What Will Tomorrow Bring?

Do not boast about tomorrow; for you do not know what a day may bring forth.

Proverbs 27:1

Have you ever noticed how a day seldom turns out the way that we think it will?  We wake up, expecting the day to go a certain way, but unforeseen circumstances and events propel us on a course that we could not have seen.  A day that we think will be the most important of our lives turn out to be a let down; while another seemingly unimportant day turns out to be the best (or the worst) day of our lives.

This holds true for the course of our lives, as well.  As Christians, we often start on a path toward a goal, only to find the road blocked so that we are forced to take another way.  Paul experienced this when he decided to take the Gospel into Asia (Acts 15). Paul's motives and desires were pure, but God prevented him from going. It must have been both puzzling and frustrating for Paul to see his dream of reaching Asia Minor die. Unfortunately for Paul, he didn't have our benefit of seeing the situation from the future.  When God blocked Paul from going into Asia, he moved him toward Philippi, the gateway to the Roman Empire.  In effect, God was taking the Gospel into Europe, where it had the greatest potential of spreading throughout the world.

No human could have anticipated that Europe would one day be the center of civilization- and that its influence would eventually spread across the Atlantic Ocean to a New World; but God knew. While Paul had his own personal ambitions and dreams, he had the faith to set aside his desires in obedience to God's direction.  Because of Paul's obedience (and the faith and obedience of others like him), I live in a nation that was founded on Biblical principles.

Lately, I've felt a little like Paul.  Alan and I moved to Clermont (a small town in northeast Georgia) thirteen years ago, thinking that this would be the place where we would set down roots and live until we retired.  We built our dream house and invested our lives in this wonderful community. But God had other plans.  Slowly, He has clipped away at the roots that we set down; gently, but firmly, uprooting us and leading us into a new work in a new area.

This month, the last of those roots were severed.  Our dream house is sold and our belongings are being packed away into cardboard boxes.  It is a painful process, as I'm sure it must have been for Paul, but the sorrow is balanced with a hopeful anticipation of how God will be using us as we begin down this new path in our life.  After forty years of serving the Lord, we have learned (like Paul) that despite the occasional shipwrecks and stonings that we endure in our lives, God never fails us.  He has a purpose for our lives and, though we cannot see what is at the end of this path, God can- and it is sure to be awesome.

"Works" is Not a Four-Letter Word

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works,

which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Ephesians 2:10

Just try to bring up the topic of works in your Bible group and see what happens.  At the mention of works, most believers bring up Ephesians 2:8-9 faster than Buffy raises a cross to ward off vampires. Now don't get me wrong. I am so thankful that we don't have to depend upon our works for salvation.Nothing that I have done (or ever will do) could earn me a place in heaven. I have faith that I am saved by the grace of God, who sent His son, Jesus Christ, to die for my sin.

My concern is that, despite the number of times that I have heard Ephesians 2:8-9 quoted by Christians, I rarely hear verse 10 mentioned. We all agree that works has nothing to do with salvation, but once saved, where do works fit in?  According to Paul, we were created to do good works and to walk in them.  That word "walk" is the same word used to command us to "walk" by faith.

It would seem that walking by faith and walking in good works go hand in hand according to Paul.  He is not alone in this belief. James tells us that faith without works is dead (James 2:17).  That isn't a statement that would go over well in most of the small group studies that I have attended.  Surely James can't have meant that a lack of godly works a person's life might mean that they have a phony faith, could he?  That certainly doesn't sound like it belongs to the feel-good, don't-put-anyone-under- conviction philosophy that I've been hearing in most American churches.

Think about it.  When was the last time that you were challenged to refine your spiritual disciplines like fasting, daily personal devotions, or real sacrificial giving.  When was the last time that you even heard the expression "spiritual disciplines?" Face it, we've become spiritual couch potatoes who would much rather throw a little money at others who are doing good works (like Operation Christmas Child or the Red Cross) than to have to get our hands dirty by actually doing the work.

A growing, vibrant faith will compel us to do good works; and as we move further outside our comfort zone to do more and more ministry, our faith will flourish.  I challenge you to get of that (figurative) couch and start looking around at the ministry opportunities that God has already placed around you.  If you have trouble seeing one, just ask about helping out in the children's department at church.  There is always a shortage of willing workers there.

The funny thing about doing good works is that you often go into it thinking that you will make others happy and finding out that you were the one who got the greatest blessing after all.

Loving Your Neighbor

And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.

Luke 10:27

 

 

Jesus repeatedly emphasized the importance of these two principles: love God and love your neighbor. In the Gospel of Luke, a lawyer raises the question of who our neighbor is; to which Jesus responded with the well-known parable of the Good Samaritan.  Through that parable, Christ effectively tore down the racial barriers that threatened to keep the Christian faith limited to the Jews and empowered the spread of the Gospel to all people.

 

What I've noticed, however, is that while we eagerly accept the worldwide definition of "neighbor," we tend to overlook the literal aspect of loving our neighbor. Are we loving the very people that live next door to us?  Think of your neighborhood as your own personal mission field.  You are the missionary that God has sent to the families that live in your subdivision.

 

As former international missionaries, we quickly learned the "golden rule" of evangelism: "People won't accept what you say until they believe that you love them."  This concept holds true all over the world- and especially in your neighborhood.  Your witness need to begin by building genuine relationships with your neighbors.

 

In order to love our neighbor, we need to begin with being a good neighbor. Did you know that the number one cause of conflict between neighbors are pets?  Dogs that are prone to barking or that are allowed outside unsupervised are a major source of annoyance to neighbors and can destroy any chance of a Christian witness.

Deuteronomy 19:14 commands us not to encroach on our neighbor's land.  A good neighbor respects the property of his fellow neighbors.  You can avoid border wars by keeping your pets and children off of your neighbors' land and being careful not to place trees or structures too close to property lines.

Noisy neighbors are a problem to everyone living nearby; whether it is loud music, parties, or just running the leaf blower early on a Saturday morning.  If you are planning a party or barbecue, be polite and let the neighbors know ahead of time.  Keep kids and pets indoors (or at least quiet) until 10 AM on weekends and after 10 PM on weekdays.

Finally, go the extra mile in being a good neighbor.  Be friendly.  Take the time to speak to your neighbor if you see them out in the yard. If they seem open, begin building a relationship slowly, but follow the advice of Proverbs 15:17 and don't overdo it..  If conflicts have already arisen between you and a neighbor, try to resolve the problem and "mend fences."

Neighbors can be a wonderful resource in times of need. Proverbs 27:10 tells us that, in a calamity, a neighbor nearby is better than family that live farther away. Whether you need to borrow a cup of sugar to finish that recipe or someone to pick your daughter up at the bus stop while you run your sick baby to the doctor, a neighbor can be a life saver.  Neighbors who know you and are somewhat familiar with your schedule can be the best security system around.

After commanding us to love God with all our hearts, Jesus says that we are to love our neighbor as ourselves. He tells us that there is no greater commandments than these.  If loving our neighbor is that important to Jesus, it ought to be important to us, too.






The Hardships of Sowing

They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.  He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.

Psalm 126: 5-6

 

Peter and Paul are undoubtedly the greatest of evangelists of all time.  They were among the first to sow the "precious seed" of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The concept of sowing and reaping is a basic doctrine of the Christian faith.  We all know that we reap what we sow and we are all familiar with the parable of the sower and the seed. We may even acknowledge (much to our discomfort) that as a Christian it is our duty to be out there in the world sowing seeds.

However, we often overlook the passage from Psalm 126.  Notice that it doesn't say that we are sowing tears, but that tears are shed as we sow.  David is telling us that sowing is a painful process. That is evident in the lives of Peter and Paul.  Throughout their lifetimes, they faithfully sowed the Gospel among the lost.  In return for their efforts, they were beaten, shipwrecked, imprisoned, and martyred.

Think of our missionaries, who leave family and friends to go and spread the Gospel to the ends of the earth.   At the very least, they spend their lives in an alien culture, surrounded by people who look, talk, and think differently from them. Often they suffer physical abuse, persecution, and even death at the hands of the very same people that they came to help.

The rest of us go on with our lives, hardly thinking about the spiritual condition of those around us.  We shy away from sharing the Gospel with a co-worker or neighbor because they might think less of us. Or, even worse, we make the excuse that we don't feel comfortable sharing the Gospel with others. 

I seriously doubt that Paul felt "comfortable" being stoned, scourged, and imprisoned for sharing his faith, but it did not stop him.  It is our natural tendency to want to stay in our "comfort zone," but we need to realize this: No Christian has ever accomplished anything of significance for the Kingdom of Heaven while remaining in their comfort zone.

Yes, witnessing may stretch you beyond what you thought you could ever do and cause you to suffer more than you would have wanted; but don't forget the second part of the passage.  God promises that our tears will turn to joy and one day we will have the pleasure of entering into eternal life in heaven along with the "sheaves" that we helped to bring to Christ.

Living by Faith

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless, I live; yet not I but Christ lives within me:

 and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God,

who loved me, and gave himself for me.

Galatians 2:20

 

 

Ever notice how circumstances and other things tend to push our genuine celebration of Easter aside?  As Christians, this holiday should be the focal point of our year.  Yet so often, plans for spring break, Easter egg hunts, or shopping for new outfits takes our time, thoughts, and energy away from this important day.  Even our church services seem to take the emphasis away from the believer; seeing the opportunity to give a rousing salvation sermon for the small group of attenders that only come for this annual service instead of providing a celebration for true believers.

 

Okay, I'll get off my soap box now and get to the point.  We all know that, if it wasn't for the crucifixion there would be no Gospel. And with no Gospel, there would be no Christian faith.  However, it never hurts to be reminded that the crucifixion was not just something that happened to Jesus: it happened to every believer as well.  At the time of our salvation, our old self was nailed to that cross.  Like Christ's death, the death of our old self was bloody, painful, and costly.  Unlike Christ's death, the death of our old self was final.  It didn't come back to life on the third day. It is dead, dead, dead.

 

In Galatians, Paul tells us that, because of our being crucified with Christ, we are able to live by faith. Unfortunately, many of us have still not quite let go of our old self. There are many reasons why we do this; we may may still be just a little bit in love with the world and don't want to give up on some of those old ties to it.  Or we may still harbor that secret little sin that has such a hold on us that we can't let it go.

 

Whatever the reason, it is hindering us from truly living by faith.  In essence, we are trying to live a victorious Christian life while carting a corpse around on our back.  How is that ever going to work?

 

So maybe, now that Easter has reminded us of the great sacrifice that Christ has made for us, it is time to put the last nail in the coffin on our old self.  If it helps, make a ceremony of it.  Write out the main thing that is keeping you from living by faith.  Then, put it in a shoe box and bury it out in the back yard.  It is dead, it has been dead, and all that is left is for you to bury the body.