Our legal system, and by extension our society, is built upon a system of justice; the notion that persons who are accused of violating certain standards of pre-defined acceptable behavior should face a jury of their peers to determine guilt or innocence, and where appropriate, to be sentenced to a suitable form of punishment as prescribed in law. The system isn't perfect, but for the most part it works.
I thought of this as I read the Psalmist's "The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever. He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us" (103:8-12, KJV). If God were to demand justice of transgressors the way society does, none would be found innocent. Just in case any one of us think differently about it, not only does Paul reminds us that we "all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23), but that having been found guilty, the sentence of death follows - "For the wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23a). Under our legal system, each individual has to bear the consequences of his own actions; no substitutions are allowed. But thank God, He doesn't treat us that way, but sent His only begotten Son, and "made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him" (2 Corinthians 5:21).
Being made the righteousness of God in Christ means we do not have a "criminal record" associated with our name. Through His grace and mercy, God takes our confessed sins and as far as the east is from the west, that far He has removed them from us. From my limited perspective, that distance is immeasurable!
We have a lot to be thankful for, and a great place to start is to thank our Heavenly Father for His unfathomable and unfailing love. When was the last time you did that?
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Living In The Moment
To live in the moment is very easy to do. Things are constantly changing, and with so many things demanding our time and attention, it seems there is always something immediate to think or worry about. My favorite analogy is that it is like trying to fill twelve holes with ten fingers. Most people who have tried it would agree it can be very stressful. Medical science tells us that stress is harmful to our overall well-being. Among it's symptoms are headache, back ache and neck pain, depletion of energy, aggravation of peptic ulcers, and memory disturbances, to name a few. Definitely, not good.
The reality is that we do have to live in the moment, but the degree to which we allow things to impact us is what we can control. One way to do this when we're challenged by the events of the moment is to look at the big picture. This was the principle Jesus applied when he told the disciples: "Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?" (Matthew 6:25-26, KJV). I would suggest that such an approach can be applied to any area of our lives. No matter what we are faced with, it fades into insignificance in the light of God's inexhaustible provision.
Despite knowing that fact, most of us however are like Peter. When Jesus challenged him, in the middle of a storm on the Sea of Galilee, to step out of the boat, Matthew tells us: "Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, 'Lord, save me!'" (14:30). He was overwhelmed by the moment, but "Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. 'You of little faith,' he said, 'why did you doubt?'" (v.31).
It takes faith to live in the moment, because to survive the moments we have to keep our eyes on the big picture. Just because we are confused doesn't mean God doesn't know what to do. Faith; in your challenging moments, how much of it do you use? How much of the big picture do you see?
The reality is that we do have to live in the moment, but the degree to which we allow things to impact us is what we can control. One way to do this when we're challenged by the events of the moment is to look at the big picture. This was the principle Jesus applied when he told the disciples: "Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?" (Matthew 6:25-26, KJV). I would suggest that such an approach can be applied to any area of our lives. No matter what we are faced with, it fades into insignificance in the light of God's inexhaustible provision.
Despite knowing that fact, most of us however are like Peter. When Jesus challenged him, in the middle of a storm on the Sea of Galilee, to step out of the boat, Matthew tells us: "Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, 'Lord, save me!'" (14:30). He was overwhelmed by the moment, but "Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. 'You of little faith,' he said, 'why did you doubt?'" (v.31).
It takes faith to live in the moment, because to survive the moments we have to keep our eyes on the big picture. Just because we are confused doesn't mean God doesn't know what to do. Faith; in your challenging moments, how much of it do you use? How much of the big picture do you see?
Saturday, August 09, 2008
Beating The Odds Every Time
The mid-week jackpot in one of Canada 's lotteries was a whopping $46 million. Reports indicate ticket sales totaled $27.79 million, and according to those in the know, the odds of winning the jackpot in this lottery, regardless of the amount, were one in 14 million. Yet that didn't stop people from putting down $2 for a single ticket for that one chance. After all, without a ticket, one doesn't have a chance. The next morning, according to the headlines, of all the thousands of tickets sold, two lucky ones had beaten the odds.
As I pondered the news story and thought how incredibly difficult it was to beat those odds, it occurred to me that in the believers walk with God there are no odds that we have to deal with. His Word offers nothing but guarantees, all backed up by His steadfastness. In Numbers 23:19 we read, "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?", and in Joshua 23:14b, "...not one thing hath failed of all the good things which the LORD your God spake concerning you; all are come to pass unto you, and not one thing hath failed thereof." The Psalmist reminds us, "The LORD is faithful to all his promises and loving toward all he has made" (145:13, NIV), and from the writer to the Hebrews, "...he who promised is faithful" (10:23).
Thanks be to God we do not have to wait for the odds to be in our favor to lay hold of His promises. He will do whatever He said He would do, and for those who come to Him in faith, those promises are 100% guaranteed, "For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ" (2 Corinthians 1:20, NIV). Someone may or may not win the lottery jackpot, but in Christ Jesus we win every time.
In 1899, Leila N. Morris got a hold of this truth and penned the words:
"'Tis true, O yes, 'tis true / God's wonderful promise is true;
For I've trusted, and tested, and tried it / And I know God's promise is true."
What has been your experience? Can you testify to the fact that those words are true? Why not go out this week and tell somebody about the faithfulness of God?
As I pondered the news story and thought how incredibly difficult it was to beat those odds, it occurred to me that in the believers walk with God there are no odds that we have to deal with. His Word offers nothing but guarantees, all backed up by His steadfastness. In Numbers 23:19 we read, "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?", and in Joshua 23:14b, "...not one thing hath failed of all the good things which the LORD your God spake concerning you; all are come to pass unto you, and not one thing hath failed thereof." The Psalmist reminds us, "The LORD is faithful to all his promises and loving toward all he has made" (145:13, NIV), and from the writer to the Hebrews, "...he who promised is faithful" (10:23).
Thanks be to God we do not have to wait for the odds to be in our favor to lay hold of His promises. He will do whatever He said He would do, and for those who come to Him in faith, those promises are 100% guaranteed, "For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ" (2 Corinthians 1:20, NIV). Someone may or may not win the lottery jackpot, but in Christ Jesus we win every time.
In 1899, Leila N. Morris got a hold of this truth and penned the words:
"'Tis true, O yes, 'tis true / God's wonderful promise is true;
For I've trusted, and tested, and tried it / And I know God's promise is true."
What has been your experience? Can you testify to the fact that those words are true? Why not go out this week and tell somebody about the faithfulness of God?
Their Word & God’s Word: Do They Line Up?
It seems everywhere we turn these days, some individual or organization is disseminating information. We don't have to look too far to find the latest on how to dress, how to live, where to eat, where to go, and what to do. On the screen and in print, we get 'advice' on relationship, parental, familial, and marital issues. Our senses are so inundated with information that we risk becoming desensitized to what is truth and what is propaganda. The voices we hear, and the opinions we read, have become to a large degree, the source of authority. This is where believers have to be careful.
Not much of what we hear, or read, takes God's perspective in mind. Ours is a secular society, and with that comes the humanist effort; the promotion of, and the reliance on, self. Biblical advice and instructions are ridiculed, and instead of ordering our lives and dealing with situations based on His principles, many find themselves embracing principles and concepts, touted by popular "experts", that run contrary to those of Christ.
In his letter to the Colossians, Paul wrote: "Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ" (2:8, KJV). Those words written almost 2,000 years ago are very appropriate for our times. As children of God we need to take a step back and assess the things coming at us. Before embracing something as truth, and before incorporating it into our lives, we need to see how it measures up against the Word of God. It doesn't matter if we saw it on so-and-so's talk show, or heard it from popular psychologist and expert on all things, Dr. John Doe. If it conflicts with the Word of God, it is misinformation and should be rejected.
Our standard is not the latest fad promoted as being cool or even familiar ones that have become a part of our culture. There are some very good information available that can help us in different ways, but we have to examine them carefully. And let's not forget the greatest source of information available, God's Word. In it He has "given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue" (2 Peter 1:3). As you look for the right ways to deal with your situations, have you consulted it lately?
Not much of what we hear, or read, takes God's perspective in mind. Ours is a secular society, and with that comes the humanist effort; the promotion of, and the reliance on, self. Biblical advice and instructions are ridiculed, and instead of ordering our lives and dealing with situations based on His principles, many find themselves embracing principles and concepts, touted by popular "experts", that run contrary to those of Christ.
In his letter to the Colossians, Paul wrote: "Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ" (2:8, KJV). Those words written almost 2,000 years ago are very appropriate for our times. As children of God we need to take a step back and assess the things coming at us. Before embracing something as truth, and before incorporating it into our lives, we need to see how it measures up against the Word of God. It doesn't matter if we saw it on so-and-so's talk show, or heard it from popular psychologist and expert on all things, Dr. John Doe. If it conflicts with the Word of God, it is misinformation and should be rejected.
Our standard is not the latest fad promoted as being cool or even familiar ones that have become a part of our culture. There are some very good information available that can help us in different ways, but we have to examine them carefully. And let's not forget the greatest source of information available, God's Word. In it He has "given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue" (2 Peter 1:3). As you look for the right ways to deal with your situations, have you consulted it lately?
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