Contrary to what Maynard G. Krebbs may have thought, work is not always a dirty word. It was my privilege to be raised in a Christian home. As a matter of fact, I cannot remember a time when our family life didn't revolve around the Church. I was born on a Monday and was in Church on Sunday. In the intervening years I was taught the value of worship, Bible reading, prayer and service by my parents - who were fairly young Christians themselves.
In all the years of my childhood I don't think I ever read through the Bible. I knew Old Testament stories and the valuable lessons they taught, and I knew the New Testament stories and the truth of the Gospel. I memorized Scripture and received an award: a Bible (which I still have on my shelf!). I knew from a young age that I would be a preacher, and once in Bible college I studied the Scriptures. I just wish I had studied a little more diligently then.
After a number of years in the ministry I began reading through the Bible each year. I discovered many truths that had been hidden to me before because I was reading for knowledge rather than reading to know God deeply. Sometimes my Bible reading was nothing more than moving the bookmark. I say this to my shame, but that's the way it was.
One day, in reading through the Old Testament, I read something that shook me to the core. The prophet Isaiah declared that "all our righteous acts are like filthy rags" (Isaiah 64:6). Without being too graphic, he was saying that even our righteous acts are filth to the Lord. They will be discarded. And then I came to Galatians where Paul's whole argument is that our salvation does not depend on our works. Or, as Augustus Toplady wrote, "Not the labors of my hands can fulfill the law's demands."
Up to that point I'd been knocking myself out trying to do enough good things that God would have to love me. I was seeking some overwhelming weight of good deeds that would inevitably tip the scales of God's justice in my favor. But now I had discovered that nothing I could do - preaching, singing, serving, writing, praying, reading - could ever make God love me more than He already did in Christ Jesus.
Don't misunderstand: I still work. But I'm not working to earn God's favor or to be set free from my sin. I'm not trying to earn my salvation or even secure my spot in heaven. I work now because of gratitude. And I have found that I'm not satisfied with all I do. After all, how could you every thank God enough?! I truly want to do more; not to earn God's praise and favor, but to exalt Him more in my life.
I'm so glad that God, in grace, called me to Himself that I might believe in His Son. I am so glad Christ's atonement covers my sins because no amount of digging would produce a hole big enough to bury all my sins. I'm so glad He considered me faithful and appointed me to His service. And I'm so glad He has given me.....
A Steadfast Hope!
Monday, August 1, 2011
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Doomsday: Are You Ready?
The Doomsday Clock conveys how close humanity is to catastrophic destruction - the figurative midnight - and monitors the means humankind could use to obliterate itself. First and foremost, these include nuclear weapons, but they also encompass climate-changing technologies and new developments in the life-sciences that could inflict irrevocable harm. According to the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, the amount of time remaining before the total annihilation of humanity has varied over the past 60 years. They started keeping the Doomsday Clock in 1947 by declaring that we were 7 minutes from midnight. By 1953, as the United States was testing hydrogen bombs, the minute hand reached 2 minutes before midnight. In 1962, with the signing of the Partial Test Ban Treaty between the US and USSR, the hand moved backwards and we were 12 minutes from midnight. During the intervening years we have been as close as 3 minutes (1984) and as far away as 17 minutes (1991). Currently, according to the Doomsday Clock, we are 6 minutes from midnight. There is, however, another clock that sits on God's desk. Of course, this is figurative since we all doubt that God actually has a desk! But God's clock is His own and it is the only clock that really matters. His time is not our time, and we obviously can't conprehend time as He does. But His timeline has been moving slowly toward the return of His Son, Jesus Christ. Before the Lord Jesus returns there will be some severe manifestations of the wrath of God. Many believe before these judgments reach the climax in the complete destruction of the world, Christ will call His Bride, the Church, to Himself in the air and we will be with Him forever. No matter your eschatalogical views, there can be no doubt that we are not going to be here forever. Many people are thinking these days that it won't be long before Christians are called home or the Lord returns in majesty, glory and judgment. Of course, there is also the possibility that any of us could die tomorrow. Those who are in Christ will be ushered into the presence of God in heaven because of the righteousness of Christ. Those who stand before God without the wedding garments, who have not been cleansed by the blood of Christ and been made righteous, will be cast into hell for eternity. And despite what you may have heard or read in the news lately from other preachers, hell is a real place, and it is for eternity. The question remains: are you ready? If Jesus Christ were to return today, would He be your Blessed Hope or your holy terror? If you have never accepted Christ as your Savior, today is the day to act. Repent of your sins, confess His Name as the only nmae by which we can be saved, be baptized into Christ and accept His atonement. Then you will be able to live by His power at work in you by His Holy Spirit. If you are a Christian, the question applies to you, also. Are you living in expectation of the return of Christ? Have you committed your life to holiness so that you will be found well-pleasing in His sight? Are you praying for and witnessing to the lost? Are you longing for Christ's return or just passing time here on earth? Friends, doomsday is coming. This world will not last forever. We won't destroy it by pollution or carbon emissions. God will destroy it because of sin as He pours out His judgment on this planet. Only through Jesus Christ can you escape the coming doom. Only then can you have...... A STEADFAST HOPE!
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
The Bookmark
In His amazing grace God has preserved for us His holy Word as the ultimate guide for living. Every believer is to feast upon the riches of God’s Word on a daily basis in order to persevere through trials and to successfully discern God’s will. Deep in his heart every believer knows that they are to crave the pure spiritual milk of the Word (1 Peter 2:1). The Holy Spirit drives us on to know the truth and to apply it to our lives. We learn to hunger for the nourishment that feeds our souls.
Every true believer longs to have his life described by David’s words in Psalm 1:2. The sweet psalmist of Israel described the heart of the righteous with these words: But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. Is that a description of your heart’s hunger for the Word of God? Since we know the Word is God’s truth and since we have tasted of His goodness, it should naturally follow that we long to feed on and meditate on the Word each day. The Word brought us to salvation and the Word sanctifies us for the Lord’s glory. It is the spiritual food of which this world knows nothing.
James 1:19 tells us that we should be “swift to hear, slow to speak and slow to become angry.” This is especially true when it comes to our reading of God’s Word. Quite often we find ourselves hurrying through a passage that is familiar to us that we miss unexpected treasures. We often argue with God’s Word when it conflicts with our opinions. We often become angry when the Word confronts our sin. Instead of being so quick to speak and quick to become angry we need to respond with a humble heart that says, like Samuel of old, “Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening.”
In his commentary on the Book of James, J. A. Motyer reminds us of the futile practice of reading God’s Word without paying attention. Motyer writes, “It is possible to be unfailingly regular in Bible reading, but to achieve no more than to have moved the book-mark forward: this is reading unrelated to an attentive spirit. The word is read but not heard.” (J. A. Motyer, The Message of James [Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity, 1985], 64–65)
How we must long for the pure milk of the Word. It is the only Source of true nourishment for our souls. Only by reading the Word of God with attentive ears can we hope to attain
A STEADFAST HOPE.
Every true believer longs to have his life described by David’s words in Psalm 1:2. The sweet psalmist of Israel described the heart of the righteous with these words: But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. Is that a description of your heart’s hunger for the Word of God? Since we know the Word is God’s truth and since we have tasted of His goodness, it should naturally follow that we long to feed on and meditate on the Word each day. The Word brought us to salvation and the Word sanctifies us for the Lord’s glory. It is the spiritual food of which this world knows nothing.
James 1:19 tells us that we should be “swift to hear, slow to speak and slow to become angry.” This is especially true when it comes to our reading of God’s Word. Quite often we find ourselves hurrying through a passage that is familiar to us that we miss unexpected treasures. We often argue with God’s Word when it conflicts with our opinions. We often become angry when the Word confronts our sin. Instead of being so quick to speak and quick to become angry we need to respond with a humble heart that says, like Samuel of old, “Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening.”
In his commentary on the Book of James, J. A. Motyer reminds us of the futile practice of reading God’s Word without paying attention. Motyer writes, “It is possible to be unfailingly regular in Bible reading, but to achieve no more than to have moved the book-mark forward: this is reading unrelated to an attentive spirit. The word is read but not heard.” (J. A. Motyer, The Message of James [Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity, 1985], 64–65)
How we must long for the pure milk of the Word. It is the only Source of true nourishment for our souls. Only by reading the Word of God with attentive ears can we hope to attain
A STEADFAST HOPE.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Doing Business
In Luke 19 Jesus tells the Parable of the Minas. It is the story of a king going away to receive his official commission, and while he is gone he gives his servants a sum of money with which they are entrusted. He tells them, “Do business with this until I come back.” The NIV says “put this money to work until I come back.” The Greek word is pragma, from which we get the word pragmatic. They were to do something pragmatic with this money; make some business with it. The point is that the man has placed into the care of these servants a generous trust for which they would be held accountable.
What makes this story so compelling is that you and I are in this story. There are only three possibilities. You are either a true servant, a false servant or you are an enemy of Christ. A faithful servant does business with the Master’s gifts and continually receives more opportunities to serve Him. The false servant has received a commission from the Lord but never applies himself to the work of His master. They really don’t care whether Christ’s kingdom comes or succeeds. They simply don’t care. Therefore, they put forth no effort at all. And the enemies figure they can simply ignore the King of glory and suffer no consequence. There are no other categories. And the King is coming. When He comes He will call you to account. The question is: what will you do while the King is away?
Late last summer, my mother-in-law had some surgery and my wife decided to go and spend a week with her. That means I was left at home alone. As tragic as that sounds, and as much as I was tempted like any man to slack off on the job, the house was still standing when she returned home. Furniture had been dusted; the floors had been vacuumed and polished; clothes had been washed, dried and put away; dishes were clean and in the cabinets; and there was an ample food supply in the refrigerator. I even managed to have a surprise for her: I stained the deck on the back of the house!
It would have been easy for me to slough things off since “the boss” was away. I could have let her kingdom fall into ruin and betrayed her trust. But there is one reason I labored to make the house as pleasing as possible: I love her and I didn’t want to see a look of disappointment on her face. She does so much for me and is so valuable to me that I willingly cleaned up after myself each day and stayed up late the night before I drove to Virginia to pick her up in order to get the extra things done.
Christians, our Lord and Master has gone away for a while. He has been crowned the King of kings and Lord of lords. He has received His kingdom and will soon return to reign in splendor and majesty. At that time He will ask us, you and me, to account for how we handled His business here on earth. He will look at us with eager eyes in anticipation of our offering to Him. As a demonstration of our love for Him we must be about His business until He returns. After all, He did say, “If you love me, you will obey what I command” (Jn. 14:15).
Bill Hybels once summed up the attitude that should mark all believers: “I would never want to reach out someday with a soft, uncalloused hand - a hand never dirtied by serving - and shake the nail-pierced hand of Jesus.” Our diligent and faithful service provides us with the divine comfort of
A STEADFAST HOPE
What makes this story so compelling is that you and I are in this story. There are only three possibilities. You are either a true servant, a false servant or you are an enemy of Christ. A faithful servant does business with the Master’s gifts and continually receives more opportunities to serve Him. The false servant has received a commission from the Lord but never applies himself to the work of His master. They really don’t care whether Christ’s kingdom comes or succeeds. They simply don’t care. Therefore, they put forth no effort at all. And the enemies figure they can simply ignore the King of glory and suffer no consequence. There are no other categories. And the King is coming. When He comes He will call you to account. The question is: what will you do while the King is away?
Late last summer, my mother-in-law had some surgery and my wife decided to go and spend a week with her. That means I was left at home alone. As tragic as that sounds, and as much as I was tempted like any man to slack off on the job, the house was still standing when she returned home. Furniture had been dusted; the floors had been vacuumed and polished; clothes had been washed, dried and put away; dishes were clean and in the cabinets; and there was an ample food supply in the refrigerator. I even managed to have a surprise for her: I stained the deck on the back of the house!
It would have been easy for me to slough things off since “the boss” was away. I could have let her kingdom fall into ruin and betrayed her trust. But there is one reason I labored to make the house as pleasing as possible: I love her and I didn’t want to see a look of disappointment on her face. She does so much for me and is so valuable to me that I willingly cleaned up after myself each day and stayed up late the night before I drove to Virginia to pick her up in order to get the extra things done.
Christians, our Lord and Master has gone away for a while. He has been crowned the King of kings and Lord of lords. He has received His kingdom and will soon return to reign in splendor and majesty. At that time He will ask us, you and me, to account for how we handled His business here on earth. He will look at us with eager eyes in anticipation of our offering to Him. As a demonstration of our love for Him we must be about His business until He returns. After all, He did say, “If you love me, you will obey what I command” (Jn. 14:15).
Bill Hybels once summed up the attitude that should mark all believers: “I would never want to reach out someday with a soft, uncalloused hand - a hand never dirtied by serving - and shake the nail-pierced hand of Jesus.” Our diligent and faithful service provides us with the divine comfort of
A STEADFAST HOPE
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