Seeing The Unseen

            There appears to be a bit of a discrepancy in the Bible concerning Moses.  What I mean is that the account in Exodus 1 – 3 shows him to be a bit impetuous and over-zealous – to the point of killing a man while defending a fellow Hebrew.  He runs off into the wilderness and ends up tending sheep for a stranger for the next 40 years.  Then, when God calls him from the burning bush to go back and rescue the nation, he tries everything he can to get out of it.

            Yet Hebrews 11:24-28 seems to paint Moses in quite a different light.  The writer there shows him to be decisive in his commitment to serve God and courageous when he was before Pharaoh; a man of fortitude who willingly took on a leadership position.  Could this be the same Moses?  How are we to take these two seemingly contradictory pictures and come up with the same man?

            The answer is found by looking at the man from God’s viewpoint – not man’s.  Yes, Moses wavered, and fled in fear, and settled for a menial job, and balked at being God’s man.  That’s the human way of looking at him.  But what God saw was the man Moses would become.  He grew to be committed, and loyal, and trustworthy, and unswerving in his faith.  The clue to all of this is Hebrews 11:27; “He saw him who is invisible.”  When we are able to see God for how He really is (not for how we want Him to be – or how we think He should be), then the courage we want, the faith we need, the perseverance that keeps us going with success will be ours to possess in abundance.

            How do you see God; the invisible One?  Is He a tyrant ready to punish, or a loving Father wanting to embrace?  Is He a judge poised to convict, or your advocate prepared to intercede on your behalf and set you free?  All of this will depend on how you mature to “see” Him. 

He sees you for who you can become, not for who you are at the moment.  He knows you can be a person of great faith.  His continual patience provides you with the time necessary to be molded into one – if you will allow Him to do so.  We were all created with the potential for greatness.  Just let Him have His way with you.  Then, like Moses, you too will be empowered to do awesome things because you will be enabled to see Him who is invisible.

Doug

Friends With God

            How would you describe your relationship with God?  Would you say that you are His servant and that He is your Master?  Would you say He is your Lord; the supreme ruler of your life? Are you His subject, making Him the Sovereign authority of all you do, say and think?

            Or do you have a more intimate connection with Him? Is He your Father, your Lover, or your BFF (best friend forever)? Maybe that’s a little too casual for your comfort; I suppose that some will think He is too high and holy for anyone to have such an informal association with the Almighty, Creator God. Perhaps this relaxed mindset seems sacrilegious to you.

            Well it’s true that God being our Creator naturally assumes the title and authority of being Master and Sovereign Ruler of every life. And it is also true that we are eternally indebted to Him. Yet, at the same time, it appears from many Scriptures that God desires that we respond and relate to Him on more personal terms as our faith in Him continues to grow and mature. I see this as the restoration project that is currently underway for those who have been redeemed in the blood of Christ; less fear (terror) and more faith (trust, honor).

            I’m more and more convinced that God’s desire from the very beginning has been to have a close, personal relationship with each one of us. Notice in the Garden of Eden, God approached Adam and Eve to, it appears, enjoy a stroll with them in the garden (Genesis 3:8); like the song we sing: “I Come to the Garden Alone . . . and He walks with me and He talks with me . . .” Abraham, the example of true faithfulness, is called the friend of God (Isaiah 41:8). Moses spoke with God face-to-face like a friend (Numbers 12:8). And King David was a man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22), the sign of hearts joined together in friendship. These men characterized the close relationship God anticipates to share with every person.

             Doesn’t Jesus call God ‘Father’? That seems rather personal. Not only that, He calls God ‘Abba Father’ – a term of extreme endearment (like daddy or papa). And aren’t we referred to as His children (1 John 3:10)? On the night He was betrayed and executed, Jesus intimated that He wanted His disciples to be His friends (John 15:16) so He commanded them to love one another as He had loved them – personally, intimately, sacrificially . . . like a friend.

            So what do we do with all the “fear the Lord” passages (Fear God and keep His commands; the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom; work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, etc.)? The words used for fear in those passages denote respect, reverence, or to stand in awe of something or someone. This is similar to a soldier’s relationship with his commanding officer and his/her commitment to the cause. This grows out of the respect and admiration for each other as they face deadly peril and mature in their respect for one another. A natural result is that they become life-long friends.

            Therefore, let’s definitely respect God in His power and might; and stand in awe of His amazing love, mercy, and grace that caused Him to pay the price of sin that we owed. Let’s hold Him in the highest reverence as we serve one another in holiness and humility; for this will bring glory and honor to our supreme Lord and Master. Let’s serve faithfully because it’s the natural thing for a soldier of Christ to do; let’s love one another so that we can imitate our King; let’s commit completely to His cause trusting Him to bring us to final and complete victory.

            In other words, let’s fear our Lord and Master by growing to be known as His friend.

Doug

Fruit Producers

Paul’s discussion on the Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) is in direct response to those who think that God is pleased by our following rules precisely.  His main contention throughout the letter is that what pleases God the most are deeds motivated by our faith (see Romans 1:5).  More correctly, when we do the right thing because it is the right thing to do (works performed that go unnoticed by human eyes, but are obvious only to God, the Father - Matthew 6:4, 6, 18); these are what God is looking for.

What makes the Fruit of the Spirit superior is that they can’t be measured or regulated by laws and rules, yet everyone knows they are the ultimate in proper behavior:

Love (agape) does what is right regardless of what others know or think.

Joy is being grateful for God’s blessings.

Peace is knowing we have a close relationship with the Father.

Patience is the result of wisdom being calm with whatever happens in life.

Kindness is the soul’s ability to imitate its Creator.

Goodness is a heart that is striving to be pure.

Faithfulness shows that our commitment is focused on Christ.

Gentleness is the sign of a contented spirit.

Self-control proves that God is truly at work in our lives.

Can you imagine any government enacting laws against any of these?  Doesn’t common sense tell you that to do so would be destructive to any society?  And can you also see why these are to be practiced under the guidance of God’s Spirit?  No human can continue in these without divine help.  They may be practiced by many from time to time, but eventually the human spirit wearies and “burns out” trying to keep them going.  Only with the strength God provides can anyone persevere and grow in these qualities for the duration of their lives.

Commit anew today to weaning off of rules, regulations, laws, traditions and any man-made practices which only produce tension and arguments and divisive feelings.  Grow in your production of Spiritual Fruit under the empowering guidance of God’s Spirit.

Doug

Cling to the Vine

            One of the main reasons for all of the turmoil in our world today is that people have lost their connection to God.  This is so because they’ve chosen to go it alone or because others are making a relationship with God very difficult.  Much of the modern philosophy being published on TV, or the radio, or in magazines, or books is extremely anti-religion of any kind. 

            This is nothing new.  In fact, it was this attitude and mindset that led to the first sin (and all others afterwards).  Selfish, greedy minds need to blame others for all of their problems and frustrations.  If you don’t believe me, just listen to someone talk about the “other” drivers they encounter on the roadways (or even the customers they have to put up with at work).  All of this is evidence that the connection to God has been frayed or severed.

            Jesus warned His disciples of this danger on the night He was betrayed.  The allegory of the Vine and the Branches (John 15) expresses His concern for their spiritual safety.  In this story, He emphasizes the extreme importance of staying connected to God through Him.  Judas has just  become disconnected from the vine (Jesus) and there is the risk that the others might fall to the same temptation (Peter will, 3 times before dawn).  Therefore, He warns that the only way to remain alive and viable is to strive to remain connected to Him – even in the midst of severe persecution and strong temptation.

            Mark Moore mentions three ways in which we abide (or remain) in God’s love through Christ (from The Chronological Life of Christ, volume 2, p. 239-240):

            1.  We must hang on to the words of Jesus (John 15:7).  Bible study, memorization,

                        preaching, teaching fills our minds with the Word of Christ.

            2.  We must remain constant in prayer (John 15:7).  Through faithful petitions to God we                          are granted the faith and endurance needed to cling to the Vine (God/Jesus).

            3.  We must be busy obeying God’s commands (1 John 2:3-6).  Doing this will enable us                           to free ourselves of the sin that is the real culprit for all of life’s problems.

            Spend some quality time looking closely at Jesus’ words in this allegory.  Our desire is to do what we can to correct life’s problems and this can only be accomplished successfully by abiding in Him.  God is calling each of us to commit and dedicate our souls to this cause.  With each other’s help and encouragement, God can work tremendous things in and through us.

Doug

The Gardner

            You do realize that the oldest profession is not prostitution (as is commonly thought).  Actually the oldest profession is a toss-up between artist/sculptor and landscaper/gardener.  In Genesis 1 & 2 we have a record of the beginnings of the universe.  When you consider everything that God has made and has continued to provide for us, it is truly awe-inspiring.  His artistic genius is evident in every single thing that was sculpted (see Psalm 8:3; Romans 1:20).  Yet it is also obvious that He is actively involved in everything that goes on here.  Like a diligent caregiver, His constant care and personal management within each individual creature and activity are unmistakable.  And what’s more amazing is that He created each one of His special creatures (humans) to also be artistic (Genesis 1:28 – “rule over” or “subdue” literally means “make something with it” or “be creative with it”) and to be personally involved in taking care of His marvelous creation (Genesis 2:15).

            Now fast forward thousands of years:  Man has messed up big time and ruined His relationship with God and His marvelous creation too.  Yet the artist/landscaper has not given up on His favorite creatures.  Instead He has chosen to work within their lives to create a solution to their sin problem.  He, Himself has come down to be one of us, to live the life we were created for and then to pay for all of our offenses.  Thus, He has created the way of salvation to bless us with life and love and mercy – like a loving Father would for His beloved children.  And, as Jesus points out in His allegory of the Vine and the Branches (John 15:1) He continues His work of actively and personally working in our lives to perfect and build our relationship with Him.  Notice, Jesus calls Him “the Gardener”.  This proves that He is not some entity or supreme being sitting out there somewhere looking in on us and only acting in our lives when it suits His overall plan. 

            As a gardener, then, He will have to prune and pull weeds every so often.  Sin causes “bad spots” and unhealthy growths that need to be cut off to ensure all of His nourishment is going to aid in healthy growth.  And He’ll need to pull up the “weeds” in your life (bad habits, evil thoughts, selfish and greedy actions) that sap all of your energy and cause stunted growth. These actions of His won’t feel good – they actually may be very painful ordeals to go through, but remember that He is striving to improve and perfect you; He wants your soul to grow healthy and produce a good crop of fruit and that can’t happen when you’re loaded down with the consequences of sin.

            So, consider for a moment, the commitment and dedication He has toward you.  Would He have gone to such trouble and spent so much time and energy unless He really cares about you?  Does this not prove His love for you?  In return He requests for us to live with Him immersed in His holiness, doing what is right because it is right; every moment of every day - forever.  This is what He created you for.  Then He will have an optimum environment in which to continue His artistic genius and loving, intimate care as He works to improve and perfect you.

Doug