Crosswalk.com--The Devotional

[Judy Harder]

The Christian Faith Is Not a Leap in the Dark
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com

"...we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal."
2 Corinthians 4:18 NASB

We can divide the universe into two categories of reality: the material and the non-material; or that which is seen and that which isnot seen. In talking about unseen reality, I'm obviously not talking about things that must be relegated to fantasy or pure imagination. Rather, I'm talking about unseen (yet real) fixed concepts which our world operates by constantly. Take, for example...

Moral absolutes (e.g. Child abuse is wrong.)
The uniformity of nature (e.g. We live on the assumption that planets and stars move in a predictable fashion. On this assumption we plan trips not only to grandma's house, but to the moon and beyond.)
Universal Laws of Thought* (e.g. The principle of contradiction: a maxim stated by Aristotle as: "contradictory propositions are not true simultaneously." [cf. Aristotle's Metaphysics, 1011b13-14]) Avicenna is said to have put it more colorfully, "Anyone who denies the law of non-contradiction should be beaten and burned until he admits that to be beaten is not the same as not to be beaten, and to be burned is not the same as not to be burned.
These are all things that are real, yet are unseen. Laws of thought and moral absolutes may not be able to be weighed, measured or stored in a cupboard, but we count on them and live by them every day just the same.

From what I've observed, both children and adults in Christian circles struggle at times with the things they are called to believe in. God seems like a distant idea. Doctrine seems far removed from day-to-day life. At times, you or someone you love may be tempted with the thought, "I wonder if God, salvation, heaven and hell is all just a made up fairy tale."

At that point you should take a step back and remember that everyone has a faith in their particular view of the world. Worldviews need to be evaluated by whether or not they account for the unseen realities mentioned above. Fortunately, biblical Christianity (not to be confused with tainted, politicized, or hypocritical forms of Christianity that bear no resemblance to the life and message of Jesus Christ) is a worldview that is well able to account for these unseen realities. The biblical God (note well, not just general theism) capably undergirds all unseen moral absolutes, natural constants and universals. Other competing worldviews are weighed in the balance and found wanting.

When we are called on to believe in the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 5:5), we should recognize that this is another unseen reality. The truths of Galatians 2:20 belong in the category of the unseen as well...

"I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me." (Gal. 2:20)

Let's not gloss over the fact that we are called to believe in unseen things. But at the same time let's not jump to the wrong conclusion that Christ asks us to take an idiotic leap in the dark. We all believe in well-founded unseen things everyday.

This week in chapter four of Francis Schaeffer's True Spirituality (I'm reading through the works of Schaeffer and posting about it regularly here at Crosswalk the Devotional), he calls our attention to this biblical view of truth by underscoring that there are "two streams, two strands of space-time reality—one in the seen, and one in the unseen..."

"[God] is not asking us merely to act on some psychological motivation, but on what really is... there is a Holy Spirit who has been given to us to make service possible.

"The Christian dead, including my loved ones, are already with Christ now, and Christ really lives in the Christian. Christ lives in me.

"Here is true Christian mysticism—not based on content-less experience, but on historic, space-time reality—on propositional truth. Christian mysticism is communion with Christ. It is Christ bringing forth fruit through me, the Christian, with no loss of personality.

"He is the Christ who has died, whose work is finished, who is raised, who is ascended, who is glorified. It is this Christ. Not simply an idea. It is the Christ who was seen after the resurrection... by Stephen, by Paul, by John."

Let's walk on today, confidently believing in these unseen realities—Christ was not raised mythically; Jesus, the apostles and the Christian martyrs were not liars; and "the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who is given unto us" (Romans 5:5).

Intersecting Faith & Life:  Are you at a loss for words when asked why you believe in unseen things? Learn how to converse with others in terms of their own beliefs in unseen things (like moral absolutes, etc.), and help them discover the worldview that is charged with the majesty and grandeur of God.

For Further Study:
What Is a Worldview? Dr. James Sire
Introduction to Worldviews (series of lectures) Dr. Greg Bahnsen

[Judy Harder]

Little Children
Ryan Duncan, TheFish.com editor

Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." – Matthew 19:14

When I was a little kid, I made an amazing discovery. I realized that if I found something I liked and asked the right person "Can I have this?" there was chance they would give it to me. This may not seem all that extraordinary to you, but trust me, to a child this was a goldmine. You see, I didn't just ask for candy at the grocery store or stuff on TV commercials, I asked for everything. I asked other kids if I could have their toys, I asked the neighbors if I could have their dog, I think I even asked one family if I could have their house. I'm afraid I embarrassed my parents to no end, and by the time my father sat me down and explained that asking someone for all their belongings was rude and most people had stopped inviting our family over for dinner.

Kids can be a real hassle, and when you think about it, you can't really blame the disciples for their actions in Mark 10. Take a look at the following passage,             

People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them. - Mark 10:13-16     

Here's the thing about children. Children are messy, children are selfish, children are ignorant, and children are incredibly self-destructive. Don't believe me? A monkey knows better than to stick a butter knife into an exposed wall socket, but let a child have its way and they will do it twice! Despite all this however, you really can't help but admire the oblivious, single-minded nature of a child.

If anything, Christians should try learning from their example. Too often we stop ourselves for encountering God because we are afraid we don't fit the "Christian" criteria. Well, I've got news for you; we will always be children in God's eyes: messy, crazy, self-destructive children. But as long as we make him the single focus of our hearts, He doesn't care. So take a lesson from these little ones, pursue God recklessly and don't pay attention to what others think, for the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to such as these.                     

Intersecting Faith and Life

Are you pursuing God with the heart of a child? Take a moment to consider.

Further Reading

Matthew 19

[Judy Harder]

Oh Lord, It's Hard to Be Holy
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor

"I am the LORD your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy." Leviticus 11:44, NIV

Is there anyone who loves keeping a kitchen floor clean? Not I!

In fact, that is my least favorite chore around my home, and it's the one I always save for last (and sometimes just forgo altogether . . . especially if I know that company isn't coming around anytime soon). It seems as though just when I've finished vacuuming and mopping the linoleum underfoot that already I will find a speck or a spot somewhere.

Ugh! But that's how life goes, does it not?

We live and move in our kitchens. We cook and we bake. We nuke and we toast. And some of us even indoor grill (and for the record, cleaning all the intricate cracks and crevices of my indoor grill is a very close and dislikeable runner-up to my kitchen floor).

But really, any type of action taken in our kitchens is going to yield some kind of mess that will be made. And more often than not, it will end up on the floor.

I've realized that no matter how often I sweep or spot-clean (in between the major moppings), that my kitchen floor is always, always going to be unclean. It just is. And I will always have to work hard to keep it as close to satisfactory and ready-for-inspection as possible.

I thought about the type of housecleaning that can be overwhelming like this as I was making my way through Leviticus this week. Now if you've not been to this book in the Old Testament in a while, then let me refresh your memory:  it's about holiness. And there are all different types of rules and regulations and instructions for priests and the Israelite people on everything from offerings and sacrifices to daily living and loving one another.

Go ahead and read through a couple of chapters and maybe you will feel like I did. First, you might be discouraged. How could the Israelites and priests EVER keep all of these commandments and follow each and every step required for holiness in their lives?

And then, you might feel relieved. Thank God that he showed us in Leviticus that we desperately need a Savior and that he sent his son to atone for all of our sins. I can't achieve holiness in and of myself. Only through the provision of God's sinless son, Jesus Christ, am I holy, acceptable and pleasing to him.

But back to my kitchen floor . . .

I've realized that I could obsess over it and get out my dust pan and broom or spray here and there with all-purpose cleaner twice a day just to keep up appearances. But to what end? I will never be able to keep it perfectly and exceedingly spotless all of the time. It's just too hard. And that's okay. I forgive myself and my floor.

And likewise, in my pursuit of holiness—and a spotless life—because I have placed my trust in the Lord and am covered by the blood of the Lamb, I am forgiven, too. I am holy because HEis holy.

As it says in the praise chorus, "You Are My All in All" . . .
Taking my sin, my cross, my shame
Rising again I bless Your name
You are my all in all

Oh, Lord, it's hard to be holy! Thank you that our holiness is not up to us. Father, we need you and we depend on you with all of our heart, all of our soul and all of our mind. By your strength and because YOU are our all in all, we are able to live lives that are pleasing to you.

Intersecting Faith & Life: As you're doing a little cleaning this week, remember what Christ did on the cross for you and how you have been washed so that you will be "whiter than snow" (Ps. 51:7).

Further Reading:

John 1:29, NIV

2 Cor. 12:9, NIV

Col. 2:6-7, NIV

[Judy Harder]

Who Cares about Leviticus?
Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor

"You are to be holy to me, because I, the Lord, am holy, and I have set your apart from the nations to be my own." – Leviticus 20:26

Like most evangelicals, I haven't devoted much time to parsing Leviticus. After all, we live under the new covenant ushered in by Christ's death and resurrection, and we're Gentiles to boot. Leviticus was written for a particular people at a particular time, and vast sections of the book have been demoted to historical curiosities at this point. The fledgling kingdom of Israel – really, a collection of tribes that had more in common with their pagan neighbors than today's Christian enclave – were on the other side of history's turning point. The Lord dictated incredibly detailed ceremonial law for this emerging nation that has since passed away, as we have a new and perfect high priest.

Still, the apostle Paul insists that "all Scripture is God-breathed and useful for teaching" (2 Timothy 3:15). Remember, this is Paul speaking, the same apostle who vilified the Judaizers for insisting the law must be upheld in its minutae to achieve salvation, and who wrote that "no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law." The resolution of the paradox might be a bit more apparent through the example of Park Street Church in Boston.

Pastor Daniel Harrell convinced 19 members of his congregation to join him in an experiment in "living Levitically," despite the drastic changes they had to make in their daily living. The group grew out their beards, kept kosher, cleaned their homes meticulously, observed the Sabbath, and even stopped wearing clothes made from blended materials. One of the few exceptions to the experiment was animal sacrifice, as the group intended not to break any U.S. laws while observing the ceremonial ones.

The group found it absolutely impossible to obey every tenet. But the Park Street Church says that wasn't the point. Seeing firsthand that they couldn't perfectly fulfill the law, they realized the need for grace in a whole new way. As Romans 5:20 explains it, "The law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more."

Could it be that, in ignoring Leviticus as a whole, we forget how awesome grace is? True, not every ceremonial law (washing your feet? Wearing blended materials?) is also a moral law. But God still told the Israelites to keep it as his law. Reading about the church's example reminded me of a couple things:

First,God's people are supposed to be set apart. The Israelites were supposed to look different, act different, worship different, and spend their time in different ways than the nations around them. It was an integral part of their calling as God's people. The manifestations aren't quite the same, but Christians have the same calling today.

Second, we aren't set apart enough. As Park Street Church rediscovered, the law points out our insufficiencies. Even if the law were just a set of external rules, we still couldn't keep them perfectly. We just can't measure up to following the law or Christ's example.

Third, only in Christ can we find rest from the law and a new identity that really sets us apart. The writer of Hebrews notes that the law is "only a shadow of the good things that are coming." And yes, the law is a good thing – it makes us realize how much Christ had to atone for on our behalf. Not only that, God has adopted us as sons and daughters through Christ to really set us apart. And then he gives us the grace to live it. Sure, we'll still fall, and that will remind us to run to grace. But the power of the law is gone through Christ.

Intersecting Faith & Life: This week, take time to read Hebrews 10. Notice how beautifully Christ not only supersedes the law, but fulfills all of its demands. That ought to inspire the worship that God desires more than the Israelites' burnt offerings.

*This devotional originally ran  March 8, 2011.

Further Reading:

Living Leviticus: Who Could Do It? Who Would Want To?

How to Use the Law – Lawfully to Bear Fruit for God

[Judy Harder]

February 27, 2012

Freedom from Self
Sarah Phillips, Crosswalk.com Family Editor

Restore to me the joy of thy salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. (Psalm 51: 12)

Do you have a hard time embracing the idea that God loves you? Do you struggle with a nagging sense of inadequacy or unworthiness?

As we kick off Lent, we encounter a lot of talk about sinfulness, reparations, confession, and penance. The Lenten focus is wonderful and necessary for all of us. We are sinners in a fallen world, and we can find ourselves forgetting our need for God and His grace readily.

It's easy to see how Lent can infuse humility into one who suffers from pride. But what about those of us who suffer from scrupulosity? A quick internet search of this term brings us to Wikipedia which defines scrupulosity as "obsessive concern with one's own sins and compulsive performance of religious devotion." Scrupulosity is basically an obsession with our own faults and failings. It often plagues perfectionists and can be paralyzing to the believer's life. The scrupulous believer holds on to his or her sins and even erroneously labels innocent acts as sinful, convinced God could not love them enough to forgive them.

When the tendency to hyper-focus on imperfections and sins takes over, we need to remember that Lent is the journey towards Easter. It is meant to help us grow in our relationship with God, not lead us into clinical depression.

Let's take the Lenten practice of fasting, for example. Why do Christians fast? Fasting can be found in both the Old Testament and the New, with Moses (Exodus 34:28; Deuteronomy 9:9,18 ), Elijah (1 Kings 19:, and our Lord (Matthew 4:2) all participating in 40-day fasts. Biblically, fasting centers around genuine humility and a desire to be in right relationship with God. Fasting is a way of denying ourselves excesses so that we might be more attuned to the Lord's voice. This requires first and foremost a belief that one can be in right relationship with God; that He is accessible to the believer!

Fasting makes the most sense when we consider it in light of Genesis 1, which reveals that we all have inherent dignity as creatures created in the image and likeness of God. An excerpt of this chapter states:

Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them... God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. (Genesis 1: 26 - 27, 31)

As human beings with this dignity, we can exercise our gift of free will to embrace opportunities God gives us to experience His refining grace in our lives. In doing so, the small aches and pains that come with fasting should draw our attentionaway from our failings and towards the reality that God loves us so much that He would suffer profoundly for us on the Cross.

Intersecting Faith & Life: If you suffer from scrupulosity, give it up for Lent. Instead of repeating your sins to God over and over, spend the next several weeks studying the gospel in light of God's love for you.

[Judy Harder]

Feb. 28, 2012

Men & Christian Friendship: It Won't Just Happen on its Own
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor

A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need.
Proverbs 17:17, NLT

I own many books, but the ones I reference often I keep above my desk at work. One of these is a 1983 edition of David W. Smith's The Friendless American Male. It's a title that, sadly, has only grown more accurate in the last 28 years, its content more applicable. Men, especially us hard-working, married-with-children types, are lacking in close biblical friendships. The reasons are varied and several, and it's not my intent in the space of a daily devotional to present or solve them all. Suffice to say that most men I talk with vouch for the lack of friends in their life, even if they speak of different reasons for the condition.

It's something I worry about, something I marvel at when I consider some of the differences between myself and my own father. Back when my father was climbing the ladder in the Tucson Real Estate industry and had children aged 7 and 5 like I do now, his weekends were all his own. Tennis in the morning on both Saturday and Sunday. Soaking up sun at the pool or doing yardwork in the afternoons. Watching sports or even working in the evenings. A quarterly fishing trip. Several of these activities involved his friends and acquaintances. It's worth noting that he didn't know the Lord at this time in his life, but also important to note that, to the best of my recollection, we kids weren't starved for his attention or affection. It still seemed like we were close, and had plenty of time together. So, I use my father as an example of the model I was shown for what men were expected (allowed?) to do and be in the 1970s.

At some point things changed, and yes, in most ways, for the better. Men began leaving their work at work. Being conscious about setting aside time for family activities. Reserving weekends for playing with their kids and going to soccer games rather than hitting the tennis court or the golf links or the lake. Technology, instead of saving us time, only seemed to create more ways in which we could spend it working. Where my father routinely met his buddies for a beverage after work, it's all I can do to rush home, swallow some food, and not leave my wife and kids feeling neglected before I log on for another couple hours of work and then an exhausted collapse into bed. Meeting another dude for a beer or coffee? Seriously, I don't want to laugh, but when? Even if I had a hole in my schedule, what makes me think the person I might invite (even if I knew someone well enough to want to spend time with him) would have time and desire, too? I've been heavily involved in our Adult Bible Fellowship class at church for years now, and I can count on one hand the times I've done something outside of church with any of the men in that group.

So, something is definitely missing. Somewhere, we went too far. I remember being single and having the privilege to work with some very close friends in our college admissions office, both of whom were newly-married. Getting them to do anything outside work was just about impossible. One of them wouldn't even go see a movie with me - one that I was offering to pay for - on the night his wife was busy studying for her nursing final exams. The other wouldn't even ask his wife whether he could put off lawn mowing for one more day to attend a minor league baseball game with a mutual friend who was in town for one night. What was going on?

Sure, I was tempted to blame their wives for not letting their husbands out to play, but even if there was truth to that notion, it wasn't the issue. The issue was, and is, that men simply are not bonding much these days... that the Bible speaks about friendship and male leadership and iron sharpening iron... and we are either purposefully choosing or unwittingly failing to make bonding and sharpening a priority.

So how do we purposefully choose?

For me, the solution lies partly in my favorite time of every year, mid-March. That's when I and 13 of my friends from college and camp get together for a long weekend of fishing, good food, fantasy baseball drafting, and most importantly, fellowship. We call it "Draftmas" because it's very much like a holiday for us, and it centers around our fantasy baseball draft and league as a device to draw us all together, give us common footing. But to a man, most would tell you that the baseball is not the point. So what is?

Back to Smith's book; on page 52 he writes: "Close friendships don't just happen. They result from the application of principles recorded throughout the Word of God." He contrasts the kindness and affection that David and Jonathan shared with the "lack of sympathy" and "overt emotional harrassment and condemnation" Job experienced with his pals Zophar, Eliphaz, and Bildad. The difference, Smith says, can be found throughout the Bible in these six principles of male friendship:

1.     God-Centered

2.     Formation of a covenant

3.     Faithfulness

4.     Social involvement

5.     Candor

6.     Respect

Just as Amos 3:3 says, "Do two men walk together unless they have made an appointment?", so do we display an intentional commitment to this activity as central to who we are as men, to who we want to be the rest of the year for our families and each other. While having close friends who don't live near me (but whom I'm always in contact with) does, admittedly, sometimes hinder me making new friends locally, it also serves to remind me how making new friends is possible and necessary. And I can see Smith's principles at work in this treasured group: God is indeed at the center of each of our lives; we've formed an agreement to meet together and communicate together around something we all enjoy, and are faithful to that agreement, to God, and to each other. We all fill roles, and are active socially and economically with each other, lending a hand in often amazing ways when needs arise; we speak freely and candidly, and we respect the various issues everyone brings to the table.

This year more than any other year in the past, those issues are big ones. Joblessness. Crises of faith. Being overwhelmed. Economic hardship. Remarriage. Career decisions. Waiting on God. Loneliness. Recently-deceased parents. Autism. Health. I'm really wondering how different this gathering is going to be from past ones. With so many of us suffering so many trials of life right now, some might think this sure sounds like a downer of a man-cation. I don't think it will be. In fact, I can't wait to get out of town to really bounce ideas and prayers off my friends, really seek out ways we can help each other, while at the same time destroying them by catching more fish and outbidding them for Albert Pujols.

It's an amazing dynamic, one I could not live without. One of our group recently told me, "You know this is only going to get harder to keep up the older we get." I disagreed. I know that I and several others are only finding it easier. For one thing, our wives have finally seen the difference in their men when they spend this time with each other. Mine practically pushes me out the door even though the event is usually over her birthday weekend. It's not a perfect answer to what I'm missing and seeing so many other men miss in their lives, but it's a start, and even, I realize now, a model.

Intersecting Faith & Life: What common interest can you center a group of Christian men around? It should be an excuse, a starting point, a conversational diving board. While things like sports, fishing, golfing, and other stereotypical male things are good, bear in mind that no one man enjoys all of these activities or subjects, and often, it's a sore spot with them, one that might be the very thing that, deep down, has them feeling like not as much of a "man." Wives, you can help "wake up" your listless man by hooking him up with his friends (not YOUR friends' husbands on a grown-up play-date, mind you), letting him reconnect with those who share his memories and activities he used to enjoy. Several healthy couples I know set aside one weekend every year for each person to spend a same-sex getaway with close friends, while also not feeling threatened by the idea of an evening here, an afternoon there causing any damage to the relationship. If anything, it'll make your marriage healthier, and bring back some things to talk about and pray for.

Further Reading

1 Samuel 18:1-4; 19:1-10
The Making of a Friendship
Why Men Need Friends

[Judy Harder]

The How of the Christian Life
Alex Crain, Editor, Christianity.com

"...be it unto me according to Your word."
Luke 1:38

"How It's Made," the Science Channel's hit show, regularly makes the most of people's curiosity about how household items like gummie candy, aluminum cans, and flavored bacon actually go from raw materials to finished product. It's easy to become mesmerized when cameras are leading you behind the scenes into the inner workings of factories making a few of your favorite things. By the end of each segment, the mists of your own vague ideas about process and production have been utterly dispersed.

This week's reading in chapter four of Francis Schaeffer's True Spirituality is a bit like "How It's Made" in that he delves into the secret of how the Christian life is effectively lived. While many of us know this secret in theory, the daily mist of our own residual fallen nature makes it necessary to review the blazing truth so that we might see ourselves (and God) accurately and live out our faith practically.

Moving forward from last week's teaching in chapter four about the normality of believing in unseen things, Schaeffer issues the biblical call this week to engage in what he terms "active passivity" when living the life of faith.

Schaeffer points out that belief in the Holy Spirit is one thing. Now what do we do with that belief? Second Corinthians 13:14 says that "the communion of the Holy Spirit" is to be with all true believers. We are to rely fully and constantly on Christ's promise to send us the Holy Spirit. He is the agent of the power and Person of the glorified Christ.

"There is not enough strength in ourselves, but placed before us is the power and work of the glorified Christ through the agency of the Holy Spirit. Surely this is exactly what Christ meant when he said, 'I will not leave you as orphans.'"
(John 14:18)

"As we look at the book of Acts, we find in the early church not a group of strong men laboring together, but the work of the Holy Spirit bringing to them the power of the crucified and glorified Christ. It must be so for us also."

"As with Mary in the virgin birth when she gave herself with her body to God in response to His promise, so we are in the same situation in [a certain sense] that we have these great and thrilling promises we have been considering, and we are neither to think of ourselves as totally passive, as though we had no part in this; nor are we to think we can do it ourselves."

"If we are to bring forth this fruit through us by the agency of the Holy Spirit, there must be a constant act of faith, of thinking: 'Upon the basis of Your promises I am looking for You to fulfill them... bring forth Your fruit through me into this poor world.'"

"We do not have to beat ourselves or be dejected, [but simply say]"Be it unto me according to Thy Word." This is what I mean by active passivity. This is the how, and there is no other."

Finally, as if to say "this is really how it's done!" Schaeffer reemphasizes that this is not just theoretical access to the power of the crucified, risen, glorified Christ. This is access that we have in reality—in the here and now.

Intersecting Faith & Life: 
Are you depending on your own energy, cleverness, persistence, charisma and talents to present the Christian life as attractive to your lost friends and family members? By faith (Hebrews 11:6), gaze upon Christ—His atonement, perfections and promises. Respond with active passivity: "Be it unto me according to Thy Word." 

For Further Study:
Romans 6-8
The Wind of the Holy Ghost Blowing upon the Dry Bones in the Valley of Vision, by Ebenezer Erskine
John Owen on the Spirit in the Life of Christ, Dr. Sinclair Ferguson

[Judy Harder]

Burning Your Ships
By Ryan Duncan, TheFish.com Editor

"In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple." – Luke 14:33

I may have mentioned this before, but I'm a bit of a history buff. Every now and then, when I've got some time to spare, I'll turn on the history channel and let myself get lost in the past. Recently, I started watching a documentary on the Age of Exploration, when the kingdoms of Europe were sending out ships to explore the Americas. To the Europeans, the New World was a place of limitless promise but also great danger. Faced with new cultures, strange animals, and deadly plagues, many explorations returned home in failure.   

Then in February 1519, an explorer named Hernando Cortez was commissioned by the Spanish Crown to sail to the Yucatan and conquer it in the name of Spain. Cortez and his army set out at once, and when they reached the shores of the Yucatan, Cortez turned to his men and said,

"Burn the boats."

Cortez refused to let turning back be an option. For the sake of his mission, it would be all or nothing. To many of us this may sound a bit extreme, but as it turns out, Jesus had the same principle when he started his ministry.     

"As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go." Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head." He said to another man, "Follow me." But the man replied, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God." Still another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-bye to my family." Jesus replied, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.'" – Luke 9:57-62

Being a true Christian is something bold and dangerous. We live in a world that loves compromises, and teaches us that we are free to pick and choose what parts of religion we want to follow. Christ is different. When we become his followers, he tells us to take up our crosses and never look back. To follow him is all or nothing. So take some time today and renew your relationship with Christ, because God never claims a victory until he finally gets it all.

Intersecting Faith and Life

Are you holding onto something that is keeping you from God? Take some time to consider.

Further Reading

Matthew 8

[Judy Harder]

March 2, 2012
Friend of a Wounded Heart
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor

Jesus, He meets you where are
Oh, Jesus, He heals your secret scars
All the love you're longing for is Jesus
The friend of a wounded heart

"Friend of a Wounded Heart"
Lyrics & Music by Wayne Watson

A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to hear singer-songwriter Wayne Watson in concert.

Now I was a huge fan of Wayne back in the day and all things contemporary Christian music, and so it was great to see him and experience his talent all over again. Last time I listened to what he had to say, though, it was via cassette tape. So it's been a little while.

But as we all know, many times absence makes the heart grow fonder. And so hearing songs like "Home Free", "When God's People Pray", "Field of Souls" and "Somewhere in the World" were like spending an evening with old friends. And then, when Wayne performed "Friend of a Wounded Heart," I knew why the Lord had prompted me to attend this concert that evening and why this song still moves me so deeply.

Smile, make them think you're happy
Lie, and say that things are fine
And hide that empty longing that you feel
Don't ever show it, just keep your heart concealed

Can you relate to this song's opening stanza? Do you know what it's like to have a heart that aches but are doing everything in your power to conceal it from the rest of the world? I do. And I choke up every time I hear or sing these words. We think it's easier to just hide the hurt away. To tuck away our pain. To act like everything is okay. To not admit to being weak. To not having our acts together.

Why are the days so lonely?
I wonder where, where can a heart go free?
And who will dry the tears that no one sees?
There must be someone to share your silent dreams.

This second stanza echoes our cries, does it not? How it hurts to have a wounded heart! How painful it is to feel alone in your pain! To bear the secret scars. Ones that are fresh or ones that have been there quite a while. I have them, too. And at times, the pain is more than I can bear. And I feel all alone.

But this song reminds me that I'm not. And you're not. Even though we are all walking wounded, there is Someone who is there. Someone who knows my wounded heart. Someone who knows yours. He meets us where we are. He knows our secret scars.

Later, the song encourages that . . .

Joy, comes like the morning
Hope, deepens as you grow
And peace, beyond the reaches of your soul,
Comes blowing through you, for love has made you whole

Do you believe that today, my friend? God's love has made you whole. Praise him!

Praise the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens. Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness . . . Let everything that has breath praise the LORD (Psa. 150: 1-2, 6, NIV).

For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him (Psa. 103:11-13, NIV).

Praise him! Love him! Adore him! He is the friend of our wounded hearts.

Intersecting Faith & Life: Are you ready to bring your secret scars to the Father today? Are you tired of acting like everything's fine? Let it go. Give it to him. He's waiting for you with "arms open wide, love in his eyes."

Further Reading:

Isa. 53:4-5, NIV
Mark 6:56, MSG
1 Peter 2:24, NIV

"Jesus, What a Friend for Sinners"

Words: John Wilbur Chapman (1910)

Music: Rowland Pritchard (1830)

[Judy Harder]

March 5, 2012

Perfect Plans
Anna Kuta, Crosswalk.com News Editor

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28).

When I graduated from college, I had no job – but no worries. Many of my business-major friends had known since the previous fall where they would be accepting a job, living and working, but that isn't the way the journalism industry works. I'd been advised by plenty of my journalism professors that the type of jobs I'd be looking for were the type that hired to fill positions immediately. So in the days after I moved back home and packed away my graduation robe and apartment furnishings, I confidently began applying to media-related jobs in the area, waiting for my dream job to come along any day.

Two weeks later, nothing. My best friend got hired and started work. I spent every day searching the Internet for job openings, attempting to network, and submitting applications left and right. Two months later, still nothing. It seemed like with each day that passed, someone else I knew accepted a job, but I just knew my moment was right around the corner.

But as July rolled into August, and still no prospects, I was starting to freak out big time. I began applying to every job I could find that was semi-related to anything that even sounded remotely interesting. I prayed for God to open a door where He wanted me, to bring along the right job at the right time, and to help me be patient and not stress out.

Then, suddenly, two opportunities arose. I was so sure this was the answer to my prayer. I held off on the first one to pursue the other, but when I went in for an informal interview, I was informed that the job actually didn't exist after all. I contacted the first job again, but that position had already been filled. Seriously? I asked God. All the grand plans I'd been making in my mind just crashed and burned.

A few days later I was moping around on the couch, and I decided to do another sweep of all the job search websites for the 400th time. Something caught my eye, a new job listing that wasn't there before. As I read the description, it was like someone had gotten inside my head and summarized everything I wanted in a job but had yet to actually verbalize. It sounded almost too good to be true. I applied, and before I knew it, I received a phone call to begin the interview process. And then, just a few weeks later, I screamed in excitement as I received a phone call with the job offer. You've probably figured by now I'm referring to my job here at Crosswalk, and you're right. It's been almost six months now, and I still refer to it to everybody as my "dream job."

Today, it could not be more obvious to me how God worked all the details together for me in my job search last summer, even when at times I wanted to despair. I ended up with the perfect job and I got to enjoy one last summer vacation. The timing of it all fell into perfect place with every other event happening in my life. I had great opportunities this summer to serve the Lord and grow in my faith, and most of all, I learned some of the most valuable lessons I've ever learned about trusting God and waiting for Him.

Romans 8:28 says that all things in the lives of those who love God and who have accepted Him will ultimately contribute to our good. It doesn't say everything in our lives will be good, but that everything will work together for an outcome in our lives that is pleasing to God. Notice Paul makes it very clear that it's something granted only to those who "love God and who are the called according to His purpose." We know from John 14:15 that we show our love for God by keeping his commandments – and being one of "the called" means making Him the Lord of every area of our lives when we accept His call of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

God absolutely cares about all the small details of our lives. Right now, you might be facing a situation that makes no sense. We live in a sinful world, and bad things happen. It may seem that your prayers are going unanswered. But God promises that he has a perfect plan for the lives of those who truly love and follow Him and who have received salvation through Jesus. You may not realize right this moment – or ever – why things happen just the way they do, but if you have accepted God's call of the gospel, you can trust that He is working everything in your life together for His ultimate purpose.

Intersecting Faith & Life

Looking back on your life, can you see times when God worked out all the details for good and situations that have shaped you and brought you closer to the Lord? What did He teach you through those times, and what is He teaching you through your current situation? Trust Him that He continues to do His perfect work in your life as you continue to follow Him.

Further Reading

Jeremiah 29:11

Proverbs 19:21

Proverbs 3:5-6

1 Corinthians 1:24

Philippians 3:14