All Things are New

I think Solomon wrote Ecclesiastes in Erie (he must have traveled more widely than historians realize) and in February. Like ours, his “life under the sun” was full of gray skies and low-hanging clouds. But unlike us, he had no spring to look forward to. He wasn’t anticipating warm breezes and bright sunshine and colorful spring tulips… There was nothing new under his sun. The meaningless, changeless gray was there to stay.

Solomon, Solomon. Weary, jaded, cynical. Except ye become as a little child - faith-filled, hopeful, eager – you will always miss the new. And, yes, there is new everywhere. Brighter spirits than yours wrote of it in the Old and New Testaments:

New mercies every morning
New covenant
New creation
New heart
New commandment
New fruit
New name
New Jerusalem
New heavens
New earth
New song

In fact, they wrote that if anyone places his trust in Christ, all things are become new - not just in the bye-and-bye, but here and now. Today, in each of our lives. And if we’re listening expectantly, we’ll hear a Voice saying, “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?” (Is. 43:18-19 NIV).

Tested by Fire

In its “Across America” segment, Fox News recently reported a happy turn of events in Massachusetts. There a family was thrilled by a surprising discovery in the smoldering ashes of their home. They’d assumed that their cats and two litters of kittens had perished in the blaze, but to their amazement the animals survived, and later emerged from the ashes one by one.

Paul wrote about surviving a fire in his first letter to the Corinthians. All believers, he wrote, are building on the foundation that has been laid – Jesus Christ. We’re constructing by our deeds, our works. But we have a choice of materials: gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, straw. And one Day what we have constructed will be shown for what it is. It will be tested by fire.

That firelight will reveal what we’ve constructed. And the blaze will test the quality of that construction. If what we’ve built survives, we’ll receive our reward. If it is reduced to ashes, we will “suffer loss… [and] be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames” (1 Cor. 3:15 NIV).

It seems from our sermon series, How to be Rich, that what withstands a fire here is combustible in heaven, and vice versa. On earth, gold and other precious metals are refined and purified in the fire, but wood, hay and straw – things ordinary and insignificant – are quickly turned to ashes. On that Day, however, wealth and material possessions will prove highly flammable, to the dismay of many who trusted in them. And a surprising discovery will be made. Unsung deeds of kindness in Jesus’ name, unheralded efforts to point people to Christ, and uncompromising commitments to God’s glory will emerge, one by one, like trophies from the fire. And won’t the world be surprised!

It’s a Day that’s coming, for sure. Are we working here for what is incombustible there?

Rich in Good Deeds

Of all the Bible characters, I think my favorite is Mary of Bethany. I love the way she comes with her jar of costly perfume and pours it on Jesus’ feet, until the whole house is fragranced by her offering.

There are two reactions to Mary’s extravagance. One came from Judas and other disciples: “What a waste of good money… Why, she could have sold it for a fortune and given it to the poor” (Mt. 26:8-9 TLB). The other came from Jesus: “Let her alone… she has done a beautiful thing…”

Pastor Rick has challenged us to be rich in good deeds, and this story of Mary reminds me that as we set about doing so, there will be varying opinions about our choices and methods.

If we prayerfully let the Holy Spirit guide us in our giving and good deeds, He may lead us to do things that, like Mary’s anointing of Christ, aren’t easily explainable. That don’t make sense to the worldly-wise. That sometimes make even our Christian brothers and sisters lift their eyebrows. We may hear them say, “What a waste of good money… What a poor use of time and abilities… They could have made a real impact, that money could have been used in a big way… but look how they’re blowing it.”

Such opinions should drive us to our knees, listening for one Voice, and one alone. Is it a beautiful thing to Christ? Is He pleased? Then we mustn’t let the world squeeze us into its mold. We must do the thing He lays on our heart and be rich in the good deeds that matter to Him, working for His opinion alone.

He may call us to do something so small, so obscure, that we are embarrassed to have our efforts exposed. But nothing is insignificant to Christ. He valued individuals, cups of cold water, and two widow’s coins. He does not “despise the day of small things.”

And, as we were reminded Sunday, nothing is unrewarded. Jesus said that Mary’s kind deed would be told wherever the gospel was preached throughout the world. Yours will be made known in another world, to a larger audience, and with eternal rewards.

Godliness with Contentment

This world has rules to live by, and one of them is:

No Contentment Allowed.

Okay, maybe temporarily. We’re expected to savor the first paycheck, the first couple weeks on the new job, and the first month with the new car… and then we are off, angling toward a promotion, anticipating the accompanying compensation, and salivating over the new SUV’s. The only thing is this world that is allowed to live a contented life is… a cow.

I like cows. I like their great, calm eyes and their ambling gait and their generally non-aggressive personalities. But I think most of us cannot relate to them very well. We resonate better with… squirrels. Nervous, jerky, expending tremendous amounts of energy scuffling about in rotten leaves, taking hair-raising leaps in the treetops, and generally creating quite a flurry wherever they go. The only contented squirrels I’ve seen are the stuffed ones that decorate our house.

And too many of us Christians assume that that’s life. We are destined to race about like crazy amassing all the “acorns” we can (for God’s glory, of course), until one day it’s lights out and we can finally rest in contentment forever.

No, Paul says. Godliness with contentment here and now is great gain (1 Tim. 6:6). The Greek word for contentment means “inner sufficiency.” The Christian who is contented with what God has given him is not lazy, unmotivated, or a disgrace to society. He’s not living below his privileges or possibilities. He’s obeying Scripture, demonstrating faith in God as his Supplier, and standing firm in a powerful crosscurrent of worldly temptation.

Try it tonight when you go to bed. Close your eyes and tell the Lord, “Enough. I’m not asking You for anything right now. I thank you for supplying my needs today; I trust You to supply my needs tomorrow. I am contented in You.”

If there were tears in heaven, I think God might shed a few out of sheer happiness. Somebody acknowledges that He’s the Source. Somebody is satisfied with what He’s doing! Somebody actually gets it!

Somebody wants to be a cow, not a squirrel. That “somebody” will sleep contented tonight.

Standing our Ground

Pick a problem, any problem. In fact, pick the worst one you have right now. The biggest, the nastiest, the one that will not shut up and will not go away, the one that haunts your thoughts and weights your spirits. That one.

Consider its dimensions. Estimate its size. Test its weight. Does it seem a monster big enough to eat you alive? Is it towering over you, breathing out dire consequences? Are you reduced to a mass of quivering jelly by its hot breath?

I have to confess that I have received great spiritual encouragement in this area from an unlikely source… the movie The Grinch that Stole Christmas! Don’t you, too, sometimes feel like little Cindy Lou?

She just wanted to be good, to show some compassion for an unloved creature. So she made her way to the Grinch's mountaintop lair where she encountered a bizarre brand of frightening hostility. What I love most, the picture that sticks in my mind, is her response. As the Grinch circles her threateningly, towering over her, making horrible faces (it isn’t hard), saying horrible things, little Cindy Lou gazes up at him in wide-eyed fearlessness. It baffles the Grinch, even as it astounds the viewer. Why doesn’t she run or at least scream and faint? It isn’t natural to stand up to a Grinch!

Well, I guess the answer to that question is that Dr. Seuss decided Cindy Lou should stand her ground. And no matter how big the monster in the story, the author wins. He’s invisible, but he’s sovereign.

So with the problems – the ones that circle around us breathing out threats and looking scarier by the minute. We feel like dead meat. We pray that we’ll faint and get it over with. Until we recognize that as believers we have an Author behind us Who has promised that we’ll come out okay if we don’t break and run. Who has even stepped (unseen) into that dark cave with us and promised to stay with us til story’s end.

The youth sang a powerful song on Sunday: “Never Underestimate My Jesus.” Never forget Who He is and what He’s capable of and what He’s promised and how near He is and how attentive and compassionate and sovereign and wise…

How spine-stiffening it is to recognize that this Jesus is the Author of our story and He’s decided we should stand our ground. So He’s writing our problem out with a beginning and a climax and (thankfully!) a resolution and an ending. We needn’t bat an eye at its size or its fury today. The Author wins… and that knowledge will help to turn us all into Cindy Lou’s.

The Only Thing I Need

Is there a more widespread fear in America today than the fear of insufficiency?

From the minor to the major, it’s constant. Is there enough milk left in the fridge? Enough gas in the car for the day’s travels? Enough money in the bank for this month’s bills? Enough time to finish the current work project? Enough hands to finish it? (My mother used to lament, “If I just had one more hand…”).

The Apostle Paul addressed such fear in Hebrews 13:5. Here’s the Amplified Version – a bit cumbersome to read but the best for understanding exactly what the Greek was saying:

Let your character or moral disposition be free from love of money [including greed, avarice, lust, and carving for earthly possessions] and be satisfied in your present [circumstances and with what you have]; for He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!]

In Word Studies, Bible scholar Kenneth West states that three negatives precede the verb “leave.” God will not, not, not leave me helpless or forsake me. It’s utterly unthinkable!

The question is, Whose agenda am I following – who decides what my needs are? If God is in charge, He might take away something it seems I need. Will I trust Him then? Will I trust Him now?

The Christian group 4Him sings a wonderful song with this line in the chorus: The only thing I need I already have.” (View the song)

“The only thing I need I already have.” Tell the Lord that today – and mean it! Repeat it to yourself when the fear of insufficiency arises. Post it at your workplace. Have it written on your checks! Just having Him is enough to make each of us rich beyond calculation.

Stuck?

When our oldest son was a curious toddler, he occasionally wedged his chubby body into spaces that were a few sizes too small. I can still see him with his upper torso protruding from the opening between the seat and the back of a dining room chair.

“Stuck!” he would call. “Stuck!” There were no flailing limbs. No body contortions. Just a holler or two, and a passive wait for rescue. Freed, he scampered away to play.

Can you identify? Sometimes our spirits become wedged between the past and the future. Life marches on, but we can’t seem to move with it. A loved one dies, a move uproots us, a project ends, change happens, and it’s hard to change with it. Or a bad choice is made, a heart is scarred, a life is derailed. Guilt and regret press in. Discouragement and sadness weigh heavy. We’re going nowhere. Stuck.

As we learned Sunday, we have to let go of the past in order to move toward the future. That means letting go of not only the bad things others have done, but our own bad decisions with their long-term effects on ourselves and those around us. And while stacks of books have been written about the difficulties of dealing with regret and guilt, of letting go, forgiving, forgetting, and all that goes with it, there’s one thing that shortens and sweetens the whole process:

Trust. In God.

Specifically, trust that He is the incurable Redeemer of everything that is put in His hands. That no matter how damaged and worthless our past, He can do something wonderful with it. He is always “making lemonade out of lemons,” and we have only to trust that He is everlastingly at it, with a glad and willing heart.

If we really believe that, we won’t be ashamed to look Him in the face and tell Him how desperately stuck we are and how much we need His help. We’ll quiet down and calm down and wait expectantly for Him to come and release us from the past and set us free to scamper off into the future.

We'll forget what is behind and strain toward what is ahead, pressing on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called us heavenward in Christ Jesus.