Devotional and Bible

4 June 2007

The most important thing is …

God!

Welcome to the 5th post in our series, which is answering the question – what is the most important thing? So far we’ve talked about three things that, though important, aren’t the most important.

The first was results, which, though very important, didn’t win the prize. What about doing? Is the most important thing doing good things? Obviously that’s very important – but not the most important. How about being? Surely character is the most important thing. Well, yes, it’s important, but there are still problems with saying it the most important.

Now, after all this suspense, you’re feeling betrayed – you’re feeling cheated! God is the most important? Of course! you say. We were expecting something profound!

Not so fast. Sure, we all think it’s obvious – after all, if there is a God, by very definition God must be the most important! But the truth is, we often don’t think this way, and we more often don’t live this way.

Too often we put all the focus on results. If things aren’t going well, we feel helpless. Or we focus on what we’re doing – and if we can’t do anything we think is useful, we feel useless. Perhaps we put the focus on who we are – pretty important, I agree. But too often we find that we’re not even living up to our own expectations, never mind God’s! And if we fail here, what hope is there?

Well, there is hope, because ultimately, it doesn’t depend on us. It doesn’t depend on you or I, and it’s not all about you or I. It all goes back to the Creator, the One who started it all, and the One who has it all under control.

We talked in previous posts about the dangers of over emphasizing each point. Well, it’s hard to over emphasize God, but you can run into trouble if you ignore what God has said about the other three things – results, doing and being.

Let’s say you things are going poorly for you. You might start to be fatalistic – "oh well, it’s all up to God anyway". A fatalistic attitude ignores the fact that we personally have responsibility. Or we might be angry at God – as if all our problems are His "fault". And yet, again, the Bible makes it clear that we are responsible for the fallen state of the world – humankind has sinned, and we personally have sinned. Recognizing that God is the most important doesn’t mean that none of us have a part to play in His purpose. But it does mean that He has a purpose, and that He is in control of the ultimate results.

And what if things are going well for us? Well, it may just become and intellectual game; we may become detached. Again, we should have ultimate confidence in God, but we shouldn’t misunderstand God and the part we play in showing the world His glory.

Let me give a couple of illustrations from Scripture. First, a story – the story of Lazarus. It’s a good illustration of all 4 points. Jesus raised him from the dead (God – in ultimate control). Lazarus became alive (Being), and he obediently came out of the tomb (Doing). The result? Many believed in God!

As you can see (and we’ll talk about this when we sum up in our next post on this subject), there’s a circle here – it all goes back to God in the end, and His glory.

If you really want to delve and see how these 4 things work, an interesting place to start is John chapter 14. Write down what parts relate to each. Appropriately, the chapter starts with believing in God. Jesus interweaves all these things throughout the passage. For example, If you love me (a focus on God, and on being), keep my commandments (doing). And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever (back to God again).

Of course, these things are all throughout Scripture – it’s interesting to read with these in mind.

It’s so important to keep things in order, whether in success or failure. In the midst of success, we must remember to bring the glory back to God (in other words, realize and verbalize the fact that God is really the one who brings success). In the midst of failure, we don’t need to despair – God has things under control. It doesn’t all depend on us. Better still, He can pick us up and give us another chance. He can use us even when we feel like we’ve made an impossible (and I mean impossible) mess of everything.

Or there may be times we just feel confused, out of control, or useless. When we’re sick in a hospital bed and others must care for us, isn’t it great to know that God still has a plan for us? When we’re sick and so confused of mind that we can’t even pray, isn’t it great to know that the Holy Spirit can pray on our behalf? God loves us and cares for us even when it seems there is nothing we can do. And quite often when we can do little in the eyes of the world, He still uses us through our prayers and our endurance under trials.

He has a plan. And He’s a God of love (He wants what’s best for us) and a God of power (He’s able to deliver!). Isn’t it good to really know the grace and peace of God?

15 April 2007

Meditations on Luke 9

Jim Devotional and Bible, Family 0

My Dad publishes a email newsletter called Wordwise Insight. It features Bible study thoughts, questions from readers, and ideas for Bible study and your church.

I particularly enjoyed one article in yesterday’s issue, and thought I’d point you to it. It’s basically a few quick thoughts on discipleship, from Luke 9. It’s interesting to read through the chapter, and ask yourself, what was Jesus trying to teach people about Himself? And, what was Jesus trying to teach people about following Him?

For example, my Dad found four tests to see if discipleship is really happening, and three things that in some cases took priority over following Jesus.

Jesus always had a way of cutting right to the heart of the matter in each situation. We need to let Him do that in our own lives. Check out Tests of discipleship; a crisis of values, and more in the latest issue.

8 April 2007

Life after death? (Resurrection Sunday)

Jim Devotional and Bible, Ministry glimpses 3

Sometimes during our conversation class at school we’re handed an article to read on a certain topic. We read it over and discuss it and learn new words and so on.

One day, the featured article was called,"Is there life after death?" (in Spanish, of course). I found myself getting extremely irritated by the article. Not because of all the ridiculous things it said about the afterlife, but what it said about "the Judeo-Christian religions". It dedicated a whole sentence to why these religions (which include Christianity, as most of you know) believe in life after death.

So why do we? Well, according to this article…

The Judeo-Christian religions accept it just by faith, or because of medical states when people enter into a coma and see "another world".

When I read this, I went into a tirade in Spanish, which likely no one else understood. But now it’s my chance to do it in English.

Let me tell you, if that’s all we have to offer as evidence, we’re pretty pathetic. First of all, I don’t go for this "just by faith" business. What’s that supposed to mean? Believing something without evidence? In that case, I can just as easily believe that we’ll all turn into pink monsters with green stripes who search the galaxy for jellyfish to eat after we die. I can accept any religion I want "just by faith". What a crock.

And you’re telling me near death experiences are proof? We’re talking about a spiritual world here, folks. Didn’t it ever occur to anybody that our physical mind may not be able to know or understand what’s happening to our spirit after we die? Didn’t it ever occur to anyone that there may be other spiritual beings out there that could trick us into thinking something is happening, that isn’t even real?

Sorry. This isn’t proof. I’m not going to base my entire life and death on such nonsense. And I can’t believe that the writer of this article would include such a straw man of an argument.

Here’s a statement I often hear when we’re talking about life after death. "Well, no one’s ever come back to tell us what it’s like, so I guess we can only guess." As a matter of fact, I think I heard that when we discussed this article.

Well, we know that someone did come back. That’s the whole point. We talked about this a bit yesterday. This isn’t a matter of groundless faith.

For example, we have eyewitness accounts from the first century. We have a mysteriously empty tomb, a body no one ever found (except for those who claimed it was walking around and talking). We have the testimony that over 500 people saw Him at the same time. We have people who died as martyrs because they believed He was alive again. Isn’t it odd that no one ever came forward saying it was all a hoax?

And it’s not just that there was a spiritual resurrection. The disciples claimed Jesus’ body was alive. It wasn’t just an empty tomb – they claimed that they had seen Him.

That event changed the course of history. It has since convinced millions to turn around and give their lives to the Saviour. Many more have given their lives and been tortured for this belief. Lives that were on the rocks have been transformed. Miracles have happened.

Let me tell you, our faith is not based on blind believe or some vague experiences of a few medical marvels. Volumes have been written about why the Word of God is trustworthy, and why we can have confidence that Jesus is alive. There’s everything from ancient documents to present day testimonies that point to this fact.

Of course, all the evidence in the world won’t convince you to follow Him. All the facts won’t remind us to trust in that new life that Jesus demonstrated. But this "just by faith" business makes it sound like Christianity is just another religion – another flavour-of-the-month that you can choose or not choose because it really isn’t important.

What could be more important than where we will spend forever? What could be more wonderful than knowing that our Master has already won the fight over death? What could be more liberating than knowing death is no longer something to fear? How could we not be excited to know that our dreams do not need to be set aside because life is short?

We follow the One who died, and then came back. If we follow Him, we will someday shed all our pain, heartbreak and disappointment and live a life that is so fantastic we won’t want it to end. And it won’t.

¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤
If you’re interested in investigating the mystery and miracle of what happened in Jesus’ tomb almost 2000 years ago, here are a few places to start. Here’s a video discussing the resurrection featuring Dr. William Lane Craig. From ChristianAnswers.net, How do we know that Jesus Christ really rose from the dead? And finally, a good all-in-one article, Evidence for the Resurrection.

7 April 2007

The lost tomb of Jesus (Holy Saturday)

Jim Devotional and Bible, Missions, News and current issues 12

I know, I was thinking the exact same thing. Why even bother writing about The Lost Tomb of Jesus?

For those of you who for some miraculous reason haven’t heard anything about it, this is a documentary put on the Discovery Channel, from executive producer James Cameron (known for writing and directing Terminator, and producing Titanic, among many others) and produced by Simcha Jacobovici (both Canadians, actually). The documentary claims that archaeologists have at last found the tomb of Jesus (and his family), and that – *gasp* – Jesus’ body is still there!

Well, don’t get too excited. It turns out that this tomb was discovered in 1980 (remember that historic even? You don’t??). The BBC even did a documentary on it several years ago. An old story has been repackaged one more time just in time for the Easter season.

Let’s just say that the "Titanic" jokes are going strong in the media. The documentary is full of holes. Archaeologists and scholars from all over the world are pointing this out. The much embarrassed Discovery Channel quietly pulled the planned multiple reruns, so you won’t be catching the show this weekend.

You can dig around for more information on the tomb, I won’t go into the details here. But here are a few articles that might get you started:

These are some of the reasons I didn’t even bother to write about this at the time. However, I decided to make it a part of my weekend series, because there are actually a couple of things that bother me about this whole situation. They’re really bigger issues; not just about this documentary. But this is a great example.

1. Is anyone actually buying this?

I was talking to someone when this came out (I forget who), and they made the comment that this documentary wouldn’t probably be a big issue with the general public, perhaps only with a few university students. The point being that most people don’t care so much about all this scholarly talk about history and diggings in the Middle East.

My first reaction was that I wouldn’t worry about Christians (because surely they wouldn’t buy this), or university students (because surely they’d know enough to realize that the claims in the documentary were ridiculous. Perhaps I was a little naive to think that…), but that I would worry more about the general public.

It goes back to the old saying that if you repeat something enough it becomes true. True, most people aren’t going to care about the scholarly research – but that’s just the point. They’ll hear a little about it, see the documentary, and assume that there must be some truth in it. Most people will never check it out further.

Someday, when they are confronted with the claims of Christianity, they’ll assume it can’t be true. No discussion. That’s just the way people think.

Hey, that’s even the way I think. If there’s a minor topic that I don’t care much about, I’ll hear a little about it and never bother to check it out more if it sounds wrong or doesn’t interest me. And that’s the way it is with Christianity for a lot of people.

And, in fact, the book that the documentary is based on is actually selling. Lots. So as the media keeps talking about cover ups and plots and codes and tombs, many people will just get the impression that the Bible is just full of false information, and they’ll never bother to investigate. The answer? A lot of prayer, and a lot of time, and a lot of relationships with these people who otherwise will never understand who Jesus really was.

2. Would it matter if Jesus’ bones were found?

The big shocker was that many "Christians" were saying that it really wouldn’t matter to their faith if Jesus’ bones really were found. After all, Christianity is really about loving your neighbour, and no bones in a box are going to change the good things Jesus taught.

Now, Jesus bones are not going to be found. If bones from a first century rabbi were found, we would really have no way to prove beyond a doubt whose they were.

But guess what? Jesus didn’t just teach love. He taught that He Himself was the Way, the Truth, and the Life. He taught that He would rise again. His disciples based their faith not on Jesus’ teachings, but on Jesus Himself. Their foundation was a real, physical resurrection. Many were tortured, imprisoned and martyred because they believed that the tomb was empty. The apostle Paul wrote that if there was no such thing as a resurrection, the Faith was futile. Our lives were hopeless – we’re still in our sins.

Something strange happened 2000 years ago. The disciples were surprised by it. The authorities couldn’t deny it. Thousands were soon transformed by it. People gave their lives for it. Hundreds of people witnessed a man alive who everyone had seen publicly executed. Jesus proved that He was trustworthy, that He was more powerful than death and sin, and that He had the ability to save us from both. He was dead in the tomb. But not anymore.

The Garden Tomb, where some believe Jesus was buried.
Photo courtesy of calebdzahnd.

6 April 2007

Surprised by sin (Good Friday)

Jim Devotional and Bible 1

Recently, I was surprised by sin.

Oh, I know I shouldn’t be surprised. The Bible teaches us that everyone sins, everyone still sins, and that sin leads to death. The idea itself of rejecting, ignoring, and spitting in the face of the God of the universe is hard to even understand.

I’m not usually surprised anymore when I see horrors in the news. Most of us have seen what mankind is capable of. I’m not generally surprised when I see sin around me, or even when a friend fails me. And of course, I’m not surprised when I see sin in my own life. That’s something God continues to point out to me, and He continues to forgive me and set me on the right path.

But actually, it was my own sin that caught me by surprise. It started with something I would consider very minor. And it wasn’t that itself that shocked me. It was my reaction. All of a sudden, I realized I didn’t want to confess. I didn’t want to do anything to make it right. The shock was that suddenly, over something very small, my flesh seemed ready to give up everything just to protect something small and insignificant.

Every once in a while, we need to realize just how powerful sin itself is. Sometimes we think in the back of our minds that, if we just had enough time, the right program, the right environment, we could reform. We think of sin as extra fat we can just work off. Or perhaps it’s something mainly in the past. Sure, we need a Saviour because we did this and that way back when. But if we had the chance, we wouldn’t do it again.

It’s not that we simply need to "reform". It’s not so much that we need God to clean our hearts even. We need Him to give us a whole new heart. The old one is beyond reform. And its power is incredible, even in the life of the believer.

We have to realize how powerful sin is before we can really appreciate the cross. Before we came to the Lord, we were dead in our sins. That’s pretty hopeless. Not much you can do when you’re dead. But even now, we still feel the pull of evil. It’s all the worse because we really want to follow Christ now. And yet we still fall again and again if we down allow the Spirit within us to keep us on the right track.

We need the cross and the empty tomb at the centre of our lives. As Christians, we need to remember the forgiveness there, remember that a victory over sin and death was won. We need to recognize the power of the cross in our lives again and again. We need to allow the Spirit to make the power of Christ’s victory real in our lives each moment.

We also need to recognize the power of sin in the lives of others, and live with compassion and humility as we point them to the Lord. Understanding sin from God’s point of view changes our view of those around us.

It’s almost impossible to underestimate sin. But then again, that power is nothing compared to the power of Jesus, and the good news of His forgiveness and new life. We would be totally, completely helpless and without hope if it weren’t for what Jesus did on the cross. Then again, we are saved completely because of what He did there. The cross is never just for my past, or just for someone else. It’s the transforming power of today.

Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
David (Psalm 51:10)

But if we walk in the light as He is in the light,
we have fellowship with one another,
and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
John (1John 1:7)

17 March 2007

The faith of Patrick

Jim Devotional and Bible, Missions 0

The 17th of March marks over 1500 years since the death of Patrick, missionary to Ireland. I thought you might be interested in reading his confession of faith, translated from the latin by John Skinner. This is a small part of his Confession (Confessio), a defence of his ministry. Patrick’s writings are full of Scripture, and he shows a continuous love for the Trinity and a knowledge that we are called to reach every nation with the Truth.

There is no other God nor ever was nor will be in future days, other than God who is unbegotten Father, without beginning, yet from whom is all beginning and who holds all things in being as we have come to learn;

And his son Jesus Christ whom together with his Father, we bear witness, has most surely always existed even before time began, begotten spiritually and present with the Father in a manner beyond human words; before all time began.

And through him have all things, seen and unseen, been made, then he himself was made man, and once death had been overcome, he was received into the heavens with his Father.

“And he has given him full power over over every name in the heavens, on earth, and in the depths beneath so that every tongue shall confess him that Jesus Christ is our Lord and God” (Phi 2:9-11).

It is he whom we believe and we hope he will soon come again, to be “judge of the living and dead who will render to each man according to his deeds” (Acts 10:42; Rom 2:6).

And “he has poured out abundantly his Holy Spirit upon us” (Tit 3:5-6), given us his pledge of our immortality. Which Holy Spirit makes us both believers, obedient “children of God and equal heirs with Christ” (Romans 8:16-17); whom we confess and adore, one God in the most holy named Trinity.

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