God's Goodness in Creation and Cultivation

            Francis Bacon once said, “God has, in fact, written two books, not just one. Of course, we are all familiar with the first book he wrote, namely Scripture. But he has written a second book called creation.” Of course, we realize that creation could hardly be called a book in a literal sense, yet we can call it a book in the sense that it reveals truth about God. God speaks in His word certainly, but did you ever stop to think about what God is revealing what He has made?

            Bacon was not the only one to realize that God’s attributes can be seen in the world he has made. Just as an artist’s style can be noticed in a painting and a musician’s emotion can be felt in a piece of music, so to can God’s nature be perceived in this world. The Psalmist speaks of God’s creation this way,

            “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge.” (Psalms 19:1–2 ESV)

The Apostle Paul makes this observation,

            “For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made” (Romans 1:20 ESV)

            In God’s holy, inspired, and infallible book (the Bible) He tells us that in His other “book” (creation) we can learn amazing things about who God is and what He Is like. We see that God is all-powerful in the world that he has made. We see God’s infinite wisdom in the complexity of everything. We see God’s creativity in the uniqueness of all things. We see God’s order in that plants and animals function in a designed way. We see God’s care and provision in that the world receives what it needs to survive and grow. We also see God’s goodness in the beauty that is all around us.

            I’ve been struck recently by how God’s goodness is displayed in creation. Many of us live such busy lives that we seldom “stop to smell the roses,” but I believe that this is one of the greatest things we can do to remind ourselves, and experience, the truth that God is good. God did not have to create a rose to be beautiful, but He did. God did not have to give it a sweet aroma, but He did. God did not have to create a world that is so beautiful and wonderful, but he did.

            It is true that our world is imperfect. When sin entered the world the perfect beauty and majesty of creation was marred but not destroyed. Though we do see “thorns and thistles” in our world we also see the roses in the midst of them. Our world is far from perfect, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t still see God’s goodness in it.

            Think for a moment of all the pleasures God has given us in this world simply because He is good. A warm sunny day, a cool breeze, a glorious sunset, a starlight night, a walk on the beach, a bunch of wildflowers, a perfectly ripe strawberry, a bird singing, and a baby smiling, all show that God is incredibly good to us. God did not have to make a world full of pleasure and beauty, but God chose to simply because He is good. 

            Sometimes we have the notion that God’s creation is perfect, and man is the problem. In one sense I suppose this is true, if it wasn’t for man the world would not be subjected to sin. On the other hand, however, God created man to have a very distinct place in creation. In Genesis 1, God gives this command,

            “And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” (Genesis 1:28 ESV)

            Before the fall and before sin, God gave man a job, to fill the earth, subdue it, and have dominion over it. God was given the function of cultivating the creation God had made to us. This arrangement (along with everything God had made) was deemed “very good.” God’s goodness is certainly on display in creation, but it is also on display in man’s work of cultivation.

            I recently had the pleasure of attending two events that really drove this point home to me. One was a vegetable showcase dinner in Milan Ohio at the Culinary Vegetable Institute. The point of these first class dinners is to spotlight a vegetable in the height of its season by using it in every single course (even dessert!) This dinner featured asparagus. Course after course of this dinner I was amazed by just how versatile and delicious this vegetable could be. It was served raw, pickled, grilled, as a soup, and even as a sorbet.

            How good God must be to not only create food but also to give us the ability to create a myriad of different ways to enjoy it. God could have made us simply get nutrients through taking a pill every morning, or simply soaking up the sun as plants do. Yet God is his goodness has given us millions of different ingredients and the ability to prepare and combine them in an infinite number of ways.

            The second event was a concert by the Mansfield Symphony Youth Orchestra. A girl at my Church plays the viola so my wife and I went to support and hear her. What a wonderful experience it was, to be able to hear this group of high school students play such beautiful music. This music had the power to excite and to relax, to sadden and to bring joy, to bring tension and to soothe. It was truly a beautiful performance.

            God created music because He is good. God’s goodness is clearly on display when a beautiful piece is heard, yet we see again that God gives us the ability to cultivate what He has made. Though we cannot create new notes, we can create different instruments to play those notes all with unique sounds. We can place notes together and create melodies, chords, rhythms, and so on. We can convey emotion and meaning through the cultivation of what God has given us. 

            Have you stopped to ponder God’s goodness recently in both His creation and man’s cultivation? Have you praised Him for the sights, smells, and sounds that remind you that He cares? Have you remembered who gave man his abilities when you saw some great accomplishment? The good things of this world were given not for us to fall in love with them, but so that we will fall in love with the good God who has blessed us with all these things.

3 Things You Must Know About Fellowship

            In the beginning of John's first letter, he writes about an issue many of us talk about but few of us understand: Fellowship. For many, the definition of fellowship is potluck, and though I do enjoy a good potluck, this is not what fellowship is all about.

            When John uses the word fellowship he uses the Greek word koinoœnia, a word which speaks of not only fellowship but also partnership and participation. In other words, fellowship involves so much more than having a meal together. Fellowship is living together as partakers in Christ.

            Notice what John says about fellowship,

            “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.” (1 John 1:1–4 ESV)

            John gives us three things that we need to grasp if we are to understand fellowship:

           

1. True fellowship is only possible through Christ

            True Christian fellowship cannot happen with unbelievers. I do not mean that Christians cannot spend time with those who do not know Christ ­– in fact Christians should spend time with those who are not yet saved – I also don’t mean that we can’t work together with those who believe differently than us, we should. What I mean is that Christians can only fellowship, that is live life together as partners, if we know the reason for our partnership: Jesus Christ.

            John says that one of the reasons for proclaiming Christ is so that we might have fellowship with one another. No Christ? No fellowship. It’s that simple.

            Every time the Bible uses this word it speaks of Christians banding together. Whether they are coming together for a meal,  for prayer, or to raise funds, they are doing it as partners in Christ. This is the heart of Christian fellowship.

2. True fellowship with each other brings us into fellowship with God

            When we fellowship together as Christians, something great happens: we also fellowship with God. John writes, “you… may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.” Part of fellowshipping together is to experience God’s presence more fully.

            I’m reminded of what Jesus said in Matthew 18:20, “where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” Though the context of this passage regards church discipline and dealing with conflict, the principle is still the same: we experience God more fully when we fellowship with each other.

            Many think that they can have a relationship with God and yet live apart from the church. This is not God’s plan. We were meant to experience God together as His body, which is simply not possible without fellowship. If you cut off a hand from the body what happens? It dies. If you want to live life with God, you must live life in fellowship with your church.

3. True fellowship results in joy      

      

            Why does John write about fellowship? He wants us to have joy. Our joy is completed when we share it with another. If something great happens to you what is you first instinct? Is it not to share your news with others? Sharing our lives in fellowship completes our joy.

            The sad truth is, that sometimes when Christians get together they take away from each other’s joy instead of completing it. Often our meetings are marked by criticism, complaints, and conflicts. These things should not be. True fellowship will result in joy. If you are not experiencing joy when you fellowship with other Christians then you are not experiencing true fellowship.

            What are your thoughts on fellowship? What are some ways we can grow in our fellowship? How can we make our fellowship more joyful? Share your thoughts with me below!

God Is Life

If I were to ask any Christian (or any human who believed in an eternity) if they would like eternal life, I’m confident they would answer yes. I mean, who wouldn’t? Death is scary. Not existing at all is even scarier. The idea of living on eternally is appealing to most people.

            Yet, if I were to have you define eternal life, I wonder what you would say? Heaven? That’s probably the most common answer. When we die we go to Heaven and live eternally in a white robe with a halo and wings, and let’s not forget about that harp! But, I wonder if this is the Biblical picture of eternal life.

            John is called the disciple who Jesus loved. He was very close to Jesus. We could even use the word intimacy (in a purely non-sexual way) to describe the relationship that John had with Jesus. So when John writes something about our savior it would do us good to listen to what he has to say.

           

            “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us—” (1 John 1:1–2 ESV)

            1 John is filled with many “God is…” statements – God is light, God is love, and God is greater – yet one that is often overlooked is “God is life.” Though the phrase “God is life” doesn’t explicitly appear in these verses the message is still there. Let’s explore these verses together.

            Notice that John first explains how he was a witness of the incarnation, that is, God in human form. He speaks of that which was from the beginning. In the Greek, this not only is speaking of always existing, but also of having authority. He is speaking of one who has always existed and always ruled. In other words, God himself.

           

            Yet he also says that we have heard, seen, and even touched, that which was from the beginning. This speaks of Christ who took on human flesh. He then refers to Christ as the word of life. This life was made manifest. What does that mean? It means that Christ appeared into human history. It is this life that we proclaim. Yet this life was with the Father and was made manifest.

            You see, John here speaks of eternal life, not as an event, or place, or even a position, he speaks of eternal life as a person, namely Jesus Christ.

            There is no life without God. God created life. It wasn’t until God breathed into Adam that life was given to him. Adam was created with a tree of life so that he wouldn’t have to face death. Just as Adam brought physical life to all the earth, Jesus brought eternal life to all the earth. Yet He did more then bring life, He is life.

            If you want eternal life it starts with The Eternal Life. Do you know the one who is life? This is not just a gift that God gives; it is a central part of who He is. Do you love life? Do you have life? Do you know life?

            “I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, loving the LORD your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days” (Deuteronomy 30:19–20 ESV)

5 Things I Learned About The Bible

I have a confession to make, I just finished reading the Bible all the way through for the first time. To be fair, I've read many parts of the Bible over and over again, but like so many, there were parts that often bogged me down (Leviticus for example). I'd like to share a few things that I learned about the Bible as a whole. My hope is that these things will be helpful in your study of the Word, as well as an encouragement to continue in your own Bible reading.

1. Quality is better than quantity.

This is true of many things, but I'm convicted that when it comes to God's Word it is far better to dig deeply into one verse then to skim 5 chapters. As I read through the entirety of scripture I learned that slowing down was not a bad thing. The truth is, I'm not a very fast reader, nor a very smart one, so instead of the normal one year reading plan I took two years to read through the Bible, and I'm not ashamed of that. The Bible never tells us to read as much of it as we can in the least amount of time possible, but it does tell us to meditate upon it day and night (Psalm 1), which I believe is only possible through slow thoughtful reading.

2. The more you read the better it gets. 

I don't mean necessarily that when you start in Genesis and work your way through, the material itself gets better. What I mean is the more time you spend in the Word the sweeter it becomes. The Bible is not an easy book to understand, but the good news is the more we read it the more grasp of it. Of course we'll never understand everything but I can look back over the course of these two years and clearly see that my understanding and love for the Word has grown. 

3. Prayer really is powerful. 

The more I read the Bible the more I realized that many times in the Bible (especially in the Psalms) people were praying about the Word of God. Often they were asking for help in understanding and enjoying the Word. As I read these I thought, "Why am I not doing this?" So I started praying the prayers of the Bible, asking for God's help. This made a huge difference in my ability to perceive and enjoy Biblical truth.

4. The Bible is not about me.

We often look at the Bible as a book that is all about us. We think it was written so that I would be encouraged, I would strengthened,  I would gain wisdom, and I would learn something for me life. Although I do believe that all of those things happen when we read the Bible, such a self-centered approach will only lead to trouble. This all about me approach has led to many false interpretations (Nehemiah as a leadership manual for example.) The truth is, the Bible is not a book about me or you but it is a book about God. The Bible is about showing us who God is, what His laws are, how He thinks and feels, and His glorious plan to save sinners.

5. The Bible is about God's salvation.

The Bible is ultimately about God but it does involve us, the greatest way it does this is through God's story of redemption. Throughout the pages of scripture you will see time and time again that God desires to save His people. Along the way there are pointers to the ultimate culmination of this, which is Jesus Christ. Read the Bible, love the Bible, and see the glory of God manifested most clearly through His Son. I promise that you won't regret it. 

 

God Is Faithful

“But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one.”
(2 Thessalonians 3:3 ESV)

Idolatrous Adulterers

“For I will be like a lion to Ephraim, and like a young lion to the house of Judah. I, even I, will tear and go away; I will carry off, and no one shall rescue. I will return again to my place, until they acknowledge their guilt and seek my face, and in their distress earnestly seek me. “Come, let us return to the LORD; for he has torn us, that he may heal us; he has struck us down, and he will bind us up. After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him. Let us know; let us press on to know the LORD; his going out is sure as the dawn; he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth.”


(Hosea 5:14–6:3 ESV)

Adultery and Idolatry. These words may seem unrelated expect for their sound, but when we open up the pages of scripture we see that they are almost inseparable. Adultery, in a completely physical sense, is having relations with someone other than your spouse. In a Spiritual sense, I would define adultery as a breach of a covenant relationship. In other words, when you commit yourself to someone in marriage you are making a covenant, one in which you have both agreed upon the condition of forsaking all others. The physical act of adultery would be a breach of that covenant agreement. When it comes to God, we can commit adultery through our idolatry.


Idolatry is the act of worshiping anything other than God. If you are a follower of Jesus Christ then you are in a covenant relationship with Him. One of the conditions of this covenant is to avoid idolatry: “You shall have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3 ESV). Whenever we have “other gods” we are breaching the covenant agreement, that is, we are committing adultery.


The book of Hosea is a book that is written to a bunch of idolatrous adulterers. One of the most frequent words in this book is the Hebrew word zaœnaœh, it’s a word which can mean sexual immorality, adultery, or prostitution. In the English Standard Version it is translated as whore (or some form of that word) in the book of Hosea. But the question is why does God accuse his people of this over and over in this prophecy? What sin did they commit to warrant such strong language? Idolatry. “The more they were called, the more they went away; they kept sacrificing to the Baals and burning offerings to idols” (Hosea 11:2 ESV).


God’s people had left Him and turned to idols. This spiritual adultery is the reason the book of Hosea was written. God hates idolatry, because when we worship something other than Him we commit adultery. In fact God shows us the horror of this by using the prophet Hosea as an illustration. In the beginning of this book God says this to Hosea, “Go, take to yourself a wife of whoredom and have children of whoredom, for the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the LORD” (Hosea 1:2 ESV). God instructed Hosea to take an unfaithful wife to show the people the depths of their sin.


The problem in our culture is that we believe this has no application to us. After all, most of us don’t have any idols, right? I mean, we don’t bow down to anything made of wood or gold and we don’t worship in the temples of false gods. So since we don’t have any idols the message of Hosea is not a message we need to hear. While we may not have any statues that we bow down to I think many of us still have idols in our lives.


An idol is anything that takes the place of God in your life. Take a moment and evaluate yourself. Is God your greatest desire? Are you more devoted to Him than anything else? Is there anything in your life that you treasure more than God? Still don’t think you have any idols?


We live in a world that is filled with idols. We idolize money. We idolize success. We idolize sex; food, family, entertainment, ourselves, cars, TV, lifestyle, and we could go on and on. The question is not how many idols can we list; the question is what is your idol? I’m guessing that you skipped over that question without giving it much thought so I’m going to ask it again: what is your idol? Take a moment and answer that question. Once you know what your idol(s) is/are you can continue reading.


You may be thinking at this point, “Ok fine, I’ve got some idols in my life, but that’s normal. Hardly anyone truly loves God above all else. Besides I don’t want to be some crazy radical.” The trouble with this kind of thinking is that God will punish those who are not radically devoted to Him. In Hosea 5:14 God speaks of what He is going to do to His people. In essence He says, “I’m going to tear you up like a lion. I’ll take you to the lion’s den and you will be devoured. And there will be no one to rescue you!”


Here is the truth that you and I need to hear: the wrath of God is coming against all idolaters. “But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.” (Revelation 21:8 ESV)


So what on earth do we do? Well if you’ve never accepted Jesus Christ you must do that in order to be saved. There is no other way to have the wrath of God removed from you then by coming to Jesus Christ in faith (see Acts 4:11-12). If you have never accepted Jesus then you need to do so by repenting of idolatry (and all other sins) and by being baptized for the forgiveness of your sins (see Acts 2:38). Save yourself from your idolatry by coming to Jesus!


But what if you are a Christian already? What if you’ve already entered into a covenant relationship with Jesus Christ, yet you’ve committed spiritual adultery? What must we do when we’ve taken idols into our hearts?


The answer lies in verse 15 of chapter 5: “I will return again to my place, until they acknowledge their guilt and seek my face, and in their distress earnestly seek me.” The first thing we must do is acknowledge our guilt before God. Don’t down play your sin. Think of it this way, if you physically committed adultery against your spouse how would you confess that sin? Would you excuse it or minimize it? I hope not. You see, we are without excuse when it comes to our idolatry. Lets admit our guilt and confess our sins.


The next thing this passage teaches us is that we must seek God earnestly. We must confess our sins and we must repent. Repentance is turning from your sin (or your idol) and turning to God. We’ve got to seek God with everything that we have; this is the only way to have true forgiveness.


At this point you might feel pretty torn up. Maybe you are broken over your sin. That’s good. This godly type of sorrow can lead to repentance if we will let it. God told his people that he had torn them and stuck them down but He went on to say that He would heal them and raise them up to life!


The choice is yours will you press on to know the Lord who promises to come to us just like the spring rains? Or will you cling to your worthless idols. Will you repent of your adultery?

Memorial Day

            It’s been calculated that around 1,346,000 American soldiers have given their lives in battle in the history of this nation[1].  That’s a lot of men and women who have sacrificed their lives for you and me. They died for our freedom and our safety. They gave everything so that we might enjoy our life here in America. This is why we celebrate Memorial Day.

            Memorial day first started after the Civil War to remember the American soldiers who gave their lives in that war. It was then extended to all soldiers who have given their lives for our Country[2]. We owe these soldiers so much. We should be so thankful for all that they have done for us. The only proper response for us to have is gratitude.

            At this point you might be wondering why I’m talking about Memorial Day on this blog. After all, this is a blog dedicated to following Jesus. The reason is simply this: Memorial Day is a great reality and it points us to an even greater reality. Memorial Day serves to remind us of those who gave their lives in battle, but it can also serve to remind us of another who gave His life: Jesus Christ.

            The similarities between the soldiers who have died and Jesus are many. Think with me about this verse from Galatians:

“For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” (Galatians 5:1 ESV)       

            Why have so many people given their lives for this Country? Freedom. This is the exact same reason why Christ gave His life; for our freedom. Christ died to set us free! Free from death, sin, Satan, guilt, shame, and punishment. Christ has set you and me free by giving His very life. This is a truly great reality. God in human flesh gave his own life for sinners like you and me.

            So my challenge for us is a simple one. Let us remember not only the soldiers who have given their lives, but also the Son who gave His life. Let us all think about the one who gave up everything for our eternal freedom. Let us “stand firm” in our freedom this Memorial Day. We have been given a great gift; let us remember it.   

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[1] http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_many_United_States_soldiers_have_died_in_battle_for_our_country

[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorial_Day