School for the World

"The joy of the Lord is my strength."  How easy to say while things are going well!!  In an article on zeal by J. C. Ryle, he describes the Christianity of our day as "lazy, easy, and sleepy".   It's times like this, that reveal our hearts.  We can say all these wonderful truths of God's Word when things are easy, but how is it with us today?

How blessed I've been with phone texts from friends offering encouragement as we spend our days socially isolating.  One from my sister was scripture.  Scripture is always the best encouragement.  And how wonderful to get one encouraging verse that leads you to continue reading the next one, then the next one and on and on until you think "what crisis"?  God is, indeed, on His throne.  He is not surprised.  And we will not die one day earlier or later than our time planned by God.  For me, it's not the dying that concerns me but the living.  I want to live well through the whatever, that I might shine His light in this dark uncertainty.  We've read the history of others who have made it through way worse!

One of her shared scriptures was Isaiah 26:3-4.  It is good, but reading ahead, I loved verses eight and nine.  "Indeed, while following the way of Your judgments, O LORD, we have waited for You eagerly; Your name, even Your memory, is the desire of our souls.  At night my soul longs for you, indeed, my spirit within me seeks You diligently; for when the earth experiences Your judgments, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness."

What a glorious thought!  That the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.  This is, indeed, a trial, a burden, an overwhelming flood of unknown that shakes us up.  But God, in His amazing grace, teaches us in all kinds of ways.  I want to learn.  I don't want to miss out on what I need to learn to better honor and serve Him.  I do not want to be a lazy, easy or sleepy Christian.  I want to serve Him in humble adoration.  And I want to shine Him to those who don't know Him that they will indeed learn righteousness.  The virus that should concern us the most is the sin virus.  And only the righteousness of Christ can heal that sickness.

The Glorious "But"

For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another.  BUT when the kindness of God, our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness BUT according to His mercy....by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace, we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Whenever we are tempted to whine or complain about those who do not know God, it is good for us to think back!  The glorious "but": "But when the kindness of God".  But according to His mercy.
It is indeed by grace and not of works so that none of us, NONE of us may boast.

Scattered Saints

Jesus showed God's love in His care for His disciples, and that shortly before He was to die a physically and mentally painful death.  He told them they would be scattered and scared but to take heart, because He "had overcome the world."  John 16:25-33

Jesus warned them:"though you "say" you believe, you must look to your faith.  There will be trying times when your faith will waver and you will leave Me and shift for yourselves.   Those who think they stand must beware of falling".  He warns them that they may think their faith is strong until a hard struggle comes.  No man is alone who has the presence of God with him.  Seek Him and you will find.  Call to Him and He will answer.  Never give in to feelings, to doubts.  He will never leave you or forsake you.  "I have said these things to you, that in Me you may have peace.  In the world you will have tribulation.  But take heart, I have overcome the world."

Reprove The World

"And when He comes, He will reprove the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment..."
John 16:8  What grace is here, that Jesus came for us to lead us, to show us what God is like, to give us an appetite for Him, to teach us and bring us to Himself.  To call reproof "grace" is a work of the Spirit.  As it is, the world balks at being reproved.  And all along, it is for our happiness and rest.  In fact, there is none apart from it.

What is reprove?  To be reproved is to be corrected, warned...'you're going the wrong way, stop!'  Real rebukes to convince.  However, "it is one thing to convince the understanding and quite another to prevail upon the will".  So writes Matthew Poole.  He continues, "...because of the total corruption of our soul, we will not embrace what we confess as truth nor do we know what is best.   But through the stubbornness of our will, we resist the light and conviction of our understanding.  The Holy Spirit is here promised not only to lead men into truth by a work of illumination, but to BOW the hearts and wills to the embracing of it and living up to it while others remain without excuse."

I'm so thankful for reproof!  Where would I be without it?  Shudder to think....

The Door to Life

Death's door or Life's door?  Between the two, I would say we would all choose life.  But do we?  Faith is the path to The Path.  We have the faith to turn on the light of a lamp expecting the electricity we do not see, to produce the light we will see. There is nothing so fantastic than declaring yourself The Door.  But that is just what Jesus said.  And people do not realize to reject Him, for whatever reason they allow, is to reject the Door to life.  And the consequences will be Death to them.

It gives me intense and sickening angst as I write that introduction, for I personally know and love many who have rejected Christ.  And I grieve as well over anyone that will not seek to find what God in His mercy enabled me to do.  It's a surrender of all to His All.  And while it's a one time act, it's a lifetime process of learning and relearning because we are indeed stupid sheep.

"I am the door.  By Me, If any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture."  (John 10:9)   Matthew Poole writes in his commentary about this verse the following:
"Our Savior here lets us know, that He meant by "the door", the door of salvation: the way by which every man must enter into life that findeth life... And he, who so believeth in Me, shall be so guided, and governed, and taught, that he shall be secure, and want nothing for the management of his whole conversation in the world.  Under the notion of "pasture" here, are signified all good things that the soul can stand in need of."

Secure, having all we need for the management of our whole life here in the world, all good things that we need!  What a list!  Just that list alone could enable a person to drop the heavy load they carry in this life and to realize our Savior is there to carry it and guide us through the dark and the light.  For in reality, we need guidance on our good days as well, so we won't make stupid decisions based on feelings.  This is not as easy as it sounds, but the truth of it is staggering and it will change our lives in ways we would not have imagined.

He makes us secure because He is our Security.  (He, like the shepherd, owns the sheep and has a vested interest in their welfare!)  He gives us all we need to manage our lives while living on this earth.  The Bible is our daily book of instruction toward that management.  It guides, governs and teaches.  And in case anything is not covered, Poole says "and all good things that we need".  In that falls the category of "rest" which I touched on in my last post.

So which door do you choose.?  "Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God."  You turn on a lamp with great faith that the unseen electricity will produce the desired result.  Are we too stubborn in our own intellect to do something as fantastic as trusting in a God we cannot see or a Savior Who died for His own?  The provision, the result will be staggering as you will see.  You must bow humbly at the cross of a dying Savior to see the power of His resurrected intercession.

Sinful Maturity

Al Mohler talked recently about progressivism, a philosophy that says we are getting better throughout history.  (Actually, it's way more complex than that.  This is my take.  And his post on this is worth the read!)  They actually say we are more mature in our approach to certain things in society.  While Mohler goes through many areas where that is true, he also weighs in on that which is not so mature or healthy.

I weigh in at "yes" we are mature alright.  We are more mature in our sin.  And because of that maturity ie. growth, the light is all but blocked out.  Romans 16:19 says: "...I want you to be wise in what is good and innocent in what is evil."  Evil is pervasive and no longer regarded as evil.  Sin seems to reign but it is not on the throne!  God is and He has the final Word.

In John 8:34, Jesus describes the gravity if sin and the predicament of humanity under sin.  His hearers did not understand the bondage they were in.  Sin deprives us of the fulfillment of the purpose of those created in the image of God.  Sin clouds our minds, degrades our feelings, and enslaves our wills. (Reformation Bible notes)  Did you get that?  Apart from Christ, you are a slave!  A slave to sin.

True freedom is in serving the God who created us.  The only remedy from the destruction in which sin plunges us is rebirth.  Jesus told Nicodemus, a very intelligent and prominent man of the Pharisees, "You must be born again."(John 3:3)  This perplexed him, as it does all "rational" men.  How can you be born when you are old?  Do you go back in your mother's womb?  He knew better than that but he still did not understand because his understanding of true spiritual things was dark.  Being "born again"is a supernatural work done by God!  It changes everything about your outlook on all of life and sin.  And you become a free man...free from sin.  And while it is a process, "if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed!" (John 8:31-32; 34-36)

"More than Fifteen Minutes"

I heard a young dad's conversation with a friend about his child's sleep patterns.  The child had been adopted and was having trouble sleeping for more than fifteen minutes at a time.  The young dad said, "I need more than fifteen minutes of sleep..."  And it's really the same for most young moms and dads of small children, adopted or not.  Sleep pattern adjustments for their little ones take time and perseverance on the part of the parents.  Eventually, just like most of us, they begin to rest.  And there is nothing more precious than a sleeping baby, especially to the sleep deprived parents.  Family peace at last!

How like us as new believers!  We lived a life of alienation from God.  And by the power of the Holy Spirit, our eyes are opened to gospel and we are adopted into the family of God.  It's exciting and scary.  We know the change exists in our hearts but what now?  How do we rest?  When do we feel secure, steadfast and safe in this new life?  We are babies.  Our understanding is skewed.  We begin to learn that trusting God is not done the moment we are saved.  Yes, it does occur then as well, but shortly we begin to learn that it will be a process also. 

The process will take time.  We may rejoice at new learning that escalates our understanding of true trust and rest in Almighty God.  But "fifteen minutes" later, we plummet to depths of despair over failure or a trial or unanswered prayer.  The process begins again.  We study, pray and humble ourselves before our All-sufficient Father.  Before we know it, again that rest, trust and peace is amazingly restored and we feel like a new man.  Then "fifteen minutes" later...

The perseverance of the saints is an awesome doctrine, like all the doctrines we learn in God's word.  And praise God, He will never leave us or forsake us as long as we abide in Him.  Let us rest in His promise and unchanging Word.  And praise God for all the "fifteen minutes" of peace.  One day it'll be forever peace.  Family peace at last!  Nothing more precious to God than the "sleep" of His children!