God Is On His Throne

Psalm 45:6 states: Your throne, O God, is forever and ever.  The scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of uprightness; and is one of many verses that clearly proclaim that God is the ultimate Ruler of everything. Life is so involved and hectic sometimes that I forget this simply truth - Jesus is Lord.

We who have grown up under our system of government are not familiar with the concept of monarchs and despots. Ok, I know we are perhaps going to be very soon, but for most of our lives, we have lived with a great deal of freedom and choice. I struggle sometimes to relate to what it must have been like to live under the rule of men that had complete power without any checks and balances.

As I read the Scripture, I am presented with a picture of a Sovereign God that rules. There is no one that stops His plans or thwarts His wishes. There is no equal to God or even competition to Him. The devil, which many inaccurately set up as a god, is simply picked up by some no-name angel and thrown into the pit at the end of the Bible. No competition to God. No threat to God’s plan or wishes. God is completely able to enforce His will, as any other earthly king was able to do over his kingdom when they were in power. The earthly kings were limited by time, space, and incomplete knowledge, God is not, so His Kingdom is far greater, and His rule is beyond human comprehension.

The ramifications of this understanding are many and worthy of deep contemplation. What I am struck by is the thought contained in this statement I read this last week, - “Your enemies cannot sit on God’s throne.” Many times, I forget this truth and elevate people or circumstantiates to the level of Deity. I actually think that there are people or events that are outside of God’s rulership. I act as if these people or circumstances have escaped God’s notice or will. For long periods, I believe the deception that God is not ruling and these other folks are. How foolish you may think, and I agree.

As I return to the truth of God’s Word, I find that God is God and only He sits on the throne of the universe. He alone is the Sovereign Lord of all and His Kingdom and will is being established perfectly. I do not have to live in fear of man or dread of circumstances. God’s throne has no room for others and He is not abdicating, now or ever. God loves me as His child. My King has a will and plan that is being unfolded and I will end up just where He wants me. I will be conformed into His image and that is guaranteed in Blood. My eternal house is being prepared and I will be with my King forever. How foolish of me to let my thoughts run wild about the sovereignty of men or circumstances. There is one Lord and He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and He loves me. Sorry men or circumstances, there is only room for one on the Throne, and you are not that One!

Pastor Jeff

Face The Future With Confidence

G. Campbell Morgan was an excellent teacher, the pastor of The Westminster Chapel, and frequent speaker at the Moody Bible Institute in its early days. I find myself reading from his set of sermons regularly and am never disappointed. As was common in this period, Morgan would take a verse, or part of one and expound on it powerfully. In a men’s meeting recently, we discussed this sentence taken from one of these powerful sermons based on Deuteronomy 8:2 – “As you face the new, never forget the old, for the most absolute certainty that we possess as we face the uncertain is that of the things of the past.” 

God, in the Scripture, was constantly reminding His people to look back, remember and never forget. Why? Because we do so easily, it seems. The Bible in many ways is a sweeping drama focused on prior events, - Creation, the flood, the Exodus, the conquests, the dispersion, the cross and resurrection, etc. Each event plays a crucial role in our understanding of God, His character and will. Each one also is in our past. In fact, other than some events in the final book of the Bible, everything that has taken place in the pages of Scripture is in our past. We all must become lovers of history, and it seems that God has designed it that way. We must never forget. 

Many of the commands given by God to remember also include additional direction – make sure your children are told as well. Why? Because they most likely will not know unless someone tells them! That someone is supposed to be us. God expects us to tell our children about events that took place before they were born. Why? Because their life has a context, and they are part of a continuum. They have roots and there is a reason they are where they are today. We all are. None of us just simply appeared with no connection to the past. We are connected to those that went before us. Our lives are impacted by our ancestors. From Adam to my parents, each one played a part in forming my world. 

God commands us to remember and to make sure our children understand where they came from. We all can face the uncertain future with the certainty of the past.  We learn how God acted, what He did, and what He has said in His Word. God does not lie and He is not a respecter of persons. What He has said, He will do. As parents, it would be wonderful if we began to chronicle what God has done in our lives, including how He answered our prayers and how He affected our lives. Why? So we can better explain to our children the reality of God and give them reason for hope in an uncertain world. Moreover, God commands us to do so. 

I may not know much about the future, but I can learn a great deal about the past and then face the future with that understanding. I know God and He knows everything, so why do I have to worry or walk in fear as we face uncertain times? My God is the same God that created the universe and holds it all together. My God is the same God that parted the Red Sea, established and removed kings at His command, raised the dead, healed the sick, and defeated death and the devil at the cross. My God is the One that will create a new heaven and new earth. My God is the One that has always delivered His people according to His timing and purposes. The past clearly reveals who My God is and that He is unchangeable. Will He fail me or my children now? Not my God. How about yours?

Been A Bit Busy Lately...

I have been very lax on my blogging lately. Is that really a word? Hmmm...technology continues to expand everything including our vocabulary.

So much has happened since my last entry...one of the key events was my trip to Nicaragua to interact with 34 pastors in a three-day conference. What a great time we had in the Lord. God really moved and I trust that He imparted some vision and direction for these wonderful men of God.

Before I went several of my friends asked me if I was excited. To be perfectly honest, not really. I don't really like flying and in addition to that phobia, being charged with the key messages that could impact over 30 churches put a great deal of concern into my heart. For weeks I prayed and received very little direction as to what should be my emphasis. There is plenty to say, but with my understanding that I will stand judgment by whatever I teach, I didn't just want to stand there and spout off Jeff's wisdom.

The week we were getting ready to go the Lord graciously provided me with very clear direction and then the material came together in a wonderful way. Hindsight is always clearer than foresight so now I just need to remember that the Lord gives in His timing, not on my schedule. May I remember this truth the next time my schedule is not working out as I like. God still provides what is needed in the time of His choosing. He is just like that.

Many other things have been clamoring for my time and attention, and I am sure your life resembles this as well. I hope to continue writing and perhaps as the days of summer slip on by I can be more diligent. I guess we shall see what the Lord has planned and then decide.

That's MHBDAO anyway.

Pastor Jeff

A Bad Hare Day

Since I seem to be on an animal roll lately with recent blogs about cows and chickens, someone asked me if I had a story about a cat. Just happen to have one. 

 

When my children were still living at home we have several cats and a big dog around our house. The cats were free rangers and the dog owned the back yard. One cat in particular was a mighty hunter. She was always rounding up various critters to munch on and on this day she had found a rather small rabbit. 

The sounds that a rabbit make when in the mouth of a cat are not all that pleasant and my children were not real happy with this cat’s conquest of the morning. My kids began to chase the cat around yelling at it to drop the bunny. After some strong words and a few gentle slaps on the back of the head, the reluctant cat complied. The bunny, who did not realize that my children were there to help it, took off like, well, like a scared rabbit. 

With the children in hot pursuit of the frightened little thing, the bunny was quickly grabbed by a second cat that came out of the bushes. The scene was repeated with shouts and slaps and the bunny was free yet again. As it rounded the house this time there was yet a third cat laying on the sidewalk that the panicked bunny proceeded to jump over. You guessed it, more chomping, yelling and head swatting. 

Free once more the rabbit resisting all pleas to stop running and let my kids help it escape rounded the house and was grabbed my the dog and pulled through one of the holes in the fence. The smiling face of the surprised dog was the last thing the bunny ever saw. Being pulled through a hole in the chain link fence was the final straw. Perhaps the bunny died of a heart attack before it was snapped in two, maybe not. This was a sad end to the bunny’s story, the cat’s meal and my children’s hopes of rescue. The dog however, seemed happy. 

As I contemplated this ordeal later on, several things dawned on me. First, when we are controlled by fear we typically do not make good decisions. Often we can make really bad ones that only complicate the mess we are in. We can run wildly thinking we are getting away and the truth is we might be heading towards a stronger set of teeth. 

Second, help sometimes comes in packages we don’t recognize. The rabbit did not trust my children and instead relied on its own strength and giftings to get away. Simply submitting to the help provided would have provided a way of escape. Relying on agility and speed, in this case ended very badly. 

In addition, there really are dangers around that can have a drastic impact on our life if we live in panic mode. The Scripture tells us in multiple places that we have a foe and Peter states he is like a roaring lion (a large cat BTW.) We must be careful or we will be deceived or possibly devoured. We must learn to rest in the grace of our God and not exclusively rely on any physical gifts we may possess. The Scripture also mentions armor and weapons for our usage and we would be wise to get to know them!

God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind. Running around panicked about the government, money, the future, criminals, whether I am married or single, or what a bunch of folks are doing who are outside of my realm of influence, will not lead us into peace and rest. In fact, it might just lead us into a chain link fence and a smiling face we don’t want to see. 

That’s my HBDA opinion – Pastor Jeff

Chickens and Eternal Judgment

We live on a couple of acres and have a few farm type animals mostly for the grandchildren’s sake. The two milking goats provide an abundance of milk for those who are lactose intolerant, and the chickens are producing a bunch of organic eggs. We ordered 36 chickens that were all supposed to be hens. Two turned out to be roosters. While fun to listen to and pretty good looking as well, these two guys have some issues. First, they love to bully the hens, and second they attack the women and children. 

Life expectancy for said birds was not long after this behavior became evident. Being a city boy I was not real sure how to go about doing the execution that was inevitable. I considered shooting them with my pellet rifle, but then all I would have was a dead chicken suitable only for a burial. 

We have some friends that live on some property that offered to assist us. The mom with her two young daughters came over and showed us how to perform the deed. Clearly these are not city girls. They brought the tools of execution and with speed and deadly precision, the bully roosters are now in a pot soaking.

I will spare you the details of the judgment on these grandchildren attacking birds, but as I looked at the remaining pile of feathers and debris, I was reminded of how powerless those birds were in the hands of these young girls. All the crowing and strutting demonstrated earlier ended up in an embarrassing upside down helpless position with their necks exposed awaiting certain death. There was no debate; judgment was swift and final. 

God has promised that the wicked will meet with certain doom as well. Even Satan in the end will be picked up by some no-name angel, bound with a great chain, and sent to where he does not want to go. While we don’t know exactly when or how all of it works, it is clear that there is an eternal judgment that awaits all of us. It is dreadfully clear that God sits on the Great White Throne and there is no one that can withstand His judgment on their own merits. Heaven and earth melt away in His presence and sin and death will be sent to hell forever. Like those powerless roosters, judgment will be swift and final. Resistance is futile, regret will be inevitable for those that reject the Free Gift of Salvation offered in Christ. 

Regardless of our power here, our position we may enjoy, or how big we think we are, we are simply a rooster awaiting the knife in the hands of a little girl. I praise God for His gift of mercy and eternal life in Christ. My judgment has been placed on Christ and now my name is written in His Book of Life!  On the other hand, a rowdy rooster in the hands of a little girl with a knife reminds me of the dread and fate that awaits those that fall into the hands of a holy God without the Sacrifice of Christ.  (Hebrews 10:31)

That’s my HBDAO – Pastor Jeff

A Place of Healing - Joni Eareckson Tada

Someone in my church that has been dealing with significant medical issues for years gave me this book to read. I am often given books and some are good, and others not so much. Joni is well known and loved around the globe and I am one of those folks that marvel at what God has done to and through her. Yes, you read that right, and I am pretty sure Joni would agree with that comment. 

In this thoughtful book, Joni outlines her current struggles. As if being paralyzed in a wheel chair for forty years was not hard enough, now she is in almost constant pain and has breast cancer. Anytime I being to feel sorry for myself, or complain, or whine, all I need to do is look at the cover of this book and I will place my hand over my mouth and repent! My life is a cake walk compared to what Joni has been blessed with. Again, you read that correctly, I said blessed, for that is her take as well. 

Throughout the book, Joni shares her fears, concerns, struggles and insights learned from her life. Her perspective from her chair is both challenging and heartwarming. No wonder this book is up for an award from the national Christian broadcasters or some other group that I cannot remember right now. It is really good and I highly recommend it. 

If you are suffering, hurting, or wanting to grow in your understanding of those that are, read the book. Only someone that has lived Joni’s life could state the things she says and not appear to be ignorant of real suffering and pain. When I offer statements like, “It will all work out for the best,” or “God is in control,” to someone suffering greatly, these statements are of course true, but seem shallow given my good health, stable marriage, and relative prosperity. When someone confined to a life in a wheelchair, totally dependent on others for the most basic daily routines, and in almost constant pain, these same statements carry great weight. 

Joni’s life has been a testimony to challenge those who are hurting to look beyond the pain and see God’s hand. This woman has reached millions for the Lord through her suffering in a way that most of us never could dream of. Joni has not only accepted her life, she has embraced it and clearly believes that this is God’s will for her. Testimony after testimony grace the pages of this book with real people that struggle with the question of accepting God’s sovereignty in the face of personal suffering. Joni, and through her ministry, countless others have come to this place; God is sovereign and He often allows great suffering to take place to further His work. 

Joni would not want to have lived a different life knowing what she knows now. God has used her injuries and suffering in many ways to reach millions that I certainly could not reach. Like Paul, she glories in her affliction because when she is weak, then she truly is strong.

 A friend of mine likes to tell the story of a particular group of folks that think they are the only ones making it to heaven. One young man asks an older one, “Do you think we will see so and so in heaven?” and the older man replies, “No, we won’t see them, they will be too close to the throne for us to see.” While I don’t know how all of that works out in heaven, I hope to get a glimpse of the back of Joni’s head when I get there. 

That’s my HBDAO – Pastor Jeff