About source and motivation

Sunday is an exciting day. For one thing it is one of my days off. But more importantly, it is the opportunity to be with brothers and sisters in Christ at church. Today we went as usual to the Northside Baptist Church in North Charleston. But for the worship service, Philip and I decided to be adventuresome and go to the chapel building where the Spanish church meets while the rest of the family went to the English service.
Pastor Alex Millàn, who has been a missionary to Mexico, is now engaged in a church plant with the kind of philosophy that I think a church ought to have--to reach Hispanics, lead them to the Lord, and equip them for ministry while at the same time encouraging their children to integrate into the English congregation. So hopefuly this congregation will be a continuing ministry but also a feeder for the local congregation.
This morning he had a message which was a real challenge to me, because I have often thought about the fact that some non-Christians are even nicer than true believers. He spoke about the source and motivation for the three qualities that ought to be basic in a Christian´s life.
Speaking from I Thess. chapter one, he pointed out that these three qualities are Faith, Love and Hope. Here are the basics of what he shared, with a few interpretive illustrations I have added.
If one is busy working at being good, putting on a good image, it will surely do much for the people around him, but in order for it to be God´s work it must be borne from and motivated by a solid belief in the only One who is truly Good. I recently read something which clearly illustrates this fact. Many millions have been raised by celebrity types who have done concerts for the benefit of assuaging hunger in Africa, fighting AIDS, and many other causes. But the basic tenets of their faith point toward the ¨goodness of man¨, and the motivation is to glorify themselves. How different from the Thessalonians of this passage, and many servants of the Lord since then whose base was their strong belief in God and whose motivation was His Glory!
The second quality has to do with work based on love. Pastor Alex gave a good illustration in comparing the work that a young boy might do. He might spend five or six hours working out at fùtbol (soccer), and not even be tired, but if mom asks him to carry out the garbage his response is "but mom, I'm tired". Why the difference?. Because he loves fùtbol, but not housework. The Thessalonians had shown their faith by doing a labor of love, and they were not even tired! The difference, of course has to do with source of the pull toward this labor. The work involved in soccer came from an inward source of love for the game and a personal motivation to excel, whereas the work involved in carrying out the garbage came from an outward source of a request from mom, and the motivation was either a sense of duty or fear. The Thessalonians were not tired from their work, because its source was from inside, and was motivated by love for the Lord and their brothers and sisters. We read later that they even begged to be included in the privilege of giving to the suffering saints in Jerusalem, though they themselves were in dire straits.
The final quality he mentioned was Hope which is steadfast or which perseveres. This Hope has one source, and that is their union and communion with the Lord Jesus Christ. Its motivation is the knowledge that whatever one may have to go through here on earth is small compared to the glory of our future presence with Him.

This week I will strive to make these three qualities come alive in my life.

The Rewards of a Man of Faith

As Mary and I read through the passages in Joshua 13 through 19, I couldn't help but wonder why this was all included in inspired Scripture. Do we have a need to know? After all, at first glance it seems to be just a platting description for a subdivision. There were twelve sections of land, one for each of the tribes. But no, there were actually thirteen. And of those thirteen, ten were assigned to specific tribes of Israel. So where are the other three? God made it a point to emphasize several things, and I believe that is why this whole description is included. Each of them have to do with service to God. First, the Levites did not get any plot of land. They were to be spread out among all the tribes for they were to serve the tribes by representing them before the Lord, and leading in their worship. This would take up enough of their time that they would not have time to farm, so they would only get a small lot on which to keep livestock. No farming for them, that was a full time job, and they could not do justice to both the Lord's service and farming. The other eleven tribes were to support them with their offerings of animals and firstfruits of their crops. The Lord emphasized that the Lord would be their inheritance. Second,the portion that one might have considered to be their inheritance was divided up between the two sons of Joseph. So as Americans, we ask ourselves, why this "unfair" division of wealth? Once again, I believe there is a good reason for this. It was a reward, given posthumously to Joseph, for his mistreatment and enslavement at the hands of his brothers and the Egyptians. God gave his tribe a double portion in restitution, and as a reward for having been the instrument in God's hands to save the whole family. Finally, there was an extra special reward for Joshua. He was given a whole city for himself and his family. I believe this ties in with the extra special reward that was given to Caleb. Was this because he was a military man? No, it was not, though he was a genius at military strategy. Was it because he was in touch with God? No, it was not, though he had been the closest to God outside of Moses. I am convinced, comparing 19:49,50 to 14:6-14, that this special inheritance was meant to reward Joshua for having been a man of faith. So he and Caleb both received this kind of reward.

Though I am not a proponent of the health and wealth theology, I believe we can glean from these examples some principles that are applicable to all of us as children of God. These are:

1. God expects His people to take care of His servants.
2. God will bless us and our children for our faithfulness to Him.
3. God will reward faith when we trust Him in a Psalm 37 pattern:
a) Fret not at the prosperity of evildoers.
b) Trust in the Lord with all your heart.
c) Delight yourself in the Lord.
d) Commit your way to the Lord.
e) Rest in the Lord.
f) Cease from anger.
g) Depart from evil.
h) Wait on the Lord.
i) Take note of [and imitate] the mature and upright person.

After each of these verbs there is a description of the effect that will happen in our lives if we live by them. Though we are not a continuation of Israel, the principles apply, and by living this way, God will fulfill His purpose in our lives, as evidenced in Eph. 1:3, where a parallel can be drawn. God blessed Israel with all material blessings in earthly places in the Promised Land. God has already blessed us with all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus. All we need to do is appropriate them.

Another Saint is in Glory

Another connection to the past has gone on to Heaven. Yesterday, Mother went to the graveside service for Dortha Dowdy. The last of the missionaries that were on the field when Dad and Mother arrived in Argentina, Dortha was the faithful wife of J.Paul Dowdy, and they had been on the mission field for about eight years at the time. At the time I begin to remember them, they lived in a large (and I mean large, 26 rooms) house which was the original "casco" (hub) of the "estancia" (spread or ranch) called La Carlota, from which the town got its name. At sometime along in there, possibly while Dowdys were on furlough (now known as home ministries), we lived there, and during that time the James Marshalls arrived in Argentina, and lived in the same house (we still had plenty of room).



Mrs. Dowdy was a Southern Belle, and was used to giving orders. She knew how to administer a large spread, and she did it well. One of my earliest recollections was hearing her call for her youngest son, who was almost my same age (give or take a few months). You could hear her from a long distance. When you heard RAW BER...R...R...T you felt like you were in the middle of a hollering fest, or a hog calling contest, and you knew that Robert had better hie to.... and fast.



In a very real sense, she was the ideal wife for J. Paul. He was contemplative... she a woman of action. He was a scholar, she a housekeeper.



Proverbs 31 comes to mind when I think of her. Her husband could count on her, she was frugal and businesslike, and she was devoted to her family. They did not need to fear whether they would have clothing or a place to live, for she would make sure that these would be available and in good shape.



Another saint has been ushered into Glory, and that gives those of us who are left here one more reason to be 'homesick'. Yes, I want to see Jesus first of all, but it will be wonderful to have fellowship with all those who have gone on before. We do not sorrow like the world does, though we do feel the departure of a dear sister and friend, and we grieve with her three sons, James, Roger, and Robert.

Overconfidence: The killer within

Rereading the passage in Joshua 7 and 8, I was once again reminded of the dangers of overconfidence. The question that came up in my mind was: When is it okay to be confident and when is it not?
Israel had just won an impressive victory over Jericho. They had completely anihilated their enemy. The next town in line for destruction was Ai, and the advance team, aka scouts or spies came back with their impressions. These impressions were based on two false assumptions. The first was that they had singlehandedly destroyed Jericho. The second was that all things would go equally well in future engagements. Therefore they recommended a reduction in military power for this particular sortie, as they would just be attacking a small town.

What happened, however, was totally unforeseen by them. In the aftermath of a total rout with thirty six casualties, Joshua tore his clothes, fell face downward to the ground and led a daylong pity party with himself and the elders of Israel as participants. His conclusions were also false. They were: First, that all things had been equal to those in their encounter with Jericho. Second, that they might have been better off had they not risked crossing the Jordan and Third, that God's name would be besmirched by this event.

God's response touched upon the key issues: First, Israel has sinned. Second this is no time for self pity. and Third, this is not a time for prayer but for ACTION.

Confidence can only come when we are firmly planted on the right base. That foundation is a complete trust in God's promises coupled with a pure life based on exact obedience to God's direction. Israel had very quickly forgotten that God had promised that HE would chase the enemy away before them and that HE would say When and How to destroy them. If a reduction in military force was His decision (e.g. Gideon against the Midianites) all would go as He said it would. But if something was missing (total obedience in this case), they could not expect anything but disaster. There is no time or place for self-confidence and/or the subsequent self-pity. There is, however the need for constant weeding in the garden of our relationship to Him. When and if we are sure that there is no unconfessed sin, and we are resting on His promises and His power, we can be absolutely sure that He will give the victory. That is the time for action, and that action can rightfully be bathed in petition and thanksgiving.

The biblical illustration is that of the subsequent victory of Israel over Ai. God gave Joshua the formula for a campaign which would contain the element of surprise, and a victory without casualties. From that time on Israel had victory in all cases where they heeded God's plan, and they suffered the consequences when they did not consult Him.

In his book "ZVI and the next generation," Ellwood McQuaid tells of the repetition in modern history of this problem of overconfidence. "The decisive Six-Day War(1967) had been a high-water mark for Jews who had returned to Zion with such high hopes. The very euphoria enveloping the sweeping victory over the Arabs and the climactic reunification of Jerusalem helped set the stage for the near disaster of Yom Kippur (Oct. 1973). The Arabs saw the overconvidence produced by Israel's self-indulgent euphoria as a weapon in their hands. Egyptian General Ismail commented to this effect by saying, "He (Israel) is, moreover, an enemy who suffers the evils of wanton conceit." Israel learned the hard way that conceit could be a deadly companion." (p. 80)

This picture is a strong reminder to me concerning the need to keep my confidence in the right person (not myself but Christ) the right position (dependence upon God and not on self) and the right preparation (constant surveillance on my personal life and reliance upon the cleansing that only He can do in mylife).

Disastrous consequences of redirecting our sights.

I'm spending a couple of days with Mother and Dad here in Winona Lake, IN, and, as is their daily routine, we had breakfast and immediately brought the Bibles to the table. They are reading through the Bible about two chapters a day (used to be 3 or 4, but Dad can't keep up now), and today we were in II Kings 16 and 17.
Lately it has been my experience that I have seen many things that are out of line both in my life and in church situations, but it never came home to me like this morning.
The kings of Judah and Israel were generally a bad lot (with only two exceptions). We know this because the Lord tells us so and the statement is something like this: "Unlike David his father, he did not do what was right in the eyes of the Lord his God" and then there is a description of the areas in which this particular king departed from the right path. So it was with Ahaz. Though he was king of Judah, he "walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and even sacrificed his son in the fire" thus going one step further than they in his apostasy. Others had not destroyed the asherah poles, and the high places, now he was worshipping at them. He did this in imitation of the worship of the people that the Lord had driven out before the people of Israel.
He seemed to find every place to be a good place for worship of the canaanite gods.
Now the attacks come from the outside in the form of Rezin of Aram and Pekah of Israel. God was at the ready to save Ahaz and Judah from this invasion, but Ahaz had his head turned in the wrong direction. Instead, he looked to Tiglath Pilezer, king of Assyria. Bad mistake! You see, God had the answer, but Ahaz was not in tune with God's radio station! He sent a message to Tiglath Pilezer. He reminded him of the fact that he (Ahaz) was a taxpayer, and under the terms of the Middle East Taxpayers Protection Act he needed protection NOW! Money was not an object, for Ahaz had at his disposition a number of silver and gold plates, bowls, etc. which he sent along as his contribution for the 'favor' of his protection. So Tiglath Pilezer obliged by attacking and conquering Damascus. Ahaz met him there, and they took a look at the city. Ahaz' eyes were drawn to an altar which was there, and he found out that he could get the blueprints for it. It was so much more modern and up-to-date than the old altar in Jerusalem! Why, if we had an altar like this, we would certainly have a better attendance at the House of the Lord!! So he sent a blueprint to Uriah the priest, who immediately put his workmen to the job of a Temple remodelling project. By the time Ahaz got home, the project was completed. Oh how much nicer the temple and its equipment looked. It was even equipped with a back-up altar (the original) in case this one should happen not to work sometime, such as, when I really need God.!! So Ahaz went ahead and presented a sacrifice on the new and improved altar (a NoNo which caused Saul to lose his kingship, for the priest was the one that was supposed to officiate at the offerings).
The final touches in the remodelling project struck me as horribly reminiscent of churchianity today. The small wash basins were on movable stands. This is just a temporary thing. Why not make a permanent base, so that the Temple will look more stable and not just a fly by night outfit? The large washing tub which was supported by a set of cast bronze bulls now became permanent on a stone base. The Sabbath canopy, a religious symbol of the day of rest, together with the royal entryway, not to be used by just anybody, was removed. Interestingly, these actions were taken "in deference to the king of Assyria." Without a doubt that was brought about, at the very least, by a passing comment by Tiglath-Pilezer to the effect that such "exclusiveness" offended him.
Ahaz, as so many others since then, changed direction in the area of management. God was meant to be the regent and manager of His People, Israel. But instead, Ahaz took his problems to Tiglath-Pilezer, whose only interest in him was the fact that he, too, felt threatened by Rezin and Pekah.
He changed direction in his view of money. God's perspective on money is that it is to be used to honor Him and to help others. But Ahaz used money to buy help and show subservience to Assyria.
He changed direction in his view of ministry. After seeing the altar in Damascus, Ahaz must have thought "There's no way we can compete with this with our li'l ole portable altar" and "the Temple is getting somewhat rundown--I'm sure there are believing Israelites who are ashamed to worship in such dingy surroundings. We need to remodel--besides, it will be much more acceptable to Tiglath-Pilezer."
I got to thinking... When I am in a tight squeeze, do I go to God for help, or do I bring it to a friend, a banker, a doctor who will be glad to take $2-300 from me without necessarily helping at all. Do I see spreading money around as the solution to my problems and those of my church, missions, family life, etc. Is it easier for me to buy "rice Christians" than to tell others of salvation in Jesus Christ?
Am I a devotee of "architectural evangelism". I like things nice, don't I? I actually heard one gentleman speak of church building design as his contribution to "architectural evangelism"
Am I substituting physical food for spiritual food?

Just some thoughts...

Who is my neighbor?

It seems that the Lord works in my life by bringing an idea to mind and then having the same idea come to mind through the messages I hear during the next week or two.
On my way home from work the other day, I heard most of a very good message on the subject of my duty toward my neighbor.
Speaking from Luke 10, the parable of the Good Samaritan tells us much about our personal response to need around us.
May I say in passing, that I have always admired the Amish for their loyalty within the family and their community. I have also admired the Mennonites and a few other groups for their care for the needy and those who have been struck by a natural disaster.
It is interesting that the lawyers of Jesus' day were conscience stricken at some of Jesus' teaching, and tried to knock Him down in other areas (logic, application, etc.) in order to justify their own lack of action on behalf of the ones who could not protect themselves.
It was on such an occasion that Jesus told the parable of the Good Samaritan. The setting is that of a person who has been attacked, robbed and left for dead (not exactly one who is able to do for himself). Jesus tells of the reaction of three different people when they see this terrible scene.
The first, a priest (equivalent roughly to a preacher in our day) saw the scene, crossed over to the other sidewalk and continued on his way. Today it might mean moving over several lanes on a highway in order to avoid doing something about someone in an accident, or moving to another neighborhood in order to avoid seeing the sights altogether. He may even have had the cleanest of motives, such as the need to keep himself available to the people he was headed to minister to. God forbid he should be laid up for a week until he could be cleansed of the uncleanness of having touched a body of someone who might just be dead. This would have interfered with his schedule. Or maybe he was already running late, and he figured someone else would take care of him, a layman, perhaps?
The second, a levite (roughly equivalent to our deacons and trustees) whose job was to take care of the business of the temple. His response="Not my JOB". Once again, he may just have had the interests of the temple in mind, and felt his job there was of utmost importance, and therefore he could not spare the time and effort.
The third, a Samaritan, despised by the Jews for being a half-breed, product of an interracial marriage, and not a follower of God as prescribed by the Law.
His response was amazingly simple: "Here's a man in need... here I am... I've seen the need... I'm able to help... I will help... "
The speaker pointed out that there are several negatives this man had to overcome to do this.
1) The person in need was Unknown. The idea that we are only responsible to our family is not biblical, for we are challenged to care for our family first, and then others, especially those who are part of the family of faith.
2) The person in need, if able to, would have been Unkind. He was going from Jerusalem to Jericho, so it can safely be assumed that he was a Jew who resided in Jerusalem, and had business to do in Jericho.
3) To help this man was Inconvenient as he, too, had business to transact, or he would probably not have been out on the road exposing himself to the weather and the possible attack of highwaymen.
4) To help this man was definitely Unprofitable. His reaction could have been very different. He could have said "I should do something about it? I don't work for a Non Profit Organization!!" In stead he put his own personal time, money, and provisions into the act of helping a person in need.
I'm sure the Samaritan was no more excited about seeing a person all covered with blood, lacerations and bruises than I would be, but Scripture tells us that he "had compassion on him" that is, he cared about him, felt for him. Then he did something about it. After disinfecting them with wine, and soothing them with oil, he bound his wounds, then he lifted him onto his own donkey, and walked the rest of the way leading his donkey until he arrived at the local inn, where he made him as comfortable as possible and then made arrangements personally with the innkeeper to take care of the man until he could personally come back and check on him, promising to pay the difference when he arrived back from transacting his business. Then, and only then, he went on to do his own business.

Lord, help me not to lose sight of people and their needs. Keep me balanced, clinging to the truth, but also being willing to invest in others who have needs that they cannot meet.

As the song writer said "Lord help me live from day to day in such a self-forgetful way, that even when I kneel to pray, my prayer shall be for others. Others, Lord, yes others, let this my motto be: Help me to live for others that I might live for Thee."

A Pile of Rubble

With folks missing at work, and one very important night shift gentleman going on vacation next week, I began last week to feel somewhat like the Israelites did when they were in the process of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. Nehemiah 4:6 says "So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart." But the time came when opposition, through agitators, ridicule, criticism, and outright hostility came into play in the form of a group of renegades who did not follow God's way, and the Israelites began to be worn down. Fear came into play, the magnitude of the job seemed greater than they could bear, and their enthusiasm began to wane. It all looked like "heaps of rubble", and they became discouraged. Their work suffered, and they were compelled to take inventory of what they had available to them, and this drove them to turn to God.
Though I had no hostility displayed toward me, and my fellow workers have been more than kind to me, there was something inside me that was eating away at my "heart". I was beginning to be disheartened because of the "pile of rubble" (backstock) that was building up. I had to take inventory and I realized that I had more on my side than I had thought. God was answering my daily prayer that I might "honor and glorify" him in all that I do. My surroundings hadn't changed (I was still working in a cooler at an average temp of 43 degrees), my fellow workers had not changed (they were still cordial, helpful, and cooperative), the work load hadn't changed (I was still moving about two tons of milk, cheese, yogurt and juices a day--a veritable 'heap of rubble'), but my attitude had changed (I was once again 'shining forth Jesus Christ') and that made the difference.