Giving Thanks for the Thorns

Giving Thanks for the Thorns

1 Thessalonians 5:18 NKJV
in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

   I read a story of a woman who had lost a child during pregnancy due to an accident.  Then her husband was laid off from his job.  It was nearly Thanksgiving and she was not feeling very thankful.  She was angry with God for losing the baby and for her husband losing his job.  “Why me,” was what she kept praying, over and over.  She went to a florist shop for a table arrangement and the clerk asked if she wanted a beautiful but ordinary floral arrangement or a “Thanksgiving Special.”  The clerk told the woman that flowers told a story and asked if the woman was looking for something to convey the idea of gratitude.
   The woman blurted out that she did not really have anything to be thankful for.  She told about losing her baby and her husband losing his job.  She regretted her outburst, and was surprised when the clerk said, "I have the perfect arrangement for you."
   Just then the bell over the door jangled and another customer walked in.  The clerk excused herself and went in the back to get the new lady’s arrangement.  She quickly reappeared, carrying an arrangement of greenery, bows, and what appeared to be long-stemmed thorny roses except the roses had been snipped off leaving just the thorny stems.  The first woman watched in amazement as the thorn stems were put in a box and wrapped it for the customer who took them and walked out with a cheery greeting.
   The woman turned to the clerk wondering if this were a bad joke.  After all, who would want rose stems with no roses?   The clerk told her that was the “Thanksgiving Special Bouquet."  The clerk told her that the lady had lost her father to cancer three years before and she found out her son was taking drugs.  The clerk said that that year she had lost her husband and was facing the holidays alone – no husband and no children.  "That was when I learned to be thankful for thorns.  I've always thanked God for the good things in my life and I never questioned Him why those good things happened to me.  But when the bad stuff hit, I cried out, "WHY? WHY Me?!"  It took time for me to learn that the dark times are important to our faith.  I have always enjoyed the 'flowers' of my life but it took the thorns to show me the beauty of God's comfort.  You know, the Bible says that God comforts us when we're afflicted and from His consolation we learn to comfort others."
   The woman thought about that, and said, "I guess the truth is, I don't want comfort. I've lost a baby and my husband lost his job and now I'm angry with God."  She wiped tears from her eyes and said, "I don't know if I can be thankful for the thorns in my life.  It's all too...fresh."  The clerk smiled through her own tears and said, "Well, my experience has shown me that the thorns make the roses more precious.  We treasure God's providential care more during trouble than at any other time."
   The woman felt her resentment slipping away and she asked for a dozen long-stem thorns.  When the clerk brought the arrangement to her, there was a card on it.
It read:
My God, I have never thanked You for my thorns. I have thanked You a thousand times for my roses, but never once for my thorns.  Teach me the glory of the cross I bear; teach me the value of my thorns.  Show me that I have climbed closer to You along the path of pain.  Show me that, through my tears, the colors of Your rainbow look much more brilliant."

   This year has had its share of thorns for us.  We’ve had some intense moments and had some sad moments and shed many tears this year.  But those moments have made the happy moments seem brighter and God feel closer.  This year we’re giving thanks for the thorns in our lives.

Stephen Cram                            November 25, 2012                    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

Legalism Blinds

Legalism Blinds

John 5: 9&10

 9 And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked.

And that day was the Sabbath. 

10 The Jews therefore said to him who was cured, “It is the Sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your bed.”

   What they said was not exactly true.  The Law did not forbid anyone from carrying a mat on the Sabbath.  What they should have said was that their interpretation of the Law forbids anyone from carrying their mat on the Sabbath. 

   They studied the Law but failed to understand that the Law was there to help the people, not bind them.  They could not see a difference between their interpretation of the Law and God’s revelation to man.  They had elevated their opinions to the same level as God’s revelations.

   The Law states that the Sabbath Day is to be kept holy, and that on it no work is to be done.  This is a good principle, even today.  Giving yourself one day to rest and, at the same time, one day to focus on God and His Word is a great way to live.  But the Scribes and Pharisees went way beyond what God said and what He intended for man to live by.  The Jewish religionists asked: What is work?  And they came up with all kinds of things that they defined as work.  For instance, to carry a burden on the Sabbath Day is work.  So next they had to define what a burden was.  Scribal Law is written that a burden is ‘food equal in weight to a dried fig, enough wine for mixing in a goblet, milk enough for one swallow, honey enough to put upon a wound, oil enough to anoint a small member, water enough to moisten an eye-salve, paper enough to write a customs house notice upon, ink enough to write two letters of the alphabet, reed enough to make a pen’ and on and on and on until it becomes a burden in itself.  I read that there was a debate among scholars about whether or not walking with an artificial limb or supports such as canes or crutches could be a burden and therefore forbidden!  Do you believe that this is what God intended with His commandment?  Of course not!  This is religion tied up in knots with petty rules and regulations.

   When I was a young boy, the church my parents went to established a rule that no woman was admitted to the church unless she had her head covered with a hat.  On the other hand, no man could as much as step inside the doors if he had his hat on.  Women were sent home to get a hat or had to sit in church with handkerchiefs on their heads.  Legalism was alive and well then and it alive and well in many Christian churches today.  And, sadly, many Christians are guilty of thinking of it as a virtue not as a hindrance to our growing in the Lord.

   Legalism is a trap that hinders your walk with God.  You find yourself trying to live up to standards and requirements that often are beyond what the Bible teaches.  Rather than encouraging people to grow, we begin “policing” them to be sure they are living up to the standards we adhere to.  A young man who began coming to our church was confronted by an elder about his truck being seen parked in the parking area of the Rod & Gun Club, a famous (or infamous) drinking club.  He was accused before he could explain that he worked for a painter who was contracted to paint the interior of the club.  He and his family left the church, and who could blame them?

   We need to live by the standards written in the Bible, but we also need to be careful not to exceed them and begin adding and expanding what the Bible says.  We need to keep from hitting people over the head with the Bible, too.  When a person becomes a Christian, they often still have bad habits that may take time to grow out of.  Shoving the Bible in their face and shouting in their ears is not the way to help them.  There is a loving way to teach people and we need to approach new Christians in a loving way.  I have seen both methods used over the years and the loving approach always works best. 

   Another danger is when a church becomes proud of their standards and an attitude begins to grow up in the church that “we’re so much better than that church is.”  A superior attitude is inappropriate and dangerous.  We all come out of sinful lives so we start in the same place.  We all struggle with growing in Christ and we all make mistakes.  Remember the warning Solomon made in Proverbs 16:18 –

Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall.   

   I find that just living by the Bible and minding to my growth in Christ is a full time job for me.  I don’t want to take on the burden of trying to re-write the commandments and statutes or second-guessing Jesus and the Apostles.  Just living by the Bible as its written is hard enough.   Why make life harder?  I’ve given up arguing theology with others and choose to live with them and show God’s love to them.  If they believe that Christ was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life and was crucified for my sins and resurrected in the flesh then we can have fellowship. 

Stephen Cram                            November 18, 2012                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 

Anchoring My Life

Anchoring My Life

Hebrews 6: 19-20

19 This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, 

20 where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

   The writer of Hebrews presents a detailed argument to show us how Jesus is our High Priest, but not after the Order of Aaron, but after the Order of Melchizedek.  He shows that Jesus, in His role as our High Priest, mediates with God on our behalf.  He proclaims that Jesus is the sure and steadfast anchor of the soul.

   His argument is hard to follow, but you can make it through to its conclusion and see how Jesus is our High Priest.  But to me, this is all an intellectual exercise.  Truthfully, I don’t relate to High Priests.  I don’t have any High Priests living nearby so I struggle bringing this down to my level.  I can, however, relate to anchors.  I used to fish in the river and lakes near my home.  Anchors are necessary if you want to keep your boat in one place while you fish.  We used old metal paint cans filled with cement and with a length of rope tied to them.  It would hold the boat in place but we still drifted a little bit with the current and the winds because metal paint cans are neither sure nor steadfast anchors.  I once anchored the boat near a submerged pile of rocks someone had dumped off the shore.  I dropped the anchor next to a large rock and it held the boat right in place for hours even though the current was swift and a steady wind was blowing.  Dropping your anchor into a rock works best.

   Jesus spent his life on earth representing God as a God of love and compassion.  Jesus Himself was a physical incarnation of that love.  He made some promises to us to help us during our Christian walk.  For example:

Matthew 11:28 NKJV

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

He promises to be our rest from the storms of life.  When a storm begins to rage in your life, rather than be pushed about by the winds and waves, we can anchor ourselves in the Rock that is Jesus.  We can drop anchor into His calm and His strength and draw peace form Him.  When we feel ourselves begin to drift, we can anchor in His Word and our soul will not be led away by the world.  

   Matthew 7:7

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened for you. 

When we are confused, we can drop our anchor in His promise to guide us.  He has sent us the Holy Spirit to guide us and help us when we need answers.  When we study the Bible, He will lead us to those answers we need to make it through the rough spots of life and find our way to the truth. 

Stephen Cram                            November 11, 2012                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 Kingdom of God is Like a Mustard Seed

The Kingdom of God is Like a Mustard Seed

Mark 4:30-32 NKJV

30 Then He said, “To what shall we liken the kingdom of God? Or with what parable shall we picture it? 

31 It is like a mustard seed which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth; 

32 but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out large branches, so that the birds of the air may nest under its shade.”

   I read of a man who was curious about the mustard plant mentioned here in this passage.  A truck driver friend of his had given him a big box of seeds that had been discarded at the depot where the driver worked.  Among the contents was a packet of mustard seed.  The man thought it might be fun to plant the mustard and see what it looked like, and so he planted some.  What a mistake!  He had to deal with mustard for several years until he was finally able to get rid of it all.  It turns out that mustard is really a weed.  It infiltrated his garden and began to choke out his other vegetables.

   When we read this little parable, we tend to think of the mustard plant as something good.  If you are planning to make some prepared mustard or possibly can some pickles, you might want to raise mustard for the seeds.  If you like greens, you might want to raise mustard. But you certainly don't want to raise it among other vegetables. It may be good for the birds, but pity the poor farmer.  He has to deal with those weeds, and with the birds that eat his crops and his good seed.  So why did Jesus compare the Kingdom of God to a mustard seed?  What was Jesus trying to say with this metaphor?
   Much of the land in Jesus’ time had been taken over by a political system based on the domination of others.  The Romans made slaves of landowners who could not pay their debts.  People become impoverished by the high taxes imposed by the Romans and their Jewish puppet kings.  The poor in Galilee were looking for a Messiah to overthrow the system that dominated them.  They were looking for a huge event.  What does Jesus do?  He compares the kingdom of God to one tiny mustard seed.  

   But, that tiny mustard seed becomes a large shrub.  It bears many seeds.  The birds eat the seeds and spread them throughout the fields where they grow and infiltrate the farmer’s other crops.  A tiny seed beginning can take over a whole farm.  And Jesus brings in his kingdom which began mustard seed sized with a handful of Disciples and a few hundred other followers; a tiny beginning that had the power to turn its world upside down.  Or, rather, right side up.  When the church works as it should, it has the potential to grow like weeds that will take over neighborhoods and change the lives of the people in them. 

   Jesus presents an alternative way of life.  If we share the Gospel and pray for the souls of our family and friends, we can see new plants spring up where none existed before.  Jesus said the Kingdom of God was like a weed taking over the garden.  So go out and plant seeds and water them and let God give a harvest of souls.

Stephen Cram                            November 4, 2012               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