Never Say Never

Never Say Never

John 4:14
but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”

   I’ve to distrust ads that tell me something will never happen again if I use their product.  “Never chop onions again!”  “Never wait for internet access again!”  “Never scrub again, just rinse and go!”  “Never wax again, just pour on and wipe off for a long lasting shine!”
   I’ve thrown out chopping miracle tools that didn’t work, been booted off the internet and given the blank blue screen of death, I’ve sprayed and rinsed and I’m still had to scrub to get stains out, and followed the directions on the bottle and the water refuses to bead on my windshield.  I’ve heard hundreds of solemn promises to never have to do it again – but had to do it again anyway.
   The wise man says, ‘never say never,’ and lessons learned in life seem to add weight to that old saying.  Against the certainty of uncertainty, Jesus says “never again!”  Actually, what He said was, “you will never thirst again.”  But my cynical mind struggles with this promise.  I need to accept the truth that when Jesus says never, He means never!  When Jesus says forgiven, He means forgiven!  When Jesus says forever, He means forever!
   When you find Jesus, your search is over.  Drink in the living water of the Word.  Take time to worship.  Rest in the Lord.  He alone can truly keep the promise of “never.”
   He goes on to promise that the water of His Word would become a spring of living water in us.  In ancient times, they called spring water living water because it seemed "alive" as it bubbled up from the ground.  Jesus used illustrations people were familiar with when He taught.  He spoke of reaping and harvesting to a people who lived surrounded by farms.  He pulled a child aside to illustrate the point of how our faith must be like the little child’s faith.  And here He uses a spring of water to illustrate His point of how living water refreshes us and His Word is like living water to refresh our souls.
   Water that has been collected and kept in a tank stagnates and begins to taste like the storage tank after a while.  Living water has been forced through rock and hard packed soil on its way and has had the impurities filtered out.  When it bubbles out into the air it tastes alive and refreshing and satisfying.  People who hear the Word of God and keep it bottled up inside themselves become stagnant in their faith and their lives become stale.  But those who let the Word flow through them to refresh others are refreshed in their own spirits as well.
   Jesus invites us to come to Him and drink our fill from His living water and let it quench our thirst.  Then let it spring up within us and flow into the lives of others and bring them relief from their thirst.

Stephen Cram                               June 26, 2011              Colossians 2:8

Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.  Colossians 2:8

The Blame Game

Who sinned? - The Blame Game

John 9:1-3

1 Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth.

2 And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

3 Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him.

   We grow up living in a “cause and effect” world so we often fall into a “cause and effect” Christianity.  We come to think that if someone reads their Bible; goes to church; has a quiet time of Bible Study and prayer then they must be a spiritual person guaranteed that things will go well for them.  So it follows that if someone fails to do these things then they leave themselves open to all kinds of bad things happening.  As a result we look people this way.  If things are going well, they must be doing it right, and if things are not going well, they must have screwed up somewhere.

   Jesus’ answer to His Disciple’s question here teaches us that this “cause and effect” belief doesn’t always apply in real life.  The Disciples looked at this blind man and their thought was that someone must have been sinful to cause him to be born blind.  But Jesus tells them that blindness is not caused by having sinful parents.  Sin didn't have anything to do with it one way or another; there were reasons for the man's blindness that had nothing to do with whether or not his parents were righteous or not. 

   The rain falls on the just and the unjust alike.  Job, a righteous man in anyone's opinion, had his life ripped apart and he was put through the worst testing anyone can face.  By comparison, Lot, Abraham's nephew, appeared to be a compromising man with little moral backbone, and yet in the New Testament we find out his righteous soul was being tormented day and night by the lawlessness around him. Peter, in 2 Peter 2:7, calls him "Righteous Lot."  Lot righteous?!?  Well, if Peter said it was so, I can’t argue with his words.     

   All this means that the issue is not our lives fitting into some preconceived idea of “cause and effect” righteousness, but whether our faith will hold fast regardless of the circumstances.  When we lose a loved one or have a child born who is physically or mentally challenged, what happens to our faith?  Often we find ourselves playing the blame game and trying to figure out whose fault it is, much like Job’s friends, (using the term “friends” loosely.)  It’s hard to just accept that things happen in life and no one often is to blame for it.  Rather than trying to fix the blame, we need to pray and rely on our faith in God and His love and mercy to carry us through the difficult times in our lives. 

   "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"  Neither.  Sin was introduced into this world and bad things happen because we’re living in imperfect bodies in an imperfect world.  If you really need to think in terms of “cause and effect,” blame the curse pronounced in Genesis 3:17. 

   "Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life."  God may be allowing something in your life to build up your faith.  Ask yourself what work God is seeking to display in your life. 

   Just stop trying to find someone to blame.  Rather seek God’s face and let Him minister to you and He will heal your heart.

Stephen Cram                         June 19, 2011           Colossians 2:8

Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.  Colossians 2:8 

         

A Little Misunderstanding

A Little Misunderstanding Can Be A Dangerous Thing

 (This is a long passage, and you should go to it and read the complete passage before going on.)

Joshua 22:10-34 

10 And when they came to the region of the Jordan which is in the land of Canaan, the children of Reuben, the children of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh built an altar there by the Jordan—a great, impressive altar. 

11 Now the children of Israel heard someone say, “Behold, the children of Reuben, the children of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh have built an altar on the frontier of the land of Canaan, in the region of the Jordan—on the children of Israel’s side.” 

12 And when the children of Israel heard of it, the whole congregation of the children of Israel gathered together at Shiloh to go to war against them. 

16 “Thus says the whole congregation of the LORD: ‘What treachery is this that you have committed against the God of Israel, to turn away this day from following the LORD, in that you have built for yourselves an altar, that you might rebel this day against the LORD? 

21 Then the children of Reuben, the children of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh answered and said to the heads of the divisions of Israel: 

26 Therefore we said, ‘Let us now prepare to build ourselves an altar, not for burnt offering nor for sacrifice,

27 but that it may be a witness between you and us and our generations after us, that we may perform the service of the LORD before Him with our burnt offerings, with our sacrifices, and with our peace offerings; that your descendants may not say to our descendants in time to come, “You have no part in the LORD.”’

28 Therefore we said that it will be, when they say this to us or to our generations in time to come, that we may say, ‘Here is the replica of the altar of the LORD which our fathers made, though not for burnt offerings nor for sacrifices; but it is a witness between you and us.’ 

29 Far be it from us that we should rebel against the LORD, and turn from following the LORD this day, to build an altar for burnt offerings, for grain offerings, or for sacrifices, besides the altar of the LORD our God which is before His tabernacle.” 

33 So the thing pleased the children of Israel, and the children of Israel blessed God; they spoke no more of going against them in battle, to destroy the land where the children of Reuben and Gad dwelt. 

   On their way returning home, the two and a half tribes set up an altar on the west side of the Jordan River, the side where the other ten and a half tribes lived.  Remember that the two and a half tribes were to settle on the EAST side of the Jordan.  Setting up an altar beside the one in the tabernacle did not violate the Ten Commandments.  This action would, however, violate the law that all sacrifices had to be made on the altar in the tabernacle (Leviticus 17:5-7).   It looks to me like the fighting men of the two and a half tribes lacked an understanding of the commandment about where and why to build an alter for sacrifices.  This would turn out to be a problem later on in Israel’s history, especially after Solomon took the throne and he, himself, set up alters all over including alters to false gods.  The practice of setting up altars at will helped the spread of idolatry in Israel.  Idolatry was one of the major offenses against God’s commandments. 

   Heresy often begins the same way.  An incomplete or incorrect understanding of the Bible leads the way to heresy.  Many cults have begun with good intentions by people with poor understanding of the Bible.  When people hear these half-truths, their ears get tickled and they want more.  This feeds the problem and it begins to grow.  People will leave the true church to follow a lie and condemn themselves.

   The ten and a half tribes understood the danger of setting the altar at will.  They confronted the tribes on the east of Jordan.  The two and a half tribes replied that it was not an altar for offering sacrifices but for memorial (vv. 26-27).  The idea was to remind their children that they were part of the nation of Israel.  The answer satisfied everyone and avoided a potential civil war. 

   Christians should join together to celebrate what God has done for us.  A memorial service can be a good thing to remind of God’s grace towards us.  A celebration of the paying off of a mortgage or at the end of series of special services where people were blessed can be a glue to bind a congregation together, as long as the celebration is about what God has done for us and not what we’ve done for ourselves.

   (Dragging out my soapbox here.)  I’ve never been an advocate of naming buildings, rooms or anything after people in the congregation or large contributors to a ministry.  The glory is God’s, not ours.  (Putting away the soapbox now.)

  

   Stephen Cram                             June 12, 2011                  Colossians 2:8

Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.  Colossians 2:8 

Visit the blog at http://stephencram.blogspot.com/ and leave a comment.

The Glue That Binds Us Together

The Glue That Binds Us Together

Joshua 22:1-6

1 Then Joshua called the Reubenites, the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh, 

2 and said to them: “You have kept all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, and have obeyed my voice in all that I commanded you. 

3 You have not left your brethren these many days, up to this day, but have kept the charge of the commandment of the LORD your God. 

4 And now the LORD your God has given rest to your brethren, as He promised them; now therefore, return and go to your tents and to the land of your possession, which Moses the servant of the LORD gave you on the other side of the Jordan. 

5 But take careful heed to do the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, to love the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways, to keep His commandments, to hold fast to Him, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul.” 

6 So Joshua blessed them and sent them away, and they went to their tents.

   The tribes of Reuben and Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh had asked Moses for permission to settle the fertile lands on the east side of the Jordan River, lands that had plenty of grassy areas to graze their cattle on.  Moses’ one stipulation was that they had to send their armed men to help the rest of Israel fight the inhabitants of the Promised Land.  They were faithful to help in the battles and now, finally, the power of the Canaanites was broken and, although there were still Canaanites living in the land, the Israelites could live in relative peace.  Joshua released the fighting men of the two and a half tribes and told them they could go home. 

   Joshua spoke to them and gave them a pep talk before they left the camp and asked them to remember two things when they returned home.  He reminded them to obey God and His laws as recorded by Moses, and he also told them to share their spoils with the people who stayed behind.  These two reminders of Joshua are two important glues that hold our churches together.  All members must obey God and his commandments.  Loving God and being faithful to His Word are what makes us the church we are.  Loving God is the highest calling in our lives and has to be more than just talking or feeling.  Jesus explained that loving God requires that we obey Him and His commandments (John 14:15).  When the church is united in service to God we will be bound to each other by the same love.

   The other glue in the church is fellowship.  Fellowship is not just shaking hands and trying to remember each other’s names.  Sharing is supporting each other in all circumstances.  A meal or a card or a visit to someone hurting is worth a lot in that person’s life.  Developing a relationship with someone is not just sitting in the row behind them but actually getting to know them and spending time with them.  Sharing also extends to emotional level.  We need to cry together and to rejoice together.  Sharing covers the intellectual level also.  We need to study together and to learn together and to help edify the lives of others in our church. 

   Being a Christian is not a spectator activity.  It requires work and we need to apply ourselves to the task.  A person trying to quit a bad habit hears a lot about “lifestyle changes.”  What lifestyle changes do you need to make?  With the evil in the world today, it’s a dangerous place.  We, the church, need to stick together and work together and support each other so we can succeed in these trying times.

Stephen Cram                     June 5, 2011                      Colossians 2:8

Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.  Colossians 2:8 

Visit the blog at http://stephencram.blogspot.com/ and leave a comment.