*Warning. This may be a little hard to digest.
The world enjoys inventing new questions and problems for the follower of Christ to tackle. More often than not, Christians live in the anxiety that one day the inconsistencies in their lives will be revealed, and we try so hard to hide these aspects of our lives from the outside world, even to our close confidants. We struggle with the fear of rejection, when being righteous in our faith and being accepted by others seem so contradictory. There must be consistency between the visible and internal faith! Perhaps, the start of building up our faith is in knowing and understanding a consistent God, and that is crucial for doing apologetics unapologetically as well.
There are many examples which prove the unchanging nature of God in an ever-changing world. Among all, the cross is one of the greatest demonstration of God’s moral consistency in His righteousness and love.
Romans 9:22-24 (NIV)
What if God, choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath – prepared for destruction? What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory – even us, whom he also called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles?
These questions made me stop and think.
I deserved the wrath of God –> God had mercy on me –> He pardoned my sins and saved me from eternal death –> He imputes righteousness within me –> He did that through Jesus who died for me.
And to think that it is totally against His character to do this:
Proverbs 17:15 (ESV)
He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous are both alike an abomination to the LORD.
Theologically speaking, justification is God’s act of declaring a sinner righteous before Him. Here we have, a just God justifying the ungodly, what an irony! But Paul has already dealt with that:
Romans 9:14-16(NIV)
What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all! For he says to Moses, ‘I will have mercy on whom i have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.’ It does not, therefore, depend on man’s desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.
That just makes me so awed by the extent of God’s love – the love which triumphed death to reach the hearts of the lost.
This is God’s sovereign choice. He could very well have forsaken his righteousness and forgive us no matter what we have done wrong, without the need for a Christ. He could have destroyed us all and create a new human race for all his pleasure and delight. But God chose to do the work of redemption through Jesus. He chose to find a way by which His glory is not diminished but magnified through us, objects of His mercy. I thank God that He is consistent in both love and righteousness!
Don’t think of the cross as God dealing with the problem of how he can find a payment high enough to get you for himself.
Rather, think of the cross as dealing with the problem of how you could find a sacrifice great enough to vindicate the righteousness of God for doing the abominable thing of justifying..you!
- John Piper
Pardon the iPhone for the grainy photo taken during sunset this evening. I was rather impressed by what was revealed before me – the sky with a shot of brilliance from behind the clouds. How amazingly polluted our skies are nowadays! I was surprised to see another guy in the background stopping to capture this moment on his phone as well. Anyone crazy over sights like this?
Joel 2:28-32
28 “And afterward,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your old men will dream dreams,
your young men will see visions.29 Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days.30 I will show wonders in the heavens
and on the earth,
blood and fire and billows of smoke.31 The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD.32 And everyone who calls
on the name of the LORD will be saved;
for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem
there will be deliverance,
as the LORD has said,
among the survivors
whom the LORD calls.
This is a powerful passage from the bible. Many people can see the glory and power of God illuminating from these words, but not many can paint the picture of this revelation to the ignorant with words alone. If only God authenticates our lives and makes us testimonies of His love and grace! If only we will follow God’s commands and put in effort to make this dream a reality.
Revelations 12:11
They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.
I don’t want to shrink from death when the time calls.
I don’t want to hide myself when challenges knocks.
I don’t want to give up the fight when it’s not over.
I don’t want to live a life of passivity when I can be proactive in faith, hope and love.
Yes we cannot care less about these things.
My caregroup had a brief discussion about last Saturday’s sermon on Hindrances to Victory, and we’re on the question of whether it is right to pursue our dream if it glorifies God. Agreed that the examples of greed and power aren’t exactly the best in describing the people we have in our congregation today. Many of us think biblically in the line of advancing God’s kingdom. Some say they’ll make lots of money before retiring and plant churches all over the world. There are those who want to tie the knot fast and make lots of babies and raise them to be strong and biblical people (haha I don’t know who). Then again, there is the biggest dilemma of all time: how can I serve God in ministry yet do well in my studies/workplace/NS to glorify Him?
I’m reminded that the end of a God-ordained vision is God. If our dream is ordained by God and is in line with His perfect will, we have God’s richest blessings for His plans to succeed. Because what God originates, He orchestrates.
What if I don’t know if my dream is in line with God’s will? Then find out if it’s rightly so! Prayer is the key.
Some times I ask myself when I’ve reached the end of this vision or dream, does it make a difference to God? I’ve made God more visible by carrying His name on my fame or achievement. But it doesn’t just end here.
I’ll stick to this philosophy from John Piper, that God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him. Ultimately in doing what we do in our spheres of influence, being the salt and light and a vessel of God’s love, we come to enjoy God for who He is. We can please God by being faithful in the smallest of things too!
Myanmar is in a really bad shape.
Two weeks ago I had a chance to visit Mae Sai, a town at the northenmost part of Thailand near the Golden Triangle. There’s nothing special about that place other than us being able to peek across a stream and see Myanmar.
There were beggars all over the place in Mai Sai, I presume they all came from the other side of the river. Womenfolk carried their toddlers behind their back and begged under the sweltering heat (it’s really hot in thailand). The kids played happily in that little stream, ignorant of the strong currents. They even ask the tourists to throw coins and money into the stream for them to retrieve, as a small form of entertainment they took pride in performing.
That’s the closest I’ve been face to face with poverty. I will love to help these people, if I have the means. It is a grim reminder that where governments and organisations fail, the love of Christ triumphs. Where systems and structures falter, the power of God is magnified.
