My Shoemaker

I was in the parking lot of a department store with my family and I realized that between us and the front door of the store were two rather intimidating fellows. They were tall, wearing loose clothing and gold chains and were talking loudly, swaggering towards the same door. I felt fear. I clasped my son’s hand a little tighter and walked closer to my wife who had the hands of our two daughters. It wasn’t logical, but I felt this cold dread that they might do or say something to us that I wouldn’t want. What could they do in such a public place? Still, I was a little afraid. What’s more, they were looking at my wife, who is quite attractive, and I didn’t want them to do that either. We entered the store, and they walked in behind us.

We went our separate ways in the store, but it wasn’t a big one, so we met them again in another isle. It was then that something profound happened. It wasn’t that I finally allowed logic to reign and understood that I was quite safe in that location, or that I considered the power of the adrenaline I would have at my disposal if my family was in jeopardy. It was something that hit me from above. It was like a light that shined down on me and I could see then what I couldn’t before. It was this: I am Christ’s Body here. I am His Ambassador, His Representative, and have His Authority and Power. The very Spirit of Christ lives in me, giving me limitless resources of strength and grace. It wasn’t that I asked for this to be so in that particular moment. It was true all the time. It was true while I was afraid. I didn’t make it any more true when I realized it. But knowing it, having this truth revealed to me made all the difference. Immediately, both of those guys lost several feet off their statures.

But there’s more. My fear was not replaced by pride or self-confidence. I wasn’t at all thinking about the safety of my family (or myself) anymore. I felt pity for these guys. They seemed so small and needy now. They thought they needed those outward personas to give them a presence in life. They were sinful people needing to know that Christ died for them – that Christ met all the requirements they were so sorely lacking. The same requirements I was so sorely lacking when I was lost and dead in sins. I think it’s safe to say that I even had some love for them in a strange way. I wondered now if they might say something to me, and what I could say as a Pilgrim and Stranger on the earth to point them to a Heavenly Saviour. I was ready. But the Lord didn’t make things go that way.

When we are told to “put on the whole armour of God” we are told to have our “feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.” The Lord prepares us to be lights in the world. He cleans our lamps so that they shine brighter. This day was part of that process. As believers, we have the task of reckoning facts to be true. We have the job of counting on things to be the way God says they are. They don’t often appear to be so from our perspectives, but they are pretty limited perspectives wouldn’t you say? From the Lord’s vantage point, all things are clear. His word gives us that clarity. “Perfect love casts out all fear” we read. But we are alive in Christ to do more than just not be afraid. We are alive in him to be “His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” I walk with the feet of Christ; dead, buried, raised and ascended with him, in union with Him, He in me and I in Him. He made it so. May I not live a lie. May my shoes be the Gospel, and the Cobbler my Lord Jesus.

BJ

Let God Be True

“Let God be true but every man a liar.” Paul, from Romans 3:4.

I was reading a blog recently, by a man who no longer has faith in “expository preaching”. I am not about to defend such a thing, because Scripture simply says, “Preach the word” and never uses the word “expository”. But this gentleman did say something that got my attention. He said this:

“In reality what guides interpretation is not individual analysis of the text. It is the broad consensus interpretation for the biblical texts found in the ongoing history of church doctrine.”

Did you get that? He is saying essentially, that individuals are unable to come to a knowledge of the truth without the sum total of all who have tried to do so, individually, over the last two thousand years. So, to understand the Bible, God then intends me to sift through every bit of exegesis (or maybe eisogesis too) that has ever been done? Too bad for Timothy I guess. He was on the wrong side of history. He never had the benefit of 2 millennia worth of bible studies. Why did Paul even dare suggest that Timothy “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” ? We’re all in a boatload of trouble if we have to assimilate all of the hodge-podge of biblical study ever done to get to some idea of the truth of God’s word. Does that sound like a gracious God to you?

I think I understand that writer’s intention. He wants to bring Christians together and have unity. It’s not a bad desire. It’s the heart of God actually. But he’s going about it the wrong way. Jesus prayed, “Sanctify them by your truth, your word is truth.” We will be “set apart” together when we stand on the firm ground of Scripture. The idea that we cannot know the truth on our own flies in the face of what the apostle John wrote: “But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him.” (1st Jn. 2:27) I guess John was on the wrong side of history too if he couldn’t have known the truth without the “ongoing history of church doctrine.” I don’t want to come down too hard on this blog-writer, because once again, there are some good intentions there and he is just trying to make sense of what he sees around him in the Church today. The problem is that he is not allowing God’s word to make sense of what he sees around him.

I quoted Paul in Romans 3 at the start because it is one of those guiding principles that believers desperately need to get a hold of. God’s word will fulfill its own promises to us, but only when we believe Him above all others – even ourselves. Listen to what the Lord says to us in Psalm 19, “The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes;The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.” God's word will do this for us! We forget sometimes that we still have access to a carnal mind (Rom. 8). We also need to remember that we can “put on the mind of Christ” and be spiritually minded which is life and peace. Let God be true. He didn’t give us his inspired thoughts word-for-word for nothing. He loves us. He doesn’t want us to be stumbling about in the dark. Open His book and it really will be a lamp to your feet and a light to your path.

BJ

It's A Secret

I have lived in some big houses in my day. When you are one of 9 kids, it just sort of comes with the territory. Two of the houses I’ve lived in were actually funeral homes at one point. The way that played on a young boys imagination… But these houses were old and had all kinds of character. One had a laundry chute (shoot) from the second floor to the basement. My little brother got stuck in it once… after we enticed him to go in of course. One house had a ‘widows watch’, it’s called. The top of the roof had a flat spot with a tiny iron railing around it. The real purpose of this I am not certain, but it was fun to go up there and see the town from that vantage point.

Another house had a big closet at the top of the staircase. We moved in and my parents set us loose on the place. Finding the closet, we went to the back and found a little door in the side. There was a staircase leading up to the attic that from thence forward became the boys territory. For 6 boys to find a secret staircase to the attic was heaven. My parents knew it was there all along, but they wanted to give us the fun of finding it. And it was fun. My Dad insulated it and we had our bedrooms up there.

Secrets are enticing. Some people are driven to finding out things and they become archeologists and police detectives. But we all enjoy stumbling upon a solved mystery. That is why mysteries are attractive – we want to know what’s behind them. We watch a magician perform some trick and long to know how he did it. God knows all about this, because he made us that way. He gave us the ability to unlock a riddle, solve a mystery and problem-solve our way out of a room where the walls are closing in and water is rising from the floor and we only have a coat-hanger and a piece of gum (thank-you MacGyver). There are mysteries only because we haven’t solved them yet. There are things that God has imbedded into life for us to discover.

One of my favorite phrases Jesus used was, “He who has an ear to hear, let him hear.” I think that just means, if you’re willing to listen, then step up and I’ll tell you more. You don’t get it all at once. There is too much that way. You can drink a small lake, but you have to spread it out over the course of 80 years. The Lord invites us to gather at his feet as he trickles out wisdom to us. Sometimes there is mystery in places we never would have looked for it. Sometimes we are given the answer to a problem we never knew to be there at all.

Bible translators have had (and still do have) an immense task. There are times when English translators have not known what to do. One particular time is actually in the most famous of all bible verses. That’s right: John 3:16. Do you know what it really says? It reads this way, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whoever believes INTO him should not perish but have everlasting life.” It made more sense to them to substitute the word “in”, but it’s more precise to put “into”. What’s the difference? It may or may not make a difference to you depending on your “ear to hear.” You see, there is a mystery uncovered in the New Testament. But it’s one only the Lord can show you. Here is one more hint though, from the words of Christ: “Abide in Me and I in you.” If you know what that means, you may enjoy John 3:16 in a new way today.

BJ

Moon or Heaven

What is God’s will? Maybe I’m supposed to be rich. I could do a lot of good with an inordinate amount of wealth. I could pay to have John 3:16 carved into the moon so that it would be visible from space for all to see. I guess it couldn’t just be in English, so I’d get it in all the major languages of the world. Apparently there’s 15 major groups covering 7,300 languages. That would be some fine, fine printing needed there. Ok, then I’d buy everyone in the world a telescope - and a giant fan to blow the clouds away. There. Couldn’t that be God’s will for me?

I think we’ve all, at one point or another, asked what God’s will is for our lives. Especially when those major life decisions are still being made – School, Career, Spouse, Kids. We would love a chart indicating when to choose what. But what if you had one, and didn’t study it well enough to know the times and proper choices? If you mess up one of them, will the rest of the plan be ruined? The good news is that it’s actually easier than that. Easier than a blueprint for my life? You better believe it.

The problem is that we too often see ourselves in isolation. A favorite verse for many is Romans 8:28 “We know that all things work together for good...” but we don’t think often enough about the fact that the Lord is orchestrating ALL THINGS for the betterment of EVERYONE – not just you. Not just me. Also, we are not very adept measurers of “good”. What we may call good, God may know to be an unnecessary evil. So, how do we get around these problems – selfishness and poor judgment of good – so that we can understand what the Lord’s will is?

Well, the Lord’s will is not simply what he would like to do, it’s what He IS doing. So what is He doing? I’m glad you asked. He’s calling people out of the world. What do I mean by that? The Lord is saving souls through faith in His Son who instantly become citizens of heaven where all there hopes are now centered. That’s it. Simple. You can either line your life up with that immense purpose of God, or you can make what other kind of life for yourself you think you need. But it will never measure up to what the Lord will do for you. You will never be whole or fulfilled until you align yourself with His interests.

Forget the chart you think you need to navigate the waters of life. It’s hard, but we need to trade in our dreams for the waking reality of God’s will. What about a spouse? The Lord will give you one if it lines up with his present purpose. Adam didn’t have to go looking. He had his wife brought to him. The same with Isaac. Will you wonder about the details sometimes? Yes. But settle in to the fact that during his earthly days Jesus himself said, “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, NOR THE SON, but only the Father.” That did not stop Christ from doing his Father’s will. He was about his Father’s business from the start. Even Jesus had to say at one point, “Not my will, but yours be done.”

Paul writes to the Ephesians saying, “Do not be unwise, but understand what the Lord’s will is.” We are supposed to know. Make the Lord’s purpose your own. He will bless you for it in ways you will praise him forever for. And you probably shouldn’t mess with the moon too much. Tides and stuff, you know?

BJ