Two Levels Of Love

"Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church— for we are members of his body.  “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church.However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband."  Ephesians 5:26-33

I want to invoke some editorial privilege this morning and wish my lovely wife a Happy 31st Anniversary! Like all good marriages, we are each better people for having been together. We have been good for each other.

Barbara has been good for me because of the way she has served me and sacrificed for me. She has given up much to allow me to pursue the calling of God. Sacrifice and service are what commitment looks like. Honestly, women do that better than men. That is why Paul wrote to the husbands in Ephesus urging them to commit to their wives. In this verse, the Apostle Paul reminds us of the key to a good marriage, but He links it with a curious comparison. A man's love for his wife is compared to Christ's love for the Church. Interesting, eh? What is the common denominator here? How can love for a person be compared to love for a community of people?

The thing that makes love work is commitment. Love involves a complete commitment to someone else. That commitment is often expressed in sacrifice. Christ proved His love for the Church by sacrificing His live to redeem it. What did that sacrifice involve? Sacrifice means that I put your needs ahead of mine. Sacrifice means I commit my life to serving your needs. Which is precisely what Christ did on the cross. No wonder commitment has fallen out of fashion with 21st Century culture.

When Paul wrote to the husbands in the Ephesian Church he challenged them to commit to two levels of love. He said love your wife more than you love your parents and to love your wife as you love yourself. Of course, from an emotional perspective the love you have for your parents is different from the love you feel for your spouse. But emotions are not the topic here. Paul is talking about actions because marriage is more about what you do than what you feel. When you commit to marriage you commit to serving the needs of your spouse above the needs of your parents. And you commit to serving the needs of your spouse ahead of your own.

Another way of looking at commitment is this: commitment is eliminating plan B. Plan B comes from your human nature, your default setting, wants to serve your own needs first. Or, human nature wants to bail out on a relationship when commitment demands too much. As long as you have a Plan B you are not committed.

I am blessed to be married to a wonderful woman who long ago took Plan B out of play. So have I. That has allowed us to focus fully on serving one another and together serving God. It has led us to invest in each other rather than indulging ourselves. That is how we have each become better people. Serving Christ has helped us to better serve each other. Sacrificing to serve Him and serve others has bonded us to Him and to each other. Learning to serve Him has helped us learn to serve each other.

But, while the commitment that got us to this point is laudable, the commitments we make today are the ones that matter. Will we continue to serve? Will we continue to sacrifice? Will we continue to eliminate Plan B? I like our chances! But commitment happens one decision at a time.

June 5, 2018

^“Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep.  All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture.  The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.  The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep.”  John 10:7-15

Like the sheep in Psalm 23 you should be one satisified sheep! I have spent the better part of this week reminding you of how good your Shepherd is! So, if there is still anxiety or discontent stirring in your soul it could be that you are not following Him as well as you should!

May I share a true story to further illustrate the blessings and benefits of following this Shepherd Who is a personal shepherd and a powerful shepherd and a promising shepherd? 

Here it is:

In 1972, a shepherd had brought his sheep into a walled-off, enclosed area for the night, and he had just gone to sleep when he heard a commotion. He quickly rushed over to where the sound was coming from and to his horror he discovered that a wolf was in the process of dragging off one of his sheep through a hole in the wall. He was mauling this sheep and blood was flying.

The shepherd quickly began hitting the wolf, and the wolf turned on him and began attacking him. He bit him over and over while the shepherd was striking him with his staff, and finally with one final blow of his staff, he killed the wolf as he himself collapsed into a bloody heap.

He managed to crawl over to the half-dead sheep, and began to bandage its wounds.

He gave it some water, and then took it in his own bloody arms, and shepherd and sheep went to sleep together. The next morning the shepherd was found dead, his body literally draped over the sheep to comfort it and keep it warm. The following day the headline in the Jerusalem paper said, “Sheep Alive, Covered in Shepherd’s Blood.”

That is the testimony of every sheep and lamb who is under the care of the Good Shepherd. Why would you not follow Him closely? Why would you not completely trust a Shepherd like that?

Any other shepherd is a hireling who comes to steal, abuse, or kill the sheep. There is no comparison between the Good Shepherd and any other. There is really no comparison between sheep under the care of the Good Shepherd and those who are not. You can tell the difference by looking! There is a noticeable difference!

As the storm clouds gather and the threats increase and the world becomes significantly more dangerous, you cannot afford to be led or cared for by anyone other than the Good Shepherd because no matter how perilous the times that lay ahead - IF THE LORD IS YOUR SHEPHERD, YOUR FUTURE IS YOUR FRIEND!

Hallelujah!

June 4, 2018

“SURELY – goodness and mercy will follow me…..”  Psalm 23:6

"Promises are like babies: easy to make, hard to deliver." ~Author Unknown

"It is not the oath that makes us believe the man, but the man the oath." - Aeschylus

"Promises are like crying babies in a theater, they should be carried out at once." - Norman Vincent Peale

The future is your friend when you have a personal shepherd Who has an intimate concern and care for you! And, the future is your friend when you have a powerful shepherd who has seven-fold ability to protect and provide for you. But there is still another reason to trust this shepherd - His promises!

But the promises made are only as good as the previous promises that have been kept. How can you be sure you can trust the promises of this Shepherd? Has He proven reliable?

He began His ministry by being hungry, yet He is the Bread of Life.

Jesus ended His earthly ministry by being thirsty, yet He is the Living Water.

Jesus was weary, yet He is our rest.

Jesus paid tribute, yet He is the King.

Jesus was accused of having a demon, yet He cast out demons.

Jesus wept, yet He wipes away our tears.

Jesus was sold for thirty pieces of silver, yet He redeemed the world.

Jesus was brought as a lamb to the slaughter, yet He is the Good Shepherd.

Jesus died, yet by His death He destroyed the power of death.

Yes! This Shepherd IS trustworthy! He not only keeps His word HE IS THE WORD!

What He promises:

God’s presence -- "I will never leave thee" (Heb. 13:5)

God’s protection -- "I am thy shield" (Gen. 15:1)

God’s power -- "I will strengthen thee" (Isa. 41:10)

God’s provision -- "I will help thee" (Isa. 41:10)

God’s leading -- "And when He putteth forth His own sheep, He goeth before them" (John 10:4)

God’s purposes -- "I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil" (Jer. 20:11)

God’s rest -- "Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matt. 11:28)

God’s cleansing -- "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9)

God’s goodness -- "No good thing will He withhold from them that work uprightly" (Psalm 84:11)

God’s faithfulness -- "The Lord will not forsake His people for His great name’s sake" (1 Sam. 12:22) 

God’s guidance -- "The meek will He guide" (Psalm 25:9)

God’s wise plan -- "All things work together for good to them that love God" (Rom. 8:28)

With the troubling and uncertain future you face how can you have hope?

You can be sure your future is your friend because your Shepherd is personal and He is powerful AND you can trust His promises!

The things that are coming in the next few months and years will be trouble on a scale you have never seen before. It will be frightening. It will be painful. You will be tempted to panic. That is why I want to remind you of your Shepherd and that if you fully trust Him, you will need not fear the future for He will make your future your friend!

June 3, 2018

"The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever."  Psalm 23

Even though things are getting very scary around the world and the US ecomony is tetering on the brink of collapse, the future is your friend if the Lord is your Shepherd. I showed you that is true because He is a personal Shepherd. He knows you intimately and loves you unconditionally.

Not only is He a personal shepherd, He is a powerful shepherd! When you think of a powerful superhero you think of a Batman, or a Spiderman or a Superman, you don't think of a shepherd. But you should! Jesus as the Shepherd is not just powerful, He is seven-fold powerful! What do I mean by that?

Our Father has many, many names in the Hebrew bible (some say as many as 144!), each describing a different aspect of His greatness and power — from Adonai (The Lord; mentioned 360 times) to Yahveh (“I am that I am”; mentioned 6,800 times). Jehovah is an Anglicized translation of Yahveh. In Psalm 23 we see seven of the names of God that show us that our Shepherd might just BE a superhero!

1. “The Lord is my Shepherd”

"Jehovah Rohi" (The Lord is my Shepherd and my Guide) – “However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will GUIDE you into all truth” John 16:13.

2. “I shall not want”

"Jehovah Jireh" (The Lord is my Provider, so I do not want) - "He supplies all my need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus" Philippians 4:19

3. “He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters”

"Jehovah Shalom" (The Lord is my Peace — my calm in the midst of a storm) – “Now may the God of PEACE Himself sanctify you completely” 1 Thess. 5:23.

4. “He restores my soul”

"Jehovah Rapha" (He is my Healer) – “And by His stripes we are healed” 1 Peter 2:24 (and Isaiah 53:5)

5. “He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake”

"Jehovah Tsidkenu" (The Lord is my Righteousness; in Him I have right standing with God) “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the RIGHTEOUSNESS of God in Him” 1 Corinthians 5:21.

6. “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me”

"Jehovah Shammah" (“The Lord is There”; He is our Ever-Present God) - “For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you’” Hebrews 13:5.

7. “Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies”

"Jehovah Nissi" (“The Lord is my Banner,” my standard, He covers me) – “When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD will lift up a STANDARD against him” Isaiah 59:19.

“You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” Amen!

The future is your friend when this God is your Shepherd! He is powerful times seven! There is nothing that can come against you that will be more powerful than Him! When this Good Shepherd is for you, who can be against you!

Sure sounds like a superhero to me!

June 2, 2018

I don't know if you have seen the Will Smith movie I, Robot. The actor plays a cynical cop in the future who seems to be the only person on earth open to the slight possibility that a robot could develop beyond the scope of its creator's design. Teamed with a theory-driven, numbers-based scientist, Smith becomes exasperated by the woman's refusal to accept anything outside her system of belief. After hitting an impasse one too many times, he yells at her, "You are the dumbest smart person I know!"

That is an apt comparison to those who claim to be atheists or agnostics. Their high degree of intelligence seems to elude them in their refusal to accept ideas outside of their belief system.

The Psalmist put it this way, "The fool has said in His heart, 'There is no God.'"

Agnostics are a bit more open-minded than atheists in that they allow for the existence of God but they don't believe we can know that you can know for sure. They would discount the notion of a personal relationship with God. In fact, the would not conceded to the point of a personal God.

Charles Spurgeon recalled an experience he had with an agnostic, "One walking with me observed with some emphasis, 'I do not believe as you do, I am an agnostic.' 'Oh,' I said to him, 'That is a Greek word isn't it? The Latin word is "ignoramus."' He did not like that at all. Yet I only translated his language from Greek to Latin."

So, where does the agnostic get it wrong?

In stating that you can't really know anything with certainty about God, they are doing that very thing! By making the statement that you can't know anything about God for sure, you are stating something that can be known about God - "He can't be known."

It is a contradiction to say, "One thing I know about God is that you can't know anything about Him." That is essentially their position. And it's not a strong one, is it?

Mark Twain once quipped, "It's not what I don't know about the Bible that bothers me, it's what I do know about it."

Good point! If we who DO believe in God and who know Him and His Word, would live up to what we know - it would be harder for agnostics to not believe.

God is knowable. He invites us to know Him and reveals Himself through His Word. If you are not earnestly seeking to know Him, how are you better than an agnostic?

Understanding Atheism

These days it seems fashionable to be identified as an atheist. Atheism has gained an exalted place in our modern culture because it is portrayed as an intellectually superior philosophy. But is it really?

Here's what the Bible says,

"For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: 'I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.' Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe."

I Corinthians 1:18-22

The great British preacher, Charles Spurgeon once said, "There are no atheists anywhere but on earth. There are none in heaven, and there are none in hell. Atheism is a strange thing. Even the devils never fell into that vice, for 'the devils also believe and tremble' (James 2:19). And there are some of the devil's children that have gone beyond their father in sin. But when God's foot crushes them, they will not be able doubt His existence. When He tears them in pieces and there is none to deliver, then their empty logic and their bravado will be of no avail."

So, what do we need to understand about these who arrogantly deny the existence of God and who demean those who believe in Him?

1) Most of them carry spiritual and emotional baggage that are the real reasons behind their refusal to believe. Unfortunately, their reasons for not believing have little to do with God and much to do with misconceptions about Him. Perhaps they have been disappointed by faith or by a person of faith. Maybe they were hurt by a church or damaged by a parent who used faith to shield their abusive behavior. They project their disillusions onto God.

2) Atheism is often portrayed as the modern and trendy way to think and people of faith are belittled as archaic and backward in their thinking. The truth is that people have been rebelling against God and trying to rationalize Him away since the Garden of Eden. Unbelief is nearly as old as belief.

3) An atheist's claim that there is no God is intellectually dishonest for this reason, it is an attempt to make humans into gods. That, in a way, is the ultimate irony: atheists in their denial of God, cannot help but replace the truly omniscient God with a cheap imitation - themselves.

4) Also, his claim that God doesn't exist is intellectually inconsistent because the only way that could be true is if the atheist knew everything it is possible to know. Otherwise, it would be possible for God to exist but that He existed outside of his knowledge or beyond his ability to know. Since there has never been an omniscient human being, there has never been an honest atheist.

5) God believes in atheists even if they don't believe in Him and He sent His Son to die for them. So we should pray for them and reach out to them in love. We should live our lives in ways that make God seem real.

Lest we be too negative toward atheists, let me remind you that at times each of us behave as practical atheists. How is that? When we know what the Bible says and we fail to obey it, we are acting as though there is no God - or as if we are gods. Before we criticize or condemn them, let's repent of our own disbelief and rebellion. 

God help us, so we can help them.

May 31, 2018

“The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.”   Psalm 23

Reading this Psalm gives you an insight into a day in the life of a sheep. I am not sure you ever had a desire to see life through the eyes of a sheep. Personally, I have never paused in the middle of a busy day and wondered, “What would a sheep think of this?" You probably haven’t either, but when you consider that the Bible compares you to a sheep it might be of some interest to you.

From this moment forward, should a similar thought flash through your mind you will have an answer. According to this beloved Psalm a sheep faces each day concerned about: hunger, harm, harassment, and hereafter.

Incidentally, I have known a few humans who worry about the same things.

Fortunately, for this sheep, he has a shepherd who worries about those same things for him. Do you have a shepherd like that? If you are worried about those things, you probably don’t!

Sheep are grazers. Grazing is great as long as there is plenty of grass. But a flock of sheep will tend to overgraze an area until all the grass is gone. Because they are too timid to move far from where they have grazed, they would starve themselves within a matter of days. Hunger is a concern. No one wants to go hungry, even a sheep!

A good shepherd leads his sheep to green pastures each day and then stand guards over them as they graze on lush green grass. After a few days of learning they can trust their shepherd, they cease to worry about hunger anymore. That is a good day!

Do you have a shepherd like that? You could!

Sheep are defenseless. They have no way of protecting themselves against predators and they can’t run fast enough to get away. So, if they have no shepherd to guard them they will become lunch for a wolf or cougar. So, along with daily concerns about hunger, they worry about harm coming to them!

But if he has a good shepherd, that shepherd is on constant guard watching for predators. Should one attack, he is armed with a staff and a rod with which he can ward off the beast. After awhile the sheep learns he doesn’t have to worry about harm when he is with his shepherd.

The fact that the sheep lays down is significant. They are so timid and flighty that they will not lie down unless they feel completely safe from predators, parasites or pests. If flies or gnats or bees are buzzing around them they will not lie down. When you see a sheep lying down he is either dead or he is feeling completely secure! In that case, it would be evidence that he has a good shepherd who cares enough for his sheep to keep him free of harassment!

Once he has been relieved of his concerns over hunger, harm and harassment, a sheep’s worry turns to the hereafter. What will happen tomorrow? Will he be hungry? Will he be harmed? Will he be harassed? Not having to worry about today will not keep him from worrying about tomorrow. Know the feeling?

But, once again, being under the care of a good shepherd over time, the sheep will come to trust his shepherd so much that he ceases to worry and is content and comfortable following his shepherd anywhere!

Life through the eyes of a sheep!

What does it have to do with you?

It IS you! That is, if you know the Good Shepherd. If not, you know hunger, harm, harassment and concerns about the hereafter.

When you follow the Good Shepherd – life is good and your future is your friend!