In an illusion of safety, this skiff sat on these large rocks unattended, unsecured, unanchored. Oblivious to threats beyond the distant southern mountains, it sat unprotected, vulnerable to gale force winds, rising tides, and thunderous, crashing surf which unexpectedly but invariably will sweep in and batter the skiff against the rocks.
Therein lies a parable about false security. Protection for our souls requires more than the safety nets of wealth, social status, intellect, and power. Self-effort, self-promotion, self-righteousness, self-justification and even religion are short sighted and insufficient remedies for unhappiness or as the foundation for our quest for hope, forgiveness and redemption. No matter how grand or good, human effort will never be enough to out weigh our sinful natures or to redeem our souls.
Jesus pointed out the reality that it is the believer (not the performer) who receives everlasting life (John 3:16). And scripture clearly declares that it is not our righteousness or rule keeping but God’s mercy that saves us (Titus 3:5). Salvation is a gift received by faith alone (Ephesians 2:8-9).
Spiritual safety has always been founded upon God’s grace, mercy, and love. Isaiah, the Old Testament prophet, understood that. He said, “(The Lord) will be the sure foundation for your times, a storehouse of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge.” (Isaiah 33:6) Martin Luther conveyed this reassuring message in one of the stanza’s of “A Mighty Fortress is Our God” :
“Did we in our own strength confide Our striving would be losing Were not the right Man on our side The Man of God’s own choosing Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He Lord Sabaoth His Name From age to age, the same And He must win the battle”
What a wonderful, ageless expression of the redemptive power, protection, and sufficiency found in Christ! He is the Rock upon which to rest. Depending on anything or anyone else for redemption is standing in “sinking sand.”
“But ask the beasts, and they will teach you; the birds of the heavens, and they will tell you; or the bushes of the earth, and they will teach you; and the fish of the sea will declare to you…” (Job 12:7-10)
Nature speaks. It sparks moments of wonder about a planet given to us to steward and enjoy. Full of mysterious creatures, fascinating flora, and baffling events, our world tells of God’s mystery and magnificence. Not all would agree with that, but the world has always inspired thoughts of God and our relationship to Him. “The heavens declared the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge.There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.” (Psalm 19)
God is not nature, but He is ever present in it. From myriads of chemical reactions and unseen cellular particles to forces that hold us precariously, precisely, and securely in a vast universe of orbiting planets, black holes, and expanding galaxies, God’s glory, goodness, creativity, and sustaining power are evident everywhere. The Apostle Paul wrote that God’s “invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made…” (Roman 1:20)
Our world also conveys a humbling message about humanity. Hear the Psalmist again: “When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him.” (Psalm 8) As he observed how transitory life is, King Solomon realized that man’s self seeking, self promotion, and self oriented efforts to find validity and happiness were futile and that meaning and purpose are rooted in a relationship with the sovereign, eternal God. (Ecclesiastes 12) When Job struggled with life’s unfairness and God’s justice and sovereignty, he was instructed to ponder nature’s mysteries. Through them his eyes were opened to God’s omniscience and goodness and to an understanding that God’s thoughts, ways, and purposes are superior to man’s. (Job 38-42)
Jesus illustrated his teachings about God, fallen creation, sin-marred mankind, moral issues, redemption, eternal principles, and God’s kingdom with richly painted word pictures drawn from nature. The sun and rain showed God’s grace. Dead fig trees illustrated hypocrisy and judgment. Wheat fields represented the world waiting to hear the Gospel; withering grass emphasized the brevity of life; and weeds became examples of an evil world system opposing God. Germinating seeds illustrated the effects of the Good News on a life. Sparrows revealed God’s intimate knowledge of and compassion for all His creatures; the beauty of lilies spoke of God’s provision and the futility of anxiety. There were more lessons illustrated with swine, fish, sheep, wolves, goats and yeast!
However, Jesus did more than tell stories and parables. He demonstrated his divinity through powerful, compassionate miracles. He calmed seas, walked on water, turned water into wine, healed the sick, made a feast for 5000 from a few fish and several loaves of bread, and raised the dead. His death for humanity’s sins during an unjust and cruel crucifixion revealed the unfathomable depth of divine love, mercy, and grace. Furthermore, he dispelled the dread and power of death. His resurrection proved that sin-marred humanity can have confidence of eternal life if they will acknowledge him as their Redeemer. As the visible manifestation of invisible God, as personified love, grace, and mercy, he continues to brings us into relationship with God and His eternal protection.
We are wonderfully made to live in a magnificent world which reveals our insignificance but more importantly it tells us of the ever present God who lovingly cares for our souls. The beasts, the birds, the bushes, and the fish point us to God’s sovereignty: “Who among all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this?” To be certain that we get the impact and specificity of the question, they answer it: “In his hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind” (Job 12:7-10)
Whether by neglect or for lack of financial resources, this structure is in need of attention. Its condition is not hopeless but needs someone to restore it. Likewise, when our emotional or spiritual needs are unmet, a state of poverty exists, and restoration is needed.
Jesus addressed spiritual poverty and its solution in his Sermon on the Mount with the startling statement; “Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Forever restless and discontent, we constantly search for something to satisfy our hunger and thirst for security, meaning, and purpose. We attempt to fill that inner void with relationships, achievements, pleasures and “things.” Yet, even though we have the capacity for contentment, we do not have the ability or personal resources to sustain a satisfied spirit calmed by peace, joy, and hope. “Things” and goals and pleasure-seeking activities easily displace God and thereby impoverish our lives. We are by nature spiritually destitute without God, but we are not hopeless.
In a subsequent beatitude, Christ said that “ blessed are they who hunger and thrust after righteousness for they will be satisfied.” By definition that is the pursuit of God. The only eternal value we can hold onto is our relationship with Him, a relationship based on His love for us and our believing faith in His provision for our redemption through Christ. So, the blessedness of which Christ spoke is discovered by recognizing our redemptive need and living within the context of who God is and His intentions for our existence.
The “blessed” empty themselves of pride and celebrate God as the source of all that is right and good and recognize that His Kingdom’s treasures are unending: love with its mercy and grace; forgiveness with its gratitude and joy; salvation from shame, guilt and condemnation, restoration with new meaning and purpose; the empowering presence of Christ now; and the complete confidence of ultimately being with God.
“Blessed are the poor in spirit” for they know it and seek God’s righteousness and restoration. They are rich with the treasures of heaven.”
There are times when we find ourselves all tangled up “in the weeds” of emotionally or spiritually unhealthy “things.” We may struggle with unsatisfying lifestyles or disappointment and emptiness because relationships, achievements, and pleasures fail to sustain our emotional and spiritual needs. It is even possible to be achieving our potential but left wondering whether there is purpose to it all?
Although created in God’s image, we still struggle with worldly chaos and disordered natures. We are stirred by a culture obsessed with entertainment, physical appearance, materialism, personal rights, and self-actualization. So, we are easily attracted to and captured by “vain philosophies and empty deceit “according to human tradition” (Colossians 2:8).
When we do not keep an eternal perspective, ugliness surfaces. Greed, envy, jealousy, pride, unrighteous anger, and unforgiveness lead to the deadly consequences of unhappiness, bitterness, shame, broken relationships, aggression, and crime. Life can take on the aura of senselessness. King Solomon said that”…all is vanity.” Shakespeare wrote in that famous soliloquy , “All our yesterdays light fools the way to dusty death…Life is but a walking shadow, a poor player who walks and struts upon the stage, and then is heard no more!” In his “ The Hollow Men,” T.S. Eliot suggested an inglorious end: “ This is the way the world ends, not with a bang but a whimper.”
God guides us into a different perspective, into a hope that is not found “in the efforts and traditions of men” but discovered in His inspired, empowering words which the Psalmist calls “a light to our path.” The Mosaic Law and the Gospel of Jesus are “other-oriented” and “outward focused.” They are powerful forces for change when examined through the lens of God’s grace and faith. Although we fail the moral imperative of selflessly loving God with all our being and our “neighbor” as ourselves, Christ came to lift us up and transform our minds and souls. Christian faith fixes its eyes on the gracious, humble, selfless, perfect Christ who thought not of himself but went to the cross to take upon himself the wrath which our unholiness deserves. In him, we discover forgiveness, redemption, hope, meaning, and purpose,healing and wholeness.
Christ’s teachings enlighten and instruct, and his immeasurable grace, mercy, and love give us the righteousness and strength necessary to be what humans are meant to be. He came to untangle us—to free us from the bonds of guilt and shame, to release us from burdensome selfishness, and to disengage us from the vapid entrapments of this world through faith in him.
Just as mystery hides beyond the horizon where sea meets the sky, every day dawns at the edge of a future inhabited by the unknown. Often our choices direct our future, but the consequences are not always clear. Shakespeare’s Hamlet pondered this uncertainty. Overwhelmed with personal tragedy, sadness, grief, and murderous thoughts, he wondered about the value of life and if the afterlife might be worse for him if he made a conscious decision to”shuffle off this mortal coil” himself or even to commit murder ! He contemplated “To be or not to be…”
That existential question is more than academic. It frequently arises from an agonizingly deep place and has psychological, ethical, and religious overtones as well as societal impact. It is a daily consideration acted upon by young and old alike for various reasons in our troubled, increasingly detached, chaotic society filled with suffering and injustice.
The “question in question” is basically about God’s existence and nature. Although the idea of an afterlife is fundamentally a religious concept, the perceived details vary from religion to religion. Some believe a happy afterlife is merited by moral living, doing the best one can, working hard, and keeping specific rules. Then one awaits the outcome determined by some demanding god or gods.
However, Christianity follows the teachings of Jesus and recognizes that nobody ever will be independently “good enough” or morally pure enough to earn heaven. Salvation is not merited; we are not redeemed “ by works that we have done but by God’s mercy.” Redemption is totally dependent on God’s goodness. He gifts us eternal life by His grace and our faith alone. He so deeply values and loves our souls that he has provided the path to salvation by giving us Christ, the perfect One, as our substitute to bear God’s wrath upon the cross for all our unholiness. Without that intervention, sin would separate us from God and destroy us. However, there is “no condemnation” for those with repentant, believing hearts because the righteousness of Christ has been given believers.
Although there are mysteries about the afterlife, Christ has made specific promises about preparing heaven for believers (John 14: 1-6). Before raising Lazarus from the dead, he proclaimed, “I am the resurrection and the life. He that believes in Me, even though he may die, he shall live. Whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.”
A day will come when we will be separated from our earthly bodies, but Christ’s words give hope. He promised an eternal “to be,” an existence with him if we believe, a promise worthy of consideration.
Ready for Harvest (but not today), Aroostook County, Maine
Timing is everything! Whether boiling an egg or bailing hay, it may make the difference between success or failure!
My grandfather was a “dirt” farmer who grew up on a small Maine farm which he eventually owned and where my father and older brother were born in the same bed 29 years apart. There he raised crops and maintained a few farm animals to feed and support his family. Planting, caring for, and harvesting crops revolved around proper weather conditions. Frosts, temperatures, sun, and rain were always on his mind. Eventually, the right day would arrive for haying. When the crop was mature and dry, humidity was low, and no warning rain clouds were visible, it was go time!
I have memories of watching my father and grandfather scythe the field, pitch sun dried hay into a horse drawn wagon, and then refork it into the barn. There my older brother and I would jump from the rafters into mounds of fragrant, fresh hay. Fun! But not particularly wise for one with hay fever and asthma!
Scripture helps us understand the points of life and faith. Solomon wrote that “There is a time for every season and every purpose under heaven” (Ecclesiastes). Discovering those purposes is time sensitive. Finishing life having missed its purposes would be awful!
Although created to be reflections of God’s loving goodness, to procreate, to enjoy ourselves, and to be stewards of the earth, we didn’t take long to proudly and willfully distort and disagree with those values. As a result, we became spiritually separated from God, physically broken, hopelessly disordered, and would have been completely lost if it had not been for God, who in loving patience has always accepted repentance and belief as redemptive. Yes, “ the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23) But “in the fullness of time,” God sent Christ to die for us, to pay the penalty for our sins. Accepting that gift of forgiveness in belief happily restores us to God, His purposes, and His promises.
Isaiah recognized an urgency to finding and exercising faith. He instructed Israel, “Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near” (Isaiah 55:6). The implications are clear! We have no promise of longevity. Our opportunity for salvation is time sensitive. Indecisiveness is tricky because over time we become less sensitive to or spiritually aware of our need and more hardened in our misguided ways.
Whether boiling an egg, bailing hay, or seeking redemption, timing is important. When Israel delayed, deliverance did not come. Jeremiah lamented, “The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved” (Jeremiah 8:20). Later, the Apostle Paul reminded the Corinthians that “now is the day of salvation” (2Corinthians 6:2).
That wisdom deserves strong consideration. Physical beginnings and endings frame our earthly time, but God desires an eternal relationship with us that begins here in a believing, trusting faith.
There was a time when “Houses of God” occupied a central place and role in New England villages. For example, the Congregational Church in Machias is a lovely, historic building situated prominently on “Center Street.”
Today many, beautiful, old church structures still stand, but attendance testifies to their dwindling influence. Some are now defunct and have become other-use properties. Of all the states, New England holds the highest averages of non church attenders and is considered the least “religious” region of the 50 states. The reasons are speculative and most likely multifactorial: affluence, liberal education and politics, changing cultural standards, rebellion against Puritanism and legalistic theologies, and the promotion of a social gospel promoting salvation by self righteous acts.
Scripture declares that we are images of God created to exhibit His character, to honor and love Him with all our soul and strength, to honor and love each other in the way we want to be respected and loved, to lead and nurture families, and to be caretakers of creation. Unfortunately, that view and our acknowledged God-connectedness have become increasingly neglected in everyday society.
Our innate self-centeredness and willful, rebellious natures separate us from God and His divine purposes which benefit us and revere Him. If Scripture attests correctly that God is the source of all goodness, at the very core of ultimate meaning, and the purpose for our existence, then such indifference is tragic. Thankfully, God is extraordinarily generous with His grace.
Villagers may no longer listen for the call of Sunday church bells on the village green, but that callousness does not mean the need for God has been outgrown. Deep within our souls lies an uncertainty, a gnawing acknowledgment that in spite of our efforts and self-justifications we are broken and unworthy. Any denials are uneasy ones. There is a longing, a striving for redemption which is unattainable apart from God who lovingly and mercifully restores us to Himself through Christ’s redemptive work when we willingly trust Him.
God may not be at the center of our village, but He will center our lives if we turn to Him.
Maine’s beautiful Aroostook County’s rolling farm land grows many crops including hay, alfalfa, potatoes and wheat. One wonders how many slices of Wonder Bread Aroostook’s wheat fields might produce!
Bread, whether Wonder Bread, sourdough, whole grain, unleavened, or gluten free, is a worldwide food staple. But when Jesus was challenged with temptation, he pointed out that, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). He knew every man’s spirit needs more than physical nourshiment.
Although we may be encouraged and inspired by the works, words, musings, songs, and poems of others, God’s Word lays singular claim to to be divinely inspired, alive, powerfully active, discerning, and redemptive. Enduring, eternal, and unchanging, it is a moral light and a spiritual guide directing us to healthy living and wholeness of soul.
His words lead us to truth and bring His very powerful presence into our lives. The Psalmist repeatedly expressed his confidence in God’s Word even in the darkest of circumstances because it ushered him into redemption, freedom, comfort, peace, and joy.
Most importantly, Jesus claimed to do the works and speak the words his Father gave him. He said he was the “bread of life.” So as we take him into our lives, he becomes the wonder bread which changes and sustains our spiritual lives into what God meant them to be.
Remember the Peaceniks, a term coined in the early 60’s for pacifists who by reasons of conscience actively opposed military interventions or war? Unfortunately, after centuries of philosophical, religious, and political convictions and protestations about the evils of war, achieving peace still requires courageous action and sacrifice. It will always be costly, tentative, and often elusive. Our nation knows all too well that attaining and preserving the ability to make choices and to be free from oppression have extracted a very dear price, the precious blood of patriots.
Combating and conquering spiritual oppression was a grievious but crucial and divinely ordered event. Enslaved by sinful natures and at odds with God, we battle cosmic darkness and selfish desires but not without hope. God fought and won this costly battle for our souls at the cross upon which ironically the “Prince of Peace” gave his life for our peace. The prophet Isaiah predicted Christ’s supreme sacrifice as payment for humanity’s sins hundreds of years before Christ’s birth : “But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5)
Christ’s healing peace was announced in angelic song on the night he was born: “ Peace on Earth, good will toward men.” God’s love for us is so deep and enduring that there was no sacrifice too great for Him to have made to secure our spiritual freedom and peace. Through Christ’s shed blood, there is grace filled, merciful atonement for all our sins. Salvation, freedom from condemnation, victory over the powerful forces of evil, and confidence of eternal life are gifts for those who accept the truth of Christ, his redemptive work on the cross for us, and his glorious resurrection. He suffered the severest of consequences so we could have peace with God.
Matt Papa and Matt Boswell, inspired by John Newton’s story of God’s amazing grace toward him, wrote a wonderful hymn. The lyrics express God’s immeasurable kindness, patience and love that bought our freedom at heaven’s expense. The initial lyrics are:
“What love could remember no wrongs we have done Omniscient, all knowing, He counts not their sum Thrown into a sea without bottom or shore Our sins they are many, His mercy is more”
(His Mercy is More)
Our moral failures are great, but God’s mercy is greater.
It is worth googling the remaining lyrics or listening to them on YouTube.
Sweet Words from Maine 