Making Things Right

During my formative years attending Sunday School, I liked the biblical character Zacchaeus (Luke 19). Here was a short, rich publican, a sinner, who had to climb up into a sycamore tree to see Jesus as He passed through his town. I do not know what exactly provoked his curiosity; maybe it was just the chance to be above the crowd to see this man who had created quite the stir. Regardless of the reason, Zacchaeus did not realize that his encounter with the Son of God would change his life from that day forward. Isn't that just like Jesus? Any genuine encounter with Him and a person cannot remain the same.

On this particular day as Zacchaeus perched in the tree, Luke tells us that Jesus, having arrived at the place, looked up and said unto him, "Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for today I must abide at thy house. And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully" (vv. 5-6, KJV). What intrigued me is what followed: "Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken anything from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold" (V.8). That latter half of the verse speaks to restitution - the act of restoring to a previous state. It is a tragedy of our times that the Church has lost this practice. It is not unusual for brethren to hurt or offend each other, sometimes unknowingly, but the ball and chain tied to our feet and retarding our spiritual progress is our inability to go and make things right with a brother or sister.

It is instructive that Jesus coupled restitution and reconciliation as a crucial part of genuine worship: "Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift" (Matthew 5:22, 23). Maybe somewhere within, Zacchaeus knew that there was no way he could have meaningful fellowship with Christ without first making things right with his fellow men.

There is something in that for all of us. Is there someone you need to make things right with? Sure there may be many reasons why you may not want to do it, but bear in mind that it is your relationship with the Lord that is at stake. Interestingly, Jesus did not say the person had to offend us, but rather if we remembered that he or she have something against us. In other words, the onus is on you and me to make the first move. That can be very difficult but we do not get a vote. Our Lord and Saviour set down the standard. May God give us the grace to step out in faith, and reach out to that someone, so we can be free to worship in spirit, and just as importantly, in truth. According to Jesus, the Father seeketh such to worship Him (John 4:23).

Never Out of His Sight

In healthy attachment relationships between a child and a caregiver, the caregiver watches over the child, providing for, helping, directing, setting appropriate limits when necessary, and providing comfort and empathy when the child is upset. As children get older and assume more independence, some parents and caregivers still hover. Not in extremes that stifle positive growth and development, but with prudent care for their children's overall well-being.

These thoughts came to mind as I reflected on the words of the Psalmist, "Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee" (Psalm 139:7-12, KJV). In other words, there is nowhere that I can go that you cannot see me; that your eyes are not hovering over me. For some, this is a frightening thought! Does it mean that God sees us when we are not at our best? When we are making decisions that are inconsistent with His will? When our defeats are more than our victories, and our valley experiences surpass our mountaintop moments? Yes, He sees it all.

However, God's intent is not that of an intimidating authoritarian father; one who is ready to punish our every misstep or force His way upon us. Instead, He watches over us, more times than not soliciting our cooperation to accomplish His will and purposes in and for our lives. As the Ultimate Parent, His heart is grieved at some of our choices. The times we insist on having our own way, He stands ready to pick up the pieces when we hit the proverbial brick-wall He is there to walk with us through life's challenging moments. We have no need to fear because His presence, along with His rod and staff, provide much needed comfort.

 Above all else, His abiding presence enables us to bask in continued fellowship with Him. No matter where we are, we can talk to, relate with, meditate on, call upon, praise, worship, and glorify Him. I am never out of His sight, I am never out of His care. Neither are you. I would not want it any other way. Would you?

The God of All Comfort

There are very few of us that have not been hit with at least one of life's tragedies. Whether the loss of something or someone we hold dear, or dealing with an event we never expected to happen, it is the kind of thing that leaves us scrambling for answers. Deep within we feel inexplicable pain and would welcome a shoulder to lean on, and if necessary, to cry on.

The writer of the book of Hebrews reminds us of one of the many attributes of Christ. He writes, "For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities..." (4:15, KJV), and it is a great source of comfort to know that regardless of what we are going through, our Lord and Saviour can and do fully identify with our feelings. In Biblical Greek the word translated "infirmities" actually means "feebleness of body or mind", and therefore it is not just our physical infirmities that touches Him, but also the mental, emotional, and psychological things we have to deal with.

The good news is not just that He can identify with our feelings, but that He is also able to provide comfort (relief) from those stresses. Paul writes to the Corinthians, "Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; who comforteth us in all our tribulation" (2 Cor. 1:3-4a). Note the word "all"; it means the ability to comfort is not limited to any specific set of circumstances but transcends all circumstances. Again, the word translated "tribulation" actually means, among other things, "pressure, trouble". The God of all comfort is able to comfort us in all our troubles, in all the situations that pressure our bodies and minds.

It is no wonder that we are encouraged to cast our cares / burdens upon Him; we are assured that He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7). I believe that caring extends to every area of our lives, and so during the times when we need Him most, He is always there with open arms of comfort. Even when it doesn't seem like it, He is there. As we face and deal with our individual circumstances, may we find peace of mind and heart in that care, and relief from life's stresses when we find ourselves in our valleys of life's experiences.

Addition by Subtraction

We know the story well. Five thousand men, beside women and children, all hungry and seated on the grass. There were no shops anywhere in the desert place and even if there were, there was not enough money to feed such a multitude (John 6:7). All they had by way of food was the lunch of a little boy - five loaves and two fishes, but as the disciple Andrew pointed out, "What are they among so many?" (v. 9, KJV). They looked at the food, looked at the crowd, and then all eyes turned to Jesus.

John tells us, "And Jesus took the loaves; and when He had given thanks, He distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would" (v. 11). If we read that verse too quickly, we will miss some important truths. First, Jesus took into His hands that which was not enough. Second, He gave thanks. Third, He distributed to the disciples who would serve the crowd. Though the narrative does not provide any details of their reaction, I believe the disciples were awed by this miracle of addition by subtraction. With every piece of bread that was broken and every piece of fish that was served, there was more to replace them.

As I reflected on Jesus' actions in this story, I thought about our inability to experience this kind of miracle in our lives, especially in our finances. For some of us, when we look at our monthly commitments compared to our salary, Andrew's question comes readily to mind. It just isn't enough. However, look at what Jesus did with what was not enough. Before He distributed it to the disciples, He gave thanks. The more I reflected, It occurred to me that in our technological age when our salaries are directly deposited into accounts, we no longer receive physical pay stubs, and we do our payments electronically, it is easy to ignore this important principle. Instead, we try to juggle what we have against our obligations and for most of us, what we have is never enough.

It could very well be that our miracle of addition by subtraction will only be realized when we begin to follow Jesus' lead. Next pay day, get up early, mentally take your pay in your hand and give thanks. There really is nothing too hard for the LORD. He can cause what is not enough to do more than is needed with some left over. We give Him the little, He gives us the overflow. Matthew concludes the narrative, "And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full" (14:20). See, He did it before and He can do it again. He is just that kind of God.

No Other Day Like Today

When we woke up this morning, for most of us in the familiarity of our homes, doing the same chores, doing the same commute, basically following the same routine, it is easy to lose sight of an important fact - today is a day like none other. In today's case it is Friday but it is not a Friday we have seen before nor will we ever see it again. Every twenty-four hours God graciously gives us a clean “sheet of paper” on which to write, and it is up to us what and how we choose to write. For sure, on some days there will different aggravations and temptations but in the final analysis, we alone determine our responses to the situations we face.

Reaching for that first cup of hot beverage, listening to the news, checking our email, making that first phone call, or whatever else we do, all have their place. However, the greatest way to start any day is with the right attitude. In Psalm 118:24 David wrote, "This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it." From the moment we shake ourselves from our slumber and realize that we have been blessed to see another day, clothed in our right minds, there should be an attitude of praise and thanksgiving. When we stop and consider that many who went to bed last night did not make it through the night, we realize just how gracious God has been to us. We did not wake up because of anything we did or because we are that special, but all because of His mercy. The prophet Jeremiah declared, "It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness" (3:22-23, KJV).

As you go about your business today, it is my prayer that amidst the hustle and bustle of your day there will be a quiet place within from which will flow a steady stream of praise. The heart that is full of praise will not be easily distracted by much else. The added bonus is that the peace of God will stand guard over our hearts and minds thus making it a bit easier to deal with challenging situations (Phil. 4:6-7).

Today is the day which the LORD hath made; rejoice and be glad in it. If you are able to do that then at the end of the day, God willing, you will be pleasantly surprised at what you were able to "write" on the "sheet of paper" called “today”. Why not give it a try?