Intro: When you have a giant to slay, don’t ask Jack…

Follow along as we unpack David’s great challenge from his giant? How might we measure up against ours?

It occurred to me recently that there might be some of my connections who would value tuning in to what I am presently doing weekly at Grandville Bible Church. Currently I am in the midst of a year-long Bible study based upon a former course in Biblical Hermeneutics or the Basics of good Bible study. Unfortunately, I am already 11 classes in but this might be a good place to upload my weekly media and the overview that I publish every week. So we’ll give it a try. Thanks MJC

Grandville downloads for class 12 of study

Title: What were you thinking about when you were a teenager?

During the earliest days of our country’s existence, in fact, before it was even a country, the American colonies were home to many godly pastors who were hard at work preaching the Gospel and teaching the citizens of the colonies the word of God.  

It was on October 5, 1703, in East Windsor, Conn, that Jonathan Edwards was born, the son of Pastor, Timothy and Esther Edwards. Young Jonathan soon found himself surrounded by 10 sisters; four of whom came before him, and six, who came after him, making him the only son of what came to be identified by the townsfolk—  because of his sister’s average height of six feet—  as Timothy’s  sixty feet of daughters.

Jonathan was a gifted child and progressed easily through his father’s rigorous home schooling and came to receive Jesus Christ as his savior early in his life. From very early on, he was concerned about his relationship with God;  at times, he worried about the possibility that he was not converted. His diary provided him the tool for examining what God had done in his life and “The Resolutions” became guidelines for charting his future course to live for Christ. Written as he approached his nineteenth birthday, “The Resolutions, were a series of instructions for life and guidelines for personal examination; both of which he intended to pursue on a daily basis. These Resolutions were one of two great interests in Edwards’ young life.

The second area of young Edwards’ interest was the physical world around him. He was fascinated with the star-studded sky and God’s bountiful display laid out in the creation before him.  As he walked daily in the densely wooded New England countryside, he would spend hours contemplating the intricacies of a spider web or the wonders of creation all around him.  

Edwards entered Yale College at age thirteen, later graduated with a Master’s degree, and was eventually called to pastor one of the largest churches in New England: The Puritan Church at Northampton, Massachusetts.

But his curiosity and delight in the Person of God, his works, and his world, lingered long beyond his teenage years.

Questions to think about:

How do we spend our free time? Is there any value in setting aside time each day to think about the wonders of creation and take notice of the specifics of it?

Do you think God is interested in the development of our godly curiosity?

Are we spending time daily, progressing in our spiritual life? Have we set any goals (Resolutions) that might further our spiritual life? Phil.4:8; Ephesians 5:15-17.

1. A Pastor’s perspective: Helping churches gain and sustain a Pro-life Connection:
2. Ministering from a full Spiritual Tank:

I’ve made several attempts to upload the PDFS from those sessions. Here is another try.

Thanks for all who attended.

I served in the military during a period of relative peace for the country which meant that I was never deployed into a real war zone. My service was filled with plenty of challenges and several temporary overseas deployments but the challenges I faced were primarily moral and consistent with a military, whose service members by and large evidenced little interest in their Spiritual well-being and an military culture with little to prompt them toward their place in eternity. 

A year before that, I was a student at a small public college in Ohio, and for most of the school year was part of a young men’s service organization, not a Christian organization, but a service minded group who offered themselves for volunteer projects within the community and even ventured out of state to engage the residents of a psychiatric facility. On one occasion during the year the local chapter associated with our university attended a conference at another school in the area and we took an advisor, an older gentlemen, not a faculty member, but a sponsor who served with the adult chapter of the organization in our college town. The conference as I recall was uneventful, what I remember is what transpired after we returned on Sunday afternoon. I was to learn the very next week that the sponsor abruptly resigned and as I had become relatively close with the man, I asked him about his sudden departure. He would not go into detail but indicated that as he was preparing to go to bed for the evening, he was subjected to the most sickening moral debauchery between men and women in the adjoining room, that  he had ever heard in all of his years. To my knowledge he was not a Christian, but it so rattled him that he could no longer continue as our sponsor.  Some forty years have passed and yet I still marvel at the level of darkness that singlehandedly unsettled this aged man to his core. 

One could make similar observations of the first century and in particular the culture surrounding the birth of Jesus Christ. The religion of the day was largely ceremonial, often corrupted,  pharisaic and Spiritually dead; the hope for Israel lay largely in the expectation of a militant messiah, who might at last unshackle the Jewish nation from their Roman masters. 

But there were a few— two in particular, who chose to look at the world differently. 

Simeon and Anna appear on the pages of Scripture for but a brief time but their impact upon the world of that day resonates through the attitudes and actions of those who care deeply about our God and his word, and equally about their desire to make him known.  They both belong to a group of God-fearing saints who longed for something deeper and  more eternally satisfying than the popular religion of the day. William Barclay identifies them as the quiet of the land. He writes,

They had no dreams of violence and of power and of armies with banners; they believed in a life of constant prayer and quiet watchfulness until God should come. All their lives they waited quietly and patiently upon God. (Wm. Barclay, Gospel of Luke, pg. 26) 

Their hope lie in the long expected one of the Old Testament and their wisdom recognized something organically different about this child. They both listened to God’s words intently and responded in obedience completely and thereby earned not only the joyful affirmation of their God but of testimony that has endured two millennia and a place the sacred Scriptures. Those who care most about the Scriptures and their own behavior represent the best hope for recovering a Christian testimony in our own day.

LONGING FOR CONSOLATION

The man, Simeon

To be fair, we cannot definitively say that Simeon was old, but one could draw that conclusion from his comment about being ready to depart this world. Luke grouped this narrative with that of Anna’s which may mean that he viewed both of their stories as similar and necessary to his account. 

We do know something about his character. Luke says that he was righteous and devout. While perfection had eluded him, the pursuit of his God’s will and the hope of God’s coming in human form was constant and passionate. Edersheim says of him— 

Simeon combined the three characteristics of Old Testament piety: Justice as regarded his relation and bearing to God and man; fear of God in opposition to the boastful self-righteousness of Pharisaism; and above all, the longing expectancy of the near fulfillment of the great promises, and that in their spiritual import as the Consolation of Israel. (Edersheim, Life and Times, pg. 139)

 So often we view piety as the stuff of monks and some inner life not attainable for the majority of us. But Simeon’s  piety had not turned inward on itself nor diminished his interest in being a part of what God was doing. I love that term, looking for the consolation of Israel. What’s does it mean? Well in Mark 15:43, used of Joseph of Arimathea, who was waiting for the kingdom of God, and used the same way in Luke 23:51.

According to Joseph Thayer, its root means, the calling near; a summons. Specifically as it relates to Luke’s gospel, it suggests a comfort, or solace; that which affords comfort or refreshment. Another man suggests this identity refers to the comfort that the Messiah brings. Psalm 119:82 says, My eyes fail with longing for your word, while I say, “When will you comfort me?” Isaiah testifies in chapter 40, Comfort, O Comfort My people, says your God. In Is.57:19. The restorer of comfort, and in 61: 2, as part of the “Favorable year of the Lord, to ‘comfort all who mourn. 

As Simeon’s life neared its Apex, he was looking for a specific kind of hope and some kind of refreshment. 

Now, J. Dwight Pentecost, says that Joseph and Mary sought him out; whether or not that is the case, it was nevertheless by sovereign design that he was there. 

Luke says that the Holy Spirit was upon him. The reward of a faithful life was a unique blessing that only appears to a select few prior to Pentecost— a continuing presence of the Holy Spirit that would allow him to utter both blessing and prophecy, the present light of illumination to the Gentiles and the hope of glory for the people of God. In effect, Luke renders “Blessed” as Eulogized. Most of us know what it means to Eulogize someone. We usually eulogize someone who has grown old or died, but here, Simeon is Eulogizing; calling out a blessing upon God for this gift to his people. Charles Wuest translates the passage: 

And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and one who reverenced God and was pious, looking expectantly toward that which will afford comfort and refreshment for Israel. And the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit in answer to prayer, and to this revelation he was holding fast, that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. And he went in the control of the Spirit into the outer temple. And when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him according to the established custom of the law, he himself also gladly received him into his arms and he eulogized God… (Charles Wuest, Expanded translation, pg. 131)

He first Eulogized and then he prophesied, and he did so in song-like manner. In Latin, the Nunc Dimittis, “Now let your servant depart.” Webster suggests its use as a canticle. 

Many would fall and rise in Israel

Opposition and suffering would be part of Messiah’s mission.

That suffering will reach your own life as well

Imagine if you will, a better way to end your life

LOOKING FOR REDEMPTION

Anna: An elder voice for redemption.  

If Simeon’s heart was tilted toward the hope associated with the coming of Messiah, then Anna’s heart was focused toward the redemption of her people. If Simeon’s soul needed refreshment, Anna sought out the great cry of the sinner for redemption.

She was a prophetess, a rare breed in Israel at that time; a woman, in a man’s domain, an older woman and a woman alone in a world that had little interest in widows and offered very little help to them. Luke says that she had been married for seven years and then a widow for most of her life. Either she was now 84 and had been a widow for all but seven of those years, or she was 91, having lived as a widow for eighty-four years.  Miriam Neff, in a wonderful book, From One widow to another, writes,

Turning points in life such as deciding to marry, divorce, become a parent, find a career— all these events are accompanied by large changes. The difference in these is that we chose them. But becoming a widow happens. [We] understand the feeling that half of ourselves has been torn away. The wound is large and we question whether we will heal, and, if so, when?  (Pg 11.) 

 It’s obvious that she had known the sorrow and bitterness associated with loss.  And yet, she was not a victim of her circumstances, but a bruised and better servant of the Lord. In the absence of a husband and a family, she had healed, and in the process of time,  devoted herself to building an intimate relationship with God; pursued that through the disciplines of fasting and prayer. It’s unlikely that she lived in the temple compound, but it’s clear, that she was never very far away from its activity nor its object of worship. She fasted that she might see clearly the leading of the Lord, and she prayed passionately that she might discern His will for her life. 

We would do well to remember that singleness is a gift from God, for those who are strong enough to accept it, and an opportunity to devote their very lives to the very best of the blessings and the work that God has for them. To be widowed can envelope the believer in an unforeseen sink-well of uncertainty, loss, and difficulty but it is also the opportunity to marshal the attitudes of grit and grace and channel them both a presentation of the Gospel. 

And that’s what Anna does, 

And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem. (Luke 2:38)

She turns loss into a livelihood—  her work, the pursuit of the mind of God, and a passion for his glory.

She makes the “meat of her existence,” the message of God’s redemption.

She defies the odds with her discipline. Instead of slipping into cynicism and despair she exercises herself unto Godliness and is rewarded with a front row seat for her Savior’s ministry. 

Miriam Neff, writes, “ I discovered that most women, on becoming widowed, struggle with finding their role and their worth… While finding ourselves again is essential, finding a mission, a purpose in life, becomes necessary as well.” ( pg. 13)

Aim for heaven and you get earth thrown in. Aim for earth and you get neither.

C.S. Lewis

Applications 

1. IN TERMS OF GROWTH: What’s it like to grow into the fullness of God’s blessing and usefulness?  One man writes of Simeon, “ With this infant in his arms, it was as if he stood on the mountain-height of prophetic vision, and watched the golden beams of sunrise far away over the isles of the Gentiles, and then gathering their full glow over his own beloved land and people. To be able to see with your heart and your mind— to feel that closeness that assures you that you know His mind and heart. 
2. IN TERMS OF LONGING:  What’s it like to long for something so distant, yet so ardently; only to watch it appear over the horizon? One wise sage writes: Deepest in [Anna’s ] soul was longing waiting for the redemption promised, and now surely nigh. To her widowed heart the great hope of Israel appeared not so much, as to Simeon, in the light of consolation, as rather that of redemption. The seemingly hopeless exile of her own tribe, the political state of Judea, the condition— social, moral, and religious— of her own Jerusalem: all kindled in her, as in those who were like-minded, deep earnest longing for the time of promised redemption. 
3. IN TERMS OF SERVICE: What’s it like to serve with such a commitment that it rubs off on others. A willingness to do the work that God has called us to and to do it until He calls us home, no matter the media coverage, or the size of the audience.  What I came to know as a member of the Calvary Baptist Church in Mesa, Arizona, was that there was absolutely nothing that my pastor wouldn’t do to further the Gospel in our city. That was fully demonstrated one summer at our rough style camp deep in the ponderosa pines of Northern Arizona. Our septic needs were serviced by a local company known as, don’t blush, “Pete’s Retreat”. Only one particular week, we were the ones retreating because “Pete” did not show up. With over seventy campers plus dozens of staff, this is no small problem. With the ease of a seasoned septic man and the humility not seen in most quarters, my pastor grabbled a 50 gallon trash bag and headed to the latrines. When he arrived, he pulled out his trusty number 10 metal can and began dipping out the waste as I held the bag. Yuk. But what he said stuck with me. “Mark, I’ve done a lot of things for the Lord, but this is a first.” And with that selfless act of service, he saved our camper’s week and left an indelible mark on all of us. 

Somewhere in my study, I happened upon a eulogy for Elizabeth Elliott from John Piper. Piper had shared the platform at conferences, served on discussion panels together and even co-authored some books together, so it was not surprising that when Elliott died in 2015, John Piper would write about her great contribution to the world of missions and ministry of all kinds. 

At 6:15 on the morning of June 15, 2015, Elisabeth Elliot died. It is a blunt sentence for a blunt woman. This is near the top of why I felt such an affection and admiration for her.

Blunt — not ungracious, not impetuous, not snappy or gruff. But direct, unsentimental, no-nonsense, tell-it-like-it-is, no whining allowed. Just pull your britches on and go die for Jesus — 

Her first husband, Jim Elliot, was one of the five missionaries speared to death by the Huaorani Indians in Ecuador in 1956. Elisabeth immortalized that moment in mission history with three books — Through Gates of Splendor, Shadow of the Almighty, and The Savage My Kinsman — and established her voice for the cause of Christian missions and Christian womanhood and Christian purity in more than twenty other books and forty years of hard-hitting conference speaking.

She was not just gutsy with her words. Their daughter was ten months old when Jim was killed. Elisabeth stayed on, working at first with the Quichua, but then, astonishingly, for two more years with the very tribe that had speared her husband.

In July 1997, I wrote this in my journal:

“Just like Jesus, and Jim Elliot, she called young people to come and die.”

This morning, as I jogged and listened to a message by Elisabeth Elliot which she had given in Kansas City, I was deeply moved concerning my own inability to suffer magnanimously and without pouting. She was vintage Elliot and the message was the same as ever: Don’t get in touch with your feelings, submit radically to God, and do what is right no matter what. Put your love life on the altar and keep it there until God takes it off. Suffering is normal. 

Just like Jesus, and Jim Elliot, she called young people to come and die. Sacrifice and suffering were woven through her writing and speaking like a scarlet thread. She was not a romantic about missions. She disliked very much the sentimentalizing of discipleship. We all know that missionaries don’t go, they “go forth,” they don’t walk, they “tread the burning sands,” they don’t die, they “lay down their lives.” 

The thread of suffering was not just woven through her words, but through her relationships. Not only did she lose her first husband to a violent death three years after they were married; she also lost her second husband Addison Leitch four years after her remarriage.

Now it’s time to reveal a little secret. For seventeen years, I have from time to time spoken of a certain woman on a panel with me about the topic of world missions. This woman had heard me speak on Christian Hedonism. So, on the panel she said, “I don’t think you should say, ‘Pursue joy with all your might.’ I think you should say, ‘Pursue obedience with all your might.’” To this I responded, “But that’s like saying, ‘Don’t pursue peaches with all your might; pursue fruit.’”

 And then there was her tough take on feminism and her magnificent vision of sexual complementarity. When Wayne Grudem and I looked around thirty years ago for articulate, strong, female complementarian voices to include in our book Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, she was at the top of the list. But the list was not long.

“Thirty years ago, she was already seeing with the eyes of a prophetess.”

Partly because of her voice, that list today would be so long we would not know where to stop. I love her for this influence. Her chapter in our book is called “The Essence of Femininity: A Personal Perspective.” The title is intentionally (and typically) provocative. She was already seeing with the eyes of a prophetess.

Christian higher education, trotting happily along in the train of feminist crusaders, is willing and eager to treat the subject of feminism, but gags on the word femininity. Maybe it regards the subject as trivial or unworthy of academic inquiry. Maybe the real reason is that its basic premise is feminism. Therefore it simply cannot cope with femininity. (395–96)

Finally, I loved her because she never got her teeth fixed. I would still love her if she had gotten a dental makeover to pull her two front teeth together. But she didn’t. Am I ending on a silly note? You judge.

She was captured by Christ. She was not her own. She was supremely mastered, not by any ordinary man, but by the King of the universe. He had told her,

Do not let your adorning be external — the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear — but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious. . . . And do not fear anything that is frightening. (1 Peter 3:3–4, 6)

“She was supremely mastered, not by any ordinary man, but by the King of the universe.”

Whether it was the spears of the Ecuadorian jungle or the standards of American glamor, she would not be cowed. “Do not fear anything that is frightening.” That is the mark of a daughter of Sarah. And in our culture one of the most frightening things women face is not having the right figure, the right hair, the right clothes — or the right teeth. Elisabeth Elliot was free from that bondage.

Finally, she wrote, “We are women, and my plea is Let me be a woman, holy through and through, asking for nothing but what God wants to give me, receiving with both hands and with all my heart whatever that is” (398).

That prayer was answered spectacularly on the morning of June 15

Dr. Mark J. Congrove

I’ve been very interested as of late in the culture’s interest in prolonging life, and its relationship to a Christian’s motivation for growing older. My research has revealed a growing body of data that suggests that our mind acts not merely as the commander-in-Chief over the body, but surprisingly, the body’s importance is reciprocal; it acts to sustain and improve the brain’s ability to function well during our younger years and maybe more importantly to the growing number of baby-boomers, supports and strengthens the brain’s effort as we move into our autumn years. The research to date, suggests that yes, what we put into your body and when, has much to say about how well, or not, our mind will perform; how much and what kind of exercise really benefits our brain; and the growing body of science that suggests that meditation can be beneficial to our brain’s functionality, well into our older years. And all of these areas, once thought merely anecdotal, are now proving to be part of a larger inter-connected network that when addressed as a collective whole, may serve to reduce the incidence of Alzheimer’s and dementia disease in older adults.

I live differently but not less… Life is different but is still fully life— even fuller if that were possible

Paul Tournier

This all takes me back to Tournier’s comment. The Christian lives differently but it should never be less. Why is that so strategic? I’m glad you asked. The Christian life is a gift and represents an unique and distinctive manner of living; having been born naturally, and thanks to God’s gift of salvation, the opportunity to be born from above (Jesus’ words not mine). Each day of our lives is a gift from God and as such the we should always be concerned about why we should live well, and how best to accomplish that great endeavor. The Apostle Paul said, “ I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave his life for me.” In another area of Scripture he remarked that our body belongs to the Lord; we are not are own, we were bought with a price, and therefore our desires, motivations, and behavior must be guided by the goal to live every day in view of eternity, not merely to extend our days in a purposeless pursuit of more pleasure and more stuff. And by the way, there is nothing I find in the current research which should really surprise the believer. God has included in his Word a rationale for eating well, exercising, and even meditating on His Word and great works as motivations for attaining wisdom and impacting our culture for longer and prosperous days.

Which brings me back to Tournier, who, when thinking about his older years notes, “Life is different but it is still fully life— even fuller if that were possible.”

Right on, now bring on those green, leafy, vegetables, while I get on that treadmill and memorize another Psalm.

MJC

Confess

Eventually, we all get in too deep. It can happen to the best of us, and often in spite of our best intentions. And that’s why after we have climbed to a higher altitude for better perspective and maximized our resources, we must return to the critical page in our own “S.M.J. “manual and promptly “get on the radio” to confess our situation.

Admittedly this doesn’t happen too often in the public arena but as I thought about this topic, my mind returned to a speech given by then President Ronald Reagan on March 17, 1987. In an earlier speech he had confidently asserted that, “we did not trade arms for hostages”. But then, just days later he now found himself before the nation again and confessed, that, “despite his best motivations, the facts have revealed that we did trade arms for hostages.” His confession was rather unique for American politics where the “blame game” is most prevalent. He then reiterated,

At some point, we all lose our way, surrender our moral compass, fall prey to the temptations that a quest for position often brings, or just succumb to our own worst nature.

Few are those who beat a path to confession; more prevalent are those who resist it, deny its need in their own life and choose to cut their own path of repeated denials, questionable ethics, and evasive behaviors. Rather than taking personal responsibility for “leaving the rails” many choose to blame others, justify their behavior, or shift responsibility by claiming they are not responsible for the actions of those who follow their lead. Thankfully, The Scriptures have not left us without truth or the proper actions necessary for the follower of Jesus to carry out a truly Christian ethic. Even after realizing the great potential that was within his own discretion, Samson could not or would not reign in his lust for the larger goal of God set before him and refused to confess his sin. We all know how that turned out. It may seem trite, but the walls of his world really did come down around him. The failure to confess his own sin cost David his own son; only then could he see it; thanks largely to the courage of a courageous man of God, who without hesitation and with godly diligence, successfully brought the king to his knees where he could finally recognize his sin, the value of confession, and finally, realize the relief that comes knowing that his sins were forgiven ( II Samuel 12; Psalm 32; Psalm 51).

In the political realm Richard Nixon possessed great insight into the hearts and minds of men, was a savvy politician, and changed the geopolitical landscape through normalization of relations with China, yet was unable to bring himself to confess his own abhorrent behavior as a result of the events surrounding Watergate. It was left to Chuck Colson, one of Nixon’s political operatives to finally confront the hopelessness of his own pursuit of power and influence and confess his sin before his family and the public. But in doing so, he eventually earned the respect of even his harshest critics and more importantly was awakened to the realization that his sins were forgiven and that he now possessed a new life in Christ, a life now committed to changing the goals associated with prison reform and the outcomes for the prisoners who languish in incarceration and the culture which must shoulder an ever-increasing burden that comes with unchecked recidivism.

So what can we learn from that trusty S.M.J. manual?

1. What we need in times of crisis is perspective; the opportunity and ability to see the bigger picture of our need.
2. When caught in the throws of difficulty, drawing upon our spiritual reserves can make the difference between a soft landing or an ugly crash.
3. Confession is always the right choice. If lacking a relationship with Christ, it opens the door to a peace filled life. If struggling with the challenges surrounding our sin, failures, and faults, it provides the believer with the only therapeutic that really soothes the hearts greatest desire and our soul’s greatest need- forgiveness ( Romans 5:1; I John 1:8-9).

MJC

Having now examined something of the nature of climbing, let’s move on to the Second of Rumsfeld’s Rules as he encountered them in the cockpit of his Navy Trainer.

Conserve

I think we all know what conserve means. Webster defines it as the process of keeping something in “a safe or sound state, or especially to avoid wasteful or the destructive use of…” Well in terms of Rumsfeld’s S.M.J. aircraft, I think it’s obvious that the second tier in this survival guidebook was conserve your resources long enough to find a safe and secure place to land.

Over the years, I have waged a unending battle against many within my own family about just how much we should utilize the resources at our disposal. For example, do you really want to use your “high”beams more than absolutely necessary thereby depleting their life and finding yourself in a situation where you “really” needed them, only to find them burnt out prematurely? Or maybe, again in your vehicle, do you really need to run that fan motor at top speed? After all, it only has so much life in it at high speed, and when you’re really hot, or cold, you may wish you could have enjoyed the higher potential for bringing comfort to you. My family has punished me in many ways on this one. My brother-in-law, the absolute worst offender, purposely waits till I’m in his car and then repeatedly and without concern for the contacts within his fan switch, moves the control knob back and forth from low to high…. It hurts just to say it. That said, my oldest son took this conservation thing to another level much to the chagrin of his siblings. As far back as I can remember, whatever it was that he was responsible for… this might include cereal, treats from the quick stop on a road trip, or an item that he purchased for himself with his own money, his M.O. was always the same– make it last. And so, he would be the one, the only one with cereal left after 6 months when all the others’ “gift” cereal was long gone. His candy would “rot” in his room long before he would ever get around to eating it. In fairness, I should say that his younger brother for most of his younger years defaulted to the other extreme; if he has it now, it’s going to be consumed… no saving, no conservation, but instead immediate satisfaction. Now, in fairness, I must say that both of our boys have matured and neither of them are guilty of the extremes of their youth, but… the tendencies remain. And why not, their father has exhibited both traits throughout his life. It merely depends on the day.

And yet, far more important than cereal are the other areas in our life that we would do well to consider. For the protege Timothy, it was the gifts necessary for effective ministry that he was charged to guard and conserve, that they might be used with discernment, used wisely and might bring out the best in the local church where he was working. He is to guard carefully the gospel, its message, its proclamation, and its interpretation, lest it be contorted and twisted for the benefit of easier belief and misguided behavior.

If I return to Webster’s definition I can rightly apply this to our purity. We are to hold fast to our purity,and to conserve our passions, that they might be dispensed consistent with God’s Word and His best interests for our lives. Our sexuality is a gift of God but one that is designed to be kept within the banks of God’s specific prerogatives for our stewardship of the body that He has given us and the furtherance of a culture that will prosper because of it. Paul writes to the church at Thessalonica to tell them that “this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God ( I Thessalonians 4:4-5).

We are likewise to carefully conserve our resources with good stewardship as the center of our understanding of wealth and possessions. Our priorities should be directed to the care of our families, the church, and the larger communities around us. We are commended to pursue contentment consistent with godliness rather than a consumption consistent with worldliness and materialism. We are to cheerfully give out of our scarcity and at times out of the bounty of our abundance. After all, God loves a cheerful giver. Extravagance does have a place in our lives. There is no limit to the unbroken strands of praise that are due our heavenly Father, no limit or need to conserve our testimonies to his greatness, power, immortality, or immutability. He never grows weary of hearing his name exulted on our lips, and we have no command before us in Scripture that would ask us to dismiss our dispense with our tones of unending worship.

And so we must conserve…

Next week, We Confess.

Your fellow observer.

MJC

More next time. Stay tuned

In it, he tells the story of his early Navy aviator training where in the cockpit of the SNJ he discovered the manual that would provide guidance for the rest of his life, if not the many hours he would find himself in navy fighters. When an aviator found himself in trouble, he was to implement these three rather plain principles that likely could save his life. The acrostic is simple enough on the surface:

Climb– When in trouble climb in altitude to gain a greater perspective of the landscape, specifically where one could land the plane.

Conserve— Reduce the fuel consumption so the pilot can maximize his time for the contingency plans that must be put in place.

Confess-– Since it’s clear that by now, if you’re reading this, you are in trouble. So, swallow any pride still residing in the your mind and get on the radio to communicate your situation for immediate help.

So I wondered, if by chance Rumsfeld’s Rules, or at least this one had anything to say to me in my Christian life. Yep, I’m always on the prowl for the wider, deeper, or more personal meaning because after all, I don’t think God ever exposes us to information or even common sense that He doesn’t expect his “children” to address, try on or implement in their own lives.

So, let’s see, When I’m looking for wisdom and I’ve come front and center with a problem, challenge, or a crisis in life, what should I do? I think I’ll spend a week on each one, so you can spend some time pondering them individually.

FIRST TASK– CLIMB. PUT SOME ALTITUDE BETWEEN YOU AND THE PROBLEM.

One of our greatest assets in life may be the gift of perspective- not losing sight of the forest for the trees, or allowing my focus on what is directly in front of me to blind me from the “bigger picture.” To be sure, at some level the details of my problem are important but the larger concern resides in just what God wishes to make out of this circumstance. It’s likely I can’t deal with the issues properly if I can’t see it clearly.

Years ago, I saw more than one of my fellow seminarians lose sight of his “calling to ministry” when the opportunities associated with significant short-terms gains at a popular employer overshadowed and eventually dimmed the earlier decision to enter vocational Christian ministry. Now, I’m not so foolish as to suggest that the opportunities afforded by such employment are wrong or not in the individual’s best interest, only that by failing to “climb” and examine the opportunity in light of the larger goal, we can lose sight of what God really has in mind for us. Examples of this abound, but I’ll mention just one. Joseph, Jacob’s cherished son, had experienced a glimpse of what God had for him already early in life, albeit lacking the maturity for what that might mean in the space of God’s timing. Nevertheless, years later when he languished as a slave in Potiphar’s house, He made what proved to be a crucial decision both for his own life, and the future of Israel. He said no the illicit demand of Potiphar’s wife to sleep with her and her relentless daily pursuit because he could see the evil in the immediate compromise and the greater erosion of his character that awaited him if he weakened. That kind of godly perspective doesn’t flow magically from good upbringing or healthy morals. It comes when we remain committed to our love for God, his word, and his ways, and having “climbed” above the fray, we keep flying, seeking out the friendly skies of God’s family and a safer place to “put down.”

Next Week: Conserve

In some cases, as with Moses of Exodus fame, it yields unintended consequences that dim an otherwise stellar life. There is no doubt that Moses dwells eternally in the realms of glory; how unfortunate though that as a result of the failure at the “Rock” incident, he was denied the joy of entering into the land he had pursued for so long.

And then, there is the Apostle Peter. Maybe it was his swagger at which he approached any and all that he faced that attracts us to him. He appears more often in the Gospels, he asks more question than the other disciples, and speaks more rashly than any of his comrades. He is emotionally driven and intensely loyal but given to lead with his mouth rather than his mind. He can be heard to testify to the primacy of the Lord’s person, his power, and his mission and then almost without missing a word, he can descend into the depths of depravity, presuming upon the Lord’s passion and his impending march to the cross. But it wasn’t as if Peter wasn’t warned. At the Passover feast, when the discussion over Jesus’ betrayal turned to who was capable of betrayal and then almost immediately, who really was the greatest, Jesus prayerfully prepares his servant for what is just ahead at the hands of Devilish schemes; only to be assured by Peter, that, “I’ve got this.”

But it was this rash impertinence that ultimately was responsible for his undoing. The blow was pointed, painful and it quickly unraveled the prideful confidence that had been Peter’s staple. Luke is the only writer to record that at the moment of his betrayal,

I suggest that this act of denial remains lodged in the mind of Peter in spite of the forgiveness offered by the Lord at the time of his resurrection. So when waiting for the impending departure of the Lord, and unsure of his future, it is not surprising that in John 21, we find Peter back to his old profession, even as his future work is as of yet unsettled. For the sake of brevity and in light of my upcoming message on this topic (June 27, 2021), allow me to suggest just briefly the kind of regular check up we need to take us though the biggest or even the smaller failures of our lives. Our modern culture terms it a deep dive; I’ll simply argue for the Ken Burns effect. The Ken Burns effect was made popular through the production the documentary, produced by Ken Burns, titled, The Civil War; in which as a photograph would appear before the viewer, the camera would then zoom in and examine some smaller detail of the picture that often might be missed in merely a passing glance. So then, as we draw closer to the failures of our lives what must we see?

1. An uncertainty in life will likely remain to trouble us. Where do we go from here? What do I do now? In Peter’s case, until the fog of uncertainty, he returned to fishing, at least for awhile.
2. Relationships still matter. Often we are tempted to “go it alone” because of the fear of letting others in. Peter’s friends, his colleagues still matter, and he matters to them. We were not created to be alone and while solitude may have its virtues, we require the warm embrace of another; someone who will say, it will be okay, come and eat.
3. The past will likely need poking, if only to heal. Jesus cuts to the heart of Peter’s love and commitment to him; his willingness to return to the work and stay at it for the long haul.
4. A life full of challenges. What awaited Peter sooner than later was A Divine enablement, the likes of which he could not imagine, and a new boldness to advance the gospel into a new era of Jewish-gentile ministry, and at least until the deployment of the Apostle Paul, Peter would be the guy at the forefront of Luke’s account in Acts.
5. And finally, a closer look at our exit from failure, suggests a need for stronger focus. Forget the temptation to execute our lives through others, we are to concern ourselves with what God is doing in our life, not the life of a competitor, or even a trusted friend. “What about him?”, Peter asked Jesus in John 21? “What is it to you?”, Jesus responded.

And so it is with us. We will fail, that’s a given. What remains challenging, is the life beyond the failure and if, then how it will count for eternity.

MJC