Archive for August, 2022
Axioms for Life – Part Two
“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.” (Phillipians 4: 8)
Axioms are distilled truths refined to make clear the understanding of principles worthy of incorporated in life.
AXIOM THREE
Each moment of life is a time of trial or temptation. Our responses are much more important than our circumstances.
A trial gives the opportunity to stand true to your convictions.
A temptation gives occasion for our weaknesses to be exploited.
In his epic poem “The Odyssey,” the poet Homer depicts his hero Ulysses leading his army toward Troy. Unexpectedly he came to a flooded river. In frustration Ulysses waded into the water waste deep and in his fury begin thrashing the water with a chain. Needless to say it was to no avail. This is a graphic of how some people respond to difficulty.
Another writer with a background in Greek gives a more stable reaction. He was the Apostle Paul, a thinker of the level of Aristotle, Plato, and Socrates. In Corinth he stood before his accusers, his would be executers, and addressed his taunters: “For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparisons. “ (II Corinthians 4: 17)
Don’t let the circumstances of life master you — you master them.
AXIOM FOUR
Don’t waste time. Benjamin Franklin called time”the substance life is made of.” Philip Dormer Stanhope, the Earl of Chesterfield, penned this wisdom: “Know the true value of time. Snatch it, seize it, enjoy every second of it. No laziness, no idleness, no procrastination, never put off until tomorrow what you can do today.” It might be added, don’t put a thing off until tomorrow, you might enjoy it so much today you will want to do it again tomorrow.
In ancient Sanskrit the following was recorded.
“Look well to this day, for it, and it alone, is life. In the brief course of this one day, live all the verities and realities of your existence; the pride of growth, the glory of action, the splendor of beauty. Yesterday is but a dream and tomorrow a vision. Yet, each day, well lived, makes every yesterday a dream of happiness, and each tomorrow a vision of hope. Look well, therefore, to this one day, for it alone is life.”
Yesterday is gone and tomorrow is not guaranteed. So make every day your day. Make it the best day of your life — so far. Be kind to your tomorrow self. Your today’s self’s actions are being filed away as memories. Approach every day with the attitude, “I’m going to make a memory.”
BIblical encouragement stresses the importance of time management:
“So, then, be careful how you live. Do not be unwise but wise, making the best use of your time because the times are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.” (Ephesians 5:15-17)
Axioms for Life – Part One
“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.” (Phillipians 4: 8)
An axiom is a proposition regarded as self-evidently true. This and subsequent posts will be devoted to consideration of some axioms.
In all of life there are certain actions that will result in predictable results. The same is true in the spiritual realm.
It is still true —
We reap what we sow.
We reap later than we sow.
We reap more than we sow.
The person who is guided by God’s GPS is certain to reach His intended goal. Chisel these in the marble of your memory.
AXIOM ONE
Have an invisible means of support. Though there are times we may seem to be alone, we are not. On Christmas Eve 1944, Martin Niemoeller was in the Nazi prisoner of war camp Dachau. Amid the horror he wrote:
“We are not alone amidst the horror of these years, cut off though we are from the outside world. We are in the Hands of God. . . He is with us in this dismal and lonely place to hold and comfort us and keep hope alive in our hearts.”
Friends may forsake us. Circumstances may plot against us. Hope may be faint, but we are never alone in our hour of need. Some see only a hopeless end. The Christian sees endless hope.
Feeling is one antenna. Faith is another stronger and better tuned one. Tune it to hear Jesus say, “I will never leave you.” That is a forever never.
AXIOM TWO
God is a merciful God. There are many things that are difficult to understand in life, many puzzles that seem to have no solution. Riddles without answers abound in life. The loose end of some of life’s knottiest problems seems to reveal God’s mercy.
Governor Bradford of the struggling Plymouth Colony penned these words in his darkest hour: “Our fathers came over this ocean and were ready to perish in this wilderness but they cried out unto thee Lord and He heard their voices and had mercy on them in their adversities. Let us, therefore, praise Him because He is good and His mercies endure forever.”
Even when times aren’t good, God is, it is part of His unchanging nature.
The immediacy of God’s mercy is revealed in this couplet describing a rider thrown from his horse:
“Between the saddle and the ground mercy sought and mercy found.”
Scripture reassures us of God’s enduring grace.
“Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. ‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘Therefore I hope in Him!’” (Lamentations 3:22-24)
Peace in the Valley of the Shadow of Death 5/31/98
Psalm 23
Page 813 Come Alive Bible
JESUS CHRIST said, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep” (John 10:11).
Nothing does more to increase your opinion of Christ as “the good shepherd” than a visit to the Bible Lands. Seeing the land that was the setting for shepherds makes one all the more appreciative of a good shepherd.
Knowing your own dry, arid wasteland, those barren badlands of your own experience, makes you aware of a need for a good shepherd in your daily affairs. It seems we live in the valley of the shadow. Life’s most ominous shadows loom on our path causing fear and apprehension. How can we live in such a foreboding valley?
Recently friends and I drove down the old Roman road from Jerusalem to Jericho. It was the same road traveled by Christ. Rounding one curve it seems the bottom drops out of the earth. A breathtaking narrow, craggy, deep valley suddenly appears. We were awestruck.
Running along the same route slightly below the road level is an aqueduct built by Herod the Great. Peering down into the valley we looked over the rim of the aqueduct. With no forewarning a small shepherd stepped from behind rocks and walked along the narrow rim of the aqueduct. To his left the valley dropped off immediately, the equivalent of a forty or fifty- story building. The young shepherd glanced up and walked on without fear. I leaned as far away from the valley as I could.
In observing some aspects of the shepherd’s life in light of the Twenty Third Psalm, I have been enabled to see how we can live on the rim of the valley of the shadow of death and fear no evil. Consider with me the reasons:
I. A PROVISION “HE LEADS ME”
He who runs before the Shepherd is on a fool’s errand.
No longer do you need to live a life of “the blind leading the blind.” Many people develop a tolerance for living. They have simply learned to put up with life because the only option seems so undesirable. That needs not to be true with the offer of “abundant life” available to you.
Have you ever heard someone say, “I am hungry but I don’t know for what?” That is true of the spiritual appetite of many. Futile attempts are made to satisfy our spiritual appetites with things other than the one thing that will satisfy it. That is, a right relationship and reliance upon the Good Shepherd.
The matter of decision-making is a cause of much anxiety, frustration, fear, and uncertainty. Much of this is caused by a lack of confidence in God’s guidance. In considering His supernatural guidance, remember some basics.
One is He always guides us within the guidelines of the Holy Bible. Therefore, it is simply critical that we grow in our knowledge of the Scripture. The Lord will never guide you to do anything contrary to His Holy Book. NEVER!
He guides you by His Holy Spirit. Anything that would grieve the Spirit of Jesus Christ ought to grieve our spirit. Therefore, let the peace of God rule in your heart.
He will guide you within the guidelines of His Word and by His Spirit. Keeping these principles in mind, now consider some of your human dimensions He uses.
He will guide through circumstances. That’s odd — no that’s God.
He will guide through intuition and impulses. That’s odd — no that’s God.
He will guide through conscience. That’s odd — no that’s God.
He will guide through coincidence. That’s odd – no that’s God.
Samuel Shoemaker said, “I only know when I pray coincidences happen and when I don’t coincidences don’t happen.
He had rather lame us than lose us.
He will never lead you into a position from which you can’t advance and from which you must retreat.
II. A POWER “HE RESTORES MY SOUL”
When my soul is empty, He will restock, that is, restore it–give me a new supply
We with our limited ability know how to restore old cars, ancient art, paintings by the masters, furniture, and valuable antiques. He with His supernatural ability knows how to restore our soul.
I enjoy the seasons of the calendar. I like winter not so much for itself as for what it helps me envision. I know that no matter how bitter the season, it will have to sooner or later give way to spring. The bows and branches of the foliage may be barren and subjected to bitter cold but inevitably the Lord will restore nature with the refreshing breezes of spring.
In the winter times of your soul remember that.
“I shall not want” doesn’t mean we have every comfort, gadget, and trendy thing others have. It means I have resolved to be content with what I have because I have confidence in the providing Shepherd knowing He has given what is needed. I won’t long for what I don’t have because I know that what I have that is provided by the Lord is all I need.
III. A PREPARATION “MY CUP RUNS OVER”
The Psalmist’s expressions regarding “still water” and an over running cup are best interpreted in light of the circumstances still to be observed in the Bible Land today. In that vast dry desert water is a premium. It rains only three months a year and water is limited. Shepherds find small caves in the ground. We think of a cave as being in the wall of a hill. Most are but some go straight down in the ground. When a shepherd finds one of these he uses rocks on the hillside to form a large “V” to funnel the rain water into the cavity in the earth. This reserve water is called “still water.” A shepherd would then carve a large hole in a sizable rock which was called a “cup.” The shepherd draws the water from the “still water” supply and pours it into the cup. Thirsty sheep crowd around so closely that the shepherd has difficulty seeing the cup. As he keeps pouring one way he can tell it is full because it runs over and his feet get wet. Then he knows he has provided more than adequately. This watering process is a beautiful picture of our Lord providing for us.
In our spiritual desert He knows where there are blessings equivalents to “still water.” He provides these blessings to the point that our cup runs over. We tend to want to live at “the cup.” There are days in the desert for all of us however. While there keep in mind He has blessings in reserve for us at the proper moment. Wait on the Lord — run not before Him.
IV. A PRESENCE “THOU ART WITH ME”
This simple statement has calmed more troubled minds, stilled more disturbed hearts, given peace to more jangled nerves, and offered comfort to more perplexed persons than all the tranquilizers and psychiatrist in the world.
That little shepherd we saw in the valley of the shadow was calm and confident. Later from a different vantage point I saw the reason why. There across the valley where a massive spring rushed from the hot dry desert rocks and cascaded down the mountain there sat the good shepherd. The master shepherd was with the young shepherd. He was with the youth physically, but more importantly he was with the youth in attitude and action.
He is present with us to lead us through the valley. Even the valley of the shadow of death is not beyond the range of His leadership. The ultimate fear faced by most is the fear of dying and death. He even takes away the fear of death when it comes.
This is true because as Christ said, “the Good Shepherd gives His life for His sheep.”
On Calvary Christ cried “My God, My God why hast thou forsaken me?” The mystery of this cry is explained by the Psalms. In the era of Christ the Bible didn’t have chapter and verse. As parents taught their children the Scripture, they would identify major sections by the lead statement. Christ’s cry, “My God, My God…” introduces Psalm 22. His cry meant, “If you want to know what is happening here on Calvary, look it up in Psalm 22.” Psalm 22 is a prophecy of the crucifixion of Christ. It foretold the Good Shepherd giving His life for His sheep. Without the enactment of the truth of Psalms 22 there would be no comfort such as is promised in Psalms 23.
A Perfect God to Help You Cope in an Imperfect World – Part Three
Philippians 4: 19
Job suffered and demanded of God an explanation. He extensively questioned God asking why. Thereby, he implied God was inadequate and didn’t have an answer. Inherent in Job’s demand for an answer was the implication God didn’t have love or wisdom.
God didn’t give Job an answer. Instead He asked Job a question: “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?
Tell me, if you understand.
Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know!
Who stretched a measuring line across it?” (Job 38: 4, 5).
What is God saying? He is saying, “Job, turn on the Discovery Channel. I have the wisdom, power, and love to do what is right and I always do.”
To properly relate to God is not to get the right answers to our questions. It is to learn to ask the right questions. Such questions as:
“Does God have the right to govern as He wills?”
“Do I believe that all of God’s actions are born out of love and knowledge and are always right?”
“Do I trust Him even though I don’t understand His working?”
Sometimes we ask “Why” hoping an answer will prevent a recurrence. When a bad thing happens to a friend we are sometimes motivated to pray for that one in hopes we can formulate a prayer of correction and knowing it use it to help prevent such a misfortune in our own life.
Those reputed friends of Job who questioned him didn’t see him as a friend to be helped, but as an embarrassment they desired to avoid personally.
Why is often posed because something has disrupted our smooth running life to which we feel entitled. God motivates faith and encourages prayer as means of doing His will. We want to use them as means for controlling our lives. Occasionally we use them as magical incantations or rituals like primitive people who feel they can please or appease their gods. They become a means by which we attempt to control our world. In reality they are means of submitting to the God who does control the world.
Because Christ suffered He can relate to us in our suffering. Conversely, because we suffer we can relate to Him. In our suffering we have fellowship with Him.
At the time of Paul’s salvation the Lord said, “I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake.”
Amid his trials Paul wrote that they were allowed “that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings…” (Philippians 3: 10). Forewarned of his pending sufferings Paul nevertheless resolved to accept even them as a means to an end.
When things bad or good happen question God. However the question to ask is not why, but rather how. How can this be used to help me conform to the likeness of Jesus.”
A Perfect God to Help You Cope in an Imperfect World – Part Two
Philippians 4: 19
We live in an imperfect world with our perfect God to guide us. Our American mentality prompts us to want to avoid trials or find an easy escape from them. What do you do when you can do neither?
James 5: 14 says we should anoint the sick with oil and pray for them. We should do what the Scripture says, but what does it mean?
There are two Greek words for “anoint.” One is ALEPHO. The other CHRIO.
Chrio is the root word for the Greek name Christo which is translated Christ. It was used to describe putting olive oil on the brow of prophets, priests, and kings to designate their office. The name Christ means “the anointed one.”
Alepho is also translated as “anoint.” It meant to massage or kneed with oil. Rabbis writing in the New Testament era revealed the many medical usages of olive oil. An example was the man found on the road to Jericho by the Good Samaritan who anointed his wounds with olive oil. It was one of the best medicines of the time. The meaning of James 5: 14 is pray for the sick and use the very best medical treatment available. Then you will have done all expected of you by God, and if it pleases Him healing will result.
Simply putting oil on the brow and praying is not in compliance with this text. That is why many don’t do it.
If our God is a perfect God and He can make all things perfect, why doesn’t He? Because it is not things He is trying to perfect, but people sometimes imperfect means have to be used to reach a perfect end.
When something imperfect happens in what we expect to be our perfect world we want to summons God, put Him on the carpet, and demand to know “Why?”
“God, our generation believes in ‘the public’s right to know.’ Now, I want to know why this happened and why you haven’t corrected it?”
What we fail to realize is God isn’t part of this generation. He doesn’t deal in a “right to know” basis, but on a “need to know basis.” Problems arise when we feel we have a need to know and are entitled to know, but God doesn’t.
Consider this question and some possible answers. Why do you ask God “Why?”
We sometimes ask “Why” in order to vindicate yourself. It implies God has done something wrong. He owes us an explanation. When life’s smooth running joy car runs off the road we want to ask, “Why me, God? Why did a bad thing happen to good little ole me?”
It rarely occurs to a person to ask, “Why NOT me?” After all, you know God doesn’t really owe you. What did you do to indebt God to you?
Isn’t it strange we seldom, if ever ask such a question about good things.