Month: February 2021

While reading through the Bible we will see a reoccurrence of a theme that we should take note of every time we open its pages.  God is not hesitant to point out the diseases humankind faces, but as is the nature of a loving God, He just as quickly points out the cures.  In the greatest example, God, through men with pens, has warned us of the poison called sin that pulses through each of us.  God, through those same men, has revealed to us the antidote- Jesus.

This pattern is seen in almost every one of the New Testament books.  God says, “Don’t do this (because it is injurious to us), but do this (because it is beneficial to us). A wonderful example can be found in Ephesians 5.  Verse 17 says, “So don’t be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is,” and 18 says, “And don’t get drunk with wine, which leads to reckless actions, but be filled by the Spirit.” Paul tells us what we should not do, but does not leave it there. He tells us what we should do instead. Every “don’t do” in the Word is followed by a “but do” and He gives us the power to do it.

Paul understands, through the Holy Spirit, that just pointing out what we should not do leaves a void that needs to be filled with something. Not long ago I heard a phrase regarding parenting. A child psychologist said to a group of parents, “if you don’t train up your child, someone else will.” What that means is that if we leave a void,  it will be filled with something else, but that something else isn’t always good. That’s why Paul does not just say, “Don’t be filled with spirits” and stop there, but goes on to say that we should be filled with the Holy Spirit instead.

So God is the void filler.   No one knew that better than George Mueller who operated an orphanage in the late 1800’s that at one time had 1,000 orphans. One morning there was no food to eat, but he called all the children and staff together and prayed thanking God for the provision of food, even though no food was on the table. A few moments later a baker knocked on the door. He told Mr. Muller that God had led him to bake bread the night before and give it to the orphanage. Before the bread was given to the children, a milkman knocked on the door. He said that his milk truck had broken down and he wanted to give the milk to the orphanage.

God is the great provider.  He wants to fill our voids with something good.  He knows that the vacuum of emptiness will cause collapse and He wants to shore things up with something good and strong and long-lasting.  One time when I was remolding a house I had to take out a bearing wall, so I had to put in a large beam to carry the weight of the roof.  Just taking out the rotting boards would have been disaster.  So it is with so many things.  Just taking something rotten out

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of our life will be not last unless it is replaced with something better.

It is said if someone quits smoking he needs to do something to fill the void left. When my dad quit smoking in 1969 he had to have something to replace the three packs a day that he smoked every day.  He had to have something that replaced the nicotine, the smell, the movement of hand to lips, and a host of other habits.  There weren’t enough packs of gum, nicotine patches, or suckers that could replace that thirty-year habit.  He replaced the habit with prayer. He said he prayed non-stop all the way from Portland (where he smoked his last cigarette) to Grants Pass (where he died over forty years later). He said that after that day in 1969 he never craved a cigarette again.  No nicotine patch for him- he put on a prayer

patch instead.  God always supplies the alternatives if we want to use them.

In Ephesians 4:31-32 Paul tells us “to put away every kind of bitterness, anger, wrath, quarreling, and evil, slanderous talk. and instead, be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ also forgave you.” We cannot just put away the bad and stop there.  We must put on the good, as well.  If we don’t, the bad will return; the vacuum will be filled; the old nature will step back on the throne.

Today in my Bible reading Abraham was called to make a sacrifice and his son was laid upon the altar.  When the time came for the sacrifice, God didn’t say, “Nevermind, Abraham.  You proved yourself.  Untie Isaac and go home.”  No, God filled the void that was left on altar with a ram caught in a thicket.  If God asks us to give up something, he will graciously provide a better alternative.

The Bible is a book of answers.  To be otherwise would show a merciless God who has penned a medical book that lists diseases without the cures. But our God is merciful and prefers instruction to destruction.  The Bible is the greatest book ever written and describes the human dilemmas more honestly than any other.  Fortunately for us, it is also the book that outlines how to deal with those dilemmas.  So when God directs us away from something, He always directs us toward something else.  That is what a good God does; that is why we can say we have a good God.

“Declaring the end from the beginning…saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure.” Isaiah 46:10

What can we rely on during these unsteady times? The financial world is a roller coaster, violence dominates the news, family breakdowns are more frequent than not, COVID is wreaking havoc on businesses and schools, and and even churches are not immune to friction and fracture. It is not just institutions that are disintegrating, but people as well. Politicians, sports figures, celebrities, and professionals all take turns falling out of their places of respect. People look around desperately for something or someone to rely on but to no avail- or at least it seems that way.

We need someone who is constant in this inconsistent world. That kind of unchanging rock solid foundation can only be found in God. Deuteronomy 32:4 says the Lord is “The Rock! His work is perfect, For all His ways are just; A God of faithfulness and without injustice, Righteous and upright is He,” and in 1 Samuel 2:2 we are told,  “There is no one holy like the LORD, Indeed, there is no one besides You, Nor is there any rock like our God.”  God can be a refuge because He is the “same yesterday, today, and forever.”

We need to put someone in charge of our lives Who does not fluctuate with every change of wind- Someone whose every decision is based on rightness. Someone who actually has a plan for our lives. There is a famous military motto: “No plan of war survives first contact with the enemy.” This holds true in every human conflict because it is impossible to know for certain how one’s enemy will react or what circumstances may intervene to change any planned course of action, but this is not true of God.

God does not wonder what the future holds and we can be assured that God does not worry about his purposes coming to fruition.  Has it ever occurred to you that nothing has ever occurred to God?

He has never said, “Huh, I never thought of that, I’m glad you brought that to my attention.”  Because He knows all things, God’s plans are never frustrated, foiled, or even hindered. His word declares His purposes, His designs, and His works. He does not just describe the things that will come to pass, He has declared them and designed them. We will do our best to throw monkey wrenches in God’s plans, but ultimately He brings things into alignment with His will. He takes our wanderings and turns them into detours.

The guillemot is a small arctic sea bird that lives on the rocky cliffs of northern coastal regions. These birds flock together by the thousands in comparatively small areas. Because of the crowded conditions, hundreds of females lay their pear-shaped eggs side by side on a narrow ledge in a long row. Since the eggs all look alike, it is incredible that a mother bird can identify those that belong to her. Yet studies show that she knows her own eggs so well that when even one is moved, she finds it and returns it to its original location. 

Scripture tells us that God is also intimately acquainted with each of his children. He knows our every thought and emotion, every decision we must make and problem we are going through. Therefore, an understanding  of God’s omniscience should both evoke praise and bring comfort to believers.

The Word tells us that God’s great plans cannot be thwarted. He may allow fluctuation in the way they come about, but they will come about. Since He is the holder of the map, it would seem that He should be the one leading our lives. Ironically, we think we know more than the One who knows all. We will try in all sorts of ways to free ourselves from the captivities of this life, but only God has the keys to freedom.

There was once a prisoner who tried to escape prison by hiding in a truck. After an uncomfortable ride the truck stopped, he crawled out, and found himself in another prison just a short drive away. That is what we do if we try to escape the confinements of this life on our own. We will just travel from one prison to another attempting to right our life, always believing the next plan will work. There is only one who has the right plans for escape. Ironically, we build the prison, but He holds the keys.

We are enclosed by a wicked world, but God’s counsel shall stand. He will ultimately overrule wickedness for the good of his people and the glory of His name. His plans are not changed with first contact with the enemy because nothing surprises Him. He is the kind of  leader we want to put our faith in, to trust our lives to, and to follow wherever He might lead for only he knows the path to freedom.  Follow Him.

In lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.” Philippians 2:3-4

What mindset invariably leads to treating others correctly? Humility. When we see ourselves as undeserving of the least of God’s goodness, then we see other’s weaknesses in a different light. Nothing brings our perspective of others more in line with how God sees them than looking at ourselves first. When God looks at us, he loves us even though He is perfect and we are not. When we look at ourselves first then others, we will realize that they are not perfect, but neither are we.

When Christ rode into Jerusalem the people put garments and palm leaves on the ground before Him.  They were not honoring the donkey, but the rider.  When people throw accolades at us, it is easy to be caught up in the adulation, but we must remember that their adoration is probably not for us, but for Him who sits on the throne of our life.  Remembering that can keep pride from enveloping us. Teddy Roosevelt, who had his struggles with arrogance, would ocassionally step outside on a clear night and locate the Spiral Galaxy in Andromeda in the lower left-hand corner of the Great Square of Pegasus.  The Spiral Galaxy is as large as our Milky Way, is just one of millions of galaxies. and consists of one hundred billion suns, all larger than our own.  After a few minutes Roosevelt would say that he felt small enough and would go back inside, his pride set aside for the time being.  The universe can quickly put all things into perspective.  It’s bigness belies any notion that we are much bigger than anyone else in comparison.

When we, in genuine and personal humility, esteem others as we ought, we will cease to look for ways to please ourselves and begin to look for ways to help others. Rather than using others to better ourselves, we will use ourselves to better others. Our concern becomes not how can we fulfill our own desires, but how can help others fulfill their needs. In Ephesians we read, “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.  (Ephesians 4:2)  The Apostle Paul also gave similar instruction to the church at Philippi.  “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves.”  (Philippians 2:3)  Paul was incredibly confident about his message, but he understood he was just an earthen vessel patched together by God.  Of  himself, he said, “I am the least of the apostles.” (1 Corinthians 15:9), “I am the very least of all the saints.” (Ephesians 3:8), and  “I am the foremost of sinners.” 1 ( Timothy 1:15)  On one hand,  Paul told the Corinthians they could model their lives after him and yet here he is confessing his lowliness.  Paul knew that anything great in him was because of God, so to take credit for it would be robbery from God.

How we plan our day, how we use our time, how we spend our money – are all barometers of true humility. We can find great joy and satisfaction in giving up our own pleasures for the sake of others. If Christ would not have been able to do that for us, no one would be saved.  M.R. DeHaan, a great Christian writer, said,  “Humility is something that we should constantly pray for, yet never thank God that we have.”   I heard of a pastor who wanted to do a sermon on humility, but was waiting for a bigger crowd.  I think he missed the point of his own sermon.

I told a story  a few years back at Camas’s Academic Awards night about hearing one of the seniors praying before a football game, asking God to make him humble.  “Unfortunately,” I said, “God thought he said make me fumble…and he did…four times…which, indeed, made him humble.” As soon as we think we have humility, we have lost it.  Pride has a way of bringing us back down to earth, so it is probably best to not elevate ourselves- it makes the trip back down a lot harder.

This is part two of a devotion on Assurance.  If you have not done so, you should read Part 1 first…

So why do we doubt?

First of all, I think it is a misunderstanding of the gospel of salvation.

The Gospel is the Good News that Christ died for me and if I believe that I have eternal life.

There are about 40 things that happen at that moment in time when we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ,  none of which are visible on the outside.

These things are automatic.  But there are many things that can happen because of our new power and standing… but those are not automatic.  When things that may hopefully be a result of the gospel are made a part of salvation, that is when we begin to lack assurance.

Listen to these verses.  They are simply stated.

Acts 16:31 says, “believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.”

Romans 10:13 says, “Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

John 3:36 says, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.

Romans 8:1- “there is no condemnation  for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

This is relationship.  This is justification.  This is instaneous.  It is fully realized.

There are other verses that are fellowship.  It is called sanctification.  They are progressive.  They will be realized in different degrees in different lives.

So feelings and experiences come and go, but the Word is forever.  Don’t rely on the world around you for your assurance, but the promise that is within you.

Romans 8:9 tells us, “You, however, are not in the flesh but in the spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you.  Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Him.”

but if we do have the Spirit,  it tells us in Romans 8:16 that “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.”  That means saved to eternal life.

In 1 John the words “we know” are used 14 times.  John tends to stress what he is trying to get across in numerical ways.

In gospel of John he uses the verb Pis-te-oh or to believe 99 times.  That is why it is called the belief book.   

In John 1:12 says “to all who received Him, who believed in His name, he gave the power to become children of God.”  To conclude the book of John in chapter 20 and verses 30-31 John records, “And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.”

So why do we doubt?  First of all, the fact is that that many do not understand the gospel, and add subjective things to it that cannot be quantified.

They try to use subjective means to evaluate an objective truth.

Believing on Christ is a yes or no proposition, but when we add other things to it, it brings up hundreds of different questions.

One of the salvation tests that people use comes from James- loving the brethren.  Now I have questions…. How much, what ways, how long, and at what point is it not enough and I lose my salvation or prove that I never had it.  Loving people is so subjective and God did not give us a formula to follow.   

So the first place to look for the lack of assurance is adding good works to the salvation mix.

The other night I awoke at about 4 in the morning thinking about this devotion.

I watch a lot of old western shows.  (you know the ones. when guys are shot it make a red blotch but doesn’t make a hole in the shirt) and I got this picture of a train waiting at the station.  It was called Salvation Station destination Heaven.

And the steam engine was called grace.  The cars behind the engine carried our works.  My Sunday school class was in there.  Dave Smith had a few jalopies he had fixed up for some poor families, John Miller had some homeless guys he had shared the gospel with, and John Oltman and Pete had a toolbox the size of a railroad car.

But what I noticed was that none of those cars contributed anything to the trip.  They had no engine, no power, some had lots of cars, some had few, some were loaded, some were almost empty.

The key was the engine.  Without it nothing left the station.  We are like that.  Without the Grace of God through our Lord Jesus Christ, all of our works are fruitless. We would look like those sad railroad yards with loaded or empty cars just sitting. Our works go to heaven for rewards, but they do not contribute in any way to the journey.  That is all in Christ.

Another reason we doubt is because of feelings.  We just don’t feel saved.  Maybe we saw someone’s conversion and they had emotion we never experienced.

They sob or scream or dance a jig or maybe do all three and we didn’t feel that way when we were saved.  Maybe ours was not real.  But even though it looks like those converts got a dose of old-time religion, it really doesn’t mean a thing.  As an old pastor once said, “You can’t tell by the honk of the horn how much gas is in the tank.”

Your conversion experience was your own; don’t measure it against any others. So, our feelings will fluctuate.  Our emotions are unreliable.“Doubt my feelings what they will… Jesus is my savior still.”  We are just as saved when we feel bad as when we feel good.  We not saved because we feel good, we feel good because we are saved.  Why do I know I am saved, because the Bible tells me so.

Another reason we doubt is because we don’t have an incredible testimony like some others.

Some people have a theatrical testimony.  A book or movie just waiting to happen.   They came from a life that we have never experienced.  Maybe we didn’t go from bad boy to good boy, we went from good boy to forgiven boy.  So maybe outwardly we haven’t changed that much.

Believe me, we were every bit as bad as that bad boy in God’s eyes.  We shouldn’t sell ourselves short.  We are professional sinners and the changes that took place in us were just as drastic as the ones that took place in the motorcycle gang leader that came to Christ in a lonely backwoods bar.

Finally, a big part of doubt is not remembering a certain place or time. My assurance does not rest on my ability to remember, it is based on God remembering me.  My memory of what happened does not affect what did happen.

A man goes into the doctor.  “There is something wrong with me.  I can’t remember anything.”  

“Sit down, let’s talk about it.”  

“Talk about what?”

DL Moody once said, “It is not necessary that we should be able to tell where or how we have been converted, but it is important that we should be able to say that we are converted.”

Old Scottish lady who was admonished by her minister for being too certain of her salvation.  She said,  “If I am not saved Christ has more to lose than me.”  Before the indignant preacher could voice his dismay she said, “All I have to lose is my salvation, but Christ will lose His integrity.” She is right, that would make God a liar.  And He cannot lie.

Hebrews 6:18  “So that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us.”

Titus 1:2  “In the hope of eternal life, which God who never lies, promised before time began.

Romans 3:3-4 “What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God? By no means, Let God be true though everyone be a liar, as it is written, “That you may be justified in your words, and prevail when you are judged.”

John 14:6  “I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to Father but by me.

You know there is an old saying that says, “God said it, I believe it, and that settles it.”  But that is not true.  It should be “God said it and that settles it, whether I believe it or not.”

When Jesus went to the tomb of the late Lazarus,  Martha says to Jesus, “If you would have been here, my brother would not have died, but even now I know that God will give you whatever you wish.”  Jesus said Lazarus will rise again, but Martha thought he was talking about the final resurrection and said she knew that.

Jesus then said, “I am the resurrection and the life.  The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whosoever lives by believing in me will never die.”

Then He asked Martha the question that he asks all of us…. “Do you believe this?”

Martha said yes.  “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is come into this world.”

So can we believe Jesus when He says, “ I am the way the truth and the life no one comes to the father but by me, “ And then asks, “Do you believe this?” If we say yes, even though we die we will never die.  Be assured.