Terms to Learn

The White Horse Inn has a wonderful new list of “Terms to Learn.”  If you’ve ever been confused about a theology term, you may find a solid, biblically based answer to that confusing term at this site.  They are adding to the list every week.  I highly suggest it to you!

I would also highly suggest that you listen to their weekly podcast called The White Horse Inn.  It will enlighten and teach you well!  I simply allow ITunes to download it for me each week.  An amazing tool!

You can also listen to it on their website  — or subscribe to it directly on their website.

A Great Post to Read

I could try to write it myself – but this is said so well I will just post the link.

To all of those who long to learn more about God — to all of those who can’t seem to find accurate teaching — read this great post on the Puritan Board.

A Self-Serving Faith?

Image by Deacon3000 (CCL)

“My hypocrisy knows no bounds.”  That famous quote from the movie Tombstone has always stuck inside of my head.  Five little words can say a lot — even from a movie.

We don’t often think about hypocrisy….because in the end, there is the very real threat that our own conscience might indict us.

The word hypocrite comes from the Greek culture.   It was used to describe the actors who wore masks used in the dramatization of their roles.  It’s easy to hide behind a mask, appearing to be one thing — in reality, being another thing altogether.

The fact is — we all struggle with hypocrisy.  We all do things we say we do not do.  We are all sinners — and we all sin.

I am humbled when I read in Jeremiah 17:10:

“I, the LORD, probe into people’s minds.  I examine people’s hearts.  I deal with each person according to how he has behaved.  I give them what they deserved based on what they have done.”

Do I choose to tuck that fact in the back of my brain and forget about it?

We are told in 1 Peter 2:1 to “get rid of all evil and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander.” That’s a tall order.

Can we do it?   No.  But God can work in our hearts and minds if we allow Him.  In our fallen human condition, it is impossible to be perfect on this earth but we can choose to allow God’s word to guide our actions.  We can choose to let God’s word to live so deeply within our hearts and minds that our natural inclination will be to follow His words.  Quite frankly, I’m not sure how we can live with outselves without relying on God in such a way.

How do we get rid of evil, deceit and hypocrisy?  The next verse (1 Peter 2:2) explains,

“YEARN like newborn infants for pure, spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up to salvation, if you have experienced the Lord’s kindness.”

I pray everyday that my children, family and friends will take this verse to heart.  Yearn for — long for — God’s word.

We are warned in 1 Timothy 4:1-2 that some of us will desert the faith, being influenced by the hypocrisy of liars whose consciences are seared.

Do we think this is possible?  Are we so self-confident that we will not fall prey to these influences?  Or shall we, like Doc Holliday in Tombstone, brag about our hypocrisy?

If we do, we are foolish.  Let us, instead, desire humility.  1 Peter 5:5 says that God opposed the proud but gives grace to the humble. He requests that we clothe ourselves with humility. It says the same thing in James 4:6 — a passage learned from Proverbs 3:34.  The old things — the old teachings — still matter.

Finally, Jesus himself reminds us of this:

Matthew 11:28-30 Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke on you and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy to bear, and my load is not hard to carry.”

I have a feeling that we make the load hard to carry — by our hypocrisy.  His load is not burdensome.  It is freeing.

God reminds me that in order for me to receive His favor, I must understand His precepts.

Isaiah 66:2 My hand made them;
that is how they came to be,” says the LORD.
I show special favor to the humble and contrite,
who respect what I have to say.

So many times we blame God for our circumstances.  Do we respect what God has to say?  Do we take the time — do we make it a priority to know the things of God — accurately?

Loyalty (Image by soldiersmediacenter CCL)

Psalm 107 reminds us that He is the one who has delivered us.  When the Israelites wandered through the wilderness — they were hungry and thirsty.  They cried out to God.  He satisfied their hunger and thirst.  Again, they rebelled against His command.  So God used suffering to humble them — they stumbled and no one helped them up. (Ouch – that one hurts – God used suffering to humble them.  How many of you try to say, “God wouldn’t ‘ do that?”)

They continued their sinful pattern, crying out to God and faithfully, He delivered them. They acted like fools in their rebellious ways and they suffered because of their sins.  They cried out yet again and God once again, faithfully delivered them from their troubles.  He assured them and healed them.  Time and time again the people repeated the rebellion/humbling scenario.

Do you see a pattern here?

The last verse says:  “Whoever is wise, let him take note of these things!  Let them consider the LORD’s acts of loyal love!

Respect.  Humility.  God made us.  God in us.   God has been faithful to us.  He is loyal to us.  Him — not us!

Let us take note!  Let us be careful not to have a self-serving faith bathed in hypocrisy but rather, choose to bathe ourselves in humility.  Humility can go a long way towards countering the hypocrisy in our hearts.

The Mouth

Image by Protohiro (CCL)

Have you ever noticed how some people love to pick fights over such unimportant matters?  Some may not realize that they are picking fights over minutia, but in reality, that is exactly what they are doing.  Some have become so practiced at engaging in battle that it seems normal and satisfactory to them.

No doubt good intentions are the core reason that some engage with such provokingly prickling words, but good intentions don’t make the pecking any easier to take on the receiving side.  Like chickens, some choose to peck away at people they love and appreciate — over such little things!

Even Christians.  Of all the people who should reject this perplexing pecking problem of engaging in controversial conversation over minuscule issues, it should be Christians.  Not that we are perfect, but that we should be  attempting to understand the grace of God in such a way that we follow the advice given to us in the Bible.  Love your brother and sister.  Encourage them.  Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another — all the more as you see the Day drawing near. (Heb. 10:24-25)  We aren’t to segregate ourselves to avoid conflict and hurtful words.  We are to meet with the body of Christ – interact with them – learn from each other – uplift each other.  Kindly.  Rationally.  Lovingly.

So many times we excuse our behavior in order to justify ourselves.  We fail to see that our worldview — the one that we are convinced is right — may not appear correct to another person.  We fail to see that our worldview on unimportant, earthy matters, opinions and preferences doesn’t matter in the long run.  It doesn’t matter in the short run either.  While the Bible is clear on empowering believers to expose error in biblical teaching or blatantly sinful behavior — it doesn’t mean that we should wiggle each and every little thorn in our brother’s flesh until it bleeds — especially when it concerns trivial earthly matters.

I recently had an encounter with someone I really like.  I appreciate their eccentricity because I have a few of my own quirks that others must put up with (and I appreciate that they do!)  I admire this person’s zeal and passion on earthly topics that interest them.  However, they mistakenly believe that their version of understanding on these topics is the only standard of acceptability, and thus proceeded to try to enforce their understanding on me in a fairly confrontational manner.  It was apparent that they didn’t perceive their words as confrontational — but nevertheless, they were.  Their perceived correctness empowered the behavior – but the behavior was still ill-placed and hurtful.

You see, regarding the little things in life, they overlooked the fact that I have my own intelligent understanding of the very topics under attack and our opinions obviously appear to disagree with each other.  The thing is – that’s ok!  We are allowed to disagree!  These little things are non-essentials.  They are preferences.  They are personal in nature and do not impact the big things of life; things like our salvation and growing in the knowledge of our Lord.

Image by Fuzzy Gerdes (CCL)

It’s all proof of our fallen nature.  We desire recognition and appreciation.  We desire for our voice to be heard and appreciated.  We desire to have the world take notice — of us.  Silly, I know.

We must remember that our very nature and essence of being whispers into our soul that we are justified in our wrongful actions, when in fact, we are not.

The older I get, the more I try to say less.  Yet, even when I do (as was the case for this recent confrontation), even that is challenged!

Not necessarily in this blog.  This blog has a purpose – a way to leave a part of me for my children and grandchildren.  Hopefully, the words I leave are wise ones – honoring to God and others.  That doesn’t mean my words won’t be opinionated or purposely focused.  They will be.  But in the course of everyday life, I am trying to meditate on some verses to help me in my quest to use fewer words.

2 Timothy 2:14-17 Remind them of these things, and charge them before God not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers.  Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.  But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, and their talk will spread like gangrene.

Gangrene – that gives you some food for thought!

Ephesians 5:6 – Let no one deceive you with empty words. So – so important.  The world is full of empty words.

Proverbs always has some great advice from those past humans who have learned from the wisdom of experience.  For instance, I’m trying to learn to chew my words before I spit them out.  Proverbs 29:19- 20 By mere words a servant is not disciplined, for though he understands, he will not respond.  Do you see a man who is hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him. Proverbs 17:27 Whoever restrains his words has knowledge, and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding. Proverbs 16:24 Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body. Proverbs 12:18 Rash words are like sword thrusts (yes they are!)

I may have to write more about words later.  My study found some wonderful things to ponder.  Suffice it to say that words matter.  Delivery of words matters.  Some words should be restrained and most of all we should strive to make them gracious towards others – to sooth the soul of our friends and loved ones.

Yes, words matter.

A Balancing Act

Image by Gilles Gonthier (CCL)

A squirrel tried to commit suicide under my car on the way to church this week.  He crossed the opposite lane successfully then looked confused as he tried to decide whether to cross into my lane.  There were several cars on my side getting ready to land right on top of him — myself included.  He stopped, looked behind himself, then proceeded to retreat to the safety of his origin.

Suddenly, he turned on a dime and darted right in front of me.  Panicked, I swerved and tried to miss him because I love the little creatures.  I think I was successful but there were other cars behind me.  I still don’t know his fate.  I don’t like to think about it.

This little story caused me to think:  How often do we run out in the middle of the road and wonder why we were almost run over?  We see where we’ve been.  Sometimes we can look ahead and predict the the outcomes of our choice – but not always.  Often we know better than to proceed into murky and dark waters but we foolishly choose to do it anyway.  We can clearly see the danger ahead but something inside our little brains tells us not to care.

The thing is:  We can’t hide out either.  We have to take risks….chances…opportunities.  Life has so much to offer us.  It has so much to teach us.  Life, with all of its hazards, is an amazing gift from God.

Image by Gilles Gonthier (CCL)

There’s a balance to be struck somewhere in the middle.  Maybe we should look before we leap.  Maybe we should consider consequences before we forge ahead into the unknown.  Perhaps we should consult our Creator before we do something that might contradict His will for our lives.

That’s the big one. Do we often consider God’s will for our lives before we leap?  My guess is that it’s usually an after-thought for many of us.

I’m not saying it’s easy to control our impulsive desires, but it’s the sensible thing to do.  God gave us a brain — we should use it.  I believe God wants us to enjoy the beauty of what He has given us, but I also believe He wants us to keep Himself at the forefront of all that we do.

Do we?

Ignorance Is No Excuse

Serenity on Lake Irwin

In his book “The Soul’s Quest for God” R.C. Sproul  says, “Spiritual discernment is neither a new revelation nor an understanding that takes place in a vacuum.  Christianity is not an esoteric religion attainable only by an elite group who alone are privy to divine truth.  The revelation of the Lord of Glory takes place in the open sphere of history.  It is not a secret thing “done in a corner.”  No one exposed to the biblical testimony can justly claim ignorance as an excuse for ignorance.  Though God displayed patience toward ignorance for a time, there was a limit, a terminal point to his forbearance.  Once God fully and finally demonstrated the identity of His Son by raising him from the dead, his forbearance ended.”

Being then God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man.
The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent,
because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.” Act 17:29 – 31

This generation likes to use excuses.  That includes this particular Christian generation.  For every downfallen and backslidden Christian there is an excuse:

• “If God had wanted me know more about Him, He would have taught me through the Holy Spirit so I could automatically know all about Him.
• I shouldn’t have to study the Bible so deeply.
• I don’t have time.
• I know all I need to know because the pastor tells me all I need to know.
• I know the basics; it’s enough for me.
• Those people have too much head knowledge and not enough heart knowledge.
• It’s all about the love, baby.  That’s all I need – God’s love.”
• If we don’t become culturally relevant, people won’t come to church.

I ran into a local pastor at the grocery store today who is starting a new church in our area. We had an interesting discussion about what the church should be about — should it merely love its people or should it teach its people? Because he had a dysfunctional childhood, he was clinging to the love. Because I long and hunger to understand God — because I’ve been in seeker churches that fail to teach and have watched hundreds leave because their souls are dissatisfied and still hungry — I love strong teaching. My childhood had its own share of dysfunctionality, but that drives me even more to study because my parents didn’t teach me.

In reality, it’s not one or the either – it’s both and more. The church must embrace both love and teaching but it cannot sacrifice one for the other, which is a common occurrence within the realm of Christendom today. The church must provide solid community for its believers. They must share the sacraments together and support each other through the moments of daily existence, as Christ has commanded us. The church must serve the poor and those in need locally and around the world.

Some will find this next statement controversial, but I think this one thing has sorely been overlooked in our contemporary churches. Having bought into the seeker mentality for awhile, I now believe the church is for Christians, not seekers. Seekers are welcome into our worship services, but it is the body of Christ that gathers together to worship. Non-believers don’t worship. By losing this focus, the church has become disjointed, in my humble opinion. It’s even sadder.  How many times have any of you seen non-Christians function in leadership roles in the church. Sadly, I’ve seen it often. I’ve even seen a Mormon woman lead a Bible study/small group at our large seeker church in town (the one I left).

Too often today, one or more of these essentials is absent in the church, (or perhaps one aspect is overemphasized at the cost of another) sending out a false message and representation of the gospel to a watching world. That’s particularly troubling when we know that the soul of a Christian longs for God. It searches high and low to know the things of God. Of all places, the church should be a place to find understand, love and a brotherhood of saints well established and thriving because the things of God are put first – not the things of man. There is a witness involved. There is integrity to maintain — the integrity of God’s Word and the integrity of accurately representing Christ to a fallen world.  We cannot claim ignorance.

If I were to grade the contemporary church and present it with a report card, I’m afraid it wouldn’t want to show its grade to its Father.  I wouldn’t allow the church to blame their failure on ignorance.  If I could leave one thought to the next generation of the church — I would tell them that church doesn’t have to be so complex. It doesn’t have to have the latest and greatest ideology, technology nor cutting edge leadership protocols. In making our churches so ideological and edgy we have lost sight of the core. It can be so much more simple.

Quite frankly, I think people would rather choose to come to church to rest in the Word of the Lord, surrounded by the common love of His people, than they would choose to run feverishly from this committee to the next — going to this conference or that one — trying to figure out how to increase church numbers with some marvelous 45 second video — marketing the next latest pop book to the church congregation — making sure the count-down clock is exactly on time so the service starts with a bang.

Seriously – did every church in the country need to teach The Purpose Driven Life? Wouldn’t the Word of God been more than sufficient and indeed more desirable for God’s people to hear? I would tell them — let’s make the church real, tangible and faithful to the Word of God. Allow the people of God to rest when they enter into community at church. Generations are all the same. Your generation is no different than mine. We all want to know God.  It’s a fact that if the church were doing its job, I wouldn’t have to spend so much time online listening to teachers who do take God’s Word seriously.  I would be able to find it in my own community.  But I hunger — and I thirst.

Sproul is right. The contemporary church cannot declare its ignorance. It knows better. Likewise, as Sproul commented, each of us cannot declare ignorance to be the cause of our ignorance.  I can think of a few other things that are the cause of it. Laziness. Pride. Selfishness. Idolatry. Self. Worldliness. Sin. It’s a long list.

But that’s topic for another day. And there is a future hope that doesn’t let me dwell on it too much.

I also have hope for the younger generation.  I just heard an amazing gospel-driven message by a recent WTS graduate visiting at a small church in our town.  Honestly, it’s the first time in a very long time that I’ve heard the Word of God delivered so powerfully by someone so young.  Maybe you would enjoy it as well.

Pushing and Shoving

This last month has been entertaining in our valley.    It’s the fall elk rutting season and our valley is chock full of elk.  We spend many restful hours watching the elk interact with each other.   It’s amusing to watch a bull elk try to sneak up on a female, then observe the flip of her muzzle upward into the air as she turns and prances away from his advancing clutches.

The strongest males in the bunch engage often in powerful battles for the hearts and affection of the ladies.  I’ve seen a few of them keep their antlers forcefully locked together for hours on end.   They push and shove — clash and clank — all to no avail because the ladies ignore them.  Yet, they continue as if their very lives depended on it.  Eventually, one bull will turn and run.  That’s not good enough for the victor.  He pursues the fallen and downcast guy, intent on using his mighty antlers to pierce the flesh of the defeated one.

Well, as nature has it, the strongest elk will win.  He will get to possess most of the ladies while the other bulls sneak in an advance or two, hoping it goes unnoticed by the victorious bully.  Such is life.

This reality mirrors human activity fairly well.  People push and shove to get ahead of others.  Some are stronger and more persistent and will usually win — that is, if we define winning by the world’s definition.  I rather think that for these individuals it’s not so much the winning that really matters.  It’s the ‘being noticed’ that matters.

From the dawn of creation, man has wanted to be thought of as special and important, so important in fact, that man often tells his internal self that the world simply could not go on without them.  Man has, since the dawn of time, deeply desired to be noticed and appreciated.  Perhaps I shall go further and state that man’s deepest desire is to be revered by the world around him. Why?  It’s our nature.

Isn’t this the very thing that happened before creation?  Didn’t Satan fall because he wanted to be revered?  In Isaiah 14:12-15 we read:

“How you are fallen from heaven,
O Day Star, son of Dawn!
How you are cut down to the ground,
you who laid the nations low!
You said in your heart,
‘I will ascend to heaven;
above the stars of God
I will set my throne on high;
I will sit on the mount of assembly
in the far reaches of the north;
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High. ’

Elk eating my garden - the fruit of my labor

Satan wanted to sit on God’s throne.   He wanted to be revered and worshiped.  In the deepest recesses of his heart, he wanted to make himself like God the Father.   The Most High Father of everything.  However, the created cannot usurp the power of the Creator.

In one article I read about Satan, it described him as God’s original worship leader.  Jeff Miller says: “Full of wisdom and beauty, Satan grew jealous of the attention that God received.”  Ezekiel 28: 11-17 tells us that:

Thus says the Lord God: “You were the signet of perfection,
full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
You were in Eden, the garden of God;
every precious stone was your covering,
sardius, topaz, and diamond,
beryl, onyx, and jasper,
sapphire, emerald, and carbuncle;
and crafted in gold were your settings
and your engravings.
On the day that you were created
they were prepared.
You were an anointed guardian cherub.
I placed you; you were on the holy mountain of God;
in the midst of the stones of fire you walked.
You were blameless in your ways
from the day you were created,
till unrighteousness was found in you.
In the abundance of your trade
you were filled with violence in your midst, and you sinned;
so I cast you as a profane thing from the mountain of God,
and I destroyed you, O guardian cherub,
from the midst of the stones of fire.
Your heart was proud because of your beauty;
you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor.

A herd mentality

That’s a mouthful but it’s important to understand.  Satan shouldn’t scare us.    Ezekiel tells us that God has already destroyed Satan. Satan was blameless until unrighteous thoughts filled his heart, causing him to sin.  Christians know that the result of sin is destruction.  In this case, pride caused the wisdom of Satan to become corrupt.  Pride is an ugly thing.

There is good news, however.   Sproul reminds us that Jesus was sent for a reason.  God sent Him to right the wrong and fix the heart.

All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Jesus! That seems to conflict with what we hear today in Christian circles.  How many times have you heard your Christian friend say that Satan is the ruler of this world?  I find it reassuring to understand that Jesus is the king of this earth right now.  Satan may be in our world working overtime to manipulate and coerce, but his every effort is under the scrutiny of a king who has been given authority by the Father to rule.

Sproul goes on to tell us that, “His kingdom is invisible, and not everybody acknowledges it. People are giving more allegiance to the prince of darkness than to the Prince of Peace, but that is an act of usurpation on the part of Satan. His power is restricted, limited, and temporal. What has happened briefly is this: The power and authority of Satan has been dealt a fatal blow by Christ. The Cross, the Incarnation, the Resurrection, and the Ascension tremendously weakened any power or authority that Satan enjoyed, but it didn’t annihilate him. That will come later, when Christ completes his work of redemption with the consummation of his kingdom. All things will be brought into captivity to him, and every knee will bow to him, including the fallen angels, who will bow in submission to his authority.”

We must daily remind ourselves that nothing is to receive glory except God.  God emphasizes to us in Isaiah 48:11 that He will not give His glory to another.

If we know this, how then should we live?  We can either live the “notice me” life of Satan — we can join the herd mentality of the world, pushing and shoving until everyone is injured, wrestling till our inward strength fails — or we can rest in being a servant of God.  The irony is this:  God created us for His glory!  Isaiah 43:5-7 is a strong reminder of this.

Fear not, for I am with you;
I will bring your offspring from the east,
and from the west I will gather you.
I will say to the north, Give up,
and to the south, Do not withhold;
bring my sons from afar
and my daughters from the end of the earth,
everyone who is called by my name,
whom I created for my glory,
whom I formed and made.”

Think about that for awhile.  Can you rest as a created child of God’s glory? Can you put aside your human desire to be noticed and simply rest in the Hand of the One who created you?

What We Can Learn From Our Dogs

We recently got a new puppy – a beautiful Australian Shepherd male puppy.  He was the runt of the litter.  We named him ‘Howard.’  The name just seems to suit him somehow.

Howard is a red merle Aussie; copper and white all swirled together in a beautiful mosaic of pure puppy pleasure.  He has two big, beautiful, blue eyes that pierce right into your heart.

I’d like to share something that the breeder gave to us when we purchased Howard.  It’s entitled:  What We Can Learn From Our Dogs.

Now, if you were my mother, you would answer, “Dogs don’t teach you a thing.  They are a bother.”

I, on the other hand, would disagree.  Dogs can teach us a lot.  They can teach us how to love unconditionally and completely.  How many humans do that?  Hmm?

Dogs can protect and treasure us.  Dogs give us a way to demonstrate our love tangibly and without premeditation.  I mean, when you look at Howard’s picture, doesn’t’ your heart just melt?  I have a feeling it lowers our blood pressure, too.  Loving our dogs gives us a way to express our love and appreciation to God, who created such a warm, fuzzy puppy face to caress.

Simply said, dogs are simple.  They think simply.  Things just are.  Life simply exists.  No need to over-analyze nor presume.  I rather think we can learn a lot from our dogs if it’s only that we need to simplify our lives and enjoy the process of ‘being.’

Here’s the list she gave me:

** When a loved one comes home, always run to greet them.

** Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.

** Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure ecstasy.

** Practice obedience.

** Take naps.

** Stretch before rising.

** Run, romp and play daily.

** Thrive on attention and let people touch you.

** Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.

** On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass.

** On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.

** When you’re happy, dance around and wag your entire body.

** No matter how often you’re scolded, don’t buy into the guilt thing and pout.  Run right back and make friends.

** Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.

** Eat with gusto and enthusiasm.

** Stop when you have had enough.

** Be loyal.

** Never pretend to be something you’re not.

** When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by and nuzzle them gently.

Our wonderful Charlie loves his new buddy.  They play together and sleep together.  Charlie has taught him all the ropes in no time at all. In fact, Howard could very well have been named Mini-Me because he looks like Charlie’s miniature clone.

I am so thankful for Howard’s wonderful and careful breeder.  They made it simple for us to love and choose Howard.  The ropes we had to jump over were low to the ground and balanced.  I am thankful to their sensibility and carefulness.   In the past, we’ve tried to find a puppy to bring into our home (which is an excellent dog home, I might add), but were turned back by the plethora of hurdles we had to scale and the judgment calls about our character we had to survive in order to bring their pup into our loving home.

I certainly want a breeder to be careful where their place their puppies.  No doubt about that.  But I’ve seen some excesses this past year.  Howard’s breeder used common sense and her puppies received wonderful homes.  I know many people choose rescue dogs for their homes for this very reason — the frustration of dealing with unreasonable breeders –  but we couldn’t adopt a rescue dog due to the nature of my business.  I have children in my home constantly and must have a dog I can completely trust in that environment.

When I think about all of the dogs that need rescuing – rescuing from bad owners and bad breeders – my heart sinks.  Sometimes, not always, the damage is beyond repair for some of these precious dogs. They certainly haven’t deserved that kind of treatment.  I am thankful to those who have the ability to rescue them from their misery.

Dogs love so completely that they give their entire heart to you at a moment’s notice.  It’s only fair that we return the favor, don’t you think?

Howard and Charlie

Unbelievers Don’t Seek God

OK, this is a hard one.  Even though it’s biblical, many contemporary Christians don’t understand this very real theological truth.

No unbeliever ever seeks God. What, you say?  How can that be!?  Isn’t that why we have seeker-friendly churches?  So that unbelievers can seek God?

What misconceptions we foster because we choose to be negligent of God’s Word!  R. C. Sproul says in his book, Knowing Scripture: “Here then is the real problem of our negligence.  We fail in our duty to study God’s Word not so much because it is difficult to understand, not so much because it is dull and boring, but because it is work.  Our problem is not a lack of intelligence or a lack of passion.  Our problem is that we are lazy.”

Our slothfulness causes lots of problems.  Isn’t that a great word?  Slothfulness.  Our slothfulness (laziness), among other things, has caused us to believe inaccuracies and then declare them to be personal, falsely-declared self truths — things which, in fact, are not truths at all.  Our laziness has caused us to make poor choices and led us down rabbit trails that have no eternal destination.

In Romans 3:10-11 we are told,  “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. In our human, earthly, un-regenerated state, none of us would seek God.  It’s simply not in our nature to do so.

Yes, here it comes again – another Sproul quote from his book, The Soul’s Quest for God.  I’m sorry!  (Not really).  Sproul has taught me so much.  His clear cut teaching has meant a lot to me as I’ve grown to know God better and I’ve been reading a lot of him lately.  Here’s what Sproul says: “Fallen humans are not by nature seekers after God.  We are fugitives from God, fully intent upon escaping from him.”

Sproul goes on to relate that Saint Thomas Aquinas gave an answer to this preponderance.  Aquinas explained that the unbeliever desperately seeks happiness, peace of mind, meaning and significance in life, relief from guilt and a host of other things we link inseparably with God.  These are mere benefits of God.  That, however, doesn’t mean we are seeking God.

What Sproul and Aquinas are saying is that our heart desires to run from God.   We don’t necessarily want to be caught.  We seek the benefits that God offers us but without all the hassle of really knowing Him.  Since it is not our nature to seek God, until regeneration takes place, our hearts cannot understand a Holy God nor do we desire to understand Him.

Yet God desires that his people would worship Him in spirit and truth.  God desires that we grow in the knowledge of Him.  He desires that we mature and do not remain spiritual infants. God seeks such people to worship Him.  Authentic worship studies the Word of God in order to know the true God.

Psalm 119:1-12 is another beautiful example of the importance of knowing God’s Word:

Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the LORD!
Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart,
who also do no wrong, but walk in his ways!
You have commanded your precepts to be kept diligently.
Oh that my ways may be steadfast in keeping your statutes!
Then I shall not be put to shame, having my eyes fixed on all your commandments.
I will praise you with an upright heart, when I learn your righteous rules.
I will keep your statutes; do not utterly forsake me!
How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word.
With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments!
I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.
Blessed are you, O LORD; teach me your statutes!

Notice in this Psalm that there is a correlation between seeking and knowing God’s word.  Seeking with one’s whole heart.  The two co-exist.  Those who love God want to know more about Him — the real Him.  Those who love God are the real seekers.

Also notice in this Psalm that the writer intensely desires to follow God, but he is not saying that he is successful at doing so.  He is merely trying to say that his human heart desires to follow the statues of God to the best of his sinful nature.   Most of us know that we do fail — and will fail.  That includes Christians.  We can be thankful that God forgives our  failed meanderings when we confess them to Him and ask forgiveness in the areas that we fail.  He is compassionate towards our plight.

It is the Christian who seeks God.  When we find Him, it is only the beginning of our journey.  In order to understand God, we must be motivated to study His word so we have an accurate portrayal of Him.  In order to seek God, we must love him.  Solomon reminds us of this in Song of Solomon 3:2, “I will seek him whom my soul loves.”

Lord, help me to love you so much that my heart desires to know you deeply.  Help me to desire the substance of the Word you have provided for me.  Help me to thirst for you.

We Actually Think God Doesn’t Know

Many of you who read this blog know that I’m passionate about a ministry called Compassion International.  So passionate, in fact, that I volunteer for them.  I live and breathe to find just one more sponsor who will rise up and declare that they will love that one special child who is still waiting for a sponsor.  Why?  Because I have personally seen the impact our four sponsored children have had on my life.

I bet you thought I was going to say — because I have personally seen the impact I have had on my four sponsored children.  That’s what I thought in the beginning.  How easily I get it backwards!

Yesterday at church I was trying to explain to a couple how God had worked in my life through sponsorship.  I could see they wanted to sponsor but they just didn’t get it.  They had a million excuses why they shouldn’t — and they talked themselves right out of sponsorship even when I could see they really wanted to sponsor.  They ignored the clear prompting of God in their hearts to respond.  In reconciliation, I prefer to think of it as hope deferred.  God can be persistent

As a volunteer, sometimes this frustrates me.   People see the genuine need — they have more than enough money — and they choose to walk away from a child who really needs them.

God has had to teach me some hard lessons through my volunteerism.  He’s had to chastise me when I feel anger and disappointment welling up inside of me because of the selfishness I see in others (and if I’m honest, in myself.)  When I see someone pick up a packet and then walk away, it’s easy for me to judge others when I know I shouldn’t make conclusions about unfinished journeys.

The fact is, it’s easy for me to think that God needs my help when in reality, He doesn’t my help at all.  While I’m a mere vessel for offering opportunity to others– while I’m His hands and feet serving the children– only He inspires.  Only He convicts.  Only He can connect a child to a sponsor.

One of our sponsored children, Witness

How do I know this?  Because God has told me that even the tiniest sparrow doesn’t fall without the our Father knowing about it.  I know this because Ephesians 1 tells me that God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in Christ and chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world — that He and only He predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ according to the purpose of HIS will.  How amazing is that?

Still, I inwardly rebel.  I see people living double lives. They say they want to serve but ignore a real and tangible way to rescue a hurting child.  I judge people’s motives and have no right to do so.

I watch as people, including myself, hide things from God — as if they could.   We actually think God doesn’t know our hearts.  I watch as people ignore clearly taught words in the Bible.  Words which ask us to do something.  I’m compassionate to a point, but since I’m a black and white person, I sometimes let it get the best of me.

How can people ignore James 1:27 or Psalm 112?  God has been clear about poverty in the Bible.  He has been clear about the need to help children.  To ignore these mandates, in my opinion, means that a person is ignoring God.  We say and believe that God is a just God.  We say He died for our sins.  We say He loves us.  We believe that He provides justice for those in need and yet we ignore that He asks us to be His hands and feet.

We convince ourselves that God doesn’t see this dark side of us.  We actually think God doesn’t know what we are doing (or not doing).  We choose what we want to do instead of choosing to love the things that God has asked us to do.

Ephesians 2:8-10 is an amazing passage.

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.  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

It’s amazing enough in itself that we are saved!  We are saved only by the grace of God through our faith in Him.  Not only that, our salvation is a gift to us!  One day, we will live in eternity with the Father!  How amazing is that?

Our sponsored child, Amani, with his family

But here’s the kicker.  Here’s the part we often ignore.  We are created in Christ Jesus for good works that God prepared for us to do — before we were even created! God wants us to walk in this path.  He wants us to do the things He has prepared for us to do. Our good works won’t save us.  God has already done that for us.  But He has a little request of us.  He asks us to help those in genuine need.

These things aren’t unknown to us.  They aren’t things we esoterically divine for ourselves to do.  They are spelled out for us.   Zechariah 7:9-10 tells us not to oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner or the poor.  How simple is that?

If we truly understand with a grateful heart that God, in His infinite mercy towards us, saved US, then why can’t we do something as simple as saving a child?   Compassion International makes it so easy.

And the irony?  The blessing is yours.  It shouldn’t be — but I can almost guarantee it will be.  How beautiful is that?  God loved us so much that He not only saved us, but created us to be His hands and feet and in the process, He blesses us.  Amazing.  Simply and utterly amazing.

After it’s all said and done, we must remain faithful and trust that God, in His sovereignty, has a plan for each and every child — and for every sponsor.