Staying on the Path

This week it finally happened. After months of waiting for an extended warming trend, the ice on our driveway melted enough for us to use the correct driveway path for the first time all winter. To understand this strange statement, you need to know that our driveway is about 300 feet long and has a pretty healthy bend in the middle of it. Without even knowing it, we spent the better part of the winter missing the bend and driving over a portion of ground that doesn't even have gravel underneath it. How would that happen? Why would we find ourselves making ruts in the snow over an area that is not even part of our proper driveway? Simple. The plow that came through after the first big snowstorm in December missed. And since the snow just kept on coming, we never recognized the mistake until the ground started to thaw in earnest these past few weeks and a few huge mudholes threatened to swallow our car.

While many Christians would admit that they have their share of struggles, few believe that they are really vulnerable to getting "off track" or "losing their way". But when Jesus instructed his disciples about the last days, he repeatedly mentioned deception as being a primary danger (4 times in 20 verses of Matthew 24). And He seemed to focus his warning on one particular danger: false Christs (v. 24).

Is it possible that in raising such a concern, Jesus was quietly warning us that the end times will be characterized by teachers who present a "Jesus" who doesn't clearly match the one revealed in the Scriptures? What if the Biblical Jesus here was warning about the teachers of our day who subtly give us a "Jesus" who winks at sin, and acts as if compromise is just part of what it means to walk in "grace" (and not of the true Jesus who speaks of grace as something that leads us to confront and overcome sin, not excuse it - Titus 2:11-12). What if He was asking that we beware of today's Christian books which present a "Jesus" who might enjoy sitting down and "dialoguing" about the morality of cohabitation, or casual drug and alcohol use (saying nothing of the Biblical Jesus who, while He didn't condemn the woman caught in adultery, He did lovingly and firmly instruct her to "Go and sin no more")? What if He was wanting us to watch out for teaching about a "Christ" who just asks for us to obey a certain set of religious rules and then allows us to continue to indulge in a few "heart" sins (Never really telling us of the true Christ who earnestly desires that we enter into a love relationship with Him that involves ALL of our heart, soul, mind and strength)? Or what if the real Jesus in Matthew 24 was warning of the very insidious tendency of his followers to create a personal "Christ" which suits their own fancies — one that excuses pride, selfishness, or resentment; a "Christ" that accepts a small and insignificant place in their day-to-day life and minimizes their particular patterns of sin as being "not all that bad"?

In the sermon on the mount, Jesus clearly taught that the gate that leads to life is very narrow. The well trampled paths, even within orthodox Christianity, may have been blazed by someone who missed the truth! If there is not a hunger in our souls to know the true Jesus, whatever this knowledge costs us, perhaps we don't have Him at all. And this is a sinkhole that we cannot afford to fall into.

So how can we avoid being deceived in such confusing times? Our only hope is to cling to the True Shepherd who promises to lead "in paths of righteousness for his name's sake" (Psalm 23:3) and cling to His word which promises to be "a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path." ( Psalm 119:105)

Lessons from the Snow

I woke up this morning to an inch or two of new snow. It's decorating the evergreens around our house and blanketing over the old grey stuff that had been slowly melting since December. But beyond the surprise of another layer of winter, the new snow reminded me of some of the most precious thoughts that the Scriptures give to Christians walking through a fallen world.

The problem with walking through a fallen world is that the dirt and grime of it tends to rub off on us. No matter how much we seek to insulate ourselves, we all are generally affected by the attitudes and values of ungodly people and influences around us. Add to that picture the challenge of keeping our own corrupt hearts in line (hearts which Scripture says are "deceitfully wicked") and it is no surprise that Christians struggle with a certain level of "soul pollution", something that can build up over time. There is a "whole body" cleaning that goes on when a person trusts Christ as his Savior, but Jesus told his disciples that even those whose bodies have been cleaned must wash their feet (John 13:10). By this, I believe that Jesus meant that the sins which fasten themselves to us as we walk through this filthy world, must be confessed and renounced. They are not to be ignored or minimized, but brought to God for fresh cleansing.(1 John 1:8-9)

And this is where the illustration of snow comes in. Snow is used at least 2 times in scripture to picture the grace of God in cleansing sin.

Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. (Isaiah 1:18)

Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.(Ps 51:7)

But what is it about snow that makes it such an apt picture of forgiveness? Well, here are a few thoughts to consider:

1. Snow covers up junk
After our area received over 80 inches of snow in December, there was absolutely no evidence that I had a scrap wood pile behind my shed. And the wheelbarrow that had been out by the driveway was no longer even visible. So it is when God's grace cleans our souls. God's forgiveness never denies the truth that we have sinned, it simply treats us as if we did not —all because of Jesus. (2 Cor 5:21) Isn't it amazing that God offers this kindness to ones as unworthy as ourselves. Amazing Grace indeed!

2. Snow is beautiful.
Fresh snow covering every stump and weed (and wheelbarrow) not only hides their ugliness, but clothes them with beauty. There are few scenes as stunningly beautiful as forest meadow immediately after a heavy snowfall. The ordinary becomes extraordinary, and the mundane becomes magnificent. Such is the grace of God in granting forgiveness of our sin. Even Jesus' disciples marveled at the heartfelt expression of worship that the sinful woman performed on Jesus when she washed his feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. Jesus commended her and explained that the beauty of her devotion was the direct outcome of God's forgiveness of her many sins. Grace does that.

3. Snow brings peace.
Just as there are few things as beautiful as the landscape after a snowstorm, there are few things that are more peaceful than a quiet place after heavy snow. Even as a child, I remember plopping down to make a snow angel then just laying there enjoying the quietness and peace that the new snow brought to my little world. Road noise was muffled, everything was still. Taking a walk in the woods after a snow is even more striking as all the hubbub of life seems to settle down and melt into the fluffy powder that surrounds me. Similarly, the grace of God in forgiving sin brings peace. The condemning cries of Satan and gentle appeals of conscience are both stilled in the atmosphere of tenderness and reassurance from God. All is forgiven, all is well. "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."(Romans 5:1)

So if the grace of God in forgiving sin is so wonderful, why do we so often carry around the deadening baggage of unconfessed sin? There are probably many factors, but part of it is that Christians today have somehow adopted a very casual attitude toward sin. We call it a mistake, or poor judgment or maybe a character flaw or a personal weakness, but hesitate to call it what it really is--a transgression of God's holy law. The truth is that sin is offensive to God. It is rebellion against the One who created us and it sent His Son to an agonizing death on the cross. Sometimes the problem is not that we are minimizing our sin, but that we haven't even stopped long enough to consider our ways. Have I failed God in any way? Are there any "pet sins" that I'm trying to hide or justify? Have I neglected Him or His word? Have my attitudes been right? Is my heart soft toward God and others? When we are finished examining ourselves, the prayer that David prayed can often bring even more light -- light that we desperately need, "Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." (Psalm 139:23-24)

I think that when we quietly cover our sin or try to live as if it's ok with God, we not only disappoint our heavenly Father whose name is Holy, we also show that we have forgotten the tremendous blessings that He gives when we unload the burden at the feet of Jesus, acknowledging our failure and asking for forgiveness and the power to change. Our resistance to the Spirit's nudges ultimately only hurts ourselves. God's precious promise that if we will return to the Lord, "he will abundantly pardon." (Isaiah 55:7) Those who ignore this call not only consign themselves to burdened-down lives, but miss out on the most blessed kind of snowstorm.

Substitutions: Why Revival Tarries

Growing up with a mother who is an excellent cook is a blessing. But in spite of her culinary prowess, there was one menu item my mom failed to consistently master over the years . . . biscuits. Somehow, she regularly committed the same faux pas in preparing them. By all outward appearances, the biscuits looked just as they should. However, some unfortunate family member would inevitably be the first to take a bite of a steaming buttered biscuit only to discover that once again my mother had substituted baking soda for baking powder... Now there are some substitutions in cooking that work beautifully, but just ask any of my siblings who decades later still have the flavor of baking soda biscuits indelibly printed on their taste buds---there are some substitutions in cooking that can ruin a good recipe. When it comes to biscuits, the long term effect of bad substitutions is insignificant, but when it comes to the kingdom of God, the results can be disastrous.

As the Christian community has walked through the past 10 months, there has been a growing concern about our country. With a significant presidential election, the unstable prices of fuel and food, and the cataclysmic economic rumblings, Christians are wrestling to find a place to put our feet. Inevitably as we have heard these numerous concerns expressed, most of us have probably heard the well known verse quoted again: "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." (II Chronicles 7:14)

Is it my imagination, or is this verse not quoted with quite the same confidence and bravado today as it was quoted in years past? How many times have we as Christians claimed the promise of 2 Chronicles 7:14 for our country only to be disappointed with the lack of visible results? Certainly the Word and promises of God stand true. Even if our faith falters, the character and power of God has not changed. Just over 150 years ago, in the midst of similar financial and cultural turmoil, regular people began to pray and God answered by bringing over one million people (out of the 30 million total US population at that time) into the kingdom of God in one year (read more here). Less than 50 years ago, God sent a similar revival that swept Canada and rippled throughout the world (watch a wonderful testimony here). Why isn't God doing similar things today?

At the heart of the problem is a substitution so subtle and yet so significant that it has hindered the hand of God from doing all that He longs to do. In our concern for our country, we have clung to the promise found in this verse, viewing it as a checklist of what we must do in order to save our land. However, God never intended the Scriptures to be a formula for success. They were meant to reveal the heart and character of God and His provision of a Savior for our sins--so that we could know and love Him. All too often we look to God only for the gifts He will give us, not for the loving relationship He desires to have with us. Can we really grasp how He loves us and longs for us to love Him in return?

William Mason put it so beautifully in his devotional entitled "Christ is All":

"We were once stout-hearted rebels against His crown and government! But, O the love of His royal heart! Instead of executing fierce vengeance upon us, for our sins—lo, He came from heaven to earth, with a flame of love in His heart, and matchless grace on His lips—on purpose . . .
-to die for us,
-to wash us from our sins in His own blood,
-to conquer the rebellion of our hearts against Him,
-and to win our affections to Him."(more here)

All too often we live our days in quiet unbelief and rebellion against our Savior, pursuing sin or seeking fulfillment in things that were meant to add joy to our lives but never satisfy the deepest longings of our heart. When we live this way, the Living God, the Creator of the Universe is relegated to a smaller and smaller place, until we are fully on the throne of our hearts. How subtly this happens. We seldom intend to make this substitution, but in the busy daily choices of life we inevitably let the love of family, pleasure, and self crowd out our beloved Savior. And when His love and blessings fail to woo us, His only remaining option is to slowly allow difficult circumstances to catch us off guard enough so that we can hear His still small voice calling us to return to Him. All too often when things get uncomfortable, instead of seeing our own desperate need, we take a verse that is calling us to return to a love relationship with Him and turn it into a checklist of things to do. . . .all the while keeping our heart cool toward Him and holding on to our favorite sins.

William Mason clarifies the real thrust of 2 Chronicle 7:14:

"O for a single eye to look unto Jesus, a humble heart to sit at His feet, and a simple soul to hear and believe every word from His gracious lips, that we may know the love of Christ—constantly know it by a heartfelt sense of it. This, this is the one thing needful—to make poor sinners rich, and miserable sinners happy in time, and joyful to all eternity!

Remember your chief employment. It is not merely to make a profession, and to keep up a form of godliness; but to maintain and keep up a warm, lively, comfortable sense of the love of Christ in your hearts, from day to day, yes, from hour to hour!" (more here)

When we return to God with our whole heart, He can heal our land because He can finally heal us. He can heal our land because the very instruments that He chooses to use to bring salvation and wholeness to a lost and dying world are finally "fit for the Master's use". Unbelievers will then begin to sense their need for a Savior, not because of the persuasiveness of our words, but because of the contrast in our lives. And there is no substitute for that.

Some have called for a day of prayer and fasting on Monday, November 3. We urge you to prayerfully consider setting aside this day, especially in light of the elections on Tuesday.

Finishing Well

It seemed like a routine trip to the doctor's office. Tim's mom had taken a couple of unexpected spills and the doctor was concerned that she had suffered a very mild stroke. "99% chance, that's what it is," he had said. But now, as she sat with her husband of 30+ years, the doctor's voice lowered to deliver a very different message. "You have malignant inoperable brain tumors." In the quietness that followed those shocking words, she gathered her thoughts, turned to her husband and bravely said, "I guess I'm going to get to go to heaven before you do." Dad just put his head in his hands and sobbed. Her words offered little comfort at the moment, but during the difficult period of treatments and even the fulfillment of her statement six months later, Dad came to more fully appreciate these as words of faith, spoken by a woman who wanted to finish well.

Many people begin their lives well because their families start them on the right track. However, the responsibility of living to please God and finishing well rests squarely on the shoulders of each individual. How many have begun well only to shipwreck on life's unexpected temptations, sidetracks, or trials? The effects of such a tragedy ripple throughout an already weakened church and a watching secular community. In contrast, the life of a faithful, godly Christian who finishes well can encourage others to faith for generations. Who can measure the lasting impact of courageous faith and godly lives in people like Martin Luther, Hudson Taylor, Amy Carmichael, George Mueller or Charles Finney? Or even looking at the lives of dear Christians we have personally known over the years, how many lives have been eternally blessed because of their faithfulness? Our own children still reap the benefits of the faith and prayers of Tim's godly grandmother even though she died before they were born.

Finishing well often has less to do with the external choices that we make than why and how we make them. Why do we watch the things we do? Why do we read the books or listen to the music we do? Do we limit our choices because the kids are around or because we genuinely desire that God would be glorified in our lives? Does the concern for what others will think pilot our decisions more than we would care to admit? Where is our love for God? Far too often it is buried beneath a pile of sinful heart attitudes and selfish motivations. The Bible is clear, sin takes away our heart for God. (Hos. 4:11) And yet loving God, from the heart and through our actions, is the primary goal every Christian should have. Do we honestly want to finish well? If we are going to do so, we must seek the grace to lay aside every area of sin (even sinful motivations), believing that He can enable us as we look to Him.

The challenge of finishing well becomes even more difficult when one is living in the time which the Scriptures call "the last days". Today many Christians believe that things are winding down and that the end times are upon us. But why does that make it more difficult to live for God? Romans 13:11-14 mentions one of the biggest hindrances to glorifying God during this time: a tendency of Christians to be asleep to the dangers at hand, forgetting the importance of finishing well. Instead of Christians walking with God in holiness, the Bible tells us there will be a complacency as never before, coupled with an increasing amount of sin in the church. (Matthew 24:12, 2 Thess. 2:3) What are we to do in such a time as this? The Bible has much to say about this, but we will highlight the most important one. Romans 13:14 tells us to put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh. Along the same lines Rev. 3:20 highlights the same concept. Jesus said, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to him and will sup with him and he with me." Often used to call non-Chrisitans to Christ, this precious promise is actually addressing Christians. In spite of the evilness of the times and the dangerous condition of the church, Christ offers to each believer the promise that if we will truly open our hearts and lives to Him, He will fellowship with us throughout our daily lives. This is not a mystical experience promised here, but the living reality of His presence and strengthening in our day to day lives. May God give us grace to truly open our hearts to Him in these difficult days, that we might finish well, by His power and for His glory.

Keep yourselves in the Love of God

Flashing lights greeted the kids and me as we headed towards the intersection of Highways of 95 and 53 last Monday. The familiar road was not even properly blocked off yet, but emergency vehicles were arriving from every direction. We immediately knew that someone had just experienced a tremendous shock, and perhaps was facing a tragedy. We began to pray for safety for the victims and asked God to work in their hearts even through this terrible circumstance. Heavy hearted and a little shaken, we drove on home only to receive an email asking for prayer for the local Christian mother who had just been in a car crash. The next day, when I realized that the family mentioned was one that we had met through homeschool soccer, I just put my head in my hands and wept. Another Christian family in our community facing a major crisis, the fourth in a string of tragedies over the last weeks left me stunned and grieving.

It was a little over three years ago that we faced a similar series of crises within our own extended family. After about 6 months of "mysterious" symptoms, Tim's 45 year old brother was diagnosed with liver and colon cancer. As the aggressive cancer quickly spread throughout his body it was clear that unless God intervened, he would only have a few months to live. We traveled east to be with him and his family, spending three precious weeks with them before we had to return home. While still reeling from this tragic situation, we received word that my mother had a spot on her lungs that the doctors believed might be cancer. Further tests would reveal that it was. Six short weeks later we headed back to Illinois for the funeral of Tim's brother. Surprised by the suddenness of the situations; we moved through those days struggling to show love and support our families in spite of our own shock and grief.

However, amidst the sorrow and unanswered questions, God provided comfort for us through the ministry of a godly Presbyterian pastor at the church we were attending at that time. Sunday after Sunday as he faithfully proclaimed the love and providence of God, our hearts were refreshed and revived. His messages seemed to echo the words Corrie ten Boom, "There is no pit so deep that God's love is not deeper still." How desperately we needed to be reminded of the amazing vastness of God's love and power. It would have been so easy to allow emotional fatigue and the heartbreaking circumstances to determine our outlook. However, we recognized that God was calling to us to keep ourselves in His love. "Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life." (Jude 21)

On the surface, this seems like a strange command for God to make. How can we help but be in the love of God? The Bible tells us that at His very essence, God is love. If God is love and God is omnipresent, how can we be anywhere but in the love of God? And yet, Scripture in other passages explains that it is possible for us to harden our hearts and pull away from the wellsprings of His love. It is a temptation that we all face. Unexplainable suffering or difficulties often cause us to resist the love of God and this can lead us to a place of fear or unbelief— a place where we cannot help but feel "away from" or "outside of" the love of God. An honest appraisal reveals that at the core of turning away from the love of God is always our own sin.

So what are we to do if in the midst of the greatest trials of our lives we find ourselves faltering? We must go to the One knows all about our struggles with doubt and believe He loves us anyway. But we have to go honestly . . . . broken, weary, weeping. We need to turn to Him and ask him to do in us what we cannot do in our own strength …to teach us to abide in Him. Perhaps that is why many early Puritan pioneers often answered each other's enquiries as to how they were doing with the simple phrase . . . "Being kept."

• "Being kept" in the love of God, to know His peace and even joy in the middle of life's painful twists and turns.
• "Being kept" from doubts, fears or unbelief.
• "Being kept" from sinful responses to our painful circumstances whether it be anger, jealousy, or pettiness.
• "Being kept" from relentless pleasure seeking in an effort to numb the pain of life
• "Being kept" from gossip and slander, when we want to lash out in frustration at our circumstances.
• "Being kept" from sin, so that we might experience the fellowship and comfort of God.

And in the end, when we stand facing God and eternity, we will look back at our feeble attempts to "keep ourselves in the love of God", knowing that it was God, Himself, the Author and Finisher of our faith who ultimately did the keeping.

"Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen." Jude 1:24

Nothing Too Precious

Sometimes, one little sentence can hold a world of challenge and inspiration, especially if that sentence distills the essence of the man who spoke it. We know very little about F.S. Parker. It is difficult to even piece together the life of an obscure man in the late 1800s and yet the short statement he made to a small group of Christians in 1888 has become a treasure to me as a Christian and as a father.

F.S. Parker had a little mission hall in Pittsfield, Massachusetts where he ministered alongside his wife and his daughter, Susie. Susie was an only child, but did not seem to be spoiled by it. She grew up hearing the stories of Jesus but was also constantly reminded, by involvement with the mission hall, that Jesus calls us to love others in His name. Over the years, she became convinced of both the tremendous price that Jesus paid to purchase our souls and the heart Jesus had for those who were not yet saved. There was a genuineness about her faith that showed up when it was time to help around the house or prepare something for an outreach service at the mission hall. So it was not surprising that when the opportunity came to hear renowned missionary Hudson Taylor speak about the spiritual needs of China, she eagerly went.

It was Hudson Taylor's first trip to the United States, and the very beginning of what would become the North American arm of the China Inland Mission. Taylor's words stirred 26 year old Susie's heart and, along with several others, she offered herself to the Lord as a missionary on behalf of China. Preparations were made, training was done, and soon this first group of North Americans to join Hudson Taylor's mission had gathered for a "send off" service.

To quote from a biography of Hudson Taylor,

"The father of a dear girl in the party, Miss Susie Parker, had come over from Pittsfield, Mass., and was sitting near the platform. Seeing a wonderful light on his face, Mr. Taylor invited him to say a few words...He told us with a father's feelings, what his daughter had been in the home, to him and to her mother; what she had been in the mission-hall in which he worked, and something of what it meant to part with her now.

`But I could only feel,' he said, 'that I have nothing too precious for my Lord Jesus. He has asked for my very best ; and I give, with all my heart, my very best to Him.'"

"Nothing too precious for my Lord Jesus" The words have stirred me often and form an irrefutable answer to every objection that my flesh raises when a new cost is asked of me regarding my commitment to Christ.

"But I'm not sure I can live without that little pet sin!" —Nothing too precious for my Lord Jesus.

"But I don't feel ready to take on this ministry responsibility that's being asked of me!" —Nothing too precious for my Lord Jesus.

"But I'm already so busy. How can I really be expected to spend significant time in prayer for the lost and for the world?" —Nothing too precious for my Lord Jesus.

"But I'm scared to share the gospel with people – what if I'm rejected?" —Nothing too precious for my Lord Jesus.

Mr. Taylor shares further,

"That sentence was the richest thing I got in America, and has been an untold blessing to me ever since. Sometimes when pressed with correspondence the hour has come for united prayer, and the thought has arisen, ought I not to go on with this or that matter? Then it has come back to me-' Nothing too precious for my Lord Jesus.' The correspondence has been left to be cared for afterwards, and one has had the joy of fellowship unhindered. Sometimes waking in the morning, very weary, the hour has come for hallowed communion with the Lord alone ; and there is no time like the early morning for getting the harp in tune for the music of the day. Then it has come again'Nothing too precious for my Lord Jesus,' and one has risen to find that there is no being tired with Him. That thought also has been a real help to me when leaving my loved ones in England. Indeed, I could never tell how many hundreds of times God has given me a blessing through those words."

"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field." -Matthew 13:44

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The quotes above are taken from the book Hudson Taylor & The China Inland Mission: The Growth of A Work Of God. Many other encouraging books are also available to read online here.

The Hidden Half

We were taking one last hike before the snowfall when one of the kids noticed an odd site. A large chunk of tree had washed up on the shoreline of Lake Pend Oreille. I say "a chunk of tree" because it wasn't a log, and it wasn't a branch. It was probably 15 feet of trunk, with a large tangle of branches on top--or at least they looked kind of like branches... But a closer inspection led us to conclude that the tangle of branches were really a tangle of roots. A lengthy soak in swashing lake water had removed every clod of dirt, exposing the elaborate root system of a "once mighty" pine tree.



I walked along pondering what an unusual sight we had just seen. This tree's substantial (but normally invisible) undergirding was exposed to us for careful examination, raising questions about why it fell, and how it washed up on this lonely beach. I also began to consider what a picture this chunk of tree painted of fallen creatures like ourselves.

I believe that in every life, it is the hidden portion that really determines its health. The half of ourselves that is visible to others might receive most of our attention, but it is in the creases of our soul that true health is either cultivated or diminished. As Soloman once wrote, "Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life" (Proverbs 4:23) But how are we to keep our heart? And how is it that our roots can develop into a source of strength, nourishment and stability?

Strong Soil
Jesus once explained that one who heard his words and obeyed them was like a man building his house upon a rock. (Matthew 7:24-27) The durability of the house had less to do with the materials used to build the house, but more to do the stability of its foundation. So we must ask ourselves, "How do I cope when the storms of life arrive and strength is demanded? Where does my heart turn in moments of weakness? What do I do when my best solutions seem woefully inadequate?" More than 30 times God in Scripture called himself a Rock--a source of strength and refuge. More specifically, Jesus is called the spiritual Rock (1 Cor. 10:4) and described as One upon whom we can build. (1 Cor. 3:11) Roots that are grown deep into the Lord Jesus Christ will add stability that we desperately need in these days.

Nourishing Soil
Roots have a way of seeking nutrients from whatever soil they are planted in. They can even be very strong roots, but if the ground is void of nourishment, the tree is hindered from growing. People sometimes form deep roots into nutritionally barren soil. Oh, how deeply we dig our hearts into activities, projects and relationships with hopes of finding some food for the hunger of our souls only to find that in spite of all the effort and energy invested, we are hungry still. Jesus said, " I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst." (John 6:35) A heart that quietly looks to Jesus for nourishment will find itself strengthened and satisfied.

In a sense, when we first come to believe on Christ, a root of life is established in our souls. (2 Cor. 5:17) But if that root is not firmly and intentionally attached to Jesus, we can find ourselves weak, unstable and barren. Sometimes an honest recognition of soul barrenness, and the urgent pangs of soul hunger are really a call from God to repent of our foolish outward focus and to draw near to Christ in earnest faith with that hidden half of us. God will do the rest.

As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. (Colossians 2:6-7)

Who will pray?

This morning I received an email from an elderly pastor friend who has been mightily used by God over the last 40 years...he has been diagnosed with bone cancer. Ever since we met a few years ago, I have often felt humbled when I would listen to his messages. It seemed that every other sentence was a direct quote from scripture without even looking at his Bible and everything he says reflects an intimacy with God. I got a glimpse of the hidden reasons for his powerful ministry one day when he casually mentioned his daily practice of reading more than 14 chapters of scripture and of rising at 4 am to spend hours praying through an extensive list of prayer needs.

Bone cancer? I thought. "Please spare him a little longer, Father", I prayed. A number of dedicated Christian leaders have gone on to glory this year, but can we bear to lose this spiritual giant? Who will believe God for sweeping movements of His Spirit? Who will pray?

The loss of such a man only seems frightening because of the spiritual condition of most Christians today. If the Lord is to visit us again in power (something that many Christians agree that we need), it must be in answer to the earnest, insistent, believing prayers of His people. But who will pick up the mantle?

This mantle cannot be picked up by any of us until we begin to address the things that hinder our praying. And there is probably nothing more hindering to prayer than losing heart because of unanswered prayer.

I believe that if most Christians were brutally honest, they would admit that many times prayer has been a disappointing experience. Often we pray and pray and nothing seems to happen. Sometimes after praying for awhile without any answers, we essentially lay prayer aside in view of trying to fix things ourselves. God apparently is not listening.

And this is precisely where a heart to persist in believing prayer dies on the vine and any encouragement to persevere in prayer just sounds like empty words. It has been my observation (and my experience) that the moment we begin to quietly blame God for unanswered prayer, all motivation to really pray goes out the window. At this pivotal juncture when we find ourselves questioning God's love, goodness or power, we must step back and take a radically different approach if we are going to be able to continue to pray or begin to see God answer our prayers.

And what approach is that? Instead of questioning God's motives, or agreeing in our hearts with the lie that prayer is essentially a waste of time, we need to ask Him a few questions. "What is it about MY life or MY praying that is keeping you from being able to answer?" or "What is wrong with ME, that I can't prevail with You in prayer, O God?" or to use the words of David, "Search ME, O God, and know my heart: try me and know my thoughts; And see if there be any wicked way in ME, and lead me in the way everlasting."

Such a request will invariably lead us to a number of Biblical conditions that we must meet if we are to prevail in prayer. Let me mention just 2 verses that contain a number of such conditions:

1Ti 2:8 "I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting."

James 5:16b "The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."

These lead us to stop asking God why He isn't listening and begin to ask ourselves a few questions:

• Am I really saved? Do I really belong to God?
• Are my hands holy? Have I confessed any known sin and forsaken all "pet" sins?
• Am I resentful and unforgiving? Am I nursing some wounds instead of releasing them to God?
• Am I believing God's promises when I pray, or believing my experience? Am I praying in faith?
• Am I earnest and insistent in my prayers? Am I really pouring out my heart to God or just saying my prayers?
• Am I righteous--even though I'm not perfect? Am I standing in God's forgiveness in Christ and seeking to live a life pleasing to Him?
• Am I willing to believe God is hearing me and trust Him regarding His timing? Will I let God be God?

Honest answers to these kinds of questions can allow us to stop blaming God for unanswered prayers and start pleading with Him to make us the kind of people whose prayers He can respond to.

I'm beginning to realize that power in prayer is very similar to the matter of becoming a Christian. It is not complicated, but it is costly. Unanswered prayers are less a sign of God's unwillingness to answer than a sign of our unwillingness to let Him change us. We must be willing to respond like a little child to the matters God exposes to us, knowing that He loves us and only wants to make us holy. Then unanswered prayer will cease to be a hindrance to prayer because we will begin to see God doing special things in response to our simple but believing requests.

Our generation desperately needs some giants in the prayer closet. Let's take up the challenge and trust God to grow our feet big enough to fill those empty shoes that some of our elderly brethren are leaving behind.

Lord Jesus, teach us to pray.

"For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him." 2 Chronicles 16:

No Part Dark

I didn't know what I was getting myself into when I offered to do any of the dirty work involved in fixing my 5 year old boiler. Our furnace guy is a friend who had offered to come over and help troubleshoot the faltering system, but since it was all volunteer, I wanted to spare him the grunt work. So following his instructions, I carefully removed the front panel and discovered heating tubes all clogged up with soot. "There's your problem," he said, and handed me a painter's mask, a long handled pipe brush and the shop vac. "I think this is going to get a little bit messy," I thought, as I started brushing and vacuuming. 30 minutes later I emerged from the furnace area with my eyes burning and every inch of exposed skin now colored in varying shades of black. I glanced at a mirror near the front door and was shocked to see a man who could easily be mistaken for a 19th century coal miner looking back at me.

With the dirty work over, the worst was still to come--the cleanup effort. A few shop rags and some hand cleaner made a good start and did a reasonable job on my hands, but they couldn't even begin to help with all the nooks and crannies of my face. So I did something I've never done before. I took a mirror with me into the shower. With some meticulous scrubbing and alot of water streaming over me for a long time, I finally got out and recognized myself again. I thought that was the end of it, but the next morning a closer examination revealed that a black sooty residue had still managed to cling to the inside of my ears...and the next day a wrinkle in my neck...

And so it is with all of God's children who embark on this lifelong "clean up effort" called the Christian Life. The mess that we are in when we come to God is a pretty evident reality. Take the raw materials of an inborn self-centeredness and put it into the environment of a fallen world and we find ourselves blackened from head to foot with the soot of sin. Our immediate impulse is to try to clean ourselves up in order to come to God. But then we discover that God has provided a Savior who does not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. When we finally admit the tremendous need of forgiveness that our souls have, and look to Jesus, then a tremendous miracle of cleansing occurs and we are never dirty in the same way again.

But what about the ongoing sin that dirties our faces and feet as we walk on as children of God? Many Christians find themselves falling into the subtle trap that captured the Galatian Christians, "having begun in the Spirit, are you now made perfect by the flesh?" (Gal. 3:3) With tremendous effort, they seek to make themselves clean by trying harder, looking better and serving more. However, this response to sin doesn't bring the internal cleanness that God alone can bring. Instead, it generally brings a spirit of pride and self importance before others while the private sins and sins of the heart remain undealt with. The implied answer to Paul's question to the Galatian Christians is that our own efforts cannot bring about the level of perfecting that is needed. Just as the initial cleansing work must be done by Jesus, so the ongoing cleansing work belongs to Christ as well.

Others who experience disappointment and failure in trying to perfect themselves simply abandon their efforts by lowering the bar. How many Christians live with pockets of bondage and sin that they simply hide, bury or try to ignore---all the while claiming that nobody's perfect and that their posture is really just one of "living in Grace"? It is very easy to excuse little areas of compromise in our own lives and hearts when it seems that Christians around us do the same sorts of things. Isn't God a gracious and loving God who is willing to bear with a little fleshliness here and there?

To this, the Scriptures resoundingly respond that Jesus' intention is to "present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish." (Ephesians 5:27) And to the individual, Jesus says "If thy whole body therefore be full of light, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle doth give thee light." (Luke 11:36) It is not by allowing for a little dirt to remain that we live in Grace, but by surrendering ourselves completely to the only One who can truly sanctify us.

And even in this, becoming clean is not the end that God calls us to. God calls us to Himself--to walk moment-by-moment with the One who made us and loves us. But because He is absolutely righteous, walking with Him brings about more and more righteousness in us. The surrender to His workings in our soul as we walk with Him necessarily results in a deeper holiness, but it is an outcome our walk with Him, rather than an aim on our part.

This sort of quiet surrender to the internal work of Jesus in our hearts is as simple as confessing sin as soon as we become aware of it. It is responding with willingness to be changed when God shows us an area that needs improvement, and it is believing in the enabling of God when he asks us to do something that seems beyond us. Walking in Grace is never abandoning the idea of a spotless life before God, but it is also never presuming that anyone but Christ can bring it about. In time, this sort of dependence on Jesus not only brings a holiness to our lives, but a humility as well.

Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen. (Jude 24-25)