toward us and we need to be patient with one another. Another word for patience is ‘long-suffering’ or ‘endurance.’ For many reasons, life can be difficult but the person with patience is able to bear with those trials and continue walking with God. They have the right attitude, even though they are being tested. They also trust God for the outcome.
Maybe I’ve stumbled across the key to patience in my attitude toward quilting. While skill and strength are needed (try moving a queen-size quilt under a regular sewing machine arm), I can look at each step as an enjoyable challenge. I’m not fussing because the piece is not done yet but enjoying the process, relishing the challenges of the section or step that I am working on at the moment.
This patience is much like God’s patience with His people. We are not finished either. He is at work in our lives but we have a long way to go. Nonetheless, God is not anxious about us. He never goads or nags but like a parent, He delights in each wobbling step we take toward maturity. Can I not be like that with others?
Our Father urges us, like infants, to desire the Word of God so we will grow. He takes our hand as His children and walks with us, promising to “never leave or forsake” us. He challenges us as mature adults, yet never forgets we are “like dust” and frail. He tolerates our mistakes because they are not only forgiven and covered by the blood of Christ, but He can use each one to teach us more about being godly people.
The Amish purposely put a mistake in their quilts. They say to make a perfect quilt would be an insult to God. I’m not sure God is so easily insulted. Instead, as His people, we need to be aware that we are flawed with many mistakes. Yet God, who is the Master Craftsman, will patiently continue His work in us, moving pieces, patching rips, rearranging colors, until we are as He intended.
One day, those who trust Him will be ushered into His presence. The Bible says “we will be like Him for we shall see Him as He is.” Until we are perfected in heaven, we remain in process, unfinished. Even at that, Scripture says “He rejoices over us with singing!” That tells me that while we are being remade in His image, He is also enjoying the process.
Wednesday, April 25, 2018
Zeal without godliness ............. Parables 733
October 23, 2001
A few weeks ago, we watched the film “Hawaii” on television. It was based on James Mitchner’s novel of the same name, a story I recalled as spanning several generations.
The movie highlighted only one character, a ‘hell fire and brimstone’ preacher who intended to “convert” Hawaiian natives to Christianity. He began telling them about God but obviously cared more about “winning souls” than he cared about the people themselves.
Unloving, in-your-face people are not popular. In their zeal, they fail to combine compassion with even the most worthwhile goals. They reach the top of their ladder by stepping on the rungs of all who challenge them. When a preacher does it, he is acting like many of the Pharisees behaved during Jesus’ time. These men were also zealous. They believed that God spoke to the Jews (which He did) and that they were sole guardians of His message. In their zeal, they felt they must guard the Law of God by writing many other laws that would “interpret” how His Law should be obeyed and put a protective ‘fence’ around it.
Jesus was not impressed. Over and over, He rebuked them for their spiritual pride and for missing the whole point of God’s Law. He told them they were “white-washed sepulchers: clean on the outside but full of dead men’s bones.” He pointed out that they offered money, prayed, and did their acts of worship “to be seen of men.” For this, Jesus strongly condemned them.
Today, the Christian church also labels certain people as having a pharisaical attitude. The most common relates to how the ancient Pharisees said one thing and did another. Jesus said they “built tombs for the prophets and decorated the graves of the righteous” yet belonged to a long line of religious leaders who murdered God’s prophets. They also murdered Jesus.
Modern pharisees may not murder people but they also say one thing and do another, earning the label “hypocrite.” They tell others how to walk with God but do not do it themselves. If Jesus were here, He would also strongly condemn such hypocrisy.
However, it is possible to misapply the label. Christians should not be called hypocrites because they sin, as if a Christian must never sin. God does not promise us freedom from sin while we live in this world. For us, it is a constant battle, one that we sometimes lose. Instead, hypocrisy is claiming to be perfect rather than telling the truth about our battles.
Another modern take on the New Testament Pharisee is legalism. This means not only living under rules (instead of under grace) but pushing those rules on others. It means saying a person cannot belong to God unless they do everything a certain way. Legalism claims the observance of God’s Law but holds a superficial interpretation of that Law — then adds its own rules and regulations on top of it. The emphasis is on personal or church traditions rather than on the teaching of Christ.
Today’s pharisees miss the point of Old Testament law and New Testament directions for living. They also miss the point of their denominational traditions. All of these are intended to humble us and draw us closer to Christ. As the Bible says, God’s Law is like a school-teacher “put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith.”
Once we have faith in Jesus, that Law goes on reminding us that we still need Him. We have nothing to be smug about. We cannot obey perfectly even one of His laws, never mind all of them. We fall short. We can live as we should only by continual reliance on His grace and power.
Pharisee or not, everyone has is a sinful heart but we also have the freely-offered forgiveness of God and the enablement of the Holy Spirit. We can live as He wants us to live, at least much of the time, by faith. But without Him, not only are hellfire preachers hard to put up with — the Law of God is also a burden too great for anyone to bear.
A few weeks ago, we watched the film “Hawaii” on television. It was based on James Mitchner’s novel of the same name, a story I recalled as spanning several generations.
The movie highlighted only one character, a ‘hell fire and brimstone’ preacher who intended to “convert” Hawaiian natives to Christianity. He began telling them about God but obviously cared more about “winning souls” than he cared about the people themselves.
Unloving, in-your-face people are not popular. In their zeal, they fail to combine compassion with even the most worthwhile goals. They reach the top of their ladder by stepping on the rungs of all who challenge them. When a preacher does it, he is acting like many of the Pharisees behaved during Jesus’ time. These men were also zealous. They believed that God spoke to the Jews (which He did) and that they were sole guardians of His message. In their zeal, they felt they must guard the Law of God by writing many other laws that would “interpret” how His Law should be obeyed and put a protective ‘fence’ around it.
Jesus was not impressed. Over and over, He rebuked them for their spiritual pride and for missing the whole point of God’s Law. He told them they were “white-washed sepulchers: clean on the outside but full of dead men’s bones.” He pointed out that they offered money, prayed, and did their acts of worship “to be seen of men.” For this, Jesus strongly condemned them.
Today, the Christian church also labels certain people as having a pharisaical attitude. The most common relates to how the ancient Pharisees said one thing and did another. Jesus said they “built tombs for the prophets and decorated the graves of the righteous” yet belonged to a long line of religious leaders who murdered God’s prophets. They also murdered Jesus.
Modern pharisees may not murder people but they also say one thing and do another, earning the label “hypocrite.” They tell others how to walk with God but do not do it themselves. If Jesus were here, He would also strongly condemn such hypocrisy.
However, it is possible to misapply the label. Christians should not be called hypocrites because they sin, as if a Christian must never sin. God does not promise us freedom from sin while we live in this world. For us, it is a constant battle, one that we sometimes lose. Instead, hypocrisy is claiming to be perfect rather than telling the truth about our battles.
Another modern take on the New Testament Pharisee is legalism. This means not only living under rules (instead of under grace) but pushing those rules on others. It means saying a person cannot belong to God unless they do everything a certain way. Legalism claims the observance of God’s Law but holds a superficial interpretation of that Law — then adds its own rules and regulations on top of it. The emphasis is on personal or church traditions rather than on the teaching of Christ.
Today’s pharisees miss the point of Old Testament law and New Testament directions for living. They also miss the point of their denominational traditions. All of these are intended to humble us and draw us closer to Christ. As the Bible says, God’s Law is like a school-teacher “put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith.”
Once we have faith in Jesus, that Law goes on reminding us that we still need Him. We have nothing to be smug about. We cannot obey perfectly even one of His laws, never mind all of them. We fall short. We can live as we should only by continual reliance on His grace and power.
Pharisee or not, everyone has is a sinful heart but we also have the freely-offered forgiveness of God and the enablement of the Holy Spirit. We can live as He wants us to live, at least much of the time, by faith. But without Him, not only are hellfire preachers hard to put up with — the Law of God is also a burden too great for anyone to bear.
Monday, April 23, 2018
A horrid day in USA history ............. Parables 732
September 18, 2001
There was no warning. Within twenty minutes of each other, two airplanes flew directly into the twin towers of New York’s World Trade Center and a third crashed into the Pentagon in Washington.
Thousands of people worked inside those buildings. Some of them never heard or saw anything coming. One moment they were drinking coffee, sorting paper on their desk, chatting with other employees; the next moment they were in eternity.
I’m writing this the day it happened. By the time this is printed, anything could occur. Another bomb. Retaliation. The U.S. and even Canada could be at war. Who can guess? We didn’t think today would be this way. There was no warning.
When life is unexpectedly snuffed, we shake our heads and realize how fragile we are and how precious our days. A few take stock and make decisions. They say, “After this, my life is going to be different. I will be more thoughtful, less reckless” and so on. I’ve said it too, yet I must be honest. A death, a funeral, a tragedy produces deep sorrow and personal reflection, but life goes on. I adjust. I must. And seldom do I change.
Yet for some, change is unavoidable. It happens in proportion to the size of the tragedy plus their proximity to it. I think of those who happened to be late getting to work at the Trade Center today. How can they be the same? For one thing, their place of employment no longer exists.
As the reality of ‘like a war movie’ scenes from television settle in and mark our hearts, some of us will change too. People will dig deep into their generosity and offer their money, food, clothing, even comfort and blood to those affected by today’s catastrophe. Many will pray.
For now, my personal response is both prayer and tears. With that, I feel a pleading rising up inside me. A voice says, “Oh people, there is no warning. We may think we are invincible. If we at least realize we are not, we might be careful, yet no matter what we do, death happens, and for most of us, it happens without adequate preparation. We didn’t think about it.
Jesus talked about a man who thought he was invincible. He was rich and his crops were fantastic. He thought to himself, “What shall I do since I have no room to store my crops?” So he decided: “I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my corps and my goods.”
We are like that man. We live in the richest province in one of the world’s best countries to live in. We have so much and life is so good. We are strong. We have few worries about our future. We are more concerning what to do with all the goods we have now.
But there is no warning. God said to the rich man, “Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?” For him, death came without any chance to figure out Plan B.
The voice inside me calls out: People, don’t wait until you are old. Don’t wait until you are done ‘doing your thing’ because you think you have ‘plenty of time for God.’ No one knows. Eternity could suddenly open its doors and there you are inside, without any opportunity to prepare yourself. There may not be any warning.
Lord, my heart aches for the loss of life and the devastation in New York and Washington. I see people rallying to save lives, to protect and care for those who managed to survive. Yet I see You too, reaching out Your blood-stained hands and pleading with the living that they stop and consider the fragility of life, that they listen to Your voice. May they turn from any rebellion against You and they realize Your love and forgiveness is their greatest protection.
God, no matter how sudden or how devastating the end may come for any person, life never ends for those who place their souls in Your care. You promise: “Whoever has the Son of God has life” and “whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life.” In the midst of our overwhelming shock and sorrow, Your mercy and the assurance of eternal life is what we need the most.
There was no warning. Within twenty minutes of each other, two airplanes flew directly into the twin towers of New York’s World Trade Center and a third crashed into the Pentagon in Washington.
Thousands of people worked inside those buildings. Some of them never heard or saw anything coming. One moment they were drinking coffee, sorting paper on their desk, chatting with other employees; the next moment they were in eternity.
I’m writing this the day it happened. By the time this is printed, anything could occur. Another bomb. Retaliation. The U.S. and even Canada could be at war. Who can guess? We didn’t think today would be this way. There was no warning.
When life is unexpectedly snuffed, we shake our heads and realize how fragile we are and how precious our days. A few take stock and make decisions. They say, “After this, my life is going to be different. I will be more thoughtful, less reckless” and so on. I’ve said it too, yet I must be honest. A death, a funeral, a tragedy produces deep sorrow and personal reflection, but life goes on. I adjust. I must. And seldom do I change.
Yet for some, change is unavoidable. It happens in proportion to the size of the tragedy plus their proximity to it. I think of those who happened to be late getting to work at the Trade Center today. How can they be the same? For one thing, their place of employment no longer exists.
As the reality of ‘like a war movie’ scenes from television settle in and mark our hearts, some of us will change too. People will dig deep into their generosity and offer their money, food, clothing, even comfort and blood to those affected by today’s catastrophe. Many will pray.
For now, my personal response is both prayer and tears. With that, I feel a pleading rising up inside me. A voice says, “Oh people, there is no warning. We may think we are invincible. If we at least realize we are not, we might be careful, yet no matter what we do, death happens, and for most of us, it happens without adequate preparation. We didn’t think about it.
Jesus talked about a man who thought he was invincible. He was rich and his crops were fantastic. He thought to himself, “What shall I do since I have no room to store my crops?” So he decided: “I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my corps and my goods.”
We are like that man. We live in the richest province in one of the world’s best countries to live in. We have so much and life is so good. We are strong. We have few worries about our future. We are more concerning what to do with all the goods we have now.
But there is no warning. God said to the rich man, “Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?” For him, death came without any chance to figure out Plan B.
The voice inside me calls out: People, don’t wait until you are old. Don’t wait until you are done ‘doing your thing’ because you think you have ‘plenty of time for God.’ No one knows. Eternity could suddenly open its doors and there you are inside, without any opportunity to prepare yourself. There may not be any warning.
Lord, my heart aches for the loss of life and the devastation in New York and Washington. I see people rallying to save lives, to protect and care for those who managed to survive. Yet I see You too, reaching out Your blood-stained hands and pleading with the living that they stop and consider the fragility of life, that they listen to Your voice. May they turn from any rebellion against You and they realize Your love and forgiveness is their greatest protection.
God, no matter how sudden or how devastating the end may come for any person, life never ends for those who place their souls in Your care. You promise: “Whoever has the Son of God has life” and “whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life.” In the midst of our overwhelming shock and sorrow, Your mercy and the assurance of eternal life is what we need the most.
Friday, April 20, 2018
God spoke and . . . ............. Parables 731
September 11, 2001
Does an ostrich really hide its head in the sand at the first sign of trouble? If it did, these long-legged birds have an excuse: their eyes are bigger than their brains. If they can see trouble coming, they probably don’t know what to do with it. It could be worse. A starfish, which does hide in the sand, has no brain at all! How do they know what to do to survive?
The amazing animal world sometimes stumps me. How do geese know when or even why they fly south for the winter? At spawning time, how do salmon find their way out of a vast ocean to the very fresh water stream or river where they were born?
Animal instinct might explain geese and salmon but not a particular mother duck. A few weeks ago, a policeman reported that a female duck hurried up beside him and began pulling on his pant cuff. He tried to shoo her away but she persisted. Then she ran to a storm drain, looked down it, and came back to yank on his pants again. He followed her to the drain and found several ducklings had fallen through the grate. Of course they were rescued.
Any attempt to explain it might produce a certain remark from an elderly Christian gentlemen we once knew. With a twinkle in his eye, he’d say, “Isn’t evolution wonderful?”
Evolution says that all creatures are products of a primordial soup plus time plus chance. If that were true, then all geese would have shivered to death unless one of them happened to stumble across a route south, then happened to return for the rest of the flock, and then happened to return the next year.
If salmon spawned by the time-chance theory, they would likely be extinct because their eggs do not survive salt water. One salmon had to have first found fresh water. No, actually two would have to take the trip. Then they had to be both in the same place in the same stream so one could fertilize the eggs of the other.
God as a powerful Creator is more believable. While the story is in Genesis, there is a verse in the New Testament that helps me, but it is often overlooked. Hebrews 11:3 says, “By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.”
I once thought evolution was a good theory until I understood the power of God. He can do anything. He does not need a pollywog to make a frog or an embryo to make a person. He can do or create whatever pleases Him. If He could not, then He would be limited and I could not call Him ‘God’ nor believe that He is Creator.
The other part of that verse from Hebrews says that what we see did not come from visible matter. In other words, God created ex nihilo or from nothing. While He did make the first man from the ‘dust of the ground’ and breathed life into him, He spoke the universe and our world into existence.
We talk about the power of the printed or spoken word but the power of that ‘word’ is astounding. Here is how the Apostle John describes what God did with His word: “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God . . . and the Word became flesh, and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
John is talking about Jesus Christ, the Word of God in a human body. He came to earth to reveal God to us. While “the heavens declare the glory of God,” the Lord Jesus Christ makes Him known far more clearly than even His amazing creation.
Does an ostrich really hide its head in the sand at the first sign of trouble? If it did, these long-legged birds have an excuse: their eyes are bigger than their brains. If they can see trouble coming, they probably don’t know what to do with it. It could be worse. A starfish, which does hide in the sand, has no brain at all! How do they know what to do to survive?
The amazing animal world sometimes stumps me. How do geese know when or even why they fly south for the winter? At spawning time, how do salmon find their way out of a vast ocean to the very fresh water stream or river where they were born?
Animal instinct might explain geese and salmon but not a particular mother duck. A few weeks ago, a policeman reported that a female duck hurried up beside him and began pulling on his pant cuff. He tried to shoo her away but she persisted. Then she ran to a storm drain, looked down it, and came back to yank on his pants again. He followed her to the drain and found several ducklings had fallen through the grate. Of course they were rescued.
Any attempt to explain it might produce a certain remark from an elderly Christian gentlemen we once knew. With a twinkle in his eye, he’d say, “Isn’t evolution wonderful?”
Evolution says that all creatures are products of a primordial soup plus time plus chance. If that were true, then all geese would have shivered to death unless one of them happened to stumble across a route south, then happened to return for the rest of the flock, and then happened to return the next year.
If salmon spawned by the time-chance theory, they would likely be extinct because their eggs do not survive salt water. One salmon had to have first found fresh water. No, actually two would have to take the trip. Then they had to be both in the same place in the same stream so one could fertilize the eggs of the other.
God as a powerful Creator is more believable. While the story is in Genesis, there is a verse in the New Testament that helps me, but it is often overlooked. Hebrews 11:3 says, “By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.”
I once thought evolution was a good theory until I understood the power of God. He can do anything. He does not need a pollywog to make a frog or an embryo to make a person. He can do or create whatever pleases Him. If He could not, then He would be limited and I could not call Him ‘God’ nor believe that He is Creator.
The other part of that verse from Hebrews says that what we see did not come from visible matter. In other words, God created ex nihilo or from nothing. While He did make the first man from the ‘dust of the ground’ and breathed life into him, He spoke the universe and our world into existence.
We talk about the power of the printed or spoken word but the power of that ‘word’ is astounding. Here is how the Apostle John describes what God did with His word: “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God . . . and the Word became flesh, and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
John is talking about Jesus Christ, the Word of God in a human body. He came to earth to reveal God to us. While “the heavens declare the glory of God,” the Lord Jesus Christ makes Him known far more clearly than even His amazing creation.
Wednesday, April 18, 2018
Laugh — because we are created in His image! ............. Parables 730
September 4, 2001
My weekly drive to Rimbey to see my mother is almost like going on a safari with a side trip to an avant garde art gallery. The safari offers whitetail and mule deer, the usual cattle, horses, goats, pigs, sheep and donkeys, but we are often delighted by herds of domestic elk, bison, llamas, and even long-horned Highland cattle, all far from their normal homes.
The main feature in the art gallery draws the greatest chuckle. It is a fence about a mile long with a colorful baseball cap nailed to the top of each fence post. We understand llamas and the like in Central Alberta, but no matter how creative a farmer is in making his living, fence posts do not normally sprout baseball caps. We cannot help but laugh.
This trip reminds me that people are both creative and humorous. God made us in His image so we come by it honestly. He is not only creative but one look at animals like giraffes and platypus convince me that He has a sense of humor.
Besides odd animals, God’s humor shows up in other ways. In the Old Testament, a man named Gideon is described as something of a coward. One day, the angel of the Lord came to him and said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior” (that is funny) then told him to “go in the strength you have,” and save Israel from the oppressive power the Midianites who threatened to overpower them.
Faint-hearted Gideon protested. He was from the weakest clan. He was the least in his family. He had more excuses — but God persisted. Finally, after testing God’s message several times, Gideon agreed. He gathered an army of 32,000 to go against the 135,000 Midianites. Then God asked him to thin down his army, first to 10,000, then to three hundred. Gideon was not laughing, yet.
The Lord told Gideon to divide his army into three companies and give each man a trumpet and an empty pitcher with a torch in it. They obeyed. They surrounded the enemy camp. When Gideon blew his trumpet, the men blew their trumpets and at the same time broke their pitchers revealing the light of their torches. It turned out that the Midianites were already afraid of Israel. They cried out in terror and in their confusion, they began to slaughter each other until over 120,000 were dead. The rest fled.
God often delights His people with an idea that works when it seems impossible. In another situation, He told Abraham and Sarah that they would have a child but they were “old, well-advanced in age; and Sarah had passed the age of childbearing. Therefore Sarah laughed within herself” no doubt because she found the idea so outrageous.
God makes me laugh too. Some of the animals He created seem to be put together backwards. Some wind up in the most unexpected places. Sometimes the people He created demonstrate a zany creative streak. Sometimes He offers His people ideas that work even though they seem impossible. We laugh and I am certain He is laughing too.
Lord, You told Gideon he had “too many men” and might boast against You by saying his own strength saved them. You reduced his army, yet he must have laughed when he saw how Your creative solution outwitted the enemy.
I chuckle when I see skunks and armadillos and how they have a place in Your creation. You perplex me with conundrums then solve them in startling ways. You also give me the gift of being able to laugh. Thank You for a sense of humor. Enable me to use it in my creativity too.
My weekly drive to Rimbey to see my mother is almost like going on a safari with a side trip to an avant garde art gallery. The safari offers whitetail and mule deer, the usual cattle, horses, goats, pigs, sheep and donkeys, but we are often delighted by herds of domestic elk, bison, llamas, and even long-horned Highland cattle, all far from their normal homes.
The main feature in the art gallery draws the greatest chuckle. It is a fence about a mile long with a colorful baseball cap nailed to the top of each fence post. We understand llamas and the like in Central Alberta, but no matter how creative a farmer is in making his living, fence posts do not normally sprout baseball caps. We cannot help but laugh.
This trip reminds me that people are both creative and humorous. God made us in His image so we come by it honestly. He is not only creative but one look at animals like giraffes and platypus convince me that He has a sense of humor.
Besides odd animals, God’s humor shows up in other ways. In the Old Testament, a man named Gideon is described as something of a coward. One day, the angel of the Lord came to him and said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior” (that is funny) then told him to “go in the strength you have,” and save Israel from the oppressive power the Midianites who threatened to overpower them.
Faint-hearted Gideon protested. He was from the weakest clan. He was the least in his family. He had more excuses — but God persisted. Finally, after testing God’s message several times, Gideon agreed. He gathered an army of 32,000 to go against the 135,000 Midianites. Then God asked him to thin down his army, first to 10,000, then to three hundred. Gideon was not laughing, yet.
The Lord told Gideon to divide his army into three companies and give each man a trumpet and an empty pitcher with a torch in it. They obeyed. They surrounded the enemy camp. When Gideon blew his trumpet, the men blew their trumpets and at the same time broke their pitchers revealing the light of their torches. It turned out that the Midianites were already afraid of Israel. They cried out in terror and in their confusion, they began to slaughter each other until over 120,000 were dead. The rest fled.
God often delights His people with an idea that works when it seems impossible. In another situation, He told Abraham and Sarah that they would have a child but they were “old, well-advanced in age; and Sarah had passed the age of childbearing. Therefore Sarah laughed within herself” no doubt because she found the idea so outrageous.
God makes me laugh too. Some of the animals He created seem to be put together backwards. Some wind up in the most unexpected places. Sometimes the people He created demonstrate a zany creative streak. Sometimes He offers His people ideas that work even though they seem impossible. We laugh and I am certain He is laughing too.
Lord, You told Gideon he had “too many men” and might boast against You by saying his own strength saved them. You reduced his army, yet he must have laughed when he saw how Your creative solution outwitted the enemy.
I chuckle when I see skunks and armadillos and how they have a place in Your creation. You perplex me with conundrums then solve them in startling ways. You also give me the gift of being able to laugh. Thank You for a sense of humor. Enable me to use it in my creativity too.
Monday, April 16, 2018
A merry heart is like good medicine ............. Parables 729
December 18, 2001
Medical science offers new labels for sad, crabby, or worried people. For instance, if we used to complain that we “get the blues when it rains” or “have the winter blahs,” we can now call it SAD or Seasonal Affective Disorder.
Those who might have called themselves “worry worts” now can say they have GAD or General Anxiety Disorder. A similar designation, something like “excessive rage disorder” applies to spoiled children with temper tantrums.
Maybe modern medicine is on to something but a few experiences make me wonder if symptoms like these have less to do with physiological conditions than they do with choices.
When my brother was a teenager, he was often cranky in the morning. My mother noted which days were the worst and diagnosed his problem as not having enough sleep the night before. Now as an adult, he has learned to go to bed earlier but has also discovered that tired or not, he can choose to be cheerful.
All through my own life, I’ve had PMS. It has affected my behavior but a wise person told me how to handle it. She said, “Sure, your body hormones are out of whack, but observe yourself when this happens. You will discover all the areas of life where you have weaknesses that need to be taken to God. Keep track. When you are back to ‘normal,’ review them and confess the sins. He will cleanse you and the next time will not be so difficult.”
She was right. For me, each bout with PMS became an opportunity to see and confess sinful attitudes and fears that came out only when I was physically ‘weak.’ As I brought them to God, He forgave and cleansed me at a deep level. Gradually, the hormone swings stopped affecting my mood.
That does not mean God says,“it’s all in your head” (or heart) and ignores genuine physical needs. The Bible gives many instances where He puts the body first. In 1 Kings 19, the prophet Elijah ran several kilometers, confronted an evil king, received a death threat from the queen, ran even farther to escape, then collapsed under a tree and wished himself dead. God could have rebuked him for his negative attitude and for being afraid of a mere mortal. Instead, He ordered food and rest. Soon Elijah was back on his feet, encouraged and ready to do God’s will. In other words, Elijah’s fatigue contributed to his discouragement. Nevertheless, his lack of courage was fear and a lack of trust. He was afraid God would not help him.
When we get into a situation where we are fearful and discouraged, we need to remember that “God is not the author of fear but of love, power, and a sound mind.” He is able to help us. We must also remember that whenever Jesus was tired, He never used fatigue as an excuse to be rude, cranky or to ignore people. When He took His disciples to a remote place to rest from their exhaustion, the demanding crowds followed. Jesus was tired too but He took care of the needs of the multitude anyway.
Scripture offers many exhortations about our attitudes and clearly tells us that our lives should be governed by love, God’s power, and sound thinking. There are no disclaimers. Even if SAD or GAD or any other disorder is genuine, we can still love others. Courage, grace, power and joy are still available from the Lord.
Some of the most cheerful people I know have chronic illnesses or are in pain. Sadly, the same is true for some of the crankiest people I know. Lord, when my back hurts or things are not going well, help me to deal with whatever it is in a wise way but also help me remember that You are here with me. With Your help, I can remain loving and cheerful.
Medical science offers new labels for sad, crabby, or worried people. For instance, if we used to complain that we “get the blues when it rains” or “have the winter blahs,” we can now call it SAD or Seasonal Affective Disorder.
Those who might have called themselves “worry worts” now can say they have GAD or General Anxiety Disorder. A similar designation, something like “excessive rage disorder” applies to spoiled children with temper tantrums.
Maybe modern medicine is on to something but a few experiences make me wonder if symptoms like these have less to do with physiological conditions than they do with choices.
When my brother was a teenager, he was often cranky in the morning. My mother noted which days were the worst and diagnosed his problem as not having enough sleep the night before. Now as an adult, he has learned to go to bed earlier but has also discovered that tired or not, he can choose to be cheerful.
All through my own life, I’ve had PMS. It has affected my behavior but a wise person told me how to handle it. She said, “Sure, your body hormones are out of whack, but observe yourself when this happens. You will discover all the areas of life where you have weaknesses that need to be taken to God. Keep track. When you are back to ‘normal,’ review them and confess the sins. He will cleanse you and the next time will not be so difficult.”
She was right. For me, each bout with PMS became an opportunity to see and confess sinful attitudes and fears that came out only when I was physically ‘weak.’ As I brought them to God, He forgave and cleansed me at a deep level. Gradually, the hormone swings stopped affecting my mood.
That does not mean God says,“it’s all in your head” (or heart) and ignores genuine physical needs. The Bible gives many instances where He puts the body first. In 1 Kings 19, the prophet Elijah ran several kilometers, confronted an evil king, received a death threat from the queen, ran even farther to escape, then collapsed under a tree and wished himself dead. God could have rebuked him for his negative attitude and for being afraid of a mere mortal. Instead, He ordered food and rest. Soon Elijah was back on his feet, encouraged and ready to do God’s will. In other words, Elijah’s fatigue contributed to his discouragement. Nevertheless, his lack of courage was fear and a lack of trust. He was afraid God would not help him.
When we get into a situation where we are fearful and discouraged, we need to remember that “God is not the author of fear but of love, power, and a sound mind.” He is able to help us. We must also remember that whenever Jesus was tired, He never used fatigue as an excuse to be rude, cranky or to ignore people. When He took His disciples to a remote place to rest from their exhaustion, the demanding crowds followed. Jesus was tired too but He took care of the needs of the multitude anyway.
Scripture offers many exhortations about our attitudes and clearly tells us that our lives should be governed by love, God’s power, and sound thinking. There are no disclaimers. Even if SAD or GAD or any other disorder is genuine, we can still love others. Courage, grace, power and joy are still available from the Lord.
Some of the most cheerful people I know have chronic illnesses or are in pain. Sadly, the same is true for some of the crankiest people I know. Lord, when my back hurts or things are not going well, help me to deal with whatever it is in a wise way but also help me remember that You are here with me. With Your help, I can remain loving and cheerful.
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