Month: March 2018

Invisible

Dr. J.D. WilkinsLeave a comment

Some things we cannot see.  Many things we are not supposed to see.  They are invisible on purpose.  God designed it that way.  Even though there are those who insist that humans only use a small percentage of our actual brain capabilities, it was not designed or destined as the purview of human beings to know what tomorrow holds.  Tomorrow is invisible.  Books, movies, songs and poems have been written about the desire or dread to know what comes next… but it is invisible to us.  There must be a reason.

Could it be that the simplest answer is that God, who is omniscient, omnipotent, and ever present with us, is supposed to be enough for us?  More than just an impersonal “force” which has an equally powerful “dark side,” isn’t it significant enough for us just to know that the One who created us, also wants to lead, guide, protect, and love us… for all eternity?

In an age of real-time news coverage of the latest dramatic school shooting, or bomb-making maniacs killing people indiscriminately, is this really what should be occupying our minds?  Do we really need to know all this stuff… and especially in real-time?  In what way does this enrich our lives?  How does this help to stop the spreading panic and hopelessness, in a world seemingly gone mad?  How does this knowledge bring peace to our souls?

The clearest answer is… it doesn’t.

I’m not blindly suggesting that in some kind of ignorant stupor we simply close our eyes and pretend what’s happening in our world isn’t there.  What I am suggesting is that the media, even conservative media sources, are on the edge of being out of control.  If I am to be at peace, I must believe in something invisible… the promises of God.  We do not see them, but we can certainly know, see, and experience the results of them.

To that end, I offer only one of God’s simple promises… and then, what our response should be as we live daily in the reality of this promise.  Seeing is not believing… believing is seeing!

Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.

1 Timothy 1:17
Now to the King eternal, immortal, INVISIBLE, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

 

Invisible

Identical

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How does one distinguish between the two distinct people and personalities that result from identical twins?  In college I found it hard to know which was which.  They laughed the same, walked, talked, ate, and looked the same.  If one showed up without the other, few knew them well enough to know who was standing before them.  The degree of likeness, one to the other, could not be described any better, or more appropriately than, identical.

When Jesus arrived in Judea, traveling from one tiny village to the next, proclaiming “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel…” [Mark 1:15] the crowds that followed were “…amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.” [Mark 1:22]

Maybe the explanation is as simple as this.  The scribes, rabbis, and other teachers, while knowing the law of God, continually used other men’s interpretations and ideas when they taught what God was saying through the Law and the Prophets.  Since Jesus was, and is God, along with the Holy Spirit and the Father, He was able to speak from original intent, since He was there when the words of the Law and the Prophets were inspired then written.  As such, Jesus would quote the original text without the aid of scrolls kept in the synagogues or the Temple.  The words He spoke were identical to those written in ancient days.

So when Jesus would begin, “You have heard that the ancients were told…  But I say to you…” [Matthew 5:21-22], He was speaking about how the teaching of men erred from the original intended meaning behind each passage He quoted.  This alone gave Him the authority to also say, “I and the Father are one.” [John 10:30]

Having spoken these words, it’s easy to see why the Jewish leaders took offense, since there isn’t another way to interpret this statement except Jesus claiming He and the Father are IDENTICAL.  Now don’t go so fast here… linger a minute.

Jesus isn’t saying He is “another- like” the Father.  Jesus isn’t saying God and the Son are identical twins.  The one-ness Jesus is claiming is further captured in His statement to Philip, “Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how do you say, ‘Show us the Father’?” [John 14:9]

One of the spiritual games we like to play seems to be finding an explanation of the Trinity:  God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – three in ONE.  This idea is captured in an ancient image, that most of us have no construct from which to assimilate it’s truth.  We recognize the second part, but mostly skip completely over the first part.  It goes like this…

Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one! And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. [Deuteronomy 6:4-5]

Even the most simple explanation is mind boggling, because LORD (Yahweh – the proper name used for God) and God (Elohenu – the divine being) are the same. Since both God the Father and God the Holy Spirit are invisible to human eyes, it makes it virtually impossible to wrap our minds around the idea of One-ness. So…

Let’s not make this harder than God intended it.  In fact, while it may be fun to come up with human images that help us deal with the Trinity of ONE, our focus should be on the most complete revelation of who God is, and what He wanted us to know about Him.  And in this case, all we have to do is look to Jesus and see the ONE.  He is identical in every way, yet was visible for awhile on the earth, and will one day soon (I hope) reappear on this planet to demonstrate His One-ness.  What did this man Jesus say to John the Apostle that He wanted us to know?

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” [Revelation 1:8]

He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming quickly.”
Amen.
Come, Lord Jesus. [Revelation 22:20]

Identical

Patience

Dr. J.D. WilkinsLeave a comment

In this age and time, a universal culture of instant gratification exists which seemingly yields not at all to the very concept of patience.  Not only do people flit from here to there seeking the next “thing” to satisfy their narcissistic pursuits of self-indulgence, but the momentary pleasure they achieve in these pursuits is so short term they impatiently enjoy the achievement, never satisfied, never satiated, never at peace.  My belief is that nothing in scripture is by accident, or haphazardly written.  So when I look at the list Paul gave the church in Galatia regarding what it means to be a true Christ-follower, and having the Holy Spirit living in us, producing in us the “fruit” of our faith in Christ… well, I contend there is order to what is written.  He wrote:

Galatians 5:22-23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

People today, yes-even Christ-followers today, struggle with the idea of patience because somewhere along their walk of faith, one or all three of the initial items Paul talks about is off track.  It is truly difficult to be patient about anything in life, if there is no peace in your walk of faith with Christ.  If you are not at peace – with yourself, others around you, your spouse, your family, your co-workers, then something about joy is off track.  And if your joy is nowhere to be found, then something about your love is out of focus.  Do you follow what I’m saying here?

Now, here’s the thing.

I believe each of these 9 attributes are “supposed” to be found in every true Christ-follower, every day, all the time…  but how many people do you know who really look like the image here, in real time, in real life?  I can’t look in the mirror on any given day without realizing something about one of these attributes is either missing, or dormant in my daily routines.  When I realize this, I have to ask the question, “how did I get here?”

Now this is really simple.  If I’m right, and these attributes are linear, while I may think I have great self-control, if I don’t have patience, how could I be in control of my emotions, or actions?  That seems disingenuous to me.  At the least it is hypocritical, but worse, it opens the door for Satan to defeat me spiritually, by causing me to believe I’m more in tune with Christ than I really am.

If in fact these attributes are linear, all predicated on the attribute that comes before, then all these attributes stem from the original… love.  I will never know all of what God wants me to know; nor will I experience all that God has planned for me… until I yield fully to the love of God, by surrendering my heart fully to Jesus.  In that moment, I experience His love as He intends it.  Which opens the floodgates of joy into my life.  Yielding to the Spirit in joy, opens the path to peace.  And the progression continues until I am completely yielded to the Holy Spirit’s direction for my life, and find in the end… self-control, by the Spirit’s power.

No patience today?  Go back … turn back to Christ in faith and ask the Spirit to reveal which part of these attributes is off track in your life.  And for goodness sake, be open to what the Spirit wants to do in you… and be patient while the Spirit answers your prayer… well, at least try to be…

Patience

 

Grasp

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grasp

Tiger Woods staring down a putt at Innisbrook Valspar Championship was an awesome sight.  The resurgence of a career many if not most had all but deemed completely over just 6 short months ago.  However, given a few more laser iron shots like he hit in the first three rounds, or given a few chips that went in, or just a couple of putts that should’ve rolled out a few more inches, and the trophy was within his grasp.  I agree with Randall Mel of the golf channel, and his rant yesterday about these young guns on tour wanting Tiger to come back strong.  These boys need to be careful what they wish for.  To me the most telling stat in his article is Tiger’s record when holding or sharing the lead after 54 holes… Tiger won 47 out of 50 tournaments.  Those like myself who have always been a Tiger fan (his spiritual life or morals notwithstanding), if it’s golf you like to watch, at the top levels of how golf is to be played, then Tiger Woods is the guy.

Why would I say this?  It’s just math really.  Some, and perhaps rightly so, would say that Jack Nicklaus is the greatest golfer to ever play the game.   Many say this based solely on the Major championship titles held by Mr. Nicklaus, which is a staggering 18 titles.  Once again some have wondered if Tiger could ever achieve this height, along with all his other accomplishments.  Like…

  • PGA Tour titles = Sam Snead, 82… Tiger,79… Jack Nicklaus, 73
  • Tiger’s 142 consecutive cuts made over a 7 year stretch, Nicklaus – 105
  • Most seasons winning five or more times, 10 seasons;  Nicklaus – 8
  • Winning percentage to starts, 27%;  Nicklaus -12%

So, it’s got to be more than just Majors right?  But what if it isn’t?  What if the only stat that matters in determining the greatest golfer, is number of Major titles won?  Is this really within Tiger’s grasp?  It’s been ten years now since Tiger won the 2008 U.S. Open, so does he have the stuff of Major Championship golf?  Maybe we should wait until this weekend and watch him at Arnie’s place before we decide.  But as we think on this matter consider this.  Tiger is 42 years old, and true he has had health issues, but he looked as good this weekend as he did when he was winning big time.  So how much does age factor in the Majors?

In 1978 Nicklaus won the British Open at age 38;  in 1980 the U.S. Open at 40; in 1980 the PGA Championship, again age 40; and for his 18th title, Jack won the 1986 Masters at age 46.  This means Tiger Woods has 16 more majors in the next four years to win 4 times to tie Jack… winning 5 gives Woods the all time record.  What if he plays competitively more years than just the next 4, to age 46?

Within his grasp?

Check my facts if you must, but I’m pretty sure they are correct.

But in the end, Tiger’s looking awfully good for the possibility of doing something never done before (again)… by challenging Jack Nicklaus’s Major Title number.

I think it’s within his grasp… I’ll let you decide.

 

 

Grasp

Uncompromising

Dr. J.D. WilkinsLeave a comment

My basic understanding of the word “compromise” is when two people in disagreement each make concessions (altering their position) and a settlement/agreement resolves the dispute.  Here are some of the greatest compromises in human history…

  • The Christmas truce of 1914, when the troops on opposing sides of World War I had an unofficial ceasefire, each crossing into no-man’s land, and exchanging holiday greetings.  A showing of human decency in the midst of the most brutal conflict the world had seen up until that point.
  • When a populace in search of security, in compromise yields more of its liberty than is required.  Benjamin Franklin said: “Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty, nor Safety.”
  • And perhaps the most famous of all, the compromise made by Pontius Pilate, giving the choice over to the crowds of people over whom to condemn to death, Barabbas or Jesus.

While each of these examples have specific outcomes, and each event has been written about, dissected, and discussed ad nauseam, all three are good examples of compromise, where concessions must be made to achieve resolution of a conflict.

Compromise, as far as I’m concerned has a negative impact in the life of a true Christ-follower today.  That’s because we are constantly being harangued to modify our beliefs to appease those who un-appeasable.  Trust me when I say that nothing short of abandonment of your beliefs will be good enough for many in our pagan unbelieving culture today.  However, if you want to be a true Christ-follower, it is time to take an uncompromising stand about your faith.

Uncompromising faith is not an easy stance, and you should not take me to mean that God will automatically bless you, or make you successful, or even protect you from those who would destroy you for taking this uncompromising stand.  Yes, there is a whole host of characters written about in Hebrews 11, great Bible characters who remained faithful and uncompromising in their service to God.  And down toward then end of the list, the writer suggests he just doesn’t have time to list them all, but lumps the faithful all together saying…

[11:33-35] …who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection; 

It’s easy to want to be like these and know that our uncompromising faith might have these same kinds of effects.  But here’s the thing.  It’s a semi-colon, not a period at the end of this thought. And then the writer goes on to say…

[11:36-38] …and others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground.

And the bottom line for the author, regarding those who live faithful uncompromising lives is… all gained God’s approval through their faith.

It’s easy, and yes perhaps too easy when times are good, successful, and happy to sometimes be lulled into thinking I don’t have to try so hard to speak the truth, in a loving, but uncompromising way.  After all, why stir the pot, right?  Anyone who thinks this way is thinking contrary to Scripture.  Just two more passage of Scripture for your consideration, before you decide if I’m right or not.

Romans 12:1-2
Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

John 14:6
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”

Neither of these passages are written as a recommendation, or as a debatable thought.  Each is written as an absolute truth.  Each is a fact that cannot be compromised.  Paul urges every true Christ-follower not to be conformed but to be uncompromising in their stand against the ideologies of this world.  And Jesus Christ says the only way to accomplish this is to place uncompromising faith in the fact of His claim to be the true Messiah.

Today I challenge you to live an uncompromising faith before your friends, family, neighbors and co-workers… and rely on God to glorify Himself through your life.

 

Uncompromising

Restart

Dr. J.D. Wilkins1 Comment

Many of you, depending on your age, may remember the “black screen of death,” or some of you may have suffered this fatal error recently.  It’s just a term that defines what happens when a Microsoft Windows based computer suffers an internal error causing the whole system to shut down.  Often when this occurs, because the system didn’t shut down properly, the user experiences great emotional pain and intellectual suffering when the computer fails to restart.  “According to Wallace McClure of ASP.net, the phrase was originally coined in mid-1991 by Ed Brown, a technician with The Coca-Cola Company‘s IT department in Atlanta, GA. He reports that the company was rolling out Windows 3.0 within the Global Marketing group and when the users would attempt to run WordPerfect, they would randomly receive a black screen.” (click on restart, for more information.)

Missing files, compressing files, or running certain software programs, were all thought to be reasonable starting points for the random, and eerily unpredictable event, which would most often occur at the most inopportune time. Imagine working for hours, then reaching a critical point in a data set, or proposal due by 8:00 a.m. the next morning, and suddenly with a single key-stroke, your computer screen goes black (or blue, depending on the operating system software version), and you’ve lost hours and hours of work.  Hence, the other phrase people who work with Microsoft based systems are familiar with today, “Save, and save often.”

One of the most unpredictable aspects of human existence is the timing of an event we also call “death.”  Like the computer systems which just go black, at some point along our human journey, our bodies, the human system will also just go black.  How morbid, right?  How unthinkable, right?  The fact remains, human existence on this planet is not guaranteed for anyone, and trying to predict the moment of a terminal/fatal event or action is impossible.  Many have tried to answer the questions, “Is that all there is?  When it’s over, it’s just over?  There isn’t anything else?”  The logical answer for those who disavow the existence of God, the salvation of Jesus, the eternal bliss of heaven, or the eternal punishment of hell remains, “yep, that’s all there is.  There is no re-boot, or restart.”

However…

For those seekers of truth who remain far from God, but are open to the facts regarding life here, as well as life after death, I offer you great hope.  This topic of death not only doesn’t have to be morbid or macabre, but the reality of going black here, for some really does mean stepping into the Light.  For those who believe the Bible is the authoritative guidebook for a journey through this life, and the next, see the event of death as the hope of eternal bliss.

While sitting at your computer, it would be great to be able to predict when the screen would turn black, but again that is impossible.  Likewise, it would be great to know the point of our human demise, so we could be “ready” when it happened.  The only guarantee for your data to remain on your computer, is to save what you are working on regularly.  The only way for you to experience a true restart, of life as it was intended to be lived, is to be “saved” by stepping over the line of faith into Jesus.

Like malware hiding and lurking in the corners of your computer, just waiting to create chaos and destruction, and ultimately the black screed of death… sin is hiding and lurking in the corners of your mind and heart, just waiting to wreak havoc and destruction on your soul, and ultimately separate you from God for eternity.

Is there something more?  Of course there is!  Life with God, as God intended us to live all along.

How do you find it?  Restart.

How do you restart?  See, that’s the right question!  And here is the answer…

Romans 10:9-10
If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved; for with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.

 

 

 

Restart