Farsightedness

A few weeks ago, I was introduced to the youth book series The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel. I will not go into the pros and cons of the series here, but there is something about which I would like to speak: how immortality is treated in the series. At one point, an immortal character reflects upon how extreme long life altered his perspective--originally, he and his wife would plan ahead by weeks and months. However, after they gained immortality, they realized that they could plan ahead by years and even decades at a time. The character then briefly wondered that if he himself and his wife planned ahead by decades while they were only a few centuries old, how much more "farsighted" would a being thousands of years old be?

As a Christian, this is uniquely applicable to ourselves. While we are still physically mortal, spiritually, we have new life, and will spend eternity with God. However, non-believers will also experience eternal life--but apart from God. Therefore, both my life and the life of the non-Christian have eternal consequences. So, I as a Christian should not plan years ahead, but eternally ahead--storing up spiritiual rewards for myself in heaven (discipleship) and witnessing to non-believers (evangelism). We should not be focused on short-term pleasures, but work towards long-term, life-term, and eternal-term goals; not thinking about the here and near, but on the far and wide.

This is not to say that we should never do something short-term, but that we should perform short-term activities as part of a longer-term objective. It is one thing for me to read a book for the sake of reading a book--that is nearsighted. But if I read a book as part of learning to be a better student, a better father, a better husband, or a better Christian, then I am adding purpose to my immediate actions. I may have a short-term goal like teaching next week's lesson, but it is really part of a bigger picture--discipling part of the body of Christ. Aiming at long-term goals grants greater meaning and overall purpose to our short-term plans.

But wait--I am a finite being, who naturally plans in finite lengths. God is an infinite being, and so naturally thinks eternal-term. So I end my post with this: God, in His infinite wisdom, plans His actions not just at an immediate or short-term level, like when He answers the prayers of His adopted children. The Father works out His method of accomplishing His goals accross all of time itself--and beyond!

So--how farsighted are your goals--and do they match up with God's?

How Much Have You Been Forgiven?

A few weeks ago at church, the pastor's sermon was about the story of the woman who annointed Jesus' feet. Many of you are likely familier with this story, but I will retell it here: Jesus is feasting at the house of a Pharisee named Simon. While there, a "sinful" woman from the town came to Jesus and wept at his feet. Then, she poured perfume on his feet, and wiped his feet with her hair. Simon's response is initially negative and skeptical: "If this man [Jesus] were really a prophet, then he would know that this woman is a sinner." However, Jesus knew what the Pharisee was thinking, and responded with this parable:

“Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?” Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.” “You have judged correctly,” Jesus said. Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.” Luke 7:41-47, NIV

What stood out to me in this passage was verse 47: "Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little." Those who have greater sin feel greater guilt and remorse when truly convicted by the Holy Spirit. Therefore, when they are forgiven of their sins, their greater guilt is replaced with a greater love for God in His kindness, and a greater longing to live for Him, and a greater witness to others of Christ's sacrifical living. This is not to say that the biggest sinners are always the greatest Christians, nor is it to say that children raised in a Christian home who have accepted Christ at a young age cannot become believers of great love and kindness--rather, that those who were formerly greater sinners are more likely to appreciate their salvation.

So: how much has God forgiven you? And how much do you love Jesus in response?

Choking Hazard

The other day, I was reading in my Bible, and I came accross these words: "No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of." (Luke 6:43-45, NIV)

That got me started thinking--the condition of my heart determines what my words are. Actions might speak louder than words, but words reveal what's in our hearts. So, what are my words? What do I talk about? If someone were to listen in on a conversation with one of my friends, what would they walk away with? Would that person say "Gee, that young man is a dedicated Christian"? Or would they say this instead?--"Man, I just don't know about him. I think he's a Christian, but I also think that he's got his priorities mixed up. He's having his faith choked out of him by the weeds of this world, and he doesn't even know it."

In addition to reading the passage above, I also read this section immediately following: "Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like. They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete." (Luke 6:46-49, NIV)

That also got me thinking: am I being that sort of hypocrite that Jesus is describing? Do I say "Lord, Lord," and not follow what God tells me to do? Am I being torn between God and this world, instead of fully belonging to God? Am I not putting into practice the words I have heard God speak to me? Am I praying one thing, but really doing the opposite of that?Do I fully realize the danger I am in, if I really am a hearer instead of a doer? Jesus described the the destruction of that house as "complete". Can I afford to ignore that?

O Lord, help me to avoid the choking power of weeds of this world and to continually focus on you. Give me the strength to give up the temporary things of this world (no matter how painful), and to instead work for the eternal things of the next world. In Jesus' name, amen.

How Deep the Father's Love for Us

A couple of weeks ago, we sang this song at church: "How Deep the Father's Love for Us". As we sang, it just hit me--how many songs do we have like this today? The entire point of this song is the misery Christ endured on the cross for me. The first line explains the rest of the song--God's love is infinitely great, that He sent His Son in the first place. The rest of the song almost entirely deals with the Son enduring the cross. The last stanza remind us of the results Christ's sacrifice: no more debt.

How many songs today focus on that? Don't get me wrong--songs like Matt Maher's "Christ is Risen" or Phillips Craig and Dean's rendition of "Revelation Song" are both beautiful songs of worship--"Christ is Risen" speaking of how the Christian is now free from sin, and "Revelation Song" speaking of God's sheer majesty and glory. Chris Tomlin's songs are also deeply moving. But how many songs do we commonly sing today speak about the utter horror, pain, and agony of Christ on the cross? Shouldn't we have more songs like "How Deep the Father's Love for Us"? After all, isn't the cross the only reason why we can sing to God in the first place?

I realized something else as I sang this song; at the point of the line "It was my sin that held Him there," it sorta clicked--just for a moment. It was my sin that kept Him up there! Below are the lyrics to "How Deep the Father's Love for Us"; I hope they impact you the same way they did me:

"How deep the Father's love for us,
 How vast beyond all measure
 That He should give His only Son
 To make a wretch His treasure.

"How great the pain of searing loss,
 The Father turns His face away
 As wounds which mar the chosen One,
 Bring many sons to glory.

"Behold the Man upon a cross,
 My sin upon His shoulders.
 Ashamed, I hear my mocking voice,
 Call out among the scoffers.

"It was my sin that held Him there
 Until it was accomplished.
 His dying breath has brought me life
 I know that it is finished.

"I will not boast in anything—
 No gifts, no power, no wisdom—
 But I will boast in Jesus Christ—
 His death and resurrection.

"Why should I gain from His reward?
 I cannot give an answer.
 But this I know with all my heart:
 His wounds have paid my ransom."

Winning the Battle, but Losing the War

Yesterday at church, the sermons (regular and children) preached were both on the Parable of the Sower and the Soils. Many of us are probably familar with this story: a sower went out to sow his seed, and scattered accross the ground. some of the seed fell on the path, where it was eaten by animals. Some of the seeds fell on rocky ground, where it was able to grow at first, but then withered up from lack of nutrients. Other seeds fell on a third type of ground--soil with preexisting weeds. There, even though the seeds were able to spring up, the weeds choked the budding seeds to death. Finally, some of the seeds landed on good soil, where it was able to grow and multiply by a hundredfold.

Now, almost a week earlier, I had heard someone else quote the old saying, "You win them to what you win them with." That made me start to wonder; after all, the problem with some means of witnessing now is that some rely on emotion to win converts to Christ. But if you win people to Christ with emotions, then you aren't winning them to Christ--you're winning them to emotions. And those people are the rocky or weed-filled soil; they are won to faith with emotion, but the emotion gradually fades. When faced with trials and temptations, or the pleasures of this world, those who have been won by emotion cannot stand up against them, because emotions are not strong enough--they will fade away, and the hard work of the Christian life suddenly becomes too much of a challenge for the one of little faith--assuming they had faith in the first place. Ultimately, to "win" someone to Christ through emotions is to win the battle, but lose the war.

I'm not saying that every person who has ever been "won" to Christ through emotion was actually a self-deluded pseudo-heretic who went to hell when they died. I'm simply saying that if you win a person to Christ through emotion, then that person will probably feed on emotion in their spiritual life, and rely on emotions to help them grow closer to God--and that doesn't usually work.

Some people might instead suggest to win others to Christ with conviction, or possibly logic. Bah!--really, you should win non-believers to Christ with Christ. That should make sense; if you were trying to convince people to come your new restaurant, then of course you would not try to convince them to come because of how pretty the outside of your building looks. Nor would you try to convince others to come because of how easy it is to come to the restaurant. You would emphasize how high-quality the food is, the gentle and polite attitude and behaviour of the servers, and back it up with the testimony of real servers and customers. That is how we shoud witness to others.

We shouldn't tell the atheist about how he can get popularity in his neighborhood by being Christian. Nor should we tell others to become a Christian simply because of how easy it is to become one. No! Of course not! We witness to others by telling them of the Christian life, how we can be set free from sin, from a guilty conscience, and from separation from God. We tell others about how now we can be at peace with God and with man, and that even though things might be rough, that it will be worth it because of Christ. Even if they don't agree with us, they can still see our life, how we behave ourselves--and that can be either a powerful testimony for or against you.

If a person is won to Christ by Christ, then that same person will rely on Christ to help them grow closer to God. They will depend on Christ to lead them, and feed off of Christ's words in their spiritual walk. Using anything less than Christ to win people to Christ is almost idolatry. Yes, you can use emotions, but sinners persuade others to do stuff by using emotions. And who gave mankind emotions in the first place? Yes, you can use logic or conviction in witnessing, but sinners also use logic and conviction to persuade others. Plus, who gave man his logical abilities--who convicts us of our need for Christ? Sinners won't use Christ to persuade a crowd of people. Christians should first and foremost use Christ to win others to Christ!

So--how were you won to Christ? And how will you try to win others to Christ?

Open Hearts

"Death and Destruction lie open before the LORD—
how much more the hearts of men!" Pro. 15:11 NIV

Earlier last month, I came accross this verse as I was working my way through the book of Proverbs. As I read it, it just hit me that God knows our hearts--our deepest emotions--and yet how often do I try to cover them up while I pray? How often do I forget?--since God created and patented emotions, He probably knows their depths and range better then anyone else, including me! Why do I not lay open my heart before God?

I think that sometimes the answer is that I am afraid to fully realize the truth of God's omniscience. After all, if my heart is open before God, then not only does that include the good emotions, but also the bad ones. God aware of every positive feeling I experience--every moment and thought of happiness, joy, compassion, love, kindness, hope, pity, humility and more. However, God also knows every negative emotion I feel--all the bad and ugly ones. Anger and hatred, greed and selfishness, arrogence and pride, fear, lust, despair and sadness and everything else that enters into my head. God knows all of that--so why should I try to hide it from Him? Why do I try to keep it from Him, when He has always known about it? I know what I need to do--surrender my emotions to His will and power, but why can't I just tell God what I'm feeling?

Sure, one might say that I don't need to, since God already knows my emotions and anything that might happen with them. But how then can I learn to trust God, if I do not entrust Him with my heart? How can I grow in my love of God if I do not give my love to Him? Lord, I pray that I would realize just how much you know about me--everything, including my emotions--and that I would always remember that my heart is open before you, like a book. I pray that You would not just teach me this truth, but that You would also help me to apply it to my everyday life. Amen.

Puny Praying

"What is the cause of most backslidings? I believe, as a general rule, one of the chief causes is neglect of private prayer." --J.C. Ryle

Earlier this month, I recieved an e-mail with this quote in it. As I read it, I almost felt ashamed. After all, how often do I pray? At least twice a day, when I wake up and go to bed--if my thinking is clear enough in the morning, and if I remember at night. However, even Jesus--God Himself in human form--highly valued prayer.

In the Gospel of Luke, it says "[...] the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed." (5:15-16) Think about this! If Jesus valued prayer to the Father so much--if He used it as communication within the Trinity--then how much more should I prize it?! How much more important should I consider it as access to the divine will and power of God? Yet how frequently do I get distracted while praying, or simply say "ThankyouLordamen"?

J. C. Ryle said this in his book Thoughts For Young Men:

I dare not lay down too strict rules on such points as these. I leave them to your own conscience. You must be guided by circumstances.
Our Lord Jesus Christ prayed on a mountain;
Isaac prayed in the fields;
Hezekiah turned his face to the wall as he lay upon his bed;
Daniel prayed by the riverside;
Peter, the Apostle, on the housetop.
I have heard of young men praying in stables and haylofts. All that I contend for is this, you must know what it is to "go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen" (Matthew 6:6).
There must be stated times when you must speak to God face to face, you must every day have your times for prayer — You must pray. (Kindle edition, locations 668-673; quote from another e-mail)

How often do I pray? And how often do I pause and appreciate the chance to come close to God? How often am I thankful for being able to speak to the One Who Hears my prayers? Oh Lord, help me to realize the importance of my prayer life with You and to grow closer to Your Son. Amen.