Salvation

Saved from what?

How important is it, I wonder, for us to realize our own sinfulness? 1 John 1:9 comes to mind.

• 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness

When I'm typing up these thoughts I'm using a standard computer, with a screen, mouse, and keyboard. In order to begin typing I have to see where my cursor is. Without the cursor, I have no common beginning point with the computer. As I hit keys on the keyboard, the computer will interpret these key strokes based on where the cursor is. This is a simple illustration of where we're at with God. Acknowledging our sin is the beginning point of faith. Faith is living according to the word of God rather than according to our own  understanding. Our understanding can be from our minds, our emotions, or cravings. In order to live according to faith, we also need to realize we become new creations when we accept Christ, through faith.

• Ephesians 1:13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

This is the beginning of the path called the walk of faith. You heard the word of truth, and believed. That's your part. God's part is bringing the good news of the gospel to you, and when you respond by hearing and believing God continues the conversation by giving us the promised Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit becomes resident within us from this point. The guarantee is through the process of sanctification, where the Holy Spirit leads us into truth, the truth of God's word. Our response of obedience, yields the fruit of the spirit.

Phew! God Bless you today. If you have any questions, please submit them via comments, and then everyone will benefit from the question and the answer!

Faith

I'm thankful this morning for so many things. One that's brought me to my blog is my job. I was in a pastor's office when he helped me to see that the way out of my current dilemma was to pay attention to the need at hand. I had a wife, and two children, and no job to support us. That was about 20½ years ago. I sat down, and figured out how much money I needed to support them, broke it down to an hourly wage, and began looking for a job that paid at least that much. I applied for a position as a bus driver, based on the wage. It turned out I had an aptitude for the job as well, which came to light as I went through the hiring process.

At the time my idea of how I would fulfill the calling on my life was dramatically different than what it is now. And the idea of getting a job like bus driving seemed to be far from what God would have in mind for me. I thought I was headed for being a pastor of a church quite frankly. And yet at the same time I thought God's will for my life would be foreign, strange, and unexpected. I didn't realize that God's will for my life would be as simple as the bible says. Let's start with that verse about whatsoever your hand findeth to do, do with all your might.

• Ecclesiastes 9:9 Enjoy life with the wife whom you love, all the days of your vain life that he has given you under the sun, because that is your portion in life and in your toil at which you toil under the sun. 10 Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might, for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going. 11 Again I saw that under the sun the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favor to those with knowledge, but time and chance happen to them all. (ESV)

Wow! There's lots more there on this topic than I realized, God's so good! I often find if I go an look up a scripture that's only partially come to mind, that God has something more for me there than I initially realize! I think the "wife" here is figurative as well as literal. One's wife is what one is devoting one's self to. If you're unable to put your spouse first, don't have a spouse. And realize this from the start. But if you have a wife, devote yourself to her, meaning she has a high place in the day to day priorities of life, the first priority. Second only to God himself. Salomon's labeling of our lives as "vain" is intriguing! There is no work or toil in the grave . . . and then finally he lists the six basic pursuits, swift, strong, wise, riches, intelligence, or knowledge. And then notes that "time and chance" happen to them all. Those pursuits may be for happiness, or security, or for peace . . . I think the list refers back to the wife reference. Its a famous expression amoung the youth I've spoken to, "I'm not going to end up like..." and they have some person (usually their parents) whom they're not going to end up like. They have come up with the opposite of role model. They know what they DO NOT want to end up like. I call this living life according to a negative rather than a positive.

So to really boil it down to a simple statement, how 'bout "Apply yourself with your whole heart to the demands of the moment". What we perceive as a "demand" comes from within. And a demand can only come from who is in charge. What scares you the most, what causes you to stop whatever you are doing and listen, and obey. Its like you're walking along through the woods, looking for food cuz you're starving. . . when suddenly! a rifle shot, a bullet whizzing hissing hits the tree beside you and showers your face with splinters! You dive for the ground, no longer thinking of hunger! That's a demand! With that another couple of verses spring to mind, Matthew 6:33-34, and Proverbs 1:7

• Mt 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 34 "Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. (ESV)
• Pr 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction. (ESV)

Jesus is the one speaking in Matthew 6 here. Its part of the "Sermon On The Mount."

God is the only one you need ever fear, all else is secondary. "His Kingdom" is one which acknowledges him as supreme. And HE IS supreme. To "seek" that is to acknowledge it, and to interpret all that happens in the light of that ultimate truth,

• Romans 1:²¹ For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.

And there in vs 34 of Matthew 6 we see "the moment" don't worry about tomorrow, take care of today. Looking at "His Kingdom" would simply be defined as what? Let's go to Websters on-line and see what they have to say, I looked up "kingdom"

• "a politically organized community or major territorial unit having a monarchical form of government headed by a king or queen"

HIS kingdom would give us the mono- of monarch. Sole authority. Very foreign to us democracy types. We've steered away from having one person in charge. For what? To get away from corruption and abuse? Really? Yet God's word says that HE is in charge, it IS his kingdom! He's on the throne! Regardless of whatever else gives us cause to fear, our primary concern is God's opinion on matters at hand. The story of Robin Hood comes to mind. His allegiance is to the King Richard, and his rebellion against Prince John is due to Prince John's rebellion against King Richard. Note that Robin Hood cares for the needs of the helpless go read Matthew 25:31-46 for a tangent I'll resist for now! Robin Hood doesn't willingly martyr himself, who would care for the needy?


His Righteousness? Well if the one in charge has such a thing, we'd better make sure we know what that is! There is a differentiation being made here between His Righteousness and any other kind of righteousness, but first of all Jesus is telling us that we need it! There are two basic pursuits above all others. His Kingdom and His Righteousness. And the promise is that "all these things" will be added as well. That's a reference to all the things Jesus has just spoken about in the previous verses of Matthew chapter six.


So, what is His Righteousness?

• Matthew 22:36 "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?" 37 And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets."

I'll give you a clue, Jesus is "His Righteousness" through him we have forgiveness... that's where we all need to start. And that forgiveness comes through us acknowledging we have not lived according to the rule of God's authority - the term we know so well - sin.

• Romans 14:23 ". . . and everything that does not come from faith is sin."

Jesus is talking about living by faith. Faith begins, continues, and ends with those two things, "His Kingdom" and "His Righteousness".

May God hold your feet to your own flames

• Isaiah 50:4 The Sovereign LORD has given me an instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught. 5 The Sovereign LORD has opened my ears, and I have not been rebellious; I have not drawn back. 6 I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting. 7 Because the Sovereign LORD helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore have I set my face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame. 8 He who vindicates me is near. Who then will bring charges against me? Let us face each other! Who is my accuser? Let him confront me! 9 It is the Sovereign LORD who helps me. Who is he that will condemn me? They will all wear out like a garment; the moths will eat them up. 10 Who among you fears the LORD and obeys the word of his servant? Let him who walks in the dark, who has no light, trust in the name of the LORD and rely on his God. 11 But now, all you who light fires and provide yourselves with flaming torches, go, walk in the light of your fires and of the torches you have set ablaze. This is what you shall receive from my hand: You will lie down in torment.

•  Isaiah 50:11 ...set your fires, stir people up, blow on the flames, But don't expect me to just stand there and watch. I'll hold your feet to those flames. (The Message)

Quite often, if not always, my attempts to stir up trouble for others has backfired, and I end up being the one burnt!
And quite often, I pray it be more often, how often I am comforted while comforting others! My calling and passion is described there in verse 4,

• The Sovereign LORD has given me an instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught.

Our brothers lay at our feet as though dead

• "Perhaps no violence would be done this book [Revelation] or any other book in the Bible, if we did not know definitely the identity of the penmen. But we do know from John's own witness that he saw and heard the things which he wrote (Rev 22:8).He lived during the reign of Domitian, under whose firm rule the Christians were severely persecuted. He identifies himself with other of the suffering saints as their "brother and companion in tribulation" (Rev 1:9). He himself was sent in chains as a prisoner to the small and dreary island called Patmos, about twenty-five miles off the coast of Asian Minor, in the Aegean Sea. It was while he was there that God turned his bondage into a blessing. The Patmos of persecution became to John the open door for service. the chains of pagan Rome bound his body but they could not bind  his soul. Shut off from the rest of the world, he entered into a communion with his Lord he had never known before." (Lehman Strauss, Commentary on The Book of the Revelation, 1964)

 John's reaction to Christ's appearing to him there,

• Revelation 1:¹⁷ When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, "Fear not, I am the first and the last, ¹⁸ and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.

This is the same John who spent three years with Jesus. John wrote five books of the New Testament. And his reaction to our risen Lord was utter humility. I know that Jesus is our friend, our companion, and intercessor before the father - standing before the Father on our behalf. But I must also take care to know also that he is this fearsome figure brought to us through the penmanship of John, son of Zebedee. There's something good, and emptying in  knowing this about Christ Jesus our Lord. Pride is something that comes and goes from my pallet like every other sin, but its the least likely to be immediately detected, and it's the most embarrassing one. We always see it in others, and others always see it in us.


What should my attitude be toward the one's that cross my path day to day? I am to be Christ to them. Is this the Christ they'll see? The one that causes them to fall down as though dead? 

• ^{Revelation 1:9} I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.
  

That's more like it! May I bring the compassion of Jesus that reaches down to the one humbled by their circumstances and says, "Jesus is greater than OUR struggles, lets spend time together and talk it over"


Oh, God, my God, my lord and Father. Empower my life to serve you fearlessly, yet reverently continue to know the perspective of who I'm in the presence of! May I never lose sight of your sovereign majesty! May I never again take my seniority in the faith as an excuse to treat those yet to come in, or recently entered like crap! May I never be a cause for fear and loathing. Its so easy to get caught up, Lord, in the struggle to keep my own life afloat, while clutching all that is mine in mindless fear, thrashing at those around me like a madman telling them to back off what's mine! So many of my choices have led to a man such as me. I'm in debt, and that means my money is already spoken for. My time is not my own. I can't lend myself to your work, without it directly impacting my master the money lender. Heal me here Lord! I'm feeling so fat, so overweight and out of shape. I don't want to die just yet! I want to live on to bless you, and bless your people. I want this life I've led to not end up being in vane. I long to bless others, and give them a shoulder to lean on in their times of suffering. Heal me in this way, also, Lord. Let my next 47 years be one's more to your benefit than my own. Even so Lord Jesus, come, come take me home to be with you forever! Do with my life as you would. But put it firmly in your hands, Amen.

Walking in His Shoes

There was a time when my life had fallen apart and wasn’t yet laying in pieces but was still in mid air. The jagged shards of dreams shattered were shredding every aspect of my life. I was an emotional disaster area, and I began spending my emotional reserves. Soon I would run out, and would be in need of medication, counselling, and time off work. In the midst of that confused, dark cloud I was grasping for help, just to keep my head above water. I know in hindsight that I wasn’t yet ready to learn, nor be taught anything. I still had the world by the tail, and I was straining for vindication and to be avenged of all the wrongs being done to me. I was without stain, and had the notion that what was happening to me was part of what the bible speaks of when it speaks of persecution.

That may seem vague, and it’s deliberate. If you’ve gone through it, or you are going through it now, you’ll see yourself in that whirl wind of a first paragraph. Now let’s see if you can see yourself in the other guys shoes, those who were in a position to help me, who could only stand on the sidelines out of fear, and ignorance.

One such person, who shall remain nameless, is a friend of my older brother Andrew’s, and a sort of acquaintance of mine at the time. Let’s call him Freddy, no . . . that’s too happy a name. hmmm, let’s call him Arthur. Arthur and I first crossed paths in elementary school. I have vague memories of him bullying me. His father was a social worker, and later on when I was in Jr. High School (grades 7-9) we took in a foster child through Arthur’s father. Fast forward to me and what I described in the first paragraph. I was homeless, and had few options. My brother Andrew suggested I call up Arthur, who had just graduated from a seminary overseas, Scotland I think, and had acquired a master’s degree, maybe even a doctorate in Divinity. He’d been hired on as a professor at a local Christian University, and lived near where I needed to be. I called him. And his not so carefully thought out answer was,

“What did you ever do for me?”

He continued by pointing out that I’d had lots of time to befriend him previous to my time of need, but had not done so. If only I’d done that, then I’d have a place to stay. Was that Christian love? Was that what Christ meant when he said, “love one another” ?

He was the first of many who passed by on the other side – yes, I’m alluding to the parable of the Good Samaritan – So, I vowed that when I got out of the present mess, I would do for others what had not been done for me. I had an opportunity a couple of times now to be there for folks who didn’t deserve a hand, but got one anyways from me. I suffered both times. I guess that’s why Jesus included the terms of such loving manoeuvres, “lay down your life for others . . .” taking his example who laid down his life for us.

I learned through the years that overcoming one’s fears in order to love others isn’t as easy as it seems. Courage takes faith, and faith takes courage. It also takes knowing, and truly believing all this stuff we talk about in our bible studies, Sunday School classes, and Sunday morning sermons. And now when I find myself with paralysed hands unable to reach out and help, I find myself praying, “help me lord, help my un-belief!” Give me a faith so strong, and a willingness so full that I can reach out to them, counting on you, and not loving my own life, more than another’s.

So, that young man I'd turned to back about 12 - 15 years ago. His youth was his excuse? Of all the theory of theology, and correct splitting of hairs on scriptural context . . . the lesson's he'd learned added up to, "What have you ever done for me?" And I think that most of us who have been steeped in Christendom all of our lives have missed the point as well. That passage from Matthew 25 is so vividly in view for me once again.

• Matthew 25:³⁸ And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? ³⁹ And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?' ⁴⁰ And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.'

Fear

I had yet another lesson in fear and anxiety this past week. It all gets summed up in the observation that even after all this time I still have trouble believing that God cares about the seemingly little things in life.

My wife and I planned out a 10th birthday party for our son. As we prepared each aspect I managed to doubt again and again. When she and I actually started fighting with one another over it all, that showed me how much stress we were both under.

We'd planned on taking four of our son's friends to a local bowling alley that we'd gone to many times as a family before. So, this past Wednesday I phoned up the place to make sure we had a reservation for 5 bowlers, and to work out exactly how much money it would all cost. We'd already invited 4 of 4 guests, and gotten confirmations they'd be coming. We'd already told our son the whole plan! And the bowling alley is closed for the day we'd planned on going!!! There aren't too many bowling allies around these days, so we scrambled to find another 5 pin place. In the process we came across a real dudd! It was everything you'd hope for in a strip club without the strippers, but the rest of the seediness was intact! Another place had a bad review on-line, and new management was cited as the reason. The landlord had taken over running the place, and didn't have a clue! Finally I remembered a place I'd passed by during my work hours, and drove over there. It turned out to be way better than our usual place, and is now our new usual place!

The whole party turned out awesome, and I was so blessed by the little things that God did to encourage us along the way.

Thank You, Lord!

Share The Burden

In Exodus 18 there is a story that moved me to tears, and I'm not even sure why. This is usually a case of the Holy Spirit being with me, teaching me, and moving within me.

I really want to seek the Lord, and to know him. A daily knowing of his presence in my life. Fear and passions quickly crowd him out, but so also is this thing I'll call detachment for now. I grow detached from my life, going through the motions of the day to day activities. My professional driving lends itself to such automated movements. Struggling out of it is like getting out of a comfortable bed.
Well, I asked God to show me a scripture he'd like me to read today, and I started to noodle around at Bible Gateway. I had heard a sermon this past Sunday preached from Luke 17, and the one leper had turned back before showing himself to the priest, but after he'd seen that he'd been cleansed. Jesus is our high priest. The Mosaic law stated that a leper must be declared clean by the priest. Jesus was honoring the law by telling them to show themselves to the priest. I'd never before thought that the leper had returned to thank Jesus BEFORE he'd shown himself to the priest. Well, I did a search for the word 'priest' in the entire bible, and found this story in Exodus 18. Jethro, Moses father-in-law is referred to as the Priest of Midian.

• "10 Jethro said, "Blessed be the LORD, who has delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of Pharaoh and has delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. 11 Now I know that the LORD is greater than all gods..."

This further explains a mystery earlier in the life of Moses and Zipporah, his wife, Jethro's daughter. Its found in Exodus 4, and its only a couple of verses, but is very disturbing because it says that God was going to slay Moses, but Zipporah intervenes and saves Moses life by circumcising their son. Another question is, why would a Hebrew child not yet be circumcised? Also, why is Zipporah angry with Moses?!? Further investigation reveals that Zipporah is  a Midianite. Where did the Midianites come from? In Genesis 25 we learn that Midian is a son born to him by another wife of Abraham. This shows that Midian, being a child of Abraham would have been circumcised, but the practice of circumcision was possibly not carried on with the successive generations afterward. Jethro's declaration regarding Abraham's God is one of great interest. Jethro acknowledged God's place above all other gods! Its a scene that reminds me of a person coming to confess Jesus as Lord and Savior!

Later in Exodus 18 we see Jethro gives counsel to his son in law, Moses, to appoint judges over 10's 100's 1000's who will settle small matters and Moses will be left to settle difficult disputes. Moses instructed the people in the law, and he taught these judges to do the same.

Drawing Near

When I was in my late teens I read a book by John White, "Daring To Draw Near". And the one thing that has stayed with me ever since then is that God initiates, and we respond. So, what do we make of James 4:8-10? It truly seems that WE are to initiate, doesn't it? When James encourages US to "draw near..." ?

This is a good example of reading the scripture in context, and in the light of other scripture. Keeping in mind what we've learned through other scriptures, and through teachers who have spoken from their study and experience we hold onto that truth while we venture forth into scripture we haven't read, or haven't read very much of. Let's do that here, we have the quote "Draw near to God..." let's look at that first.

• James 4:8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you. (ESV)

We initiate, and God responds? The conversation begins earlier . . . if we go to James 4 verse one we see a slightly different story unfolding. 

• 1 What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? 2 You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. 4 You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, "He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us"? 6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble." 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 

There, do you see it? James traces a path from our interpersonal conflicts straight to the God over us all, and our relationship with him. Another perhaps more subtle point is that James is confronting the blame game,

"Why are there quarrels among you?" he asks.

Think of the people in your life whom you are currently at odds with in one way or another. People you can't stand be around. People you hate. People who irk you, bug you, irritate you. Ultimately the source of your hatred and quarrel with these people can be traced back to the passions that war within you. And the message James is bringing to us as we read this forth chapter of James is that it is God who is opposing us: the proud ones.

Still following the logic here? Our struggles begin and end in at the same cross road. When we submit to God, we are also to resist the devil who will then flee. As we take time to draw near to him, God responds to our humility with his presence. He draws near to us.

After these verses of clear "steps to take" James returns to the main message. 

• James4:11-12 Do not speak evil against one another, brothers... who are you to judge your neighbor?

My response to being at odds with others is to examine my own life, and bring my passions and desires under submission to God.

"Cleanse your hands you sinners" I'd like to pursue what James means by that in another blog. I've benefited from this so far. I hope you have as well.

Amen