Sweet Words from Maine

Perfect Peace

Many of us have a favorite place conducive for relaxing, thinking, or meditating. Some of us may use mantras or mindfulness or some other form of meditation to lower stress levels, to relieve anxiety, and to achieve inner calmness. The prophet Isaiah knew the secret to inner peace. Speaking of God, he wrote, “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are stayed on You…” (Isaiah 26:3)

Scripture encourages meditation as a thoughtful consideration of God by focusing on His nature, His works and precepts, and especially on His words—words which bring joy and goodness into life when adhered to; words that show how to navigate life gently, peaceably, mercifully, graciously, and successfully; words which lead to a transformed spirit confident in God’s strength and presence; and words which have eternal as well as temporal effects.

Meditation was not a foreign concept to Israel. Isaac found solitude in a field where he could meditate. (Genesis 24:62) As Joshua was taking over leadership from Moses, God told him to be strong and courageous, that He was with him, and that Joshua would be successful if he kept “this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it.” (Joshua 1:8)

Recognizing the great benefits of knowing and following God’s prescribed precepts, the Psalmist composed the lyrics to the first Psalm: “How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law which of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season.” (Psalm 1:1-3)

Our Psalmist fully understood that this crucial spiritual activity was both empowering and redemptive because it established a relationship with God, His Redeemer. He wrote , “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.” (Psalms 19:14) The 119th Psalm repeatedly extols the benefits of meditating on God’s promises and precepts.

The New Testament also testifies to the spirit-penetrating power of God’s revealed Word: “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12) “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,”(2 Timothy 3:16)

In his letter to the Philippians, the Apostle Paul encouraged his readers to pray, to make their requests with thanksgiving, and to not be anxious. As they considered God’s great goodness, His peace which “surpasses understanding would guard their minds and hearts in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7) He then proceeded to tell them how to maintain that healthy mind state: “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” (Philippians 4:8)

Just as Isaiah focused on God, the author of the book of Hebrews points to the character of Christ, who held a special life-perspective. “Lay aside every “weight and sin,” the writer said. “Look”, concentrate on Jesus. Live as he did. Have his attitude. Jesus had to have led a meditative life. He claimed that he came to fulfill the Law. Reading the “Sermon on the Mount” (Matthew 5-7) one realizes the depth of his thoughts and how the immense implications of the moral Law played out in his life. He humbly endured evil oppression and cruelty and sacrificial death on the cross for humanity. Yet, he lived confidently and joyfully in the context of eternal purposes and values. (Hebrews 12:1-2)

Meditating on Scripture leads one to an increasing knowledge of God’s loving character, to clues about what He is up to, to understanding where we fit into the work and plan of His Kingdom, to discovering meaning and purpose, to trusting the powerful assurances of His promises, and to growing faith in Christ. God’s Word is not only informative but is spirit-transformative.

“Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart, (Psalm 119:2)

Out With the Old, In With the New!

Abandoned Seiner, Bucks Harbor, Washington, Maine

(In the winter of life, the past remains even though life constantly changes.)

“Out with the old, in with the new” is a grand but totally impractical New Year’s expectation! Celebratory gatherings, festive toasts, fireworks, and a few seconds of Auld Lang Syne somehow allow a brief reprieve from the baggage and sadness of the year now gone, nostalgia for the good times, and a hopeful anticipation for the year ahead.

Unfortunately, the slate is not wiped clean at the stroke of midnight on December 31st after the “ball” drops in Times Square. Some memories are wonderfully spirit lifting. Others haunt us, hold us hostage, and force us into the realities of living with injustices, sufferings, and challenges experienced by broken people in a broken world. Raising a nostalgic glass to the past and flipping the calendar to time travel into a different year or century does not erase lingering hurt, grief, guilt, shame, difficulties, or destructive behaviors and their consequences. Rarely do we or our situations change over night by a simple resolve that things will be different.

Like wandering Pilgrim, the protagonist in John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, we seek relief from the weight of our doubt, anger, lousy attitudes, regrets , grudges, unruly natures, and ethical and moral breaches. Pilgrim received well intended but ineffective advice from many strange characters including Mr. Worldly Wiseman, Morality, Goodwill, and Psychology. Only after discovering a narrow path leading to a hill with a cross and an empty tomb beyond did Pilgrim’s burdens roll away.

There is comfort, security, hope, meaning, purpose and new values in discovering Christ. As our Redeemer, as the one who paid the penalty for our sins, he implores and promises us: “Come unto me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

Christ unburdens troubled, weak spirits. If /when we respond to his invitation, we, like Pilgrim, can know the release of forgiveness and freedom from harmful desires, controlling sins, condemnation, and fear of death and may joyfully sing the little children’s chorus: “Rolled away, rolled away, rolled away, Every burden of my heart rolled away.” God’s memory is so unlike ours. He never fails to keep His promises but “forgets” our “transgressions” and removes them “As far as the East is from the West.”

Although a “New Year” never really offers us a totally fresh start, life perspectives change when Christ is brought into our lives. It is truly “Out with the Old, in with the New” as he redeems and restores.

Go! Tell It!

The Bubbles, Jordan Pond, Mt. Desert Island, Maine

John Wesley Work Jr. was an African American educator and musicologist who compiled, “harmonized,” and published a number of slave songs which came to light during the Great Migration of Blacks from the southern states to the north after the civil war. “Go Tell It On the Mountain” dates back at least to 1865 and was among the spirituals which had been verbally passed through the generations but had never been written down. Published in 1907, it begins with the refrain which also follows each of the three verses.

Refrain: Go, tell it on the mountain, / over the hills and everywhere;/go, tell it on the mountain /that Jesus Christ is born.

Verse: While shepherds kept their watching / o’er silent flocks by night, /behold, throughout the heavens /there shone a holy light. [Refrain]

Verse: The shepherds feared and trembled / when lo! above the earth /rang out the angel chorus / that hailed our Savior‘s birth. [Refrain]

Verse: Down in a lowly manger/ the humble Christ was born, / and God sent us salvation / that blessed Christmas morn. [Refrain]

The authority, sovereignty, power, presence, love, grace, mercy, redemptive work, and purposes of God have always been Good News. Isaiah encouraged Jerusalem, a city nestled among mountains: “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.” (Isaiah 52:6-7) Nahum spoke similarly about promised salvation and Judah’s freedom from the Ninevites: “Behold, upon the mountains, the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace! (Nahum 1:15) And the Apostle Paul wrote about the beauty of the Gospel in his letter to the Roman church: “For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved…. As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” (Romans 10:13-16)

“Go Tell It On The Mountain” tells the wondrous, mysterious but necessary story of God’s condescension into humanity as the “humble Christ.” He came as the living expression of God’s loving character. “This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.”(1 John 4:10 (NLT2)

If that is true, then that message is crucial for the redemption of every tribe and nation “everywhere” and is the reason Jesus (from a mountain) instructed his disciples to go to all nations with his Good News, “to preach repentance and the remission of sins.” (Matthew 28:16-29) (Luke 24:47) Such a message is too amazing, too great, too good, too important to be contained. It must be told. It is for everyone.

For the oppressed and restricted slave, the good news of “Christmas morn” was too freeing not to share beyond the mountains and hills within their eye shot. The message that “God sent us salvation” is compelling. That sin and death cannot control or condemn or enslave in the powerful presence of that holy baby in a manger who became the Savior on a cross and the resurrected, living Lord who emptied a tomb is a message worthy of being broadcast over and beyond all hills, mountains, and horizons to people and places everywhere.

Peace of God here on earth! Eternal hope for the future!

Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty! Free at last!

flight or fight

Perceiving a threat, these spooked wood ducks noisily retreated to a more isolated, protected area down the river.

Wired physically, physiologically, and emotionally to either flee or confront threats against bodily harm, we react similarly to difficult circumstances or to spiritual and emotional insults which might endanger our peace and joy or rob us of our personal integrity and self respect.

Although we can deny or acquiesce to dangers, intuition usually warns us that fighting or fleeing are our best options. Yet, we don’t always heed the warning. Our own efforts to deal with the fallout from our weaknesses, from our penchant to folly, and from moral failures often evolve into unhealthy coping skills: denial, coverups, blame shifting, anger, bad behaviors, anxiety, depression, addictions, despair, and even suicide.

We need discernment to deal with our flawed natures and strength for deliverance and restoration from our moral turpitude. The Psalmist found God to be his helper, his strength, and his secure, hiding place: “You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts of deliverance.” (Psalm 32:7) Thankfully, God is not an ancient metaphor. He is near and responds to His peoples’ needs (Psalm 34:18). King David discovered that: “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from Thee? Everywhere I go You are with me…”(Psalm 139) The prophet Isaiah exclaimed, “Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid, For the Lord God has become my strength and my song, and He has become my salvation”(Isaiah 12: 2).

This grand, God-deliverer theme is carried over into the New Testament in the person of Jesus, who was announced as “Emmanuel,” God with us. He is the visible Word of God, who shows and enables us how to be more than we can be in our own wisdom and power. (John 1;Colossians 1:15; Ephesians 3:20)

He is the Door to the green pastures and the still waters of abundant life (John 10: 9). He is the Vine from whom life flows to the branches. He empowers life and makes all things possible (John is 15:5).

He is the Way to God (John 14:6)(Romans 6:18). He is the Good Shepherd who sacrificed his life to deliver us securely from the devastating consequences of our sinful natures (John 10:11). He is the Light of the World, who delivers us from darkness and leads us into his marvelous light (John 8:12) (1 Peter 2:9). He is the Shepherd and Guardian of our souls (1Peter 2:25), the Captain of our salvation (Hebrews 2:10).

He is the Bread of Life, who satisfies our souls’ deepest cravings. And he is the Living Water, who quenches the thirst of parched, shriveled, dying spirits and gives them new life. (John 6:35, 4:10) He is the great physician bringing healing to hurt, sick hearts (Mark 2:27) (Isaiah 53:4-5) (Matthew 8:17).

He is our relief, brings rest to the weary and heavy burdened, and delivers from anxious living (Matthew 11:28-30).

He is our eternal hope. (John 11:25) Because of his grace, we can be forgiven, set free from the enslavement of sin, and delivered from condemnation and death (John3:16;11:25-26;14:6) So, the question is: “If God is for us, who can stand against us?” (Romans 8:32) Even when we succumb to fears and temptations, Christ is our deliverer. Ada Habershon’s much loved hymn written in 1907 affirms that truth:

When I fear my faith will fail/ Christ will hold me fast
When the tempter would prevail/ He will hold me fast
I could never keep my hold/ Through life’s fearful path
For my love is often cold/ He must hold me fast.

If all that is true, God’s goodness and providential care are the source of strength and confidence. Like the wood ducks, we have a safe place to flee to. God’s arms reach out, enfold us, and hold us fast when we are in spiritual danger.

Deliver me from my enemies, O LORD! I have fled to you for refuge.(Psalm 143:9)

(John 3:16; 6:37-40) (2Sam 2:22) (James 4:8) (Acts17:25-27) (Deuteronomy 33;27).

Open or Closed?

Beyond the fence in the photo lies a magnificent but obscured view of Frenchman’s bay, its islands, boats, and mountains. That wonder can only be accessed through the now closed gate, and we are not invited in.

Jesus used a gate as a metaphor in a rather surprising, even shocking parable about some good but misguided people who faced an unexpected closed gate: ” Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us,’ then he will answer you, ‘I do not know where you come from.’ Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’But he will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you come from. Depart from me…”(Luke 13:24-27 )

These upstanding, well intention people were refused entrance into God’s Kingdom. Although they had not overtly rejected Christ, they had never personally heeded or embraced him. They had some familiarity with him, had heard about his teaching, but had not taken time to know him or “hear” him when he taught that he was the gate to redemption: “I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved.”(John 10:9) They had ignored his invitation and had never grasped the truth that they needed Christ’s righteousness and God’s mercy and grace to enter God’s Kingdom. Instead they had relied on their own abilities, good deeds, ideas, and self righteousness. They were “striving” but not by in faith.

The Apostle John portrayed Christ as standing and knocking at the door of our hearts, ready to enter our lives if we choose to allow him access. (Rev 3:20). Whether he is rejected or ignored, the result is the same. He does not force entry but enters upon invitation. Like Jerusalem’s ancient gates which the Psalmist adjured to allow the King of Glory to come in (Psalm 24:7), when we open our lives to Christ, the King of Glory will come in.

Those parables and illustrations are worth consideration. They indicate the importance of hearing Christ out and that his presence not only grants freedom to our spirits and guides us beyond our weaknesses and brokenness to forgiveness and healing but also assures us that one day a gate will open into a kingdom wonderful beyond imagination.

Illusions

Have you ever reached a long pursued goal, one which you imagined and idealized and in which you invested time, energy, and dreams? Maybe it was a career move, a promotion, a relationship, an academic degree, some accolade, social status, or wealth? However, the achievement did not meet expectations nor its anticipated happiness! Emptiness, disappointment, and maybe even sadness invaded your color filled dreams. Satisfaction was an illusion which sailed away unworthy of the sacrifices made to attain it..

Programmed to want “more”, to seek pleasure, to search for happiness, we are easily disoriented or diverted to what the Apostle John categorized as the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the pride of life. However, “more” is never enough. Feeding our senses and egos and neglecting our souls ultimately lead to unfulfilled lives because the void we are trying to fill is spiritual in nature.

Our deepest desires are for intimacy, love, joy, peace, integrity, wholeness, forgiveness, and gentle, kind, compassionate spirits. Unfortunately, the daily local and world news cycles attest to the fact we are unable to achieve that life on our own. Jesus has an extraordinary solution to our dilemma. He told us that we can gain the world but lose our souls and showed us that fulfillment comes to us in sacrifice and reversals.

Although prestige, position, power, and wealth were available to him, he willingly sacrificed himself for us through the horrors of crucifixion instead of seeking temporal fame. Through what might appear to have been weakness and defeat, he has given the power of the cross, the power of grace and mercy, the power of humility, the power of love, the power of redemption, the power of forgiveness and restoration, the power of no condemnation, the power of resurrection and hope, and the power of his eternal presence to those who trust him .

In our belief and humility, Christ leads us on the road to satisfaction. He opens the way to God and His promised joy, peace, comfort, and rest. That is God’s reality. It is no illusion.

It’s a new dawn…

Dawn! A new day is on the verge of its possibilities. Will it be routine? Mundane? Challenging? Disappointing? Exhausting? Exciting? End in uncertainties? Will it finish on a good note with enthusiasm and hope for another day?

Matt Redman released his album “10,000 Reasons” in 2012. It included “The sun comes up, its a new day dawning.” The lyrics harmonize with those of Psalm 103, which extolls the daily benefits of a relationship with God, who knows our vulnerabilities, understands that we are dust, is merciful and forgiving, and compassionately “crowns” life with love and healing. He redeems, satisfies with good, rectifies wrongs and brings justice to the oppressed. His goodness enriches and sustains the day…

Knowing all that, the Psalmist and the songster greet the dawn with a song in their hearts:

“The sun comes up, it’s a new day dawning

Whatever may pass

It’s time to sing your song again

And whatever lies before me,

let me be singing when the evening comes.”

“Bless the Lord, Oh my soul

Oh my soul, Worship his holy name.

Sing like never before, Oh my soul,

I will worship your holy name.”

Their songs are reminders that those who trust God can begin and conclude each day with thanksgiving, rejoicing as the recipients of His benefits regardless of what the day has brought. The evening song begins and ends as the morning one did with total confidence in God’s sovereignty and soul protection.

“This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.” (Psalm 118:24)

Some Day…

“Abandoned,” Bucks Harbor, Washington County, Maine

This abandoned boat is a reminder of King Solomon’s lament that “There is no remembrance of former things, nor will there be any remembrance of later things yet to be among those who come after” (Ecclesiastes 1:11)*

Does that mean that someday we will be just a moment spent? A still photo sitting on a mantel? An old census notation? A faded, moss covered name? A memory lost in some dark, genealogical archive?

Job didn’t believe that was the case. Even in deep anguish and frustration, he confidently cried out, “For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God,whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. My heart faints within me! (Job 19:25-27)

Christ taught how to possess that eternal life: “I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life. (John 5:24)

The Apostle Paul spoke of “ the promise of the life that is in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 1:1). Christ had made that promise as he stood by Lazarus’s tomb and raised him from the dead : I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Then Jesus asked a crucial question. “Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26)

God promises us a Someday! If our response to Jesus’ question is in the affirmative, we have the confident expectation that on that Someday we will be restored, new in body, complete in spirit, lovely and loving, eternally alive, and brought to glory by the Captain of our salvation (Hebrews 2:10).

*_{(Solomon believed in an “afterlife.” He was just lamenting our empty earthly legacy. He concluded that, “the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it” (Ecclesiastes 12:7).}

Who is in the Mirror?

The child in the photo is just beginning a life time of self perception i.e. something more than just interacting with the world. Recognizing oneself in mirrors or photos begins at an early age and continues into an awareness of how others perceive us. Those concerns develop into frequent preoccupations with self image. Significant time and energy is wasted on managing perceptions we have about ourselves or how we think others think about us.

Genetics and experience help write our stories, but we work hard on developing strategies to promote positive appearances and judgments about ourselves or to hide negative impressions, thoughts, and feelings. Our coping mechanisms may be healthy or unhealthy as we deal with personality tendencies and giftedness and capabilities or weaknesses and inadequacies. We may become individualists or conformists, extroverts and the life of the party or introverts and nerds, aggressive and confident or afraid and ineffective, bold and adventuresome or hesitant and predictable, or some combination of many different character qualities.

The Apostle Paul said something worth considering on this matter. He said that the judgments which others made about him and even his own judgments about himself didn’t matter. They were of no consequence because our perceptions can not be trusted as true, as unbiased, or as accurate. Only God’s judgment about us is important.

That sounds rather scary! However, it need not be. It isn’t as though God doesn’t know our depraved, rebellious, unholy natures. We may see each other and ourselves unclearly, but He looks at our hearts and knows we are too broken and unholy to redeem ourselves. Nevertheless, He is gracious. His heart is overwhelmed with so much compassion, immeasurable love, and mercy that He has taken the penalty for our sins on Himself. He redeems us and removes our deserved condemnation through the sacrifice of Christ if we will believe.

So, as we look through the mirror of faith in Christ, our true identities emerge: God’s loved, forgiven, rescued, restored children.

Is There Any Safe Place?

Some of us have known the security and comfort of homes with parents who we could trust to protect us and to make everything as right as it could be. Sadly, some of us have not known the love and safety of nurturing arms because of abuse or neglect or abandonment. Those situations may lead to problems with trust and self worth and subsequent anger, anxiety, depression or behavioral issues. Furthermore, such terribly flawed relationships can impede our ability to understand or accept God as loving and good especially when times are challenging.

Scripture is replete with reassuring promises which help address those misperceptions and hesitancies. The Psalmist understood God’s incomparably deep, unconditional love for those who trust Him. He wrote, “Even if my father and mother abandon me, the LORD will hold me close.” (Psalm 27:10) “The steadfast love of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him…” (Psalm 103:17) “

Speaking through Isaiah, God promised, “…do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10) “I will be your God throughout your lifetime— until your hair is white with age. I made you, and I will care for you. I will carry you along and save you.” (Isaiah 46:4) As with all of God’s promises, these are eternal truths: “The eternal God is your refuge, and his everlasting arms are under you” (Deuteronomy 33:26-27).

Jesus came as living proof of God’s deep, redemptive love and amazing grace toward us. “God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him.This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.” (1 John 4:9-10) When we trust him, he wraps us securely in his righteousness and carries us with the promise: “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand” (John 10:27-28).

The Apostle Paul expressed it beautifully: “And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39).

Wrapped in that love, he holds us close- secure and safe “while the ages roll.”