O for a Faith that Will Not Shrink

One of the great joys of attending chapel with the students is the deeper devotion time I am able to enjoy in both singing praises to God and reflecting upon some vast veracities from his word. In one recent chapel session, one of the students led this song, unaware that it was exactly upon what I needed to reflect at that moment in my life. We all have our ups and downs, and I was experiencing some discouraging circumstances, but this song spiritually shook me back to reality. Please consider carefully the lyrics that William Hiley Bathurst (1796-1877) wrote:

O for a faith that will not shrink, though pressed by every foe,

That will not tremble on the brink of any earthly woe.

That will not murmur or complain beneath the chastening rod,

But in the hour of grief or pain, will lean upon its God.

A faith that shines more bright and clear when tempests rage without;

That when in danger knows no fear, in darkness feels no doubt!

Lord, give us such a faith as this; and then, whatever may come,

We’ll taste even here the hallowed bliss of an eternal home.

Mixed in this song of unquenchable faith and conviction are encouragements to withstand any weakness, doubt or complaining, even in moments of grief or pain. I needed that at that moment, and maybe you, the reader, do also. These exact expressions from this lyrical author may serve as encouraging words in a selection of different situations. Whether we are facing sickness, persecution, discouragement or any general form of weakness, we may take comfort from these words, which point us back to God and remind us of what he has already stated in his word. How may we develop a faith that will not shrink?

First, focus on God—remember that God cares for us. In the face of his own points of discouragement with which he deals in his second letter to the church at Corinth, Paul began such with the bold affirmation, “Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; who comforteth us in all our tribulation…” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4). This is why the apostle Peter plainly declared, “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you” (1 Peter 5:7). One of the great blessings from studying the Psalms is to see the psalmist do exactly that—he pours out his heart to his God. Whenever we face trying times, we are to remember always that we serve a God who cares for us. He demonstrates concern for us. Even the Hebrew writer uses our Lord Jesus Christ as an example of one who is concerned about those who are hurting, portraying him in the following manner: “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). Then, his conclusion to those Hebrew Christians who were on the verge of quitting their faith was, “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16). Why would he give such a charge? He did so because he knew they needed to hear that God cares for us!

Second, focus on others—look to the burdens of others. Whenever we face trying times, instead of looking inward, look outward. Instead of relegating to the attitude, “Woe is me,” take the moment to count your many blessings and realize that there are others who are far worse. What an inspiration Job offers—no matter what I face, I doubt I will ever face as harsh conditions as he faced, and through it all, he remained faithful to God. Thus, I can draw strength from such. I can begin to find others who need comfort, and I can offer such: “…that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God” (2 Corinthians 1:4). Not only will I forget my own problems, I will realize that I have helped another. My own problems diminish as I focus on others.

Third, focus on today—learn to live one day at a time. We all will face painful problems that will test our faith. When such occurs, focus on simply the day at hand. Far too often, we create exponentially difficult situations when we look to the uncertainty of the future. Our stress levels rise. The truth of the matter that all Christians know is that tomorrow may never come—our Lord may return, and we ought to prepare ourselves for such (cf. Matthew 25:1-13). Concerning our daily needs, about which the Gentiles would often worry (cf. Matthew 6:31-32), Jesus succinctly stated, “Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof” (Matthew 6:34). Even James spoke against the uncertainties of the future in James 4:13-15. Therefore, when we only concern ourselves about the present day at hand, our problems greatly diminish, and they become so much more easily manageable. This is the way our God intended us to live.

How do we develop a faith that will not shrink? Focus on God, focus on others and focus on the day at hand. Whenever we do this, our day will brighten, and our problems will not seem that severe, and with the aid of our Redeemer, we can overcome anything!

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“Not to Please Ourselves”

The apostle Paul wrote in Romans 15:1, “We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.” This principle of selflessness is one that we must remind ourselves constantly, because selfishness is at the core of every sin and is at the root of every problem we face (cf. Matthew 16:24). In fact, the Bible repeatedly admonishes us to develop this form of selflessness. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught, “Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away” (Matthew 5:42). To the Galatians, Paul taught that Christians ought to be willing to bear the burdens of others (Galatians 6:2-3). To the Ephesians, Paul wrote, “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you” (Ephesians 4:32). To the Philippians, he declared, “Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own tings, but every man also on the things of others” (Philippians 2:3-4). Thus, in these passages and so many others, God teaches us to take self out of our lives!

Nevertheless, this is not easy to do. This is why we see the importance of the godly quality of “longsuffering.” One may be right and not be longsuffering. In fact, older, more mature Christians ought to understand that longsuffering is essential in dealing with weaker, younger members lest through our intolerance and impatience we drive them away. In fact, the Pharisees tried to convey themselves as being proud (filled with pride) of the fact that they were perfect in keeping the Law of Moses (although Jesus exposed their hypocrisy) to the point of it driving a wedge into their very souls due to their extreme selfishness (self-righteousness). Let me conclude this thought with a personal illustration and a Biblical illustration.

When I was a teenager in high school, I prided myself on being fairly intelligent and making good grades. I even competed in Scholar’s Bowl (trivia competition), watched “Jeopardy” with a passion and loved playing Trivial Pursuit. My boss was somewhat of a nerd and knew of my academic accomplishments, so I challenged him to a “friendly” game of “Jeopardy” on the computer one day after work. We built this competition up within the office, scheduling it days (or even weeks) ahead of time so that everyone else in the office could stay and watch as our make-shift audience. We played the game, and my boss beat me. I admitted to myself that I could have done better and did not play as aggressive as I could. Yet, when my boss rubbed it in that he beat me, it was as if he was rubbing salt in an open wound—I could not stand it. I began to spread the word that I let him beat me, and that I wanted a rematch. He gave me a rematch, and I won convincingly. In essence, I burst his bubble, while I got to gloat over the victory. In my youth, I did not see that I came across in a very ugly manner. One of my coworkers, who was an older, wiser Christian, pulled me aside and simply asked me, “What good did you accomplish with what you did?” I will never forget that powerful lesson he taught me—my ego fueled my drive, and the only thing that prompted my actions was selfishness. Did I have to “prove” myself to my boss and my coworkers? Why should I not have remained silent, even if I did know in my heart that I could have won?

To the church in Corinth, Paul spoke of many problems with which they were dealing in his first letter to them. Among them was the issue of eating meats offered to idols. As a mature Christian and apostle, Paul recognized that concerning the issue, “we all have knowledge” (1 Corinthians 8:1). He taught them that many knew that “an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other God but one” (1 Corinthians 8:4). Yet, some were having a guilty conscience about such (1 Corinthians 8:7). Therefore, he encourages those who knew better, “Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend” (1 Corinthians 8:13). Why would Paul react this way? He understood this principle—“Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth” (1 Corinthians 8:1). Even though he knew he was right in eating meats offered to idols (nothing sinful about such), he would demonstrate a selfless attitude because of his love for his brethren. May God bless us all as we strive to develop this type of mature disposition—the church and the world will be a better place!

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Marriage and Alzheimer’s

Recently, the televangelist Pat Roberson made some alarming comments in response to a caller/viewer who asked concerning one dating another while his or her spouse has the dreaded Alzheimer’s disease. From his comments, he insinuated with approval that a spouse could divorce his or her debilitated spouse in order to date/marry another. His reasoning was that the disease produced a type of death in the marital relationship. Naturally, his comments produced an outcry from many.

Let me state immediately that I have no personal connection with this dreaded disease. I am not experienced with such. I have witnessed it from afar with various individuals, but I have not walked in the shoes of those who lived the living tragedy of watching a loved one suffer. Thus, any comments regarding this are solely from the perspective of what the Bible states and not from personal experience.

Nevertheless, anytime we approach any moral issue, including such delicate issues as this, we are to look to the word of God as our standard of right and wrong, rather than our experiences. “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for…instruction in righteousness” (II Timothy 3:16). From this, Paul instructs us that we are to use the inspired word of God to mold our convictions in all matters of morality and religion. This is why it is critical for parents to teach and instruct their children with regards to what God says, so that when they become adults and face tough temptations and deal with critical issues, their instruction in the word of God will serve as their basis of authority. Experience may serve a valuable purpose in the acquisition of wisdom, but unless there is the proper respect for God (cf. Proverbs 1:7) and in conjunction with this, respect for his word, experience may lead one down the wrong path, just as it did the prodigal son.

When the Pharisees tempted Jesus with a question regarding divorce, he took them back “at the beginning” and showed the commitment that God desires within the relationship—“What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder” (Matthew 19:3-6). The comments that Pat Robertson made actually scare me when I consider the vows of commitment that couples make before God and witnesses: “Do you promise to love and to cherish, to honor and to sustain, in sickness and in health, in poverty and in wealth, in good and in bad and to be true in all things until death alone shall part?” From the comments he has made, I have no doubt that he would have to change the vows he uses in conducting wedding ceremonies. Where is the lifelong commitment that God desires in godly marriages? Such is sadly indicative of this generation. While at one time we would see most marriages dissolve after 2-7 years, many more now are dissolving even after 25-30 years. Again, I ask, “Where is the commitment in marriage?”

Therefore, while we have seen various individuals attempting to circumnavigate the word of God through their personal redefinition of terms (redefining the term “adultery” or even that which President Clinton did years ago), we see Pat Robertson attempt to redefine the term “death” in this unfortunate circumstance. While my heart bleeds for all those who struggle and suffer unimaginable pain in dealing with spouses who suffer with Alzheimer’s, I do not believe Paul had this in mind when he declared, “For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband” (Romans 7:2). It is to be as God planned, Jesus explained and the inspired apostle Paul stated—one man and one woman, cleaving together as one flesh until death (which James defines as “…the body without the spirit is dead,” James 2:26) should part them.

May God bless all of our marriages to be godly marriages, and may we reach out with support and comfort to all whose spouses struggle with Alzheimer’s.

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In the Midst

As I was recently contemplating a familiar account to most of us in Genesis 2, I found an extremely interesting point with regards to the creation. When God created the Garden of Eden for Adam and Eve, he placed both the tree of life and the tree of knowledge of good and evil “in the midst of the garden” (Genesis 2:9; 3:3). Thus, while they certainly had access to the tree of life, they had equal access to that which God commanded, “Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die” (Genesis 2:16-17). If I were Adam and Eve, I would have preferred that God placed that tree with forbidden fruit out of the way. For the sake of temptation, would it not have been easier if the tree were possibly off in the shadows, or in a corner that would be difficult to access? No, God placed the tree “in the midst of the garden,” which shows that it was just as accessible as all the other trees.

This fact reinforces an important truth—the opportunity to face temptation is all around us! Sin is accessible! Our Catholic and Buddhist friends have the mistaken idea that we can hole ourselves up in monasteries, convents or other such things to escape the pressures of temptation. Yet, such is not the case! No matter where we are, temptation can be in our midst. If Jesus could face temptation while in a wilderness (cf. Matthew 4:1-11; Luke 4:1-13), then I know that temptation is “in the midst.” Thus, we are to pray as Jesus taught, “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil” (Matthew 6:13). The good news is not that we are able to escape the presence of temptation, but that once tempted, we are able to overcome. “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way of escape, that ye may be able to bear it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).

Yet, notice with me something else. Moses instructed the Israelites prior to his passing and their conquest of Canaan that the cities of refuge, which God mercifully allowed the Israelites to have, were to be “in the midst of thy land” (Deuteronomy 19:2). As Moses would go on to describe, they would have six various cities scattered throughout the land for the innocent offender to flee in case of accidental death, whereby they would obtain mercy. Upon identification of these cities (Joshua 20:7-9) on a Bible map, one can see that these cities were indeed placed “in the midst” of the land of Palestine. A fuller understanding of these with the new covenant shows that they were a type or shadow of the church of our Lord. Thus, the offer God makes to you and me concerning mercy that we desperately need reveals the principle that by such being “in the midst,” his offer of mercy is equally accessible to everyone!

In what many have called “The Psalm of the Cross” due to the nature of its Messianic prophecies, David beautifully stated, “I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee” (Psalm 22:22). In his classic work, “The Treasury of David,” Charles Spurgeon commented on this latter expression, “Not in a little household gathering merely does our Lord resolve to proclaim his Father’s love, but in the great assemblies of his saints, and in the general assembly and church of the firstborn. This the Lord Jesus is always doing by his representatives, who are the heralds of salvation, and labor to praise God…Jesus himself leads the song, and is both presenter and preacher in his church” (Volume I, pp. 373-74). Of course, the Hebrew writer quotes this passage and shows the presence of our Lord Jesus in the assembly, and encourages the discouraged by showing that he is not ashamed to refer to us as brethren (Hebrews 2:11-12; cf. John 20:17; Romans 8:14-17). Thus, could it not be that the expression, “in the midst of the church,” among other things, correlates with his open acknowledgement and lack of shame in those of us who are blessed to be Christians?

Finally, we note that God will make it possible for the proclamation of his great name to be “in the midst” of the whole world. For example, God revealed to Moses, “And I will stretch out my hand, and smite Egypt with all my wonders which I will do in the midst thereof: and after that he will let you go” (Exodus 3:20). Indeed, as we see the plagues unfold through the account, we learn that God was using these plagues as a form of judgment against the polytheistic gods of the Egyptians (Exodus 12:12). Nevertheless, the events surrounding these plagues of judgment became so well known, that God utilized these for the purpose of revealing himself, not just to Egypt, but to the whole world! “…to the end thou mayest know that I am the Lord in the midst of the earth” (Exodus 8:22).

For I will at this time send all my plagues upon thine heart, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people; that thou mayest know that there is none like me in all the earth. For now I will stretch out my hand that I may smite thee and thy people with pestilence; and thou shalt be cut off from the earth. And in very deed for this cause have I raised thee up, for to show in thee my power; and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth [Exodus 9:14-16].

Thus, as we even see in the example of Rahab in Joshua 2:10, the news of such events did travel far and wide. God will be sure that he is known “in the midst” of the world, which he accomplishes today through his evangelists (cf. Matthew 28:18-20).

We surely can glean some powerful thoughts from just three little words—“in the midst.”

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How to Handle Biblical Discussions

Several weeks ago, I immensely enjoyed sitting in a Sunday morning class that Kevin Cauley taught. Within the overall framework of the theme of “Denominational Doctrines,” his topic that day was on “Denominational Doctrines about Denominationalism.” As such, he covered such common ones as, “Belief in Jesus alone is sufficient to have fellowship with other denominations,” “Attend the church of your choice,” “We are all going to the same place, but on different paths” and such like. As he was covering this fundamental and edifying material, I thought of a few important things that may help us whenever we handle Biblical discussions with others.

First, the presentation of truth will silence those who practice falsely. As such, we must always remember that the power is not in any innate ability of the arguer, but in the presentation of truth itself. Paul declared, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16). Jesus stated to those Jews who believed on him, “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:31-32), to which he later clarified in prayer to his Father, “…thy word is truth” (John 17:17). Remember that as effective as the apostle Paul was, even he conceded, “And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God…And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power” (I Corinthians 2:1, 4). Thus, truth itself will conquer all who follow error. The power is in the message of truth and not necessarily in the messenger. Whenever Jesus spoke truth, he always silenced his critics (cf. Matthew 22:46).

Second, not everyone will accept the truth. We set ourselves up for discouragement and failure if we think that everyone will accept the truth. Sometimes, I believe our zeal may get carried away into thinking that if we do not convert everyone, we have failed. Such is simply not the case. As perfect as Jesus himself was, even he did not convert everyone: “He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to becomes the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name” (John 1:11-12). Just as many of the Jewish leaders of his day would simply not let go of their preconceived religious ideas and traditions (cf. Matthew 15:1-9), many of those steeped in denominationalism simply will not uproot themselves from similar circumstances, even upon presentation of the simple truth. Our job/purpose is not to convert everyone, but to share the good news of the gospel with everyone (cf. Mark 16:15)—those who gladly receive it will convert, and those who refuse will refuse. Indeed, the promise of the Bible will sadly be true: “…for wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat” (Matthew 7:13).

Finally, let us remember as we conduct Biblical discussions with non-Christians that our focus is to address the heart and not simply to win an argument. Sometimes brethren seem self-satisfied to have made an argument for the sake of the argument rather than the proper pursuit—reaching the heart of a non-believer. The Pharisees toiled tirelessly at making arguments with Jesus, much less among themselves. The lawyers loved to debate about which was the greatest commandment within the Law of Moses (cf. Matthew 22:36). Yet, Jesus was not simply trying to prove a point with his teachings—he was trying to reach the hearts of his hearers, and it saddened him deeply whenever his hearers would not respond appropriately (cf. Mark 10:21). Members listened to a sermon that a wise preacher preached and responded, “Preacher, you sure hit my toes today,” to which the wise preacher stated, “I was not aiming for your toes—I was aiming for your heart!”

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