Ephesians 2:10 (ESV) 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
My oldest son is studying mechanical and aerospace engineering. He works for one of his professors doing research and design work. Recently he told me about a project he is working on. The whole of his explanation was way over my head. It was highly technical stuff. But I did get something out of it. Every piece or part of the nozzle he was designing served a particular purpose. It was created specifically for that purpose. It was part of a larger machine which was also designed for a purpose.
Everywhere I look I see things that were made or created for specific purposes. The buttons on my shirt, very low-tech, have purpose. They keep my shirt closed. The knob and lock on my door were made with a purpose in mind. The wallpaper in my den has purpose. No matter what you point to, you can be assured that someone, somewhere designed it with a purpose in mind. It is only natural that it be so. We are following a pattern that was set from the beginning. “In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth.”
Here is an amazing thought. The God who created the heaven and the earth in 6 days, also created you. And He did so for a purpose. Here in Eph 2:10 we find one of the purposes for which we are created. Paul tells us that we are created for good works. A basic definition for “good works” is something we labor at that is beneficial to others. We are told that God in His infinite wisdom pre-ordained that we should “walk” in them. Wherever we walk, in school, on the job, at the store, visiting a friend, meeting someone new, or any “walk” you can imagine, we should be doing good works.
These good works are almost infinite in scope and appearance. A kind word or a friendly face. Physical labor to help with a project. A few dollars or some food given to help in hard times. These are all “good works”. Everywhere around us we see needy people and the needs we see can often lead us to the “good work” we must do. We should not feel guilty when we simple can’t do it all, but we should be walking regularly in “good works“. The needs we see may seem overwhelming but we must remember we serve a very big God. He is an infinite God, an Almighty God, and a loving God. He is truly pleased when His workmanship fulfills the purpose for which it was created, and that is to walk in good works.
God, help us to walk in good works. Help us to serve the purpose you created us to serve. Help us to share your love to the world around us by our good works. Amen!
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Pay Him Now or Pay Him Later
Philippians 2:9-11 (ESV) Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
In the 1980’s, there was a commercial about Fram oil filters that ended in what became a popular slogan… Pay me now or pay me later. The obvious inference was that you could either pay the mechanic for a new Fram oil filter now or pay him later to fix the engine when it broke down due to dirty oil.
In a small way this commercial parallels the truth of Philippians 2:9-11. Paul has told us of how Jesus Christ gave up the glory of Heaven to live in the form of a man in order to be the perfect sacrifice for mankind. He then makes this profound statement ,“ …so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow…” All of creation will one day bow down and acknowledge the Lordship of Christ. The question is, “Will we do it now or do it later?”
Our society is overflowing with people who refuse to buy the filter now. They think they don’t need the filter. They don’t see the sludge building up in their spiritual engine that will one day cause the engine to break down. They live their lives without a thought of the need for God. Or they say in there heart “There is no God”. They don’t realize that one day they will be called into account and will be judged by the Righteous Judge.
Even worse is the situation we find in churches all across America. Church pews are filled Sunday after Sunday with believers who profess faith in Christ but often leave that profession at the door when they go back out to the “world”. They refuse to buy the filter of purity. Ephesians 5:3 (ESV) “But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints.” They will not buy the filter of forgiveness. Ephesians 4:32 (ESV) “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” They would rather let the sludge of pride build up in their engine rather than let God install the filter of humility. James 4:6 (ESV) “But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” We could go on and on but suffice it to say that we need regular service by the Mechanic, the Holy Spirit. We need new filters and oil changes. We must allow Him to renew us with His Word. Romans 12:2 (ESV) “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” We cannot afford to live our lives in the sludge of sin that builds up without regular maintenance. If we do the engine will break down and eventually we will need a major overhaul. We, as Christians, need to live the faith we profess. We need to live our lives in true acknowledgement of His Lordship. He is the Lord and we will all bow down sooner or later. The world around us needs to see us humbly bowing down to His Lordship. They need to see how well the engine runs when the Mechanic is doing the work of continual renewal.
He is the great Mechanic of the human heart and desires to keep it in top running condition. May we “pay Him now” the worship and obedience He deserves. May we lead others to the Savior so they will “bow down” now rather than later.
In the 1980’s, there was a commercial about Fram oil filters that ended in what became a popular slogan… Pay me now or pay me later. The obvious inference was that you could either pay the mechanic for a new Fram oil filter now or pay him later to fix the engine when it broke down due to dirty oil.
In a small way this commercial parallels the truth of Philippians 2:9-11. Paul has told us of how Jesus Christ gave up the glory of Heaven to live in the form of a man in order to be the perfect sacrifice for mankind. He then makes this profound statement ,“ …so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow…” All of creation will one day bow down and acknowledge the Lordship of Christ. The question is, “Will we do it now or do it later?”
Our society is overflowing with people who refuse to buy the filter now. They think they don’t need the filter. They don’t see the sludge building up in their spiritual engine that will one day cause the engine to break down. They live their lives without a thought of the need for God. Or they say in there heart “There is no God”. They don’t realize that one day they will be called into account and will be judged by the Righteous Judge.
Even worse is the situation we find in churches all across America. Church pews are filled Sunday after Sunday with believers who profess faith in Christ but often leave that profession at the door when they go back out to the “world”. They refuse to buy the filter of purity. Ephesians 5:3 (ESV) “But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints.” They will not buy the filter of forgiveness. Ephesians 4:32 (ESV) “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” They would rather let the sludge of pride build up in their engine rather than let God install the filter of humility. James 4:6 (ESV) “But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” We could go on and on but suffice it to say that we need regular service by the Mechanic, the Holy Spirit. We need new filters and oil changes. We must allow Him to renew us with His Word. Romans 12:2 (ESV) “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” We cannot afford to live our lives in the sludge of sin that builds up without regular maintenance. If we do the engine will break down and eventually we will need a major overhaul. We, as Christians, need to live the faith we profess. We need to live our lives in true acknowledgement of His Lordship. He is the Lord and we will all bow down sooner or later. The world around us needs to see us humbly bowing down to His Lordship. They need to see how well the engine runs when the Mechanic is doing the work of continual renewal.
He is the great Mechanic of the human heart and desires to keep it in top running condition. May we “pay Him now” the worship and obedience He deserves. May we lead others to the Savior so they will “bow down” now rather than later.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Our Daddy, Our Father
Romans 8:15 (KJV) 15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
Galatians 4:6 (ESV) 6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”
In one of my favorite movies, The Patriot, Mel Gibson plays Benjamin Martin, a revolutionary era man who leads a rag-tag group of militia to victory in the War for Independence. There is much about the movie that is good and touching but one little scene always grips my heart. His youngest daughter who is about 4 or 5 years old has refused to talk since her mother died. Benjamin Martin finds out from his son, Gabriel, that she has started speaking and he longs to hear her speak to him. When he finally sees her again on a remote hide-out where his family was staying, she again refuses to speak to him. He is obviously broken hearted that his little girl seems to hate him and won’t speak even a word to him. As he is riding off back to do battle, she looks at him and with tears coming to her eyes, she cries “Poppa! Don’t leave Poppa! I’ll say anything you want, just don’t leave again!” Of course, he sheds tears of great joy and promises that he will come back to her.
This scene always reminds me of Romans 8:15 and Galatians 4:6, where Paul writes of the words used by adopted sons of God when they cry “Abba! Father!”. There is a tenderness and a love in the dual usage of the words for Father in two languages. There is a longing for a close relationship with the One who brought the son into the family.
It is certainly a simple truth but it is no accident that God is seen throughout the Scriptures as the Heavenly Father. Jesus used the term well over 200 times to describe the relationship between God and himself and between God and His believers. The Lord’s prayer or “model” prayer starts with these words “Our Father”. The blessing of this truth is again simple but at the same time profound. God, the creator of the universe, the Almighty God, the Eternal God, wants to have a personal intimate relationship with you, His child. He wants to relate with you as a Father does to a son. He wants to love you, care for you, comfort you, protect you, provide for you, teach you, guide you, bless you, honor you and correct you when necessary. All the things we, as human fathers (and mothers), want to do and be for our children, He wants to do and be for you. He wants to walk with you, talk with you and fellowship with you.
As a Father, He knows there are times when His relationship with us is not as it should be. We decide to go our own way and He will often let us do just that. We go out to live “on our own”, only to find a living that is not what we thought it would be. Life gets tough. Things fall apart. And all the while, our Father, sits at home waiting for us to give up their own way and return to Him. He waits with longing for His children to once again be able to cry “Abba! Father!”
Galatians 4:6 (ESV) 6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”
In one of my favorite movies, The Patriot, Mel Gibson plays Benjamin Martin, a revolutionary era man who leads a rag-tag group of militia to victory in the War for Independence. There is much about the movie that is good and touching but one little scene always grips my heart. His youngest daughter who is about 4 or 5 years old has refused to talk since her mother died. Benjamin Martin finds out from his son, Gabriel, that she has started speaking and he longs to hear her speak to him. When he finally sees her again on a remote hide-out where his family was staying, she again refuses to speak to him. He is obviously broken hearted that his little girl seems to hate him and won’t speak even a word to him. As he is riding off back to do battle, she looks at him and with tears coming to her eyes, she cries “Poppa! Don’t leave Poppa! I’ll say anything you want, just don’t leave again!” Of course, he sheds tears of great joy and promises that he will come back to her.
This scene always reminds me of Romans 8:15 and Galatians 4:6, where Paul writes of the words used by adopted sons of God when they cry “Abba! Father!”. There is a tenderness and a love in the dual usage of the words for Father in two languages. There is a longing for a close relationship with the One who brought the son into the family.
It is certainly a simple truth but it is no accident that God is seen throughout the Scriptures as the Heavenly Father. Jesus used the term well over 200 times to describe the relationship between God and himself and between God and His believers. The Lord’s prayer or “model” prayer starts with these words “Our Father”. The blessing of this truth is again simple but at the same time profound. God, the creator of the universe, the Almighty God, the Eternal God, wants to have a personal intimate relationship with you, His child. He wants to relate with you as a Father does to a son. He wants to love you, care for you, comfort you, protect you, provide for you, teach you, guide you, bless you, honor you and correct you when necessary. All the things we, as human fathers (and mothers), want to do and be for our children, He wants to do and be for you. He wants to walk with you, talk with you and fellowship with you.
As a Father, He knows there are times when His relationship with us is not as it should be. We decide to go our own way and He will often let us do just that. We go out to live “on our own”, only to find a living that is not what we thought it would be. Life gets tough. Things fall apart. And all the while, our Father, sits at home waiting for us to give up their own way and return to Him. He waits with longing for His children to once again be able to cry “Abba! Father!”
Friday, November 6, 2009
God-phobia
Ephesians 5:21 (KJV) "Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God."
She was deathly afraid of heights. Without knowing the full extent of the phobia she went with her family to visit the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri. As soon as she arrived at the viewing area, some 630 feet high, she started turning "green" and almost locked up completely. She had to be physically led to the elevator by her helpful husband. Once at the bottom she quickly recovered and enjoyed the rest of the sightseeing trip with her family. In technical terms her fear is called acrophobia.
A phobia is an intense fear of something, that in reality, poses little or no threat of danger. There are literally hundreds of phobias but some of the more commonly recognized ones are: Claustrophobia (fear of confined spaces), agoraphobia (fear of being in public places), arachnophobia (fear of spiders), ophidiophobia (fear of snakes) and brontophobia (fear of lightning or thunder). A phobia can be developed at any stage in life. People can experience mild or very severe phobias. Although the object of the phobia can be different there are symptoms or characteristics that are common in many phobias.
People who have a phobia often have trouble not thinking about the object of their fear. They have a feeling of uncontrollable anxiety when in the presence of the object of their fear. They feel helpless when confronted with it. They worry about upcoming events that may bring them into contact with it. They will go to extremes to avoid it. These are just a few symptoms but they serve well the illustration I want to make. In summary a phobia consumes one’s thinking, renders them helpless and controls the direction of one’s life.
In Ephesians 5:21 and others in the Scriptures we are told to "Fear God". To many this can be a confusing concept. We are to fear the One who loves and cares for us like a Father? The common Greek word for fear is "phobos" (noun) or "phobeo" (verb). This is where our word for phobia comes from. The Bible says we are to have a phobia of God. One common explanation of fearing God is to have a deep reverence for Him. This is true but may still leave one confused. Another is that we are to fear God because He has the power of life and death over us. This explanation completely negates the loving relationship He wants to have with us. In our usual definition of fear, fearing God can almost seem like a negative thing. Let’s look at the fear of God using our three part summary of phobias.
If we have a good and healthy God-phobia, our thinking will be consumed by thoughts of God. He will dominate our lives. When we are at a crossroad to sin our God-phobia will direct our thoughts to righteousness and away from sin. If we have a good and healthy God-phobia, His presence in our lives will render us helpless. We will experience II Cor 12:9 where "His strength is made perfect in our weakness..." In our helpless condition, He will be able to work out His power in our lives. If we have a good and healthy God-phobia, He will control the direction of our lives. Our God-phobia will affect every decision we make, every path we walk and every word we speak. We need a good case of God-phobia.
God, help us to fear You in a good and healthy way. May You consume our thoughts, bring us to a state of helplessness in our own strength, and control every aspect of the direction of our lives. Amen!
She was deathly afraid of heights. Without knowing the full extent of the phobia she went with her family to visit the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri. As soon as she arrived at the viewing area, some 630 feet high, she started turning "green" and almost locked up completely. She had to be physically led to the elevator by her helpful husband. Once at the bottom she quickly recovered and enjoyed the rest of the sightseeing trip with her family. In technical terms her fear is called acrophobia.
A phobia is an intense fear of something, that in reality, poses little or no threat of danger. There are literally hundreds of phobias but some of the more commonly recognized ones are: Claustrophobia (fear of confined spaces), agoraphobia (fear of being in public places), arachnophobia (fear of spiders), ophidiophobia (fear of snakes) and brontophobia (fear of lightning or thunder). A phobia can be developed at any stage in life. People can experience mild or very severe phobias. Although the object of the phobia can be different there are symptoms or characteristics that are common in many phobias.
People who have a phobia often have trouble not thinking about the object of their fear. They have a feeling of uncontrollable anxiety when in the presence of the object of their fear. They feel helpless when confronted with it. They worry about upcoming events that may bring them into contact with it. They will go to extremes to avoid it. These are just a few symptoms but they serve well the illustration I want to make. In summary a phobia consumes one’s thinking, renders them helpless and controls the direction of one’s life.
In Ephesians 5:21 and others in the Scriptures we are told to "Fear God". To many this can be a confusing concept. We are to fear the One who loves and cares for us like a Father? The common Greek word for fear is "phobos" (noun) or "phobeo" (verb). This is where our word for phobia comes from. The Bible says we are to have a phobia of God. One common explanation of fearing God is to have a deep reverence for Him. This is true but may still leave one confused. Another is that we are to fear God because He has the power of life and death over us. This explanation completely negates the loving relationship He wants to have with us. In our usual definition of fear, fearing God can almost seem like a negative thing. Let’s look at the fear of God using our three part summary of phobias.
If we have a good and healthy God-phobia, our thinking will be consumed by thoughts of God. He will dominate our lives. When we are at a crossroad to sin our God-phobia will direct our thoughts to righteousness and away from sin. If we have a good and healthy God-phobia, His presence in our lives will render us helpless. We will experience II Cor 12:9 where "His strength is made perfect in our weakness..." In our helpless condition, He will be able to work out His power in our lives. If we have a good and healthy God-phobia, He will control the direction of our lives. Our God-phobia will affect every decision we make, every path we walk and every word we speak. We need a good case of God-phobia.
God, help us to fear You in a good and healthy way. May You consume our thoughts, bring us to a state of helplessness in our own strength, and control every aspect of the direction of our lives. Amen!
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