Tag Archives: Teachings of Christ

Using the Bible as a true mirror

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One of the important milestones in our faith is when we begin to see ourselves as the Lord Jesus Christ sees ourselves.  Back when I was living in Louisiana, an old Baptist preacher by the name of Clarence Welch told me and another young man who was working in his garden that if we ever wanted to get a good look at our faith we could only do so through the mirror of the Bible.  At the time, I was 36 years old and was going through a personal crisis.  I had just been medically discharged from the U.S. Army for injuries that I had sustained. Then, without the comfort and security of a steady income and active duty military benefits, the woman I was married to left me and returned to her hometown where she moved in with her old high school sweetheart.  I was mad – mad at myself, mad at her, mad at those around me, mad at God – genuinely mad.

I wanted to share that because yesterday, my best friend called me and told me that on Friday of last week, as he was heading home, he decided to empty his heart’s contents to God.  He had reached a point in his life where he was desiring a closer relationship with God and from what he described to me, tired of the trapped feeling that unresolved anger can have in our lives.  What he had done, as I had done for so long, was to internalize and bury the unresolved anger and tried to build on top of that foundation. Can we get saved with unresolved anger in our hearts?  The answer to that is simply yes.  Can we spiritually grow with that unresolved anger in our hearts?  The answer to that is also yes; however we will reach a certain point where spiritual growth cannot occur unless we resolve the anger.  There is a reason why – anger occurs when we believe we have been wronged or harmed and we feel that the other party has not atoned for the transgression.  At the heart of the issue is forgiveness and our willingness to allow God to heal our wounds.

Forgiveness is important for the believer for many reasons and if we are not careful, we can actually carry anger with us for so long that we become accustomed to its bondage.  We excuse our anger and have a tendency to see it as justifiable; unfortunately, God does not see it that way.  During Jesus’ earthly ministry, he taught all that would listen, For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses (Matthew 6:14-15). When we harbor our anger we place ourselves under the same judgment, but from God, that we are placing on the object of our anger.  We have effectively blocked God from being in a position to help us and to bless us.  We cannot continue our spiritual growth until we have let go of the anger that holds us back. In fact, the gospel written by the apostle Mark records Jesus teaching those that followed him, And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses (Mark 11:25). Notice that when you pray…forgive, if you have ought against any. There’s no conditions, there’s no justification, there’s no reservations recorded in this verse.  Jesus’ teaching is clear – forgive.

As recorded in the gospel of Matthew, there is a parable that Jesus uses to teach this very concept.  The parable is about a man who receives forgiveness for a debt that he owed another.  The parable ends with this passage: Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?  And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses (Matthew 18:32-35). This is a difficult lesson to allow to sink in – the forgiveness of God is complete; the forgiveness we offer others must reflect the forgiveness that He freely offers us.  It is not optional, it is not a nice request, it is something we must do if we are going to enjoy the fullness of our Christian faith.

The Bible is our mirror and our measuring rod; when we begin to see our lives through the mirror of the Bible, we do not get the distortions that we do when we look at our lives through the lens of the world.  When we look through the lens of this world, it becomes easy to justify our anger and our judgment of others. It becomes easy to hold on to that anger. The world even tells us that we are justified to hold on to our anger and judgment of others.  God tells us that our anger at others must be dealt with; the perceived wrong must be forgiven completely.  Once we have forgiven them, we must leave our anger in the past and pray for the person that wronged us.  By doing so, not only do we free ourselves up from the anger and judgment within our hearts, we allow ourselves to be brought into God’s perfect peace and we really begin to spiritually grow and enjoy the richness of the forgiveness of God.

A bird feeder and its subtle reminder to trust in the Lord

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[This entry was originally written on Friday, December 6, 2013, but for some strange reason, it did not post as scheduled.  It has now been posted and has not been altered since its original “failed” publication.]

Since Monday, the National Weather Service has predicted that my town. like most of the tri-state area, is under the threat of a severe winter storm. Expecting a severe storm, many people are rushing to grocery stores everywhere to buy bread, milk, and other goods they believe are needed to survive the approaching winter storm. While being ready to for this storm is wise, these same people are totally blind and unprepared for the spiritual storms that are rapidly approaching; even some who consider themselves Christians will be caught unprepared and unsure where to turn.

Since 1996, I have had at least one bird feeder in every place I have lived.  I have enjoyed watching the various types of birds and other animals that have come to depend on the feeders.  I often think of the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ where he teaches how He cares for the sparrows and would care for us all the more if we would just let them, Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and oneHPIM0003.JPG of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows (Matthew 10:29-31). Through my love of nature, God allows me, a mere sinful man saved by His grace, to take part in providing food for his creation. Throughout the year, regardless of the weather, I make sure that the feeder is refilled each time it is empty.  There is a real blessing that I get out of hearing the chirps and squeaks from the various birds and the other animals that regularly visit the feeder. During the winter months and particularly after a good snow, I enjoy the natural beauty of the picture created by my feathered visitors.

HPIM0240.JPGJust as the birds and other animals have learned to depend on my bird feeders, we also must learn how to depend on God in a similar manner.  There’s no membership fee, no special tasks, or other hard tasks required of us before he offers his grace to us. There comes a point in every believer’s life where we must realize that we must let go of our own understanding of what we think life means.  Solomon, considered one of the wisest of all rulers in the Old Testament, wrote, Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding (Proverbs 3:5). There is no doubt that he had learned this crucial concept from his father, the man who was described as by God as a man after his own heart (I Samuel 13:14b). David wrote that phrase, Trust in the LORD, seven times in the book of Psalms. David offers us several reasons why we should unquestionably put our complete faith in God: Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed (Psalms 37:3), Ye that fear the LORD, trust in the LORD: he is their help and their shield (Psalms 115:11), and It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man (Psalms 118:8).

According to Biblical numerology, seven represents completeness and spiritual perfection. If we are ever to have a near complete and perfect walk with the Lord Jesus Christ while we are living within the flesh, we must learn to look to Christ for his guidance and not depend on our own sense of right and wrong. When we face trials and tribulations, we must remember what the prophet Isaiah wrote, For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD (Isaiah 55:8).  Just with this verse in mind, we see the importance of not trying to find our own solutions for the problems we face; we simply must trust in the Lord. David wrote, Ye that fear the LORD, trust in the LORD: he is their help and their shield (Psalms 115:11), and there is a lot of wisdom in this verse of only sixteen words. This verse reassures us that the Lord is what will not only deliver us but will defend us when we seek his will in handling the trials and temptations we face.  There’s not a more reassuring thought than knowing that God will give us safe passage if we will turn to him and seek his will.

The upward journey

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A couple of years back, my family and I took a trip to St. Augustine, Florida to visit  my in-laws who were assigned as Salvation Army corps officers in that city. While we were there on the visit, we spent a considerable amount of time sight seeing – something I have always loved to do.  On one particular morning, we decided to take a trip to the St. Augustine Lighthouse and State Park.  The tour and museum were excellent but the thing I was looking forward to the most was seeing the view offered from the maintenance and lookout walkway that surrounded the top of the lighthouse.

From the moment we walked into the lighthouse building, the large cast iron spiral stairway truly grabs one’s attention.  As is evident from the picture, when you first begin the journey, it seems that the spiral stairway goes up forever.  As we were walking up the stairway I was surprised when we would reach the landings and would hear others bemoan how far they still had to go and how steep the stairs were.  There were some that even decided to turn around halfway and forego reaching the top after they realized how far above the ground they actually were. There were others, like us, that kept our focus and knew what awaited us once we climbed that final stair.  I know that I had a sense of great anticipation of the view we would be rewarded with once we finally reached our destination.  As a Christian, I have learned that in every experience in life there is a profound and simple spiritual lesson and this experience is no different.

There is only one way to reach the top of the lighthouse.  There are no shortcuts, no elevators, or an alternative staircase for those who want to reach the top.  As Christians, we know that the only path that leads to Heaven has already been laid out by the Lord Jesus Christ; its not a new path or new plan for mankind, but one that even the psalmist David understood that God would reveal to those who seek His will for their life:  Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore (Psalms 16:11). David understood if he diligently sought out the Lord he would find Him; God would direct his path.  He knew of the promise as recorded at the hand of Moses: But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul (Deuteronomy 4:29). Just as there are no alternatives to arrive at the top of the lighthouse, there are no shortcuts when it comes to salvation. Even the Lord Jesus Christ taught this very concept during his earthly ministry.  According to the gospels, Jesus told the multitude that listened to his teachings: Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me (John 14:6), Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it (Matthew 7:13-14) and Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber (John 10:1).

Each step in that cast iron spiral staircase in that old lighthouse led to another step that was higher than the last.  Within the lighthouse, the stairs led to a flat landing which was then followed by another flight of stairs leading to another landing. This pattern repeated until the final landing, which allowed for access to the room where the beacon was located, then finally to the door leading to the outside walkway.  That reminds me of how our Christian journey is supposed to be – even the apostle Paul understood the concept when he told the young preacher Timotheus, I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing (II Timothy 4:7-8).

Just as HPIM0630.JPGeveryone walking up those stairs faced challenges and obstacles, we will also face challenges and obstacles in our spiritual walk.  Each step in our Christian journey increases our faith, prepares us for new challenges, and will eventually lead us to our eternal destination – Heaven – where we will be rewarded for our journey.  Just as those that climbed those stairs desired to see the view from the lighthouse and that became their focus, we must also maintain our focus on what our eternal goal is – to hear those words, Well done, good and faithful servant (Matthew 25:23b) that Jesus said would be the praise of our heavenly Father as long as we are faithfully travelling the path he has placed before us.