Loving Forgetfullness

"... and I will remember their sins no more"
~ Hebrews 8:12


Aren't you glad God forgets?

Amazing Results of One Man's Ministry

When missionary Robert Morrison arrived in China in 1807, there wasn't a single Christian. Morrison labored for twenty-six years, and saw fewer than twenty converts.

Most would consider such results a failure. Many might wonder if Morrison had indeed "missed God." Maybe he just didn't belong there. Maybe he was outside of God's will for his life.
But over that twenty-six years he became fluent in the Chinese language and undertook to translate the Scriptures into the native tongue. It became his life's work.

While he may not have seen the results of his labor, we certainly can. Today, even by the conservative estimates of the Chinese government, there are forty million Christians in China.

Just keep doing what God has assigned to you. Let Him look after the results.

Life is Good

Enjoying a lazy, rainy day.

Looking forward to having all of the family here together this weekend.

Ain't I a blessed fella?

Thirty Days?

I was in Sam's Club yesterday and saw a book on sale called "Know the Bible in Thirty Days." I couldn't resist picking it up to thumb through it. Before I could even get to it two different people came by and grabbed copies to purchase. It must be striking a chord with people.

But it got me to thinking: Is it possible to know the Bible in just thirty days? I've been studying this Book of books for nearly thirty years. I spent five years earning a degree in Biblical Studies. Thirty days? Boy, do I feel like an real moron.

Written over the course of some 1800 years by more than forty different authors, the Bible describes itself using words like 'mystery' and 'hidden wisdom'. It is, in fact, revelatory. It is the revelation of God Himself as He chooses to make Himself known to men. It is authored by God Himself as He moved upon holy men to pen words which bare His very heart and mind. It is the embodiment of truth. Not the kind of post-modern, subjective truth in which our world has wrapped itself as it has conveniently learned to justify itself in all of it's ungodliness. Rather it is the eternal, unchanging truth of Almighty God.
I don't believe it was ever meant for any man to master it in thirty days.

But we would love that, wouldn't we? It fits our microwave, fast food mentality. We live in a convenience society where 'instant' is better. We've got oatmeal in our pantry that can be ready for breakfast in five minutes. But that's not good enough. So now we've got 'instant' oatmeal that can be ready in one minute.
We're surrounded by thirty day programs and seven step agendums. We want what's fast to be even faster. We want it convenient to fit our lifestyle.

Thirty days might be fine for losing twenty pounds or stopping a bad habit. Instant is okay for my breakfast. But the Word of God may take a bit longer.

Stand Still

"And Moses said unto the people, "Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will show you today ..."
~Exodus 14:13

With an army bent of their total annihilation charging after them and a sea stretching before them, Moses told the people of Israel to stand still. While it doesn't seem they had any alternative, I'm sure many among them were trying hard to come up with one.

Stand still? Not my natural tendency. Fight. Swim. Run. Complain. Do something! Yet to do anything other than stand still is to miss the salvation of the Lord on full display.

I guess I'm still thinking about the disciples of the Lord in the garden at His arrest. (See my previous post) They started to fight. Then they ran. But what was occurring right in front of them was their means to God's salvation. The salvation of the Lord was unfolding in their very midst. But in that few moments their reactions carried them from one extreme to the other.
Standing still - no fighting - no running - doing nothing - seems to me to be the middle of those extremes.

Extreme Living

"And behold, one of those who were with Jesus reached and drew out his sword, and struck the slave of the high priest, and cut off his ear."
~ Matthew 26:51

"Then all of the disciple left Him and fled."
~ Matthew 26:56


Just four verses of Scripture separate two extremes. Just a few moments really.
One minute the disciples were ready to fight for Jesus. The next, they ran away. One minute swords were drawn in a show of courage and strength. The next, they were slinking away into the darkness, just hoping they wouldn't be pursued. From ready to fight, maybe even to die, to running for your life scared.
Amazing, isn't it?

I got a little bit aggravated with Jesus' followers as I read these verses the other day. What kind of men must these disciples have been? What kind of men can go from one extreme to the other in just a minute or two? Then it hit me like the proverbial ton of bricks. They were like me. Or I'm just like them. So are you.
We (or should I say "I") live from one extreme to the other most days. From fired-up to cold as stone seems to be our modus operandi. I can't explain it, and I wish it wasn't that way.

Jesus wasn't surprised by what happened. He knew His disciples.
Did He want them to fight that night in the garden? No. He told them to knock it off. Put the sword away. But He didn't necessarily want them to run away in fear and abandon Him either.
Maybe He just wanted them to stand there and do nothing. Maybe He wanted them to just trust Him; to trust that this was God's plan and it was okay.

Maybe rather than running to either extreme, He wants the same from us.

Surrounded

"For it is Thou who dost bless the righteous man, O Lord,
Thou dost surround him with favor as with a shield."
~ Psalm 5:12