Jesus

by

FAITH AND DOUBT

Are you convinced that Christianity is true? Do you ever doubt your belief? Does God really exist? Is my belief in vain? Do these questions of doubt haunt you at times? They do me. During these times of doubt I have two processes that I follow, reason and experience. Reason alone cannot restore faith, but it can help.   Walking back through my life and remembering my experiences with God seals the breach in my faith, and I am restored.

These nagging questions that challenge my faith cause me to return to the process of reasoning. I start with the basic question of where did I and all I know come from. There are only two possible answers. It all came about by some accidental occurrence of events over millions and billions of years, or an intelligent force designed it. The complexity of the universe and the existence of life itself lead me to believe that an intelligent force designed it. And if this is so, what do I know about this intelligent force. I have concluded that the Bible is the most reliable source of information about this intelligent force. This process, to remind myself of the logic of my belief, gets me started. But the most interesting truth about this reasoning process is that it all came about after I believed. My belief in God is therefore founded in something other than reason.

I next reminisce on my experiences with God. God has spoken to me at key moments in my life, and he drew me to himself. He answered prayers and provided miracles all to build a relationship of trust. My faith is rooted in a relationship with God that he has built over many years. Then I remember, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” Ah, my faith is based not on my ability to reason, but on my relationship with God. Experience trumps reason. The questioning of my faith is entrenched in my reasoning skills. My reasoning is faulty, but my experience is sound. There is no argument against what I have experienced.

I feel that faith is even more deeply based on a spiritual foundation. When I first believed reason played a small part, experience barely existed, yet I was drawn to God. Jesus said, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him …” (John 6:44). My reason and my experience came because God drew me. I simply said yes to him. I believe because I was predestined to believe. God is sovereign over all his creation, even me.

by

TRUST IN THE LORD AND DO GOOD

The title above comes from Psalm 37:3.  Trust in the Lord and do good.  This is wisdom for God’s people from King David who later, in verses 8&9, exhorts us to: Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret – it leads only to evil.  For evil men will be cut off, but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land.   These verses challenge us, but they also comfort us.  Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble, but take heart. I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

In light of the Supreme Court’s decision on gay marriage, I believe June 26, 2015 is a day to be marked as another “in your face God” moment for our country.  That is why I was looking for comfort and direction from Psalm 37.  God’s people need to be aware that God is not surprised by the decisions of man.  He gave them over to a depraved mind because of their rejection of him.  He is in charge, and we belong to him.  We are redeemed!  And we are bearers of his message of love and forgiveness.  Nothing good will come if Christians join the ranks of haters and revilers.

In Romans 1:18-32 Paul gives a clear dissertation on what’s happening.  He starts out: “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness.”  Reading on we see that the depravity over taking our nation is because we have turned our backs to God.  Even the futility of our thinking, the illogical thinking of our leaders is a result of denying God.  So, what should be our response to this evil?

I think that we should trust in the Lord and do good.  God has his hand on all that is taking place on the earth with a promise to work it out for his glory and our good.  Trust him!  As King David pointed out, hating, fretting and being filled with wrath only leads to evil.  Our charge is to do good, and to love our neighbor as ourselves.  Do good to those who spitefully use you.  Jesus made it clear how we are to proceed.  Don’t turn your back to him.

by

IT IS NOT EASY, BUT IT IS TRUE

What I write about in this blog is founded on the belief that God, as described in the Hebrew and Christian scriptures, created the world we live in.  Therefore it is reasonable to look to him for guidance.  Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us to, “trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your paths.”  Jesus tells us (see Matthew 6:25-34) not to worry about what we will eat, or drink ,or wear, but to focus on the kingdom that God is building, and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to us.

In the parable of the sower (Matthew 13: 1-23) Jesus warns us about focusing on the cares of this world.  He explains to his disciples that the seed sown among the thorns is about the cares of this world.  He says, “But the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it (the message of the kingdom) making it unfruitful.”  The worries of this life keep us distracted from the direction God would have us go.  We are then unfruitful.

I believe with all my heart that these scriptures are exactly how I should conduct my life.  Yet, this is not easy.  Every aspect of our American culture wars against what these scriptures teach.  I’m supposed to be proactive and make it happen.  I’m supposed to seek wealth.  You’re still doing that job?  Can’t you find anything better?  “Well the Lord wants me here” I respond sheepishly.

Friends and fellow Christian aren’t much help either.  When asked, “What are you going to do about this?”  My answer, “I haven’t heard from the Lord yet, but I’m trusting that he will direct me in this,” gets some interesting reactions.  They are often speechless, at least to my face.  Would Christians talk behind my back?  “Aren’t you worried about that? “  I am asked.  “No, Jesus said don’t worry.”  That answer is definitely a conversation stopper.   So, there are cultural and peer pressures, but the greatest pressure comes from within.

Guilt is a big one.  “I should be doing something about this.”  I’m now seeing the cartoon with the black devil on one shoulder and the white angel on the other.  The devil is pumping guilty thoughts in one ear and the angel is reminding me of scripture.  I know what the scriptures say, but……  That “but” is always troubling.  Did the Lord already tell me, but I missed it?  God helps those who help themselves.  I know that this is not in the scriptures.  My flesh is always warring against my spirit.  Now that is in the scriptures.

Trusting in the Lord to take care of things is not easy, but He has shown me over a life time that his word is true.  He is my provision, and he does guide my path.

by

Humbleness, an Attribute of God

One of my favorite scripture passages is Matthew 11:28-30.  In this passage Jesus refers to himself as “gentle and humble in heart”.  Doesn’t gentle and humble sound safe.  I am drawn to him when I think of him being gentle and humble.  Paul supports Jesus’ statement that he is humble with this declaration in Philippians 2:6-8,

Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking on the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.  And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross!

Jesus not only declared himself humble, but he unequivocally demonstrates his humble nature on the cross.  When you think of God, do you think of him as humble?  That’s not my first thought when I think of God, but he truly is humble.  So, what is humble? In all the definitions of humble, I find that not putting yourself first seems to clarify its meaning.  Jesus did not put himself first.  He put our needs ahead of his.

Adam and Eve were humble because they were created in the image of God.  They lost this attribute as a result of the fall.  They then became self concerned.  At the start of Philippians chapter 2 Paul is exhorting us to return to being humble.  He tells us, (Philippians 2:3-4) “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.  Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.”  He follows this with the scriptural illustration in Philippians 2:6-8 of Christ’s humility.

In our desire to be more like Jesus, humbleness should be near the top of the list.  As I looked at this attribute of God, I had to ask myself, am I gentle and humble in heart?  Am I safe?  These questions will dominate my self reflections for the rest of the week.  How about you?

by

Jesus the Man

I spent the evening watching a movie called the Gospel of John on Netflix.  The movie is narrated while actors act out the scenes of the entire Gospel of John.  As I watched, I was taken by the humanness of Jesus.  He spoke out explosively at times.  He was very animated.  This could have been just the actor’s interpretation, but as I followed along in my Bible, I found the words in the scriptures indicated strong action.  I have always had the idea of Jesus speaking the soft words of wisdom without emotion, yet as I followed this movie, I was reminded that Jesus was fully human.  He was a man with passion and zeal.

With this in mind I looked back through the Gospel of John.  Jesus’ encounters with the Jewish leaders offered many opportunities for emotional response, but this familiar story stood out.  In chapter 2, Jesus clears the temple using a whip.  Verse 16 reads: To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here!”  “How dare you turn my Father’s house into a market!”  Notice that the last sentence ends with an exclamation mark not a question mark.  This was a strong exclamation.  He wasn’t gently asking a question.

Jesus came as a human so we could relate to him.  He was a human just like us who could express his emotions but without sin.  My strong expressions can often be traced back to the sin of “I want it my way!” or some other control issue.  I believe that, if I had the deep selfless love of Jesus, I could express my strong emotions without sin.  But alas, that’s not the case.  Even though Jesus spoke out with emotion, it doesn’t give me license to go around yelling at people. Shucks, I was hoping for justification.  So, self-control is still necessary.  Praise be to God for his grace.

by

The Right Choice

Looking over the topics that I post weekly, I see a common theme.  I write mainly to encourage my brothers and sisters to trust that God exists, and he is who he says he is.  This week I want to approach from a different direction.

We begin by being born into this world.  The world we are born into exists with no input from us.  We didn’t choose where we would live, what race we would be, or what economic level our existence would embrace.  We are given an unknown number of years to live in this world.  We seem to have arrived with certain elements of personality and ability, but from the very start they are molded by the influences of our placement.  None of the beginning circumstances of our life have been our choice.   We will, throughout our lives, make numerous choices, but they will all be influenced by the placement we did not choose.

With this perspective in mind, the question that presents itself is what choices do we get to make?  We get to choose our response to each event in our lives, but not without outside pressures.  As I said, our responses are affected by surrounding influences.  We seem to have an inherent awareness of what is right and what is wrong.  A basic morality if you will.  Yet, if our culture says for instance an eye for an eye, we’ll be compelled to comply with that concept.  It’s our choice whether to comply, but we are under the pressure of what we are expected to choose.

So, why am I here?  Is this all there is?  Can I break away from this temporal existence upon which I have arrived?  Certainly these are reasonable questions that mankind has asked throughout the ages, and there are a lot of answers to these questions floating around.  When presented with these answers, we get to choose which one we believe is the right one.  Of all the things that are not our choice, choosing the right answer to these questions is our choice.  Trusting that God exists, and that he is who he says he is, seems the right choice to me.  I’m not trying to influence your choice, — oh yes I am.  Please forgive me, and please make the right choice.

by

The End of Separation

In the beginning there was no separation between man and God.  When man sinned God withdrew his presence.  This separation lasted until Jesus’ death on the cross. The restoration was signified by the tearing from top to bottom of the temple curtain.  (See Matthew 27:51, Mark 15:38, and Luke 23:45)

One of the churches in our city does the Stations of the Cross each year on Good Friday.  My wife and I find this experience a great way to begin Easter Weekend.  The stations take you from the time they arrested Jesus to the crucifixion. I am always deeply moved as I walk from station to station remembering what Jesus went through.  This year the tearing of the temple curtain stood out to me.

At the moment when Jesus said it is finished and gave up his spirit, the temple curtain was torn in such a way that it could only have been done supernaturally.  The curtain was 16 feet tall and 4 inches thick, and it was torn from top to bottom.  As it was torn it exposed the Holy of Holies, the place of God’s presence in the temple.  No one could enter the Holy of Holies except the high priest, and he could only enter once a year after going through an extensive ritual of preparation.

Jesus gave up his life so we could be restored to the presence of God.  We who are redeemed by Jesus’ blood can now enter into God’s presence. I was overwhelmed by the significance of the tearing of the curtain.  God’s redemption of fallen man was complete, and he opened for us access to his presence.  This tragic day had underlying glory.  God’s created ones could now return to the closeness that Adam and Eve had with him before the fall.  Jesus restored our relationship with his amazing act of sacrificial love.  Can I do anything but spend eternity expressing gratitude to my blessed savior?  Thank you Jesus!

by

The Pivot Point of Eternity

Kneeling at the cross

Such a wondrous place to be,DSCN1330

I find my greatest freedom there

At this place called Calvary.

 

For here is where it all begins,

If you are willing to receive.

At this pivot point we each decide

Our eternal destiny.

 

Yes, God took our greatest evil,

The murder of his son,

And with his loving power

Salvation for all He won.

 

Now kneel with me if you will,

And receive this very hour,

The salvation offered freely

Enlivened with resurrection power.

by

My Neighbor

I work part time as a driving instructor.  I am well versed on the rules of the road.  I know exactly how other drivers are supposed to drive.  In light of the general way people drive; this is a dilemma for someone trying to not be judgmental.  Driving has become the proving grounds of my sinful nature.  In-other-words while driving, I prove myself a sinner.  I frequently blurt out expletives like jerk and idiot.

Monday I was driving to my house after a driving lesson.  As all Americans seem to be, I was in a hurry.  I came to an intersection where I was turning right.  I stopped correctly behind the crosswalk before moving forward to make my right turn on red.  However, the gentleman in the left turn lane stopped all the way across the crosswalk, blocking my view of the cross traffic.  I was grateful that he slowed me down and made me wait for the light; not really.  After my usual pronouncement of his lack of intelligence and moral character, I was struck by the thought, he’s my neighbor.  I found myself changing from annoyance to compassion.  I thank the Holy Spirit for the thought.

The rest of the journey home was occupied by thinking about “my neighbor”.  Jesus made some clear statements about our neighbors such as: “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 19:19).  Yep, I was falling painfully short of loving my neighbor.  That afternoon, I started reading through the scriptures about my neighbor.  In Luke 10: 29-37 Jesus responds to the question, “And who is my neighbor?” with the parable of the Good Samaritan.  The Samaritans were hated by the Jewish people of Jesus’ time.  By using the Samaritan as the good guy of the story, Jesus nailed the prejudice of the time.  Today, perhaps the story would be of the Good Muslim or in the Middle East, the Good Christian.

My conclusion, after my study, is that everybody I come into contact with is my neighbor.  All the man in the left turn lane needed from me was patience and compassion.  Everyone I meet needs at least that.  A smile and an encouraging word would be nice, but they certainly don’t need my judgement.  Every day I obviously fall short of perfection, but I have the Holy Spirit to reminding me of the words Jesus spoke.  With his help I plan to be a better neighbor.  If we should run into each other someday, just know I’d be delighted to be treated like your neighbor.  I’ll try to respond with the same recognition.  God bless you neighbors.

Author’s note:

This has been a challenging week of trying to love my neighbor.  I have been reminded of how desperately I need the salvation Jesus bought for me on the cross.  Lord thank you for your mercy and grace, Amen.

by

Mortality

It is a fact that we are all going to die.  The mortality rate among humans is 100%.  People around me are dying.  Recently, a friend of mine who was 15 years younger died from brain cancer.  We’ve lost two women in our church in the last year.  I know others who are currently fighting cancer trying to stay alive.  The death of others always brings us closer to the reality of our own mortality.  The loss of a loved one is deeply painful, almost unbearable.  So, for a Christian what is a good perspective?

Our pastor, Eric Nelson*, Spoke on resurrection last Sunday.  He brought up two points that I believe help us to deal with our mortality.  First, he reminded us that the Apostle Paul referred to death as falling asleep (see 1 Thessalonians 4:13-15), and who is afraid to fall asleep?  The second point was that the life we are going to is far better that the life we leave.  For one thing, it is eternal.  Once we pass from this life, death will never again be an issue.

In our eternal life we will be living in heaven.  In heaven we will live a sinless existence.  Try to imagine what living without sin would be like.  I find it really hard to contemplate.  What would it be like living with no sin? The earth and all of creation is tainted by sin.  Imagine what the new earth will be like when sin is gone.

For me, when facing mortality, my greatest fear is what if my wife should go before me.  How would I be able to survive such a loss?  We are true soul mates, partners for the last 34 years.  But, notice that the concern is for me.  She will have gained.  She will be with Jesus.  Her time in a sinful world will be over.  She’ll have arrived in eternity.  She will be home, her work will be done.

So, in looking at mortality, I find there is much to rejoice about.  The future is only going to get better for those who belong to him.  Christians live by faith not by sight.  All we know now is this world, but through faith, we believe that God has prepared us an eternal place.  The greatest truth in our mortality is that we will be with him forever.

(If you don’t know him, he’s just a prayer away.)

*Eric Nelson is pastor of Delta Life Four Square Church in Madera, California.  Hear his sermons at deltalifechurch.com