We love, because He first loved us

One of the concepts used in couples therapy, is that we all have a “love tank,”which when it is full enables us to be loving, kind etc. When the love tank is empty however, we need to do things for each other that will re-fill the tank. It seems that the circumstances and happenstances of life, the negative things, drain our tank. In fact this seems to be the default.

Some of the translations of this morning’s quote from 1 John 4:19, start with “We love Him.” But that “Him” it is not in the Greek. And while it may be true that we love Him because He first loved us, the deeper meaning it is that our ability to love at all flows out of the costly initiating love of God (i.e. John 3:16).

So if we want to be truly loving, then the very best way to do this is to stay connected to the One whose very nature is love (1 John 4:8). I am sure that you will agree with me, that there are people out there who are difficult to love! And I was reminded this morning, that I need to let Him love them through me. In other words I need to cooperate with Him so that I can be a channel of his love, rather than allowing them to drain my tank.

Father, thank You that Your love tank is never empty, and that You are ready and willing and able both to love me, and to love through me. Help me to keep short accounts with You, so that more and more I may be a pure channel of Your love to this wicked and hurting world. In Jesus Name Amen

Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!

Bear with me a little here as I say that as a mathematician, I have encountered ever increasing orders of infinity. So we talk about the trans-finite numbers. We start with the counting numbers 1, 2, 3…which of course never end. The set of all real numbers however is much larger and we say they are uncountable. In fact the “size” of this set is the first of an infinite number of increasingly larger ordinal numbers.

If you can’t get your mind around this don’t worry, neither can I! But neither can I get my mind around the fact that the riches of Christ are unsearchable (Ephesians 3:8). But my point, is that I strongly suspect that there are also an uncountable number of ever-increasing aspects of unsearch-ability to the grace and glory of our infinite God. In particular, when Jesus told us to go make disciples, He was commanding us to teach ourselves and others to enter into a task which will endure through all eternity.

In the second half of the verse quoted at the head of this post from Romans 11:33, Paul exclaims “How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out.” Now contrast this with our tendency to feel that we have arrived in our denomination or little group! So if we are finding Christianity boring, we need to realize that we have really missed out in our searching the unsearch-ability of our infinitely fascinating God.

Father please forgive me when, for whatever reason, apathy, pride, laziness or whatever, I have ceased to search for You with all my heart mind soul and strength. Lord in this, as in all things, I need Your help. Thank you Lord, that when I give everything I am able to give, then You make up for what is lacking (Philippians 2:12, 13). Thank You for these thoughts this morning Lord, in Jesus Name

Remember, I am with you always, even to the end of the age

These words, from the very last verse of the very last chapter of Matthew, are among the many of the last words Jesus spoke while here on earth. And they are likely among the most meaningful for Matthew. Being a despised tax collector in his former life, he likely knew what loneliness was all about. And this promise from the Triune God that He would always be with us in Spirit, is relevant to all of us who have known loneliness!

In fact I am one of the same, because through no choice of my own (not saying of no fault) I found myself alone for long periods of time. Eventually though, through these forced periods of aloneness when God was all I had, I discovered that God is all I need. But this morning, I was aware that my usual closeness to Him was missing. When I asked Him about this I ended up confessing, largely through laziness, that “I have left undone things which I ought to have done.”

You see I know, that when I am not as close to Him, then I am the one who moved. I know this for He has told me “I will never leave you nor for sake you” (Deuteronomy 31:6). And when this morning I confessed my sin of omission, my fellowship with Him was quickly restored.

Father, thank You that You use even these temporary periods where I do not feel close to You. I say this because the joy of reconciliation feels so good. Thank you Lord that You are faithful even when I am not, and as always I give You all the honour and glory and praise in Jesus Name Amen

Hidden Treasures of wisdom and knowledge II - In Him

One of the advantages of being old, is that over and over I have seen researchers come to conclusions that were later proved to be wrong. And while by no means is it always the case, many times these conclusions have been arrived at based on presuppositions that deny the existence of God. It is my observation that such researchers often think they are being neutral, while in fact neutrality is a myth. But this will have to wait for another day!

Evidence-based research can be said to be searching for the hidden treasures of wisdom and knowledge, in other words it is seeking for the truth! But as I said above some of it is led astray by its presuppositions. Even so science, with its ability to correct itself will I believe, eventually prove incorrect presuppositions false. It can take a long time, a very long time! in fact there is a book by Thomas Kuhn entitled “The Structure of Scientific Revolutions,” that essentially makes this point. But what is my point?

The point I was making yesterday, was that seeking the hidden treasures of wisdom ultimately leads to Him. The point I want to make today, is that when our seeking is in Him, acknowledging Him in all our ways (Proverbs 3:5, 6), then the conclusions of our seeking will likely be more accurate and more efficient. I want to take a fourth paragraph this morning to mention three aspects of research that touch the Scriptures. We do however, need to rule out overly simplistic interpretations on the one hand, and those that exclude the possibility of the miraculous (and hence God) on the other.

The first aspect has to do with “the assured gains of biblical scholarship.” I learned of the said gains while studying for my diploma in Biblical studies in 1978. Since that time, over and over, many such “gains,” have been shown to be nonsense. The second aspect has to do with Biblical archaeology, where archaeologists with great fanfare have announced that their discoveries contradict Biblical history, but then their conclusions were later shown to be wrong as further evidence came to light. This of course, was not announced with fanfare! The third aspect has to do with secular psychology. I have said before that it is my observation that anything in secular psychology that works, can be found either as a principal or a command in Scripture. The point I am making then, is that like the wise men of old, wise men still do their seeking through and for Him!

Father, I want to thank You this morning that as I have done my seeking and searching through and for You, I have found clarity, assurance and healing. Lord there is so much more that I want to say, and the three aspects mentioned above are likely three books needing to be written. But I thank You Lord this morning that it’s not all up to me, it’s not all up to us. In particular You came to seek and to save the lost (Luke 19:10). In this as always Lord, You are praiseworthy in Jesus Name Amen

In Him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Colossians 2:3)

As a pure mathematician, I have been fascinated by the depth, beauty and complexity of mathematics. I believe that mathematical knowledge is infinite. I say “believe,” because I cannot prove it, but what I do know is that the more I know, the more I realize I don’t know. Of course it being infinite would make sense if it was part of the design of an infinite God.

No matter what you believe about evolution, it is very clear to me that it cannot explain the change from non-life to life. The famous atheist Antony Flew shocked to the world in 2004 by announcing that while he had not embraced Christianity, he had come to believe in a God. I can I think, do no better in three paragraphs, than to allow him to describe his gradual evolution of thought as he sought out the hidden treasures of wisdom and knowledge (the quote that follows is taken from an interview with Dr. Benjamin Wiker)!

“With every passing year, the more that was discovered about the richness and inherent intelligence of life, the less it seemed likely that a chemical soup could magically generate the genetic code. The difference between life and non-life, it became apparent to me, was ontological and not chemical. The best confirmation of this radical gulf is Richard Dawkins' comical effort to argue in The God Delusion that the origin of life can be attributed to a "lucky chance." If that's the best argument you have, then the game is over. No, I did not hear a Voice. It was the evidence itself that led me to this conclusion.”

Father, in Your Word You tell us that the invisible things from the creation of the world are clearly seen by the things that are made (i.e. us), so that we are without excuse (Romans 1:20). Thank You Father for bringing me out of denial, and into Your glorious light. Lord continue to open my eyes, and the eyes of those I love and pray for in Jesus Name Amen

He was despised and rejected by others, and a man of sorrows, intimately familiar with suffering

Have you ever had someone tell you that they knew what you were going through, but you knew they had none of the disadvantages you had and all the advantages you did not have? And have you ever known those who by their actions essentially say do as I say, not as I do? And do you know those who are more than willing to hand out advice, but don’t have a clue? Our God is not like that in any of these ways!

At this Christmas time, we celebrate the lowly birth of one who suffered and bled and died one of the most horrendous deaths known to man! So on the first count, He is very far from being a God who is up there looking down on us isolated from our trials and temptations. But rather, He is completely able to “sympathize with our weaknesses” (Hebrews 4:15a). In other words He really does know what we are going through!

Secondly, far from failing to obey the very things He commands us to do, He “was in all points tried and tempted and tested as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15b). And just as importantly, He never asks us to go through something that He Himself has not gone through, only worse!

Thirdly, since it is true that “in Him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3), then when we ask for it the wisdom that we receive “is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy” (James 3:17).

Father, it is true what You said to Abraham, that You Yourself are our exceedingly great reward (Genesis 15:1). But it is also true that I have had little more than a glimpse of this, and I want to know You and Your wisdom more and more. Keep me seeking, knocking and asking in Jesus Name Amen

I bring you good tidings of great joy (Luke 2:10)

There is such irony in the fact that God intends the celebration of the birth of his Son to bring joy to the world, when so many, many people find Christmas difficult. But then, the One who He sent to bring joy, suffered more than anyone that I know!

And it was for the joy that was set before Him, that He endured the cross despising the shame (Hebrews 12:2). But then there is a thief, whose agenda is to kill, to steal and to destroy. But there is a bigger “but,” But Jesus came that we might have life in all its fullness (John 10:10). It’s not automatic, we have to embrace Him and His work on the cross, and apply it to our lives.

When we do this, we will no longer be stuck in the past, and we can have joy even in the midst of our trials. And I’m remembering now that Paul, who also suffered more than anyone I know, had this to say about his suffering “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us" (Romans 8:18).

Father, I thank You this morning that You have shown us the way to turn suffering into glory and joy. It’s not easy Lord, You more than anyone know that, but with You all things are possible. So I bring before You this morning Lord all who find this day difficult, and I ask You, the God of all comfort, to be with them today, and to comfort, strengthen and help them in Jesus Name Amen