Without a Vision

Without a Vision

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Where there is no vision, the people perish… (Proverbs 29:18 – KJV)

The vision referred to here is supernatural, such as only God can impart to the human soul.

When God finds a man or woman who is so open to His will and His way, He gives them such an understanding that can inspire others and set them on fire for the truth.

Such a man was George Whitfield who preached with such power thousands were won to Christ.

Such a man was John Wesley whose heart was strangely warmed at Alders gate, and went on to found the Methodist church.

Such a team was William and Catherine Booth who set London ablaze with the message of Salvation through the Salvation Army.

Such a man was Robert Murray McCheyne, who only lived to the age of twenty nine, but who learned to weep for the lost in such a way as sparked revival in his time.

I could go on and on, citing people in the Bible and out of it to illustrate what it means to have a vision of God, but you get my point. Not all you receive a vision from God will be as dramatically successful or famed as these, but their lives will make an impact will not fail to inspire those around them.

The  question is, “Are you and I as open as these to God’s will and purpose as these men and woman are. Can God trust us with a vision that will transform those around us?”

Will our generation perish because there are not enough men and woman open enough to receive a vision of God.

Without a Vision*

A Shakespearean or English Sonnet

(© Tuesday 21st March 1995 – by Christopher Shennan)

“Without a vision the people perish,”

Without a vision the multitudes die.

For the eyes grow dim; hope can’t flourish

When the heart can’t lift in search of the sky.

The human spirit has to dream and reach for

The highest and best that God can provide,

But often, it seems, there’s nothing to search for,

And nothing to stir cold hearts deep inside.

Grant a vision, Lord, to hearts made of stone,

To eyes that are blinded, or growing dim.

Reveal all your glory to those alone —

And those still hungering and thirsting for Him.

Why should those perish who have never heard,

While I hold in my heart Christ’s living Word?

Check out my books for sale at: My website: http://www.christophershennan.ca
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“Iris (right eye),” copyright by Laitr Keiows and displayed on wikimedia.org. Image used under the Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) license, found here:http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en. No changes were made to the photograph, which can be found here: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Iris_-_left_eye_of_a_girl.jpg.

No Drifting Allowed

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No Drifting Allowed 

For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away [from it]. (Hebrews 2:1 – NASB)

This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast…(Hebrews 6:19 – NASB)\

People seldom depart from the truth in one radical, dramatic exit. It is almost always by hardly noticeable increments that they drift away from it.

If you have ever been in a boat on a lake, you know how quietly you can drift further and further from shore. Unless you are actively paying attention, and using your paddles to counteract the drift, or have an anchor cast, you are sure to end up where you do not want to be

My wife and I had a real scare when our daughter was around three or four years old.  She was paddling in the shallows with her mother and brother at the edge of a lake. Trying to float on a blow-up toy in the shape of a dolphin, she began to drift.

Only when she screamed in alarm did my wife realize our daughter was in grave peril. Not a strong swimmer herself, she sent our son to fetch a neighbour for help. In the meantime she kept shouting to our daughter over the water to keep kicking, and so keep herself from losing her grip. It took at least ten minutes for the neighbour to find a boat and paddle out to rescue her.

All this time our daughter was kicking, literally, to save her own life, while she screamed in terror.

I arrived home from town a while later, to find our daughter safe, but somewhat traumatized by her experience. My wife, too, had nightmares for some time afterwards, just because of the realization that we could have lost our little girl because of a few moments of inattention.

How do we keep from drifting away from the truth?

In two ways: (1) We must pay constant attention to the truth: For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard… and (2) We must always be  anchored in Jesus, the Author and finisher of our faith: This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast…

 Check out my books at: My website: http://www.christophershennan.ca
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Anchor,” copyright by jackboot05 on deviantart. Used under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. No changes were made to this picture. Find picture at http://jackboot05.deviantart.com/art/Anchor-30553458. See license at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/.

God’s True Compass

 

God’s True Compass

All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; ¹⁷ so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17 – NASB)

I had a discussion recently with a man who was very complimentary toward the Bible; he said it was the best book of any in the world to guide one on the path of life.

He did, however, add a “but” to this complimentary assessment: “But,” he said, while God has inspired a lot of the Bible, human beings have come along and corrupted it. They have added things of purely human origin, and he mentioned certain teachings from the Bible he didn’t particularly like.

The immediate question that came to mind at this was, “Who then is to decide what is inspired and what is not? Is it to be left to the fickle likes and dislikes of the individual? If what this man said was true, who could trust the Bible as an absolutely reliable guide to the critical issues of life?”

Either all the Bible is God’s Word, or you wouldn’t know if you could trust it when the chips were down and you were in the midst of a crisis. Lying on you death-bed, how would you know for sure if what it said about Heaven and Hell and Eternity was true? How would you know for sure your sins were forgiven, or that the blood of Christ could cleanse you from all sin? It would be a tragic guessing game, with nothing to comfort the heart and give assurance of salvation.

Our text tells us: All Scripture is inspired by God…

What does all mean if it doesn’t mean ALL? Nothing in the Bible is excluded from being inspired by God. It is God-breathed. You can trust it at all times and in all situations.

Let me use a homely illustration:

What if someone gives you a compass when you are about to embark on a journey across a wilderness? As they hand it over they tell you it sometimes points to true North, and sometimes not; it is sometimes reliable and sometimes not. Would you then have confidence to embark on your journey with such an instrument to guide you? I think not.

Either you have to believe ALL the Bible is inspired, or none of it is. There are no fence-sitters allowed here. As for me, I will stake my life – my eternal destiny – on the assumption that the entire Bible is the only reliable guide to faith and conduct.

God’s True Compass

(© Friday 4^th July 2014 – by Christopher Shennan)

I found this wondrous book of God:

The Bible, from Heaven ‘twas sent;

I am certain it will never

Lead me astray – I’m confident.

 

I’ve rested all my future hope

On the pure truth that’s inside it;

There’s not a thing that came from Man –

I know for sure God inspired it.

 

I will not pick and choose, dear friend,

What I’ll approve and what I won’t;

I’ll do what it says I must do,

And I’ll listen when it says “Don’t!”

 

The Bible has been my comfort;

It has never led me astray –

It has saved me from destruction,

And it has taught me how to pray.

 

Never accept the sad notion:

Only part of God’s Word is true.

No, dear friend, such a notion

Can only be harmful to you.

 

You never can trust a compass

If it only works part of the time;

The Bible works for me always –

All of its promises are mine.

My website: http://www.christophershennan.ca
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Picture by Joanne Shennan

 

Love of the Truth

Love of the Truth

…they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. (2 Thessalonians 2:10b – NASB)

            Acknowledging the Truth and loving the truth can be two different things.

            You can accept the truth that God wants you to remain married to your wife till death parts you – but you may not love the idea that you have to spend the rest of your life with her.

            You may acknowledge your political opponent has won the election, but hate that he has beaten you.

            God does not just want us to recognize His Truth; He wants to give us a love for the Truth.

            The Truth can only set us free if we embrace it; simply acknowledging it without loving it will rob it of its liberation power.

            Truth acknowledged but not embraced is like a seed stored on a shelf but not planted. It will never bloom in your life, or set you free.

Loving the Truth

(© Wednesday 21^st May 2014 – by Christopher Shennan)

 …they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved.

I did not love the truth I’d found,

Though I kept it in my treasure;

I loved so many other things,

For they gave me so much pleasure.

 

I kept the truth quite safe in store;

I was sure no one could steal it;

So many other things were there,

I was sure they’d never see it.

 

I had the truth; it gathered dust

On a shelf where things could hide it

It was sure to be overlooked

Where no one else could find it.

 

That is the way it was, dear friend,

Till God’s mercy made an offer:

To grant my heart a love for truth,

Such as only Christ could proffer.

 

He said if I would receive it,

And give it first place in my heart,

He’d give me treasure from Heaven,

And joy that would never depart.

 

So I cleared out all earthly treasures

To make place for those that will last;

Truly my Lord kept His promise –

And the riches I have gained are vast.

Excerpt from the Author’s book: Exploring Biblical Prayer (vol. 2) (not yet published).                                                                            Volume 1 available at: http://www.christophershennan.ca