We are the Channel, not the Source

Act 3:4  And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us.     

    

Act 3:12  And when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people, You men of Israel, why marvel at this? or why look so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk.

    

Peter and John were on their way to the temple to pray when they came across this lame man who had been brought there daily by others for many years. He was placed there at the gate to the temple in hope that some kind person would have mercy on him and give him enough money to squeak by and survive another day.

    This account reminds us that there are always those suffering souls around us that cry out to be seen. I once asked my son, Wesley, who was in his mid-twenties at the time, what the greatest need of his generation was. His answer was profound and given unhesitatingly; they need to be noticed. Isn’t that what we all need? How piercing these words are to those of us who march quickly through our daily activities and tasks, but do not have eyes to see the people who are placed in our path. Peter, however, not only saw the man, but took a deep interest in him and his plight; indeed, we are told that he fastened his eyes on him. The lame man was unaware of who he was encountering, nor what he was about to receive. He thought he was going to get some loose change, and, in fact, he had his chains loosed. But let’s look closer at Peter’s instruction to the man.

    Look on us. Notice that it is not, ‘Look on me’. Peter does not elevate himself above John and John does not grasp for attention; they are content to work together. This is a powerful thought when we realize that Peter and John had some previous relationship struggle and conflict. They had different personalities and views, but God did a deep work in their hearts that caused them to be united from then on. We are brothers and sisters in the Lord; we are members of the same body of Christ; we have the same mission and that mission is about people. It is encouraging to see these men of God cooperate, both with God and each other. Harry Truman once said that it is amazing what can be accomplished if we do not care who gets the credit.

    This dear man was born lame and would never have known a normal care-free childhood. He would not have had the blessing of productive work or having a mate in life. He was unable to go anywhere without assistance; he was what we might call today, the marginalized of society; sidelined and disregarded. He could not stand up and walk as God created him to, and maybe one of the most tragic things was he couldn’t look people in the eyes as their peer. He was lowered by the harsh realities of his life, indeed, everyone looked down on him. But one day he heard someone tell him to look up, look out and to look at who it was that was speaking to him. Our answers lie not in lifeless money but, in a living person.

    Look on us. We are here to help. We are sent by God. We do not have all the answers, but we know the One who does. We are not the Source of your answer, but we may very well be the channel. We are the conduit for the Power to flow through. Look on us, for you may not be able to see God, but you can see us. You may not be hearing His voice, but you can hear ours.

    After the man was healed there was quite a commotion among the people because they all knew the man and had observed him begging daily at the gate of the temple. No doubt, many people began to credit the amazing miracle to Peter and John and point toward them as Healers and Miracle-Workers. Many men, whom God has used, have gone astray just here. Had these men not walked closely with Jesus and saw His humility and how He credited the Father for all the great things that took place through His ministry, they might have been tempted to receive some of that praise, but these godly and sensible men wanted nothing to do with that.

    Why are you looking on us? We are men just like you. We are no different, and certainly not better. We do not have any power of our own and we are not any more holy than others. We wanted the lame man to look on us because he needed the answer but now that he has his answer we want you to look to God as the Source of this great miracle. I fastened my eyes on him when he was in need, but you must not fasten your eyes on us now that the need is met. Jesus must get all the credit. He is the reason that this man is healed. He is the one to be praised.

    Our lives are made up of many different seasons and circumstances. One day we might be in Peter and John’s position, being used by God as a channel of blessing. Another day we might be in the lame man’s position, being in need of God’s blessing. More accurately, I suppose, we are simultaneously in both positions. We are the needy being used of God to meet needs. We are the helpless being used of God to bring help. We are the weak being used of God to bring strength. We are the sick, being used of God to bring healing. We are the sorrowful being used of God to bring joy. We are the momentary being used of God to bring the eternal. It is wonderful to be a channel through whom God can flow, but one thing we know for sure; we are merely the channel and not the Source. All of the credit, all of the praise and all of the honour must go to whom it is due; our precious Saviour and Lord, Jesus the Christ!

These Boots Were Made for Walking

Genesis 5:24 - And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.

    What a privilege to be invited to walk with God. Walking is natural and normal to life, so we are being encouraged to take our natural, normal life and use it to walk with God. Take your life and align it with His; Enoch with God; the natural with the spiritual; the common with the uncommon; the human with the divine. When there was no mention of any of his peers walking with God, Enoch chose a path and a direction in life by choosing to walk with God.

    We are not born with the ability to walk; the potential for it is there, but we must develop and grow into that skill. Our muscles must develop, and our balance must improve before we can begin. To walk implies that we have started on a path of growth. It is a great day in the home, when the little child takes its first steps; everyone gets excited. We can only imagine how God must also get excited when His little ones develop to the point where they are not being carried but are choosing to walk and carry their own weight.

    Man is created to walk upright; we do not crawl forever. In fact, if your child does not start walking by a certain age, there is great reason to be concerned; something is wrong. Walking brings with it new-found freedom for the child, and, simultaneously, it brings a lot less freedom for the parents. The child has become much more active, mobile and able to choose directions and locations. Even though it is more difficult for us as parents, we want our children to mature and begin making some of their own decisions; it is our will for them. They are designed to stand up and to stand tall and to make choices.

    Enoch chose to walk, but he didn’t walk alone; he wanted to accompany someone, and he wanted the company of another; he decided to walk with God. To be with someone implies relationship, friendship and partnership. Being with someone also necessitates a proximity; we cannot walk with another if there is distance between us. Unlike many today, Enoch did not desire to be a loner; he did not isolate himself; he chose companionship; he chose someone to walk through life with. Who you choose to walk with is vitally important and Enoch revealed his inner character by choosing God.

    The fact that we can walk with God says a lot about God’s heart. If I have a young child and the child wants to walk with me, I will have to adjust for that to happen. I will have to lower myself, come to the child’s level and slow down my pace. No good father will think it is a burden to have to do this; it is a joy to walk with your child.

    The book of Amos asks us, ‘How can two walk together unless they are in agreement?’ There must be agreement about the time and place to meet for a walk. There must be agreement about the direction and the speed with which you will walk. There must be agreement about the purpose of the walk. Quite often, my wife will suggest that we go for a walk, but most always, we have two different things in mind. I’m thinking about going for a leisurely stroll and she is thinking about a vigorous exercise. I’m thinking of flat ground and she has a hill in mind; indeed, there must be agreement. In our walk with God there will also be times that may require a different pace or a different purpose.

    To walk with God implies that we have taken some time with Him and have gone a fair distance, not just a few steps. Enoch walked with God through all the seasons of life; he enjoyed the good times and he endured the bad times; he continued to walk through the triumphs and through the trials; through the joys and the sorrows. He kept pace with God and no matter which way life was pulling him, he walked in God’s direction. He spent his life walking with God, not noticing that he was changing as they walked.

    There is a phrase spoken by John the Baptist that seems to resemble what happened to Enoch; ‘He must increase, but I must decrease’. He must become more prominent and I must become less prominent. He must become more visible and I must become less visible. His wisdom must be forefront and my wisdom must be secondary. Things were becoming less about Enoch and more about God and it seemed to happen almost effortlessly. It took place over time as he kept walking with God. Many times, we might struggle to overcome certain habits or resist certain temptations; indeed, we all have character flaws and we all have much room for growth. However, if we focus only on those things that we need to change it can sometimes make it harder. Enoch walked with God and his personal problems took care of themselves; he walked with God and was not.

    Someone has once said that Enoch and God had walked together for so long that they got closer to God’s house than they were to Enoch’s, so God just took him to His home. Be encouraged friends, God desires to walk with us; it is His idea; and He has made us able to walk with Him. We might stumble here and there on the journey, but we must keep walking and keep in step with God and soon, very soon, we will see that we have arrived at the door to His house. The peace, joy and pleasures which await us there are far beyond anything that any of us could even begin to imagine! Thank you, Jesus! 

He is Still the Same Healer

Mark 1:32-34 - And at evening, when the sun did set, they brought unto him all that were diseased, and them that were possessed with demons. And all the city was gathered together at the door. And he healed many that were sick of diverse diseases, and cast out many demons; and did not allow the demons to speak, because they knew him.

    The word about Jesus had begun to spread throughout the region. He had recently commanded a demon to come out of a man in the Synagogue and then He had healed Peter’s mother-in-law of a terrible fever. Good news always travels fast and the only thing that travelled faster that day was those who heard the good news and they came in droves to Peter’s house. Obviously what Jesus had said and done inspired a living faith in the hearts of those who were suffering under the ravages of disease and the torments of dark spirits. People brought other people until the whole community was outside the door. The simple and uncomplicated truth of Jesus attracted hurting humanity then, and it still draws people to Him today.

    Disease has never been the will of God for mankind. Just the simple breakdown of the word itself should illustrate that; dis-ease; anything that hinders the ease of operation that God created for the body. The original language goes further and reveals that this word and its relatives are rooted in the soil of evil. Miserable, wicked, harmful, and bad; these are the roots of the word translated disease; just ask a child if any of those words are good. Please friends, we must settle this issue forever; sickness and disease are not good gifts and they do not come from above; they do not come from our gracious Heavenly Father. Of course, there is much to say about this subject and still much that we do not know. We never make light of any beautiful child of God who has suffered and cried out for healing that did not come; we mourn along with all those who have prayed and yet lost a loved one; there are many unsolved mysteries which must be left with God. However, we have a responsibility to continue to preach and teach and seek God for what we do know is true. We eagerly preach salvation for all people even when we know that all people will not be saved. He is the Saviour, not because we are saved but because He said He is the Saviour, and He is the Healer, not because we are healed but because He said He is the Healer. One old preacher used to say it this way, ‘God said it, I believe it, and that settles it’. It is an established fact, as the Psalmist of old has said, ‘Forever, O Lord, your Word is settled in heaven’.

    It is interesting to note that right on the heels of the word ‘disease’ is the phrase, ‘possessed with demons’, perhaps suggesting their dark history and connection. In our day of science and civility there are many that think it is foolish and infantile to believe in the existence of evil spirits, and even among those who do believe in their reality, there is much misunderstanding and imbalance. History shows us that we tend to be in the ditch on one side of the road or another; very few seem to go down the middle of the road. We either do not believe in Satan’s existence at all, or we do believe and then give him way too much attention and emphasis. In order to steer safely on the highway of life, we have to listen to what my Dad used to say as we were leaving our parents house to drive a couple hours back home, ‘Keep her between the ditches’. It may help to gain a more balanced view if we realize that a better word than possessed may be demonized. The use of the word possessed depicts one who is completely controlled and taken over but the term demonized carries a much broader range of demonic activity, including oppressed and obsessed. However, it really does not matter to what degree people have been influenced or harassed by evil spirits, because Jesus’ power takes care of it all.

    Jesus is the Great Physician and He does what it takes to restore the patient to health; of course, He must have the patient’s cooperation. The original word for heal in this verse may imply the beginning of a process such as repeated visits to a therapist. Healing can be instantaneous but, more often than not, it is a process. This is a good thing because the time element and the experience gained, while submitting to the directions of the Physician and applying His prescription, brings about incremental but definite changes in the patient’s condition and outlook. Fred Bosworth wrote, ‘The process that brings the healing is a greater blessing than the healing itself’. We don’t just get our answer in the process; we, ourselves, change in the process and thus become stronger and more committed disciples.

    Jesus healed many of those who were held under the destructive control of disease and, at the same time and under the same anointing, He cast out many demons. The language is instructive because we only use these kinds of words when we are serious and mean business. We could say that He expelled the demons, which may be reminiscent of our experience at high school. To be expelled means you are ordered to leave and not allowed to come back. Only someone with legitimate authority can expel another and Jesus definitely had that authority. Get out and stay out, is how He would put it.

    The demon spirits knew who Jesus was; they recognized His authority. Ever since their future was foretold by God in the Garden of Eden, they knew that the Anointed One was coming who would break the power of their chief, Satan and overthrow his empire. They knew who He was because they saw in the realm of the spirit, but Jesus did not allow them to speak; He silenced the enemy at every turn. Sadly, even though the enemy knew who He was, the people of His own country did not see who he was because they saw only with the natural eyes and could not see that He was the Messiah; the long-promised Saviour and the long-awaited answer.

    Friends, I pray that we would have our eyes wide open and recognize Jesus when He comes to us, for you can be certain that He will come. God's desire for us to be blessed is greater than we can imagine. He is so faithful; He will give you and I ample opportunity to recognize Him and enable us to receive all that He has for us. Thank you, Lord Jesus!

God; the Generous Giver

Psalm 84:11 – For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.

    We have all heard the old saying, ‘A picture is worth a thousand words’ and it is, of course, very true. However, if it were not for words there would be no way to describe the picture that you were seeing. Words paint pictures, and God’s Word paints pictures that only He, the Master Artist, could paint. In the verse above we are being given a vivid word-picture; the Lord God is a sun and a shield.

    The sun is an ever-radiating, never-diminishing, constantly shining, sphere of light. It is the very definition of faithfulness, which means it is entirely trustworthy and absolutely reliable and it will always be there. The sun never changes; it is predictable. We know exactly what it is going to do and so we can plan our lives accordingly. The Lord God is like the sun; He is steady and faithful and therefore, in one sense, He is predictable. We know what He is going to do because we know what He has said in His Word and so we can plan our lives accordingly. The sun is not erratic; it is not fickle, and it does not act in a random fashion. Of course, I am not saying that we know every method by which God will do certain things or the time frame within which He will do it; I am simply saying that by knowing his Word we can know His will and therefore we can have a measure of security and confidence in what He desires for us.

    The sun is our planet’s source of life; it is always generously lavish with its life-bringing rays. Our Father is likewise very generous; Jesus said that He makes His sun to rise on the evil and the good; He is no respecter of persons; He values all people. What He will do for one, He will do for all. Any parent knows that if you have more than one child you cannot, or at least, should not, show favouritism; what you do for one child you will do for all. Good parents love all their children equally and desire only the very best for them. The children, however, by their attitude, determine how they are dealt with by the parents. If your child is defiant and displaying a very bad attitude, then you may have to respond by dealing stronger than you would like to. Conversely, if your child has misbehaved and then accepts responsibility and is very sorry, then you, no doubt, will respond in a much more lenient fashion. Likewise, we also can determine the response of God toward us.

    The sun’s rays, while bringing much-needed heat and life, can also be very harmful. We must be careful not to gaze directly into the sun; our eyes can be damaged by the brilliance of its light. Likewise, our skin must be covered and protected or it, too, could be damaged by the sun’s penetrating rays. There must be a deep respect for the power of the sun; not a fear, but a wise reverence. Experienced electricians teach their apprentices that the first thing to learn is that this power is far greater than humans and it better be respected; one must not dare to have a cavalier or flippant attitude toward that power.

    Not only is the Lord God a sun but, He is also a shield. When we hear the word shield, we usually think of armour and warfare. The shield is that which stands between the weapon and the person against whom the weapon is aimed. The shield takes the blow for us, it absorbs the impact and protects us from harm. The thought of God being our shield gives us a lot of confidence to go out and face life bravely; as we walk closely with God, whatever comes our way must pass through the shield first.

    The shield represents the fatherly, protective aspect of God’s heart. He is a watchful and observant Father who guards the wellbeing of His children. Like any good parent, He wants no harm to come to the child; He issues warnings of impending danger; He teaches the child to wisely obey laws of safety and He provides an environment of security.

   Our God is both the sun and the sunscreen; He is the power source and the protection from that power; He is the burning fire and the containing fireplace; He gives both grace and glory.

    Grace is God’s ability to change any situation. He can make anything out of anybody. It does not matter where you or I may have been, or how sinful we may have been because there is no circumstance that can keep His grace from turning it into something good. Grace empowers us to release the hurt, forget the past and walk forward in the plan of God.

    Glory is that aspect of God that defies definition, it transcends our finite minds because it contains the fulness of God and His many attributes. One Hebrew scholar has said that the glory of God is every conceivable or possible good; it goes beyond our capacity to fully understand. The glory of God contains within it everything that we could ever need or desire; it represents ultimate fulfilment.

    Be encouraged, friends, there is within our Father God a deep longing to give. It is His nature to give; He is not withholding from us. In fact, He is so good that we could never fully describe His goodness. All we have to do is open our heart and bask in the sunlight of His grace and glory.

An Example of Proactive Faith

Mar 5:25-29 - And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years, And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse, When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment. For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole. And [immediately] the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague.

 The book of Mark is a historical document and an accurate record of actual people; there was indeed a certain woman. Possibly no other account in the New Testament so graphically describes such an ordeal as this dear lady suffered. Twelve long years she had this condition and no matter how she sought to be relieved, her situation only continued to deteriorate.

    In those days the medical knowledge and facilities were known to be less than par and sometimes the cure was worse than the disease. This is by no means a slander on the noble profession of those who have devoted themselves to the medical field; we are deeply grateful for doctors and any medical help. Truly, God partners with all who wish to bring relief from pain and suffering. Todays’ medicine and healthcare have advanced dramatically, and we have so much to be thankful for. However, those that have suffered with any kind of disease, especially a chronic and life-threatening one, know that the process of treatment can be arduous, painful and exhausting.

    This woman suffered from a continual loss of blood; twenty-four hours per day, seven days each week, fifty-two weeks every year, for twelve grueling years. Her physical strength was draining out of her moment by moment. We can only imagine that her emotional strength was likewise diminishing. The implication is that she was once a woman of social status and had financial means; she spent all that she had. It is likely that she was married and had a family but, her condition weakened her and prevented her from fulfilling her role as a wife and mother. She suffered in so many ways; physically, emotionally, financially and socially. She desperately looked for answers, but none came; the agony continued, and she only got worse.

    She had looked for possible solutions from many physicians, until at last, no doubt, she was at the point of despair, but then, someone told her of another Physician; a different Physician; one who was sent from God and had been anointed to heal the sick. Multitudes were flocking to Him and reaching out their hands to touch Him. He was kind and compassionate and He never turned anyone away; even the outcast lepers were being healed of their terrible and chronic condition. Like a poor, starving person, desperately needing a nutritious meal, her hungry heart must have devoured that good news and it produced within her an expectant and confident faith. Years ago, when a friend and I were launching into a ministry venture, a seasoned pastor prayed over us that our appetite would determine our meal; he knew that hunger is a powerful motivator.

    The Law of Moses, which governed the culture, had guidelines regarding women in her condition but, the interpreters of those guidelines had distorted them into harsh, condemning and judgmental rules; and as always when strict legalism is emphasized, people are devalued, and mercy is lost. This precious lady now belonged to a class of people who were considered outsiders by society; she was exiled through no fault of her own. That is why she wanted to slip up behind Jesus and simply touch the fringe of His clothing; get in, get healed, get out, was her plan. She had ample reason to be afraid of the crowd, but what she heard concerning Jesus displaced her fear and gave her the courage to act.

    As she reached out and made contact, the power of God flowed like electricity into her and, as His power always does, it went directly to the source of the problem and she was immediately healed. She knew that something came into her and Jesus knew that something went out of Him. For twelve years she had been plagued with this condition and in one moment she was set free. There is something so admirable about this lady; she has indeed inspired millions by her story. Jesus was not headed in her direction; she chose to go toward Him. Jesus did not have her on His agenda; she put Him on her agenda. Jesus did not hear anything about her; she heard something about Him. Jesus did not reach out and touch her; she reached out and touched Him. She is an example of how proactive faith in Jesus can radically change a person’s life.

    Isn’t it interesting how we refer to this lady as the woman with the issue of blood? However, that cannot be accurate any longer because she may have once been the woman with the issue of blood, but she is no longer that woman; she was healed. The Bible does not give us her name, it only says that there was a certain woman. She was a specific woman; a particular woman; a definite woman; an actual woman. She was a unique individual, like you and I, purposely created by God, not to struggle with a chronic ailment but, to live, love and enjoy, with all its ups and downs, the human experience that we call life.
     Take the initiative, stretch forth your hand and touch Him!