Wait June 30, 2006
Posted by noelwalker in Faith, Peace, Spiritual.add a comment
Like many psalms, Psalm 40 has an interesting symmetry about it:
(v. 1 – 3) I waited and You listened.
(v. 4 – 5) You have delivered.
(v. 6 – 11) The true and obedient heart
(v. 12 – 16) You will deliver
(v. 17) I will wait.
The Psalm shifts from a backward looking focus on God’s faithfulness to a forward looking one. In verse 1 David writes, “I waited patiently for the Lord”. This is deliberate, faithful kind of waiting; not a toe tapping, one eye on the watch kind of a wait. People who are good at waiting on the Lord are patient about it. They can tell you why they have such faith too. It has been my experience that patient waiters have stories to tell. They usually can remember a time when they were left with nothing to do but wait.
I drove to the church building to work and scurried about from one task to the other, all the time with an eye on the clock. I knew exactly when I had to bail out and return home in order to avoid being late. With less than an hour to go I noticed that my car keys weren’t handy. In the flurry of activity I had set them down and didn’t know where. I began looking in all the logical places: on the desk, on the counter, in the ignition, in my book bag… nothing. I began to get more and more frustrated with each passing minute: I was wasting time! After an hour had passed I now needed to go and still had no idea where to look for my keys. I was now looking in absolutely ridiculous places, the fridge, the parking lot, in rooms I had not been in, all to no avail.
I called to get a ride and now had to wait two hours for my wife to come and bring me an extra set of keys. I was so furiously frustrated that I could not sit still. I angrilly prayed repeatedly for God to reveal where they were and they answers weren’t coming. It was a long time coming until I bitterly resigned myself to sitting and waiting. I plunked myself down in the passenger seat, in protest of my keyless state when I heard my keys right beneath me. They were positioned in such a way to avoid detection from the driver’s side window, and the passenger window but smack dab in the middle of the seat.Those of you who think now the lesson is learned and I was exhibiting this kind of waiting are missing my point. I was now more furious than ever. I had wasted most of an afternoon looking for something that was hiding in plain sight. My reliance was still squarely on my own resources. I still had some learning (and calming down to do).
One of the neat things I have observed about the study of the Psalms is the diversity in translation that exists. In a way I have never noticed there is wide variety of ways these texts are rendered in English. The NIV translates v. 2 to say, “He lifted me out of the slimy pit,out of the mud and mire. He set my feet on a rock,and gave me a firm place to stand.” NASB calls it, “the pit of destruction”, “the pit of despair”, in the NLT, and “a lonely pit full of mud and mire” in the CEV. These pits were a traveler’s nightmare. Potter’s would find a deposit of clay and excavate it, leaving behind a slippery hole. Animals, and people would often be found in these pits, dead from dehydration after struggling for hours to climb out. One could only be saved from this pit by someone outside the pit who could pull you out. There was no working yourself out collectively climbing out with the help of fellow victims. Once trapped by a slimy pit you were there, waiting for the mercy of a passer-by.
God’s deliverance is complete. We are put back on our feet again and given a place to stand. Witnesses will be so amazed by the deliverance that they will put their trust in God as well.
In verse 6 and 7 David confesses, “Sacrifice and meal offerings You have not desired. My ears You have opened.” This phrase is reminiscent of Hosea 6: 6 in which God says, “For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.” This thought is completed in v. 7: “Then I said, ‘Behold, I come; in the scroll of the book it is written of me; I delight to do Thy will, O my God; Thy Law is within my heart.’”
What David is saying, ‘ Here I am, to do what is required by the Law, but I do it from my heart.’ David, who was after God’s own heart knew what pleased God; not doing the things you have to do but offering praise from the heart. The phrase “my ears You have opened” implies a complete obedience: I have heard and obey.
The word in v. 7 for scroll is a coronation decree or an oath which would apply to the Davidic Kingdom. David, here affirms his commitment to this ideal but, as the writer of Hebrews observes, it is in Christ that the whole obligation of the law is fulfilled.
Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said: “Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,but a body you prepared for me;with burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased. Then I said, ‘Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll—I have come to do your will, O God.’ “
David’s willingness was noble, but it is Jesus’ willingness to be our atoning sacrifice that fulfills the laws demands. “By this will [Jesus'] we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (Hebrews 10: 10)
Perhaps with an awareness that, at the time of David, the requirement of the Law couldn’t be satisfied, David retraces his steps in requesting deliverance, and stating his dependence on God in the last five verses. The end of this Psalm is almost identical to Psalm 70:
13 Be pleased, O LORD, to save me;
O LORD, come quickly to help me.14 May all who seek to take my life
be put to shame and confusion;
may all who desire my ruin
be turned back in disgrace.15 May those who say to me, “Aha! Aha!”
be appalled at their own shame.16 But may all who seek you
rejoice and be glad in you;
may those who love your salvation always say,
“The LORD be exalted!”17 Yet I am poor and needy;
may the Lord think of me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
O my God, do not delay.
1 Hasten, O God, to save me;
O LORD, come quickly to help me.2 May those who seek my life
be put to shame and confusion;
may all who desire my ruin
be turned back in disgrace.3 May those who say to me, “Aha! Aha!”
turn back because of their shame.4 But may all who seek you
rejoice and be glad in you;
may those who love your salvation always say,
“Let God be exalted!”5 Yet I am poor and needy;
come quickly to me, O God.
You are my help and my deliverer;
O LORD, do not delay.
How profound that David, King of Israel could say,
“I am poor and needy; may the Lord think of me.”
David illustrates here the awareness of spiritual poverty that is needed in the life of every devoted follower of God. Jesus says in the Beatitudes, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 5: 3): a poverty of the spirit. No reliance on one’s own resources but a willing reliance on His riches.
“You are my help and my deliverer, O my God, do not delay.”
It was the self reliance of the rich land owner that Jesus condemed in Luke 12: 16-21. The man was not “rich toward God”. Just like my example with the missing car keys, finding the keys did not solve the ‘heart’ problem. I needed to see my time at work as time spent in His service and not time spent on my ‘To Do List’.
God speaks through the prophet Jeremiah,
This is what the LORD says: “Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom, or the strong man boast of his strength,or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this:that he understands and knows me,that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness,justice and righteousness on earth,for in these I delight,”declares the LORD.
“I waited patiently for the Lord … and he heard my cry”. A simple, devoted reliance is what the Lord desires. An admission of our own poverty, and His riches.
The One and Only June 18, 2006
Posted by noelwalker in Devotional, God, Spiritual.add a comment
In preparing for Bible Day Camp at my church we have been looking at the Shema (Deut. 6: 4-9), a sacred part of the Torah, which derives it's name from the first word 'hear' , which in Hebrew is 'Shema'. It is a truly bold assertion of God's singular nature as the one and only.
Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the door frames of your houses and on your gates.
Traditionally Jews would recite the first part of the Shema morning and night (observing v.7). It was likewise written on door posts (v.9) or in small box or bag tied to the door called the mezuzah (=door post).
It starts with a simple enough statement: the Lord (Yahweh: Covenant seeking God) is not only unique and without peer, but is also the only God worthy of praise. Like today, this runs contrary to the practices of those living around God's people.
In Israel's history, they were constantly surrounded with nations that each had their own god or gods. A nation's self image was often wrapped up in the perceived strengths and weaknesses of it's god. When victorious in war you not only brought home captives but you also brought home vestiges of that nation's religion as a trophy of war. If you were victorious, your nation was greater than their nation but in addition, your god was greater than their god.
When Israel was defeated by the Philistines (1 Sam. 4: 11) the ark was captured and taken as a trophy of war. The ark of the covenant was taken to the house of Dagon, the vegitation god of the Philistines. Implied by this action is the idea, in the Philistine's minds that their god Dagon is greater than the God of Israel.
In chapter 5 you can read a great story of how for two days in a row the Philistines came to their temple and found their god face down before the ark. On the second day they found it with it's head and hands smashed off: removal of hands, symbolic of Dagon being unable to do anything, and decapitation a symbolically shameful death.
In the weeks that followed the Philistines suffered greatly at the hand of God until finally the ark was returned (1 Sam. 6).
Today we again live in a pluralist society with many 'nations' touting the greatness of their 'gods'. Our culture worships 'tolerance' above all else and has no time for the "one true God of the universe". God is unique and He alone deserves our praise.
What is beautiful about the Shema is how it logically flows: the Lord is our God, the Lord alone and He therefore demands a total love commitment (v. 5). Jesus, in Mark 12: 30 quotes this as the greatest commandment in all the Torah. Jesus deepens the meaning of this verse by adding the phrase "with all your mind" . For the benefit of the Hebrew hearers he wants to them to understand that when we love "with all our heart" the intellect (the mind) is also part of this devotion to God.
This is a love response that takes place in the head, the heart, and the body; it is found in our thoughts, our desires, and our actions.
Verses 6-9 also follow logically. Since you are devoted to God and he is uniquely worthy of praise, devote yourself to the words of the law. You are to talk about them constantly, be surrounded by them, make them part of your everyday vocabulary.
My Grandpa Walker was a man devoted to the Word, in ways I did not know until later. Always a man with a quick wit, he had lots of pet phrases that became running jokes in my family. When he arrived at a restaurant only to find it full he would say, " Don't these people have homes?" and as a kid I recall all the adults laughing and I didn't get the joke. It wasn't until later that I read 1 Cor. 11: 22 and realized that he was playfully quoting scripture here. He was also known to speak of "fulfilling all righteousness" (Matt. 3: 15)when he talked about completing all the requirements of a task at hand.
He was so devoted to the Word that he couldn't help it slipping out in all the things he said and did. This is the image I get when I read the Shema. It is a beautiful encouragement to Israel but also followers of Jesus Christ today.
The Lord our God is the One and the Only and as a result we devote every part of our being as a sacrifice of praise (Rom. 12: 1) to His glory. May His name alone receive glory and honour, now and forever!
It’s the Nut Behind the Wheel June 16, 2006
Posted by noelwalker in Grace, Mercy, Science, Sin.add a comment
I remembered a joke I heard as a child this past week (I wasn't a child this week, I heard the joke when I was a child, I just remembered it this past week…..anyway). A guy is complaining about not getting good performance from his car: rough starts, hesitation etc. He begins identifying parts that may be causing the trouble. "Maybe its the fan on the turbo injector or maybe it's the wiring harness over the battery", he wonders aloud when the other guy responds, "It must be the nut behind the wheel".
It's not a very funny joke but anyway it reminds me of another joke: Grandpa was having a nap in the living room when little Billy decided he would pull a trick on him. He smeared limburger cheese in Grandpa's mustache and managed to sneak away before Grandpa woke up.
Grandpa sat up with a sniff and said, "This living room stinks!". With a scowl on his face he stood up left, walking out into the hall where he turned, and paused. "This hall stinks too!", he exclaimed and stomped off into the kitchen. Once he was there with a squawk of disgust he covered his mouth and blurted, "This whole house stinks" and proceeded to stagger outside and stand on the porch. Once he was there, with a twitch of his nose Grandpa yelled for all to hear, "The whole world stinks!" In the end Grandpa couldn't see what the real problem was. It was right under his nose all along.
Steven Hawking was quoted this week saying, "The survival of the human race depends on its ability to find new homes elsewhere in the universe because there's an increasing risk that a disaster will destroy the Earth". Hawking says that if we can keep from destroying ourselves for the next 100 years we will be able to build colonies on other planets that no longer need support from Earth.
Critics of this idea say a base in Antarctica would be much easier build and maintain but I think I already know what that won't fly. It is too familiar to be plausible.
When we look at the mess we have made of this world we think, 'Man I need to get away from this and start over. Then things will be different.' The problem isn't with the planet or what we have done with it. The problem is us: The nuts behind the wheel!
When considering environmental concerns I think George Carlin put it best when he said,
The planet is fine. Compared to the people, the planet is doing great. Been here four and a half billion years. Did you ever think about the arithmetic? The planet has been here four and a half billion years. We've been here, what, a hundred thousand? Maybe two hundred thousand? And we've only been engaged in heavy industry for a little over two hundred years. Two hundred years versus four and a half billion. And we have the CONCEIT to think that somehow we're a threat? That somehow we're gonna put in jeopardy this beautiful little blue-green ball that's just a-floatin' around the sun?
The planet has been through a lot worse than us. Been through all kinds of things worse than us. Been through earthquakes, volcanoes, plate tectonics, continental drift, solar flares, sun spots, magnetic storms, the magnetic reversal of the poles…hundreds of thousands of years of bombardment by comets and asteroids and meteors, worlwide floods, tidal waves, worldwide fires, erosion, cosmic rays, recurring ice ages…And we think some plastic bags, and some aluminum cans are going to make a difference? The planet isn't going anywhere. WE ARE!
We're going away. Pack your [stuff] folks. We're going away. And we won't leave much of a trace, either. Thank God for that. Maybe a little styrofoam. The planet'll be here and we'll be long gone. The planet'll shake us off like a bad case of fleas.
During the aftermath of Katrina I was disgusted to see and hear about chairities that are trying to feed the homeless dogs left behind by the hurricane. Let's get all the people looked after first folks then we can worry about the dogs! Why are we so quick to help the animals and not the other people?
I think the reason animal rights people want to save the whales or save the dolphins and not worry about people is because you never see a porpoise holding up the Piggly Wiggly on the 6 o'clock news. People we have trouble with but sea mammals that we see on the nature shows; we can deal with that!
We would much rather try and move on to someone elses problem, or something simpler, than deal with the one at hand: We are in a mess. Everyone is doing what is right in their own eyes and it's not going so well. Global warming, international war, disease, starvation, these are signs we are living in a world that thinks it knows what is best for itself . In the words of the great philosopher Dr. Phil, "How's that workin' for ya?"
The greatest evidence that there is a God and he has a plan for us is the mess we get into when we try to go it our own way.
Paul begins the book of Romans with this indictment:
The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.
For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.
We have been given a glimpse of God and His nature. Even though it grieves us we know that this world isn't all there is. There must be something more. In going our own way we have exchanged the glorious for the shameful.
Jesus came to make this relationship right. "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him!." (Rom. 5: 8-9)
God didn't wait until we cleaned up our act. He extended His hand to us while we were still stubbornly going our own way. The prophet Hosea captures it beautifully when he relates God's words,
It was I who taught Ephraim to walk,
taking them by the arms;
but they did not realize
it was I who healed them.I led them with cords of human kindness,
with ties of love;
I lifted the yoke from their neck
and bent down to feed them.
Our world doesn't even know it is lost, and yet God patiently waits for our return to His loving care. Praise be to God our Father. May He be glorified and honoured.
Expectant Living (part 3) June 9, 2006
Posted by noelwalker in Devotional, Faith, Grace, Uncategorized.1 comment so far
Continued from here.
Christians are called to live expectantly. We are called to believe that God is real and that he has great plans for us (Jer. 29: 11). We are called to be ready, to be prepared for God to do the great things he has planned to do. We are called to wait upon the Lord.
I wait for the LORD, my soul does wait, And in His word do I hope. My soul waits for the Lord More than the watchmen for the morning; Indeed, more than the watchmen for the morning.
The waiting here in Psalm 130 does not mean killing time, twiddling your thumbs, God would you hurry up and get to work. It means providing your full attention. Declaring your dependence on God the provider. “He leads, we follow.”
It is important for us to accept at this juncture that God does not need our help! It is to our benefit that we call upon the Lord, not His. Scripture is full of examples:
After ten years of waiting Abraham took matters into his own hands and the result was Ishmael. What he did was socially acceptable, but it was not God’s plan.
God is ready to help. When faced with overwhelming odds Jacob grabbed hold of the Angel of the Lord and cried." I will not let go until you bless me." This is a true example of waiting on the Lord. Desperate, faith filled reaching up to God. As a result, God changed his name from Jacob, to Israel, which means "prince of God." His descendants inherited the land.
In Mark 5: 25-32, the woman who had the haemorrhage for 12 years reached out to touch the hem of Jesus as a profession of faith. It was a Jewish tradition that the Messiah, the anointed one would have such power that touching the tassles on the edges of his clothing would bring about healing. By reaching out to touch Jesus she was effectively saying “You are the Christ!” She was putting all her hope in this one attempt. She would make Him unclean by touching Him. This was a very risky manouver but she does it anyway. Great faith at great risk with great consequences and great rewards.
God wants us to be a divine demonstration of His Presence and His Power. We will do that by:
- Believing
- Being Ready
- Waiting on Him
Pray for more faith.
Pray for readiness.
Pray for a heart that is willing to wait on him.
May God richly bless you with a life that is full of expectancy!
Expectant Living (part 2) June 9, 2006
Posted by noelwalker in Devotional, Faith, Grace.1 comment so far
Continued from here.
Expectant living is what we are called to. Christians are people who should be waiting, expectantly for the greatest event that has ever happened in the history of humankind. We believe that Jesus is coming back and that changes the way we look at everything. If we are living expectantly then we believe; we have faith, but it's more than that:
I was told of a poor peasant in the mountains who, month after month, year after year, through a long period of declining life opened his window every morning, as soon as he awoke, to see if Jesus Christ was coming.
He had not calculated the date of Christ's coming, or he would not have needed to look at all. He was ready for Christ's coming, or he would not have been in such a hurry to seek him. He was willing for Christ's coming or he would rather have looked another way. He was able to love, or Christ would not have been the first thought of the morning.
His Master did not come, but eventually a messenger did, to fetch the ready one home. The same preparation sufficed for both. His longing soul was satisfied with either.
Being Ready is the natural response to actively believing. If I believe something new, something wonderful, it is going to change the way I behave.
In Matthew 24: 42-44 Jesus tells this story:
So be prepared, because you don't know what day your Lord is coming. "Know this: A homeowner who knew exactly when a burglar was coming would stay alert and not permit the house to be broken into. You also must be ready all the time. For the Son of Man will come when least expected.
The moral is not the unpredictableness of God; quite the opposite. The moral is the readiness of the servant. God has told us that he will not be fooled. He rewards the ready.
That being said, there is no minimum standard of readiness that God seeks. It is here that many Christians struggle. "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast" (Eph. 2: 8-9). Readiness is not completing a checklist of requirements. He doesn't have a shopping list that we need to fill in order to qualify for the grace he offers.
For example, the Ministry of Fisheries, and Oceans Canada says my boat is 'ready for the water' when it has lifejackets, buoyant heaving line, an anchor, a pail, a fire extinguisher, flares, flashlight, whistle, and navigational lights. If I am missing any one of these things I am "unfit for the seas" and will get a $150 ticket (trust me I know!). God is not like that.
The only requirement for the grace offered is our acceptance of the gift. We were not given a bargain basement salvation. We were given the deluxe all inclusive package. God paid a price so high in sending Jesus to die that there is no additional costs to be paid. We just need to accept his gift, live expectantly and be ready.
In being ready we are buried in baptism, and anointed with the Spirit. Paul says in Romans 6: 3-4
Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
I am no scholar and this glorious gift I have recieved is more than I can comprehend but there is something in baptism that is active and is part of the transforming process God acts out in my life. Baptism is not just a condition of salvation it is a wonderful reinactment that will be completed in my resurrection someday. I am not saved because I was baptized! I am saved because of my faith in Jesus Christ to save. It is because of that faith that I was baptized.
Paul says later, "Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. (Eph. 5: 15-16) Expectant living is living with faith in earnest belief of the promise, it is also living in readiness. This readiness can be described as "waiting on the Lord" but I'll write more on that later.
Expectant Living June 7, 2006
Posted by noelwalker in Devotional, Faith.1 comment so far
A group of expectant fathers were in a waiting room, while their wives were in the process of delivering babies. A nurse came in and announced to one man that his wife had just given birth to twins. "That's quite a coincidence" he responded, "I play for the Minnesota Twins!" A few minutes later another nurse came in and announced to another man that he was the father of triplets. "That's amazing," he exclaimed, "I work for the 3M company." At that point, a third man slipped off his chair and laid down on the floor. Somebody asked him if he was feeling ill. "No," he responded, "I happen to work for the 7-up company!"
Christians are people of “the promise”. Galatians 3: 29 says, “If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.” We are living, right now, in expectation of that promise! He has promised that we will live with Him, that he will prepare a place for us and come back to get us.(John 14: 3) We are also living the first part of our eternal life right now. Once you have put your faith in Christ and been buried in baptism you have begun a life that will never end.
Ironically, now that I think of it, everyone is living a life that will never end. We will all appear somewhere for eternity after this life the question is just where are you going to spend it, but enought about that. Christians need to be living expectantly; like they know something better, something amazing is coming!
You learn a lot about Expectant Living being an expectant father. My wife told me on St. Patrick's day that we were going to have twins and I believed her. I had no reason not to believe her. She had never lied about anything like this before, why start now? This belief started to slowly change my life. People would ask, “ I hear you are expecting!” and I would say, “Yup, can't wait.”, or, “Yes, we're very excitied”. When we were expecting the twins I got this alot! Everyone wanted to see my reaction to: “Boy I bet you'll be busy this summer!” and I would smile and wave, “Yessiree Bob! We sure will be” and then mutter something else under my breath! 
Unlike Moms, an expectant father has a unique perspective on this blessing to come. At first it can be hard to believe for the first few months that anything different was happening at all. There is little to no substantial evidence that anything has occurred: "So you peed on a stick and there are two lines, let me try and see if I can get two lines too!" Finally after a few months the first kick or the ultrasound will get you thinking in a whole new way. I never doubted for a second that Julie was really pregnant with twins but after I saw the evidence or felt the two butts at the same time I started to believe in a whole new way. This new belief is an active belief. How else could wives get husbands to paint rooms, strip furniture, or buy snugglies or head huggers?
Consider 2 Peter 3: 12-14
You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness. So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.
This “looking forward” is from the Greek word prosdoka which here means to expect with certainty. An illustration of this word is found in Acts 28:6 where Paul is bitten by the snake. The observers were expecting him to swell up and drop dead. This “ looking forward” is not a benign wishing but instead a passionate expectation that takes hold of you and in partnership with you willingness, transforms you into the image of Christ. The difference between expectation or hope, and empty wishing is faith.
Through United Press comes the report that termites have eaten through a large stack of pamphlets entitled, Control of Termites, in the mailing room of the University of California at Berkeley. Maintenance men made the discovery. One would naturally expect that university buildings would be free of termites, because at such a center of higher education so much is known of termites and the destruction they cause. But it is one thing to have in a pamphlet the information concerning the control of termites, and quite another thing to make a practical application of that information!
Living expectantly means believing: having Faith! Not a dead faith; a window sill heirloom kind of faith but an active breathing dynamic faith: a certain belief that God is who He says he is and He can do what He said He would do.
If I told you there was a fire in your home, and you believed me what would you do? You would be out the door in a flash! If you sat there and said, “Thanks for the info!” and didn't go anywhere I would be convinced that you had no faith in what I said at all.
James says “Faith without works is dead” (James 2: 26). There are many definitions of Faith out there but one of my favourites is, "Faith as a belief, demonstrated through action". No specific action is required to validate it as faith, but faith shows.
Let's live expectantly: Certain that the best is yet to come!
More on this idea later.
The Day I Quit Smoking June 3, 2006
Posted by noelwalker in Devotional, Grace, Jesus' Nature, Trial.add a comment
Stuart MacLean of the CBC’s Vinyl Café, shares an interesting concept when telling the story of how he quit smoking. He remarks that when he decided to quit, he didn’t make the decision once, for all. Instead, he decided to quit every morning for about 6 years.
Each day he would wake up and forget that he had quit smoking. He would look at his bedside table for a cigarette and a lighter before he remembered that he no longer had any cigarettes. He would have to quit all over again; weighing the decision heavily in his mind.
I was reminded of this story recently when I was asked whether I had quit smoking. It was pledge week at Brock University and all the clubs were out in the halls sharing their purpose with the rest of the school. The federal government had sent some public service people who were signing up people for a “Weedless Week”. As I pushed through the crush of people swarming the tables I was handed a clipboard and asked if I had quit smoking yet.
I was stumped. I didn’t smoke, and was confused as to which response would provide the quickest escape. When I quizzically replied, “Yes” they wanted to know when. “Well, today I suppose.”
“Great!”, the volunteer exclaimed as he handed me a clipboard. “Just fill this out and we’ll be in touch.” Since then they have been so supportive! The next week they emailed to ask how it was going. When I reported that I hadn’t touched a cigarette all week they were thrilled! “Keep up the great work” they replied.
While I don’t wish to make light of any person’s struggle for mastery over any addiction, a significant parallel exists between a smoker’s daily decision to quit smoking and a Christian’s daily decision to allow Christ to have mastery over them.
I am not a Christian because of a decision I made on September 4th, 1983. I am a Christian because I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me (Gal. 2: 20). I am a Christian as the result of a daily decision, but a decision to do what?
How curious a transformation the cross has made in the 2000 years since Jesus’ resurrection. This instrument of humiliation and torture has been reinvented into a symbol of faith. I watched with interest a few months ago as a group of teens carried a cross from Montréal to Toronto and I wondered about the cross and what it means to me. In a recent Bible study at Tintern, we looked at how Jesus used the word cross, even before he was crucified. We read scriptures like:
He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me, and he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who has found his life shall lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake shall find it.
Matthew 10:37-39
Then Jesus said to His disciples, “ If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.
Matthew 16: 24
A cross is commonly seen as a burden, or a challenge. People frequently refer to difficulties when saying, “This is my cross to bear.” In addition the cross is also seen as a physical representation of the gospel. The crusades were led by those carrying crosses and banners to “the lost”. I think neither of these ideas effectively represent the image that Jesus had when we were told to “take up our cross”.
The cross is poorly suited to be a symbol of the good news. The cross is not where we get our power. We are transformed at cross but we are brought to life by an empty tomb. We are molded by the cross but empowered by the resurrection. We need empty tombs on necklaces or in front of church buildings.
Similarly, the cross is not simply a burden in these scriptures. It is a call to self-denial. From the context one can see that Christ speaks of sacrifice. We must be willing to give up family, friends, even life itself in the pursuit of righteousness and the gospel.
A first century Jew would shocked at the use of the word “cross” in Jesus teachings. They each knew what it meant to “pick up a cross”. People who picked up crosses, picked up little else after that; they were taking their last walk. Jesus wanted them to kill themselves?
In these verses Jesus spoke of the human desires, the sinful tendencies, that compete for our attention. Paul explained this further in the sixth chapter of Romans
…our old self was crucified with Him, that our body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin. Rom. 6: 6-7
When you carry a 1st century cross you will find your hands full; there is no room for personal agendas, pride, lust, jealousy, or any other sin. Death to self and the deeds of the flesh will bring Christ to life in you. We can begin to live the abundant life today, with the help of Jesus. Choose to carry a 1st century cross today.
He Loves Faith (part 2) June 2, 2006
Posted by noelwalker in Devotional, Faith, Jesus' Nature, Mark.1 comment so far
Mark 2 describes another great story of faith. Jesus was speaking and a great crowd had gathered. There were so many gathered there that you couldn't get near the door or window of the house He was in. Verse 3 says, "Some men came, bring to him a paralytic, carried by four of them." Not to be deterred, when the friends couldn't get their paralyzed friend to Jesus through conventional means, they literally took matters into their own hands. Climbing onto the roof they removed a section of the thatched roof over top of where Jesus was and lowered him down right in front of him.
Verse 5 says when Jesus saw their faith, he said 'Your sins are forgiven.'
Why forgive sins here? There is something counter intuitive at work here that Jesus was surely aware of. A common theory of the time was that sin relates directly to illness in a person's life; You sin, God zaps you with today's 'plague du jour'!
"Spin the wheel and see what you get… Oh no! it's a bout of leprosy. Let's watch and see if you're truly sorry. If you are then it'll clear up in a couple of weeks. If you're not you'll have it for the rest of your life!"
People who were sick were sinners, End of story. This attitude is clearly seen in John chapter 9.
As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"
"Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.
Think of that! Illness is an opportunity to display the work of God. The way we bear the challenges of our life is a way of demonstrating the paradox of God's power. Strength in weakness.
My Grandma dying with leukemia demonstrated more of Jesus' true nature in the last months of her life then perhaps she had through out the rest of her life. She was an image of Jesus in the way she mended relationships in her family, in the way she encouraged and admonished us to remain faithful. To a member of our family who was not a Christian she said, with a gentle touch, "Make yourself right with God or you'll never see me again!". To me she said, "You take care of [Julie]. Be a good husband". In her passing she demonstrated a great deal about the work of God here on earth.
A paralyzed person would have felt this stigma as well. What had he done to deserve this? In addition to being physically paralyzed he would be paralyzed by guilt as well. To people of that day the sins, whatever they were, were the reason why this person was sick. Anyone like this man would be constantly humiliated and crushed with guilt. Some faithful friends had to go the extra mile and make certain that this man met Jesus.
The amazing part of this story is that I can be that friend too! I can bring my friends, paralyzed by sin, to meet Jesus and let Him forgive them and set them free! All it takes is faith.
- Faith in Jesus power: He is powerful enough to save anyone I know.
- Faith in the Spirit: It's not me that is convincing or convicting them. It is the power of the Spirit.
- Faith in His Word: His words bring eternal life (John 6: 68)
In a classic bit of irony, the rulers speak the truth without knowing it in verse 7, "Who can forgive sins but God alone?". Indeed who can forgive but God? If you wrong me I can forgive you. If I cheat you, you can forgive me, but the sin in general is something between each person and God. Who can forgive that sin but God? Jesus knows this battle going on in their minds and goes one step further.
Who can tell if sins have been forgiven? I could declare that your sins are forgiven, but I have no way of proving it. In another paradox of God's power: The greater work hidden in the lesser. Jesus proves he can accomplish the greater feat of forgiving sins by doing something simpler: He heals the man on the spot.
No man can tell if someone's sins are forgiven but they sure can tell if a paralyzed man is healed. "He rose and immediately took up the pallet and went out in the sight of all so that they were all amazed and were glorifying God saying we have never seen anything like this!"
Our faith can reveal the awesome power of God. His power in our weakness!
