Born to Die For Us

Isaiah 53:1 through Isaiah 53:6 (RSV)

¹        Who has believed what we have heard?

          And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?

²        For he grew up before him like a young plant,

          and like a root out of dry ground;

          he had no form or comeliness that we should look at him,

          and no beauty that we should desire him.

³        He was despised and rejected^ by men;

          a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief;

          and as one from whom men hide their faces

          he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

⁴        Surely he has borne our griefs

          and carried our sorrows;

          yet we esteemed him stricken,

          smitten by God, and afflicted.

⁵        But he was wounded for our transgressions,

          he was bruised for our iniquities;

          upon him was the chastisement that made us whole,

          and with his stripes we are healed.

⁶        All we like sheep have gone astray;

          we have turned every one to his own way;

          and the LORD has laid on him

          the iniquity of us all.

The shepherds who visited the baby Jesus were possibly those who watched over the sacrificial lambs. Perfect lambs, without spot or blemish, were used to make atonement for the sins of the people. These lambs visited the perfect infant, who, like all infants, was innocent of sin. This perfect infant grew to become a perfectly sinless man. This sinless man, like the spotless lambs, died to atone for your sins and mine.

My identity as a Christian ought to rests solely on the suffering of Jesus. If I try to add my suffering to Christ’s suffering, I, in fact, contribute nothing. If I think my suffering will aid in my salvation, I may run the risk of negating the all sufficient nature of Christ’s suffering. Our hymns give us good counsel in this regard. “Jesus Paid it all, All to him I owe, sin has left its crimson stain, he washed it white as snow.” “What can wash away my sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.” “There is a fountain, filled with blood, from Immanuel’s veins, and sinners plugged beneath that flood, lose all their guilty stains.”

Jesus Christ was born to die for the sins of those whom God as chosen. Our salvation is completely secured by the finished work of Jesus Christ, which  began with his birth and ended with his resurrection and ascension. All this is left is to gather his people and to end history with his second coming.

Christ has turned all our sunsets into dawns.

Clement of Alexandria (c. 150–c. 215)

Christ is full and sufficient for all his people. He is bread, wine, milk, living waters, to feed them; he is a garment of righteousness to cover and adorn them; a Physician to heal them; a Counselor to advise them; a Captain to defend them; a Prince to rule; a Prophet to teach; a Priest to make atonement for them; a Husband to protect; a Father to provide; a Brother to relieve; a Foundation to support; a Root to quicken; a Head to guide; a Treasure to enrich; a Sun to enlighten; and a Fountain to cleanse.

John Spencer (1630–1693)

Christ’s life outwardly was one of the most troubled lives that was ever lived: tempest and tumult, tumult and tempest, the waves breaking over it all the time. But the inner life was a sea of glass. The great calm was always there.

Henry Drummond (1851–1897)

Me, Worry?

Matthew 6:34 (RSV) ³⁴“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Let the day’s own trouble be sufficient for the day.

Like primary colors (blue, yellow, red) there are only a few primary emotions. There is anger, fear, and gladness. There is also what I see as states of the mind. There is doubt, curiosity, excitement, boredom and longing. Emotions and states of the mind can feed on one another. One can cause or alter the other. Some feelings are pleasant, some are extremely unpleasant and some are simply a matter of fact.

Some folks believe that our circumstances evoke feelings. Some believe that our interpretation of our circumstances cause us to feel one way or another. For example, if we perceive a threat where none is present, we might become fearful. This is where states of the mind, such as suspicion (a form of doubt) can cause us to focus our attention on words or actions that we might not otherwise acknowledge.

I once experienced a sharp pain located just left of the middle of chest. It persisted throughout the day. I became fearful and anxious. I drew the conclusion that my heart was diseased and would soon “attack” me. I was blocked by this fear. My reasoning became narrow and I poorly considered my course of action. I finally called my doctor and asked for an immediate appointment. I believed he would say, “Gary, it’s your heart. I am calling an ambulance to rush you to CICU.” In reality, it was pleurisy and easily treatable. My anxiety turned first to embarrassment, then to relief. No circumstance had changed – my feelings were not circumstantially dependent.

It is not our circumstances that cause our anxiety – is our interpretation of those circumstances that precipitate our feeling and mental states.

Worry is amplified by two mistakes: one is inactivity the other projection. If we are worried about something but take no action to address the perceived threat, then we are foolish. If we take an immediate problem and focus on what we think will result from it, we are foolish.

Cast all your cares on God, for God cares for you. Even our foolishness, we should pray and seek God’s wisdom.

Anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows but only empties today of its strength.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834–1892)

Anxiety is a thin stream of fear trickling through the mind. If encouraged, it cuts a channel into which all other thoughts are drained.

Arthur Somers Roche

Anxiety is the natural result when our hopes are centered in anything short of God and his will for us.

Billy Graham (1918– )

  Do not look forward to what may happen tomorrow; the same everlasting Father; who cares for you today, will take care of you tomorrow, and every day. Either he will shield you from suffering or he will give you unfailing strength to bear it.

Saint Francis of Sales (1567–1622)

Man, like the bridge, was designed to carry the load of the moment, not the combined weight of a year at once.

William Arthur Ward (1812–1882)

The beginning of anxiety is the end of faith; and the beginning of true faith is the end of anxiety.

George Muller (1805–1898)

Fight Defensively

Ephesians 6:10 - 20 (RSV) ¹⁰Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.  ¹¹Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.  ¹²For we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.  ¹³Therefore take the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.  ¹⁴Stand therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,  ¹⁵and having shod your feet with the equipment of the gospel of peace;  ¹⁶besides all these, taking the shield of faith, with which you can quench all the flaming darts of the evil one.  ¹⁷And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.  ¹⁸Pray at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,  ¹⁹and also for me, that utterance may be given me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel,  ²⁰for which I am an ambassador in chains; that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.

The oldest known work on military strategy is Sun Tzu's “The Art of War.” It was written in China in the 6^th century B.C. Sun Tzu’s treatise sounds very modern – except for his reference to dull swords. His advice is practical and reasonable. One rule is to avoid a siege situation. If you let your enemy retreat behind fortified walls you create a protracted standoff. Your supplies will become short if you are far away from your home base. Your men will grow weary of waiting to finish off your enemy. Even a weaker enemy with a strong defense can torment and superior foe by simply holding fast.

If you will read carefully the passage above you will note that our enemy is spiritual and not personal – that is not human. You are not my enemy and I am not yours. If we fight each other we are fighting within the camp while our real enemy, the Evil One, delights in our confusion.

First Paul affirms where our strength resides. It is in God alone. It is not in us and I think I can show it is not in our armament. Even the armor we wear is God’s armor. The armor God provides us is telling. All of it is defensive and none of it is offensive. It is the truth, righteousness (personal piety), faith, the reconciling power of the Gospel, the salvation God provides, and, finally, it is God Himself, the Spirit. There is one armament that might be considered offensive. It is the Bible, here called a sword. A dear friend pointed out to me that the kind of “sword” mentioned here is more a dagger than a board bladed sabre or cutlass. It is certainly not the Samurai Tanto sword we see in martial arts movies. It was a dagger used only in close up fight and mostly to defend ourselves.

I think we are besieged by the Evil One. That puts the Devil at a grave disadvantage. Ours is to trust that help is always available and He who is with us in greater than He who is in the world.

Cheer up! You are surrounded but always victorious.

God does not desert those who serve him, even if they are called upon to give up all material wealth and a regular income.

Paul Tournier (1898–1986)

God’s decree is the very pillar and basis on which the saints’ perseverance depends. That decree ties the knot of adoption so fast, that neither sin, death, nor hell, can break it asunder.

Thomas Watson (c. 1557–1592)

 I looked up to the heavens once more, and the quietness of the stars seemed to reproach me. “We are safe up here,” they seemed to say, “we shine, fearless and confident, for the God who gave the primrose its rough leaves to hide it from the blast of uneven spring, hangs us in the awful hollows of space. We cannot fall out of his safety. Lift up your eyes on high, and behold!”

George Macdonald (1824–1905)

We plough the fields and scatter

The good seed on the land,

But it is fed and watered

By God’s Almighty hand.

Jane Montgomery Campbell (1817–1879)

Let a man go away or come back: God never leaves. He is always at hand and if he cannot get into your life, still he is never farther away than the door.

Meister Eckhart (c. 1260–c. 1327)

  

Self Realiance

2 Corinthians 1:8 - 11 (RSV) ⁸For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, of the affliction we experienced in Asia; for we were so utterly, unbearably crushed that we despaired of life itself.  ⁹Why, we felt that we had received the sentence of death; but that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead;  ¹⁰he delivered us from so deadly a peril, and he will deliver us; on him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again.  ¹¹You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us in answer to many prayers.

One of my favorite movie genres is the Western. Rarely are they historically accurate, and the early one’s didn’t even try to be. Subtract the silly scenes – where they speed up the film to make it seem that the horses are faster then is humanly or equestrianly possible.  Subtract the simplistic and illogical plot lines and you are left with manly values. Westerns taught me what it means to be a man. Never start a fight but always finish one. Never cry or show fear or care too much about anything. The strongest value was never become “beholden to anyone.” Self-reliance is one of America’s strongest aims. Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote a small book by that title. I read it while I was still in high school and not because it was assigned reading – and certainly not because I was an avid reader. The first line of an introductory poem in Emerson’s essay is "Man is his own star.”

I have sense learned that the ethos found in Westerns and the philosophy found in Emerson is profoundly wrong. The better poem is John Donne’s “No man is an island, entire unto itself.” There is a truism I would like to challenge. It is the truism that we ought never to incur debt (at least unmanageable debt). While that is, no doubt, sound money management and good stewardship, it fails to acknowledge the simple fact that we are each indebted to so many.

Emerson tells us to become “self-reliant,” Paul tells us not to rely on ourselves but on God. Who do you think won the culture wars, the Word of God or the philosophy of Ralph Waldo Emerson? There is not a self-help book where you can find the Scriptural principle Paul commends to the Corinthians. All of them echo Emerson’s philosophy of self-reliance.

I still harbor the ethics of the Western films. Though I reject them, I hear their sounds ringing in my soul.   We can face anything in life and even death itself when we follow Paul’s wisdom, where he testifies, “on him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again.”

Not only are we to rely on God, but, as dreadful as it sound, we are to rely on others. Paul turns for help to the Corinthians (the least likely of all Christians) when he writes, “¹¹You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us in answer to many prayers.”

Can you rely on God and others for help, for strength, and for love? 

Indomitably King Jesus

1 Corinthians 15:25 (RSV) ²⁵For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 

From Westminster’s Larger Catechism:

Q45:  How doth Christ execute the office of a king?

 A45:  Christ executeth the office of a king, in calling out of the world a people to himself,[1] and giving them officers,[2] laws,[3] and censures, by which he visibly governs them;[4] in bestowing saving grace upon his elect,[5] rewarding their obedience,[6] and correcting them for their sins,[7] preserving and supporting them under all their temptations and sufferings,[8] restraining and overcoming all their enemies,[9] and powerfully ordering all things for his own glory,[10] and their good;[11] and also in taking vengeance on the rest, who know not God, and obey not the gospel.[12]

1.  Acts 15;14-16; Isa. 4:4-5; Gen. 49:10; Psa. 110:3

2.  Eph. 4:11-12; I Cor. 12:28

3.  Isa. 33:22

4.  Matt. 18:17-18; I Cor. 5:4-5

5.  Acts 5:31

6.  Rev. 2:10; 22:12

7.  Rev. 3:19

8.  Isa. 63:9

9.  I Cor. 15:25; Psa. 110:1-2

10. Rom. 14:10-11

11. Rom. 8:28

12. II Thess. 1:8-9; Psa. 2:8-9

What does it mean today to say that Jesus Christ is the “Lord of my life?” In England there is a “House of Lords.” It consists of more than 700 nobles, most of whom never attend. Its powers are limited to approving the budget and electing a committee, which amounts to a Final Appeals Courts – this committee, Court of Lords, chooses to review very few cases. This is our best modern day use of the word “lord.” In America we do not assign nobility to those who have a heritage of privilege and wealth. We certainly do not submit to anyone simply because he or she was born into wealth.

We think of landlord, war lord, and drug lord. The word “landlord” is morally neutral but the other two we always view in a negative light.  Still we confess that Jesus is Lord. In fact, Jesus is our King. If we were asked to confess Jesus as King of my life, would be do it?

I am no different from you in that I have lived in the sweet climate of egalitarian democracy all my life. I will never call any human my “king” or my “queen.” Yet I must call Jesus Lord and, even, the King of my life.

Jesus is said function as King is three respects; one, he commands us to do and be certain things and we must obey, second, he provides for his subjects and they need, and, third, he fights for us and defends us against our shared enemies. Jesus’ enemies are my enemies. To the degree that I am righteous, my enemies are His as well.

The day After the Day

Genesis 11:4 - 5 (RSV) ⁴Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.”  ⁵And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the sons of men had built. 

Yesterday the room was packed with people. Usually, it is a little more than half filled. Sometimes my idolatrous heart put the thought in my prideful mind that preaching is a public performance. It is not you know. It is an act of Divine worship. Preaching is like leading in prayer. It guides our thoughts and reflections on the Word of God. Together the congregation lifts those reflections to God as an act of worship.

When I was a young preacher folks who encourage my performance by saying to me, “You wait; God has big plans for you. You’re really going places.” Ninety percent of me knew these words were hallow and only faintly sincere, but my wicked minority mind caused me to envision large rooms filled with wise, spiritually mature, admiring and attentive listeners who hung their hopes on my every word. In 1740, George Whitfield preached to 30,000 persons who filled the streets in downtown Philadelphia. This was before public address systems and Benjamin Franklin tested Whitfield’s capacity to reach the back of his audience and claimed he could hear him clearly for there. Dr. Graham has preached to over an audience of 1,000,000 persons while in Korea.

Sunday I was thrilled when larger than normal crowd came and heard me preach. This is my prideful heart trying to convince me that I am really something more than I am - a fool for Christ, the chief of all sinners. Yet,I am willing witness for the grace, hope, and love of Jesus Christ. It is said that the week after Easter Sunday is most depressing of all for ministers. Such sadness, which is real, comes from a very unhealthy place in the heart of God’s least worthy servant. If we knew the heart of each of those present we would find that each had their own reasons to be at worship on Easter. I am convinced there was not a person there, including me, who left their homes that morning to hear Gary Miller preach. The open question is, why then did the come?

Be not proud of race, face, place, or grace.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834–1892)

A man can counterfeit love, he can counterfeit faith, he can counterfeit hope and all the other graces, but it is very difficult to counterfeit humility.

Dwight Lyman Moody (1837–1899)

After crosses and losses, men grow humbler and wiser.

Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790)

Courage, brother! Do not stumble,

Though thy path be as dark as night;

There’s a star to guide the humble,

Trust in God and do the right.

Norman Macleod (1812–1872)

A man is never so proud as when striking an attitude of humility.

C. S. Lewis (1898–1963)

And the devil did grin, for his darling sin

Is pride that apes humility.

Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772–1834)

Count not thyself better than others, lest perchance thou appear worse in the sight of God, who knoweth what is in man. Be not proud of thy good works, for God’s judgments are of another sort than the judgments of man, and what pleaseth man is oft-times displeasing to him.

Thomas à Kempis (c. 1380–1471)

Good Friday on Holy Saturday

Good Friday

A friend sent me the B.C. comic strip today. I am not a regular reader so don’t know the names of the characters, or even if they have names. I do find it strange that a story happening “Before Christ” would discuss Good Friday. That aside, the first frame shows a man sitting on a rock and another man standing behind him. The sitting figure is facing away for the man standing behind him. The sitting man says, “I hate the term “Good Friday.” The man standing says, “Why?” “My Lord was hanged on a tree that Day.” The standing man answers with a question, “If you were going to be hanged on that day and he volunteered to take your place, how would you feel?” The man sitting responded with just one word, “Good.” The man standing is now walking away, he says, “Have a nice day.”

Good Friday was not good for Jesus, if “good” means, “pleasant.”

Jesus does not awaken to begin his Friday. He has been awake all night and has been harassed and beaten by the best and brightest men of his religion. The Sandhedrin were also called the Presbytery. Because they resembled the 70 elders (presbutos) Moses chose to decide minor disputes during the Exodus. They numbered 71 and did not consider only minor disputes but tried the most serious cases in Judea but not in Gallilee. Before he was king, while a young man, Herod appeared before them to answer charges. They were established, in principle, during the time of Ezra, but had little power until the time when the Greeks ruled over Palestine (around 200 B.C.).

Our Lord’s evening prayers are rudely interrupted by his arrest, which is emotionally punctuated by the betrayal of a friend. He is kept awake all night and placed before four tribunals in less than nine hours. The Sanhendrin arrest him and try him at night. They find him guilty of blasphemy and treason. They take him to Pilate’s court for sentencing, where is questioned by a man who wants to find some politically wise way to release him. To that end, he sends him to King Herod as a change in venue. Herod sends him back to Pilate for his fourth and final trial. There he is sentenced to death and order to be executed immediately.

His six hours on the cross exhaust him and he dies of suffocation when his arms are no longer strong enough to hold his torso in a position where he can breathe. It is also likely that his heart exploded in his chest. He literally dies of a broken heart. Emotionally and spiritually, he suffers the agony for the sins of the entire world and perfectly satisfies the God’s terms of redemption for the Elect – or, if you are of a different theological bent, for all who trust him.

Johnny Hart, the writer of the B.C. comic strip understands what happened on that Cross. Jesus died – for us and for our salvation. It is a Good Friday indeed.

Worthy of Christ

Ephesians 4:1 - 3 (RSV) ¹I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called,  ²with all lowliness and meekness, with patience, forbearing one another in love,  ³eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 

Once I was having a heated conversation with a man who seemed to me to be rude and disrespectful. I lost my cool. I bark a little and growled a little more. His comment was something like, “What you just said to me is not worthy of a man who holds the position you do?” Naturally, I took his words to heart and repeated them in my mind for about a week. I would especially ruminate on the notion of something being worthy of a minister. Paul’s admonition haunted me; “I beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called.”

If we knew nothing of the “calling” Paul speaks of we could surmise that it corresponds to the qualities of lowliness, meekness, patience, forbearance, and peace. If you wrote a poem about Jesus, these might be the words you would use. These qualities are like Jesus.

When I blew my top and answer a rude man rudely, I did not demonstrate a life worthy of my status as a follower to Jesus. How can I claim to follow a man and act in a manner so unlike him? My life just doesn’t correspond to my confession of faith.

’Tis a great confidence in a friend to tell him your faults; greater to tell him his.

Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790)

A person’s defect may also serve as a source of strength for the total personality, just as metallurgists deliberately build defects into their crystals to improve their strength. (Indeed, by sticking defects into perfect crystals, solid-state physics has given us the semiconductor, which revolutionized modern technology.)

Sydney J. Harris (1917–1986)

Forgiveness is a funny thing—it warms the heart and cools the sting.

William Arthur Ward (1812–1882)

Forgiveness is not an occasional act, it is a permanent attitude.

Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929–1968)

Slap Me If You Must

Lamentations 3:26 through Lamentations 3:30 (NASB)

²⁶              It is good that he waits silently

             For the salvation of the LORD.

²⁷       It is good for a man that he should bear

          The yoke in his youth.

²⁸       Let him sit alone and be silent

          Since He has laid it on him.

²⁹       Let him put his mouth in the dust,

          Perhaps there is hope.

³⁰       Let him give his cheek to the smiter,

          Let him be filled with reproach.

This particular part of the Jeremiah’s lament is very difficult to accept. It is good that the aim is “the salvation of the Lord,” which is, in this context, God’s deliverance from the mess caused by the young or the older folks who failed to amend the bad habits they pick up earlier in his or her life.

There is the possibility of personal growth and the changing of our ways, but, according to the passage, it does not come immediately. This is good to remember. If we apply it to ourselves, we might become more patient with our own imperfections. If we apply it to others, we might become more patient with theirs. Which is easier for you? Are you more patient with your shortcomings or with those of others?

The phrase, “yoke of his youth,” refers to those long-standing character flaws. They are what a past generation called “besetting sins.” Our repentance begins with sitting alone, in silence. We may feel the pressure of these flaws. Others, we love, may find them unbearable. The pressure comes from knowing that something about us, something we cannot easily change, is hurting those we love or worse hurting those who love us.

There is hope. A remedy comes by way of tasting the dust. Hope comes when we give our “cheeks to the smiter.” This is another way of saying, “Hope comes when we face the music.” Who would gladly invite his or her being “filled with reproach?” This means to invite criticism.

Lord, these are difficult word. Amen

An unrepented sin is a continued sin.

Corrie ten Boom (1892–1983)

Fallen man is not simply an imperfect creature who needs improvement; he is a rebel who must lay down his arms . . . This process of surrender—this movement full speed astern—is what Christians call repentance. Now repentance is no fun at all. It is something much harder than merely eating humble pie. It means unlearning all the self-conceit and self-will that we have been training ourselves into for thousands of years. It means killing part of yourself, undergoing a kind of death.

C. S. Lewis (1898–1963)

If your sorrow is because of certain consequences that have come on your family because of your sin, this is remorse, not true repentance. If, on the other hand, you are grieved because you also sinned against God and his holy laws, then you are on the right road.

Billy Graham (1918– )

Walking Away From God

2 Cor 11:1 - 6 (RSV)

¹I wish you would bear with me in a little foolishness. Do bear with me! ²I feel a divine jealousy for you, for I betrothed you to Christ to present you as a pure bride to her one husband. ³But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. ⁴For if some one comes and preaches another Jesus than the one we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you submit to it readily enough. ⁵I think that I am not in the least inferior to these superlative apostles. ⁶Even if I am unskilled in speaking, I am not in knowledge; in every way we have made this plain to you in all things.

When I was a child our block was my play ground. We had an alley that formed an I-shape. There were to allies connecting Iowa Street to Virginia, which ran East and West and a single ally connecting the other two, which ran North and South. On our block there were more than ten children who were my approximate age. Besides the these pathways there were several backyards where play occurred. This was just before the advent of that grand distraction someone called television.

I would say to my mother, “I’m going outside to play.” She then would give me my boundaries. “We’re about to have supper, so stay in the backyard.” Sometimes, if I protested, she would extend my boundaries, “Stay where I can see you.” That meant I could go to one of the neighbor’s adjacent to our yard or the first intersection of the ally system.

In the course of play, new opportunities would immerge that drew me beyond the boundaries set by my mother. I doubt that I thought twice when I violated her clear instructions. She would call, but I would be too far away to hear. She would walk down the alley and call again. Then I would hear and I would come home to face her moderate wrath. “I thought I told you to stay where I could hear you.” I would lie or pretend to misunderstand her instructions. “I thought I could hear you from there.” We both knew I was lying.

This is how it is with the Gospel. Paul preached it clearly to the Corinthians. They failed to trust its simple truth and decided to change it into a form that was more to their liking. Why would they do this? It might be that they never really believed it. The gospel message Paul delivered was one of sovereign grace. The sinner is helpless and God provides everything necessary for our salvation. The Corinthians wanted to add what today would be called “New Age” teachings. They wanted to work their way up a ladder of esoteric knowledge. They wanted to have congregations where the rich were given greater honor than the poor and the wise were closer to God than those who kept a less sophisticated faith.

A wise man wrote, “Don’t multiply complexity beyond necessity.” The Gospel is simple – “You are a lost and helpless sinner; God has saved you through the finished work of Jesus Christ.” When we add demands to the Gospel, it is because we have deceived ourselves. It is then, we walk beyond the view and voice of God.

Finding Examples of Follow

2 Samuel 23:8 (RSV) ⁸These are the names of the mighty men whom David had: Josheb-basshebeth a Tah-chemonite; he was chief of the three; he wielded his spear against eight hundred whom he slew at one time.

Hebrews 12:1-2 ¹Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, ²looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

At the end of David’s life he remembers those who fought with him. The Scriptures record their names as a memorial to their courage, loyalty and sacrifice. David praises for those who fought with him and also those who fought against him. He praises King Saul who sought to kill him.

Among the four horses that bring destruction, described in the Book of Revelation, along with famine, death, and plague is war. War is never viewed as good. Yet, war produces good ends and those who participate in it most often do so for noble reasons. The chief reason, I would suppose, is duty to nation and the defense of one’s family. The noblest is the defense of truth.

The exact cause of war is obscure. War is sometimes precipitated by raw aggression, as with the Nazi’s or by a breakdown in those commonly held understandings, which binds a nation together, as in our War Between the States. In the execution of a war, regardless of its cause, there are valiant men and even women who sacrifice their lives for their nation.

We rightly honor those who have made such sacrifices. We remember them and lift them up as examples for us to follow. “As Christ died to make men holy, let us live to make men free.”

Our notion of sacrifice is the wringing out of us something we don’t want to give up, full of pain and agony and distress. The Bible idea of sacrifice is that I give as a love-gift the very best thing I have.

Oswald Chambers (1874–1917)

I Worry About What You Think of Me

Matthew 6:34 (RSV) ³⁴“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Let the day’s own trouble be sufficient for the day.

Anxiety is another word for fear. Worry is the fear of an unpleasant outcome. When we work under a deadline and others expect us to meet a certain standards then we may fear their disapproval should we fail to meet their expectations of us. Consider all the expectations others hold for you today. We must start with our own expectations for ourselves. These self imposed strictures can be the least reasonable. Then consider the expectation of those who pay our wages or our families, spouses, professors, customers, our clients, our patients, or the “public.” The expectation of any two sources of  these may conflict. We are then bound to let one of them down. In such a case, we pick the softest target, which is the one who will be least likely to retaliate.

Maybe we should take Jesus at his word and simply worry about only that which we can tend to today? Maybe not to worry at all, but simply to accept the “cares of the day” and cast all those cares on God, who “careth for us.” Whatever we do it ought to be done in a manner that pleases God. I find there are two kinds of stressors; there are the things we have control over and the things we don’t. We can control what we do; we can’t control what others think about what we do. If others are pleased with our performance, that is great. If they aren’t then there is not much we do about that. Naturally, we can try to improve but what we consider an improvement may still dissatisfy some.

First, lets make sure we please God today, all the while giving our anxiety over to the only Father who loves us just as we are.

It is distrust of God to be troubled about what is to come; impatience against God to be troubled with what is present; and anger at God to be troubled for what is past.

Simon Patrick (1625–1707)

Change Me Not Oh Gentle Savior

2 Corinthians 3:17-18 (RSV) ¹⁷Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. ¹⁸And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being changed into his likeness from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

I understand that a caged animal will sometimes remain in his confinement even after the doors are opened and he is coaxed to come out. Freedom can be an uncomfortable state.

A habit is a source of comfort. A habit is restricts us a certain set course of behavior. To eat breakfast everyday at a set time and eat the very same thing is a self imposed restriction. One is free to do otherwise, but if we cannot comfortably exercise this freedom are we really free?

This passage tells us that where God is there is freedom. It also tells us that where God is there is change. Improvement is change. Change can feel uncomfortable at first. So improvement can be uncomfortable.

We learn here that with God, this change is gradual – “from one degree to another.”

This change happens as we look to God – that is, to His glory. If we are stuck in our habits, we do not want to change, if looking to God means that we shall be changed, we may avoid looking to God.

Where are we most likely to gaze upon the presence of God? Is it not in worship? Can you open yourself to God in worship? Do you long to see God’s unveiled face in worship? Perhaps we do not? Because when we do so, we shall be forever different.

A man can no more diminish God’s glory by refusing to worship him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word darkness on the walls of his cell.

C. S. Lewis (1898–1963)

The glory of God is a living man; and the life of man consists in beholding God.

Saint Irenaeus (c. 130–c. 200)

Here is Who You Are or Can Become

2 Corinthians 2:14-17 (RSV) ¹⁴But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumph, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. ¹⁵For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, ¹⁶to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things? ¹⁷For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God’s word; but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ.

Have you ever heard the question “Who do you think you are?” It is often a exclamation intended to question a person’s right to say or do something. It is an excellent question none the less. Who do you think you are?

List all the things you think you are. “I am . . .” Consider the quality of who you think you are. Do you value yourself highly? Are you down on yourself? Perhaps you think you are great. Are you? We call these exercises ones in self-esteem. How do you esteem yourself?

Yesterday I met a young black man who measured me for a tux. After we finished our business, we began to chat about our lives. The question we considered was “Where are you from?” I grew up in Evansville; he grew up in a small community West of Evansville. This community is known for its racism. He was a young black man who grew up in a very hostile environment. He mentioned it very casually. I was interested in how he came to  be the attractive self-confident salesman I saw before me. He told me about his home. He grew up in a fine Christian home, with parents who believed in him and impressed on him that he could do or be whatever he wanted to do or be. Outside his home the message about his worth was harsh and cruel. Inside the safety of his familial walls, he was told of his profound worth. He disbelieved those who hated him and believed those who loved him.

Who are you? You are a sweet aroma in the nostrils of God.

Confidence in the natural world is self-reliance, in the spiritual world it is God-reliance.

Oswald Chambers (1874–1917)

God wants us to be victors, not victims; to grow, not grovel; to soar, not sink; to overcome, not to be overwhelmed.

William Arthur Ward (1812–1882)

Our confidence in Christ does not make us lazy, negligent, or careless, but, on the contrary, it awakens us, urges us on, and makes us active in living righteous lives and doing good. There is no self-confidence to compare with this.

Ulrich Zwingli (1484–1531)

Harmony Between Families

1 Timothy 3:4-5 (RSV) ⁴He must manage his own household well, keeping his children submissive and respectful in every way; ⁵for if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how can he care for God’s church?

Now the above passage in the Paul’s pastoral letter to young bishop Timothy is sobering. Any pastor or other leader in the Church recognizes the poignancy of such a charge. If we reflect on the nature of the family as portrayed in the Bible, we will find few that are free from “mismanagement.” Even our Lord had problems with his family of origin. I am not referring to God the Father having a spat with God the Son, no, the Holy Trinity is the very ideal of family harmony. But consider that Jesus’ sister and mother came to kidnap him from public ministry and take him back home by force.

The first couple, when faced with their first crisis, could not form a united front. Adam says, “The woman, who Thou gavest me, gave me this fruit to eat.” The first siblings did not form a loving bond of brothers. One killed the other. The first twins fought with each other in the womb. This pattern of discord never changed to the day they died. Sarah hated Abraham’s concubine and her son. Lot’s daughters tried to seduce their father. Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery. Jacob’s father in law cheated him. Jacob cheated him right back. Eli’s sons were thieves and ruined his reputation as a priest of God. David’s first wife hated him; his sons hated one another and, together, hated their father.

Now there are some noble examples of familial love, to be sure, but, mostly there is discord within the family. How can the Christian household be well managed in the light of this history?

My daughter Amanda married Dan; by doing so they started a new household and merge two extended families. My daughter Cassandra married Nicholas and they started a new household and thereby merge two extended families.  I pray that the Miller/Borgelt and Miller/Almasy families will always continue to love one another. If this is to be so, it will require the very heart of Jesus living in each family member. We pray that the love of God will have its full impact on all our thoughts and actions. This is unlikely to happen perfectly. The best we can hope for is, should it breakdown God will provide a road map of reconciliation to find our way back to a healthy measure of harmony. That road map consists of the way of love and mutual understanding. Two elements are mentioned above: they are respect and submission. If these qualities are exhibited by one party much progress can be enjoyed. If they are held by all parties, then Christian harmony can be displayed. I love the phrase “mutual forbearance.” There is much wisdom in it.

I pray your lives and your relationships are indicative of mutual forbearance, which will produce the bonds of peace.

A loving person lives in a loving world. A hostile person lives in a hostile world. Everyone you meet is your mirror.

Ken Keyes, Jr.

Any deep relationship to another human being requires watchfulness and nourishment; otherwise, it is taken from us. And we cannot recapture it. This is a form of having and not having that is the root of innumerable tragedies.

Paul Johannes Oskar Tillich (1886–1965)

If you expect perfection from people, your whole life is a series of disappointments, grumblings, and complaints. If, on the contrary, you pitch your expectations low, taking folks as the inefficient creatures which they are, you are frequently surprised by having them perform better than you had hoped.

Bruce Fairfield Barton (1886–1967)

Fragile: Handle with Care

1 Thessalonians 2:5-8 (RSV) ⁵For we never used either words of flattery, as you know, or a cloak for greed, as God is witness; ⁶nor did we seek glory from men, whether from you or from others, though we might have made demands as apostles of Christ. ⁷But we were gentle among you, like a nurse taking care of her children. ⁸So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.

Image how you felt when you first handled a newborn infant. Often you hear it said, “I’m afraid she’ll break.” Remember the first time you raised your voice to an infant. When you were changing them you might have shouted, in frustration, “Hold still!” Remember that puckering bottom lip and at pregnant pause as she gathered up her full voice; then that heart rending cry. You realize that she was hurt and it was you her hurt her. No, physically she was unbroken, but her little heart was frightened, but of what? Did she fear physical harm? Maybe, but I don’t think so. I think she feared you would abandon her to be alone and lonely forever. At that moment you promised yourself you be gentler. A promise you broke and thousand times.

Gentleness is required when one party, in a relationship, is stronger than the other. When one is weak, gentleness is most necessary. Here is the insight! Everyone is weak. Everyone! As you go through your day, observe those who meet with this assumption in mind: “this person is broken hearted.” Fact is, we are all broken hearted. The only difference between us is that some are better at hiding their sorrow than others are. We differ only in how well we craft of our mask.

For this reason, if for no other, gentleness is required.

In our rough-and-rugged individualism, we think of gentleness as weakness, being soft, and virtually spineless. Not so! . . . Gentleness includes such enviable qualities as having strength under control, being calm and peaceful when surrounded by a heated atmosphere, emitting a soothing effect on those who may be angry or otherwise beside themselves, and possessing tact and gracious courtesy that causes others to retain their self-esteem and dignity. . . . Instead of losing, the gentle gain. Instead of being ripped off and taken advantage of, they come out ahead!

Charles R. Swindoll (1934– )