Grains of Sand

Jesus warned His disciples right up front that following Him would not be easy. Persecution, privation and even death awaited anyone who took being His follower seriously. Any advertising firm will tell you that accentuating the negative isn't a good selling point for any product. But there was, as always, a plus side. The same Lord who didn't promise a bed or roses, did make this promise: " Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father…so don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows " (Matthew 10:29). At first glance that sounds positive, the stuff of the famous song from which come these words: "His eye is on the sparrow and I know He watches me." Every day for the believer should be a day of thanking God for keeping an eye on us, even when we fall. What? Fall? The promise for the believer is not an absence of all the things that the Lord had just finished warning His f...

" ...our prayer is for your perfection " –2 Corinthians 13:9, NIV. I pray a lot of things for a lot of people but I'm not sure I have ever prayed for someone to be perfect. Perhaps I'm a casualty of the popular adage, "nobody's perfect" which might make a prayer for perfection seem like a silly thing for which to petition the Lord. Perhaps I am too aware (or not aware enough) of my own imperfections, making it feel a little hypocritical to pray for someone else to be perfect when I'm not. Oddly, (or not) Paul must have been thinking the same thing. The complete sentence is: " We are glad whenever we are weak but you are strong; and our prayer is for your perfection ." The whole context follows the same line. He hoped that he would not fail the test (vs. 6) but his primary concern, and prayer, was that they not do anything wrong (vs. 7). He ends this letter with an admonition to: " Aim for perfection... " (13:11, NIV). Paul isn...

I cringe every time I hear someone headline Satan. He craves attention, feeds on our focus, delights when we make him bigger than life. That's why I like what James has to say about the struggles that we all face. Rather than making "good press" for the devil, James calls us to look beyond the minor players in the great drama of life to the One who gives us good gifts even when they come wrapped in dirty rags. " Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete not lacking anything. . .Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him " –James 1:2-4, 12, NIV. Our tendency is to give Satan credit for what God is doing in our lives. We don't usually look on difficulties as "...

Ahhhh, life has returned to normal. The kitties were active very early this morning so guess who was up? Rather than just lie there, I turned on the bedside lamp and read the Scripture assigned for today. Habakkuk is only three chapters long, tucked away among the lesser known books of the prophets. Most people don't find it in their lifetimes, much less learn to spell it correctly. But it's extremely relevant if only because the prophet asks the same questions many of us do. Habakkuk's first concern is why God doesn't punish evil. Then when God announces to him that He is going to send Babylon to punish Judah, Habakkuk wonders why God is sending an even more evil nation to punish His people for their evil. In the end the prophet concludes that he needs to trust God that even when everything is bleak, black, and bad, there is reason to rejoice in the Lord because: " The Sovereign Lord is my strength, he makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables me to go o...

Psalm 67-69 When we are sloughing through the mud and mire of difficult circumstances, when we feel as though the troubles of life are about to pull us under and drown us in despair and depression, what's the first thing that comes to mind? Aside from calling for help from God, which should be our first step, what follows? David's words in Psalm 69 intrigued me this morning. The sweet singer of Israel is up to his eyeballs in difficulties. It doesn't appear that his troubles are the result of his sin though he is quick to acknowledge that even in the best of circumstances, he's not perfect (vs. 5). What is obvious is that David is being badly treated for all the right reasons. He is hated because he is doing what he knows the Lord wants of him. He's called for relief, but God is holding off sending the cavalry for the moment. What caught my attention the most in this psalm was David's concern for those other God-followers who might be watching his stru...

Job 8-10 In his despair, Job struggles with God. He bounces back and forth, feeling that God has pronounced him guilty yet protesting his innocence. There is an edge of injustice here: Job feeling God has been unjust and is being unfair. “ Even if I were innocent, my mouth would condemn me; if I were blameless, it would pronounce me guilty. Although I am blameless …He destroys both the blameless and the wicked. When a scourge brings sudden death, he mocks the despair of the innocent. When a land falls into the hands of the wicked, he blindfolds its judges. If it is not he, then who is it? ” —Job 9:20-24. He is afraid of God, afraid to speak. He wishes for someone to speak for him (9:33-35). Job confesses to being bitter (10:1). He feels unfairly treated. Anger and bitterness often result in our saying things that were better left unsaid. For example: “ Does it please you to oppress me, to spurn the work of your hands, while you smile on the schemes of the wicked? ” (10:3). He believes...

I was packing up some stuffed animals and used clothing yesterday—things that will get dropped off to be distributed among those who could use a little encouragement along the way. The exercise reminded me of an incident that took place in Colombia where I served many years ago. Someone in Western Canada had taken it upon herself to collect a ton (literally) of used clothing which she then sent to us at the Bible Institute in Medellin. The huge crate arrived and we had an absolute ball going through all the stuff. Some was junk—a waste of time and money to sent. That junk included long underwear, mini-skirts, shoes without mates. I think there was even a ratty fur coat. But there was some good clothing in the crate. We distributed what was useful and in good condition to our Bible School students, most of whom were very poor. One young man refused to take anything. He told me that he didn't wear "hand-me-downs." Pride was written all over his face so I took him aside. His...

“ Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created .” —James 1:16-18 James began his letter writing aboout trials. He encouraged us to rejoice in whatever trials God sends us because they ultimately are meant for our spiritual growth. We are encouraged to persevere so that we get the most value out of those trials. We are to ask for wisdom in dealing with them. We are to trust without wavering. A little later, James deals with temptations. From Satan’s standpoint what God uses as fertilizer to promote growth can also be a gopher hole to cause us to fall and break a leg. James reminds us that it’s our choice to give in, the desire to sin comes from within, not from influences without. We know that the paragraphing and the numbers assigned to the Scripture...

Tucked in between James' teaching on trials are two verses that we hold close to our hearts. " If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind " —James 1:5, 6 NIV. Obviously verses like these apply to everything in life, but I find it interesting that they appear in this particular spot like sliced beef between two slices of whole grain bread. Since nothing in Scripture is irrelevant, the placing of these two verses must have a special meaning in the context. What do I do in the face of this trial? That's the kind of question that demands that we go to God and ask for His wisdom. We are never more vulnerable to making wrong decisions or reacting badly as when we are undergoing trials. During these times we need to lean heavily on God so that we make no mistakes in our ...

The office staff at mission headquarters in Guelph meets every Tuesday for devotions and prayer. During my few months there we were working our way through the book of James. I remember clearly the discussion on these verses: " Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything " —James 1:2-4. In a world of "instant" perseverance has gone the way of the dodo bird. We seldom ask God for perseverance to remain firm in in our faith in the face of a trial. We ask for relief as quickly and painlessly as possible. From what James says "quick and painless" is not the road to spiritual maturity. Well, we say, at least give us an explanation of the reasons behind this trial and what the gains for us are going to be in the end. More often than not the heavens are silent on those ...