The Boggled Mind

Lie Back and Look Up Okay, are you ready to have your mind shaken? If not, you'd better shove this aside until you can handle it. It's too stretching to pass over with a yawn. The general thought struck me when I was deep in the Redwoods some time ago. I laid back and looked up. I mean really up. It was one of those clear summer nights when you could see forever. So starry it was scary. The vastness of the heavens eloquently told the glory of God. The expanse silently declared the work of His hands. No words would adequately frame the awesomeness of that moment. I remembered a statement one of my mentors used to say: "Wonder is involuntary praise." That night it happened to me. I loved it! What struck me deepest as I curled up in my sleeping bag was this: Everything I have seen belongs to this one galaxy. There are hundreds more beyond our own. Maybe thousands. some much larger than ours. Astronomers are now convinced there are twenty galaxies within two and a half million light years; there may be a billion galaxies within photographic range of the 200-inch Mount Palomar Telescope. Let's limit our thinking , for a moment, just to this one solar system, a tiny fraction of the universe above us. Because it is impossible to grasp the astounding distance about us, we need analogies, simple comparisons, to assist us. Hold on as we take a quick trip to the regions beyond. If it were possible to travel the speed of light (186,000 miles per second)) you could arrive at the moon in one and a third seconds. But continuing that same speed, do you know how long it would take you to reach the closest star? Four years. Incredible thought! If you've ever visited New York City's Hayden Planetarium, you've seen that miniature replica of our solar system showing the speeds and sizes of our planets. What is interesting is that the three outer planets are not included. There wasn't room for Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. Uranus would be in the planetarium's outer corridor, Neptune would be around Eighth Avenue. And Pluto? Another three long avenues away-Fifth Avenue. By the way, no stars are included, for obvious reasons. Can you imagine (on the same scale) where the nearest star would be located? Cleveland, Ohio. Vast! And that's just our own local galaxy, remember. A scientist once suggested another interesting analogy. To grasp the scene, imagine a perfectly smooth glass pavement on which the finest speck can be seen. Then shrink our sun from 865,000 miles in diameter to only two feet.and place the ball on the pavement to represent the sun. Step off 82 spaces (about 2 feet per pace), and to represent proportionately the first planet, Mercury, put down a tiny mustard seed. Take 60 steps more, and for Venus put an ordinary BB. Mark 78 more steps. put down a green pea representing earth. Step off 108 paces from there and for Mars put down a pinhead. Sprinkle around some fine dust for the asteroids, then take 788 steps more. For Jupiter, place an orange on the glass at that spot. After 934 more steps, put down a golf ball for Saturn. Now, it gets really involved. Mark 2,086 steps more, and for Uranus a marble. Another 2,333 steps from there you arrive at Neptune. Let a cherry represent Neptune. This will take two and a half miles, and we haven't even discussed Pluto! If we swing completely around, we have a smooth glass surface five miles in diameter, yet just a tiny fraction of the heavens-excluding Pluto. On this surface, five miles across, we have only a seed, BB, pea, pinhead, some dust, an orange, golf ball, a marble and a cherry. Guess how far we'd have to go on the same scale before we could put down another 2 foot ball to represent the nearest star? Come on, guess. Seven hundred paces? Two thousand steps more? Four thousand four hundred feet? No, you're way off. Wed have to go 6,720 miles before we could arrive at that star. Miles, not feet. And that's just the first star among millions. In one galaxy among perhaps thousands, maybe billions. And all of it in perpetual motion, perfectly synchronized, the most accurate timepiece known to man. Phenomenal isn't the word for it. No God? All by chance? You are kidding, right? Listen carefully to the truth: "For the truth about God is known to them (men who don't acknowledge God's truth) instinctively; God has put this knowledge in their hearts. Since earliest times men have seen the earth and sky and all God made, and have known of his existence and great eternal power. So they will have no excuse." (Romans 1:19-20 TLB). The boggled mind leads to a bended knee.

A Helpful Prayer

What kind of seed are you planting?

Gal. 6:7 Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.
Gal. 6:8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.

Recently, after hearing a reference to this verse, I was spurred to make this a constant prayer of my life: “Lord, help me not to sow to the flesh but to sow to the Spirit.”
Oh, so many applications came to mind. When I am faced with temptations like wandering eyes or a wandering mind, I pray for God’s help in sowing to the Spirit. Corruption is not to be desired. Corruption is what temptation hopes I won’t notice. But it is inevitable when one “sows to the flesh.”

And in a positive, proactive sense, I pray for God to help me continually to walk in the Spirit and live my life in a way that pleases Him, i.e., to sow to the Spirit. We are currently studying the book of Jude and learning about the instruction to “keep ourselves in the love of God.” Jude is clear, the way to do so is by “building yourselves up in your most holy faith, and praying in the Holy Spirit…[and] waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Those three responsibilities on my part are “sowing to the Spirit.”

I find that I’ve begun to pray this prayer on a very regular basis. And I believe God is answering and helping me to “sow to the Spirit.”

Do I Want Decisions When I Preach?

I never much liked the term decisions because it’s so semi-Pelagian. What’s that? Well, a semi-Pelagian is a half Pelagian. And I’m not trying to be cute. In simplest terms a Pelagian (named after Pelagius, 4th-5th century A.D.) thinks that man has 100% responsibility and ability to respond to God for salvation. A semi-Pelagian says no, first God must do His part, then man does his part and, finally, putting those two halves together brings the person to salvation...sort of a 50/50 proposition.

The problem is so many Christians are semi-Pelagians and they don’t even know it. In other words, they believe God has done all that He can do and now it’s all up to the lost sinner. He or she must decide whether to believe it or not and whether to do anything about it or not completely on his or her own.

Let’s be very clear. Any response you or I make to God that is pleasing to Him is solely because He in His marvelous amazing grace has enabled us to do so. Philippians 2:13: “for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”

But back to decisions. Can I live with that term? Well, if by that you mean that while the Word is being preached God the Holy Spirit brings deep conviction upon the heart and mind of an unbeliever, prompting them to despair of any hope for their salvation apart from the saving grace of Jesus Christ, granting them the gift of repentance and faith so that they abandon their sin and surrender to Jesus as their Lord and Savior, then certainly I am hoping and praying for decisions.

But for Christians my real hope and prayer is that you have made a relentless prior decision. My prayer is that before coming to the preaching of the Word you have deeply committed yourself to the idea that you will eagerly listen to the Word of God and you will devote all your being to obeying, by His enabling power, what God reveals to you through His Word…a relentless prior decision. Think of it as a blank contract to which you have already signed your name and are simply waiting for God to fill in the terms of the contract. Let your decision be, in the words of Samuel, “Speak, Lord, for your servant hears.”

Consecrate Yourselves

Recently, I heard a powerful sermon on Joshua 3:5 by Dave Butts.: “Then Joshua said to the people, ‘Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.’” In this message Dave gave issued a call to Christians to consecrate themselves before the Lord.

In trying to anticipate possible objections to this concept from some quarters I realized that some of my brothers might suggest that this is Old Testament not New Testament and not a concept that corresponds with grace. Put simply, they might say this is something God does not us in his infinite grace for us.

On the contrary, what could be more NT than the idea of God’s people consecrating themselves? For what does it mean to consecrate one’s self? A quick click of the mouse in Microsoft Word shows these synonyms for consecrate: sanctify, bless, hallow, dedicate, devote, set apart, make holy. All are good and acceptable terms to display the meaning of consecrate in a biblical sense.

But the accusation that this is not NT comes from a limited understanding of grace. As I said argument might be stated thusly: that God is the One who consecrates not us. Of course, this is true in a first cause sense. But what could be more NT than:
• working out what God has worked in (Philippians 2:12-13)
• setting apart what God has set apart (2 Timothy 2:21)
• putting on the new man because God has made us into new creations (Colossians 3:10)
• acting like what we are rather than what we were (Romans 6)
• being holy because God is holy and has made us holy (1 Peter 1:15-16; Hebrews 12:14)
• presenting ourselves as living sacrifices because He by his mercies has made us his own (Romans 12:1-2)

So much of the teaching of the NT on how we are to live is representative of this parallel track. We love because He first loved us (1 John 4:19). We forgive because He forgave us (Colossians 3:13; Matthew 18:21-35).

So I agree with Dave. We should consecrate ourselves in the hope that God will do marvelous things in and through us. Christians, like Joshua and the Israelites, written for our instruction as an example to us, let us consecrate ourselves as we ask God to use us for His glory.

WITH WARMTH AND JOY (A Love Poem to God for Janet)

Just as each year brings round this time
Of Christmas cheer and grace, so I’m
Reminded how You brought to me
Your gift of life eternally
But grace was not exhausted there
Awakened then was I to where
I came to see in sweet details
Your multi-faceted grace prevails
In every heartbeat, every ray
That gleams the glories of Your Way.

Oh, Thunderous Love and Awesome Might
Thou Flowing River of Delights
How wondrous does Your grace appear
And sweeps away the thin veneer
Of shallow songs and mindless love
That spring so easily above
From hearts not filled with proper awe
From blinded minds that never saw
With eyes of faith your grace displayed
In microscopic gifts conveyed.

Inadequate now as I may be
To adequately express my thanks to Thee
I’m struck by thoughts this twentieth year
Perhaps from me You’d like to hear
A true expression of grateful praise
For one who’s life has filled my days
With warmth and joy abundantly
A gift from You passed on to me
For 33 years so faithfully
With complementing clarity.

So where does one begin to list
Magnificence — lest some be missed
And how can grace be itemized
Though each example...treasured, prized
And where does one enough portray
A life of warmth and Love’s display
Of graceful opulence wrapped up
In one delightful precious cup
Of blessing given to warm my life
A gracious gift — my love, my wife.

From this dear gift I’ve learned so much
And watched as Your perfecting touch
Controls, transforms — Her pliant heart
Conforms to mine as much a part
Of all that You have made of me
And so much more than that is she
But still she loves and grows along
With one so slow, at times so wrong
Her smile still melts enchanting me
Her strength from You is strength to me.

One of my greatest joys with her
Comes each Christmas season sure
As I behold amazingly
How she transforms our home to be
A sanctuary of warmth and joy
That comforts husband, girls and boy(3)
Each decoration, each personal touch
Have mostly come as gifts and such
From special folks who love and care
That God has placed our family here.

My love creates a spirit warm
Our home reflects her heart and charm
She models for me that right response
To those she loves and knows that once
The time is gone to show her love
There’s no more chance for her to prove
That love comes easily for those who know
The grace of God must through us flow
And reach to all around us here
Who in our home can find God’s cheer.

Oh, God of grace and glory please
Grant to my life that I might seize
This opportunity to show
My love for You through her and know
That in my life there’s grace and care
That longs for Your abiding here
I hope and pray that You will sense
A sweet obedient reverence
That fills my heart with warmth for You
And glorifying praises, too.

Who could have known 33 times ago
Of how our lives would deeply grow
Through laughter, tears the years would bring
To all that You designed, oh King.
So deep within this gracious heart
A sacred song serenely starts
Erupting forth delicious praise
For Your great gift, this hymn I raise
With gratitude before You bow
And for my wife I thank You now.