Confidence on an Uncertain Road

            After a terrific two days at the ABCOM Annual Meeting in Houlton last week, Joanne and I returned home on Saturday. We had seen many old friends (like Steve and Sandi Straubel) and enjoyed some excellent messages. The presentation by Bill and Ann Clemmer was extremely moving. Anyway, we had eaten lunch after it was all over with Joanne’s brother and sister-in-law at a country restaurant called Grammy’s in a very small town outside of Houlton called Linneus. From there I had made plans for a more direct route west on a road called the South Oakfield Road. Most of the main roads on the map looked like you had to drive back through Houlton to get onto 95 South. I didn’t feel like doing that. It seemed too far out of the way. Yes, I did have to zoom in quite a bit on my Google Maps App to see the South Oakfield Road. But it was there. John told me they would follow us, so I turned on my GPS and headed out on my “direct” route toward Island Falls, where I anticipated picking up 95.

            It was going very well… for a little while. The road was small, but it was paved. And then it wasn’t. It became a dirt road. I thought… “Should I keep going or not?” It was a “good” dirt road, though, so I decided to keep going. Then there was a sign that indicated some construction over the next 6.5 miles. Still the dirt road was good, so I decided to keep going. Then I hit the first soft patch. It had rained for several days last week and there were a few places with soft, wet dirt and some pretty deep ruts. “I can make it,” I told myself. “Just speed up a little bit.” We did make it, but I began to worry about things getting worse and the possibility of having to turn around. I didn’t want to do that, though. We had come down a couple of hills that I didn’t relish the thought of going back up. The further we went, the more I knew I didn’t want to turn around. But there were some “hairy” spots still to get through. At one point I stopped, got out of the car, and went back to ask John if he still wanted to follow me. I was feeling dumber and dumber, and more and more anxious about my decision to go that way. But the road was still navigable, so onward we pressed. Joanne asked at one point, “I hope I don’t have to get out and push us.” I said, “I am the one who would end up pushing.”

            After a while the dirt road got smaller, narrower, and a little rougher. I wondered if AAA could get to me if I needed them. I was still on course, but beginning to doubt it would come out to where I thought it would. According to my GPS I was right where I should be. I spent a good deal of time questioning my decision (to take that route), and no small amount of praying. Finally, much to my great relief, the road became paved again. Bumpy… but paved. Narrow… but paved. And then it became wider… and smoother. We drove past a lake with camps and homes on it and eventually connected with State Route 2, a major older road between Houlton and Bangor. From there it was on to Island Falls, Interstate 95, and home. The “adventure” was over and I hadn’t gotten lost, stuck, or in the doghouse with my in-laws, though I am quite certain my brother-in-law may not let me forget this little wilderness journey.

            Do you ever feel like the road the Lord has you on is maybe not the right road? It’s not smooth. It’s not easy. There is some doubt along the way… and some fear. You question if you should have taken another road. But His guide – His Word – has reminded you it is where He wants you to be. There are dangers of getting bogged down and getting knocked around by the bumps. You may feel alone, isolated, and far away from help should something go wrong. But your mind is set on His destination for you. You are trusting Him to get you there, so you just keep going. You trust that He will not fail you. God does take us on roads like that. And if we stay focused on His Word, we can be confident that He will take us through to whatever destination He has for us. In the middle of uncertainty we will pray, and we will rest in Him. And we will not fear.

Psalm 25:4-10 (NIV) ⁴  Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths; ⁵  guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long. ⁶  Remember, O LORD, your great mercy and love, for they are from of old. ⁷  Remember not the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me, for you are good, O LORD. ⁸  Good and upright is the LORD; therefore he instructs sinners in his ways. ⁹  He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way. ¹⁰  All the ways of the LORD are loving and faithful for those who keep the demands of his covenant.

Hebrews 13:5-6 (NIV) ⁵  Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." ⁶  So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?"

Jeremiah 29:11-13 (NIV) ¹¹  For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. ¹²  Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. ¹³  You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

PRAYER:  Father, thank you for the path of your will for my life. Thank you for seeing me through those ways filled with questions and uncertainty. Thank you for never leaving me or forsaking me. Keep me in your Word, that I may know your way and walk in it. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.”

Jesus Christ is Lord!  

Scott

Minimizing What Is Deadly

            The news about the Ebola outbreak in the countries of West Africa has certainly been sobering. Its deadly impact was played out before us as we watched, read, and listened to news coverage every day. As long as the issue was an African issue many Americans did not think of it all that much. Yes, it was sad… and dangerous sounding. But our political leaders and medical experts assured Americans that it could never be a serious issue in our country. In my own estimation there has been a degree of hubris exhibited by those in these leadership roles. Hospital caregivers and transportation providers have been careless. Exposed people have either unknowingly or carelessly exposed other people. Proper procedures have been ignored. It is as if in our sophistication, technology, and expertise we think we are free of any concern or danger.

            Recent events have proved otherwise. The bubble of our invulnerability has been burst. The potency and movement of this virus has turned out to be not quite so “easy” to contain or manage. Mistakes have been made. Apologies have had to be given. Carelessness and actions without thought opened the door for exposure and transmission of the virus. It became something like a giant game of “Whack-a-Mole”, with authorities dealing with one situation only to find more and more people in need of watching, quarantining, or treating.

            My purpose in this devotional is not to point fingers and lay blame, or to suggest that I have a full understanding of all these events. I share these impressions more to make a spiritual point: the situation echoes the way that people often address the deadly issue of sin in the world and in their lives. In our arrogance we minimize our sin. We do not consider it to be all that serious – it’s just not that big of a deal to us. But the Bible says that sin is the sting of death (1 Corinthians 15). Human beings believe their sophistication, knowledge, technology, scientific accomplishment, etc., will deliver them into a better world and solve all or most problems. Sin is considered a trivial matter… nothing to worry about. Yet the Bible suggests it is our greatest enemy and the cause of death that separates us from God forever if it is not addressed. Our pride leads us to believe that we can manage our sin. We think we can contain its impact. "Our sin won’t be as bad as ___." (the spiritual equivalent of Africa). We think it is worse here in this person, or over there in that person. We believe… “I’m not as bad as ‘they’ are. Sure I have some. I’m not perfect. But it’s not all that bad. God will understand.” We minimize sin and we think we can manage sin to our great peril.

            God does not minimize sin. He knows its destructive power and pervasiveness in the lives of those He created and loves. He knows that it permeates every dimension of our lives and we have not been able to “control” it. It has taken us deeper and further into ourselves and away from Him than we care to admit. It has stained everything we are and everything we do. All of life in our world feels its impact. And the cure - the solution for it - must surely be greater than anything we are capable of. We know God does not minimize sin because of the steps He took to deal with it. The seriousness of sin is indicated by the step of love taken by God to send His only Son into the world to take that sin upon Himself. The atoning work of Christ on the cross is just so incredibly “big” as the means God resorted to in order to cleanse us, heal us, and free us from the inevitable death sin brings. The greatness of this work of love cannot be overstated.

            It is not healthy or wise for us to diminish or shrink the seriousness of sin. And it is just as unhealthy or unwise to believe ourselves capable of fixing it or eradicating it. How foolish we are. How proud we can be. The truth about sin is an opportunity to grow in our appreciation of and total dependence upon the cross of Jesus Christ. The good news is that as deep as our need is… the grace of God is deeper still. The blood of Christ has real power for our need… for cleansing… for even knowing God… for receiving and responding to grace in faith… for walking (living) a grace-made life in relationship with our Father each day as sons and daughters in His kingdom. Yes, we take sin seriously. But we take God’s grace more seriously (and joyfully) still.

Romans 3:21-24 (NIV) ²¹  But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. ²²  This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, ²³  for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴  and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

Romans 5:6-9 (NIV) ⁶  You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷  Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. ⁸  But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. ⁹  Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him!

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

2 Corinthians 9:14-15 (NIV) ¹⁴  And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. ¹⁵  Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

PRAYER:  Father, I take sin seriously. It is deadly. But the cross of Jesus Your son has delivered me. As I think about this and live in the new life you have given me, every day I appreciate and value the cross more and more. Though my sin is great, Christ is greater. What an amazing and wonderful thing it is to be your child through such grace. Every day, in all my ways, may I continually experience the riches of your grace and the joy of being your son.  In Jesus’ name, AMEN.”

Jesus Christ is Lord!  

Scott

"Well, No One Told Me"

            Joanne and I went to an event at the Collins Center at UMO Tuesday night on her birthday. We showed up at 6:15 p.m. for a 7:00 p.m. start time. At least that’s what it said on our tickets. We got inside and they were not opening the auditorium doors. Quarter of… ten of… five of seven, and still nothing. I couldn’t figure out what was happening, so I went to the ticket information booth to find out. Turns out that the event had been changed to 8:00 p.m.. The first thing I thought was, “Well, no one told me.” In fact, I was a little miffed. I don’t really like to have my time wasted, and it seemed to me that someone could have emailed me (having purchased the tickets online) to let me know of the change. What we had was a failure to communicate.

            The Collins Center website had been communicating it for quite a while. Since I have no regular reason to go to their website, I missed the change announcements and proceeded on outdated information. While the annoyed part of me felt like finding fault in the situation, another part of me understood that the information was there - and effort was made to let people know – it just did not reach me. So I had to put up with a little inconvenience. But I was with my favorite person and she ended up having time to finish the book we’re inviting church members to read (I Am a Church Member).

            Two spiritual connections to this situation come to my mind. One is how thankful I am that everything God communicates through His Word is 100% reliable, unchanging, and useful for my life every day. It never misses the mark or needs updating or changing. I don’t ever have to worry that what God has said in the past will undergo modification so as to catch me off guard. It is as true today as the day it was written. It is also as relevant. And God has no need of changing it, or changing His plans. He is right on schedule in all His ways, and He always will be.

            The second connection is the need for good, direct communication of spiritual things. Joe Bayly’s wonderful little story called The Gospel Blimp depicts a small group of Christians – surrounded by neighbors who don’t know the Lord, but might be interested – latching on to all kinds of spectacular ways of communicating the Gospel… except making friends and sharing at a personal level. The culmination of their efforts is hiring a blimp from which they drop thousands of tracts upon unsuspecting people hoping some will be converted. The point of the story is that nothing compares to a personal, caring, direct sharing of Christ’s love with others. All the communication techniques, technologies, newspaper ads, posters, banners, and strategies of many kinds are pretty much useless (though I will not limit what the Holy Spirit may use) compared to what comes directly from our hearts as we engage people. If Christ is there, I have something to share. People may never see a presentation of the Gospel on TV, the radio… or they may never read the Bible or a book in which the Gospel is communicated… or they may never go to a Christian website that presents Christ… etc.. But they will see you and me. They will hear you and me. Christ in us (Savior, Lord, Friend)… cannot be missed by the people in our lives every day. I do well to remember that I am God’s primary communication resource in the world today.

Isaiah 55:10-11 (NIV) ¹⁰  As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, ¹¹  so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

Hebrews 4:12 (NIV)  For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

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.

Matthew 24:35 (NIV)  Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

2 Timothy 2:2 (NIV)  And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.

PRAYER:  Father, may I be a vessel for the Gospel, poured out by you into the lives of others. May the Spirit so fill me with the life of Christ that your grace will flow through me to others as it is given to me in such overwhelming abundance.  In Jesus’ name, AMEN.”

Jesus Christ is Lord!  

Scott

Avocado People

            As often as possible Joanne and I like to get out to walk together. These are great opportunities to catch up with each other and to solve all the problems of the world. Some of our conversations are about deeper things, while others deal with the ordinary and mundane. It’s the being together that really matters. One of the mundane things Joanne mentioned on a walk last week related to an avocado. She had taken one to work to eat at lunchtime. But when she cut into it, she found many dark spots that weren’t very appetizing. When she told me about it, I said, “That’s the thing about avocados… when you buy them you have no idea what they are like on the inside.” To me they all look the same from the outside. Perhaps there are experts who can see more than I can, but every time I pick one out I’m just taking my chances.

            I thought about what I had said, and soon began to consider how we as people are often like an avocado. We may look pretty good from the outside, but we so often keep to ourselves what is going on inside. Our bruises are not always the obvious type. So people frequently cannot tell from external appearances what’s really there.

            A couple of Sundays ago I preached from Matthew 5:27-30 on the topic of lust. (to listen go to http://fbcbarharbor.com/media.php)  This is a perfect example – especially of men – of a topic that displays our “avocado-ness”. At the end of the sermon I invited men to take a response envelope home with them and consider trusting me enough to share where they were at with regard to issue. My hopes were high, but my expectations a little more realistic. I wasn’t sure if anyone would be willing to be vulnerable enough to respond.

            Why is it that we close up so much when our sins, habits, and undesirable qualities are having an impact on our lives? Some reasons I can think of include embarrassment, shame, guilt, and fear. We have a great amount of fear about our foibles.  We don’t want someone to think less of us or to judge us or even turn away (reject) us. So we present something different to others. We are more concerned about… “What do you think of me?” than we are about “This is what I really am.”

            I have always wondered what it would be like to be in a James 5:16 church, where people freely confessed their sins and shortcomings to one another. I think it might be a little more like Alcoholics Anonymous, where people describe the depths of their weaknesses and failures and receive a round of applause when they finish. Is the applause for what they’ve done? No. It’s for the step they have taken to be real and “come clean”, if you will. There is great power in doing this in our lives.

            In church life I find that men tend to be less inclined than women to let others see what’s inside. Intimacy is a scary thing. The popular definition (“into-me-see”) gets at what the challenge is. Yet for any of us – male or female – who allow others to “slice into us” and see the inside, the rewards and blessings are great. Above all, we have freedom to see ourselves as Christ has made us and God sees us.

            One of the real problems of holding back and covering up because of shame, guilt, or fear, is that these things reveal what our hearts believe God thinks about us. We believe God is ashamed of us, disappointed in us, or that He is always ready and on the verge of condemning us. We may also feel that He will leave us if He looks too closely at what’s really inside us, or may be really angry at us. When Adam and Eve sinned, what is the first thing they did? They covered up. But the second Adam – Jesus Christ – has come. Through the cross and by His grace God the Father sees us as perfect and righteous children. He rejoices over us and delights in us. This is why we delight in Christ and the Gospel. In Christ there is no hiding. All the stuff inside that I typically try to hide is the very stuff that the cross has dealt with. So, to be in Jesus means to be free from guilt, shame, fear, and condemnation. And it is also why I can be real with my brothers and sisters in Christ: because it is all under the cross. Glory to God! May the Lord peel back our coverings and open our hearts to one another, so that our joy in Christ may grow and His glory might shine all the more. AMEN!

James 5:16 (NIV)  Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

Romans 8:1 (NIV)  Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,

Romans 8:15 (NIV)  For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father."

Romans 8:38-39 (NIV) ³⁸  For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, ³⁹  neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

PRAYER:  Father, lead your children to be real with each other. Nothing is hidden from you. When people open up to me, take away any inclination in me to be critical or to judge. Instead may I remind them of the Gospel of grace – in Christ and through the cross we are forgiven and made whole. May you be glorified as I live by the Gospel instead of trusting in works. Jesus is my righteousness, and I glory in Him, in you, My Father, and in all you have done for me.  In Jesus’ name, AMEN.”

Jesus Christ is Lord!  

Scott

Read Receipt Requested

            Though I use it extensively, I believe that email is a highly limited form of communication. It is a good way to get information out to one, some, or many people all at once. I like that feature of electronic communication very much. What I don’t like is that email in no way measures up to face-to-face communication. You cannot depend on it to communicate everything that’s on your mind or at your feeling level. In my experience a lot of miscommunication happens through email. We don’t get to hear tone of voice or see facial expression or body language. Conflict, for example, is especially difficult to deal with if face-to-face communication is absent.

            But aside from all that is whether or not what I write in my Check-In is even read. When I write out and send my thoughts each week I do so with the assumption that what I send is received, read, thought about, and responded to where appropriate. In other words, what I write right now I expect or believe everyone will read, and will do so in a timely fashion. That’s why I usually include a few reminders. However, I have no proof or guarantee that anyone will read it, because I am removed physically from the daily life of the recipients. I do ask Joanne each week if she read my check-in, but I don’t ask anyone else. And people are under no obligation to read it. It is not “required reading”. I do not add a “Request a Read Receipt”. I don’t usually like to get those in emails I receive, so I typically avoid them when sending emails. I do receive feedback from time to time, and that is always nice. But I’m not looking for that or depending on it. I’m not fishing for it in any way. My simple hope is that people who do receive will read. It’s the same hope and expectation you have when you send a letter or an email. Imagine how Forrest Gump must have felt when all his letters sent from Vietnam to his beloved “Jenny”- containing his experiences and feelings - were returned to him in a bundle, unopened by her (probably never even seen) and never read.

            As I think about these things, I know that God has sent and given His Word. He sends the living Word – Jesus His Son. And He also sends His written Word. I believe God sends His written Word to me expecting it to be read. He desires for me to read His Word, understand its meaning, apply it to my life, and respond with trust and obedience. The Bible tells us that God always gives His Word for a purpose – that He has something intended to accomplish in the lives of people. Is the Bible a book that you and I enjoy opening up and reading? Do we desire to hear from our Father and know His heart? Legalistic Bible reading is pretty useless. But a son or a daughter eagerly receiving and devouring the latest letter or email from his/her father is a better picture of what reading the Bible can be for us. Reading the Word should never be a chore. The discipline of it can be helpful, but without the personal perspective of wanting to know our “Daddy” (Abba) better and draw into His heart, it will always be dry and difficult. I pray that in each of our lives God’s Word will be a true fountain of life, received with joy, and strengthening to our souls.

Isaiah 55:10-11 (NIV) ¹⁰  As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, ¹¹  so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

Job 23:12 (NIV)  I have not departed from the commands of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread.

Matthew 4:4 (NIV)  Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"

Joshua 1:8 (NIV)  Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.

Psalm 19:11 (NIV)  By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.

Luke 11:28 (NIV)  He replied, "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it."

John 17:17 (NIV)  Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.

PRAYER:  Father, I love your Word. May I love it more, as I enter into your very presence every time I read it. May your Word guide my thought life, the words I choose and use, the feelings I process each day, and the steps I take in the daily actions of living. Your Word is life. Thank you for it.  In Jesus’ name, AMEN.”

Jesus Christ is Lord!  

Scott

Staying on Your Feet

            During a vacation week I took in August I spent an afternoon tearing apart a treehouse I had built with Connor many years ago. It had fallen into disuse. Much of the wood had rotted. I was concerned that it might be a temptation to kids in the area who might “help themselves” to checking it out. Some of the pieces came off easily. Others, where large spikes or bolts were used, were much more stubborn. The treehouse was quite high so I had to be very careful each time a board came off. I didn’t feel like going down with it. But all went well, and some of the wood has already served to be useful in campfires. That’s about all it is worth right now.

            When I finished, I thought the tree looked good without the manmade stuff attached to it, and it felt good to get that job out of the way. One feeling that I did not expect to be so strong was a certain kind of sadness. My son is not a little boy any more. We don’t share things in life in the same way we did when he was young. As he moves now in his life toward being nudged out of the “nest”, I can feel a wave of the passing of time. These “waves” aren’t something that I feel constantly. But from time to time one hits strongly and something in your family or life shifts. You feel that wave bump up against you and you realize just how different things have become. It is one of those things that comes with the days and years moving along.

            I remember going to Popham Beach with my mom when I was a kid. Those were great times. When I stepped in the ocean the first time I was picked up and turned upside-down by a wave. Water got into my mouth and nose and I started to sputter and cough. I couldn’t believe how salty it tasted. I learned quickly that when the waves came I needed to set and secure my feet and legs on the bottom underneath me and stand firm so that the wave would not topple me. I learned that I had to watch out for sand moving under my feet.

            When a wave of the passing of time hits me it can be emotional, but I do not have to topple. Since I am planted in Christ, I know and expect that waves of time or any other kind may come, and may even be large and have quite a lot of power. But I also know if I am planted firmly in Christ the wave will break on me or near me, and then fall away. But it will not move me. I can do all things through Christ, who gives me strength (Philippians 4:13). The words of Edward Mote comfort me:

      My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;

      I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus’ name.

      On Christ the solid Rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand. 

      All other ground is sinking sand.

      When darkness veils His lovely face, I rest on His unchanging grace;

      In every high and stormy gale, my anchor holds within the veil.

      On Christ the solid Rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand. 

      All other ground is sinking sand.

      His oath, His covenant, His blood, support me in the whelming flood;

      When all around my soul gives way, He then is all my hope and stay.

      On Christ the solid Rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand. 

      All other ground is sinking sand.

            Whatever wave may be heading your way, know that in Christ you are secure. AMEN!

Matthew 7:24-27 (NIV) ²⁴  "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵  The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. ²⁶  But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. ²⁷  The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."

Psalm 18:2 (NIV)  The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

PRAYER:  Father, help me not to fear any wave of adversity, emotion or trouble. But rather, let me trust you fully to hold me secure in the hand of your protection. Thank you for both the strength and gentleness of your grip.  In Jesus’ name, AMEN.”

Jesus Christ is Lord!  

Scott

Christ the Restorer

            On several occasions during the course of the summer I have noticed someone’s extensive efforts at piling rocks (typically from larger to smaller) along the shore path and out by Bar Island. Piled rocks are usually known as cairns. Such piles may serve as memorials, landmarks, monuments or markers. One thing is certain about cairns: they do not pile themselves. Rocks do not move from disorder to order on their own. An outside force… an intelligent force acted upon them to craft them into interesting sizes and shapes. I believe the wonderful order of the universe displays the same truth: an intelligent force crafted it in all its wonder and glory, and that “force” was the God of the Bible and the Father of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

            The cairns on the shore are subject to natural forces of wind and water as the tides come and go. They are subject to the forces of children and other people who may gain pleasure from knocking the order out of them. Sin loves to knock the order out of God’s world. It loves to corrupt, to put out of balance, and to set the beauty of God’s creation into disarray of all kinds. Through the sins of men and women – people just like me – the enemy seeks to do everything possible to undo the works of our Creator. And along with physical filth and inappropriate use of resources, great disorder has come to relationships, human interaction, and personal well-being. Sickness and death have come where they were not intended by the Lord. Brokenness and pain increase all around us, and sometimes within us.

            Is there any hope for the world, and for people like me in it? Absolutely! God sent His Son. And in sending His Son He began redeeming and remaking His world and He struck the death blow on sin and death itself. The world is on a path to being re-made and renewed by our God. We who have been given life through Christ are part of this process. We are objects of God’s healing and renewing power, and He has made us agents of His grace and power to change the world. Because we have Jesus Christ, we have been given grace to be vessels through whom He works: sometimes in bigger ways, and sometimes in smaller ways.

            The cairns on the shore may be rebuilt again and again, only to be knocked down again and again. But the restoring work of Christ – starting in us – cannot be undone. Christ’s restoring work is eternal in nature and power. The cross has defeated the enemy and his attempts to overcome order with disorder. This has significant implications for my life each day. Deeper, further, and higher with Christ brings me deeper, further, and higher in the ways of eternity. Each step with the Lord brings me closer to the way He intends things to be for the rest of eternity… in my personal life… my relationships… and my understanding. The wonderful thing is that what God rebuilds cannot be broken. And when all has been restored and renewed, the enemy will have no power or influence left. The Lord will send him away into what the Bible calls the lake of fire. If you have ever wondered what the world would look like if sin hadn’t entered it, we will know then. I doubt that words can capture the glory of it. Yet in Christ it is more certain than anything.

Romans 8:18-21 (NIV) ¹⁸  I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. ¹⁹  The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. ²⁰  For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope ²¹  that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.

Matthew 16:18 (NIV)  And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.

2 Corinthians 4:7-10 (NIV) ⁷  But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. ⁸  We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; ⁹  persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. ¹⁰  We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.

Revelation 21:1-5 (NIV) ¹  Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. ²  I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 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." ⁵  He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true."

PRAYER:  Father, thank you that the enemy’s attempts at putting this world into disarray have been defeated at the cross. Thank you for the empty tomb, and the restoration of the universe that awaits us, and that has already begun in the power of your indwelling Spirit. You are an awesome God and worthy of our wonder and praise. Thank you for restoring me and inviting me in to your healing of the world. I am at your disposal, to use as you please to set things aright all around me.  In Jesus’ name, AMEN.”

Jesus Christ is Lord!  

Scott