The Beauty is Worth the Effort

Romans 11:33 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!

I had heard of the Grand Canyon, of its indescribable beauty and its overwhelming vastness, but I never desired to spend the necessary time to see this treasure for myself. I had heard the testimonies from others, believed in its reality, but had no desire to experience it for myself.

Then on a family vacation in the western states my wife insisted we visit the Grand Canyon. Inwardly, I growled as this would take at least two days out of our schedule to see nothing more that a gigantic hole in the ground. My thoughts of displeasure only intensified as we drove through hours of desert to arrive at the stated destination.

Upon arrival my displeasure soon began to flee. As I walked to the edge of the canyon I became immediately overwhelmed with the beauty and the vastness of this treasure of God’s creation. The words and photos of others could not accurately describe the vivid colors, the immensity and the glory of this wonder of God’s handiwork. I was wrong, so very wrong! My regret now was that we did not schedule enough time to truly explore the many hidden wonders of this divine masterpiece.

The taste of standing on the edge and gazing at the beauty before me only made me hungry for more. Thank God for my wife insisting this to be in our plans. The drive back through the desert did not seem as tedious as the images that would not be forgotten continued to flash into my mind.

I am afraid that many view Scripture in the same way I viewed the Grand Canyon: belief in the truth of its reality but not willing to take the time or the effort to experience it for myself. I had heard what others had to say and sadly was satisfied, and was never willing to do what was necessary to taste it for myself. How foolish to eat the crumbs of others when we can indulge in the feast itself.

No one will ever taste the depth, the beauty and the majesty of God’s Word until he makes the commitment and the sacrifice to do whatever it takes to stand at its edge and wonder at its glory. Then and only then will one not be satisfied with simply a taste but desire to explore for even more of God’s indescribable riches. No one else’s explanation will do.

Thank God for those who have challenged me to explore for myself the vastness and beauty of God's majestic Word.

Trials of the Race

Jeremiah 12:5 "If you have run with the footmen, and they have wearied you, Then how can you contend with horses? And if in the land of peace, In which you trusted, they wearied you, Then how will you do in the floodplain of the Jordan?

Jeremiah was tired, weary, frustrated and now complaining to God about the persecution he was facing from his own Jewish brothers for preaching God’s Word. He was in the midst a major pity party complaining of God’s injustice for allowing the unrighteous to prosper while the righteous perished.

There will be times that any faithful servant of God will find himself in the very circumstance of Jeremiah. We would like to think that our faithfulness to God and His Word would be rewarded by immediately blessings from God and appreciation of the people, but history proves this is not necessarily the case. God’s prophets who faithfully preached His Word rather than tickling men’s ears were seldom applauded by their contemporaries and in most cases disdained by their listeners. One has to look no further than Jesus Christ who was crucified by the very people He came to save.

In truth, faithful service to our Lord can be at times a treacherous road and a weary task. This can cause the servant to lose sight of the mark and to begin to feel sorry for himself. But God will not allow us to wallow in the mire of our self-indulgent sorrow. In His grace and mercy He will strengthen and encourage us, but in His truth He will remind us of the preparations for task before us. He will remind us just as He did Jeremiah, “If you become weary in the little skirmishes then how will you stand in the major battles ahead?”

God loves us and His work too much to allow us to remain where we are. He is constantly testing and stretching His servants with trials and tribulations for a greater work ahead. Instead of a spirit of complaint which naturally reveals itself through our flesh, may we have a spirit of rejoicing that God would count us worthy to serve and grow in His work. Let us be as the early church who rejoiced that they were counted worthy to suffer for His name (Acts 5:41).
--To God be the Glory

Lord, Give us more Stephens

Acts 6:15 And all who sat in the council, looking steadfastly at him (Stephen),
saw his face as the face of an angel.

Lord, give us more Stephens: Men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom; Men who are faithful servants to your people and bold preachers of your word. Men who are full of faith and power; Men of whom when they find themselves in the midst of false accusations and persecutions do not lash out, but have the countenance of an angel; Men whose light shines bright in the darkest of times.

I believe in the heat of persecution the face of Stephen and his final words of compassion for his persecutors were permanently etched in the mind of one of his tormentors, Saul of Tarsus. Could it be that Stephen’s testimony in death was a preparation of Saul’s soon salvation and a prod for his future ministry? If so, Stephen's light continued to burn bright through the powerful ministry of the apostle Paul.

Loved Him

Mark 10:21 "Then Jesus looking at him, loved him, and said to him, 'One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross and follow Me.'"

This young man was so close but yet so far. He came sincerely to Jesus seeking eternal life but was confused on how to obtain it. He had been faithful, in comparison to others, in keeping the law but this was not the way unto salvation. Jesus looked at the young man with eyes of compassion and with a heart of purest love knowing exactly what was keeping him from eternal life. He had made idols of his riches and thus measured himself by his possessions rather than by a Holy God. Jesus understood this idol had to be removed before true worship could be made and true life obtained. Thus, out of a heart of love Jesus addressed this man's need and what needed to be done so he could obtain the eternal life he was seeking. The idol must be destroyed, all had be given away, and then he must selflessly follow Christ. The words were hard but they were true and flowed from the love of the Lord. Sadly, the young man was not willing to give up his idol of riches for true eternal life. He would rather glory in temporal pleasure than in eternal delight. He walked away sorrowful but in love Jesus did not follow him. Jesus had given him riches greater than any he owned: the riches of truth and love. Sadly, he rejected truth wrapped in love and thus eternal life.

Imitate Me

1 Corinthians 4:16 Therefore, urge you, imitate me.
11:1 Imitate me, just as I imitate Christ.

One of the boldest statements in all scripture is made not once but twice by the apostle Paul, “Imitate me.” Paul was writing to a group of believers who were blessed with strong spiritual gifts from the Lord, but whom had great difficulty separating themselves from the ways of the world. Obviously, they were having a hard time understanding what a Christ-like should appear, and even a more difficult time walking it. Therefore, Paul offered himself as a living example by challenging them to “imitate me.” This statement may appear brash or arrogant on the surface (and it would be if made from a pompous heart) but this was not the case. Paul’s statement flowed from a heart of humility and confidence. Humbly, he understood the magnitude of his challenge for himself and his readers as a failure of him to live a proper example of Christ would place him in great jeopardy of Christ’s judgment and place his readers in danger of a wayward walk. Yet, his dependence was on Christ and not on himself as he could not provide the proper example apart from the power of Christ in him and through him. He was confident in Christ’s provision. His heart was pure and his understanding was clear that as believers we are to be living letters to others to teach them the ways of Christ. We are to be the world’s examples of Christ as we are His body. As Paul, we must not be arrogant but humbly confident in our faith and in our walk. May we, as him, not fear to make ourselves examples of Christ and even challenge young believers, “If you want to live like Jesus, imitate me.”