Gratitude

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” ESV John 14:15

As I read through the Gospel of John this past week with my daughter Ashley, this verse captured my attention. I confess to being just as fascinated by what it does not say as I am by what it plainly declares; the latter being that if you love Jesus you will keep His commandments.

But think with me for a moment about what the verse does not say. The verse does not say that if you keep the commandments of Jesus that He will love you. It doesn’t say that Jesus has any duty or obligation whatsoever to bestow His love on you because you keep His commandments.

Now, lest I offend too many, let me say that I am certain that Jesus is pleased (happy if you will) when you keep His commandments because the Bible tells us plainly that God loves righteousness and hates evil. But being pleased by an action is altogether different from being obligated by an action.

Back in the late sixteenth century a document was commissioned in Germany that outlined the basic tenets of the Christian faith. That document, held in high regard in its day and still very useful today, is The Heidelberg Catechism. I mention it here because of its three basic divisions that are captured well by the title of book published by Banner of Truth; Guilt, Grace and Gratitude.

The catechism begins by highlighting mankind’s desperate condition of guilt and assured damnation because of sin. The second section explains the gracious gift of salvation and reconciliation to God made possible through the finished and complete work of Jesus Christ. The Heidelberg Catechism concludes by with an extensive section explaining what biblical gratitude looks like. Hint—it looks like John 14:15!

When you think about it, could anything be more natural? If you were convicted of an offense that carried a death sentence, yet pardoned because of the actions of another, wouldn’t it be natural to express your gratitude towards your benefactor forevermore? Sure it would. You’d love that person forever.

Is it, perhaps should it, be any different in the life of a Christian? Guilty of sin against a holy God, yet pardoned, reconciled to God through the actions of Jesus the Son, could anything be more natural than expressing appreciation and love towards your benefactor than in keeping His commandments? I think not.

Many strive to live good and righteous lives. Those who love Jesus do so as an expression of love for their Savior.

God bless.

Evil and the Tucson Shootings

“But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. ² For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, ³ heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, ⁴ treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, ⁵ having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.” ^ESV 2 Timothy 3:1-5

I was stunned as I heard about the senseless murders in Arizona this week that killed six people and injured fourteen others. How could such a heinous act occur? And Why? Why did innocent people die? Why are parents grieving over the loss of a beautiful nine-year-old girl? Why is a federal judge dead? Why is Congresswoman Giffords lying in a hospital room with a bullet wound to her head? Why?

As I watched the news the following morning, while still stunned by the facts of the event, I was initially amused by the reporting. My amusement quickly turned to dismay and then to anger when I saw the “spin” that the talking heads of television were putting on the horrible event. On more than one channel the “spin” pointed a finger of blame towards political opponents of the Congresswoman. Really? Give me a break! Does every event in this nation have to be politicized? Can we not call a spade a spade in this country?

My feet are firmly planted on solid ground when I say that the senseless murders in Arizona were not the blame of The Tea Party, The Republican Party, or any party or individual politician. No, the murders in Arizona are the product of the evil, sinful actions of an evil man, living in evil days, in a self-glorifying society that has generally abandoned God. The root cause of the Arizona murders is sin.

We Americans love ourselves. Not our neighbors necessarily, but literally ourselves. We want to do things “our way.” We want things now; not later. Held captive by self-love we begin to covet and become “proud, arrogant, abusive…ungrateful…heartless…brutal” and lacking even basic levels of “self-control.” And our scripture tells us that by loving ourselves so dearly, we become “lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.”

The Arizona murders were rooted in the self-centered pleasures of an evil, sinful man.

I pray for the families of the grieving. I pray for the healing of the wounded. I pray for swift justice for the assailant. I pray that America would recognize sin as the blame. Lastly, I pray that this senseless act awakens America from her slumber and turns her (us; you; me) to God.

Will you be a lover of self or a lover of God?

Living Life Again

“…Martha welcomed him [Jesus] into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving…” ESV Luke 10:38-40

A good many people adore Billy Graham and regard him as a stalwart of the Christian faith in modern times. Certainly nobody denies his tenacity in preaching. Even near the end of his public ministry, he was still filling stadiums around the globe for his evangelistic crusades.

Now 92, Reverend Graham has slowed down, stepped out of the public eye somewhat and I presume has had time to reflect on his life. He shared some reflections with Greta Van Susteren on Fox News back in December. One of his comments stood out in my mind as particularly noteworthy.

Greta asked Reverend Graham: “If you were to do things over again, would you do it differently?” The Reverend replied forcefully and without a moment’s hesitation: “Yes. I would study more, I would pray more, travel less, take less speaking engagements; I took too many of them in too many places around the world. If I had it to do over again, I’d spend more time in meditation and prayer and just telling the Lord how much I love him and adore him…”

Reverend Graham’s words are stuck in my head as I begin a new year. As is so often the case when we turn the page on our calendars from December to January, this is a year filled with new and renewed aspirations; a year of new hopes and desires; a busy and full year.

I wonder though, is our true joy and fulfillment often lost in business? This year, will the truly important things in my life be crowded out by urgent things? If I were to ask 100 of you what your top priorities in life were, I’d venture to guess that God, family, work and health would rank near the top with almost everyone. Do your daily activities match the order of priority of these important things?

Mary prioritized her activity and focused on that which was most important; sitting at the Lord’s feet. Looking back, even Billy Graham would have re-prioritized some of his activities to focus on the most important things. How about you?

Today, ask God to grant you the wisdom, energy and discipline to focus your activities on those things which are most important this year.

God bless.

Humble submission

“But Naaman was angry and went away, saying, “Behold, I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call upon the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper.” ESV 2 Kings 5:11

Naaman was a very important man in his country. Scripture tells us that he was commander of the army for the King of Syria. Don’t you suppose that Naaman, in his position as a commander, was accustomed to having most events unfold just as he planned or imagined? Certainly his attendants and soldiers would have gone to great lengths to know his likes, dislikes, and personal whims and I suspect they would have done everything possible to please the man.

A commander demands more than a smidgen of respect and obedience from those under his authority and Naaman would have been no different. Few would fault Naaman for being a proud man, but Naaman was also a leper. When I think about it, it must have been frustrating for Naaman to be an outcast, a leper, yet also be among the elite of the King’s household.

One day, word comes to Naaman of a possible cure for his disease in Israel and with the blessings of the King he assembles and entourage and heads out. After first stopping by to see a very surprised and distressed King of Israel, he eventually arrives at the house of a prophet named Elisha; the man of God who can offer him a cure.

From inside Elisha’s house it must have been quite a sight. I mean Naaman, the commander of the Syrian army, had come calling and was parked in his front yard with horses, chariots, and animals loaded with silver and gold. I wonder what the neighbors thought?

Naaman, after staging such a grand entrance, and being such an important man and all, was not ready for Elisha’s prescription that arrived by messenger: “Go and wash in the Jordon seven times, and your flesh shall be restored…” Naaman was insulted and angry. Surely the healing of someone of his stature would be something of a public spectacle with hand waving, speeches and such. But no, Elisha told him to go bathe in a river that was downright nasty by his standards; how humiliating.

Naaman didn’t like it, but he was eventually convinced to follow Elisha’s instructions. He did and he was healed. Naaman left Israel a changed man inside and out. On the outside, his leprosy was cured. On the inside, he was praising the one true God.

How often I wonder does our pride rob us of the blessings of God? Do you have certain expectations you expect to be met before you worship and praise Him? Has a church leader or member wounded your pride somewhere along the way?

Scripture doesn’t guarantee that outward healing is ours for the asking, but I can assure you that spiritual healing is available to everyone who humbly submits to God’s word. “Repent, and believe in the gospel (Mark 1:15).”

Ask, seek and knock

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” ESV Matthew 7:7

We are a demanding society. I heard a great example of our demanding attitude the other day as I was listening to a sermon by Alistair Begg. He says that you need to walk no further than your local coffee shop or restaurant to see just how demanding we are. Just approach the counter and listen as people place their orders and you’ll here phrases like ‘give me a _____, or I’ll take a _____, or mine is a _____.’ Gone it seems are the days of patience and the common courtesy associated with the word please or phrase may I?. No, we want what’s ours and we want it now!

My fear is that we are equally demanding and discourteous of God when we go to him in prayer. How often have we prayed: God, give me _____; God, here’s what I need; or God, here’s what would ease my mind. But, one might argue, our verse from Matthew 7 is pretty simple and straightforward isn’t it? Ask, seek and knock and it is yours for the taking, right? Well, not exactly.

Matthew Henry places this verse in proper perspective by noting that ask, seek and knock should be properly interpreted to mean: “Pray; pray often; pray with sincerity and seriousness; pray and pray again; make conscience of prayer, and be constant in it; make a business of prayer, and be earnest in it. Ask, as a beggar asks alms.” My ESV Study Bible links the same words (ask, seek and knock) with humility, action, and persistence on our part. Notice the total absence of a demanding tone in either explanation, and rightly so. God is not in the “name it and claim it” business.

As I read the prayers of Saints in scripture, even prayers of Jesus Himself, one thing stands out; their prayers and requests were ultimately for the glory of God. Read the prayers of Moses and you’ll find that while he often prayed for the deliverance and well being of the Hebrews, he always qualified his request so that God would be glorified by answering it. The same could be said of King David. David often prayed for personal deliverance from perils and hardships but he always asked in a way that would give God glory by answering him. Even Jesus, when he prayed in Gethsemane before his betrayal, made his request known to the Father and then added, “…nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will” (Matthew 26:39).

Now friends, if even the saints of old and the son of God Himself make their requests known to God with humility and earnest desire that God the Father receive the glory in answering them, shouldn’t we do the same?

So yes, ask, seek and knock just like Matthew 7:7 says, just be mindful to do so with God’s glory as your ultimate aim and not your personal gratification.

Eternity in view

“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” ESV Colossians 3:1-2

Alcohol. It’s the subject of much discussion in my hometown of Russellville as the citizens wrestle with the merits of legalizing its sale. It’s a subject for which many display an intense passion so I hope these words are received with the graciousness of their intent (Ephesians 4:29) by everyone.

Try as I may, I cannot find a strict biblical prohibition against alcohol and many of the scriptures commonly used for its condemnation are equally applicable to the food we eat. Yes, even eating is detrimental to our bodies, and unbiblical, in excess. But at least let us all agree that alcohol, along with many other things, is sinful when consumed to excess (Proverbs 23:20-21).

Having said that, let me point out that drunkenness is condemned by scripture in many, many places; I Corinthians 6:10, Galatians 5:21 and Ephesians 5:18 to name just a few. And Proverbs tells us that it is unwise for kings and rulers to consume strong drinks because it could affect their judgment (Proverbs 31:4-5) and hence their legacy.

The Apostle Paul observed once that not everything he was permitted to do was necessarily beneficial (I Corinthians 6:12) for him to do. And, in the same passage, he states his resolve to not be “enslaved” or addicted to anything. As we weigh the question before us I think it is both wise and prudent to consider Paul’s convictions.

One of the arguments commonly associated in favor of legalizing alcohol is that it would increase our tax revenues and attract nice restaurants; thereby increasing our quality of life. Yet a casual observation of other communities that have adopted legal alcohol sales in recent years doesn’t convince me that they are demonstrably “better off” than we are today. Argue to the contrary if you desire, but when all things are considered, regulations, inspections, enforcement, etcetera, it is very much like pouring water into a leaking bucket.

Some of the rhetoric surrounding the issue is so temporal and self-serving at times that I fear a view of eternity is too often lost entirely. Yet, at the end of the day Christians are called to set their “minds on things that are above, not on things that are on the earth (Colossians 3:2).” Christians are always supposed to keep eternity in view.

To quote the Apostle Paul once more, “…whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God (I Corinthians 10:31).” Whatever you do, including when you vote your convictions on this issue, I encourage you to do so with eternity view and with the intent of glorifying God.

God Bless.

Truth is not manufactured

“Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.” ESV Colossians 2:6-8

Why do you suppose antiques are valuable? Why is one person’s antique just another person’s junk? By definition antiques are old, but age itself is not necessarily a virtue. The value in antiques is a bit of a mystery to me because I don’t have an “eye” for it; I have not been trained in the craft. Even so, a novice like me would be suspicious, as Jim Rohn says, if I saw someone “manufacturing antiques” for sale. Think about it—aren’t antiques “old” by definition?

Truth is similar. Truth is certainly valuable and enduring and it is necessarily “old” by definition. You can’t manufacture truth anymore than you can manufacture an antique can you? No, of course not. Instead, truth is discovered. Solomon said that there “is nothing new under the sun.” The same thing can be said of truth.

It is no surprise when a novice like myself buys an old piece of junk mistaking it for a valuable antique. But for someone with a trained eye, the same a purchase would be an embarrassing mistake. Christians should find themselves in a similarly embarrassing situation when they’re caught following the advice of society instead of the truth found in the bible.

It would be impossible for me to number the times that I’ve talked with a fellow Christian about a problem or situation only to find that their situation was being compounded because they were embracing human philosophy and tradition instead of depending on the truth of God’s word. It is an amazingly easy trap to fall into.

As I read Paul’s letter to the church at Colossae, it seems that he is warning against that very error. Paul is admonishing Christians, those who have “received Christ Jesus,” to act like it! He’s telling them to live by faith in Christ, to be ruled by the teachings of Christ and not by the deceitful musings of human philosophy and tradition. By doing so of course, that is living by the truth of God’s word, you run the risk of being labeled “different.” But, shouldn’t Christians be different?

Resolve to be different. Don’t be an untrained believer in Christ. Train yourself in the faith by immersing yourself in God’s word so that “truth” is obvious to your trained eye. In doing so, you’ll save yourself from much pain caused by following the logic of this world. Remember, truth is not manufactured, but it can be discovered in the word of God.