God Still Makes Rivers in the Desert  

After the abundance of rain we experienced in our region over the summer, it was strange to see a map indicating that we are now considered to be in a drought. This tends to be our driest time of the year, and this season has proven to be no exception. Therefore while we’ve been enjoying the autumn sunshine, we also look forward to some needed precipitation.

Many of us believe that we are also living in a time of spiritual drought, at least in our part of the world. Thankfully, there are reports of revival and mighty movements of God in some places, even in the midst of severe persecution. However, in our nation we seem to find ourselves in more of a spiritual desert these days. God and His ways are often being forgotten, ignored, or just flatly rejected by many in our society. While the narrow road Jesus called His followers to walk on seems to be getting narrower and less occupied, the road leading to destruction seems to be overwhelming the landscape while crowded with travelers. There seems to be a dearth of true faith, real relationships with Jesus, holy lives, and Spirit-filled believers.

Yet the Bible gives us hope and encouragement even when we find ourselves living in the wilderness. It declares in several passages that God can make rivers in the desert (see Isaiah 43:19-20). While some of these passages may refer to the restoration of Israel, I believe they also point to what God can do for any of us who put our trust in Him. In the midst of our wilderness, He can provide refreshment, revival, and restoration. God can satisfy our spiritual thirst, giving us rivers of living water to help us grow and flourish even in a dry and dusty landscape. He can provide an oasis for us right here in the middle of the desert of the year 2022 in America. Through a personal relationship with Jesus and the Holy Spirit living within us, we can find life and strength. We can obtain spiritual food from God’s Word to help us grow. We can find refreshment and strength through the love, fellowship, and support of fellow believers. If you’re spiritually dry, don’t blame the environment of our day. Even in the driest atmosphere, God has provided rivers of living water if we’ll just seek them and dive in.

Additionally, let’s not forget another side of this truth. Jesus said, “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water” (John 7:38). God not only provides rivers for us so that we can survive and thrive in the desert, but He intends to make us into rivers ourselves. We are to be channels of living water as His life, love, and truth flow out from us.

Unfortunately, too many of us become more like cactus in the desert. We’ve found our way to survive and store up water in ourselves, but we become harsh and prickly to those around us. We don’t have much to do with other desert-dwellers who are thirsty and faltering in this wilderness. Let’s pray for the Lord to make us less like cactus and more like rivers in the desert – a source of life and blessing to others.

As we see our society becoming more of a spiritual wasteland, it can be discouraging. So let’s remind ourselves of the good news that God still makes rivers in the desert. We can draw life and strength from Him, as well as let Him use us to refresh others. The desert can be a tough place to live, but God is still there and still working.

 

Let’s Faithfully Represent Christ in This World  

Earlier this year I had spoken with a good friend from my college days after hearing that he had been diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. So it was not unexpected when I received the news last week of his passing. As I tuned in to watch the livestream of his funeral service, it brought back many memories. He had arrived at the college from Japan, not knowing much at all of the English language. As we became friends, I tried to assist him with his frequent questions about our words and idioms. I’m not sure I was the best person to do so. Since we were on a small Bible college campus in Iowa, my Southern dialect and expressions made me somewhat of a foreigner too. I think I was helpful, although it did lead to some humorous incidents. I vividly recall my friend frantically searching through his dictionary with a confused expression on his face as he asked, “Y’all? Y’all? What is y’all?”

    In a sense, we have a similar task as citizens of the kingdom of God. The Bible declares that “we are ambassadors for Christ” (II Corinthians 5:20). We should be faithfully representing our Lord to the citizens of this world. We are interpreters of His Word to those who don’t speak its language. Our words, actions, and lives should be examples of what it means to be followers of Jesus. As someone has suggested, “We are the only Bible some people will read.” They are looking at us as they try to translate and comprehend what it means to be a Christian. The question is: Are we giving them a good and fair representation of our Lord, His kingdom, and those who live under His rule?

I’m afraid that sometimes we are guilty of confusing those who are watching us. Our words and lives don’t match up with what we profess to believe. No doubt we will all falter at times in our efforts to faithfully represent Christ, but those should be the exceptions in our lives rather than the rule. If we’re consistently or frequently not being good ambassadors for the Lord, it should be a concern.

If the world sees little difference between us and those who don’t know Christ, it’s no wonder that they are prone to discredit the value of our faith. If we’re following a lifestyle that constantly involves sinful actions and selfish attitudes, then it can cause people to question what it means to be a Christian and what difference it really makes in a person’s life.  If we’re placing more priority on the things of this world than on the things of God, what are we communicating? If we’re downplaying or ignoring what the Lord of our kingdom has decreed to us through His sacred communications to us, what does that say about our commitment to Him?

It shouldn’t surprise us that the citizens of Christ’s kingdom are getting marginalized and increasingly considered irrelevant in today’s world. Some of that stems from the darkness not liking the light which exposes its sins. However, some of it also falls back on us as not being the faithful ambassadors for Christ’s kingdom as we should be. We need to become better interpreters of our faith to those around us. We need to quit sending confusing messages by our inconsistent lives. We need to get back to following what our King has revealed to us in His authoritative Word. We need to return to loving Him more than we love this world and its pleasures.

  Let’s help this world see what followers of Christ should be. Be a good ambassador for Him and His kingdom.

 

Yes, Jesus Died as the Sacrifice for Our Sins  

I don’t usually use this column to respond to the writings of others and thereby allow them to dictate the subject matter. However, it is interesting that it was just such a refutation I penned in a letter to the editor twenty years ago that led to my receiving the invitation to become a regular contributor. There are occasions when I believe I would not be faithful to this opportunity God has given me if I failed to point out error or to clarify what His Word says about certain issues that are raised. Such is the case today.

Someone recently suggested that the Bible attributes various meanings to the death of Jesus. And so it does. However, this writer went on to declare that one of those understandings is no longer valid or relevant to our modern world. It’s the concept that Jesus died as the sacrifice for our sins. I hope that most people will immediately recognize that to make such a statement reveals a view of scripture which is rooted in the idea that the Bible is primarily the fallible words of men rather than the authoritative, reliable Word of God. It allows its adherents to ignore parts of the Bible that either they don’t like or doesn’t fit their own understanding of how things ought to be. It opens the door for us to interpret scripture so as to fit us rather than our having to change in order to adhere to biblical truth. I hope most of us possess a higher view of God’s Word than that.

This writer indicated that the concept of Jesus dying for our sins made sense in a culture that practiced temple sacrifices but doesn’t make sense for us today. We do have to consider the context of culture when interpreting scripture. However, we should only conclude that a concept or principle is cultural rather than universal when other scripture lends evidence toward that understanding. It shouldn’t be simply because times have changed and we think we know better now. While some things may change, there are principles and truths in God’s Word which are eternal, regardless of how society changes or how modern minds may view them.

 The Bible is clear in declaring the main purpose of Jesus’ death. And it is not just rooted in the book of Hebrews or in the writings of some church leader centuries later. It is depicted all through the pages of the Bible if one is willing to see it and accept it as God’s revelation. It is first foreshadowed when God shed the blood of an animal in order to provide a covering for Adam and Eve after they sinned. It is seen in the sacrificing of the Passover lamb to protect the Israelites from God’s judgment on the Egyptians. Isaiah foretold of the coming Messiah that “He shall bear their iniquities” (Isaiah 53:11). John the Baptist declared that Jesus was “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). Jesus Himself clearly stated His purpose in coming into this world – “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). Numerous other biblical references could be cited that plainly state the truth that Jesus died to save us from our sins. A person has to deny the validity and reliability of the Bible in order to deny this basic tenet of Christianity.  

If Jesus did not die for our sins, we have no forgiveness, no salvation, and no hope of eternal life. Let’s be thankful for the wonderful truth that “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).    

 

Let’s Be Consistent in Principled Living  

Recently I watched the very first episode of the classic TV sitcom Leave It to Beaver. Young Theodore Cleaver, assuming that he was in trouble, was hiding a note from his schoolteacher to his parents. At one point he asked his big brother, Wally, if they should open the note to see what was in it. Wally advised against it, strongly declaring that to do so would be dishonest. However, even as the two boys were engaged in this conversation, Wally was running some water in the bathtub, wetting down some towels, and otherwise deceptively making it appear that the boys had taken their baths when they hadn’t. While proclaiming one act to be dishonest, he seemed to be unconcerned that he was blatantly disregarding that same standard in another area of his life and conduct.

We all probably are familiar with the idea of double standards. It’s when a set of principles are applied differently to one group of people than to another one. It’s a practice we likely have been victims of, as well as one we need to be careful of committing ourselves. However, that isn’t exactly what was taking place in the situation with these two boys. Wally wasn’t saying that it was wrong for one person to be dishonest while it was acceptable for someone else. No, he was declaring the validity of that moral principle and applying it to one area of his life while at the same time ignoring it when it came to another situation he faced. And it wasn’t just a matter of not “practicing what he preached.” He practiced it in certain circumstances but not in others, seemingly even being blind to the fact that he was doing so.

While it can be humorous to see such contradiction in the behaviors of youngsters as they learn about right and wrong, it’s not so funny when we witness it in adults who should know better, especially when we recognize it in ourselves. Yet that’s one of the problems. Like Wally, we often fail to see that fault in our own conduct.

Maybe we steadfastly refuse to compromise on what the Bible says about one subject, but we’re willing to do so regarding another matter. Both are truth. Both are clearly taught in scripture. However due to pressures from society, fears of repercussions, or even out of compassion for people – maybe especially when it involves family and friends – we find some way to explain away one of those truths.

Or maybe we follow the principle of kindness and courtesy in some situations in our life while blowing them off in others. Face-to-face with individuals we can be the sweetest and most loving people anyone could ask for. However, watch out for our change in attitude when we get on social media. Some people are kind and courteous to strangers or other casual acquaintances but fail to treat their families with similar respect. Others may use the need to stand up for truth as an excuse for being unkind to certain people. Certainly Jesus showed us that there can be occasions to be confrontational, to expose sin, and to be willing to risk being considered offensive by some people. Nevertheless, He also taught us to love our enemies, to bless those who curse us, to do good to those who hate us, and to pray for those who spitefully use us.

We all should keep a close watch on our own attitudes and behaviors. And we need the Holy Spirit to be searching our hearts to reveal any such faults to us. Let’s make sure we aren’t holding true to one standard in one part of our lives while ignoring that same principle in another area.

 

Keep Pursuing the Unreachable Star  

On a recent trip to the beach, I sat on our condo’s balcony one evening contemplating the night sky. It’s something I rarely do at home between not venturing out much after dark, the view being obscured by trees on our property, and dealing with pesky mosquitoes. As I focused on the stars, I thought about the vast distance to those twinkling dots of light. As I understand it, I could travel all my life toward one of those stars and never get anywhere close to it. It reminds me of the words of one of my favorite songs that refers to a person’s quest “to reach the unreachable star.” It serves as a reminder to us that there are things in life worth pursuing whether or not you ever actually obtain them.

The same can be said about our spiritual journey. It shouldn’t be viewed as a destination we’ve already reached. Hopefully we have taken some important steps in the right direction. We’ve begun the trip by blasting off heavenward through repenting of our sins, putting our trust in Christ’s sacrifice for forgiveness and cleansing, and living by faith in obedience to His will for us. We’re seeking to fulfill His mission for us as we traverse through the course of our lives. We’re encouraging others to join us on this journey. We’re looking forward with assurance to being with the Lord in heaven one day.

However, the journey is always continuing. We’re ever in pursuit of the unreachable star as we make our way through life. We’re not going to obtain absolute Christlikeness while here on this earth, but we can make greater strides toward it than many people believe. Too many don’t even seek to move in that direction. They settle for some misguided version of Christianity that allows people to continue in sin and not pursue holiness of heart and life. But the Bible teaches that we are called to be holy as God is holy. We can have our hearts cleansed and purified by faith. We can love God with all our hearts and love others as ourselves. Nevertheless, the Bible also suggests that we have not arrived and never will fully arrive at our spiritual destination in this life. We are to be a people who are constantly in pursuit of becoming more what God calls us to be. No matter how many miles we’ve traveled, there are still many miles yet to go. Many of us can testify to the fact that the closer we get to the Lord, the more we realize how far we still have to go to be transformed into His full likeness.

Therefore, we follow the encouragement of scripture to keep reaching for that star. “Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me” (Philippians 3:12).  “Pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace, with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart” (II Timothy 2:22). “Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life” (I Timothy 6:11-12).

One day when this life is over, we will be glorified and made like Christ. In the meantime, such holy character and conduct can seem to be an unreachable star. However, we need to be pursuing it. We can get closer to that star than we might think. God can do more in our hearts and lives than we might imagine. So let’s surrender to Him fully, follow His will, and let Him take us higher than we thought possible. And let’s never stop traveling upward.