Three Life-Changing Words: God With Us!

Matt.1:23 - Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

    Christmas means many different things to many different people; some say that it bears no real significance, that it is a great family time, just simply a cultural tradition, or maybe a time to show goodwill and kindness towards people. Others would just rather skip the whole thing and have nothing to do with it. Whatever one’s stance is toward the celebration and meaning of Christmas, the fact that the whole world takes notice of this season is a testimony to the historic reality of Jesus, the actuality of His birth and the impact and influence of those few years that He lived among us on Earth.

    The meaning and significance of Christmas is wrapped up in those three very potent and compelling words: God with us. Just think of it; the All-Powerful God chose to be with us. He came to be with us. He made the initial move toward connection with us. He reached out and touched us. God with us. He identified with us in every aspect by becoming a man. As we ponder the fact that Jesus was born into this world as a little babe, a picturesque word comes to mind: embedded.

    A journalist might be sent to a war-torn nation to cover the story closely, and in order to cover it closely and effectively, that journalist might actually live with the soldiers; eating, sleeping and walking with them into battle. He then would be present when the active fighting occurs; bullets whizzing by, explosions too close for comfort and wounded soldiers at every side. He is with the unit; he is accompanying their every move and experiencing what they are going through. We call that an embedded journalist. In a much more powerful way God literally embedded Himself into the womb of humanity. He could get no closer; the Seed of God was implanted and organically united to mankind. God with us.

    God submitted Himself to the process of gestation and birth without giving up His Heavenly identity. He became a man. God with us; Divine with human; Perfection with imperfection; Uncommon with common; Light with darkness; Strength with weakness; Hope with despair; God with us. And not only was He born as a babe but He grew as a child and developed into a man. He lived with us; He walked with us; He cried with us and He laughed with us. Jesus experienced the complete gamut of human emotions and circumstances. He knows what it is to be full of energy and He knows what it is to be exhausted. He knows what it is to be hungry and He knows what it is to enjoy a meal with friends. He was loved by many and hated by many. He was trusted and He was tested. He was believed and He was accused. He knew joy and He knew sorrow. He had friends that loved Him and then He had those same friends betray Him. He absolutely surrendered His right to defend Himself. God with us.

    Many of us will spend the next few days with family and with friends, enjoying the blessing of close relationships; food, drink, laughter, hugs. However, many will also be alone, and some who are not necessarily alone may still be lonely. Sometimes this season brings to mind what we may not have or maybe what we once had but have since lost. No matter what difficulties we may be experiencing this year, whether it is a sickness, a loss of employment, a broken marriage, or a betrayal of trust, I hope that we can be reminded of this amazing truth; Jesus is the same as He always has been. He will never change. He came to be with us and He has never left. He is with you and He is with me. He remains eternally the God who understands; the One who never leaves us nor forsakes us; He is the Embedded One: God with us!

You are His Choice

Mark 14:50 – And they all forsook him and fled.

    As we read of what transpired in the garden of Gethsemane on the night of Jesus’ betrayal, we find ourselves in a scene depicting in graphic detail the contrast between our Lord in perfectly calm poise and the disciples in frenzied panic and disarray. Many times when we think of that night, we also specifically think of Judas and we wonder how he could have betrayed the Lord. How could he have stooped that low? We might even get a little indignant and maybe somewhat self-righteous, saying proudly to ourselves, “I could never do that”. However, friends, it is important to realize that the potential to walk in the steps  of Judas lies within each of us. In fact, this verse levels the playing field and puts us all on the same ground, so to speak.

    Judas was not the only traitor that night. Regardless of their insistence that they would stay with the Lord no matter what, when the pressure was on, all of the disciples forsook Him and fled. Each one made a choice to preserve his own life. Every one of them deserted Jesus at His point of deepest need. Jesus had specifically hand-picked the disciples and I believe they represent a cross-section and composite of humanity which means that we are included in the ‘all’ that forsook Him and fled. When we forsake someone we abandon that person; we disregard what happens to them. When we flee we put ourselves and the protection of our own life ahead of another’s. We might even trample over others to ensure that we reach a place of safety.

    Even though it was a terrible thing that Jesus was forsaken that night, it had to be so. In order for the plan of God to be fulfilled, Jesus had to face complete and utter abandonment. He was abandoned so that we might be included. He was deserted so that we would never have to be. He was rejected so that we could be accepted and given complete security. He endured the suffering of the cross and the spiritual torture to save us from an horrific fate that could never be fully described. He bravely faced the harsh treatment and the ruthless punishment for you and for me. Like a shield that receives the blows protecting the one behind it, He took those blows and absorbed them courageously. He was brutally afflicted, we were mercifully exempted.

    In light of what we have read in this short article today, what should be our response? What is it that we are to learn? One lesson is that our inclusion and acceptance in the Father’s family was not our idea. It was not based on our actions or performance, which may have been good or bad; it was God’s idea. It was and still is, His will for all mankind to be blessed, happy and protected, living in His peace and security. Everything that we have from God is given as a gift and therefore it cannot be earned. It is true that we have failed and we will, no doubt, fail again but none of that determines God’s heart toward us. Recently I watched a movie in which a man described the fact that his adult children did not love him but he determined that it was not their job to love him; it was his job, as a father, to love his children. God is the ultimate and perfect Father and He will never stop loving His children. So even though we may forsake Him He will never leave us nor forsake us. Thank you Father, we accept your steadfast love. May it transform us and help others to live and bask in the light of your amazing mercy and grace!

What the World Needs Now is Love, Sweet Love - Part 1

1 Corinthians 13:4 - Love suffers long and is kind…

Love suffers – Isn’t it fascinating that the very first thing Paul says about love is that it will suffer; it will undergo and experience some form of pain, hurt or hardship. It almost seems as if love must suffer and it must undergo testing, in order for it to be proven to be real love. Love cares and feels deeply; hence it has the potential to suffer. If I do not love someone or care for them, then their hurtful actions towards me, or their negligence of me, could not cause me to suffer. Genuine love is completely exposed and vulnerable. It removes any defences and drops its guard, thus exposing itself to the possibilities of being hurt and suffering pain and damage.

    C. S. Lewis, in his book, The Four Loves, writes something very pertinent regarding this; “…There is no safe investment. To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable…”.  There is something about love that allows itself to suffer; it never defends itself, but takes each blow as it faithfully absorbs the pain. Paul says earlier to the Corinthians, ‘Why do ye not rather take wrong? why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded?’  I believe it is important, because many people live in abusive and boundary-less relationships, that we are clear about what it means to walk in love. While we know that love is so strong that it can stand any kind of treatment, that doesn’t mean that one is supposed to stay in an abusive relationship. Every person needs to allow the Holy Spirit to lead them; there is different guidance from God for different situations.   

Love suffers long – Love suffers, but not just a momentary, fleeting suffering, but it suffers for a long time. It is never tired of waiting, it is never in a hurry, and it will continue to undergo suffering however long is necessary. The reason that love suffers long is that, by nature, it is committed and therefore the thought of quitting on that relationship cannot be considered. Time is irrelevant to love. It is a spiritual strength that causes one to rise above the daily grind of time. The two words suffer and long, are actually one compound word in the original text; macrothumia is the word in the Greek and it is translated longsuffering. We use the word ‘macro’ to describe the big picture. It is a word of perspective. We sometimes say, ‘He can’t see the forest for the trees’, in other words, he is too close to the situation to see it in perspective. He has a micro view and needs to step back and look at it from a distance. That is the word ‘macro’, it means ‘from a distance’. Love has a macro view, it sees the big picture, and it suffers long. When your teenager is struggling with various temptations normal to those years, you, as a parent, have a bigger picture and so, therefore, you can calmly deal with it. The word ‘thumia’ is the word for temper or anger. The opposite of long-tempered is short-tempered and we know how quickly that gets us in trouble. Love is not short-tempered; it doesn’t easily blow a fuse, we might say. Being short-tempered demonstrates that we do not have a big picture and proper perspective of what we are facing. If we respond to our circumstance too quickly we can make matters worse. Proverbs tells us, He that is slow to wrath is of great understanding: but he that is hasty of spirit exalts folly. Expressing love comes easier to those who have developed the skill of understanding another person. Stephen Covey has left us a powerful legacy in his book on the ‘Seven Habits of Highly Effective People’. One of those habits is to ‘seek first to understand, then to be understood’. The macro view enables us to have perspective which, in turn gives us an understanding of the person or situation we are having conflict with. Many years ago I heard the phrase, ‘Understanding is the key to forgiveness’. If we can truly understand how that person could do what they did, then compassion can flow unhindered. I understand how that could happen. Given all the same circumstances and pressures, over time, any one of us could have done that very same thing or worse. Perspective and understanding are linked. Perspective shows how things are connected and how they stand in relation to another. Once you get that bigger picture, understanding occurs.  Understanding engenders sympathy and sympathy releases compassion.

Love suffers long and is kind – Love never draws attention to the fact that it is suffering, it suffers long and it suffers quietly and it is kind through the whole process. To suffer long, in this context, is more than simply to put up with something or someone; the most noble of us can do that. But to suffer for a long time and to be genuinely kind while one is enduring the suffering, this is a supernatural trait. Kindness is a very rare quality in this world of cynical bitterness. Our world is not a kind place; it can actually be quite the opposite. It is one thing to be kind to people who are kind to you, but God’s love is kind even when it is being mistreated and is suffering from the abuse of another. Jesus said that our Heavenly Father is always kind, even to unthankful and evil people. The stark reality is that there is no one who has suffered like God has. He continues to suffer as he endures with silence and with kindness the misunderstanding, the mocking, the insults and the slander of people. Kindness looks past the mistreatment. It looks past the insults and the injury. According to J. B. Phillips, kindness looks for a way of being constructive. Anyone can be destructive. Have you noticed how easy it is to destroy something that may have taken years to build? When we are in the midst of hardships and disputes can we respond calmly and not react quickly? Can we be constructive? Can we be someone who, even while being slandered, misunderstood or misjudged, does not become defensive, or vengeful, but instead looks for an opportunity to solve the relationship trouble and the confusion?  God’s love, as it grows within us and is released through us, causes us to be precisely that type of person, and that type of person is the one whom God and this world will notice; they do shine as lights in the darkness.

Three Necessary Elements of Faith

Mark 11:22-25  And Jesus answered them, "Have faith in God. Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be taken up and thrown into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses."

    I remember years ago, as I read these words early in the morning, in a flash I saw that there were three necessary and connected elements of faith and they corresponded to verse 23, 24 and 25.

Faith to Remove

    There are some things that need to be removed from our life and, it will take this aspect of faith for progress to be made. The mountain represents anything that stands in the way of the plan of God and is not His will for our lives. A mountain is a large and looming obstacle that blocks sight of anything lying beyond it. We are hemmed in by the mountain and quite often we get used to seeing it and then surrender to the lie that it will always be there and that there is nothing we can do about it. However, in contrast to this way of thinking, Jesus said that we must confront the mountain, face it and speak to it directly. Many times the mountain on the inside may be bigger and more of a challenge than the mountain on the outside. The mountain on the outside represents a gigantic problem. It may be a financial debt or huge need, it may be a sickness or physical limitation, or it could be opposition to a dream that God has put in your heart to accomplish. One thing that we know for sure, the mountain must be removed and in order for that to happen, our attitude has got to change; first we must deal with the mountain of doubt and uncertainty that is on the inside of us. We certainly cannot be mountain-movers if we see ourselves as helpless victims of the circumstances of life. We definitely cannot be mountain-movers if we also constantly blame others for their existence.

    In Jesus’ day if you were considered a ‘mountain-mover’ that meant that you were known as ‘a solver of great difficulties’. It has been pointed out that we are known either for the problems we create or the problems we solve. Solving problems eliminates mountains, creating problems builds them. In the Book of Psalms we are told that the mountains melt like wax at the presence of the Lord; talk about solving or dissolving them; once they melt there is no proof that they even existed.

Faith to Receive

    Not only will we need to face mountains, remove hindrances and solve problems but there are going to be many things that we will need to receive from God and then implement in our lives. These are things that we desire from God and even more so; we require from God. That word translated desire is a Greek word that actually is much stronger than a simple desire; it is a requirement; it is a necessity; we must have it. Like the oxygen in our lungs, it is not an option. Most of our praying is based on a fleeting wish or a vague hope that life could be better; but this kind of prayer that Jesus speaks of springs from an intense desire to fulfil the will of God. We have a destiny and a calling from God; He has designed for us to cooperate with Him in the bringing about of His will and purpose for our lives. He will not overpower us and force His will on us; He wants us to want His will. Jesus teaches us that in order for us to receive what God has promised and about which we have asked, we must believe.

    What is it that we are to believe? We are to believe that we have received the things desired and asked for. We are to believe that the answer has been given and that we now have it on the inside. Again, this strongly infers that, previous to our prayer, we have been walking with the Father and we have been reading the Word of God so that we are intimately acquainted with His will. This kind of faith proceeds from a revelation of security; I know my Father’s heart towards me. We do not doubt what He wants for us. We know the will of our Father because we know the Word of our Father. A minister from a previous century once wrote that faith begins where the will of God is known. If we do not know the will of God, we have not yet begun to ask in faith. First, we must step back and discover the will of God. Settle the question before we ask. So, the other thing that we are to believe is implied; we are to believe that it is the will of God for us to have the thing that we desire. At the beginning of verse twenty-four Jesus says, therefore; because of what I have previously said. It is possible that He is teaching us that because we have been moving mountains and solving problems, we are now able to see more clearly what God desires for us.

    Receiving from God is not passive or automatic; we must be taught how to receive; we must be informed of the laws of reception. In football there is a player who fulfils the position of a Receiver and it is not a passive role. The Receiver must be knowledgeable of the play-book; he must be well-versed in the strategies of the team and then he must actively get in a position to receive. There are many similarities to our walk with God; answers are not automatic; we must situate ourselves so that we are in a place to receive. The old Pentecostals used to say, ‘You gotta get under the spout where the glory comes out’. The Greek word for receive is also translated take; taking is an action on our part. We are to grasp the answer and take it by faith from the hand of God. God’s will to give is subject to His law of reception; it is a transaction between two parties; no giver without a receiver and vice versa.

Faith to Release

    Right on the heels of some of the most amazing statements and promises in the Word of God, Jesus strategically connects the command to forgive. The reality is that we live in a less-than-perfect world and forgiveness will always be necessary for the maintenance of any relationship. Our relationship to God, our marriage to our spouse, our friendships, and any association with others will require the exercise of forgiveness in order for that connection to remain healthy. Life is full of disappointment, hurt, difficulty and offenses and forgiveness is the only effective antidote to their poison.

   To forgive is to let go of whatever we are holding on to or holding against someone. It might be something big or it might be something small; it matters not; Jesus said ‘anything against anybody’. We are not downplaying or making light of the hurt that people have experienced; we have indeed suffered in many ways, however, we are commanded to forgive. If I am holding on to something in my hand and I want to get rid of it, I simply let go. That is basically what forgiveness does; it lets go; it removes its grip and releases control. We have all heard the phrase ‘Let go and let God’ and it certainly applies here. The fact is that forgiveness is not a feeling or emotion per se; it is a choice; it takes a security in God; it takes faith. The day Jesus was crucified he forgave his enemies while painfully hanging from the cross; He released his enemies from their sin, and He released Himself from binding their sin to Himself. A refusal to forgive keeps all parties involved bound to the incident in question. The fact that these words on forgiveness are located where they are it would imply that the biggest hindrance to a robust faith life is an unforgiving spirit.

   Father, teach us and empower us to walk by faith and not by sight! Amen!

If Experience is the Best Teacher, Wouldn't we be a lot Smarter?

Ephesians 4:20 - But you have not so learned Christ

    

    Much is said in Paul’s writings about revelation and how he experienced a dramatic and personal unveiling of Jesus. The Lord revealed himself to Paul. Later Paul was caught up into the third Heaven and was given abundant revelation; insight and understanding that was imparted to him instantaneously. Revelation is instantaneous but learning is a process. Paul had both revelation and a process of learning in his life. 

    The Ephesians also apparently, learned Christ. They were taught and they acquired knowledge over a period of time. Learning is all important to life. Children must not just be taught, they must learn. We do not want to pass a child into the next grade because they were simply in the same classroom as everyone else and heard all the same teaching. No! Did the child learn? Sadly, our culture has given us the wrong impression. We have been taught to pass tests instead of learn. We emphasize the passing of the test, so we cram for the exam and because it is fresh on our minds we can remember the necessary answers and obtain a passing grade. The answers were in our mind but not in our life. If we actually learn what we need to learn, the passing of the test will be a consequence not a goal. Learning and developing in character and skill should be the goal; passing the test and getting the good grade will be the result.  

    Let’s apply that to our walk with God. We are not to simply pass tests or even acquire information. We might be able to quote multiple verses of Scripture but that is no guarantee that we have learned. Learning is the discipleship word. We are not just a pupil but an apprentice. If we think like that we will get a better picture of what God wants for us. He wants us to not simply have book knowledge or head knowledge but he wants us to be trained as apprentices so we can acquire the necessary skills to succeed. We must learn Christ. We must learn him, which means that we learn a person. When you associate closely with a person you eventually take on the characteristics, attitude and habits of that person. Jesus had said to his disciples earlier, ‘Take my yoke upon you and learn of me’.

    Just as it is necessary to learn Christ it is also important how you learn. Paul said that they ‘had not so learned’ Christ. They had not learned Christ in the manner in which some others had learned. We must be true to the way that the Lord has led us and the way that he has taught us. In what manner have you learned Christ? Obviously, we are open to more learning and to different ways of learning but it is important that we honour our roots. Honour those who have shown you the way of the Lord. Honour the history of your walk with God by continuing to learn from it. God knows us. He knows exactly how to speak to us and how to deal with us so that we may learn and thereby be changed and experience greater levels of freedom. Every parent and school teacher knows that each child is different and has a unique way of learning, and our walk with Christ is a lifelong process of learning. As we grow and mature, he teaches us a little more and shows us another aspect of his character and grace.

    There are tests in life and there are things that we face that are very difficult, for sure. However, let’s be sure to not simply go through the experience but let’s be sure to learn. We sometimes have heard it said that experience is the best teacher but if that were true wouldn’t we all be a lot smarter? Experience is important but learning something from your experience is more important. So the next time that you are in a pressure situation let’s be sure to learn Christ in the middle of it all, take on his attitude and characteristics and be changed in to his image by his power and by his grace.

The Power of Remembering

What is Your Name?

Luke 8:30 – And Jesus asked him saying, What is your name?

                 In this account we have the story of the man we refer to as ‘The Madman of Gadara’. Most of the teaching that we have heard highlights that Jesus addressed the devil by asking, ‘What is your name?’ However, G. Campbell Morgan, in his commentary on the Gospels, pointed out that perhaps Jesus was actually asking the man his name. I find this thought to be inspirational and very instructive. 

          Think of the condition of this poor, tormented man; demon-possessed, self-destructive, running naked in the cemetery, no life to speak of, anguished, no rest, no peace, no friendships. I am sure that whatever family he once had would have been driven away long ago. He is frantic and distressed, but Jesus attempts to rescue him by getting him to remember his name. ‘Don’t you remember who you are? You were born into a family and your parents lovingly named you. You had purpose, dreams, aspirations and friends. Don’t you remember? You laughed and played together with the friends of your youth, you fell in love with a beautiful girl. You learned a trade and worked hard providing for your new family. What is your name? That’s who you are. You are not this raving and tormented lunatic. You are not this violent madman. No! You are a person. You are a man, created in the image of God, created to walk with dignity and purpose. You were destined to engage in society and contribute to others' success. 

         What is your name? It is still your name, it still exists, it may have slipped out of your memory but your name has survived. It’s your name, not someone else’s. It is yours, it belongs to you. You matter. You are missed. You are important. You have a place in this life. You are a person with a name, and you are connected relationally to significant people’. 

          What about us? Have we forgotten who we are? Have we forgotten our name? Have our choices now determined a new name? Are we living with the stigma associated with our condition in life? Has life’s challenges blurred the memory of our identity and our value? We are living in the days of identity theft and it is time to take back our true name. Powerful and life-giving freedom comes into our life when we remember who we were created to be and who named us. The world has tried to define us and re-name us but our Heavenly Father has permanently named us. We are named by God as his children and we must never forget who we are. What is your name?

Mercy Triumphs over Judgement

Luke 17:14 – “…Go show yourselves to the priests…”

    As Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem, ten lepers had stood at a distance down the road and cried out for much-needed mercy. Consider the terrible circumstances that these poor men lived in; the sense of worthlessness and rejection upon being forced out of their family and friends. Perhaps the most horrific thing about being a leper was remembering a time when you were not. At one time all of these men were active members of their communities. They had the love of spouses and families. They had meaningful work and the satisfaction of providing for their own. They enjoyed friends and social gatherings and they even had the hope of future good when gathering together for worship. But all of that was lost when the leprosy was discovered. They became, as the Law demanded, outcasts; they were to be separated and segregated; they were immediately torn away from all that they knew and all that they loved. The Law had spoken and mercy stood silent in the background.

    After crying out to Jesus for mercy, the first word they heard was; go. It is a strange thing that all of us hear things through our own inner filters. Sometimes even kindly spoken words are not received as such because they come through our tainted ears into our wounded memories and become part of our distorted conclusions. They might have felt like this was another in a long string of rejections, but we know that Jesus was indeed answering their cry with an instruction designed to urge them forward. Go. Don’t stay in this place. Your leprosy has immobilized you and kept you in a hopeless and helpless state. Now, make a decision and choose to act even if you do not fully understand. Don’t hesitate or try and reason this out. You must do this because no one else can do it for you.

    Go and show yourselves to the priests. Stand before the authority of the priests and don’t hide anything, don’t try to cover anything up. Be completely open, defenseless and vulnerable. This takes a tremendous amount of trust and a great deal of humility, because it is in our human nature to hide from being analyzed, scrutinized and examined.

    One writer has said that the self that we send out to meet God is almost always a false self. And not only with regard to God but, also in our relationship to others, it is very easy to wear a mask and not be completely genuine. Life itself seems to teach us to be guarded and not to be open and sincere. Jesus said that we must become like children if we want to truly experience the kingdom of God. Children, in their innocence, are absolutely real; they have no preconceived ideas or biases and they do not understand the word; false. These ten lepers were instructed to show themselves to the priests. They were not told to build a case for why they should be treated with mercy. They were not told to describe in detail their painful history or how they had been mistreated. They were not told to present their credentials or their educational diplomas. No, they were told to show themselves to the priests. In reality, all we actually have is ourselves; our inner being; our spirit; our soul. One day we shall each stand before the Lord completely alone; without a made-up facade; without sparkling accessories; without props for support; simply our exposed self.

    Jesus responded to their cry for mercy by giving them the same instruction that the Law of Moses prescribed to all who were thought to be lepers and to all those who claimed to be cleansed of their leprosy; they were to go stand before a panel of priests. We can only imagine how this must have made them feel. What images were derived in their minds? The last time they had stood before the priests they were found to be unclean and the sentence was harsh and final. Some of us may have had to stand before one judge in a court of law but how many of us have had to stand before a panel of judges? This would, no doubt, be extremely intimidating and they might have asked themselves why would Jesus send us to the priests? We are not healed yet. There is no change in our circumstances, however, Jesus has told us to do this, so we must obey.

   The Law of their religion had removed them and isolated them and even made them feel non-human. That is what the Law of strict religion still does; it does not create an atmosphere of mercy. These ten men, who were labelled as outcasts, met Jesus who is Mercy manifested in the flesh. They instinctively cried out for the only answer for their desperate situation. They wanted mercy and it seemed like Jesus was giving them law, however they trusted the words of mercy; they were willing to throw themselves on the mercy of the court, so to speak. Jesus had said to go and submit to the Law; trust what Mercy has said and the scripture tells us that as they went they were cleansed. Mercy had spoken, it was no longer silent and they responded in faith, trusting in the Merciful One. On that day those men received mercy and this day that we live in, is still the day of mercy. Today, no matter what we may face, we can cry out for mercy and, as always, mercy will eternally triumph over judgement! Thank God for His mercy!

There Will Always be Another King

Acts 7:18 - Till another king arose, which knew not Joseph.

    There will always be another king. One of the tendencies of humanity is that we cannot seem to see very far in front of us and we are also inclined to forget what has happened behind us on the road of history. The stark reality is that we are on this earth for a short season and inevitably succession will come. Nothing in this life lasts forever. Every championship team knows that it is one thing to obtain the status of champions and a whole other thing to maintain it. Just because you won last season does not mean it will happen automatically again this season. The hunger of the challenging team will drive them on in a relentless pursuit of the title. There will always be another king. Successful companies understand that they may be at the top of their industry one year but that is no guarantee that they will repeat their performance again and they may even find themselves struggling the following year. Competition is fierce in the modern business world and new and improved companies are being launched every minute. There will always be another king.

    The verse we are looking at is describing the experience of the children of Israel in Egypt. God gave Joseph favour and wisdom with Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and he was promoted into high levels of influence and responsibility. Both the Egyptians and the Israelites enjoyed a season of prosperity and blessing under this king because of his honourable relationship with Joseph. But another king arose who did not know Joseph. That king apparently, did not value the history that Egypt had with Joseph and the Israelites. He did not acknowledge the fact that there were others who had helped him get to this place of power. He did not know Joseph. There is a popular phrase that says ‘It’s not what you know but who you know that counts’, and we sometimes laugh at that idea, but the truth is, entrance into heaven isn’t based on what you know but on who you know. Who you know is all important and has eternal ramifications. Who you know, who you honour, who you acknowledge and who you associate with, will determine your destiny. Sadly, this new king did not know Joseph.

    Another king arose. This other king had a different spirit than the previous one had. He didn’t have a reverence for God and for his people. He did not have a compassionate heart but obviously had a self-serving motive. He was a king of another type than his predecessor. Arrogant pride is persistent; it lurks in the shadows, waiting for an opportunity to destroy each one of us. Prideful conceit is the ever-constant enemy of mankind and it is cunningly deceptive by nature. We are deceived when we forget or don’t even acknowledge that many people have sacrificed their lives, their time, their money, their energy; all for someone else’s benefit; all for my benefit. I live in a city which has roads and power and a water system; all of which I enjoy the use of but actually did not contribute to any of it. It was all built before I was born and I must look back to appreciate what others have done for me. I may be sitting in a beautiful church auditorium with my family, enjoying and benefiting from the numerous ministries of the church, and never whispering even one prayer of gratitude for all those who sacrificed to build it. We don’t want to be like this other king, who chose to ignore the hard work done by his forbears long before he rose to power.

    Someone has once commented that there are, in the scripture, more commands to remember than any other command. Scripture exhorts us, again and again, to not forget but, to remember. Remember those who have spoken to you the word of God, remember those who are in prison, remember that it is the Lord God who gives you the power to get wealth, remember Lot’s wife, remember that you were once a slave, remember your history, remember God’s faithfulness. 

    Another king will always arise but, will he remember? More importantly, will we remember?

You and I are Never Forgotten by God

Luke 1:13-17 - But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb. And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared."

        One life, one person sent from God can have an amazing and powerful impact. Zacharias is told that many people will be impacted by the arrival and the eventual ministry of this child. John’s life was to be characterized by a fullness of the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. Children are never too young to experience God’s presence. They know Him. God is the Father of spirits. We, as parents, simply father their flesh, but God breathes a living spirit into every little babe in the womb. He never gives life without also giving purpose and destiny. Every babe comes into this world with a purpose from God. It is our responsibility to provide the environment whereby children can be nurtured and protected and learn to develop their own relationship with the Lord, thereby discovering their own God-given identity and destiny.

    The influence of John, as described by the angel, was no doubt staggering to Zacharias. How could this little child become so influential? We see a seed, but God sees a tree, or better yet, God sees orchards of trees bearing much fruit, and containing multiplied seeds within. God wants us to be able to see way beyond our present years and circumstances, to see into the future, to get a long-term vision for our lives and for those of our family. Can we see our children and our grandchildren being vessels for the mighty things for God and bearing fruit for generations to come? Can we envision them being a huge blessing; an example and a help to all those that know them? According to Isaiah 54:13, ‘All our children shall be taught of the Lord and great shall be the peace of our children’. All of them, not some of them, not, maybe a few of them, No! All of our children shall be disciples of the Lord, personally taught and fathered by God Himself.

    John was going to have a powerful gift and anointing from God to be able to turn people back to God. To turn something is to set the course of it and to propel momentum in a certain direction. Are we able to get people moving in a certain direction? Can we lead them and influence them to make choices which will cause their lives and their circumstances to change dramatically? That power does not reside in us, but there is the empowering grace of God in our lives that gives us an ability to turn people and influence them toward the will and plan of God.

    Just as Elijah was a powerful force for God, so John was to have a similar spirit and comparable power. This power will be used to ‘turn’ the hearts of the fathers to the children. Notice it is the fathers that are responsible to turn their hearts first. Fathers, do not look for your children to turn towards you, you and I must turn our hearts toward them. Take the initiative and reach out to your children, thereby demonstrating that your heart is for them, and that you are not judging them. Everything we do as parents is for our children. That is why we must keep walking and working and waiting on God. We cannot quit or be discouraged because we have children and grandchildren to influence and to pray for. Why would the heart of any father be turned away from his children to begin with? One of the ways that a father may turn his heart away from his children is when he begins to think that he is not valued. This world mocks and devalues and denigrates fathers. It says we don’t need fathers, they are simply for procreation and then perhaps, for financial provision, but other than that we don’t need them. This world, with its bankrupt philosophies, tells fathers that children really don’t need them. Just leave the child-rearing to your wife, they say. Obviously moms are hugely important and even the world never really argues against a mom. We instinctively know that we need her and we prize our moms, but fathers for some reason are said to be optional. Awake, Fathers, shake off the drowsiness of this lie and reclaim your noble place! Your children need you. Your grandchildren need you. Your family needs you. The church needs you. The world needs you. ‘Watch, stand fast in the faith; act like men. Be strong!’

    The disobedient or unbelieving ones do not see their need to change or turn direction. They do not see that the righteous have any valid wisdom. The disobedient, quite often, may even have a note of scoffing or mocking in their stance. The world likes to think that they already have wisdom and that the church certainly doesn’t have it. The unbelieving, disobedient mockers think that the church is foolish. Unbelief hardens us to God and to His voice, which is true wisdom. The disobedient have a faulty heart attitude. It is an issue of posture and approach. Disobedience is another word for unbelief, and can also be translated unpersuadable, which is a conscious decision, a refusal to believe or be persuaded. This mind-set is illustrated by Thomas when he said emphatically, ‘Except I see…I will not believe’. Later Jesus responded to Thomas when he showed him his hands and his side and said, ‘Be not faithless, but believing’, in other words, it is a choice to believe. I like the way that Hannah Whitall Smith puts it in one of her books, ‘put your will then over on the believing side…insist upon believing, in the face of every suggestion of doubt that intrudes itself.’ The Lord sends people into our lives to influence and turn our attitude to one of pliability and humility towards God. If we humble ourselves, faith is never an issue and we will appreciate and prioritize the wisdom of walking in God’s way of righteousness.

    Be encouraged, my friends, even though Zacharias and Elizabeth experienced delay and disappointment, they were not forgotten by God. God had heard their prayer and He came specifically to them and assured them of His promise. Even so today, God has not forgotten any of us. Hold on to the promises of God in His Word and watch Him bring it to pass!