“6 By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth. 7 He gathers the waters of the sea into jars; he puts the deep into storehouses. 8 Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the people of the world revere him. 9 For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm. 10 The Lord foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples. 11 But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.” (Psalm 33:6-11 NIV).
Don’t worry–my soap box was put up yesterday. We did look at verses 6-9 yesterday and focused on their importance. Today, we use these early verses as the backdrop/context of today’s thought. Verses 6-9 remind us that the visible universe is a result of the creative utterance of God. Everything that is came when God spoke. Theologically we call this fiat Creation–God created by the spoken word ex nihilo (out of nothing).
Why look at this today? Because it sets the stage for our text: 10 The Lord foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples. 11 But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.” The Living Bible renders verses 10-11: “And with a breath he can scatter the plans of all the nations who oppose him, but his own plans stands forever. His intentions are the same for every generation.” Now taking that verse 10 we can easily see the link between these two verses and verses 6-9. Just in case you missed it, let me summarize with a loose translation, “With a breath He created and with a breath He can scatter the plans of all who stand in opposition to Him.” Such is the awesome power of God.
Those who know Jesus Christ are in the hands of that awesome God. He loves you and cares for you as His own! What a comfort that should be when times get tough!
One final thought. Look again at the first part of verse 11, “But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever.” Many times people will ask me, “Do you think I’ve missed God’s will for my life?” All we have to do to answer that is look at Psalm 33:11, God’s plans are not thwarted, and the last time I checked, my strength is not more powerful than His! Is it possible to stray from God’s pathway? Absolutely. That’s what sin is at its very root. But the promise of God is that “He (the one whose word brought everything into being) “who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6 NIV–emphasis mine). God’s will is not dependant upon my response. His plans “stand firm forever” and no matter how powerful the man may be, he is not going to thwart those plans. Neither are you nor am I. Relax.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
The Effects of Evolution
“6 By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth. 7 He gathers the waters of the sea into jars; he puts the deep into storehouses. 8 Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the people of the world revere him. 9 For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.” (Psalm 33:6-9 NIV).
Today’s devotional is a little different, I’m going to get on my soap-box for just a moment. I don’t think anyone would disagree with me when I state that our world is in pretty sad shape these days. Here in Atlanta, for the last two weeks the headlines on the news every day has been one child shooting another. One in a drive by, one at a birthday party, another after an altercation, and the list goes on and on. It’s scary.
I also doubt that most who read this daily devotional would disagree that the church seems too helpless to effectively respond. We are spiritually emaciated. What has brought us to this condition? At the risk of sounding too simplistic, what has brought the world to its current state of heartlessness and the church to its current state of helplessness is the godless philosophy which disguises itself (very poorly I might add) as science, the philosophy of evolution.
Evolution is not an interesting side item. It is taught as fact in our schools and believed as fact by millions. The result is exactly what we are seeing in society today: hopeless kids trying to better their status by eliminating the weaker members of society. If you don’t think there is a link, you are willfully blind. (Look at the facts on the Columbine massacre or the more recent Minnesota killings). Here’s a synopsis of the major losses of each generation post WW II. The generations of the 50's lost their innocense, the generation of the 60's lost their authority, the generation of the 70's lost their love, the generations of the 80's lost their hope, the generation of the 90's lost their heart and, as I see it and the Bible reveals, the problem is going to continue to get worse. Here’s the interesting thing: each of those losses are directly linked to the growth of acceptance of evolutionary theory.
The reason by the way the church is helpless, is she has, by and large, compromised herself in regard to this important issue. There are those who actively support evolution on the mistaken belief that it is scientific and that the evidence that is suppose to be there is there (in other words they simply have believed the lie without looking at the facts) and there are those who don’t necessarily support evolution, but don’t think it’s important to discuss in a faith setting. As a pastor, I know that 90% of the people I talk with who have walked away from faith cite evolution as one of the key foundations for their abandonment of belief. This is not a simple side issue.
By the way, just for the “what it’s worth department” I’ve studied this subject fairly extensively I believe, and what I have found is that every few years the evolutionist has to change or modify his story in some form or fashion. I, as a Bible believing Creationist, have never had to change my story! Not once.
The Psalmist sees the created world as evidence of God’s creative power and calls mankind to humble reverence of the Creator. It is this direct link of realization and responsibility that chafes fallen man’s heart. Darwin expressed his desire to be done with such beliefs, and evolutionists and atheists everywhere have embraced evolutionary beliefs not because they make sense or have solid support, but rather because they have a desired end to be free from responsibility. The Psalmist saw the link. It’s amazing that we who profess to have a “higher understanding of things.” have failed to see that link. It is this truth that is the true missing link of evolutionary teachings.
Today’s devotional is a little different, I’m going to get on my soap-box for just a moment. I don’t think anyone would disagree with me when I state that our world is in pretty sad shape these days. Here in Atlanta, for the last two weeks the headlines on the news every day has been one child shooting another. One in a drive by, one at a birthday party, another after an altercation, and the list goes on and on. It’s scary.
I also doubt that most who read this daily devotional would disagree that the church seems too helpless to effectively respond. We are spiritually emaciated. What has brought us to this condition? At the risk of sounding too simplistic, what has brought the world to its current state of heartlessness and the church to its current state of helplessness is the godless philosophy which disguises itself (very poorly I might add) as science, the philosophy of evolution.
Evolution is not an interesting side item. It is taught as fact in our schools and believed as fact by millions. The result is exactly what we are seeing in society today: hopeless kids trying to better their status by eliminating the weaker members of society. If you don’t think there is a link, you are willfully blind. (Look at the facts on the Columbine massacre or the more recent Minnesota killings). Here’s a synopsis of the major losses of each generation post WW II. The generations of the 50's lost their innocense, the generation of the 60's lost their authority, the generation of the 70's lost their love, the generations of the 80's lost their hope, the generation of the 90's lost their heart and, as I see it and the Bible reveals, the problem is going to continue to get worse. Here’s the interesting thing: each of those losses are directly linked to the growth of acceptance of evolutionary theory.
The reason by the way the church is helpless, is she has, by and large, compromised herself in regard to this important issue. There are those who actively support evolution on the mistaken belief that it is scientific and that the evidence that is suppose to be there is there (in other words they simply have believed the lie without looking at the facts) and there are those who don’t necessarily support evolution, but don’t think it’s important to discuss in a faith setting. As a pastor, I know that 90% of the people I talk with who have walked away from faith cite evolution as one of the key foundations for their abandonment of belief. This is not a simple side issue.
By the way, just for the “what it’s worth department” I’ve studied this subject fairly extensively I believe, and what I have found is that every few years the evolutionist has to change or modify his story in some form or fashion. I, as a Bible believing Creationist, have never had to change my story! Not once.
The Psalmist sees the created world as evidence of God’s creative power and calls mankind to humble reverence of the Creator. It is this direct link of realization and responsibility that chafes fallen man’s heart. Darwin expressed his desire to be done with such beliefs, and evolutionists and atheists everywhere have embraced evolutionary beliefs not because they make sense or have solid support, but rather because they have a desired end to be free from responsibility. The Psalmist saw the link. It’s amazing that we who profess to have a “higher understanding of things.” have failed to see that link. It is this truth that is the true missing link of evolutionary teachings.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
What Perspective Do You View God From?
“The Lord loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love.” (Psalm 33:5 NIV).
In a world wracked by sin, it is sometimes too easy to dwell on the negative. Our news shows and newspapers are filled with bad news and it seems to be getting worse everyday.
But there is good news. Our text reminds us “the earth is full of his unfailing love.” Everywhere we turn we see evidence of God’s love, mercy and grace at work.
In times of tragedy there are those who are quick to implicate God, “Where was He when that event was happening?” is the common question/accusation. I am convinced that the reason we don’t see God in our times of tragedy is because we don’t see Him in our times of joy! C.S. Lewis went as far as to suggest that when things are going good in our lives instead of seeing His unfailing love which fills the earth we view Him “as an interruption.” Yet we become upset if He seems silent or absent in our times of need. We can’t have it both ways.
Instead of stressing over the negative things in your life today, focus on the blessings. See the good that is all around us; the quiet works of those who seek after justice and righteousness.
In a world wracked by sin, it is sometimes too easy to dwell on the negative. Our news shows and newspapers are filled with bad news and it seems to be getting worse everyday.
But there is good news. Our text reminds us “the earth is full of his unfailing love.” Everywhere we turn we see evidence of God’s love, mercy and grace at work.
In times of tragedy there are those who are quick to implicate God, “Where was He when that event was happening?” is the common question/accusation. I am convinced that the reason we don’t see God in our times of tragedy is because we don’t see Him in our times of joy! C.S. Lewis went as far as to suggest that when things are going good in our lives instead of seeing His unfailing love which fills the earth we view Him “as an interruption.” Yet we become upset if He seems silent or absent in our times of need. We can’t have it both ways.
Instead of stressing over the negative things in your life today, focus on the blessings. See the good that is all around us; the quiet works of those who seek after justice and righteousness.
Monday, November 15, 2010
God's Word is Truth
“For the word of the Lord is right and true; he is faithful in all he does.” (Psalm 33:4 NIV)
“For the word of the Lord holds true, and everything he does is worthy of our trust.” (Psalm 33:4 NLT).
“For all God’s words are right, and everything he does is worthy of our trust.” (Psalm 33:4 TLB emphasis mine).
A number of years ago I heard of a family who loved to work on Jigsaw puzzles together. They became quite good at it, completing the most difficult of puzzles sometimes in one evening.
One night the father brought home a new puzzle. On the scale of things, this puzzle should have been a simple one, quickly assembled. But something was wrong. Try as they might, the family could not seem to complete it. They worked on it for a week. Frustration began to set in and their normally joyful activity became to them a seeming action of futility. What could possibly be wrong?
With their frustration level at its peak the father finally revealed his deception. He had bought two puzzles but before getting home he switched their lids! The family was trying to construct a picture that didn’t exist! When the proper lid was produced, the puzzle was quickly completed.
There are millions of people like this family. They are trying desperately to put their lives together, to “get it right,” only to fail again and again. The problem? They are looking at the wrong picture!
Our text reminds us, “For all God’s words are right, and everything he does is worthy of our trust.” Notice by the way that word “all,” supplied by the author of The Living Bible. That is a good addition. It is not most of God’s Word that is right, nor is it the majority of God’s Word that is right but all of God’s Word that is right. As long as you and I tamper with that Word, we will experience failure and frustration. Trying to “pick and choose” the parts of it I like is like Ford trying to assemble a car without all the parts–it might look good on the surface but driving it (if it will even move) would be a hazard.
Have you discovered the faithfulness of God through following His Word that is “right and true.” Let me close with my own paraphrase of Psalm 33:4: “For the entire Bible is true, you can count on everything it says, and you can be sure that God knows exactly what He is doing in every circumstance and you can bank on it being right.” (Pearrell Expanded Translation).
“For the word of the Lord holds true, and everything he does is worthy of our trust.” (Psalm 33:4 NLT).
“For all God’s words are right, and everything he does is worthy of our trust.” (Psalm 33:4 TLB emphasis mine).
A number of years ago I heard of a family who loved to work on Jigsaw puzzles together. They became quite good at it, completing the most difficult of puzzles sometimes in one evening.
One night the father brought home a new puzzle. On the scale of things, this puzzle should have been a simple one, quickly assembled. But something was wrong. Try as they might, the family could not seem to complete it. They worked on it for a week. Frustration began to set in and their normally joyful activity became to them a seeming action of futility. What could possibly be wrong?
With their frustration level at its peak the father finally revealed his deception. He had bought two puzzles but before getting home he switched their lids! The family was trying to construct a picture that didn’t exist! When the proper lid was produced, the puzzle was quickly completed.
There are millions of people like this family. They are trying desperately to put their lives together, to “get it right,” only to fail again and again. The problem? They are looking at the wrong picture!
Our text reminds us, “For all God’s words are right, and everything he does is worthy of our trust.” Notice by the way that word “all,” supplied by the author of The Living Bible. That is a good addition. It is not most of God’s Word that is right, nor is it the majority of God’s Word that is right but all of God’s Word that is right. As long as you and I tamper with that Word, we will experience failure and frustration. Trying to “pick and choose” the parts of it I like is like Ford trying to assemble a car without all the parts–it might look good on the surface but driving it (if it will even move) would be a hazard.
Have you discovered the faithfulness of God through following His Word that is “right and true.” Let me close with my own paraphrase of Psalm 33:4: “For the entire Bible is true, you can count on everything it says, and you can be sure that God knows exactly what He is doing in every circumstance and you can bank on it being right.” (Pearrell Expanded Translation).
Friday, November 12, 2010
Evaluating Worship
“Sing joyfully to the Lord, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise him. Praise the Lord with the harp; make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre. Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy.” (Psalm 33:1-3 NIV).
The Contemporary English Version reads, “You are the Lord’s people. Obey him and celebrate! He deserves your praise. Praise the Lord with harps! Use harps with ten strings to make music for him. Sing a new song. Shout! Play beautiful music.”
Nothing attracts attention like joy. Nothing disperses a crowd like sadness. Christians should be the most joyful people on the face of the earth! Our sins are forgiven, our futures are secure, and God promises His Holy presence with us in the present! We have a lot to be thankful for! Yet, many who profess Christ live life looking like they’ve been sucking on a lemon! Please do not take offense at that–I too have been (and at times will continue to be) guilty as charged. The people who have the most reason for joy seem at times to be the least joyful. At least that is how we act. We go to baseball games (or whatever sport we happen to enjoy) and shout our heads off. We go to parties and have a wonderful time. But then we go to church . . . . and Lord forbid that as we go through the motions of worship we show any emotion whatsoever. What’s wrong with that picture?
Let me make a number of quick observations from our text. First, God’s people should be a joyful people and worship is our celebration time. Is that how you view worship? Notice that the CEV puts the early part of verse one, “You are the Lord’s people. Obey him and celebrate!” If celebration in worship is a response of obedience then I can only conclude that those who want to throw cold water on celebrants are being disobedient. Think about it.
Second, notice that the Psalmist specifically refers to the latest instruments of the day being used in that celebration. Where some ever got the idea that there should be no instruments in church is beyond me. Where we ever got the idea that only certain instruments are appropriate for worship is also beyond me. The Bible refers to every conceivable kind of instrument being utilized in the worship of the Lord.
Finally verse 3 says, “Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy.” This tells us three things about worship. First, worship is to be creative, “Sing to him a new song.” Too many people today despise creativity in the church. We want only the “tried of true” which too often becomes tired and blue. The great hymns of the faith are sung in almost dirge-like fashion. Don’t misunderstand, we need those hymns, but let’s remember that when they were written, they were the contemporary music of the day and let’s not despise today’s music while longing for something we have no real understanding of.
Second, “play skillfully,” or as the CEV puts it “Play beautiful music.” God deserves our very best. Personally I think it is sinful when I hear someone say, “Oh, it doesn’t really matter how they sounded, they did it for the Lord and God does say, ‘Make a joyful noise.’” I use to buy that; I don’t any more. Such thinking is often a mere excuse for laziness on the performers part (“It’s only for the church”). Think for a minute back into history. The church was on the forefront of music. Many of the great masters (Beethoven, Handel, Bach) wrote music for the glory of God. When we write or perform for God it deserves to be the very best; half-efforts or “best efforts,” are out of place. I love to sing, I wish I could sing, and I do a decent job most of the time when I do sing, but I would never offer to sing a solo in church (even though I have had vocal lessons) because I know that my voice is too unpredictable. Frankly, I think Stuart Briscoe had it right when one Sunday he stood an announced, “We will now be favored with some mediocre music by . . . .”
Finally, verse 3 tells us that our celebration should be loud. The text says “shout for joy.” We want to sing softly for Jesus I guess so we won’t wake up those who have fallen asleep spiritually.
Bottom line: We need to re-evaluate our “style” of worship not against the back-drop of history but against the backdrop of Scripture.
The Contemporary English Version reads, “You are the Lord’s people. Obey him and celebrate! He deserves your praise. Praise the Lord with harps! Use harps with ten strings to make music for him. Sing a new song. Shout! Play beautiful music.”
Nothing attracts attention like joy. Nothing disperses a crowd like sadness. Christians should be the most joyful people on the face of the earth! Our sins are forgiven, our futures are secure, and God promises His Holy presence with us in the present! We have a lot to be thankful for! Yet, many who profess Christ live life looking like they’ve been sucking on a lemon! Please do not take offense at that–I too have been (and at times will continue to be) guilty as charged. The people who have the most reason for joy seem at times to be the least joyful. At least that is how we act. We go to baseball games (or whatever sport we happen to enjoy) and shout our heads off. We go to parties and have a wonderful time. But then we go to church . . . . and Lord forbid that as we go through the motions of worship we show any emotion whatsoever. What’s wrong with that picture?
Let me make a number of quick observations from our text. First, God’s people should be a joyful people and worship is our celebration time. Is that how you view worship? Notice that the CEV puts the early part of verse one, “You are the Lord’s people. Obey him and celebrate!” If celebration in worship is a response of obedience then I can only conclude that those who want to throw cold water on celebrants are being disobedient. Think about it.
Second, notice that the Psalmist specifically refers to the latest instruments of the day being used in that celebration. Where some ever got the idea that there should be no instruments in church is beyond me. Where we ever got the idea that only certain instruments are appropriate for worship is also beyond me. The Bible refers to every conceivable kind of instrument being utilized in the worship of the Lord.
Finally verse 3 says, “Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy.” This tells us three things about worship. First, worship is to be creative, “Sing to him a new song.” Too many people today despise creativity in the church. We want only the “tried of true” which too often becomes tired and blue. The great hymns of the faith are sung in almost dirge-like fashion. Don’t misunderstand, we need those hymns, but let’s remember that when they were written, they were the contemporary music of the day and let’s not despise today’s music while longing for something we have no real understanding of.
Second, “play skillfully,” or as the CEV puts it “Play beautiful music.” God deserves our very best. Personally I think it is sinful when I hear someone say, “Oh, it doesn’t really matter how they sounded, they did it for the Lord and God does say, ‘Make a joyful noise.’” I use to buy that; I don’t any more. Such thinking is often a mere excuse for laziness on the performers part (“It’s only for the church”). Think for a minute back into history. The church was on the forefront of music. Many of the great masters (Beethoven, Handel, Bach) wrote music for the glory of God. When we write or perform for God it deserves to be the very best; half-efforts or “best efforts,” are out of place. I love to sing, I wish I could sing, and I do a decent job most of the time when I do sing, but I would never offer to sing a solo in church (even though I have had vocal lessons) because I know that my voice is too unpredictable. Frankly, I think Stuart Briscoe had it right when one Sunday he stood an announced, “We will now be favored with some mediocre music by . . . .”
Finally, verse 3 tells us that our celebration should be loud. The text says “shout for joy.” We want to sing softly for Jesus I guess so we won’t wake up those who have fallen asleep spiritually.
Bottom line: We need to re-evaluate our “style” of worship not against the back-drop of history but against the backdrop of Scripture.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Suffering-God's Gracious Gift
“Many are the woes of the wicked, but the Lord’s unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts in him.” (Psalm 32:10 NIV)
“The wicked will have to suffer, but those who trust in the Lord are protected by his constant love.” (Psalm 32:10 TEV).
One of the greatest tragedies of sin is that the sinner does not recognize either the extent of their sin nor do they comprehend the consequences of such sin. In an episode of the Simpson’s (this is not an endorsement), Bart becomes a part of Lisa’s science experiment. Every time he touches her project he gets a shock. The mouse has learned after one shock not to touch the ball, but Bart stands there, touches it, gets shocked, yells “Ow, quit it,” and immediately reaches out and touches it again and again, each time getting the same result (shocked), and each time yelling “Ow, quit it.” That clip is a graphic illustration of the gracious truth of the first part of this Psalm, “The wicked will have to suffer.”
In the cartoon, Bart cannot see the correlation between his pain and his actions. Like those caught in sin’s grasp, he keeps doing the thing that keeps hurting him, but his response, “Ow, Quit it!” reveals that he associates the pain not with his action but with Lisa’s actions (she’s doing nothing). Those caught in the grip of sin suffer, but like Bart, instead of comprehending that their suffering is due to their own actions, instead they think their suffering is due to the correction of another. The sinner keeps getting shocked as it were because of their sin, but their rage is against the one (a person) or The One (God), who points out the cause of their pain! The Bible says in Proverbs 19:3, “Some people ruin themselves by their own stupid actions and then blame the Lord.” (TEV).
There is another side to this verse, it is the side of the person who “trusts in Him (the Lord).” The person who trusts God is the person who listens to Him; the person who obeys His Word. That person finds the protection of God’s love surrounding them. So, the question is, will you be like Bart, suffering repeatedly because of your insistence on doing it your way, or will you be blessed by God because of your submission to doing it His way?
One final thought. Above I referred to suffering as a “gracious truth.” Why? C.S. Lewis put it this way, “The human spirit will not even begin to try to surrender self-will as long as all seems to be will with it. Now error and sin both have this property, that the deeper they are the less their victim suspects their existence; they are a masked evil. Pain is unmasked unmistakable evil; every man knows that something is wrong when he is being hurt . . . And pain is not only immediately recognizable evil, but evil impossible to ignore. We can rest contentedly in our sins and in our stupidities . . . we can ignore even pleasure. But pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks to us in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world." (Lewis: The Problem of Pain).
Even suffering is the gift of a loving God. Were it not for suffering all of us would be like Bart Simpson. We’d never learn.
“The wicked will have to suffer, but those who trust in the Lord are protected by his constant love.” (Psalm 32:10 TEV).
One of the greatest tragedies of sin is that the sinner does not recognize either the extent of their sin nor do they comprehend the consequences of such sin. In an episode of the Simpson’s (this is not an endorsement), Bart becomes a part of Lisa’s science experiment. Every time he touches her project he gets a shock. The mouse has learned after one shock not to touch the ball, but Bart stands there, touches it, gets shocked, yells “Ow, quit it,” and immediately reaches out and touches it again and again, each time getting the same result (shocked), and each time yelling “Ow, quit it.” That clip is a graphic illustration of the gracious truth of the first part of this Psalm, “The wicked will have to suffer.”
In the cartoon, Bart cannot see the correlation between his pain and his actions. Like those caught in sin’s grasp, he keeps doing the thing that keeps hurting him, but his response, “Ow, Quit it!” reveals that he associates the pain not with his action but with Lisa’s actions (she’s doing nothing). Those caught in the grip of sin suffer, but like Bart, instead of comprehending that their suffering is due to their own actions, instead they think their suffering is due to the correction of another. The sinner keeps getting shocked as it were because of their sin, but their rage is against the one (a person) or The One (God), who points out the cause of their pain! The Bible says in Proverbs 19:3, “Some people ruin themselves by their own stupid actions and then blame the Lord.” (TEV).
There is another side to this verse, it is the side of the person who “trusts in Him (the Lord).” The person who trusts God is the person who listens to Him; the person who obeys His Word. That person finds the protection of God’s love surrounding them. So, the question is, will you be like Bart, suffering repeatedly because of your insistence on doing it your way, or will you be blessed by God because of your submission to doing it His way?
One final thought. Above I referred to suffering as a “gracious truth.” Why? C.S. Lewis put it this way, “The human spirit will not even begin to try to surrender self-will as long as all seems to be will with it. Now error and sin both have this property, that the deeper they are the less their victim suspects their existence; they are a masked evil. Pain is unmasked unmistakable evil; every man knows that something is wrong when he is being hurt . . . And pain is not only immediately recognizable evil, but evil impossible to ignore. We can rest contentedly in our sins and in our stupidities . . . we can ignore even pleasure. But pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks to us in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world." (Lewis: The Problem of Pain).
Even suffering is the gift of a loving God. Were it not for suffering all of us would be like Bart Simpson. We’d never learn.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Animosity Toward Religion Part 2
In my last article I began a discussion of the issue of religion and modern man’s distrust for it. I expressed my view that much of that distrust comes because of two factors: (1) the abuse of religion in general and at times Christianity in particular and (2) because of societies desire to be free from restriction. Like those who lobby for the removal of the motorcycle helmet laws, we do so to our own detriment. Or, to use another example, we want the freedom to use tobacco without consequence, but when the natural consequence of tobacco use occur, we want to blame the tobacco industry and make them pay for our own willful actions.
In this arena we call life, there is also no such thing as freedom without responsibility. Freedom for sexual expression has cost us dearly in physical and psychological disease. It seems we would rather live with the consequences of our desires than to submit to the rules of the Creator. When the rules of the Creator interfere with our desires we seem to be laboring under the delusion that all we have to do is remove the Creator and the consequences will somehow disappear!
Why is it that so many are willing to live with loneliness, emptiness, guilt and fear of death rather than recognize the claims of God upon their lives? We have in fact been guilty of cutting off our proverbial noses in spite of our proverbial faces. Like the nicotine addict, we know our habits are deadly, but we think we can escape their consequences. It is in this desire to escape the consequences of our own evil tendencies that has caused many to reject any and all claims of religion, or, if we don’t reject religion, we simply want to construct our own religion–a religion that says it’s okay to live the way we choose to live.
Experience shows the fallacy of such belief. Violent crime is something we are learning to live with. Sexual exploitation is for the most cases ignored (though we wonder why sexual perversion produces victims). We decry child pornography but defend the legal right of those promote it under the guise of “free speech” and the personal right of perverts by arguing that no one has the right to judge another–to say what is right or what is wrong. Most would rather spend an eternity in hell than admit such a place exists. Most would rather curse God for making one way out of our horrible predicament than thank him for making that way out. It is at this very point that the very religion we disdain is in fact our one true friend. Not religion in general, but Christianity in particular.
Religion is man’s attempt to reach God. The Bible describes such attempts as vain and misguided. In fact, in one place the Bible says, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.” (Proverbs 14:12 NIV). And the Bible reminds us over and over again that it is possible to have a misguided zeal for God–we seem to want God, but we refuse to accept what God says! Such a man will never find God. The Bible says, “Not all who sound religious are really godly people. They may refer to me as ‘Lord,’ but still won’t get to heaven. For the decisive question is whether they obey my Father in heaven. At the Judgment many will tell me, ‘Lord, Lord, we told others about you and used your name to cast out demons and to do many other great miracles.’ But I will reply, ‘You have never been mine. Go away, for your deeds are evil.’” (Matthew 7:21-23 TLB). So even some who claim to be “Christian” have missed the boat. I can claim to be a relative of George Washington, but that claim means nothing if I can’t show through the genealogical record that relationship. Similarly, a person may claim to be a Christian, but that claim means nothing if they don’t show the family resemblance or recognize the very basis of their claimed relationship. That basis is found in 1 John 5 by the way. It includes first and foremost a recognition of the Deity of the Lord Jesus Christ. That is basic. If you don’t recognize that, you are not a Christian and the only way around the 1 John 5 claims is to reject its claims and design your own definition of Christianity. It is this designer version of Christianity that has many rejecting the only real hope they have in this life. They look at the caricature of Christianity, reject that, and never take time to discover the love of God found in and through the person of Jesus Christ.
In this arena we call life, there is also no such thing as freedom without responsibility. Freedom for sexual expression has cost us dearly in physical and psychological disease. It seems we would rather live with the consequences of our desires than to submit to the rules of the Creator. When the rules of the Creator interfere with our desires we seem to be laboring under the delusion that all we have to do is remove the Creator and the consequences will somehow disappear!
Why is it that so many are willing to live with loneliness, emptiness, guilt and fear of death rather than recognize the claims of God upon their lives? We have in fact been guilty of cutting off our proverbial noses in spite of our proverbial faces. Like the nicotine addict, we know our habits are deadly, but we think we can escape their consequences. It is in this desire to escape the consequences of our own evil tendencies that has caused many to reject any and all claims of religion, or, if we don’t reject religion, we simply want to construct our own religion–a religion that says it’s okay to live the way we choose to live.
Experience shows the fallacy of such belief. Violent crime is something we are learning to live with. Sexual exploitation is for the most cases ignored (though we wonder why sexual perversion produces victims). We decry child pornography but defend the legal right of those promote it under the guise of “free speech” and the personal right of perverts by arguing that no one has the right to judge another–to say what is right or what is wrong. Most would rather spend an eternity in hell than admit such a place exists. Most would rather curse God for making one way out of our horrible predicament than thank him for making that way out. It is at this very point that the very religion we disdain is in fact our one true friend. Not religion in general, but Christianity in particular.
Religion is man’s attempt to reach God. The Bible describes such attempts as vain and misguided. In fact, in one place the Bible says, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.” (Proverbs 14:12 NIV). And the Bible reminds us over and over again that it is possible to have a misguided zeal for God–we seem to want God, but we refuse to accept what God says! Such a man will never find God. The Bible says, “Not all who sound religious are really godly people. They may refer to me as ‘Lord,’ but still won’t get to heaven. For the decisive question is whether they obey my Father in heaven. At the Judgment many will tell me, ‘Lord, Lord, we told others about you and used your name to cast out demons and to do many other great miracles.’ But I will reply, ‘You have never been mine. Go away, for your deeds are evil.’” (Matthew 7:21-23 TLB). So even some who claim to be “Christian” have missed the boat. I can claim to be a relative of George Washington, but that claim means nothing if I can’t show through the genealogical record that relationship. Similarly, a person may claim to be a Christian, but that claim means nothing if they don’t show the family resemblance or recognize the very basis of their claimed relationship. That basis is found in 1 John 5 by the way. It includes first and foremost a recognition of the Deity of the Lord Jesus Christ. That is basic. If you don’t recognize that, you are not a Christian and the only way around the 1 John 5 claims is to reject its claims and design your own definition of Christianity. It is this designer version of Christianity that has many rejecting the only real hope they have in this life. They look at the caricature of Christianity, reject that, and never take time to discover the love of God found in and through the person of Jesus Christ.
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