Merlin's Mustache

The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure… Jeremiah 17:9

Scripture is full of disheartening diagnoses, including that the heart is “desperately sick” (ESV).

But the Great Physician must tell us this hard truth so we can say, “Create in me a pure heart, O God” (Psalm 51:10) The Physician also promises, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees” (Ezekiel 36: 26-27).

Words that at first, sting us deeply don’t mean we’re without hope, only that we cannot cure ourselves. But God has provided the cure: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Cor. 5:17).

BOTTOM LINE:

“Scripture considers repentance a path to liberation, not condemnation.” Edward Welch

Truth: A Bigger View of God’s Word, Randy Alcorn, 2017, Pg 14 Harvest House.

Either, Being Deceived Into Thinking You’ve Found Your Life Only to Die In Darkness, OR, Losing Your Life For His Sake, Guaranteed to Live & Be Found Forever In His Light.

Inspired by the Words of Jesus in Matthew 10:39, “Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.”

When we grasp this truth, we will undergo the ultimate paradigm shift: without Christ, any sacrifice we make is worthless. We are miserable without Jesus. Nothing we have can satisfy us. And even if it did, we couldn’t hold on to it.

So, when we hear Jesus tell us to take up our crosses and follow him, and say we should lose our lives for his sake, we’re tempted to think, “Then I will never be happy.” But in fact Jesus is saying out short-term sacrifices for him are a means to an end, and that end is true and abundant life for “Whoever loses their life for my sake will find it,” thus experiencing heavenly joy.

BOTTOM LINE:

“Without the way, there is no going;

Without the truth, there is no knowing;

Without the life, there is no living.”

Thomas a Kempis

Truth: A Bigger View of God’s Word, Randy Alcorn, 2017, Pg 13, Harvest House.

Utmost For His Highest Jan 31

…separated to the gospel of God… Romans 1:1

Our calling is not primarily to be holy men and women, but to be proclaimers of the gospel of God.

The one all–important thing is that the gospel of God should be recognized as the abiding reality. Reality is not merely human goodness, or holiness, or heaven, or hell— it is redemption!

The need to perceive this is the most vital need of the Christian worker today. As workers, we have to get used to the revelation that redemption is the only reality.

Personal holiness is an effect of redemption, not the cause of it. If we place our faith in human goodness we will go under when testing comes.

Paul did not say that he separated himself, but “when it pleased God, who separated me…” (Galatians 1:15 ). Paul was not overly interested in his own character.

And as long as our eyes are focused on our own personal holiness, we will never even get close to the full reality of redemption.

Christian workers fail because they place their desire for their own holiness above their desire to know God.

“Don’t ask me to be confronted with the strong reality of redemption on behalf of the filth of human life surrounding me today; what I want is anything God can do for me to make me more desirable in my own eyes.”

To talk that way is a sign that the reality of the gospel of God has not begun to touch me. There is no reckless abandon to God in that. God cannot deliver me while my interest is merely in my own character.

Paul was not conscious of himself. He was recklessly abandoned, totally surrendered, and separated by God for one purpose— to proclaim the gospel of God (see  Romans 9:3). Read the whole chapter to gain perspective!

BOTTOM LINE WISDOM From Oswald Chambers

“We are not fundamentally free; external circumstances are not in our hands, they are in God’s hands, the one thing in which we are free is in our personal relationship to God. We are not responsible for the circumstances we are in, but we are responsible for the way we allow those circumstances to affect us; we can either allow them to get on top of us, or we can allow them to transform us into what God wants us to be.”

Merlin now:

I have not in the above words inflicted any of my personal interpretation or editing, but I have only desired to visually enhance the impact of its message to you, fresh on the tablet of your mind today, all done merely by breaking up paragraphs into separate sentences, and word appearance by changing letter size, font, etc.

Why do I do this? Perhaps because I believe today we are so visually and audibly oriented, that we’re even handicapped by our failure to read and grasp the impact of typical paragraphs on a page in a devotional as significant as this, not to mention, a familiar scripture passage, UNLESS PERHAPS, we have the desire to access by reading, pondering and delighting in its words, be it in hard copy print or on devices such as our phones multiple times daily in hopes that the Holy Spirit can break thru our brain fog.

I repeat the last sentence from the Chamber’s reading above, strictly for emphasis that “Paul was not conscious of himself. He was recklessly abandoned, totally surrendered, and separated by God for one purpose – to proclaim the gospel of God (see Romans 9:3, actually, read the whole chapter for perspective).      

I recall hearing it said years ago, it is difficult, perhaps even impossible, to be “spiritually inhibited once you’re inhabited by the Holy Spirit!” Get the picture?

         In an age of endless Internet gossip, tabloids, false advertising, lying politicians, and “made up reality,” how important is the truth? Reformer Ulrich Zwingli wrote, “The business of the truth is not to be deserted, even to the sacrifice of our lives.”

          Luke makes a profound observation: Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true” (Acts 17:11).

          They searched the Scriptures – probing, not just skimming. The Bible should be primary, all other truth-claims secondary. We need a worldview informed and corrected by God’s Word.

          They searched the Scriptures daily. (People died to get the Bible into our hands; the least we can do is read it!) Unless we establish a strong biblical grid, a scriptural filter with which to screen and interpret the world, we’ll end of thinking like the world. We desperately need not only Bible teaching, but group Bible study that explores the text and applies it to daily life.

          The test of whether scripture is my authority is this: Do I allow God’s Word to convince me to believe what I don’t like, what’s contrary to what I’ve always believed and wanted to believe? Do I believe it even when it offends me?

          It’s impossible for me to write a book on truth without repeatedly citing God’s Word. John Newton said, “He has not promised to reveal new truths, but to enable us to understand what we read in the Bible.” Jesus said he would send us the Holy Spirit who “will teach you everything and remind you of everything I have told you” (John 14:26 NLT).

          This book contains reflections not only on the general topic of truth, but also on many facets of truths found in Scripture, including eternity, purity, holiness, and happiness. I hope you you’ll spend time meditating on these brief reflections, great quotations, and Scriptures. Ask God’s Holy Spirit to illuminate your mind as you read these 200 daily devotionals illuminating His Truths in an Eternal Perspective

          I always encourage readers to carefully evaluate my words and thoughts in light of Scripture, our objective standard of truth. “This God – His way is perfect; the word of the Lord proves true” (2 Samuel 22:31 ESV).

          As you read and contemplate and share these insights with others, may you gain a deeper, more worshipful appreciation for our wonderful Savior Jesus, who is the perfect embodiment of Truth.

          FYI, Thrift Books recently had 3 used copies @ $6.19 ea. Amazon is currently out of stock. Randy is a wordsmith in that he creates a wealth of focused impact in usually less than 150 words. Certainly the kind of communicator I need to aspire to become! merlin

          Unlike God, the devil promises without delivering. He’s always denying, revising, or spinning the truth, rearranging the price tags. Jesus called him a “liar, and the father of lies.” He said “He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language” (John 8:44).

          Everyone speaks their native language fluently. Have you ever known people who lie so convincingly that it’s difficult not to believe them? Satan’s the best liar in the universe. “Go ahead, you deserve it. This won’t hurt anybody.” He’s articulate, smooth, and persuasive. He murders people, and he lies to cover his murders.

          When we speak the truth, we speak Christ’s language. When we speak lies, we speak Satan’s language. Jesus said, “My sheep listen to my voice” (John 10:27). He says, “But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will flee from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice” (v. 5).

          We’re to become familiar enough with God’s Word that we learn the sound of our Master’s voice, and can tell the difference between his voice and the devil’s impersonation.

NEXT UP: Part Four, and the conclusion, Examining Truth-claims

          A common Old Testament word expressing truth, emeth, speaks of a dependable reality that’s solid and binding. Truth is the bedrock of human relationships (Exodus20:16), involving an integrity of thoughts, speech, or actions.

Over half the New Testament uses of truth, the Greek word aletheia, are in John’s Gospel. Truth is reality. What seems to be and what really is are often not the same. As I develop in my novel Deception, “Things are not as they appear.” To know the truth is to see accurately.”

          God has written His truth on human hearts, in the conscience (Romans2:15). If truth is spoken graciously, many are drawn to it, instinctively knowing it will fill the moral vacuum they feel. Every heart longs for truth – even the heart that rejects it.

          As followers of Christ, we’re to walk in the truth, (3 John 3), love the truth, and believe the truth (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12). We’re to speak the truth, in contrast to “the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming” (Ephesians 4: 14). We’re to be “speaking the truth in love” (Ephesians 4: 15).

          Truth is far more than a moral guide, it’s inseparable from God’s own person. Jesus declared, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No man comes to the Father except through me” (John14:6) He didn’t say he would show the truth or teach the truth or model the truth. He is the truth. Truth personified.

          That Jesus is the God-man, the second member of the Trinity come in human flesh, is central to our faith. To deny this is to be a “liar” (I John 2:22). If we get it wrong about Christ, it doesn’t matter what else we get right.

          The Holy Spirit leads people into truth (John 16:13). We’re commanded to know the truth (1 Timothy4:3), handle the truth accurately (2 Timothy 2:15), and avoid doctrinal untruths (2 Timothy 2: 18). Christ’s disciples do the truth (John 3:21) and abide in the truth (John 8:31-32). The “belt of truth” holds together our spiritual armor (Ephesians 6:14).

          God “does not lie” (Titus 1:2). He is “the God of truth” (Isaiah 65:16 ESV). “God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill? (Numbers 23:19).

Christ, as the Living Word of God, is inseparable from truth. He not only is the Truth, he is the source of all truth, the embodiment of truth, and therefore the reference point for evaluating all truth-claims.

          Those in countries where democratic ideals are embraced might have the illusion that they should have a voice when it comes to truth. But the universe is not a democracy. Truth is not a ballot measure. God does not consult us to determine right and wrong. It’s we who must go to revealed Scripture to find out what we should believe. Our culture appeals to whatever now is; God appeals to his intentions and design, to what ought to be.

When we wonder what’s right, we’re to turn to God’s Word: “For the word of the Lord is right and true” (Psalm33:4). As Psalm 119 depicts on every one of it 176 verses, God’s truth is at the heart of the spiritual life.

NEXT UP: Christ the Truth-Teller v. Satan the Liar

Pascal was a French mathematician, physicist, inventor, philosopher, and Catholic writer. In 1642, he started a pioneering work on calculating machines (called Pascal’s calculators and later simply Pascalines), establishing him as one of the first two inventors of mechanical calculators. Following a religious experience in late 1654, he began writing influential works on philosophy and theology. His two most famous works, “Lettres provincials” and the “Pensees”, the former set in the conflict between Jansenists and Jesuits.

This week’s remaining four posts are the four sections of Randy Alcorn’s 1500-word introduction for his 2017 book titled:

TRUTH: A Bigger View of God’s Word

Introduction: Truth Matters

In the Fellowship of the Ring, Bilbo Baggins say to his young cousin, “It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there’s no knowing where you might be swept off to.”

          To “keep our feet” in this world requires putting our weight upon what is true.

          Theologian J. Gresham Machen wisely said, “Nothing in the world can take the place of truth.” Yet we are constantly bombarded with lies that attempt to do just that.

          Truth is not something we invent, only something we can discover. God reveals it to us in His Word.

          Truth is rooted in the eternal, all-powerful, and unchangeable God. Therefore, His promises cannot fail: “Every word of God proves true” (Proverbs30: 5 ESV)

          As Christ the living Word is truth, so is His written Word. Though Heaven and Earth will pass away, God’s truth never will (Mark 13:31).

          Truth is not something we act upon. It acts upon us. We can’t change the truth, but the truth can change us. It sanctifies (sets us apart) from the falsehoods woven into our sin natures.

          Jesus prayed, “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth” (John 17:17).

NEXT UP: Introduction – Part II. Truth in the Bible

OK, the past two posts were indeed quite intense, if you had so engaged! Wednesday morning I was doubly blessed with both this Proverb & Utmost, but I opted yesterday to post Utmost first & do so ASAP, as it complimented the persecution sermon so well. This proverb chapter is purely R & R, & especially so, if read from The Message! Since Jan 1, I’m trying out the routine of reading a Proverbs daily for several months. Here’s Chapter 8 for Jan 8. FYI, I bought a like-new NIV/The Message Parallel Bible at MCC Connections for $4, and I use it often!

Proverbs 8:1-36 (MSG) 

1. Do you hear Lady Wisdom calling? Can you hear Madame Insight raising her voice?

2. She’s taken her stand at First and Main, at the busiest intersection.

3. Right in the city square where the traffic is thickest, she shouts,

4. “You—I’m talking to all of you, everyone out here on the streets!

5. Listen, you idiots—learn good sense! You blockheads—shape up!

6. Don’t miss a word of this—I’m telling you how to live well, I’m telling you how to live at your best.

7. My mouth chews and savors and relishes truth— I can’t stand the taste of evil!

8. You’ll only hear true and right words from my mouth; not one syllable will be twisted or skewed.

9. You’ll recognize this as true—you with open minds; truth-ready minds will see it at once.

10. Prefer my life-disciplines over chasing after money, and God-knowledge over a lucrative career.

11. For Wisdom is better than all the trappings of wealth; nothing you could wish for holds a candle to her.

12. “I am Lady Wisdom, and I live next to Sanity; Knowledge and Discretion live just down the street.

13. The Fear-of-God means hating Evil, whose ways I hate with a passion— pride and arrogance and crooked talk.

14. Good counsel and common sense are my characteristics; I am both Insight and the Virtue to live it out.

15. With my help, leaders rule, and lawmakers legislate fairly;

16. With my help, governors govern, along with all in legitimate authority.

17. I love those who love me; those who look for me find me.

18. Wealth and Glory accompany me— also substantial Honor and a Good Name.

19. My benefits are worth more than a big salary, even a very big salary; the returns on me exceed any imaginable bonus.

20. You can find me on Righteous Road—that’s where I walk— at the intersection of Justice Avenue,

21. Handing out life to those who love me, filling their arms with life—armloads of life!

22. “God sovereignly made me—the first, the basic— before he did anything else.

23. I was brought into being a long time ago, well before Earth got its start.

24.I arrived on the scene before Ocean, yes, even before Springs and Rivers and Lakes.

25. Before Mountains were sculpted and Hills took shape, I was already there, newborn;

26. Long before God stretched out Earth’s Horizons, and tended to the minute details of Soil and Weather,

27. And set Sky firmly in place, I was there. When he mapped and gave borders to wild Ocean,

28. built the vast vault of Heaven, and installed the fountains that fed Ocean,

29. When he drew a boundary for Sea, posted a sign that said, no trespassing, And then staked out Earth’s foundations,

30. I was right there with him, making sure everything fit. Day after day I was there, with my joyful applause, always enjoying his company,

31. Delighted with the world of things and creatures, happily celebrating the human family.

32. “So, my dear friends, listen carefully; those who embrace these my ways are most blessed.

33. Mark a life of discipline and live wisely; don’t squander your precious life.

34. Blessed the man, blessed the woman, who listens to me, awake and ready for me each morning, alert and responsive as I start my day’s work.

35. When you find me, you find life, real life, to say nothing of God’s good pleasure.

36. But if you wrong me, you damage your very soul; when you reject me, you’re flirting with death.”

Isn’t the above a real Deal R & R passage? And for me to read NIV scripture continuously with out those pauses during which my brain is trying to figure out on the fly the idioms and nuances, is a treat. Frequently though with the Parallel, I read both versions, NIV first to break the ice, and then The Massage for more enjoyable kayaking! To each his own.

Abraham built an altar…; and he bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar… Genesis 22:9 In light of Tuesday’s post on historical persecution, and today’s Utmost reading on sacrifice, I’m compelled to post this reading to further guide our focus for next Sundays sermon, on just how are we to respond to Persecution; whether Today, Tomorrow or Beyond? merlin Perhaps this event is a picture of the mistake we make in thinking that the ultimate God wants of us is the sacrifice of death. When actually, perhaps what God really desires is the sacrifice through the death of our “ungodly earthly attachments” which then enables us to do what Jesus did, that is, sacrifice our very lives… Perhaps it is not so much that— “Lord, I am ready to go with You…to death” (Luke 22:33). But rather — “I am willing to be identified with Your death so that I may sacrifice my “living” life to God.” Our vain humanistic default thinking tends to believe that God wants us to give up things! God purified Abraham from this error, and the same process is at work in our lives. God never tells us to give up things just for the sake of giving them up, but He tells us to give them up for the sake of the only thing worth having, namely, life with Himself. Perhaps it is a matter of loosening the bands that hold back our lives. Those bands are loosened immediately by our identification with the death of Jesus. We then, may enter into a relationship with God whereby we may sacrifice our lives to Him. It is of no value to God to give Him your life for death. He wants you to be a living sacrifice”— to let Him have all your strengths that have been saved and sanctified through Jesus (Romans 12:1). This is what is acceptable to God.

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS Defenders of the faith are inclined to be bitter until they learn to walk in the light of the Lord. When you have learned to walk in the light of the Lord, bitterness and contention are impossible.