When human thinking ceases …

 

Two stories about abortion illustrate how human thinking apart from what God says is rather confusing. It is okay to abort in parts of the world, but in several parts of the world if someone murders a pregnant woman, it is considered two murders. So it is legal to kill an unborn baby as long as it is not illegal. Huh?

The legality depends on the will of the mother. If she does not want the baby, she can have it destroyed. We watched an episode of Inspector Linley last night in which the unwanted baby was allowed to live but was sold to someone who wanted it. Later, the mother of that child arranged another baby to be sold so she could profit, but that mother wanted the child so she murdered the first woman. Huh?

Human ‘I wants’ make life messy. In the OT, this phrase is often seen: “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” (Judges 17:6) In our world, the prophets could say, “In these days there is not much faith or obedience to God. Everyone does whatever they want to do.” Huh?

“Not much faith” grants that the God who created us is still at work. There still is some faith, but daily news does not broadcast how thousands put their faith in Jesus Christ as they repent of their sin and are forgiven and have new life and a life-changing relationship with Him. Those who meet Jesus are changed but their family members are upset and try to kill them. Thousands flee for their lives and many others die for their faith. Huh?

God is still at work even as His work seldom hits headlines, and if it does, humans may get the credit, or mock it, or misinterpret it. Today’s verse for the day comes from a passage that describes the kind of God that is being neglected and rejected:

Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God, for you have stumbled because of your iniquity. Take with you words and return to the Lord; say to him, “Take away all iniquity; accept what is good, and we will pay with bulls the vows of our lips. Assyria shall not save us; we will not ride on horses; and we will say no more, ‘Our God,’ to the work of our hands. In you the orphan finds mercy.” I will heal their apostasy; I will love them freely, for my anger has turned from them. I will be like the dew to Israel; he shall blossom like the lily; he shall take root like the trees of Lebanon; his shoots shall spread out; his beauty shall be like the olive, and his fragrance like Lebanon. They shall return and dwell beneath my shadow; they shall flourish like the grain; they shall blossom like the vine; their fame shall be like the wine of Lebanon. O Ephraim, what have I to do with idols? It is I who answer and look after you. I am like an evergreen cypress; from me comes your fruit. Whoever is wise, let him understand these things; whoever is discerning, let him know them; for the ways of the Lord are right, and the upright walk in them, but transgressors stumble in them. (Hosea 14:1–9)

Reading it slowly, it is a surprise. The people of God had not only sinned but were guilty of apostasy, yet God says, “I will heal their apostasy; I will love them freely, for my anger has turned from them.” Huh?

This is the God who longs to restore those who turned away. He welcomes those willing to  confess their guilt and how they had taken credit for what God had done, but vow to not sin like that any longer. 

For those who have not slid away and remain as His faithful servants, this is a passage of hope. God does not change. He can heal the mess in our world, open blind eyes and turn away His anger. My role? Listen and be faithful to what He says. Tell others. Challenge darkness with prayers of full faith. My Redeemer is not dead — He lives and He is still able and willing to change lives.

PRAY: Jesus, just as You called Israel out of bondage in Egypt, and You called Your faithless people to come to You for healing, my prayers are for those near and far — that You will call and continue to call people from darkness and extreme, God-playing thinking to repentance and faith in You… for that will produce in them blessings that they will never otherwise realize or understand apart from Your great grace.

Knowing is not the same as doing . . .

In his devotional reading for today, Tozer says something that humbles me because of its reality in my life. He writes, “You can read your Bible . . . and respond with either obedience or inward blindness. You can repeat Romans word for word and still be blind inwardly. You can quote all the Psalms and still be blind inwardly. You can know the doctrine of justification by faith . . . and be blind inwardly. It is not the body of truth that enlightens; it is the Spirit of truth who enlightens.”

Again, the image of walking in pitch darkness holding a flashlight comes to mind. If I step into the light that I have in front of me, the flashlight moves ahead to give more light, otherwise I stay where I am.

Tozer’s words and this passage from Romans add another dimension to that image — besides gaining more light, I need to stay on the right path . . .

Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. (Romans 6:16–18)

A Christian walking that path runs into many options. Some of them are tempting. Staying on the path is about keeping my eyes on Jesus and not being distracted by any of that other stuff. I might learn all sorts of truth, but if I am only learning it and not serving it, then I’m as much in the dark as if I’d turned that light off, or at least swerved its beam from the path to follow something other than where Jesus is leading me.

Now I understand something that was foggy before. My question has been how could I know truth and still be distracted and follow something that leads me away from Jesus? The answer is disobedience. Duh. As an eager to learn person, I gobble up the bread of life, but sometimes neglect to chew or swallow it. In my desire for more light, I can hurry away from the light that I already have. Whatever Jesus is teaching me and wherever I go when I learn those truths need to match. Getting side-tracked always makes me a slave of whatever side-tracks me.

^^^^^^^^

Jesus, I assume slavery has been abolished and like the Pharisees, think that I am a slave to no one. But that is not true. As You say, we are slaves to whatever we obey from the heart. Without a heart change or without obedience, either absence leads to darkness because it takes me off the path You desire. When You came into my life, I gladly did whatever You asked. Your Word says that I’m to continue that way, not leaving my ‘first love’ but always letting You not only light my path but draw me along it in obedience and thanksgiving.

Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. (Colossians 2:6–7)

I’ve already confessed those follies, but You remind me that the root of them can again become a problem. I pray for continued clarity, that the Holy Spirit would always shed light on the right path and give me a good shove that I might keep walking on it in joyful and thankful obedience.

Out of darkness into light

Spiritual blindness is a terrible thing. Those with physical blindness at least know that they cannot see, but the spiritually blind person has no sense of being in the dark.

The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. (1 Corinthians 2:14)

And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. (2 Corinthians 4:3–4)

How can a spiritually blind person receive sight? Chambers says that the lost must call out to God, but how can they do that if they are blind to their need to do that?

As for me, I know what that blindness is like. I also know that God does the work of bringing light into the life of those in the dark. Out of habit and my mother’s example, I read the Bible for seventeen years, but I could not understand it and nothing changed. It was only after a great failure and much guilt that I became hungry for relief, but had no idea what that would look like or where it would come from.

I began to wonder about life after death and started reading a book about reincarnation (a false teaching). When I read a verse of Scripture in that book, Jesus Christ came into my living room and into my life. At once, the darkness was gone and the Light of the world lifted the sorrow and guilt from my heart. Prior to that time, if I heard the gospel, I do not remember it, but that day, I knew what it was.

Chambers says the Gospel creates a sense of need of the Gospel and that we have to hear it to know we need it. He also says we must ask because “God cannot give until a man asks.” If that were true, I would not be here. It is in Him that I live and breathe — He gave me life and spiritual life without any request on my part. He did His work in my heart and mind without me even knowing that I needed it. Redemption did not depend on my asking for it, but on His amazing grace.

Chambers also says people might be interested if we preach our own experiences, but this will not awaken any sense of need. He adds, “It is never personal testimony that saves men” using what Jesus said in John 6:63: “The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life.”

However, this needs more thought. For one thing, in those days they did not have the New Testament. Nothing Jesus said was as yet recorded, yet people who personally did not hear Him speak were being saved. The disciples repeated His words and gave their own words to tell truth from God and thousands believed.

As God spoke to His holy men and they recorded the truth He gave them, the New Testament was formed and later ratified as the Word of God. While most agree that the canon of Scripture is closed and not to be added to or subtracted from, the Holy Spirit still speaks. Jesus said the Spirit would come and convince people of their sin, their need for righteousness, and of the judgment to come. This is how those in the dark realize they are sinners.

The Holy Spirit also bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God (Romans 8:16). While we need to test the spirits and not go off on some sort of “God told me” tangent, the Bible assures Christians that God will guide us in all of life through the nudges and comfort of the Holy Spirit.

That said, God can also speak through other people in their testimony, a parable, an illustration, and even events both awesome and tragic. He uses His Word to give life, yet Jesus said: “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.” (John 6:63)

In this verse, “words” is rhema in Greek, not logos. Logos is the revelation of God, the Word of God, whereas rhema is that which God utters for the need of the moment. Both are necessary. Some read Scripture and are never saved. Without the Spirit to speak into the minds that He created, I would never have been convinced of my need for Him. He used rhema to make sense of logos, and through that personalized voice in my heart, I became a Christian.

The Bible says that “He chose me in Him before the foundation of the world, that I should be holy and blameless before Him” (Ephesians 1:4, personalized). It also says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2:8–9).

From start to finish, God did it and God still does all of it.

Eyes wide open . . .

In the dark of the night, I needed something in the kitchen, so got up and went there without turning on any lights. Actually, there was enough light kept me from stumbling. Street lights shone in from outside and our kitchen has lights on everything — the microwave, clocks, stove, thermostat and so on, so they outlined everything clearly enough that I could see where I was going.

Jesus gives light to my life, illuminating my heart so I can see what I need to walk with Him in spirit and in truth without stumbling. His light is seldom dim, more often like a searchlight that reveals sin, or a beacon that shows me where to go. This morning, He offers these words . . .

“No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a cellar or under a basket, but on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light. Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light, but when it is bad, your body is full of darkness. Therefore be careful lest the light in you be darkness. If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, it will be wholly bright, as when a lamp with its rays gives you light.” (Luke 11:33–36)

The odd words about an eye being healthy are easily explained. The eye is the place where light enters. If that place is faulty, then whatever the Lord is trying to say to me will not gain entrance, or it will be dim and fuzzy. That is, my ability to see things clearly will affect the whole way I act and live.

Jesus says if the eye of the soul is closed or diseased, then I cannot see the light of Christ. Instead, my life will be full of darkness and unable to realize what is wrong with me or my world. I will stumble about, without clear direction and without any strong spiritual moorings.

However, as the Holy Spirit does His work, He ‘clears my vision’ and the light comes in. With that light, He begins the transformation process. This happened in His initial work of salvation, and keeps on happening as God brings my way of life into line with the way I now see things. Having lit the lamp, He lifts it up to shed its rays into every corner of my life. No part is to remain in darkness.

Here is the spiritual danger: If God gives me light and I shut my eyes to it, then I am disobeying His revelation to me. That is sinful rebellion, no matter how you spell it.

If God gives me light and I receive it, but ‘put it under a basket’ then that light is restricted. I might enjoy what I have learned, even write it in this blog, but if I hide it, and refuse to let it be seen in my life, then I face two dangers: one is the peril of not letting it affect all of how I think, talk and live, and the other is that a hidden lamp will snuff out for lack of oxygen. I could lose sight of that which God so graciously revealed, and again be plunged into darkness, or at least partial darkness.

We all know people who seem to be oblivious to the most obvious things of life. God does not want me to be like that. He gives light that I might see it, be filled with it, and go through life illuminated by the truth He gives, not stumbling or bumping into things. He wants me to be a beacon so others can see His light also.

Lord, this is simple stuff, but from it I realize that I must live today and each day according to the light You have given me, applying it to my relationships, responses, words, actions, even to my very thoughts. Keep my eyes on You and keep me focused on Your light. 

Spirituality?

A young member of my family calls herself and her friends “spiritual” people. I know the Bible definition, but wondered about her understanding of that word. My online dictionary says spirituality is about the spirit or soul as distinguished from the physical nature. It often pertains to spirits or to spiritualists who are considered supernatural. This definitions shows how people can be “spiritual” without any interest in the Creator who is Spirit, or in His spiritual realm, the part of His creation we cannot see or experience unless He grants new life to us. This regeneration is needed because sin has made us “spiritually blind” even dead to that realm.

The apostle Paul spoke on Mars Hill to the people of Athens. He understood that they too were spiritual, but not in the same way as Christians are spiritual…

Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription, ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us… (Acts 17:22–27)

These were tactful words. These people knew there was more to life than the physical, and that a God existed that was beyond their knowledge. They wanted to worship this God, perhaps because the worship of their gods left them empty, but they didn’t know who or what it was that tugged at them. They called it the “unknown” God because that is what He was to them.

Paul spoke to them in love. He was bold in declaring God, yet his feelings for these people would not allow him to do anything less. They needed to hear about this God that they did not know.

He also knew they were close. They felt the mystery of life and built their altar to this unknown something. They were on the brink of faith without believing, close to it and to true spirituality, yet they missed it and even knew that they missed it.

Today’s devotional reading says that I could take two views concerning their darkness (and that of my family member). I could consider such a view of “spiritual” as being frivolous and insincere, even mocking true spiritual truths. Or I could be impressed with their reverence and feel compassion that they are so near yet so far.

What makes the difference between these two views? If I take the first one, I see no God, only vain and aimless dissatisfaction that is contemptible. Such a view makes me look down my nose, forgetting that I once was like them.

If I take the second view, it is because I can sense God is at work in their lives. He is making a claim on them and drawing them through His Spirit. They feel this wooing God, even though they do not know that it is He whom they feel. This makes their restlessness, desires and doubts significant, and thinking this way makes me pray for them and worship the God who is seeking their hearts.

Paul essentially tells the people of Athens, “You are restless and discontented. Your restlessness, your impatience, your discontent, however petty the forms it takes, is serious and not petty to me because of what it means. It means that God is not far from every one of you.”

As I pray for those who consider themselves spiritual but have rejected or neglected the God of spirits, I need to remember that they are at least acknowledging the desire of their hearts. God put in them the knowledge that there is more than they can see. In this claim of being “spiritual” they even might be seeking Him.