From the Chaplain

Building with My Life

The book of Ecclesiastes teaches us among other things that life is challenging, frustrating, often disappointing, but never meaningless! Indeed, nothing is meaningless. The Psalmist both encouraged and warned “Verily, there is a reward for the righteous: verily he is a God that judgeth in the earth” (Psalm 58:11). Everything that a man or woman does in this life will come under the judicial scrutiny of the eternal God in the next. Daniel Webster, 19^th century statesman, said “The most important thought that ever occupied my mind is that of my individual responsibility to God.” Christ himself taught “Every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgement” (Matthew 12:36).

The evaluation of our works is true for believers in Christ as well as for unbelievers though at different times and for different reasons. Paul speaks to the matter of the believer’s works in his letter to the Corinthians. He pointed out to them that he had “laid the foundation” and that this “foundation…is Jesus Christ.” Consequently, Paul warned them saying “let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon” for there is no other foundation (I Corinthians 3:10-11). It is evident from this passage that every believer, man or woman, is building something with his or her life.

Paul points out that which we build has varying degrees of quality. He uses the terms “gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble” (I Corinthians 3:12). It is plain to see that some qualities are more desirable than others because of their innate preciousness. I would definitely want my work to be categorized as the former (gold, silver, precious stones) rather than the latter (wood, hay, stubble). The composition of our works will not be known thoroughly until that day of judgement. Then “every man’s work shall be made manifest…because it shall be revealed by fire” (I Corinthians 3:13).

The test of the works lies in their response to the flame. “If any man’s work abides…he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss” (I Corinthians 3:14-15). It’s not rocket science to grasp that gold, silver, precious stones endure the flame and wood, hay, stubble are burnt up. Paul is quick to point out, however, that though some of the believer’s works may be burned, “he himself shall be saved” (I Corinthians 3:15).

The real question resulting from this passage is how can I make sure that which I build reflects the more enduring qualities? The answer is to look to the foundation, Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus taught “whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock” (Matthew 7:24). It is straightforward, if we know Christ, we build by following his word. Would Christ call you a “wise man”? Are your works gold, silver, precious gems?

Unbelieving friend, have you ever examined your life and asked yourself, “What am I building?” Better yet, on what am I building? Am I building on the Rock, Jesus Christ, or on sand? It is a matter of worthy consideration.

Believing All Things

Paul makes some remarkable statements in his description of love that is born from above. One of them is “love…believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (I Corinthians 13:7). When he says that love “believes all things” he is not saying that we believe everything we hear and, consequently, that we exercise no discernment in what is told us. Rather, he is warning us to keep in check our natural gravitation toward taking delight in the failures and foibles of others as they are related to us. In this sense, godly love is not needlessly suspicious or, we might say, suspicious without warrant. The “all things” here refers to all things good.

When we love others rightly, we do not give credence to the evil we hear about them unless the facts demand otherwise. This aspect of love as Paul describes it runs contrary to our human nature. Our ears “perk up” to the negative in people’s lives. Why else would gossip be such a popular pastime? But this willingness to give the benefit of the doubt is not an easy path. We must choose to not believe evil and believe the good. Doing so requires grace to overcome our own inclinations.

This principle finds application in virtually all of life’s relationships – husband and wife, parents and children, employees and co-workers, etc. (We don’t have to search far for examples.) We even find it necessarily rooted in the very fabric of our legal system. Do we not hold that a man is innocent until proven guilty? No matter the charge, facts must be gathered, examined, and weighed. Society functions best when falsehood is checked. Why is that?

To believe the evil we hear of others without factual support is to lose sight of the image of God which every man and woman bears. Love treats others with dignity and respect for that very reason – each one is made in the image of God. When we give way to unwarranted evil speaking, we diminish that person in our sight and we diminish our view and understanding of God.

Jesus taught “all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets” (Matthew 7:12). Correspondingly, Paul wrote under the inspiration of the Spirit, “Love worketh no evil toward his neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law” (Romans 13:10). Giving heed to evil reports of others amounts to working evil toward our neighbor. It wrongly diminishes the natural respect and honor that is due them as fellow image-bearers of God. We would not want others to believe such evils about us. Consequently, we must be prepared to offer the same practice to others as the Lord taught.

Begotten of God

James noted in his epistle that “God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man” (James 1:13). Conversely, he declares in that same passage “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights” (James 1:17). It is from this background that James (under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit) declares “of his own will begat he us with the word of truth…” (James 1:18). In short, the new birth is God’s gift to us and comes about through his goodness.

To beget is to cause to be born. This passage teaches us that God “begat…us with the word of truth”. That is, he caused us to be born again by his word. Just as we had nothing to do with our physical birth, so it is with our spiritual birth. To be born again is to receive spiritual life. This life is from above and enables us to worship, love, and fellowship with God. One must have spiritual life if one is to worship and commune with God, who is a Spirit. John tells us “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24).

Why do we need spiritual life in the first place? The Scriptures answer that for us. We come into this world “dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1). That is, our sin nature (inherited from Adam) has cut us off from the life of God and the new birth is now the only means of restoration. Just as a dog barks because he is a dog, we sin because we are sinners. And, our sins alienate us from the very life of God. This is why Jesus himself told Nicodemus, a man well trained in the law of Moses, “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). We need a new nature – one not corrupted by sin – to enable us to enjoy God as He intended us to do.

The new birth really is then the zenith of God’s great goodness to mankind. Man is separated from God by virtue of his sin and his sins are an affront to the holy character of God making him worthy of death, i.e. eternal separation from God. But God sent his Son, Jesus, to suffer death on the cross in our place. It is as we receive the testimony of God’s word concerning his Son and put our trust in him to save us from our sins that God causes us to be born again. This is how we are begotten by his word and why James speaks of this begetting it in the context of God’s good and perfect gifts. God gives life to spiritually dead men and women making them his children through faith in Christ. How great a love is that! Are you born again?

Ask God!

In his Epistle, James’ (the Lord’s half-brother) admonished his readers to “count it all joy” when they encounter trials and difficulties. He understood these trying times fall to all of us from a loving heavenly Father whose purpose is to use them to produce the image of His Son in each of us. Hence, we can indeed count it all joy!

That being said, he invites his audience to look to God for guidance in those trying times particularly and in any time in general. James writes “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him” (James 1:5). Often during hard and difficult times we do not know what to do. James invites us to ask God who is the source of all wisdom. What could be simpler!

Our Father who ordained and designed our circumstances for his glory knows the path that we should take. The Scriptures tell us that he gives “liberally,” that is, generously in response. Neither does he upbraid us or reproach us for asking. In essence, he does not say to us “You fool – why don’t you know?” The tender kindness and loving favor of our heavenly Father is evident in his response to us. He is not inclined to hide his will from us when it comes to our walk before him. Rather, He delights to show us the way.

Yet, there is an added admonition that must be embraced when seeking to know the Father’s leading – we must be committed to following it! James adds “But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways” (James 1:6-9). We do not ask an all-wise God for his guidance only to list it with all of our other “options.” We must trust him who is worthy of our trust for he sees the way we must go.

God knows the heart and if we are not earnest in our desire to please him, we shall receive nothing from him. Further, our lives will reflect the instability that comes from resisting and rejecting wisdom from on high. That is why James instructs his readers to “ask in faith…(for) without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (Hebrews 11:6).

An old hymn of the faith has captured the very essence of this invitational truth – “Trust and obey for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.” Look to him for wisdom; trust him for guidance; obey his leading.

And Now Abideth…

Paul makes a remarkable statement in his concluding remarks about love to the believers in Corinth, “And now abideth faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love” (I Corinthians 13:13). First, he sets these three spiritual gems – faith, hope, love – in surpassing beauty to the brevity of prophecies, tongues (the gift of speaking a foreign language previously unknown to the speaker), and even knowledge itself. He writes “…whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away” (I Corinthians 13:8). But faith, hope, and love abide!

Paul points out that even revelation is presently insufficient to completely conform us to Christ. “For we know in part, and we prophesy in part…For now we see through a glass darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part, but then shall I know even as I am known…But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away” (I Corinthians 13:9-12). Revelation left to us currently, i.e. the Holy Scriptures, is sufficient entirely for our journey here. But it is limited in its opportunity to completely transform and conform us into the image of Christ. When Christ himself is revealed at his return, we will no longer see him “through a glass darkly” but “we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is” (I John 3:2).” Revelation will be complete in its transforming purpose in that moment! But, in the meantime, these three – faith, hope, and love – abide.

Having come to this point in his letter, Paul under the inspiration of the Spirit asserts that love is greater than faith and hope. Who can diminish the value of faith and hope? But Paul is not undervaluing these two qualities. He is elevating the surpassing quality of love. How can that be? There may be two perspectives that come into play here. First, love will endure beyond faith and hope. In heaven, there will be no need for faith for sight will have made faith unnecessary. Likewise, hope will no longer be hope in heaven, for hope shall be realized. But love will go on throughout eternity. God is love (I John 4:16) and the eternal God will reveal his love throughout eternity to his children.

Another take on this comparison is the intrinsic operation of love compared to faith and hope. Faith and hope are both operative for the benefit of those who exercise faith and rejoice in hope. But love is necessarily directed at others reflecting the true nature of God himself. That is, God loves; therefore, God gives. Think of the greatest testimony to that truth as given to us by John, the Apostle. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16, emphasis added). Love is greater because it serves others. We should follow our heavenly Father’s example.

An Unruly Evil

James, the Lord’s half-brother, speaks clearly in his epistle of the relationship between faith and works. It is true that we are saved through faith alone, but James goes on to point out that faith that saves is never alone. In fact, he concludes that “faith without works is dead” (James 1:26) and by implication unprofitable. The essence of his teaching is that faith in Christ does indeed bring forgiveness of sins and a righteousness before God. But this faith brings with it something else – a changed life, i.e. a life characterized by good works.

What better place to begin to show a changed life than with the tongue? James points out that while all offend in many things, “if any man offends not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body” (James 3:2). A “perfect man” as used here speaks not of sinlessness (for there is no such a one), but rather of spiritual maturity. He gives two examples to demonstrate the power of the tongue though it is a very small member of our body.

First, James points out that a spirited horse is controlled by a small bit in its mouth. With this small bit, the horse’s entire body is turned as desired by the rider. Next he relates how great ships though easily blown about by strong winds are controlled by a very small helm. So is the tongue. It is very small, yet it has great power and because of this power James rightly concludes that the one who does not offend in word is able “to bridle the whole body.” Being able then to control the tongue is indicative of one who is disciplined in all areas of life.

But the tongue cannot be controlled, at least not without the grace of God. James calls the tongue “a fire, a world of iniquity…set on fire of hell” (James 3:6). He goes on to say that while “every kind of beasts, and of birds, and serpents, and of things in the sea…have been tamed by mankind, the tongue can no man tame. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison” (James 3:7-8). I don’t think we need many examples to get the point here. We’ve all been guilty of words said in haste that linger in the hearts of others longer than we could ever wish.

Let me close with this truth. The tongue can no man tame because it speaks of what is in the heart. Solomon observed that “as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7). Jesus connected the heart to the tongue for he taught “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34). Jeremiah, the prophet, noted “the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked” (Jeremiah 17:10). The bottom line is we speak from what we are. Only a new heart can change what we are and then rule the tongue.

Saving faith results in the new birth, a new heart, and a changed life! Anything else is a vain religion (James 1:26).

Adulterers and Adulteresses

James made a comparison of earthly wisdom to wisdom that is from above (James 3:17). It is understandable that James spoke of a wisdom that is “from above” when he described how Christians should live. After all, believers are in the world but are not to be of the world. Yet his audience was characterized by envyings and fightings brought on by lusts that warred in their members (James 4:1-2). This was hardly the product of wisdom from above. Driven by fleshly lusts even their very prayers were bent on self-consumption and naturally went unanswered (James 4:3).

What was wrong with these folk? After all they were believers in Christ, were they not? Yet they were characterized by infighting, selfishness and insatiable lusts. This is more a picture of 3-year-olds in a nursery fighting over toys and crackers. They had lost sight of their new life in Christ, forgotten that they had been purged from their old sins, as Peter puts it (2 Peter 1:9). James called them adulterers and adulteresses. They had given their love to this present world and abandoned their love for the Savior.

You see a man cannot love two masters. Likewise, you can’t long for a home in heaven while striving for the things of this present age. This is simply incompatible. Christ tells us in his word that as believers we are to set our affections on things above (Colossians 3:2). We are to look for a city which hath foundations whose builder and maker is God (Hebrews 11:10). Our citizenship is in heaven not on this earth (Philippians 3:20). Consequently, we are to live as strangers and pilgrims looking for the coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Longing for heaven and the things of God is hard to do when what I’m really looking for is the next Black Friday sale. The key to pilgrim living is to love where I’m going. My love for Christ needs to be greater and stronger than my love for this world and for the things of this world. If my heart truly longs to be with him, I will have no difficulty looking for those things above. I will find it easier to separate myself from a love affair with the things of this earth. We must be content with Christ for he alone can satisfy.

James rightly used the words adulterers and adulteresses, words reserved for those who had violated their marriage covenant. This is what he calls Christians who love the world more than they love God. They forget it was the world that crucified Christ and nailed him to the cross. They forget that Christ has saved us from the world and we belong to him. We are married unto him; we are his bride. To love the world more than we love Christ is indeed to be an adulterer or an adulteress. How this must grieve the Lord Jesus Christ!

Friend, what are you living for? Or, should I say who are you living for? Are you living for this present world, striving to have more and more of it? This world makes many promises but delivers on none of them. The things of this world can never satisfy, they can only entice.

James offers his audience the solution. He tells them to cast themselves upon the great grace of God. “Draw nigh to God and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands ye sinners and purify your hearts ye double-minded” (James 4:8). Good advice even for today.

An Expectation for Growth

The Apostle Paul had made clear to the Corinthian believers that God had given his children his Spirit “that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God” (I Corinthians 2:12). In spite of that blessed privilege, they had remained spiritually immature so Paul found it necessary to rebuke them for their lack of spiritual growth. “And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ” (I Corinthians 3:1). Yes, they had been born again by faith in Christ having believed the gospel. But they had remained babes in Christ.

Paul did not question the reality of their faith here, but he did express genuine disappointment that they had not grown in the Lord. To become a Christian is to become a follower of Jesus Christ. We enter into a living relationship with him through the new birth and grow in likeness of him by living out our faith. The believers in Corinth had not grown as they should have and this was made plain to Paul by their behavior. They were given over to “envying and strife and divisions” (I Corinthians 3:3).

Just as newborn babies are expected to grow and develop, so, too, Christians are expected to grow in their likeness of the Savior. When infants do not mature (gain weight, learn to sit up, crawl, walk, speak) parents grow rightfully concerned and seek medical help. Growth is the greatest evidence of a healthy new life. This is true in the spiritual arena as well. God expects his children to grow, but this was not the case with the believers in Corinth. Their striving and envying and causing divisions betrayed a selfishness that was inconsistent with the testimony of Christ. Because of this Paul ministered unto them “as babes” and fed them “with milk and not with meat” (I Corinthians 3:2)

Growing in Christ is a lifelong pursuit for the believer. It means learning of him in every venue of life – my role as an employee, as a parent, as a spouse, as a neighbor, as a citizen, etc. We grow as a result of obeying what we know from God’s word concerning Christ.

The writer of Hebrews encountered believers who were not where they should have been spiritually. Listen to his burden for his audience. “For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God and are become such as have need of milk and not of strong meat. For every one that useth milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil” (Hebrews 5:12-14; emphasis added). Clearly, his audience had been Christians long enough to be teaching others of Christ, yet were not. Note the phrase “by reason of use.” The key to growing is doing!

We must be “doers of the word and not hearers only” as James told us (James 1:22) if we are to mature in our faith and bear fruit for God. What does your growth chart look like? Are you a doer or a hearer only?

His Understanding is Infinite

The Psalmist wrote “Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite” (Psalm 147:5). It really should not surprise us to understand that the God who created all things quite literally knows all things, as well. One naturally follows the other. He created the galaxies, our universe and solar system; he hung the stars in space – billions of them. Yet he also created the earth with its seasons, varying topographies, and creature inhabitants of both land and sea.

When Moses balked at going back to Egypt to lead the children of Israel out, he said that he was “not eloquent…but…slow of speech, and of a slow tongue. And the LORD said unto him, who hath made man’s mouth? Or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? Have not I the LORD?” (Exodus 4:10-11).

Speaking of the tongue, David acknowledged that God knew his very thoughts. He confessed to the LORD “there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, that knowest it altogether…Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it” (Psalm 139:4-6).

Frankly, isn’t that the way we would want it if we were to make up our own God? Wouldn’t we want a God who knew all things? Wouldn’t we want a God to whom we could go with every problem, every question, every care? But we have such a God! We do not need to create such a God. We have a God who created us and knows ALL things.

The Bible teaches us “the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him” (2 Chronicles 16:9). This God who knows all things knows our fears and how to quiet them. He knows our weaknesses and how to strengthen us. He knows our perplexities and how to guide us through them. He knows the dangers we face and how to deliver us.

Do you know this God? His name is Jesus and in him are “hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3). There are many that profess to know him. What a tragedy it would be in the day of judgment for this God who knows all things “to profess unto them I never knew you; depart from me ye that work iniquity” (Matthew 7:21). But for the child of God he declares “Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by name; thou art mine” (Isaiah 43:1).

Five Reasons to be of Good Cheer

We live in challenging times, do we not? Perhaps, many might think “challenging” is a bit of an understatement. Truth seems to be such a rare commodity. We do not trust our government, the media, even one another. There is little in the way of civil debate over social or political issues. Rather, harsh condemnation marked by vitriolic speech seems to be the path most followed. Evil is called good and righteousness is increasingly condemned. Furthermore, the economy has grown oppressive. We work more and take home less, struggling to eke out a living. If what we watch on the evening news were all that we knew, we would indeed be most miserable. But there is hope. I want to share five reasons to be of good cheer – reasons that are not contingent on anything this world provides.

The first and foremost of these reasons is our salvation is permanent. When Christ was ministering in Capernaum, “they brought unto him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins are forgiven thee” (Matthew 9:2; emphasis added). The man perceived his need to be physical; Christ saw his real need as spiritual (though the Lord healed him completely). We, too, often fail to see our real needs and, consequently, look for remedies that are short-sighted and miss the mark. His physical need was temporary, i.e. this life only, but the forgiveness of sins transcends this life unto life eternal. The forgiveness of sins is ours to enjoy regardless of our circumstances. Do you know the forgiveness of your sins?

A second reason to be of good cheer is that our Savior is present. After feeding a great multitude (five thousand men plus women and children), Christ sent his disciples by boat across the sea of Galilee while he spent time in prayer. During that trip a great storm arose and threatened their very lives. As they struggled to bring the ship to shore, “Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea…and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid” (Matthew 14:22-26; emphasis added). This storm became a threat even though they were in the will of God (remember, he had instructed them to go across the sea). In spite of the peril, Christ was present with them! Likewise, we are never alone in the storms of life. Furthermore, Peter was moved to step out of the boat and walk on the sea toward Jesus. He was able to move out of his comfort zone and do something beyond his ability by the presence of Christ. We, too, can achieve beyond our own capability by his presence for his presence is provision enough. What is the Lord urging you to do that is in your mind beyond your own reach?

The Lord is our sustaining peace provides a third reason to be of good cheer. In the upper room immediately prior to his crucifixion, the Lord told his disciples “A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me, because I go to the Father” (John 16:16). Later, in that same discourse, he told them they would be scattered and that in the world they would have tribulation. Nevertheless, he told them “be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:32-33; emphasis added). His departure to the Father resulted in the coming of the Spirit to dwell permanently within every believer. His indwelling made possible a communion with the Father sustained by a new prayer dynamic not possible prior to the Lord’s departure. “Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full” (John 16:24). The world brings turmoil; communion with the Father through Christ brings lasting peace. Are you abiding in Christ? Do you know that peace?

Another reason to be of good cheer may not seem so obvious as those mentioned already. The Scriptures teach us that our service potential is a reason to be of good cheer. Paul’s preaching of the resurrection in Jerusalem resulted in great dissension among his audience. As a result, Paul was taken prisoner by the Roman soldiers to safeguard him and bring order to the tumult. But “the night following the Lord stood by him, and said, be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome” (Acts 23:11; emphasis added). Christ had work for Paul to do, work that was not subject to life’s circumstances for our Lord is the God of circumstances. The fact that we as believers are still here (and not in heaven) testifies that the Lord has a work for each one of us. We should pursue that labor and trust in him for the necessary enabling or provision in the midst of our circumstances. Are you working for the Lord or has this world’s troubles hindered your pursuit?

Finally, the fifth reason to be of good cheer is the Scriptures’ power. When Paul was taken prisoner in Jerusalem, he exercised his right as a Roman citizen and appealed to be tried before Caesar. Accompanied by a Roman guard, he embarked on the long boat ride from Jerusalem to Rome. While at sea a severe storm arose. The safety of the ship and all those aboard was threatened. After many days of duress, “all hope that we should be saved was taken away” (Acts 27:20). Nevertheless, the angel of God stood by Paul that night saying, “Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar; and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee.” Encouraged, Paul told those on board with him, “be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me” (Acts 27:23-25; emphasis added). The Scriptures record that all 276 souls reached shore safely even though the ship was destroyed. There are many promises in God’s word we can claim as Paul did. None of them can ever fail. Rest your soul in the promises of God and be of good cheer!