Love: theory, or reality?!

A scholarly bachelor wrote a treatise on the subject: "What is love?" His research was extensive. Numerous books were reviewed, and many months were spent in the organisation and development of the material gathered. When his work was ready for submission to a publisher, arrangements were made with a public stenographer (these were the days before everyone had their own computer with a Word Processing programme!) to type the manuscript. 

Walking into her office for the first time, something unusual, and totally unexpected, happened! Eyes met! Pulses quickened! A strange feeling swept over both of them. It was love at first sight! The subject of the writer's paper was no longer a mere theory to him. It became a reality as he personally discovered its satisfying rewards. By this exciting contact he learned, and understood, more about his topic in a few seconds than he had gleaned through all of his, sometimes tedious, studies.

To be really appreciated, this marvellous thing called 'love' must be experienced, and comprehended, at a deeply personal level. Such a wonderful experience can be activated only by a mutual response.

This is also true in our relationship with the Lord Jesus, "... Who gave Himself for us, to redeem us from all iniquity, and to purify for Himself a people of His own who are zealous for good deeds." (Tit.2:14), and Who loves us with an everlasting love. Yet, until we react to His demonstration of His tender affection manifested in His gift of Himself in His sacrificial death on the cross of Calvary, our hearts can never throb with with the thrill of of that Divine concern. Without acceptance of Jesus as Saviour, and submission to Him as King, we will never know what that delightful fellowship is all about.

Have you received the Saviour? If so, then for you the joyous satisfaction of His love, revealed in the written Word of God, the Bible, isn't just a theory - it's a reality! If not - then what are you waiting for? "God loved the world - and that includes you! -  so much, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever places their trust in Him, and yields to His authority in their life, should not perish but have, here and now, His own life (eternal life) in them"! (John 3:16; my paraphrase). "We love Him," writes John, "becaue He first loved us." (I Jn.4:19). 

If you think that I may be of any assistance, please feel free to contact me at the e-mail address above. I don't check that one as regularly as I do my premier address, but I shall respond as soon as I do - and provide that premier address. Alternatively, if you came to this post via Facebook, I am happy to receive a pm.

Reverse reasoning!

One of the sad characteristics of modern society is the preponderance of divorce. What, to me, is even sadder is the number of divorced, and remarried, couples who claim to be born again of God the Holy Spirit. Now, I am fully aware that there are certain reasons that may be considered 'acceptable' for a divorce to come about. I know, too, that Almighty God Who, "... from the beginning made them male and female ..." (Matt.19:4), and Who decreed that "'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother, and be joined to his wife, and the two shall  become one flesh'. So they are no longer two, but one flesh. What, therefore, God has joined together, let not man put asunder." (Mark.10:7-9), "... hates divorce ..." (Mal.2:16), but permits it because He knows the 'hardness of our hearts'. (see Mk.10:5).

Divorce produces all sorts of adverse sociological effects. Children are often torn in their allegiance between two warring parents. Often, the absence of love, or the lack of a proper father, or mother, image can warp the character of youngsters who are innocently involved in a marital "tog of war". However, if a man loves his wife, and cleaves to her alone; and if she, in turn, respects and reverences her husband as the Word of God clearly demands; then they will avoid many of the pitfalls in marriage. 

Of course, this requires that currently rare quality that is named "committment". Too often, couples are united in wedlock in a rosy fog of optimism! They see only the good point of their 'significant other', and are blind to anything else. As the old adage puts it: "Love is blind - but marriage is an eye-opener"! Some are aware of the other's faults, but convince themselves that the person will change (or that they will change the person!), after the wedding.

When I married a couple, I often gifted them not only a Bible, but also a book titled "After the wedding comes a marriage". It made the basic point that the two words are not synonymous. Indeed, the "reverse reasoning" in the heading refers to what may happen when the wedding and the honeymoon are over. "Reverse reasonings" are when what were once viewed as attributes are gradually catalogued as faults. Someone has listed just a few of these. "She was married to him because he was 'strong and masculine'; she divorced him because he was 'a very dominating male'. He was married to her because she was so 'fragile and petite'; he divorced her because she was so 'weak and helpless'. She chose him because 'he knew how to provide a good living'; she divorced him because 'all he thought about was his business'. She loved him because he was 'easygoing and romantic'; she left him because he was 'shiftless and always partying'. He was married to her because she was 'steady and sensible'; he divorced her because she was 'boring and dull'.

As we are all sinners in the sight of Almighty God, we must expect to find 'faults' in any one we choose as a mate. However - and I speak as one who is anticipating the 48th anniversary of my marriage on the 4th of next month - there is a way! I have often explained it as the true "eternal triangle". In the world, the "eternal triangle" tends to refer to me, my wife, and the other man/woman. The "eternal triangle" to which I refer is the husband, the wife, and the Lord. My wife and I are at opposite ends of the base line in that triangle - which is an upright one. The two lines to the apex represent our individual relationships with Him. Now, imagine a crack in that base line. Is that sufficient to make the triangle collapse? Of course not! It is only if there is a break, or a crack, in either of the lines to the apex that there is a problem! If two people maintain their relationship with Father God, then the marriage will survive even the difficult situations that any marriage experiences.

Fairly recently, I was sharing that illustraton with a group of people when one lady took it a stage further. She shared that her pastor of many years ago had pointed out that, as we draw ever closer to the Lord - moving up the line, as it were - then we are drawn closer to one another! I like that picture. By the way, she and her (first and only!) husband have been married to one another for even longer than my wife and I.

If our lives are truly bound together in the Lord Jesus, we have a foundation to our union that will not be shaken by the practice of "reverse reasoning"! [The remarriage of divorcees is another topic, for another post!].

Resurrection talk.

If you tell a group of people that you believe that Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ, rose from the dead in a glorified human body, you will probably encounter disbelief and/or ridicule! Many people won't even consider the possibility that Jesus rose from the dead, claiming that it is a 'scientific' absurdity. 

This, however, should not discourage those of us who do believe. Indeed, the resurrection of Jesus is one of history's best-attested events. In addition, billions of people have experisnced His life-transforming power by placing their trust, unreservedly, in Him.

Michael Green tells of a visit he made to a cancer specialist who was dying of leukemia while still in his forties. When his condition was diagnosed, the man would have claimed to have been an agnostic. However, he read a couple of books that were used to bring him to a clear and joyful faith in the risen Christ. He was also angry! "Why", he asked, "have I never had the evidence put to me, clearly, before?"

Frank Morison (literary pseudonym for Albert Henry Ross - no relation!) was a printer, advertiser, and journalist, whose attention was captured by the "strangeness" of the Resurrection story. Influenced by skeptical thinkers in the early part of the last century, he set out to prove that the whole story was nothing more than a myth. His research, however, led him to discover the validity of the Biblical record in a moving, and personal, way. His intellectually honest research - not starting from the assumption that the Gospel records are inerrant, Divine revelation, but treating them, rather, as human documents subject to histrorical analysis and verification - forced him to the conclusion that the literal resurrection of Jesus from the dead, is a fact that the Gospel writers correctly report, and interpret. "Who moved the stone?" is still well-worth reading!

Paul, writing to the believers in Corinth, has this to say: "Now if Christ is preached as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised; if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified of God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised. If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all men most to be pitied. But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep." (I Cor:15:12-20).

"The Lord is risen!" "He is risen indeed." is not just a traditional greeting for Resurrection Day. It is a glorious truth, that others need to hear! The spiritually dead need to hear about the living Saviour.

"Eating" the Word!

In Lewis Carroll's well-known book, "Alice in Wonderland", there is a scene in which Alice shrinks, and then grows. There is a potion that makes her shrink, but it is a cake that makes her grow. So it is eating that causes her growth.

On Sunday, I was preaching on, among other things, the importance of the written Word of God for the growth of both the individual believer, and the local fellowship. However, our attitude to that Word is of paramount importance. The prophet Jeremiah stated that: "Your words were found, and I ate them, and Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart;" (15:16). Ezekiel had a similar experience: "And He said to me, “Son of man, eat this scroll that I give you and fill your stomach with it.” Then I ate it; and it was in my mouth as sweet as honey." (3:3).

In both cases the Word of God is viewed as pleasant food for our spiritual lives, satisfying our spiritual hunger and, like Alice's cake, causing us to grow - albeit, not physically! As we meditate upon that living Word, that is "...  sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart." (Heb.4:12), our craving for spiritual knowledge, divine wisdom, and clear guidance, is fulfilled.

There are those who maintain that, for proper digestion, every mouthful of physical food should be chewed a minimum number of times (the precise number varies, according to who is asked!). The same is true of the Word of God. James M Gray, a former president of the Moody Bible Institute, commented on Jeremiah 15:16 by saying: "There is a great difference between finding the Word, and eating it. ... Putting the Word into your mind is like holding food in your mouth; it allows you to get the first full taste of it. ... Turning a Scripture around and around; thinking of it from many points of view; asking questions about it; and searching for its meaning in a commentary, is like chewing. It makes good assimilation possible."

Dr Gray continued: "The only way to hold the Word in your mind is to memorise it! Make this task as easy for yourself as possible by fixing your attention on ony a small portion at at time. This way, it can be recalled throughout the busy day. You will find that concentrating on the meaning of each word and phrase will give you new strength and joy, and help you to become fruitful for the Lord."

That advice, given 100 years ago, is just as relevant today! One of my very close friends, here in France, has often said that the Church in the West is dying of ignorance - ignorance of the Word. I agree! Many are spiritually weak because they are not 'eating' the Word on a daily basis. We would not expect to live, physically, on one meal per week, provided by another. Why should we expect to be spiritually alive, and in good health, if our only Biblical input is a Sunday sermon?!

May I encourage you, if you are a disciple of Jesus, to ensure that you feed every day. It's the only way to growth!

Abraham - father of the faithful (3)

One theological movement goes under the title of "Replacement Theology". It's basis is a belief that the church has replaced the Children of Israel in the plans and purposes of Almighty God. So, have the Chosen People been replaced?

The ministry of Yeshua to the House of Israel led to the missionary work of the first Jewish belivers, who spread the message of God's love, and God's Kingdom, to the Gentiles. That message resulted in an explosive - even exponential - growth in the number of Gentile believers in the early centuries, A.D. However, possibly from a feeling of superiority , or of jealousy, or of religiosity, members of the early church claimed to be the "true Israel", effectively evicting El Shaddai from His established identity as the God of Avraham, Yitzak, and Yacov. This loveless condemnation of the nation of Israel for rejecting Yeshua as HaMashiach led, ironically, to much of the church discounting El Shaddai as Israel's God!

However, in spite of what some who claim to be disciples of Yeshua claim, even today, El Shaddai has not disassociated Israel from His promises, or abandoned His covenants with His Chosen People. He is a covenant-keeping God, true to His Word. That, of course, is good news for those of us who claim to be the followers of Yeshua because if God was willing to break His unconditional covenants, or any of His promises, to the Children of Israel, then He might break them with us as well! We may be grateful, therefore, that "God is not a human who lies, or a mortal who changes his mind. When He says something, He will do it; when He makes a promise, He will fulfil it." (Num.23:19; CJB)

Those who claim that God is done with the Children of Israel point to the covenant at Mt. Sinai, when God said: "Now, if you will pay careful attention to what I say, and keep my covenant, then you will be My own treasure from among the peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you will be a kingdom of 'cohanim' [priests] for me, a nation set apart." (Ex.19:5-6; CJB). Of course, as history records, the Chosen people broke their promise to El Shaddai, to do everything that He had told them to do.

This leads some to claim that it is patently obvious that the Children of Israel forfeited their right to be a holy nation! What they forget - or ignore! - is that God also promised that however disobedient Israel became, and no matter how cursed they were because of it, He would not forget the other covenant that He made - to Avraham, Yitzac, and Yacob.: "... in spite of all that, I will not reject them when they are in the lands of their enemies, nor will I loathe them to the point of utterly destroying them and thus break My covenant with them, because I am YHWH their God. Rather, for their sakes, I will remember the covenant of their ancestors whom I brought out of the land of Egypt - with the nations watching - so that I might be their God; I am YHWH." (Lev.26:44-45; emphasis added). 

Avram guarding his sacrifice. (Gen.15)
by James Tissot

The covenant with Avraham was unconditional. No "if ... then" aspects. In fact, Avram was asleep when God 'cut the covenant' (Gen.15:7 ff). Many other promises involve ownership of the land, and its heirs. Regardless of anything else, YHWH assured the Children of Israel that He will keep His covenant that He made with Avraham, and that continued through Yitzak and Yacov. Paul dealt with the same question in Romans 11 - a chapter well worth reading, and studying|!

Of course, if the Creator God has chosen a people to be His ambassadors and, ultimately, to bring forth the salvation of mankind, then we may be certain that the enemy of our souls is working overtime to make God appear to be a liar, and to make His people appear to be racists who want to conquer mankind, and rule the world. As we watch the demonising of the modern State of Israel (which is not synonymous with the Children of Israel!), and the open claims of a desire to annihilate the Jewish people, by the modern media, Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah, the 'Palestinian' Authority, and organisations such as the United Nations, we need to realise that, whether or not they realise it, they are but pawns in the hand of the satan - the adversary.

If people would but open their hearts wide enough to see that YHWH, El Shaddai, used Israel to bring monotheism to the world, along with an enduring system of ethics and morals that influences many cultures worldwide, the sooner they would understand what a great debt of gratitude they owe the Jewish people. The world has clearly been impacted through God's choosing of Israel, and continues to do so through Yeshua, and the promise - the unconditional promise! - to bless those who bless His Chosen People. (Gen.12:3).

Well, that's all for now. Next month, D.V., we'll look at another character from the Tanakh. I wonder if you can guess who it might be?!

Abraham - the father of the faithful. (2)

So, there was Avram, setting off on the greatest 'mystery tour' in history! He set off, not knowing his destination, but in obedience to the command of El Shaddai, and with His promise ringing in his ears: "... I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.  I will bless those who bless you, and him who curses you I will curse; and by you all the families of the earth shall bless themselves." (Gen.12:2-3).

The promise was not only to Avram's descendants, but to all of mankind - "... all the families of the earth ..."! Almighty God, the Creator of all that exists, chose to reach out to the entire world, by choosing Israel to represent Him - and He started with Avram.

On Sunday, I was preaching on Paul's description of disciples of Jesus, as given in II Cor.5:20, where he writes: "So we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us." One of the points that I made was that an earthly ambassador is important, not on his own merit, but because of the monarch, president, or emperor who has chosen the ambassador to represent him. With such "chosenness" comes the great responsibility of correctly expressing the ideas, and carrying out the plans, of the one represented. However, this is not done solely for the benefit of the ruler. The ruler and his many ambassasdors work together to serve all of the peopleof the country.

Likewise, El Shaddai choosing Israel was not God favouring one nation (as yet not even in existence!) oveer another. It was about the Creator manifesting His love to the entire world - and He chose Averam as His first ambassador to carry out His plan.

God longs to have a relationship with each and every person individually. That is why we were created. El Shaddai longs for each of us to have a personal knowledge of Him. His plan for communicating His identity to the world, and how to repair the relationship that was broken in the Garden of Eden, would be through the nation of Israel - the descendants of Avram, Yitzak, and Yacob. Within that larger scope, His plan has been working out through many people and events: Moses; the Torah; the prophets; and, in the fulness of time, through Yeshua haMashiach (Jesus the Messiah, or "Anointed One").

Israel became a conduit of God's blessing to the world, and the path for the world to reach Him. A Son of Israel, Yeshua, would manifest this blessing further as "... a light that will bring revelation to the Goyim (Gentiles) and glory to Your people Isra’el." (Luke 2:32; CJB). Israel reveals both the heart of God, and the ways and depth of His love. This unique relationship with Israel draws mankind to Him. "Adonai-Tzva’ot (the LORD of Hosts) says, ‘When that time comes, ten men will take hold — speaking all the languages of the nations — will grab hold of the cloak of a Jew and say, “We want to go with you, because we have heard that God is with you.”" (Zech.8:32; CJB). With His identity forever linked to Israel (the nation!), God's reputation is wrapped up in Israel's destiny!

Biblically-aligned believers, defined by their personal relationship with Yeshua, understand that "... salvation comes from the Jews."(John 4:22; CJB). That salvation would come through the One Who spoke those words - haMashiach, for Whom the Jewish people have been wating for millennia. Jewish people pray, on a daily basis, for the coming of Messiah as foretold in the Tanakh (the 'Old Testament'). Israel has already had the privilege of her Messiah's coming - to Bethlehem, as prophesied by Micah: "But you, Beit-Lechem near Efrat, so small among the clans of Y’hudah, out of you will come forth to Me the future ruler of Isra’el, whose origins are far in the past, back in ancient times." (5:1).

Yeshuah made apublic declaraion that He was the Anointed One when He read, in the synagogue in Nazareth, this prophecy from Isaiah; "The Spirit of Adonai Elohim is upon me, because Adonai has anointed me to announce good news to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted; to proclaim freedom to the captives, to let out into light those bound in the dark;" (Isaiah 61:1; CJB).

God's message of salvation and redemption, which Yeshua (Jesus) taught during His three years of public ministry, was directed specifically, to the Chosen People. He was fully conscious that He "... was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Isra’el." (Matt.15:24; CJB). Yet, He ministered to all who put their faith in Him, as Messiah, and instructed His Jewish followers to reach out to all mankind: " Then He said to them, “As you go throughout the world, proclaim the Good News to all creation. Whoever trusts and is immersed will be saved; whoever does not trust will be condemned." (Mark 16:15-16; CJB).

God's plan of spiritual redemption through Yeshua HaMashiach, is available to all who repent and believe that Yeshua paid the penalty for our sin. He paid a debt He did not owe, because we owe a debt we cannot pay! His followers now await His second coming, when He comes to defend the Children of Israel, and reign from the Holy City - Jerusalem. Are you ready?!

Abraham - the father of the faithful.

As we move on in our monthly look at the Tanakh (the Hebrew Scriptures: the Old Testament in the Christian Bible), we come to one of the most significant figures in Biblical history. Over the next three (!) posts, we shall be looking at a man who was named Abram, but had that name changed, by Almighty God (El Shaddai), to Abraham (Avraham).

I am currently reading through the book of Deuteronomy in my personal devotions, and read these words a couple of days ago: "For you are a people holy to the Lord your God.  The Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be His people, His treasured possession." (7:6).  

The Jewish people are  often referred to as "The Chosen People". This has caused many to accuse El Shaddai of favouritism! Indeed, "chosenness"is so strongly associated with favouritism and arrogance that even some modern Jewish people reject the concept. Yet the idea of El Shaddai choosing the Hebrew people runs throughout the Tanakh. For example (emphases added):

"But you, Israel, My servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, you descendants of Avraham My friend.”  (Isaiah 41:8)

“You His servants, the descendants of Israel, His chosen ones, the children of Jacob.”  (I Chronicles 16:13; see also Psalm 105:6)

“For YHWH has chosen Jacob to Himself, and Israel for His peculiar treasure.”  (Psalm 135:4)

In fact, contrary to feeling smug and favoured, observant Jews are keenly aware that "chosenness" deflates any sense of significance! Indeed, those words already quoted, from the book of Deuteronomy, continue: "It was not because you were more in number than any other people that YHWH set His love upon you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples; but it is because YHWH loves you, and is keeping the oath which He swore to your fathers, that YHWH has brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt." (vs.7-8; emphasis added).

Understanding El Shaddai's choosing of the descendants of Avraham, Isaac (Yitzac) , and Jacob (Yacob/Israel) is central to having a firm foundation in His providential plan! And the record starts with Abram.

In Genesis 18, we read these words of YHWH: "Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? For I have chosen him, that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of YHWH by doing righteousness and justice, so that YHWH may bring to Abraham what He has promised him." (vs.18-19).

Only 400 years had passed since the great Flood in the time of Noah, so that the world was not yet populated by a great variety of peoples living in powerful nations. "Nations", at that time, were more like city-states, rife with paganism and polytheism. A mere four centuries after the Flood, mankind was still lost. It was still the case "... that every imagination of the thoughts of [man's] heart was only evil continually." (Gen.6:5).

El Shaddai called Abram out of one of those city-states - Ur of the Chaldees - and told him to go to a land that He would show him. The people of Ur were Moon-worshippers, but El Shaddai spoke to this one man. "Now YHWH said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who curses you I will curse; and by you all the families of the earth shall bless themselves." He didn't know where this land was located, but he trusted the direction, and promise, of this One Whom he recognised as the Almighty God. He believed God, and headed for the Promised Land. Please note that this was millennia before the founding of the very Islam that lays claim to that Promised Land, today!

This,then, was the start of the Chosen People. God chose one man - and that one man chose God! We are not told if God had called any other person before Abram. We are told that Abram chose to accept God's promises, and that he put feet to faith! That, surely, is a salutory lesson to all of us!

More in a couple of nights. Do keep an eye out for the next "instalment"!