Spiritual Loneliness

Loneliness

Well, another separated, segregated, socially-distanced and ‘virtually realized’ Lord’s Day has now come and gone. Although many of us enjoyed the sacred privilege of spirit and truth worship on Sunday, we still continue to experience a certain level of sadness and spiritual loneliness due to the sustained lack of personal fellowship with our brothers and sisters that we are having to suffer through.

alone box

Feeling a bit of loneliness?

The Bible tells us that Jesus was made like us in all things, and tempted like us in all things, so that He could sympathize with and help us in all things (Heb. 2:17-18, 4:14-16). As this life-altering, self-quarantining, and social distancing chaos continues to drone on and seeks to drag us all down on a daily basis, we may be tempted to think, “Well, I don’t recall reading where Jesus ever went through anything like this. How can He possibly sympathize with what I’m going through right now?” May I suggest that He did, He does, and because He did and does so strongly, that He is still the only source of the real strength we need in order to get us all through this.

Life-altering:Neither the life-changing sacrifices that so many of us have been forced to make in this fight against the Coronavirus, or even all of them taken together world-wide, can begin to compare with the infinitely life-altering changes that Jesus chose to make, in order to come and win our battle against the far deadlier and more widespread virus of sin.Having been with God the Father and at home with Him in heaven since before time began, Jesus sacrificed the glories of heaven, for the sufferings of earth (Jn. 1:1-3; Phil. 2:5-8).

Self-quarantining:When Jesus left the glories of heaven and equality with God behind in order to come to earth and die for our sins, He voluntarily quarantined Himself in a lowly body of human flesh (Jn. 1:14); being made like His brethren in all things so that he could experience– and conquer – death for everyone (Hebs. 2:14-18). Thus, His became a situation that would not only temporarily cost Him the closeness of His nearest and dearest of earthly friends (Matt. 26:56b; Jn. 16:32), but also that of His heavenly Father (Matt. 27:46).

Social Distancing:There were a number of times during Jesus’ earthly life when He and/or His family had to suddenly distance themselves from others, and for a variety of different reasons (Matt. 2:13-15; Mk. 5:14-21; Jn. 11:1-15, 54, 13:36, 14:1-3,18:1-8).

The point of this, is simply this: Jesus knows; Jesus cares; and Jesus definitely understands. In days to come, whenever this starts to wear on you again and you are tempted to lose heart, just remember: “Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb. 4:14-16).

God bless. God be thanked. To God be the glory; always and in all ways.

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The Blessing of Jacob

The Blessing of Jacob

The ancient practice of an elderly father pronouncing a blessing upon his children is vividly seen when Jacob’s children assembled before him in Genesis 49. He called his sons together to “….tell them what shall befall you in the last days” (verse 1). He revealed what lay ahead for them. The Divine record of Jewish history shows God gave Jacob such insight. “And when Jacob had finished commanding his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed and breathed his last, and was gathered to his people.”

His words to Joseph are filled with lessons which can help us today. He first talked about Joseph being like a fruitful bough, planted beside a well with branches spreading in every direction. This happened, for when the Jews left Egypt the number of his descendants outnumbered any other tribe.

The spiritual lessons from this blessing come as Jacob looked at all that had happened in Joseph’s past. “The archers have bitterly grieved him. Shot at him and hated him. But his bow remained in strength.” As Joseph heard these words, he could no doubt recall that day when his own brothers “shot their arrows of hate” as they decided to kill him. That hate was seen again when they sold him for twenty pieces of silver. There were those arrows of hate which came his way when Potiphar’s wife lied about him. They continued as he spent more than a decade in an Egyptian prison.

However, his bow remained in strength. We read the text, but Joseph lived the text. As God described Joseph’s life, He said, “The Lord was with him” and made whatever he did to prosper (Gen. 39:3, 23). Herein lies the strength for our faithful service to our Master. God is with us!

Look again at the text. “The arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the Mighty God of Jacob.” The power in his life to overcome trials that came his way was not from his own inward strength. It was from God. Joseph was strong as a teen in Egypt and was strong as he watched his father die. We must learn the lesson that any strength that we have does not come from us but from the Almighty.

Jacob reminded Joseph his help came from the Lord when he further described God. He was the Mighty God of Jacob, the Shepherd and the Stone of Israel (Gen. 49:44). The twenty-third psalm would not be written until a thousand years later, but Jacob and Joseph knew God was the Shepherd. He was the source of strength and comfort. Read Jacob’s words and make them part of your soul.

God is the Stone of Israel and He is the Stone of Christians. God help us to be wise enough to build our house on the Rock and not on shifting sand.

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Ezekiel 9

Ezekiel 9

Ezekiel 9 is a vision of God’s servants’ cleansing Israel. God tells a servant with an ink horn to put a mark on the forehead of all of those who “sigh and cry over all the abominations that are done within [the temple]” (Ezekiel 9:4). These are spared. He tells his servants with battle-axes to kill the rest and to “begin at My sanctuary.” Ezekiel laments the loss of God’s people, but God responds, “My eye will neither spare, nor will I have pity, but I will recompense their deeds on their own head” (Ezekiel 9:10).

ezekiel 9

God will judge the wicked.

The interpretation of this vision is in Ezekiel 11:14-21. God explains that He will gather His people from where they have been scattered and give Israel to them. God says, “Then I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within them, and take the stony heart out of their flesh, and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in My statutes and keep My judgments and do them; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God” (Ezekiel 11:19-20).  What will be the fate of the rest? “But as for those whose hearts follow the desire for their detestable things and their abominations, I will recompense their deeds on their own heads,” (Ezekiel 11:21-22).

Peter alludes to Ezekiel’s prophecy in 1 Peter 4:17: “For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?” For the wicked, who will not change their hearts and turn to God, their deeds are on their own heads. David understood. He wrote, “Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts….” (Psalm 51:6).

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Trust as the Tides Roll on

Trust as the Tides Roll on

There’s something very special and awe-inspiring about a long walk, along a sandy, sparsely-occupied, stretch of oceanside beach. Perhaps it is witnessing the awesome power of the pounding breakers as they crash in,white upon themselves,only to melt back into the foaming receders as they approach the sand. Maybe it is knowing that the interaction of those waves with that beach’s sand simply reflects the infinite and invisible attributes, abilities, and authority of almighty God (Rom. 1:18-20; Jer. 5:22). After all, ever since the third day of creation (Gen. 1:9-13) God’s word has kept those mighty tides rolling regularly and rhythmically in and out, without the slightest interruption or hesitation, and despite whatever was going on in the world and lives of men (2 Ptr. 3:5).

tides waves

God is in control, even the tides obey His will.

In addition to those thoughts however, one of the greatest and most comforting things that the sea brings to mind for me, is that no matter how fierce, furious, frightening and life-threatening a storm on it can be; and no matter how many lives it has claimed since its creation on day three; my God – it’s Creator – is infinitely mightier indeed; and therefore able to rescue, carry me through, and deliver me from any storm that I encounter in my life!

The Psalmists declare, “The Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, than the mighty waves of the sea” (93:4);and,“O Lord God of hosts, Who is mighty like You, O Lord? Your faithfulness also surrounds You. You rule the raging of the sea; When its waves rise, You still them” (89:8-9). David, himself, in Psalm 65:5-7 makes the point, that because God is able to calm the raging seas, He is therefore powerful enough to calm, carry, comfort, and completely deliver His people from all of their troubles as well. The author of the 107thPsalm reiterates and reinforces this same eternal truth when He states in verses 23-29:“Those who go down to the sea in ships, who do business on great waters, they see the works of the Lord, and His wonders in the deep. For He commands and raises the stormy wind, which lifts up the waves of the sea. They mount up to the heavens, they go down again to the depths; their soul melts because of trouble. They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits’ end. Then they cry out to the Lord in their trouble, and He brings them out of their distresses. He calms the storm, so that its waves are still.”

Then there was Job; a man who lost just about everything a man could ever lose except for his life, his wife, and his faith. Yet even he acknowledged the awesome power and ability of God to still preserve and rescue him from his circumstances when he stated of God that,“He alone spreads out the heavens, and treads on the waves of the sea” (Job 9:8). Later on, God would again remind Job of His infinite ability to deliver, saying, “Or who shut in the sea with doors, when it burst forth and issued from the womb; when I made the clouds its garment, and thick darkness its swaddling band; When I fixed My limit for it, and set bars and doors; When I said, ‘This far you may come, but no farther, and here your proud waves must stop!’” (Job 38:8-11).

Christian; remember your Savior today – no matter what storm you may be facing. Allow Him who both created and calmed the sea (Jn. 1:1-3; Col. 1:16-17; Matt. 8:23-27, 14:22-23); He who both created you physically and then re-created you spiritually in Christ Jesus (Psa. 139:13-16; Eph 2:4-10), to calm your storm. “Peace, be still” (Mk. 4:39); “Be still, and know that [He is] God” (Ps. 46:10).

Brethren, Seas the day!

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Atheism’s Blind Faith

Atheism’s blind faith

Dear friend, I hope this letter finds you well and I hope you are enjoying the signs and sights of spring all around you. As the trees and grass “wakes up” I hope you will pause and truly consider what has to happen for trees and plants to go dormant and then reawaken each year at the proper time. Think about what they have to do in order not to freeze and the built in timing mechanism they possess. Did these complex processes happen by mere chance?

blind faith atheism

Do you have a blind faith or is it built upon evidence?

You mentioned that you consider religion and faith just a crutch for the weak-minded. You argued that intelligent people believe in naturalism and evolution—which you said could be proven. Let’s consider your argument for just a moment. I will grant you that some people find solace, peace, and comfort in their belief in God. Life can be tough sometimes, and a strong faith helps a person navigate safely though pain and suffering. (Crutches can be good for those who are healing an injury.)

However, your point was meant to be more derogatory, so let’s address that. While the mainstream media rarely reports it, there are literally thousands of men and women with advanced degrees who believe in God and the creation account. (see https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Lists_of_creationist_ scientists or http://www.ideacenter.org/contentmgr/showdetails.php/id/1207 or https://answersingenesis.org/bios/). In fact, most of the fields of science you now embrace were actually founded by men who held a firm belief in God and the Bible. An honest person could hardly call Isaac Newton a pseudo-scientist—and yet, he wrote strong papers refuting atheism and defending creation and the Bible. Newton once said, “I find more sure marks of authenticity in the Bible than in any profane history whatsoever.” (See Wilmington’s Guide to the Bible, 1981, P. 797).

But let’s consider faith for just a moment. You try and assume an intellectual high-ground because you say my beliefs are built on faith. Yet, you fail to recognize you entire worldview hinges on a massive amount of faith. Consider these truths:

1. No one witnessed (or can recreate in a laboratory) the Big Bang, so it must be taken on faith.

2. No one has witnessed living material evolving from non-living material (or can recreate it in a laboratory), so it must also be taken on faith.

3. No one can explain where the original matter for the universe arose from (or can create matter from nothing or anti-matter), so this too must be taken on faith.

4. No one can adequately explain the origination of males and females through the process of evolution, so this must be accepted as blind faith.

5. No one can explain the design witnessed in the Universe and human body while at the same time denying a designer.

All of these facts require faith on your part. Faith that the Big Bang is real and happened. Faith that living material can arise from non-living material. You rely on the scientific method that says that something must be observable, measurable, and repeatable. Newsflash: The Big Bang is not observable, measurable, or repeatable. Most textbooks promote this idea, saying that if we cannot measure something using the scientific method (using your five senses) then it is an illusion. Where does that leave God—Whom the Bible describes as a spirit (John 4:24)?

Anyone who has spent any time at all studying philosophy or logic can understand that while a Supreme Being may not be proven in a laboratory using the scientific method, the laboratory’s very existence is proof for His existence. Consider this simple logic: It is a self-evident truth that something cannot come from nothing. Since something now exists, this indicates that something has existed forever. That means something is eternal— meaning it has always been here. This is simple logic—something exists today, thus something has always existed.

The question is, what has eternal properties? Evolutionists would have students believe that the Universe is eternal, however you probably already know that does not fit the scientific data. We know today that the Universe is expanding, which is a clear indication it had a beginning. The only logical conclusion is that God is eternal and He was responsible for the creation of the Universe.

So, back to your argument: You laugh saying my worldview requires faith, and yet your worldview requires faith to believe in a Big Bang. You also must have faith to believe in life from non-living inorganic matter. So really, which theory requires more faith? Brad Stine once mused: “Who is more irrational? A man who believes in a God he doesn’t see, or a man who’s offended by a God he doesn’t believe in?”

I hope you will think on these things. Until next time, I continue to pray for you.

– Brad

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