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.

Planting Trees

A couple of weeks ago a young couple (and they do look young to us now!!) presented their baby for dedication. Those of us who have participated in such a ceremony know that the dedication is, however, a Parent Dedication.

Pastor Felber's challenge that morning was a call to plant shade trees. He suggested that parents (and I see this as extending to grandparents) need to plant at least three kinds of shade trees in our children's lives. These are:

• The truth of God's Word. He pointed out that to plant this kind of tree: (Ps. 119:105 & Deut. 6)

1. --We need to be consistent in our personal devotions.


2. --We need to be consistent in family devotions.


3. --We need to be consistent in teaching God's Word to our children.

• The discipline to do right. (Prov. 23:14,15)

1. --We must practice discipleship (modeling and training)


2. --We must teach them to obey immediately and happily. (Eph. 6:1-3)


3. --We must help them learn to honor and respect others. (Mark 12:30,31)

• The right atmosphere in which to learn. (Col. 3:21)

1. --In order to do this, we must win their heart.

a. We dare not embitter them by changing the rules of the game constantly so that they become disheartened. ("lose heart") This would cause them to have a listless, moody, sullen frame of mind.

b. The twig is to be bent into shape and it must be done with caution, lest we break it.

2. --We are responsible for our own attitude. It must be just as good as that which we demand from our children.

He concluded by challenging us to consider what kind of shade we will provide, and how we will shape the little twigs that are our responsibility.

Though my children are all grown and on their own, I had to think seriously about what this meant to me as a grandfather and a role model. A huge challenge indeed!!

Surround Sound

One of Michael's desires, even when we lived in Acworth, was to have a "man room". He had something of the sort there, but there were also many other things in there, such as two large bookcases filled with Mary's books and mine (mostly mine).
In this house in Monck's Corner, he has a room specially dedicated for that. He just recently purchased a "surround sound" system, and today the installers installed it. It is amazing. We thought "stereo" gave us the feeling of solid sound, but with five speakers and a "subwoofer" this is truly unbelievable sound. Watching a DVD (Marley and Me) tonight I was amazed at the realism and the sense of being in the middle of the action.

This got me to thinking about the announcement of the rapture in I Thessalonians 4:16 "...for the Lord Himself will come down from Heaven with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God..."

This loud command will come at any time. When you are watching a movie, you have a good idea when the loud sounds are going to come, but the coming of the Lord Jesus will not have the visible signs to go with it. True, there will be many events that will happen and are already happening which let us know that it can happen at any time, but even the Lord Jesus did not know the exact time when this would happen because, as a man who had laid aside the independent use of his divine attributes (Philippians 2:6-11) he only knew what the Father revealed to him while he was here on earth.

The loudness and the commanding nature of the announcement of His second coming for His saints, together with the element of surprise, will be far and away more impressive than "surround sound."

It is for this reason that it is important that we be ready at all times to present ourselves before the Lord, not so that we may be worthy of being in His presence, for that is already taken care of by the cross work of Christ, but in order that we might be able to stand before Him unashamed.

My constant prayer is that this may be my state of preparation. It would be so much better than to be saved but "so as by fire". May that be the desire of each of us who call ourselves His children.

See the New Blog

We have recently moved from Acworth, GA to Moncks Corner, SC , and I have chosen at the same time to change the title of my blog to "Comments from the corner." You can now find a somewhat more newsy blog at www.commentsfromthecorner.blogspot.com

A new name for a new location

Well, here we are, three weeks into our status as South Carolina citizens. We are now living in Moncks Corner, SC. If you'll e-mail me, I will be glad to send you our exact address.
Speaking of moving, our Bible reading yesterday was the introduction to the book of the Recapitulation of the Covenant (otherwise known as Deuteronomy). In this chapter, Moses gathers the people and prepares them for a reminder concerning what lies ahead by giving them an outline of their history since they left Egypt, and reminding them of God's sovereignty and their need for His guidance and protection.

The history points out how God has dealt toward them by showing His power in discrediting the gods of Egypt and bringing them out of their slavery. He brings them to Mount Sinai after miraculously opening up the Red Sea so that they can cross on dry land. He then tells Moses to make the preparations for entering the land of Canaan.

As I read this passage, I was surprised to see a detail which I had not seen before-- the idea of sending spies out to check out the land was not Moses' idea nor God's, but it came from the people. Another detail was that they all came back with a very good report.

So, how come they did not go right in and conquer the land immediately? It was a conflict of WILLS. It was GOD's will vs. Israel's will. Moses points out that "you were unwilling to go up: you rebelled against the command of the Lord your God." (Deut. 1:26) This was not an intellectual battle. They had seen God's work, so they knew He could do what He promised. They had seen the land, so they knew that the land was good. But there was another force at work here: There was a total lack of trust in God. Only two out of twelve were willing to trust His promises. Instead, the other ten led the chorus of "grumbling", an undercurrent of insinuations and detractions which questioned God's good will toward them. The result was that the people were discouraged (they lost heart), and a whole generation lost out on God's blessing. They saw enemies everywhere, but did not take into consideration the huge advantage they had by having God on their side. Nothing Moses could say was able to dissuade them. They were not about to trust. They could not see the truth of what Moses said "...God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place." (1:31) When I read this verse, I was reminded of the poem which many of us have read, and which has brought tears to my eyes on more than one occasion-- "Footprints" describes in the form of a dream this very fact. When we can only see one pair of footprints in the sand, it is not because God has abandoned us, but rather because He has picked us up and carried us through a difficult situation.

As we enter this new phase, I pray that our precious Lord will make each of us aware of His daily presence in our lives, and that we will be willing to follow Him here in the Corner--not hiding away or grumbling, but valiantly forging ahead in the confidence that He is with us at all times, and will pick us up and carry us when the circumstances seem unbearable.

Have a wonderful day trusting Him, and depending on Him!!

Is God's Second Best Good Enough

Sears may have started it in the area of merchandising, but many other retailers have followed. They offer the GOOD, the BETTER and the BEST. Of course, when it comes to merchandise, we all want the BEST, and whether we get it depends on what we can afford.

But in the lives of the Israelites God was willing to give them the BEST. When Moses sent out the spies to look over the land, Joshua and Caleb came back telling of the prospects. They even had to enlist some help to carry the huge bunches of grapes they picked in the Promised Land. But Israel chose to be a "democratic" society and not listen to the two spies who were in tune with God's BEST. The majority ruled, and a landslide at that. After all, the prospect of going out to fight for a land that God had promised was not exactly exciting. Someone might actually get hurt!

So they chose the BETTER. Yes, it was better than being slaves in Egypt, though that was GOOD for almost 400 years. But the quality of life there had deteriorated as Egypt found that the Israelites were hard workers, and decided to get more and more out of them--production, production, production!

Now, because Israel chose not to forge ahead and achieve the BEST, all the men of military age at the time of the spies' report would not get to enter the Promised Land.

Almost forty years later, after camping out in the desert for most of that time, Israel was faced with the prospect of actually being allowed by God to enter the Land of Promise. Numbers 32 tells us that 2 1/2 tribes of Israel (Reuben, Gad and Manasseh) had decided for the BETTER, leaving the BEST to the other 9 1/2 tribes. When Moses tried to dissuade them from that plan, they would not reconsider. So Moses pointed out that the choice was not going to be that easy. The men of military age would still have to go across the Jordan and help the others conquer the land, but they would not be able to inherit the Promised Land. They would stay at the threshhold and achieve only the BETTER.

Normally we could not make these applications, but both Moses and the writer of the epistle to the Hebrews make the application, so we are more than justified in doing so. Many followers of Jesus Christ (which is GOOD) stop short of the BEST by choosing the BETTER. Rather than letting Him have all of themselves and the bountiful goods that He supplied them with in the first place, they choose to hang on to the BETTER and get into a daily routine of sameness--same job, same services attended, same niceties said to fellow workers, etc. Their theme--and I confess it is tempting to fall into this rut-- could be:

About evangelism: "I'll help pay the salary for a Minister of Outreach"
"That's what the pastor gets paid for."
"I'm not gifted in that area"
About missions: "I'll support our church's missionaries."
"I'll go do support work so that the missionaries can do the work they were called to."
" I can support a national for much less than it would cost to keep me on the
field, and he can do the job so much more efficiently."
"I'm a farmer--I can teach them to support themselves by farming."
About personal growth: "I am what I am--it's in my genes--there has been much improvement,
but I can't see where I can change who I am."

While many of these statements are true, they fail to take into consideration one factor: What is God's BEST for me? They also fail to take into consideration who it is that will effect the change in our lives and in the lives of those whom we touch. Our job is not so much to DO what God wants us to DO, as it is to BE who He wants us to be--the doing will be the result.

If you feel like I'm preaching at you, be aware that I'm really preaching at myself. It is impossible for me to recount the number of times I have chosen the BETTER and missed out on the BEST.

So as I go along I will try to remind myself of the importance of weighing the possibilities and choosing the BEST God has for me.

And we know...

"And we know that in ALL things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose." (Rom. 8:28 NIV)

How things appear to us and what actually IS in God's plan are not always the same. Much of life is much better understood in retrospect than in prospect.

There are a number of things that have happened in the last few months that easily fit into that pattern. And there is not a clear vision yet as to HOW God is working in all of these things. It is at these times that we are compelled to fall back on our knowledge of Scripture and our limited understanding of WHO is in control.

A wise Christian once said "Never doubt in the dark what God showed you in the light" It is at those dark times that I have a tendency to doubt the great truths that I know to be God's revelation to us.

In this verse there are several truths that we need to keep in mind:

• As students of His Word, there are certain things we KNOW, not because we can explain them, but because He said them.


• God is working in ALL things. We may not see it, but His hand is behind all the events of our lives.


• His work is for the good.


• His work for the good applies especially to ALL things that befall those who love Him.


• His work also is for the good in the area of bringing those of us who are the elect in line with His plan for our lives. How else can the tragic death of a believing loved one work for the good in the life of one who is being drawn to Him? Or how else can the loss of a job refocus our lives? Or how else can His allowing a thing so terrible as a war, or the loss of all earthly goods in a natural disaster, or the loss of much of our savings for the future in a market crash be considered for the good?


• There is only one explanation to all of this. God is working in our lives for the good because we are CALLED according to His PURPOSE (the act of God in making a plan, and then acting according to that plan as if it had already happened) God does not set out to bring about disasters in our lives. He simply works through those disasters to shape us into the image of Christ, and to bring those whom he has chosen to Him.

With these truths in mind, we can face the future with confidence, knowing that whatever comes into our lives (even the self-inflicted hurts brought about by our disobedience--not that I would recommend them) will in the long run bring about a good result because He has a Purpose for our lives.

There are way too many things happening in our lives and our nation right now which are not only distressing, but are not understandable apart from our KNOWledge of the truth of this verse.

So let us go forth today in confident dependence upon what we know about Him and His Plan.

Is Tithing for Today?

Chapter 18 of Numbers is an interesting commentary on what God expects of His people, and why.

After the divine validation of Aaron as the High Priest in chapter 17, God chose to give a job description for him and his family, which had to do with all the ministry in relation to the Tent of Testimony. They were to perform all the tasks that had to do with the Tent. There was a clear demarcation of duties, for it was not permitted for just anyone to deal with the sanctuary or the altar. Stepping outside of their area of responsibility not only jeopardized them, but their next higher in the chain of command, Aaron himself. The promised result was not pleasant. It was death for both the transgressors and their immediate superior. This not only reinforced the sanctity of the ministry and its different aspects, but it also made each leader accountable for those who were to report to him.
This was not just a job (though it did involve work). It was, above all, a gift which God gave to the priests. This was a full time ministry, and precluded the possibility of dedication to a full time "career" outside of that ministry. Anyone who was not from the priesthood could not come near the sanctuary, under penalty of death.
So, how was the priest and his family to be provided with food, clothing, and shelter? Here is where the tithe comes into the picture.
There were twelve tribes. All the tribes had a 'province' assigned to them except Levi. This 'province' or portion of land was divided into family sections. Each family worked its own section and was responsible for its portion of the land, and farming, raising livestock and administering of this land. The land was not personal property. It was a parcel apportioned by God to each family for adminstration purposes. For this reason, a parcel of land apportioned to a family which had economic problems due to crop failure, pestilence, death in the family, etc. was to be redeemed for the head of family by the goel or 'kinsman redeemer' so that the family portion, and thus its livelihood might be preserved.
This was God's way of providing for his people, and teaching them that everything belongs to Him and is only on loan to mankind. (The native-american idea of open ranges may actually be more biblical, after all; that thought needs more exploration for there are many facets to it and sinful human nature must also be taken into consideration).
Every tribe was to give a tithe. Later on, when Israel got a king, the tithe was not ten percent, but rather ended up being 23 1/3 percent of gross income, which was to be used to support the government. Every tribe was to bring its tithe to the Levites, whose job was to administer it. This meant that there were eleven tribes (including the two half tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh) bringing their tithes to one tribe (Levi). The tribe of Levi was to present the best ten percent of all of the tithes that were brought in to Aaron as an offering to the Lord. This was to be the wages for Aaron's work as High Priest.
We see here a pattern. Eleven tribes gave their tithes to one tribe. This was their wage for the purpose of dedication to the ministry. They, on their part were responsible to give the best tenth percent for an offering to the Lord, which went to support the ministry of the Tabernacle.

Now for the question at hand. Is the tithe to be extended into the Church? In order to answer this we must ask ourselves two questions: What was the purpose of the tithe? and is the Church a continuation of Israel?

Once the tithes were finally established, they were applied to three things: 10% to the support of the Levites, 10% to the support of government, and 3 1/3% to beneficence.

It is clear that the tithe, therefore is not being applied to everything today. Why not? There are at least three reasons: 1) The government is now a totally separate entity from the religious aspect of life. 2) The government has absorbed much of the task of beneficence (welfare) and thus distorted it from its original purpose and 3) Because the Church is not the same as Israel, the requirement for giving a tithe is no longer in existence.

On the other hand, though, I believe that it is time for the church to take its place in society as the agent of beneficence, for that would make the welfare program much more correct and efficient than it is as administered by government bureaucracy.

Though we are no longer bound by the law, it is important for us to consider the proportion of Old Testament tithing in our church decisions and in our personal commitment to giving.

If we were to take this into consideration, we would end up having a good distribution of the monies available. In order to support a pastor on the same level as the median income, it would take eleven families besides the pastor. Thus, he would be able to give ten percent (a 'tithe') of what the eleven families would give toward the support of the pastor) and live off the rest at the same level as the median income of the church. Though this is not law, it is common sense, and should be taken into consideration when deciding at what level to support a pastor, and when a church is in condition to support a pastor. As for government expenses, we all know that we can transfer some of our giving from the government to our church. This is one advantage we have in our country which many do not have. And as for welfare, it is scriptural to watch out for the needs of our family and our extended family, which I believe is to include the church.

Taking all of this into consideration, it becomes obvious that the tithe is a good starting point, rather than an end in itself. I would therefore not refer to the giving in our church as "tithes and offerings", but rather "financial worship". Let us strive to worship Him, not just in words, but in our deed$.

Following The Chain of Command

There are many aspects of life that have been hard for me to assimilate. One of these is the place of, and the importance of f0llowing the chain of command. As I have thought and prayed about it, it has become evident to me that I have not been very successful at following, nor have I been obedient in the area of taking my place in the chain of command.
In our society this is an endemic problem. Children are taught to question every decision made by those whom God put in the chain, wives are taught to be "their own person", and men are portrayed as useless accessories in the chain, or at best the necessary evil for the purpose of producing more children who will then be taught to "do their own thing". In the process each one ends up stepping out from under the umbrella of protection that God has placed for him/her, and the result is anarchy. In the words of the book of Judges "everyone did as he saw fit".
Thankfully, there is still a remnant of those who are willing to follow God's Chain of Command. It is not easy, and I, for one, have stumbled over it all too often, but it does bring God's blessing.
In reading a chapter a day, Mary and I have just read Numbers 14, and I was struck with the fact that when Moses interceded for those who had stepped out of the chain and rebelled against Moses, God said "I have forgiven them, as you asked. Nevertheless as surely as I live, and as surely as the glory of the Lord fills the whole earth, not one of the men who saw my glory and the miraculous signs I performed in Egypt and in the desert but who disobeyed me and tested me ten times--not one of them will ever see the land I promised on oath to their forefathers. No one who has treated me with contempt will ever see it. But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it." (Num. 14:20-24) We read later in the chapter that when Moses announced to the people what God's verdict was, they did two things: They mourned bitterly as if to say, together with the whole world system, "don't we have a First Ammendment?" Where is our "Freedom of Speech?". Their next act? Direct disobedience. They decided to strike out on their own, ignoring not only the Main Leader as designated by God, but the very one who had given him his orders for them, God Himself.
God's response was quick and to the point. He made them withstand the consequences of their mutiny against God, and His appointed leader, and that very day, having gone up in their presumption, thus stepping out from under God's umbrella of protection, they were severely beaten by the Canaanites and Amalekites. This had two results: God's Name was besmirched, and many individuals died.
I've often wondered, (because I know more about my heart than you do) whether I would even have survived childhood if God had dealt with me in this manner.
Two facts stand out to my attention: 1) I am no better than the Israelites who chose to disobey God's chain of command. 2) But PRAISE GOD He has covered me with Christ's righteousness, and I am protected by Him.
We, as followers of Christ, and in an attitude of thankfulness, need to make it a discipline to remain under the umbrella of protection that only God's Grace can provide. To do otherwise may not bring about punishment, but it certainly will bring about a loss of God's blessing and protection, all because of our willfulness and self sufficiency.

Happy New Year!!!

Well, a new year has begun. We got to bed last night at about 7:30 PM, and I was asleep by 8:15 PM, shortly after the Final Jeopardy Question. As often happens, the question was one that brought up at least three different possible answers, only one of which is correct. That is, of course, the actual meaning of 'trivia'--a place at which there are three possible roads one could take, but only one leads to the right destination.
A new year--many possible decisions--all of which may be good, but which to take is another question. I might choose the good way, which will bring blessing to me and my family, or I may choose a better way, which will lead to being a blessing not only to me and mine, but to others around me also. Or I can choose the BEST way, which will have an effect on me and mine and those around me and will be of lasting blessing.
I have no New Years resolutions--those are soon broken. I have only a New Year's prayer "Teach (me) to number (my) days aright that (I) may gain a heart of wisdom"(Psalm 90:12)

May each of you be blessed richly in his/her walk with the Lord this year. This is my prayer for all of you and for myself for this year 2009.