Resolve and Commitment

I usually don't make New Year's Resolutions. I have done it in the past at times, but just like everyone else, usually by mid-January I've failed miserably. I wonder why that is so. Is it that we lack perseverance? Do we lack commitment? Whether its weight loss, avoiding chocolate, or attempting to pray more and execute a Bible reading program, we usually look to the new year with optimism that this will be the year we do better. And then, not too far into the new year we're in the same habits and rut that characterized the previous year, and the year before that... and the year before that. I am not sure I have the answer to this phenomenon of continued failed resolutions. Should we just not make them - and then we can't fail? Are our goals too lofty and we set ourselves up for failure? What's the problem?

I might suggest that we have trivialized the word 'resolution'. We make them, we break them. We make them again, we break them again. It's like when you were a teenager and you had 100 different boyfriends or girlfriends. You broke up, dated someone else, dropped them like yesterday's newspaper, picked up someone else, and on and on... 'Resolve' and 'commitment' become trivialized in our culture. So much so, that our desire to read more scripture in the new year gets dropped like a hot potato and replaced by spending hours on the internet. Our desire to commune with Christ in more meaningful prayer gets preempted by the television.

I say that we Christians take back the true meaning of 'resolve' and 'commitment' by making those words ring as true in our lives as something that resembles the strong resolve and commitment that we see in something like a healthy marriage. A couple with a healthy marriage has in no way trivialize the meaning of commitment. Resolve and commitment requires hard work and determination. The disciplines of Bible study and fervent prayer are not for the lazy. If we are not willing to do the hard work required in fulfilling a commitment, then our New Year's resolutions for this year will end up the same way they did in 2008: in disappointment and failure.

This year I want to commit to one theme: stronger commitment to our local church. That would consist of several things: I want to work harder in the areas in which I am already involved. I want to be able to give more. I want to pray for our pastors more. I want to commit more of my time to my fellow worshippers. With God's grace I will not be as ineffective with this year's resolutions as in past years. And with God's grace, neither will you...

Happy New Year,
Mark

Too Much to Ask?

A few short days ago we lavished gifts on our kids. It was a special time! Any parent should get great joy out of giving gifts to their children... especially gifts they had really wanted and asked for.
This morning as I read through a passage in the Sermon on the Mount, it struck a chord with me in relation to this gift-giving to our children on Christmas day. "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!"

So, shouldn't we be spending time at the feet of the Father? Shouldn't we, with faith like a child, be asking him for those things we need? He doesn't lavish His own gifts upon us because He's a kill-joy. Quite the contrary... He takes great joy in meeting our needs. Bowing our knee to spend a few minutes to ask... is not too much to ask. Is it?

Heidelberg Catechism Question #43

Question 43. What further benefit do we receive from the sacrifice and death of Christ on the cross?

Answer: That by virtue thereof, our old man is crucified, dead and buried with him; (a) that so the corrupt inclinations of the flesh may no more reign in us; (b) but that we may offer ourselves unto him a sacrifice of thanksgiving. (c)

(a) Rom.6:6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. (b) Rom.6:6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. Rom.6:7 For he that is dead is freed from sin. Rom.6:8 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: Rom.6:11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Rom.6:12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Col.2:12 Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. (c) Rom.12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

This is really good news for us who are saved but still struggle with sin (which is all believers if we're honest). The 'old man' is dead. The person we were in Adam was crucified. According to Martyn Lloyd-Jones, and the statements in this 43rd question, there is a distinction between the 'old man' (which died) and the 'body of sin' (the flesh). The 'flesh' is the body in which sin tends to tyrannize still, the body in which sin yet remains. The good news is this: when Christ was buried in His grave, the 'old man' was with Him in it. But why do we still struggle with sin in the flesh? Lloyd-Jones goes on to tell us that the hold of sin upon us, even in the body, has been rendered null and void and ineffective. The objective of 'salvation' is that we may be rid entirely and completely of sin and its effects. The whole objective of 'grace' and 'salvation' is to deliver us from sin in every part - in personality and finally even in the body. The bottom line is that even though our 'old man' in Adam was slain and buried, our earthly bodies still houses the effects of the fall. Yes, the corrupt inclinations no longer reign in the true believer. They no longer REIGN. But that isn't to say that we don't slip and fall once in a while. The good news for those who are followers of Christ is that eventually... ultimately... finally... we will be delivered from this body of sin and death. Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!

Some Christmas Present...

A couple nights ago I was lying in bed, deep into reading my J.C. Ryle book on Holiness... when suddenly I heard a big crash outside our window. I sprung to my feet to see what was the matter. It had been very cold - almost zero degrees - and the roads were very icy. I knew in an instant that there had to be someone in the ditch up the road. Near our house there is a sharp bend that starts down a hill and when the wind blows up across that hill, it can get very dangerous with a little precipitation. I jumped in our car and drove up to the suspected bad spot in the road and, sure enough, there stood a very shaken young man shivering from the cold and the shock of having just ran his parents family car down over the embankment and into a tree. He had a knock on the head but looked like he was going to be OK. He refused my offer to stand in our warm house until his parents arrived. And also politely refused to sit in my car until they came. But it was zero degrees out and I wasn't sure he was thinking clearly, so in my 'dad' voice I insisted that he sit in the warmth of my car for the next 20 minutes until his dad and mom found him. Steven, a senior in high school, was visibly shaken and so we talked about alot of stuff. I wanted to make sure he was ok after hitting the tree and hitting his head.

"Some Christmas present...", I said to him. "Yeah, this really stinks", came his reply. I am not sure he got what I was saying, so I spelled it out for him: "You know if you had missed that tree, you would have gone over the embankment and slammed into a brick building at the bottom". "Oh, you mean this could have been much worse?". Some Christmas present for him and his family. Instead of having a funeral today, Steven got to open up gifts this morning.

Life: some Christmas present.

My Favorite Christmas Story

I imagine every kid growing up has his favorite Christmas story. There was Frosty the Snowman and the Peanuts, of course. But my personal favorite back then probably was Rudolph. For some reason, I alway took a liking to Yukon Cornelius and the Abominable Snowman (or Bumble, as Yukon so affectionate named him).

Now that I've grown up a little, I have some other personal favorite Christmas stories. (I hesitate to call them 'stories', because that term could give someone the impression that they aren't necessarily true). These 'accounts' are found in God's Word. I love the parts in Luke where we learn of the angels and the shepherds and the wise men. But my favorite one is found in Philippians, in the kenosis passage in chapter two:

Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

This is the essence of the Christmas story.
Have a Merry Christmas.
Mark

Christmas Bells

"Christmas Bells"
Words: Henry Longfellow, 1864. Music: John Calkin, 1872

"I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet
The words repeat
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along
The unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Till, ringing, singing on its way,
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime
A chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Then from each black accursed mouth
The cannon thundered in the South,
And with the sound
The carols drowned
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

It was as if an earthquake rent
The hearth-stones of a continent,
And made forlorn
The households born
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And in despair I bowed my head;
"There is no peace on earth," I said;
"For hate is strong,
And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!"

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
"God is not dead; nor doth he sleep!
The Wrong shall fail,
The Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men!"

Unlikely

God usually does things in unlikely ways. In studying for our Sunday School lesson this week, I read the Christmas story again and saw a few things I never saw before. The story of the Savior's birth had some 'unlikely' things in it:

1). Unlikely Place - Nazareth. In Luke 1:26, Gabriel was sent to a city called Nazareth. It was an out-of-the-way Jewish village, off the beaten path, between the Mediterranean Sea and the Sea of Galilee. Some Jews held the people of Nazareth in contempt and disdain ("Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" John 1:46). The Jews may have despised the Nazarenes because they housed the Roman garrisons, and the residents there in some cases conspired with the enemy. In any case, Nazareth was not the center of politics or financial interests. It was no Jerusalem. Wonder why God picked a place like Nazareth to reveal things about the Savior? It seems like an unlikely place to reveal such wonderful knowledge.

2). Unlikely Woman - Mary. It seems obvious to state, but Mary was an unlikely person to be the one to carry the Savior in her womb. She was a common Jewish girl; no position; no clout; no wealth. Most Jewish girls in that culture were married by the time they were 14 or 15 and so Mary was likely in that age range, and she was a virgin. Many Jewish families would know the prophecies about how the Savior would arrive and no doubt many young girls wondered if they would be the one. But can you imagine for one minute that God would entrust His only begotten Son, the spotless Lamb, to such a young girl with virtually no motherly experience? It seems unlikely that God would do that, but He did.

3). Unlikely People - The Shepherds. Herdsmen in that day were held in low esteem. They were the uneducated, not very impressive in society and generally despised. They could not always keep the ceremonial laws or observe the religious rituals, because they were out in the fields tending to their sheep - they were very loyal to their jobs and would often risk danger or even loss of life to protect their sheep. It is quite ironic that Jesus was called the Good Shepherd, the Chief Shepherd and the Great Shepherd. It is possible that these shepherds were watching over some of the sheep that the more 'elite' people would soon use for their own sacrifices in the temple. But God chose to reveal this great moment in history, not to kings, not to priests, not to emporers... but He chose to make known this thing to lowly and meager shepherds. Seems unlikely, doesn't it?

4). Unlikely Vessels - Us. Second Corinthians 4:7, says that 'we have this treasure in earthen vessels...' First of all, what is an earthen vessel? It is a fragile clay pot. Something that is easily broken when dropped or mishandled. We are the clay pot. We are frail, weak, fragile. But God, in His unlikely manner, has chosen us weak vessels to carry something. The verse says we have this treasure... that can only be the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Like Mary carrying the Son of God, can you imagine the precious truth of the gospel being entrusted to us broken, weary, fragile vessels? It is quite amazing. It is quite strange and unlikely, but this is how God works. What might we accomplish if we let God work through us? God worked in powerful ways in Nazareth and in the lives of Mary and the lives of the shepherds back in those days. When we use our earthen vessels for His glory this Christmas season, then people will see His power and people will praise our God.

God and Mankind Reconciled?

A few years ago at Christmastime I was flipping through the channels as I was getting ready for church. There was the heretic Robert Schuller's Crystal Cathedral in all its 'glory' being displayed for all to stand in awe and wonder. But I hesitated to continue through the channel surfing... they were playing Christmas music. I thought to myself, "you really can't mess up a Christmas song", so I left it on and turned it up as I finished getting ready. Let it be known: you CAN mess up a Christmas song. If you are against calling someone a 'sinner' like the Bible-twisters at Crystal Cathedral, you can, and will change the lyrics to fit your damnable heresies. How can you call someone a sinner and still have them maintain their precious self-esteem?

The great hymn 'Hark! The Herald Angels Sing' was the next carol in the program, and I about vomited when I heard the choir sing, 'God and MANKIND reconciled'. When I was growing up, that song always said, 'God and SINNERS reconciled'. Sinners. SINNERS! What in the world was the purpose of Christ coming to earth anyway if it wasn't to save wretched SINNERS?! And so we have an entire movement that is afraid to use the word, and so they re-write the song to fit their goofy theology. Watch out Frosty and Rudolph. Your songs are probably next.

A Calculated, Planned Act of Kindness

A few days ago, I witnessed what I called a 'random act of kindness'. Last night my family was on the receiving end of a 'calculated, planned act of kindness'. A few years ago I met a man who was going through some difficult life struggles. Through many circumstances and Christian friends, he was able to get his feet back on the ground and seems to be enjoying the blessings of God in his life as he walks in obedience to what he is learning from the Word. There is a stability that I see in his life that he seemed to lack when we first met. I don't know exactly how God used us in his life during these last few years... but he showed up on our porch last night and surprised us with a big bowl of spaghetti and meatballs. He'd taken time out of his busy schedule to minister to us and to be a blessing to our family. Of course we welcomed him to come in and join us for dinner. We ate well and had dessert and shared a few laughs and talked about what the Lord is doing in our respective lives. This was no random act of kindness. Our friend carefully planned how he was going to surprise us with a meal. We appreciated this kind of thoughtfulness, and I am reminded of Proverbs 19:22 - What is desired in a man is his kindness...

Christmas Letdown

In a conversation with my mom earlier today, I used a phrase that I hate! After I hung up the phone, I thought 'how did that phrase slip out of my mouth'? The phrase I used in describing the weekend after Christmas: "Christmas letdown".

Are you kidding me? After celebrating the greatest miracle EVER. After celebrating the fact that God became man... Emmanuel, God with us. After celebrating the Jesus left his throne and condescended to a manger to save us wretches... after celebrating the birth of the Christ-child who would eventually be led to the cross to be battered, bruised and wounded for me... and I would even think there could possibly be something such as 'Christmas letdown'? Shame on me for thinking such thoughts! Shame on me for uttering such a nearly blasphemous complaint.

But as I thought about it, I supposed there probably is a sort of Christmas letdown for some people. Placing their affections in things other than the Savior. Not only would that be a letdown, but it would be robbery: robbing themselves of joy and robbing God of glory. May it never be said that lovers of Jesus would experience this kind of Christmas letdown.