Sounds Good, But Is It The Truth?

 

 

I recently heard a radio spot that said, “Nothing can separate you from the love of God. God loves you more than your parents, your spouse, your friends. No matter where you are in life, no matter what you are going through – God loves you and nothing can separate you from His love.”

 

Now let me ask you, is this true? Is the entire statement true? And if it isn’t true, does it really matter? If most of it is true, does the fact that some of it isn’t true matter?

 

My assumption is that the words in the radio spot, “Nothing can separate you from the love of God,” come from Romans 8:35 – 39:

 

“Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, ‘For Your sake we are being put to death all day long; we were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.’ But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (NASB)

 

Another assumption I have is that the radio spot is meant for the general population, that is, it is meant for everyone, including people who are not in a saving and redemptive relationship with Jesus Christ, folks who have not repented of their sins, confessed them to God, and who have not confessed and acknowledged Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and who are not  following Him in obedience to His Word.

 

If, on the other hand, the radio spot is meant only for actual followers of Jesus Christ, then it ought to clearly state who its audience is, but of course this isn’t the case – it is designed to appeal to everyone…but is the message true?

 

Is it true that nothing can separate us from the love of God?

 

Well now, doesn’t Paul say in Romans that nothing can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord? Of course he does. But then let me ask this, if Romans 8:35 – 39 were a portion of a radio message, and if we had been listening to the entire message leading up to 8:35 – 39, who would we have understood Paul’s audience to have been? That is, who were these words addressed to? Were these words addressed to the general population, or were they addressed to a specific people?

 

Either way, does this matter? If it doesn’t matter, why? If it does matter, why?

 

What do you think?

Stop Being Angry

 

 

“Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; do not fret; it leads only to evildoing.” (Psalm 37:8 NASB)

 

I fear anger.

 

I know the truth of Psalm 37:8, that anger leads only to evildoing. I have seen this in myself, I have seen this in others; we live in an immediate society and broader world culture in which it is true that anger leads only to evildoing. While there is indeed a “godly anger,” we should beware of using that concept to justify our own anger and self-righteousness – for godly anger is manifested in humility and compassion and in self-denying service to Christ and others – it does not “seek its own” for it is born of love.

 

Hearts and souls and minds that feed on anger become sick and toxic, when anger metastasizes in a person or a society then individual souls and entire societies shrivel and implode upon themselves…sin does its hideous work within us:

 

“The whole head is sick and the whole heart is faint. From the sole of the foot even to the head there is nothing sound in it, only bruises, welts and raw wounds, not pressed together or bandaged, nor softened with oil.” (Isaiah 1:5b – 6 NASB).

 

As I have written before, and have often shared with others, in some of my Bibles I have lined through the word “man” in the following verse, and above it written “Bob”.

 

“…for the anger of man/Bob does not achieve [or work] the righteousness of God” (James 1:20).

 

And in those Bibles in which I have not written “Bob,” I nevertheless read the name “Bob” when I read this verse. You might say this verse has been engraved in my mind, on my heart, and in my soul.

 

Back to Psalm 37, in which the context of verse 8 gives meaning to the verse, to the command to cease from anger and forsake wrath, and not to fret or worry, because it will lead to evildoing.

 

The psalm begins with, “Do not fret because of evildoers…” Throughout the psalm the reality of the wicked and their evil hearts and deeds is acknowledged; evil is not denied, it is acknowledged. However, our focus is to be on God, He is to be our center of gravity and our North Star, and the psalm concludes with:

 

“But the salvation of the righteous is from Yahweh; He is their strength in time of trouble. Yahweh helps them and delivers them; He delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in Him.” (Psalm 37:39 – 40).

 

Consider what our True North should look like in this psalm:

 

“Trust in Yahweh and do good.” V. 3.

 

“Cultivate faithfulness.” V. 3.

 

“Delight yourself in Yahweh.” V. 4

 

“Commit your way to Yahweh.” V. 5.

 

“Trust also in Him.” V. 5.

 

“Rest in Yahweh.” V. 7

 

“Wait patiently for Him.” V. 7

 

Then in verses 1, 7, and 8 we have “do not fret.”

 

What else do you see in Psalm 37?

 

If we focus on the wicked and their wickedness, if we focus on evil, then we will not only fret, but we will become angry and wrathful – just as the world is, and it will lead to evildoing. We do not deny or ignore evil and wickedness, but nor do we combat evil with evil, we do not drink from the same cup as the world. We stand against evil by trusting in Christ, delighting in Christ, waiting for Christ, resting in Christ, committing our lives to Christ. We do not do this in isolation, but in koinonia with those who are His and in serving all men and women, boys and girls; the thankful and the unthankful, the good and even the evil (Matthew 5:43 – 48).

 

O dear friends, the news of the world is not the news of the Kingdom of Christ. The news of Christ is Good News, it is the Gospel. We should be cautious about what we put in our minds, about what we look at, about what we focus our attention on – and we should not naively minimize this challenge in our chaotic electronic world, nor should we foolishly think that we are immune from the poison swirling around us.

 

Yes, I do fear anger.

 

But I also rejoice in the peace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God which surpasses all comprehension will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

 

“Finally brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things…and the God of peace will be with you.” Philippians 4:6 – 9.

 

 

Reflections on My Friend Bruce

 A few weeks ago my friend, Bruce Harrison, went to be in the Presence of our Lord Jesus. His memorial service is going to be Saturday, January 14 in Winston - Salem. Sadly, Vickie and I cannot make the drive. I have written the following to be read during the service. 

As I reflect on what I've written, I'm reminded that just as the Book of Acts continues to be written, so does Hebrews Chapter 11. I'm also aware that I have been exceedingly blessed to know some remarkable people in my life, men and women who have been Christ to me, who have grown into Christ's Presence over the years. 

When our Father gives us friends to help us climb beyond base camp, do we really appreciate the treasures we've been given?

If it were not for my friends, I would still be in the dumpster - decaying, putrefying, and hopeless. The older I get, the more aware of this I am. 

Let me begin by quoting something I wrote to a friend a day or two after Bruce went to be in the Presence of Jesus:

 “It occurred to me yesterday that when I had coffee or a meal with Bruce in a place that he frequented, that he knew the people who worked in the establishments. He knew more than their names, he knew their families, their highs and lows, their challenges…he paid attention to them. Bruce was a former executive with a national telecommunications firm, had been with the firm for many years and knew what it was to function and communicate in the atmosphere of high leadership and management – but he washed the feet of those around him, no matter their station in life. [Certainly the “bread ministry” that he maintained in Winston – Salem was an expression of this, there was no one who Bruce Harrison considered untouchable or unlovable.]”

My friend Brucie was anchored in an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ and with Carolyn, and he loved and cared about people, he loved his family and his friends – with a love that far exceeded words by manifesting itself in myriad tangible ways.

Vickie and I have been blessed to not only know Bruce and Carolyn as friends, but we also had the blessing of working with Bruce in a fast-paced and pressurized environment. You can tell a lot about people who you work with, and Bruce was the same at work as he was when we gathered with the saints for worship and sharing God’s Word; he was the same at work as he was if we were having a nice dinner together.

Yes, yes, Bruce knew how to have fun, and…contrary to popular opinion, including my wife Vickie’s, Brucie could get me in trouble – in fact more than once he got both Mel and me in trouble…but as my Daddy would say, “It was all in fun.”

The following is something I wrote to Chris and Leah:

“While in one sense your Dad appeared to be easygoing, beneath the gentle exterior was granite when it came to Jesus Christ, his family and friends, and to faithfulness and service to those around him. He would not compromise the Gospel for man – centered religion or philosophy, nor would he consider anything that would be other than the truth, he was not a man to take the easy way out, nor was he looking for a quick fix. And may I say, that even when your Dad was disappointed in others, that I never heard a mean-spirited word come out of his mouth.

“When I think of the physical infirmities that your Dad dealt with, his patience with others and his thankful outlook on life is even more remarkable. But of course he would be the first to say that this all came from Jesus Christ; he lived and breathed Jesus. What better example of a man (and a marriage!) giving himself to Jesus Christ and others than my friend Bruce Harrison.”

When I ponder my friend Bruce, I am reminded of what missionary Jim Elliot wrote, “He is no fool, who gives what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose.”

Bruce held onto people in love, while he learned to let go of things. He took others seriously, but not so much himself. Bruce knew that “the good life” is not to be found in material possessions – as much as we might enjoy them in the moment – but rather is to be found is knowing the God who loves us with all that He is and in loving and serving others.

My friend Bruce exemplified these words from 1 Corinthians Chapter 13:

“Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”

When people disappointed Bruce, they ususaaly did not know it; and when others hurt Brucie, they usually didn’t know it.

With all of his heart, Bruce wanted his family and friends to know Jesus Christ.

Bruce loved Carolyn as Christ loves the Church, and he deeply loved both his immediate and extended family.

Yes, Bruce could be stubborn - no doubt about it; the best I can say about that is that the Bible teaches us that we have this treasure in jars of clay so that the beauty of Christ can be seen in us and through us – and for sure Bruce’s life pointed to Jesus Christ.

Bruce was my friend with whom I shared life, and with whom I could mutually work out thoughts and work through Biblical passages and pray. We were climbing together, tethered together, roped together – and even if we went a few weeks without speaking (which was rare), we could sense the tug of the rope in our days and nights. Sometimes he was strong for me, sometimes I was strong for him…all in Christ. Bruce was just enough older than me to be older for me…and then I was just enough younger than him to be younger for him.

I still feel the tug of our rope of friendship, the difference is that Bruce is beyond the clouds now.

It has been said that being a male is a matter of birth, and that being a man is a matter of choice – Bruce Harrison was a man, a man of courage in a world where we see little courage, a man of faithfulness in a faithless world.

A few weeks before Bruce left us I shared the chorus of a song I was working on with him, he loved it, he really loved it. I thought I was writing the song for me, as my testimony, but maybe I was writing it for him…what do you think? Here are the words:

“I’m one day closer to heaven, closer to seeing His Face.

One mile closer to the finish line, closer to His warm embrace.

My heart is beating for Jesus, forever to live with Him.

I’m one mile closer to the finish line, closer to His warm embrace.

One mile closer to the finish line, closer to His warm embrace.”

Bruce has crossed that finish line.

Will we cross it too, to be with Bruce, to be with Jesus?

What I have written is just the tip of the iceberg, the reality of what Bruce means to me is deep within my soul. I am a better man for knowing him and I hope that I will always be a good steward of what he poured into my life.