Cass Canfield wrote a brief, engaging biography of Jefferson Davis, president of the short-lived Confederate States of America. Entitled The Iron Will of Jefferson Davis, the book describes his tender heart as well.
One of his cabinet members complained about the ease with which Davis pardoned offenders. He said, "He wanted to pardon everybody. If ever a wife, a mother, or a sister got into his presence it took but a little while for their tears to wash out the record."
The Bible assures us that God delights in mercy. Nehemiah said, "Thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful" (9:17). Isaiah urges the wicked to turn from their evil ways to God, "for he will abundantly pardon" (55:7). God does not pardon easily, though He pardons readily. Calvary reminds us that forgiveness is costly. The price of our pardon is the blood of Jesus Christ, who "died for our sins." Not the tears of the supplicant, but the blood of the Savior, moves God to dispense mercy to the guilty.
The Lord is near the heartbroken and saves the contrite in spirit (Psalm 34:18), but our contrition is not the ground of our salvation. Only the cross of Christ atones for sin and reconciles to God. "When I see the blood," God says, "I will pass over you." The blood He looks upon with favor is not ours but Christ's. We are redeemed, as Peter reminds us, "with the precious blood of Christ" (1 Peter 1:19).
God is "the justifier," but He is also "just." He forgives sins only upon grounds consistent with His justice. He "justifies freely," for we receive His pardon by faith; we do not earn it by works. But He justifies expensively, also, because He "set forth" Jesus "to be a propitiation through faith in his blood." Having done so, God is "just and the justifier" of the one who believes in Jesus Christ (Romans 3:23-26).
Pardon is costly to God, but He is "ready to pardon." He did not grudge the cost and He does not repulse the sinner. To forgive the impenitent would only encourage further sin, and God does demand that we repent. But the record is washed out by Jesus' blood, not by our tears.
READY TO PERFORM
The true prophets in Israel were men to whom "the word of the Lord came."
They were not prophets by intuition, insight or instruction. Until the word of
the Lord came to them, gripping them and demanding utterance, they could not be
prophets however good and wise they were. The word of God makes the
prophets--not lineage, aptitude or education.
The word received and transmitted by the prophets was living and
mighty. It could be rejected but not silenced. It could be opposed but not
defeated. The heedless ear and persecuting hand displayed the stubbornness of
sin, but they could not invalidate the divine word. God said to Jeremiah,"I am
ready to perform My word" (1:11, NKJB).
God is ready to fulfill His promises. Some of the grandest promises within the
Old Testament fell from Jeremiah's lips as he spoke for God. Those who associate
him only with "doom and gloom" have overlooked such words as these:
Return, you backsliding children,
And I will heal your backslidings (3:22).
A king shall reign and prosper,
And execute judgment and righteousness in the earth (23:5).
Call to me and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which
you do not know (33:3).
God is ready, also, to fulfill His threats. Jeremiah's prophecy is replete with
solemn warnings of divine judgment, as are all the prophets' writings. God is
holy and sin invites wrath. He will not be indifferent to mankind's rebellion. A
point is reached where He opens His armory and brings out "weapons of
indignation."
I will utter my judgments
Against them concerning all their wickedness,
Because they have forsaken Me…(1:16).
God's word is never hot air. He means what He says. He is ready to perform His
promises and His threats. Which of them you receive is yours to choose.
SENSITIVE FAITH
There are some things I believe so firmly that all contrary argument is
wasted on me. I have examined the contrary arguments and named them Belshazzar.
They were weighed and found wanting.
Examples of what I mean are the theories that deny the resurrection of Jesus
Christ, attempting to explain its effects without positing their cause. I cannot
respect the man who wears the scholar's mantle, but whose agenda is to find ways
to deny the Resurrection while seeming to affirm it.
Some things I believe in so unshakably that I do not resent those who label
me brainwashed. Christ said, "If I do not wash you, you have no part in me"
(John 13:8, RSV). Why shouldn't His washing include the brain? I am commanded to
love the Lord with all my mind. How can I obey unless my mind is bathed in His
blood? His very act of saving from sin fixes some truths beyond dispute.
Having made that admission, I confess also to an uneasy distaste when I hear
these truths belligerently proclaimed in a bull-dogmatic manner. In the
preaching of the apostles, preserved in precious fragments within the New
Testament, I catch the strong notes of certainty and urgency, along with a
passion to persuade. I do not hear them browbeating and bulldozing those who
were not yet persuaded, or even those who derisively disagreed. When a man
affirms his orthodoxy in a harsh, strident, contemptuous manner I suspect an
insecurity that he is desperately trying to nail a lid on.
Preachers have no more right to blackjack a man's mind than his skull. Love
cannot be effectively preached in a mean spirit. A blood-bought redemption is
not persuasively presented by a battering ram. To hold straw men up to ridicule
before a few witless toadies requires neither courage nor grace.
Where I place exclamation points, others may put question marks. I should not
employ the truths so marked to club the questioners but to convince them. Paul
said, "The Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kindly to every one, an
apt teacher, forbearing, correcting his opponents with gentleness." Help me,
Lord!
STAY ON THE HIGHWAY
Some signs that are meant to be taken seriously strike me funny. Along a
Colorado highway I saw one that read, "Worms Turn Left." I am sure that some
worms in Colorado turn right also. In either case they have abandoned the
highway.
The Lord said to Joshua, "Be strong and very courageous, being careful to do
according to all the law which Moses my servant commanded you; turn not from it
to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you
go"(Joshua 1:7, RSV). As the divinely chosen leader of God's people, it was
important that he keep to the highway.
The Christian life is sometimes set forth in Scripture under the figure of a
journey along a road. One of the earliest designations of Christianity, we learn
from Acts, was "the Way."
The life of holiness is often described as a highway. Isaiah 35:8-10 has spawned
a thousand sermons on the "Highway of Holiness."
Along this highway we need to avoid turning to the left or right. Some have
turned right into legalism, a harsh, judgmental, compassionless sidetrack
equivalent to the Phariseeism that hounded Jesus to the cross. The legalist
elevates his personal convictions to the status of revealed truth, then sourly
condemns all who disagree with him. He is more concerned about keeping rules
than helping people. Those who question or ignore his notions will be despised,
ridiculed and slandered, as was Jesus by men who were persuaded of their
superior holiness.
Some have turned left into libertinism. The libertine confuses liberty with
license. He disregards moral principles and safeguards, scoffs at discipline and
simplicity, and apes the world by inflating the value of sensual gratification.
He talks a good creed but lives carelessly, reducing love--the very essence of
holiness--to self-indulgence.
With the legalist, everyone is wrong. With the libertine, anything goes. Both
have deserted the highway, both have dishonored Christ. The worms have turned
right and left.
Stay on the highway!
STRANGE DELIVERY SYSTEMS
In my first pastorate an elderly couple had an apartment of sorts in the
corner of a storage building. One day Brother Booth heard something smack into
the metal roof. Investigating the noise, he found a large bream, still alive and
flopping.
He reasoned that an eagle--or some other bird—had seized the fish in a
nearby lake and then dropped it while in flight. Whatever the delivery system
involved, he and Sister Booth ate the fish with thanksgiving, regarding it as a
gift from God. The Father was providing a special meal for two of His elderly
children.
God can utilize an amazing variety of instruments and methods to supply our
needs. During a famine, Elijah was fed first by ravens and then by a widow and
finally by an angel.
George Mueller operated a London orphanage by prayer and faith. When they needed
food he prayed for bread. A bakery truck broke down outside the orphanage and
the entire load of bread was contributed to Mueller's work. Ann Bingham was
injured and confined to an upstairs room. This servant woman prayed for food and
each day a hen climbed the stairs and laid an egg in her room.
Jesus fed a multitude in a desert place by multiplying a boy's lunch of bread
and fish. His doing so reminds us that God knows our needs, wills to supply them
and can always find a way to do it. In the worst times, in the direst situations
and by the strangest means He will care for His children. We dare not presume
upon His mercy by indolence or extravagance. Jesus didn't come to found a
welfare state. He opposes the shiftless and the wasteful. But we can depend on
His mercy when we are living by His words and doing His work. Wherever you live,
He has your address. By one messenger or another, He will get His care packages
to you. Like Jacob of old, you will discover that God is in some unexpected
places. He is never out of touch with you, and you are never out of sight to
Him.
SUBTLE SNARE
I am writing in an airport waiting area, and the reactions of people around
me are interesting. Some seated nearby try to "sneak a peek" discreetly, curious
about what is being written and why. Some, walking past, slow their pace and
crane their necks in an effort to decipher the writing. Some, not in position to
view the tablet, simply watch the writer, probably wondering what his work is.
Occasionally someone will crank up a conversation. Of course, they never ask
bluntly, "What are you writing?" They begin with, "How can you concentrate in
this place?" Or, "Isn't it hard to write with an attaché case for a desk?" One
fellow's opening line was, "If your ticket cost what mine did you must be
writing someone for a loan."
No matter. Once they trespass on the silence, I can steer the conversation
towards Christ. And when that destination is reached the reactions really vary.
Some struggle to change the subject. Failing that, they find a quick pretext to
change their seats. Some want to move the subject from Christ to the churches
and launch a religious argument. Some are kindred spirits, happy to find a
Christian brother to fellowship with, however briefly. Some become hostile,
determined not to be "cornered" into a decision about Christ. Some are curious,
even interested, full of questions about who He is and what He does.
In any case, opportunity and challenge are presented. Similarities and
differences in people are fascinating. There is no better place to observe them
than a modern airport. Airports are microcosms of the world. All races, classes,
occupations and backgrounds appear. Overheard conversations and observed
expressions are replete with human drama. Laughter and tears, anger and joy,
boredom and interest, affection and disgust--the whole gamut of human emotions
flows about the observer.
It's good to reflect that God loves them all, that Christ died for them all, and
that if they ever come to realize this someone must care for them all. The human
drama awakens compassion, prompts intercession and spurs witness.
TAKE A SEAT
Scripture speaks of "the seat of the scornful" and pronounces that man
"blessed" who refuses to occupy it. I sometimes think it's the world's longest
bench, for so many do sit there.
The occupant of "the seat of the scornful" is contrasted with the man whose
"delight is in the law of the Lord" (Psalm 1).
Why would any man scorn the word of God? An answer is found in Proverbs 15:12:
"A scoffer does not like to be reproved." The word of God bluntly and
unsparingly rebukes sin. Those who cherish sin will resent the Bible. As the
Gospel of John declares, "Every one who does evil hates the light, and does not
come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed" (3:20, RSV).
The man who says, "I don't go to church because the preaching bores me," is
probably a liar. His real problem is not that preaching bores him but that it
bares him. The Word of God proclaimed exposes his sin and guilt. Unwilling to
repent, he seizes any flimsy excuse to duck encounters with that Word. God's
Word is a mirror (James 1:23-25). Some would rather avoid the mirror than wash
their faces. A fellow took umbrage at a sermon and complained angrily to the
preacher. "What really needs changing," asked the parson quietly, "my sermon or
your life?"
Jeremiah lamented, "Behold, the word of the Lord is to them as an object of
scorn, they take no pleasure in it" (6:10, RSV). They deserted the mourner's
bench for the scorner's seat. But not with impunity! The prophet's next words
are: "Therefore I am full of the wrath of the Lord; I am weary of holding it in.
`Pour it out...' says the Lord."
The message that calls for repentance, when refused, is replaced with the
message that summons to judgment. The seat of the scornful becomes a hot seat.
It supplies kindling for the wrath of God that consumes His enemies.
Those who overcome evil will have a seat with Christ (Revelation 3:21). Our
choice is the scorner's seat or the Savior's throne. Take a seat!
TAKE YOUR SHARE
"Take your share of suffering, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus." Paul
wrote these words to a younger colleague in ministry (2 Timothy 2:3, RSV).
"Take" implies leave. The suffering of which Paul speaks could be avoided. By
running from battle Timothy could spare himself conflict, wounds, pain--perhaps
even death. But in so doing he would betray the cause, disgrace the Commander,
and bring contempt upon himself. He could not be a good soldier and refuse to
suffer for the sake of Christ and the gospel.
For that gospel Paul was even then suffering. He wrote the letter from prison
where he was awaiting execution. He speaks of "wearing fetters like a criminal"
(v. 9). By prudent silence about Christ, by subtle compromise of the gospel,
Paul could have avoided that dungeon cell and the headsman's ax. His sufferings
were taken in the line of duty.
Collaborationists and deserters are miserable, though. They dodge one form of
suffering only to experience another--and worse. Lonely is the man who refuses
the cross, for the Commander does not fellowship with deserters. The Christian
has but two choices, to suffer as a good soldier or to suffer as a rotten
traitor.
Paul mentions two who quit the battle--"Phygelus and Hermogenes" (v. 15). A
cross bearing Timothy would be infinitely happier than this pair of self-sparing
renegades.
What is one's share of suffering? Only the Commander can decide. Suffering is
not cut like pie into equal slices for all who partake. For reasons known only
to the Lord, some suffer more than others. The form and degree of suffering are
His to determine. Ours is to salute and obey. This we know, ours is always a
lesser Calvary than He endured.
Paul knew the reward outweighed the suffering. We shall "live with him" and
"reign with him" (vv. 11-12). "With him"--no prepositional phrase ever gathered
so much glory in so few words! Eternity with Him makes our present suffering "a
light affliction."
TALKING ABOUT NOTHING
Prince Albert was thought by many to be an aloof and uncongenial man. A
contemporary said of him, "He could talk admirably about something, but he had
not the gift of talking about nothing, and probably would not have cared much to
cultivate such a faculty."
To talk about nothing is a practiced art with many. Endless conversation to no
purpose is a way of "killing time," avoiding work, or fostering acquaintance
without the risk of developing friendship. Serious involvement or commitment can
be sidestepped by engaging constantly in small talk.
The Lord Jesus evidenced no gift for talking about nothing. His conversations,
even when marked by gentle humor, had valuable purpose. There was good reason
and real meaning in what He said at tables, on streets, in markets, in fields,
on mountains and even in synagogues. Jesus didn't talk just to be talking.
Talking much about nothing is often an attempt to mask our inability or
unwillingness to talk about something. Inability, on the one hand, springs from
the dry wells or shallow pools of our own minds and hearts. If we are living
marginally, indifferent alike to the word of God and the burning issues of
local, national and global life, we shall have nothing of substance to say.
Unwillingness, on the other hand, arises out of fear--fear of offending those
who differ from us, fear of exposing ourselves to criticism, fear of being
misunderstood and unappreciated, fear of being scorned and rejected. It is much
safer to fill the air with babel sounds than to risk disfavor by Bible-informed,
Christ-centered and concern-oriented conversation.
God have mercy on us--much that sounds from modern pulpits is talk about
nothing. Where human wisdom and the actor's cleverness have been substituted for
the gospel, the preacher is merely exercising "a faculty" for "talking about
nothing." "By your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be
condemned" (Matthew 12:36-37, RSV).
Say something, or say nothing.
THE BLESSED DEAD
"Write this," a voice from heaven instructed John, "Blessed are the dead who
die in the Lord henceforth" (Revelation 14:13, RSV).
We bewail the dead, we do not bless them. Death seems to us such an appalling
prospect that we find the "voice" from heaven strange. Why pronounce the dead
blessed?
The next words supply the answer: "Blessed indeed," says the Spirit, "that
they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them."
These words occur in a chilling context. The wrath of God is about to be poured
out upon the evils of earth. Conditions will become so terrible that death will
be preferred to life.
However, if we really believe the Bible, that is always true. Heaven far exceeds
earth, not only earth's worst but its best. The glories beyond cannot be
described; they cannot even be imagined. To indicate those glories Scripture
resorts mostly to negatives--no pain, no sickness, no death, no tears, no sin.
We cannot help but mourn our dead. To lose a loved one brings deep hurt, a sense
of loss and loneliness that makes grief inevitable. But we grieve for ourselves,
not for the departed. They are happier with Him than they could ever be with us.
Their joy is greater than our grief, their fulness is greater than our
emptiness. It would be selfish to wish them back with us when they can be with
Him.
Robert E. Lee deeply loved General A. P. Hill. At the defense of Petersburg a
bullet through the heart abruptly ended Hill's brilliant career. When news of
his death was brought to Lee, he said through tears, "He is now at rest, and we
who are left are the ones to suffer."
Not even to relieve our suffering would we deprive our Christian dead of their
rest. John Chrysostom cautioned his church against excessive grief at the death
of friends. "Remember to whom they have gone," he exclaimed, "and be glad."
"Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord." They are at rest from all that
causes suffering and sorrow.
THE BOTTOM LINE IS RED
Recently I was chatting with a fellow who frequently punctuated his remarks
with references to "the bottom line." The bottom line, as I understand it, is
the line where the sum of a column appears. If that is true, then in my
experience the bottom line is always red, for red ink traditionally refers to a
minus balance and black ink to a plus balance. Assets are black ink figures;
liabilities are red ink figures. Gains are shown in black ink; losses are shown
in red ink. For me, the bottom line is red for I will always be in debt.
I am forever indebted to the Lord. He found me when I was nothing and made
something out of me. He forgave my sins, a pardon I never earned but received as
the gift of His abounding grace. He adopted me as His child, which opened doors
of privilege I could never have entered on my own and as my old self. He has
filled my long life with daily mercies, sometimes gentle, sometimes severe, but
always intended for my highest welfare. He has allowed me a priceless career of
preaching and teaching His saving word. I can say with the Psalmist, "He has
filled my life with good things." He owes me nothing; I owe Him everything of
value in my life.
I am forever indebted to the church. When I began to serve the Lord my parents
and siblings were not Christians. Ours was not a church-going family. Sundays
were for ball games, fishing trips and squabbles. The family regarded my newborn
and zealous commitment to Jesus Christ with suspicion at best, with amusement at
worst. I recall being sarcastically introduced to visitors as "the religious
part of the family." But I had another family, brothers and sisters in Christ,
who accepted me gladly, encouraged me constantly, and whose fellowship has been
a steadying and joyful influence upon my life. They invested time, prayer and
money in me as I developed my small skills as a servant of Christ and the
gospel. I can never fully repay their enormous kindness to me.
I am forever indebted to my family. The girl who introduced me to Jesus became
my wife. She has been a loyal, genial and supportive companion through more than
six decades of marriage and ministry. She has poured tons of love and fun into
our marriage. Whether we had little or lots, she never complained. Her gratitude
has been genuine for the smallest gifts. Her courage has been superb in the
roughest times. Our five children have borne patiently and forgivingly with my
fumbling and bumbling efforts at fatherhood. They are my closest friends and
kindest critics. I never tire of seeing them and sharing meals with them. Our
family gatherings are replete with joy.
Someone once defined a gentleman as one who puts back into life as much as he
takes out. By that standard I am no gentleman; I am doomed to be a rogue.
Doubtless, I will always be in debt to the Lord, the church and the family. I
have received more than I could ever give. The bottom line in my life will
always be red.
THE ENDURING WORD
No book has been more deeply loved and highly praised than the Bible. No
book has been more passionately hated and scornfully defamed than the Bible. Men
have risked, and even sacrificed, their lives to publish and distribute the
Bible. Men have imprisoned, tortured and killed others in an effort to prevent
the publication and distribution of the Bible. The Bible has evoked the best and
worst in men, their noblest heroism and their basest crimes.
Why should this be so? The Bible claims to be the Word of God—that’s why.
Millions have acquiesced in its testimony, desiring to trust the Christ to whom
it bears witness. Other millions have refused its testimony, expressing their
rage against God and Christ by their fierce opposition to the Bible and its
advocates.
If the Bible claimed to be nothing more than a literary mixture of history,
poetry, legends and maxims, the banning and burning of Bibles by wrathful men
throughout the centuries would never have occurred. That God speaks through the
Bible to condemn sin, to proclaim salvation, to instruct in righteousness--this
is what has aroused and still arouses the murderous hatred of men bent on making
themselves gods and on silencing the primary source of opposition to their
blasphemy, idolatry and immorality.
This is true whether the efforts to destroy the Bible have emerged from secular
institutions, pagan religions, or purportedly Christian organizations. Man's
idolatrous pride is the taproot of all attempts to rid society of the Bible or
to cripple the Bible's influence.
Because the Bible is the Word of God, in whatever faithful translation, in
whatever human language, it has survived the flames and will continue to be
translated, published, distributed and expounded so long as God seeks in love to
save sinners from their folly and doom. Men cannot destroy the Word of God. They
only destroy themselves in the evil attempt to do so.
"The word of the Lord endures forever."
THE FAMILY OF GOD
More is said and sung today about the Church as a family than ever before
--at least within my memory, which pretty well covers the twentieth century. The
emphasis on family finds a responsive chord in my heart. Like all figures of
speech, however, its appeal is not universal. Just as a lad whose father was
alcoholic and abusive may not rejoice to hear God called "the Father," so people
who came from shattered families where exploitation and conflict supplanted love
may not find the "family" metaphor attractive for the Church.
Oddly enough, the Church is not called a "family" in Scripture. What is not
directly stated, however, is broadly implied. Jesus said, "Whoever does the will
of God is my brother, and sister, and mother" (Mark 3:3-5, RSV). He said this in
a context that clearly gave His spiritual family priority over His physical
family. Paul refers to the Church as "the household of faith" (Galatians 6:10)
and "the household of God" (1 Timothy 3:15). The Church as a family is thus a
biblical concept.
"Family" is a broad metaphor but not all-inclusive. God creates the
church-family, and He composes it of those who believe and obey His word. The
unbelieving and disobedient may be occasional guests but they cannot, in the
nature of things, be family members. The family may receive them heartily, and
they may share in certain family activities, but no measure of welcome and
warmth can offset the distinction between family and guests which becomes
immediately obvious when God's word and will are expounded. In the Bible's
light, family and guests know where they stand with God.
What welcome and warmth can do, however, is make guests long to belong to the
family. We can mirror the accepting, forgiving love of God that issues in the
adoption of believers. Unless family life expresses the values of His love,
offering the visitors what they cannot find in a sin-dominated, strife-filled
world, they will soon turn away in disappointment and disgust. The family of God
should be a counter-culture where love is regnant.
THE FRIEND
Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus Christ for 30 pieces of silver--the price of a
common slave in those days, we are told. When a mob was sent to arrest Jesus,
the traitorous Judas strode ahead of them to identify their victim. Walking up
to Jesus, he kissed Him, a prearranged signal to those determined to take Christ
into custody.
And what was the reaction of Jesus to this infamous betrayal? "Jesus replied,
Friend..." When I read that, I marvel. Friend! A lesser man would have replied,
"Dog!" or "Traitor!" A lesser man would have showered Judas with curses,
well-deserved curses. But not Jesus. Judas came as an enemy, and Jesus responded
as a friend. The love of Jesus was stronger than the hate of His enemies.
The arrest was a preview of the cross, was it not? On Calvary, our Lord was
treated as an enemy, but once again He responded as a friend. From the cross, in
the midst of its horror and anguish, He prayed, "Father, forgive them, for they
know not what they do." He knew what He was doing, for love is more clear-eyed
and far-sighted than hate. Love sees better through tears and in darkness than
hate does dry-eyed and in sunlight.
Judas called Jesus "Rabbi"--Teacher. This is what Jesus teaches, to be a friend
even to those who treat you as an enemy. He teaches us to return love for hate
and good for evil. The lessons come to us from Him in the form of example as
well as precept, which gives the lessons maximum force and leaves us without
excuse for ignoring or disobeying them.
His cross makes invincible friendship possible. It provides a pardon that
enables us to forgive others when they sin against us. It provides a cleansing
that enables us to love when we are hated even unto death. The mightiest force
of all history is the cross of Christ. It breaks the vicious cycle of hate for
hate, blow for blow, and death for death. It turns enemies into friends.
The hope of the world lies in its freedom to respond to the friendship of Christ
with repentance and faith.
THE MASTER HAS MERCY
"Master, have mercy on us." That was the cry of ten lepers who approached
Jesus and begged for healing.
In Jesus Christ we find the perfect blend of mastery and mercy. He exercises
lordship in love. He exerts power in pity.
Our world is well acquainted with loveless power. The terrible mess we are in
can be tracked to the ruthless exercise of authority.
Loveless power in the home is the source of wife abuse and child abuse. In the
church, loveless power corrupts the gospel, impedes the ministry and quenches
the Spirit. Loveless power in the state leads to crimes, riots and wars,
enslaving the best people, enriching the worst people.
Powerless love, on the other hand, cannot deliver us from loveless power. An old
saying runs, "I feel for you but I can't reach you." Sympathy is expressed but
succor is not given. Too often pity has no authority and regret has no
resources. "If I could...I would..." How often those words escape the lips of
frustrated people who look on human wretchedness with broken hearts but empty
hands.
Our Christ combines love and power! His mastery is merciful; His mercy is
masterful. "Master, have mercy," the lepers cried, and at His word "they were
cleansed" (Luke 17:13-14).
"All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth," declared the risen Christ.
Absolute power is safe only with absolute love. "Power corrupts," an ancient
political dictum holds, "and absolute power corrupts absolutely." The limitless
love of Jesus assures that His limitless power will not be abused for selfish
and destructive ends.
"Have mercy!" That is the prayer of every wise person. Justice would be our
ruin. If we received justice from the Lord our sins would sink us into hell.
What we need is mercy, vast and free, or we are doomed forever. Our Lord
"delights in mercy"--so much so that He endured our judgment that we might
receive His mercy. At Calvary powerful love collided with loveless power and
triumphed. His triumph is our salvation.
SOME THOUGHTS ABOUT AGING BY ONE WHO HAS DONE IT
Growing old has fewer pluses than minuses. When Browning wrote, "Grow old
along with me / The best is yet to be," he must have barely inched over into old
age, and didn't know all that was ahead for him and his beloved Elizabeth. Old
age brings more pain and loss than any other period of life. Old age is even
tougher than teen age.
I am reporting, not complaining. Few oldsters have the privileges that are mine.
To be eighty-two, going on one-hundred-three, and still mobile and sane is a
rare privilege. To be able to study God's word and then--wonder of wonders--to
be able to preach or teach it three times weekly is an immense joy.
Learning and sharing new things, things that matter for two worlds, is an
undeserved but not unappreciated blessing. To be useful and fruitful in the work
of God leaves a fellow with no disposition to mope or gripe. Each day is a
precious gift and a challenging responsibility.
If a person could unite the wisdom that only age can bring with the strength
that only youth can possess, that would be ideal. In this world, however, we
have to deal with what is real, not what is ideal. Real, in ripe old age, means
the steady breakdown of the machinery. You know it's happening, because the
twinges, creaking and increased consumption of pills are constant reminders that
"the old gray mule ain't what he used to be."
A fellow could become morose and miserable about slowing down, cracking up and
nodding off if he only or constantly concentrated on the downside. (I used the
wrong word there! At my age you don't manage much concentration. Your power of
attention wanes and your ability to recall robs you of much that you learn. You
get to where you can't remember whether or not you once had a good memory.)
Old age has its upside, however. You aren't expected to act, react and interact
with the vibrancy and versatility you formerly exhibited. Scripture says, "To
whom much is given, of him much is required." The flip side of that: "From whom
much is taken, of him little is expected." I have found that the aged are judged
less severely than the young. Our foibles and failures are often simply
dismissed by those who shrug and say, patiently or impatiently, "Well, what can
you expect? He is an OLD man."
People expect, and often tolerate, worsening infirmities of body, of mind and of
conduct in the old folks. There are some people who are too insensitive,
uncaring or downright mean to be tolerant of the old, but they aren't a
majority--at least they haven't been in my experience. Overall, folks have been
kind, thoughtful, appreciative and encouraging.
These thoughts were set in motion by something that happened on a recent Sunday.
At church, a woman was showing around a card with my picture on it that was
printed in 1961. In the course of its circulation among laughing viewers it
reached me. I hardly recognized the fellow. I could not remember ever looking
that young!
Lest I ramble too long and too far, let me say that the best thing about old age
is that every faltering step brings me closer home, that home with the Lord and
His people where youth, strength, learning, fascinating work and enriching
fellowship are everlasting. In that sense, "the best is yet to be," and with the
help of a walking stick that Mike Adams carved for me I will journey onward, not
grumbling and grousing but happy in the Lord and excited about the future.
TREAT ALL AS YOUR OWN
When England was a Catholic nation the arch-persecutor of Protestants was
Sir Thomas More. He pursued "Lutherans"(a cover name for all who opposed the
doctrines and policies of the Roman church) with a fanatical hatred and zeal. To
punish and burn them was, he believed, a duty to God.
But More had a problem and made an exception. The apple of his eye was his
oldest daughter Meg, and Meg's husband was a Lutheran. Against him More would
not use the lash or stake. As Jasper Ridley says, "His fanatical hatred of
heresy had stopped short of his own threshold...He was prepared to lie, slander
and persecute for the cause of the Church against Lutheranism; but he would not
make Meg a widow."
It makes a difference when the wrongdoer is from our own family. Some preachers
have been harsh in their opposition to sin until their own sons were wracked by
addiction to drugs or their own daughters turned up pregnant but unmarried. We
learn compassion swiftly when those we love most are involved in what we hate
most.
Would it not be wise and good if we treated every mother, every father, every
brother, every sister, every child as we would our own? This is what Paul
enjoins. "Do not rebuke an older man but exhort him as you would a father; treat
younger men like brothers, older women like mothers, younger women like sisters,
in all purity" (1 Timothy 5:1, RSV). There are some, we know, who can be
merciless and severe to their own family members, but most people make
allowances for their own even when they castigate others.
Serve the hurt, the fallen, the enslaved, the disgraced with the tender concern
you feel for your own loved ones. This does not mean that we condone sin, only
that we have compassion for the sinner. Here, as in all things, Jesus is our
perfect model. He was unfailingly patient and kind with the broken ones of
society.
When someone stumbles into deep sin, let us adopt toward them the same attitude
we would want people to have for our own loved ones in like circumstances.
WELCOME
I stopped at a traffic light in Texarkana, Texas. The car ahead of me
sported a handsome bumper stick that read "Welcome to Texas--Now Go Home."
Somehow the snarling tone of the second line made the welcome expressed in the
first line sound utterly insincere.
When God says "Welcome" you can count on His sincerity. His invitations are
never lightly spoken, for they were all expensively produced.
Sin alienates us from God. Closing the gap created by sin is beyond our power to
achieve. Nothing we can do will reconcile us to God. He alone can bridge the
chasm between himself and sinners, and this He has done in the cross of Jesus
Christ. "God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their
trespasses against them" (2 Corinthians 5:19, NASB). It took the death of Jesus
to atone for our sins. No higher price was ever paid for a welcome mat!
The cross is God's judgment on sin but His welcome to sinners. Through the
cross, He graciously invites every sinner to come and be forgiven, to come and
be adopted. Like the father in the story of the prodigal son, God is eager to
receive and embrace in pardoning love every person who will return to Him. He
will never tell those who come, "Now go home." Jesus said, "All that the Father
gives Me shall come to Me; and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast
out" (John 6:37, NASB). His welcome is never revoked. When God says, "Welcome to
My house," He means forever. God's house is the eternal destiny of those who
follow the Lord Jesus Christ. If any come to Him and then go away, the choice
was theirs, not His. There is no element of hypocrisy in His welcome.
I don't know what would prompt a person to flaunt such a bumper sticker on his
car. Probably it was a combination of pride, stupidity, and insincerity, for
these ingredients are usually found in the same mix. I do know a God who loves
even such unloving persons. I also know a Savior who could take that very Texan,
pardon his sins, let the hot air out of him, and make him a love-filled
Christian with whom others could fellowship in joy.
You can't put your feet on God's welcome mat and ever be the same again. You
can't step through His open door and remain the same person. His welcome, when
accepted, has power to transform character and conduct.
WHAT DID JESUS DO?
God commands, "Be holy, for I am holy." He revealed himself in the life of
Jesus, and that makes Jesus the meaning of and pattern for holiness.
Many people, facing hard decisions, ask themselves, "What would Jesus do?" I
confess that long ago I gave up trying to figure out what Jesus would do. My
question is, "What did Jesus do?"
I believe that enough of His life is disclosed in the Gospels to furnish
adequate guidance for our lives. As we consult the Gospels we watch Him work and
hear Him speak in all kinds of situations with all kinds of persons.
True, Jesus didn't live through all the situations we encounter. He never had to
decide between reading the Bible or reading the comics. He never had to decide
between leasing a car or buying a Harley. He never had to decide between
climbing the stairs or using the elevator. He was never tempted to yell at a
crazy driver. He was never tempted to divorce a wife. He was never tempted to
cut His son's allowance or to tell His mother-in-law to butt out of His affairs.
He was never tempted to kick a golf ball out of high grass or to smoke a little
grass instead of playing golf.
Scripture affirms that Jesus was "tempted in every way, just as we are," but it
doesn't mean that He faced every kind of temptation that we meet. He did,
however, face the option of good or bad attitudes and of right or wrong
responses just as we do. In all attitudes possible in a situation, and all
actions possible in a situation, He can serve as our guide by the information we
have in Scripture.
For example: when I am tempted to do wrong, I ask, "What did Jesus do when He
was tempted to do wrong?" He resisted the tempter, citing scripture to support
His refusal (Matthew 4:1-11). Okay. I can cling to the clear word of God and
dismiss the devil by affirming the Bible's demanding truth.
When I am lied to or lied about, I ask, "What did Jesus do?" He was slandered by
men in positions of power, but when insulted He did not retaliate and when
mistreated He did not threaten. Instead, He entrusted himself to His faithful
heavenly Father (1 Peter 2:21-23). Okay. When I am slandered or cursed I can put
the matter into God's hands for resolution and refuse to let another person's
anger or injustice determine my behavior.
Such samples of the attitudes and actions of Jesus when He was under fire are
sufficient guidance for me in whatever situations I face. My problem is not one
of insufficient guidance; my problem is a willingness to acquaint myself with
the Word of God with full intention of practicing its teachings. If I do what I
know I will know what I'm doing. I'll walk in light, not stumble in darkness.
WHEN GOD SPEAKS
On a bumper sticker I saw these words: WHEN GOD SPEAKS EVEN E. F. HUTTON
LISTENS.
That sounds clever, but it's not true. The recent history of that financial
institution clearly shows that they were not hearing and obeying God's voice.
Someone defined status quo as "Latin for the mess we're in." The mess we're in
results from the failure of human institutions--all human institutions, social,
political, cultural and religious--to listen to God.
When God created Adam, His next act was to speak to the man. God is a speaking
God, and man was created to respond to His voice. God continues to speak, but
men seldom listen. Our tragedies result, not because God is despotic, but
because man is rebellious. Man's sin, not God's silence, has produced the status
quo.
Just this morning I read again Lamentations, an outpouring of anguish over the
desolation of a people which is unparalleled in literature. It opens with the
mournful cry, "How lonely sits the city that was full of people," and closes
with the plaintive sob, "Hast thou utterly rejected us?" (RSV). Throughout this
expression of pain, grief, sorrow and near-despair, however, God's justice is
never denied. The prophet knows exactly where the blame lies: Israel must
confess, "The Lord is in the right, for I have rebelled against his word"
(1:18). God did not fail to speak, but His people refused to listen.
Last night I preached to an apathetic crowd, people too engrossed with pleasure
and things to incline their ears to God's word. I came away heartsick, thinking
about the Lord's aching frustration over Jerusalem's impenitence: "How often
would I have. . .and you would not" (Matthew 23:37). He had spoken, frequently
and compassionately, but they refused to hearken, thus making judgment
inescapable.
God speaks. Are we listening?
WORTH DOING POORLY
"A thing worth doing is worth doing poorly." That's what a famous evangelist
once said about his golf game.
If all the play were reserved for experts, how much play would be enjoyed? If
all the work were assigned to experts, how much work would get done?
Of course, if an expert can be found who is willing to commit the necessary time
and trouble, any project will be more valuable and successful. But often, to get
a job done at all, one must accept the labor of willing non-experts. Most
do-it-yourself projects belong to this category.
This is certainly true of the Lord's work, which is the Church's task. We are
seldom granted the luxury of asking, "Who can do it best?" Much of the time we
must settle for "Who will do it at all?"
When the unskilled or semi-skilled do the work, any grumpy critic can have a
field day. The negative criticism usually comes from those who had excused
themselves from the task. What they refused to do, someone else had to attempt.
If the results are imperfect, what right have the Alibi-Ikes to complain?
The work of God through the Church is too important to leave undone until enough
willing experts come along to do it. We cannot leave it to George if George is
determined to leave it to Georgina. Someone with more grace than expertise must
volunteer to do his or her best and leave the results to God. This is true of
preachers and laypersons alike.
I was a pastor for over 25 years, and I suppose I was living proof of the
argument just advanced. But in those years I found that the most persistent
critics of the church were those members least willing to roll up their sleeves
and pitch in to get the jobs done.
There is more work than there are experts to do it. There are more experts than
there are willing experts. Sheer necessity requires that unskilled or
semi-skilled laborers attempt much of the task. Those who do the work deserve
encouragement and appreciation, not complaints. We should help out or hush up.
