When I Am Afraid

            In the 1980’s actor Michael J. Fox played a teenaged character named Marty McFly in one of the most popular movie trilogies of all time: Back to the Future. McFly is sort of a runt of a kid who doesn’t usually fit in with his peers. One of his main character flaws is his reaction to taunts that he might be too “chicken” to do something (something often dangerous). This is his weakness, because it makes him angry. He cannot abide the idea that someone might think he is too afraid to respond to the “challenge”. But whenever he does, something always goes wrong. The ironic thing about all this is that in his desperate desire to avoid being thought of as fearful, or a “wimp”, or “chicken”… his often foolish, unstoppable actions are themselves all motivated by fear. His biggest fear is that someone will perceive him as afraid… as a “baby”… as a nerd… or in some other undesirable way.

            The fear of man will lead a person to do strange things: silly things… even crazy things. If others knew that we were speaking or not speaking, or doing something a certain way because of worry about what someone else thought, they would probably laugh at us. That’s why we rarely share these kinds of things with others. On many occasions, what others think (or what we perceive others are thinking) is the primary driver of what we say or don’t say, and what we do or don’t do.

            In preparation for the Bible study on this topic that I am beginning on July 2, I have been making a list of how this works in my own life. Just how much of what we do, think, and say is motivated by the fear of man. For example, one of mine happens in the restaurant. I have been served a meal that is less than satisfactory. I complain to Joanne about it. But when the waiter/waitress comes by and asks, “How is everything?” inevitably I respond with “Fine.” Even if it’s terrible. Why do I do that? It’s because I don’t want to make waves… don’t want to get a bad reaction… don’t want to get someone in trouble… don’t want to make someone feel bad… or some such idea. Not everyone thinks the way I do. I have a brother who very easily sets the restaurant straight when something isn’t quite right. Many people have no problem doing this. But me? I just “let it go”.

            Have you ever hesitated to bow your head in observable prayer in a restaurant to ask God’s blessing on your meal? How about going along with a group doing something you knew was wrong, just so you could fit in? What about speaking about Christ to another person? Not being able to say no? Avoiding a certain person? In our study together we are going to examine what fear of man does to us, and how we may fear the Lord more and fear man less, and experience transformation in the power of the Holy Spirit. I invite you to join us if you are in the area.

            May the Lord deliver us from the fear of man and its many manifestations, so that we might fear Him and live to His glory. AMEN.

Psalm 56:3-4 (NIV) ³  When I am afraid, I will trust in you. ⁴  In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?

Psalm 118:4-7 (NIV) ⁴  Let those who fear the LORD say: "His love endures forever." ⁵  In my anguish I cried to the LORD, and he answered by setting me free. ⁶  The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? ⁷  The LORD is with me; he is my helper. I will look in triumph on my enemies.

Isaiah 41:10 (NIV)  So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

1 Peter 3:13-16 (NIV) ¹³  Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? ¹⁴  But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. "Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened." ¹⁵  But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, ¹⁶  keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.

PRAYER:  Father, teach me the fear of the Lord. Let me understand it fully, and let me practice it maturely, so that my respect and love for you is true. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.”

Jesus Christ is Lord!    

Scott

Becoming Scam-Proof

            Do you know what word this definition fits: “a dishonest way to make money by deceiving people”?

            I checked my phone messages last night after a long day away and heard this one: “The IRS has filed a lawsuit against you. Call xxx-xxx-xxxx to assure that you are not prosecuted for failing to respond.” I googled the phone number and learned that it was connected with a scam. The invention of telephones, computers, the Internet, and just about any kind of technology is always accompanied by people (sometimes dumb and sometimes clever) who use it to try to steal from unsuspecting people who do not know any better. Sooner or later most of us become the object of someone’s attempt to scam us.

            The word “scam” is both a noun and a verb, just like the relatively new word “google”. If you ever are a victim of a scam, you feel foolish and gullible. Usually you don’t want anyone to know that you were so naïve. The problem is that scammers can be quite sophisticated and convincing (think Bernie Maddoff, who cheated 4800+ clients out of some 64 billion dollars and was sentenced six years ago to 150 years in prison). They can look good and sound good, but they are false. They do not have your well-being in mind. They only have their interests in mind, and they do not care if you lose anything or everything. Con artists like this come in many shapes and sizes, so the average person must practice vigilance and care in order to protect themselves.

            There is a spiritual lesson in this, for Christians need to practice vigilance as well. When the Apostle Paul was traveling on his second missionary journey, his team was called into Macedonia to bring the good news. After stopping in Philippi and Thessalonica, there is a brief passage in the book of Acts that describes his next stop. It was the small city of Berea. As he writes about what happened there, Luke describes the Bereans as having noble character who didn’t just “swallow” the message Paul was bringing. They examined the Scriptures daily to see if what Paul was saying was true. The “Scriptures” referred to here would have been what we know as the Old Testament. They had a foundation of truth in these Scriptures, and they tested anything that came their way by the truth of them. This is still an excellent practice for the Church today. In a world filled with so many spiritual messages, the foundation of God’s Word helps us to root out the spiritual scammers who are pursuing gain (ideas of the mind, power and control of others, financial, etc.) at the expense of others.

            We must be like the Bereans, with noble character pursuing the truth. Jesus told His disciples that they would minister as sheep among wolves. To survive they would need the innocence and purity of doves and the cleverness of serpents. May God’s Word always be our foundation, and may He deliver us from all that is false in our world today.

Acts 17:10-12 (NIV) ¹⁰  As soon as it was night, the brothers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. ¹¹  Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. ¹²  Many of the Jews believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NIV) ¹⁶  All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, ¹⁷  so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

PRAYER:  Father, your Word is my guide. Fill my mind with wisdom and understanding as I read the Scriptures. Shape my life with them, to your glory. Protect me and my church from those who seek to harm us in any way. Keep us close to Jesus. In His name, AMEN.”

Jesus Christ is Lord!    

Scott

Nahum is not Ho-hum

            “What do you know about Nahum?”

            “Not anything really. Who is Ho-hum?”

            “Nahum, you idiot. Not Ho-hum.”

            “Another one of your Old Testament prophets? Tell me, where do they get these names?”

            “Never mind that. I want to tell you a little about Nahum. He lived and prophesied about 600 years before Jesus. The world was a very different place then. The northern kingdom of Israel was gone – destroyed and absorbed by the Assyrian Empire and their capital city, Nineveh. The southern kingdom of Judah – where Jerusalem was – still had a king, but things weren’t going real well there either. Just read Jeremiah sometime. There’s a reason he was called the weeping prophet, you know.”

            “Well, what does Nahum have to do with that?”

            “God gave Nahum a prophetic word about Nineveh.”

            “Nineveh… That sounds familiar. Where have I heard that before? Oh… I remember. That’s where Jonah went. I do remember Jonah. You know… the big fish and all that.”

            “That’s right. Jonah was a prophet of Israel who had been called by God to go and preach to Nineveh. He didn’t want to go and tried to get out of it, but he finally ended up there and preached the message of warning and repentance that God gave him. And – I think you will remember – all the people of Nineveh repented. They were sorry for their evil ways and turned to the one true God.”

            “So, is Nahum doing the same thing… all over again?”

            “No, not this time. Now, about 150-200 years later, God’s message to Nineveh is totally different. It’s a message of justice and judgment. Because they had destroyed Israel… because of their legendary and unending cruelty… because of their pride and their belief they were invincible… and because of their idolatry… God finally plans to bring destruction upon Nineveh. It is always wise to be on God’s side, rather than to set yourself up against Him. And that’s what Nineveh did.”

            “Well, I want to be God’s friend. I know I don’t want to be His enemy, that’s for sure.”

            “That’s good, because God’s vengeance and just judgment is a terrible thing to face. The Bible says He is slow to anger. God does not revenge hastily. Assyria had been prominent in the region for 600 years, with at least 300 of them in supremacy. Jonah’s time is now long past. It is good for us to learn from history, because God is the Lord of history. Unlike Jonah, Nahum preached to the people of Judah. He wanted them to know that God would always act justly in the affairs of the world. The affairs of the world can span centuries, you know, so God’s ways are not always easy to understand, but He is just as much Lord today as He was when He finally and ultimately brought justice to the Assyrians.”

            “Sounds kind of scary.”

            “Well… it is, when you think of it. The Bible says ‘It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.’ (Hebrews 10:31). But we have hope, because we are followers of Jesus, and He calls His followers ‘friends’. God is a stronghold for those who take refuge in Him. God gives freedom to those who are in bondage. The coming of Jesus is good news. Just think where we would be without Jesus!”

            “Sounds like we might be in real trouble, like the people of Nineveh.”

            “Well, I know one thing. We can always trust God to do what is right. When He judges it is right. When He is patient and forbearing, it is right. When He is forgiving and merciful, it is right. And when He calls us into friendship with Him, it is right. Whatever He does is just and right. So we will be careful never to point our fingers at Him in an accusatory way. That just shows that we think we know better than Him.”

            “I don’t think I could ever say or believe that I know better than God… about anything.”

            “Me neither!”

Psalm 103:8 (NIV)  The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.

Numbers 14:18 (NIV)  'The LORD is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation.'

Nahum 1:2-3 (NIV) ²  The LORD is a jealous and avenging God; the LORD takes vengeance and is filled with wrath. The LORD takes vengeance on his foes and maintains his wrath against his enemies. ³  The LORD is slow to anger and great in power; the LORD will not leave the guilty unpunished…

Nahum 1:5-9 (NIV) ⁵  The mountains quake before him and the hills melt away. The earth trembles at his presence, the world and all who live in it. ⁶  Who can withstand his indignation? Who can endure his fierce anger? His wrath is poured out like fire; the rocks are shattered before him. ⁷  The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him, ⁸  but with an overwhelming flood he will make an end of [Nineveh]; he will pursue his foes into darkness. ⁹  Whatever they plot against the LORD he will bring to an end; trouble will not come a second time.

Proverbs 16:18 (NIV)  Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.

John 15:12-17 (NIV) ¹²  My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. ¹³  Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. ¹⁴  You are my friends if you do what I command. ¹⁵  I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. ¹⁶  You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit--fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. ¹⁷  This is my command: Love each other.

PRAYER:  Father, thank you that in Christ I, like Abraham, may be called your friend. It is by faith, because I trust in your Son. Thank you that you are a just God, and also that you are merciful. Oh, how I need your mercy, and you are generous in your grace. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.”

Jesus Christ is Lord!    

Scott

Haba...Who?

            “What do you know about Habukkuk?”

            “Haba…what?”

            “Not Haba…what. Haba…who: Habakkuk.”

            “Who is that? I don’t know anything about him. I know I’d never name a kid that. Never heard of him. Should I know him?”

            “Well, yes. But don’t feel bad. Nobody really knows much about him. All we know about him comes from a three chapter book in the Old Testament consisting of 56 verses. Beyond that, no one’s ever heard of him.

            “So, who is he… one of those prophets in the Bible?”

            “That’s right. When you read his book, you learn that he was a musician who prophesied just before the Assyrian Empire fell to the Babylonians. He was probably around when Jeremiah was around. The only members of God’s once strong people who were still about came from the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin in the south by Jerusalem. All the others had been gradually captured, enslaved, displaced, or destroyed. And the people of Judah were not loving God as they should be.”

            “I bet he couldn’t say very much in just 56 verses.”

            “Actually, just the opposite my friend! The book is really a conversation between Habakkuk and God. It starts out with old Hab complaining to God. It seems to him that God is not fair, because God was allowing Judah’s leaders, who were wicked, to oppress the poor. Habakkuk was asking a question many people – maybe all of us – have asked God at one time or another: ‘Why?’ Then when God told him He was planning to send the Babylonians to come and punish Judah, Habukkuk didn’t like that either. How could God bring judgment on His people by using other people who were even more wicked than His people were? He wanted to know how God could execute justice in such an unbalanced world that was full of wrongs everywhere you looked. But God was patient with Habakkuk. He gives His answer (chapter 2), which, in large part, was that patient faith – or trust – in Him was the key and that before all is said and done, true justice will prevail. In due time God would also deal justly with the Babylonians.  God’s answer must have persuaded him, because in the last chapter Habakkuk’s complaining stops. He has a change of heart and mind that acknowledged that God was in control.”

            “That sounds amazing. And pretty relevant to my life with some of the questions I have had. Maybe I’ll check it out and read it over.”

            “That’s a great idea. There are some amazing words in the book, like… ‘the righteous man will live by faith (2:4)’… a time is coming when the earth would ‘be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord (2:14)’… and Habakkuk’s prayer that God would renew His deeds of old and show mercy in his own time (3:2). But the most powerful passage in the book (in my opinion) is the last three verses (3:17-19). There Habakkuk makes a commitment to trust the Lord no matter how bad life might get – and it can get pretty bad. But he commits strongly to rejoice in the Lord and to trust the Lord to be his strength. What a tremendous example of faith!”

            “Wow! That sounds like something I would like to experience. If God can do that for Habakkuk, maybe He can do it for me too.”

Habakkuk 1:2 (NIV)  How long, O LORD, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, "Violence!" but you do not save?

Habakkuk 2:4 (NIV)  "See, he is puffed up; his desires are not upright-- but the righteous will live by his faith-

Habakkuk 2:14 (NIV)  For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.

Habakkuk 2:19-20 (NIV) ¹⁹  Woe to him who says to wood, 'Come to life!' Or to lifeless stone, 'Wake up!' Can it give guidance? It is covered with gold and silver; there is no breath in it. ²⁰  But the LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him."

Habakkuk 3:2 (NIV)  LORD, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, O LORD. Renew them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy.

Habakkuk 3:17-19 (NIV) ¹⁷  Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, ¹⁸  yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior. ¹⁹  The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights. For the director of music. On my stringed instruments.

PRAYER:  Father, I pray for joy in you when times of adversity come. Fill me with faith to trust you even that much. Without your strength I cannot do it. Thank you. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.”

Jesus Christ is Lord!    

Scott

The Wonder of Rain

     June, 2015 is off to a wet start. There has been a need for rain in Maine for a while and a few days of soaking rain is a good thing. Job called it one of the great and unsearchable things of God. Most of us aren’t thinking of rain as any great wonder while we patiently wait for clearing skies and sunshine. John Piper, in the second of his two excellent devotional books called A Godward Life, reminds us that it is no joke on Job’s part to describe God giving rain on the earth as a wonder. Here is how Piper describes it:

      “Is rain a great and unsearchable wonder wrought by God? Picture yourself as a farmer in the Near East, far from any lake or stream. A few wells keep the family and animals supplied with water. But if the crops are to grow and the family is to be fed from month to month, water has to come from another source on the fields. From where?

      Well, the sky. The sky? Water will come out of the clear blue sky? Well, not exactly. Water will have to be carried in the sky from the Mediterranean Sea over several hundred miles, and then be poured out on fields from the sky. Carried? How much does it weigh? Well, if one inch of rain falls on one square mile of farmland during the night, that would be 27,878,400 cubic feet of water, which is 206,300,160 gallons, which is 1,650,501,280 pounds of water.

      That’s heavy. So how does it get up in the sky and stay there if it’s so heavy? Well, it gets up there by evaporation. Really? That’s a nice word. What’s it mean? It means that the water stops being water for a while so it can go up and not down. I see. Then how does it get down? Well, condensation happens. What’s that? The water starts becoming water again by gathering around little dust particles between .00001 and .0001 centimeters wide. That’s small.

      What about the salt? Salt? Yes, the Mediterranean Sea is salt water. That would kill the crops. What about the salt. Well, the salt has to be taken out. Oh. So the sky picks up a billion pounds of water from the sea, takes out the salt, carries the water (or whatever it is, when it is not water) for three hundred miles, and then dumps it (now turned into water again) on the farm?

      Well, it doesn’t dump it. If it dumped a billion pounds of water on the farm, the wheat would be crushed. So the sky dribbles the billion pounds of water down in little drops. And they have to be big enough to fall for one mile or so without evaporating, and small enough to keep from crushing the wheat stalks.

      How do all these microscopic specks of water that weigh a billion pounds get heavy enough to fall? Well, it’s called coalescence. What’s that? It means the specks of water start bumping into each other and join up and get bigger, and when they are big enough, they fall. Just like that? Well, not exactly, because they would just bounce off each other instead of joining up if there were no electric field present. What? Never mind. Take my word for it."

    Job’s word is a good word. Rain truly is one of God’s wonders, and when it falls it provides us another opportunity to give God thanks and declare His praises.

Job 5:8-11 (NASB) ⁸  "But as for me, I would seek God, And I would place my cause before God; ⁹  Who does great and unsearchable things, Wonders without number. ¹⁰  "He gives rain on the earth And sends water on the fields, ¹¹  So that He sets on high those who are lowly, And those who mourn are lifted to safety.

Psalm 147:7-11 (NASB) ⁷  Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving; Sing praises to our God on the lyre, ⁸  Who covers the heavens with clouds, Who provides rain for the earth, Who makes grass to grow on the mountains. ⁹  He gives to the beast its food, And to the young ravens which cry. ¹⁰  He does not delight in the strength of the horse; He does not take pleasure in the legs of a man. ¹¹  The LORD favors those who fear Him, Those who wait for His lovingkindness.

Zechariah 10:1 (NASB)  Ask rain from the LORD at the time of the spring rain— The LORD who makes the storm clouds; And He will give them showers of rain, vegetation in the field to each man.

PRAYER:  God, let me praise you as freely when it rains as I do when the sun shines. Thank you for the many wonders all around. Give me eyes to see them and to appreciate your glory all the more with a heart of gratitude. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.”

Jesus Christ is Lord!    

Scott