Casting Ballots

Society today is having a love affair with polls, popular opinion, and surveys. Reality television programs vote contestants off of islands, out of houses, even out of jobs. Amateur entertainers hold their breath as a panel of judges decides the fate of their dreams of stardom. Candidates in every level of government vie to top their opponents in pre-election polls, and then in the final count on Election Day.

From the least important (which do you prefer; the taste of the “new” so and so Cola or the old one?), to those which touch on controversial moral issues (are you for or against assisted suicide?) we are surveyed for our opinion. Often I have wondered what makes us think that our opinions should matter in the case of those issues that deal with life and death, like capital punishment and abortion. Surely these controversies are too important to be left to popular opinion to be decided, even though they can be impacted by the voting population.

I once read a newspaper article that mentioned an online poll by the United Church of Canada. The intention of the poll was to pit believers in God against non believers, in a vote to determine the general consensus regarding the existence of God. At the end of a week, the results were: “Yes there is God – 52%, No there isn’t God – 48%.” At first, this struck me as humorous. I thought to myself, How silly. You can’t change a truth by voting it out.

However, as I thought further about it I began to see it as more of an indicator of the level of rebellion that is within man’s heart. I realize that many people won’t agree with me, but as a person who believes absolutely in the existence of the God of the Bible, I see only total audacity and foolishness in the whole exercise. I certainly hope that those who are on the precipice of belief or non-belief do not take general consensus as their guiding rule in deciding on this most important question. Instead, they can open the book that He has authored, where He goes into great detail about Himself, and our relationship with Him. That book is a far more accurate indicator than popular opinion could ever be.

“The fool has said in his heart ‘There is no God.’” (Psalm 14:1, NASB)

Things Above

"Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God." (Colossians 3:1-3)

These verses have caught my attention in the past couple of days. In the previous chapter, Paul discusses some wonderful truths, gives us directions to follow in light of those truths, and expresses his desire for us as believers.

Then we come to the third chapter, and that familiar word "therefore". So, having established all of these wonderfully encouraging facts, we are then told to "keep seeking the things above", and to set our minds on "the things above." It got me to thinking: what exactly are those "things above" that I ought to be seeking and thinking about? I'm quite sure Paul didn't mean that we are to daydream about angels floating around a big throne where Jesus is seated, as in the picture above. So what does he mean?

In Chapter 2, he seems to me to be comparing the "mindset" of the world to a heavenly one. He contrasts worldly thinking with the mind of Christ, and legalistic bondage to freedom in Christ. In fact, when I consider it, I can only conclude that "things above" must refer to Christ, and what He represents to us. Look at all that is said about Him in chapter two:

• He is God's mystery, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (vs.2,3)
• We are rooted and being built up in Him (vs.7)
• He is our gauge of truth, against what we hear in the world (vs.8)
• In Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form (vs.9)
• We are made complete in Him (vs. 10)
• He is the head over all rule and authority (vs. 10)
• In Him and by Him we were circumcised, that is the removal of the body of the flesh (vs.11)
• We were buried with Him in baptism (vs. 12)
• We were raised up with Him through faith (vs. 12)
• He made us alive with Him, when we were spiritually dead (vs. 13)
• He forgave all our transgressions (vs. 13)
• He cancelled the debt we owed because of our sin (vs. 14)
• He has disarmed the rulers and authorities, so that now no one is to act as our judge in regard to food or drink or special days (vs. 15,16)
• He has released us from legalistic, religious standards set by men (vs. 23)

Have you ever heard the phrase "too heavenly minded to be any earthly good"? Well, I think that if we are "heavenly minded" in the proper sense, we can only be more effective here on earth. That is, in terms of the eternal purposes of God. Eternity is something that comes to my mind at once when I think of "things above." The eternality of God and His plan for mankind seems to put every other earthly issue into a proper perspective. So too does that amazing verse in Romans chapter eight, that says He is working "all things" together for good. But above all these things there is Jesus Christ, who is more than enough to set our minds on, as He "became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption," (1Cor. 1:30). Surely there is enough there to occupy our minds for a good long time.

What about you? What comes to mind when you think of "things above?"

He Must Increase...

He must increase, but I must decrease. (John 3:30).

"What is spiritual growth? What is spiritual maturity? What is it to go on in the Lord? I fear we have got mixed ideas about this. Many think that spiritual maturity is a more comprehensive knowledge of Christian doctrine, a larger grasp of scriptural truth, a wider expanse of the knowledge of the things of God; and many such features are recorded as marks of growth, development, spiritual maturity. Beloved, it is nothing of the kind.

The hallmark of true spiritual development and maturity is this, that we have grown so much less and the Lord Jesus has grown so much more. The mature soul is one who is small in his or her own eyes, but in whose eyes the Lord Jesus is great. That is growth. We may know a very great deal, have a wonderful grasp of doctrine, of teaching, of truth, even of the Scriptures, and yet be spiritually very small, very immature, very childish. (There is all the difference between being childish and child-like.) Real spiritual growth is just this: I decrease, He increases. It is the Lord Jesus becoming more. You can test spiritual growth by that."

From: The Cross and the Way of Life - Chapter 4 by T. Austin Sparks

The above has got me to thinking....I agree with it, yet it leaves me wondering...Can we have spiritual growth without scriptural knowledge of Jesus Christ? No, I don't think we can. Yet in our seeking out the truth of who He is, we can make that intellectual understanding our pursuit instead of knowing the Person of Jesus. It may take only a little head knowledge of Christ to give great heart growth, while a mind filled with facts can sometimes block the way to the heart.

Remember when you were first saved? How much did you know "about" Him then? Not much, if you were like me. But that little that I did know made Him so huge in my heart. He was all that I thought about. My love for Him sprang up into a beautiful tree, from such a small seed of understanding. And then again, there were times in my walk that I have let chasing after understanding of truth eclipse that simple, child-like wonder and trust that I had in Him. Like all things, I guess it is something that has to be constantly checked, and kept in a balance. The bottom line for me is, I wouldn't trade what I know of Him experientially for all the intellectual understanding of Him in the world.

GOD WITH US

Winter is upon us! Up until recently, it looked as though we would be having a green Christmas. Now a sudden blanket of snow suggests the opposite. No matter what the weather, however, the season and all that it entails, is always celebrated with the usual enthusiasm.

Of all the images that surface this time of year, my favourite is the nativity. I love nativity scenes, and the Christmas Story. I love thinking about that time, when Mary gave birth to Jesus; she knew He was special and not just any baby. The angel had come to her and explained what His role would be:
“And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David.” (Luke 1:31-32)

Mary’s husband Joseph also had an angelic visitation, in a dream. The angel spoke to reassure him that he should proceed with his marriage to Mary:
“She will bear a Son and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” (Matthew 2: 21)

The prophet Isaiah spoke also of Jesus, foretelling His birth: “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel (God with us)” Isaiah 7:14

Imagine, God coming to us in the form of a tiny baby! But the story does not end at that stable in Bethlehem. We love to gaze on that scene, on baby Jesus, so sweet and helpless. But that babe grew up; a man, yet fully God. He walked with humankind, and experienced life as they did. He was Almighty God, yet left the glory of that position to show us what God is like. Not only that, but He gave His own life in payment for the sins of the world.

We love the warm fuzzies we get when we decorate, hang pretty lights, and listen to Christmas Carols. But there is so much more to the Christmas Story than the babe and the shepherds and the wise men. That baby became a man, died for us, and is now alive in Heaven. He was born, not to give us a reason for a Christmas season, but to make a way for us to be reconciled to God. So when you see him there in the manger, fast forward to our ultimate cause for celebration, God’s great love gift to us: He came to die, so that we might have life.

This is Protection??????

I don't know about you, but all the hoopla around H1N1 has had me spinning. At the end of it all, I chose not to get the vaccine. My feeling is that the whole thing has been blown out of proportion, and it might be riskier to get the shot than to risk getting the virus. I just don't trust "the powers that be" or the media to present all the facts.

What about you? What are your thoughts? Take a moment to share them in the comments section. I would be really interested to hear them.

A Dream Comes True

There was a miracle in my family recently. Thirty-four years ago, my then fifteen year old sister had a baby boy. She chose to place him for adoption. Since then, she has wondered about him, and that wondering evolved into a desperate desire to find him. Her situation was made more poignant by the fact that she was never able to have another child.

Over the years she has tried every avenue to find out where he was. Some weeks ago, she finally discovered his adoptive name. Greatly encouraged, she searched countless online resources, and placed ads everywhere that she could think of. But frustratingly, there were no results. Finally, at the end of her rope with desperation, she called out to God, tearfully pleading with Him to find this son that, though she had not seen him since birth, she loved. Two days later she received an email.

It turns out that this son, Jason, had been searching for her all along. His wife, on a sudden impulse, had simply “googled” his name, and there before her was an ad my sister had placed on Kijiji. She immediately emailed my sister, and you can imagine the rest of the story. Needless to say, our entire family is elated, and rejoicing with my sister.

God has blessed me with three children. Though she is a mom also, my sister cannot relate to me in so far as what it is like to raise a child. On the other hand, I cannot begin to enter into her experience of having finally found a child that she never knew, yet longed to have in her life. He was, in practical terms, “lost” to her. At times, she wondered if he were even still alive. The joy she has now is something that I can only look at from a distance, and I thank God for His mercy in her situation.

Jesus told a parable about a lost sheep. A man who had a hundred sheep lost one of them. He left the ninety-nine others and searched for the lost one until he found it. When he came home, he called his friends and neighbours to rejoice with him. Jesus compares that one lost sheep to someone who turns to Him for forgiveness:

“I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.” (Luke 15:7)

Having witnessed my sister’s joy, I can begin to imagine the joy in God’s heart whenever someone trusts in Jesus Christ, and a soul is saved for all eternity.

What's Controlling You?

I had a bit of an epiphany last night. While chatting with friends, the subject of a certain television series came up. One of the ladies present said that she had purchased the series, having heard that it was quite good. It chronicled the marriages of Henry VIII of England, and all the political intrigue that went along with them. This lady admitted that she hadn't watched television in about three years, for various reasons. She brought the dvds home and suggested to her husband that they watch an episode. Not long into the program, a rather explicit sex scene unfolded. She fast forwarded the dvd, hoping that there would be no more. Alas, along came another one. They stopped the dvd, and didn't watch any further.

My friend was shocked at the sexual content of this program. She returned to Walmart, and expressed this to the clerk, stating that it was nothing short of pornographic. She couldn't believe that this type of thing would be allowed on televisoin. At first I was tempted to think that she was exaggerating. Then I realized that she was right on.

The first time that I watched the same program, I was shocked by the sexual content. I decided that I wouldn't watch any further episodes. But as is too often the case, I found myself tuning in again. I justified this by telling myself that having no cable or satellite, I didn't have much of a choice in programming. Also, I reasoned that perhaps the next episode wouldn't have such blatant sexual scenes. I was wrong.

As I sat and listened to my friend express her shock, I was convicted of how lax I had become around what I was watching on televison. Not only television programs, but movies that I rented or borrowed from the Library. All too often, they were filled with cursing, violence and sex.

In the morning of the same day, I had listened to an interview on a Christian radio station. A woman author was talking about her book. In it, she encourages parents to do all that they can to guard their children from being polluted by the influence of a morally bankrupt worldview. She told of how parents were so shocked to find that their young sons were viewing pornography on the Internet. "What do they expect? Garbage in, garbage out," was her response. She was referring to the influence of televison and movies on children and teens today. Sexual content has become commonplace, and we are being de-sensetized to it.

Thinking about these things has brought me to a resolution to be stricter about what I allow myself to take in, when it comes to televison and movies. My flesh doesn't object to mindless consumption of garbage from the idiot box, but I know from past experience that whatever I watch is automatically saved in my memory bank.

There seems to be no limit to the crudeness and blatant sexual innuendo that is allowed on televison today. It's not only the children that need to have their minds protected; we adults have to make sure we choose wisely what we allow to enter through our eyes and ears. So much of what is on television and in movies today is nothing but sin in action; we accept as "normal" what God finds offensive and an abomination. I don't know about you, but I think I had better find other things to occupy myself with for "relaxation". There doesn't seem to be much on televsion that is edifying or glorifying to God these days.

"Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things." Rom. 4:8