Love, Light, and Fire

I was listening to TFL today and Alistair Begg said something that sparked a thought. To summarize the point he said, God is Love, God is Light, and God is Fire. God doesn't condone sin. His Love has found a way to expose sin because He is Light. And to consume it because He is Fire without destroying the sinner because He is Love.

The thought in my mind that was sparked is something from the Book of Daniel in chapter 3, when Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were thrown into the fiery furnace. They were bound up and thrown in. The fire was so hot that it consumed the soldiers who threw them in. To King Nebuchadnezzar's amazement, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were unbound, walking around in the furnace unharmed. And that there was a fourth person walking with them.

Perhaps there are some illustrative parallels, in that the sin in our lives bind us and God as Fire consumes our sin but leaves us unharmed. And in our freedom from sin the Lord walks with us.

As a sinner, this is why it is so important to go to God.

Powerful Ministry

I enjoy the TruthForLife newletters I get from Alistair Begg. He's always given me encouragement to press on with my life in Christ. In the July news letter he expressed the importance of the fullfillment of the Great Commission. And he says, "I am reminded of the hymn which exhorts us: 'Rescue the perishing, care for the dying, tell them of Jesus, mighty to save!'" He also included, "Let me encourage you to make and take every opportunity to kindly, sensitively, and strightforwardly share the Good News with those you meet. God helping me, I will endeavor to do the same. "

But I confess my heart has not been too humble lately. One of my weaknesses is that I'm quick to judge. (maybe because I'm reading Judges). However, I've been kindly reminded that I should maintain gentleness and self-control as it says in Galatians 5:22,23. And this carries over in my life at home, church, and work. So by the Spirit's enabling power I shall do so.

One more disjuncted thing to note. My sister forwared me an email where youngsters were asked what they thought love meant. They have the most clever ideas that we adults should take note.

Probably my favorite is this:

Billy, age 4, said: "When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth."

And then at the end of several other examples it had this, which I must include here.

'The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. When his Mother asked what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said, "Nothing, I just helped him cry"'

What a powerful way to minister.

Despise Vile Men

"Lord, how can we despise vile men and yet be able to dwell in your sanctuary?"

I ran across a blog post from The Armory which discussed worship, not just the music in church but all of worship. The question it addresses is, "What is acceptable worship in the sight of God?" And the pastor answers this question by studing Psalm 15. I had not before thought of the first verse as a being related to worship, but it makes sense that being in God's presence would cause us to worship.

The blog post is worth reading and if you have more time read the link to the PDF article.

In re-reading Psalm 15 again I took notice that part of verse 4 says "who despises a vile man". I thought, "how can we be in a state of worship if our hearts are despising vile men? Isn't that being hateful?".

In learning to study the Bible I've always been taught that the Bible will not contradict itself, and if I think I've found a contradiction, I have the wrong interpretation of the text. I can find numerous verses that say we ought to love our enemies. So what does this verse mean, "to despise"?

There are a few definitions of the word "despise". Dictionary.com has these three:

Despise (v.)

1. To regard with contempt or scorn: despised all cowards and flatterers.
2. To dislike intensely; loathe: despised the frigid weather in January.
3. To regard as unworthy of one's interest or concern: despised any thought of their own safety.

Note that although despise is a verb but not a physical action. But in keeping with obedience with scripture perhaps the third definition fits. So when verse 4 says "who despises a vile man" it can mean "who regards as unworthy any interest or concern in a vile man". In other words, don't let the vile men in the world bother you. They are of no concern to you.

To me this is both encouraging and discouraging. First, it is discouraging because so much evil surrounds us, and being emotional creatures it is difficult not to react. Second, it is encouraging that God's Word doesn't instruct us to take up battle with the world's issues as the world would have us do. Ephesians 6 says our struggle is not against flesh and blood. According to Jesus we should worship in spirit in truth. Our hearts will be raised to worship the Father, and the things of this world will grow strangely dim.

Patience in Trials

The following TFL devotional helps us deal with trials and patience in our faith.

LEAD ME IN YOUR TRUTH AND TEACH ME, FOR YOU ARE THE GOD OF MY SALVATION; FOR YOU I WAIT ALL THE DAY LONG.

There's a line that caught my heart and humbled me:

We shall not grow weary of waiting upon God if we remember how long and how graciously He once waited for us.

If we think this through it should be incredibly convicting to us when we are impatient with waiting on the Lord to deliver us from our trials.

I told my wife that the Lord waited patiently for me for 22 years, and even still waits as I'm growing in Him. But she said the Lord didn't wait that long for her. I guess the Lord was impatient with her. (*grin*)

Friends

I'm reading "Love Life For Every Married Couple" (for the third time!!) because there are elemental truths about my marriage relationship which seem to fade in my mind and heart. It fades I believe because the details of how to love do not come naturally to me. So it's back to the book and I shall try to reinforce what I learned in 13 years of marriage, and to measure against it how I am actually doing. I must be constantly reminded.

In Chapter 9, Becoming Best Friends" it describes a type of love called "phileo" love. The author writes, "Consider these three ingredients of friendship and phileo love: comradeship, companionship, and communication. Each begins with com, the Latin for "together." Comradeship literally means "together in the same chamber or room"; companionship literally means "taking bread together"; communication literally means "possessing together."

Now as I read this it looks like this can be applied to any friendship, not just between husband and wife.

The book doesn't describe it but here are my thoughts on each of those ingredients and how to apply it to the general friendship. (please, you are welcome to differ in your opinion or view).
1. The literal essence of comrades sharing the same room can be more generalized to people sharing the same creed, or the same vision.
2. When people eat there is a sense of relaxation and neutrality. Eating a meal together people do not confront and argue (otherwise they may choke on their sandwich). So companionship can possible by applied in friendship to take the time learn about the other person. And why not do it while eating.
3. Communication has always been about talking and listening in my mind. The literal meaning is probably focusing on the "commune" part of the word. However, when we talk to each other we are not really communicating if we are not listening equally. In a commune, the people share common articles (you get to use it, now I get to use, and so on) and they belong to everyone equally. If when we talk and take over the conversation, we are not communicating or communing.

As we can see, being a true friend is deep. It requires commitment. It requires a lot of effort. It requires selflessness. This is something I learned from my wife early in our marriage. I thought the word "friend" meant any acquaintance, but I was wrong.