16 Hours from Hell

            This won’t be the most pleasant Check-In I have ever written, but as you know I often try to take everyday experience and find an application to my life in Christ, in hopes that you can identify with it in some way. “16 Hours from Hell” is a bad title to use, but from about 11:00 p.m. Sunday to 3:00 p.m. Monday I was sicker than I have been in many years and it felt like the title fit. Vomiting has never been easy for me: it is truly a gut-wrenching experience. Almost as bad as that is, is the feeling when you’re lying in bed and your stomach begins to communicate to you, “It’s time to get up… go at it again…”. I hate that feeling. Staying in bed doesn’t help. A fever spikes and I start sweating. The only solution is to get to the bathroom. Each time you think and hope and pray, “Maybe that’s the last time”, until you wake up again and do it all over. Once an hour for 16 hours truly sucks the life out of you. And one of the worst parts of such an experience is in the later stages when you have nothing left to vomit, but you still have to. I don’t believe I have ever tasted anything quite so bitter and nasty as bile.

            The Bible calls it gall. Gall is an unpleasant word which speaks of that which is produced in the gall bladder of a human or animal. It is proverbially used when speaking of human experience that it bitter. Technically it is different from bile in that bile is produced by the liver and stored in concentrated form in the gall bladder as an aid to digestion, being discharged into the duodenum when we eat. So it is an aspect of the way God made us and it is a blessing to us. But in those late stages of sickness it is one of the most disgusting things you can ever taste.

            You may remember that at His crucifixion Jesus was offered a drink that was a mixture of wine (probably more like vinegar) and gall (probably derived from an animal). This mixture was commonly given to criminals to ease their suffering to some degree. The bitterness bore witness to the poison content of the drink. The Greek word for “gall” literally means “poison”. Jesus refused it because He did not want the poison to kill Him or numb His senses while on the cross. He had a different kind of “bitter cup” to drink from and He wanted nothing to diminish or deflect Him from it (John 18:11). One of the messianic psalms of David (Psalm 69) speaks of gall and finds its fulfillment in Christ’s experience on the cross. Being sick like I was leads me to think of how great Christ’s suffering was. Physically my trouble was small – even nothing - compared to His. But spiritually, Christ’s was infinitely greater than my – or any human – suffering. To literally bear the sins of the world and all the punishment they merited boggles the mind and staggers the imagination regarding the extent of Christ’s love for us.

            I apologize for my title. Humans easily describe hardships, suffering, and pain of all types in relation to hell. “War is hell!”… “We make our own hell here on earth!”… Such expressions seek to capture the terribleness of something and give it a gravity of meaning that connects with human experience. As I thought of being as sick as I was for 16 hours, I began to imagine what an existence would be like if one felt that way for eternity. Just that one thing – what the flu produces in human experience. Even in my sickness I had God’s presence and grace ministering to me. But in hell God is not present and ministering grace. I have a hope that goes beyond this life and the pain it brings. My little flu was nothing compared to the depths of suffering of many all around the world. Yet it led me to think about how horrible an eternity of it would be. God’s grace becomes ever so much more precious when we consider what He has delivered us from and, of course, what He is delivering us to. May I rightfully and fully praise Him for our hope in Christ, our strong deliverer, and may I bear faithful witness to Christ so that others may come to put their hope in Him.

John 18:11 (NIV)  Jesus commanded Peter, "Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?"

Psalm 69:16-21 (NIV) ¹⁶  Answer me, O LORD, out of the goodness of your love; in your great mercy turn to me. ¹⁷  Do not hide your face from your servant; answer me quickly, for I am in trouble. ¹⁸  Come near and rescue me; redeem me because of my foes. ¹⁹  You know how I am scorned, disgraced and shamed; all my enemies are before you. ²⁰  Scorn has broken my heart and has left me helpless; I looked for sympathy, but there was none, for comforters, but I found none. ²¹  They put gall in my food and gave me vinegar for my thirst.

2 Corinthians 4:13-18 (NIV) ¹³  It is written: "I believed; therefore I have spoken." With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak, ¹⁴  because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence. ¹⁵  All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God. ¹⁶  Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. ¹⁷  For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. ¹⁸  So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Isaiah 53:4-5 (NIV) ⁴  Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. ⁵  But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.

PRAYER:  Father, I pray for those who are sick and suffering. Their misery is a reminder of what sin has done in this world. Lead them and lead us to the healer – your Son the Lord Jesus. Lead us to a deeper and truer healing – one that our souls need – where Christ’s suffering and death is applied to us as an atonement for our sin. We glorify you that such a thing is possible and that heaven becomes our hope. Remind us in our sickness, and even our death, that resurrection is coming. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.”

Jesus Christ is Lord!    

Scott

An Expectation of Forever

            One of the early hits by the Beatles was a song called “Can’t Buy Me Love”. We all know that there are certain things that money cannot buy, yet you wouldn’t know it by observing our culture. And if we are not careful we can get sucked right into the ideas that people buy into today. Money cannot buy youth, yet people spend billions on creams, make-up, medical procedures, foods, and “elixers” of all kinds seeking to stay or look young. Money can’t buy happiness, yet people are spending billions on pleasure of all kinds, hoping for the thrills and the fun to provide a perpetual Disneyword where they expect to be happy. And money cannot buy life, or shall we say… the avoidance of death.

            I recently read an article that described a book by an author named Adam Gollner. I haven’t read it, but the review described some of the contents. In the book the author profiles five billionaires who are pouring money into longevity research. If I was a billionaire, maybe I, too, would want to enjoy it longer and therefore invest resources in such a way. Life extension is a common theme in movies and on television, typically in the science fiction and fantasy genre. It’s not new, though. Even in earlier times Chinese emperors, European alchemists, and those who possessed power through the ages have listened to the hucksters of their times and tried all kinds of crazy “solutions” to death. There are no proven ways of extending the lifespan of humans beyond today’s parameters. And the Psalmist reminds us... “The length of our days is seventy years-- or eighty, if we have the strength; yet their span is but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away.” (Psalm 90:10).

Gollner writes about Larry Ellison, CEO of Oracle Corporation, who has been quoted as saying, “Death makes me very angry. It doesn’t make sense to me. Death has never made any sense to me. How can a person be there and just vanish, just not be there.” In his attempts to defeat death, Ellison has set up a foundation dedicated to ending mortality. The foundation gives out money to any research that looks promising in combatting age-related diseases and disabilities. The book also describes 32-year-old Russian multimillionaire Dmitry Itskov. He has started an organization known as the 2045 Initiative. Their goal is to help humans achieve physical immortality within the next 30 years. His main aim is to transfer individual personality to a more advanced non-biological carrier: the idea of giving up our biological bodies for artificial, machine bodies.

All of the people whom Gollner profiles approach not just the present, but the future as well, from a completely materialistic (or non-spiritual) point of view. To them the idea of a personal God and of our spirits existing eternally is too speculative. They definitely are thinking more atheistically than theistically. What a shame to miss out on the Word of God and what it tells us about our broken humanity and God’s work of grace to redeem us and give the gift of eternal life through Christ, our Lord. Something greater than these billionaires could ever imagine is already the possession of those whom God is saving. And it costs nothing… at least nothing of this world’s goods. Jesus Christ paid the cost in full when He shed His blood and died for our sins. By faith we repent and believe and have the assurance of eternal life promised in the Scriptures.

May we worship God aright for bringing us to Himself, for giving us the gift of faith, and for the converting work of the Holy Spirit in giving us the new birth. And may we be free to tell others of the amazing grace that comes through Jesus Christ. May our hope be only in Him because, while heaven and earth will pass away, Jesus never fails.

Romans 6:23 (NIV)  For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

1 Corinthians 15:19-20 (NIV) ¹⁹  If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. ²⁰  But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

1 Corinthians 15:52-57 (NLT) ⁵²  It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed. ⁵³  For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies. ⁵⁴  Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled: “Death is swallowed up in victory. ⁵⁵  O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” ⁵⁶  For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. ⁵⁷  But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 John 3:1-3 (NIV) ¹  How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. ²  Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. ³  Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.

Revelation 21:3-4 (NIV) ³  And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ⁴  He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."

PRAYER:  Father, thank you for the hope you have given me that is founded in Christ. In Christ alone my hope is found. Apart from him I have no future, I have no joy, and I have no expectation beyond the grave. He alone is the basis of my hope of eternal life. I rest in him, lean on him, trust in him, and look to no one or no thing other. Be glorified in your Gospel in this world. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.”

Jesus Christ is Lord!    

Scott

A Sigh is Just a Sigh?

            In the classic film Casablanca Sam (played by Dooley Wilson) sings, “You must remember this, a kiss is still a kiss, a sigh is just a sigh…” as he sings “As Time Goes By”. The song is number two on the American Film Institute’s list of greatest movie songs. “A sigh is just a sigh…” What is a sigh? Every now and then Joanne will ask me, “What was that for?”

            I’ll say, “What do you mean?” to which she responds, “That sigh.”

            I didn’t even know I did it. That happens often. Sometimes I am conscious of sighing, but at other times it just seems like an unconscious activity.

            The definition of “sigh” is, “a long, deep, audible exhalation expressing sadness, relief, tiredness, or a similar feeling. Charlie Brown is famous for his sighs in the comic strip Peanuts. Studies have indicated that sighing can be a way to regulate our breathing when we’re stressed, or can indicate anxiety or upset. It can also serve as a mental and physical reset button of sorts. Sighs are frequently associated with a negative mood—a sign of disappointment, defeat, frustration, boredom, and longing. Sighing in public is about as frequent as sighing in private, suggesting that it may not be (or not always be) a form of communication, per se. Whatever the case, it’s one more amazing, “small” thing about the way God created us. So small that most of us rarely ever think about it. But a few days ago I was spending some quiet time with the Lord in His Word and read a verse that made me stop and think about it. And… voilà … you’re reading those thoughts.

            In Mark 8, after feeding the 4,000, Jesus and the disciples go to a region known as Dalmanutha. This location has never been identified with certainty, though recent archaeological excavations in an area on the northwest coast of the Sea of Galilee may very well be this town. The parallel passage in Matthew associates it with Magdala, also on the northwest side of Galilee. The text says He sailed there, and when Jesus arrived He was approached by some Pharisees, who began to question Him. Their questions were not sincere, however, for they are described as testing Him (with a goal of tripping Him up). They went beyond questioning and directly asked Him to provide a sign from heaven. Verse 12 gives us His reaction, not just His response: “He sighed deeply and said, ‘Why does this generation ask for a miraculous sign? I tell you the truth, no sign will be given to it.’” Jesus responds viscerally with a sigh. He knew that even if He did provide a miracle, they would still not believe, because their hearts were hard. They would find some way to explain it (and Him) away. There may be a place for miracles being a sign to evoke belief (John 10:37-38), but to ask Jesus in this manner was to put God to the test, something that had been seriously forbidden (Matthew 4:7).

            And so Jesus sighs… deeply. This detail is remarkable. It reveals Jesus’ humanity. And it communicates. What is He expressing in this sigh? Frustration with them? Incredulity at their shallowness? Weariness at their repeated attempts to trap Him? Sadness at how far away from God their hearts were? Anger? Perhaps all of this is mixed in to Jesus’ feelings at this moment and with the sigh He just releases it all at once. I think it’s a powerful moment. I know I certainly would not want to be standing before Jesus and hear Him sigh like that in my presence (about me). I would be thinking something like, “This can’t be good.”

            But I am blessed beyond measure, because Jesus died for all the sins and shortcomings in my life that might ever give Him pause or cause to stop, shake His head, and breathe out such a sigh. Instead He has “breathed on me” the Holy Spirit, the literal presence of God in my flesh and in my spirit. God’s Spirit has given me life, and made it possible for me to believe on Christ for salvation. The words of Edwin Hatch are a beautiful prayer…

Breathe on me, Breath of God,
Fill me with life anew,
That I may love what Thou dost love,
And do what Thou wouldst do.

Breathe on me, Breath of God,
Until my heart is pure,
Until with Thee I will one will,
To do and to endure.

Breathe on me, Breath of God,
Till I am wholly Thine,
Until this earthly part of me
Glows with Thy fire divine.

Breathe on me, Breath of God,
So shall I never die,
But live with Thee the perfect life
Of Thine eternity.

            May the breath of Christ through His Spirit give you life, and give you faith… and may it be an expression of His pleasure in you leading to an increase of His glory. AMEN.

Mark 8:12 (NIV)  He sighed deeply and said, "Why does this generation ask for a miraculous sign? I tell you the truth, no sign will be given to it."

John 20:21-22 (NIV) ²¹  Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." ²²  And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit.

Genesis 2:7 (NIV)  the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.

Job 33:4 (NIV)  The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life.

Psalm 33:6 (NIV)  By the word of the LORD were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth.

Isaiah 40:7 (NIV)  The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the LORD blows on them. Surely the people are grass.

PRAYER:  Father, let the expression of your pleasure find me, because you see in me the righteousness of your Son, Jesus. Your Spirit has given me life and opened my heart and mind to trust in you alone. Do not sigh at my sin, but show mercy to me, that you might be glorified in your grace and I might be saved. Such grace is altogether wonderful to me. May all praise, honor, and glory be to Jesus forever. In His name, AMEN.”

Jesus Christ is Lord!  

Scott

Faith Amidst the Spillage

     “Disgusting!” I thought.

     The older boy across the kitchen table had just filled his bowl too full of Rice Krispies and then filled it with milk. You would have thought the whole bowl of cereal had spilled out all over the table.

     “He should be more careful,” I snickered to myself. “What a mess! What a waste! What a pig!”

     “I don’t do it like that. I very sensibly keep all those little Krispies contained inside the bowl and pour the milk on very carefully. Then I gently push the Cereal down all around to get it wet and keep it from falling out of the bowl. That’s better. That’s the right way to do it… no waste… no mess… nice and neat.”

     Why does it feel sometimes like God is more like the boy across the table than He is like me? I mean… just look at the world. What a mess! And then those times when the untidiness of the world breaks in on my life and I have a mess on my hands. Sometimes it happens in my family. Sometimes it’s at my church. Sometimes it’s where I work. Wherever it is, I don’t want a mess on my hands. I like it all neat and in control and when I don’t have to worry about cleaning up after other people. I don’t want any “spillage”. When I get everything set in my life just the way I like it… then I want it to stay that way. So I strive and do whatever it takes to keep life from spilling out over the edges. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could actually do that? Most people I know wouldn’t claim such an ability.

In a faraway land there once lived a man was blameless and upright; he was about as close to God as a man can be.  He had a big family and everything he needed in life. He was well respected in the community and he very carefully taught his children the things of God. He had all his Rice Krispies in order and life was good and full of blessing. Then one day a messenger came to the man and said, "All your property has gone up in flames. You have nothing left". Not long after, a policeman showed up to tell him that his children had been murdered. The man cried and cried. Then in brokenness he fell on his face and worshipped God. He knew everything he had had come from God, and he knew that God had the right to take it all away whenever and however He wanted to. Somehow… everything that happened, happened so that God might be glorified. It was hard to see this. Maybe even impossible for most people. It would have been so easy to sin by accusing God of ruining his life. Later he himself would become deathly sick – nothing short of miserable. He certainly didn’t relish the idea of losing everything dear to him, and possibly even his own life. But would he lose his faith too? Would he turn his back on God? No, not this man. He said this about God: “Even if He kills me, I will still put my hope in Him. Somehow this will work to my benefit and blessing.” The “spillage” God allowed would not rob him of his faith and love. He would not let it. Even if others prodded him to give up on God. He understood that it was quite proper to be willing to receive both blessing and trouble from God. Without faith such a thing would be impossible. (See Job 1-2 and following)

In our lives God can be like that boy across the table. It appears that He often has other plans in mind. Spillage doesn’t seem to bother Him. In fact, sometimes I think He actually uses it for His glory. I’ve got my little life filled to just the right level with everything I think will make it work. And I keep it all in order. It’s all my stuff and it’s all under my control. How little patience I have for anything – or anyone – who threatens that orderliness. But what if it is God? Could I ever say – or should I – that I have no patience for God or His plans? If only I could realize and comprehend to the depths of my being that He is good… even in loss and pain, and that He wants to fill my life with good things. I just have too much of my own stuff in the way. May God let me see Him and know him more when the Rice Krispies spill over and make a mess.

Psalm 23:5 (NIV)  You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

Psalm 103:5 (NIV)  who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

Psalm 107:9 (NIV)  for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.

Lamentations 3:37-38 (NIV) ³⁷  Who can speak and have it happen if the Lord has not decreed it? ³⁸  Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that both calamities and good things come?

Romans 8:28 (NIV)  And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Colossians 2:6-7 (NIV) ⁶  So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, ⁷  rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

Job 2:10 (NIV)  He replied, "You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?" In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.

Job 13:15 (NIV)  Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him; I will surely defend my ways to his face.

PRAYER:  Father, have mercy upon me, that I might receive both blessing and trouble from you with contentment and trust. Thank you for restoring my soul in the valley. You are always good, and your love endures forever. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.”

Jesus Christ is Lord!  

Scott

Making My Point

            I do not typically pound the pulpit when I preach. In fact, I don’t recall ever doing it, or seeing anyone else do it. For years I used a music stand, and had I “pounded”, the stand would have gone down before I could finish the word I was saying at the time. We now have a new, small wooden podium that is much sturdier than a music stand, but I’m still not a pounder. This past Sunday I was a pointer, however. I was making a point about times when God places His calling upon us, and I used the expression, “when God puts His finger on you…”. At the same time I gestured with my right index finger onto the top of the podium… quite vigorously. I remember being briefly distracted by a quick thought; “Ouch!... That hurts… I hit that too hard.” But when your speaking you don’t really have time to get distracted. It probably would have been better to pound my fist, because my bruised and swollen finger has been hurting ever since. It’s a small thing… a minor inconvenience. But it got me to thinking.

            This rather trivial experience led me to think about what we do to “make our point” in everyday life. It’s not uncommon for there to be some kind of casualty as a result, though usually it is someone else. In conversations every day we make our points. If the conversation is heated up by anything, we make our points with a little more “oomph”. Typically it’s not literally our finger poking someone in the eye or on the chest, but rather the tone and volume of our voice. Sharp words have power, so we use them at times. I have never believed the old children’s saying, “Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” We all know that words do hurt. We have all felt their sting when someone in our lives has “made his point”. James, the brother of Jesus, tells us that the tongue is a fire and that though it is very small, it can destroy an entire forest. It may be well for us to remember that the points we make can be like sparks. Don’t get me wrong, I’m quite in favor of making my point. It’s how I do it that determines if pain (mine or someone else’s) is a result. Perhaps there are times the “truth hurts” and people must deal with that. But there are also times when I look back and say to myself, “I could have said that in a different way… I could have communicated that more gently…”

            Jesus never bullied anyone with His voice, His finger, or anything else. He made His point(s) through sacrifice, servanthood, and surrender to the Father’s will. Yes, it is true that He spoke sternly to those who were abusing the temple. I just know that Jesus is much more capable of righteous indignation than I am. That being the case, I can learn a lot from His approach to people in His everyday ministry and even in His death. The most powerful moment in the history of our universe took place one day when Jesus was doing (you could say) nothing… but dying on a cross. Of course we know that much more than “nothing” was happening when Jesus died. God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself. But by all appearances, Jesus was the most helpless man in the world. On the cross He is not swearing at people, threatening anyone, raising His voice at them, or thinking/doing anything hostile. Love is motivating all that He is doing. He could have made quite a strong point by calling legions of angels to come to Him and exercise justice on all sinners. Instead, He did nothing but receive in Himself the Father’s exercise of justice on all people. In other words, Jesus got what we deserved. As He humbles Himself - even to death on a cross – He makes a point that those whom God has called will never miss. How many people do we know or read about who, when it comes to the death of Christ, have completely missed it… totally missed the point? But those who are called have eyes to see and ears to hear the grace of God in action.

            Finger-wagging, pulpit pounding, or vocal intimidation were not the ways Jesus accomplished His purposes. He did not need them. Nor do we, if we are in Christ, for He gives power and grace to those He has saved, and they can joyfully live in the overflow of His grace and mercy. May others see  and hear Christ and His righteousness in us. AMEN.

Isaiah 53:7 (NIV)  He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.

Proverbs 15:1 (NIV)  A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

Romans 12:14 (NIV)  Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.

1 Corinthians 15:30-32 (NIV) ³⁰  And as for us, why do we endanger ourselves every hour? ³¹  I die every day--I mean that, brothers--just as surely as I glory over you in Christ Jesus our Lord. ³²  If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus for merely human reasons, what have I gained? If the dead are not raised, "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die."  

PRAYER:  Father, may the point of all I speak and do be Christ… Christ in me: in my lips, in my mind, in my attitude, in my voice, in my gestures… in every aspect of how I communicate. If Christ is not in me, I am lost. Do not let sin have dominion over me, but free me: the blood of Jesus covering all of me. And may the righteousness of Christ in me be ever to your praise and glory. In His name, AMEN.”

Jesus Christ is Lord!  

Scott