Extremes Last week, we experienced what was for us here in north central Arkansas, extremely cold weather. But, this week the temperatures have risen and the rain has fallen. The combination of the thawing ground and the saturating rainfall have caused our soil to become a muddy mess. Of course some projects (construction, etc) are impossible with these circumstances. And some others (tending livestock) are made much more difficult. But, this is the natural consequence of this type of weather and the normal experience this time of year. As I wrote last week, we can find ourselves going from one set of complaints to another as our situation changes. What is amazing is just how quickly we can convince ourselves that we are doomed to our current circumstances. One constant that each of us should remember is that things will change. Temporal Engagement With all of the muddy conditions many folks have been dealing with vehicles and equipment getting stuck. Sometimes we can feel like we are stuck in a never ending loop or cycles of events, behaviors, or even decisions that we wish would change. But whether we are enduring a challenging season in our lives or enjoying a successful peak in our lives the best thing we can do is to not miss it. In these hard and difficult times, the Lord has blessings and lessons for us to learn that will allow us to be more useful for His glory and more blessed for our own good as well as others (2 Corinthians 1:3-11). In pleasant and fruitful seasons, our gracious God has provided for us and these blessings are best experienced through us purposefully engaging in these precious moments. However, one way to gain the proper perspective that will cause us to appreciate these fast and fleeting moments is our Biblical understanding of eternity. We are able to be fully present in both the pain and pleasure of this life because as believers we understand that eternity awaits us. The world, for the most part, is caught in one of two extremes. Either they are battling to preserve their youth and maximize their health because this is all there is. Or they are seeking to seize the day in a grand effort to not miss out on anything but without any real purpose or meaning. In either case, neither the present nor the future are served well. Everlasting Life Jesus told the disciples that He came to give us abundant life. And the Scripture continually points to the Christian hope of everlasting life (John 10:10). But this is not just more time but an ever increasing experience of our great God, who is life. We will always experience this fullness of life through the person of the Lord Jesus Christ who is life (John 14:6). Both our possession and experience of genuine life is in Christ (1 John 5:10-12). The promise of the new covenant gospel extending even from the Old Testament period was that God would take us up from the miry mud and place us on the solid rock of the Lord Jesus Christ (Psalm 40:2)! So let me encourage you to flee the sloppy, muddy muck of temporal, fleeting passions and enticing sinful pleasures and go to the rock of Christ (1 Corinthians 10:4) in full faith and confidence in the power and promises of God that are for us in Jesus Christ our Lord!
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Winter We are into the cold days and nights of winter. This coming weekend and through the next week or so local weather forecasts are calling for very cold conditions. Everybody has their own preferences when it comes to weather. In reality the weather is going to be what it is going to be regardless of what we want or wish for. However, our attitude can play a big role in how we deal with changing weather from the hot and humid dog days of summer to these bone chilling cold winter nights. Goldilocks When I was in High School I learned a poem from our ag teacher, Mr. Todd Prothro. It went like this: People may falter, but their bold; When it's hot, they want it cold; When it’s cold, they want it hot; Always wanting what is not! Through some quick searching on the internet I found that it has been published more often in another form: As a rule, man is a fool; When it’s hot, he wants it cool; When it’s cool, he wants it hot; Always wanting what is not! I personally prefer Mr. Prothro’s version, but that may just be nostalgia. The point of the silly little limerick is that people tend to not be content or satisfied regardless of the circumstances. This is maybe an even more prevalent problem in our day as we have become accustomed to so many comforts and conveniences. In some ways, we have become like the mythical character Goldilocks. We want everything just right. The problem is that everything is never just right. If we spend our lives seeking out the just right conditions we will miss out on all the wonderful moments that often are so great because they are not just right. We must be on guard against the tyranny of perfection. I don’t just mean in critiquing the weather but much more the people that we have been blessed with in our lives. You and I are not members of the perfect people friend group because we are not perfect people. I might also add that whoever you think is in the perfect people friend group they are not because they are not perfect people either. The people the Lord has placed in my life, especially in our local church, are not perfect but according to His purposes they are perfect for me. Enjoy So what should we do when things are not to our preferences, or honestly even when they are, we should rejoice in the Lord. Remember Paul told the Philippians from prison that they should rejoice in the Lord always (Philippians 4:4)! The Scripture also tells us that this is the day that the Lord has made and we should rejoice and be glad in this day (Psalm 118:24). There really are elements to be appreciated about all the seasons. I’ll also challenge you that many of your best days probably were not perfect days. Instead many of the days with the best stories and most meaning are the days when you overcame adversity to accomplish a goal or succeed in a task. In the classic film, “Ol’ Yeller,” Fess Parker playing the father character says to Travis, the coming of age young man, “You can’t waste the good time fretten about the bad. That makes it all bad.” So no matter what comes to us, may we rest in the Lord for His day is called “today” (Hebrews 4:1-13)! New Things One of the things that I have been trying to do to help my understanding and comprehension of the scriptures is to change up the translation that I use for my daily Bible reading from year to year. I am not prescribing this as a practice for you because the benefit of getting really comfortable with one translation is also very helpful. However, because I am regularly teaching and preaching from my preferred translation (ESV) this has been a refreshing practice. Sometimes the differing choices of the translators is helpful to cause me to think again about something that seems rather familiar. It is the new year and no doubt many pundits, prophets, and gurus will be proclaiming the year of advantage and favor available to those who believe it, claim it, or speak it. Of course what they mean by favor is probably a mix of carnal pleasures, casual employment, and comfortable requirements. But is this how the Bible uses the idea of being favored by God? Favorites Favorites are things that we love or enjoy the most. Of course, we assume that being fair and just requires that God does not have favorites. It is true that the scriptures are clear that God abhors the sin of partiality (James 2:1-13). This kind of favoritism is that which comes from preferring one over another based on the advantages or privileges that this one possesses. My point is that God commands us not to prefer one over another regarding things such as wealth or poverty, prominence or obscurity, beauty or disformity, ability or disability or a host of other distinctions we might make. The reason is that God, who has made men to differ, does not judge based on these external standards but rather based upon His own perfect choosing (1 Corinthians 4:6-7). The reality is that God does make distinctions between men, but not based on the differences between the men but rather based on His infinite and eternal purposes (Romans 9:6-29). So the basis for the election or choosing is found in God. This is not only dealing with eternal salvation but also with God’s providence over the unfolding circumstances of every life. God is in control of both the macro and micro levels of action and reaction within His creation. Grace But how is it that God can make distinctions between people without it being favoritism? The answer is found in the definition of grace. I mentioned at the beginning of this post that I was brought to this subject matter through reading a different translation of the Bible. I am most familiar with the ESV (English Standard Version) translation, however this year I am doing my Old Testament reading in the NKJV (New King James Version). In Genesis 6:8, the ESV states that “Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD” but in the NKJV it says that “Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.” The Hebrew word translated here carries the idea of acceptance but that acceptance is based not on the object, in this case Noah, but on the One giving the acceptance. In this case it is the LORD. If we read the ESV translation of Noah finding favor, which is a good and acceptable translation, as God seeing that Noah was better than everyone else then we negate the point of this word “favor.” Genesis 6:9 goes on to describe Noah as a just man, perfect in his generations, who also walked with God. But did Noah find favor and grace with God based on these characteristics? I think it is more consistent with the use of this word “favor” or “grace” and the order and flow of the text in Genesis 3 to conclude that Noah has these traits because the LORD accepted him. Grace is best defined as unmerited favor. That’s really the key to understanding not only how God chose Noah but also how God could choose you and I. God’s choice is not based on some merit in us but on His unmerited favor. This means that everyone that God claims and redeems is a trophy to His divine grace and not to human effort or work or achievement. So If you have decided that you are too sinful or too stupid or too stained to be accepted by God, simply turn to Him in faith because His salvation is based entirely on gracious unmerited favor (Ephesians 2:1-10)! |
AuthorEddie Ragsdale Archives
May 2024
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