LIVING IN A BOX OF OUR OWN MAKING

 

Isaiah 55:8-9 (NIV)
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."

               In the main, we like putting things in boxes. We like things in our lives to be neatly tied together with a bow. Most of us struggle with ambiguity and open-endedness. A friend of mine made that clear with the following quip.

There are two kinds of people in the world. Those who need closure.

               When things are left hanging, something inside of us screams for closure. What happened? What’s the answer? What happened next? We like things neat and tidy.

               It is natural for us to satisfy our need for closure by putting things in neat boxes. We often do this by putting labels on things. He’s a Republican. She’s a Democrat. He’s narrow minded. She’s bigoted. Putting labels on things categorizes them for us. It puts things in little boxes that we can handle.

               I have been reading G.K. Chesterton’s book “Orthodoxy”. In it, he makes that point that the trend of materialism today is to put everything into neat little boxes. By denying the supernatural, we confine life to the narrow box of determinism. Determinism eliminates mystery by having to explain everything in naturalistic terms. There is a logical explanation for everything that we see and experience. Our emotions are the product of the neurological impulses in our brain caused by specific chemical reactions. Life itself is the product of the evolutionary process. There is nothing at work outside of the natural world in which we live.

               The materialistic view of the world places everything into neat, explainable boxes. There is a certain sense of comfort and security in this. If we can explain something, then, in a sense, we can understand it and control it. In a sense, it becomes “safe.” The problem with the materialistic approach is that it places us in a very small box of our own making. It eliminates mystery and the transcendent.

               Yet, there is something within us that cries out for the transcendent. When materialism is taken to its logical conclusion, it become a straightjacket. We find ourselves confined in a very small box of our own making. Instead of our world expanding, it collapses in on itself. Suddenly, we find it hard to breathe within that box. We clamor for the air of mystery and wonder; of the unexplainable and the transcendent. So, we create fantasy worlds and dabble in a spirituality of our own making. If there is no God, then we will create our own god to fill the void, whether that be art, music, science, politics, or even ourselves.

               As Chesterton points out, materialism eliminates free will. Everything is determined by a set of parameters that are outside of our control. But faith in God actually frees us from the boundaries of this confining box. It opens the door to mystery and wonder. It acknowledges that there are things we cannot know, understand, or control. It also allows us to really think outside of the box. Today, thinking outside of the box only results in another box. But spiritual thinking outside of the box actually opens up an expanding universe without boundaries. Materialism seeks to narrow and confine our world. Faith in God seeks to expand and explode our world.

               The common thinking of our world today is that we exist because of random, causeless events. Because of this, our lives have no ultimate meaning or purpose. We may be able to create some temporary sense of meaning and purpose, but in the end, even those will evaporate with time. The Bible gives us a very different picture. It tells us that we were intentionally created in the image of God with meaning and purpose. The meaning and purpose of our lives transcends the time we have on this earth. As Jesus has said, we have the chance to store up treasures for all of eternity. How we live our lives matters, not just to us, but to God. Therefore, everything we do becomes a conscious choice to either invest in eternity or squander our resources on temporary pleasures.

               Years ago, there was a movie called “The Truman Show.” It was the story of a man who, from birth, was raised in an artificial world. He lived in a totally predetermined world where everything was unchanging, until one day he rebelled and found the door to the outside world. Materialism wants to trap us in “The Truman Show.” Faith in God shows us the door to a much wider and more meaningful world.

               There is a significant difference between facts and truth. Facts tell us what is, but they cannot explain why things are. They create the walls of the boxes that we live within. But truth transcends the facts; it goes beyond the sterile walls of a deterministic world. Truth sets us free to engage with mysteries that will lead us deeper and deeper into God’s unconfined reality.

               Many secular people claim that religion takes away our freedom and confines us. In reality, true faith in God does the exact opposite. When we place our faith in Jesus Christ, he explodes the walls of our little, self-made boxes and invites us into the expanse of his amazing reality.

John 8:31-32 (NIV)
To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

John 14:6 (NIV)
Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

 

WHAT IS GROWING IN YOUR GARDEN?

 

Proverbs 4:23 (NIV)
Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.

               I saw an interesting commercial the other day. It began with beautiful scenes of pristine nature. Then it showed pollution being pumped into the water and fouling the environment. The camera panned back and a young woman, who was vaping, came into focus. The tag line was vaping pollutes the beautiful world of your body.

               The point of the commercial was that what we put into our body affects our wellbeing. This is a truth that should be applied not just to the physical things we take into our body but to the emotional and intellectual things we take into our mind.

               In my devotions today, I read a piece by Max Lucado where he equated our heart to a greenhouse garden. The crop that the garden produces is dictated by the seeds that are planted there. Then he asked the question, what seeds are you planting in your heart?

               Solomon warned us long ago to guard our hearts. The heart represents the very core of our being. It is more than just our mind. It is the operating system of our life. Just like in a computer, the operating system controls everything. The output from the operating system is shaped by the data put in.

               Most of us have become more careful about what we eat. We watch the amount of fat and sugar that we consume. If we are diligent in this, it pays off in better physical health. Unfortunately, we are often not as selective about what we allow to come into our minds. We have become used to consuming intellectual junk food. We are bombarded daily with messages that are shaping who we are becoming, and often we don’t see the changes until they become very evident.

               When I was in college, I had a roommate who we very negative. He could find fault in any situation. Nothing seemed to be right in his estimation. Sometime during that year, I developed a similar negative attitude. By the end of the year, if my roommate could not find something to complain about I could. It took me a while to clean out the negative and reset my operating system.

               As followers of Christ, we have to fight hard to swim again to tide of negativism that is so prominent in our society. If we do not guard our heart, we will focus on the wrong things and miss the best things. Paul challenges us to be intentional about what we allow to dominate our thinking.

Philippians 4:8 (NIV)
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.

               Paul’s words offer us a filter through which to evaluate what we allow into our heart. When confronted by some message we can ask these probing questions. Is this true? Is this noble? Is this right? Is this pure? Is this lovely? Is this admirable? Is this excellent? Is this praiseworthy? If the answer to any of these questions is no, then we need to shut the door to that message. Don’t let it in. Don’t give it space in your garden.

               At the end of Paul’s challenge, he tells us to think about such things. The word we have translated think can also be translated ruminate or meditate on these things. I like that image. If you are like me, you tend to chew on things, especially negative or hurtful things. Paul tells us to change our diet. We need to intentionally chew on the things that will lift us up not the things that will tear us down.

               Let me ask a couple of important questions. What are you intellectually and emotionally consuming on a regular basis? What are you reading or listening to on a pod cast? What are you watching on TV or the internet? What seeds are you planting in your garden?

2 Corinthians 10:5 (NIV)
We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

 

Why be Thankful?

 

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV)
Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

               As we approach Thanksgiving Day, it is appropriate for us to ask the question, why should we be thankful?

               Thankfulness is not a natural aptitude for us. It is far more natural to take the blessings of life for granted or as our right. We can fall into the mindset that the blessings that we enjoy are what we deserve. Afterall, that is what the TV commercials tell us. You deserve a new iPhone or you deserve a break today. When we focus on our abilities and our efforts we tend to see the outcome as our right. When we focus on our rights, we tend to expect good things to come our way. Being thankful goes against our natural grain of thinking.

               Paul told the Thessalonians that being thankful was God’s will for their lives. Multiple times in the book of Psalms we are instructed to give thanks to the Lord. Why is being thankful important?

               First and foremost, being thankful reminds us that everything we have and everything we do is a gift from God’s hand.

               As Moses was preparing the people of Israel to enter the Promised Land, he gave them a warning about not being thankful.

Deuteronomy 8:6-18 (NIV)

Observe the commands of the LORD your God, walking in his ways and revering him. For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land--a land with streams and pools of water, with springs flowing in the valleys and hills; a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey; a land where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing; a land where the rocks are iron and you can dig copper out of the hills.

When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the LORD your God for the good land he has given you. Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. He led you through the vast and dreadful desert, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock. He gave you manna to eat in the desert, something your fathers had never known, to humble and to test you so that in the end it might go well with you. You may say to yourself, "My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me." But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today.

 

               Moses’ warning is a warning that needs to be reiterated today over and over again. We have placed our trust in our own efforts and in our own progress and we have forgotten the Lord in the process. The reason that we are not thankful is because we believe we have earned everything we have. But we are wrong, extremely wrong. None of us chose our talents and abilities, even though we may have cultivated them. Even the cultivation of our talents and abilities was shaped by circumstances that we had no control over. No matter how “successful” a person has become, their success is a gift from God.

               Why should we be thankful? Because all of life is a gift. The very air that we breathe is a gift from God. The food we eat comes from his hand. He created it in the first place. Our physical bodies are a gift from God. He created us unique in the world; created in his image to reflect his glory into our world. Our ability to take the raw resources of this earth and turn them into good things is a gift from God. He gave us both the raw materials and the capacity to see the potential.

               Why should we be thankful? Because God loves us so much that he sent Jesus into the world to rescue us from our selfishness and pride. He came, not to make our lives better, but to restore the image of God within us.

               Why should we be thankful? Because God had the right to remove his blessing from us, but he didn’t. God had the right to wipe humanity off the face of the earth, but he chose to redeem us instead. God had the right to make our daily lives miserable, but he chose to bless us with everything we need, not just to survive, but to thrive.

               Why should we be thankful? Because, in God’s design, thankfulness is the fulfillment of every pleasure. Thankfulness is the elevation of even small blessings. Thankfulness changes our perspective on our world and on life itself. Thankfulness makes life worth living.

               In our affluent society, we tend to live with constant discontent. Great effort is made every day to place our focus on what we don’t have or what we “deserve.” This Thanksgiving, let us take our eyes off of what we don’t have and focus on the innumerable gifts that God places within our lives every day.

Psalms 103:1-5 (NIV)
Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits--
who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion,
who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

 

What’s the Big Deal?

 

John 3:16-18 (NIV)
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.

               One of the criticisms of Christianity is that we are so focused on heaven that we are no earthly good. So, what is the big deal about heaven? Why is that such an important concept for believers in Christ?

               If we see heaven as an escape from this world, then the criticism we get is valid. A person who is only concerned about going to heaven when they die tends to live with blinders on. They focus on the distant future with little regard for present realities. But that is not the essence of our faith in eternity. In fact, those who are most convinced about eternity are the most invested in the present.

               We live in a secular world that has convinced millions of people that we are just evolutionary accidents. There is no ultimate meaning in life. Any meaning that we have we create for ourselves. Yet this flies in the face of how people actually live. Most people live as if there is some undefined ultimate standard to which all people are subject. True relativism crumbles when a person must make decisions regarding what is right and wrong in life. As soon as a person says that some things are right and others are wrong, they are appealing to some universal standard of morality. They may not be able to articulate where that standard comes from, but they believe in it.

               Tim Keller, in his book The Reason for God, gives the illustration of a woman who strongly contends that all morality is culturally based and shaped by the dominant culture. Yet she also believes that women’s rights are universal and must be upheld in every culture. When asked what she bases her conviction upon, she responds that everyone knows that abusing women and children in wrong. She is appealing to some universal standard of morality.

               So, what does that have to do with a belief in eternity? It makes all the difference in the world. If a person believes that their life will be judged by an ultimate standard in eternity, it shapes how they live their present life. The Christian belief is eternity is not just some pie-in-the-sky hope of eternal bliss. It is a realistic understanding that how we live our lives here on earth matters. It upholds the idea that all human actions will one day be judged, whether good or bad. It acknowledges that if judged on the scales of eternity, we will all fall short, but that through faith in Jesus the scales will be tipped to our advantage. In response to this, a true believer strives to align his or her life with God’s ultimate standards. Not as a way to earn salvation, but as a response to what Jesus has already done for them.

               When a person lives their life without any hope of eternity, it also changes everything. If the seventy or eighty years on earth that a person gets is all that there is, why wouldn’t that person leverage everything for their advantage. Selfishness is the natural and normal consequence of a denial of eternity. Even seemingly selfless actions are calculated to bring some advantage to the person. It may enhance their self-esteem or raise their profile with others. But taken to its logical conclusion, it really doesn’t make a difference. If when we die physically, we disappear, then it really doesn’t matter how I live my life in the present.

               Evolutionary philosophy teaches us that we are all just accidents of the evolutionary process. In every aspect of this process, survival of the fittest is the name of the game. Yet, when we look at human beings, we balk at the idea of survival of the fittest. We contend that the poor, the vulnerable, the disadvantaged need to be cared for, but why? On what basis are we claiming that this should be true?

               On the other hand, Christianity teaches us that how we treat one another matters. All human beings are created in the image of God and are of value. Everyone deserves respect and care, regardless of their social, ethnic, or physical status. Because we believe that this life is the prelude to eternity, we take this life more seriously. A person who believes in a God of justice will work for justice in the here and now. A person who believes in a God of creation will take managing this creation more seriously. A person who believes in a God who cares about every individual will make ever effort to care for those around them.

               We Christians have not always had a great track record in some of these areas. That is not the fault of our belief in eternity. It is that we have not taken our belief in eternity seriously enough. Because we believe that God exists and will judge every person according to their life, we need to take how we live this life seriously. What we do today matters for all of eternity.

               Historically, those who have the strongest belief in eternity have made the greatest contributions to the present. Those who believe in eternity have been willing to make enormous personal sacrifices for others. Those who believe in eternity have put enormous effort into raising the status of the abused, marginalized, and abandoned.

               So, what’s the big deal about eternity? Without a belief in eternity all of life ultimately becomes meaningless. With a belief in eternity all of life becomes sacred and of great consequence.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (NIV)
Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

 

TIME TO TRUST GOD

 

Proverbs 21:1 (NIV)
The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD; he directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases.

               Today is a day of anxiety for many people. As people go to the poles to cast their votes, we anxiously await the outcome. This year, it seems like we are in a no-win situation. Whichever candidate wins the presidency there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

               As followers of Jesus, we need to step back and take a very different perspective on what is happening. Unfortunately, for the last several decades, Christians have placed their trust in political action and placed their hope in political figures. This has taken our eyes off of Jesus. The Psalmist warns us that placing our hope in politics is a dead end. Do not put your trust in princes, in mortal men, who cannot save. Psalms 146:3 (NIV) It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes. Psalms 118:8-9 (NIV)

               First, we need to acknowledge that we live in a fallen world that is bent on leading us away from God. In his letter to the Romans, Paul described the world we live in in detail. See if his words don’t accurately depict the world in which we live.

The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.

For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.  Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.      

Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator--who is forever praised. Amen.      

Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.      

Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them. Romans 1:18-32 (NIV)

 

               Second, we need to remember that God uses flawed people to accomplish His purposes. He allowed Babylon to capture Jerusalem and send His people into exile in order to refine His people. He allowed Rome to be in control of the known world in order to use their systems to expand the gospel to the world. Moses, David, Peter, Paul were all flawed people that God used for His glory. So are you and I and so are the people running for political office. God can use whomever He chooses to accomplish His purposes.

               It is easy for us to despair in the face of a world that is spiraling down into destruction. But our hope is not in a political party or social system. Our hope is in the Living God, Jesus Christ. Jesus told his disciples not to live in fear, but to live in confidence and hope, even in the face of evil. "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33 (NIV)

               The writer of Hebrews challenges us to get our eyes off of the world and fix them firmly on Christ. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Hebrews 12:2-3 (NIV)

               God is calling us to stop putting our hope in particular political parties or systems and place it firmly on Him. We need to stop trying to legislate righteousness and start living righteously. The early church lived in a world much like ours today. They transformed their world without any political power. They did it by living godly lives in the face of the evil around them. The darker the day the brighter the light will shine. Jesus has called us to be that light in a dark world. “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:14-16 (NIV)

               We have an obligation to be good citizens and do our part by expressing our right to vote. It is essential that we are involved in shaping the government under which we live. But we cannot place our faith in that government. Instead, we need to put our trust in the one who has the ultimate say. As Larry Osborne has put it, we need to remember that “God is in control of those who are in control.” However this election shakes out, God is still on the throne and His plans and purposes will prevail.

Isaiah 40:21-24 (NIV)
Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood since the earth was founded? He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in. He brings princes to naught and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing. No sooner are they planted, no sooner are they sown, no sooner do they take root in the ground, than he blows on them and they wither, and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff.

In what are you putting your hope?

 

1 Peter 1:3 (NIV)
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

               Hope is an essential component of life. When we lose hope, we fall into despair. Hopelessness is one of the most devastating experiences that a person can have.

               In are living in a time when people are desperately looking for hope. Traditionally people looked for hope from God or the gods. They looked to something or someone more powerful and more transcendent than themselves. In the main, Western culture has abandoned the idea of the transcendent. Instead, they have tried to find other things in which to placed their hope.

               Many post-modern people have placed their hope in science. They believe that all of life can be explained and rationalized through scientific exploration. But science often raises more questions than it gives answers. It can explain how things work, but not why they exist. There are major aspects of the human experience that science cannot explain.

               Many people have placed their hope in progress. Progress is the idea that if we just strive hard enough, we will expand our world and solve all of our problems. Progress is based on the idea that what is ahead of us is always going to be bigger and better. But progress has not delivered on its promises. In many ways, the pursuit of progress has caused as many problems as it has solved. The Western world has achieved a high standard of living, but often at the cost to the non-Western world. The current hot button, climate change, is a direct result of progress.

               Currently, many people are looking to politics to give them hope. They believe that if the right political party is put in place that everything else will fall in line. But as we know all too well in America, the ruling political party changes routinely, dashing some people’s hope and enlivening others.

               Another place that people look for hope is through social action. They believe that having the right social programs in place is the answer to our needs. Many of these social programs have done great things to improve the lives of many people. But again, they have fallen short of the goal. Unintentionally, some of these social programs have only increased people’s dependency and decreased their hope.

               Science, progress, politics, and social programs are all good things in their place, but they are not sufficient to provide lasting hope to people. In the end, they all disappoint us. There is only one place where we can find enduring hope. That is in faith in Jesus Christ.

               The hope we have in Jesus is not wishful thinking or pie in the sky. It is a living hope that builds the closer we get to Him. Our hope is based on what Jesus did for us on the cross. He paid the penalty for our sins so that we could be set free from sin and death. Our hope is based on the reality of the resurrection of Jesus, which validated all that Jesus had taught and claimed. Our hope is based on the promise of real justice, peace, and joy. Because Jesus transcends our world, He is not limited by the constraints of this world. As the creator of all that is, He has the right and the power to judge justly, to right every wrong. He also has the authority to forgive and redeem.

               One of the greatest aspects of the hope we have in Jesus is the reality that this life is not the entire story. When we see the world as a closed system, this life is all we have. There is nothing to look forward to or to strive for. There is really no purpose or direction in life. We just exist for our allotted time and then vanish. That is not a very hopeful perspective. But Jesus gives us a very different and more compelling story. This life is important, but it is only the gateway to eternity. How we live this life shapes us for the next. If we place our faith in the saving and redeeming work of Jesus, we can look forward to living a redeemed and transformed life in eternity. This life will be a life of experiencing pure love, joy, and peace in God’s welcoming presence. If we choose to reject Jesus’ saving and redeeming work, we will face an eternity of despair and hopelessness.

               During a time of despair and loss of hope Jesus gave hope. It took place at the death of His close friend Lazarus. As Mary and Martha grieved, Jesus offered them a hope that goes beyond the grave. Jesus said to her (Martha), "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" John 11:25-26 (NIV) Near the end of His earthly life, as Jesus was preparing His disciples for His coming death on the cross, He parted the curtain between time and eternity and gave them (and us) a glimpse of what is ahead. "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going." John 14:1-4 (NIV)

               You might stop at this point and think, wait a minute, this seems to be too good to be true. How is it possible for me to enter into this eternal hope? You are not alone. One of the disciples asked the same question of Jesus. Jesus gave the answer that is the key it a hope that can withstand any challenge. Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?" Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:5-6 (NIV)

               Whether we acknowledge it or not, we are all placing our hope for the future in something. It may be in politics, or success, or even our own abilities. But all worldly hopes will disappoint us. They cannot deliver the lasting hope that we are looking for. Only Jesus can give us a hope that is secure and will endure.

Hebrews 4:14-16 (NIV)
Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

THE REALITY OF FREEDOM

 

John 8:31-32 (NIV)
To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

               Today, the greatest virtue is the idea of personal freedom. The mantra of today is, I am free to do whatever I want, as long as I am not hurting someone else. This idea of freedom has led to the casting off of many, if not all, of the traditional restraints that we have recognized for millennium. We have raised a generation of people who believe that they can be and do whatever they desire. We have done them a major disservice because the idea that I can be or do whatever I want is a myth.

               The reality is that freedom comes with limits. Freedom is a good thing when it is exercised within those limits. It becomes destructive when it strays outside of those limits. Tim Keller, in his book Making Sense of God, points out that to have the freedom to do some things we have to give up the freedom to do others. As an example, he points to a man who wants the freedom to eat whatever he likes and the freedom to engage with his grandchildren. The man goes to his doctor and the doctor informs him that if he doesn’t stop eating everything that he likes he is in danger of having a heart attack or a stroke. If he wants the freedom to continue to engage with his grandchildren in the future, he will have to give up the freedom to eat whatever he wants.

               In all of life, we are constantly running into limits on our freedom. Those limits are not arbitrary. They are givens that we must live within. We can acknowledge this in the physical realm. I don’t have the freedom to defy gravity by jumping off my roof and expecting to fly. It is harder for us to accept these limits when we think of moral, social, and relational limits.

               We live in a promiscuous generation. Many people want the freedom to engage sexually with multiple partners, but at what cost. Often what is sacrificed is a long-term, fulfilling marriage relationship. The more sexual partners a person has, the harder it is to commit totally to one person. We sacrifice genuine love for momentary personal pleasure.

               Jesus made a bold statement in John 8. He said that if a person lived by his rules that person would know the truth and the truth would set them free. What Jesus was saying was that God designed the world to work in a particular way. Kind of like the owner’s manual to a furnace or dishwasher. When a person lives within the limits set by God’s owner’s manual, they are free. When they choose to live outside of those limits, they sacrifice their freedom.

               Jesus made another bold statement in John 14:6. Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” If we want to live a truly free life, then we need to live it in relationship with Jesus. Jesus doesn’t just reveal the truth, he is the truth. If the truth can set me free, and Jesus is the truth, then in order to be free I need to know Jesus.

               Here is the problem. Sin has entered our lives and made us captives to its desires. We think we are free when we indulge our every desire, but we are really slaves to impulses we cannot control. Like a drug addict, sin leads us to ever diminishing rewards from our so-called freedom. The things that thrilled us and gave us the feeling of freedom soon fade and must be replaced or expanded. True freedom can be experienced only when we are released from our bondage to sin.

               Again, Jesus makes it clear that true freedom comes only through the saving grace found in him. Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. John 8:34-36 (NIV)

               We all desire to live freely. We do not want to have others imposing restrictions on our freedom. This is not a bad thing, to a point. But genuine freedom comes with real limits. It is only as we live within those limits that we can find real freedom.

1 Peter 2:16 (NIV)
Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God.

Galatians 5:13 (NIV)
You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.

LIVING IN THE IN-BETWEEN

 

1 Corinthians 11:26 (NIV)
For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.

               I like Saturdays, especially this time of the year. Saturday is filled with college football, which means excitement, anticipation, and sometimes heartbreak. In general, people look forward to Saturday as a day of rest and leisure.

               In my devotions have been reading Philip Yancey’s book The Jesus I Never Knew. Near the end of the book, he talks about Good Friday and Easter Sunday and then gives us a different perspective on the Saturday in-between. When Jesus was crucified, Saturday became a day of confusion, sorrow, and worry. The disciples didn’t understand what was going on, even though Jesus had warned them in advance. After the resurrection things began to make more sense to them, until Jesus’ ascension into heaven. At that point, the disciples entered the longest Saturday ever. A time of waiting until Jesus returned. We are still waiting.

               2000 years later we are still waiting in the time of “until he comes.” It is hard for us to wait. It is also hard to live in the in-between time of our faith. As theologians have coined it, we live in the time of the already but not yet. Already Jesus has won the victory over sin and death, but we have not yet experienced the fullness of that victory. One day Jesus will return in power and glory, as it says in the book of Revelation, and will bring an end to this endless Saturday. In the meantime, what should we expect and how should we live?

               Jesus did not leave us without some insights into life in-between. Jesus answered: "Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains. Matthew 24:4-8 (NIV) What Jesus described is an accurate depiction of the world we are currently living in. It would be easy to become discouraged, just as the disciples were discouraged during their long Saturday. But Jesus encourages us to look to him for courage and strength. "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33 (NIV)

               As we live in the land of in-between, we can expect that many people won’t understand our hope. But we can have confidence that Jesus has not abandoned us. Peter alerts us to what to expect. He also gives us a positive perspective. First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, "Where is this 'coming' he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation." But they deliberately forget that long ago by God's word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:3-9 (NIV)

               As we live in the land of in-between, Jesus expects us to be actively doing are part to advance his kingdom. We are to live with purpose and with hope. We know the end of the story, so we can persevere with confidence no matter what the circumstances of our world are. The disciples lived with a sense of anticipation that Jesus could return at any time. Because of that anticipation, they lived purposeful lives. We need to live with that same sense of anticipation. Jesus calls us to both look forward to his return and to be diligent in the work he has given us to do. The in-between is not a time to sit in despair or to blend into the world around us. It is a time to actively live out our faith.

Matthew 24:36 (NIV)
“No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”

Matthew 24:42 (NIV)
“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.”

Matthew 24:45-47 (NIV)
“Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions.”

               To be honest, we are living in discouraging times. When I look at the political, economic, and international scene I am not encouraged. But as the writer of Hebrews says, Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Hebrews 12:2-3 (NIV)

WHO ARE YOU BECOMING?

 

2 Corinthians 3:18 (NIV)
And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

               I have been rereading a small volume of selections from C.S. Lewis’ writings. I have been challenged by Lewis’ ability to take profound theological truths and make them understandable. One of the selections is titled “Ordinary People”. Lewis makes the point that if we take seriously the idea that we were created for eternity, there are no ordinary people. In light of eternity, nations, cultures, and civilizations are only a blip on the timeline of history. Only human beings will endure on into eternity.

               Lewis goes on to make the point that the lives we live now are shaping us into the people we will be in eternity. Every choice we make is sculpting us into a particular kind of person that we will become fully aware of when we step from time into eternity. Here is how Lewis puts.

“It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you can talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption such as you meet, if at all, only in a nightmare. All day long we are, in some degree, helping each other to one or the other of these destinations.” (The Weight of Glory)

               The question that Lewis brings to the surface is, what kind of a person are you becoming? Many years ago, someone told me, whoever you want to be when you are 80, you need to start becoming that person now. The question of who are we becoming is not an insignificant one. It is of ultimate significance in the light of eternity.

               Paul puts a positive spin on this question with his comment in 2 Corinthians. He informs us that as followers of Christ, who have seen His glory, are being transformed into His likeness. But to be honest, this is not automatic. It takes an intentional act of the will to move toward Christlikeness.

               Our natural tendency is to move in the opposite direction. Sin is always tempting us with present pleasures at the cost of our eternal reality. Like Esau selling his birthright to Jacob for a bowl of stew. For a moment of satisfaction, he forfeited a far greater future. We are not all that different.

               So, let’s get back to the question. Who am I becoming? The Bible does not leave us in a dark about how we move toward Christlikeness. In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul challenges us to set the right course for our lives. As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. Ephesians 4:1-3 (NIV) In essence, if we are going to become people who display Christlikeness, we need to model His character. Instead of shaping our lives to fit the current trends of our world, we need to have the courage to shape our lives to fit the very nature of Jesus. This will often mean that we will be going against the flow. We may seem weird and out of step to the world around us. But that is the way the world viewed Jesus as well.

               In one of Paul’s most profound statements, he crystalizes what it means to set our sights on being like Christ.

Philippians 3:7-14 (NIV)
But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ--the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.
Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

               In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul expressed his commitment to attaining the goal of becoming like Christ. Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 (NIV)

               We cannot afford to coast through life. Each day is an opportunity to be refined and shaped for eternity. Who do you want to be when you step through the door into eternity? Start being that person now.

Colossians 1:9-14 (NIV)
For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

GPS SPIRITUALITY

 

Acts 17:11 (NIV)
Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.

               We recently returned from a trip to North Carolina and southern Ohio. On that trip, we leaned heavily upon the GPS on our phones. GPS is a remarkable thing. It has the ability to guide you to where you want to go, often making course corrections along the way to help you avoid delays. I am thankful for GPS, but it has its drawbacks as well. On several occasions GPS has taken me down roads that I would have preferred not to travel. On a couple occasions it has actually taken me to the wrong destination. In the main GPS is great, but it in not infallible.

               One of the drawbacks of GPS is that we are losing our ability to read a map. While GPS may give you the best route to take from point A to point B, it fails to give you the big picture. I happen to like maps, so when we travel, I pick up road maps whenever they are available. Sadly, paper maps are becoming more rare. For most people today, GPS has replaced paper maps altogether.

               In my devotions, I have been reading a collection of readings from C.S. Lewis. I recently read an excerpt from Mere Christianity called WHY WE NEED A MAP.  Lewis makes the point that our spiritual experiences are enriching and engaging but limited. He illustrates by contrasting a walk along the beach at the Atlantic Ocean to looking at a map of the Atlantic. The experience of walking along the beach may be more pleasurable than studying a map, but it will not get you from England to America. If a person wants to traverse the Atlantic Ocean, they will need a map to get them there. His point is that studying theology may not be as exciting as experiencing God’s presence in nature, but it is the key to actually reaching pour ultimate goal.

               Today, with the rise of social media and AI, I think we have fallen into the trap of having a GPS spirituality. We have traded diligent study of God’s Word for quick answers found on the internet or the latest podcast. We are allowing a kind of spiritual GPS system to guide our spiritual journey rather than studying the map for ourselves. The outcome is often unprofitable and at time dangerous. Using spiritual GPS can blind us to the big picture of God’s Word. It can also lead us down paths that go in the wrong direction altogether.

               In the book of Acts, there is a telling statement. It says that the Bereans didn’t just listen to what Paul had to say, but they went back to scripture to check it out. In my many years of ministries, I have often challenged my hearers to do the same thing. Don’t just take my word for the truth, check it out for yourself. There is only one way to do that and that is to go back to God’s roadmap, the Bible.

               A number of years ago, I developed a class for my church on basic Bible Doctrine. As C.S. Lewis pointed out, many people are turned off by doctrine, but it is essential to our faith. Studying Bible Doctrine can unlock the breadth and width and depth of scripture. It can give us the big picture and help us to navigate the particulars of our journey better.

               In Psalm 119, the psalmist expounds on the value of reading the map.

Psalms 119:97-104 (NIV)
Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long.
Your commands make me wiser than my enemies, for they are ever with me.
I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes.
I have more understanding than the elders, for I obey your precepts.
I have kept my feet from every evil path so that I might obey your word.
I have not departed from your laws, for you yourself have taught me.
How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!
I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path.

               This is not an uncommon theme in the Bible. We are encouraged to study and meditate of God’s Word. It is both the foundation for our faith and the guide for our spiritual journey. As the psalmist says in Psalm 119:9-10, How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands.

               Paul included this same idea in his second letter to Timothy. As he was encouraging Timothy in his role as the pastor of the church in Ephesus, he challenged him to keep his eyes on the map. Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15 (KJV)

               It is easy when you travel to become dependent upon GPS. But when the signal is lost, you can get lost as well. It is easy to depend on spiritual GPS to guide your spiritual journey, but when the signals you are receiving contradict one another or radically change course you may find yourself in a place you do not want to be. It is much better to learn to read the map for yourself, and like the Bereans, weigh what you hear through the filter of scripture instead of whatever is currently popular.

Matthew 24:24 (NIV)
For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect--if that were possible.

THE CHALLENGE OF BEING EXCLUSIVE

 John 14:6 (NIV)

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

               I have been reading Erwin Lutzer’s book “Christ Among Other Gods.” In it he relates his experience at the Parliament of World Religions in 1993. The goal of that gathering was to bring all of the world religions together into some kind of a unified whole. The different religions were all recognized and celebrated, as long as they did not portray themselves as exclusive. The ultimate goal was to eliminate all differences and unite around the principle of love and human well-being.

               Although the goal of the Parliament has not been achieved, the push to be “tolerant and inclusive” has continued to be championed in our world. Although some people want to just ignore Jesus, most people struggle to make him fit into our new world order. The most common way to do that is to see him as just one among many religious leaders who have influenced the course of human history. They were willing to honor him, but not to give him an exclusive place of authority.

               There are others who want to reduce Jesus to just a man who was elevated after his death to the place of deity by his followers. They claim that the historical Jesus, if he lived at all, was just an unfortunate idealist who met a tragic death. The Jesus of faith is a construct of the early church to continue the legacy of Jesus.

               In these, and many other ways, many people want to deny Jesus’ claim to be the exclusive way to God.

               At the very heart of our faith is the reality that Jesus stands alone on the landscape of human history. We believe that Jesus is the unique Son of God who came into the world to save all of humanity from our sins. As John has said it so eloquently, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. John 1:1-5 (NIV)
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14 (NIV)

               The attempt to make Jesus just another man is not new. The early church struggled with the same issue. John addressed it in his first letter to the saints. Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world. You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. 1 John 4:1-4 (NIV)

               John’s point is that we cannot have a relationship with God the Father without God the Son. The two go hand in hand. We cannot separate one from the other. John goes on to make that point very clear. And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. 1 John 5:11-12 (NIV)

               We face increasing pressure to compromise our faith by diminishing who Jesus is. We can honor him as a great moral and spiritual leader, but we cannot call him the exclusive Savior of the world. As we move forward, this pressure is only going to increase. We need to hold fast to the truth that Jesus is the exclusive way to God. There are no others. All others are dead ends.

Hebrews 10:23 (NIV)
Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.

 

FINISHING THE RACE

 

2 Timothy 4:7 (NIV)
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

               At 12:12 AM on Wednesday, August 14 my dad finished his race on this earth. He had not run a perfect race, but he fought the good fight and he kept the faith. As I reflect upon my dad’s 96-year journey there are some lessons that I have learned from the way he ran the race.

               At the top of the list has to be faithfulness. Dad demonstrated faithfulness in every aspect of his life. He was faithful to my mom right up to the end. It is hard to think of them apart. They were always a team. During the last few years of my mom’s life, dad was more than her constant companion. He was her support, encouragement, and even her hands and feet. One of mom’s passions was baking cookies. Because of her failing eyesight, dad had to take on the role of making the cookies as mom supervised.

               Growing up, dad was faithful in supporting us in whatever we did. He made it a point to attend our athletic and musical events. He invested in us in informal ways like taking the time to hit fly balls for us in the backyard after work. He invested in more formal ways by leading our Christian Service Brigade at church. Dad supported us but never pushed us. He allowed us to make our own decisions about the direction we would take in life.

               Dad was faithful to his Lord and his church. He served as an elder at his church for more than 50 years. He was the song leader every Sunday for most of that time. Through all of the ups and downs he stayed faithful to his church.

               That leads me to another lesson I learned from dad, responsibility. Not only was dad faithful to his church and his family, he took responsibility for them. Dad didn’t just show up, he got in the game. In fact, whatever dad did, he was totally committed to it. It showed in his work as he routinely was given leadership positions in every company he worked for. At church, he made sure that things that needed to happen happened. His sense of responsibility was often a cause of frustration for him when others failed to follow-through or would drop the ball. When dad committed to something, he was all in.

               A third lesson that I learned from dad is perseverance. Many people, after they retire, begin to coast. Not dad. After he retired, he actually picked up the pace. He and mom got involved with a ministry called Care Lift. Once a year they would go to Lancaster, PA to work in Care Lift’s warehouse organizing supplies to be sent overseas. Not only did dad work there, he oversaw the operation, organizing the teams of people who would come to help. Then in February, they would board a plane and head to Belarus to distribute those supplies. Again, dad lead the team. In addition, they partnered with my brother in two ministries he was involved in. He assisted Tom with a leadership training program that Tom led and accompanied Tom to Russia on several mission trips. All together mom and dad made 19 trips overseas after their retirement.

               You would think that was enough, but dad was not finished. About ten years ago or so mom and dad moved down to North Carolina to be near Tom’s family. This permanent move meant leaving their church in Ohio and getting involved in a new church. Dad jumped in with both feet. The church ran a basketball program for the children of the area called Upwards. Dad took on the job of announcing these basketball games. He also took on the job of leading their Senior Sunday School class. After mom died, we thought we would lose dad as well. He had a total collapse and ended up in a rehab center for a short time. Much to the surprise of everyone, dad bounced back and was able to return to his apartment. In return, he began going back to the rehab center two days a week to volunteer. He went from being a resident to being a valued member of their team. Dad refused to give up.

               The Bible encourages us to look back at those who have gone before us as an encouragement and inspiration for our own race. Hebrews 12 puts it this way. Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Hebrews 12:1-3 (NIV) Dad has taken his place among that great cloud of witnesses. Now it is up to us to pick up the baton and run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

Revelation 14:13 (NIV)
Then I heard a voice from heaven say, "Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on." "Yes," says the Spirit, "they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them."

THE CLOCK IS TICKING FOR US ALL

 Psalms 90:12 (NIV)

Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

               Most of us live with a common illusion. It is the idea that we have all the time in the world. The future seems to stretch out ahead of us with unending potential. But it is an illusion. The reality is that the timeline of our life is finite; it has a terminus point.

               There comes point in all of our lives when we realize that we have more days behind us than ahead of us. Even if we live to be 100, in the overall scheme of things, it is a very short amount of time. As Moses expressed it in Psalm 90, The length of our days is seventy years-- or eighty, if we have the strength; yet their span is but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away. Psalms 90:10 (NIV) James puts it even more dramatically when he writes, Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. James 4:13-14 (NIV) No matter how we look at it, life it short and our time on earth is fleeting.

               The question is then, what should we do with the time that we have? Moses instructs us to “number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” Being aware of just how short our life is is an essential ingredient to living life well. We can either waste our life or we can invest our life for eternity.

               C.S. Lewis wrote that all of us are shaping the person we will be in eternity by the way we live our life today. We are either in the process of becoming something so glorious that we can not imagine it or something so hideous that we would be repelled by the image. His point is that living our current life with eternity in mind is not only important, it is essential.

               This is an idea that we find threaded through all of scripture. What we do with the time we have on this earth matters. It matters to God and it should matter to us. Each day of our life is an opportunity to grow in Christlikeness. As Paul writes in Ephesians 5:15-16, Be very careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.

               Currently the Olympic games are going on in Paris. Every athlete who is competing in those games knows the importance of redeeming the time. In order for them to perform at their best, they needed to invest hours and hours into practice, preparing for their ultimate goal. Paul often used this image to illustrate how we live our lives. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. 1 Corinthians 9:25-27 (NIV) The last thing that anyone of us wants is to get to the end of our lives and learn that we have been disqualified for the prize.

               Right now, my father is edging his way to the finish line of life. I don’t know when he will cross that line, but I know that the time is short. It has caused me to think again about my own life. How will I use the days that I have left on this earth? Will I use them for the glory of God or will I waste them on the fleeting pleasures of this world? To be brutally honest, it will probably be a combination of both. But I can honestly say that my eyes are on the goal. My deepest desire is to use my time on earth wisely, so that one day I might stand in Christ’s presence and hear Him say, well done, good and faithful servant.

2 Timothy 4:6-8 (NIV)
For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day--and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

DRAWING NEAR

 James 4:8 (NIV)

Come near to God and he will come near to you.

               In my devotions today I read the introduction to C.S. Lewis’ book The Four Loves. He set the stage for his exploration of love, but he also introduced an interesting concept that I would like to explore.

               Lewis makes the point that there is a difference between nearness-by-likeness and nearness-by-approach. We might best understand this idea by looking at the relationship between a father and son. When people look at a father and son they will notice the likeness of appearance. When I have been with one of my sons, people often say that they can tell that we are related. This is nearness-by-likeness. But a father and son may or may not be near to one another. They may be estranged or very close. My son and I have begun meeting for breakfast on a semi-regular basis. We are growing in nearness-by-approach. Nearness-by-likeness is relatively static. Nearness-by-approach is dynamic. It can move in both directions. Two people may draw closer to one another, or they may draw away from one another.

               The idea of nearness-by-likeness and nearness-by-approach is an important concept in our relationship with God. By virtue of being human beings, we all reflect a likeness to God. Genesis 2 tells us that God created us in His likeness. Every human being carries this likeness within himself or herself. Our ability to reason and create and manipulate our world are all reflections of our likeness to God. Whether we acknowledge God or not, we still are near to Him in likeness. This is the sense when people say that we are all children of God.

               But being near to God by approach is something completely different. Although we may all have been created in God’s image, just as my children were created in my image, we are not all near to God or even drawing closer to God. Being near to God by approach takes intentionality and effort. First, it means having a real, personal relationship with God. This can be only through the saving grace of Jesus Christ. Jesus has made it clear that the path to nearness with God goes through Him. Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6 (NIV) But it does not stop at this point. Drawing near to God is a process, which theologians call sanctification. In layman’s terms it means becoming more like God in our thoughts, our desires, and our actions. There is nothing passive or automatic about drawing near to God.

               The way that we get closer to another person is by spending time with them and getting to know them on a deeper level. The same is true in our relationship with God. The only way to get closer to Him is to spend time with Him and get to know Him on a deeper level. We do this in three ways, which are all interconnected. We draw near to God through the study of His word, the Bible. The more that we immerse ourselves in the Word of God the more we get to know Him. The Bible has the power to transform our lives. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NIV)

               A close relationship with another person is more than just knowing things about them. It is in a sense becoming like them. Friends tend to shape each other. As it says in Proverbs 27:17 (NIV). As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. They begin to think alike and act alike. They are able to dialog on a deeper level. In the same way, just reading the Bible is not enough. We need to apply what we are learning to our everyday lives. We need to allow the Word of God to guide our thoughts and our actions. Application is essential if we are going to truly be like God. Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. James 1:22 (NIV)

               There is a last aspect of drawing near to God. It is prayer. If a relationship is going to progress beyond being superficial, it will require that people share their thoughts, dreams, and opinions with one another. Spending time together can bring us closer to another person, but talking together takes us to a deeper level. Throughout the New Testament we are encouraged to talk with God. In fact, Paul tells us that we should pray without ceasing. Prayer is far more than giving God our laundry list of wants. Genuine prayer is a time to open our hearts to God. To express our failures, to celebrate God’s goodness, to share our desires and plans. Prayer is our response to God reaching out to us and inviting us into relationship with Him.

               We all, in one way or another, reflect the image of God. We are all near to God in likeness. But we are not all near to God in approach. It is only as we intentionally reach out to God and invite Him into our lives that we really become His children and co-heirs of His kingdom with Christ.

Hebrews 10:19-23 (NIV)
Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.