Proof of eternal life…

As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall become straight, and the rough places shall become level ways, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’ ” He said therefore to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruits in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” (Luke 3:4–9)

All through the OT God told His people how to live, and even though some of them trusted Him and were faithful, most of them could not do it. Trusting Abraham was not adequate to produce the lives God wanted. So the Lord had to do something drastic.

Yesterday I heard an expose on ten large churches that teach error regarding how to live for God. Almost all of them were encouraged to use “faith” to live for themselves. “Be healthy, wealthy, and wise, and God will bless you.” Earn it. The sad part is that for many this prosperity gospel works, particularly the leaders of those churches, but for this life only.

However, as John the Baptist, and Jesus, and the disciples, and millions of later followers preached, living the rules does not produce evidence of new life.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. (Galatians 5:22–24)

Joy that does not depend on external circumstances. Peace that deeply comforts no matter what. Patience in trials, kindness to all, even enemies… and death to selfishness and greed. This is Holy Spirit fruit and without Him in my life, I simply cannot live that way. Some can look good on the surface (I cannot) but the heart is all about self.

Since I’m not supposed to judge others, discerning false faith is a challenge. But out of the heart comes words that show me what to say and how to pray for those who are trying to earn their salvation, or are using religious practices with the hope of being “good enough” to earn God’s blessing. This passage is both helpful and a warning:

He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 18:9–14)

It is easy to exalt myself and rob Jesus of the glory He alone deserves. Pride is a big enemy of truth.

Lord, You alone save. I cannot bear fruit, or talk right, or think godly thoughts apart from You and the grace You give. Every day You remind me and I’m thankful that You patiently put up with my lapses — sins that You died for yet You forgive. More than that, You keep cleansing my heart and drawing me into humility and living for You. Protect me and help me to be grateful every day for Your incredible mercy.

Keep Praying

As they (the disciples) passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots. And Peter remembered and said to him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered.” And Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.” (Mark 11:20–25)

In a prayer time with others, we agreed that it often easier to walk by sight than by faith when it comes to praying. Each of us had long-term prayers that had not yet been answered. Sometimes God uses that kind of waiting to build our faith and patience. Sometimes He uses it to show us something we need to confess, like lack of forgiveness. But sometimes He is answering the prayer and does not show us the answer.

I heard the amazing story of a missionary in Africa who had been threatened by the natives who opposed him. However, they didn’t show up on the day they told him he would die. Much later, those natives became Christians and he asked them why they had not come when they said they would. He was told that they did come but the missionary and his co-workers were surrounded by a number of large “giants” and they fled in fear.

Much later, he was on furlough in his home church and told this story. Someone in the church asked the date that happened, then dug out the church records to discover that there had been a prayer meeting that day — attended by the same number of people as the number of giants his enemies had seen!

What can be said to that? Do I have any idea what God is doing because of prayer? Because of my prayers? 

There are two lessons in the words of Jesus. One is to keep praying without doubt in my heart. He hears and I cannot always see or even predict the outcome. 

The other is to keep short accounts. If I have any attitude or action in my life that is contrary to the will of God, He is going to deal with that first, not my prayer request. In other words, unconfessed sin means no answer or delayed answers to my prayers. Keep my life clean and who knows — God may turn my words into giants.

Lord Jesus, this story motivates me, not just to pray about the problems and needs that I can see, but for Your people at work in the world that I cannot see, anything or anyone that You put on my heart. Nothing is too hard for You and no problem or evil is unsolvable or impossible to deal with. You don’t need to show me what You are doing. Just keep building my faith so I trust that You are hearing and doing what needs to be done!

 
 

Two become one…

And Pharisees came up and in order to test him asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” He answered them, “What did Moses command you?” They said, “Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of divorce and to send her away.” And Jesus said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart he wrote you this commandment. But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” (Mark 10:2–9)

My first husband died several years ago. My current hubby and I have been married more than fifty years. We have been asked what is the secret for a long marriage. My hubby says “patience and forgiveness.” I say “Jesus” because without Him and the grace of the Holy Spirit, neither patience or forgiveness happen easily or last very long.

Sometimes we disagree and talk it out, but many times one of us says something like, “We should invite … for dinner” and the other one says, “I was just thinking the same thing.” 
Over the years, several thoughts help us build unity. For example, when both of us seek to better know the Lord, we become closer to each other. This week I heard another truth that hit home…

A man was asked how he could stay married to the same woman for 57 years. He said, “She wasn’t the same woman.” He went on to explain that from age 22 to age 79, she changed. It doesn’t take much imagination to think of how that happens. Being a wife changes a woman, as does being a career person, and/or a mother, and a grandmother. Life itself changes us.
He said he was not the same man either. He was following Jesus Christ and by doing that, God was changing him. This is the destiny of all who belong to Him:

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. (Romans 8:28–30)

These are incredible words for a life, but also for a marriage. God uses all things to make a man and his wife more like Jesus. Cooperating with Him means loving like He loves — forgiving and patient, but also through thick and thin, better or worse. Just knowing the power of God to use one another’s quirks and foibles for good is like glue rather than like causes for wanting a divorce.

Lord God, how many times have we done things that would make most people walk away, yet You used them for good. You are our Savior and Lord, the One who not only overcomes our sinful selfishness, but takes the worst of it to draw us to You and to change our attitudes. Yes, the secret of a long and happy marriage involves cooperation with You, but those who are without You may be the reason for a climbing divorce rate.

Teamwork is a wonderful thing!

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18–20)

While Jesus said this to His disciples, it has been assumed that this ‘Great Commission’ applies to all Christians. Those who cannot go to all nations are told that their mission field is the people around them. If a believer is not gifted in evangelism, we hear that we must obey this command anyway.

Whatever others might say, it seems to me that this command is not singular in that sense, but it is speaking to the body of Christ. We are to obey it as a unit. That is, some are specifically told to pack up and go while others do their work of obedience at home or in the support of those who are able and active in the work of making disciples. 

As part of the body of Christ, I can financially support those in the mission field, and encourage them in various ways. One couple in a far-away country told me that I was the only one that actually wrote letters to them, a bit of a shock but helped me realize the value of having verbal support as well as monthly dollars.

Also, those who cannot go out but are confined to home by illness, or small children, or a number of other reasons can help make disciples by praying for them. As Paul said:

. . . . take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak. (Ephesians 6:17–20)

Paul wrote that from jail, so he was obedient to this ‘great commission’ wherever he was at, yet obviously aware that not everyone was called to take his role and also aware that he needed their prayer support. 

Besides financial support, prayer, and encouragement, part of this task is teaching to others all that God has taught me. Several years ago after a long involvement with a Christian writers organization, I left my very busy role of leadership, partly because it gave me no time to develop writing skills or use them. I asked God, “What next?” And He clearly said, “Publish what I am teaching you in an online blog.” 

I was stunned. At that time, the only blogs I’d read were self-serving rants, so I was a bit horrified too, but now realize this was His way of plugging me into being part of His commission. I didn’t have to go anywhere except into His Word and do what He said to me, then tell others.

Jesus, You know that when we have communion on a regular basis in our church, the sense of being part of a family and a united work force sweeps over me with great joy. I know that You are using all of us to reach out, whether we teach, talk, share our lives, pray, send money or whatever He asks of us. Sometimes my co-workers undergo trials and need extra support and prayer. Most of all, we need to encourage one another to love You and love those around us. Teamwork is a beautiful thing!

 
 

Quit guessing

But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. (Matthew 24:36–44)

Yesterday I repeated to my praying friends that I’ve never been able to second-guess God. I’ve learned that too much of my prayer requests are more like telling Him what I want Him to do, and His response is never what I thought it would be and always a surprise, not a surprise that He answered, but exactly what He did about the issue.

This means that that He has taught me to stop speculating. I cannot say, “Maybe God will do this or that” because I have no clue what His plan is or what He will do. I am not God and even making suggestions to Him about how to answer my prayers is simply impertinent. 

As I read what Jesus said about His return, it seems important that even He does not know the day or the hour. Some might say this is His humanness talking, but as God He must know. Yet I read it again — He says only the Father knows, not the Son.

Why? Well, if I am to be like Jesus, this is a trust issue. He is coming back. My role is not speculation about the time or how it will happen, but to be doing what He says. I could waste a lot of time researching all the definitions and descriptions when He asked me to have coffee with my neighbor who needs to hear the gospel. He will let me know what I should be doing, not what He is doing.

Even if I could figure it out, the last line verifies that being ready is more important, for He will not show up when I expect it. So all my ideas are useless anyway.

Jesus, You convince me to be alert to Your Spirit and involved in whatever Your will is for me. Only vanity can make me think this day or year or whatever. You also convince me that how and when You do show up, no one will be able to say, “I told you so.” 

 

"And all will be changed. . . . "

Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to entangle him in his words. And they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone’s opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances. Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why put me to the test, you hypocrites? Show me the coin for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” They said, “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” When they heard it, they marveled. And they left him and went away. (Matthew 22:15–22)

The Pharisees were more concerned about trapping Jesus yet they gave Him opportunity to make a point. Money is not about this life. The Bible also says that loving it is the root of all evil. 

I’m reminded that my ‘stuff’ falls into the same category. In the past few weeks I found myself reminding several friends that we cannot take our earthly possessions with us when we die, particularly money. This is true of all material possessions. By the grace of God we get to use them while we are here, but He is in charge of what we have. I’m only a steward and responsible for what I do with it.

The next passage is also about earthly issues vs. what is ours after death and in the resurrection:

The same day Sadducees came to him, who say that there is no resurrection, and they asked him a question, saying, “Teacher, Moses said, ‘If a man dies having no children, his brother must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother.’ Now there were seven brothers among us. The first married and died, and having no offspring left his wife to his brother. So too the second and third, down to the seventh. After them all, the woman died. In the resurrection, therefore, of the seven, whose wife will she be? For they all had her.” But Jesus answered them, “You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God: ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not God of the dead, but of the living.” And when the crowd heard it, they were astonished at his teaching. (Matthew 22:23–33)

I had a long talk with a dear relative who is in a cult. His wife just died after years of suffering and in a wheelchair. He is comforting himself that when he dies, they will be together again. At this point, reminding him of the above truths was not appropriate. However, we did agree that God has kept us largely in the dark concerning the nature of eternity. 

Comparing these two thoughts means we do not take our current relationships with us either. Those with money will not be bulging at the pockets. Those with fancy clothes, cars, and other possession will not need them. And those married more than once do not have to wonder who their spouse will be for eternity. God’s plan covers all those issues.

Lord Jesus, Your church is Your bride. We will be fully united to You. All our needs will be covered even as they are covered here. Whether we spend eternity here on a renewed earth or somewhere else, heaven is not just a place but about being in Your presence with no more sorrows or tears, and all needs fully met. It is seeing You face to face with a deep realization of who You are and what You have done. For now, help me keep the difference between here and now sorted out from there and forever. 

 

Two become one...

Now when Jesus had finished these sayings, he went away from Galilee and entered the region of Judea beyond the Jordan. And large crowds followed him, and he healed them there. And Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause?” He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” They said to him, “Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce and to send her away?” He said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.” (Matthew 19:1–9)

Theologians and ordinary believers are uncertain how to interpret this passage, and I hesitate because I was divorced before I knew Christ or what He had to say about it. However, in more than fifty years of a second marriage, God has taught us many things about the meaning of this union. In knowing what He didn’t approve of, we learned much.

In Jesus’ day, some thought divorce was permissible if the husband ceased to love his wife, or had seen some one whom he liked better, or even because she cooked his dinner badly. Another group permitted divorce only in case of fornication, adultery, or some offense against chastity. Obviously, this had something to do with bringing the contention to Jesus. Taking either side would put Him in trouble with the other view. 

These days and in our culture, some people used to stick together for the sake of the children. Others decide that if the feeling is gone and there is no more emotional love then there is no reason to stay married. The issues can be complicated, but the divorce rate in North America is at least 30% and upward. 

Marriage challenges are common. We watched a show about newlyweds. He was a neat-freak and she kicked her shoes off at the door and left them there. Both felt unloved. A well-known book on love languages tells of givers married to people who feel most loved when people listen to them. The giver thinks those gifts say it, but the silence is all the other partner hears. Marriage bliss is complicated.

What does the Bible say about avoiding divorce? This makes the problem even greater:

Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body. “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband. (Ephesians 5:22–33)

In short terms, a couple is to be a picture of Christ and His church. He is to love and lead, and she is to respect and follow. Most women and many men think this is nonsense. Only those who do it find the joy of being in a ‘one flesh’ relationship. This means overcoming the differences in how each think. Imagine the challenge to a church to know and do the will of God. Imagine the challenge to lead a woman who wants to be her own leader and love her when she resists. Imagine the challenge to follow a man who refuses to seek God's will. Marriage that lasts is not easy, never mind happy.

Lord God, You stuck with the lessons and keep teaching me what it means to be a wife that does Your will. You also have taught my hubby much about loving me like You love me. Like he says, patience and forgiveness are vital. I can be a bossy and demanding person with a critical attitude. Yet here we are fifty-five years later. You are amazingly merciful to help us stick to ‘for better or for worse’ and amazingly patient with our many mistakes!