"Remember Ye Not the Former Things"

As we stand on the threshold of another new year, some look back wistfully at the past year. Most of us would probably say the year has been one of mixed blessings; some successes interlaced with some failures. For others, it was a year of "what might have been." There are things we wished we had done differently, things we probably regretted saying and doing. Regardless of where we direct our thoughts, one thing is clear - we cannot go back in time and change anything that was or was not done.

In his reflection on time, American poet and educator Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882) wrote, “Look not mournfully into the past. It comes not back again. Wisely improve the present. It is thine. Go forth to meet the shadowy future, without fear." However, centuries before, words to the same effect were spoken by the prophet Isaiah to the nation of Israel, "Thus saith the LORD . . . Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert" (Isaiah 43:16a, 18-19, KJV). There is something about focusing on the past that can often leave us in a position of complacency, and some of us can attest to that. We can become thoroughly satisfied with our successes, or mentally and emotionally crippled by our failures. We can spend so much time looking backward that we fail to move forward timely and effectively. There is a reason the rearview mirrors in cars are so small relative to the windshield. We glance back every now and again but we look in front. There are important lessons we can learn from our experiences and we should learn them, but let us not build tents around those experiences.

What are some of the things God wants us to forget? Our past losses, sorrows and sufferings; associations and traditions that hindered His working in our lives; the focus on self; past accomplishments and achievements that would distract us from offering glory to Him; and our failures, to name a few. As we begin the new year, God stands poised yet again to do new things that shall spring forth. If 2011 has been a year of failure and broken dreams, 2012 can be the opposite; if it was successful, there are more victories to be celebrated. We serve an awesome God to whom nothing is impossible (Jeremiah 32:26-27; Matthew 19:26).

Let us take God at His Word. Forgetting the former things and looking forward to the “new thing” He will be doing in our heart and lives. It is my prayer that He surprises us in ways far beyond anything we could ever ask or think (Ephesians 3:20), and I pray that especially for you and yours for this New Year. He is faithful that promised (Hebrews 10:23).

Reflections on Joseph at Christmas

His part in the "Christmas story" seems rather insignificant. After all, he was not even the baby's father, just the betrothed husband of Mary, divinely chosen to be the mother of Jesus. According to Matthew's narrative, "Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost" (Matthew 1:18, KJV). Joseph, who had not been sexually intimate with Mary, must have been stunned to find out his bride-to-be was pregnant. In the Jewish culture of the day, a violation of betrothal was considered adultery and breaking a betrothal required a formal divorce. It is no wonder that he "being a just and upright man and not willing to expose [Mary] publicly and to shame and disgrace her, decided to repudiate and dismiss (divorce) her quietly and secretly" (v. 19, The Amplified). Who could blame him? She could not hide the pregnancy. Soon everyone would know he had left her because of her perceived unfaithfulness.

"But as he was thinking this over, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, Joseph, descendant of David, do not be afraid to take Mary [as] your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of (from, out of) the Holy Spirit. . . . Then Joseph, being aroused from his sleep, did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him: he took [her to his side as] his wife. But he had no union with her as her husband until she had borne her firstborn Son; and he called His name Jesus" (vv. 20, 24-25). In one sense, this seemed like the perfect ending but it really was not. The gossip around the birth of Jesus continued for years as some of his hearers taunted him, "We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God" (see John 8:37-41, KJV). There were two major implications – Jesus was the product of fornication and they did not know who His father was. Traditionally, some suggested His father was a Roman soldier with whom Mary had an affair. Joseph had to live with the gossip and scandal as well. To those on the outside, he had married an adulteress.

We do not hear anything much of Joseph after the birth of Jesus. Yet isn't it amazing how his life and world were turned "upside down"? However, it was all part of a bigger plan; a divinely orchestrated plan by a God who steps into time and intervenes to accomplish His purposes. He found Himself a virgin who was a willing servant (Luke 1:26-38), and a just and upright man who would remain faithful despite the personal cost.

As we celebrate Christmas, and more importantly, the reason for the season, let us remember that the God who orchestrated events around the birth of Christ is the same God we serve today. Should He desire to order events in our lives and turn our worlds upside down to accomplish His purpose, would He find us willing? Just? Upright? That kind of surrender comes with a cost; just ask Joseph. Even so, I cannot think of a better place to be than in the nucleus of God’s will. Can you?

 From my house to yours, a safe and blessed Christmas.

What Is On God's Mind?

With just over a week before Christmas, the shopping malls are a buzz of activity. Retailers are trying hard to separate shoppers from their hard-earned dollars, and astute shoppers are mall hopping in search of the best deals. In some places the strains of Christmas carols seem to be everywhere, much to the delight of those who love this time of year and to the chagrin of those who are thinking "enough already!" Some people bemoan the commercialization of Christmas, and with good reason. For the most part, it seems many people have forgotten what it is all about.

Christians, generally speaking, are not immune from being caught up in the pre-Christmas hustle and bustle. Yet as we go about shopping for gifts for the people in our lives we hold dear, and making plans for family dinners and get-togethers, I find myself wondering, "What would be on God's mind?" In Matthew 25, after a series of parables, we read of Jesus telling His disciples about the separation of nations as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats; the sheep on the right and the goats on the left (vv. 31-33). The narrative continues, "Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me" (vv. 34-40, KJV).

I believe what is on God's mind is that as we prepare for Christmas, let us take some time to remember those who are less fortunate. Maybe we can buy an extra gift to donate to a toy drive, donate some food to our local food banks, or reach out to someone or a family in need. It will not ruin your Christmas. I guarantee you, it will make you feel a lot better to know you have made a difference in at least one person's life.

"Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." Our challenge is to go out there and do it.

“Render to God the Things That are God’s”

It was yet another trap and the synoptic writers said as much. The scribes and chief priests had sent certain of the Pharisees and some followers of Herod to try and bait Jesus, "hoping to catch Him saying something incriminating" (Mark 12:13, The Message). Mark continues, "And when they were come, they say unto Him, Master, we know that thou art true, and carest for no man: for thou regardest not the person of men, but teachest the way of God in truth: Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not? Shall we give, or shall we not give? But He, knowing their hypocrisy, said unto them, Why tempt ye me? bring me a penny, that I may see it. And they brought it. And He saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? And they said unto him, Caesar's. And Jesus answering said unto them, Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's. And they marvelled at Him" (vv. 14-17, KJV).

The groups of men working in collusion to trap Jesus had their own differences and were not always amiable towards each other. However, they were united in a common cause. Wise in their own eyes, the question asked of Jesus was a political hand grenade for if Jesus answered "yes", He would be branded a friend of the Romans, and if He answered "no", He would be branded a traitor. Of course, Jesus saw through their hypocrisy and gave them an answer that was so profound, they "marvelled at Him". Because Caesar's image was etched on the coin, it was due to Caesar. Or as Matthew Henry observes, "The circulation of the money is from him as the fountain, and therefore it must return to him." Interestingly, Jesus did not stop there for while rendering to the emperor what belonged to the emperor, they were to render to God what belonged to God. What does that mean? What was Jesus getting at?

The clear implication in Jesus' statement is that in the same way that the coin, imprinted with Caesar's image, was ultimately his and so was due to him at tax time, so we who are engraved with the image of God ultimately belong to Him. The Bible is clear that we are created in the image or likeness of God (Gen. 1:26). The created belongs to the Creator, and so in the same way that we give to the various levels of governments their due, so we must be diligent to give to God His due. Ourselves and all the gifts and talents we possess. Like the hymn writer Francis R. Havergal, our prayer should always be, "Take my life and let it be / Consecrated, Lord, to Thee / Take my moments and my days / Let them flow in endless praise". A life of endless praise is the "perfect" offering we can offer to the One to whom we belong.

"Render to Ceasar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." How are you doing in that regard?

Getting It Done

In the first verse of the first chapter of the book of Ezra, we find an interesting if somewhat innocuous statement. Ezra, telling the story of the return of the Judean exiles from Babylon, writes, "Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia" (1:1a, KJV). For our purposes, it is sufficient to note that Cyrus II was the king under whom the captivity of the Jews ended. During the first year of his reign, he was prompted by God to make a decree that the temple in Jerusalem should be rebuilt and that those Jews who wanted to return to their land could do so. In addition, he sent back the sacred vessels that had been taken from the First Temple and quite a bit of money to buy building materials.

Nearly 150 years before King Cyrus was born, God declared to the prophet Isaiah that He would raise up this king to rebuild His city. Interestingly, at the time of Isaiah, Jerusalem was prospering and would not be destroyed for another 100 years by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. In Isaiah 44 we read, "Thus saith the LORD . . . that saith of Cyrus, he is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid" (vv. 24a, 28). Cyrus himself would proclaim and had put in writing, "The LORD God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and He hath charged me to build Him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all his people? his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of the LORD God of Israel, (He is the God,) which is in Jerusalem" (Ezra 1:2-3; 2 Chron. 36:22-23).

But what is so important about the portion of the verse quoted in the first paragraph above? In it we see the faithfulness of God in ensuring the fulfillment of His word. The verse tells us that over 150 years AFTER He first said it, "that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia." Jeremiah had prophesied that the Jews would be in Babylonian captivity for 70 years (Jeremiah 25:11), and this was exactly how long they were there. The application for us should be self-evident. Whatever God promises, He can cause to happen. Sometimes it is easy to see our success as linked to those in authority – a manager, supervisor, pastor, to name a few – and we sometimes try to gain their favour. Yet, we are reminded that "the king's heart is in the hand of the LORD; He directs it like a watercourse wherever He pleases" (Proverbs 21:1). Even if those in charge do not like us, the child of God can rest assured that at the time of His choosing He can stir up the spirit of our adversaries to do for us what He wants done. Our lives are in His hands; He alone has the final word.

What has He promised you? Does it seem like a very long time ago? Not to worry. He will do whatever is necessary to bring it to pass.