Freedom Isn’t Free, Is It?

This is the weekend each year when we pause to memorialize those who have gone before us in life, especially those who have given their lives to provide us with the freedom we enjoy in this country.  In my small town, there is a modest monument to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in one of the various wars our country has fought.  I’ll bet your town has one just like it.  Reading over the list of lives lost causes me to pause and be grateful for their sacrifice.  If you’ve ever run your fingers over the names engraved on the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington DC, or walked the rows of graves in a National Cemetery, or paused to mourn those memorialized at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington, then you know the feelings of which I’m writing today. 

Name after name that proves our freedom came at great cost to some.  Why do we need to remind ourselves that “freedom isn’t free”?  Because for many of us who have not directly sacrificed, we may not fully comprehend what it cost SOMEONE.  We must be reminded lest we lose sight of the immense price someone paid for something we may not value as much as we should.

Knowing that human nature requires reminding, the author of Hebrews seeks to make sure we never forget the price SOMEONE paid to provide us with the freedom we have in Christ.  In Hebrews 11, we are led on a virtual stroll through the cemetery of faith, pausing to look at some of the names on the “tombstones” there.  We see Abel and Enoch, Noah and Abraham; Sarah and Isaac and Jacob and Joseph.  And then later in the chapter, the writer takes us on a visit to the “Tomb of the Unknowns”:

Women received back their dead, raised to life again. There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection.  Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment.  They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated -  the world was not worthy of them.   Hebrews 11:35-38

You might want to read that list again, just to honor the MANY heroes of the faith who never had their names recorded for us.  In America, we celebrate names like Washington, and Lincoln, and Jefferson.  But how many of our countrymen have given their lives whose names you might not know and never will?  Regarding your faith, how many lives were spent to offer you the simple Gospel you learned as a child:

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.   John 3:16

Young voices are free in this country to sing, “Jesus loves me, this I know.  For the Bible tells me so.  Little ones to Him belong; they are weak, but He is strong.  Yes, Jesus loves me.  Yes, Jesus loves me.  Yes, Jesus loves me – the Bible tells me so.”  Who do you think made it possible?

For those who are helpless and hopeless and defenseless, champions have always arisen to battle.  Men and women have battled to protect our country from division and oppression and anarchy.  Men and women of faith through the ages have fought for truth and righteousness and equality in Christ.  No one gave more than Jesus Himself, who made our hope for forgiveness a reality.  And though your name may never appear on a monument of faith, is it worth it to live your life sacrificing all for those who will still come after you?  Yes.

Lives spent on behalf of freedom will rightfully be honored this weekend.  Lives dedicated to sharing the priceless Gospel of Christ will be celebrated for eternity. 

Jacob

There, Their, They’re. Do Words Matter?

There, there, now.  They’re there now.  They’re theirs now.  Do words matter?  You better believe it!  In the previous three phrases, one is a statement of comfort; one a statement of arrival; and one a statement of ownership.  But if they all sound the same, how can they mean such different things?  I must admit that one of my chief complaints about social media posting by many is that whatever the writer was taught in English class must not have made an impression.  The misuse of homophones like your and you’re, and there, their, and they’re just drives me crazy!  Does it really matter in the whole scheme of life?  YES!!

When God penned His Word to us, the Bible says every word makes a difference because it was inspired – literally “God-breathed” – by the Holy Spirit:

All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.   2 Timothy 3:16

When the writers of Scripture used stylus or quill to pen their words, those words were coming from God’s heart to us through them so we wouldn’t miss the point or the truth.  If the Bible says, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23), it means everyone.  When Paul wrote “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13), God directed him to use the word “everyone”.  He didn’t say “some” or “people who like hymns” or “folks who think like you do”.  God said EVERYONE who cries out to Jesus for salvation gets it.  Do YOU get that?

Why is it so important that each word means what it says?  It’s all about trust.  When there’s no one in this life you believe you can rely on, God is trustworthy.  When others lie to you and let you down, He is faithful and true.  When you aren’t sure it’s worth getting out of bed in the morning, God gives you purpose.  And when life is just about finished for you and you lie in bed wondering whether there is a “great adventure” coming next or just empty nothingness, trust these words that were perfectly formed and written just for you:

I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them.  He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”  And the One sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” And then he said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.”   Revelation 21:3-5

Trustworthy and True.  Just like God.  THAT’S why words matter so much.  The apostle, John, recorded that Jesus said, “I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance” (John 10:10).  Now what do you think He meant by that? 

Jacob

What Are You Growing In Your Faith-Garden?

If you could see a picture of my home, you’d be impressed by the beauty of the flora that surrounds it.  Oh, I don’t get any credit for the loveliness that I am privileged to behold each growing season – all that credit goes to the live-in gardener I married!  Many days each week my wife works long hours weeding, planting, transplanting, and trimming so that our property can explode with color and texture.  She tends the garden and trusts that God will make it grow, and that plan certainly works in our region of the country.  In that sense, she reminds me of the apostle, Paul, who said:

I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.  So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.  Now the one planting and the one watering are one in purpose, and each will receive his own reward according to his own labor.   1 Corinthians 3:6-8

Is there a secret to being a successful gardener?  Yes, there is.  The secret is hard work, lots of time on your knees, vision, patience, and trust.  The first four elements are provided by the gardener, and the last – trust – is based on the One who created each element in the garden to fulfill its intended purpose.  Trees produce leaves, texture, and shade; plants show off their delicate beauty in a variety of colors and shapes, while fruit is produced to feed the birds and insects that are drawn to them.  Everything is done according to a grand plan that existed long before the gardener.

Such is our life as believers who each share in the Gospel:

You have already heard about this hope in the message of truth, the gospel that has come to you. It is bearing fruit and growing all over the world, just as it has among you since the day you heard it and recognized God’s grace in the truth...We are asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will…so that you may walk worthy of the Lord…bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God.   Colossians 1:5-10

If you’re thinking, “Wait a minute!  I thought when I accepted the sacrifice of Jesus for my sins that I didn’t have to do anything else to get to heaven!”  That’s true.  But did you think your salvation was the end-point in the process?  Your commitment to Jesus was your STARTING point.  God intends us to serve as gardeners among the lost in our world.  We plant and water, trusting that God will provide the spiritual growth.  Where would YOU be if someone hadn’t invested some gardening time on you?  Who is it that planted the Word of God in you?  Who spent time watering and weeding so that you could blossom in your faith?

God never said it would be easy to be one of his faith-gardeners.  Spend some time in a real garden to be reminded of the challenges.  Weeds just seem to pop up and can choke out or hide the beauty that could be there.  Plants need to be pruned so more growth can occur.  You’ll need to wipe your brow, your back and knees will begin to ache, and you’ll get dirt under your fingernails.  Gardening isn’t for sissies!  But it does pay dividends.  What are you growing in YOUR faith-garden?  Whose life are you weeding or pruning?  Hard work?  Yes, but the effort is worth it when you see another believer growing and blossoming because of your hard work.  So if you haven’t started yet, it’s time to get on your knees and get your hands dirty!

Jacob

What Will Heaven Be Like?

While most people believe in some kind of “heavenly” afterlife, they seem to differ dramatically about what it takes to get there and what it will be like when they arrive (because of course, THEY’RE going there!)  Some Christians suppose it to be one eternally-long church service, while those who adhere to the second-most-popular religion in the world believe heaven will be some male-centered erotic paradise filled with virgins for the taking.  That same faith, of course, teaches that women who enter paradise will have one man with whom they will be satisfied, but I’ll keep the focus here on what CHRISTIANS might expect in heaven.

Will it be a donut-filled smorgasbord for those of us who are weight-challenged?  Or will heaven have stocked lakes and mountain scenes for those who love such here on earth?  Or will the streets of gold be filled with tail-wagging puppies playing with giggling babies?  Will it look like Scotland?  I find it interesting that most of us have some view of heaven that includes the things we find best about living here now.  After all, can you imagine living in a city like this one?

The foundations of the city wall were adorned with every kind of precious stone…the 12 gates are 12 pearls; each individual gate was made of a single pearl. The broad street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.   Revelation 21:19,21

A city where gold is as plentiful as asphalt and everything around you is precious?  Even after hearing that description I have no idea what to expect.  (Because, of course, I’M going there!)  God speaks to us in the Bible to show us His heart and His love for us.  And knowing that God paid for our salvation with His own Son should tell you that your eternal dwelling place will be as amazing as that Holy Sacrifice.  But in trying to imagine what heaven will actually be like, we run into this verse:

“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.”   1 Corinthians 2:9

Get it?  No matter what you think or hear or imagine, heaven will be better.  If God can do amazing things through US in our faith,

God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think (Ephesians 3:20)

then surely He will do amazing things FOR us when He finally welcomes us to eternity.  The singing group, Mercy Me, reflects on the possibilities of heaven in their popular song, I Can Only Imagine, linked at the bottom of this page.[i]  Their refrain should be ours:

Surrounded by Your glory, what will my heart feel?  Will I dance for you Jesus, or in awe of You be still?  Will I stand in your presence, or to my knees will I fall?  Will I sing hallelujah?  Will I be able to speak at all?  I can only imagine….

If you’ve never thought much about it, today might be a good day to start.  Because if THEY’LL be there and I’LL be there, don’t you want to be sure YOU’LL be there, too?  If you need directions, I’m here to help.

Jacob

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[i] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Da4fnYIuV9s

Two Paths – One Choice That Makes All The Difference

Seventh grade English teachers reasonably assume that not much sticks in the minds of their seventh grade students.  But my favorite poem came from my time sitting in the back of such an English class.  The final stanza of Robert Frost’s famous short poem, “The Road Not Taken”, stirs my imagination as much now as then:

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I –

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

The poem speaks of choices and possibilities; of decisions that have consequences.  Acknowledging that our choice of direction is often irreversible and unrepeatable, Frost makes a point that leads us to spiritual conclusions.  Each decision we make, every path we choose to follow, makes a difference.

Our spiritual journey begins with two paths described by Jesus:

Enter through the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the road is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who go through it.  How narrow is the gate and difficult the road that leads to life, and few find it.   Matthew 7:13-14

Jesus proclaimed in the Sermon on the Mount that there is a road “less traveled by” that leads to life.  That is the path of salvation through faith in Christ’s sacrifice for you.  It is the path that leads to the abundant life promised to all believers.  But we don’t have to try to find our direction alone, because God has promised to point the way:

You reveal the path of life to me; in Your presence is abundant joy; in Your right hand are eternal pleasures.   Psalm 16:11

Our choice of direction says a lot about us.  Are we choosing for time – our life here and now – or for eternity?  Do we trust God in leading us as He promised, or do we choose self-direction?  Looking back at my life, I can testify that when I chose MY path apart from God’s direction (or sometimes in spite of  His direction) I found regret and not the fulfillment I expected. 

I love to walk in the woods, and as if in fulfillment of Robert Frost’s vision, I have taken those less-traveled paths.  I must confess that I have sometimes gotten lost.  Though I found my way back to the right path, it always takes more work and worry when we choose our direction poorly.  Joshua had it right when he challenged others who hesitated in following God:

…Fear the Lord and serve him wholeheartedly. Put away forever the idols your ancestors worshiped…Serve the Lord alone.  But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve…But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.”   Joshua 24:14-15

Life is all about choices.  Sometimes following God looks risky.  But there is no safer place to be than on the path He offers even if it looks like no one has walked that way before.  After all, someone has to go first, right? 

Jacob

The Dark Truth About Spiritual Sluggishness

Do you ever feel like you’re running into a brick wall when you try to do good things in life?  In your walk with Christ, do you feel like you’re trying to swim upstream because of all the resistance you’re getting?  Why is it that we struggle when we’re trying to do what we believe are “godly” things?  While it is always possible that God is the One hindering you from heading in a direction he doesn’t want you to go (see Acts 16:6, for example), it is perhaps MORE likely that Satan and his evil minions are at work to derail you.  I know the whole issue of “spiritual warfare” might take you places you don’t want to go, but there is a REAL battle going on, whether you choose to ignore it or not.

But as for us, brothers, after we were forced to leave you for a short time (in person, not in heart), we greatly desired and made every effort to return and see you face to face.  So we wanted to come to you—even I, Paul, time and again—but Satan hindered us.   1 Thessalonians 2:17-18

There are certainly other examples of Satan impeding the efforts of God’s people and delaying the inevitable success of God’s plan, but this one should suffice.  Satan is in the business of making our lives miserable.  Since creation, he has been trying to get the crowning glory of God’s work (us) to turn away from our share in His eternal purpose.  What IS that purpose?  That we get to share eternity with the God who made us, and Satan can’t do anything to change that outcome.

And here is the staggering thing—that in all which will one day belong to Him we have been promised a share (since we were long ago destined for this by the One who achieves His purposes by His sovereign will)…     Ephesians 1:11 (JB Phillips)

Since he is unable to thwart the overall plan of God, Satan and his cohorts act to slow down the inevitable.  Like the ants that invade your picnic or the mosquitos that interrupt your forest stroll, Satan can only provoke and aggravate your plans, but don’t let him exasperate you.  I am cautious even in writing these words, knowing that confronting Satan or his angels (demons) is risky business. 

Yet Michael the archangel, when he was disputing with the Devil in a debate about Moses’ body, did not dare bring an abusive condemnation against him but said, “The Lord rebuke you!”    Jude 9

The truth is that, although of course we lead normal human lives, the battle we are fighting is on the spiritual level. The very weapons we use are not those of human warfare but powerful in God’s warfare for the destruction of the enemy’s strongholds.    2 Corinthians 10:3-4  (JB Phillips)

How do we fight against an enemy we can’t see?  By using weapons the enemy can’t defeat!  When Satan wanted to attack Job, he asked God, “Haven’t You placed a hedge around him, his household, and everything he owns?”  (Job 1:10)   There IS protection from God available to us, so asking God to supernaturally protect us is Step 1.  Step 2 involves putting on the armor that God has provided for our protection, which includes prayer!  (Ephesians 6:11-18)  And finally, “Be serious! Be alert! Your adversary the Devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour. Resist him and be firm in the faith….”  (1 Peter 5:8-9)

I’m resisting, requesting God’s protection, and arming myself for the fight that always arrives when we’re trying to bring others to Jesus.  I urge you to do the same.

Jacob