Author: scott

A Firm Heart and Bad News

Posted on by scott

Bad News

Bad News; it is all around us.  So much so that often we feel like we are drowning in it.  In fact, I grew so tired of “treading water” that I quit watching news years ago.  When it comes on the radio I switch stations.  I am also very selective in regards to what I read.  Not that I like being ignorant, but I don’t see the need to be stressed by all of the worlds problems.  I have enough of my own thank you.  Experience has taught me that ignorance doesn’t make me immune, I’m not that naïve.  But why would I seek out bad news when I know it will eventually find me?  Instead of being inundated and overwhelmed by bad news, I find that it is better to saturate my mind with Truth and Good news (Philippians 4:8).  Since I can’t stop bad news from coming, I should at least be prepared to respond to it properly.

Troubling Headlines

What is the first bad news recorded?  Adam and Eve disobeying God.  The scoop?  Satan enticed Eve to eat the forbidden fruit.  Where?  The Garden of Eden.  How?  By claiming that once she did she would be like God, knowing good and evil. Why?  Before Adam and Eve ate the fruit they knew only God and good (man is never content).  The consequence?   Instead of fellowship with God in the Garden, their lives were now marked by banishment, toil & pain.  But this was not the end of the story.  God had warned Adam that if he ate the forbidden fruit, the result would be death.  How must they have felt when their firstborn son killed his brother Abel.  The dam was broken, and the world has been flooded with bad news ever since.

Firm Hearts

How do we brace ourselves when the waves come?  We fix our hearts on God.  Psalm 112:6-7 says, “For the righteous will never be moved; he will be remembered forever.  He is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord.”  Peace with God goes a long ways when bad news comes.  This Peace only comes when we embrace the Good News of the Gospel.

Because of the disobedience of the first couple, Adam and Eve, the second couple, sin and death, entered this world.  The consequence is that every person since then has been born in sin and separated from God.  Since we are incapable of being righteous through our own efforts, Jesus had to come and fulfill the Law by living a perfect life and die on the cross on our behalf, bearing the punishment for our sins.  Our sins can only be forgiven because of His blood sacrifice on our behalf.  Our responsibility is to repent of our sins and place our Faith in the work of Christ.

Good News

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” – Romans 6:23

“God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  Since, therefore, we have now been justified by His blood, much more shall we be saved from the wrath of God.” – Romans 5:8-9

“If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” – Romans 10:9

These are just a few of the many passages containing the Good News of the Gospel.  Psalm 111:10 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding.”  Our fear (respect & reverence) for God is foundational for a proper perspective.  As Christians we recognize that “our citizenship is in Heaven” (Philippians 3:20) and so is our Treasure (Matthew 6:19).  We also recognize that our lives are but a mist (James 4:14) but death ushers us into eternity (1 Peter 1:23).  When bad news comes, a proper perspective requires an eternal outlook and Faith in a Sovereign all powerful God.

“For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from Him.  He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken.  On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God.” – Psalm 62:5-7.

Proper Perspective

Want a proper perspective on bad news?  Get right with God and place your trust in Him.  Job lost his property and his children but not his faith.  What was his response to bad news?  “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return.  The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21).

“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?  The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” -Psalm 27:4

The bad news will keep coming in waves.  Are you standing on the Rock?

The Lamp of the Body

Posted on by scott

“The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!” – Matthew 6:22-24.

“Your eye is the lamp of your body.  When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light, but when it is bad, your body is full of darkness.  Therefore be careful lest the light in you be darkness.  If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, it will be wholly bright, as when a lamp with its rays gives you light.” – Luke 11:34-36

Double Vision

It is very common for the Gospel writers to “repeat” each other, recording the same sayings or perhaps miracles of Jesus.  It is therefore no surprise how similar the two quotes above from Matthew and Luke are to one another.  What I do find interesting however, is how different are the contexts in which they are found.  Matthew’s verses are sandwiched between verses warning about where we are to store our treasures, and our inability to serve two masters, God and money.  Appropriate enough for a former tax collector.  Contrary, Luke’s verses are preceded by a rebuke to the crowds who were seeking after signs, and followed by Jesus’ very strong words about the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and lawyers.  What are Matthew and Luke teaching us in these passages, and what if any is the significance of the contexts in each passage?

The Eyes Have It

We know from experience, that our world is illuminated through our eyes.  The more healthy the condition of our eyes, the more light they allow in and the better we can respond to our surroundings as we clearly see them.  Contrarily, unhealthy eyes leave one groping in darkness.  The importance of these simple truths is the correlation they have to the spiritual realm.

If a physically blind man tried to deceive himself regarding his ability to see, he would place himself in great peril.  Yet it happens all the time with the spiritually blind.  Matthew warns, “If the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness.”  How easy it is for man to claim he is spiritually enlightened when he is really in darkness.  Let’s now look at the context of these verses.

Eyes and Materials

Matthew tells us not to store up treasures on earth because earthly treasures are temporal.  Rather he encourages us to store up treasures in heaven where they will last forever.  And then he gives this spiritual barometer in verse 21, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”  And then, as stated above, Matthew follows his teaching about the eye being the lamp of the body with his claims that no one can serve two masters.  Instead, he says we will hate one and love the other or be devoted to one and despise the other.  There is no middle ground.

Eyes and Miracles

In Luke’s Gospel, Luke records the fact that the growing crowds were seeking signs from Jesus.  Jesus called them an evil generation and said they would be condemned by the queen of the South (who had the wisdom to seek out Solomon’s wisdom) and the men of Nineveh (who were wise enough to repent).  Luke’s teaching about the eye being the lamp of the body, again, as mentioned above, is followed by numerous scathing remarks about the hypocrisy of the religious leaders of the day.  What’s the connection?

All Eyes on Jesus

“No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a cellar or under a basket, but on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light.” – Luke 11:33

“I am the light of the world.  Whoever follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” – John 8:12

“In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.  The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” – John 1:4-5

“The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.” – John 1:9

“And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.  By its light will the nations walk..”. – Revelation 23:2-4a

Jesus Christ came to earth as the true light, the light of the world.  He was not put “under a basket” but was hung on a cross for all to see.  As Jesus encouraged us, may we follow the lead of the Queen of the South and treasure the His teaching, and like the Ninevites, may we repent at His preaching.  Those who do are spiritually illuminated and “full of light”.  When we give our hearts to Jesus, the lamp of our body will be healthy. 

If your spiritual eye is healthy, you will store treasures in heaven and not earth and your only master will be God.

If your spiritual eye is healthy you will embrace Jesus instead of asking Him for a sign, and you certainly won’t be blind to Him like the Pharisees and Lawyers.

Touched

Posted on by scott

Miracle Lessons

When John the Baptist sent two of his disciples to Jesus inquiring whether He was the promised Messiah, Jesus’ response was, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them.  And blessed is the one who is not offended by me” (Luke 7:22-23).  It is easy to look at the miracles Jesus performed and say only the Messiah could do such things.  While this is true, I do believe that if we look at the details of some of these miracles there are certainly lessons to be learned and imitated.

A Leper’s Request

In the first chapter of the Gospel of Mark, verse 40 tells us that a leper came to Jesus imploring Him to make him clean.  Verse 41 tells us that Jesus miraculously healed the leper.  What I want to concentrate on are the details that Mark adds.  Verse 41 also tells us that Jesus was moved with pity and that He stretched out His hand and touched the leper.  Jesus could have healed the leper without touching him, yet He chose to.  Why?  And why does Mark tell us that Jesus was moved with pity?  More importantly, what can we learn from these facts?

A Leper’s Agony

We don’t know the background of the leper, but we do know his existence must have been one of misery and loneliness.  As if the disease and its physical consequences were not bad enough, the day the Priest pronounced him unclean he was separated from his family and his Synagogue.  No more embracing loved ones.  No more fellowship with his fellow Jews.  Now his only companionship would be with other lepers, the sight of which would remind him of his disgusting disease.  In the presence of others, he would have to shout “unclean”.  With each passing day, the disease would cause further deformity of his body, but what was happening to his soul?  The longing for affection must have been most agonizing.  His agony did not go unnoticed.

A Leper Touched

According to Leviticus, only a priest could touch a leper.  The priests had the responsibility of diagnosing leprosy and the privilege of pronouncing a leper clean.  But only the Great High Priest “who has passed through the heavens” could actually cleanse a leper.  And so He did.  Moved by sympathy Jesus touched the leper.  No law could stop Him.  No repugnance would dissuade Him.  No fear of contagion could stay His hand.  No force can stop the hand of God once sympathy has set it in motion.

Clean

What did the leper feel?  What did he think when Jesus began to stretch out His hand?  How did he feel when he showed himself to the priest and was restored to his family and the fellowship of the Synagogue?  If you are a Child of God you should have a pretty good idea.  When you were unclean God in His sympathy reached out His hand and touched you and made you clean.  You have been adopted into His family, the church.  No more are you identified by loneliness and agony of the soul.

A Touch of Christ

While the physical leprosy of Jesus’ day is not prevalent today, spiritual leprosy is.  We are surrounded by people every day who are starving for the touch of Christ.  They need to experience the sympathy of the church.  They are looking for us to identify with them and touch them.  God came down to our level to meet us!  How can we think we are above anyone else?  Alexander McLaren once said, “The literal touch of your hand would do more good to some poor outcasts than much solemn advice,…A shake of the hand might be more of a means of grace than a sermon..”.

If a physical touch isn’t an option, how about an act of service or a word of encouragement.  When you make the effort, you will touch the heart of God.  “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.” – Matthew 25:40.

Jesus at the Well

Posted on by scott

 

3 he left Judea and departed again for Galilee. 4 And he had to pass through Samaria. – John 4:3-4

God’s Love

John chapter 4 is a beautiful picture of the heart of God. In John chapter 3 we have the exchange between Jesus and Nicodemus. During their discussion, Jesus makes the earth-shattering statement, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).  How much of this profound Truth, Nicodemus understood at the moment is a matter of mere speculation. But according to verse 1 of John Chapter 4, the Pharisees, the group of religious leaders to which Nicodemus belonged, were becoming increasingly intolerant of Jesus. Accordingly, Jesus and His disciples left Judea and made their way to Galilee.

Had to Pass

Although the path through Samaria was the shortest route between Judea and Galilee, most Jews avoided it and made a circuitous trek around it.  Why?  The Samaritans and Jews were bitter enemies.  The Samaritans were “half breeds” and therefore repulsive to the Jews.  Further, the town of Sychar, where Jesus chooses to rest, was known for the vices of drunkenness, lying, and idolatry.  Despite this animosity, the text says Jesus, “had to pass through Samaria”.  Jesus “had to pass through Samaria” because He had a divine appointment.

Upon reaching Sychar, Jesus was weary.  He sent His disciples into town for food and sat beside a well.  From all physical observations, Jesus must have looked like any other man.  He was tired.  He was hungry.  He was thirsty.  But Jesus was not at the well in Sychar to alleviate his needs.  Real though they were.  He was there to work on the spiritual well of a woman in need.  He wanted to alleviate her spiritual needs forever.

Divine Appointment

Jesus had a divine appointment with someone who was the complete antithesis of Nicodemus.  Nicodemus was a Jewish man who was educated, wealthy, and from the upper class of society.  In contrast, Jesus comes to Sychar, to meet with a Samaritan woman who is ignorant, poor, and probably an outcast.  As she approaches the well where Jesus is sitting, she could have just as well been Nicodemus.  She approached the well as a child of God.  No other titles were necessary.

She comes to the well alone, probably as a consequence of the shame of her lifestyle.  It is speculated that the other woman of Sychar would not want to be seen with this woman (whose name is never mentioned) so she comes to the well in the heat of the day, as opposed to the cool of the evening which is when the women would typically draw water.  Even the mixed raced Samaritans had prejudices.  How low can a person be?  Never too low for Jesus!

Thirsty

What does Jesus do to turn everything upside down?  He speaks to her.  More specifically He asks her for a drink.  No big deal?  Great big deal.  A man talking to a woman (especially her) alone.  Taboo.  A Jew willing to drink with a Samaritan.  Unacceptable.  God in the flesh meeting one of His children at her time and place of need.  Unimaginable.  Smashing man-made prejudices and barriers.  Exemplary.

Why did Jesus ask this woman for a drink?  So He could help her.  Before He could get to the bottom of the well he had to start by breaking down barriers.  By asking a favor of her, He put Himself in a position of indebtedness to her.  She is surprised by His request because it was not culturally acceptable for Him as a Jew to have “any dealings” with her as a Samaritan.  Culturally acceptable or not, it was necessary for this Jew to deal with this Samaritan woman.  Jesus then offers her a gift.

Living Water

What does Jesus offer this Samaritan woman?  The same thing he offered the wealthy, educated Jewish religious leader.  Eternal life.  The wording is different but the gift offered was the same.  She came to the well for water to alleviate her physical thirst, He offered her living water (Holy Spirit) so she would never thirst again.

Back to the well we go.

Deep Well & No Pail

When she first saw Jesus sitting at the well, He was merely a Jewish man in her eyes.  When Jesus offers her living water she says to Him, “Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep.  Where do you get that living water?”  Look closely at what she is saying to Jesus.  Sir, you are sitting next to a well that is very deep and you don’t even have a pail!!!  Meditate on that statement.  The Jewish man has more work to do.

After pointing out that the well is deep and Jesus is pail-less, the woman proceeds by asking Jesus if He is greater than the Patriarch Jacob who dug the well.  Jesus’ response is basically one of comparison.  Whoever drinks water from this well will be thirsty again.  Whoever drinks the water I offer will never again experience thirst.  She may not be educated but she can see that a permanent alleviation of thirst is better than a temporary one so she asks Jesus for His water.

Back to the well we go.

Full Heart & Empty Jar

Knowing that the woman is not yet ready to “drink” the water He is offering, Jesus tells her to go and get her husband.  Now things get personal, but she wanted to know if Jesus was greater than Jacob.  Her response is very short, “I have no husband”.  True; just not complete.  So Jesus fills in the missing details.  He tells her, that she has had five husbands and is now living with a man who is not her husband.  This impresses her.  Now, in her estimation, Jesus has been elevated from a mere Jewish man to status of a prophet.  Jesus is drawing up the pail in her spiritual well.

Now that He is a prophet, the woman asks Jesus a theological question.  This exchange ultimately ends with Jesus revealing Himself to the woman as the promised Messiah.  As they are finishing their discussion Jesus’ disciples are returning with the food they had been sent for.  The woman drops her water jar and runs into town to tell everyone about Jesus.  A dam is about to break because Jesus met one lonely woman, an outcast even among outcasts, at a deep well without even as much as a pail.  He must have smiled as he picked up her abandoned water jar and thought to Himself, she will never need that again.

Jar Collection

Jesus used this outcast to reach a mission field.  Many people from this town of drunks, liars and idolaters became Believers.  All because Jesus met a thirsty woman at her place of need and gave her a testimony.  He still does it every day.

What is your well?  Are there circumstances in your life that cause you to tell God “the well is too deep and you have no pail?”  Jesus is sitting there waiting to meet you.  He has a divine mandate, He must pass through your Samaria.  Don’t worry about any prejudices, He has none.  Don’t worry about your past, He already knows it.  Just come with your thirst, He wants to fulfill it.  Forever.  Don’t miss your divine appointment.

And don’t forget your water jar.  He wants to add it to His collection.

A Healthy Discontentment

Posted on by scott

To Be Content

In Philippians 4:11b Paul made the famous statement, “…for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.”

Like Paul, we strive to be content with whatever God gives us, whether we are “brought low” or “abound”. In verse 12 Paul states that he is talking about finding contentment in whatever circumstances he finds himself.  Paul’s ability to find contentment in the midst of all circumstances came from his relationship with Christ, “Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” (Phil. 3:8).

Not to be Content

While Paul encourages us to be content in our circumstances, he would also be the first to keep us from becoming complacent in our relationships.  In other words, in order to grow and develop our relationships, we need to have a healthy discontentment for the status quo. This discontentment is the seed of growth.

God has created us as relational beings. As a matter of fact, Jesus Himself defined eternal life as a relationship, “And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” (John 17:3). To Paul, and to every child of God, this relationship is and should be priority number one. God forbid that we ever become complacent in it.

My Utmost

I believe we can learn a lesson from Oswald Chambers. Despite the fact that he was a gifted teacher whom God was mightily using to advance His kingdom, Oswald Chambers wasn’t complacent. As a matter of fact he came to a crisis and wrote these words “If this is all there is to Christianity, if I have got all there is, then the thing’s a fraud.” Strong words, but Mr. Chambers was a man who passionately pursued God. During this crisis, he literally set aside everything else in his life and saturated himself with the Word of God.  Eventually, God used the Bible teacher F.B. Meyer and his teaching on Luke 11:13 to radically change Oswald Chambers. God lifted him to higher ground.  Today we know him for his great work My Utmost for His Highest.   I am thankful that Oswald Chambers had a healthy discontentment.

What God did for the Apostle Paul and Oswald Chambers and numerous saints throughout history, He also wants to do for us.  The same God that has lifted us from the miry bog (Psalm 40) wants to make us walk on high places (Hab. 3:19).  Let’s not become too content with the current view, or worse yet begin to descend back towards the miry bog.  Rather, let us pray to God and thank Him for where we are, but ask Him to help us continue climbing the mountain because we won’t be content until we are in His presence.

“As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God.  My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.  When shall I come and appear before God.” – Psalm 42:1-2.

Flesh and blood and the fear of death

Posted on by scott

 

“Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death He might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.” – Hebrews 2:14-15.

Fear of Death

I like to claim these verses as some of my favorite in all of scripture, and yet they are somewhat of an enigma to me. I believe the basic tenets represented in these two verses. Man’s frailty; Man’s bondage; Man’s impotency & dependency. Christ’s incarnation; Christ’s power over Satan, Christ’s death & resurrection and declaration of Victory over Satan. Last but not least, Man’s liberation because of Christ’s death!!

The enigma?  Can we really be liberated from the fear of death?  Isn’t the fear of death congenital, universal and permanent?  From our first exposure to death we abhor it and want to avoid it.  The fear of death is potent.  What does man fear more?  Satan recognizes this and uses this fear to intimidate and coerce mankind.  Death is going to come naturally, but I don’t care to volunteer for it.  This passage tells us that Satan uses the fear of death as a means to subject us to lifelong slavery!   Fear may be a powerful emotion and motivator, but it is nothing compared to love.  Especially perfect love.

Liberation from Fear

1 John 4:18 says, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.  For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.”  Because of His love for us, and our inability to save ourselves, Jesus became a man (partook in flesh and blood) and DIED to free us from the bondage of Satan. Although I don’t care to volunteer for death, Jesus did.  He volunteered to die on the cross for us.  His death was not only voluntary, it was vicarious.

Hebrews 2:17 goes on to say, “Therefore He had to be made like His brothers in every respect, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.”

Propitiation for the sins of the people. That is the key. On the cross, Jesus paid the penalty for our sins. Death is the consequence of sin. Because of Adam we are born into sin and all must die. But…..

The Death of Death

For the Child of God death is not the end, it is the doorway to eternity. The death of Jesus forever transformed the meaning of death.  As one writer has said, “in death He became the death of death”.  For those that put their Faith in Christ death no longer represents judgment, but rather blessing.   Instead of bondage, it represents liberation.  Standing at the grave of Lazarus (John 11:25-26) Jesus spoke these words, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

I do.  I also believe Love is greater than fear and Eternal Life trumps death.

“Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints”.  Psalm 116:15

When the Christian crosses the river of death he is ushered into the presence of his Heavenly Father.

“Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man.  He will dwell with them, and they will be His people, and God Himself will be with them as their God.  He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”  Rev. 21:3-4

Until the former things have passed away live out your Faith without inhibition.  You have been set free from Satan’s bondage, live and die like it!!

Why Songs in the Night?

Posted on by scott

Sparks

In the midst of some less than desirable advice, Elihu rebukes Job with these words “Because of the multitude of oppressions people cry out; they call for help because of the arm of the mighty.  But none says, ‘Where is God my Maker, who gives songs in the night..'” (Job 35:9-10).  Although the trials of Job are legendary, they are not exclusive.  Job 5:7 tells us that, “man is born to trouble as the sparks fly upward.”  Every man will face his “night”.  The question is how will he respond, hence Elihu’s rebuke and challenge.

Night

This week my mother was diagnosed with cancer.  Although we do not have all of the test results and do not know how far the cancer has spread, we do know that our world has been “rocked”.  In the daylight, we like to deceive ourselves with thoughts of autonomy.  Our pride fills us with the foolish notion that we are the captain of our ship and can navigate our course, and then…

Then comes a dose of reality.  We are created from dust and to dust we will return.  Every illness; every catastrophe; every battle; every loss of a loved one reminds us how impotent we are.  The challenge is where do we turn for help?  To whom do we look for answers?  What is the source of our strength?  I am taking Elihu’s advice over that of Job’s wife who told Job to, “Curse God and die” (Job 2:9b).

Songs

In the 77th Psalm, Asaph said, “I cry aloud to God, aloud to God, and he will hear me.  In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord..” (vs. 1-2a).  In the 6th verse, he says, “Let me remember my song in the night..”

My prayer is that this blog will inspire you to walk with God every day.  If you are walking with Him in the daylight, there will be no need to turn to Him in the night.  If we make a practice of humbling ourselves every day in the presence of God (Coram Deo), we won’t have so far to fall when “night” comes.

“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” – Micah 6:8