Atheistic Rants and Raves

A friend of mine recently shared her feelings about some comments she read by Atheists about Christians.  She said, “I mean, really, if you don’t believe in God, just give it a rest, instead of talking about Him ALLLLLL the time!...What’s wrong with people these days??  It seems that atheist think about God more than Christians do…”

And I would say, why do they even care enough to think about it much less write about it?  If they don’t believe, why does it even bother them that others do?  Shouldn’t they just be content in the choice they’ve made?  That is, if they are really content in the choice they’ve made. 

I have to suspect that the ranting and raving about Christians has to do with the ranting and raving going on in their own minds that screams discontent, disconnect, disappointment and despair!  They can only know real peace when they are brought in line with the God Who is there and Who really cares about their condition and did something about it.  Jesus Christ came to seek and save the lost, to heal the brokenness caused by our sin.  What hope the Christian has in this dark world!!   Not so the “ranters and ravers”!  They have no hope because they have no God, not because God is not there.  But because they have said, “No God for me!”  

“They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious.  ‘Peace, peace’, they say, but there is no peace.”  Jeremiah 6:14

The Affliction of the Four J's and Their Response

The story of Joseph never gets old.  As I studied this morning for the teaching of preschoolers tomorrow, I was again struck by the beautiful integrity of Joseph.  His attitude shows that his affliction never seemed to shake his trust in God!

I began to think on my recent study of Jeremiah and his perseverance in affliction and then also,  Job.  I began to ponder these three men, three J’s, and another popped into my mind: Jonah-the affliction of the four J's  and their response.  How do I tie these four men together?

They tie together by their response!  Consider:

Job-wealthy, healthy, fruitful-in the blink of an eye-all gone!  Then from chapter three to forty-one, much contemplation!  The response:  “Job answered the LORD, ‘I know that You can do all things, and that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted…I will ask, You instruct me…I repent in dust and ashes.’”

Joseph-young, handsome, favored, happy homebody-in but a moment-zapped from home by his own kin!  We read with amazement at God’s complete care, compassion and control over his alienation from his home: “The LORD was with Joseph, so he became a successful man…the LORD caused all that he did to prosper…gave him favor…whatever he did, the LORD made to prosper.”  The response:  “How then could I do this great evil and sin against God?  God sent me before you to preserve life…God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.”

Jeremiah-prophet, direct contact with God, obedient and fervent,  speaking with reckless abandon what God says-for all his effort-thrown in a cistern, mocked, laughing stock, kings seeking to destroy him!  For fifty-two chapters, we learn from Jeremiah’s faithful proclamation a glimpse of the personality of our awesome Creator and His complete control over all things.  Jeremiah, for all his labor, was afflicted as he wrote, “My soul has been rejected from peace; I have forgotten happiness.  So I say, ‘My strength has perished, and so has my hope from the LORD.’”  But what kept Jeremiah going were his foundational thoughts of God:  “My soul remembers and is bowed down within me.  This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope.  The LORD’S lovingkindnesses, indeed, never cease, for His compassions never fail.  They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.  ‘The LORD is my portion’, says my soul, ‘therefore, I have hope in Him.’”

And last, Jonah.  It’s really hard to put Jonah in this list of faithful men.  I pretty much look at the first three with respect and admiration.  Not too much Jonah.  But I believe he gives us another personality we need to consider.  I mean, yes, he ran the opposite way of God’s call but we should be impressed that he was truthful with the captain and brave enough to give up his life for the good of the others.  His trust in God was great in the face of an emergency even though he was conflicted with the every day tasks of life.  Four short chapters reveal the conflict of Jonah’s back and forth battle between trusting God’s sovereignty and shaking his fist at Him.  While I would much prefer to be compared to the first three, I’m afraid I more like this man.  And yet God used him to save a city, including his story in the divinely inspired Book He gave man.  Yes, we need Jonah and all his warts to remind us that “it’s not of works”, it’s all of grace.  Jonah’s response as he lay in the belly of a “great fish appointed” by the LORD: “Salvation is from the LORD.”

Four men walking through life, blessed, afflicted, trusting, and used by God.  Let us bask in the thought of being “used” by God Almighty, no matter what blessings or afflictions come our way. “God can do all things.  God meant it for good.  Great is His faithfulness.  Salvation is from the LORD.”  This is the response of “the Four J’s”.  Let it also be our response.  God keep us strong!

The Much More of God

As I read the last chapter of Jeremiah, I was reminded of the unrighteous judge in Luke 18.  Jesus said, "Hear what the unrighteous judge said; now will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night and will He delay long over them?  I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly.  However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?"

And Jeremiah 52:31-34: "...Evil-merodach, king of Babylon (and that was his name not necessarily his temperament though he was a pagan king), in the first year of his reign, showed favor to Jehoiachin, king of Judah and brought him out of prison.  (Jehoiachin was not a good king and had been taken into captivity early in his reign.)  [Now here's the good part...] Then he spoke kindly to him and set his throne above the thrones of the kings who were with him in Babylon.  So Jehoiachin changed his prison clothes, and had his meals in the king's presence regularly all the days of his life.  For his allowance, a regular allowance was given him by the king of Babylon, a daily portion all the days of his life until the day of his death."    I could not help thinking of us as we come to Christ: we change our prison clothes and we are in the presence of the KING of KINGS regularly all the days of our lives forever!

And Evil-merodach was an unjust king who showed this kindness.  How much more will God, our Father, through the Lord Jesus Christ be there for us.  He has told us the same thing.  God, as Jesus said in Luke, will not delay long over us.  He will bring about justice quickly.  Do we have faith to believe this and live like it?

To Know

“The people that know their God shall be strong.”  Daniel 11:32

To know God is the highest and best form of knowledge.  Knowledge strengthens faith.  Knowledge strengthens love.  Knowledge paints the portrait of Jesus and when we see that portrait, then we love Him.  We cannot love a Christ whom we do not know.  The more we know Him, the more we love Him.  Knowledge strengthens hope.  How can we hope for a thing if we do not know of its existence?  Hope may be the telescope, but till we receive instruction, our ignorance stands in the front of the glass, and we can see nothing whatever; knowledge removes the interposing object, and when we look through the bright optic glass we discern the glory to be revealed and anticipate it with joyous confidence. 

There is not one single grace of the Christian which, under God, will not be fostered and brought to perfection by holy knowledge.  How important, then, is it that we should grow not only in grace, but in the “knowledge” of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

(Taken from Spurgeon’s, Morning and Evening, August 4^th, Morning.)

Negligence or Vigorous

In thinking of these two words, which one would you rather be said in regard to what you do?  Jeremiah 48 tells about destruction that will be coming to Moab.  In the middle of all the prophecy, which is quite detailed in regard to Moab’s lofty thoughts of itself and its trust in achievements and treasures, there is a verse regarding the one who will be used by God to do the destroying.  “Cursed be the one who does the LORD’S work negligently…”  Maybe I pull this out of context but that verse has been to me quite a reminder of my walk with God in regard to everything: prayer, Bible study, witnessing, walking rightly, thinking rightly, speaking rightly.  Oh, God, let me not do your work negligently!!

Days later, I read another verse in Jeremiah that was starkly contrasted to negligent work.

In chapter 50, God tells about the destruction of Babylon.  The contrast is in verse 34 but 33 and 34 are both great in regard to how God views His own.  “Thus says the LORD of hosts, the sons of Israel are oppressed, and the sons of Judah as well;  and all who took them captive have held them fast, they have refused to let them go.  Their Redeemer is strong, the LORD of hosts is His name; He will VIGOROUSLY plead their case so that He may bring rest to the earth, but turmoil to the inhabitants of Babylon.” 

So, not only do we not want to do our work negligently, but we must do it vigorously! 

We must pray daily for this ability and know: “Their Redeemer is strong, the LORD of hosts is His name.”  He is able and willing to honor such requests.  Let us not be negligent, but let us be vigorous in the asking!