Thursday, March 1, 2018
What Profit?
“What shall it profit a man if he should gain the whole world, yet lose his own soul?” Mark 8:36
These are Jesus words, filled with thought provoking wisdom. They were spoken by a man who grew up as the son of a carpenter, in a small village. He was not rich, He didn’t even have a place of His own to lay His head. One one occasion, when asked if He was hungry, Jesus replied that His food was to do the work of His Father. Jesus was a God/Man who knew about the importance of having priorities in order.
In Matthew 19, a story is told of how a wealthy and influential young man came to Jesus to ask what he had to do to earn his entrance into heaven. He listed his resume for the Master, letting Him know that he had kept the commandments, and had been a “good person”. Jesus, returned by saying that the young man had yet to sell all of his worldly possessions, give the money to the poor, then come to be His disciple. Was that really the key to gaining entrance into heaven?
Jesus was not laying out a prescription for paradise. Rather, Jesus was getting at an issue that He knew was in the young man’s heart. The young man treasured his wealth more than the opportunity to walk closely with the Lord. When he heard the call to sacrifice it all, the young man walked away from Jesus sorrowfully. Jesus was getting at the heart of the young man’s primary issue, that of idolatry.
Martin Luther once described human beings as “idol factories”. He was right! We were created by God as active worshippers, that is to say that we are always worshipping something. We readily pour ourselves into a multitude of pursuits, and elevate our own existence above the will of God. It is the nature of our affections to be inclined toward something…anything. We were intended to love and worship God, but sin has presented many more options for our attentions.
Jesus’ words are a clear call to us today. His question is just as relevant, “What shall it profit a man if he should gain the whole world, yet lose his own soul?”. What will it gain you and I if we master our earthly existence with no regard for eternity? Jesus calls to us to come and follow Him, to acknowledge Him as Lord and receive from Him. He is the lover of our souls, and knows exactly what we need.
Big Words to a Small Man
"For the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost.” Luke 19:10
These famously encouraging words were uttered by Jesus about himself, concerning His self-defined mission to bring truth and life to all who would believe. This truth would set them free and God would reclaim lives that had otherwise been lost. To whom did Jesus speak these words?
You probably know the children’s Sunday school song, “Zacchaeus Was a Wee Little Man”. It is a cute song, and so much fun to sing with little kids. They love to do the actions that tell the story of a smaller than average man who long ago found himself looking for the Messiah on a crowded street. As the story goes, this short man decided to climb a tree in order to get a better vantage point from which he could see Jesus as he walked down the street. Such was Jesus fame and popularity at this time in His ministry, that the crowds pressed in around Him and vied for His attentions. While Zacchaeus intended to look for Jesus, he soon found that Jesus was looking for Him.
Luke 19 tells us that Jesus, as He came to the tree where Zacchaeus had posted himself, He looked up and called out to the little man, “Come down right away. I must stay at your house tonight!” Can you imagine? Out of all of the crowds of people, Jesus finds Zacchaeus and invites Himself to dinner! I can only imagine that Zacchaeus might have panicked a little, but he graciously welcomed this famous Rabbi into his home.
Following supper, the effects of the Savior’s willingness to fellowship with and befriend him, became obvious. You see, as a tax collector, Zacchaeus was a Jew that was working with the Roman government to tax his fellow countrymen. Roman law permitted him to overcharge Jewish citizens and claim the extra as profit for his wages. Zacchaeus was among some of the most unliked and unappreciated people of his culture. But Jesus looked past what Zacchaeus was, and saw one who was lost. As Zacchaeus stood to boldly declare his repentance from his greed and abuse, Jesus said, “Today salvation has come to this house because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost.”
Zacchaeus saw, in Jesus, a gracious willingness to forgive and love that softened the hardness of his heart. Greed was replaced by generosity, falsehood by a love of the Truth, and lostness by fellowship. Though he was unworthy, the Savior met him and reached out a saving hand to him.
Today, Jesus extends that same hand to you. Forgiveness, restoration, mercy are all yours to be found if you will but seek Him.
These famously encouraging words were uttered by Jesus about himself, concerning His self-defined mission to bring truth and life to all who would believe. This truth would set them free and God would reclaim lives that had otherwise been lost. To whom did Jesus speak these words?
You probably know the children’s Sunday school song, “Zacchaeus Was a Wee Little Man”. It is a cute song, and so much fun to sing with little kids. They love to do the actions that tell the story of a smaller than average man who long ago found himself looking for the Messiah on a crowded street. As the story goes, this short man decided to climb a tree in order to get a better vantage point from which he could see Jesus as he walked down the street. Such was Jesus fame and popularity at this time in His ministry, that the crowds pressed in around Him and vied for His attentions. While Zacchaeus intended to look for Jesus, he soon found that Jesus was looking for Him.
Luke 19 tells us that Jesus, as He came to the tree where Zacchaeus had posted himself, He looked up and called out to the little man, “Come down right away. I must stay at your house tonight!” Can you imagine? Out of all of the crowds of people, Jesus finds Zacchaeus and invites Himself to dinner! I can only imagine that Zacchaeus might have panicked a little, but he graciously welcomed this famous Rabbi into his home.
Following supper, the effects of the Savior’s willingness to fellowship with and befriend him, became obvious. You see, as a tax collector, Zacchaeus was a Jew that was working with the Roman government to tax his fellow countrymen. Roman law permitted him to overcharge Jewish citizens and claim the extra as profit for his wages. Zacchaeus was among some of the most unliked and unappreciated people of his culture. But Jesus looked past what Zacchaeus was, and saw one who was lost. As Zacchaeus stood to boldly declare his repentance from his greed and abuse, Jesus said, “Today salvation has come to this house because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost.”
Zacchaeus saw, in Jesus, a gracious willingness to forgive and love that softened the hardness of his heart. Greed was replaced by generosity, falsehood by a love of the Truth, and lostness by fellowship. Though he was unworthy, the Savior met him and reached out a saving hand to him.
Today, Jesus extends that same hand to you. Forgiveness, restoration, mercy are all yours to be found if you will but seek Him.
Every Tribe and Tongue
"After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” Revelation 7:9-10
Language sounds like music to my ears. As a musician, there is a part of my mind that hears pitch, tone, rhythm, pulse, duration, and melody in spoken language. Various languages sound like individual instruments in a great vocal symphony. Some are flowing and melodic, others forceful and percussive. Still other languages seem to work quite nicely in layers of people all exuberantly talking at the same time. All together, the languages of this world form a great symphony, bearing witness to the God that created us.
In Genesis 11, the story is told of how God confused the language of a people who were bound and determined to rebel against God. Instead of speaking one language and pursuing a life in rebellion to God’s plan, God graciously intervened by fracturing their language, causing them to stop building a great tower where they could worship the creation instead of the Creator.
Psalm 19:1-4 describes a universal language of the stars that “declares the glory of God” and the beauty of His handiwork. It tells how the whole world “hears” this testimony and no one is left out. Language is the medium of the expression of God sharing His glory with all of humanity. Elsewhere, Scripture encourages us to use language in ways that build up and edify and bless, instead of tearing down, demeaning, and destroying. The words of our mouths, expressing the thoughts of our hearts and minds, are powerful tools of help or harm.
The above text from Revelation brings a beautiful close to the Bible’s the use of language. In it, we see men and women, boys and girls, from all over the world, praising God. The author makes a special effort to describe to us that there will be believers from every nation, from each of their tribes, and each of their language groups. They call out and sing of the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, who washes away the sins of the world. What a beautiful sound that will be!
Language sounds like music to my ears. As a musician, there is a part of my mind that hears pitch, tone, rhythm, pulse, duration, and melody in spoken language. Various languages sound like individual instruments in a great vocal symphony. Some are flowing and melodic, others forceful and percussive. Still other languages seem to work quite nicely in layers of people all exuberantly talking at the same time. All together, the languages of this world form a great symphony, bearing witness to the God that created us.
In Genesis 11, the story is told of how God confused the language of a people who were bound and determined to rebel against God. Instead of speaking one language and pursuing a life in rebellion to God’s plan, God graciously intervened by fracturing their language, causing them to stop building a great tower where they could worship the creation instead of the Creator.
Psalm 19:1-4 describes a universal language of the stars that “declares the glory of God” and the beauty of His handiwork. It tells how the whole world “hears” this testimony and no one is left out. Language is the medium of the expression of God sharing His glory with all of humanity. Elsewhere, Scripture encourages us to use language in ways that build up and edify and bless, instead of tearing down, demeaning, and destroying. The words of our mouths, expressing the thoughts of our hearts and minds, are powerful tools of help or harm.
The above text from Revelation brings a beautiful close to the Bible’s the use of language. In it, we see men and women, boys and girls, from all over the world, praising God. The author makes a special effort to describe to us that there will be believers from every nation, from each of their tribes, and each of their language groups. They call out and sing of the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, who washes away the sins of the world. What a beautiful sound that will be!
The Sunday-Monday Gap
Let’s admit it, most of us live for the weekend. We get a sense of relief when we get to the end of a work week, and when the weekend arrives we like to have fun, relax, go to church, go fishing, or whatever… it’s the weekend! It’s nice to get a break from the daily routine of the work week, but it’s just about as jarring to jump back into the routine on Monday morning.
If you are like most people, there is a sense that there is a rather large gap between Sunday and Monday. On Sunday, many people go to church to worship, and take some time throughout the day to relax and rest in preparation for the coming work week. When Monday comes around, we have a perhaps unspoken sense that we are now going back to “reality” or back to “the real world”. The idea of worshiping God is reserved for Sundays, and on Mondays we go back to the grind.
What if God desired to walk with us throughout the entire week, and show us His glory in the every day circumstances of the work week? What if God could be worshiped in every act, every transaction, every interaction we have with others? May I suggest that is exactly God’s desire for our lives.
Colossians 3:23 says, “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.” For the believer, his or her employer might be a bank or a grocery store or a school, but ultimately their boss is Jesus! When we work with integrity and devotion to the task at hand, we honor God and glorify Him in our bodies!
God desires to reveal Himself and guide us along the path of our lives on a daily basis. Our attitudes toward work and the workplace affect our relationships to our spouse, our kids, our community, and even our church families. May God challenge us to do our work for Him, and allow us to see His glory in us!
If you are like most people, there is a sense that there is a rather large gap between Sunday and Monday. On Sunday, many people go to church to worship, and take some time throughout the day to relax and rest in preparation for the coming work week. When Monday comes around, we have a perhaps unspoken sense that we are now going back to “reality” or back to “the real world”. The idea of worshiping God is reserved for Sundays, and on Mondays we go back to the grind.
What if God desired to walk with us throughout the entire week, and show us His glory in the every day circumstances of the work week? What if God could be worshiped in every act, every transaction, every interaction we have with others? May I suggest that is exactly God’s desire for our lives.
Colossians 3:23 says, “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.” For the believer, his or her employer might be a bank or a grocery store or a school, but ultimately their boss is Jesus! When we work with integrity and devotion to the task at hand, we honor God and glorify Him in our bodies!
God desires to reveal Himself and guide us along the path of our lives on a daily basis. Our attitudes toward work and the workplace affect our relationships to our spouse, our kids, our community, and even our church families. May God challenge us to do our work for Him, and allow us to see His glory in us!
Tuesday, May 23, 2017
The B-I-B-L-E
Article: The B-I-B-L-E
“The B-I-B-L-E, yes that’s the book for me. I stand alone on the word of God, the B-I-B-L-E.” So goes the words of a popular children’s Sunday school song. Can you remember singing it in class or at the Sunday school program? It is a simple song, with a profound meaning that we hope will settle deep in the hearts of our children- reliance upon the word of God, and trust in the God of the word.
In Romans chapter one the Bible tells us that there are crucial aspects of God that may be known through an understanding of His creation, namely His eternal power and divine nature. These aspects are demonstrated in creation and in the human conscience. Through the creation we can see God’s power, creativity, ingenuity, design, and precision, while the conscience convinces us that there is a difference between right and wrong. Not only does the conscience give us an inward nod of approval when we do what is right, but it also brings conviction when we do things that are contrary to the God who made us.
While the creation and conscience speak loud and clear about the existence and authority of God, there is much about Him that we would not know if it were not for His word, the Bible. The Bible is composed of 66 books, written by 40 authors, over a period of a couple thousand years, using three languages. All of its histories, poetry, wisdom sayings, and prophecies point to one singular theme. They point to the coming of God’s Son, Jesus the Messiah, to this earth to love, teach, and die for the sins of the world.
In Christ we see the image of God in human flesh, the word of God spoken to us, the love of God expressed on the cross, and the forgiveness of God guaranteed in an empty tomb. In prophecy, we see a God who can see and interact with the entire scope of human history, in the Law we learn of a God who has standards. The Bible’s histories show us how God has worked among His people, and in Biblical poetry, we see the heart-aching beauty of a God who knows and cares about every facet of our existence.
I don’t know if you have ever heard of the “Pledge of Allegiance to the Bible”, but sometimes kids learn it when they go to Bible camp or vacation Bible school. Its words summarize a heart of gratitude to God for His word, and a devotion to its study. It goes like this: “I pledge allegiance to the Bible, God’s holy word. I will make it a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path, and I will hide its words in my heart, that I might not sin against God.” Let me encourage you to take some time this week to spend a little time with God in His word.
Northwood Community Bible Church celebrates thirty years of ministry this August. We are grateful to God for the many opportunities He has given us to worship and serve Him, and to minister to the people of our community and surrounding areas. Have a blessed summer, and may God draw you ever closer to Him.
“The B-I-B-L-E, yes that’s the book for me. I stand alone on the word of God, the B-I-B-L-E.” So goes the words of a popular children’s Sunday school song. Can you remember singing it in class or at the Sunday school program? It is a simple song, with a profound meaning that we hope will settle deep in the hearts of our children- reliance upon the word of God, and trust in the God of the word.
In Romans chapter one the Bible tells us that there are crucial aspects of God that may be known through an understanding of His creation, namely His eternal power and divine nature. These aspects are demonstrated in creation and in the human conscience. Through the creation we can see God’s power, creativity, ingenuity, design, and precision, while the conscience convinces us that there is a difference between right and wrong. Not only does the conscience give us an inward nod of approval when we do what is right, but it also brings conviction when we do things that are contrary to the God who made us.
While the creation and conscience speak loud and clear about the existence and authority of God, there is much about Him that we would not know if it were not for His word, the Bible. The Bible is composed of 66 books, written by 40 authors, over a period of a couple thousand years, using three languages. All of its histories, poetry, wisdom sayings, and prophecies point to one singular theme. They point to the coming of God’s Son, Jesus the Messiah, to this earth to love, teach, and die for the sins of the world.
In Christ we see the image of God in human flesh, the word of God spoken to us, the love of God expressed on the cross, and the forgiveness of God guaranteed in an empty tomb. In prophecy, we see a God who can see and interact with the entire scope of human history, in the Law we learn of a God who has standards. The Bible’s histories show us how God has worked among His people, and in Biblical poetry, we see the heart-aching beauty of a God who knows and cares about every facet of our existence.
I don’t know if you have ever heard of the “Pledge of Allegiance to the Bible”, but sometimes kids learn it when they go to Bible camp or vacation Bible school. Its words summarize a heart of gratitude to God for His word, and a devotion to its study. It goes like this: “I pledge allegiance to the Bible, God’s holy word. I will make it a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path, and I will hide its words in my heart, that I might not sin against God.” Let me encourage you to take some time this week to spend a little time with God in His word.
Northwood Community Bible Church celebrates thirty years of ministry this August. We are grateful to God for the many opportunities He has given us to worship and serve Him, and to minister to the people of our community and surrounding areas. Have a blessed summer, and may God draw you ever closer to Him.
Tuesday, May 16, 2017
At Graduation
Dear Sons and Daughters,
Graduation is now near. We are proud of you, and the way you have grown over the years. We are impressed with your accomplishments and aspirations, and we are anxiously looking forward to hearing of your success in the next phase of your lives. We are welcoming you into a world that needs your help, your creativity, your ingenuity and your care.
I am sure you are going to hear a lot of good advice in the coming weeks- advice about careers, and wise choices, college and family. Through all of your upcoming adventures, may I suggest that you are going to need a solid foundation to build your life upon, especially in challenging times. Consider the following words of the apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 3...
"... no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done.”
God has laid a foundation of grace, upon which we live and move and build our lives. That foundation is the love of God, expressed through Jesus Christ. It is upon that foundation that we build in order to bless others and glorify God. Let me urge you to present yourselves as a living gift to God. Don’t be conformed to the rest of the world, rather be transformed and let God renew your mind so that you may do His will and allow Him to love others through you.
The world that you are entering is experiencing a great deal of confusion and chaos right now. Politically, socially, morally, and financially, there are many who find their feet planted firmly in mid-air. There is an old saying worth noting: “If you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything”. Dedicate yourself to a good work ethic, seek to bless your family and community, make the most of the incredible gift of life that God has given you. And most important, allow all of these things to draw you closer to the God who gave them to you- the God who calls to you, “Come, follow me…”
There is a big beautiful world out there. Come and make the most of it with us!
Graduation is now near. We are proud of you, and the way you have grown over the years. We are impressed with your accomplishments and aspirations, and we are anxiously looking forward to hearing of your success in the next phase of your lives. We are welcoming you into a world that needs your help, your creativity, your ingenuity and your care.
I am sure you are going to hear a lot of good advice in the coming weeks- advice about careers, and wise choices, college and family. Through all of your upcoming adventures, may I suggest that you are going to need a solid foundation to build your life upon, especially in challenging times. Consider the following words of the apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 3...
"... no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done.”
God has laid a foundation of grace, upon which we live and move and build our lives. That foundation is the love of God, expressed through Jesus Christ. It is upon that foundation that we build in order to bless others and glorify God. Let me urge you to present yourselves as a living gift to God. Don’t be conformed to the rest of the world, rather be transformed and let God renew your mind so that you may do His will and allow Him to love others through you.
The world that you are entering is experiencing a great deal of confusion and chaos right now. Politically, socially, morally, and financially, there are many who find their feet planted firmly in mid-air. There is an old saying worth noting: “If you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything”. Dedicate yourself to a good work ethic, seek to bless your family and community, make the most of the incredible gift of life that God has given you. And most important, allow all of these things to draw you closer to the God who gave them to you- the God who calls to you, “Come, follow me…”
There is a big beautiful world out there. Come and make the most of it with us!
Tuesday, May 9, 2017
Nearsightedness
When I was a boy, I used to ride my bicycle all over the place. A whole group of kids from my neighborhood would range across our end of town and beyond to find adventure and fun. I had a little trouble with my bicycle from time to time, as the leg of my pants would often get caught in the chain. Since I was so small, I usually ended up on the pavement scraped and mad at my “stupid bike”.
One day, I rode a few blocks from my house to the park, all by myself. I had a plan, I would turn my legs out from the pedals as they turned in order to avoid the pant-leg pinch. I made it to the park and played, and was riding back home, when I began to think of how awesome my plan was working! I looked down to watch how I was able to avoid the grasp of the bike chain, and I watched in amazement until I slammed into the back of a parked car!
Peter talks about building the wall of Christian character, maturing in the faith by increasing in knowledge, virtue, self-control, steadfastness, brotherly love, and more (2 Peter 1:5-8). He says that if those qualities are present and increasing in our lives we will avoid being ineffective and unfruitful in our knowledge of Jesus Christ. Conversely, he says if we lack these qualities, it’s like we are so near-sighted that we are blind.
Spiritually speaking, when we get our eyes focused on the temporary matters of this passing world instead of the weightier matters of eternity, when we allow fear and doubt to rule in our minds, when we have our heads turned to mourn the sorrows of the past so that we cannot see the beauty that lies before us, we are functionally near sighted or even blind to the blessings God wants to bring to our lives. We become convinced that the demands of the here and now are all there is to think about, and we forget that God is calling shaping us for a much bigger purpose than we can even imagine.
Let us fix our eyes upon Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, and faithfully press on toward the goal of His high calling.
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