Mending Wall

I let my neighbor know beyond the hill;

And on a day we meet to walk the line
And set the wall between us once again...
Before I built a wall I'd ask to know
What I was walling in or walling out,
And to whom I was like to give offense...
He says again, "Good fences make good neighbors."

Robert Frost --- Mending Wall

The Bible is The Word of God

and is a source of continuing strength and encouragement. Yet many people who claim to love the Lord seldom if ever open it pages to search out the eternal truths of God. No wonder so many Christians are weak and inconsistent in their faith!

The reading of the Bible should be a priority for all believers. If we want to develop a specific skill we will do whatever is necessary to attain proficiency. A person who longs to know and obey God requires the same type of tenacity. Developing an understanding of Scripture demands a life long consistent effort. There are no short cuts to developing Biblical knowledge. Ultimately understanding the Word of God is more important than any other skill one could develop.

Joshua was a great military leader of Israel. Before he led the people into battle the Lord came to him with this great conditional promise. "Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do" (Josh 1:8). Success for Joshua was contingent upon obeying God’s truth. The Bible as a whole teaches that success and prosperity in God's eyes relates primarily to the spiritual (as opposed to the material) aspects of life.

Studying God's Word requires disciplined commitment. Ezra the priest understood this. He "determined to study and obey the Law of the Lord and to teach...the people of Israel" (Ezra 7:10). The second part of this verse indicates the great importance of passing on the Scriptural knowledge we accumulate to others. This responsibility can be carried out either formally or informally.

God is always willing to reveal truth to us. In the days of Nehemiah people were involved in the study of the Old Testament Law. One day "they discovered that the Lord had commanded...(Neh 8:14) a certain action through the prophet Moses. As soon as they discovered the truth they implemented the Mosaic instruction. When we apply biblical truths to our lives the Lord will allow us to discover more truth which in turn draws us into a deeper and closer relationship with the Lord (see Psalm 119: 32, 34).

The predominate theme of Psalm 119 relates to the importance and value in studying and meditating upon the Scriptures. They include, among many others, personal joy (1), actions that reflect God's decrees (5), staying pure (9), and avoiding sin (11). The psalmist also sees the Scriptures as sources of wisdom and encouragement (24, 28).

God has given us his word. He wants it to govern all aspects of life. The Apostle Paul knew the importance of the Bible. In his letter to Timothy he stated "All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right" (2 Tim 3:16).

The Bible should be the most important book in our lives. It contains insights into the eternal God. It is his personal message to us. It shows us how to live in relationship with him. If we are truly honest how important is God’s book to us?

Copyright. Bruce June 2007


Note: All quotes taken from the New Living Translation Second Edition.

My November Guest

The desolate, deserted trees,

The faded earth, the heavy sky,
The beauties she so ryly sees,
She thinks I have no eye for these,
And vexes me for reason why.

Robert Frost --- My November Guest

Have You Ever Felt That

the world in which you live is totally corrupt and antagonistic towards God? Do you sometimes feel that no one else desires to live a Godly upright life? Noah must have felt that way!

The earth was full of wickedness. Violence was on every hand. How long had it taken the world to get into this condition? Assuming there are no gaps in the genealogies recorded in Genesis it would be 1,656 years from Adam to Noah. Estimates of the world population have been made of between 7 and 9 billion people.

In those years humanity had become incredibly degenerate. All they thought about and imagined was consistently and totally evil (Gen 6:5). Finally, it came to the point that the Lord was sorry he had created humanity in the first place. God determined that he would remove all people from the face of the earth (Gen 6:6-7).

What sort of things had been occurring that brought God to the point of divine indignation? Polygamy (Gen 4:19) a practice which is totally against God's plan for humanity was thriving. There was violence everywhere (Gen 6:13). For example, Lamech was an arrogant murder who displayed a belligerent and callused attitude related to his actions (Gen 4:23-24). There was also some sort of a mysterious but immoral relationship taking place that procreated a group of people described as the "giant Nephilites" (Gen 6:4).

There was however ONE man named Noah who "found favor with the Lord" (Gen 6:8). What a remarkable man he must have been. According to Scripture he was "the only blameless person living on earth at the time, and he walked in close fellowship with God" (Gen 6:9). One man in 7-9 billion people. What moral and spiritual darkness blanketed the earth in those days!

However, because of this one small light of righteousness, God decided to preserve life through Noah, his three sons Shem, Ham and Japheth and their wives. Scripture does not specifically tell us who helped Noah build the huge boat (450' long, 75' wide and 45' high Gen 6:15). Yet, one would have to surmise it was his immediate family. Who else in those days would want to be associated with the Noah clan!

It is not hard to imagine the vicious words of ridicule, the contemptuous laughter and insinuations of insanity that must have been hurled at the builders as the construction of the boat preceded year after year far from any large body of water.

What was the reward for all the years of ridicule and labour? It was the preservation of Noah’s family through a world wide deluge. It was the opportunity to give humanity another chance to follow in the ways of the Lord. It was an opportunity to experience God's promises first hand and develop a deeper relationship with him.

Noah and his family were certainly counter-culture. They were willing to take a stand for God even though literally everyone was against them. The next time we are confronted with a situation that leaves us feeling totally alone REMEMBER Noah and his resolve to obey God in spite of the incredible opposition. God will not forsake you in the “aloneness’” of your life!

Copyright. Bruce November 2006

Note: All quotes taken from the New Living Translation Second Edition.

Gathering Leaves

I make a great noise

Of rustling all day
Like rabbit and deer
Running away.

But the mountains I raise
Elude my embrace,
Flowing over my arms
And into my face.

Robert Frost --- Gathering Leaves

Has God Ever Challenged You

to broaden your horizons? It can be a time of fear, insecurity, and soul searching. This is especially true if we are crossing into some new area of endeavour. We may fervently wonder: Is this really God speaking to me?

The Apostle Peter had to deal with such a situation in his life. He had been proclaiming the gospel in the seaside town of Joppa. Many had believed in Jesus because the Lord had used him as the human agent in raising Tabitha from the dead (see Acts 9:36-45). However, God realized it was time to broaden the scope of Peter's preaching and teaching activities.

There was a Roman army officer living in Caesarea named Cornelius. He was a devout man who feared God along with everyone in his household (Acts 10:2). An angel appeared to him in a vision instructing him to send messengers to Joppa. These men were told to seek out Simon Peter instructing him to return with them to Caesarea (Acts 10:5). This gentile officer was about to have a divine appointment with Jesus and an apostle was about to experience the broadening of his world view.

God realized that if Peter was to expand his missionary vision some of his major attitudes would require changing. To a Jew Cornelius had two strikes against him. One he was a gentile — Jews would have no dealings with gentiles. Secondly, he was a Roman soldier involved in the occupation of Israel a situation which the Jew's found intolerable.

As Cornelius' messengers were approaching where Peter was staying God gave the apostle a vision. It consisted of a number of creatures that were ceremonially unclean. A voice from heaven then commanded him to kill and eat. Peter's response was: No, Lord, I have never eaten anything that is impure and unclean (Acts 10:14). A response came from heaven instructing him not call something unclean if God has made it clean” (Acts 10:15). Three times this vision was repeated. Peter was puzzled.

Almost immediately the messengers arrived looking for him. The Holy Spirit indicated to Peter that he was to go with the men "for I have sent them" (Acts 10:20). This event clarified Peter’s understanding of the vision.

Willingly, the apostle travelled to Cornelius' house. He entered the gentile home which was against his Jewish tradition because God had divinely revealed to him this was the appropriate attitude. As Peter preached and taught about Jesus and the forgiveness of sins "the Holy Spirit fell upon all who were listening to the message" (Acts 10:44). This event clearly indicated to Peter that God's message of salvation was not only for the Jew. It was to be universal in scope. This truth perfectly coincided with a promise given to Abraham, the father of the Jewish nation, many years earlier when God promised that all the nations of the world would be blessed through him (Gen 18:18).

When God widened Peter's horizons it was major in scope. It included crossing cultural, nationalistic and traditional boundaries. For many the new horizons God has in mind may not be nearly a dramatic. We need to be sensitive to God's Spirit as new potential horizons open before us. When God’s ordained opportunities arrive we need, as Peter, to accept the new vista confidently in the power of Christ..

Copyright. Bruce October 2006

Note: All quotes taken from the New Living Translation Second Edition.

Lodged

The rain to the wind said,
'You push and I'll pelt.'
They so smote the garden bed
That the flowers actually knelt,
And lay lodged--though not dead.
I know how the flowers felt.

Robert Frost --- Lodged