The Relevancy of the Bible

At times, it can seem that the Bible doesn’t address the issues that are relevant for us today. I was reading today in Ephesians and chapter 1 talks about all the spiritual blessings we have in Christ in the heavenly places.  Chapter 2 talks about the barriers being broken down between Jew and Gentile and us now being one family in Christ. 

Yes, but what about real life? I mean, racism and elitism are not things that affect my life much. Blessings in the heavenly realm? How about blessings here on earth?

And then I pause to reflect: what would it mean to my soul if I truly comprehended the love and acceptance and forgiveness that I have in Christ?  To understand that I am now family with the Almighty God who created the Universe.

Most psychologists today pretty much take for granted that most psychological problems stem from a lack of love and acceptance by those closest to us.  What would it mean to us to be totally loved and accepted by the Almighty Creator of the Universe? Does God’s opinion mean enough to us that it makes a difference?

It is interesting in Ephesians that before Paul challenges us to walk worthy of the gospel (chapter 4), he challenges us to understand the depths of God’s love for us (chapter 3).

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They Say It’s Christmas Time

Well, Black Friday has come and gone.  Cyber Monday has come and gone, although you can still get some deals. Of course there is still shopping to do and presents to wrap.  The calendars are filling up with parties – trying to balance out between the ones you have to go to (or should go to) and the ones you want to go to.  Semesters are wrapping up, homes are getting filled again with family that had been scattered.  It is time to decorate: get the trees up, get the lights up, get the stockings up.    

 I saw a good YouTube music video which asks:  where’s the line for Jesus? 

 It is easy to get so caught up in family, shopping, decorations, events and all the other stuff, that if we are not careful we forget the whole reason we celebrate. 

 Take some time to reflect:  What is heaven like?  What would it have been like to be there?  To have angels come and go as you command them?  To be able to speak the word and have a universe come into being?  What kind of power would that require?  What kind of wisdom and insight?  What kind of glory would you be surrounded by? 

 And then, to lay it all aside and be born in an animal shelter as a helpless child:  What would motivate that?  Would you do that?  Would you love and sacrifice for people who had spit in your face (just remember the last time some injustice came your way – what fond feelings of affection did you have for the perpetrator of the injustice)? 

 Just how deep must the love of God be for humanity?  For you?  For those around you?

Is it sobering to think that the people you can’t stand are deeply loved by God (yes, the Muslims, the left wingers, the right wingers, the gang bangers, the rich snobs, the homeless alcoholic – and whoever else fits that category)

 What kind of God would love so deeply? 

Any chance we could trust Him? 

Any chance He is worth getting to know better? 

 Take time to reflect in the midst of the craziness.

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When Are We Like Idols?

Psalm 115. 4ff describes worthless idols.  They are carved by human hands out of wood or stone, they have eyes but don’t see, they have ears but don’t hear, they have hands but can’t help, they can’t respond.

 In Ezekiel 12, God tells Ezekiel that he lives in the midst of a people with a rebellious heart.  Verse 2 points out that they have eyes but can’t see and ears but can’t hear.

 I couldn’t help but think, when we walk in rebellion to God we are no better than the idols made by human beings.  Sure, we still have an appearance of religion, we still worship – but it is meaningless and worthless and will not ultimately satisfy our souls or deliver us in our time of need.

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What Time is IT?

 Ecclesiastes 3 tells us that there is a time for everything.  This chapter contrasts the time between a whole list of opposites (birth/death, planting/harvesting, killing/healing, and many more). 

 Not only is there a rhythm of life, but success also comes from knowing the rhythm and doing what we are responsible for in each appropriate time.  As farmers don’t worry about planting when they are in the midst of harvest, so we focus on what we are called to do in each season and at each time. 

 Reflecting and understanding the times will allow us to be effective by focusing on our relationships, roles, and responsibilities at that time.  This focus also gives us a basis for knowing whether to accept further commitments; likewise, it can give us the freedom to put limits on our time and commitments because of already-existing responsibilities. 

 1 Chronicles 12.32 points out that because the men of Issachar understood the times they knew what Israel should do.  So also as we understand the times, we will know what we should do.

 It might be helpful to ask some questions: What season of life are we in now?  How about in our own personal lives? How about with our families? How about in our ministries for the Lord?  What should we keep in mind? Are there changes we should make?

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The Courage and Bravery to Wait

In Psalm 27.14 we read that we are to wait patiently for the Lord and be brave and courageous. 

This raises the question: why are courage and bravery needed in order to wait on the Lord?  Doesn’t it seem that courage and bravery are attributes necessary for action?  Why would we need these attributes to wait? 

The context of Psalm 27 is battles and trials.  There are enemies surrounding David, there are false witnesses who have risen up against David. 

Is it not the hardest thing in trials to simply wait. . . and not only to wait, but to wait patiently?  Most of us, when we are forced to wait, wait anxiously—nervous about what is going to happen, nervous about how things are going to work out.

Some might think of waiting as doing nothing, but waiting on the Lord allows the Lord to deal with things in His own timing.  It means we wait on Him.  We trust in Him.  We enjoy and are encouraged by our relationship with Him. In other words, when it seems like all is crashing around us, we can wait patiently and with joy, enjoying the presence of the Lord and being at peace within ourselves.

The prime example of one who wouldn’t wait but was always scheming is Jacob.  God had already made promises concerning Jacob, but he schemed to get his possessions and inheritance.  However, at the end of his life, he told Pharaoh that even thought he had lived 130 years, the years of his life were few and evil compared to those of his forefathers (Gen. 47.9). 

Wait bravely and courageously, trusting in the Lord.  This allows us to live the years of our life with joy and peace in the presence of the Lord.

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Are Children Born Innocent?

This is a question that has raised much debate. Actually not as much these days as it used to – it seems that many have opted in favor of children being born as clean slates and then are ‘soiled’ by the environment around them.  Thus, their ‘salvation’ is more of a sense of understanding their inherent goodness and reversing or removing the ‘stains of society.’ There are not hopeless and helpless, they are just in need of some enlightenment to get them back on the right path.  Many Christians adopt this attitude when they try to shield their kids from the outside evil influences.

What does the Bible have to say about the matter?  In Genesis 8.21, God states that humanity has a bent toward evil even from childhood.  Proverbs 22.15 points out that a youngster’s heart is filled with foolishness.  And Ephesians 2.1-3 declares all humans to be dead in sin and by nature children of wrath.  The evil is not ‘out there’ – the evil is within us by nature.

The Bible is consistent that as descendents of Adam we inherit a sinful, selfish nature.  We naturally go astray, we naturally seek our own way.  We are born with a sin tainted slate. This can be seen even in little children who are playing together and one wants a toy another one has, or food, or attention, or whatever else.  So pursuing what comes naturally isn’t always a good thing!

We are all born with a complete inability to save ourselves, and are in desperate need of a Savior who can save us from ourselves and transform us into the likeness of Himself.  In raising our kids, this means the problem isn’t ‘out there’ the problem is within their own souls.  They need for them to take responsibility for their own behavior, and recognize that they are in need of a Savior as well.

Praise God we have one in the Lord Jesus Christ.  

May we live in the light of His love and grace, walking in humility as we admit we are just as messed up as the guy next door—we need Jesus: His Spirit, His grace, His forgiveness and cleansing, His love, and His renewal.  And it is all there, available for us in a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

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Obadiah Reflections

Obadiah is a book written to the nation of Edom.  It and Nahum (written to Nineveh) are the only two OT books written specifically to nations outside of Israel.  There are oracles and prophecies against many other nations in the books of Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Jeremiah. However, Obadiah and Nahum are the only books addressed specifically to other nations. 

Most likely this book is written during the fall of Jerusalem.  As the Edomites were watching their Jewish cousins being carried off into captivity, they rejoiced.  And in fact they helped destroy some of the people.  Obadiah warns them that their punishment is soon coming.  They will be destroyed and downtrodden.  Babylonian history records that Edom fell about 30 years after Jerusalem fell.   

When others are going through hard times it is easy for us to feel a certain sense of security and pride because we are not experiencing them at the moment. And it’s easy to jump on others when they are down.  It is easy to ‘pile on’ when people, businesses, sports teams, or whoever it is we don’t like, are going through hard times.  The warning in Obadiah is: don’t do it. 

Proverbs 24:17-18 states,  “Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles, lest the LORD see it and be displeased, and turn away his anger from him.”

Jesus said, “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.”  (Luke 6:27-28)

The hallmark of a true follower of Christ is that we love our enemies and pray for them.  The hallmark of the world is that we rejoice when our enemies stumble and are prideful about our own well being. 

Which hallmark are we reflecting?

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Judas’ Freedom

Question: How much freedom did Judas have to chose what he did if it was God’s plan?  It is hard to understand why he is condemned if what he did was part of God’s plan.

In Mark 14.21 Jesus states that it would have been better for Judas never to have been born. So it is rather clear that he is condemned for eternity.

When it comes to the interaction between God’s plans and human involvement there will always be some mystery.  For one, because we don’t get in on God’s thought processes. And we don’t know the precise nature of the relationship between what God knows and what God determines.  A text that has been helpful to me is Psalm 89.

In Psalm 89.28 we have a promise that God made to David that one of his descendents would sit on the throne forever.  We know ultimately this is fulfilled in Jesus Christ.  However, verses 30-32 point out that if David’s sons violate the God’s commandments that they will be punished.  In verse 34 God comes back and states that He will not violate His covenant.  So, what we see is God making a covenant with David, but the sons impacting how the covenant is carried out—if they obey, they are blessed, if they sin, they are punished.  We see this pattern through the stories of the good kings and wicked kings.  Thus, God both keeps His promise but punishes the evil doers.

We can readily see Judas was not a godly man.  He was a thief and stealing money (John 12.6).  His “righteous indignation”  (sell the perfume and give the money to the poor) was really a cover for his stealing.  He used the poor as a cover to get money (yes, they even had that going on in the 1st century).  He is held accountable because he is responsible for his own actions.  But we can also get a glimpse that it was his covetous heart that caused him to be a traitor to Jesus.  Thus, God worked with Judas’ covetousness to accomplish His purposes.  We are not told that God ‘made’ Judas covetous, we are told that Judas’ sin to accomplished God’s purposes. 

 Application for us

 We can have an assurance that as we are walking with God, God is not going to ‘make us’ do things that are sinful. 

 Also, we do participate with God in being vessels of honor, and we are responsible for our actions (2 Tim. 2.20, 21).

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Redemptive Divorce by Mark Gaither

When I first heard of this book, I thought, “What a bunch of nonsense!”  But then I read the book, and it’s actually pretty good. 

Strengths of the Book

The author does a good job of describing what makes a marraige and when a marriage is over. Certainly, many relationships have died long before they have received an official pronouncement. The book also provides an encouragment to spouses who are in relationships with an abusive or adulterous spouse. Some people it seems want to have standards higher than Jesus did.  More than one person has noted that it is easier to be forgiven for murder than for divorce in some circles — I know of some missions where you could serve if you had murdered but couldn’t if you had been divorced. Certainly Jesus and Paul allowed for divorce in certain circumstances.

Probably the greatest strength of the book is the five step process laid out on pages 60-68.  This is a good application of Matthew 18 in the context of marriage and divorce. 

Weakness of the Book

The greatest weakness I see in the book is the constant reference to the “upright” spouse.  Is there ever a truly ‘upright’ spouse?  Certianly when one spouse is in an adulterous relationship, there are grounds for divorce.  And one spouse can be declared ‘innocent.’  However, I once overheard a conversation (on a church bus) where a spouse believed the only way she could get divorced was if her husband committed adultery so she decided to quit having sex with her husband in hopes that he would commit adultery.  I became aware of the situation when the wife was complaining to another woman that it had been over 6 months since they had sex and he still had not cheated on her yet.  Nowhere does the Scriptures suggest that she could be considered ’upright.’   In fact, some might argue that she had abandoned her husband, thus declaring him to be the innocent party.

By far, the vast majority of divorces I am aware of are where the couples have grown apart, ‘no longer in love,’ no longer satisfied in the relationship and simply want out.  This book does not address that scenerio. This lack of discussion seems to be a significant weakness in the book. 

Relationships are dymanic, they are either being watered or they are dying.  When a relationship has deteriorated due to neglect there is no ‘upright’ spouse. Both spouses need to recognize their sin, repent and work on the marraige. When the grass looks greener on the other side of the fence it is better to focus on watering one’s own lawn. 

If has deriorated beyond repair and one spouse gives the other ‘biblical grounds’, I would encourage the other spouse not to trumpet their ’uprightness.’   

Conclusion

Overall I would say the book is well worth the read, however, be careful you don’t read into it your situation if your marriage died simply due to neglect.

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Life and Suffering

In Acts 1.3 we read: He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.

After Jesus suffered on the cross and was buried, everyone thought the movement was over.  The Jewish leaders were happy they had finally gotten rid of this threat to their lifestyle and position.  The Romans were amazed that it ended so quickly.  His disciples were totally discouraged and distraught.  They had given up three years of their lives and as far as they could tell it was a waste – it all over now. 

There are times when we go through intense suffering in our lives.  There are times when things don’t work out the way we expected them to work out. 

The message of the cross is not that we don’t have to suffer, it is not that we will never experience injustice, it is not that the best life to live is now.  The message of the cross is that there is hope.  There is life.  The message of the cross only makes sense in light of the eternal Kingdom.

The grave could not hold Jesus, it was not over, the movement was getting ready to turbo jump to the next phase.  The key to that was the message of life. The worst that the world can throw at us, Jesus has conquered.  

There is life in Jesus, suffering is not final – life is the destiny.

May we experience life in Christ.  When suffering comes, when trials come – have hope!  They are not your destiny, they are a means to a new life.  One that can never be taken away.

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