Eat What Is Good

When we have any sizable men's event at Ogletown, you can be sure there will be food. The reason is obvious--us guys love to eat! I know several men at OBC who can tear up an all-you-can-eat buffet (names will not be disclosed to protect the guilty!). Food is certainly one of the great blessings of God to be enjoyed (yes, in moderation!).

Isaiah spoke of our natural desire and need for food when conveying God's desire for his people to seek the Kingdom. Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price (Isaiah 55:1). Notice both the urgency and the universal tone of the invitation. Come. Right now. No cost prohibition here. All that is required is a hunger and thirst for the things of our Lord.

Verse 2 continues: Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. Isaiah exposes the foolishness of wasting time and effort on things that don't satisfy; such as pursuing worldly pleasures or recognition. We instead are invited to an all-you-can-eat banquet of goodness that only requires us to diligently listen and respond to the Gospel of Christ.

Just as food is essential for our nourishment and survival, the invitation to God's banquet ensures that our souls will live in an everlasting covenant with the Creator of all (v. 3). Time to dig in!

Teach and Remember

When it comes right down to it, leading the next generation is simply a matter of teaching and remembering. We pass down truth to our children based on our past experiences; remembering times when we experienced both success and failure in the hopes of making their pathways less treacherous. Lessons learned in our life experiences often have great value. Accordingly Scripture, especially the Old Testament, is filled with instruction to pass knowledge down from generation to generation.

Psalm 78 begins with a charge to hear what the psalmist is teaching (v.1)--instruction that was learned from the things that were made known from their fathers (v. 2-3). Then comes the promise that this knowledge will be passed on to their children so that they will know of the glorious deeds, wonders and might of the Lord (v. 4).

The remainder of the psalm goes on to explain why this is so important. The history of God's people was one of covenant promise and blessing, disobedience, punishment, repentance and finally, restoration. The psalmist's purpose is clear--to recount the events of the past so that future generations of God's people would take these lessons to heart and not make the same mistakes of rebellious generations before them. Of particular note is how the psalmist recalls how God continually delivered his people, gave provision and upheld his covenant promises in spite of their disobedience (v. 13, 15-16, 20, 23-29, 38-39, 43-55, 70-72).

Our job as God's men hasn't changed. We must teach the next generation and remember the mighty deeds and wonders of our Lord, so that they will know the One who guides us with his upright heart and skillful hand (v. 72).

Everlasting God

Isaiah 40:31 is a tremendous verse that promises strength to those who trust in God--but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. As God's men, we certainly know that He is all-powerful, all-knowing and always present. But how does his power and strength get passed on to us? A few of the preceding verses in this passage will shed some light for us.

Verses 28-29 says: ...The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. God is an eternal power source that never succumbs to fatigue, never wears down in need of repair, never needs to be replenished, never expires or becomes obsolete. The very idea of him being a limitless source of power is beyond human understanding. Yet it is from an overflow of his mightiness and strength that He is able to give power to the weak.

Verse 30 reminds us that even the youngest and strongest of men will become weak and tired. Yet it is in this state, when we have exhausted all of our own human strength, that God will give us new strength and cause us to mount up with wings like eagles. His everlasting love heals the brokenhearted. He never suffers setbacks so that he can comfort those who do. His faithfulness to us enables those who have faith and trust in Him to find fresh strength.

Let us praise our Heavenly Father for being the one true, all-sufficient source of strength and power that we will ever need. The One who never gets depleted. The One who is everlasting.

Judging With Equity

When I was much younger, I thought it would be really cool to be a judge. You know, just sit back and listen as both parties presented their side of the story, listen to the eyewitness accounts of what happened and then weigh all the evidence and render a verdict. My young, naive mind thought that would be the most awesome job ever. Wrong.

Seeing high-profile trials play out on television and verdicts rendered that sometimes don't appear to be correct should remind us how difficult it is to be a judge. Attorneys are paid large sums of money to present evidence in such a way as to convince others that their side of the story is the true one. The judge must then weigh all of the evidence carefully in order to make the right decision; a decision that often impacts many people. Above all, the judge must decide based on fairness and truth.

Notice what the psalmist said when he talked about God the Righteous Judge---Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon earth (Psalm 67:4). The psalmist is joyful in knowing that God will always judge in truth and his desire is for everyone to know the joy and peace that comes from knowing that He judges fairly--with equity. Judging with equity can only be done perfectly by the One who knows all the evidence, who always knows the whole truth and who always renders a decision that works good for all who know him.

Judging with equity is such a serious matter with God that Jesus himself warned us not to judge so that we wouldn't be judged in the same measure (Luke 6:37). He knows that we often have a limited knowledge base or we desire an outcome that is self-centered rather than truth-seeking. He knows that we are often ill-equipped to fully know the truth in any given situation or to be completely fair. To judge with equity. Like only God can.

A Work in Progress

I find it amusing and sometimes even sad at some of the bumper stickers I see that have spiritual sayings on them. Some are true if not confusing to non-believers (In case of the Rapture, this vehicle will be unmanned). Some reflect a distorted view of our Lord (God is my co-pilot--really, how arrogant is it to think that God needs our help to manage His world or that we're guiding the ship?). Some are just flat out wrong (God helps those who help themselves---there's that works-based, I must earn my salvation mentality again).

Probably the most accurate bumper sticker I've ever seen regarding our spiritual walk says "Be patient. God isn't finished with me yet". People may or may not be patient with you, but as a believer in the person of Jesus Christ, you can rest assured our Heavenly Father is working in your life and he isn't finished with you yet. 1 Corinthians 4:17 says: For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison. God is not some distant deity; removed and detached from the prize of His creation. He is actively working in the events and circumstances in our lives, both the joyful and the painful, to prepare us for a life so great that we can't even begin to understand it.

So why is God handling each of us as a work in progress? Because his desire is for each and every one of us to grow and become more like Jesus. He created us in his image (Genesis 1:27). Because of our sinful human nature, we need to be a work in progress. We need to continually renew our minds so that we will not conform to the world but be transformed into Christ-likeness (Romans 12:1-2).

Being a work in progress may seem like a scary proposition until you cling to the truth that God works all things for good for those he has called (Romans 8:28). Have confidence that his work in us is intended to make us mature, complete and lacking nothing (James 1:4).

Chesed

Pastor Curtis brought another powerful message this past Sunday to the people of Ogletown. He shared with us a word that most of us probably had never heard before--chesed (pronounced kess-id). Pastor noted that this Hebrew word is a hard word to define. I suspect that it is hard to define because the characteristics of chesed are not common to and often directly opposed to our sinful human nature. He also laid down a very powerful challenge to the men of Ogletown to be chesed men.

Pastor did share two commentaries on chesed which define this concept that we, as disciples of Jesus Christ, are called to embody. Daniel Block, Biblical professor at Wheaton College defines chesed as "That quality that moves a person to act for the benefit of another without respect to the advantage it might bring to the one who expresses it." Christian author and speaker Carolyn Curtis James said, "Chesed is driven, not by duty or legal obligation, but by a bone-deep commitment--a loyal, selfless love that motivates a person to do voluntarily what no one has a right to expect or ask of them. They have the freedom to act or to walk away without the slightest injury to their reputation. Yet they willingly pour themselves out for the good of someone else."

Chesed, in its simplest form, is being obedient to the Great Commandment (Mark 12:31)--love your neighbor as you love yourself. It is serving others out of a love for them by taking the love that the Father lavishly pours out on us and freely giving it to others. Chesed requires a Christ-like mindset that disregards our own personal status or comfort and says I have not come to be served but to serve and give my life as a ransom for others.

Imagine how great our families, our church, our neighborhoods, our schools and our workplaces would be if each and every man at Ogletown committed to be a chesed man. Imagine if each of us had that bone-deep commitment to loyal and selfless love and a willingness to pour ourselves out solely for the good of others. Are we ready for the challenge?

Knowing the Way

John 14:6 is one of the most familiar and most important verses in the Bible--Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." This verse speaks clearly about the necessity of Christ to bridge the gap that sin caused between God and man. It shatters all other believe systems that teach eternal life is based on human effort or good works. It invalidates any notion that rejects the deity of God's only Son.

What's even more interesting about this verse is the question that prompted it. Jesus had just finished explaining to his disciples that he needed to leave them and go prepare an eternal home for them and all others who would call upon his name. He also assured them that he would return again to take those who believe in him to their eternal home and dwell with them forever. Then Thomas asked the big question in verse 5--Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?

Our Christian walk, our day-to-day navigation through life, our decision and thought-making processes are all about knowing the way. So Thomas' question--How can we know the way?--is just as relevant today as it was over 2,000 years ago. Jesus is the way. He is humanity as God intended it to be. Jesus is the truth. He is the Word (Genesis 1:1) who became flesh and dwelled among men and because he is the Word, he is absolute truth. Jesus is the life. He is the only one who conquered death and rose from the grave victoriously and his life gives us eternal life.

Knowing the way is simply knowing Jesus Christ and following him. Knowing the way is being a disciple of Christ and persuing the Living God. Knowing the way is allowing him to lovingly lead you to the Father.

The God Who Sees

There are many names of God found in Scripture and each of them describes an attribute or characteristic of who He is. One of these names is found just once, yet speaks volumes of who God is. It speaks of his omnipresence; his ability to see and be aware of all things at all times in all places. It is a name that no one but a holy God can possess.

In Genesis 16:13, Hagar addresses God as El Roi--the God who sees me. Hagar wasn't exactly in a great place when she uttered these words. She had fled into the wilderness--alone and pregnant carrying Abraham's child. She fled because his wife Sarai, who had come up with the idea of having Hagar conceive in her place, became resentful towards her when she actually did conceive. Hagar's acknowledgement of El Roi happened when an angel of the Lord appeared and told her to return to Sarai and that she and her offspring would be blessed (v.9-11).

Because God is El Roi, the God who sees us, we can full confidence that he knows everything about us. Every minute detail down to the number of hairs on our head. Because we worship El Roi, we have no reason to harbor unconfessed sin and we have His promise of forgiveness and cleansing from all unrighteousness if we confess (1 John 1:9). Hebrews 4:13 says: And no creature is hidden from his sight, but we are all naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account. Proverbs 5:21 reminds us that the Lord sees and examines all our ways. He is the Righteous Judge.

In addition to loving us in spite of our sinful condition, the God who sees us will reward us for all the things we have done in His name (Matthew 10:42). He sees all of the unfairness, the unjustness and the iniquities that have existed throughout time and will set the record straight. He will wipe away every tear as life has conquered death and old things have become new (Revelation 21:4).

Dealing with Spiritual Lows

Being a disciple of Jesus Christ means following him and seeking to know him more. But what about those times when we don't feel like following? What about the times when we pray earnestly for help, healing or strength and it feels like nothing is happening? What about the times when it seems like we're doing all the right things, but nothing seems to be working out?

How frustrating it can be when we seek to serve Him and life just seems to be grinding us down. We try to be spiritual leaders in our home and we find ourselves yelling at our kids again. What about when people persecute us because we follow Jesus? Or when we give our best effort at work and it goes unrecognized and unappreciated? Or what happens when really hard times come; we lose our job, our family falls apart, illness sets in?

It's at times like these---our spiritual lows--when our natural human tendency is to run away from God that we need Him the most. Jesus himself promised that those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be filled (Matthew 5:6). Filled with the love and mercy of the Creator of the Universe. Filled with His cleansing grace. Filled with the power and might of the One whose strength is made perfect in our weakness (Philippians 4:13).

Being a disciple of Jesus Christ means we are following the perfection of God's creation; the one who shows us humanity as it was meant to be. Our Savior has maintained a continued, unbroken relationship with the Father. And through the power of the Holy Spirit by the shed blood of Christ, we have access to that same relationship. A relationship we need during both the highs and the lows in our spiritual walk.