What would you do if after leaving your home this morning, and arriving at your destination, you received a series of phone calls that everything you owned, loved, and cherished, including the people nearest and dearest to your heart, were all destroyed? For most of us, it is something we've never thought about because not only is it hard to know just exactly how we would react, but the thought of such losses is simply unimaginable. Some of us would simply lose our minds, some would be in life-long therapy, for others, there would be nothing left worth living for. Proverbs 18:14 sums it up well, "The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity; but a wounded spirit who can bear?"
The situation above speaks directly to the experiences of Job, of whom God said, "there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil" (Job 1:8). In some quarters, there would have been those who would have thought surely Job must have some sins in his life for all that tragedy to come upon him, yet that was definitely not the case. Bad things do happen to good people, but the challenge is in the response to the situation. Job's initial reaction wasn't to go running to his neighbours for support and sympathy, or to shake his fist in the face of God screaming "Why?", but he "arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped" (1:20). His personal world had fallen apart, but he worshipped! Instead of thinking horizontally, even in the midst of calamity he maintained his vertical thinking. He worshipped, saying, "Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD" (v.21). What tremendous spiritual conviction! Unlike what some of us would do, he refused to blame God for the events, choosing instead to acknowledge God's Sovereignty over his life. God giveth, and He also had the power to take, but in all things, blessed be the name of the Lord. Despite his grief, we are told "in all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly" (v.22).
Just what exactly did Job lose? Ten children, seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred she asses, and a very great household, "so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the east" (vv.2-3). Is your faith of such that you could worship God in the midst of such incalculable personal loss? Everything we own is simply on loan, and we would do well to hold on to them lightly. The benevolent God who gave them to us can just as quickly take them away. Of course, Job was not aware that this was a test, but he would later discover that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28).
Steadfast faith. How would yours hold up? I pray God that we will all be able to demonstrate it, when called upon.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Holding On To Your Word
When Jesus got to Bethany on the occasion of Lazarus' death, as He stood at the graveside amidst the crying of family and friends, He said to those nearby, "Take ye away the stone." John tells us, "Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days" (11:39). Judging from that response, one would think that Jesus was oblivious to the facts as they were. In v.17 we were already told of Lazarus that "when Jesus came, he found that he had lain in the grave four days already", yet in Martha we see the human tendency to call our respective situations as we see them, and usually that is far removed from how God sees them.
I'm intrigued by Jesus' response: "Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?" (v.40). The words "Said I not unto thee" springs forth from the pages because it tells us that while standing there in front of her brother's grave, looking at the reality of what was, Martha forgot whatever it was that Jesus had told her previously. The facts had overwhelmed any promise He had given her, yet even as we look at her, we can see ourselves so clearly. We read the Word, the Holy Spirit quickens that Word in our hearts, yet in the face of our adversities, how quickly we forget the promises of God. When Jesus comes on the scene, the facts give way to Truth. For example, Fact - I am broke, Truth - My God shall supply all my needs (Phil. 4:19); Fact - I'm worried, Truth - As long as I trust in Him, His peace will stand watch over my heart and mind (Phil. 4:6,7). In other words, for every situation that may confront us, we have a Word from God for that situation.
Our challenge as believers is to understand and hold on to the Word that God has given to us. Jesus taught that "When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart" (Matt. 13:19). It is when we lose that Word that we find ourselves in distress, doubt, and defeat. Without the promises of God, we have no reason to see beyond the present state. But thank God, because we walk by faith and not by sight (2 Cor. 5:7), with the Word appropriated in our hearts, we can say like the Apostle Paul, "I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day" (2 Tim. 1:12). Equally important, we know that He keeps His promises - "God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?" (Numbers 23:19).
What "dead" situation in your life are you looking at? What has He said to you concerning it? What are you going to believe?
I'm intrigued by Jesus' response: "Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?" (v.40). The words "Said I not unto thee" springs forth from the pages because it tells us that while standing there in front of her brother's grave, looking at the reality of what was, Martha forgot whatever it was that Jesus had told her previously. The facts had overwhelmed any promise He had given her, yet even as we look at her, we can see ourselves so clearly. We read the Word, the Holy Spirit quickens that Word in our hearts, yet in the face of our adversities, how quickly we forget the promises of God. When Jesus comes on the scene, the facts give way to Truth. For example, Fact - I am broke, Truth - My God shall supply all my needs (Phil. 4:19); Fact - I'm worried, Truth - As long as I trust in Him, His peace will stand watch over my heart and mind (Phil. 4:6,7). In other words, for every situation that may confront us, we have a Word from God for that situation.
Our challenge as believers is to understand and hold on to the Word that God has given to us. Jesus taught that "When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart" (Matt. 13:19). It is when we lose that Word that we find ourselves in distress, doubt, and defeat. Without the promises of God, we have no reason to see beyond the present state. But thank God, because we walk by faith and not by sight (2 Cor. 5:7), with the Word appropriated in our hearts, we can say like the Apostle Paul, "I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day" (2 Tim. 1:12). Equally important, we know that He keeps His promises - "God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?" (Numbers 23:19).
What "dead" situation in your life are you looking at? What has He said to you concerning it? What are you going to believe?
Only An Instrument
It’s funny how when some people go out and do things in the name of the Lord, they end up bragging about it. There’s absolutely nothing wrong in reporting victories on the battlefield, but one of the worse things the child of God could do is to draw glory from God unto themselves. We note the response of the seventy disciples when they returned from their commission. Luke reports, “And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name” (10:17). As Bible Commentator Matthew Henry noted, “They give Christ the glory of this: It is through thy name.” They recognized that nothing they did was possible, but through Christ.
In a recent class on 'Spiritual Leadership', one of my professors used a very practical example to make what I thought was a profound point. In the hand of a world class surgeon, a scalpel is simply a surgical instrument. Regardless of the number of surgeries the surgeon would perform with that scalpel, at the end of each one the now sterilized instrument goes back among the other instruments until the next time it is needed. No matter how life saving a particular surgery was, or the accolades that came with a successful outcome, the scalpel does not take a bow, it doesn’t get mentioned. Like the scalpel in the hand of the surgeon, so is the Christian in the hand of God; an instrument that is used to carry out God’s purposes. We do not come out for an applause, we do not take a bow.
I quite like how Jesus brought the seventy back to what was really important. After expanding their ministry capabilities, He continued, “Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven” (10:20). The theology in this statement is too great to cover in this space, but suffice it to say that Jesus deflected any intent they had of feeling special, or better than everybody else. If we are to rejoice it is not as instruments being used, but rather because by God’s grace, we have a place in the kingdom.
As we fulfill our respective calling, may we be mindful of the words of John, The Revelator: “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created” (Revelation 4:11). He gets ALL the attention and ALL the glory; we simply go back to work when called upon.
How are you doing in that area?
In a recent class on 'Spiritual Leadership', one of my professors used a very practical example to make what I thought was a profound point. In the hand of a world class surgeon, a scalpel is simply a surgical instrument. Regardless of the number of surgeries the surgeon would perform with that scalpel, at the end of each one the now sterilized instrument goes back among the other instruments until the next time it is needed. No matter how life saving a particular surgery was, or the accolades that came with a successful outcome, the scalpel does not take a bow, it doesn’t get mentioned. Like the scalpel in the hand of the surgeon, so is the Christian in the hand of God; an instrument that is used to carry out God’s purposes. We do not come out for an applause, we do not take a bow.
I quite like how Jesus brought the seventy back to what was really important. After expanding their ministry capabilities, He continued, “Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven” (10:20). The theology in this statement is too great to cover in this space, but suffice it to say that Jesus deflected any intent they had of feeling special, or better than everybody else. If we are to rejoice it is not as instruments being used, but rather because by God’s grace, we have a place in the kingdom.
As we fulfill our respective calling, may we be mindful of the words of John, The Revelator: “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created” (Revelation 4:11). He gets ALL the attention and ALL the glory; we simply go back to work when called upon.
How are you doing in that area?
Loving One Another (Part III)
One of the fascinating things about the command to love one another is the ease with which some Christians rationalize, or justify, not doing so. Of course, we would never confess to "hating" them; that's a very strong word, and so not Christ-like. Yet ever so often at the root of what we often describe simply as "avoiding so and so", or "I've forgiven them but I just won't speak to them", is a reflection of our inability, or unwillingness, to - by God's grace - agape one another. I've been there, and more than likely, so have some of you. However, if we judge our actions by the Word, the only standard that really matters, how do those actions stand up?
In 1 John 4:20 we read, "If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, cannot love God whom he hath not seen." If you're like me, your mind rebels, "But I don't hate him/her, I really don't!", however through God working on me as I read the Word, I came to realize that the word translated "hate" also means "to detest; to love less". That last part got my attention because what it implied was, paraphrasing John, if I love (agape) God, and love (agape) my brother less, I'm a liar because I cannot unconditionally, self-sacrificially, actively, volitionally, and thoughtfully love God, who I cannot see, and deny my brother, whom I can see, the same love. Does it mean we love others the same way we love God? No, of course not. Jesus made the clear distinction when He said, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength ... Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." In other words, we're to love one another with the highest and purest form of love that can be offered to another human being. It is not a suggestion; it is a divine command.
But what does loving like that mean? A long time ago I read the profound statement, "Loving someone is wanting what is best for that person, even if that best does not include you." That's hard for most of us to accept because our human nature is more selfish in its approach. Can we truly want what is best for someone else if it means watching on the sidelines as they pursue or achieve that best? Sure we can. We would do well to remember Jesus' words, "This is my commandment, that ye love one another, even as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:12, 13). At the heart of that command is self-sacrifice, one of the attributes of agape love. If we desire the best for ourselves, we should desire no less for our brother, even if that best has nothing to do with us.
As we close our look on this theme, I'm struck by Jesus' next statement - so profound in meaning, yet one we could easily overlook; "Ye are my friends, if ye do the things which I command you" (v.14). Friends, IF ...
Are you a friend of God? As you ponder the question, bear in mind who defines the terms for the friendship. He does.
In 1 John 4:20 we read, "If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, cannot love God whom he hath not seen." If you're like me, your mind rebels, "But I don't hate him/her, I really don't!", however through God working on me as I read the Word, I came to realize that the word translated "hate" also means "to detest; to love less". That last part got my attention because what it implied was, paraphrasing John, if I love (agape) God, and love (agape) my brother less, I'm a liar because I cannot unconditionally, self-sacrificially, actively, volitionally, and thoughtfully love God, who I cannot see, and deny my brother, whom I can see, the same love. Does it mean we love others the same way we love God? No, of course not. Jesus made the clear distinction when He said, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength ... Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." In other words, we're to love one another with the highest and purest form of love that can be offered to another human being. It is not a suggestion; it is a divine command.
But what does loving like that mean? A long time ago I read the profound statement, "Loving someone is wanting what is best for that person, even if that best does not include you." That's hard for most of us to accept because our human nature is more selfish in its approach. Can we truly want what is best for someone else if it means watching on the sidelines as they pursue or achieve that best? Sure we can. We would do well to remember Jesus' words, "This is my commandment, that ye love one another, even as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:12, 13). At the heart of that command is self-sacrifice, one of the attributes of agape love. If we desire the best for ourselves, we should desire no less for our brother, even if that best has nothing to do with us.
As we close our look on this theme, I'm struck by Jesus' next statement - so profound in meaning, yet one we could easily overlook; "Ye are my friends, if ye do the things which I command you" (v.14). Friends, IF ...
Are you a friend of God? As you ponder the question, bear in mind who defines the terms for the friendship. He does.
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