On this beautiful Lord's Day afternoon let me share with you a paragraph from a wonderful little book by Elisabeth Elliot, All That Was Ever Ours. . ." and a scripture to go with it.
"All that was ever ours," wrote Amy Carmichael of India, "is ours forever." That wonderful place was one of the stations of my life. It helped to shape my tastes and loves and imagination and vision of God, and I remember His command to the people of Israel, "Thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee. . . ."
"They were to remember all of it. Most of it, I suppose, was more boring than memorable on that desert journey, and they had to go from Point A to Point B to Point C and all the way to Point Z in obedience, whether or not anything interesting happened along the way. But there were special places where God met them in special ways, and thus He helped them to review His leading. He knew how their memory would need jogging. The Cottage is one of the stations I go back to in my memory with joy. There are, of course, other kinds of places as well, places not at all like the Cottage which I would as soon forget. But, as Phillip Brooks prayed, I pray, "O Lord, by all Thy dealings with us, whether of light or darkness, of joy or pain, let us be brought to Thee." It is He to whom and with whom we travel, and while He is the End of our journey, He is also at every stopping place."
"And thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no. And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live." Deuteronomy 8:2-3
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
“The Lord is my Keeper”
“The Lord is my Keeper”
It's wonderful for us to know that “The Lord is my Shepherd”--especially since it's 'MY' shepherd—so personal and real. But what does it mean to say “the Lord is my Keeper”? The Hebrew word is shamar meaning “to keep, guard, watch over, attend to carefully., to preserve.” We see God “keeping watch o'er His own” throughout the Bible concluding with this wonderful benediction and doxology, “Now unto him who is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, [25] To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.” Jude 1.24-25
Let's browse through this beautiful little Psalm together Psalm 121 ESV “A Song of Ascents” which means it was sung on the way to Jerusalem and during the three annual feasts of Israel: Passover, Pentecost, and the Harvest Feast of Tabernacles. Verse 1: “I lift up my eyes to the hills” as we draw closer to Jerusalem and the road becomes steeper and I see the beauty of the mountains in front of me. And he asks, “From where does my help come?” And his response makes the whole pilgrimage a parable for his life, “[2] My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” Where else are we to look for help but to the Lord and in His providence He will send you people and circumstances that will help you while He Himself sustains your spirit. He who created the heavens and the earth and preserves it is quite able to preserve, protect, and care for you as well.
“[3] He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber.” It matters not what time of the day or night, God is there watching over you. It's personal: He's watching over “you” individally. And then His watchcare is for all of us so it's inclusive: “[4] Behold, he who keeps Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.” There is an interesting play on words here. Shamar comes from shemuroth meaning the eyelids, i.e. “keepers of the eye” as God is called shomer Ishrael, “the keeper of Israel” (and by extension, the keeper of the Church, the body of Christ.)
Then it's individual and personal again, “[5] The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand. [6] The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.” How can you be “smitten” by the sun? In that hot arid land of Palestine sunstroke and dehydration were frequent dangers. The hot sun withers the plants and can blind the eyes. How wonderful shade is on a hot summer day. And what about the moon at night? [Some of the commentators suggest that if you sleep out on a clear moonlit night you need to cover your eyes or face to protect from “moonstroke” (whatever that is, I'm not sure.) Click on Comment and let me know. I couldn't locate it in my reference books. Maybe the Psalmist mentions the moon simply to show God's comprehensive care by night as well as by day. Another Psalm mentions, “You will not fear the terror of the night” 91:5 “The day is thine, the night also is thine. . . .”. Ps. 74:16]
“[7] The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life.” Surely you are aware of God's providential protection in your life. From the time God formed us in our mother's womb and protected us and gave us birth and life [Ps.139] so has God often protected and preserved us and kept us from danger. But what about those Christians who were killed or martyred or simply “died in an accident”? Were they not protected? The answer is clearly seen in the life of Jesus. Jesus was obviously preserved and protected throughout His life, in His birth and protected from the murderous hands of King Herod when He was less that two years old and was directed by the angel to flee into Egypt. And later when they sought to kill Him, they could not so much as lay a hand on Him even in the confines of the Temple where his enemies controlled the Temple police and when they were sent, they returned empty handed. Earlier in Nazareth they tried to push Him off a cliff, but He simply “passed throug their midst” without anyone being able to stop Him or grab Him. Why was this protection given Him? Scripture tells us: “because His hour was not yet come.'
Then in the last week of His sojourn here on earth, Jesus told His disciples, “My hour has come.” And then the events of the Passion Week unfolded just as prophesied in the Old Testament.
At the time of His transfiguration Jesus told Peter James and John, “The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day.” Luke 9:22 And He gave all of His disciple more details just days before He was arrested by His enemies,. “And taking the twelve, he said to them, "See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished. For he will be delivered over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon. And after flogging him, they will kill him, and on the third day he will rise." Luke 18:31-33 ESV
Why didn't God protect Him from those things the way He had protected and preserved Him all His life here on earth? The answer is simple: His death was in the Plan of God to provide redemption and eternal life to all who would turn to Him in repentance and faith. Peter on the Day of Pentecost after Jesus' resurrection and ascension 40 days later told the Jews, “Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain.” Acts 2:23 Their actions were done by their “wicked hands,” but God had determined “before the foundation of the world” that Jesus would lay down His life so that we might be saved.
Jesus' death was “foreordained before the foundation of the world.” 1 Peter 1:20 Jesus was “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” Rev. 13:8
Jesus is our example in so many things. We, too, are protected by God (not from our own foolish folly and we will reap the results of our actions--”whatever a person sows, that shall he also reap.” Gal. 6:7) until His purposes have been accomplished in our lives and then He comes to take us home to be with Him. “All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” Psalm 139:16 NIV
Now back to this wonderful little Psalm and the last verse, “[8] The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.” God is not only all-powerful and all-wise and the Good Shepherd who cares for His sheep and loves them, He is also our Great Protector and Preserver, ever-watchful even of the small details of our lives. God feeds and cares for the birds, shall He not also take care of you? “Be of good cheer, Little Flock, you are of much more value than many sparrows!”
“Your going out and your coming in.” That speaks of all your actions, does it not? “None are so safe as those whom God keeps; none so much in danger as the self-secure.” (Spurgeon) We should be aware of our weakness and vulnerability so that we will depend on the Lord. “But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.” 2 Cor. 1:9 NIV 2 Cor. 4:7 “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.” 2 Cor. 4:7
God protects and preserves us “from this time forth and forevermore.” He who has taken care of us all of our lives is certainly not going to abandon us when we get sick or old and weak and unable to take care of ourselves. “The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life” and then take you home to be with Him. “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.” Psalm 23:6
--Pastor Burnside
It's wonderful for us to know that “The Lord is my Shepherd”--especially since it's 'MY' shepherd—so personal and real. But what does it mean to say “the Lord is my Keeper”? The Hebrew word is shamar meaning “to keep, guard, watch over, attend to carefully., to preserve.” We see God “keeping watch o'er His own” throughout the Bible concluding with this wonderful benediction and doxology, “Now unto him who is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, [25] To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.” Jude 1.24-25
Let's browse through this beautiful little Psalm together Psalm 121 ESV “A Song of Ascents” which means it was sung on the way to Jerusalem and during the three annual feasts of Israel: Passover, Pentecost, and the Harvest Feast of Tabernacles. Verse 1: “I lift up my eyes to the hills” as we draw closer to Jerusalem and the road becomes steeper and I see the beauty of the mountains in front of me. And he asks, “From where does my help come?” And his response makes the whole pilgrimage a parable for his life, “[2] My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” Where else are we to look for help but to the Lord and in His providence He will send you people and circumstances that will help you while He Himself sustains your spirit. He who created the heavens and the earth and preserves it is quite able to preserve, protect, and care for you as well.
“[3] He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber.” It matters not what time of the day or night, God is there watching over you. It's personal: He's watching over “you” individally. And then His watchcare is for all of us so it's inclusive: “[4] Behold, he who keeps Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.” There is an interesting play on words here. Shamar comes from shemuroth meaning the eyelids, i.e. “keepers of the eye” as God is called shomer Ishrael, “the keeper of Israel” (and by extension, the keeper of the Church, the body of Christ.)
Then it's individual and personal again, “[5] The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand. [6] The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.” How can you be “smitten” by the sun? In that hot arid land of Palestine sunstroke and dehydration were frequent dangers. The hot sun withers the plants and can blind the eyes. How wonderful shade is on a hot summer day. And what about the moon at night? [Some of the commentators suggest that if you sleep out on a clear moonlit night you need to cover your eyes or face to protect from “moonstroke” (whatever that is, I'm not sure.) Click on Comment and let me know. I couldn't locate it in my reference books. Maybe the Psalmist mentions the moon simply to show God's comprehensive care by night as well as by day. Another Psalm mentions, “You will not fear the terror of the night” 91:5 “The day is thine, the night also is thine. . . .”. Ps. 74:16]
“[7] The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life.” Surely you are aware of God's providential protection in your life. From the time God formed us in our mother's womb and protected us and gave us birth and life [Ps.139] so has God often protected and preserved us and kept us from danger. But what about those Christians who were killed or martyred or simply “died in an accident”? Were they not protected? The answer is clearly seen in the life of Jesus. Jesus was obviously preserved and protected throughout His life, in His birth and protected from the murderous hands of King Herod when He was less that two years old and was directed by the angel to flee into Egypt. And later when they sought to kill Him, they could not so much as lay a hand on Him even in the confines of the Temple where his enemies controlled the Temple police and when they were sent, they returned empty handed. Earlier in Nazareth they tried to push Him off a cliff, but He simply “passed throug their midst” without anyone being able to stop Him or grab Him. Why was this protection given Him? Scripture tells us: “because His hour was not yet come.'
Then in the last week of His sojourn here on earth, Jesus told His disciples, “My hour has come.” And then the events of the Passion Week unfolded just as prophesied in the Old Testament.
At the time of His transfiguration Jesus told Peter James and John, “The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day.” Luke 9:22 And He gave all of His disciple more details just days before He was arrested by His enemies,. “And taking the twelve, he said to them, "See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished. For he will be delivered over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon. And after flogging him, they will kill him, and on the third day he will rise." Luke 18:31-33 ESV
Why didn't God protect Him from those things the way He had protected and preserved Him all His life here on earth? The answer is simple: His death was in the Plan of God to provide redemption and eternal life to all who would turn to Him in repentance and faith. Peter on the Day of Pentecost after Jesus' resurrection and ascension 40 days later told the Jews, “Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain.” Acts 2:23 Their actions were done by their “wicked hands,” but God had determined “before the foundation of the world” that Jesus would lay down His life so that we might be saved.
Jesus' death was “foreordained before the foundation of the world.” 1 Peter 1:20 Jesus was “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” Rev. 13:8
Jesus is our example in so many things. We, too, are protected by God (not from our own foolish folly and we will reap the results of our actions--”whatever a person sows, that shall he also reap.” Gal. 6:7) until His purposes have been accomplished in our lives and then He comes to take us home to be with Him. “All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” Psalm 139:16 NIV
Now back to this wonderful little Psalm and the last verse, “[8] The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.” God is not only all-powerful and all-wise and the Good Shepherd who cares for His sheep and loves them, He is also our Great Protector and Preserver, ever-watchful even of the small details of our lives. God feeds and cares for the birds, shall He not also take care of you? “Be of good cheer, Little Flock, you are of much more value than many sparrows!”
“Your going out and your coming in.” That speaks of all your actions, does it not? “None are so safe as those whom God keeps; none so much in danger as the self-secure.” (Spurgeon) We should be aware of our weakness and vulnerability so that we will depend on the Lord. “But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.” 2 Cor. 1:9 NIV 2 Cor. 4:7 “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.” 2 Cor. 4:7
God protects and preserves us “from this time forth and forevermore.” He who has taken care of us all of our lives is certainly not going to abandon us when we get sick or old and weak and unable to take care of ourselves. “The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life” and then take you home to be with Him. “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.” Psalm 23:6
--Pastor Burnside
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
The Change by Cheryl Foster
The Change
Maybe all their lives had been a preparation for the change
but there could be no words for it.
Their daughter thought about the Bible stories of Jesus’ ascension into heaven.
He didn’t really go straight up into heaven.
Maybe the disciples saw Him go up and then disappear into the clouds
so there could be no doubt it was Him;
but He didn’t go as if pulled up by a magic string.
He went through to what was there all along.
All their lives they had been peering into the Book for glimpses of heaven,
waiting for flood waters to recede,
looking for a dove with an olive branch.
The problem was the light.
It was dark their side of the porthole.
They’d wipe the glass to see a trillion stars, and the moon pulling tides.
Sometimes the lights danced on the glass into one great, focused spotlight.
Then they were ready to lose the dark sea.
They’d peered into the glass and had seen the outline of welcoming faces
–not only the beloved face of the ascended One.
He was the one they could make out standing in front,
but behind Him also everyone they’d ever loved,
even those long forgotten.
Everyone was there in the mind of remembering God.
All their lives had been a preparation for the change
but still they could not be ready
because they would not be going together.
She would be going ahead for the first time.
He would be left behind, for awhile.
Death could not be denied.
To a historian, it was on every page.
But the body was the real curse.
It was the ticking away no matter what you did.
It hadn’t seemed so when they were young,
embracing children, going the distance.
Only now it was the curse–willing spirits in weak flesh.
She had the curse of cancer,
moving through her like hands on a clock.
She’d beaten the odds, though there were none,
from Thanksgiving to Thanksgiving.
Still they were not ready, but death could not be denied.
He’d always said he had gypsy blood that would take him
and the family on long trips.
Traversing the globe, they’d learned to travel light.
They found they’d only ever needed each other.
They’d even become missionaries, leaving everything
only to gain more.
When the time came, she’d be ready to leave her dying body
and he’d be willing to let her, but he could never be quite ready.
They’d gone everywhere together since childhood.
Why did she have to go so soon?
There were no words for why.
Perhaps it was to honor a life.
She wasn’t going suddenly. Everyone who loved her knew why.
They could say, “Goodbye, we love. You mean so much to us.”
She would be honored, saintly in suffering, exemplifying faith and courage.
People visited, then called, but even that became too much.
She wanted time with him so time might slow.
Time cannot be measured at the moment the seed sprouts.
Time cannot be measured when the hourglass shatters
into particular grains. . . sand, dust . . . stardust.
After the dust settled, heaven would shine.
It would be easy for her to change.
The Risen One would say,
“Close your eyes and I’ll tell you a real story.”
She’d close her eyes.
For a split second she’d dream her whole life, like a favorite movie.
Then a voice would wake her, not a human voice.
The voice would wake her to a place better than her wildest imaginings,
calling her by a new name she’d never heard but remembered
--the same small voice that had whispered, “Let there be light” and there was light.
The light would wake her.
What is the difference between sleeping and waking
when you wake to a dream that is real?
What is the difference when you awake forever?
It is a matter of death and life.
They would look at their photos and wonder
if she would resemble the young girl, the beauty queen,
or the wise, older woman.
Maybe all their lives had been a preparation for this
but, without a Guide, it would have been impossible.
The Guide had been their traveling companion.
They knew the treasures He showed them
were more than consolations along the way,
but they were still afflicted.
He told them He would take her but would be with both,
that she’d be waiting with all heaven, arms open . . . not to worry.
They knew this was true.
They’d read the Book–history without beginning or end.
God had left fingerprints all over earth.
Prophecies came true . . . Miracles.
She would wake first in heaven,
the difference between the darkest night and the brightest dawn.
She would know he was still held by love. He would know she was home.
Then, when he finished his race, she’d be there to cheer him in,
into their forever home.
–Cheryl Foster
Maybe all their lives had been a preparation for the change
but there could be no words for it.
Their daughter thought about the Bible stories of Jesus’ ascension into heaven.
He didn’t really go straight up into heaven.
Maybe the disciples saw Him go up and then disappear into the clouds
so there could be no doubt it was Him;
but He didn’t go as if pulled up by a magic string.
He went through to what was there all along.
All their lives they had been peering into the Book for glimpses of heaven,
waiting for flood waters to recede,
looking for a dove with an olive branch.
The problem was the light.
It was dark their side of the porthole.
They’d wipe the glass to see a trillion stars, and the moon pulling tides.
Sometimes the lights danced on the glass into one great, focused spotlight.
Then they were ready to lose the dark sea.
They’d peered into the glass and had seen the outline of welcoming faces
–not only the beloved face of the ascended One.
He was the one they could make out standing in front,
but behind Him also everyone they’d ever loved,
even those long forgotten.
Everyone was there in the mind of remembering God.
All their lives had been a preparation for the change
but still they could not be ready
because they would not be going together.
She would be going ahead for the first time.
He would be left behind, for awhile.
Death could not be denied.
To a historian, it was on every page.
But the body was the real curse.
It was the ticking away no matter what you did.
It hadn’t seemed so when they were young,
embracing children, going the distance.
Only now it was the curse–willing spirits in weak flesh.
She had the curse of cancer,
moving through her like hands on a clock.
She’d beaten the odds, though there were none,
from Thanksgiving to Thanksgiving.
Still they were not ready, but death could not be denied.
He’d always said he had gypsy blood that would take him
and the family on long trips.
Traversing the globe, they’d learned to travel light.
They found they’d only ever needed each other.
They’d even become missionaries, leaving everything
only to gain more.
When the time came, she’d be ready to leave her dying body
and he’d be willing to let her, but he could never be quite ready.
They’d gone everywhere together since childhood.
Why did she have to go so soon?
There were no words for why.
Perhaps it was to honor a life.
She wasn’t going suddenly. Everyone who loved her knew why.
They could say, “Goodbye, we love. You mean so much to us.”
She would be honored, saintly in suffering, exemplifying faith and courage.
People visited, then called, but even that became too much.
She wanted time with him so time might slow.
Time cannot be measured at the moment the seed sprouts.
Time cannot be measured when the hourglass shatters
into particular grains. . . sand, dust . . . stardust.
After the dust settled, heaven would shine.
It would be easy for her to change.
The Risen One would say,
“Close your eyes and I’ll tell you a real story.”
She’d close her eyes.
For a split second she’d dream her whole life, like a favorite movie.
Then a voice would wake her, not a human voice.
The voice would wake her to a place better than her wildest imaginings,
calling her by a new name she’d never heard but remembered
--the same small voice that had whispered, “Let there be light” and there was light.
The light would wake her.
What is the difference between sleeping and waking
when you wake to a dream that is real?
What is the difference when you awake forever?
It is a matter of death and life.
They would look at their photos and wonder
if she would resemble the young girl, the beauty queen,
or the wise, older woman.
Maybe all their lives had been a preparation for this
but, without a Guide, it would have been impossible.
The Guide had been their traveling companion.
They knew the treasures He showed them
were more than consolations along the way,
but they were still afflicted.
He told them He would take her but would be with both,
that she’d be waiting with all heaven, arms open . . . not to worry.
They knew this was true.
They’d read the Book–history without beginning or end.
God had left fingerprints all over earth.
Prophecies came true . . . Miracles.
She would wake first in heaven,
the difference between the darkest night and the brightest dawn.
She would know he was still held by love. He would know she was home.
Then, when he finished his race, she’d be there to cheer him in,
into their forever home.
–Cheryl Foster
Home
Home
I've been thinking about home lately. The home Minnie made for us while the children were growing up. The home we had when the grandchildren were able to visit us very often. The home she and I had alone in Washington State for eleven years. And I'm thinking that home as God means for it to be should be a little taste of heaven while we're still yet so imperfect in this fallen world. We live among fallen creatures in a fallen world and sadly enough, we don't always help to make it a better place. And yet in spite of the rigor and the weariness of the daily chores and the unexpected problems that often arise, very often when love and kindness are shown in the family and we share in the excitement of learning and experiencing life as God intended it, “how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity.”
Home should be a place of refuge where all are accepted and loved because each has his or her own place to be and a responsibility to contribute and a share in all the goodness that the family has together. And this goes beyond the confines of the place that houses the individual family as the greater family shares with one another and helps bear one another's burdens. At home you can “wonder aloud” about things and have help clarifying your thinking and learning things you didn't know or understand. You can have demonstrated from life-to-life “how then should we live?” You can learn and share and teach each other the great truths you are learning from the Word of God and learning how to walk in paths of righteousness for His name's sake.
At home you can walk by quiet waters and your soul can be refreshed and renewed each day. At home you find help with your problems. And you can share the excitement of the accomplishments God gives you. After all half the joy of the good things of life is sharing them with those you love.
I said that I was thinking about “the home Minnie made for us while the children were growing up.” Actually we all made it together not any one person (and surely the husband and father has a major role to play, too), but a mother so often is able to set the tone for the home, the attitude that is picked up by the rest of the family. I think of Minnie's attitude of love and acceptance and hard work and cheerfulness and doing things with such a “willing heart.” Those are the qualities that all of us remember so well and wanted to emulate. So I pray for the attitude of all the mothers I know that they live up to what they know should be a good mother as described in Proverbs 31, for example. And I pray that the children will love their mother and father and honor them by obedience and a willing heart to do what is right. And may the children be kind one to another! I remember many times when the children were growing up and one of them said something too sharply to another, I would hear Minnie telling them from the other room in a kind, gentle voice herself, “And be ye kind one to another!” And the children responded and immediately softened their voices. I always loved to see that response.
But think now how God is the “ultimate Home builder,” the One who invented home in the first place! How wonderful for a man and a woman deeply in love to get married and set up their own home and then through the glories of sexual relations (another creation of God's; He thought up and created the whole idea!) then a family is started. And what a good effect the children have on their parents! How can you continue to be self-centered when little children need your attention so much and so often? Having children is a major help in breaking our “natural” self-centeredness.
So God started the whole thing by creating Adam and Eve with the capacities that they both had. 'God setteth the solitary in families.” Ps.68:6 “He maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children.” Ps. 113:9 So God's wisdom, power, and grace are all seen in this basic institution of the home that God created.
Think about the whole connotation of this well-loved word, “Home.” Consider a paragraph Jeannine wrote to me in an e-mail the other day:
“I was thinking on the bus this morning about what we were talking about last night when we had to end our conversation: God as the ultimate Home builder, resting place (He is Home), and provider of all the joy and comforts connoted by the word Home (not only the provider of it, but the creator of it, and the creator of even our capacity to long for and then enjoy Home). That is really mind boggling and I'm sure, completely unique among all of the alternative religions and philosophies. When we try to imagine what God is like, this is another way to see more of his traits and his love for us.”
We speak of God as our refuge and strength, our resting place—which is another way of saying He is our Home. In Him we live and move and have our being. In Him we dwell! And all the joy and comforts of home that I was trying to describe a few minutes ago, it is He who created them and brings them in to being.
And then, she wrote that God not only created Home but He is also “the creator of even our capacity to long for and then enjoy Home.”
And surely that is helping to prepare us for our Ultimate Home in heaven where Jesus Himself has gone “to prepare a place for us.” That's what we have at home and God Himself will dwell among us and He is our Father after which fathers on earth should pattern themselves. You have a longing for heaven because God actually created you for another world than this one. So when the Lord takes you home, you can say, “I have come home at last! This is my real country! I belong here. This is the land I have been looking for all my life, though I never knew it till now. . . .” C.S. Lewis, The Last Battle, p. 196. “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.” Phil. 3:20 ESV
Let's take it one step further: very often in our travels, we might be in Hong Kong, or Taiwan or Australia, or Europe, far from home and perhaps ready to go home then, I would tell Minnie, “Honey, my home is where you are.” And she understood and I understood. She was so dear to me that my home was wherever she was. When we get to heaven, we are going to realize that heaven is what it is because Jesus is there! And we are going to find perfect satisfaction and joy in His Presence. “. . . In thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.” Ps. 16.11
--Pastor Burnside
Note to reader: Since this is in my blog, you can turn this into a sort of forum with your comments which other people can respnd to and we can all benefit from what you share with us. So write a comment. You do NOT need to "choose an identity." All you need to do is write your comment and then click "Publish your comment." “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person." Col. 4:6 ESV
I've been thinking about home lately. The home Minnie made for us while the children were growing up. The home we had when the grandchildren were able to visit us very often. The home she and I had alone in Washington State for eleven years. And I'm thinking that home as God means for it to be should be a little taste of heaven while we're still yet so imperfect in this fallen world. We live among fallen creatures in a fallen world and sadly enough, we don't always help to make it a better place. And yet in spite of the rigor and the weariness of the daily chores and the unexpected problems that often arise, very often when love and kindness are shown in the family and we share in the excitement of learning and experiencing life as God intended it, “how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity.”
Home should be a place of refuge where all are accepted and loved because each has his or her own place to be and a responsibility to contribute and a share in all the goodness that the family has together. And this goes beyond the confines of the place that houses the individual family as the greater family shares with one another and helps bear one another's burdens. At home you can “wonder aloud” about things and have help clarifying your thinking and learning things you didn't know or understand. You can have demonstrated from life-to-life “how then should we live?” You can learn and share and teach each other the great truths you are learning from the Word of God and learning how to walk in paths of righteousness for His name's sake.
At home you can walk by quiet waters and your soul can be refreshed and renewed each day. At home you find help with your problems. And you can share the excitement of the accomplishments God gives you. After all half the joy of the good things of life is sharing them with those you love.
I said that I was thinking about “the home Minnie made for us while the children were growing up.” Actually we all made it together not any one person (and surely the husband and father has a major role to play, too), but a mother so often is able to set the tone for the home, the attitude that is picked up by the rest of the family. I think of Minnie's attitude of love and acceptance and hard work and cheerfulness and doing things with such a “willing heart.” Those are the qualities that all of us remember so well and wanted to emulate. So I pray for the attitude of all the mothers I know that they live up to what they know should be a good mother as described in Proverbs 31, for example. And I pray that the children will love their mother and father and honor them by obedience and a willing heart to do what is right. And may the children be kind one to another! I remember many times when the children were growing up and one of them said something too sharply to another, I would hear Minnie telling them from the other room in a kind, gentle voice herself, “And be ye kind one to another!” And the children responded and immediately softened their voices. I always loved to see that response.
But think now how God is the “ultimate Home builder,” the One who invented home in the first place! How wonderful for a man and a woman deeply in love to get married and set up their own home and then through the glories of sexual relations (another creation of God's; He thought up and created the whole idea!) then a family is started. And what a good effect the children have on their parents! How can you continue to be self-centered when little children need your attention so much and so often? Having children is a major help in breaking our “natural” self-centeredness.
So God started the whole thing by creating Adam and Eve with the capacities that they both had. 'God setteth the solitary in families.” Ps.68:6 “He maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children.” Ps. 113:9 So God's wisdom, power, and grace are all seen in this basic institution of the home that God created.
Think about the whole connotation of this well-loved word, “Home.” Consider a paragraph Jeannine wrote to me in an e-mail the other day:
“I was thinking on the bus this morning about what we were talking about last night when we had to end our conversation: God as the ultimate Home builder, resting place (He is Home), and provider of all the joy and comforts connoted by the word Home (not only the provider of it, but the creator of it, and the creator of even our capacity to long for and then enjoy Home). That is really mind boggling and I'm sure, completely unique among all of the alternative religions and philosophies. When we try to imagine what God is like, this is another way to see more of his traits and his love for us.”
We speak of God as our refuge and strength, our resting place—which is another way of saying He is our Home. In Him we live and move and have our being. In Him we dwell! And all the joy and comforts of home that I was trying to describe a few minutes ago, it is He who created them and brings them in to being.
And then, she wrote that God not only created Home but He is also “the creator of even our capacity to long for and then enjoy Home.”
And surely that is helping to prepare us for our Ultimate Home in heaven where Jesus Himself has gone “to prepare a place for us.” That's what we have at home and God Himself will dwell among us and He is our Father after which fathers on earth should pattern themselves. You have a longing for heaven because God actually created you for another world than this one. So when the Lord takes you home, you can say, “I have come home at last! This is my real country! I belong here. This is the land I have been looking for all my life, though I never knew it till now. . . .” C.S. Lewis, The Last Battle, p. 196. “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.” Phil. 3:20 ESV
Let's take it one step further: very often in our travels, we might be in Hong Kong, or Taiwan or Australia, or Europe, far from home and perhaps ready to go home then, I would tell Minnie, “Honey, my home is where you are.” And she understood and I understood. She was so dear to me that my home was wherever she was. When we get to heaven, we are going to realize that heaven is what it is because Jesus is there! And we are going to find perfect satisfaction and joy in His Presence. “. . . In thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.” Ps. 16.11
--Pastor Burnside
Note to reader: Since this is in my blog, you can turn this into a sort of forum with your comments which other people can respnd to and we can all benefit from what you share with us. So write a comment. You do NOT need to "choose an identity." All you need to do is write your comment and then click "Publish your comment." “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person." Col. 4:6 ESV
Monday, October 25, 2010
Traveling Together
"Traveling Together" is the name of Minnie's and my new blog. "Traveling Together" is a triple metaphor with three meanings. Of course it reflects the 54 years Minnie and I traveled together in this life with emphasis on what she said and did and how she blessed the lives of so many people--especially mine! A second meaning is our continuing journey together--yours and mine, friends and family--as we help build each other up in the Lord. “Let everything be done unto edification (or "building up.") 1 Cor. 14:26 We are told to "encourage one another daily" Heb. 3:13 and so we help carry one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ. Gal. 6:2
And yet a third meaning is the most basic of all: we are “traveling together” with Christ who is Lord of all. He is our “Good Shepherd” who gave His life for His sheep. He leads us in paths of righteousness beside the still waters and restores our soul. He guides us through the Valley of the Shadow of Death which we do not need to fear because He is with us—always—“even on through death itself our constant Guide is He.” And all the paths in which He guides us lead ultimately to Home. Surely—surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and [then] I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” Psalm 23
So “Traveling Together” is intended to expand the e-mail ministry that Minnie and I have had for 11 years. It began at Christ's College in Taipei where both she and I taught for three years from 1995-98. We lived on campus and became very close to our students so to continue our association with them I began writing devotionals for an “Online Bible Class.” Students would write to us to tell us of their lives and to ask questions and both Minnie and I responded. Later I taught an adult Sunday School class for 5 years and brought the evening messages at Sequim Bible Church in Sequim, Washington and so our friendships expanded even more. And then for 5 years I was pastor of Oak Bay Baptist Church in Port Hadlock, Washington. Friendships and fellowship were particularly strong there because those dear people went through the most traumatic experience of Minnie's and my life together with us and so obviously “wept with those who wept” as well as “rejoiced with those who rejoice.” And rejoice in the Lord we did in spite of three years of terminal pancreatic cancer which was the means by which the Lord took Minnie home to be with Christ in glory and she is there now with Him, living eternally. “God is not the God of the dead, but of the living” are words of Jesus Himself. Mt. 22:32
I appreciate the efforts of our granddaughter Wendy who took the initiative to get me started with this blog. And I also appreciate the help of Stephen Nieman, who was the Associate Pastor of Oak Bay Baptist when I was pastor there. He built and developed the church web site and helped me put together and publish my book Glory in Tribulations: Suffering in the Life of the Believer which I wrote during those three years Minnie and I were searching the scriptures for the “why” of her suffering—and we found answers that are written down in that book. If you don't have a copy, write me an e-mail and ask me about it. burnsidewm@cox.net You can also send me letters: William Burnside, 1901 Audabon Park Ct., Siloam Springs, AR 72761. If you have a question, comment, or suggestion that you don't want all the readers of this blog to read, you can write it by e-mail and I can hold it in confidence. A third person's help that I want to acknowledge is James Yan, a good friend who lives in Yakima, Washington with his wife Tina (our student at Christ's College) and their two little girls, Joanna and Susanna. James has helped me many, many times with computer problems and it was he who did all the technical preparation for my wife's two memorial services at Oak Bay Baptist in Port Hadlock, Washington, and Siloam Springs Bible Church in Siloam Springs, Arkansas.
A blog makes it very simple to make a comment or to ask a question and we hope you will use it for those purposes. We would like for this to be a forum of sorts wherein several people can comment and enter the discussion and all can read what each person writes. We all bring a somewhat different perspective to life and can be enriched and edified by each other and we can grow together in the Lord. That is part of the scriptural “koinonia fellowship” we have in the presence of the Lord together. “That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.” 1 John 1:3-4
At present there are more than 200 people who receive my “devotional” e-mails. You can add additional names if they would like to participate with us. On the blog be sure to click “Subscribe” so that you will receive e-mails from the blog and click on Comment also if you would like. We're especially interested in suggestions, comments, and questions.
Love in our Lord,
Bill Burnside (for Minnie)
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