Tag: God

Friday, 12/3/21 – Understanding Nothing…

Understanding Nothing…

Restless, I was awake at 3:30 AM this morning; by 4:00 AM I had given up sleep and begun my morning exercises. On the CBC Radio One program “Ideas” the viewpoints of poet-philosopher Martin Heidegger were contrasted with those of empiricist Rudolf Carnap. Their 1929 debate probed the meaning of “nothing” and led to as yet unresolved tensions regarding the very nature of philosophy. The question: is philosophy closer to art, or science?

The discussion was amusing yet brought to mind several warnings of scripture: “Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking,” Paul cautioned the Colossians (Col. 2:8). “Avoid foolish controversies” he urged Titus. (Titus 3:9-10). To Timothy Paul emphasized “Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you. Avoid the pointless discussions and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge.” (1 Tim. 6:20). And James reminds us all, “Such ‘wisdom’ does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.” (James 3:15).

Now I thank the Lord for the great apologists of the faith, the defenders of truth, those skilled intellectual debaters who can clearly refute such “opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge” (1 Tim. 6:20, NIV). Paul himself engaged with the philosophers of Athens (see Acts 17:16-32). But Truth comes only from God. Philosophy plays with the mind but, as the story of Job so clearly illustrates, the answers of infinity are not intellectual.

The wise believer will combat philosophy with the Truth of God, by “the word of their testimony” (Rev. 12:11). “For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.” (1 Cor. 1:21). “We do not use words that come from human wisdom,” explains Paul. “Instead, we speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit’s words to explain spiritual truths.” (1 Cor. 2:13). “For the wisdom of this age is foolishness with God” (1 Cor. 3:19).

A man with an argument is always at the mercy of the man with an experience. “Whether He is a sinner or not, I don’t know,” said the former blind man. “One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!” (John 9:23).

What is “Nothing”? “By faith we understand…” (Heb. 11:3).

I think now I will try to catch a nap!

Press on…

Got a question? Use the Contact page and send It to me. We’ll search the Word for God’s answer.

Thursday, 11/25/21 – Prayer: Is it Real?

Prayer: Is it Real?

As it turns out today’s discipleship blog is also on the topic of Prayer — our speaker’s message this past Sunday and the focus of every post this week. Perhaps the Lord is trying to tell us something? What do you think it might be? Do you believe in prayer? Do you believe that prayer can actually accomplish something? Do you truly believe there is Someone out there listening? Or do you think prayer is just an exercise religious people do to make themselves feel better?

These questions are extremely important. In fact, they have a lot to do with whether or not one’s prayers are answered at all! Scripture is very clear on this. In Hebrews we read: “…anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him..” (Heb. 11:6b). In other words if we don’t believe that God is out there and listening there’s no point in pretending we are talking to Him. If we don’t believe that God can answer our prayers there’s no point in making them.

This is only reasonable. Who among us would pick a random number from a telephone directory, call it, and ask for someone whom we know full well not to be there? Or who would call a lumber yard and order a pizza knowing full well they cannot provide it? And so it is with God. As the verse cited above actually begins, “Without faith it is impossible to please God” (Heb. 11:6a).

Ah yes, this stuff called “faith” — this intangible ‘something’ the definition of which opens this chapter: “…faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” (Heb. 11:1). Confidence… assurance… but how do we get such confidence and assurance in such a silent, unseen a Being as God?

Truth is, most of us already know quite well! We grow in confidence and assurance in God just as we grow in confidence and assurance in people. We spend time with them. We learn over time whether they do or do not keep their word. We ask them for help and they give it. They ask a thing of us, and we do it! A mutual trust grows.

It is the same with God. We trust Him, put Faith in Him, just as we do other silent and unseen things. Things like love, convictions, To Thomas, who doubted then saw, Jesus said, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:29). That’s you and I. Do you believe?

The Apostle John wrote,

“I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.” (1 John 5:13-15)

Be assured in that belief… and pray.

Press on…

Are you interested in being discipled one-on-one in the fundamentals of life in Christ? Or, would you like to begin this journey by turning from your current path and committing your path to Christ? — Use the Contact page and we’ll get you started.

Friday, 11/19/21 – What to do when you’re ‘Under the Weather’?

What to do when you’re ‘Under the Weather‘?

I’ve been having a terribly difficult time today writing this blog! Normally it’s one of the first things I do weekday mornings after a few morning exercises, a devotional time, and my first coffee. Normally it’s something I enjoy doing very much. But today is not a “normal” day, and now it is mid-afternoon!

This morning… afternoon… I am sluggish! My bowels are sluggish, my energy level is sluggish, and my spiritual acuity is also sluggish! — I’m grumpy too!

But that’s not all — My wife too is feeling sluggish, and for the second day now. Two days ago she had a wisdom tooth extracted and the process did not go smoothly. Side effects from Codeine-laced Tylenol 3 and the sheer physical exhaustion from all the pulling, tugging, yanking, twisting and protracted period of jaw agape left her extremely exhausted and nauseous.

But even that’s not all! Our cat, quite put out by our mutual sluggishness, is also grumpy! Twice now she missed her usual morning scratch, not to mention several servings of the chicken & catnip-flavoured treats she was used to conniving! That will never do! She’s probably thinking, “It’s hard to find good help these days!”

On days like these one must guard against falling into the trap alluded to by Solomon. In assessing life’s meaning he repeatedly concluded its vanity with the phrase, “there is nothing new under the sun” (Eccl. 1:3, 9, 14, 2:11, 17-22… ) In all, he uses the phrase some 27 times!

Solomon saw life only as it presented itself now. But God’s purposes extend far above what is seen now “under the sun.” Moses reminded the Hebrews, “To the Lord your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and everything in it.” (Deut. 10:14). We too must remember the hope we have in God on even miserable everyday days… days of great grief… days of uncertainty.

Our lives as His children are now “hidden with Christ in God” (Col. 3:3). And our Christ, our God, remains the same “yesterday and today and for ever” (Heb. 13:8). Our God, and His plans and purposes for His people “belong to the heavens” — though for now we are “under the sun” and whether or not we are “under the weather.”

Press on…

Got a question? Use the Contact page and send It to me. We’ll search the Word for God’s answer.

Wednesday, 10/13/21 – Pressing on… Random thankful thots…

Random thankful thots…

We thank God not only for His gifts but for His Character. God is good… all the time. God is Loving… all the time. “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.” (1 Chron. 16:34). We give Him thanks also because of His workings on behalf of His called and faithful. As we read yesterday, “in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Rom. 8:28). “Everything will work out in the end,” says Max Lucado, adding “If it’s not working out, it’s not the end.”

Are you new to thankfulness? God says, Let thankfulness happen … let it out… surprise yourself with the new thankful you! “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts,” writes Paul, “…and be thankful.” (Col. 3:15). The “let“-ting and the “be“-ing in that verse indicate a Christian’s expression of peace and thankfulness are largely a matter of deciding to do it!

“Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.” (Col. 4:2). Prayer can be a battleground and the Christian walks a tightrope. Peter urges, “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” (1 Pet. 5:8), and Paul’s says, of equal importance as prayer and watchfulness is thankfulness.

Don’t forget to be thankful for your brothers and sisters in Christ: those who have gone before you, and those who are all around you! “I always thank my God for you,” writes Paul (1 Cor. 1:4).

Do you know you also have power to cause thankfulness to spring from others? Here’s how it works: As God blesses You, He intends You to bless others… to be generous at every opportunity! Then, the thankful recipients of your goodness will express their multiplied thankfulness to God! “You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.” (2 Cor. 9:11).

So much more can be said! Thankfulness consecrates: “For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.” (1 Tim. 4:4-5). Thankfulness is always appropriate, always God’s Will: “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thess. 5:16-18). Thankfulness should accompany our petitions and is sometimes hard work… a sacrifice… a song…

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. (Phil. 4:6)
“But I, with shouts of grateful praise, will sacrifice to you…’” (Jonah 2:9). “Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and perform your vows to the Most High.” (Psalm 50:14)
“The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to Him.” (Psalm 28:7).

Be Thankful, and…

Press on…

To hear this past Sunday’s message, go to the Facebook page of Lincoln Baptist Church, or link to the livestream from the church website.

Thursday, 7/22/21 – Prayer: Desires of the heart

Prayer: Desires of the heart

“Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart,” penned the psalmist (Ps. 37:4).

Philip Yancey prays for big things… things like peace in the Middle East and an end to homelessness in the USA. He writes, “I earnestly desire those things — and moreover, I believe God does too.” I also believe God desires these things and you probably do too. But does any one of us actually believe God will do these things in response to our prayers? Yancey writes,

“A friend of mine in Chicago tried to recruit some colleagues in urban ministry to join him in a season of prayer for an end to poverty in that city. Almost everyone he asked balked. “Why pray for something so idealistic and impossible?” they objected.”

This reminds me of an incident during my years in Bible College. The college badly needed a new bus. I had faith that God could provide one and began to seek out others to join me in meeting regularly to pray earnestly to that end. Sadly, in a college of over a hundred theological students, I found not one person who would believe with me and join me in prayer.

Well what’s going on here anyway? And just what is the psalmist telling us? On this passage Matthew Henry comments,

“He has not promised to gratify all the appetites of the body and the humours of the fancy, but to grant all the desires of the heart, all the cravings of the renewed sanctified soul. What is the desire of the heart of a good man? It is this, to know, and love, and live to God, to please him and to be pleased in him.”

Perhaps what the psalmist is saying is that when we delight in our Lord… when we love Him in the uttermost, our prayer… our heart’s desire… is a self-fulfilling reality. “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you,” writes James (Jas. 4:8). Or, as Jan Kempe writes in Faithful Hearts, “God’s answer to any problem is His Presence.” (Faithful Hearts, p. 41).

Like you, I still have many questions about prayer, about God’s answers, and about His non-answers. And I wonder at times, while we are asking God why He does not act, if He may not be asking us exactly the same question!

But my business — our business –  is not so much to understand, as to pray, and to love, and obey. Let’s let us let that suffice for now. All will be made clear to us soon enough.

Press on…

Are you interested in being discipled one-on-one in the fundamentals of life in Christ? Or, would you like to begin this journey by turning from your current path and committing your path to Christ? — Use the Contact page and we’ll get you started.

Monday, 3/9/20 – Pressing on…

The saga of the fireplace trim…

Screenshot_20200308-153545For twenty-two years we enjoyed living in our little log home just outside Fredericton. We knew when we purchased it that the living room fireplace was unusable due to a prior collapse of the chimney liner. But, no worries, we would get an electric insert.

That day came and the insert was installed. Now all the fireplace needed was some mantle-matching trim around the insert. Sketches were drawn and the trim was installed, but not by the man with whom we had originally drawn up the plans. That man had got called out of town and he had sent another fellow to do the work in his place. The result was not at all what we had agreed upon.

close up of human hand

The first man came round, had a look, and agreed to correct the work. By now payment for the job had been made, and there was nothing further in writing about the needed corrections. Still, the man promised to honor his word. The repairs would be done.

Two years passed filled with repeated phone calls, excuses, and delays, but still the work was not done. Had to order some parts… had another rush job… got the pieces all cut out and ready for you… will be around soon… Time passed… It was not until we were ready to put the house on the market that the man finally did come round and do the needed repairs.

man wearing red and black stripe shirt

Though the resulting work was lovely we did not recommend this man to any of our friends – not because of poor workmanship, but because of poor reliability. Had we had a written contract we could have forced the matter, we could have appealed to a higher authority and got the job done in shorter order. But we did not. What we had was a trust, a faith in a man whose faithfulness proved questionable.

God is not like that!

God is the Highest authority in Himself.

God has promised through Abraham to bring a great nation into this world through which He would bring humankind’s Saviour. He promised this by an oath,

“People swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument. Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged.” (Heb. 6:16-18).

And God has delivered.

While it is unlikely that I will ever trust this contractor again, it is assuring to know I can approach God with confidence knowing He is ever faithful.

More tomorrow…

backlit cemetery christianity clouds

To hear Pastor Andrew’s Sunday message, go to the Lincoln Baptist Church website and look under ‘Sermons Online’ for the Mar. 8 message.

Thursday, 2/27/20 – Discipleship – The Bible

Nature’s Signs

close up photo of woman wearing golden ring

Look straight ahead. Now, making a fist extend your right arm straight forward. Align the thumb side of your extended fist before the center point of some fixed object in front of you. As you look at the back of the fist you have made the distance from its thumb side to its pinky side will be a fairly accurate 10°. If you change your fist to a “Y” shape by spanning thumb and pinky as far apart as you can the distance between thumb and pinky will be doubled to a fairly accurate 20°. Moving your arm two “Y” shaped lengths plus 1 three middle finger spans (see chart) to the right will result in your arm pointing 45° to the right of the center point from which you began.

20200226_060553Three middle finger spans = 5°. A pinky span = 1°. Nine fist spans = 90°. Eighteen “Y” spans = 360° and so on… You can use these “human sextant” tools to determine heights of trees, buildings or other objects, and by using triangulation even distances across rivers and such.

I learned all this from reading in a fascinating book called The Lost Art of Reading Nature’s Signs, by Australian writer and navigator Tristan Gooley.

gray small bird on green leaves

God’s creation holds many secrets and speaks to us in many ways if we listen. In fact, scripture tells us that “God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made” (Rom. 1:20). Jesus Himself often pointed to creation in His parables explaining the Love and Nature of God the Father.

In the beginning God spoke… and created (Gen. 1). Some 2,000 years ago this same Word became flesh in the Person of Jesus Christ. Later the Word became text as holy men of God were inspired by the Spirit thereby creating the written Word of God, the Holy scriptures to guide us. Creation, Flesh, Book. But we must apply our ears and hearts, minds and spirit to grow. We must “have ears to hear,” as Jesus put it.

white printer book page

Dig into the Word of God today. As Peter writes, “desire the pure milk of the Word, that you may grow” (1 Pet. 2:2). Jesus Himself pleads, “learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart” (Matt. 11:29).

Press on…

Are you interested in being discipled one-on-one in the fundamentals of new life in Christ? Or, perhaps you would you like to know how to begin this journey by turning from your current path and committing your path to Christ? — Use the Contact page and we’ll get you started.