Let us be a remnant

Matthew 5:43-48 (NASB)

43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

It's interesting that the early believers did not embrace the name Christian. "Christian" means "little Christ." It was originally intended as a slur against early believers.

So many claim the name in our modern time, but so few seem to understand what it means. I do believe what the Apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the Galatians, that we are known by our fruits and those who are redeemed and living by God's Spirit will produce fruit in accordance with that spirit: "Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control."

Two days ago, on the anniversary of a horrible event in the history of the United States of America, over a hundred people lost their lives in a tragic accident in the city of Mecca. It was tragic because people died without having heard of the saving power of the blood of Jesus Christ.

I find myself heartbroken by the response of people who call themselves Christian, who rejoice even now because people were killed, rather than mourning that souls passed from this world without Christ. Even more so, when they are questioned about their response and shown how it does not match Biblically with what they claim to believe, they became verbally abusive and try to find ways to justify their hatred.

It feels so hollow, so unlike the picture of Jesus Christ who did not cast a stone at the adulterous woman, despite being himself sinless. Jesus could have killed the woman right then and there and been blameless in the eyes of God, but he instead forgave her sins, and told her to go, change her ways and stop sinning.

I believe we are lost as a nation and as a people of faith. If what I am seeing is the way that people are interpreting the scriptures; if such hatred is to be accepted rather than condemned, then we have fallen from the path of discipleship and we are truly lost.

Thankfully, God is greater and His will is above all things. His Holy Word, Jesus Christ, reigns from His throne in the heavens, waiting for the final trumpet to return and claim those who truly believe in his name: "He is the stone which was rejected by you, the builders, but which became the chief corner stone. And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”.

But until that time, He calls us to love our neighbors and our enemies. Where we see evil, let us not repay it with evil but with good so God and His Son my be glorified by it. Let there be a remnant who honor God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit not only in word, but in deed.

27 Isaiah cries out concerning Israel, “Though the number of the sons of Israel be like the sand of the sea, it is the remnant that will be saved; 28 for the Lord will execute His word on the earth, thoroughly and quickly.”

Romans 9:27-28 (NASB)

A Father's gift

Matthew 6:7-12


“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
9 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! 12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets."


To those of us familiar with the trials of parenting, we know that above all things, even when we don't see eye to eye with our children, we want the best for them. God provides for us, even though we are imperfect, so how much more so do we provide for our children as we are able.


It's actually painful when we cannot provide the things we want to give them, over and above the things they need. Just today, God granted a huge answer to prayer allowing me to provide a huge need for my own son. I don't agree with all of his life choices, but I still want what's best for him and have been praying about this particular need for months.


God loves us. We don't always understand, but He always, always gives us exactly what we need. Always, no exceptions.


So, if you have a need, ask God to provide. He won't always give us what we want, but if we need something, He never fails.

All the good it does...

Read Isaiah 64

"You welcome those who gladly do good,
    who follow godly ways.
But you have been very angry with us,
    for we are not godly.
We are constant sinners;
    how can people like us be saved?
We are all infected and impure with sin.
    When we display our righteous deeds,
    they are nothing but filthy rags.
Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall,"

The concept of being a neighbor, of being a "good" person, is alien to my natural inclinations. Yes, most people see me as a nice person, a "good" guy, but they don't see how I have to work at it. Inside, I'm a sarcastic, cynical jerk.

Just a few nights ago at work, a co-worker said something to me, and I immediately took offense. My first inward thought was; "Why is she being so nasty to me?" It started to rankle, but I had to force my own feelings aside. My thoughts then turned to "Is there something I have done that has caused a problem?" Of course, this was also a selfish response, because I was still thinking about me. When I did eventually say something, it was simply to ask if she was ok, because she didn't seem like herself. Do you know, she was so grateful that someone noticed? She had been in pain all day from arthritis and was really suffering. This allowed me to have an opportunity to truly minister to her.

This goodness is attributable solely to the work of God in my life. This is a multi-faceted work. As a disciple of Christ, there are many things that work together to help fight the natural inclinations that fight against the goodness of God. These factors include the impact of many Godly men and women (including parents), knowledge of the Word of God, and repeated time spent in prayer and meditation. It's not me, it's Him.

When we think of someone as a good person, we do not see their inward motivations. The prophet juxtaposes God's welcome for those who do good with the realization that our own goodness pales in comparison to the goodness of God Himself. His goodness is far beyond our ability to conceive, let alone copy.

But...

There is hope.

While in Romans, the Apostle Paul writes that all have sinned, in Ephesians 2:8-10 he clarifies that the gift of Christ, salvation through the blood is there, to enable us to do good.

"God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago."

See, like the Word says; "it's not me, it's Him."

What's in a name?

Read Acts 2:42-47

Christian.

We use the word a lot. We call ourselves by it. If someone asks what we believe, we say that is what we are. Are we?

The word started nearly 2,000 years ago as a slur in the city of Antioch in what is modern day Syria. It is literally translated; "little Christ" and was intended to mock the believers in the newest religious movement of the time. Over the years, it came to be embraced by believers as a badge of honor. More years passed and it's meaning has changed to a more ambiguous moniker for any person or group even loosely associated with a church. Many of us, especially in the west, who use the name to describe our faith, don't really resemble anything close to Christ Himself, not even a little.

For this reason, I personally don't prefer to refer to myself as a Christian. I know I don't deserve such a title: I just don't measure up.

The believers in the early days of the Church were active neighbors. This is, after all, the second greatest commandment; "Love your neighbor as much as you love yourself." They sold possessions and used the money to care for the needs of others. They shared what they had with those around them.

There are grand cathedrals in Europe which sit empty on a Sunday, or have been repurposed because no one bothers to go anymore. Here in North America, congregations of Bible preaching Churches continue to shrink. We're comfortable. We're Lot in a land of indulgence.

Lot lived in a land of selfishness, Godlessness, and excess. He was comfortable. His faith didn't spill out to those around him. He lost his home, his wife, and the innocence and integrity of his children. In the end, God spared his life, but even then he didn't really change.

So too do we live, surrounded by excess and indulgence, even surrounding ourselves with those who tell us what we want to hear instead of what we need. These voices tell us that we deserve to indulge, while the Christ of the Bible was "a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief," who Himself said, "it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.

Religion isn't about what I can get, or how I can benefit. The Apostle James wrote that "pure religion" is to care for the less fortunate (paraphrased). James spends a good bit of time telling his readers not to elevate the rich over the poor, but here we are, doing just that in western society. For certain, having wealth is no sin, but loving wealth, as the Apostle Paul wrote "is the root of all sorts of evil."

If our faith is real, we will step out of our comfortable spaces, love our neighbors, and focus not on what we want, but what is best for those around us. Lot's failure wasn't that he didn't speak out about the excess and indulgence around him. Lot's failure was indulging in that excess. He was comfortable.

So, I pray that god will work in me so I can seek to touch the lives of those around me in a tangible way, not judging their actions since that is not my place, but rather showing them they are loved. In time, God will work to correct their self-destructive behaviors, but I am called to love my neighbor, to be a "little Christ", and to live a life of service, not a life of selfishness. I pray that others who may read this would be convicted in much the same way.

A Troubled Heart.

Read Psalm 34

"The Lord is close to the brokenhearted;

    he rescues those whose spirits are crushed."

I find the above to be poignant. In recent months expecially, It's been difficult to sleep at night due to a troubled heart. Those who know my situation are familiar with what troubles me and others can likely identify with the overwhelming sadness at watching a loved one destroy themselves.

In the passage referenced above, the psalmist, David, was on the run from someone who had at one time taken him in as family, his father-in-law; Saul. He had taken refuge in a foreign land, pretended insanity to escape harm from that land's ruler, and lived each day not knowing what the next would bring.

Yet, here he writes: "I will praise the Lord at all times.

    I will constantly speak his praises.

2 I will boast only in the Lord;

    let all who are helpless take heart.

3 Come, let us tell of the Lord’s greatness;

    let us exalt his name together."

I wish I were that strong. I know that God promises He is with us through all the difficult paths of life. I know that He has a plan in all the troubles, so I hold these promises up and remind myself of them constantly.

I struggle with anger, hurt, frustration, and a host of other emotions. Yet, here, the Psalmist is in danger of his very life, and he spends each day praising God for His faithfulness. Though he could have thrown up his hands and given up, thinking this was his darkest hour, David instead continues to trust God to fulfill His promises.

So, I've been meditating on this passage, ruminating on it, keeping it in my thoughts. As the psalm continues:

"The righteous person faces many troubles,

    but the Lord comes to the rescue each time.

20 For the Lord protects the bones of the righteous;

    not one of them is broken!"

Treasures in heaven

Matthew 6:19-34 (NIV)
 19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy,and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy,[c] your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eyes are unhealthy,[d] your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness! 24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life[e]? 28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?
31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

For the last several weeks we've been studying the sermon on the mount at church in the adult Sunday School class. I've been struck each week by something different. The last two sessions dealt with the above passages.

Lately, it has seemed that my family's needs have been building and building with no foreseeable change for the better. But here's the kicker; We have all we need to eat, we have a place to live, we have clothes to wear, transportation to the places we need to be, cell phones, a computer, tablets, televisions, books galore, and so much more.

We have so much more than God ever promised, yet still my eye sees something shiny and new and I want it.

I forget to be thankful for what I do have and the enormous blessings God has given.
See, God's promise is provision for our needs. If I don't have it, I must not really need it. I have to ask myself if what I want is indeed something I need, or just an earthly treasure.

As disciples of the Nazarene, we are challenged to be different. We are challenged to not chase after the impermanent in place of the things that last.

So, the challenge here is; when I feel that the gifts God has provided are not enough, I need to step back, look at the thing I am longing for and put it in God's hands. If I need it, he will provide it. If He does not provide for it, then I don't need it.

God is good and His mercies endure forever.

The little things

A smile

A kind word

A cold cup of water on a hot day

It's the little things that mean so much.

For the last eight years I've worked in a field that seems thankless. There have been no merit based raises as long as I've been there, no yearly bonuses for the last four or five years,  and not even a real cost of living allowance in about seven years (with the exception of a meagre wage increase of a few cents an hour a few years back). It's not enough to run a household on, and there are times when the bills have outnumbered the income.

And I become discouraged because I can't see the active hand of God.

I forget that He called me to this field. I forget that He promised: "whoever is faithul in the little things,  is faithful in much."

I forget and I lose sight of my faith.

But then someone else is faithful in the little things and my faith is refreshed, and I see the Hand of God work and know that somehow, if I just stay faithful to what I know is right, God will do an even greater work.

Faithful...in the little things.