Just Imagine

I've been letting my imagination run wild again. Sorry, but . . .

Can you imagine walking down an old dusty road in the heat of summer with your best friend--and the last week of your life has been the worst week of your life. The great good thing that you were expecting to happen imploded. Depression grips your heart. Confusion, uncertainty. What do we do now? And suddenly a stranger falls into step with you and asks what's bothering you--your sadness is so palpable. A little irritated--how can he possibly not know what's been going on in Jerusalem lately--you explain to him your sorrows. Instantly, he starts going through the Old Testament, opening your eyes to the truth that the implosion was God's planned miracle of grace. It was eternally designed to happen that way. Joy overwhelms the sorrow. The stranger joins you for lunch, says the blessing, breaks you off a piece of bread, and . . . Danced on air right back to Jerusalem, don't you think? And wouldn't you love to have that conversation on tape: "Dusty Road Theology 101: Beginning in Genesis?" Or "The Implosions in Your Life are Grace Gifts."

Can you imagine? You're sitting in a room, weary from doing the work God has called you do. Alone. Dare I say depressed. To make matters worse, a young man you had been training to join you in the work, has just told you that he's leaving. "Forget it Paul. I'm going back to really live life! Forget this Jesus stuff." "Ah, Demas, my heart breaks for you. I'm all alone here, Lord. I know, you promise us that you're always with us. Sure feels like I'm alone, though, Lord." A knock at the door. "Titus, my good friend! Where did you come from? The work is prospering? Growing by leaps and bounds? Oh, Titus, so good to see you! What? Feeling lonely? Who me? Yes--I was. But we're never alone you know. He's always standing at the door, knocking." Feeling lonely? Say, is that a knock at the door? Do I hear your phone ringing? Well, look at that . . . a note in the mail. "Lo, I am with you, always."

Imagine you're a prisoner. Yeah, you brought in on yourself. Just got a letter from an old jailer friend in Philippi. He's discouraged--how could the Lord allow you be locked up? (And no Silas there to sing the melody.) How to encourage that church? The new guard walks in, shackles himself to your leg. Smirks, "I hope you're not expecting me to show you any mercy you old Jew." Ahhh---"no, my young Roman, I'm not. But I know this story all about mercy, can I share it with you? I mean, where are you going to go? All chained up like that. Me and you! All afternoon! Can I write a quick letter, first? Dear friend: My time here in prison is wonderful! Caesar's best soldiers are, like you and your family did, coming to find our Savior--and spreading the news throughout Nero's house." The worst of times for the believer is always an opportunity for the best of times. You do have a story to tell.

Imagine! You've just discovered that your great zeal for God was actually a violent rebellion against God! You've been attacking Him by persecuting His children. Blind fool! How can He ever use me for His service again? Why would He even want to? "Paul?" "Yes?" "My name is Ananias. God has an assignment for you. You won't believe what it is?" God's never met a failure that He couldn't use to do His marvelous work of redeeming a lost world.

Just imagine . . .

Two Days I Can't Change

Christians get caught up in the world's desire to repair yesterday and control tomorrow. Both of those days belong to God. A false sense of guilt and worry are both a lack of hope. A false sense of guilt comes when we feel that God can't repair the damage we have done or that we have done so many wrong things that God can't use us anymore. Nothing you have done will stop the God of grace in anyway from doing what is best for His children. That is His delight. We have to understand that God doesn't use us because we are so stupendous and indispensable to His plans but because we are so weak that He can rightfully glorify Himself through us.
Worry comes when we feel as if we are somehow in control of tomorrow and not God. We lose hope because we fear imagined events instead of trusting the God in control of every event. Sometimes, I think, we imagine that God is surprised by what happens--caught off guard.
Both of these "conditions"--false guilt and worry--are products of pride--the greatest lust of the flesh. And they destroy our ability to take full advantage of this day that He has given to us. "Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God, that He might exalt you at the proper time."

Reliability

I love the Old Testament prophets thundering through Israel "Thus says the Lord!" God's mouthpieces, empowered with His authority, they brought the words of God, His witness, His testimony. It could always be relied on. If God said it, it was settled and sure, whether you believed it or not.
My father's favorite verses are found in I John 5: "If we received the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater . . . He that has the Son has the life; and he that does not have the Son of God does not have the life . . . These things I have written to you that you may know that you have eternal life." There is no chance of disappointment by trusting in the testimony of God--"you may know."
It is to the Word, then, that we should go for insight, guidance, and counsel. The testimony of the Lord should be our counselor for it will provide light and understanding whatever decision is to be made. Certainly, it is the Word that the Holy Spirit uses to "guide us into all truth." Those who come to God's reliable testimony give evidence that they are in need of help and unwilling to trust in their own puny wisdom to reach decisions that are sound and wise and right. Only a fool can become wise--and then only a fool who recognizes what he is. It is the Scripture that provides "instruction in righteousness that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly equipped for all good works." If only we as Christians would not only verbally acknowledge the reliability of the testimony of the Lord, but live as if we believe it--trusting fully "Thus says the Lord" as the only sure way to make wise decisions that will glorify Him. How bizarre that we call Him the truth and then don't believe Him!

No decision is too big or too small in the eyes of the Lord. All decisions are beyond the wisdom and discernment of the simple. Only a simple man can be made wise. We need enough discernment to recognize our lack of it apart from His provision, the Word of God taught by the Holy Spirit of God. "Thy testimonies are wonderful, therefore, does my soul keep them. The entrance of Thy words are light; it gives understanding to the simple."

Significance

If you asked an historian to discuss the significance of Augustus Caesar, he could give you volumes. God gives him one line. If you asked historians to discuss the significance of Abraham, you might get a chapter. God says that all the nations of the earth are blessed through Abraham. We must never get caught up in the world's definition of significance. It is not God's definition. Those who are significant from God's perspective are those who live by faith. They don't need to understand God's directions in order to believe Him. They believe Him, act on His Word, and come to understand His character. Faith precedes understanding, and faith acts in obedience to the commands of God. The man that ruled the greatest empire in history at the peak of its power is not of any importance to God. The man who left everything, lived in tents, but believed God when He told him his descendants would be as uncountable as the stars in the heaven is one of the most significant people the world has ever known. We will find the same to be true when we stand one day in the halls of glory. Countless, nameless, men and women will receive the praise of God because they were faithful to Him. They lived their lives in context. And the context of life? God is on the throne. He is always in complete control. Grace and justice triumph. God honors those who honor Him. And how do I honor the omnipotent, all-wise God? I believe what He says--I please Him by a walk of faith. Each day, every day, I would be like Jesus.

Assyrianism

Did you know that eggs are mentioned in the Bible? In Isaiah 10:14 the king of Assyria is bragging about what a great guy he is. He said that he had captured and destroyed all the kingdoms of the world as easily "as one gathers eggs" from an empty nest. No one even "peeped." They knew that to resist him was futile. He was invincible.
What was God's response? I think you know--the destruction of Assyria. And the job God did was so thorough that for centuries historians didn't even believe that the nation of Assyria had ever existed.
The principle that God was reinforcing was that He is the one who has given every man whatever talents and successes he has. Thus, all the glory belongs to Him and to Him alone. How is that applicable to you and me? The person who is special in God's eyes is not necessarily the one who excels. If you have better athletic skills than someone else, that's not to your credit. God gave you that ability. If you are more intelligent than the other guy, that doesn't make you better than he is, God gave you those brains. If you're more attractive--externally--than the other person, that's God's miracle, not your makeup. He's the one who made you--and the other person--exactly the way He wanted.
What then is the criteria for gaining God's approval? Not the talents you have, nor--in reality--how you use them. But rather, who gets the glory and praise for what you do--for how you use those talents. To boast of your gifts and talents--athletically, academically, even spiritually--is to have a bad case of Assyrianism. To use the old cliche, "you've got all your eggs in one basket"--the basket labeled "Pride." No one has ever carried that basket very far without dropping it. And then every one of those eggs is instantly worthless. Scrambled. Not all they're cracked up to be.
There's only one cure for Assyrianism. I don't think you'd like it. Stop being proud of what you are and begin thanking God for what he made you to be. Don't end up with all your eggs mingled in the dust that was once Assyria.

Any Old Bush

When God spoke to Moses out of the burning bush, the power was in the blaze, not the bush. As someone has said, "any old bush would do." It was the glory and the character of God that Moses needed to see. Not what God was doing, but God. When Moses turned to look, and God was sure He had his attention, then He spoke. God uses a variety of "burning bushes" to get His servants' attention. The problem is we get wrapped up in the bush and fail to see God's glory in the midst of the circumstances. We fail to see that He wants our attention focused on Him so that He might speak to us and call us to greater service. He wants us to worship Him--that alone makes us fit for service.
Who is the God who gets Moses' attention? He is the God of promises Who keeps them all. He is the God of compassion Who comforts His people in all their afflictions. He is the God of blessing yearning to take His people from the bondage of the world to the liberty that is in Christ Jesus. He is the God of battle Who always gains the victory. (Yes, the place of blessing is always occupied by the enemy; you can't gain the victory without a battle.) He is the God of personal presence. "I will never leave you nor forsake you." "I am with you always." He is the God Who uses those who see things as He sees them. He is the God of today, the I AM. He is our God.
Impressed by a burning bush --a great work God is doing in your life or in the lives of those around you? Remember, any old bush would do. God wants you to see Him--His glory, His character. When you see Him, He can use your humility and meekness to reveal His glory to those you encounter, friend or foe alike. "Wherefore, seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the Captain of our faith."

Pride

One of the subtlest demonstrations of pride--I struggle with it all the time--is to let people love me. Strange, I know, but we often refuse to let people do things for us out of love. God has given them a heart for service, a heart for us, and we try to keep them from helping us or, in simple ways, to say "I love you," through an act of kindness. The reason, I'm afraid, is pride. Oh, it's all right for us to do something for them--and draw attention to ourselves, but we refuse to let them do something for us. You don't "deserve" it, you say. Who does? God loved us before we loved Him. His people who are sensitive to the Spirit are such lovers too. We--and they--need to learn to let God love us through others. So, the next time someone loves you on behalf of the Savior, say "Thank you, I'm glad God put you in my life today to remind me of His never ending love." Trust me, it's not a sin to let God love you through His children. It is a sin to reject His gifts of love.