Eric E. Wright's Blog, page 20

Our Story -From Toronto to Pakistan with love

(This is one of an ongoing series of episodes in the story of Eric and Mary Helen Wright, their love and their calling to service in Pakistan.)

In February of 1964, we finally set sail for Pakistan. We were almost giddy with expectation as we boarded the SS United States in New York for Southampton in the UK. But as soon as we were at sea, Mary Helen began to feel seasick. The North Atlantic was frigid and storm-tossed. Without a touch of sea sickness, I enjoyed the journey but Mary Helen spent the whole passage in misery, hardly able to eat anything.

Then after a short stay in the UK, we boarded the RMS Cilicia for our journey through the Mediterranean, the Suez Canal, the Red Sea and on to Pakistan. The Cilicia was a smaller but more traveler-friendly liner. With its outstanding full-course meals, freedom to walk the decks, and entertainment for the kids, my enjoyment was only limited by my concern for Mary Helen. Sadly, Mary Helen again spent most of the voyage battling nausea in her stateroom. After finally landing in Karachi, she determined to never set foot in a boat again.

RMS Cilicia

Veteran missionaries, Merle and Gloria Inniger, met us in Karachi to ease us through culture-shock and guide us up-country to our base in Rahim Yar Khan. RYK, as it is usually called, is half-way between Karachi and Lahore not far from the Indus River on one side and the Indian desert of Rajasthan on the other.

In Rahim, we settled in with Merle and Gloria in their rented accommodation and began informal language study. Formal studies wouldn’t begin until May when we would travel to the northern mountains, the location of the Murree Language School. Both Innigers were fluent in Urdu and also did

Merle and Gloria Inniger

well in Panjabi, the local dialect. Fortunately, a couple of local Christians made it their duty to school these new mishes in the mysteries of the Urdu language. I made some progress, but Mary Helen had little time to study while caring for two little ones and dealing with a smoky kerosene stove, and recalcitrant frig. Stephen seemed to cry at every breakfast we had with the Innigers. Since they were childless, Mary Helen decided it was too much to impose on them every morning. Instead, she fed Stephen in our room. 

During that time Stephen tripped and cut his lip. We took him to the Civil Hospital in town. Rahim was quite a provincial town that rarely saw foreigners, except those that lived on the Lever Brothers compound in town. The doctor was so enamored with us as foreigners that he seemed more interested in talking to us than in treating Stephen. Finally, Mary Helen offered to prepare Stephen so he could stitch his lip. He did a good job.

At first, the little lizards that scooted around the walls and ceilings catching bugs frightened the kids. So, we named them Oscar and had fun pointing them out to Stephen and Debbie as friendly little critters. “Hello Oscar.” “Goodnight Oscar.” From that point on their anxiety disappeared.

The house, 18 Model Town, was a rambling bungalow with a porch front and back. The brick walls were plastered, but salt-peter had risen about two feet up from the floor causing the plaster to discolour and flake off. Like all such houses in Pakistan, it had a walled courtyard at the back.

Pakistani friend Miriam plays with Stephen in our courtyard. Note the plaster scaling due to salt-peter.

The bathroom was a bit of a shock. We had to use wooden commodes that needed to be cleaned every day by a visiting sweeper, who also swept the dusty yards. Sweepers were members of the lowest Hindu caste, many of whom had become nominally Christianized during revivals under Praying Hyde in the early 1900’s.

Veteran missionaries, Anita and Danny warned us that 18 Model Town would periodically shake. They felt that the trembling of the house might be due to demonic activity at some time in the past. What a scary thought! To go to sleep with spirits shaking the shutters. Fortunately, I soon discovered the real cause. Whenever a train roared by on the nearby tracks, the doors creaked and the shutters on the windows rattled. What a relief to discover a rational cause—a cause that didn’t mean we needed to pray less. I don’t want to minimize the influence of Satan and his minions throughout Pakistan. We often sensed the oppressive spiritual darkness that pervaded the country.

The amount of time consumed by taking care of the basic needs of life proved to be an early source of frustration. The house had a hand pump in the courtyard but no running water in the house. I had brought plastic pipe coiled around the inside of a drum and a faucet or two. I set that drum on the flat roof, connected plastic pipe to it, and coiled the pipe back and forth on the roof to absorb heat from the sun. I ran the end of the pipe down to the kitchen where I installed a faucet. Presto, we had hot water. For a sink I used a big metal pot, a dekchi, with a soldered drain. Unfortunately, the old hand pump we had brought to pump water to the roof didn’t work. We had to have our helper carry water up to the roof to fill the drum. 

There was never enough water. Without treatment, we dared not drink it for fear of dysentery. That meant boiling the water and then cooling it. Much time was consumed by the everlasting boiling of water and trying to keep the kerosene frig working to cool it. We had brought some Halazone tablets to use in a pinch, but we tried to limit their use to when we were invited to drink untreated water. They were especially necessary in villages where canal water was in use. Before the British left the Indian subcontinent, they had constructed a network of canals to channel water from the mighty Indus into the parched desert which was soon transformed into productive farmland.

Of course, everything happened in and around the canals from farmers washing their water buffalo and themselves to the unmentionable. So, when we were offered a drink of water in a village we would slip a Halazone tablet into a glass and try to be patient until it had time to work. We didn’t want to give our hosts the impression we didn’t appreciate their hospitality, so we would often opt for tea even in the hottest weather. In that case at least, the water and milk had been boiled. Pakistani chai consists of boiling water, tea, milk, and sugar together. Was it from their time in India that the British came to believe that hot tea in the summer has a cooling effect?

And so from our arrival until May of that year, we learned to adjust to life in Pakistan. But we had each other, the assurance of God’s calling, a new missionary and Pakistani family, and the delights that came from watching Stephen and Deborah grow. (To be continued.)

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Christians Must Understand Capitalism & Socialism or Vote Blind

We need clarity. As Christians, like many in our societies, we seem confused about the differences between socialism and capitalism. On the surface, socialism appears to be the most Christian system due to the way it redistributes wealth to care for the most vulnerable in society. And capitalism seems the most anti-Christian because it seems to encourage and reward greed. And then there is the political system, democracy. What are we to make about these systems?

To approach this subject as a Christian we need to clarify several key points that must be accepted before we move on. Without agreeing on these points, we cannot hope to come to an understanding of these systems that will inform our role as Christians and citizens.

All humans are sinners with a propensity toward greed, power and selfishness. We cannot build a society on a fiction, that people are intrinsically good, benevolent, and compassionate. “The LORD looked down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. All have turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one” (Psalm 14:2,3). “There is no one righteous, not even one;…for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:10, 23). “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live…gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts” (Eph. 2:1,3).Christians are those who are born again by faith in Christ not by good works. (John 3:7) (See also Romans 3:21-26; Eph. 2:4,5; Titus 3:5 and many other passages.) Born-again Christians owe allegiance to two kingdoms. They are citizens of the Kingdom of God which is the invisible rule of Christ in the hearts of all those who own Him as Lord. Yet they are also members of the society in which they live. They are called to differentiate between their allegiance to God and allegiance to governments. When presented with a Roman coin and asked about paying taxes, Jesus said, “Render onto Caesar what is Caesar’s and onto God what is God’s” (Matt. 22:21). Christians have a responsibility, like all citizens of a country, to pay taxes and respect those in authority.Christians owe allegiance to Christ first. They must obey His commands including the ten commandments. As individual Christians living in a civil society, they are expected to demonstrate Christ’s love and compassion toward their neighbours. They and their churches are meant to apply the principles of Christ in caring for the vulnerable. That may mean caring for orphans, widows, mentally challenged, etc. Christians are salt and light in society.BUT we cannot expect a civil society or its citizens to embrace Christian principles unless widespread revival occurs. The best we can hope for in this world is a government that respects human dignity and freedom while instituting laws that moderate our natural tendency toward selfishness, the exercise of power over others, and greed.If we have the freedom to choose a system of government, we should choose one that produces the greatest good for the greatest number. We would be wise to find a system that:Respects the dignity and freedom of individuals, (See Gen. 1:27)Rewards initiative and does not stifle it, (See parables of talents and pounds; 1 Tim. 5:8)Respects private property, (See 8th & 10th commandments; principle of stewardship in parables of Jesus, & that giving is to be free-will, without compulsion, 2 Cor. 9:7, etc.)Realizes that people are all different with different skills, talents, etc., (See parables of Jesus, teaching on gifts in Rom. 12:3-8, 1 Cor. 12:-6, etc.)Has some way to help those who are unfortunate without de-motivating those who generate wealth in a society.Curbs absolute power lest the powerful tyrannize the weak.As Christians living in a secular society, we will often need to choose between various distasteful options; that is, we often have to choose the lesser of two evils. Without compromising our central allegiance to Christ, we often have to compromise about lesser things. For example, are we going to pay taxes in a society where gay marriage and abortion are legal, or move to a place like Tanzania or Mexico or Saudi Arabia where these might be illegal? Jesus directed his disciples to pay taxes in the Roman Empire where child infanticide, idolatry, and slavery were legal.

What then should a Christian do while living in Caesar’s world? Promote a monarchy, a dictatorship, a democracy, a socialistic system, capitalism, or a combination? Fortunately, most of us can set aside monarchy and dictatorship. Let me define our three main options.

“Democracy is government by the people especially: rule of the majority. That is it is a government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodically held free elections.” (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/democracy)

Consider the historic development of democracy which many attribute to Greece. But Greece was a slave-owning society, not a society in which all were equal. Democracy as we know it developed after the Protestant Reformation due to the renewal of belief in the dignity and equality of all people. Why? Because belief in equality is a fundamental biblical principle.; every individual has been endowed with dignity by the Creator who made men and women in His own image.

“Socialism is a range of economic and social systems characterized by social ownership of the means of production and workers’ self-management as well as political theories and movements associated with them.…There are many varieties of socialism and there is no single definition encapsulating all of them, with social ownership being the common element shared by its various forms. 

…Originating within the socialist movement, social democracy has embraced a mixed economy with a market that includes substantial state intervention in the form of income redistribution, regulation, and a welfare state. Economic democracy proposes a sort of market socialism where there is more decentralised control of companies, currencies, investments, and natural resources.”  (from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socialism)

“Capitalism refers to an economic system in which a society’s means of production are held by private individuals or organizations, not the government, and where products, prices, and the distribution of goods are determined mainly by competition in a free market. As an economic system, it can be contrasted with the economic system of communism.” https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/capitalism

IMPLICATIONS:

This article is meant to give an overview of these competing systems. I welcome comment and correction.

In our fallen world no system will perfectly promote human flourishing. Systems must be continually monitored.Democracy appears to be the best system since it is based on the inherent value and equality of all people. By spreading power throughout a population there is more chance of moderating evil through enacting laws that punish evil, limit business monopolies, protect private property, and through taxation finance defense and the extension of help to the needy.A free-market economy does the most to inspire and reward work, initiative, innovation, and prosperity. The introduction of this system in China is the main cause of its booming economy. Calling this capitalism tends to turn people off by conjuring up a picture of wealthy capitalists fueled by greed running roughshod over workers. But when a democracy rules a country while at the same time encouraging free enterprise, all benefit more. See the stats on the reduction in poverty over the years that free enterprise has been operative. https://ourworldindata.org/extreme-povertyWhile socialism, on the surface, looks more compassionate and Christian by re-distributing wealth with a goal of making all equal in income, it ultimately harms society by failing to reward initiative, innovation, and hard work. It limits private ownership and promotes big government. Bernie Sanders represents modern socialists by saying: “Let us wage a moral and political war against the billionaires and corporate leaders, on Wall Street and elsewhere, whose policies and greed are destroying the middle class of America. Let us wage a moral and political war against the gross wealth and income inequality in America, the worst in the industrialized world, which is tearing this country and our economy apart.” https://www.facebook.com/senatorsanders/posts/10150781969192908 But it is not billionaires like Bill Gates that is destroying America. Innovations such as his created wealth and jobs that blesses America. As far as making government departments responsible to force redistribution of wealth, we all know how inefficient government departments are compared to private enterprise.Historically socialism has always resulted in more and more concentration of power in government or dictators to enable them to enforce income redistribution. The 20th century is a graveyard of socialistic hopes that has resulted in 100 million people murdered or starved to death in Russia, China, Viet Nam, Cambodia, Cuba, etc. Venezuela is the most recent example where the enforced implementation of socialism has resulted in the wealthiest country in South America becoming the poorest. It is said that the average Venezuelan has lost about 17 pounds due to food scarcities.While some say that these stats refer to communist dictatorships not socialism, the basic principles of the two are the similar. Some refer to the Scandinavian countries as an example of prosperous socialism. But the president of Denmark corrected this fallacy by pointing out that Denmark is not a socialist country but has prosperity based on a free-market system.Democracies such as Canada and those in Europe promote free-markets while instituting measures to care for needy. See Canada’s health care system and equalizing payments between the provinces. Although the US health care system is much more capitalistic, it does not promote equality and is astronomically expensive. Promoting a free-market system does not mean that there should not be measures to limit the power of corporations, and for-profit principles in certain essential areas such as health care.

While our current system of free-markets in a democracy has faults, and needs to be continually monitored and corrected, Christians ought to praise God they live in such a society. As Christians, it does not make sense for us to promote socialism.

In the meantime, while we await the return of Christ, let us do all the good we can to all the people we can as long as we can.

(Let me know your thoughts on this subject. Further articles, books, and stories at: http://www.countrywindow.ca Facebook: Eric E Wright Twitter: @EricEWright1 LinkedIn: Eric Wright ––)

I See Her Everywhere

After a lengthy illness brought on by the clash of atrial fibrillation and pulmonary fibrosis, my wife was gently take to her heavenly home over a month ago. I am very grateful for many who have been praying for me in these days. Those prayers are being answered. I am slowly able to turn my thoughts to happy memories of our life together and not to her absence. I’m beginning to pick up the pieces of life without her. Or am I?

I can’t just switch off my thoughts of Mary Helen. That’s impossible. I see her everywhere. How can I just carry on as if six decades of togetherness never happened? How can I pick up the pieces of my life without my best friend by my side, the love of my life gone. Sixty-three years of love and laughter and gentle companionship and yes, I admit, my thoughtless comments and attempts at humour followed by her tolerance and forgiveness.

I see her everywhere. Hairclips and bobby pins—before I toss them away, I pause and think of her abundant wavy hair, untouched by grey. Family liked to run their hands though her amazing locks. Gone.

Her recliner sits empty. Silence echoes through the condo. She is gone.

A cupboard full of clothes. She always looked so neat and stylish. I don’t dare even open the closet door for more than a minute.

I’m in the kitchen soaking the dishes before putting them in the dishwasher—as she taught me. And she touched every dish and glass and pot. Oh, Mary Helen, I miss you so.

In the freezer I find a bag of crushed ice. At one point she craved crushed ice to sip. “Make it really small.” But always her food had to be hot, not lukewarm. HOT! How do I suddenly go on with life without your love?

Sorting through the books and keepsakes I come on her birthday book. A beautiful book with sketches of plants and birds through the seasons. In it she’s listed the birthdays and anniversaries of our family. I never worried about it. How can I now take up the mantle of her thoughtfulness? Impossible.

One of her medicines tumbles out of the cupboard. So many medicines. And a loop of tubing for the oxygenator which I missed giving to the supplier. Such a struggle this last year. But she was here. I could touch her, help her walk, make her comfortable with pillows all around. Yes, she wanted to go to her heavenly home from her earthly home. She was ready. It was a privilege to help her to the last day, all our family would agree. But you’re not here honey!

And you’re no longer beside me in our bed. I have lonely nights ahead. Will it take sleeping pills to help me sleep?

Even the towels in the bathroom remind me of her. She’d say of a hand towel, “It’s wet.” To which I’d reply, “It’s wet because we just wiped our hands on it a few minutes ago. Shouldn’t we let it dry?” She’d insist on everything clean and fresh and dry. Oh, Mary Helen. Which reminds me that I have to do the laundry. Every day she marveled at the wonderful washer and dryer we had. She celebrated washing and drying clothes with such efficient machines.

And what about all those cards that she saved. And more that have come since her home-going, cards from friends and relatives who offer their love and prayers. Each one reminds me of her—which is good—but do I just toss them? Or review the thoughtful comments in the days ahead? Or will that only prolong the pain? I have a task ahead, to write cards of thanks. I know that every card will be written through tears.

Talk about cards. I thought of her yesterday when I went into a store. The aisle of cards reminded me of her looking carefully for just the right card to send a friend.

And to pay the funeral bill. Mary Helen would have been shocked. She didn’t believe in ostentation nor wasting money on unnecessary things for a funeral that might pretend she was only resting. “When my body is dead, I will be with Jesus. I will not be here.” Okay, honey but we are and… Still, she wanted a gravestone, a place where her kids and grandkids could visit to know she was a real person who lived her life on earth, who lived a life of faith because of Jesus Christ. Sweetheart this whole process is hard.

Spring is coming, but you won’t be with me as I plant flowers. You won’t be beside me as we wander down country roads looking for unusual shots for my camera. I can hear her. “Do you have to stop for another picture?” And she won’t be with me to have an afternoon coffee on the porch.

My family worry about me. My daughter who misses her almost as much as I do. She calls and texts to check up on me. Bless her and her husband who insisted we spend her last days in their guest room so they could help. And bless our son who calls from Atlanta to check. And our son in Mississauga who wants me to come and stay with them in April for a few days. And our granddaughter who wants me to know I am part of her family. Thanks to you Mary Helen, you have left me with a loving family to support me.

And what about church? I’ll sit near the back. But you won’t be there to enquire about people, to assure them of your prayers, to hug them. As one lady told me last Sunday, “She was the most loving and thoughtful person I have met.”

Yes, life goes on. But how? I’m afraid of the future. We always faced it together. Oh, I know that God holds the future in His hands. I know He cares for me. I know he will guide me. I believe! Oh Lord, help my unbelief.

[Disclaimer: This is shared with the hope that it will help others who grieve, and give a measure of understanding to those who haven’t yet gone through the loss of a spouse. The more we understand grief, the better we can support those who grieve. ]

(Let me know your thoughts on this subject. If you appreciate this blog, please pass it on. Further articles, books, and stories at: http://www.countrywindow.ca Facebook: Eric E Wright Twitter: @EricEWright1 LinkedIn: Eric Wright ––)

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Battling Grief in my Wife’s Home-going

[Disclaimer: The following is very personal. Forgive me if it is too raw. Writing is how I deal with my loss. And I hope someone else might be helped.]

One of the last things my sweetheart was able to say to me was, “Don’t let the devil discourage you.” Oh, Mary Helen, how can I not lose courage as I face a lonely future? How can I not be discouraged without you by my side? How can I remain hopeful and forward looking? The earth has shifted! The future looks dark and lonely.

I know you are in heaven rejoicing with Jesus Christ. You are learning some of the answers to your questions and feeling unfathomable love for our Triune God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit. But I’m here on earth. Everywhere I look I see you…and miss you so much. Tears fall unbidden. I have a wonderful family, thanks to you. They have been wonderfully supportive. But the future, without you by my side…

Yes, you have left happy memories and wise words. Those have made me think and wander again through the Scriptures and the hymn book.

Why  should I feel discouraged, Why should the shadows come, Why should my heart be lonely, And long for heav’n and home; When Jesus is my portion? My constant Friend is he; His eye is on the sparrow, And I know he watches me; His eye is on the sparrow, And I know he watches me. Refrain: I sing because I’m happy, I sing because I’m free;

Well, I can’t sing yet—except alone in the car through tears. I might long for heaven and home where I’ll see you again. But wait. There’s also the struggle I have to be able to say; “It’s all about Him,” as another hymn proclaims. We prayed for God to take you gently home after months of struggle, and He did. He welcomed you there. You now see what we can’t see, “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.” (1 Cor. 2:9 KJV)

But I’m here and I have so many buts. And I can no longer take you in my arms.

Okay, that’s what the devil wants. To render me a permanent basket-case. To tempt me to resign from God’s program, believing I’m too grief-stricken, too old, too fragile to continue to use the gifts He gave me to further the kingdom. I’m tempted to believe that. And I do need time.

Why don’t I just take up golf. But all my shots would end up in the rough and I’d come home with an aching shoulder. God won’t begrudge me time for distractions and in my case it might be wiser to use my camera or take up painting or work on a new book. I know God understands my need to slowly recover from 63 years of doing everything together. He knows my need for space. After all, He sent His Son.

And Jesus really understands loneliness. He has his arms around me. Because He came as a man, He can now understand my pain and grief and temptations and everything else. He wept at Lazurus’ grave. He is my high priest who intercedes for me continually before the Father. He empathizes. He feels. And He knows best because He is sovereign. He took you in His time, not mine. Can I believe that? Can I continue to walk in faith? Lord, with your help I will. But I’ll need a lot of your help!

Besides, look at the world I live in. My pain is not unique. The war in Ukraine. A million more refugees to add to the millions of Afghans and Syrians and South Sudanese! The persecuted Church. Those who have not yet heard the Gospel. My community. People are suffering all around me; dealing not only with grief but with cancer, covid-19, irrational house prices, employment issues, loneliness, operations, and on and on it goes. “In this world you will have tribulation, but I [Jesus] have overcome the world.” Somehow, I must try to help this hurting generation.

I must press on. But how? Perhaps listing what I have going for me will help:

Jesus, who has forgiven my sins, promised to never leave me nor forsake me, anchored my hope in heaven itself behind the veil of this seen world,The Father, who sent his son for our salvation and has adopted me into His family,The Holy Spirit, our comforter, who dwells within,My wonderful family who have surrounded me so lovingly—their hugs and practical help is another story that should be told,The comfort of the Scriptures—so vast, so true, so practical, so helpful; to be explored daily,Heaven ahead where I will see Mary Helen again plus the awesome thought of being there when the King comes on clouds to create a new heaven and earth,Friends from here to Pakistan who appreciated Mary Helen and have blessed and encouraged us through the years,A weekly Bible study with men of like precious faith,A guardian angel,The privilege of going to the throne of grace in prayer,The privilege of writing,And much, much more.

Sigh. Somehow writing this out has helped. My prayer is that it might help someone else who is grieving, or help someone trying to understand the grief of someone they know. Pass it on if you think it might help someone. 

(Let me know your thoughts on this subject. If you appreciate this blog, please pass it on. Further articles, books, and stories at: http://www.countrywindow.ca Facebook: Eric E Wright Twitter: @EricEWright1 LinkedIn: Eric Wright ––)

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Is There Life Beyond the Grave?

What happens when we die? Even those of us who should know better believe all kinds of myths about death. That the dead become angels. That the ghosts of the dead hover around their graves. That souls sleep until the resurrection of the dead at the judgement day.

The fact, as revealed in the Bible, is that upon death the body begins to decay but the eternal soul lives on in the presence of either Christ or wakes up in hell. In this my last blog about redemption, I want to consider some of what is clear about what Scripture calls, the GLORIFICATION of redeemed sinners.

But first we need to remind ourselves that we are talking about a mystery. Most of our future, as believers, is unknown. Whatever is needful, God has revealed. Rather than spend time in conjecture, we should savour what has been revealed. As Paul wrote, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Cor 2:9). Think of the most wonderful aspects of life on earth—our future state as redeemed sinners will be infinitely beyond the best we have experienced on earth.  

Let’s clarify then, what Scripture reveals. Upon death, the soul of every redeemed sinner is immediately translated into the presence of Christ. Away from the body is “at home with the Lord” (2 Cor. 5:8). Jesus said to the believing thief on the cross, “Today shalt thou be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43). Unafraid of his impending death but concerned about staying in their midst to serve them, Paul said, “For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain…I am torn between the two; I desire to depart and be with Christ which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body” (Phil. 1:21, 23).

Death ushers believers immediately into a state of conscious bliss. While death is often described in Scripture as falling asleep, this a metaphor to take away the fear. Jesus did not tell the thief he would go to sleep upon death, but be with him instantly. Paul did not long to die just to go to sleep. No, he looked forward to waking up conscious of the glory of Christ. Upon death, the body decays waiting for the resurrection, but the soul begins a conscious period of exaltation with Christ. (See Luke 16:19-31, the parable of the rich man and Lazarus.)

Throughout the Bible, death is viewed with gladsome expectation because it is declared to be entrance into a state of joy. “God will redeem my life from the grave, he will surely take me to himself” (Psalm 49:15). “He will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces” (Is. 25:8). “Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling …while we are in this tent we groan and are burdened…that what is mortal may be swallowed up in life…know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord” (2 Cor. 5:1-6, selections).

Upon death, the redeemed sinner is glorified, that is their holiness is perfected, their sinful nature is gone. All pain and tears and disappointment are wiped away. They celebrate redemption along with angels in the presence of Christ. Consider the description of gathered believers in heaven: “You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant,…” (Heb. 12:22-24).

But there is more! We will receive resurrection bodies like Christ’s. (See 1 Cor. 15:42, 51, 52.) This change will occur at the last trumpet when Christ returns to judge the earth. “The Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air., And so we will be with the Lord forever” (1 Thess. 4:16,17). At this point, “the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God…” (2 Thess. 1:7,8). After this judgement God will create a new heaven and a new earth.

[Note that there are many differences of opinion among believers about the sequence of events to take place at the end. I’ve tried to state what seems clear to me.]

In conclusion let me quote Randy Alcorn. “God never changes, but Heaven will change. The Bible indicates that after our resurrection, God will relocate His central dwelling place to the New Earth:

‘Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth. . . . I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. . . . I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.’ (Revelation 21:1–3)

‘Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth. . . . I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. . . . I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.’ (Revelation 21:1–3)

We’re told “the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it [the New Earth], and his servants will worship him” (Revelation 22:3). Heaven is where God’s throne is, where He dwells with His people. Hence, the New Earth will be Heaven on earth. When Christians die, we go to live with God in His place. That’s the present Heaven. But after the resurrection, God will come down to live with us in our place. The future Heaven, onb the New Earth, will not be “us with god” but “God with us.” (Our Most Destructive Assumption about Heaven; Randy Alcorn, October 25, 2021)

This concludes my series of posts ab out redemption. Lord willing I will take up another subject in subsequent posts. I must say that due to personal issues regarding my wife’s health, these may be irregular. I hope these have been encouraging to believers and a loving challlenge to unbelievers to come to Christ for salvation.

(Let me know your thoughts on this subject. If you appreciate this blog, please pass it on. Further articles, books, and stories at: http://www.countrywindow.ca Facebook: Eric E Wright Twitter: @EricEWright1 LinkedIn: Eric Wright ––)

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Can We Be Sure of Going to Heaven?

After 19 months of on-again, off-again lockdowns, little is sure about our future relationship to Covid-19. Only one thing is clear; it cannot be eradicated. Like the flu virus we are probably going to have to live with it. Maybe we will have to get booster shots into the foreseeable future, just as we are urged to get seasonal flu shots.

Life is uncertain. We can’t be sure what will happen tomorrow. But is there anything that we can know about tomorrow? Yes, there is one thing. If we are redeemed by the blood of Christ, we can be assured that we will never lose our salvation. Heaven is sure. Why then do so many professing Christians lack ASSURANCE OF SALVATION?

The declaration of Jesus makes it clear that we cannot lose our salvation. “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand” (John 10:27, 28. See verse 29 also). There are two aspects to assurance; Jesus’ sheep hear his voice and follow him and Jesus’ sheep are kept in his hand. Let me tackle this question then from two perspectives.

First, genuine believers can never lose their salvation because they receive eternal not temporary salvation. They are kept in the Saviour’s hand. They are eternally secure because the Father has made an irrevocable covenant with his Son to save to the uttermost all who trust in him. God keeps every single genuine believer by PRESERVING them to the end. This can be called, the preservation of the saints.

In his high priestly prayer, Jesus prayed; “I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours, you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word…they believed that you sent me. I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours.…Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name—the name you gave me—so that they may be one as we are one. …My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one” (See this whole prayer in John 17.) Is Jesus’ prayer effective? Does the Father listen to the Son’s prayer?

Why may a believer be assured? Because God is working in him a process that leads from initial faith and repentance to the glorification of the person in heaven. ”We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called, those he called, he also justified, those he justified, he also glorified…If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:28-31) Those called and justified will be glorified. No exceptions. Many other passages could be cited.

Secondly, consider this from the perspective of the believer. In that regard assurance of salvation is related to the PERSEVERANCE OF THE SAINTS. Every saved sinner will persevere to the end and be taken to heaven. This is God’s promise.

Meanwhile in this life, we must give diligence to persevere. The Bible knows nothing of lazy, careless believers. “Brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall” 2 Peter 1;10). What are the things we should do to ensure that we are one of the elect and not self-deceived?

We should give diligence to overcome temptation, to put to death the old nature within us and to put on the new nature. (See Romans 6:5-14; Gal. 5:16-21, etc.)

We should give diligence to ask the Holy Spirit to produce in us the fruit of his presence; “Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, self-control” (Gal 5:22,23).

We should give diligence to use our spiritual gifts to minister to one another and to see the gospel spread throughout the world. (See Romans 12, 1 Cor. 12, and Eph. 4 to discern the 15 or so gifts of the Spirit distributed among all believers.)

We should give diligence to push through our troubles, even “rejoice in our sufferings knowing that suffering produces perseverance… character…hope…love” (Romans 5:4,5).

True believers do not always feel assured of their salvation. They may stumble and fall. They may go through dark times of testing and suffering. They may lament their sins and failures but when they confess their sins, as promised in 1 John 1:9, they will immediately receive from God forgiveness and the motivation to keep on keeping on. However, their temperament may be such that they have gloomy views of themselves that move them to doubt God’s love.

A believer’s sense of assurance ebbs and flows. Most often, lack of assurance is due to a misunderstanding of the role of God’s grace in our salvation. The more we focus on the grace of God, the cleansing power of the blood Christ and the love of God, the more we will be assured. We should read Romans 8 often. And we should listen to the Spirit within. “The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ” (Rom. 8:16,17). Listen. Don’t block out his voice.

Rejoice! Assurance of salvation is the heritage of every believer, not because of what they do, but because of what God has done!

(Let me know your thoughts on this subject. If you appreciate this blog, please pass it on. Further articles, books, and stories at: http://www.countrywindow.ca Facebook: Eric E Wright Twitter: @EricEWright1 LinkedIn: Eric Wright ––)

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Health Depends on Balance and Discipline

Our health depends on having a daily regimen; eating good food, getting exercise, and having proper sleep. We can’t decide on Tuesday not to eat anything, gorge on Wednesday, and on Thursday get drunk, while on Friday we attempt to run ten miles. We can’t expect heath if we burn the candle at both ends, eat junk food and rarely sleep or exercise. In a similar way, we can’t expect to grow in grace through irregular habits.

While our bodies may tell us when we are hungry or thirsty, our souls may not remind us of our need for regular spiritual nourishment unless we establish good spiritual habits. In this 18th post on redemption, I discuss the need for a plan to grow in grace. The goal, as we’ve seen, is sanctification—the process of becoming more like Christ, more holy in our living, more loving in our relationships. We need a way of reminding ourselves daily of the importance of exercising the disciplines that lead to growth.

Clearly, we need daily Bible study. In his high priestly prayer, Jesus prayed to the Father, “Sanctify them by the truth, your word is truth” (John 17:17). The Psalmist knew how important it was to daily meditate, memorize and live according to the Scriptures. “How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word…I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you…I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word” (Psalm 119: 9, 11,15,16).

Paul writing to Timothy reminded him that “from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures…All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2Tim. 3:15-17). All Scripture can contribute to our growth!

It is impossible to live a godly, Christ-centred life without a steady diet of Scripture. We need to set up a plan to read through the whole Bible, to meditate on key sections, memorize important verses and pray for its teaching to feel our souls and transform our lives.

We also must develop a prayer life. Jesus taught his disciples to pray. (See the model prayer in Matt. 6: 5-17.) The disciples saw Jesus’ life saturated with prayer. The Spirit enabled them to overhear his prayer to the Father in John 17. With each piece of armour described in Ephesians six, Paul urges us to; “Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints” (Eph. 6:18). Do you and I have a prayer list of other believers and their needs? Do we pray for those in government? Do we pray for our missionaries? Do we spend time not only in intercession but worship, praise and thanksgiving? How transforming it is to list all our blessings, to meditate on the attributes of God, to worship Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

We also need weekly fellowship with the family of God. In a period when more and more people assume that they can worship from home and do not need to meet with other believers face-to-face, we read that the first Christians; “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the FELLOWSHIP, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. ..All the believers were together…Every day they continued to meet together…They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts” (Acts 2:42ff). And God turned the world upside down through them.

Few of us can meet daily. But we must meet at least weekly. Are we better than they that we don’t need fellowship and encouragement from other believers? No!! “Let us not give up meeting together as the some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching” (Heb. 10:25).

The means of grace; Bible input, prayer and fellowship with other believers. God also uses trouble and suffering to help us grow, but we can’t schedule that. We can set up a daily/weekly plan of Bible immersion and prayer. Do you want to grow? Set up a plan. Don’t just plan for retirement or education of career—give time for sanctification.

(Let me know your thoughts on this subject. If you appreciate this blog, please pass it on. Further articles, books, and stories at: http://www.countrywindow.ca Facebook: Eric E Wright Twitter: @EricEWright1 LinkedIn: Eric Wright ––)

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LIVING THINGS GROW -ARE YOU AND I GROWING SPIRITUALLY?

You’ve probably had the experience of planting a tree or shrub, watering it, and coming back in a day or two to examine for growth. Instead, you see the leaves withered. Sadly, you have to admit that it died and you must remove it and plant another.

Not all those who profess faith in Christ, grow. Too many wither and spiritually die. The parable of the soils explains the sad reality. (See Matt. 13 for parable of soils or sower.) For if there is no ongoing spiritual growth after profession of faith, there is no real conversion. The salvation of too many is stillborn. Throughout Scripture it is clear by the growth images used that no growth means no life in God. “Blessed is the man…[who] has delight in the law of the LORD. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither” (Psalm 1) No water of the Spirit, no life. Jesus said of his followers; “I am the vine, you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit…if anyone does not remain in me and I in him, he is like a branch that is thr4won away and withers, such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned” (John 15:5,6). No connection to Christ producing fruit, no life but the fire.

Every genuinely converted man or woman, grows and produces spiritual fruit. “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ [the holy one]” (2Peter 3:18).

How then can we ensure that we grow more like Christ? In this 17th post on redemption, I’ll begin to discuss the importance of faithfully using the means of grace. God pours grace into our lives through the Word of God, prayer, fellowship with other believers, and suffering. But wait, there is something more vital!

First we need to acknowledge that we are utterly dependent on the Holy Spirit to maintain our connection with Jesus Christ and apply these means of grace to our lives so we can gradually change. In John 14-16 Jesus talks about sending the Spirit to continue his work in believers. In Romans 8 we read that disciples are those who “do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit [we are to be] “controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ” (vs. 4,5) The Spirit gives us life. The Spirit produces in us the fruit of the Spirit. Growth in Christ cannot happen without the energizing of the Spirit. Why? Although we are forgiven, we still have the old, sinful nature warring against the new nature created in us. It is the Spirit that enables us to overcome the old, sinful tendencies in us. Every victory over temptation helps us become stronger in faith. And thus we grow.

Thus, although we must employ the means of grace to grow, they will be sterile—dead—unless the Holy Spirit uses them to produce growth. So, we should always be praying, Lord, blessed Spirit help me understand and apply this passage of Scripture. Blessed Spirit hear my prayer. Spirit of Christ, help me to overcome this sin. We desperately need the Holy Spirit’s work. If we would grow, we must be open to the Spirit. We need to cry, “Holy Spirit, come do you work in me. I submit to you.” Are we open to the Spirit’s work? Are we growing?

(Let me know your thoughts on this subject. If you appreciate this blog, please pass it on. Further articles, books, and stories at: http://www.countrywindow.ca Facebook: Eric E Wright Twitter: @EricEWright1 LinkedIn: Eric Wright ––)

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Does Talk of Holiness Make You Uncomfortable?

In times past, Christians have been called holy-rollers or holy-joes. Downright weird. Generally, those who openly profess Christ are assumed to think of themselves as holier than thou. The very term, holiness¸ seems not only archaic but a word that makes people feel uncomfortable.

But in this 16th in my series about celebrating redemption, we come to holiness, a vital aspect of sanctification. According to 2 Corinthians 7:1 if we are to progress in sanctification, we must grow in holiness. “Dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.” According to Hebrews 12:14; ”Without holiness, no one will see the Lord.” And in Hebrews 10:14, sanctification is “being made holy.”

In essence, holiness is separation from all sin, from everything that morally contaminates, from everything that would anger the thrice-holy God of Isaiah 6. In a vision Isaiah saw two seraphs crying to each other as they flew; “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty” (Is. 6:3). This vision of God’s holiness made Isaiah cry out “Woe is me…I am a man of unclean lips” (6:5).

In a non-moral sense, God, is in essence, holy in being completely separate from all His creation. In a moral sense, he is holy in being separate from all that is evil. The laws he has given us define evil negatively and holiness positively. Disobedience to God’s laws either in act or thought makes us unholy.

It is crystal clear that the goal of every follower of this Holy God, is to perfect holiness in the fear of God. Having been born again, we are to put off the old sinful self and “put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (Eph. 4:24).

“Blessed are those whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the LORD…Oh, that my ways were steadfast in obeying your decrees…I seek you with all my heart, do not let me stray from your commands” (Ps. 119:1, 5,10) Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commands.”

If holiness is our goal, we won’t go around projecting an image that we are “holier than thou”, for holiness is an attitude as well as an action. The beatitudes define holiness as humility, meekness, mercy, compassion, etc. (See. Matt. 5:3-12) Galatians 5 defines holiness as love, joy, peace, longsuffering… (Gal. 5:22,23). Or in the Jesus’ response to a lawyer’s question, the essence of the law is love for God and love for one’s neighbour. Clearly, then, holiness is not a one-dimensional quality, it is not just the absence of sin but the presence of those qualities of life that reflect love.

But how to we grow in holiness? For grow we must. The very essence of sanctification is growth. No growth—no life. “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ [the holy one]” (2Peter 3:18). What are the means that pour the grace of holiness into our lives? I’ll tackle that in a following post.

(Let me know your thoughts on this subject. If you appreciate this blog, please pass it on. Further articles, books, and stories at: http://www.countrywindow.ca Facebook: Eric E Wright Twitter: @EricEWright1 LinkedIn: Eric Wright ––)

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OK, your body is Free but what about your Soul?

A few decades ago, the tag line of an insurance company was “Freedom 55,” indicating that if we embraced their plan we would be able to retire at age 55. No longer. Of course some may still fantasize about an early retirement spent relaxing—free of any goals except golf and fishing. But in actuality most do not find that really satisfying, especially as health deteriorates. Most of us like to have goals, even if they are simple—something we can say we accomplished as we go to sleep at night. Cleaning up the garage. Cutting the grass. Weeding the flower beds. Paying the bills. Some have even more complicated goals; seeing Antarctica, building that dream house, serving in a short-term mission cause, running 5 miles a day.

Those of us who are Christians have a clear goal each day until God calls us home. It is called, SANCTIFICATION, the 15th post in this series. In Sanctification, the goal is to get rid of all evil tendencies and become like Christ. “We who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with every-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit” (2 Cor. 3:18). “How is that possible?” you ask. Scripture answers, “through the Spirit”.

Our guiding motto could be “Freedom Forever!” For “where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” (2 Cor. 3:17) and everyone who is redeemed has the Holy Spirit dwelling within. The Spirit’s work within us is to free us from all that besmirches the name of Christ and conform us to the image of Christ. “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery” (Gal. 5:1).

The most essential fact of sanctification is that the yoke is broken; we have been set free from bondage to the sin nature within us. We are no longer slaves to our sinful tendencies to sexual lust or to losing our temper or to greed or prideful self-righteousness. The power of our old sin nature is broken. We are free!

Why then do we still sin? The old nature is still there within us. It wars with the new nature we have in Christ. “You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do no use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature.…Live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law [of bondage]” (Gal. 5:13, 16-18). Paul then goes on to list the acts of the sinful nature and the fruit of the Spirit which is “love, joy, peace….etc.” (See. Gal. 5:19-26.)

In each of the Paul’s prison epistles he discusses this internal war and urges us to put to death the deeds of the flesh, to fight the good fight of faith, to let the Spirit work out within us the freedom that is our heritage.

We daily face the goal of becoming more like Christ by fulfilling the potential of the new nature within us. The old nature battles against this goal. Since we can’t fight on all fronts at once, we should take it step by step. This great goal can be broken down into specific objectives such as emulating Christ’s kindness and compassion, his patience and love, his meekness and strength, his tranquility in turmoil and anger with hypocrisy, his wisdom and discernment. We should not be discouraged if we miss the mark in many areas. Fight on by asking the Spirit to give us practical, current targets. Right now, for example, I’m seeking to grow in patience. Unfortunately, I still have a long way to go.

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Sanctification is a broad subject. It means being set apart from sin. It includes the idea of growing in grace, becoming holy, being sanctified through the Word of God, the importance of prayer, etc. I’ll consider these matters in other post.

Let’s celebrate Freedom Forever in Christ through the Holy Spirit.

Are you being sanctified? If not, you may not be a real Christian. Give diligence to ensure you are redeemed!

(Let me know your thoughts on this subject. If you appreciate this blog, please pass it on. Further articles, books, and stories at: http://www.countrywindow.ca Facebook: Eric E Wright Twitter: @EricEWright1 LinkedIn: Eric Wright ––)