Jury Duty

Today I had jury duty.  It was the first time in my 45 years that I had ever been involved in the experience.  There were ninety people in the room.  First there were six trials for which to find jurors.  Then by the time we signed in and sat down, four cases had been resolved.  Then by the time the judge came into the room, another case had been resolved, leaving only one case for which to find jurors.  The clock ticked away.  My stomach growled as we approached lunchtime.  I was running out of bottled water.  But I was thoroughly enjoying my 'alone' time amid the eighty-nine other patient and obviously excited, happy people.  The reason for my enjoyment?  I had some time to just sit and read.  Time is at a premium for all of us, but for me to be able to sit and read for over four straight hours was like getting a Christmas gift. 


Of course, there I am - sitting in the courthouse awaiting the selection process for either a civil or criminal trial... and my mind starts to wander in between chapters of my book.  All around me are all things 'legal', and so I start thinking about all the legal terminology in the Bible.   Guilt.  Innocence.  Freedom. Justification.  


Justification... Justification?!    Now there's a word we don't use very often, but we should!  This is a legal term – a legal declaration by God – a VERDICT - an instantaneous legal act of God in which He (1) thinks of our sins as forgiven and Christ’s righteousness belonging to us, and (2) declares us to be righteous in His sight - we are completely forgiven and no longer liable to punishment.

Colossians 2:13-14 says, "When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross."

What was the certificate of debt (or handwriting of ordinances) against us? This certificate of indebtedness referred to a handwritten note by the debtor acknowledging his debt. The decrees mentioned in this passage refers to the Mosaic Law – all people have violated God’s law and therefore we owe God a debt. This is enough to condemn us to judgement and hell because "cursed is everyone who does not abide by all the things written in the book of the law, to perform them" – Galatians 3:10. The 'canceled out' phrase is one I like. The Greek term for this phrase means "to wipe off, like erasing a blackboard". This certificate of debt has been nailed to the cross! Not a trace of it remains to be held against us. Forgiveness is complete.   John Piper comments on this passage from Colossians: "there is no salvation by BALANCING THE RECORDS, it must be wiped out, cancelled, blotted out".


By 1:30 in the afternoon, the news came that the last case had been settled and we were all free to go home.  I wondered if those involved in the lawsuit, whatever it was about, had ever experienced this kind of 'verdict', the kind made by the supreme Judge, God?   Would God use their experience with the legal system to reveal to those involved in the case of their ultimate crime, namely their own involvement in putting to death the Son of God?  THAT is the most heinous crime of all, and sadly most people never recognize the indictment (or the certificate of debt) against them.   The judge is ready and waiting to announce the punishment... and severe it will be... because the crime is not against a small Sovereign. 

On Christ the Solid Rock I Stand

1. We sang this song this morning in church.  It is a great reminder of the solid stability found in the name of Jesus Christ... and also a reminder of the shifting, sinking sand of anything else we may mistakenly put our hope and trust in. 
2. 
   
3. My hope is built on nothing less
   Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
   I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
   But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.
   
   • Refrain:
     On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
     All other ground is sinking sand,
     All other ground is sinking sand.
   
   
4. When darkness veils His lovely face,
   I rest on His unchanging grace;
   In every high and stormy gale,
   My anchor holds within the veil.
5. His oath, His covenant, His blood
   Support me in the whelming flood;
   When all around my soul gives way,
   He then is all my hope and stay.
6. When He shall come with trumpet sound,
   Oh, may I then in Him be found;
   Dressed in His righteousness alone,
   Faultless to stand before the throne.

A Friend of the World?

I think we all know what adultery is and the consequences it brings.  Conflict, alienation, shame, consternation, division... just to name a couple.  James uses the term 'adulteresses' as a word picture in James chapter 4.  He says, 'You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God?  Therefore, whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God."

He equates adultery with being a friend of the world.  So one must ask the question, 'what is it to be a friend of the world'?   It's a good question to ask, because I don't think we want to be guilty of spiritual adultery.    We could start with defining what 'world' is.  It can't be the physical earth... the dirt, ground, mountains, rocks, etc... that wouldn't make any sense.   It can't be the people in the world, because we know in that famous verse in John 3:16, that 'God so loved the world', meaning he loved the people in the world.  So the only thing world can mean here in this context is the 'evil system' that we call the world.   And so I ask myself, 'what then would be considered being a friend of the 'evil system'?

Is it enjoying the trivial, empty humor we find on television?
Is it listening to music that does not glorify God?
Is it reading books and magazines that are full of warped thinking?
Is it participation in sports and other busy activities instead of spending time in prayer?
Is it pushing ourselves so far in our careers to get ahead?
Is it spending money on lavish living instead of supporting missionaries and local ministries?
Is it exercising so much in order to have the perfect body?
Is it relying on our government to fix every problem and provide our every need?
Is it going out every weekend with our friends?

What does it really mean to be a friend of the world?  Am I committing adultery against my real friend, Jesus?

Seasonal Affective Disorder

Last weekend we turned the clocks back an hour.  Some people get excited because of the extra hour of sleep.  I never quite figured out the excitement.  If I want an extra hour of sleep, I just go to bed an hour earlier.   But that excitement over the hour of sleep soon turns into depression and anxiety for some.  

In Western Pennsylvania at this time of year, we wake up when it's dark, we drive to work in the dark, then we come home in the late afternoon - and its dark!   I often jokingly call November through February the 'dark ages'.   But for some people this is no joke.  I read online about the depression and anxiety that people suffer at this time of year.  There is a term used for this called 'seasonal affective disorder'.   The claim in a nutshell is that people are lacking basic sunlight.   People's biological clocks may be disrupted by the shortened days and even some hormone levels are out of whack due to the seasonal changes.   There are companies out there that manufacture special lights that simulate the rays that come from the sun and they effectively market these expensive gadgets to people who hope their disorder will be cured.

I am no doctor and I am not doubting that there may be some valid science behind this 'condition'.  And my heart goes out to those suffering from depression.  Who of us hasn't suffered from some level of the blues?  But, I'd be willing to bet that in many cases, it's not so much the lack of SUN light that is the cause of depression as it is the lack of SON light.  If you'll pardon the play on words for a moment and go to the scriptures:   John 8:12 - "I am the light of the world; he who follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life".  Could depression be classified as walking in darkness?  Following Christ is walking in the light.

And again, in 1 John 1:7 - "If we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, then we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin".   How is that for our much needed Son light?  These are quite encouraging verses from God's Word, and there are many more like these if we search through the scriptures.

When we're looking for a cure for 'cabin fever' or being 'down in the dumps', instead of shopping for an expensive contraption to begin our light therapy or getting a prescription for an anti-depressant, may we first go to the Son?  May we go to His Word first?   I have tried counting my blessings when I get the blues... it should make sense to the Christian that if we are busy counting our blessings, we won't have time to be depressed.    As a good friend of mine often says, "we're too blessed to be depressed".

Love's Fire

This may sound odd, but I like reading books by authors that have already died.  The main reason for that is that they can't do or say anything now that disappoints me.   Sure, there are contemporary writers that are solidly Christian who speak the truth, but once in a while even the best of them says or does something that makes me shake my head.   But that's because we're all sinners.

One of my favorite dead authors is William Gurnall.   He went to heaven more than 300 years ago.  Even so, his words are just as relevant today as they were in his day.   In his classic work, 'The Christian in Complete Armour', Gurnall makes this statement on the fire of love:

"Love is the great conqueror of the world.  Thus if you are inflamed with love for Christ, you will toss all your worldly attractions to the four winds rather than tarnish His honor.  Love is like a fire in that it consumes everything near it.  It turns all into fire or ashes.  Nothing foreign to the nature of fire can dwell very long with fire's own simple and pure nature.  Thus love for Christ will not allow the existence of anything in the heart which is unlike Him."

"Love for Christ will not let you agree with anything which is against Him but, on the contrary, will take His part against every one of His enemies."

As long as dead authors keep making statements like that, I'll keep listening!

Multiplication

May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure...  grace and peace be multiplied to you.  Those two phrases are found in verse two of chapter one in both books of Peter.   They struck me as interesting this morning as I asked myself 'how do you multiply grace and peace'?  

Remember the kid with the the loaves and fish?   Jesus took a couple loaves of bread and a couple fish and thousands of people ate a meal.  And there were even leftovers.  Now that is 'multiplication'!   If he can do that with bread and fish, could he not also do that with grace and peace?  In fact, we can have grace and peace up to the brim... and maybe even so much that some might spill over.   Wouldn't that be nice if I had so much grace and peace that I shared the surplus with those around me.

Hearing Test

We are dull of hearing.  At least that's the indictment on us from the writer of the book of Hebrews.  In chapter 5 verse 11, he says "Concerning Him (Jesus, of course) we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, because you have become dull of hearing".    We actually looked at this passage yesterday in Sunday school, but what exactly does that mean?

Ironically, today my son was being tested for his hearing.  He was having trouble hearing at times, and so the pediatrician had us take him to a specialist.   We were relieved to find out there was nothing structurally wrong.  There really was nothing internally wrong to cause any type of hearing loss, other than some very minor high frequency issues.   The recommendation from the doctor was simple.   Remove any background noises that could be a distraction to him.  Also, if he looks at and focuses upon the person speaking, there would likely be no issues with him hearing what he needs to hear.

As I sat there watching the hearing test and listening to the diagnosis and plan of action, I couldn't help but think of all the spiritual parallels.   We are dull of hearing.  We don't understand.  We don't get what God is telling us at times...  but the plan of action to remedy our dullness is the same as it is for my son's physical hearing difficulties:  remove the distractions that pull us away from 'hearing' what God is telling us in His Word and fixing our eyes on the Author and Finisher of our faith (focusing on Him).

It's an amazing and yet curious thing to me that God would teach us these kinds of clear object lessons... IF we can 'hear' what He's saying.

The Importance of Private Prayer

Secret prayer.  This is a spiritual discipline that I need much work in, and I venture to say that most Christians would say the same.  Who of us is ready to claim in pride that we have arrived at a satisfactory level of prayer and communion with God ?   When speaking of the faithful servant and praying Christian, Thomas Brooks makes some profound statements regarding this in his book ‘The Secret Key to Heaven, the Vital Importance of Private Prayer’.   Listen to these words that fall from the pen of this Puritan writer:

“God may very well expect better and greater things from [gracious servants] than from all other servants in the world.  God may very well expect that they should do singular things for his glory, who has done such singular things for their good.  Certainly, God expects that gracious servants should be blessing him, when other servants are blaspheming him;  that they should be magnifying him when other servants are debasing him;  that they should be redeeming precious time when other servants are trifling, fooling, playing or sinning away precious time;  that they should be weeping in a corner when other servants are playing sports and making themselves merry among their jovial companions; that they should be mourning in secret when other servants are sinning in secret; and that they should be at their private devotion when other servants are sleeping and snoring.”    Can't I just hit the snooze button on the alarm just one more time?

But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will repay you.  - Matthew 6:6

Love One Another

I can show the world that I am a disciple of Christ by keeping my hair short, carrying a KJV Bible tucked neatly under my arm, wearing a blue blazer and khaki's, not smoking, not drinking and not swearing... right?


My Bible tells me something entirely different.  I show the world that I am disciple of Christ a much different way...  in John chapter 13, Jesus states,  "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."


So, you mean I can wear my jeans??

It's Easy to be Pro-Choice

I am not much of a bumper sticker person, but I saw a great one the other day.   It said, "It's easy to be pro-choice when you're not the one being killed".  Interestingly, at about the same time I heard one of my favorite conservative talk show hosts saying that he believes that abortion is wrong, except for incest, rape, and the life of the mother in jeopardy.  

I wondered at that point the following: Why are we pro-life anyway?  Is it that we are against the murder of innocent babies?  That sounds like too easy of an answer.   So, are we against SOME of the murders of the pre-born, or are we against ALL of them.   Are we FOR these unborn children, or aren't we?  Yes, we grieve over rape and incest... and yes, we struggle over the life issues with the mother...  but how convenient for us to to say that these children are more expendable than other children.  That makes us sound like we're... uuhhh... pro-choice, doesn't it.    It's easy to be pro-choice... when you're not the one being killed.

Trust in the Lord with All Your Heart

A very common passage in Proverbs - quoted very often - is Proverbs 3:5-6.  Say it with me class: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight".   Most Christians know it.  Most Christians have it memorized.  Most of us can say it without thinking.  But maybe that is a problem - saying it without thinking.   I was convicted pretty harshly when I read what Charles Bridges had to say about this passage.

Listen to what this great man of God says:  "It is nothing less than self-idolatry to conceive that we can carry on even the most ordinary matters of the day without [God's] counsel.  He loves to be consulted.  Therefore take all thy difficulties to be resolved by Him.  Be in the habit of going to Him in the first place - before self-will, self-pleasing, self-wisdom, human friends, convenience, expediency.  Before any of these have been consulted, go to God at once.  Consider no circumstance to clear to need His direction".    Wow.   That gives a fresh new meaning to 'in all your ways acknowledge Him'.

Is Wisdom Obtainable?

"A penny saved is a penny earned".   Now there's some wisdom we can all live by, especially in these rough economic days.   I am studying the book of Proverbs, and the writer of the book has some other bits of wisdom we could certainly use, whether the economy is booming or not.   Wisdom for young people, wisdom for 'seasoned' people.   Wisdom for decisions in money, relationships and parenting.  But how do we obtain this wisdom?

1).   Seek wisdom.    Proverbs 2:3 tells us to seek after wisdom as we would seek after silver and hidden treasures.  If I had a valuable coin and I lost it, I would look high and low for it. I would be on a non-stop mission to find it.  I wouldn't stop until it was found.  So should we search for wisdom.   Asking God for wisdom (James 1:5) is part of that seeking.
2).  Give attention to wisdom.   Proverbs 2:2 and 4:1 indicates that we need to 'make our ears attentive' and 'give attention to' the words of wisdom.  That means listening, hearing, understanding, watching.
3).  Love wisdom.  Proverbs 4:6.  Would we give attention to wisdom... would we seek wisdom... if we did not develop and cultivate a love for it?  It makes sense if we love wisdom, we will pursue hard after it.
4).  Prize wisdom.  Treasure it.  Proverbs 4:8. Similar to loving wisdom, those who highly esteem wisdom will most certainly obtain it.  

The God of wisdom is ready and willing to grant wisdom to those who incline their ears to understanding, to those who are diligent in their seeking, to those who love, prize and treasure this unspeakable gift.

My Country 'Tis of Thee

One of the first patriotic songs I ever learned was this one. It was in first grade, and we always sang the first verse after we had pledged our allegiance to the flag. Now my sons have learned this song and sing it in their elementary school. Many thanks to the veterans and uncounted soldiers who gave me and my sons the right to stand in those classroom and sing this song.

My country, 'tis of thee,

Sweet land of liberty,

Of thee I sing;

Land where my fathers died,

Land of the pilgrims' pride,

From every mountainside

Let freedom ring!

My native country, thee,

Land of the noble free,

Thy name I love;

I love thy rocks and rills,

Thy woods and templed hills;

My heart with rapture thrills,

Like that above.

Let music swell the breeze,

And ring from all the trees

Sweet freedom's song;

Let mortal tongues awake;

Let all that breathe partake;

Let rocks their silence break,

The sound prolong.

Our father's God to Thee,

Author of liberty,

To Thee we sing.

Long may our land be bright,

With freedom's holy light,

Protect us by Thy might,

Great God our King.

No, Mr. President...