Pitch Your Tent With God

 

We all appreciate a good seat. I spoke with a man who recently attended a basketball game and had the misfortune of sitting beside the aisle, and many times he could not see the game because people kept passing in front of him. It surely wasn’t the best seat in the arena. Parents arrive hours early to find a seat near the front so they can witness their child receiving their graduation diploma and enabling them to take quality photographs of the occasion. Folks will pay top dollar for concert tickets so they can lay eyes on the performer, not just his silhouette from a distance. Yes, sometimes a good seat is highly desired.

There are other times, however, where one sits doesn’t make a difference. One doesn’t have to be near the front – just being present is sufficient enough. A Presidential inauguration is a prime example. I remember one where nearly two million people turned out to attend the historical event. The majority knew they would never get very close to the President and would most likely only see him on the jumbotrons. Those present commented, “We just wanted to be here!” One man said, “I can tell my grandchildren that I was here!”

Abraham’s nephew Lot is a very interesting study in many areas. One of those areas can show us how sin can work its evil in our life. It can be seen in various places Lot finds himself and how his condition worsens each time. When Abraham gave him a choice of which way he and his herdsmen would go, “Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere like the garden of the Lord …Then Lot chose for himself all the plain of Jordan, and Lot journeyed east…” From this point on it is interesting to note the places where Lot settles. From them we can learn the progressive nature of temptation and sin.

First, we see Lot pitching his tent “toward Sodom” (Genesis 13:12). This meant he set up camp in the direction of Sodom. Every day he went about his business. Sodom may well have been insight, and Lot may well have been tempted to move ever closer to Sodom’s wickedness. Next, we see Lot dwelling in Sodom (Genesis 14:12). Lot had moved into Sodom and was likely being influenced by the citizens’ wickedness in ever greater proportions, since he was living amongst them. Finally, we see Lot sitting at the gate of Sodom (Genesis 19:1). No longer is he simply a resident of that wicked city, he was apparently involved in its leadership. The city gates are where the elders and city officials sat and conducted business. Through it all, Lot remained righteous in the eyes of God (2 Peter 2:7-8). We certainly don’t know everything about Lot’s intentions or what was in his heart – but God did. And I do know this – the closer we dwell to sin, the easier it becomes to commit sin. And it all begins with where one pitches his tent. (James 1:14-16)

[Revelation 21:3] “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.” The best seat, the most desired and prized seat, will be found in the presence of God. It won’t matter if we are near or far, there will be joy just being in His midst, and singing praises of His wonderful grace and love. In supreme gratitude we will cry out, “Blessed be God!” who created us and has given us every spiritual blessing in His Son. It is by His abundant mercy that He allows His fallen creation to dwell with Him eternally. Oh, what joy it will be just to be with Him! Our longing to be with our Father will be a reality. We will never be separated from Him. A good seat is any seat in the presence of our great God! So, even in the midst of a sinful world, we can pitch our tent in God’s word of love - and abide in it.

Become A Guide

 

He hasn’t done it all, but he’s done a lot. Erik Weihenmayer has summated Mount Everest as well as becoming one of the 150 climbers in the world who had, at the time, climbed the other 6 highest peaks in the world. He has kayaked 277 miles through the treacherous white waters of the Grand Canyon as well as ascending the 3,000-foot nose of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park, California. Besides having appeared on the cover of Time magazine, three documentaries have been made about Erik’s accomplishments.

Why would so much attention be given to Erik Weihenmayer’s accomplishments? Because he’s blind. And, while so much focus has been on Weihenmayer’s achievements, he has made sure to give credit to whom credit is due. Erik has easily acknowledged that he couldn’t have completed any of his feats without the help of his many guides. Rob Baker, Eric Alexander, Luis Benitez, and Jeff Evans are just a few of the people who have willingly and ably guided Erik to his many successes.

[Jeremiah 6:16] Twenty-five hundred years ago, through Jeremiah, God said to the southern kingdom of Judah, “Stand in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; Then you will find rest for your souls. But they said, “We will not walk in it” God has never left his people without guidance. In the Hebrew Scriptures, through Moses, God gave the Israelites the Law. Throughout Israel’s history, the prophets repeatedly tried to get God’s people back to the Law. In the New Testament, Jesus fulfilled both the Law and the Prophets (Matthew 5:17-20). In a Moses-like persona, Jesus went up the Mount and gave his disciples a new type of Law (or Torah; Matthew 5-7). This Law is not one that he would carve into tables of stone, but one that he would etch into their minds and on their hearts (Hebrews 8:10-12). In our world of religious confusion, people take many paths to find the good way, but God said we could only find the good way in the ancient paths. God pleaded to Judah to find the ancient paths and follow his Law, but they refused to do so, and this decision led to their destruction.

Today, Jesus is the Way to the Father (John 14:6) and we need to be followers of that Way (Acts 19:2). That is, we need to get back to Jesus’ teachings and follow his precepts, and only then can we become followers of that Way. We need to get back to the Bible. We need to speak where the Bible speaks and be silent where the Bible is silent and call Bible things by Bible names and do Bible things in Bible ways. We need to restore the church as it was in the days of the apostles.  While there is no explanation for why people forsake the ancient paths today, their destination is the same as the ancient Jews. Their god is their own appetites and will lead to destruction. While some mind only earthly things, we should remember that we are citizens of heaven (Philippians 3:18-20a). When our god is our own appetites, we leave the ancient paths and find new, perverse paths. There are spiritually blind unbelievers all throughout the world (2 Corinthians 4:4), and Christians are called to guide them to the knowledge of the gospel of Christ (Mark 16:15-16).

Similar to Erik Weihenmayer’s guides, Christians must be willing to take the responsibility of guiding the spiritually blind to Christ. * Guides must be more than able to lead the spiritually blind. * Guides must be in better shape spiritually. * Guides must be connected to those they are guiding. * Christian guides must themselves be familiar with the way to get to Christ. Even for the sighted Christian, the narrow way to salvation is treacherous and difficult to stay on (Matthew 7:14). Blind unbelievers aren’t very likely to find their way to salvation without being guided (Romans 10:14).

Become a guide to the lost.

 

Wisteria

 

LOVE - From a child’s point of view: “When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn’t bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So, my grandfather does it for her all the time, even after his hands got arthritis too. That’s love.” * “When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You know your name is safe with their mouth.” * “Love is when someone hurts you and you get so mad; but you don’t yell at them because you know it would hurt their feelings.” * “Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well.” * “Love is when mommy sees daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford.” * “You really shouldn’t say ‘I love you’ unless you mean it; and you should say it a lot.”

Wisteria is beautiful. Despite its beauty, though, wisteria can be an invasive vine if it is not carefully cultivated, becoming genteel kudzu. As I had to go to a doctor’s appointment in Gainesville, Georgia, yesterday, I noted how much wisteria grows around that city. For the most part, it was not managed well. Thus, you would see azalea bushes or maple trees with purple flowers choking them out. However, if you take the time to train the vine, you can make a stunning addition to your garden with wisteria. One popular way of taming wisteria is having it run along an arbor creating a tunneled walkway through the blooms.

We have other things around us that act a lot like wisteria. These are things having the potential to be something helpful or enjoyable, but which end up being deleterious to our spiritual health because we do not manage them well.

Becoming distracted by doing good is one such type of spiritual wisteria. When Jesus was with his dear friends in Bethany, Martha wearied herself seeking to be an excellent hostess. She asked Jesus to rebuke her sister, Mary, for not helping her prepare. Since Mary was listening to Jesus teach, He said she was doing what was necessary (Luke 10:39-42). It is a good thing to be hospitable. We note that the need to be hospitable is one of the qualifications for an elder (1 Timothy 3:2; Titus 1:8). However, one’s priority is the kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33). Thus, even in having a desire to do a good thing, one may be overwhelmed and end up missing out on opportunities for spiritual growth.

Social media is another type of spiritual wisteria. During the 2020 period of social distancing, I’ve noted how many more brothers in Christ are utilizing Facebook and YouTube to put out encouraging and convicting lessons from God’s Word. Congregations are streaming “virtual worship services” for homebound people to participate in. It excites me that we might be seeing the beginnings of the “Third Great Awakening” in the United States as people realize they have ways of expressing their faith which has nothing to do with a building. Even so, I note that with people using social media even more now (if such a thing is possible) it likewise gives rise to a lot of things that ultimately detract from spiritual growth. People are also posting depressing or rancorous things. You still see lewd jokes and double entendres. We need to ensure that our use of social media at this tend helps us to serve as salt and light in this world so God can be glorified (Matthew 5:13-16).

[1 Corinthians 9:24-27] You may have noted other types of spiritual wisteria I have not included. We want to emphasize that this “wisteria” in and of itself is not a bad thing. It is, rather, that a failure to discipline ourselves allows for this good thing to lessen its value.  You must put forward the effort to properly utilize and enjoy physical and spiritual wisteria. You must do the same thing when it comes to cultivating a beautiful, spiritual garden pleasing to God. Brent Pollard

Your love and beauty is needed during worship.

Jesus, Our Risen Savior

 

There have been many artistic renderings of the Emmaus story (Luke 24:13-31), but one of the most famous is “Supper at Emmaus” by Caravaggio. In this painting, Jesus dominates the scene. All the geometric lines in the painting’s design point to him. Caravaggio captures the dramatic high point of the story — the moment, after Jesus has broken the bread, when “their eyes [the disciples] were opened and they recognized him.” There is surprise in the posture of the two disciples. One has thrown his arms open in astonishment, and the other is pushing his chair back from the table, abruptly standing up. If you could trace a line from the eyes of the two disciples, the sightlines would direct you to Jesus’ hands, to the very place where the scars of the nails would have been visible. But they’re not visible. Two fingers on Jesus' right hand are discreetly folded back, covering up the wound. The man to the right can see it, but we can’t. As for Jesus’ other hand, it’s angled away and swathed in shadow. The other man appears to be looking directly at it, but again, we can’t see the scar from our perspective.

There’s an empty place at the table, at the foreground. It’s almost as though there’s another chair, just out of the frame of the picture. There’s another place at the table. Whose is it? The place is ours! The artist is inviting us right into the painting, to take our place at the supper table and share the disciples’ astonishment. A fruit basket at the front of the table is balanced precariously on the edge. It’s a silent invitation: Come and eat. But remember this: Unlike the two disciples in the painting, we can’t see Jesus’ wounds. We are not first-hand witnesses to the resurrection and never can be. Yet the artist invites us to take our place at the table, all the same. We experience the resurrection in a different way than the disciples: by faith! —Timothy Merrill

[Acts 4:5-12] And it came to pass, on the next day, that their rulers, elders, and scribes, as well as Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the family of the high priest, were gathered together at Jerusalem. And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, "By what power or by what name have you done this?" Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, "Rulers of the people and elders of Israel: If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well, let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. This is the 'stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.' Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." NKJV

Savior? From what? Savior from sin! All deeds done and words spoken in conflict with God’s will – forgiven. All attitudes and feelings contrary to the will of the Lord – forgiven. How? Where? In Jesus Christ. It is not enough to see Jesus as good or just a teacher. We must see Him as Savior and Lord of our life. It is only in and through Jesus that sin can be forgiven. Appreciation of Jesus as our Savior gives us reason and motive to want Him to be our Lord. Understanding of Him as the only Savior gives us reason to be faithful and obedient to Him. Recognizing Jesus as our Savior reminds us of why we give Him all priority in the church and in our life. We need to hear, believe, and acknowledge Jesus as Savior and Lord many times over throughout our life to remind us of His love for us.

While the church proclaims this truth, we must individually embrace it. My salvation comes only from the One designated by God to be my Savior – Jesus my Lord (Acts 2:36).