tiny toes

There was frost on the windshield this morning, and we had light snow flurries yesterday. It is rather nippy outside right now, so I went back to some pictures from a hot July afternoon. This scrumptious munchkin is pure joy to his Uncle Craver. I don't think we figured out exactly what he was saying, but I DO remember that he said it with conviction. The lad knows what he wants... Like all of us though, that doesn't automatically mean he always knows what he needs. And though he may ask questions, he may not always ask the right questions.

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Speaking of questions, last night a friend told me about a question somebody was struggling with. "Why does a good God make anybody go to hell?" My buddy felt (and I agree) that the wrong question was being asked. We should be asking instead, "Since God is holy and we are not (except Christ alone), why would a good God allow anybody at all to go to heaven?" And yet He does; God provided a way by sending His own Son.

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We grownups can be complicated and overly skeptical sometimes, can't we? We need the faith of a child. A faith that does not criticize, judge and condemn his caretaker and provider, but completely trusts. A faith that says, "I may not understand everything about you, but I need you and can't survive without you."

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I feel so much warmer now. :-)

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Addendum: Thanks for the emails! Keep 'em coming!

greater glory

Llama In Need preached at my church Sunday. He may not be very active in the blogosphere, but he is and will be a person of great significance in the real, live, flesh-and-blood dimension. He is in seminary right now, and some blessed souls will one day call him Pastor.

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Our seminarian gave an exposition of Genesis 11 and 12, highlighting the contrast between the main people in each chapter. The Babylonians, who settled in Shinar, and attempted to build a tower that would reach to God were marked by pride and they were rebellious toward the Lord. Abraham is known as a man of faith and humility. The people of Babel disobeyed and said they would make a name for themselves. Abraham listened and obeyed, but it was God who told Abe that He (the Lord) would make Abraham's name great.

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Soapbox: Everybody has faith in one sense or another. The difference is were we place our faith. Is it in ourselves? In money or resources? When I talk about faith, I am really talking about foundationally placing our belief in the living God who is absolutely trustworthy.

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A question: Faith and humility. How does a person improve in either of these areas?

strong like sparrows

David asks: How strong is your faith? (Check his site for rules if you want to participate and be recognized.)

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•   I suppose I should begin by narrowing down a working definition of faith. For our this post's purposes, I am talking about those particular beliefs that compose the essential elements of a person's foundational motivation. I like to use the term Prime Motivator. As such, I would say we all have "faith" in something or someone, regardless of whether we call ourselves religious.

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•   Next, there is the object of my faith. God has never broken his word, or failed to do what he promised. He is all-powerful, all-knowing and never-changing. As foundations go, there is nothing more solid. There is enough credibility established by the things that he has done, that I do not feel the need to question the things pertaining to the future or things unseen.

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•   We might discern reliability for a field of science by the scientists established in that discipline, but the reference point for Christianity is Christ-himself, so I do not get bent out of shape when a so-called Christian is disgraced for personal reasons.

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Is that enough dancing around? Are you finally ready for my response? "Anemic" might be too strong a word, but my capacity for faith and the exercise thereof, definitely has room to grow. I worry about things that shouldn't trouble me. I'm not worried about whether I will go to heaven, but when it comes to the small stuff concerning God's provision or timing, I need this frequent reminder:

"Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?" Matthew 6:26

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In other words, my faith is such that my knees wobble from time to time, but the ground upon which I stand is solid, despite my weakness. I rest assured, knowing that my faith is not based on what I can't do, but on what He has done.

His eye is on the sparrow, but I know he watches me.

cause & effect

She was visibly shocked and even irate that I should be so confident in my assertion that good works can’t earn favor with God. She’s a Jehovah’s Witness. My JW friend was nice enough to give the big guns a break last week and he brought a lady who I believe to be nothing more than an enthusiastic rookie. I hope she learned something. As for me, I’m glad for the break, because this gal wasn’t sly enough to keep changing topics and follow the cult’s script for how to proselytize without using common sense, logic, and a proper reading of the Scriptures. Unfortunately for her though, it seemed that she was deaf—spiritually deaf.

We are not saved by doing good works. Jesus did not only make it possible for salvation, but he paid the full price. Hence, the cry of tetelestai (It is finished!) from the cross. God sprinkles the blood of his own son on the altar to atone for our sins, and we defile the sacrifice when we add our imagined righteous deeds (filthy rags) to the table. It is not an improvement to dilute perfection!

“We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.” Galatians 2:15-16 (ESV)

Can a caterpillar become a butterfly if it sips nectar and floats effortlessly in the air? No sir! That’s impossible. First comes the transformation into a butterfly, then the attributes of its new nature are inevitable.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2: 8-10 (ESV)

If we are saved, it is because God chose to save us, not because we pulled our own lifeless bodies up into the rescue boat. The Bible says that God caused us to be born again. And then He protects this hope. If it were up to us to protect it, we have reason to be uncertain and doubt our salvation, but if God is keeping guard over our salvation, we cannot lose it. Oh, good works follow salvation, but let’s not put the cart before the horse.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” 1 Peter 1:3-5 (ESV)

Do the saints ignore the words of the Law and deeds of compassion and righteousness? May it never be!! But are we saints because we do good works or do we do good works because God has transformed us into saints?