Month: June 2023

It tells us in Genesis that The Garden of Eden was a sanctuary where God invited Adam & Eve to enjoy fellowship & peace with Him. The garden itself filled like a banquet table with all good things to eat for the first Adam, created by God in His image…perfect, blameless, and holy. But then we see their choice to disobey and rebel against God’s Word. This original sin, or the Fall, not referring primarily to the first sin committed by Adam & Eve but to the result of that first sin – the corruption of the human race. In the Garden of Eden we see God’s great love for mankind…but we also see His great wrath as the earth is cursed & fellowship with Him is broken. Fast forward to The Garden of Gethsemane and we see what was started in the Garden of Eden fulfilled by Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane…the paradise lost by the first Adam is being restored forever by the last Adam. Again we see a perfect, blameless, and holy man, but when it came time to make a choice, Jesus chose to do the Will of His Heavenly Father…even though it cost Him dearly. The agony Jesus suffered in that garden He did willingly…fulfilling His destiny as the Savior of the world. His agony the basis of our Salvation…His triumph on the Cross our only way back to God. With the First Adam, hope was lost…but with the Last Adam, it was restored.

Even with all of the God-given wisdom Solomon possessed, and a lifetime of pursuing worldly things in order to find peace & joy…he now calls it all empty, fleeting, or as here, meaningless. That life became futile when he sought earthly & secular things rather than seeking after God. The Hebrew phrase translated “under the sun” occurs 28 times in the Book of Ecclesiastes and refers to life in this world…a life that has been adversely affected by the Fall. Which essentially means, a world without God. (For God exists “above the sun, or in Heaven” or as Ecclesiastes 5:2 says, “God is in Heaven and you are on earth.”) And sadly, it’s “‘under the sun” where all of mankind experiences the frustrating & perplexing side of this life, a life full of elusive fulfillment & empty joy…all because God is left out of the picture.

Simon Peter & Andrew were doing what they knew best how to do, and probably what their father had done before them, and his father before him. So when this stranger approached them and said, “Follow Me and I will make you fishers of men.” they totally understood what He was saying. And nothing has changed…as Believers we too should be actively seeking after the lost by casting the net of the Good News of the Gospel Message wherever we go. But have we, the Church, become too comfortable in our cushy surroundings to the point that we’ve become “keepers of the aquarium” rather than fishers of men? Concerned more that the fish tank of the Church is neat & tidy rather than attempting to bring new fish in? Jesus met Simon Peter & Andrew where they were at and used their unique talents & expertise for the glory of God…and He wants to do the same with you today.

When that deep moan of pain, grief, or anguish escapes from our mouth because our world has been turned upside down, it’s better to have 1000 unspoken words of prayer in our hearts, than to have a long lengthy prayer with no heart involved. We constantly are made aware of our weaknesses in the area of prayer…especially in how to pray for ourselves in the face of things like a devastating & grave diagnosis, a fatal car accident of a family member, or the suicide of a close friend. We find ourselves at a loss with no words to pray. But this longing to somehow express that chaos & helplessness is really an indication that the Holy Spirit is already at work interceding in our hearts…making requests before our Heavenly Father that will most definitely be heard. And we can rest in that, assured that God’s Will be done in our life & the lives of others.

Instead of cultivating a fruitful & right relationship with God, Israel had planted, reaped, and eaten wickedness & dishonesty. This idea is repeated by Paul in his letter to the Galatians, “A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.” (Galatians 6:7-8) The bottom line is this…the one who purses godlessness & morally wrong behavior & actions will eventually be destroyed by it…period. But if we sow righteousness, truth, & goodness, we will most surely reap a lasting reward of great value…whether it’s material or Spiritual.

In John 13:18 Jesus tells us that He has chosen us unto eternal Salvation, and that its outcome is our bearing fruit that abides. Thus our direction in Christian service to others as we, “bear fruit in every good work” (Colossians 1:10), is first and foremost evangelism, that results in eternal significance in people’s lives. But sharing the Gospel Message with others is only a part of God’s plan. For the proper perspective of this position as a servant of God is marching along in God’s Army, taking orders without question, and willing to do all grunt work necessary. But when we’re asked to do mundane or menial tasks that we feel are beneath us or aren’t exciting enough, we miss the chance to see some of God’s greatest accomplishments happen…simply because we’re too proud. Fruit that remains is good fruit that has grown slowly in the fertile soil of God’s ultimate plan & purpose for each one of us…watered carefully by the Master Gardener in both the mundane & the marvelous good works we do for our good and His glory.

The Cross…the revealed truth of God’s judgment on sin. But don’t mistake it for martyrdom, but instead, the supreme triumph over death & the grave, and the quaking of the very foundations of Hell. The Cross made it possible for us to be brought back into a right relationship with God – bridging the chasm between this broken world and our Heavenly Father. But no way is the Cross something that just happened to Jesus & that He had no control over – for His sole purpose coming to earth was to redeem us from Hell as our sin-bearer. But neither is the Cross the cross of man, rather it’s the Cross of God…and try as we might, we will never be fully able to comprehend its power this side of Heaven. Finally, the Cross is God’s manifested heart for Salvation…made easy to obtain because it cost Jesus so very much.

Do you ever think back fondly at a particular season of your life when God used you mightily, and wish you could go back? Maybe it was a time of personal Ministry, or public outreach when God was moving in awesome ways…and you were in the middle of it, serving with a joyful heart. But seasons change and so do we…and we can get caught up in the “what was” rather than in the “what is to be”. One of my favorite quotes from Oswald Chambers is, “Beware of paying attention or going back to what you once were, when God wants you to be something that you have never been.” God is always forward focused, and our Spiritual growth needs to be geared that way too. Growing in the knowledge of God is an ever-deepening experience of Christ…of understanding His Truth…and should characterize every Believer’s course of life. We can’t continue to grow in the Lord if we keep looking back & reminiscing about the “good ole days”, for they’ll never return. And besides, the Lord has far more important work for us to do in the future.

Even though the righteous are often blessed of God this side of glory, many times there will be situations when health, wealth, & prosperity are not forthcoming, and we will have to wait upon the Lord. And with this waiting will come the call to stand firm…a persevering of our faith in view of unsurmountable odds…of being immovable, but not inactive. For as Isaiah wrote, there is hope in the waiting and through that hope our faith is transformed…infusing us with His strength to persevere…and giving us the courage to wait patiently. Granted, the waiting can be long, and you may wake up one morning and realize you’ve been waiting for 5, 10, or even 20 years for the situation to change. But in this waiting something has changed…and it’s you. Sure, the problem may still be there, but God now has given you His perspective to view it through His eyes. Yes, you may be still traveling through the Valley of the Shadow of Death…but you now have that deep down assurance that the Lord is walking every minute right beside you, His arm holding you close & guiding your feet as you traverse the unknown. For the longer we stand firm & wait, our patience grows & grows…not only for the Lord to work, but internally, for ourselves. And this patience is then manifested in compassion, grace & mercy towards others as we continue to stand firm & wait.

Paul saw the misinformed conscience of the unbeliever or “weak” person here as a real shortcoming. And he emphasized the responsibility of the strong (Those strong in the Lord) to be patient with the weak. Thus, this left no room for petty egos, prideful boasts, or haughty behavior to rule over & possibly ruin the relationships. But neither is Paul saying that we need to modify the Gospel Message just in order to please people. (Galatians 1:10) Using Jesus as an example, Paul quotes Psalm 69:9, where Christ’s willingness to deny Himself & suffer for the benefit of others should be our goal…for it’s in love, humility, & edification that we can reach the lost.