How Willing is Jesus?

How Willing is Jesus?

” And it came to pass, when he was in a certain city, behold a man full of leprosy: who seeing Jesus fell on [his] face, and besought him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.”(Luke 5:12 – AKJV)

Are there times in your life and mine when we doubt Jesus is willing to cleanse us, perhaps of a habit, a sin, or an addiction?

I am sure we do not doubt Jesus can cleanse us, but will He when we have sunk into the depths and failed Him multiple times?

The man in our text was full of leprosy. In other words, he was in an incurable state and had given up any hope the leprosy would pass away naturally. He had however, a glimmer of hope. He had faith Jesus could cleanse him from his leprosy. The only question was, would He? Was Jesus willing to cleanse him? So his approach to Jesus was tentative, but hopeful: “Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.”

I do not believe this incident is included in Scripture for lepers alone. I believe He wanted to give you and me a pattern to follow when somehow we have sunk so low cleansing appears as an impossible dream. We have failed Jesus so often, and we have been a slave to our passions for so long we doubt His willingness to cleanse us and set us free. Surely He has grown tired of our constant failures and will withdraw Himself from us? How could he not? We cannot forgive ourselves, how could He not feel the same?

I believe the leper’s experience was included in Scripture as an object lesson. Jesus wants us to follow the leper’s example and approach Him with sincerity and truth. He wants us to come to Him with the leper’s plea: ”Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.”

And you know what? I believe His answer to you and me will be the same as the answer he gave to the leper: “I will: be thou clean… “

If You Are Willing, Lord!

If you are willing, Lord,

You can make me more clean,

In fact or in theory,

Than I have ever been.

Much more, indeed,

Than man conceives;

But wholly in line

With what he believes.

I have no doubt, Lord,

You can set free,

But I doubt you will

Have mercy on me.

For I seem so small

In the scheme of things;

And my guilt so real

That hope takes wings.

So I come to you, Lord,

With a plaintive cry;

Though I’m not worthy

Don’t pass me by.

I know you can cleanse

The filthiest kind:

In spirit and body,

As well as in mind.

You are willing, Lord,

You can make me whole;

In thinking, in attitude,

As well as in soul.

With no great effort

In word or deed,

You are able and willing

To meet my need.

“Healing of the Leper” by Niels Larsen Stevns. 1913. This image is in the public domain.

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Seeking Guidance

Seeking Guidance

So you thought, when you saw the title, I was going to tell you how to find God’s guidance? Well, almost.

What I am going to do is lay down the first principle without which seeking God’s guidance can be a rocky path – we just can’t do it. It is not in us; we can’t find the right path on our own. We are lost and don’t have a clue of how to find our way.

The prophet Jeremiah laid it out for us:

“O LORD I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.” (Jeremiah 10:23)

He says the way of man is not in himself. And lest we don’t get the point he uses different words to say the same thing: “…it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.”

The ability to choose the right path is not in us; it is completely absent. I’m not sure if this ability existed before the Fall, but I doubt it. The complete absence of the ability to direct our own steps is the one thing that keeps us dependent upon God. We cannot do it on our own.

So long as we think we can reason it out, figure it out, or lay it out – seeking God’s guidance will be something of a farce. Asking God for guidance while still thinking you can do it yourself is like asking for advice in the certain knowledge you are not going to take.

Our Lord delights to direct men and women who know God is their only option.

The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord:
and he delighteth in his way. (Psalm 37:23 – AKJV)

When we trust God completely we know our way has already been determined. We also know we will be delighted with the outcome. If we need special guidance we are equally assured He will reveal it to us.

Man’s Way

(1992)

“O LORD I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.” (Jeremiah 10:23)

It is not in man, my brother,

To direct the way he goes;

Or even to tell another

The way his destiny flows.

For the prophet has said so clearly

In the book the Lord has given,

That the plans of man are merely

As the chaff the wind has driven.

The prophet said he knew very well

Man’s way was not his own,

And the man that walks can never tell,

What paths his feet may roam.

It is only God, my brother,

Who has power to plan your way;

So don’t be proud, but rather,

Give Him the final say!

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Photo of Walking Man in Munich (Schwabing) by Guido Radig. Copyright. Used under the CC BY-SA 3.0 license: please note the Disclaimer at this link. We have made no changes to this photo.

Leaving a Legacy

Leaving a Legacy

A good friend of mine, Rod Guptil, announced one message in a series of sermons he was about to preach in the following way:

“EVERYONE LEAVES A LEGACY. Not just the good and admirable leave legacies. Hitler, Jack the Ripper, Osama bin Laden all left legacies. You can’t choose ‘whether’ to leave a legacy, you only choose ‘which’ legacy you will leave.”

When my son was barely three years old we were missionaries in Zimbabwe, Africa.

The house we lived in had a large back yard we had turned into a vegetable garden with a compost pit at the very back.

I was in the habit pf going back there so I could pray out loud without anyone being able to hear me – except the Lord, of course.

One morning I was engaged in worship thinking I was completely alone. I raised my hands and cried out, “I praise you, Lord!”

To my complete surprise I heard a little voice call out behind me, “I praise you, Lord!”

I turned to see my son’s face turned toward Heaven, a look of absolute delight upon his face. Seeing me from the kitchen door, he had followed me and engaged himself in copying my behavior.

I have never forgotten that incident and have often speculated, “What if I had been doing something else at the back end of that garden? What if I had been cussing, or had met with someone else engaged in nefarious deeds? What then? Would my son be the godly man he is today, or would he be man of doubtful character, passing on to his progeny an ungodly life-style?

It bears thinking about, and setting a course that will not leave a shameful legacy to future generations.

The Legacy

© Sunday 21^st June 2015 – by Christopher Shennan)

The legacy I leave may be

A blessing or a curse, some day:

Blessing future generations,

Or leave stumbling blocks in the way.

An awesome choice we have to make;

Not if we leave a legacy,

But which one we leave behind for

Future generations to see?

People around me are watching;

Children and grandchildren will know

Just what kind of life I have lived –

To show them which way they should go.

I want to leave a legacy

That will challenge and inspire them;

A goal to strive for – to die for –

Whatever life brings to test them.

The legacy I leave behind,

Must include lost sinners, found;

For how could I whom Christ loved most –

Go all alone while Heaven bound?

Father and Son by Kwanie. Copyright. Used under the CC BY 2.0 license; please note the Disclaimer at this site. No changes were made to this photo.

Running Out of Time (2)

Running Out of Time (2)

The “running out of time” scenario creates something of a paradox. On the one hand we have to redeem the time, and accomplish everything we can before time runs out. On the other hand we cannot rush into all that activity without adequate preparation.

Martin Luther said something like the following, “I have so much to do today, I will have to spend at least two hours of prayer to prepare me for it.”

To this the Scripture agrees:

Wait for the Lord;
Be strong and let your heart take courage;
Yes, wait for the Lord. (Psalm 27:14 – NASB)

Yet those who wait for the Lord
Will gain new strength;
They will mount up [with] wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired,
They will walk and not become weary. (Isaiah 40:31 – NASB)

It is easy to get involved in just “doing things,” imagining that the sheer volume of activity is accomplishing our goals, when in fact we may just be like a hamster treading his wheel without going anywhere.

Unless the Lord builds the house,
They labor in vain who build it;
Unless the Lord guards the city,
The watchman keeps awake in vain. (Psalm 127:1 – NASB)

God has to be involved in our activities if we are going to accomplish anything of lasting value. Waiting on God in prayer is one sure way to be sensitive to His leading.

It is never a waste of time to wait for God to reveal His way to us.

Waiting for God

(Thursday 9th September 1999)

Blessed are those who wait for God

Until He is ready to bless;

Until the dew of peace descends,

And the soul finds perfect rest.

Blessed are those whose eyes are fixed

Upon His Hand, to soon discern

His perfect will, to know His mind,

And the “Shekinah Glory” burn.

Blessed are those who will not go

Ahead with plans and schemes

Until the still small voice of God

Confirms their fondest dreams.

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A faithful photographic reproduction of Waiting for Legal Advice by James Campbell. This image is in the public domain.

One Essential Thing

One Essential Thing

When embarking on a journey, particularly a long and hazardous one, you want to make sure you don’t leave something essential behind.

The children of Israel were on a journey to the Promised Land through the wilderness. The distance itself could have been covered in a few short months, but it took forty years. Their unbelief, rebellion, and hardness of heart caused this lengthening of days.

There was one essential thing, however, Moses knew they could not do without. This essential thing is revealed in the following verses:

And He said, “My presence shall go [with you], and I will give you rest.”¹⁵Then he said to Him, “If Your presence does not go [with us], do not lead us up from here. ¹⁶For how then can it be known that I have found favor in Your sight, I and Your people? Is it not by Your going with us, so that we, I and Your people, may be distinguished from all the [other] people who are upon the face of the earth?” (Exodus 33:14-16 – NASB)

When God told Moses His Presence would go with them it jolted him into a realization. If God’s presence did not go with them there was no point in continuing.

In modern terms he was saying, “Don’t take us any further on his journey if you’re not going to be with us. We won’t be different from anyone else if we do not experience your Presence all the way to the Promised Land.

“We’ll be just like all the other heathen nations if you don’t go with us. No one will know the difference between us and them; there will be nothing to distinguish us from the other nations. They won’t know we are Your people if they can’t sense your Presence in our midst.”

The same thing can be said for the church, today:

Unless unbelievers can sense the manifest Presence of God in our midst, they won’t be able to distinguish us from the rest of the people in this lost and dying world.

The Presence of the Lord

(© Sunday 12^th April 2015 – by Christopher Shennan)

And He said, “My presence shall go [with you], and I will give you rest.”¹⁵Then he said to Him, “If Your presence does not go [with us], do not lead us up from here. (Exodus 33:14-15 – NASB)

I can’t go into the future,

Unless You are close by my side;

I can’t face the trials and troubles,

Unless I can in You abide.

Life without You is uncertain.

Worse, it is a dangerous road;

Death and destruction await me,

Except when You carry my load.

Without Your Presence I’m done for;

No bright future’s waiting for me –

Despair will be my companion,

And nothing but darkness I’ll see.

Don’t let me go any further,

Lord, not even a step ahead,

Unless I’m sure of Your Presence,

And know that by Your hand I’m led.

Make me to feel You are with me;

Make me to breathe Your pure air.

I cannot go into the future,

Unless I know You are there.

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(Picture in the public domain)

A “Crumby” Prayer Life

(Picture credits at end of past)

A “Crumby” Prayer Life

Matthew 15:21-28

Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me.

But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs. And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table. (Matthew 15:25-27 – NKJV)

Most people will be aware of how the word “crumby” is used in everyday language.

It is a slang word meaning “of not much worth.” I have no idea how the word came into common usage; probably because crumbs are not greatly valued. We say, “My, that was a crumby performance,” or “that was a crumby deal.” Someone has a bright idea we don’t like, and we say, “What a crumby idea that is.”

Well, today I want to talk about a “crumby” life of prayer, and contrary to common usage, I am going to put a high value upon it. I am going to suggest that we all need to be brought, at one time or another, to a place where we engage in “crumby” prayer.

The Syrophoenician woman persisted in prayer despite initial denial. She was willing to be compared to a dog, and the answer to her prayer compared to crumbs. Think of her what you may, but she finally prevailed. By definition “crumby” prayer is prayer that will not be denied, regardless of discouragements along the way.

“Crumby” Prayer

(© Saturday 24^th January 2015 – by Christopher Shennan)

If you get right down to it, friend,

And pray from the depths of your soul,

For things you desperately long for;

For things that will make your heart whole:

Let go of pride, and if pretence

Is cast aside at your Lord’s feet;

You’ll find it’s like begging for crumbs –

The needs of your soul He will meet.

There are times this kind of praying

Will be just the kind that prevails;

Your heart will rejoice in mercy.

And the love He gives will not fail.

So if you are pleading for crumbs,

From the table your Lord has set,

You’ll find the master will give you,

Your place as the most honoured guest.

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The Magnetic Field

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The Magnetic Field

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. (James 4:8a – NASB)

Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, “Return to Me,” declares the Lord of hosts, “that I may return to you,” says the Lord of hosts. (Zechariah 1:3 – MASB)

…for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. (1 Peter 5:5 – NASB)

Our Lord knew that our human minds would struggle to understand the things of the Spirit, so He wrote many of these spiritual laws into the physical universe.

For example, Jesus explained how the truth pf the Gospel enters the human heart by telling the story of a sewer sowing his seed in different kinds of soil. As the seed needs to be planted in good soil, so the Gospel needs to be planted in hearts prepared to receive it.

And then, God wrote into the nature of pigs and dogs certain characteristics so we could understand how human nature operates. He tells us in the book of Second Peter, referring to those who once followed the Truth, but have gone back into their sinful lifestyles:

But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: “a dog returns to his own vomit, and a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire.” 2 Peter 2:22 – NKJV)

This is true in just about every area of human, animal and plant life. Spiritual lessons are drawn from the natural laws that govern our existence.

And so we find that our text describes another spiritual law that can be demonstrated by going to the natural world for an example. I call it the “Magnetic” principle. Our Lord declares this principle in two places in Scripture:

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. (James 4:8a – NKJV)

Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, “Return to Me,” declares the Lord of hosts, “that I may return to you,” says the Lord of hosts. (Zechariah 1:3 – NASB)

Magnets were first discovered, as far as we know, 2,500 years before Christ. In an ancient Greek city called Magnesia, hence the name ‘magnet.”

Those natural magnets were nothing more than rough, heavy black stones that would stick together. The ancient Greeks thought these peculiar rocks were magic, and called them “lodestones.”

When I put to magnets together, the negative matched to the positive and the positive to the negative, they are drawn by an invisible force to stick together. You can actually feel the power drawing them.

When you surrender your will to the will of God and draw near to Him, a powerful spiritual law is set in motion. Like the magnets coming together, God will draw near to your soul in the way that is unmistakable; you will actually be able to feel His Presence.

On the other hand, the poles of the magnet do not always attract; they also repel. If you match the positive pole to the positive, they will repel each other. There is no way you could get them to come together. And you can feel the power that separates them.

If you set your will against the will of God, the same thing will happen. You will feel alienated from God; you will be unable to reach Him, and He will be repelled by your stubborn will.

So the solution to any alienation we may be feeling between us and the Lord, is quite simple. All we have to do is to humble ourselves and stop resisting Him. Draw near God in sincerity and truth, and he will draw near to you.

It’s a Power You Can Feel

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. (James 4:8a – NASB)

…for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. (1 Peter 5:5c – NASB

It’s a power that you can feel,

When two magnets come together;

It’s a field that can push or pull

Either one way or the other.

It’s a force that can’t be denied,

Though, for sure, you cannot see it;

Just bring two magnets together –

You’ll declare that you can feel it.

To draw near to God it’s the same,

If your heart is humble and true;

No matter how bad you have been,

My God will still draw near to you.

You’ll feel it, though you can’t see it;

The power that’s setting you free

The blood that Christ shed will cleanse you –

He shed it for you and for me.

But don’t come in pride, dear brother,

Or the power felt will resist;

If you come to God with that mind,

Your hopes will melt away – like mist.

But humbly acknowledge He’s God,

And you are a creature of shame;

Draw nearer and He will draw closer,

And wash you from all sin and blame.

You’ll learn to walk in His Presence;

He’s not far away, he is near.

He is as close as your breathing;

He’ll wipe away every tear.

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Image by Geek3. Copyright. Used under the CC BY-SA 3.0 license; please note the Disclaimer at this link. No changes were made to the image. *

Image by Geek3. Copyright. Used under the CC BY-SA 3.0 license; please note the Disclaimer at this link. No changes were made to the image.

Leaving the Car-Keys Behind

Keys, by Joanne Shennan. Used by permission.

Leaving the Car-Keys Behind

I rushed out the door intent on going on an errand. When I got to the car I realized I had forgotten my keys. We have all done that, right.

The comment I made to my wife, however, stuck in my mind. I said, “I don’t know how far I thought I would get without my keys?”

I thought of two Scripture references, one referring to the unbeliever, and the other to Christians who seemed to have lost their first love.

To the unbeliever I quote the Apostle Paul’s word to the Ephesians: …you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. (Ephesians 2:12 – NASB)

You may not have left the house without your car-keys, but you have left your house without hope, and without God in the world. How far do you expect to get when the trials of life come upon you, or in the Day of Judgment?

To Christians I give Philippians 4:6-7: Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. ⁷And the peace of God, which surpasses all ^[^a^]comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

You may not leave your house without your car-keys, but do you leave it without prayer, and without the peace of God ruling in your heart?

Leaving the house without God, or without prayer – are both bad ideas.

I Dare Not

…no hope and without God in the world.

…by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving…

I dare not leave my house without

My hope resting fully in God;

My heart would be set to trembling,

And by conscience begin to prod.

I have done it before, you see,

And the results were never good;

Temptations I faced were vicious –

Stand against them? I never could.

I dare not do another thing,

And that is to leave without prayer;

I need the sense of Christ’s Presence,

Or I’ll never make it out there.

I dare you, don’t ever go out

Without God, or without prayer,

Or you’ll find yourself in trouble,

In one kind or another – there.