Check it out!

      In preparation for our recent trip to England, I pulled my well-worn copy of "Meeting God in Quiet Places" off of my shelf. This delightful devotional was written by F. LaGard Smith. Each devotional is set in the context of his daily walks in the English countryside. I thought, what better way to prepare to for a trip to England.

      As I was reading "Meeting God..." I wondered if LaGard had written anything else. To my surprise and delight, I discovered that he has written 30 books covering a wide variety of topics. (LaGard is a lawyer, and taught criminal law for many years. He is now retired.) One of the titles immediately caught my attention. "Troubling Questions for Calvinists and the rest of us" Within the first few pages of that intriguing book I was captivated.

      At the end of the preface, an e-mail address is given through which you can connect with the author. I took a risk and sent him an e-mail stating that we would be traveling to England in May. He graciously replied and invited us to stop by his cottage in Buckland. We did, and had a delightful time with LaGard and his wife Ruth. It was truly one of the highlights of the trip for me.

      I want to encourage you to check out his books. I can specifically recommend "Meeting God in Quiet Places" and "Troubling Questions for Calvinists". Both of these are worth the read.

Building on a Solid Foundation

1 Corinthians 3:10

By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds.

                When I was in college, I was not very excited about history. Too often, history was taught in a dry, boring manner. Other topics seemed much more interesting to me. When I got to Seminary, I had to take Church history. It was one class among many, and it did not grab my attention. I waded through Church history in the same way I waded through World history.

                A number of years ago, I developed a series of classes that I taught on Sunday nights. One of those classes was on Church history. As much as I had not been thrilled by Church history in the past, something had changed for me. I had started to put the pieces of the puzzle together in some new ways. I began to see how the events and people of the past had laid a foundation for who the Church is today. I began to discover the answer to the “Why do we do that” question. I also began to become aware of the answer to the “Why is that important” question. Church history began to make more sense to me. It also took on greater meaning and importance. I realized that, if we are going to be fruitful in ministry going forward, we need to be aware of where we have come from.

                Although our faith history begins with Genesis 1:1, Church history begins with the New Testament, and, in particular, the book of Acts. In the book of Acts, we see the birth and the growth of the Church. Through the first 12 chapters of Acts the main character is Peter. But in chapter 13 the focus shifts to Paul. While Peter’s ministry was primarily to Judah, Paul carried the good news of Jesus into the rest of the world. Everywhere that Paul went he established small groups of believers, who were knit together by the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Later on, Paul wrote letters to those little bands of believers to encourage and strengthen them in the faith. We are the beneficiaries of the truth and wisdom of those letters.

                In his first letter to the church in Corinth Paul wrote the following. By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames. (1 Corinthians 3:10-15)

                Paul stated clearly that he had laid a spiritual foundation for the Church. That foundation is secure. It is the Gospel of Jesus Christ; that Jesus died on a cross for our sins, was buried, and rose again on the third day, according to the Scriptures. Because of what He did for us on the cross, we can be forgiven, redeemed, and restored into a proper relationship with God. That is the foundation of the Church, the foundation of our faith.

                Paul went on to say that each of us is building on that foundation. The way we build, the materials we use as we build, matter. Our efforts will be tested by God. If what we have done passes the test, we will receive our reward. If it does not pass the test, it will be lost.

               

                Church history is the record of that building process. As we look back, we can see both gold and silver, and wood and hay. There are parts of Church history that shine light the sun. There are parts of Church history that are as dark as any night. Both the bright spots and the dark times have played a part in shaping and molding the Church today. But the building process is not over.

                We, the Church of today, are standing on the shoulders of those who have gone before us. We are placing new stones on old foundations. We are part of creating a spiritual house where the very presence of God may dwell. Therefore, we must be careful how we build. We cannot afford to ignore the lessons of the past. If we do, we will surely repeat the failures of the past.

                Let us rejoice in the solid foundation that has been laid in the past. Let us also build on that foundation carefully, with wisdom and discernment. How we build today will set the course for generations to come.

1 Peter 2:4-5

As you come to him, the living Stone--rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him-- you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

THE JOY OF NEW LIFE

                Over the past couple of weeks, as we enjoyed our adventure in England, we experienced the joy of new life in two similar but very different ways. As we were flying over the Atlantic Ocean, headed for England, our second grandson was born. He was a late arrival; ten days overdue. When we landed in England a text popped up on my phone announcing his arrival. We were both thrilled and sad, because we will not be able to see him in person for a while. We did get to see him via video chat, which was amazing!

                We arrived in England at one of the most amazing times of the year, and I am not referring to the Royal wedding. We arrived at lambing season. Everywhere that we went there were new lambs in the fields with their mothers. Usually there were two lambs with each mother, occasionally three. These new lambs were full of life; bouncing around the fields with unrestrained energy. On several occasions we took a walk on a public footpath through a field filled with ewes and lambs. We were met with both curiosity and apprehension. Often the lambs would run up close to us and stare wide-eyed at us. But when we got too close, they would bound off toward their mothers. It was truly a wonderful experience. The mothers, on the other hand, would basically ignore us, chomping on the grass, unless we got too close. Then they would gather their lambs and slowly move away.

                The Bible tells us that when we place our faith in Jesus Christ we experience a new birth. It is like we get to start life all over again. We become like those new lambs. We are curious and excited about our faith. We desire to learn all that we can about Christ and about the Bible. We have unbounded spiritual energy and enthusiasm. We also experience a certain amount of apprehension. If something seems to threaten our faith, we quickly retreat to a safe place. This enthusiasm for our new life can last months or even years. But at some point, our enthusiasm wanes and we settle into a more routine faith. We continue to take in spiritual food, but with less eagerness and excitement. We become like the ewes that contentedly munch the grass while their off-spring bound around the field. If fact, we often smile at the enthusiasm of new believers, thinking to ourselves that it will soon fade into a more “realistic faith”.

                I am not sure that God ever wants us to settle into a more realistic faith. In fact, I think God wants us to live daily in the wonder and amazement of the new life we have been given. Both Peter and Paul call us to revel in this new life. Peter gives full voice to this “lamb-like” enthusiasm in 1 Peter 1:3-9.

    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, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade--kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith--of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire--may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

                When we live in the reality of our new birth, we see life through different eyes. There is joy, even in the midst of hardship. The reality of our new life gives us the courage to face the hard challenges of life, knowing that we are secure in Christ. He is our Good Shepherd who constantly watches over us, especially when we get distracted and wander away. Like those ewes, He is never far from us, keeping His eye on us at all times. And when we get spooked, He is there to reassure us.

                New life is always exciting, whether it comes in the form of the birth of a child or the birth of a lamb. New life always gives us hope for the future, even though we know the future will be hard at times. During our time in Cornwall, we had the chance to connect with my English relatives. Part of our conversation centered around family connections, but past and present. One of my relatives was bemoaning the fact that their family name was not going to continue into another generation because of the lack of grandsons to carry it forward. Silently, I could rejoice that our name will have at least one more generation of continuance.

                As believers in Christ, every time a person puts their faith in Christ, we are assured that His name will continue on into the future. In fact, heaven rejoices every time the “family” name is passed on. “In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents." (Luke 15:10) Let us never lose the awe and wonder of new birth. Let us not sink into spiritual complacency but always live in the reality of the abundant life that Christ has given to us.

John 10:10

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

THE KING IS COMING

                When I was growing up in church, we often heard messages about the second coming of Christ. Books like Hal Lindsey’s “Late Great Planet Earth” and the “Left Behind” series kept people looking to the horizon, expecting Christ’s return any day. We were told that the signs of the times have aligned and we could expect the church to be raptured soon. That was over 40 years ago. There are still prophecy conferences, and books foretelling when Christ will return, but main stream Evangelicalism has turned its attention more to the here and now instead of the sweet by and by.

                Whenever we consider the topic of the return of Christ, we need to be careful that we stay anchored in what the Bible teaches us and not get caught up in idle speculation. Back in 1988, I received an unsolicited book with the intriguing title, “88 Reasons Why Christ will Return in 1988”. When the calendar rolled over to 1989, the book was republished as “89 Reasons Why Christ will Return in 1989.” Needless to say, Christ has yet to return. It is books and seminars like these that have dulled people’s interest in seriously considering Jesus’ promised return. The church can cry wolf only so many times before people stop listening. Even the secular world got all excited about Y2K and the Mayan Calendar, which supposedly predicted the end of the world. It is now 2018 and the world continues to turn.

                Peter predicted this skepticism about the return of Christ long ago. It is recorded for us in 2 Peter 3:3-13.

    First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. [4] 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." [5] 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. [6] By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. [7] 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.

    [8] 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. [9] 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.

    [10] But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.

    Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives [12] as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. [13] But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.

                Peter’s words fit our times like a glove. Many unbelievers and even some so-called believers scoff at the idea that Jesus will return to claim his rightful throne. They would rather believe in the destruction of the world as a result of global warning or over population or a massive asteroid hitting the earth.

                Peter gives us a good outline for how we should approach the promise of Christ’s return.

                First, we need to keep God at the center of our thinking. When God is removed from the equation, the idea of the bodily return of Christ becomes laughable. In an increasingly secular and pluralistic world, many people think the Church’s teaching on the return of Christ is at best a quaint myth and at worst an idealistic delusion. As followers of Christ, we know that God has a plan for this world. He is the creator and sustainer of it. It will continue to exist until that time when His plan is fulfilled. We can rest in the knowledge that God is in control of human history. Nothing has happened or will happen that is outside of His plan. We need to always remember what Jesus said about the church in Matthew 16:18. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.

                The second thing that Peter reminds us of is that God is not in a hurry to bring things to an end. God created this world and humans in particular to be in relationship. His desire is that as many people as possible will come to faith in Him through Jesus Christ. But He will not force anyone to take that step of faith. Out of His great love for us, He gives us to freedom to choose; to choose to follow or not to follow. It takes time for people to become aware of their true spiritual state and to come to grips with what they need to do about it. God does not have a limited number of people that He will accept in heaven, as some think. In fact, the book of Revelation makes it clear that God has opened the doors to all who will come.

    After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. Rev. 7:9

                The third thing that Peter tells us about Jesus second coming is that we cannot figure out when it will happen. Too much time and effort has been spent on trying to figure out when Christ will return. I don’t believe that He is honored by this. In fact, Jesus made it very clear that His return will take everyone by surprise. Consider some of what Jesus taught about his return.

Matthew 24:36-42

    "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. [37] As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. [38] For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; [39] and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. [40] Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. [41] Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.

    [42] "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.

                Paul reinforced what Jesus taught in 1 Thessalonians 5:1-2. Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, [2] for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.

                Finally, Peter gets to the real heart of the matter. In light of Jesus return, how should we live our lives now? Peter gives a very general answer with two distinct aspects. We are to live holy and godly lives.  We are also to live in anticipation of Jesus return.

                Jesus specifically addressed this in Matthew 24:45-51.

    "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? [46] It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. [47] I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. [48] But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, 'My master is staying away a long time,' [49] and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. [50] The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. [51] He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

                Jesus tells us that the best way to be ready for His return is to stay focused on the task He has given us to be light and salt in our world. Always live with the reality that Jesus could return at any time. Don’t become complacent and abuse the privileges that He has given to us.

                Jesus expanded what it means to be ready for His return with three other parables; the parable of the ten virgins, the parable of the talents, and the parable of the sheep and the goats. Each parable has a specific message for us.

                In the parable of the ten virgins the message is always be prepared because we do not know when he will return. Five of the virgins managed their resources well. Five of the virgins failed to prepare. When the time came, only the five that were prepared were allowed to enter the banquet.

                In the parable of the talents, the message is that we will be held accountable for what we have done with what God has given to us. Jesus says that each of the servants was given a certain amount of money to manage on behalf of the master, according to their abilities. Two of those servants managed the money well and were rewarded by the master. The third hid what had been given to him and returned it unused to the master. He was severely reprimanded for his lack of faithful service. Christ will judge each of us by what he has entrusted to us, not compared to anyone else. God expects us to be good stewards of His resources in order to bring glory to him. If we fail to honor Him in this way, he will judge us accordingly.

                The parable of the sheep and the goats is the most chilling to me. For many years I lived in fear of this parable because I could not honestly say that I did all of the things mentioned here: feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and imprisoned, welcoming the stranger. Out of fear, I did things that I was not equipped to do or maybe even called to do. Then one day God spoke clearly to me that He expected me to do my part to accomplish all of these things, but that he doesn’t expect me to do them all on my own. It was as we work together as the body of Christ that we fulfill this parable. On the other hand, those who neglect the things God has commanded us to do will again face his judgement.

                At this point I need to address the issue of if we can lose our salvation. I want to affirm that, as I understand the Bible, we cannot. In 2 Cor. 5:17 it states that, Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! As new creations formed by Christ we cannot go back to being what we used to be. What we can lose is our rewards from Christ. Paul makes that clear in 1 Cor. 3:10-15.

    By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. [11] For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. [12] If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, [13] his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. [14] If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. [15] If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.

                I know this has been a heavier talk than I normally give, so let me summarize what the Bible teaches about the second coming of Christ.

1. We can be confident that Christ will return. 1 Thes. 4:16-18

    For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. [17] After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. [18] Therefore encourage each other with these words.

2. We cannot figure out when Christ will return. "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.

3. We should live in anticipation of His imminent return; that He may return at any time. Matthew 24:42

    "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.

4. As we look forward to His return, we should be busy about His business. Jesus does not want us to sit idly by waiting for the last day, but He wants us to bear fruit for His kingdom. John 15:8

    This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

5. We can trust God with the timing. We should pay attention to what is going on around us, but we don’t need to worry or be consumed by them. We know that the ultimate victory has already been won by Christ. We know that no matter how dark things may look to us the light will dawn. 1 Cor. 15:56-58

                The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. [57] But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

    [58] Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

6. We can celebrate that God is doing some amazing things in our world. In different parts of the world people are coming to faith in Christ in unprecedented numbers. Even in Europe and North America there are new fires of faith beginning to burn.

                We are closer to the bodily return of Christ than we have ever been. It could be tomorrow or it could be another 1000 years. Whenever that time is, we need to be alert and ready.

Mark 13:33

Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come.

   

SMALL SURPRISES

James 1:17

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

                I think God delights in surprising us with small gifts from His hand. Like a father who brings home some small gift for his children, so our Heavenly Father does the same. When I was growing up, my father would periodically go on a business trip. When he came home, he would often have some small gifts for us boys. It actually got to the point where we would meet him at the door with the question, what did you bring us? This past couple of weeks, God has been “meeting me at the door” with some small gifts that I did not expect.

                Several weeks ago, after the official announcement of my retirement went out, Suanne and I received a Facebook message from a young lady who had been a classmate of our son Adam. She expressed her gratitude to us and told us that it was her experience here at Bethel at awakened her faith.

                In preparation for our trip to England, I pulled my well-worn copy of Meeting God in Quiet Places off of the shelf. This wonderful devotional was written by F. LaGard Smith. It centers on his discoveries about God through his walks in the English countryside. Out of curiosity, I searched the internet to see if he had written any other such books. What I discovered was that he was a prolific writer who is not afraid to tackle difficult issues. He is now retired but was a law professor at Pepperdine University. Several titles of his books intrigued me, so I purchased a couple. After reading the preface and first chapter of one of those books, I realized that I had come across a gift. There was an e-mail address for the author at the end of the preface so I sent him a thank you for his book. To my surprise he personally responded within the day!

                This past Sunday, a young man walked up to me who I recognized but could not quite place. He refreshed my memory by reminding me that many years ago I had met with him every Friday for a year. I had performed his wedding. He had moved to Wisconsin where he established his family. He is now back in the area. Then he said, there is not a day that goes by that I don’t think about the influence you had on my spiritual life. I was truly humbled.

                At the end of the Sermon on the Mount, in Matthew 7, Jesus tells us that our Heavenly Father is delighted to give us good gifts.

    "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

    "Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! Matthew 7:7-11

                Whenever I have read these verses, I automatically think about the big decisions of life. Somehow, I have gotten it into my mind that to ask, seek, and knock is reserved for “important things” in life. I wonder if God is waiting for me to ask, what have your brought me today? I wonder how many small gifts I have missed because I wasn’t paying attention.

                C.S. Lewis wrote a book titled, Surprised by Joy. In that masterful volume, he talks about how joy seems illusive to us. The more that we chase after joy (or happiness) the more it alludes us. It always seems to be just outside of our grasp. Then, when we do not expect it, God surprises us with His joy. He allows us to enjoy some small pleasure or experience a positive encounter with someone and joy wells us from within us. We feel its embracing arms for the moment. But if we try to capture it, it evaporates.

                Jesus promised to give us the gift of joy. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. (John 15:11) But if we look closely we discover that joy is not the goal. Joy is the byproduct of striving for the goal. The goal is to abide in Christ. The more that we strive to get close to Him, the more we will experience His joy.

                The gifts that our Heavenly Father wants to give to us come as we keep our eyes focused on serving Him. Like a father surprising obedient children with some small gift, our Father delights in sending small gifts to those who genuinely follow Him. Jesus gives us a glimpse of this in the parable of the talents. Too often we focus on the servant who failed to be faithful and we miss God’s commendation for those who were. "His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!' Matthew 25:21

                As Suanne and I have been sorting through our things, getting ready to move, we have come across many small gifts that people have given to us over the years; tangible reminders of people who have intersected with our lives. Those small gifts have reminded me of the many small gifts God has given to me over the years. They may not be tangible in a worldly sense, but they are far more precious and valuable.

                What small gifts has God been offering to you?  

SEEING GOD’S HAND IN OUR WORLD

                How is your eye-sight? One of the things that plagues us all as we get older is that our eye-sight gets weaker. Although I do not need glasses for most of the normal activities of life, I now use them for reading, working on the computer and seeing small objects. I have even found a pair of safety glasses that are like bifocals for working in my shop. They really help.

                Let me change my question slightly. How is your spiritual eye-sight? Just like our need for glasses to improve our physical sight, so at times we need help to improve our spiritual sight. But unlike our physical sight, the more we work on our spiritual sight, the stronger it becomes. As we grow in our faith, we can begin to see things that we never saw before. We can begin to gain clarity that we have never had before. We can discover new insights into our world that remain hidden to those who have weak spiritual eyes.

                The other week, I pulled a devotional book off of my shelf to help me get ready for our trip to England. It is called “Meeting God in Quiet Places” by F. LeGard Smith. Dr. Smith is a retired law professor. When he wrote this devotional, he split his year between teaching at Pepperdine University for six months and writing for six months at his cottage in the Cotswolds in England. To be honest, when I first read this book I was very jealous. The devotional thoughts in this book are all sparked by his walks in the English countryside. On those walks, he learned to sharpen his spiritual sight to see God in those wonderful places.

                Dr. Smith is not the first to recognize that we can see God in the natural world around us, if we have the eyes to see. King David expressed this in Psalm 19:1-4.

    The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. When David looked at the world around him, he saw God’s hand. He recognized that God was speaking to every tribe, tongue and nation about His glory and majesty. In reality, every people group on earth has heard and responded to God’s revelation of Himself. Their understanding is limited and often distorted, but they all have a sense that God is present in this amazing world.

                The Apostle Paul took a more direct approach to seeing God in the created world.

    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. Romans 1:18-20 The last line of this passage states an important truth. People are without excuse for not recognizing God’s reality.

                Another book that I have enjoyed is Dr. Richard Swenson’s book, “More Than Meets the Eye”. In this book Dr. Swenson takes us on a tour of the universe from the vast expanse of outer space to the tiniest details in the molecular world. He masterfully exposes the hand of God at every level of our world and beyond.

                It is possible for us to walk through life spiritually blind. We can pass by the wonders of God’s creation and never see God’s hand. In fact, without the work of the Holy Spirit within us, we will remain blind. When we place our faith in Jesus Christ, the spiritual scales fall from our eyes and we begin to see things we have never seen before. The longer we walk with Jesus and the more we intentionally develop our relationship with Him, the more wonders our eyes will behold. Suanne once commented that she was impressed by how I can see spiritual truth in mundane things. I must confess that this is in part a product of my years of study and intentionally looking for appropriate sermon illustrations. But what I have been enabled to see, you can see as well, if you will train your eyes to look carefully.

                King David prayed for the ability to see the wonders of God in Psalm 119:18. Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law. As I have spent years in study of God’s Word, I have continually been amazed at how God opens my eyes to new truths that I had not seen before, or new ways of seeing and applying old truths that I thought I knew well. The study of God’s word is exercise for strengthening our spiritual eye-sight. The more immersed we are in God’s Word, the more we see God’s hand in the world around us.

                Two of my most favorite places on earth are the North Shore of Lake Superior and Cornwall, England. In both places, water meets land with wonderful, amazing results. Those waves crashing onto the coastline are a demonstration of the power of God.

- God’s power is awe inspiring. There is something entrancing about standing on the shore and watching the waves crash against the rocks. A placid lake or ocean is beautiful, but it is the waves that inspire me.

- God’s power is persistent. The waves continue to crash against the shore day after day, year after year. There is a sense of eternity in the crashing waves. There is a sense of permanency; the feeling that they will always be there. So it is with the power of God. It is never diminished. It will never be spent. It will always be present.

- God’s power is transformational. The power of the waves working against hard rock is amazing. There are amazing rock formations on the North Shore that have been carved out by the power of the waves. There are impressive caves on the coast of Cornwall that have been formed by the persistent pounding of the waves over centuries of time. God’s power transforms the hard hearts of people into amazing followers of His. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. Ezekiel 36:26

- God’s power is comforting. One of the most relaxing things I can do is sit on the shore of Lake Superior and listen to the waves. Recognizing that not only is God powerful, God is the most powerful, gives us a sense of peace and security. As Paul says in Romans 8:31, What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?

                G. K. Chesterton, in his book Orthodoxy, says that the greatest dilemma in the world is not the problem of pain, but the problem of beauty. Given a purely random, uncaring world, we would expect pain and suffering. The idea of the survival of the fittest demands it. But nothing in our world demands beauty. It is an anomaly.

                Many years ago, our family took a vacation in Colorado. One day we camped at a National Forest campground in the Rocky Mountain National Park. It was July, but we woke up in the morning to snow on our tent. After we had set up our camp, the boys and I discovered a trail leading out away from the campground, so we went exploring. It led us to an open field that was full of wildflowers in bloom. It was an amazing sight. On the way back I thought to myself, why were those flowers there. No one planted them or cultivated them. Given the isolated nature of the setting, no one else may even have seen them. Yet there they were in all of their glory. Why? They were there to proclaim the glory of God, whether any person saw them or not. There were there purely for the delight and pleasure of God.

                I have often thought about the amazing diversity in our world.

- God could have created a monochromatic world where everything was gray. Instead He created a world with a spectrum of color that adds beauty to the world. There are colors in the spectrum that we cannot even see with our natural eyes, but they are there.

- God could have created a monotone world. Instead He created a world with a vast array of sounds to delight the ears. Again there are sounds that our eyes cannot detect, but that animals can.

- God could have created a uniform world where each particular kind of animal was the same. One kind of dog, one kind of cat, one kind of sheep, one kind of cattle, one kind of horse, one kind of bird, and so on. But instead He created a world of amazing variety. There are 340 recognized breeds of dogs. There are over 60 breeds of sheep in England. Depending upon how you organize them, there are between 41 and 80 different breeds of cats. We worship a God of amazing creativity and diversity.

                God created the amazing world around us to assure us of his love and care. Jesus taught us not to worry about the particulars of life because God has it under control. Matthew 6:25-34

    "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? [26] Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? [27] Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

    [28] "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. [29] Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. [30] If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? [31] So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' [32] For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. [33] But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. [34] Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

                At the core of this amazing world is energy. Bottomline, everything comes down to stored or released energy, even us. Although we think of the atom as the building block of all things, energy is what enlivens all things. That energy come directly from God. Colossians 1:15-17

    He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. [16] For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. [17] He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

                There is a Christmas song that has the line, do you see what I see? That question should not be asked just at Christmas. We should be asking it all throughout life. Do you have the eyes to see God in the mundane of life? His hand is at work in our world. His fingerprints are on everything. We just have to look closely. At a crime scene, the police dust for fingerprints. We need to get in the habit of dusting our world to discover the fingerprints of God. They really are everywhere, if you have the eyes to see.

FOLLOWING HIS LEAD

Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in the Lord with all your heart

 and lean not on your own understanding;

in all your ways acknowledge him,

and he will make your paths straight.

                Sometime in my youth I latched onto Proverbs 3:5-6 as my life verse. I do not remember the exact circumstances. It may have been prompted by someone telling me I needed a life verse. (I was very compliant) Whatever the reason was that I landed on this passage, it has stayed with me. I have tried all of my life to follow Christ’s lead as I have navigated my life journey.

                The NIV translates the last line as “he will make your paths straight.” I can tell you that my journey has been anything but straight. I actually first memorized these verses in the King James version of the Bible. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. I can honestly say that God has directed my path, even though, at the time, I was pretty confused about where that path would lead me. I think both translations of these verses uncover some significant truths about this life journey we are on.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart

                I have read that one of the hardest things for new pilots to do is to trust their instruments. One of those instruments is called the artificial horizon. It is designed to help a pilot keep the plane flying right side up and level. Pilots can lose their orientation when they get above the clouds and cannot see the ground. Their feelings tell them that they are upside down when in fact they are right side up. They have to learn to trust the artificial horizon.

                In a similar way, there are many times in life when we lose our perspective. Circumstances cloud our vision and we panic. We want to take control, but often we mess things up. It is in those cloudy times that we need to exercise trust the most. When everything within us is telling us differently, we need to trust that God does know what is best.

 and lean not on your own understanding;

                Have you ever fought with your GPS. I have. I know where I want to go, so I put the information into the GPS and it gives me “the best” way to get there. In places where I am already familiar, I will often disagree with the GPS and ignore it. My route may not be the best or the fastest, but it is the one I am most comfortable with.

                There are situations where I have to trust the GPS completely, because I am in totally unfamiliar territory. Even when the route that the GPS picks for me doesn’t feel right, I have to follow. In the majority of cases, it works out. I have had a couple of cases where the GPS deposited in the wrong place.

                Following Christ is like following a perfect GPS. He knows the journey before me, with exacting detail. I only have a vague idea of which way I should head. I roughly know the destination, but I am unclear about all the twists and turns. If I depend on my understanding, I will get lost.

in all your ways acknowledge him,

                I think, in this context, acknowledge means submit to His authority. We all struggle with authority from time to time. Some of us are openly rebellious, while others are cooperative on the outside while rebelling on the inside. To acknowledge Jesus’ authority in our lives is more than outward conformity. It is yielding both our actions and our attitudes to Christ.

                The Apostle Paul puts this idea into a positive light in Colossians 3:17. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. This is another verse that I have added to my mental file cabinet. It wipes away the false divide between sacred and secular and makes all of life an act of worship. Every aspect of our life needs to come under Christ’s authority. This is not a burden, but a blessing. When we see how God has gifted us and how He works in us and through us, we can be filled with joy and gratitude.

and he will make your paths straight. (he shall direct thy paths)

                This last line is very important to me. Here is where the two different translations add depth and breadth to the meaning of the text. I originally thought of this line as meaning that God would clear the way for me and make life easy. Boy was I wrong!

                My journey with Christ has been anything but easy or straight, but I can say, without a doubt, that God has directed all of the way. I have come to understand that, if I trust God, He will direct my path. I have also come to realize that the straight path is not the easy path. The straight path, meaning the path Christ wants me to follow, will lead me into challenges and obstacles that need to be confronted and dealt with.  If I will trust Him, He will not only lead me into these difficult situations, but He will lead me through them to the other side. At the time, these situations will not feel pleasant or easy, but God wants to use them to refine and strengthen my faith. As Peter says, These have come so that your faith--of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire--may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. (1 Peter 1:7)

                When I take a trip, I like to have things planned out in advance. I like to have a clear map that shows me, in detail, how to get to where I want to go. On this journey of faith with Christ, there is no map. Instead, what we have is a guide. Instead of giving us a detailed map of the journey, Jesus simply says, “Follow me.”