John MacArthur has excellent commentaries for almost the whole New Testament. These books have been a wonderful tool for me in the study of the scriptures. He has written them in a beautifully simple, yet profound way that not only complements my study but offers the insight of a biblical scholar. The following comes from the commentary on Matthew and refers to a portion from the Lord's Prayer referred by Dr. MacArthur as "The Disciple's Prayer". (Matthew 6:9-13-15)
Sin is that which separates man from God, and is therefore man's greatest enemy and greatest problem. Sin dominates the mind and heart of man. It has contaminated every human being and is the degenerative power that makes man susceptible to disease, illness, and every conceivable form of evil and unhappiness, temporal and eternal. The ultimate effects of sin are death and damnation, and the present effects are misery, dissatisfaction, and guilt. Sin is the common denominator of every crime, every theft, lie, murder, immorality, sickness, pain, and sorrow of mankind. It is also the moral and spiritual disease for which man has no cure.
Because man's greatest problem is sin, his greatest need is forgiveness. Christians have been forgiven the ultimate penalty of sin [but are still in need of] God's constant forgiveness for the sins we continue to commit. We are to pray therefore, "forgive us" (6:12)
Dr. MacArthur quotes the prayer of the following Puritan saint of many generations ago: "Grant me never to lose sight of the exceeding sinfulness of sin, the exceeding righteousness of salvation, the exceeding glory of Christ, the exceeding beauty of holiness, and the exceeding wonder of grace." "I am guilty but pardoned. I am lost but saved. I am wandering but found. I am sinning but cleansed. Give me perpetual broken-heartedness. Keep me always clinging to Thy cross."
Monday, July 6, 2015
Sunday, June 14, 2015
Diseases
"For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith. For just as we have many members in one body and all members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another." (Romans:12:3-5) As I read this passage, I began to think about how this is lived out in the church. The rest of the passage lists specifics and is a mandatory life checklist for believers to evaluate how we are fleshing out in the body. There are so many evaluations to be made, and it can become overwhelming to reflect. But the believer must continually call to mind that this is the work of the Holy Spirit and He will perform all that is necessary to keep us "fit".
One thought that came to mind as I read today was how completely necessary we are to each other in the body of Christ, the church. As sin affects each of us personally and fighting it is an ongoing process, so our commitment to the church we have become a part. Like a disease, sin can make us useless as believers in a needy world if we aren't personally responsible to our commitment to "take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ." As John Owen stated, "We must be killing sin or sin will be killing us." In the same vein, our commitment to our church is one we must take seriously. If we aren't being used in our church, we are useless. And like a disease, we too, can cause much wear and tear on the the "working body".
That part of the church body who "do all the work"can definitely experience burn-out. It has been said that 20% of the members of a church do 80% of the work. This, of course, should not be the case. And if it were a business, there would most certainly be a mass lay-off. As Christians and members of a body of believers, we need to support each other. If not, we can expect a dragging, frazzled, and sick body that is not able to meet the needs a church should be providing. We must not allow ourselves to become diseases that affect the body to poor health. We must keep ourselves strong in our personal walk and thereby, become a part of the health of the body to enable it to perform the best work in life: living to the glory of God and speaking Him into a needy world.
Are we diseases or cures? God enables us to promote the health needed in our churches. Let us be committed to seek Him passionately for that power. The life of the church is dependent on each member. And each member is dependent on Him to keep us healthy Christians. And the "workers", must strive to do the same "not thinking more highly of himself than he ought to think" but to be just as committed to serve as Christ served us giving up Himself as the ultimate sacrifice for the disease of sin.
One thought that came to mind as I read today was how completely necessary we are to each other in the body of Christ, the church. As sin affects each of us personally and fighting it is an ongoing process, so our commitment to the church we have become a part. Like a disease, sin can make us useless as believers in a needy world if we aren't personally responsible to our commitment to "take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ." As John Owen stated, "We must be killing sin or sin will be killing us." In the same vein, our commitment to our church is one we must take seriously. If we aren't being used in our church, we are useless. And like a disease, we too, can cause much wear and tear on the the "working body".
That part of the church body who "do all the work"can definitely experience burn-out. It has been said that 20% of the members of a church do 80% of the work. This, of course, should not be the case. And if it were a business, there would most certainly be a mass lay-off. As Christians and members of a body of believers, we need to support each other. If not, we can expect a dragging, frazzled, and sick body that is not able to meet the needs a church should be providing. We must not allow ourselves to become diseases that affect the body to poor health. We must keep ourselves strong in our personal walk and thereby, become a part of the health of the body to enable it to perform the best work in life: living to the glory of God and speaking Him into a needy world.
Are we diseases or cures? God enables us to promote the health needed in our churches. Let us be committed to seek Him passionately for that power. The life of the church is dependent on each member. And each member is dependent on Him to keep us healthy Christians. And the "workers", must strive to do the same "not thinking more highly of himself than he ought to think" but to be just as committed to serve as Christ served us giving up Himself as the ultimate sacrifice for the disease of sin.
Thursday, May 21, 2015
Blindsided By Regret
Within one week, two family members went out into eternity. Death is so final. No more opportunity to speak or listen. Did I do all I could to honor God with that person? Did I behave in a way that Jesus will say, "Well done!"? Did I make good use of my time with that person to let them know I loved them, respected them, admired them as a creation of the Creator? All these questions and more add to the sadness and loss of a loved one.
Grief is a hard teacher. None of us would choose that "class"; not an elective. Always only a requirement of the lessons of life. Always a stern reminder that this is not home. Clinging to worldly relationships is a futile attempt at happiness. They will never bring peace that lasts. Christ is everything and must be sought, loved and adored with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. Only believers in Him understand this. However, even believers struggle with this great void that occurs in all our lives.
That void rates different with the closeness of the person gone. But the loss is still a loss, and one of the aspects of grief is that horrible regret that we should have done this or that better. I should have spent more time with them, called them more, showed more love and as stated above, the list goes on. The verse that popped in my head as I experienced the first loss, was Romans 12:18, "If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men."
Bottom line: Treat everyone as created in the image of God and show His love in all situations. Easy? Definitely not! Sometimes we feel justified with our behavior toward those hard to love. However, God has given us a supreme example in the Gospels as Jesus shows us how it's done. We dig down deep and persevere with His power. And when any loss occurs, He gives us the peace and power to walk that path. But those issues of the heart we haven't quite learned, will be a stinging reminder to cry out to Him Who will use it for our good and our growth. Until He takes us home, we must be ever learning what He requires of us and work at it with all our heart as working for Him.
Grief is a hard teacher. None of us would choose that "class"; not an elective. Always only a requirement of the lessons of life. Always a stern reminder that this is not home. Clinging to worldly relationships is a futile attempt at happiness. They will never bring peace that lasts. Christ is everything and must be sought, loved and adored with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. Only believers in Him understand this. However, even believers struggle with this great void that occurs in all our lives.
That void rates different with the closeness of the person gone. But the loss is still a loss, and one of the aspects of grief is that horrible regret that we should have done this or that better. I should have spent more time with them, called them more, showed more love and as stated above, the list goes on. The verse that popped in my head as I experienced the first loss, was Romans 12:18, "If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men."
Bottom line: Treat everyone as created in the image of God and show His love in all situations. Easy? Definitely not! Sometimes we feel justified with our behavior toward those hard to love. However, God has given us a supreme example in the Gospels as Jesus shows us how it's done. We dig down deep and persevere with His power. And when any loss occurs, He gives us the peace and power to walk that path. But those issues of the heart we haven't quite learned, will be a stinging reminder to cry out to Him Who will use it for our good and our growth. Until He takes us home, we must be ever learning what He requires of us and work at it with all our heart as working for Him.
Thursday, April 30, 2015
ALL
Psalms is an amazingly rich book. I go to it many times when I'm down, sad, tired, struggling with faith and trust. Apparently, many of the writers were feeling that way when they wrote them. Maybe that's why we resonate with them. In fact, time and again you hear encouragement like this: "The LORD sustains all who fall and raises up all who are bowed down." (145:14) Or this one: "The LORD raises up those who are bowed down; The LORD loves the righteous." (146:8)
As I have read Psalms 145 through 150 now for a few weeks, each time certain verses will encourage my heart. Recently, I heard a man talk about the importance of believers knowing God's word. To know is something you do with your mind not your feelings. Feelings cannot be trusted. They are too fickle! But when our minds are filled with that that brings health, it will sustain us through dry and painful times on our spiritual path.
What I'd like to do is walk through Psalm 145 and just center in on the verses with "all" in them. And remember "all" means all!! I'll not list the verse numbers. It's only 21 verses and the whole Psalm is nourishing and should be read in its entirety.
The LORD is good to all and His mercies are over all His works. All Your works shall give thanks to You, O LORD. Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and Your dominion endures throughout all generations. The LORD sustains all who fall and raises up all who are bowed down. The eyes of all look to You. The LORD is righteous in all His ways and kind in all His deeds. The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth. The LORD keeps all who love Him but all the wicked He will destroy. And all flesh will bless His holy name forever and ever.
"Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things." (Philippians 4:8) OR... THINK, KNOW these things! Your feelings cannot be your guide. But God's Word is the map that can be trusted, for in it we learn "the Way, the Truth and the Life"!
As I have read Psalms 145 through 150 now for a few weeks, each time certain verses will encourage my heart. Recently, I heard a man talk about the importance of believers knowing God's word. To know is something you do with your mind not your feelings. Feelings cannot be trusted. They are too fickle! But when our minds are filled with that that brings health, it will sustain us through dry and painful times on our spiritual path.
What I'd like to do is walk through Psalm 145 and just center in on the verses with "all" in them. And remember "all" means all!! I'll not list the verse numbers. It's only 21 verses and the whole Psalm is nourishing and should be read in its entirety.
The LORD is good to all and His mercies are over all His works. All Your works shall give thanks to You, O LORD. Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and Your dominion endures throughout all generations. The LORD sustains all who fall and raises up all who are bowed down. The eyes of all look to You. The LORD is righteous in all His ways and kind in all His deeds. The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth. The LORD keeps all who love Him but all the wicked He will destroy. And all flesh will bless His holy name forever and ever.
"Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things." (Philippians 4:8) OR... THINK, KNOW these things! Your feelings cannot be your guide. But God's Word is the map that can be trusted, for in it we learn "the Way, the Truth and the Life"!
Monday, March 30, 2015
Looking Up
The world without God plows through life seeking to solve all problems with a multitude of manmade solutions. And when finally they come upon problems to which their efforts are without success, they despair and fall into depression. All they had to do at the end of their rope, was to look up to Him, Who alone can do "abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to His power". (Ephesians 3:20)
We as believers in Christ readily agree that the unbelieving world needs to look up to God alone for the answers, yet even so, we, too, fail to ask Him, if needs be, every moment, for help in our daily walk. We should be even more ashamed that as followers of Christ and believers in the One true Creator God, we struggle in life issues without stopping to get on our knees in humble appeal to our Father above. Prayer is the most important work a believer is to be engaged. We are completely dependent on God's power to accomplish His work in our lives, no matter where we may find ourselves at present.
The importance of "looking up" really came home to me today as I began work on getting rid of unwanted growth at the bottom of my property. Privet hedge, while an ornamental for some, is a complete nuisance for me. And I will add that it is a most hearty and invasive "weed". As I began my exterminating process using a small saw, I was energetic and optimistic of my great goal. The wood is soft and I thought it would be a breeze. However, it became very tedious and time-consuming. At the beginning, I saw a few choice plants that had been crowded out. I had not even seen them until I was right on them. I wanted to save them! I wanted them to stand out; not to be hindered and smothered by the privet.
In the area I was working, there were only three choice plants. I began to cautiously saw because it was very grown up and I was afraid of snakes. However, the more confident I became, the closer to the ground I went until I was finally lying on the ground sawing feverishly. At first I had been calculated, looking up to see what I was doing. However, as I began to lie on the ground, I quit looking up. Low and behold as I felled bush after bush, one came down that was not a privet! It was, in fact, one of the three choice trees, I was trying to save. My heart sank at my own stupidity for not continuing to think through my choices by making sure they were right.
How like prayerless believers who try to fix their own problems with manmade efforts instead of crying out to the One who has the answers and the power. Let us remember our Creator daily, not just in the asking but in the joyful thankfulness and love expressed to Him in prayer. Prayer is our communication with Him. We look up to Him, not because we feel like it and not to experience some emotional high, but to express trust in His divine guidance of our lives. It's not about feelings, but about dependence and He is never unavailable! Let us not plow through life in our own strength and then regret a loss of something precious because we failed to ask God for direction. Look up, praise His holy Name and seek His guidance.
We as believers in Christ readily agree that the unbelieving world needs to look up to God alone for the answers, yet even so, we, too, fail to ask Him, if needs be, every moment, for help in our daily walk. We should be even more ashamed that as followers of Christ and believers in the One true Creator God, we struggle in life issues without stopping to get on our knees in humble appeal to our Father above. Prayer is the most important work a believer is to be engaged. We are completely dependent on God's power to accomplish His work in our lives, no matter where we may find ourselves at present.
The importance of "looking up" really came home to me today as I began work on getting rid of unwanted growth at the bottom of my property. Privet hedge, while an ornamental for some, is a complete nuisance for me. And I will add that it is a most hearty and invasive "weed". As I began my exterminating process using a small saw, I was energetic and optimistic of my great goal. The wood is soft and I thought it would be a breeze. However, it became very tedious and time-consuming. At the beginning, I saw a few choice plants that had been crowded out. I had not even seen them until I was right on them. I wanted to save them! I wanted them to stand out; not to be hindered and smothered by the privet.
In the area I was working, there were only three choice plants. I began to cautiously saw because it was very grown up and I was afraid of snakes. However, the more confident I became, the closer to the ground I went until I was finally lying on the ground sawing feverishly. At first I had been calculated, looking up to see what I was doing. However, as I began to lie on the ground, I quit looking up. Low and behold as I felled bush after bush, one came down that was not a privet! It was, in fact, one of the three choice trees, I was trying to save. My heart sank at my own stupidity for not continuing to think through my choices by making sure they were right.
How like prayerless believers who try to fix their own problems with manmade efforts instead of crying out to the One who has the answers and the power. Let us remember our Creator daily, not just in the asking but in the joyful thankfulness and love expressed to Him in prayer. Prayer is our communication with Him. We look up to Him, not because we feel like it and not to experience some emotional high, but to express trust in His divine guidance of our lives. It's not about feelings, but about dependence and He is never unavailable! Let us not plow through life in our own strength and then regret a loss of something precious because we failed to ask God for direction. Look up, praise His holy Name and seek His guidance.
Monday, February 16, 2015
Shouting and Singing
If you were in the middle of a public place like an airport,
grocery store or maybe a ballgame and all of a sudden, in even the busy buzz of
noise, you hear a shout, what would you do? Or in the same scenarios, you hear a voice singing, what
would be the tendency of your reaction? For me, I answer with a definite, look around to see from
where it’s coming. We have in
Psalm 65 a wonderful exclamation of praise to God. John MacArthur’s study notes categorize it as "praise for
spiritual blessings and praise for natural blessings". He says it’s a Psalm full of "hopeful, confident,
ever-enthusiastic feelings in response to God’s goodness". And with this praise, he brings out,
are "no complaints or curses".
Verses one through five rehearse the wonderful spiritual
blessings to man: praise, performed vows, forgiveness, chosen, nearness
dwelling, answers, salvation, and trust.
And there is so much that can be gleaned from this Psalm, but as the
final for my “Just Five Psalms” posts, I’d like to bring out one jewel taken
from the second part. The praise
of the natural blessings is verbalized as the writer’s prerogative by nature
itself. “You make the dawn and the
sunset shout for joy…and the valleys are covered with grain; they shout for
joy, yes, they sing.”
As I envisioned this scenario, it dawned on me (excuse the
pun) that the sun, from the rising to the setting does just that. One cannot help but take notice of
light penetrating the darkness like a shout that would be noticed in the midst
of a busy crowd. It comes up
piecing through the night with its gladness and it goes down beautifully
arrayed with ever-changing color shouting it’s wonder until it disappears. And the hills, meadows and valleys
covered with grain do their share of shouting for joy and singing. I cannot help but take in the wonder of
it all as I ride down a country road. Feasting on the beauty all around in nature’s shouting
and singing fest, I cannot help but
pay attention and look around.
Nature’s verbal display to and from God are scenes I never want to take
for granted. I must look. And I, too, must praise! For to enjoy the creation while being
personally united to the Creator is a joy upon joy that will never be taken from
me. I am, as John MacArthur says,
full of "hopeful, confident and ever-enthusiastic feelings in response to God’s
goodness". And may my complaints
grow dim in the glow.
Friday, January 30, 2015
But God!
Even King David, in his extreme difficulty, gets self-centered in prayer. In his complaint, concern and fear, his request to God is "my", "my", and "me". "Hear my voice", "preserve my life" and "hide me" are the requests that speak the reality of immediate self-preservation. At that moment, what good is praising God, if death is imminent? (Verses 1-2, Psalm 64)
But is death imminent? Is David actually on the verge of death? Looking at the continuation of each request, we see that his fear lies in the "dread" of his enemy, not yet the reality! As he says in verse one, it's his "concern" or "complaint". How many times do we work ourselves up into a fearful frenzy over dread, worry, or anxiety of the future? If you say, "never", then more power to you. But, I'm ashamed to say that most of my anxiety is over that which has not yet occurred. Dread is an overwhelming emotion that can paralyze.
By definition, dread is to anticipate with great apprehension or fear. Some other words attributed with dread are: forebodings, terror, horror, alarm, panic, fright, trepidation and many more. There is dread of death, sickness, bad weather, failed plans, loneliness, no income and the list goes on. David wanted God to hear his concern over the "dread of the enemy". He wanted God to hide him from "secret counsel" and "tumult". He describes his enemy in great detail. But as David does this, all of a sudden, he shifts gears.
From fear to confidence, David all but wakes up from the drug of dread to the brightness of an all powerful God. "BUT GOD"!! (How many times is that phrase used in the holy scriptures?) God considers the helplessness of his own. In David's coming and laying his fears before the throne, he becomes aware of the Divine Presence of an in control God!! It's almost like another Person stepped in to finish the Psalm with the plight of the wicked and the privilege of the righteous.(vv. 7-10) "Gladness, refuge and glory" await those who seek God with an upright heart. (v. 10) With the brightness of a future with those promises, dread dissipates along with the darkness.
But is death imminent? Is David actually on the verge of death? Looking at the continuation of each request, we see that his fear lies in the "dread" of his enemy, not yet the reality! As he says in verse one, it's his "concern" or "complaint". How many times do we work ourselves up into a fearful frenzy over dread, worry, or anxiety of the future? If you say, "never", then more power to you. But, I'm ashamed to say that most of my anxiety is over that which has not yet occurred. Dread is an overwhelming emotion that can paralyze.
By definition, dread is to anticipate with great apprehension or fear. Some other words attributed with dread are: forebodings, terror, horror, alarm, panic, fright, trepidation and many more. There is dread of death, sickness, bad weather, failed plans, loneliness, no income and the list goes on. David wanted God to hear his concern over the "dread of the enemy". He wanted God to hide him from "secret counsel" and "tumult". He describes his enemy in great detail. But as David does this, all of a sudden, he shifts gears.
From fear to confidence, David all but wakes up from the drug of dread to the brightness of an all powerful God. "BUT GOD"!! (How many times is that phrase used in the holy scriptures?) God considers the helplessness of his own. In David's coming and laying his fears before the throne, he becomes aware of the Divine Presence of an in control God!! It's almost like another Person stepped in to finish the Psalm with the plight of the wicked and the privilege of the righteous.(vv. 7-10) "Gladness, refuge and glory" await those who seek God with an upright heart. (v. 10) With the brightness of a future with those promises, dread dissipates along with the darkness.
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