Pastoral Thoughts

by Pastor Timothy Greene

Pastor Timothy Greene graduated in May of 2000 with a B.A. in Pastoral Studies from the Moody Bible Institute (M.B.I.) in Chicago, Illinois. Pastor Greene has been preaching since he was a teenager, and has furnished pulpit supply on numerous occasions for churches in the northwest Indiana area throughout his teen and college years.

Living Word Bible Church asked Mr. Greene to serve as intern pastor in the summer of 2000. He continued in that role until May 2001, when he was named Senior Pastor of Living Word Bible Church by confirmation vote of the congregation. Pastor Greene serves as one of four elders of Living Word Bible Church.

This page contains some of Pastor Greene's thoughts.

Pastor Timothy Greene with his wife, Andrea,
and son, Nathanael

"Powerful, Good, and WISE"

Sometimes life throws us a curve ball...and sometimes this is the understatement of the day. Pain, suffering, disappointment and grief are no respecters of persons for they come to us all. And when the pain is so real and the suffering so intense, the human inclination is to become suspicious of God. We ask God that age-old question "why?" while already convinced that He couldn't possibly have a satisfactory answer. But if these suspicions are ever to be replaced with trust, then we would do well to ask what there is about God that would demand our absolute trust.

A child might learn in Sunday school that he can trust in God because God is POWERFUL. God is big, God is strong, God is mighty! And so He is. Isaiah writes: "Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD, is the Rock eternal. He humbles those who dwell on high, he lays the lofty city low; he levels it to the ground and casts it down to the dust." (26:4,5) And Paul says that Abraham "did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised." (Romans 4:20,21) We trust God because we know He is powerful enough to do all that He says. He is sovereign and in total control of the universe, and there is absolutely nothing that is too hard for Him -- "Ah, Sovereign LORD, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you." (Jeremiah 32:17) And Jesus said simply: "All things are possible with God." (Mark 10:27) But there is nothing that will destroy trust faster than power that is abused. Power in and of itself will never earn a person's trust. Satan is powerful. There are many men and women who wield power in this world, but not all are trusted. In other words, we trust God in part because He is powerful, but if God is only powerful, then He is not yet worthy of our trust.

But God is not just powerful, He is also GOOD. And power plus goodness equals a perfect and complete recipe for trust -- almost. David exclaims: "How priceless is your unfailing love! Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of your wings...Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him." (Psalm 36:7; 34:8) And Nahum writes in beautiful simplicity: "The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him." (1:7) Those who take refuge in God are those who have trusted in God and so we trust God because He is good and because we know that His power always works to accomplish our greatest good. (Romans 8:28) But upon close examination we will discover that power plus goodness is only an "almost" perfect recipe for trust, for someone may be both powerful and good, and still be quite stupid and foolish. The bumbling fool may be both powerful and good and still cause those around him to look upon him with pity even as they run for safety from his foolish decisions. So in the end we find that the only one who could possibly be worthy of absolute and unconditional trust is He who is infinitely powerful, infinitely good, AND INFINITELY WISE.

IF God is so POWERFUL, why didn't He heal my wife...? IF God is GOOD, then why did He allow our house to burn down...? Perhaps the reason these questions are so rarely answered to our satisfaction is because we have misinterpreted our own hearts and asked the wrong questions in the first place. Indeed, though God were to completely enlighten us to His power and His goodness, we still would not trust Him, for these are not at the heart of our doubts and suspicions about God. Yes, to some extent we have all thought God to be quite foolish -- or at least somewhat lacking in wisdom. Job is the classic example of the suffering innocent who come to challenge God's wisdom in the midst of their pain and grief.

Then Job replied: "Even today my complaint is bitter; his hand is heavy in spite of my groaning. If only I knew where to find him; if only I could go to his dwelling! I would state my case before him and fill my mouth with arguments. I would find out what he would answer me, and consider what he would say. Would he oppose me with great power? No, he would not press charges against me. There an upright man could present his case before him, and I would be delivered forever from my judge." (Job 23:1-7)

Having lost his family, his possessions and his health, Job had every apparent right to question God's power, His goodness and His wisdom. But Job had absolutely no doubts about God's power. As a matter of fact, he hoped that God would not answer him with a display of His power, for this would be to tell him what he already knew full well. And Job was just as sure of God's goodness as he was of God's power, for no one has ever longed to find the dwelling of a wicked master and there argue his case with such brazen boldness. Maybe to whine and beg while grovelling in the dust, but certainly not to stand and fill one's mouth with arguments and bitter complaints. No, Job must have been VERY convinced of the ultimate goodness of God. What Job was truly not convinced of was God's wisdom and he felt his only hope was to appear before his good and powerful (though unwise?) Judge and there argue the wisdom of his case. He could almost taste the verdict: "No, he would not press charges against me...I would be delivered forever from my judge."

And then one day God answered Job out of the storm. He said: "Who is this that darkens my counsel with words without knowledge? Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me." (Job 38:1-3) So the stage is set -- not for a contest of power or a proof of goodness, but for a demonstration of who is the more wise -- God or Job. The New Living Translation puts it this way: "Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorant words?" Not only has your wisdom failed to help you understand my ways, but your wisdom also failed to keep you from questioning my ways! How very, very foolish!

Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation? Tell me, if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone--while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy? Who shut up the sea behind doors when it burst forth from the womb, when I made the clouds its garment and wrapped it in thick darkness, when I fixed limits for it and set its doors and bars in place, when I said, "This far you may come and no farther; here is where your proud waves halt"?

Aha! cries the cynic. God doesn't have an answer for Job, so He is forced to resort to a power play: "I am so powerful I can create an entire universe. Can you?" But the cynic spoke too quickly and so betrayed his own foolishness in the process, for he rashly assumes that it takes only power to create a universe. Enter Proverbs chapter 8:

Does not wisdom call out? Does not understanding raise her voice?...The LORD brought me forth as the first of his works, before his deeds of old...I was there when he set the heavens in place, when he marked out the horizon on the face of the deep, when he established the clouds above and fixed securely the fountains of the deep, when he gave the sea its boundary so the waters could not overstep his command, and when he marked out the foundations of the earth. Then I was the craftsman at his side. (1,22,27-30)

And Jeremiah adds: "The LORD Almighty has...made the earth by his power; he founded the world by his wisdom and stretched out the heavens by his understanding". (51:14,15) In other words, even if Job had infinite power, he could not create a universe in a thousand eternities -- for he would still need infinite wisdom. After just one attempt at creating a universe with his infinite power, Job would have such chaos and disorder on his hands that the best and only remaining use for his power would be to obliterate everything he had just created. God continues His rebuttal by challenging Job to step outside of the spatial and chronological boundaries of his tiny existence:

Have you journeyed to the springs of the sea or walked in the recesses of the deep? Have the gates of death been shown to you? Have you seen the gates of the shadow of death? Have you comprehended the vast expanses of the earth? Tell me, if you know all this. What is the way to the abode of light? And where does darkness reside? Can you take them to their places? Do you know the paths to their dwellings? Surely you know, for you were already born! You have lived so many years! (38:16-21)

God's words are scathing and yet irrefutable. What wisdom Job does have must be infinitely limited due to the shortness of his days and the littleness of his experience. In stark contrast to Job, however, we may remember that it is God who is called the "Ancient of Days." (Daniel 7:9) Here is an infant only conceived and not yet born engaging and even challenging God on the intricacies and ethics of human existence! God presses Job further: "Who endowed the heart with wisdom or gave understanding to the mind?" (38:36) In other words, "The wisdom you do have came from me and now you would use your 'wisdom' to question the Giver of that wisdom?" In this preposterous and absurd turn of events, we may say that greater folly has not been seen or heard since God created the earth. But the "defense" still does not rest.

"Does the hawk take flight by your wisdom and spread his wings toward the south?"
(39:26) The import of this question may be lost in this age of scientific discovery, though to Job the implications would have been crystal clear. We hear God asking: "Do you know HOW the hawk takes flight?" And we all clamor to be first in line to answer so we can display the prowess of our wisdom. Yes, we have discovered and named the laws of aerodynamics just like we discovered and named the law of gravity, but we should not be so arrogant to think that it was our wisdom that established these laws in the first place. A student may ask his science teacher: "Why when I jump up do I always come back down?" As he mentally notes the general ignorance of kids these days, the science teacher patiently explains that there is always an attraction between two masses relative to the distance between them and that the larger mass always has the strongest attraction of the two. This, he concludes, is called the law of gravity. But the student knows that his teacher misunderstood his question and so he asks again: "But why is there always an attraction between two masses relative to the distance between them and why does the larger mass always have the strongest attraction of the two?" Now flustered, the teacher blows this question off and the student is left wondering at the low academic standards for science teachers these days. Of course, the truth is that no scientist has ever even entertained the thought of explaining WHY the hawk can fly for this would be to posses a wisdom equal to the wisdom of God Himself -- a God that in their utter foolishness, many scientists have dismissed as nonexistent. (Psalm 14:1)

In the end, God never defends His goodness, never threatens Job with His power, and never bribes Job with the promise of restored health and prosperity. And no, God never explains to Job the wisdom of His reasoning, for such an explanation would have been quite trivial and unnecessary. God simply overwhelms Job with the vastness of His infinite wisdom: "Then Job replied to the LORD: 'I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted. You asked, 'Who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge?' Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know...I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes'." (42:2,3,6) And in recognizing God's wisdom and his own foolishness, Job became truly wise. For our wisdom does not consist in having the mind of God, but in humbly recognizing that His wisdom is higher than ours, and His thoughts higher than our thoughts. (Isaiah 55:9)

So let us not misinterpret our hearts and ask the wrong questions. No one has ever honestly approached God and challenged His goodness, for to approach God in this way is to assume His goodness. No one has ever honestly approached God and doubted His power, for to approach God in this way is likewise to assume His power. But by their very knowledge of His power and goodness, many have been emboldened to challenge God's wisdom. And to such a one God now brings His final and irrevocable "defense": "CHRIST the power of God and the wisdom of God." (1 Corinthians 1:24) For though this Christ is a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles, yet even the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength. (1 Corinthians 1:23,25) Indeed, the infinite wisdom of God is finally and fully revealed not in the act of creation but in the crucified Christ. And if God's wisdom was fully revealed only when He Himself took on human flesh and suffered innocently in our place, then perhaps even in the midst of our own intense suffering and grief -- yes, ESPECIALLY in our own suffering and grief -- we may finally come to trust God's wisdom.

God is infinitely powerful. God is infinitely good. And may we never forget that God is infinitely WISE.

"Fear"

Fear.

When we were tiny: The vacuum cleaner, the lady bug, the playful puppy.

When we were little: The bogey man, the monster in the closet, the thunderstorm.

When we were a little bigger: The scorn of our peers, failing to make the team.

Now that we are big? You fill in the blank.

Of course, the most basic fears are common to every age: Fear of failure, of the unknown, and of men. Yes, we are quite proficient in the practice of fear and with 9-11, America claimed yet another fear: Terrorism. The concept of terrorism is built on the foundation of fear. It capitalizes on fear, feeds on fear, and could not exist without fear.

So what is our response to the phenomena of fear? Very simply, eliminate it. Our society values a swaggering bravado that fears nothing and laughs at everything and so we channel vast amounts of energy and resources into being self-sufficient, self-sustaining and self-preserving. It is only the powerful who need not fear... the invincible, the mighty and the impregnable. We seek to eliminate fear by becoming the feared. At the first hint of weakness, at the first sign that the Titanic might go down, fear rushes unbidden through the doors that we no longer have the resources to shut. Franklin Roosevelt's famous words on fear are quoted and expounded upon today by Dr. William Schaffner, (chairman of the department of Preventive Medicine and a nationally recognized infectious diseases expert) as he comments on the threat of bio-terrorism: "To paraphrase Franklin Roosevelt, 'our greatest fear is fear itself.' Fear can paralyze us. It can give us insecurity about our capacities and ourselves." Yes, fear may lead us to the most frightening conclusion of all -- namely, we are not God, we are not self-sufficient and, superpower or not, the World Trade Center towers can still come down.

In the prophet Isaiah's day, Judah had a lot to fear. Assyria was then the world power and was well on the way toward conquering much of the known world. Would Judah have any chance of escaping the inevitable siege? Fear said that the odds were 100 to 0 in Assyria's favor. But God had this to say to Isaiah: "You are not to fear what they fear or be in dread of it." (Isaiah 8:12b) Sound like an American slogan? In fact, many might undertake to paraphrase for God: "Do not fear Assyria because then you may open the door to insecurities about your capacities and even yourself. Don't question your abilities! Build bigger walls, amass a larger army, guarantee a long term water supply, create stores of grain... FEAR NOT, EVEN FEAR NOTHING AT ALL!"

But God is not finished speaking and those who would be wise will hear Him out: "It is the LORD of hosts whom you should regard as holy. And He shall be your fear, and He shall be your dread." (Isaiah 8:13) So our greatest fear is really not fear itself; in actuality, it is the absence of fear. To be more specific, OUR "GREATEST" FEAR MUST BE THE TERRIFYING ABSENCE OF THE FEAR OF GOD. But beware the "God-tamers," for they will come along and carefully explain that to fear God means to revere and respect Him, to live in awe of Him. And so they are partly correct, but the problem lies with where their definition stops because in this case a half truth is almost the equivalent of no truth at all. "The LORD of hosts...shall be your fear, and He shall be your DREAD." It is a bit more difficult to define dread as "a reverent awe," and yet it is the concept of dread that explains one major element in the fear of God. One commentator says that "godly fear... is not the cringing fear of a slave before a master, but the loving reverence of a child before his father. It is not fear of judgment, but a fear of disappointing Him or sinning against His love. It is a 'godly fear,' a sober reverence for the Father." But when a child has been disobedient and faces the discipline of his father, his feelings should at that time be characterized as a little more than a "loving reverence." No doubt such a child will dread his father's discipline though he will not cease to trust and love his father!

For the believer who would avoid sinning and treating God as unholy, it would be wise to fear, yes, even dread His chastening hand: "My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the LORD, nor faint when you are reproved by Him; for those whom the LORD loves He disciplines, and He scourges every son whom He receives." (Hebrews 12:5-6) "Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God." (2 Corinthians 7:1) "When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night Thy hand was heavy upon me; my vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer." (Psalm 32:3,4) "O LORD, rebuke me not in Thy wrath; and chasten me not in Thy burning anger. For Thine arrows have sunk deep into me, and Thy hand has pressed down on me. There is no soundness in my flesh because of Thine indignation; there is no health in my bones because of my sin. For my iniquities are gone over my head; as a heavy burden they weigh too much for me. My wounds grow foul and fester. Because of my folly, I am bent over and greatly bowed down; I go mourning all day long. For my loins are filled with burning; and there is no soundness in my flesh. I am benumbed and badly crushed; I groan because of the agitation of my heart." (Psalm 38:1-8)

For the unbeliever who would avoid eternal condemnation in hell, it would be exceedingly wise to fear, yes, even to be terrified of God's righteous indignation: "And do not fear those who kill the body, but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." (Matthew 10:28) "For we know Him who said, 'Vengeance is Mine, I will repay.' And again, 'The Lord will judge His people.' It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God." (Hebrews 10:30,31) "And I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood; and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, as a fig tree casts its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind. And the sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave and free man, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains; and they said to the mountains and to the rocks, 'Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of their wrath has come; and who is able to stand?" (Revelation 6:12-17)

This is certainly not the God that we have tamed and caged through our trite slogans and biased theology! No, this is a God who must command the unreserved fear of His subjects, and ultimately of every human being who has ever lived. But there is a funny thing about fear. Some fear and so they hide. Others fear and so they surrender. Some fear and declare war. Others fear and make peace. Some fear and find paranoia. Others fear and discover freedom. In other words, there is a redemptive fear and there is a condemning fear. There is a fear that brings liberation and there is a fear that brings bondage. There is a fear that brings life and there is a fear that brings death. The Psalmist had learned the fear that God desires and so he could write: "If you, O LORD, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared." (Psalm 130:3,4) Indeed, it would shock the world and many Christians to read the conclusion of God's advice to Isaiah as his people faced the inevitable threat of an Assyrian invasion: "You are not to fear what they fear or be in dread of it. It is the LORD of hosts whom you should regard as holy. And He shall be your fear, and He shall be your dread. THEN HE SHALL BECOME A SANCTUARY." (Isaiah 8:12b-14a, emphasis mine) For the one who fears God and surrenders there is a sanctuary, a refuge from every other fear. (Psalm 56; 118:4-9) For the one who fears God and hides there is "a certain terrifying expectation of judgment, and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries." (Hebrews 10:27) But perhaps lastly I should point out that those who fear God and hide are really only trying to eliminate fear without paying the price of surrender -- without true confession and repentance. So in the end we may find that there are really only two kinds of people in this world: those who fear God and those who do not.

There is somewhere a secure and peaceful place of refuge with a sign above its gates that reads: "For the soul who fears God, he may find safety within these walls." We should not be surprised to then learn that this place of refuge for those who fear God... is none other than God Himself.

"The Smile of God"

It is said that actions speak louder than words, and no doubt they do. Take any class in the art of communication and one is sure to learn that upwards of 90% of communication is nonverbal while no more than 10% involves the spoken word. Actions, gestures, subtle changes in posture... these either contradict or reinforce what we say, and when the result is contradiction we can be sure that even an endless stream of words must fail to win the day. Though we may cease to talk, we never cease to communicate, and upon a moment's reflection we may conclude that the "face" must be the most convincing, compelling and powerful communicator of all. Or perhaps I could use the word "countenance." Webster says that countenance means "the expression on a face" and I would paraphrase: the countenance is the unspoken thought, feeling or word that practically jumps off the face. Yes, the countenance speaks much louder than words.

Take an angry countenance. The eyes may narrow, the jaw harden, the teeth clench, and the lips tighten. Or a surprised countenance. The mouth drops open, the eyebrows raise, and the eyes open wide. Or a confused countenance. The forehead wrinkles and the eyebrows furrow. Or a sad countenance. Here the face in general sags with the corners of the mouth turned down. Or a joyful countenance. This countenance is often centered around a smile which alters the expression of the entire face. Or an approving countenance. Once again, this countenance may be especially centered around a smile, though nuanced just a little. Or what about a disapproving countenance, a bored countenance, a stubborn countenance, a tired countenance, a loving countenance, a disgusted countenance, a hopeful countenance or a frightened countenance? Yes, the countenance speaks much, much louder -- and even more eloquently -- than words.

A countenance is something that can be felt. Think about a time when you have felt someone's smile. The countenance of a lover can cause the beloved to blush. The countenance of an angry father can cause a child to tremble. The countenance of an approving father can cause a child to swell inside with excitement and joy. Yes, the countenance speaks much, much, much louder, and is far more compelling than the power of a word.

So what's all this talk about the countenance, someone may ask. And in response I would ask this simple question: Have you ever felt the countenance of God? Or better: Do we rejoice, tremble, exult, weep or blush all in response to the countenance of our Father God? I can almost hear the child asking: "But does God have a face?" And then I hear the adult answering in his adult sort of way (meaning precise, boring and matter of fact): "No Johnny, God does not have a face. God is spirit." But perhaps adults should not presume to answer so quickly for God. Let us imagine that Johnny asked his question of God and let us imagine that this is what God said: "No, Johnny, I do not have a face like you, but you can think of Me as if I did. Actually, I gave you a face with eyes, ears and a mouth so that you could understand just a little bit of what I am like. For I can see everything, though I don't need eyes like I have given you. I can hear everything, though I don't need ears like I have given you. And I can speak words for all the world to hear, though I don't need a mouth like I have given you. Johnny, I can frown and I can smile, though I don't need a face like I have given you. But I know that you cannot imagine Me speaking without a mouth, listening without ears, seeing without eyes, or frowning or smiling without a face, so you can talk to me as if I had all these things and I will understand. As a matter of fact Johnny, I will even talk to you as if I had all these things -- and then you too can understand." (Some of the more boring adults might have told Johnny that to say God has eyes is an anthropomorphism, but that is why some adults especially should learn to think more like a child).

So God instructed the priests to bless Israel with these words: "The LORD bless you, and keep you; the LORD make his face shine on you, and be gracious to you; the LORD lift up His countenance on you, and give you peace." (Numbers 6:24-26) And the psalmist was wont to pray: "Lift up the light of Thy countenance upon us, O LORD!... Make Thy face to shine upon Thy servant... God be gracious to us and bless us, and cause His face to shine upon us... Make Thy face shine upon Thy servant... O GOD, restore us, and cause Thy face to shine upon us... O GOD OF HOSTS, restore us, and cause Thy face to shine upon us... O LORD GOD OF HOSTS, restore us; cause Thy face to shine upon us, and we will be saved." (4:6; 31:16; 67:1; 119:135; 80:3,7,19) Oh how the psalmist longed to know and to feel the smile of God on his life, for he knew the light of God's countenance to be equally as wonderful as the rebuke of His countenance is terrible. (Psalm 80:16) It is like a child who lives for the approving smile of his father and so is shattered at even the hint of a frown. And so we must join the child in living for our Father's smile.

I ask again, do we rejoice, tremble, exult, weep or blush all in response to the countenance of our Father God? Could someone look at me at any given moment during the day and know that I am responding as a child in tender sincerity to the expression on my Father's face? Could they tell that I live to feel His smile? Or do I live more for the approval of men? A few weeks ago I handled a difficult situation in a way that I knew was very pleasing to God. As I was congratulating myself on this wonderful success I suddenly realized that no one else knew about this success but me, and so a growing hole was opened in the pit of my stomach. I had to tell someone else or my joy in this success could not be complete! But by God's grace, my spirit was still sensitive enough to know that something was not right. I was bothered, restless and uptight. How could I quench this carnal desire that persistently gnawed away at me? How could I destroy this lust for recognition? And then, like a lightning bolt, it hit me. I must let God's smile destroy and overrule any desire for the smile of my fellow man. I must be so satisfied, contented and fulfilled with the light of my Father's countenance that the countenance of another (whether approving or disapproving) would seem to be of utterly no estimation or importance. And then what pleasure, what relief washed over me! I felt serenity, freedom, true joy. Now I could bask in the smile of God as I felt His face shining on me... and it was enough. Yes, my cup was even running over.

Now, as I remember that moment, I am driven to live every moment of my life for the constant experience of the light of God's countenance. Yes, I know that even the greatest pleasures of sin must be infinitely inferior to the pleasure of my Father's smile.

It is said that a countenance speaks louder than words... so let us pray with the psalmist of old, "Lift up the light of Thy countenance upon us, O LORD!"

"The Voice of Humility"

The average person may find great satisfaction in returning a favor. Some would even strive to gain the "upper hand" by remaining one good deed ahead of a friend (?) and so keeping him forever in their debt. "Don't mention it," one might insist, but inside he is glad that his friend hasn't forgotten. Most of us have the innate desire to be liked and so we spend much of our energy in life striving to stay in the good graces of those we esteem, and sometimes of those we don't. The Bible calls this pride, hidden under the hypocritical guise of sacrificial love. The ultimate in pride is when man seeks to put God in his debt -- it is when man makes it his goal in life to hear God say: "I owe you one," or "let Me return the favor." Some of us may scoff, "Of course God doesn't owe anyone anything, nor has He ever needed to return a favor!" But yet with just a little bit of honesty, most of us may discover that we would just as soon consign God to a box -- a box that we can pick up and carry around and open and close at will. How do we try to get God in this box? By working to hear Him say: "I owe you one." Have you ever had your devotions so that your day would go smoothly? Have you ever witnessed to someone so that God would be impressed? If so, then you have attempted to be "one up" on God, to place Him in your debt in order to hear Him say: "I owe you one." But God has never owed anything to anyone -- and never will...

"After... king [David] was settled in his palace and the LORD had given him rest from all his enemies around him, he said to Nathan the prophet, 'Here I am, living in a palace of cedar, while the ark of God remains in a tent.' Nathan replied to the king, 'Whatever you have in mind, go ahead and do it, for the LORD is with you'" (2 Samuel 7:1-3). A noble plan, an honorable desire. The king of Israel has offered to build God a house! Now who would turn down an offer like that?

God.

But why? Wouldn't God be pleased with David's heart? Most likely, yes. Wouldn't God be grateful to David for providing Him with a house to live in? No, for if you consider carefully you must come to the conclusion that God has never been grateful. Indeed, God has never NEEDED to be grateful. And this seems to be precisely God's point in the following verses: "That night the word of the LORD came to Nathan, saying: 'Go, and tell my servant David, "This is what the LORD says: Are you the one to build me a house to dwell in? I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought the Israelites up out of Egypt to this day. I have been moving from place to place with a tent as my dwelling. Wherever I have moved with all the Israelites, did I ever say to any of their rulers whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, 'Why have you not built me a house of cedar?'" (2 Samuel 7:4-7) To put it simply, God seems to be saying: "David, I don't need anything that you have to offer. David, you could not offer me anything for which I would ever need to say 'thank you.' David, you may not build Me a house to live in."
We may assume that any human would have had a little more "tact," falling all over himself to assure the potential gift-giver how grateful and how thankful he is for such a wonderful friend and how sorry he is that at the moment he will not be able to accept his friend's offer. Of course, such tact would not be fitting for the God who has never needed, and never will need anything that His creatures have to offer. No, God does not respond to David's offer with human tact, but with divine prerogative: "You may not build Me a house, but David, I will build YOU a house..."

"The LORD declares to you that the LORD himself will establish a house for you... your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever. (2 Samuel 7:11,16) Consider: if God had "accepted" David's offer to build Him a house and then promised to build David a house that would last forever... well, how would you respond? "I guess I had it coming. I deserve this blessing. After all, I did God the favor of building Him a house -- and a very elaborate one at that. God, You need me and I need You. I guess we're even now." Oh, we would no doubt have a much more subtle, "respectful" and sophisticated approach than this, but God gets the message every time -- for arrogance is the loudest of all sins, no matter how much we may try to mute its boastings. So in order to give David a jump start on humility, God waited for David's offer to build Him a house and then turned it down flat. Then following immediately on the heels of this rejection God says things like: "Now I will make your name great, like the names of the greatest men of the earth... I will also give you rest from all your enemies... Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever." (2 Samuel 7:9,11,16) After I have recovered from the initial shock, I can almost hear myself protesting in David's shoes: "But God, this isn't fair. At least give me the pleasure of returning the favor and allow me to build You a house as well. I would feel better about accepting these promises from You if only there were some end of the deal for me to uphold." Do these words in any way sound pious? If so, then perhaps we should know that when translated, these pious sounding words must read: "God, I cannot risk being this indebted to You, for then you will have escaped from my box. Once You have escaped from my box, I cannot pretend that you owe me anything!" But how would the voice of humility respond? We need not make any guesses, for David clearly got the point:

"Then King David went in and sat before the LORD, and he said: 'Who am I, O Sovereign LORD, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? And as if this were not enough in your sight, O Sovereign LORD, you have also spoken about the future of the house of your servant. Is this your usual way of dealing with man, O Sovereign LORD? What more can David say to you? For you know your servant, O Sovereign LORD. For the sake of your word and according to your will, you have done this great thing and made it known to your servant'." (2 Samuel 7:18-21) In his humility, David first recognized that he had done God no favors... that God was clearly free of his debt. But has humility finished speaking? Not by any means, for here is humility's most wonderful moment: "And now, LORD God, keep forever the promise you have made concerning your servant and his house. Do as you promised, so that your name will be great forever. Then men will say, 'The LORD Almighty is God over Israel!' And the house of your servant David will be established before you. O LORD Almighty, God of Israel, you have revealed this to your servant saying, 'I will build a house for you.' So your servant has found courage to offer you this prayer. O Sovereign LORD, you are God! Your words are trustworthy, and you have promised these good things to your servant. Now be pleased to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue forever in your sight; for you, O Sovereign LORD, have spoken, and with your blessing the house of your servant will be blessed forever'." (2 Samuel 7:25-29) Humility is not afraid to receive and even request God's favor -- though in every instance it is completely unmerited. In David's case, it was humility that prompted him to say: "Now be pleased to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue forever in your sight." Truly, by such words, the spirit of arrogance would be repulsed.

As a final twist in the story, we may note that the man who God would not allow to do Him a "favor"... yes, it was precisely this one who God called "a man after My own heart, who will do all My will." (1 Samuel 13:14; Acts 13:22) The lesson for us? Stop trying to do God "favors" and out of a spirit of gratitude and indebtedness, just do God's "will." This is a man, this is a woman -- after God's own heart.

"To Love... God"

In this letter I ask you to think a little deeper, to reflect a little longer, and to see a vision of love that would excite even the most apathetic and complacent heart. How often is my own heart in need of such a vision...

Have you ever asked for something without really knowing what you were asking for? I have. Perhaps the request just sounded right... or good. Maybe you asked only so that you might sound pious and respectable, or wise and discerning, but you nevertheless failed to understand the true meaning and significance of your request -- to which I would have to respond: "Guilty as charged," for I have asked God to help me love Him. Well, what DOES it mean to love God? No, I am not trying to be abstract and philosophical. On the contrary, no question could possibly be more practical, for as we will see, there is no command more supreme than the command to love God.

To those who have read Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, even the whole Old Testament might come to be equated with one word -- law. Rules and regulations, do's and don'ts, ceremonial rites, promises of rewards often overshadowed in our own minds by the warnings of punishment and doom to all "nonconformists" -- for many, these are synonyms for "Old Testament." But if one were to take a closer look, a surprising theme might emerge from the tapestry of this ancient book, a theme that threads its way from beginning to end and appears most prominently in the books of the law. This theme is simply, loving God. It may surprise some to learn that the first time the concept of loving God is explicitly mentioned is in the chapter that contains the Ten Commandments. God declares in Exodus 20:6 that He shows "lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love [Him] and keep [His] commandments." So right in the middle of all the "shall's" and "shall not's" there is introduced this all-encompassing concept of a love that finds its object in none other than God Himself. Deuteronomy even has what may be considered two love chapters. Chapter 11:1 reads: "You shall therefore love the LORD your GOD...", verse 13, "And it shall come about, if you... love the LORD your God... with all your heart and all your soul..." and verse 22, "if you are careful...to love the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and hold fast to Him..." And also chapter 30:6 -- "...to love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul...," verse 16, "I command you today to love the LORD your God..." and verse 20 -- "...by loving the LORD your God... for this is your life..." I am reminded of the song that proclaims, "to love the Lord our God is the heartbeat of our mission," and then I am also reminded that it was this same heart that God wished to be beating some 3500 years ago -- a heart that saw the law not simply as a painful obligation, but rather a way to express love; not just an extended code of regulations, but rather a love language of the heart. In Deuteronomy 6:5, everything is summed up in these well known words: "And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart -- I love you, O LORD, my strength (Ps. 18:1) -- and with all your soul -- O love the Lord all you His Godly ones (Ps. 31:23) -- and with all your might -- I love the Lord because He hears my voice. (Ps. 116:1) Many years after this command was given, a lawyer posed a question to a Jewish teacher of his day. "Which is the great commandment in the law," he asked, and the Son of God responded: "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and foremost commandment". (Mt. 22:37,38) So it becomes clear that to love God is the summation of the OT law and commandments. However, the OT law and commandments did not sum up this celestial law of love, for almost a millennium and a half after the law was given, a man named Jesus came and immortalized this law by living it out in flawless and infinite perfection. And then He called ME to participate in His finished work of perfect love.

I can only stand in wonder and awe at such a high and holy calling. How is it that God would desire my love? After all, does He NEED my love? Does He gain anything for Himself that He couldn't have done without? Couldn't He be satisfied with an external conformity to the rules rather than calling me to an internal conformity to His heart? This is the way all of the other so called "gods" seem to operate. Why God? Why do You care if I love You? My love is so shamefully flimsy, [God] so fickle, [is] so tainted by my own sin and weakness [love]. My love can be so empty, [God is love] so "pretend", [God IS love!!!] so loveless, [GOD IS LOVE!!!] so... "God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him" (1 John 4:16)... my "love" can be so void of YOU.

GOD IS LOVE.

And with those three simple words, I think I can begin to understand. God commands me to love Him because love would not make sense -- true love could not even exist outside of a love relationship with God. If I don't love God, who is the source and definition of love, then it becomes impossible for me to love -- period. God commands me to love Him with all of my being, because there is no one and nothing else that I may possibly love first... or that I may possibly love more. Yes, by its very nature, love is inexhaustible, and so it must find an object that is also inexhaustible. Love is inexhaustible because God is love and so it is only a love that is set on the infinite God that may be wholly satisfying and fulfilling. All other loves are limited by their object. And here is the pathway to holiness, for it is apparent that all other "loves" must be empty, fragile and feeble, and so unsatisfying and unfulfilling. Indeed, all other so called "loves" must be fakes, counterfeits and frauds. Therefore, the most effective and wonderful path to holiness is to be so abundantly satisfied in the love of God that the love of sin loses its seductive power. When I fall into sin, it can only be because I have not been satisfied with God. "If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him." (1 John 2:15) When I am satisfied in God then I will not seek satisfaction in sin. There is no other way to holiness.

And here also is the pathway to love of our fellow man, for as our love is set on the infinite God who is infinitely worthy of infinite love, then this great object of our love will naturally cause our love to grow and become stronger and more intense, more passionate, more boundless... until we can take our love for God and pour it out on those around us. All other loves are limited by their object. When I fail to love my neighbor, then I must not be satisfied in the love of God. "If someone says, 'I love God,' and hates his brother, he is a liar... this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also." (1 John 4:20,21) When I have been satisfied with an overflowing love for God, then it becomes impossible for me to keep from loving my neighbor. There is no other way to love my neighbor as myself.

So is it selfish of God to command us to love Him with all of our being? No, because there is no other possible way for love to exist. God IS love and apart from Him love would be an unreality, understood only by trying fruitlessly to imagine the opposite of selfishness, greed, pride, laziness, bitterness, anger, and on, and on, and on. Why does God command me to love HIM? Very simply, so that I can love. AND because He deserves all love, for He IS love. Yes, all love must return and be caught up again to the Source from which it came.

Have you ever asked for something without really knowing what you were asking for? I have... for just this morning I asked God to help me love Him. ME -- love GOD? This is a mystery, and to some extent, we will never understand what it means. But this we must know... When we genuinely ask God to help us love Him He hears us say: Father, I would be so satisfied in a love relationship with You that all other "loves" lose their power over me. I would be holy, for I know that loving You will mean nothing less. Father, I would love You so that I might have more than enough of that love to pour out on my neighbor. I know that loving You will result in nothing less. Father, I would love You because You commanded me to, and I know You would not have been loving if You had commanded anything less. Father, I would love You because You are love and because it is only then that my joy may be complete. (1 John 1:4)

Father, I love You. Help me to love You more.

"The Survival of the Weakest"

There is a philosophy afoot today that in some ways can be summed up in the following five words: "The survival of the fittest." No doubt you know what I speak of as this philosophy is in no way unique to our generation and has, in fact, pervaded our entire culture. It is said that in every living being there is the innate instinct for survival, and with this I cannot disagree. But in this battle for survival between the fittest and the "not-so-fit" there is, of necessity, no room for God. Christians reject this evolutionary belief system because it requires one to be an atheist and because it contradicts the written Word of God. It is humanistic and self-centered in that it states that we have evolved from lower forms of animal life only because we ended up being physically and mentally superior -- and this quite by chance. "Survival of the fittest!?" we may exclaim with sarcasm in our voices, or perhaps just a pitying shake of the head. Well, we know better than that.

We do... and we don't. Consider what God might have said to the Darwin of David's day: "The LORD looks down from heaven; he sees all the children of man; from where he sits enthroned he looks out on all the inhabitants of the earth, he who fashions the hearts of them all and observes all their deeds. The king is not saved by his great army; a warrior is not delivered by his great strength. The war horse is a false hope for salvation, and by its great might it cannot rescue." (Psalm 33:13-17) Not necessarily a raving review for the idea of the "survival of the fittest," but yet perhaps now we can see how we may adopt this same philosophy as we live out our Christian lives. Let's be honest. If you were a king, would you trust in your army? If you were a warrior, would you trust in your strength? If you were a church, would you trust in your worship team, your pastor, your $1.5 million building, or the many programs that you have to offer? If you were you, would you trust in your own physical and mental stamina and prowess, your talents and abilities, your winning personality, your connections, your bank accounts, and on, and on, and on the list might go. But is this not merely the Christian version of "the survival of the fittest"? And once again, there is, of necessity, no room for God.

Day after day the Lord looks down from heaven, from where he sits enthroned, and he observes all the inhabitants of the earth as they frantically engage in the day to day struggle for survival -- running here, striking a deal there, amassing armies, building physical strength and endurance, reading "Christian" self-help, 12 step, and "how to" books, and breathing sighs of relief when at the end of each day they can wearily scrawl in that little box on their calender this one-word commentary on the day -- "survived." We are like the lion that gets up in the morning and knows it must outrun the gazelle and the gazelle that gets up in the morning and knows that it must outrun the lion and with this frenetic and frenzied pursuit of survival we quickly become burned out, paranoid, calloused and cynical. All this, God sees, and if we would listen we might hear Him calling us to learn a very different lesson from the lion than we learned a minute ago, for "the young lions roar for their prey, seeking their food from God." (Psalm 104:21)

Yes, day after day the LORD looks down from heaven and sees all the children of man running, running, running; living out their theory of the survival of the fittest, and then someone in particular catches His eye -- someone who isn't running, but sits strangely still, almost as though he might be... well, waiting. Yes, "the eye of the LORD is on those who FEAR him, on those who hope in his steadfast love, that he may deliver their soul from death and keep them alive in famine. Our soul WAITS for the LORD; he is our help and our shield. For our heart is GLAD in him, because we TRUST in his holy name. Let your steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us, even as we HOPE in you." (Psalm 33:18-22) Fear the LORD, wait for the LORD, be glad in the LORD, trust in the LORD, hope in the LORD... and He will deliver your soul from death and keep you alive in famine. The issue is still the same -- survival. But the philosophy is different -- survival of those who fear, wait, rejoice, trust, and hope... IN THE LORD. The Lord delights in contradicting the "law" of the survival of the fittest, for He "executes justice for the oppressed [and] gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets the prisoners free; the LORD opens the eyes of the blind. The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down; the LORD loves the righteous. The LORD watches over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless... O LORD, you hear the desire of the afflicted; you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed... The LORD upholds all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down... O LORD, who is like you, delivering the poor from him who is too strong for him, the poor and needy from him who robs him?." (Psalm 146:7-9; 10:17-18; 145:14; 34:10)

To one extent or another, each one of us has reflected at various times and periods in our lives the philosophy that in our "every man for himself," "dog eat dog" world, it is only the fittest who will survive and so we become like the king who trusts in his army and the warrior who trusts in his strength. We become callous, indifferent, paranoid and joyless all because we are self-centered and humanistic and no longer rely on the God that our philosophy must necessarily ignore. And the LORD looks down from heaven... and looks, and looks, until finally His eye comes to rest on that one who has truly come to understand the incredible irony of the philosophy that may be summed up in the following five words: "The survival of the weakest"... because God delights to perfect His power in those who are weak. (2 Corinthians 12:9) So while everyone around us frantically seeks to be the fittest, we can truly relax, for we are already very... very... weak.

"A Mile Wide and a Mile Deep?"

Under many kitchen sinks is a sponge. If the sponge has not been used for a while, it will most likely be hard and stiff. When held under a running faucet for a short period of time, the water just rolls off of the hardened exterior and is funneled down the drain. We're like a sponge, and unfortunately we are more often than not like the one that never comes close to reaching its saturation point. Our hearts are calloused and hardened from lack of use. The truth of God's Word hits them for all of ten minutes a day -- if even that -- and then rolls "harmlessly" off the hardened and unfeeling exterior. The result? Dumb Christians.

I use the word "dumb" with all my heart -- though I know that I may fit the category myself and though I know that some may not be very appreciative of my choice of an adjective. A dumb Christian is a fool Christian, one who knows everything and understands nothing. He fits to a tee the proverbial "mile wide and inch deep" saying. But yet every Christian has the undeniable responsibility before God to be "deep." No, this does not mean that every Christian should write a book that at least one other Christian cannot understand. (Unfortunately, this may only indicate that a person is "ten" miles wide and an inch deep.) A truly deep person, on the other hand, is like a saturated sponge -- a sponge whose lot in life it is to remain continuously under the running water. If a dumb Christian is a fool Christian, then a deep Christian is a wise Christian. Listen to the Psalmist: "Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long. Your commands make me wiser than my enemies, for they are ever with me. I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes." (119:97-99) There is no such thing as a deep Christian who does not spend much time in meditation on God's truth. But, of course, this is one of the lost arts in the church today and how very convenient for our enemy -- a church full of fools.

If we would be deep (wiser than our enemies), yes very deep (wiser than our teachers)... if we would avoid being dumb Christians, then we must learn again how to be reflective people. We must talk less and think just a little bit deeper. We must not just memorize the facts -- we must think on how to take a truth and then restate it in our own words. We must meditate! We must fill our mind with truth and then THINK on it -- DEEPLY. A deep Christian is someone who doesn't just parrot what other people say. On the contrary, a deep Christian always has something original to say, not because it has never been said before, but because through meditation and obedience, truth has been internalized in the heart of the believer -- and truth internalized can only produce words that burn with passion and conviction. This is not the Christian who carries a soapbox everywhere he goes. Nor is it the Christian with the pet peeve who has only the ability to talk about two or three different subjects. Such Christians are not worth listening to because they have not been listening to God -- they have not been letting His truth steep in their minds and hearts. The meditative Christian, however, has taken truth and made it his OWN. The meditative Christian always has something worthwhile to say.

So when was the last time that you set time apart just to read God's Word? And when was the last time that you set time apart just to think deeply about what you read? Are you a deep Christian or a dumb Christian? Do you feel like a saturated sponge or is God's truth contained only in the lifeless pages of a book -- never to be inscribed on the pages of your heart? Is your heart burning with truth internalized through meditation? Then please brother, sister, let me hear you speak... for I would have your words set my heart on fire.

OPTIONAL ASSIGNMENT: In your own words, restate the truth of the following verse in five billion words or less: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)

"Jehovah Jireh, the God Who Provides"

Try these on for size...

2+2=7. "Heavy rain is expected for most of the day tomorrow and it promises to be very sunny, so make sure to have your umbrella and sunglasses with you at all times." 8+1=4. In a stunning upset, the White Sox defeated the Cubs... 1+1=3. The soaring and triumphant melody left the audience feeling depressed and despondent. 2+2=2. A Minooka man has been accused of loving and caring for his wife. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 5 years in prison.

It's true -- some things just don't add up. As a matter of fact, life itself can be so full of contradictions, absurdities and inconsistencies that we may at times begin to wonder if everything hasn't been turned upside down and inside out. We have learned to doubt, to question, to accept nothing at face value. We are increasingly a world where cynicism reigns and where trust is that rarest of commodities possessed only by the ignorant and naive. The church today is full of cynics, all of them convinced that the person sitting next to them -- if placed under the microscope -- would surely fail to "add up." What people say, what people do, and what people think must be three separate things and so in his self-righteous fury the cynic cries "hypocrite! hypocrite!" all the while failing to realize that he himself may be a living contradiction. In such a harsh and unforgiving environment, the church nevertheless moves further and further away from its only potential source of refuge and strength. In short, the church has become cynical about God. We are more and more a people who are convinced that our God doesn't "add up," and that to take Him at face value is only to reflect a simplistic and reductionistic view of a very complex and complicated God. No, we would never go so far as to say contradictory and inconsistent, but sometimes our lives tell a different story.

Most of us know the story of Abraham. It was to Abraham that God made this promise: "Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him" (Genesis 17:19), and in Genesis 21:12 -- "It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned." Put yourself in Abraham's sandals now and read Genesis 22:1,2 -- "Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, 'Abraham!' 'Here I am,' he replied. Then God said, 'Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.' " "Aha!" cry the cynics. "God has contradicted himself! How much more inconsistent can you get? On the one hand, God promises that your descendants will be named through Isaac, while on the other He tells you to sacrifice Isaac as a burnt offering!" Oh, these people still believe in God, they still claim Him as their God, but they have nevertheless come to be "realistic" about God and unfortunately, the same is true for many of us. Abraham, on the other hand, was of the idealistic and naive sort who have not yet learned to face the facts of life. How do we know this? Because he obeyed.

"Early the next morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about." (Genesis 22:3) Abraham obeyed. Cynics "know better" than to obey. And by all appearances, in Abraham's case, the cynics would have been right. But in every instance it is the appearances, not God, that don't add up. The cynic reasons:

"God told Abraham that his descendants would be named through Isaac. Then God told Abraham to sacrifice his son as a burnt offering. This is totally contradictory, inconsistent, and irreconcilable, but that's all right because I have come to be realistic about God. If I were Abraham, I would stay home." Abraham, however, followed a very different line of reasoning: "God has promised that my descendants will be named through my son, Isaac. God just commanded me to sacrifice my son, Isaac, as a burnt offering..." "By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac... concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead." (Hebrews 11:17,19) If the truth be known, we more often reason like the cynic than like Abraham -- and with devastating results. We choose disobedience because we have come to expect a God who is like us, a God who doesn't always add up. We disobey because we have stopped expecting God to work, because we no longer expect Him to remain true to His promises. In short, we have become cynical about God -- just like everything else.

As Abraham and Isaac neared the designated place of sacrifice, "Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, 'Father?' 'Yes, my son?' Abraham replied. 'The fire and wood are here,' Isaac said, 'but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?'" (Genesis 22:7) At this point one can only pity the cynic who did not choose to stay home, for what answer could he possible give to such an innocent and heart-wrenching question? I could think of nothing. The man of faith, however, still has room in the equation for a totally consistent, promise keeping, and all-powerful God. And so "Abraham answered, 'God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.' And the two of them went on together'." (Genesis 22:8)

So was Abraham's lack of cynicism ever vindicated? "When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven, 'Abraham! Abraham!' 'Here I am,' he replied. 'Do not lay a hand on the boy,' he said. 'Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.' Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide." (Genesis 22:9-14)

THE LORD WILL PROVIDE. Certainly not the sentiments of the cynic, but the one who steps out in faith and obedience is guaranteed the experience of the God whose name is Jehovah jireh -- the God who provides, and so also the God who is true to His word, the God who still moves, the God who is totally consistent, the God who is all-powerful.

Have you allowed cynicism to poison your relationship with God? Are you resisting whole hearted obedience because you have not yet been convinced that God will come through on "His end of the bargain?" Just remember that cynics are never disappointed because they always get from God what they expect -- nothing. And how do I know they expect nothing from God? Because if a cynic had been in Abraham's shoes, he would have stayed home. People of faith, on the other hand, are people who are confident in their obedience -- people who, though it is hard, will head for Moriah every time. And all along the way, they talk to the God whose name is Jehovah Jireh -- THE GOD WHO PROVIDES... every time.

living word bible church

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