Category: God (Page 1 of 3)

Seeking Light

August 21, 2024 / BroClo-Blogger-2022 / 0 Comments

If you’ve ever had a garden, you’ve probably noticed that many plant varieties are phototropic, which means that they’re light seeking. The plants lean toward the sun as they grow. Some are heliotropic – a specific kind of phototropism – meaning that they bend or shake to track the sun’s movement during the day and maximize each plant’s exposure to the sun. Sunflowers are an especially good example.

Light is central to God’s creation. On the first day of creation, after creating the heavens and the earth, he made light and darkness. On the fourth day of creation, he made the celestial bodies to govern the various cycles of light and dark, as well as seasonal changes.

Light is central to God’s moral creation. The apostle John said, “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1.5). The psalmist understood God as the source of all light: “For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light” (Psalm 36.9). God doesn’t just provide light, he is light.

If God is light, it shouldn’t surprise us that his moral light is necessary for spiritual growth. Just as plants need light to survive and thrive, we need God’s light to be spiritually healthy. Sometimes his light is for illumination (Psalm 18.28; 119.130). Sometimes it’s for guidance (Psalm 43.3; 1 John 1.7). Sometimes it symbolizes blessing (Psalm 4.6). Sometimes it represents moral purity and righteousness (Psalm 112.4; Ephesians 5.8-9). Sometimes it’s the opposite of moral darkness (Romans 13.12; Ephesians 5.8-9, 13; 1 Peter 2.9). The concept covers a lot of territory in the Scriptures.

But the critical point for believers is that we must always seek the light. Yes, we need light to survive, but we must seek it. Plants do this because they’re programmed to do it. Humans, on the other hand, have a choice.

Most people are familiar with the great affirmation of God’s love in John 3.16. But the verses that follow are equally important, because they explain what it means to believe and receive the promise of eternal life. “This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.” (John 3.19-21).

Do I hate darkness enough to seek the light? Do I love the light enough to expose myself to its penetrating power? Do I love God enough to seek his truth, practice it, and accept his judgments about my way of life?

These are questions we all need to ask.

Lincoln’s Filing System

August 13, 2024 / BroClo-Blogger-2022 / 2 Comments

At 6-feet, 4-inches tall, Abraham Lincoln was America’s tallest president. As if that weren’t enough, he wore a silk stovepipe hat that added an additional 7 or 8 inches of height. Add a couple more inches from the heels of his boots and he appeared to be about 7 feet tall.

Lincoln’s hat wasn’t just a fashion statement. He kept important papers in it as well.^[1] He was known to store speeches, official government documents, and personal correspondence in his hat. He once apologized to a politician, Richard S. Thomas, for failing to respond to a letter because he put it in the wrong hat and forgot about it.

We all have our own filing systems. We may not put things in our hats, but many of us stack things on our desks. Some have carefully organized file cabinets. Some store things on their computers or in the cloud. Some throw things in a box. Some just throw everything away and hope for the best.

There are some things, however, that should be filed away safely, permanently, and instantly available. God’s word is one such thing.

Job said, “I have not departed from the command of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food” (Job 23.8). For him, God’s words were his sustenance, even more so than the food on his table. God’s words were a priceless commodity to Job.

To that same end, the psalmist said, “Your word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against You” (Psalm 119.11). Like Lincoln, the psalmist had a special place for his most important stuff. Unlike Lincoln, they weren’t in his hat, they were in his heart. The psalmist internalized the words of God and made them a part of himself.

To love the Lord will all our heart, soul, and might (Deuteronomy 6.5) requires nothing less. If we love the Lord, we’ll love his word. If we treasure our relationship with the Lord, we’ll treasure his word. If we depend upon the Lord, we’ll depend upon his word.

To treasure God’s word in our heart starts with our habits. We need to read God’s word. We need to meditate upon it. We need to memorize it. We need to take notes about it. We need to spend time with it. We need to cherish it, prize it, use it, share it, talk about it, pray about it, and thank God for it.

Where do you store the word of God?

^[1] https://historyfacts.com/us-history/fact/abraham-lincoln-stored-important-documents-in-his-top-hat/

How Deep the Father’s Love

August 7, 2024 / BroClo-Blogger-2022 / 0 Comments

During the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, British runner Derek Redmond was a favorite to win a medal in the 400-meter sprint. During his career he held the British record for the 400 meters and had won gold medals in the 4×400 relays at the World Championships, European Championships & Commonwealth Games. In the Olympic quarterfinals, he posted the best time.

About a third of the way through the semifinal, he tore his right hamstring and fell to the ground. Before the medical team could reach him, he got up and started hobbling along the track. He was in pain, and he was crying. He knew he couldn’t win, but he could at least finish. So, he continued to hobble along the track toward the finish line.

As he rounded the final turn, and older man came running down from the stands, brushed past the security guards, and came alongside Redmond. It was his father, Jim Redmond. He said, “You don’t have to do this.”

Derek said, “Yes, I do.”

His father said, “Well, then, we’re going to finish the race together.”

And so, they did. They walked the remaining 100 meters or so, each with his arm around the other. 65,000 onlookers cheered as Redmond’s father helped him finish the race.

This story reminds me of two realities in the Christian life. First, our lives as Christians are compared to running a race (cf. 1 Corinthians 9.24; Philippians 3.13-14; Hebrews 12.1; 2 Timothy 4.7). We’re urged to run the race with endurance, with our eye on the prize, knowing that others who have already finished are cheering for us.

Second, our Father is helping us along the way. Psalm 118.6 says, “The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” Our heavenly Father walks with us in the midst of our pain, lightening the burden, and steering us home.

I’m a shameless Olympics watcher. I’ve watched the video from that moment countless times. Every time I watch it, I cry. No, I sob. There’s something about a father helping a son through an ordeal that touches me deeply. Perhaps it’s memories of the times my father helped me. Perhaps it’s the hope that I helped my own children through their struggles. But mostly, it’s a reflection of the innumerable times when my heavenly Father held me up and walked with me.

“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name” (John 1.12). May we all walk with him.

Many or Few

June 20, 2024 / BroClo-Blogger-2022 / 1 Comment

Some of the greatest Bible stories are war stories. One of my favorites is found in 1 Samuel 13-14, when the Israelites were at war with the Philistines.

In chapter 13, the Israelites were initially successful against the Philistines (v. 2-4). But when the Philistines summoned a massive army, the Israelites were intimidated, and Saul became indecisive (v. 5-7). The situation was further aggravated by a lack of weaponry among the Israelites (v. 19-23).

Enter Jonathan.

Jonathan was already responsible for the earlier victory against the Philistines (13.2-4). Here in chapter 14, he again takes initiative by taking his armor-bearer with him and sneaking into the nearby Philistine outpost (v. 1-10). The Philistines assume they’re a pair of Israelite POWs and bring them into their garrison (v. 11-12). Jonathan and his armor-bearer kill 20 Philistines in hand-to-hand combat (v. 13-14). The Lord also brought a sudden earthquake (v. 15-16) which caused some of the Philistines to flee. Saul and the remaining Israelite forces soon join the fray, and the Israelites defeat the Philistines that day (v 23).

My favorite verse in this text is 1 Samuel 14.6, “Then Jonathan said to the young man who was carrying his armor, ‘Come and let us cross over to the garrison of these uncircumcised; perhaps the LORD will work for us, for the LORD is not restrained to save by many or by few.’”

This was Jonathan’s confession of faith in the LORD. He understood something about God that’s too easily forgotten. He knew that God is always the majority. Period. God doesn’t need numbers, or large armies, or massive military hardware to win his battles. He only wants a few dedicated people.

Today, God doesn’t need large churches, or large budgets, or PowerPoint, or websites, or social media, or apps, or impressive programs to win the cause of his kingdom. He simply wants a few dedicated people. If he chooses to use large things, that’s his business. But the Lord frequently uses small things to remind us of his wisdom, power, and ways (1 Corinthians 1.26-29).

Indeed, “The Lord is not restrained to save by many or by few.” What matters for us is that we enter the fray.

Will you?

Counting Blessings?

June 5, 2024 / BroClo-Blogger-2022 / 0 Comments

You’ve probably seen this question on social media: “What if you woke up today with only the things you thanked God for yesterday?”

The question has two obvious purposes. First, it’s designed to help us think about the vastness of God’s blessings. We get so much from him it’s hard to enumerate. Second, it’s designed to help us thank God. If we can begin to grasp the magnitude and multitude of God’s blessings, how can we not pause and give him thanks?

Having said that, the question works only so far for two reasons. First, we’re all sinners. As sinners, even our exercises in gratitude may be tainted and limited. Because of my sins and weaknesses, I sometimes fail to see all that God’s done for me. Even when I try, I’m frustrated by my inability to enumerate and articulate his goodness toward me.

Second – and this is the most important thing – we simply CANNOT match God blessing for blessing. We CANNOT possibly keep up with all that he’s done for us.

The most obvious reason is that God’s blessings are too numerous. A favorite hymn urges us to do the impossible anyway: “Count your blessings; name them one by one.” Not that we shouldn’t try to do it, but good luck with that! Another reason is that God often (and deliberately) blesses us in quiet ways, in ways he may not want us to fully grasp. The psalmist said, “For he gives to his beloved, even in sleep” (Psalm 127.2). In the midst of my nightly dozing, snoozing, and snoring, God is at work refilling my tank.

Behind all of this is the reality of God’s greatness. We CANNOT out-think him, outsmart him, outdo him, out-ask him. The apostle Paul said, “Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen” (Ephesians 3.20-21).

So, when you wake up in the mornings, count your blessings. Give thanks. But don’t be surprised when your blessings always exceed your expectations and outpace your ability to recall them. God fully intends it that way.

Doxology

June 5, 2024 / BroClo-Blogger-2022 / 0 Comments

Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Praise Him, all creatures here below. Praise Him above, ye heavenly host. Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
Thomas Ken, 1674

These lyrics are from perhaps the most ubiquitous of all English language hymns. The title is sometimes listed as its first line, “Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow,” and sometimes as “Doxology.”

It was written in 1674 by Thomas Ken, a bishop in the Church of England. It was apparently part of his Manual of Prayers for Winchester Scholars. According to Hymnary.org, the song has appeared in over 1200 hymnals.

Its appeal is obvious. It’s an invitation for all sentient creatures in heaven and on earth to praise God for his innumerable blessings. This doxological hymn accomplishes this simply and effectively.

Thinking about this doxology reminded me of Paul’s doxology in Ephesians 3.20-21 (NASB95): “Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.”

Rather than discuss or analyze this text, I want to show how Paul builds upon a single idea to help us appreciate God’s resources and generosity. I’ll do this by building this doxology thought by thought. This isn’t an attempt at grammatical analysis, but rather an attempt to unfold Paul’s thinking about God’s blessings upon us.

He [God] is able.
He is able to do.
He is able to do what we ask.
He is able to do what we ask or think.
He is able to do all that we ask or think.
He is able to do beyond all that we ask or think.
He is able to do abundantly beyond all that we ask or think.
He is able to do more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think.
He is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think.
To him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think be glory.
To him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think be glory in the church.
To him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus.
To him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations.
To him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever.
To him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever.

We can’t out-ask God. We can’t out-think God. We can only be grateful and glorify him.

Amen!

For Love’s Sake

February 14, 2024 / BroClo-Blogger-2022 / 0 Comments

“Therefore, though I have enough confidence in Christ to order you to do what is proper, yet for love’s sake I rather appeal to you”.
The apostle Paul, Philemon 8-9

The apostle Paul wrote this to his friend and fellow-Christian Philemon. Philemon was apparently a wealthy Christian who lived in Colossae. He was wealthy enough to own slaves, one of whom was Onesimus whose name meant “profitable” or “useful” (v. 15-16).

If you carefully read Paul’s this letter, it seems that Onesimus ran away from Philemon’s household and may have even stolen from his master (v. 18-19). He wound up in Rome where Paul was imprisoned. At some point, Onesimus met and was converted to Christ by Paul’s efforts (v. 10). Now Paul sends Onesimus back to Philemon with this letter to effect reconciliation (v. 15-16).

The wording of Paul’s appeal to Philemon is striking. Legally, Philemon had the right to do pretty much anything he wanted to Onesimus. He could treat him as harshly as he wanted and could even have him executed. Slaves were considered the property of their masters and were treated according to their whims. Onesimus was returning to Philemon at great personal risk. Paul knew this and took a different approach.

Paul says that he could “order” or “command” Philemon to do right. Paul wasn’t asserting legal authority but moral authority. As an apostle he could have required Philemon to receive Onesimus, but Paul let him choose. He appealed not to authority, but to love (v. 9).

Doing this “for love’s sake” meant that Philemon should treat Onesimus with brotherly love since now they both were Christians. Paul says to treat him like a brother, not just a piece of property. Hovering in the background is also the love we have for others because of our love for God (cf. 1 John 4.11).

It’s for “love’s sake” that we rise above ordinary expectation to extraordinary action. For love’s sake a mother stays up all night with her sick child. For love’s sake a man may work for years at an unfulfilling job to support his family. For love’s sake a sibling helps a younger or weaker brother or sister with homework and chores. For love’s sake we help our neighbors with yardwork and errands and paying bills when they’re struggling with poor health, or they’ve lost their job. For love’s sake we sit with the sick and dying. For love’s sake we volunteer for hopeless causes, truly believing that our actions make a difference. For love’s sake we exhort others to faithfulness to Christ. For love’s sake we pray for one another.

For love’s sake we do all these things and more, knowing it was for love’s sake that God saved us from our sins. That’s a love worth imitating.

The God of Ice and Snow

January 17, 2024 / BroClo-Blogger-2022 / 0 Comments

This week, the Mid-South has been hit hard with snow and frigid temperatures. Memphis averages 2.7 inches of snow per year, most often in the form of one or two snowfalls of one or two inches each. This week we’ve had about six inches, and the city is pretty much shut down.

When we think about ice and snow, it should also make us think about God. In the Book of Job, God challenged Job by saying, “Have you entered the storehouses of the snow, or have you seen the storehouses of the hail, which I have reserved for the time of distress, for the day of war and battle?” (Job 38.22-23)

That text is remarkable for many reasons, not the least of which is that the land of Israel rarely saw snow. Yet there are over 80 references to snow, hail, ice, and winter. Mount Hermon, which is 145 miles north of Jerusalem was visible for miles and usually snow covered all year. The Book of Job has more references to wintery weather than any other book, and Job lived in the middle of the Arabian Desert!

Let me suggest three powerful lessons about God that we can learn from the snow and ice.

First, when we think about snow and ice, we should think about the power of God. In the book of Job, Elihu says, “God thunders with His voice wondrously, doing great things which we cannot comprehend. For to the snow He says, ‘Fall on the earth,’ and to the downpour and the rain, ‘Be strong’ … from the breath of God ice is made, and the expanse of the waters is frozen” (Job 37.5-6, 10). Only God causes the snow and ice to fall and uses them for his purposes.

Second, when we think about snow and ice, we should think about the providence of God. We tend to think about the inconvenience of snow, ice, and cold weather, but God uses the weather to meet the needs of his people. Speaking of God’s provisions for Jerusalem, Psalm 147 says, “He makes peace in your borders; he satisfies you with the finest of the wheat. He sends forth His command to the earth; his word runs very swiftly. He gives snow like wool; he scatters the frost like ashes. He casts forth His ice as fragments; who can stand before His cold? He sends forth His word and melts them; he causes His wind to blow and the waters to flow” (v. 14-18).

Finally, when we think about snow and ice, we should think about the purity of God. After his sin with Bathsheba, David prayed, “Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow” (Psalm 51.7). There’s nothing as white as snow. I have a dear friend in Iowa, who whenever it snows says, “There’s no white like God’s white.” The Bible uses the whiteness of snow as a metaphor for moral cleanness. Sin is portrayed as an ugly stain, but God offers to cleanse our spirits and make them “as white as snow.”

Snow and ice are a bit inconvenient and messy. But like all of God’s creation, they’re a powerful witness to the limitless power of God. Praise God for cold weather!

Not What But Whom

August 9, 2023 / BroClo-Blogger-2022 / 0 Comments

You’ve probably heard the old business adage that when it comes to finding a good job, it’s not what you know but whom. You’ve probably known talented, motivated, and honest workers who didn’t have especially good jobs, largely because they weren’t well-connected. On the other hand, you’ve probably known workers who weren’t talented, motivated, or honest, but who had great jobs because Uncle Bob owned the business, or because Daddy knew the CEO.

Before we decry this as being unfair, let’s apply this to our spiritual lives. Is our salvation because of our talents, hard work, motivation, and skillset? Or is it because of something else? Is it because we know Someone?

Near the end of his life, the apostle Paul wrote, “for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day” (2 Timothy 1.12). He doesn’t say “I know WHAT I have believed”, but “WHOM I have believed”.

Paul wasn’t discounting WHAT he believed, he wasn’t discounting doctrine. In fact, in the letters to Timothy and Titus, he repeatedly emphasizes teaching and believing “sound” (healthy) words and doctrine (cf. 1 Timothy 1.10; 6.3; 2 Timothy 1.13; 4.3; Titus 1.9, 13; 2.1). WHAT we believe is vitally important.

But as Paul approached death, he wasn’t thinking about SOMETHING, but SOMEONE. Someone who knew Paul better than he knew himself. Someone who had never deserted Paul. Someone whose promises and plans would ultimately prevail.

Paul had entrusted his work, his plans, and his life to God. He says in this text that God would guard whatever Paul had given him for safekeeping. It would be safe until the day that Christ returned to reward his people. For Paul, knowing his redeemer was the ultimate reality (Philippians 3.7-11). Nor was it simply knowing facts about God but knowing him relationally and intimately.

For Christians, it’s not about what you know but whom you know. Do you know Christ?

The Will of the Lord

July 11, 2023 / BroClo-Blogger-2022 / 0 Comments

Do you understand the will of God?

Phrases like “the will of God” or “the will of the Lord” occur about 30 times in the Bible, most often in the New Testament. “The will of God” means God’s desire or wish, what God wants. Specifically in relation to us, God’s will refers to what he desires or wishes from his people.

Regarding this notion of God’s will, the apostle Paul said, “So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is” (Ephesians 5.17).

These words from the apostle Paul are a simple reminder of three things: (1) God has a will, a desire, a plan for all of us. (2) We have the intellectual and moral capacity to ascertain what that will is. And (3) we can do something about it.

God’s will is plainly expressed in Scripture. Although some portions of the Bible aren’t easy to understand, an average reader is capable of discerning what God wants. Mark Twain supposedly said, “Most people are bothered by those passages of Scripture which they cannot understand; but as for me, I have always noticed that the passagse of Scripture which trouble me most are those which I do understand.”

I think Mark Twain was right. The problem with either Scripture or the will of God isn’t their inscrutability. The problem is simply man’s desire (or lack of desire) to pay attention and apply it to his life.

C. S. Lewis once observed, “There are two kinds of people: those who say to God, ‘Thy will be done,’ and those to whom God says, ‘All right, then, have it your way.’”

May God help us belong to the first category.