Where to Stand

In 1868, Elizabeth Clephane wrote the hymn, Beneath the Cross of Jesus. It was published three years after her death. Clephane was born in Scotland. She was considered a frail girl, but was known for her philanthropic causes. Her parents died when she was young and her brother died in a fall from a horse. She died at 38, a weak, frail, short-lived life ... full of good works. What was her secret?

Elizabeth was known as "one of those cheerful people who brighten every corner." Her friends called her "Sunbeam." Because Clephane lived "beneath the cross of Jesus." In what sense? Elizabeth wrote,

Beneath the cross of Jesus
I fain would take my stand,
The shadow of a mighty Rock
Within a weary land;
A home within the wilderness,
A rest upon the way,
From the burning of the noontide heat,
And the burden of the day.

It's a bold statement. Bold because Scripture says "For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God" (1 Cor 1:18). She boldly declares to those who consider it "foolishness," "This is where I gladly reside." And bold because the cross is a place of suffering. You actually want to stand there?

In subsequent verses, Clephane calls the cross a "safe and happy shelter," a "trysting place where heaven's love and heaven’s justice meet." I love that phrase. She confesses that she can see Him on that cross at times. "And from my smitten heart, with tears, two wonders I confess -- the wonders of His glorious love, and my own worthlessness." That's where she longed to stand.

The last verse says,

I take, O cross, thy shadow
For my abiding place;
I ask no other sunshine than
The sunshine of His face;
Content to let the world go by,
To know no gain nor loss,
My sinful self my only shame,
My glory all the cross.

In that verse we find her secret to happiness in an existence that we would consider painful, even unbearable. Beneath His cross, she was looking to Jesus. Nowhere else. Like Paul with his thorn in the flesh, "Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me" (2 Cor 12:9). At the cross we can find contentment beyond the world's understanding. I would gladly ("fain") take my stand there.

No April Fool

We laugh about April Fool's Day, but Scripture talks about foolishness quite a bit. Biblical foolishness resides in the arena of sin. It's not merely ignorance or even a lack of understanding. It begins with the suppression of truth (Rom 1:18) which produces the exchange of God for alternatives (Rom 1:22-23). Paul wrote, "They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen" (Rom 1:25). The phrase, "a lie," is most correctly translated "the lie." What lie is that? Worshiping and serving the creature rather than the Creator. And that is foolishness. David wrote, "The fool has said in his heart, 'There is no God.' They are corrupt, they have committed abominable deeds; There is no one who does good" (Psa 14:1). And you see the correlation between "no God" and the judgment of good and bad -- "There is no one who does good."

Proverbs has a lot on foolishness. Some of my favorites are "The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man is he who listens to counsel" (Pro 12:15), "A wise man is cautious and turns away from evil, but a fool is arrogant and careless" (Pro 14:16), and "A fool does not delight in understanding, but only in revealing his own mind" (Pro 18:2). A fool has a temper (Pro 14:17), perverse speech (Pro 19:1), and produces sin (Pro 24:9). And on ... and on.

Wisdom, the counter to foolishness, begins with the fear of the Lord (Pro 9:10). It would bring about a proper grasp of God as opposed to a suppression of the truth about Him. It would produce a right understanding of our sin nature and the need for a Savior. It would lead to repentance and faith, and the grace and mercy that accompany repentance and faith. Our "April Fool" is a joke day, and that's fine, but let's be year-round wise, pursuing God and His truth, rather than daily fools.

Como Se Dice

In Spanish they say, "¿Como se dice ...?" to ask "How do you say ...?" I find myself asking that ... a lot. Oh, in English, of course. You see, words are not "things" so much as symbols. They aren't realities, but a method of transmitting ideas, etc. from one person to another. Now, the trick of it is, we have to use the same symbols. Like that upside down question mark. What does that mean? Nothing to an English speaker. A meaningless symbol. But to a Spanish speaker, it's the prelude to a question. So we have things called "words" that are symbols for transmitting data and we need to understand what those symbols mean if we're to do it effectively. And ... we're not. That's because we take agreed-upon symbols and change them, but keep using them as if we're all in agreement. Here's an example. In the Ten Commandments, God demanded, "You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain" (Exo 20:7). And we're all clear. But ... not. You see, He didn't command anything about "the name of the LORD." That capitalized "LORD" is a symbol for a specific Hebrew term -- YHWH. So we shift YHWH to "LORD" and then we lose the concept of "LORD" and end up ... confused. We think He doesn't want us using the word "G-O-D" in vain. But the word itself is only a symbol. And "the name" is a symbol. Because "the name" refers to "Who I am." And in that light "the name" becomes sacred because it is Who He is. And here we are, mucking about in concerns about the proper use of the letters, "G-O-D." What He wants is for us not to use His character in vain. Jesus didn't institute the proper end of every prayer to be, "In Jesus name, Amen" when He said, "If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it" (Joh 14:14) like some magic incantation. He was telling us to ask with His character in mind (1 John 5:14). Words have meaning, and if we don't grasp their intent, we won't understand what is communicated.

Language is a fluid concept. Starting with the Tower of Babel, languages have been confounded. Since then they're morphed, merged, vanished, thrived. I'm told that if you take two groups of people who speak the same language and separate them geographically, in a hundred years neither group will understand the other, the language will have changed so much. Language is fluid. Ask any teenager. Oh, wait ... you probably won't understand. Because language is constantly changing. And I understand that. But I'm more concerned about the data being transmitted. Take one of Scripture's key concepts: love. Most languages have multiple terms for "love" because love itself has multiple meanings. "I love pizza" is not the same as "I love my dog" or "I love my mom" or "I love my wife." At least, it better not be. So we use a common term, "love," to express a plethora of ideas and expect to be understood. In the King James Bible, the word agape is translated in the 13th chapter of 1 Corinthians as "charity." Why? Because the translators understood that "love" as it's commonly used is not what is expressed in 1 Corinthians 13. That "love" is an entirely self-sacrificing, giving version. Charity -- back then -- expressed the notion of giving without getting, of benevolence and compassion. Not the "warm affection" we understand "love" to be today.

Here's the thing. Words change. I get it. But ideas, concepts, truth ... these don't. So if you're going to steal words, I'll need new ones to express their original intent. I'll need something new for "marriage" to express "a man and a woman united in body and soul for life" instead of the modern version ... "people who ... sort of commit ... at least for a while ... you know ... a step up from friendship." I need a word for "love" that expresses a self-sacrificing, heartfelt concern for the welfare of the loved one. I don't know ... I think I'm going to need new words for "male" and "female" and ... so many other words the world is changing to cover our eyes to the actual concepts and realities. ¿Como se dice "Christian"? Not like "someone who calls themself a Christian without regard to anything ... you know ... Christ-related," but "an actual follower of Christ who has a genuine relationship with Him." I'm going to need so many new words.

Bless You

In Ephesians Paul writes, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ" (Eph 1:3). From there he spends 12 verses listing some of those blessings. But ... isn't it interesting? He says God "has blessed us." Not "will bless us." Already accomplished. With what? "every spiritual blessing." Wait ... really? I'm not sure I'm experiencing every spiritual blessing.

How do we make sense of this? It isn't obscure. He has done it. He's not going to. And it's every blessing, not just some. So how is that true? Well, we do know that He sent His Son (John 3:16). Jesus said, "He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous" (Mat 5:45). Paul said, "He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world" (Eph 1:4). Lots of blessings, and already present.

Ultimately, He has blessed us -- past tense -- with every spiritual blessing ... in Christ. Christ is that blessing that encompasses them all. He is in us (Col 1:27). He is the fulfillment of all God's promises (2 Cor 1:20). And we understand, "He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?" (Rom 8:32). Thus, the "every spiritual blessing" is, ultimately, "in Christ" and already a done thing. Meditate on that a while.

News Weakly - 3/29/2025

Following the Crowd
Erykah Badu is an American singer who vandalised her own Tesla to "stay on trend," almost literally cutting off her own nose to spite her face. Of course, Musk still has the money she paid and "Tesla" is in the news again, but, hey, she's pretty sure she's right in following the crowd ... like a good sheep.

Testing the Impossible
World Athletics, an international governing body for sports, is planning to test female track and field athletes with a swab "to determine female gender." Of course, they can't. Gender is sex expression. A biological male, for instance, can wear a dress and express himself as a female -- appear feminine. Sex is biological, and can be tested by a DNA swab. But that's automatically denied, too, since we've decided we're whatever sex we feel like ... in this insane world. Proving Jeremiah 17:9.

Protect What You Love
Three teen girls in Texas tried to kill their mom for turning off the Wi-Fi. Got it ... priorities noted. A new "human right" is added -- Wi-Fi access. And Paul's promise that in the last days people will be without familial love is proven true.

Justice, No Peace
In the interest of justice and fairness, an appeals court has blocked an attempt to deport murderous gang members ... again. So our justice system is intent on keeping killers in our midst because Trump wanted them gone. Makes sense ... to someone.

Your Priorities are Showing
Top U.S. officials accidently leaked a group text to Jeffrey Goldberg, Atlantic Editor-in-Chief, about a strike in Yemen. In an admirable display of patriotism, Atlantic ... published the information. Because "news" is much more important than any national interests. Don't ever be confused. The media is not on your side; they just want their stories at any cost ... to you. They just want their agenda.

Improper Ideology
Trump signed an executive order targeting Smithsonian funding for programs with "improper ideology." The "improper ideology" he targeted was the recent explosion of rewriting American history to cast the U.S. in a negative light. I have a hard time with it, just in principle, but ... it's not like it's new. The government has come down hard over and over on "improper ideology" like binary gender, marriage as the union of a man and a woman, or biblical values in school (to name a few). Trump's only the latest one.

Counting the Cost
A Colorado lawmaker argued, "A birth is more expensive than an abortion" in her argument for state-funded abortion. "Ultimately, we do achieve a cost savings because of the averted births that will not take place." Follow that to its logical conclusion. These people have lost their collective mind.

Fake News You Can Trust
After being stopped repeatedly by judges, Trump is planning to leave the presidency to become a truly powerful District Court judge. Elsewhere, a video of Elmo keying a Cybertruck has been leaked, bringing into question PBS's political neutrality. And from the world of Star Wars, the story is out that Darth Vader accidentally added Admiral Ackbar to a holochat when planning the raid on Alderaan. (Yeah, yeah, a Star Wars nerd story, but you get the joke.)

Must be true; I read it on the Internet.

Little is Much

We all suffer, to some degree or another, from the sense of ... not enough. I mean, "Am I contributing enough? Am I doing enough? Am I meeting my potential?" We especially wonder if we're making a difference for God. Did we speak up when we should? Are we doing what we should? We all suffer this kind of thing. And, of course, the answer isn't positive since we all fall short.

The problem here, of course, is that we're looking in the wrong direction. We're looking at the wrong things for the wrong reasons. You see, Jesus didn't save us to be perfect. He didn't choose us because He had such high expectations. Instead, Jesus said, "If you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you" (Mat 17:20). A mustard seed of faith. Not much. Now, let's ask ourselves, what does that tiny bit of faith do? Nothing. Our proverbial mountain is not moved by faith; it's moved by God. In fact, Jesus said, "Apart from me you can do nothing" (John 15:5). Which is not a little something. Paul wrote, "I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth" (1 Cor 3:6). So, yes, we participate with Him in His work, but ... it's His work.

There is a hymn from the 1920's titled, "Little is Much When God is in It." The truth is all that we produce is produced by Him and His power. He's not baffled, trapped, stumped, working hard to get done what He hoped we'd do. No. Never. He gets done what He wants done, and any of our "Oh, my, I didn't do enough" is arrogance, thinking God is depending on us and we're slowing Him down. We aren't adequate for the task. We are useful. And only when He makes us so. Don't get trapped into thinking more of yourself than you ought. We bring what we bring and He gives the growth.

When It Hurts

We all suffer at times. Some suffer a lot. Believers have the Lord to lean on, but, face it, we all still suffer. So, what do we do when it hurts? What help is there when we're in pain? We want to trust. We want to be strong. How can we navigate this "trust God" and "Wow! It really hurts" situation? There are those who would urge you to bear up and just take it. There are those who would tell you to knuckle under and fully experience the pain. Does God's Word offer any insights?

Let's look at three examples. First ... Job. Job faced some tough times (Job 1-2). First, he lost everything he had -- his possessions and his children. Job said, "Meh! No big deal." No. Job wallowed in his pain. No. Job "tore his robe and shaved his head" ... and then "fell to the ground and worshiped" (Job 1:20). Interesting. When the second round hit, Job lost his health. "This is too much!" Nope. "Forget the pain; God is good." Nope. He sat in ashes and scraped his boils (Job 2:8) ... and then told his wife, "Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?" (Job 2:10). Interesting. Both/and. He faced his pain, and he counted on God. Or take Jeremiah. His entire nation was wiped out. Did he sing God's praises or did he weep? Yes ... yes he did. Both. His first response was not to exonerate God, but to (rightly) blame Him (Lam 3:1-19). It's a long list. And it's all ascribed ... to God. He ends, "So I say, 'My strength has perished, and so has my hope from YHWH" (Lam 3:18). No hope. Then ... "This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope" (Lam 3:21). What? What was the thing he remembered that countered his hopelessness ... from God? "The steadfast love of YHWH never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness" (Lam 3:22-23). In the end, Jeremiah remembered both that God is Sovereign (even in the pain) and He loves us. Trust Him. The best example, though, is Jesus. He lived a perfect life ... did everything His Father told Him to do. For His troubles, He was physically shattered (crucifixion), emotionally abused (deserted by His friends), and spiritually forsaken. On that cross He cried out, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" (Mat 27:46). No mitigation. No, "It's okay." No, "Well, God would never do this." But, He ended with, "Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit!" (Luk 23:46).

It is foolish to deny pain. We all suffer. It's part of the curse. It's part of human existence. Denying it is not sane. But, it's also not the last word. In all these cases and more, they embraced the pain ... and counted on God. They endured the pain and looked to the Father. It's what Scripture says. Jesus endured the cross "for the joy that was set before Him" because He knew the final outcome was found in God's faithful love. (Heb 12:1-2). A pattern we all might benefit from.

Your Wife by Covenant

Scripture isn't vague about divorce. Jesus said don't (Matt 19:3-6). God said, "I hate divorce" (Mal 2:16). Clearly, God's opinion is "Don't!" In the Matthew passage Jesus said it was, at best, the product of a hard heart (Matt 19:8) and causes adultery (Mark 10:11-12). Don't!!

And then ... I came across this. In that Malachi reference God is telling His people "you cover the altar of YHWH with tears, with weeping and with groaning, because He no longer regards the offering or accepts it with favor from your hand" (Mal 2:13). This is a catastrophic condition, a spiritual meltdown. God no longer cares about your sacrifices or your tears. What is the cause of this condition?

"Yet you say, 'For what reason?' Because YHWH has been a witness between you and the wife of your youth, against whom you have dealt treacherously, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant. (Mal 2:14)

He's talking there about divorce. He says it in verse 16, but He also says it here when He refers to "your wife by covenant." It's not hard to see. As a matter of routine, we promise

To have and to hold from this day forward.
For better, for worse.
For richer, for poorer.
In sickness and in health.
Forsaking all others.
To love and to cherish.
Until death do us part.

That is not simply a contract; it's a covenant. There are no conditions of "to love and to cherish" except "until death do us part" (Rom 7:1-2). If we choose to divorce, we're breaking a covenant, an unconditional vow. We are dealing treacherously. And God told His people it was spiritual suicide. It cut them off from communication with God.

Christians still debate the topic. "Under what conditions can we divorce?" The Bible lists ... none. If you experience a divorce (as opposed to initiating it), remarriage is possible in the cases of "sexual immorality" (Matt 19:9) or if an unbelieving spouse abandons a believing spouse (1 Cor 7:12-16), but the Bible lists no valid reasons for initiating divorce. And, isn't it interesting? Peter says that husbands are to "live with your wives in an understanding way ... so that your prayers will not be hindered" (1 Peter 3:7). That sounds a lot like the Malachi passage. Maybe our marriages are much more important to God than we think.

Feeling of Love

I've repeatedly said that love is not merely an emotion. Scripture commands love, and emotions can't be commanded. Emotions are a response. So love is primarily a choice ... a choice to be invested in someone or something else. So ... love is not an emotion? No ... but ... yes. And I think I can show it from Scripture.

On the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught, "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matt 6:21). Notice which comes first -- treasure. And what is that? Well, it's the things you value. In fact, it's the things you value most highly. Then, there's the heart. Clearly we're not talking about that organ that pumps blood. What is it? David was a man after God's own heart (Acts 13:22). Jeremiah says the human heart is deceitful (Jer 17:9). God knows our heart (Psa 44:21). In Genesis it says about Man "that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually" (Gen 6:5). Jesus warned that "out of the heart come evil thoughts ..." God's Word can "judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart" (Heb 4:12). So "heart" includes thoughts and intentions. Solomon wrote "it is the wellspring of life" (Prov 4:23). So the heart is our central being, our core -- our feelings and thoughts and intentions.

Putting it together, then, where that which is most valued is, there your feelings, thoughts, intentions -- your whole person -- will be also. Or, if you value something highly, you will feel it. It will affect your core being -- your mind, your will, your emotions. The point, then, is to have the right ... values. Love (1 Cor 13:4-8) is something we do, where we value the loved one more than we value ourselves. It will certainly result in feelings. Scripture says so. But the feelings aren't the definition. They're the byproduct.

The 23rd Channel

A reader shared this with me and I thought I'd pass it on because, well, I liked it.
________

The Twenty-Third Channel

The TV is my shepherd, I shall not want.
It makes me to lie down on the sofa.
It leads me away from the Scriptures.
It destroys my soul.
It leads me in the paths of sex and violence for the sponsor’s sake.

Yea, though I walk in the shadow of my Christian responsibilities,
There will be no interruption, for the TV is with me.
Its cable and its remote control, they comfort me.

It prepares a commercial before me
In the presence of my worldliness.
It anoints my head with humanism.
My coveting runneth over.

Surely laziness and ignorance shall follow me all the days of my life
And I shall dwell in the house watching TV forever.

--Author unknown

Omniscient

We know that only one being in the universe is Omniscient. That's God. How Omniscient? He fully knows Himself, all that is, all that was, and all that will be ... or even could be. We see, for instance, that Jesus knew the future (John 2:24-25; John 14:29; John 16:30; John 18:4). He even knew contingencies (Matt 11:21-24). Open Theists have a problem with God's Omniscience. They say it eliminates free will. That's not because Scripture doesn't support Omniscience, but because they're dedicated to a particular definition of free will.

We know, for instance, that God knows all things (1 Sam 23:11-12; 2 Tim 3:1-5; Acts 2:23; Eph 1:11). God's Omniscience regarding future things is proof that He is the true God (Isa 41:21-23; Isa 43:9-12; Isa 44:6-8; Isa 46:9-11; Deut 18:20). We fear (1 Chron 28:9) and trust (Psa 139:1-3,14-16; Isa 48:17-19) God because He knows all things. His knowledge is not limited by time or space (Psa 139:7-12; Psa 90:4).

The fact is Scripture repeatedly declares that God and God alone knows all things for all time without error. It's truth. It proves His character. It is incentive both to fear, and to worship and trust. His Omniscience humbles us who tend to think we know so much better than He does. Let God be God.

News Weakly - 3/22/2025

Forgetting Why
Because of Trump's "trade war" with Canada, Canada's Defense Minister says they're reviewing the purchase of F-35 jets. Not because they're not needed. Not because they're not good jets. Because they want to give Lockheed-Martin the middle finger ... because of Trump. Hey, it's not just Canada. It's everywhere. Why do we punish the children for the sins of the fathers ... so to speak? "Stick it to the Americans because we don't like their president!"

Oh, No! Not Again!
Another customer forgot that "hot tea" was ... hot, and sued Starbucks after he spilled his ... hot tea ... in his lap. He suffered "permanent and life-changing disfigurement" and won $50 million. Like that landmark suit from a McDonald's drive-through because the hot coffee was hot. Expect tepid tea and lukewarm coffee at double the price, I suppose.

Indian Giver
A French politician has called for the return of the Statue of Liberty because "the United States no longer represents the values embodied by the monument." Of course, the U.S. admits more openly and generously than France, and France segregates immigrants while the U.S. does not, the real problem is that politicians are blowing out of proportion everything that Trump says or does. Let it go. He's no saint. He's only here for 4 years. Drop it. And ... no ... you're not getting that statue back.

We Don't Need No Education
Pink Floyd sang, "We don't need no education. We don't need no thought control." Trump ordered the dismantling of the Department of Education. With Harvard offering a remedial algebra class for their students and American kids reportedly falling behind, perhaps the Department of Education hasn't been doing its job. We need education (as "We don't need no education" proves -- very bad grammar), but we seem to have lost our recipe for educating kids. (Of course, I'm pretty sure the courts won't allow this to actually occur, so ...)

Oh, the Humanity!
A woman in Florida was trying to board a plane, but was refused boarding because she had a dog. So ... she drowned it in the airport bathroom. A felony, a fine, lots of outrage; we will not tolerate killing dogs. Unborn humans, on the other hand ...

Your Best Source for Fake News
It takes the Bee to point out that unelected officials continue to thwart the elected, as judges keep striking down Trump's agenda. In Chicago, a leftist smashed a Tesla after seeing the image of a fascist in the window. In Las Vegas, Teslas were shot and set on fire (actual story). Democrats blame climate change.

Must be true; I read it on the Internet.

Preload

It's interesting to me. Both Genesis and the Gospel of John begin with the same phrase: "In the beginning ..." Genesis speaks of God creating ... everything. John begins with the existence of "the Word" -- the expression of God -- who was God, who created everything (John 1:3), who was Jesus (John 1:8-14).

It has been said that the most offensive verse in the Bible is, exactly, Genesis 1:1. "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." Fairly innocuous, but ... as it turns out, humans are naturally hostile to God (Rom 8:7), so the claim that all that is was made by God and, therefore is owned by God, is an offense. God is offensive, one way or another, to many. But so is "the beginning." Jesus at the beginning. God at the beginning. In Ephesians, Paul tells us, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him" (Eph 1:3-4). That's offensive ... to many Christians. "He chose us in Him 'before the foundation of the world'? Oh, no. We chose Him." In The Revelation we read about "those ... whose name has not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world" (Rev 17:8). "Wait ... you're saying those who would be saved were written before any of them existed?" No, not me. The Word. He knew from the outset who would and who would not be saved.

We used to sing, "He's got the whole world in His hands." He does. But He always did. David wrote, "In Your book were all written the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them" (Psa 139:16). Everything. Paul wrote, "From Him and through Him and to Him are all things" (Rom 11:36). From, through, and to Him. It's true. We ought to recognize it. It ought to provide comfort to those who love God.

Profit and Loss

In Malachi, God accuses His people of speaking arrogantly against Him. "What have we spoken against You?" they ask (Mal 3:13)

"You have said, 'It is vain to serve God; and what profit is it that we have kept His charge, and that we have walked in mourning before YHWH of hosts? So now we call the arrogant blessed; not only are the doers of wickedness built up but they also test God and escape.'" (Mal 3:14-15)

Interesting accusation. Luckily we don't see that anymore. Especially from God's own people. Or ... do we?

The accusation is that serving God is vain, that it isn't profitable. I think, if we were honest, we might think the same. Maybe not full time, but sometimes. Is it profitable to obey all we are commanded? Do we forgive as we are forgiven, or is that, sometimes, a bad idea? Is it really a good idea to love as Jesus loved, or love God with your whole heart? Is it ... profitable to serve and obey God? It doesn't look like it, sometimes. Look how the wicked succeed. Is that us, speaking arrogantly against God?

We'd all have to admit it is at times. Oh, sometimes it's not conscious. Sometimes it's an oversight or an error. But each of us at some point will think, "Is it really in my best interest to do what God says in this situation?" His word for that is arrogance. Most interesting to me, though, is that God talks in terms of "profit." We will often think in terms of "duty," but do we understand that obedience is profitable? God thinks so. I suspect if we understood that, it might encourage us to obey more.

No Change

One of God's fundamental attributes is what we term "immutability" -- the inability to change. Without any dancing around, God says, "I, YHWH, do not change" (Mal 3:6). Of course, Scripture says it, but it's equally clear in simple logic. Think about it.

God declared, "God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?" (Num 23:19). He doesn't "repent"; He doesn't change His mind. He can't. He's omniscient. The only way to change His mind is if He failed to know something. God is unchanging in who He is and what He wills. In every attribute He is perfect, making change impossible. In every Intent He is successful, eliminating alterations. He never changes.

James says, "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness nor shadow of turning” (James 1:17). Not even a shadow of turning. So rest assured. He is perfect, He always will be perfect, and everything He wills is perfect and will come to pass. That's a God you can rely on.

Wrath?

We all hate that whole "fire and brimstone" thing. The "wrath of God" is an old-timey thing that ... just doesn't play well today. Lots of people ... self-professed Christians ... play it down. It's not real. It's not that bad. It's nothing to concern ourselves with. But ... Scripture appears to disagree. What does the Bible say about God and His wrath? Let God be true though every man a liar (Rom 3:4).

Paul wrote Romans to explain the Gospel. "It is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes," he wrote, "for in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith" (Rom 1:16-17). Good. The righteousness of God. And the very next thing he writes is, "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness" (Rom 1:18). Here we learn two very important facts. First, the wrath of God is not minor or unreal. It is real. Second, it is tied in with ... His righteousness. God's wrath is right. Keep that at the forefront of your thinking. What else? God refers to His wrath as "my wrath" (Rev 11:18). That is, it's personal. It's His opposition to sin and it's part of His glory. It is certain ... not even death can stop it (Rev 11:18). It is final. That is, once spent, it is ended (Rev 11:15). It is horrible (Rev 11:18-19). Scripture and human language cannot fully express it. It is right (Rev 11:17-18). There is rejoicing in His wrath.

We diminish God's wrath because of our own sympathy for sin. A proper understanding of God's wrath is necessary for a proper understanding of the Gospel. Let's set aside our natural antipathy for God's wrath and embrace the solution, His Son, in Whom we find peace with God (Rom 5:1).

Love is a Verb

In Malachi, God tells His people, "I have loved you" (Mal 1:2). Very moving. Very serious. Very interesting. The verb tense for this word, "loved," is an ongoing verb tense, like, "I have been loving you." It's not, "I loved you at some point." It's an ongoing process. But ... what process?

The Hebrew version of "love" in the Old Testament is not the modern version. It's not "warm affection." It's more of a verb, as in an expression of action. It is something that is done, not merely felt. It expresses itself in giving. Interestingly, in the Hebrew world it was most associated with covenant. In ancient Hebrew culture, love was an action-oriented commitment, deeply intertwined with covenantal relationships, expressed through faithfulness and sacrifice. It included heart, mind, and actions. We see that, for instance, in the Shema (Deut 6:4-9). Love YHWH your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might."

In the Malachi text, then, God was telling His people that He was loving them, and not in a merely emotional way. We see the same thing in the classic John 3:16. You can probably quote it, but be careful. When it says, "God so loved the world," it's not talking about a quantity, but a quality. "God loved the world this way." Or, "This is how God expresses love." "This is what God's love looks like." What? He didn't feel; He gave. He acted. We, too, are called to love ... like that. Emotional affection is fine, but real love is something we do (John 13:34-35) ... like He did. And does.

A Prescription for a Troubled Christian

We all love that wonderful verse in Psalms.

Delight yourself in YHWH, and He will give you the desires of your heart. (Psa 37:4)

Mmm, that's nice. But ... do you know the context? David begins,

Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers! For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb. Trust in YHWH, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. (Psa 37:1-3)

Well, look at that! The problem David was addressing was not how to get "the desires of your heart," but the problem of evil. Don't fret; don't be envious. Evil is temporary. Instead ...

That's interesting. We all fret about stuff, and we all fret especially about evil in the world -- evil people, evil actions, evil events. Why do they seem to prosper? And ... should I do the same because they seem to prosper? No. We need to keep in mind they're a flash in the pan, a piece of grass withering soon. Instead ... trust the Lord. You see two actions here. On one hand, don't fret or envy. That's a "don't" action. Instead, "do." Do replace fret and envy with trust. Trust the Lord. Delight in the Lord. Commit your way to the Lord (Psa 37:5).

There's an old hymn with the refrain

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.

There you have it. We shouldn't be fretting about the problems we see. We should be setting aside our weights of worry and envy and sin and be "looking unto Jesus" (Heb 12:1-2).

News Weakly - 3/13/2025

Because We Can
So now Trump is waging a "trade war" with his tariffs. Never mind the Constitution says Congress places tariffs, not the Executive Branch. Tariffs are generally an attempt to level the playing field for domestic producers to counter cheap competition from foreign sources. That is, they have a purpose. But Ontario has decided to slap a 25% surcharge on electricity exported to the US not because it helps the industry, but because they're mad at Trump. They also threaten to shut off the electricity. Another fine example of sticking it to ... the people rather than the problem.

Typical Male
The story is of a stepmother who imprisoned a young boy and kept him there for more than two decades. Abused, starved, neglected, he eventually set the house on fire just to get help. Now, we all know the reality behind this story. What horrible thing had this young man done to this innocent woman that caused her to defend herself like that? I mean ... it's always the man's fault ... isn't it?

Enforced Fantasy
In a congressional hearing, Texas Representative Keith Self referred to Delaware Representative Sarah McBride as "Mr. McBride," a bad no-no since biological male McBride identifies as a female, and, as we all know, pronouns are sacrosanct. Mostly meaningless these days, but sacrosanct. By way of explanation, Self said he was not obligated to engage in McBride's fantasy. Which illustrates the double standard. A belief in God, for instance, is not imposed, but recommended. The belief that humans can be whatever they believe themselves to be is not only recommended, it is commanded. False, but commanded.

Displaced
An American "influencer" named Sam Jones posted a video of her stealing a baby wombat from its mother on the side of a road in Australia. Australia is outraged and wants her deported. Change.org is petitioning to have her removed from the nation. The outrage is palpable. And I'm embarrassed to be associated nationally with Ms. Jones. Of course, harming a human baby in the womb is perfectly okay in Australia, but we gotta save the wombat!

Basically Good
The FBI is warning about a text message scam called "smishing." They'll text your phone and tell you you have unpaid road tolls or something. (I've received these.) Don't fall for it. Don't hit that link. It's amazing how many scams "basically good" humans can invent, isn't it?

Your Best Source for Fake News
This whole "one up" tariff thing with Canada has culminated in Trump hitting Canada with a tariff of double infinity plus one. Take that! In sports, the NBA has ruled that LeBron James can play in a giant hamster ball so other players can't touch him. Finally, the layoffs in the Department of Education have hit a snag. They're trying to figure out what 50% of employees would be. "Let's see ... if we have 10,000 employees, you take the 9 and double it and multiply by ... no ... Does anyone have a calculator?"

Must be true; I read it on the Internet.

Direction Matters

Most of us live with varying levels of pain and disappointment. People let us down. Circumstances can be unpleasant. There is sin and sickness and tragedy in the world. Let's face it ... we're not in heaven ... yet. We live in a world tainted by sin and in bodies tainted by sin and we all suffer to some degree or another. What do we do with it? How do we deal with it?

The question seems to be one of direction. Are we looking at it from our own needs and pain, or from an outward view? For all of us, we are generally on the inward view. We are more concerned about our needs, our desires, our wishes, our pain. We see people in terms of "What can they give to me?" and when they don't, we're upset. But Scripture speaks of a different perspective. Jesus said, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me" (Mark 8:34). Any follower of Christ is expected to deny himself, to die to self. Instead, we are expected to "love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind' (Matt 22:37). That's vertical -- us and God. Horizontally -- us and others -- we are to "love your neighbor as yourself" (Matt 22:39) or, for disciples of Jesus, to "love one another as I have loved you" (John 15:12). Notice the directions. First, not to self. We're to deny ourselves. Second, the direction is outward, first to God, and second to others. Not to self. So we are commanded to love -- love God and love others. That love gives. There is nothing in love that takes. It does not seek its own (1 Cor 13:5). It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. It never takes.

Direction matters. We are naturally inclined to direct all issues to ourselves. Scripture calls on us to direct everything outwardly. Not "When do I get mine?" but "What can I give to others?" The expectation is that all we need coming in will be provided by God (Rom 8:32; Php 4:19). We're free to give it all away, expecting God to supply. When we start taking it all for ourselves, expect problems.

Arrogant Humility

Paul wrote, "For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith" (Rom 12:3). And while the more proud among us wince, the more lowly affirm, "Well, at least I have that going for me. I don't think very highly of myself at all." But, as is often the case, we are mistaken. We're all aware that many humans are arrogant. They think more highly of themselves than they ought. Our entire culture is pointed in that direction. "You deserve ..." "You're wonderful ..." "Don't let anyone get in the way of your dreams." David declared, "But I am a worm and not a man, a reproach of men and despised by the people" (Psa 22:6). "No, no, we're not 'worms'. Don't say that." The famous hymn, Amazing Grace, originally said

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me.

"No, let's not say 'wretch'." Some modern versions change it to "saved a one like me." Or "saved and set me free." We're not wretches. So "thinking more highly of ourselves than we ought" really is a problem. But ... I would contend that so is our "humility" version.

Some of us suffer from poor self image. We think we're useless or of little value or incompetent or the like. The modern term is "low self-esteem," but "esteem" refers to "worth," so I prefer the "self-image" term simply to indicate how we see ("image") ourselves. We fail to see any strengths or beauty or value or whatever and only see the worst. So we're not thinking more highly of ourselves as we ought; we're thinking more lowly of ourselves than we ought. And I suspect that's a bigger problem for many than the arrogant issue. But ... I would argue that this, too is arrogance -- thinking more highly of ourselves than we ought. How? Well, Scripture says we are "fearfully and wonderfully made" (Psa 139:14). David wrote, "You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother's womb" (Psa 139:13). Who made you? God Himself. And, David affirms, "Wonderful are Your works" (Psa 139:14). So when we declare that we're ... less, inferior, useless, worthless, etc., we declare, "Nope, God! You're wrong!" We quarrel with our Maker, questioning His work (Isa 45:9). We are fearfully and wonderfully made, and we tell Him, "Well, that's Your opinion; You're wrong."

It turns out that those who think more highly of themselves than they ought by seeing themselves as better than they are aren't alone in this. It turns out that our shaking of our fists in God's face, complaining about how poorly we are made, is just as arrogant. We see it as humility, but it's not. It's arrogance. And we ought to be thankful to the God who formed us and declare, "Wonderful are Your works." We ought to ... "think so as to have sound judgment," beginning with, "Lord, You're right."

Sovereign?

It's a common question. Is God actually Sovereign? "Yes," Christians affirm, but I put that "actually" there for a reason. We also affirm free will (with vague definition), so clearly we make choices. God doesn't make our choices for us. (There are those who argue against free will, but that won't work biblically, so let's not go there.) So how does that work? How do we have free will if God is actually Sovereign? This dichotomy causes all sorts of problems. The common perception is that God allows our bad choices and then works around them to produce a positive result. He had a better option, but we just made Him work harder with our poor choices. Maybe the negative consequences in our lives serve as punishment. So, well, yes, we affirm free will and God's Sovereignty, but He's still chasing our tails, so to speak, trying to get things back in line after we go muddling with it. But ... what does Scripture say?

God is Absolutely Sovereign

God is not "mostly sovereign." We like to think He's "sovereign" by which we mean He's mostly sovereign, but gives up some of His sovereignty to us. He retains overall sovereignty, but we still supply some good or ... make a mess of things. Scripture says, "Our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases" (Psa 115:3). Whatever He pleases. No purpose of His can be thwarted (Job 42:2). He always does what He intends (Isa 14:24). He does as He pleases and no one can stop Him (Dan 4:35). He even controls governments (Prov 21:1). He is not a sovereign; He is the "only Sovereign" (1 Tim 6:15). "YHWH has established His throne in heaven, and His kingdom rules over all" (Psa 103:19). Over all. Abraham Kuyper wrote, "There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry: 'Mine!'" Absolute Sovereignty.

We Have Free Will

We do make choices for which we are held accountable. Joshua told Israel, "Choose for yourselves today whom you will serve," (Josh 24:15), nonsensical if we don't get to choose. Paul wrote, "Whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord" (Eph 6:8). We make choices. "Solomon says, "The heart of man plans his way, but YHWH establishes his steps" (Prov 16:9). We make choices, but God is ultimately in charge. If Scripture is to be believed, "From Him and through Him and to Him are all things" (Rom 11:36) ... including your bad choices. But, Scripture holds both that God is Sovereign and we are responsible for our choices. In Luke, Jesus, talking about His betrayal, is quoted as saying, "For indeed, the Son of Man is going as it has been determined; but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!" (Luke 22:22). In that, you see "determined" -- God's inexorable plan -- and "woe" -- the one who chooses to betray Him is held responsible for his choice. Perhaps this concept is seen most clearly in Genesis when Joseph's brothers apologized for what they did to Joseph. He told them, "As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive" (Gen 50:20). Pay close attention. First, intent. They didn't intend good; they intended evil. No excuses; no justification. "But God ..." God intended good. Note it doesn't say, "God turned it into good." The language requires that when they intended evil, God intended good. God saw their evil intent and used it to produce His intended good. God's Sovereignty and our culpability.

Not all Pain is Punishment

Obviously punishment is painful, but a common misconception is that all pain is punishment. Scripture disagrees. The disciples assumed the man born blind suffered under punishment (John 9:2); Jesus told them he was made that way for God's glory (John 9:3). Scripture says, "The Lord disciplines the one He loves, and chastises every son whom He receives" (Heb 12:6). "Wait," some will say, "doesn't 'discipline' mean 'punish'?" No, not necessarily. "Punishment" is a penalty, while "discipline" is a training method. "Punishment" is punative while "discipline" is corrective. Believers, then, can never be "punished" for sin because our sin has been paid for. They can be "disciplined" as a result of sin, not as punishment, but as a corrective action. And not all pain is punishment or discipline, as in Paul's famous "thorn in the flesh" example where he was simply being taught not to exalt himself, but to be content with Christ (2 Cor 12:7-10).

God is Never Caught Off Guard

Still, we tend to think that our sinful choices fall outside God's plan. We fear that our choices can sabotage God's best plans for our lives. But God knows all things from the beginning (Psa 139:16). He doesn't have a "Plan B" for your life. His plan for your life is written before you are born. God doesn't cause your sin, but He knows about it in advance, plans for it, and uses it. You intend it for evil, but God intends it for good. Ultimately, we even know what that good is. "We know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren" (Rom 8:28-29). What is the good? We are being conformed to the image of His Son. Why is it good "to those who love God"? Because that is the ultimate goal of everyone who loves God.

Sin is bad. No excuses. And we all sin. No exceptions. We all live with our choices and we all regret some. But we live under a Sovereign God who does anything and everything He pleases. No one can change that. He always accomplishes the good He intends, even if it's a seemingly circuitous route through bad choices and sin. Our loving Father will discipline us -- even though our sins are forgiven -- not as punishment, but as training, because He is always accomplishing His will and His ultimate will is to have His people shaped into a reflection of His Son. Without fail. Because He is ... the only Sovereign. You? You're just not that powerful.

Have This Mind

In his epistle to the church of Philippi, Paul urges unity (Php 2:1-2). How does he recommend arriving at unity? Easy.

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Php 2:5-8)

Easy ... yet impossible. What Jesus did was to violate the basic nature of humans by being selfless. He "emptied Himself." The first part of the description gives us the scope of this emptying. He was "in the form of God." Not like a homeless guy offering to give up his cardboard box. He was God. And He set that aside ... all the way ... to death.

We're supposed to be like Christ. We're supposed to follow Him. It should be the greatest desire of every believer. So ... will we "have this mind"? Will we empty self? Or will we correct Him and suggest it's not reasonable? You can see how setting self aside would facilitate unity. Are we going to do that ... or just make stuff up as we go?

The Numbers Game

Most of us play a "numbers game" of some sort. We define success by numbers. Maybe it's dollars of income. Maybe it's number of church members. Maybe it's wins or friends or ... all sorts of things. Success is when we make the numbers. So ... in Christianity, what numbers would signal success?

Well, obviously, "righteousness" numbers won't work. Since Christianity is premised on our lack of righteousness and offers a righteousness not our own, that's right out. I know. Church size. Clearly the size of your church indicates its success, right? So getting people in is the best way to win this game. Any way you can. Entertain, shorten sermons, change musical styles, really pep things up. Right? I mean, we're told to be building up the church, aren't we? Or ... oh, I know. Converts. Like World War II aces, we could stamp a mark on our cars to indicate how many people we've led to Christ. I mean, we're told to spread the gospel, right? That's a pretty solid measure of success right there. Or ... is it? Although lots of people think that way, it doesn't work biblically. We aren't told to make converts. We're told to make disciples (Matt 28:18-20). And that process isn't one that can be counted because it's ongoing, continuous. "Teach them to observe all that I have commanded ..." So, no, not a numerical value. And not a function of converts. And we aren't commanded to build up the church. We're commanded to build up the body of Christ, to equip the saints, to attain unity and maturity (Eph 4:11-14). Another ongoing, continuous command that never ends and can't be counted.

We're not supposed to be making converts; we're supposed to be making disciples. We're not supposed to be building the church; we're supposed to be building up believers. We can get so mixed up with worldly standards that we make worldly programs to meet worldly goals ... for divine commands. It doesn't work. We need to obey, not make up metrics. We're supposed to sacrifice ourselves for God's work (Rom 12:1-2), not build up better systems. We so often seem to be missing the point ...

Allegiance

I was listening to a conservative news station as it explained the news of the day. Every piece of news regarding Trump's actions were reported with gusto about how wonderful he was. Over against that, the liberal news station had nothing but evil to say of anything Trump did that day. Why is that? It's a matter of allegiance. To whom are you allied?

We all operate on allegiances. Allegiance is loyalty or devotion to a person, group, cause, etc. All of us have loyalties to various things or causes. They inform our perspectives. In the case of Trump, we have something called "TDS" -- Trump Derangement Syndrome. It may refer to those so allied with Trump that they cannot see anything wrong with Trump. It may be those so dedicated to opposing Trump, that they can't see anything right with Trump. But our allegiances typically run deeper. Perhaps our allegiance is with the party -- Republicans for the GOP or Democrats for the Dems. Perhaps it is with the nation -- Americans for America. Others are for their race or their culture or their family or ... well, you get the idea. You can see how their response to, say, what Trump does might vary based on their allegiance.

Jesus said, "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matt 6:21). That's it, the same question. Where is your allegiance? Is it with Trump (or the other side)? Is it with your party or your nation? Is it with your spouse or your money? Or is it Christ? You see, your allegiance alters your views and reactions. If your allegiance is with anyone other than Christ, your reactions will be seriously flawed. So, give that a thought. Are you reactions to life aimed at an allegiance to Christ, or to something ... less? Anything other than Christ is called idolatry.