Renewal Awaits Response – Part One
“Then they cry out to the Lord in their trouble, And He brings them out of their distresses. He calms the storm, So that its waves are still. Then they are glad because they are quiet; So He guides them to their desired haven. Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men!” Psalm 107:28-31
Jesus, the recently resurrected Lord of life and death, sent a message to His disgraced and denying disciple, Simon Peter, which was in essence, “Meet me at the Sea of Galilee.” Why? Because it was time for a restart. Young John Mark deserted Paul and Silas on a missionary journey. In effect Jesus said to him, “Lift up your chin and pick up your pen. Let’s start over again. I’ve got a gospel for you to write.”
To say Jesus is the God of a second chance is to limit Him. He is the loving God of the second chance and more. He is the God of renewal.
Baron Von Hugel, an influential Austrian religious writer and Christian apologist, said: “It is harder for a healthy person to be religious than for one whose body is ‘a constant failure.’”
Why? The Lord wants to use our adversities to our advantage. We can signal our willingness for Him to bless and use us by showing an attitude of gratitude. The above text describes the response to the Lord in a time of trouble.
Psalm 107: 1 – 3 is an exhortation to give thanks. Giving thanks to God is the most we can give Him and the least we should. We should do so for two reasons as noted in verse 1.
“He is good…” It is His nature. Water is always wet, fire is always hot, and God is always good. He is good to us and for us.
There is a recurring theme in Psalm 107 found in verses 8, 15, 21, and 31: “Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men.”
“His mercy endures forever.” God’s grace is His favor being given to us. His mercy is His protection preventing bad things coming to us.
Because of His goodness He supplies us and because of His mercy He spares us many things of which we are unaware.
Psalms 107: 28, 31 took this into account and explains why not all of life is sailed on a smooth sea. It is so we will trust Him and He can reveal Himself to us.
Our Lord wants to use our advantages and our adversities to draw us to Himself. He is the God of renewal, daily renewal. Regardless of your faithfulness or failures He awaits your response in order to renew you. As renewal enabled the Lord to use Paul and Mark so it will enable Him to bless and use you.
Bear One Another’s Burdens
Have you ever noticed how few people are interested in what you are interested in? How many people have you shown interest in things they are interested in? Oops!
“Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. For each one shall bear his own load” (Galatians 6: 2 – 5).
A conflict seems to exist between verses 2 and 5: “Bear one another’s burdens,” and “Each one shall bear his own burden.”
In verse 2 the word translated burden is “baros” meaning “grief.” These are burdens of the heart. For example sorrows. We should help people bear their sorrows.
In verse 5 the word translated burden, “phortion,” means responsibility. These are burdens of personal responsibility, duties for which they are accountable. Persons should do the things for which they are responsible and not expect others to do them on their behalf.
Some social parasites can’t be helped because they won’t help themselves.
Often sympathetic Christians get the two mixed and as do-gooders want to fix everything for everyone. That is not good lest a class of leeches develops. Such has developed in our society. There is a class of persons who don’t want to work, but rather want the government to work for them and provide for them that which they can provide for themselves. Compassion compels us to want to provide for persons unable to provide for themselves. There is a difference between those who can’t and those who won’t.
It is good to show interest and offer support for people dealing with issues of the heart, emotions.
How many people have you been able to show interest in their interest? In doing so be wise in differentiating between concerns (vs. 2) and conduct (vs. 5).
Between the above verses 2 and 5 is verse 4 which exhorts us to examine our own works in light of Scripture. Romans 14: 12 tells us how to do it, “So then each of us shall give an account of himself to God.”
“Each one shall bear his own burden…” Each one includes all of us. That is, we each have our own responsibilities. We are to avoid being lazy or careless about our own responsibilities and not expect others to do them for us.
Reflect on the above difference in verse 2 and verse 5.
“Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” Galatians 6: 2
On Knowing the Future
Punxsutawney Phil is a groundhog residing in Young Township near Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, who is the central figure in Punxsutawney’s annual Groundhog Day celebration. He is credited with having correctly forecasted whether there will be an early spring or six more weeks of weather. This year he is predicting an early spring. It is a novel approach to mankind’s unending search for knowledge of the future. It is lighthearted, but illustrative of a desire to know the future. This adrenal thirst for knowledge of the future is unending.
In Greek mythology Croesus King of Lydia visited the oracle of Delphi and sought her wisdom regarding the outcome of his forthcoming battle with the Persians. She said, “If you make war on the Persians, you will destroy a great empire.”
Confidently he went forth to conquer only to be badly defeated. Later he returned and reminded the oracle she had foretold a great victory. She said she didn’t predict who would win, only that a great empire would be destroyed and his was.
Croesus’ story provides a warning on how not to interpret oracular statements. It shows the importance of careful consideration of the divine word and the dangers of arrogant assumptions.
Fortune tellers, soothsayers, card readers, and the like most often leave themselves wiggle room in making predictions.
In the Bible Saul improperly sought the wisdom of a witch. Jesus advised against improperly seeking to know the future. In a Scripture passage normally considered caution regarding worry wisdom is found in not seeking to know the future. He concluded, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (Matthew 6: 34).
Some modern day preachers make a lot of money presuming to know details of the future based on general prophetic principles.
“…when a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the thing does not happen or come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him.” Deuteronomy 18:21-22
Such a person, even if he has a big TV or radio ministry, is not to be trusted.
There is a fine line between seeking to know the future and properly planning for the future. Proper planning for your future is wise. Preoccupation with details of the future indicate a lack of trust of the Lord. He is already there waiting to bless.
“Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.” Proverbs 16:3
Envy: The Green-Eyed Monster
There is so much in the Bible regarding envy it is expedient to consider it.
“It was out of envy that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him” Mark 15:10.
Thus it is directly attributed to being a sin leading Jesus to the cross. Of all possible sins it is identified as being a primary cause of His crucifixion.
Shakespeare dubbed it, “the green-eyed monster.” Chaucer called it a: “foul sin… the worst of sins” because it is “against all virtues and against every manner of goodness.”
Envy is one bad sin, so we need to take a closer look at it.
Jealousy and envy are opposite sides of the same coin.
The obverse side, envy, is wanting what someone else has.
The reverse side, jealousy, is wishing they didn’t have it.
Envy is the act of counting the blessings of others rather than your own. It comes from a lack of appreciation for your own blessings.
From Bible time it sometimes manifested itself even in ministry. “It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill” Philippians 1: 15.
Love is often corrupted by envy. However, “ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud” I Corinthians 13:4.
Envy is even indirect criticism of God. It portends you know better than God as to what you need and another has.
Can you rejoice over the accomplishments and possessions of others? Are you given to complimenting the accomplishments of others? It is a shield against envy.
Essayist Gore Vidal once confessed, “Whenever a friend succeeds, a little something in me dies.” Is his confession characteristic of you to any degree?
Find your contentment in what God has provided. It is good to have ambition and strive for greater accomplishments as a workman that needs not to be ashamed. Do it without envying others accomplishments. We often feel envy in spite of ourselves, even though we don’t want to. It’s the great unsought sin which reveals itself often by curt, cryptic, crass, catty and terse comments. Replace them with praise. If you are prone to envy or even engage in a single act of it, acknowledge it to God and ask His forgiveness. Like any unconfessed sin it estranges us from God. That makes us vulnerable to even more varied sins.
“Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind” I Peter 2: 1.
“Since we live by the Spirit, let us walk in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying one another” Galatians 5: 25, 26.
Words of Wisdom
Raphael’s fresco “The School of Athens” is the marriage of art, philosophy, and science that was a hallmark of the Italian Renaissance. Painted between 1509 and 1511, it is located in the first of the four rooms designed by Raphael, the Stanza della Segnatura.
But just what does this famous painting mean? Let’s look at what the iconic The School of Athens meant for Raphael as an artist and how it’s become such a symbol of the Renaissance. The stellar work was commissioned by the Pope. An elderly Plato stands at the left, pointing his finger to the sky. Beside him is his student Aristotle. In a display of superb foreshortening, Aristotle reaches his right arm directly out toward the viewer. Each man holds a copy of their books in their left hand—Timaeus for Plato and Nicomachean Ethics for Aristotle.
In the masterpiece Plato’s gesture toward the sky is thought to indicate his Theory of Forms. This philosophy argues that the “real” world is not the physical one, but instead a spiritual realm of ideas filled with abstract concepts and ideas. The physical realm, for Plato, is merely the material, imperfect things we see and interact with on a daily basis.
By contrast Aristotle’s hand is a visual representation of his belief that knowledge comes from experience. Empiricism, as it is known, theorizes that humans must have concrete evidence to support their ideas and is very much grounded in the physical world.
Historically the combined theories represented by two iconoclastic scholars leaves many wondering what is the hidden meaning.
By way of contrast there is another historical figure who exceeded the two combined in understandable thought.
The officials reporting to the chief priest said of Jesus, “No man ever spoke like this Man!” John 7: 46.
The words of Plato and Aristotle like those of all wise men of all ages were informative. Jesus’ words were transformative. Their words were worldly, Jesus’ words were other worldly.
Jesus has been described as the “Orator of the Universe.” However it was not how He spoke that was most important, but what He spoke. His teachings are the gold standard of truth. His words cut to the heart of the matter with penetrating psychology.
It is critically important that we be able to truthfully say, “Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You. Blessed are You, O Lord! Teach me Your statutes. (Psalm 119: 10, 11).
Knowing a truth and not applying it is little better than not knowing the truth. Study and memorize the words of Jesus to be wise. Apply them and be blessed.