Choose Wisely

Choose Wisely

Luke 16:22-28 NIV - [22] "The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried. [23] In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. [24] So he called to him, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.' [25] "But Abraham replied, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. [26] And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.' [27] "He answered, 'Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father's house, [28] for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.'

 

One of my favorite films is Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.  In it, Dr. Jones and his rival Donovan, both in competition to find the Holy Grail, discover a room full of hundreds of potential grails, one of which is the true cup of Christ.  The knight guarding the Grail tells them, "You must choose, but choose wisely.  For as the true grail will bring you life, the false grail will take it from you."  The greedy Donovan chooses the most luxurious, extravagant cup, and soon violently perishes from rapid aging.  Indiana, however, finds hidden behind fancy cups a humble, meager cup without decoration.  "This is the cup of a carpenter," he proclaims. This cup saves his father's life, but the knight instructs him that eternal life will only come if he stays within the temple.

 

There is an incredibly powerful analogy to be drawn from this film scene.  Christ gives each of us a choice.  We can partake of the extravagant cup and live our lives on this earth full of its comforts, or we can take the cup of the carpenter.  We can choose to spend our life in the temple: in God's presence.    Christ tells us that these are our only two choices.  Look in Luke 16.  Jesus tells the story of the rich man and the beggar who both die.  The rich man spent his life in luxury on earth but spends all of eternity in hell.  Repentant perhaps of his ways, he cries for Lazarus to warn his brothers of hell "so that they will not also come to this place of torment."  On the other hand, on earth "Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and [the rich man] is in agony." 

 

What choice will we make?  We can either be Lazarus or the rich man.  There are many who question whether there is perhaps another option, but our Lord leaves us with no such room to play dice.  The issue is that man is inherently fallen, not innocent.  He is in dire need of redemption, and unless he is willful to ask for it, Christ will not provide it.  Jesus is a gentleman; He will not force Himself upon us.  But if we choose to live outside of His reign, we must accept the consequence.  We must follow him whom we serve.  If that is Satan and his angels, then we will follow them to hell. 

 

But damnation is not the message of the gospel.  The gospel is a message of peace, of salvation, of joy!  Christ has made us aware of the reality of the unsaved man, but he has provided a way out for us!  Which cup will you drink from?  Choose the rugged road.  Choose the way that is difficult, but is so rewarding.  A relationship with Christ far outweighs any earthly pleasures we can have here on earth.

 

 

 

The Model of our Heavenly Father

The Model of Our Heavenly Father
John 10.25-30
25 Jesus answered, "I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father's name testify about me, 26 but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. 27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all[c]; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. 30 I and the Father are one."

Where ought a father to derive his authority?  It is a simple question that is not asked often enough.  So many men stumble into fatherhood either purposefully or accidentally, but have no direction other than learning as they go along.  But this is not the attitude our Heavenly Father had on Christ on earth, nor is it the attitude Christ has on us.  Biblical fatherhood is a manifestation of heavenly fatherhood.  In John 10 Jesus states that "the works [He does]" are "in [His] Father's name."  Those are the works that testify about him.  Those are the works that bring  us under Christ's direction, for Jesus says that "[His] sheep listen to [His] voice; [He] knows them, and they follow [Him]."  The love of the Father flows through the Son, and that love then showers itself bountifully upon us. 

Fathers, is the situation so different?  Are we not to provide the love and direction of the Father, just as Christ did to us?  The model of fatherhood is an analogous representation of the Father's love of the Son.  So it is that every action a father does bears immense impression upon his children.  The love a Father shows to His children is what the children see as God's love.  Fathers, let us ensure that the instruction and direction of Christ is being passed onto yourself and to your family. 

This reveals the most crucial aspect of fatherhood:  a man's own relationship with the Father.  If a father is not in persistent study and prayer, if his life and actions are not tuned to the will of God, the love of the Father cannot be manifest upon his children.  Fathers, it is so vital to heed the instruction of the Lord, not merely for yourself but for your children and your wife.  A family that is mirroring Christ's lifestyle and instructions and that is responding daily to the Lord's personal direction upon that family will prosper spiritually.  The storms and waves of life will by no means topple such a household because its foundation is build upon the Lord. 

Fathers, is Christ's love moving through you and onto your own family?  If not, turn to the Lord today.  There is nothing more important than for the salvation and godliness rooted in a man's household. 

Weekly Devotion 6.12.2011

The Yield of Those Who Are Patient

Jos 5:12 NLT - [12] No manna appeared on the day they first ate from the crops of the land, and it was never seen again. So from that time on the Israelites ate from the crops of Canaan.

The old adage of "good things come to those who wait" truly shines all throughout Scripture.  In James 5.7 we are instructed to "be patient as you wait for the Lord's return. Consider the farmers who patiently wait for the rains in the fall and in the spring. They eagerly look for the valuable harvest to ripen."  We read also of the Israelites spending 400 years in bondage, and another 40 wandering through the desert.  The Bible speaks so often of patience for a reason:  it yields the fruits of the Lord.  There is a reason that Hebrews 12.1 coaches us to "run with endurance the race God has set before us."  Our faith is not a sprint.  It is a long journey that continues well beyond when we first give our hearts to the Lord.  Indeed, Christianity is about continually giving one's heart over to Christ's forgiveness.  In doing so, we will receive the favor of the Lord.

In Joshua, we read that the Israelites finally, after 40 years of wandering, begin their campaign to take the Promised Land God has given them.  After  decades of manna, we read that "no manna appeared on the day [the Israelites] first ate from the crops of the land, and it was never seen again."  Wow!  Talk about patience!  Forty years later, when the Israelites finally have land to cultivate, the Lord didn't forget their needs.  He had still been delivering manna all that time!  The patience of the people Joshua led went on to create a prosperous civilization that would arise to one of the most powerful middle eastern powers of the Bronze Age.  More than this, however, the Lord would use this civilization to bring forth the Messiah by whom we have all been saved:  Jesus Christ.

Yes, good things come to those who wait.  What are you waiting on from the Lord?  What does He have in store for you?  Hang in there!  If the Israelites could wander in the desert for 40 years with nothing but manna to eat, we can endure whatever trial the Lord delivers to us.  As He never left the Israelites during their exodus and never failed to deliver them the Promised Land, so too He will not forget His promises to you:  promises to bless you so that you might live a life that is a beacon to the world and a blessing to God! 

Worship and Wonder through the Lord's Creation

Worship and Wonder through the Lord's Creation

Psa 8:1-9 NLT - [1] For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be accompanied by a stringed instrument. O LORD, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth! Your glory is higher than the heavens. [2] You have taught children and infants to tell of your strength, silencing your enemies and all who oppose you. [3] When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers-- the moon and the stars you set in place-- [4] what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them? [5] Yet you made them only a little lower than God and crowned them with glory and honor. [6] You gave them charge of everything you made, putting all things under their authority-- [7] the flocks and the herds and all the wild animals, [8] the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea, and everything that swims the ocean currents. [9] O LORD, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth!

If the power of God is in the earth, then His majesty lies in the heavens.  Ironically, looking up at the infinite dance of celestial balls on a summer night sky does not invoke doubt of a Creator somewhere out there in this nebulous abyss, but instead yields to us confirmation that everything is perfectly orchestrated by the Grand Conductor of whom all things flow.  Truly the Psalmist is right when he proclaims that the Lord's "glory is higher than the heavens."  How wondrous and powerful the night sky appears; how much more wonderful must be God if He is even above that! 

Not only is God's majesty portrayed in the heavenly portrait, but the Psalmist says that he can "look at the night sky and see the work of [the Lord's] fingers--the moon and the stars [He] set in place."  When in doubt of God's promises or His creative capacity, look up!  It all works together, so why can't He work out your circumstances?  It is easy to wonder, "what are mere mortals that [God] should think about them, human beings that [He] should care for them?"  It is such a wide universe!  How could God care about us?  It is because He has "made [us] only a little lower than God and crowned [us] with glory and honor."  Think you're insignificant?  Think nothing you can do can make a difference?  God says you matter.  The fact that you, a soul embedded within a tiny biological mechanism operating on a small, uniquely and perfectly habitable rock orbiting somewhere around one of billions of giant, nuclear balls ought to show that God cares for you.  He has a purpose for you and I!  

It is good to worship God through nature.  Sometimes we need to spend time to stop and consider all that He has done in the universe.  Doing so not only helps us appreciate His care for us and His plans for all of creation, but it reveals His nature and consequently causes us to recognize our continual need to praise Him for all He is and all He does.  Find something God has created today and thank Him for it.  You'll feel significant and will feel His presence as you worship Him!