 Why?
What gets you out of bed in the morning? We need motivation so that we can accomplish difficult tasks and do the hard things that are necessary in life. But often our “why” for the things that we are doing goes deeper than just the direct production of our action. For example, we clean our house not just for the purpose of having a clean home but for the physical and psychological benefits of having a clean living environment. Another example is that we go to work not only to receive a paycheck but so that we can use the money to provide for our needs and those of our families. Humans are creatures of habit, and for us to make big (or even small) changes to our normal patterns and routines we need substantial reasons. We know that a healthy diet, more exercise, an intentional schedule, and better sleep routine will be good for us but we still have to be motivated to make those changes. Knowledge can help but we also need to believe that the changes are going to result in the benefits that we desire. We have to have a real “why” to lead to real changes in our lives. Urgency One thing that often leads us to make changes (however not always good ones) is urgency. A deadline can be a powerful motivator. Some of us (the current author) are plagued by the plight of procrastination. This means that tasks seem to find a way of avoiding completion until the last moment. The danger in urgency being the prime motivator in our lives is two fold. First, we are forced by the tyranny of our urgent tasks into a regular mode of leaving responsively rather than proactively. This creates more pressure and stress and reduces our ability to enjoy even work that we otherwise would like doing. The second reason that urgency can be a problem is that we can end up prioritizing things that are not as important simply because they are time sensitive. This can drive us to exhaust ourselves and waste our energy on things that don’t really matter. However, urgency can also be a positive motivator. If there were a child playing on a train track with a locomotive coming, of course we ought to be motivated by the moment of necessity. Also, due dates and deadlines help us to proactively make schedules and devise a plan of action. Urgency is a necessary motive but it should not be our predominant motive. Success A second predominant motivating factor in our world is the drive to achieve or succeed. Of course all people are of differing levels of competitive nature but at some level everyone wants to achieve something or be successful in some way. While success can be a motivating factor in our lives, how we define success can also be a helpful window into our priorities. If our understanding of success is all about capitol and careers then that surely does tell us something about our heart. If our understanding of success is oriented around a sport or a hobby then again our true love is showing. In the same way if our concept of success is greater repentance from sin and growing in conformity to the image of Christ (Romans 8:28-30) then our passion and devotion is clear. Glory But what is the great motivating factor for God? The scriptures seem clear that God is ultimately seeking His own glory. This is not a selfish pursuit. As the best of all beings it would actually be sin if God didn’t seek His own glory for that is the point for which He made the world. Behold, the scene around the throne of God (Isaiah 6:1-6) is Seraphim crying out about God’s Holiness that fills the earth with His glory. Again, this is not selfish. The triune God is giving as well as receiving. The Son and Holy Spirit are giving glory to the Father just as the Father is giving glory to the Son and so on it goes the persons of the Godhead in this perfect, perpetual state of giving and receiving. The Scripture is also clear that we are made for His glory (Isaiah 43:4-7). We exist to give glory to God. As His image bearers it is our job and purpose to reflect His glory to all of creation that He would be seen as holy, gracious, merciful, kind, abounding in steadfast love, just, good, and glorious beyond measure!
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 Fellowship
God has so fashioned humanity that we long for human connection and companionship. This is a feature of our being, made in the image of the triune God, who has enjoyed the eternal communion of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Since we are made in the image of God, who is community, we also are made for relationships. For example, when God made man, His good and complete creation was in making them both male and female. People were made to be communal, complementary, and compatible. Of course, some people require more time together and others need more alone time, but no one is really okay with total isolation. As a matter of fact, solitairy confinement is a genuine form of punishment and even torture. The point is that we are made to be together. The way that society and civilization function is dependent on human interaction. It is not good for humans to be alone (Genesis 2:18). Since this is the case, God has given us particular spheres of connection as gifts for our flourishing. Consider these in an ascending order of importance: the global community, your own national citizenship, your state identification, your local county, your city or town of residence, your church, your family, and your marriage. Notice that the importance gets greater as the groups get smaller and more intimately connected to your life. Comradery But what is it that really forms the bonds of these relationships? Especially the closer and deeper ones? Many different factors probably contribute to how these connections are made. I’m sure psychologists and sociologists have spent countless hours and resources on this very question, but I would like to posit some possible contributions to the answer. First, many times close and enduring bonds come from some shared experience or challenge. You can see this on a macro level when the citizens of a large city or even a country are unified after a major disaster or calamity. However, this is also true in closer relationships. Families experience these kinds of bonds in the shared functioning of the home. Everything from family meals and annual vacations to dealing with serious illness and struggles can form connections between siblings and parents with their children. Second, we form close connections with others with whom we share important identification. In the more intimate relationships this is seen in that we as families share a name. As church members we also share the reality that we belong to Christ and to one another. We are covenant people! To belong to others in a covenant relationship means that we really do have privileges and responsibility to one another that are different from those who are not in the covenant group. The final point of comradery that I would like to emphasize in this post is the point of belief. We tend to build strong relationships with those with whom we share important beliefs. I do not mean that we should not be able to have friendships, even deep relationships, with people who have different beliefs than us. However, at the point of worldview and the basic understanding of what is true, we must have some agreement. Oftentimes we refer to this as being with like minded people. My point is that if my true conviction is that the Bible really is the Word of God and the greatest revelation of truth then I am going to be able to build strong relationships with other people who believe that also. If we genuinely believe that Jesus is God and that He really did rise from the dead then that really should set us apart from those who do not believe in Christ. Pals God has called us to be holy (1 Peter 1:13-16). But we must realize that holy means “set apart”. This means that holiness will often mean being estranged from the majority group or from the popular people. But God has not called us to be totally alone. Rather He has made for us a people, it could be a relatively small group, but this group consists of the others who have been set apart because they also have experienced God’s grace. Likewise they have been and are identified with Christ and His people. These are the ones who share both the mind (1 Corinthians 2:16) and heart of Christ (Ephesians 3:14-19). Jesus Himself told His disciples they were not merely servants but His friends (John 15:12-17). If you are reading this and you don’t yet have Jesus as your closest friend then I would invite you to enter into the covenant relationship that Christ has for you. The Bible is clear that Jesus has promised that everyone who comes to Him He will not cast out (John 6:37). If you will turn from your sin and yourself and trust in Christ He will receive you into His covenant family forever!  Out Front
Leadership requires visibility. This can both deter many people who do not want the scrutiny that comes with leadership and encourage some who simply want the attention. In reality, leadership is far more about accepting responsibility than many people realize. When things are going well in an organization or group it can often seem like little to no effort is actually being exerted by the leaders. When things are more turbulent the leaders may be seen as inept or incompetent. This last Sunday our text from Luke 22 dealt with the need for leaders to be servants. Leaders need to be dedicated to the welfare of those they are leading and oriented toward the goal. If leaders are unconcerned about the followers they might lose them. I once knew a man who was a good cowboy, but when he was given the task of leading a group of people on a trail ride he would often just ride off and leave them. He expected them to just keep up. Leadership means taking responsibility for the production and welfare of others even while they still get the credit. A good lead must also be focused on the goal. If the leader is lost and aimless the followers will be hopeless and in danger. I have noticed in recent weeks a couple of examples of leadership. One example is of a weak and fearful leader just trying to keep his fragile sense of control. This is not unlike the religious leaders of Jesus day. This negative example will serve as a cautionary tale for all of us. The second example is to be an amazing portrait of someone dedicated to his responsibility and to his people. Canada The negative example comes from our (USA) neighbor to the north. I am not an expert on world affairs and I do not claim to have any special insight into what is happening in Canada. But the narrative that I have heard has implied that when the convoy of Canada truckers reached Ottawa that Justin Trudeau the Canadian Prime Minister fled. It has been widely speculated that he used Covid 19 as a cover to escape the protests. These protests have been, by most accounts, peaceful, but Trudeau responded with all the backbone of a jellyfish. My point here is not the politics of Trudeau or the truckers, only that in leadership terms it is evident that Trudeau acted in cowardice and self protection. I'll be honest I haven't really given Trudeau’s leadership foibles much thought until the last couple of days, when on the world stage, another leader has risen in stark contrast to the weak example of Justin Trudeau. Ukraine I must admit one week ago I didn’t know who Volodymyr Zelenskyy was. Once again I’m not an expert in global political science. But I do know that, at least in the public eye, President Zelenskyy has demonstrated great resolve in not looking to escape the fast approaching Russian military. The President is quoted as saying, “I need ammunition not a ride.” Once again I want to acknowledge my ignorance about the details and the reality on the ground in Ukraine, however, the stark contrast between Trudeau and Zelenskyy at least in the public perception is shocking. Church In Hebrews 13 we are told to remember our leaders, specifically those who have spoken the word of God to us (Hebrews 13:7). In the context of this passage it is clear that the author does not mean just anyone from whom you have heard a sermon or teaching but rather the elders and pastors of your local church who have and continue to teach you the word of God. The verse goes on to instruct us to consider the outcome of their life and imitate their faith. We as God’s people are called to join in with God’s people (local church) and follow the elders who are teaching God’s word. I want to state emphatically that this does not mean blind allegiance but rather a noble study which carefully considers the life and the doctrine of the leaders against the standard of the Bible (Acts 17:11). Later in verse 17, The Hebrew writer tells us to obey and submit to these leaders because they have taken on the responsibility and accountability of our souls. We ought to desire to make this work easier through our faithfulness (Hebrews 13:17). Ultimately, we must seek out good leadership, but once we find it we must also submit to it for it to be of any advantage for us. Heaven But there is a leader who far exceeds all others. This leader was willing to come into the trenches of the warfare between good and evil, light and darkness, even life and death, to rescue His people. He laid aside His royal robes and took on the form of a servant (Philippians 2:4-8). Now the Lord Jesus is ruling from His throne at the right hand of the Father till all His enemies are defeated and brought under His feet (1 Corinthians 15:24-28). This is our King and our Lord who is above every king and every lord the Lord Jesus Christ (Revelation 1:4-8)!  So Excited
When we are children, having had limited experiences, we get exposed to many new things. These things can be exhilarating. We look at many things that adults might view as mundane with a sense of awe and wonder. As we grow we begin to seek out, with eager anticipation, those opportunities to be overcome with the joy of new or exciting experiences. Many people in our day have become thrill seekers, and much of the danger has been removed from our modern sophisticated lives. As life goes on, we become more invested in some things than others, and what brings us real excitement changes. Our personal passions and relational connection truly affect how we relate to one another and the world around us. Hope What do you look forward to most about eternity? The obvious answer is Christ! We as believers look forward to this perfect relationship with God. The experience of His presence made possible by the righteousness of Christ imputed to you. But what else? I have often heard people speculating about what it will be like to have glorified bodies or live in New Jerusalem. However, one of the things that I look forward to is the absence of division. Now we each have preconceived ideas about what is fundamentally true that keep us from having a perfect understanding of reality. We all wholeheartedly believe some things that are wrong. Even as Christians, we are not correct about everything. Of course, we should be striving to have our minds renewed by the word of God. This means that we have to intentionally identify the pre-understandings that we have from our experience. We need to seek the grammatical, historical, and literary meaning of the text of Scripture. Most of all we must seek to comprehend the redemptive message of the Bible. God has given us His word so that we can see the glorious revelation of Himself to His image bearers so that we can live for His glory. Purpose Ultimately, God's glory is at the center of the purpose for all things. I believe that as Christians we often have this sentiment on our lips but not as the driving focus of our lives. How would our lives be different if we truly lived as if the most important thing was God's glory? What would we do differently if we were convinced that God's Word and the Holy Spirit would accomplish, through us, everything that God intends? I long for a time when we see God’s purposes being accomplished and fulfilled. Maybe this is what we mean when we cry out for revival. That God would be powerfully and perfectly bringing about all His purposes. But the reality is that God is doing just that. The only thing that keeps us from seeing it is that we are not looking with eyes of faith. We must look for the fulfillment of God's glorious purposes the way a farmer or gardener looks for the first signs of growth after the planting season. The Kingdom of God is like a mustard seed. So as believers we must be believing and seeking the Kingdom of God and His righteousness before and above everything else in life (Matthew 6:33). We can do this because we know that God will take care of all our needs (Philippians 4:19) according to His purposes (Romans 8:28). One practical way of exercising faith in this way right now is to pray for Ukraine. Not only the political and military operations but also the people, especially our brothers and sisters in that land. Let's cry out to God on their behalf and beg God to use their struggle to bring about great spiritual awakening and revival all for His great glory!  Common Man
Pride is at the root of so much, if not all, of our sin. When our first parents (Adam & Eve) fell into sin, it was because they were tempted with the idea that they could become more like God by their disobedience. The irony is that they actually became less like God by their sin. But the point we need to realize is the haughty arrogance that accompanied their evil aspiration. The Apostle John even identifies pride as being at the core of what fuels sin in us and in the world (1 John 2:15-17). This boasting is not because we possess an abundance of greatness, but rather because we possess an emptiness because of our sin, shame, and guilt. Every attempt to fill this void with achievement or accolade or accomplishment is unsuccessful because what we truly need is not glory but humility. We see the reality of pride and hubris at the heart of sin even in how the evil one attempted to draw Jesus into sin. The wiley serpent took Jesus to the top of the temple and called on Him to employ his merited favor by being saved from the fall to which Jesus responded in obedience to not tempt God. Satan also tried to tempt Jesus with wealth and power of the kingdoms of the world, but again Jesus would not sin against God (Luke 4:1-12). The point with this is that pride is pivotal in most if not all sin and this is common to every human experience including yours and mine. Get Down But how are we to be humbled? I would guess that everyone of us has experienced the process of humiliation. We have been called out on some flaw or silliness and we have felt the sting of humiliation. Humiliation is when we feel guilt and shame that is foisted upon us by someone else. Humiliation often drives us to a sinful self loathing that either tries to shift the blame for our situation to someone else (I’m looking at you Adam & Eve Genesis 3:12-13) or concludes that our suffering and misery is meaningless. I would argue, however, that this is not what the Lord would have for His people. Jesus is not seeking to humiliate the already helpless sinner but rather to lift up the humble believer. Of course, God does humble men. If we consider the biblical account of men such as Pharaoh (Exodus 14), Nabal (1 Samuel 25), and Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 4:28-33) clearly God does humble men to both demonstrate His sovereign authority and His goodness toward His people. But ultimately, the call for believers is that we would humble ourselves. In the New Testament, both Peter (1 Peter 5:5) and James (James 4:6) cite the truth that God is opposed to the arrogant and haughty person but gracious to the humble and lowly person. DIY I think we need to understand that the encouragement of scripture is that we need to humble ourselves. We should not wait for the guilt and shame to become so unbearable that we are driven down and abased, but rather, we should go joyfully to our knees in praise and reverence to our God so that He will lift us up. Peter also instructs us to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God and He will lift us up (1 Peter 5:6-7). It is from this place of humility that God will exalt us and from this humbled state we can cast our anxieties on Him. Notice the way to prevail over worries and cares in this life is not to raise yourself up but to bring yourself low before God and He will raise you up. Peter even states that humility will help us to alert to the scheming taps of the devil. High Handed Humility As a matter of fact, as believers, we are promised that there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). Paul also reminds us that everyone who believes in Him will not be put to shame (Romans 10:11). You see, we as believers can humble ourselves boldly. We can go to our knees with great confidence in the gracious promises of our God and our Savior. This means that we can wage war against our own pride and arrogance with total abandonment knowing that when we are weak, exhausted and low He will lift us up EVERY SINGLE TIME!  Narcissism
We know that the earth, and even our solar system and galaxy, are not the center of the universe. As believers, we know that God and His glory are at the center and are the source of all things. But, even though we know these things, we experience life as if we are the center because we are the constant veritable in all our experiences. Because this is the case we can act (even sinfully) in ways that are consistent with our perception, but not true reality. I keep using plural pronouns but maybe I should speak only for myself. I sin when I act as if everything is about me. Wow is me! So I had a pretty frustrating day. I could go into the details but you don't need those to understand my point. I even posted on Facebook and quickly realized the foolishness of lashing out like a spoiled toddler. (I quickly deleted it.) In the midst of my circumstances all that I was thinking about was what I was losing or enduring or suffering. While not thinking this way, I was acting as if I deserved better or easier circumstances than I was receiving. Even as I write these things I am embarrassed by the immaturity of these actions. My sin has required personal repentance toward those I have sinned against in my anger. I also have repented toward God who I have sinned against by exalting myself. Mourn for others What the Lord used to open my eyes to the ridiculous nature of my sin was the reality of the suffering of others. Today I saw a post about a friend who was suffering terribly with COVID. My wife is also currently dealing with COVID. I also heard about a godly brother who had suffered a serious accident and was in critical (possibly fatal) condition. I thought about this brother and his wife and his family and how insignificant my problems were in comparison to their present trials. Finally, I remembered that one week ago a fellow classmate of mine from high school was found dead. The gravity of the reality of what people all around me were enduring shook me to my senses. The Holy Spirit graciously turned my eyes back to what matters most. Fixed Gaze There is a classic hymn that I'm sure we all know that calls us to "turn our eyes upon Jesus and look fully in His wonderful face." It is at this point that the song points out that the things of earth (our experiences, problems, pursuits) will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace! The writer of the book of Hebrews seems to have been thinking the same thing when he wrote that we ought to lay aside every weight and sin that would entangle us and look to Jesus who is the founder and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:1-2). When our view is fixed on Jesus it puts everything else in the proper perspective!  Advanced in Years
What do you think about when you hear the word age? Probably your first line of thinking is about your age. We tend to personalize things pretty quickly. Age is a term referring to the amount of time that has passed since something began. (That's my definition!) The dictionary says that age is the length of time a person has lived or a thing has existed. Age in this sense is related to both experience and existence. There is an interesting phrase in Luke 1 referring to the birth of John the Baptist. In verse 7, both ESV and NKJV translations use the phrase, “advanced in years,” to refer to Zechariah and Elizabeth (Luke 1:7). I have always thought the English phrase is an attempt to tactfully make the point that they were old. Obviously, the point in the text is that they are beyond the age of having children. Two things are important to notice about this passage. First, we are to note the power of God in divinely bringing about the conception and birth of the forerunner who would prepare the way for Jesus. But also, we see that even after Zechariah and Elizabeth had most likely stopped hoping for a child, God was accomplishing His perfect will. All those years of barrenness and heartache mattered and had a purpose. Only a Number Age is also a rather relative concept. Old and young designations really have to do with life circumstances as much as years experienced. Just today I saw a video where a man called into a radio program because he felt hopeless about his finances and his future. What was interesting was not so much the financial issues (he had a couple thousand dollars in debt and a low to average income) rather it was the fact that he was 22 years old. This man felt like he had missed his opportunity to have a successful life and was beyond all hope. But most people over say 35 would probably immediately realize that he had plenty of opportunity still to come. Or consider a professional athlete, in many sports by the late twenties to the early thirties the athletes must retire because they have passed their prime athletic abilities. They may have 60 more years of life, but that portion is complete. Or consider the careers of so many individuals who didn't even start doing the things they are best known for until they were 60 or 70 or even older. Examples of such people are Col. Sanders (KFC), Laura Ingalls Wilder, Julia Child and Grandma Moses. My point is that we categorize old and young often based on relative circumstances not objective standards. Ages However, there is another use of the term age. The dictionary also gives the secondary definition as, “a distinct period of history.” This reference is about what we would also call eras and epochs. We define our history according to these periods of time. The Bible speaks of two ages. The first is called “this age” (Matthew 12:32). This refers to the current time in which we live. It is the age extending from the beginning of creation till the end of this cosmos. This age is also called an “evil age” (Galatians 1:3-5). This is the age when sin is present and persistent but not ultimate or eternal. It is from this present evil age that Jesus has come to rescue and deliver His people from the power and penalty of our sin. But Jesus will ultimately also deliver us from the very presence of sin by taking us from this age to what the Bible calls the “age to come” (Mark 10:29-31). Because this is true the Apostle Paul instructs us as believers to renounce ungodliness and live godly lives in this age as we are awaiting the blessed hope of the age to come (Titus 2:11-14). The Apostle Peter also encourages us to live lives of holiness and godliness as we wait for the new age where righteousness dwells (2 Peter 3:11-13).  Questions and Answers!
So much of our communication is built on asking questions and giving or finding answers. You are probably reading this blog because the title or topic raised a particular interest for you. So, how am I going to answer the question that has formed in your mind? Even when we are making statements, we are often preemptively dealing with the questions that we are anticipating or assuming. Jesus was asked many questions. One of these was, “What is the greatest commandment?” Jesus answered by repeating the answer that Yahweh had given centuries before, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” This answer is all encompassing. Jesus lists for us distinct portions of our lives that are supposed to be consumed with love for God. These elements are meant to permeate the whole of our lives. However, we also need to understand that this should manifest in our lives in some very specific and important ways. Heart of the Matter In Matthew 22, Jesus says that we are to love the LORD with all our heart. The point being made by this emphasis on heart is that the heart is the center of our emotions and affections. We use the word heart in exactly this way even today. We say things such as, "I love you with all my heart!" or "She is heartbroken.” In this sense Jesus is telling us that love for God must have an emotive component. Not every person is emotional to the same level but every individual who knows the greatness of being rescued will be emotionally affected by the reality of that great salvation. This kind of emotion will also be experienced as conviction from the Holy Spirit when we have sinned against this great grace and the God whom we genuinely love. If you are not emotionally moved by the joy of your salvation or sorrow for your sin, be sure you have found salvation. Soul Train Jesus then instructs us to love God with all our soul. The soul refers to our being. We often talk about having a soul, but in reality we are a soul. Our soul is that life or being that we have as God's image bearers. As such we are distinct from all the creatures who are not living souls. Jesus is saying that, at the core of our being, we are to be devoted to loving God. This is different from the emotion of the heart. This is the deliverance of our will. We therefore are the receivers of God's covenant love (Psalm 86) and the reflectors of that same love (1 John 4:19). Mind Matters Finally, Jesus says that we must love God with all our minds. Many people seem to celebrate that they have great affection for God that is divorced from theology or intellectual pursuit. But how can we really love Him or know Him without engaging our minds in pursuing Him? Voddie Baucham has famously said, "Many people proclaim their love for a Jesus who they don't know very well.” God has chosen to reveal Himself to us in a way that gives us the ability to study, reflect, and learn not only about Him but to know Him. We must recognize that the same “all” that was put with heart and soul is attached to the commandment concerning our mind. “And he said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’” Matthew 22:37 Everything The point of both the Old Testament commandment and Jesus' emphasis is that the true believer, the one in genuine covenant relationship with God, will love God wholly and completely. Brethren, let us examine ourselves and be sure that Christ has all our heart, soul, and mind!  Trending
Certain words become popular for certain periods of time. When I was a young kid everything was “awesome” and I’m not talking about the theme song of the Lego movie. The word awesome was applied to everything and, of course, many things that were not actually awesome. In our contemporary social media age, this is called trending. When I was in college, the word authentic became the buzz word. Every ministry or program promised to help you take off the mask and become the real “authentic” you. Among the words that have been used (or maybe hijacked) this way is the word remnant. It is sort of ironic that a word that means a small remaining quantity of something has been so popularly adopted among many leaders and church growth gurus. These people are not truly interested in leading a remnant but rather are hoping that a majority of people will resonate with feeling like they are a remnant. Everyone wants to be the heroic underdog that actually prevails in the end. But what if we truly considered the possibility that we are in the minority position? That we Bible believing, God fearing, gospel obeying Christians are actually a remnant. How Few How many is a few? The question is a bit relative. We are all prone to understand size and numerical values according to the size of the pond that we swim in on a daily basis. What is a small church? If you grew up in a small town where most churches ran 30 or 40 people and the one big church a town over had 100 people you probably think that is a big church. However, if you have lived in a mid to large population area where many churches had several hundred or several thousand people then 100 people would seem very small. If we are to understand what remnant means then we probably need to think in ratios. One million is a lot of anything unless that million is a part of a discussion of billions or even trillions. In Genesis 18: 22-33, Abraham is pleading with God to spare the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah on behalf of the relatively few righteous persons living there. Abraham does not know how many righteous people are there but he does know that God is a just judge and on that basis he advocates for the deliverance of the wicked cities. As Abraham haggles with the LORD, we see our gracious God going along with the series of lower bids as a demonstration of His amazing grace and compassion. Abraham begins with the proposal of 50 righteous persons and moves down 5 and 10 person increments until the LORD agrees to spare both cities if only 10 righteous persons were found there. In the end, only 3 make out and survive the disastrous judgment of God on those wicked cities. So how small a remnant were Lot and his daughters? This is not really that easy to assess. Estimations anywhere from a few hundred to fifty thousand have been considered as possible. However, three is a pretty small company out of two cities of any size. The point for us to ponder is are we such a remnant? The reason I am asking this question is to spur us to consider both our prayer and proclamation. If we are a small remnant among the larger population then the need for each of us to be devoted to passionate prayer and poignant preaching is now! We must be the little flock (Luke 12:32-34) who know that we are putting our treasure, time, and talents where our hearts already are with the Lord. The Few The Marines used to have a slogan, “the few, the proud, the Marines.” The meaning is clear that being a Marine makes a person a part of an elite group. However, in Christendom to be part of the few or the remnant is a humbling admission that we have received the underserved grace of God. The way to the kind of destruction suffered by those wicked cities in Abraham’s day is broad and easy and many have gone that way and even now continue the well worn path. But Jesu also told us that there is a narrow and hard path which leads to life and few find it. Beloved, let us find that path and point it out to as many as possible! (Matthew 7:13-14)  Origins
We all came from somewhere. Even If you’ve never really had a place that felt like “home,” you did not just materialize out of nowhere. Your existence, like everyone else’s, is a derived existence. However, unlike the secular determinism of Darwinism you are not simply the necessary outcome of what came before. What I am referring to is the secular answer to the nature of sowing and reaping, cause and effect. In the worldview that tries to conceive of a universe without a personal and purposeful Creator, one must explain how things are the way they are and what process brings as a result the current world around us. To deal with this, many of the brightest minds who are groping around in the gloomy darkness of atheism have concluded that current and future outcomes are fatalistically determined by the series of moments, minutes, months, and millennia transpiring before. These things are not decreed or chosen but they are necessarily determined by the impersonal action and reaction of matter and energy. But in reality, in the real world (God’s world), our existence is planned and purposeful. We, as human beings, exist because our Creator has formed us for His glory and to accomplish His amazing purposes. We have our existence from His hand and His will. You and all other people are not accidents. God intended for you to exist and will use you to bring Himself glory. Everything and everyone in the universe has an intended and inescapable reason for being! Your beginning is from God and your being is for God. The Apostle Paul even said that in Him we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:22-31). Precedents In modern jurisprudence precedents are really important. The idea of precedents is that the prior interpretation and application of laws and statues helps to guide and clarify the current rendering of those issues. On the issue of life many would try to argue that the legal murder of infants in the womb is now a matter of precedent. This means that it should be assumed that the lethal legality of the last half century should be taken into consideration on the issue. However, the former precedent of illegality from the balance of American history is far more imposing. The most important issue should not be the standing of precedent but the interpretation of the text of the constitution which does not contain any kind of right to abortion whether explicit or implicit. However, there is an explicit right to life in the text. Jurisdiction The problem is that we as a society have lost our understanding of proper jurisdictional authority. God has granted diverse authority to different realms of government. The three basic levels are family, church and state. However, none of these have unilateral authority over the taking of innocent life. We see in some honor/shame culture the family assuming this authority and sinfully murdering members (usually women) of their own households. In many false religions we also see this kind of sinful authoritarian assumption in those ecclesiastical bodies. But in the United States this has been championed by the state. The Bible does say that the state bears the sword and can legitimately take lives under some circumstances. But those circumstances are for the rendering of justice on those who have broken the moral laws given to protect lives and the society. Only God Himself has unilateral jurisdiction over life and death and He alone is good, just, righteous and able to carry such enormous authority. This Sunday is Sanctity of Human Life Sunday. Let us as God’s people plead with Him for the atrocity of abortion to be taken away from our land and for the precious lives of unborn children to protected and prospered! |