Colin S. Smith's Blog, page 27

Holy Week Meditation

You can read the story of Holy Week in Mark’s Gospel beginning at chapter 11. I’d like to remind you of what happened.

Sunday

It began on Palm Sunday, when Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey and received a rapturous welcome (Mark 11). He is the promised Messiah. Palm Sunday reminds us that Jesus is the King.

Monday

On Monday, Jesus went into the temple and drove out the traders who had turned God’s house of prayer into a den of thieves and robbers.

Tuesday

On Tuesday, our Lord went to the temple again. The Pharisees asked him questions about taxes, about the resurrection, and about the greatest commandment (Mark 12). They were trying to trap Him, but Jesus turned the tables by asking them a question. He quoted from a psalm where David speaks of the Messiah as his Lord. “If David calls Him Lord,” Jesus asked, “How can He be His Son?” There can only be one answer: Almighty God took flesh and came to us in the person of Jesus Christ. God became a man. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld His glory, full of grace and truth.

Wednesday

Nothing specific is recorded on Wednesday, though, by tradition, this was the day when Mary poured perfume over the head of Jesus.[1] Either it was a day of rest for Jesus, or else He may have come back to the temple and spoken the words recorded in Mark 13 about His glorious return.

Concerning that day or that hour, no one knows…

Be on your guard, keep awake.

For you do not know when the time will come. (Mark 13:32, 33)

Thursday

Thursday was the night of the Last Supper, when Jesus gathered with His friends. This was the night when Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, the night He was betrayed, the night He was arrested.

The suffering of Jesus came in three parts – at the hand of His friends, at the hand of His enemies, and at the hand of God.

Thursday was all about Jesus suffering at the hand of His friends. Judas betrayed Him, Peter denied Him, and they all forsook him and fled. His friends, those who were closest to Jesus, did not understand Him, and when He asked them to watch and pray, they fell asleep.

Friday

On Friday Jesus suffered at the hand of His enemies. He was bound, accused, flogged, ridiculed, and crucified.

Jesus was crucified at 9 in the morning, and He died at 3 in the afternoon. In the first three hours Jesus spoke three times, each of them amazing expressions of His love.

To those who nailed him to the cross:

“Father forgive them, they know not what they are doing” (Luke 23:34).

To the thief on the cross:

“Today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43).

To His mother and to John:

“Behold your mother,” and “Woman, behold your son” (John 19:26, 27).

And then after three hours of agony on the cross, darkness covered the land.

When Jesus was born there was light at midnight, and when He died there was darkness at noon.

There in the darkness, Jesus bore our sins. And bearing our sins He endured the judgment that was due to us.

He no longer knew the comfort of His Father’s love and this is why He cried out in a loud voice:

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mat. 27:46; Mark 15:33).

He was forsaken so that we would never know what that is like.

But it did not end there. Jesus spoke three more times in the darkness.

“I thirst,” (John 19:28)

He said, reflecting the agony of His suffering.

“It is finished,” (John 19:30)

He said, because He had done all that was needed for our salvation. And

“Father, into Your hands I commit my Spirit” (Luke 23:46)

because His life was not taken. It was given.

As a believer, you can say, “The Son of God loved me and gave Himself for me.”

Saturday

On Saturday the body of Jesus lay silent in the grave.

Sunday

On Easter Sunday He rose from the dead in triumph, and He lives forever – our glorious Lord and Savior and coming king.

Friends, these are hard and distressing days, but we have living hope in and through Jesus Christ our Savior and our Lord.

If you don’t already have a church, I hope you will join us online for the service on Good Friday as we remember the death of Jesus, and for our Easter service as we rejoice in His resurrection.

May the Lord bless you with peace and strengthen you in hope this Easter.

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[1] John records that this event happened six days before the Passover (John 12:1) and hence before Holy Week.
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10 Quotes from Happily Ever After

Happily Ever After is a short, engaging book about Easter. It’s so short that I read it three times this week! (My paperback copy has 64 pages.) The author, Jonty Allcock, a pastor in London, builds the book around the idea that we love happy endings.

He points one camera at the unhappy ending of Good Friday. Then he takes a second camera and focuses on the happy ending of Easter Sunday. Finally, he turns the camera on us and asks us to think about our own end.

This is an excellent choice if you’re looking for a book to remind you of the significance of Easter, or if you’re unsure why Easter really matters.

I’m not talking about what happened on Easter weekend – that Jesus died on the cross, and then was raised on the third day. I’m talking about the significance of it. What is the connection between a man dying on the cross some 2,000 years ago and our lives today? This is where the book excels!

You can buy the ebook for $2.99 on Amazon.

Here are ten of my favorite quotes from the book:

10. On Endings

Endings have great power. A good one leaves you deeply satisfied and joyful. But a bad one can leave you frustrated and disappointed. (7)

9. On the End

Every tick of the clock, every setting of the sun, and every church bell that rings tells us the same story: the end is coming. (13)

8. On the Great Question of Life

The great question of life is not “Will it end?” (We know that it will.) But will it have a good ending or a bad one, a sad ending or a happy ending? (15)

7. On Bad Endings

The guilty man went free, and the innocent man was handed over to death. This is the sort of ending that we hate. (23)

6. On Death

Death is like a large stone that rolls into place and cannot be moved. But Jesus rolled death backwards. He reversed it. (32)

5. On Connection

If someone were to die in order to save you, it would leave you with a powerful connection to that person. (38)

4. On the World

Every funeral, every tear, every life cut short tells us the same message. There’s a serious problem. There’s something wrong. The world is dying. (46)

3. On Jesus’ Death

When Jesus died on the cross, he was taking our Friday Ending. He was dying for us. That’s the connection between him and us. (47)

2. On Death and Life

Because Jesus has smashed through death, then so can we. Because Jesus has life forever, then so can we. (57)

1. On Your Ending

The Friday Ending you deserve will be dealt with so that beyond Friday you can enjoy the Sunday Ending you were made for. (62)

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Three Fear-Exterminating Promises to Meditate On

Did you know that termites cause billions of dollars worth of property damage each year? I’ll never forget what a colony of those silent destroyers did to a corner of my childhood home. As it turns out, my favorite room of the house was also the favorite room of a wood-munching army. Thankfully, I knew someone I could rely on to exterminate our unwelcome guests.

Fear is a lot like these termites. Without invitation it can creep in and do severe damage to our spiritual condition. The tribulation and circumstances around us can be intimidating, especially when they are beyond our control. Fear can be paralyzing, especially if we don’t know who to call on for deliverance and provision of hope. These words from Proverbs 13:12 ring loud and true: “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.”

The Bible clearly teaches us who we can rely on to exterminate sinful fear. God’s Word gives us three promises to exterminate fear in Psalm 46:1-3.

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah”‬

Fear-Exterminating Promise #1: God Is Our Refuge

The promise to believe here is you have supernatural protection; this is divine defense.

In the Old Testament a city of refuge was a safe place for a person who accidentally killed someone to flee to. The city provided asylum to the fugitive by sheltering and protecting them until a trial could be held to determine their guilt or innocence. If, in the judgment of the city elders, the death had occurred accidentally and without intent, the person was allowed to stay there without fear of harm or revenge by the dead person’s relatives (Joshua 20:2-6).

The innocent one who fled to such a city would be well defended by man. In contrast, O Christian, you are supernaturally defended by God himself. Wow! The immovable, invisible God is our Refuge!

This is good news for those who are in Christ. No matter how intense the turbulence gets in our lives, our divine shelter will stand firm. A billion launched nuclear missiles are like peanuts up against our Refuge. The Fortress of Jesus Christ, where God’s children have permanent asylum, cannot be collapsed! Therefore, there is always hope for you!

Fear Exterminating Promise #2: God Is Our Strength

The promise to believe here is your Protector has supernatural power; this is divine offense.

King David’s faith-filled declaration that “God is our strength” is an affirmation that those belonging to him have the benefit of having God’s unmatched fire-power with them. King David was a mere man, but with God behind him he was like an Israeli wrecking ball at war; he won military battle after battle after battle (1 Chronicles 18:1-13). To defend his sheep he even killed bears and lions, with his hands! Not to mention, he is the man responsible for slaying the Philistine giant Goliath (1 Samuel 17). I think King David knows what he is talking about.

Think about how large and powerful the seas of our world are. As intimidating as it can be when the earth’s waters “roar and foam,” they are no match for the God who is our strength.

Compared to God, the mighty forces of earth are like teething infants. For example:

1. When the Israelites were trapped between the Red Sea and Pharaoh’s army God parted the waters and saved them easier than you can blink an eye (Exodus 14:21-31, Jude 1:5).

2. By God’s Almighty hand, the sea “ceased from its raging” after fear-stricken sailors hurled Jonah overboard (Jonah 1:4, 15).

3. While Christ and his disciples were on the Sea of Galilea a great windstorm arose. Then Jesus arose from his power nap and showed his power! Mark 4:39 says, “And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, ‘Peace! Be still!’ And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.”

It’s comforting to remember that the very things we often find ourselves fearing actually have reason to fear our God; they are no match for his omnipotence. Therefore, when we believe and fill our hearts with the promise that “God is our strength,” fear has no room to remain.

What are you afraid of? Everything we fear is cub-sized compared to our Strength, Jesus, the Lion of Judah.

Fear Exterminating Promise #3: God Is A Very Present Help in Trouble

The promise to believe here is our Omnipotent Protector is always with us in times of trouble; this is divine presence.

It would matter little if we had a supernatural protector with unlimited power, if he had a tendency to flee when danger arose. We have the guarantee that he is not only present in our midst, but able and willing to help in times of trouble. This is good news because it highlights God’s unwavering commitment to those He loves (Psalm 117). Look what our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ said about himself:

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.” —John 10:11‭-‬15 ESV

Fill in the what’s missing here from Psalm 23:4: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, _________________________; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”

Believe the Good News

Jesus Christ has already defeated the most feared of foes! God himself declared the gospel first saying, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel” (Genesis 3:15). The excruciating death of our Lord Jesus Christ on the cross was skull obliterating for Satan. He is a defeated foe! Then, God more than aced the stress test of his power when he performed Jesus Christ’s death-defeating resurrection.

If Jesus has already defeated our greatest enemies, surely He has enough power to deliver us from all the remaining, present, lesser foes. Not only that, the Lord Jesus Christ is soon to return and will permanently exterminate sin and evil. Until then, believe and rely on this:

Jesus Christ is our refuge and strength. Through the Holy Spirit he is a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah‬

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Facing the Unexpected: Learn about resources to help you during times of unexpected crisis.

A Call to Rest

In these days of stay-at-home orders and quarantines, there have been a good many blogs and social media posts on how believers can still work hard and use their time well. And rightly so (2 Thessalonians 3:6-12)! A hearty yes and amen! Some of us are tempted to idleness and laziness. We need such a tonic.

But without an ounce of contradiction, some of us need a different tonic. Work has ruled our lives. Our kids’ extracurriculars mean we can’t remember the last time we’ve sat at the table for a family dinner. Late at night we lay in bed answering emails, because we cannot stand watching that little number on our phones tick up and up and up.

And for those of us, stay-at-home orders and quarantines might actually be a gracious call to rest, and even provide the opportunity to do so, at last.

Rest is Good

In Genesis 1, we encounter our true and living God busy at work for six days, creating the earth. But as we turn the page to Genesis 2, on the seventh day, God rests.

Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation. (Genesis 2:1–3)

This same pattern of work and rest is found in the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:8-11). It’s even found in the life of Jesus, which should be no surprise, since He and the Father are one (Mark 6:30-31 and Luke 5:15-16).

So to anyone who needs such a tonic, hear this happy news: It’s okay – even good – to rest.

Five Encouragements to Rest

But those of us in the unable-or-unwilling-to-rest crowd might need just a bit more encouragement. We might just need to know why rest is effective and efficient.

1. Rest imitates God.

God worked six days and rested the seventh. Following His pattern could only and ever be a wise and healthy use of our time. Not only that, our desire is to grow in holiness, to imitate how our God thinks and speaks and acts. And if God rested, then such a pursuit of holiness involves rest.

2. Rest creates space to pray.

It’s hard to make prayer a meaningful part of our lives if our minds and hands are perpetually occupied – even with good things. It’s why Jesus often took breaks from His public ministry to withdraw to desolate places and pray (Luke 5:16).

3. Rest sharpens priorities.

If we establish the boundaries and carve aside the time that will make rest truly rest, we will have to give up the illusion that we can do everything. And when we quit trying to do everything, we’ll mercifully challenge ourselves to see and do what’s most important.

4. Rest builds humility and community.

Building off the last encouragement, we’re going to have to ask for help once we admit we can’t do everything. This will help cultivate that prized biblical virtue of humility, and it’ll help cultivate community, as we learn to lean on one another.

5. Rest rejuvenates.

As obvious as this may be, those of us who need a call to rest will also need this reminder. A non-stop life will wear us down. The allure of constant effectiveness and efficiency will actually make us ineffective and inefficient, as we’re far too busy to give anything our best thought, our best energy, our best effort. Rather, rest will rejuvenate us to work hard and to do our work well.

So to everyone who needs such a tonic, hear the good and gracious call to rest. Heed the words of Jesus:

The apostles returned to Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught. And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” (Mark 6:30–31)

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If You Want to Grow in the Christian Life

His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life. 2 Peter 1:3 NIV

If God has provided everything we need for a godly life, why is it that some Christians never seem to grow? They never seem to have much joy or make any progress. Peter says that they’re “ineffective and unproductive” in their knowledge of Christ (1:8). Why is that?

If you want to grow in the Christian life, there are certain things you must do, certain things to pursue in the power of the Spirit, and “if you possess these qualities in increasing measure they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive” in your knowledge of the Lord (1:8).

You must “make every effort” (1:5) to pursue these things. Get into an active frame of mind. Take responsibility for your own spiritual growth. You cannot be passive. It’s no use saying, “Let go and let God.” That’s the opposite of what is being said here.

Dr. Martyn Lloyd Jones has a helpful illustration from the world of farming:

“It is no use telling a man to farm if he does not have a farm. If he is without land, without the seed, and without the tools, nothing can be done. But all these are given to us, and therefore, having received them, we are asked to farm.”

Even then, our farming does not guarantee a harvest – God makes things grow. But the farmer is still involved. There is something for you to do, and if you do not do it, there will be no harvest.

Seven Virtues to Pursue

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control. To self-control, [add] perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. 2 Peter 1:5-7 NIV

Peter’s emphasis is on our effort to actively pursue these in the power of the Holy Spirit: Make every effort to add these things to your faith. Go after them. Make them your own. God has given you power, now stretch yourself out in the pursuit of these things.

1. Goodness (Moral excellence)

If you want to be a fruitful Christian, you need to grow in goodness. The sheer moral excellence of Jesus’ life compels us, and a reflection of that goodness in our lives will be compelling to others. So make every effort to grow in goodness.

How can you become more active in doing good to others?

2. Knowledge (Practical wisdom)

If you want to be a fruitful Christian, you need to grow in wisdom. This happens as the Word of God is learned, believed, applied, and obeyed. David said, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105 NIV). You will find direction, wisdom, and stability as you meditate on God’s Word.

Are you taking full advantage of the opportunities available to you for learning God’s Word?

3. Self-control (Controlling your passions instead of your passions controlling you)

Peter, the most impulsive man in the New Testament, and then a trusted apostle, wrote this. That’s growth! If that can happen for him, it can happen for you.

Where do you need to exercise more self-control? In your eating and drinking? In what you watch? In how much or how little you sleep? In what you spend? In your temper or your tongue?

4. Perseverance (Pressing on)

The impulsive person gives up easily. He is pushed around by what he feels. When the impulsive person gets fed up, he wants to give up. You need to grow out of that.

Where are you most tempted to give up today?

5. Godliness (A life that flows from a passion for God)

Worship refreshes your love for Christ. This love is the source of your love for other Christians and your love for the world.

What priority does worship and prayer have in your life? How is your love for Christ?

6. Brotherly kindness (A generous spirit toward other believers)

The person who is really useful to Christ is always asking, “How can I contribute to the lives of others?” This person is slow to think the worst, and quick to think the best of other believers.

Are you aware of a Christian in financial (or any other) need? Have you been thinking the worst of someone?

7. Love (God’s compassion for the world)

It is possible to be passionate about reaching the lost, yet critical of other Christians; or generous to other believers, yet heartless toward the lost. God doesn’t give you the choice.

Where can you demonstrate God’s compassion for lost people? Do you know someone who has never heard the “good news” of Jesus Christ?

Christian, make every effort to progress in these things. Go after them with all the energy you can muster. Make them yours. Add them to your faith.

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This is an excerpt from Pastor Colin’s message, “Everything You Need for Growth” (April 6, 2008), and part of the series, Everything You Need for Life .

10 Quotes from Dark Clouds • Deep Mercy

A book with a title like Dark Clouds • Deep Mercy will not likely make your “feel-good” top 10 reading list. So if you’ve gotten this far, it’s probably because you (or someone you know) is hurting, and you feel out of your depth.

Well, you’ve come to the right place. Not only does Dark Clouds meet you where you’re at, but it provides the kind of compassionate, biblical, wise, seasoned pastoral help that you need. Dark Clouds is much more than a sustained argument for lament, though it certainly is that.

The extraordinary thing about Dark Clouds is the clear pathway it provides for you to learn the biblical language and pattern of lament. Pastor and author Mark Vroegop demonstrates from the book of Lamentations (and a handful of psalms) a consistent pattern – turn, complain, ask, trust – that godly people have used to sustain and strengthen their faith in the midst of pain, loss, trouble, and distress.

This is a goldmine for people who live in a fallen world (that’s all of us). Read this book as a gift to yourself and as a gift to others. Consider reading it with someone else. You will want to process this and pray through it with a friend.

10. On Despair

Despair lives under the hopeless resignation that God doesn’t care, he doesn’t hear, and nothing is going to change. (32)

9. On Complaining

Before you start complaining, be sure you’ve checked arrogance at the door. Come with your pain, not your pride. (52)

8. On Complaints

Complaints are not cul-de-sacs of sorrow, but bridges that lead to God’s character. (59)

7. On Funerals

Funerals… awaken us to the reality of the brokenness of the world in which we live. (81)

6. On Brokenness

Brokenness is woven into the fabric of our world. (92)

5. On Suffering

You live through suffering by what you believe, not by what you see or feel. (110)

4. On Pain

Pain helps us to see who we are and what we love. (136)

3. On Darkness

I wonder what would happen if more Christians confidently walked into the darkest moments of life and guided people into talking to God about their pain. (144)

2. On Lament

For hurting people, knowing that this expression of grief is a biblical and a God-given category can be a watershed moment. (159)

1. On Community

By creating space to lament together, we invite hurting people to come out of the shadows so others can join them in their journey. (179)

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How Christians Can Overcome Their Fears

How Can Christians Overcome Our Fears?

Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord. (1 Peter 3:14-15)

Peter is telling us how we can overcome our fears. If you are the lord, everything that you cannot control will cause you to fear. What if there is a bomb? What if one of my children choose the wrong path? What if I get cancer?

But when Christ is the Lord of your life, you have reason for confidence. Your Savior is Lord!

Jesus Christ was sovereign over your birth. He is sovereign over your life, and he will be sovereign over your death.

Sovereign over your birth means that of all the millions of people who could potentially have come from the union of your father and your mother, God created you! In great love and mercy, he planned that you should be for all eternity!

Sovereign over your life means all that has a happened to you, the good you have enjoyed and the evil you have suffered, was known to God before the beginning of time. Life is full of surprises for us, unexpected twists and turns, but nothing ever comes as a surprise to him. Before a word is on my tongue, God knows it completely.

God’s sovereignty over your life means that God works through all that has happened in your past and whatever will happen in the future to advance the great purpose for which he brought you into being. This is what the apostle Paul is talking about when he says, “For those who love God all things work together for good” (Romans 8:28). God’s good purpose is that a reflection of his dearly loved Son will radiate from you for his glory and for your joy forever.

Sovereign over your death means Jesus Christ is in complete control of the timing, the circumstances, and the outcome of your death, which for a Christian believer, whenever it comes, will be an immediate translation into glory.

In your book were written…the days that were formed for me. (Psalm 139:16; cf Job 14:5)

George Whitfield said, “We are immortal till our life’s work is done.” You can’t use that as an excuse for irresponsible behavior – driving down the wrong side of the road at 90 mph. That is an abuse of the truth. Satan tried that abuse when he suggested to Jesus that he should jump from the pinnacle of the temple, “Nothing bad will happen!”

Jesus said, “You shall not tempt the Lord your God.”

Instead, use this truth when you struggle with fear. If you are afraid of flying on an airplane, this is a great thing to say to yourself as you put on your seat belt while they go through the pre-flight routine: “I am immortal until my life’s work is done.”

The freedom from fear that a believer under the Lordship of Christ enjoys is beautifully expressed in the Heidelberg catechism:

Q: What is your only comfort in life and in death?

A: That I am not my own, but belong – body and soul, in life and in death to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ…He also watches over me in such a way that not a hair can fall from my head without the will of my Father in heaven.

What This Looks Like in Practice

To honor Christ the Lord means that you hold all that you have in this life with an open hand. It means that you will use the word “my” tentatively, as if it were in parentheses:

“My” house, means the house that God has entrusted to me for a time.
“My” children means the loved ones who belong to God and are lent to me for a time.
“My” work means the service that God has called me to do for a time.
“My” money is the resource that God has trusted me to steward on his behalf.
“My” friends are the people God has given as companions for a few laps of the journey.
“My” life means the opportunity that God has given me to serve at his pleasure in this world until he calls me home.

I can talk like this because I’m not the one who is on the throne. Thank God for that! Otherwise, I’d be riddled with fear.

We will do much better when it comes to dealing with loss (whether that be the loss of a position, loss of a person, or loss of property) if we believe and remember that what we have belongs to God and is loaned to us for a time.

C.H. Spurgeon says,

A man does not cry when he has to return a tool which he has borrowed…He knew that he borrowed it, he never called it his own, and he hands it back thankful that he had it for so long. 

The last time Moses spoke to God’s people before he died, he said to them, “Behold I set before you two ways of living. One way is a blessing and the other is a curse. There is a way that will lead to life, and a way that will lead to death.”

I feel a bit like that today. We live at a time where the great movement of our culture is to crown self as lord. Go down that path and you will always be haunted with fear. There can be no greater curse than the curse of that path, and no greater misery than the misery that lies at the end of it.

I want to say with Moses, “Choose the path that leads to life, the path on which you crown Jesus the Son of God and the Lord and Savior of your life.” Friend, when you can say, “For me to live is Christ,” then you will also be able to say, “to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21).

Here is the testimony: “If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord” (Romans 14:8). When this Savior is the sovereign Lord over your life, over your death, and over your eternity, what in all the world would you have to fear?

Say today to all of your fears, “I am immortal till my life’s work is done.”
C. H. Spurgeon, Sermon #828, “Dying Daily,” August 30, 1868. http://www.spurgeongems.org/vols13-15/chs828.pdf.
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This article is adapted from Pastor Colin’s original sermon, “How to Overcome Your Fears”

10 Quotes from A.S.K. Real World Questions/Real World Answers

The book A.S.K. Real World Questions / Real World Answers, is a very unremarkable read… until you are staring a teenager in the face and he or she asks you a difficult question about God. Then author David Robertson and his book will be transformed into a treasured friend.

A.S.K. is not the kind of book you finish reading, set it down, and say, “Wow!” But it has all the ingredients you want if you’re looking for spiritual help for a younger person you care about. It is biblical, theologically sound, straight forward, friendly, insightful, and wise.

Each chapter is four pages or less, it has a question (asked by a real teenager), a Bible passage, an answer, a question to consider, a suggestion for further reading, and a prayer. Here are my top 10 quotes from this solid book for teens.

10. On Our Questions

We all have questions about Jesus, the Bible, the Christian faith and our culture today. The great news is that Jesus gives answers. (7)

9. On Great Stories

What if all great stories throughout the world are reflections of the greatest story of all – the story of the Bible and above all the story of Jesus? (28)

8. On Nature & Scripture

God has given us two books – the book of nature and the book of Scripture. They don’t contradict each other. (40)

7. On Knowing God

What if God has made himself clear? What if, instead of hiding, he has revealed himself? What if the problem is with us, not him? (44)

6. On God’s Thoughts

God’s thoughts are like the drops of water in the ocean. They are too numerous to count and beyond compare. We will bathe in them for all eternity. (61)

5. On the Cross

The cross is a mystery. It is horrible and ugly. It is foolish. It is offensive. And yet it is by the foolishness and offensiveness of the cross that we are saved. So for us, it is beautiful. (70)

4. On Belief in Hell

The person who teaches most about hell, is the loving, gentle, and compassionate Jesus. The only reason I believe in hell is because Jesus does – and I follow Jesus. (79)

3. On Relationship with God

It is clear that religion does depend to a large extent on your culture, your environment, your family and where you were born. But your relationship with God does not. (120)

2. On the Internet

The Internet is a great servant, but a terrible master. (177)

1. On the Church

To have a church without preaching and teaching is like having a restaurant without food. (213)

The Profile of an Unproductive Person

He Is Slow to Start

The sluggard does not plow in the autumn;
he will seek at harvest and have nothing. – Proverbs 20:4

This proverb draws attention to the long-term effects of putting off the things we need to do now. There is a season for plowing, there is a season for sowing, and there is a season for reaping. Plowing is hard work and the sluggard does not want to do it.

Now, the context for this proverb is very important: When God’s people came into Canaan, every family was given a plot of land. God gave them homes they did not build, wells they did not dig, and vineyards they did not plant (Deuteronomy 6:11). God gave them the means of sustaining themselves. Everything they needed for life was theirs, and it was all given freely by the grace and abundance of Almighty God. Their part was to work the fields that God had given to them.

Working the fields that God had given was the work God had called His people to do. But the sluggard is slow to start. He does not plow in the autumn. So, the harvest-time eventually comes, and all of the sluggard’s neighbors are bringing in the grain and produce of the land that will sustain them, but this man has nothing. Perhaps this is why the book of Proverbs draws a contrast between the person who does not prepare for the future and the insects who do, for even insects to not have the problem that this man does.

Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise. Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest. – Proverbs 6:6-8

These tiny insects are wise enough to know that what you do now relates to what you will have in the future. Little ants know that you need to prepare for the future, so they work without supervision, and thus serve as an example for us. The unproductive person needs to be supervised all the time, but ants see what needs to be done, and they get on with doing it. But compared to these industrious ants, the sluggard delays. He postpones and procrastinates. He says, “It’s not good weather today. I’ll get around to my plowing tomorrow,” and of course he never does.

Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread,
but he who follows worthless pursuits will have plenty of poverty.
– Proverbs 28:19

He Is Easily Distracted

What keeps the sluggard from doing the work that God has called him to do and stewarding that which God has trusted him? The thing that keeps the sluggard from this is that he is easily distracted. He lacks focus. He follows worthless pursuits, and of course, this is the kind of person who is fascinated with everything but invariably achieves nothing.

We live in a world of constant distraction, from the beginning of our morning till the end of the day. The reason this sluggard has nothing at harvest is not that he refused to work; it simply that he just never quite got around to doing it.

How long will you lie there, O sluggard?
When will you arise from your sleep?
A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of hands to rest.
– Proverbs 6:9-10

Notice it’s just a little sleep. He says, “I’ll get around to the plowing when I’m ready, but right now I just feel like a little sleep. Indeed, not even sleep: I just want to have a little snooze first. Well, not even a little snooze. Just let me have a few minutes in my chair with my hands folded. Then I’ll get it done.” But after that, there is another distraction. He says, “I’ll just do this first, and then I will get around to the plowing.”

This person makes too many concessions, too many postponements, too many delays. It all happens “little by little,” and his life slips away. So, the sluggard has no harvest; not because he made some grand decision not to plow, but because, through a thousand small concessions to his own flesh, he never got around to doing what God had called him to do.

He Does Not Finish

Whoever is slothful will not roast his game,
but the diligent man will get precious wealth.
– Proverbs 12:27

Clearly the person who is slow to start, and is easily distracted, won’t be able to finish. Here the sluggard does get started, and he finds some food and brings it home. But then he loses interest and moves onto something else. So, he never finds time to roast the game he brought home.

The pattern of this person’s life is that he is always moving onto something else. Something new catches his eye and off he goes, leaving behind him a trail of incomplete projects and unfinished business. There are many things that he started but did not continue, and thus he never completed those things. And as a result, this takes us to a fourth mark of the unproductive person.

He Never Rests

Here is the irony of the person who keeps putting off what needs to be done: He can never rest. Even when he sleeps, he never really rests, because always in the back of his mind, he knows what he has to do. God rested when completed His work, and the price of putting off what God has called you to do is that you never really rest, no matter how long you may sleep.

The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing,
while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.
– Proverbs 13:4

Notice that this proverb is about the soul. Not only the barns of the sluggard are empty; the soul of the sluggard is empty as well. Laziness will empty your wallet, but it will do something worse also. Laziness will hollow out your soul, because constantly avoiding what God has called you to do is soul-destroying.

This is why “the soul of the sluggard craves.” The sluggard wants a harvest, but he won’t do what it takes to get one, so he gets nothing. He would like to be like his neighbors, but he does not have a harvest, and he won’t do what he has to do to get one.

No one wants to be like the sluggard. But his profile gives us a really helpful grid for understanding what it takes to be a more productive person. Here are four questions for you to consider as you organize your work this week: What do I need to begin? Where do I need to stay focused? What do I need to complete? When do I need to rest?

This article was adapted from Pastor Colin’s sermon, “Work,” from his series Wisdom For Life.

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How God Grows Your Confidence for New Ministry

I’ve been a member of the same church for 17 years, and in that time, God has given me the privilege of serving him in many volunteer settings – from the worship team on a platform to the puppet show on a Sunday School classroom floor, to ladies’ LIFE groups balancing Bibles and babies on laps, and women’s ministry committees vision-casting over coffee.

Yet, the one area of ministry that has provided greater joy and deeper struggle than any other has been the ministry that I am called to in the privacy of my own home. Jesus has called me to serve my husband and make disciples of my three children. Though my mission as a wife and mom takes place within familiar confines, it regularly brings me into unknown territory – surprising situations accompanied by confusing questions, more doubt than I usually admit, and the ongoing reality of my own inadequacy. No degree of training could have prepared me for the sacrifices required in marriage and motherhood. For these challenges, the secular world would simply prescribe a bigger dose of self-reliance. However, my greatest struggle is not low self-assurance; rather, it is my unbelief in the promises of Christ.

Regardless of where we serve the Lord, we cannot fulfill any ministry calling without increased confidence in Christ’s promises.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the ultimate example of a promise well kept. After his resurrection, Jesus appeared to several different people before he visited his eleven closest friends (Mark 16:9-13; Luke 24:12-33; John 20:11-18). Though each Gospel writer tells different details of the story, the common theme is Jesus’ perfect keeping of his death-defying promise! After all, the words that he spoke to his disciples before his death, everything written in the “Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms” had to be fulfilled (Luke 24:44).

Jesus Appears to Worshipers and Doubters

When Matthew tells the story, he paints a picture of eleven followers in a familiar area, on a mountain, in the exact place where Jesus had directed them to go. Little did they know they were about to receive a call to ministry in unknown territory, miles and miles outside of their comfort zones. Matthew 28:16-20 describes two possible responses to Jesus, the resurrected Promise Keeper.

Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Worshipers
Where do you see yourself in that group, receiving instructions for ministry? Are you like those in verse 17 who saw Jesus and immediately worshipped him, confident that this was indeed their Master, raised from the dead? Do you find it easy to believe that Jesus is who he says he is, that he has kept his word and will continue to do so?

Doubters
Or do you identify more with the disciples who doubted – at times hesitating to trust his authority and questioning his nearness? How do you respond when the Lord leads you, like this group in Galilee, to a place where he gives new direction for ministry? Maybe he has called you to do something new that takes you beyond what is familiar, predictable, and clear. Perhaps the magnitude of the call has revealed new questions and a sense of your own inadequacy. Perhaps your greatest obstacle has been weak belief.

Jesus Commissions with Two Promises

Whether you are a worshiper or a doubter, Matthew 28:18-20 shows that Jesus offers two comforting promises to both types of people, like bookends before and after his great commission.

1. Jesus promises, “All authority has been given to me.”

Before Jesus calls us to make disciples—a transformation that we have no power to produce—he blesses us with a promise, the declaration of his authority (v. 18). This authority means that Jesus goes before us into any new situation. By his grace, there will never be a moment in any day of ministry when we are not under the wise, careful, and powerful control of the One who sent us into it. Though our authority is inadequate, Jesus exercises his authority for the fruitfulness of the task to which he has called us. Though ministry will take us into unknown territory, Jesus is never confused or surprised by our circumstances. Jesus doesn’t just call us to make disciples; he first blesses us with the promise of his unshakable rule.

2. Jesus promises, “I am with you always.”

After Jesus calls us to make disciples, he blesses us with a second promise, the certainty of his presence. In verse 20, Jesus reminds us that he goes with us. There will never be a situation in any area of ministry when we are without his care, his wisdom, and his power. He does not passively observe our weakness as we struggle. He doesn’t sit idly by as we labor in new and uncomfortable situations. Because of his completed work on the cross, the resurrected One who is without weakness enters in to combat our greatest obstacles with his grace.

Praise Jesus for keeping his word on the cross! Praise him for giving his word as we follow him into ministry! We cannot be reminded enough of these promises. As we meditate on God’s Word, our confidence in Jesus’ promises will grow. His triumph on the cross proves that he is who he says he is, and his word is true. It is a gift of grace for our eyes to see the significance of the risen Christ. It is a miracle of mercy for our hearts to be transformed from doubt to belief, that we may worship Jesus. His authority and eternal presence comfort and empower us when following tangles our feet. Regardless of where Jesus calls us to minister, let’s worship him as the one who goes before us and stays with us.  

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