Delay and Disappointment

Most who read this blog know that I am a hunter. Therefore you will not be surprised to read of my opinions concerning what is thrilling. One of the greatest sights in the all of creation is that of a good bird dog working a field to flush a pheasant. Bird hunters will know what I'm talking about. Those who do not hunt, or do not have a dog, will just have to take my word for it.

Monday afternoon provided another beautiful sight. My son and I went out for a late afternoon muzzle loader hunt. J. Dwight decided to make his way to his stand and I decided to try sneaking. Before anyone comments on someone my size trying to sneak, I need to tell you that the quietest man I have ever observed in the woods weighed at least 325 pounds. Try to imagine how startled you would be when all of a sudden, without a sound of warning, you turn around and there stands Pete, all 325 pounds of him. I did indeed sneak and was able to observe a nice buck about 200 yards away on neighboring property. I wasn't able to shoot because I did not have permission to hunt on the neighboring ground. Nevertheless, it was a beautiful sight to see that majestic animal walking with cautious confidence through the field. Truly God has given us a wonderful creation to enjoy for His glory.

I am an old fashioned hunter so I use a flint lock rifle. My children on the other hand are more modern and use in line muzzle loaders. There is an recognizable difference in the appearance of these firearms. My flintlock, a Pennsylvania long rifle, would remind you of Davey Crockett and Daniel Boone. My rifles that my children use look much like modern high powered rifles. But the function reveals more of a change than the looks. With my flintlock there is a considerable delay between pulling the trigger and the actual firing of the charge. In fact, sometimes the powder in the pan does not ignite the powder in the barrel. B.T.Y. - it is from that experience that we get our expression "a flash in the pan." With the in line rifles that delay is non existent.

There it is, I've finally gotten to the points that I want to make. Delay and Disappointment. How often is our response to the Lord's convicting work delayed? How much of our commitments are really little more than a flash in the pan? Lots of promise, a good spark followed by a sizzling flash, some smoke and then nothing but disappointment.

May God find us faithful to respond rightly, respond quickly, and to respond consistently to His leading.

Contentment

In our Sunday evening meetings we have been moving, rather slowly, through the Epistle to the Hebrews. Last evening marked our 46th visit to the letter and we considered the first six verses of chapter thirteen.

In the fifth verse after prohibiting covetousness the Author of Scripture exhorts the readers to be content. The text reads "an be content with such things as ye have:" In Darby's translation the phrase is rendered "be satisfied with your present circumstances." I like that treatment of the language. It brings the student of Scripture face to face with the reality that God calls him to contentment. The believer is to be marked by a satisfaction that is not altered by changing situations nor by personal possessions.

Jeremiah Burroughs described Christians contentment n the following manner. "Christian contentment is that sweet, inward, quiet, gracious frame of spirit which freely submits to and delights in God's wise and fatherly disposal in every condition."

Paul Ellingworth, in his commentary on the Epistle to the Hebrews, offers this insightful gem. "One of the results of persecution has been the loss of property (10:34). In these circumstances, the Christian response is not to grasp all the more eagerly at material wealth, but to rely quietly on God's provision, even in the face of human opposition."

A. W. Tozer was rather concise in writing "The man who has God for His treasure has all things in One."

It appears to me that contentment is a discipline that is quite dependent upon a proper under
standing of the character of our God who alone is the Satisfier of the soul.

A Confession Concerning Goodness

I make it a habit of checking http://www.godwardpassion.blogspot.com/ and reading the excellent blogs from my friend Phil Siefkes. Generally my response is "Amen". This morning I went to the spot and came away with a different reply. Today it was "Ouch".

The discomfort did not come from any poor exegesis or unsound theology. You will not find those coming from Phil's keyboard. Rather, it came because his latest post brought to mind one of my favorite sayings. When I ask someone how they are doing and they respond "good," I correct them. I assure you that my concern does not flow from a passion for proper use of the English language. Rather, it is anchored to a concern for sound theology. The Apostle Paul declares in the Epistle to the Romans that "there is none that doeth good." I like to remind the unsuspecting speaker of that vital truth.

As I read Phil's comments this morning I was convicted by the fact that for the child of God the proper response to my question may indeed be "good". And, if I understand the Scriptures, the Lord's design is that we who know Christ as Savior do good (Eph. 2:10). Truly we have no goodness of our own. On the other hand, the Holy Spirit of God, is at work in the believer producing a genuine goodness.

So, how are you doing? I pray that our answers may be "by the grace of God, I am doing good."

Marriage

In about an hour folks will be arriving here at FBC for a wedding rehearsal. I am looking forward to worshipping the Lord with the Groom and the Bride and their guests as they enter into the marriage covenant. As they prepared the bulletin for their wedding they referred to the message as “Challenge.” An interesting choice for a label. Perhaps they refrained from calling it a sermon for fear that I would preach for 45 minutes. Perhaps they have been guests at too many weddings where whatever was said from the platform was of no lasting value.

I approach weddings with a perspective similar to the ordinances. Relax, those who know me well know that I am not going to refer to weddings, believer’s baptism or the Lord’s Supper as “Sacraments”. The similarity comes in the fact that each of these God ordained events prompts me to think in the past, in the present, and in the future.

Through the service we will seek to center our attention upon the goodness and greatness of God. There is, however, the reality that tomorrow is in part about the Groom and the Bride. And it should be. I must confess that, at times like this, I frequently find myself thinking back and with great delight scan over the years since Tamra and I were married. I rejoice in the wonderful wife the Lord has given. I praise God for a wife who loves Him and is a tremendous help meet.

I am also guilty - I trust you’ll realize that that is not the proper word - of thinking forward to another wedding day. Involvement in weddings here makes me long more eagerly for the great marriage feast of the Lamb. Oh what a day that will be when in glory the Lord Jesus Christ presents His Bride (the Church) to His Father. What a scene when at last the Bride is arrayed in all the splendor that Christ deserves. The fact that her fine white linen is the righteousness acts of the saints reminds me that living for Him today is eternally significant.

Thanksgiving E-Mail

I received the following e-mail this morning. Since it is on the subject of Thanksgiving
I thought I would post it as another installment in the series.

Large chunks of American Academia have turned their backs by and large on
history. There are many schools in our nation that do not teach history
any longer. They have something called social studies and from that
perspective they look back at source and root of some of the issues that we
face currently and through that they attempt to show people what happened
in the past. The problem with that of course is that one gets only bits and
pieces of the picture. It could be argued that at its best we only have
bits and pieces but we can and in the past have done considerably better
than the pseudo intellectuals of our day are doing in their attempt to bury
the subject of history. Why the reluctance to look at history. Philip
Schaff (The greatest church historian of the 19th century and arguably the
greatest church historian ever) quoted someone (I am not sure of who he was
quoting) "Those who refuse to study history will be condemned to repeat the
mistakes of their ancestors. I believe that to be true. We however face a
problem that is in addition to that. It is a sense of forgetting our
roots, and by so doing losing our identity. In a great many ways our
identity has already been lost. Make no mistake those who came to these
shores were not Politically correct and if someone had challenged them
about their attitudes they would have been very abrupt with their answers.
The Politically Correct crowd are not made of the stuff of men like
Franklin, Jefferson, Washington, Madison, Henry, Peyton, Hancock,
Muhlenberg, Greene, Allen, Boone, Lee, Rogers, Edwards, Post, Bellamy,
Whitefield, Brainard ,Zeisberger, Brainard, Sargent, The Tennents and
others.

The small list that I have written down are names that come to mind at
once. The list could go on and on and among other things for which to give
thanks to God at this season of the year is thanks to Him for raising up
such men who gave leadership to a people who were in many ways not a people
at the outset. The spread of the Gospel to the Indians (Don't call them
native Americans or you simply spread another error-since the name America
is also of European origin and the people we call Indians with nearly one
voice called themselves "the people" in their given tongue) was of deep
significance if we take seriously the mandate of Matthew 28 and Acts 1:8.
Men who pledged their lives and liberty and their sacred honor are not to
be taken lightly, and God used those men. Were all of them believers?
Definitely not! But then God is not cramped by being able to use only
those who trust in Him. He used Pharaoh as we read about it in Exodus.
Paul speaks of it in Romans 9:17. It is for this very reason that God had
raised him up. It is God who raises up and puts down nations (Jeremiah 18)
and Franklin (definitely not a believer though a fast friend of Whitefield)
would bring before the Constitutional Convention the need for prayer, and
the need for seeking Divine assistance since he acknowledged that if a
sparrow does not fall without the knowledge of God then no nation can rise
or fall without His hand in it. That God raised up this nation should be
the heart and soul of what Thanksgiving Day is about and in the roots of it
that was precisely at the heart of it. In 2006 there will be a whole lot
of football played on the television and people will speak about being
thankful but as to whom they are thankful it will not be clear and as for
what they are thankful it will be equally a question.

My father talked about days at Moody Bible Institute when they used to sing
"Count your many blessings " they would not sing " name them one by one "
but rather "weigh them ton by ton" It is more realistic and believers have
so much to be thankful for not just one day of the year but every day.
Truly grateful hearts should be constantly in praise to God for His
goodness and His mercy and Grace to us.

There are those who will be reading these lines who will not be in America.
Those of you who fit that description may not be eating turkey (neither
will I since I am allergic to turkey) and the culture in which you are
living may not observe such a day on their calendar. It nevertheless I
believe is one of the most important holidays on the calendar of American
people. It is a time to reflect on

The Greatness of God. He is the God who can say in Isaiah 40 that the
nations are a drop in a bucket, and who in I Kings 19 produces earthquake
wind and storm and yet communicates in a still small voice. He is the God
who lifts up one and takes down another (Psalm 75) He is great and greatly
to be praised, and His understanding is unsearchable. Let those who are on
ego trips about their own intellect have a problem with this if they will
it is cause for those who are His to rejoice that though we are so very
finite yet in Grace He allows us to know Him and to communicate with Him
and He with us.

The Grace of God. In Infinite condescension He has reached into our lives
and brought us from spiritual death to Spiritual life (Ephesians 2:1-10)
We should always be thanking Him for that.

The Mercy of God for it is of His mercies that we are still here as a
people and a nation. (Lamentations 3)

The Incarnation for in this season of the year we begin to think of the
miracle of the birth of the Lord Jesus.

Truly all of God's people should be thankful all of the time (I
Thessalonians 5:18) but at this season of the year consider some of the
larger pictures that we sometimes neglect and be thankful.

A Constant Debtor to Grace,
Glen Miller

The Challenge of Thanksgiving

Since my recent blogs have focused on the topic of thanksgiving it seems reasonable to continue in the same vein for at least a few more days.

Is that not how we so often think about these matters. We tend to compartmentalize things into neat little categories. Thanksgiving becomes a holiday to be observed not an spiritual discipline to be nurtured. Worship becomes a service we attend on Sunday not the overflow of a God-centered life.

Let's face it, it really isn't all that hard to muster the strength to mutter a few words of gratitude during a Thanksgiving eve service at church. Nor is it very exhausting to express appreciation just before plunging our forks into the turkey on Thursday.

The difficulty arises in the "day to day" of life. When fuel costs skyrocket and income plummets. When the physician prefaces his comments with "I'm sorry..." When service is neither noticed nor appreciated. The list could go swell to create a volume but these are enough to communicate the idea. Obeying the command of Scripture to give thanks in everything (1 Thessalonians 5:18) is terribly difficult.

In his commentary on the Thessalonian Epistles, Donald Grey Barnhouse wrote "How well we thank God in everything is one of the factors that measure how much we have grown in Christ." I would sound a hearty "amen" and add that it is also an indicator of just how God-centered we really are.

May we truly have a God-centered thanksgiving and a God-centered year.

God Centered Thanksgiving

Although I am not much of a singer I do have a great interest in hymns. My curiosity has resulted in a small collection of older hymnals that I enjoy turning to from time to time.

As I think about the coming of our national holiday of Thanksgiving I was once again struck with the man centeredness that surrounds the day. A problem that infects the professing church as much it does those who deny the Lord and His Word.

Those thoughts carried me back to my old hymnals and the following hymn.

“What our Father does is well;
Blessed truth his children tell,
Though he send for plenty want,
though the harvest floor be scant,
Yet we rest upon his love,
Seeking better things above.

What our Father does is well;
Shall the willful heart rebel?
If a blessing he withhold,
In the field or in the fold
Is he not himself to be
All our store eternally.

What our Father does is well;
Though he sadden hill and dell,
Upward yet our praises rise
For the strength his word supplies.
He has called us sons of God;
Can we murmur at his rod?

What our Father does is well;
May the thought within us dwell
Though no milk nor honey flow
In our barren Canaan now,
God can save us in our need,
God can bless us, God can feed.

Therefore unto him we raise
Hymns of glory, songs of praise;
To the Father and the Son
And the Spirit, three in one,
Honor, might and glory be,
Now and through eternity.

I don't know if the song is musically "singable" or not. I do know that it does point us away from the shallow self centered worship of our day that, at best, acknowledges the gifts of God while forgetting the giver. May we be those who praise and thank Him, not only for what He has done but also for who He is.

Snow and Sovereignty

As I watched the snow piling up Friday morning I thought that the three to six inch accumulation that was predicted looked a lot more like twelve inches. I was reminded of my father-in-law. He is fond of saying “I’ve shoveled eight inches of partly cloudy on more than one occasion.”

Before you think that this is just another slamming of the weather forecasters please ready further. My father-in-law has a tremendous interest in the subject of meteorology and he understands how difficult it is to predict the weather. I, too, think that we expect far too much from the weather report.

What I really want to do with this musing is to turn your attention to the predictive decrees of God. The prophecies of the Lord come true with absolute accuracy. We have those in our day, wishing to be identified as Christians, who teach that God does not know everything there is to know about the future. Such a view is in opposition to the Scriptures. Our God is the all knowing creator and sustainer of the universe.

Such truths have a significance far greater than the weather forecast. God has known from eternity past who would win the election this past week. He has always known of the reports His children receive from the Doctor. He is eternally aware of those false teachers and their doctrines which threaten His church. The list could go on through reams of paper.

The point is, He is always upon His exalted throne. He is always sovereign over all the affairs of men. He is always worthy of our praise, adoration and surrender.