The Fundamental Blog

The use of metaphor can be an overly simplistic way of communicating but there are times when concepts, ideas or emotions require their use. There are no words to adequately represent color so we are reduced to description in metaphor; blue as the sea, white as a new fallen snow or black as night. Jesus used metaphor often in His teaching because in order to describe the unimaginable, He had to use terms that mortal people could understand. This is surely another imperfect metaphorical rendering, but I am comforted that even though this may only hint at the meaning I am seeking, so too were the descriptions of Heaven that our Saviour spoke.

In this past week I traveled across mountains and deserts in the same day and I was intrigued that I saw the same thing in both places, standing water on the road. The water wasn’t real, it was only the trickery of mirage. In the desert you might expect to see such things, we all grew up with cartoons about mirages in the arid places, but in the high plateaus and passes of the mountains I find that they still persist. Then God stirs the machinery in my head and begins to form an idea, in metaphor, so that I have a chance of understanding. First, we have to forget science, I don’t care about visual illusion caused by differing strata of temperate layers of air or any of that; I want to address the childlike notion that says we tend to imagine water in the desert because we’re thirsty.

In the desert we are living a life of our own desire. We have little, if any, regard to God or the ways of God. We choose a path and come Hell or high water, that’s what we’re going to do. We wander farther and farther into our desert and at some point become thirsty but we not only don’t find what we think we need, we don’t even know what it is that we really require. Satan knows that we think that we want water and so our eyes perceive water. We scramble after it as fast as our fading strength can move us and just when we have almost reached it, we find that it is still just beyond our grasp. Off we go again.

We see in Jeremiah 17:9 that, “… the heart is deceitful above all things.” We think we know what we want but as soon as we have it, we learn that it isn’t enough, it doesn’t satisfy. We are merely chasing the longings of our wicked hearts and the Psalmist tells us, “… the longings of the wicked will come to nothing.” 112:10. I have spent many years in the desert and I can tell you that though I chased thousands of longings, all I did was get better at finding things that I didn’t really want after all. When we’re out there we may think we want water, we can be consumed with the thought of a cool drink to the point of madness, to the point of doing anything to get it; but we end up holding a cup of sand instead.

Then something miraculous happens! We respond to the call of God and accept our salvation by faith in His Son Jesus Christ. We come in from the desert to live a life on the mountain of God. Clear springs of water, a fresh snow, blue skies, 28 degrees and, what’s that? Water on the road? Here on the mountain of God is the same deceitful mirage that Satan set before us when we were in the desert, how can this be? We are not thirsty anymore, and even if we were we could dip our cup in the spring or take a handful of snow, but the same mirage appears. Is Satan never done tempting us? No, he isn’t, even after tempting Jesus for 40 days, Luke tells us that Satan only left Him, “… until an opportune time.” 4:13. Even though we may be climbing the mountain of God, Satan knows we are weak, mortal beings with carnal desires.

Satan will not stop trying to turn us from Jesus as long as we are in this world. He would love to convince us that we are helpless and that our faith is a lie so he keeps setting the things we used to trip over in front of us to try to make us fall. I have stated before that a believer cannot lose their salvation once they have accepted it, but there still remains the possibility that we were never truly saved and though we are on the path with those who have been, we might still turn away and thereby grieve the Spirit. This is the plot that the devil would employ, to turn away those who have not yet received God’s grace in their hearts, the fence sitters. We are continually tested, but praise be to God for He has found us worthy of the testing and will not allow more than we are capable of withstanding.

When we are saved sin does not magically cease to be a threat to us, we face it daily but we must guard against it. Do we have a leftover secret sin that we just can’t seem to part with? Addiction, fleshly lusts, un-Godly lifestyles; Satan will use and reuse these things to try to convince us that what we know in our heads as true, is still only wishful thinking in our hearts. Our previous longings are not completely erased, even Paul had his thorn to deal with but God told him, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12:9. There are some types of amnesia where, even though the sufferer can not remember a thing consciously, the flesh can still retain physical memory which would allow the person to sign their own name. The flesh remembers what the mind can not. So it is with our sinful longings.

The closer we get to God, the more we know Jesus, the worse the attacks become. When we are wandering in the desert Satan need only nudge us a bit to keep us out there, but as we find and grow in faith he has to start hitting us harder. But all is not black. God is ever faithful. We can have the comfort of Job knowing that Satan may not touch a hair on our heads without the permission of God. Sometimes God may smite, but oftentimes He simply allows the things in our lives. For our seeming good or ill, nothing comes to us but that the love of God has allowed them. The blessings of God and the promises He has given to us are solid and unchanging but when the testing comes we can be sure that it is only for a while.

On the mountain, if we feel thirsty, we can dip our cup into the fountain of life and find it sure and real. The mirage of water on the road in the high mountain passes is fleeting, before you can reach it, it slips a little farther on down the road. The Lord is our refuge, our protection and a strong tower, but if we resist the deceit of Satan he will flee before us. Don’t think that we will never fall, we will. “Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path.” Psalm 119:105. This is given as encouragement that He will help us to see the blocks in our way, not that we will never occasionally stumble over them. If that were true then there would be no need of the promises to catch us when, (not if), we fall.

Each day we draw breath is a choice to either indulge our carnal selves or let the light of the Saviour shine through us and it is not always easy to choose. Our hearts, filled with the Holy Spirit, know the right way to go but the flesh still wants what the flesh wants. Jesus warned to guard against want we think we want, “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” Matthew 26:41. We all know what we think we want but not always are we sure of what is better for us.

It will be a far better thing to be walking with Jesus and thinking that we still thirst when we die than to be refreshed under a tree alone, with a cool cup in our hand only to find that, that is our only portion for all eternity. We can either be refreshed in Heaven of watch in horror as the cup in our hand boils dry in the fires of Hell. Stop chasing mirages and come to the only fountain which is firm and true. The font of life is, by the promises of God, never going to fail us and when we fill our cup there, at it’s never ending flow, our drink becomes one which is …


All for the Glory of Christ

Today is January 22, 2010; this is the day that the trial began in the case of the late, Dr. George Tiller who was killed in his church by Scott Roeder. This is likely to be breaking news for some time and as I listened to the reports this morning I couldn’t help but be amazed at how wrong his death was. Not only that, but that the shooter, Scott Roeder, justified his actions by claiming that he was trying to save the lives of an untold number of unborn babies. Along with this came the opinions of both sides of the abortion issue and I found myself choking on the phrase, “Women’s Rights.” Let’s deal with the case first and then I want to explore the issue of, “Rights.”

Was Dr. Tiller a bad man who was murdering pre-born babies? Some might allow, “misguided,” as a description; I say that by the standards of human decency; yes, he was. Dr. Tiller’s abortions were performed at all stages of pregnancy and while it could be argued that a late term, or even partial birth, abortion is far worse than one done in the first trimester, I don’t care! I contend that murder is murder regardless and though it might seem more palatable to some if it is conducted in the early stages of pregnancy; all abortion is beyond horrible. That said, did it confer the right, or responsibility, for Mr. Roeder to take the action he took? Absolutely not!

In my estimation life actually begins prior to conception. I know that it is not the standard view but God tells us in Jeremiah, “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you.” I am also convinced that if God decides that a pregnancy should come about, the woman is obligated, by God’s will, to carry that pregnancy to term even in the face of rape, incest or the death of the mother. If the child were born the mother would defend that child to the death, I see no difference on the basis that the child has not been born yet. Again, not the popular view. So if a person is killing pre-born babies they are guilty of murder, plain and simple. That does not impart the right, however, for someone to drive hundreds of miles with the intention of committing the same crime he is supposedly trying to stop.

God is very clear that, “It is Mine to avenge; I will repay.” Deuteronomy 32:35. We should do all that we can to protect life, born or pre-born, but not past the point where we are committing a crime ourselves. The baby has a right to life because God has ordained that a child should be created. God is the ONLY One who has the legitimate right to take a life because He is the only One who can create it. But now comes the Pro-Choice crowd chanting, “Women’s Rights.” Where do they suppose that the rights they claim, come from? They have assumed rights for themselves without any basis in reality.

The, “Abortion Rights,” lobby says things like, “Mr. Roeder should get life in prison, or worse, in order that the message gets sent that this will not be allowed. This will stand as a deterrent to others who might copy him and try to achieve their ends by the use of deadly force.” (paraphrased). Isn’t that exactly what the pro-abortion faction is doing? Are they not using deadly force to advance their position? But the claim is that a woman has the right to do, with her own body, as she pleases. It is a baby that God ordained that she wants to do something to, not her own body, but even if it were, she does not have the right. In most places, suicide is a crime, we do not have the right to take our own lives, and if we will not allow the taking of one’s own life how can we condone the taking of the life of a pre-born child?

The framers of the Constitution referenced inalienable rights, among them being, “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.” Starting off the list is, “LIFE.” But even if you want to try to use the pursuit of happiness as an excuse, (being a parent encroaches on my happiness), we must realize that our rights, even those bestowed upon us by our Creator as inalienable, end at the point of denying the rights of another. God sets the standards of right and wrong and there are some lines that should not be crossed. Women’s rights are not alone in the mad scramble to try to legitimize things that are against God though. How about, “Gay Rights?” Where did those rights come from?

There are human rights, yes; we all have the right to be treated with some degree of dignity and I would defend those rights regardless of who was asserting them. But does the sexual preference of an individual mean that we must create a world that God tells us is an abomination to Him? Gay people have the right to live their lives without fear of harassment and physical injury but how do they assume the supposed right to parade their sexuality down the streets of major cities and insist that schools teach even pre-schoolers, that homosexuality is merely another, “normal,” life choice. Do not get me wrong, I have friends and relatives who have chosen this lifestyle, I am no homophobe, but while I can not abide their life choices, I can still love them.

Look, I am not spewing hate nor am I advocating violence in any form. I am only trying to make the point that too often a group of individuals assign for themselves a set of supposed rights and then demand that the world bow to those assumed rights. This is insanity! If you want to act out a gay lifestyle, fine! But do not demand that my children be forced to learn that it is nothing more than another view of what’s normal, it isn’t. If you want to murder your pre-born child, go for it! As long as our legal system allows it, I won’t kill the doctor who performs the procedure nor tell you that you can not do it, but do not tell me that I can not call it murder, it IS! But to murder a murderer still makes you a murderer!

Regardless of our viewpoints, I think that we could agree that legitimate rights are good things. As such, consider James 1:17, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” The only rights we have are those given us by God; the rest are only whims of fancy that we attempt to take for ourselves and foist upon the rest of society. As Christians, we have a higher call, a responsibility to maintain a Godly standard, not stoop to the status quo. 1 Peter 3:9 teaches, “Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called that you may inherit a blessing.”

We need not tear each other apart, though there is overwhelming opportunity if that’s what we want to do. We are called, called to something greater than the dictates of a perverse and wicked existence in a fallen Sodom. We can not ignore the truth which we have known with our minds and trusted with all our hearts. We must stand for what is right, teach our children in the way they should go, shun sin but love the sinner; these are the things that will show us approved before God and will allow us to shine a light before the world that testifies that we are the children of God, and that we are the lives which are…


All for the Glory of Christ