Which Ones?

"And someone came  to Him and said, 'Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?'  And He said to him, 'Why are you asking Me about what is good?  There is only One who is good; but if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.'  The he said to Him, 'Which ones?'"  Matthew 19:16-17

You may recognize this passage as part of the famous exchange between Jesus and one who is referred to as the "rich young ruler."  You are no doubt familiar with the fact that when given the ultimate answer to his question, that he needed to give up his earthly belongings and follow Christ, he declined and went away sad.  This is most surely a cautionary tale for a variety of reasons.  If we are more attached to earthly belongings, positions, social status, reputation and even relationships than we are to our Savior and the glories of heaven, we are a most sad and lost people indeed.

What caught my attention within this passage, however, was his second question.  The Lord clearly tells him that he needs to obey the commandments, but he asks, "Which ones?"  When you think about it, it is an astounding question.  The young ruler obviously understood that eternal life was possible and he desired it.  It is also evident that he understood that Jesus was, at minimum, a source of information about it.  Why is it then, when given the answer, he responds in a way that seems to indicate, in his mind, that there was the opportunity to choose which of God's commands to follow in an effort to achieve his objective?  Why would he not understand that they all must be followed?

Beloved, this is a problematic mindset that persists to this day.  Most anyone who believes that God and heaven exist desires to make it their home.  Unfortunately, most are not willing to do what is required to achieve it.  Let me be careful to say that eternal life cannot be earned because it is a gift (Ephesians 2:8-9); however, certain qualifications must be met to receive the gift.  One must enter into a committed relationship with the Lord which should inspire obedience and good works.  Many of us willingly obey the commands that suit us and just as willingly reject those that do not.  It is as if we are not willing to submit ourselves to the whole counsel of God, but instead, treat His requirements as multiple choice or optional.  Further, there are religious teachings and organizations built around this very concept.  They embrace and celebrate sinful words, thoughts and deeds as if there is no condemnation for them at all.  In effect, then, there are those conforming the word of God to their own preferences instead of the other way around.

Jesus went on to point out six of the ten commandments, all of which had to do with how others are to be treated.  The young ruler remarked that he had followed the six commands supplied for the entirety of his life.  When Jesus put that to the test by telling him to sacrifice his earthly good for the benefit of his neighbors in need and to follow him, thus storing his treasure in heaven, he proved that he was not keeping the commands at all.  More importantly and tragically, he valued adherence to his own earthly priorities over the simple and specific path to the heaven he said he desired.

It is my prayer that none of us are asking the Lord "which ones" of his commands must we obey.  Let us not "be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect," Romans 12:2.

Increasing in faith,

Lee

Trusting God in the Worst of Times

"'And behold, a great wind came from across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young people and they died, and I alone have escaped to tell you.' Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head, and he fell to the ground and worshiped. He said, 'Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked I shall return there. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.' Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God." Job 1:19-22

It is a fact of life that bad things happen. There is no way around it. Our views, thoughts and how we handle such situations; however, vary widely. When more of the story is read, it is revealed that Job lost the animals that represent his livelihood, his servants that represent his workforce, his sheep which represent his ability to feed and clothe himself, and his children. All of these things happened and were reported in rapid succession. It is difficult to imagine experiencing greater losses in worse ways than these. What is more difficult to imagine is his attitude.

When most would criticize and become angry at God, Job worshiped and praised Him. Astoundingly, he acknowledged that he was born with nothing, that God had given him all that he had and that God had the right to take it all away. Given human nature, this is the rarest of all possible responses to such calamity.

Beloved, achieving Job's attitude must be the goal of all Christians particularly in this era of COVID-19, social unrest and upheaval and economic distress. So often, we put ahead of God the blessings of employment, possessions, material goods and family that He has so graciously provided. When we become consumed by the acquisition, maintaining or loss of them, we are in effect exchanging the one true God for idols. This is not to say that we should not be great stewards of what we are given or that we should not mourn loss but that we should trust God completely and rely upon Him to keep us in and through all situations, be they favorable or not.

We know that Job would later wrestle a bit with the things that were happening when they got even worse, but he remained faithful, he kept his trust in God and was eventually restored in a way that multiplied his original position in life. It should further be stated that the reason these things happened is because God had faith in him. Can He have that kind of faith in us?

Increasing in Faith,

Lee

Love Indiscriminately Like God

“When God saw their deeds, that they turned from their wicked way, then God relented concerning the calamity which He had declared He would bring upon them. And He did not do it.

But it greatly displeased Jonah and he became angry. He prayed to the Lord and said, “Please Lord, was not this what I said while I was still in my own country? Therefore, in order to forestall this, I fled to Tarshish, for I knew that You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, and one who relents concerning calamity.” Jonah 3:10–4:2

Jonah, a prophet of God, is famous for doing the exact opposite of his calling and what he was commissioned to do.  God commanded him to go to Nineveh with a warning that the city and all of its inhabitants would be destroyed in 40 days.  Not wanting to deliver the message, Jonah booked passage on a ship headed nearly 3000 miles in the opposite direction from where he was being sent.

To understand why the prophet would violate his calling and command, it must be known that Nineveh was the capital city of the Assyrians, who themselves were a vicious and merciless conquering empire who did unspeakable things to those whom they defeated.  Originating in an area located in modern day Iraq, they are the civilization that was responsible for scattering the ten tribes that made up the northern kingdom of Israel among other things.  Hebrews had no love for the foreign and heathen Assyrians.  It is evident; however, that God did.

Beloved, it is important to know, understand and believe that God loves each and every human being, whether they love Him or not.  John 3:16 famously bears this out.  It is also important for us to know that He desires that we love Him as well as each other.  The Spirit has said, “For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another;

not as Cain, who was of the evil one and slew his brother. And for what reason did he slay him? Because his deeds were evil, and his brother’s were righteous,” 1 Jn 3:11–12.  In view of this, how can we stand idly by and see fellow creations of God murdered and discriminated against while we claim to be His children?  The Spirit has also spoken a word about those who would do such: “If someone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also,” 1 Jn 4:20–21. How should we treat those whom we love? Would we turn a blind eye to their mistreatment or even participate in it if we loved them?

Jonah confesses that he did not want the Ninevites to have access to God’s mercy.  It is ironic that he was so recently a recipient of that same grace, having been rescued from death in the belly of a fish due to his own sinfulness. Further, this was an object lesson for the people of God. Given the chance, the Assyrians immediately repented and mended their ways while the Hebrews, the very people of God, were persistently disobedient, idolatrous and unrepentant.

As we consider our own Christianity and what it means, let us not violate our calling and command to love all people regardless of the differences that exist between us.  Let us be sure not to be liars by hating our diverse brothers and sisters, made in God’s image and likeness, through our actions or inactions.  Let us not be Jonah.  The time is long past that we eliminate the difference between what we claim and what we do or fail to do.

Increasing in faith,

Lee

Good News and Better News

"So Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him." Heb 9:28 (NIV)

It is difficult for any human being to look upon Jesus' suffering on the cross as good news.  The gospel account is actually quite horrifying and humiliating.  Nevertheless, without it, humanity would be doomed to an an irreversible destruction. It is only because of our Savior's great sacrifice that we can be reconciled to the God who made us.

The one thing that mitigates the sorrowful treatment of God's son is the fact that he took up his life again.  With resurrection power, he arose and walked out of his borrowed tomb to verify the truth of his words and spread the good news of their meaning.  Having completed his work on earth, he returned to the heaven from which he came and now sits on the right hand of God.

Beloved, all of this is as if a cure has been discovered for a terrible disease to which we are all subject.  The goodness of the news does not reach its zenith until we are ourselves inoculated.  This will take place when the same Savior who rose into the clouds comes back in those clouds and reaps the harvest of all he has planted on earth.  That is when good news will get even better.

Let us be sure that we are part of that harvest.  Though he will return for those who are waiting for him, remember that we must be prepared in our waiting.  As the wise virgins had their lamps filled with oil, ready for the bridegroom to arrive despite not knowing the hour, we too must have our lives in order.  Only then we will be able to take advantage of the best news possible: the announcement that it is time to go home.

Increasing in faith,

Lee

The Power of Witness

"-what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ." 1 John 1:3

Against the charges of Christ merely appearing to be a man by a group called the Docetists, John offers the proof of witness to refute their falsehood. He offers, both in the Gospel of John as well as 1 John, the fact that he had heard, seen, watched attentively and touched the very Son of God and that he was not the only one to do so.

Then as now, matters are settled on the testimony of witnesses. It should be understood that there was a high threshold in official matters. Matthew 18:16 reveals that an acceptable burden of proof is established in the mouths of two or three witness. The humanity and deity of Christ was proven through the witness by God, the Holy Spirit and John the Baptist at his baptism, by Jesus himself and by the more than 500 to whom he appeared after his resurrection.

Beloved, today we do not have the pleasure or privilege of experiencing the physical Jesus as those did who lived 2000 years ago but we believe by faith. That faith was made possible through the mouths of those who did experience him. This should not be as foreign a concept as some would make it out to be. The same individuals who will not accept Christ because they cannot see or touch him today will accept as fact the words of witnesses in legal, legislative, news and even gossip matters. They should know that they are not the first to take this position. The apostle Thomas refused to accept the witness of his peers and brothers in the faith, declaring that he would have to see for himself. As it would happen, Jesus showed up and said to Thomas, "Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believe” John 20:29. Those same witnesses and the Lord himself have said that he will one day likewise appear to us all.

Believe.

Increasing in faith,

Lee

He Hears

"Return and say to Hezekiah the leader of My people, 'Thus says the Lord, the God of your father David, "I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; behold, I will heal you."
2 Kings 20:4

King Hezekiah had just received the worse news of his life.  He was told by the prophet Isaiah to set his house in order because the illness from which he was suffering was about to take his life.  As you might imagine, Hezekiah was beside himself and immediately went into prayer, begging that he be allowed to live.

Many of us struggle in our prayer life. We sometimes wonder if our prayers make it beyond the ceiling. We sometimes wonder if God is home or if He cares at all. It may be that we feel this way because we don't always get what we want. Make no mistake, it is understood that some of the things we want are entirely and sometimes urgently needed. We pray out of pain, fear, concern for another, worry, imminent danger and other things we consider critical. We are subject to becoming despondent and shaken in our faith if we feel God does not look at things the way that we do.

Beloved, it is our faith that should carry us through the times when it seems that God is missing in action. It is our trust in Him that should remind us that all things work together for good to them that are the called according to his purpose, even and especially when things seem that they are at their worst. We need to remember the agony suffered by God's only begotten in the garden of Gethsemane. Remember that God did not allow that cup to pass. Remember that if He had, there would be no salvation for you and I today. Remember that despite Christ's great suffering at our hands and on our behalf, he is even now at the right hand of the Father advocating for us. We can only hope that the times that God may say "no" would accomplish an end so noble and beneficial. Lastly, remember that God is never absent. He is everywhere at all times knowing all things with every ability. That said, he also has the ability to be silent.

In Hezekiah's case, God not only heard but responded.  God not only responded but He responded so immediately that Isaiah had not even managed to get out of the house before he was directed to go back and give the king the good news.  Let us also not forget the times when we have prayed and received an immediate response. Many of us cite those times as proof of His existence in our own minds. Whatever it is that you think, understand that His ways are as high above ours as the heavens are above the earth.  You may or may not receive an immediate or affirmative answer to your prayers.  Regardless, have faith that God knows exactly what He is doing and He hears  and responds in one way or another to all of our prayers.

Increasing in faith,

Lee

Sharing Your Little

“There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are these for so many people?”  John 6:9

There is a very famous passage of Scripture in which Jesus feeds more than 5000 people.  To be sure, much has been written and preached about this event, and rightly so.  There are lessons about Jesus' love, compassion and deity.  There are lessons about his apostles' lack of understanding and faith.  There are even lessons about a crowd who largely missed the significance and point of the whole exercise.  Little is said, however, about a young boy and his lunch.

Consider the fact that though virtually nothing is known about him, it can be surmised that he was relatively poor due to the contents of his meal but that he was prepared because he had it.  Though we do not know what his day or life consisted of, he showed up with food among thousands who either had none at all or an amount insufficient for their needs.

Consider also that he was wiling to share.  We know nothing about how the actual exchange took place, but it can be said with a high degree of confidence that Jesus would not take a child's lunch from him by force.  We can therefore surmise that the young man was willing to not just share, but to give all he had.

Finally, it was with this boy's lunch that Jesus indeed and in fact, fed the multitude.  Further, not only where the people filled but there was an abundance that was leftover. 

Beloved, as believers, we have confidence that the Lord can do all things.  We believe that miracles are available and do happen through the power of God.  We also believe that God is fully capable of performing these things with zero assistance from us.  That said, Jesus chose to work in partnership with the youngster.  He took what the boy was willing to share and miraculously multiplied it for the benefit of many.  It is important that we not miss this very important lesson because too often, we feel as if our little is not enough.  We often feel impotent in the face of so many needs and so much pain in the world.  At times we feel this so strongly that we fail to offer the resources, knowledge, skills and abilities we do have, shrug our shoulders and walk away.  Suppose a little boy with his lunch box refused to open it.

Let us be mindful that Jesus never asked us to save the universe.  What he asks of us is that we love others as he has loved us, that we treat others the way we would like to be treated, that with humility, we esteem others more than ourselves and that we lead lives that produce fruit.  Our circle of acquaintances and those with whom we come into contact is limited, but the power of Christ is not.  Let us bring our little and let Jesus do great things with it.

Increasing in faith,

Lee