Where Do You Put Your Trust?

Dr. Jerry Falwell had a way of saying things that would stick in your head. He would have laughed at us putting our trust in the government to fix our economy and reminded us that God alone is our source. Only He gives us the power to gain wealth. Then, Dr. Falwell, would have leaned over, looked us in the eye, and said seriously, "With shekels come shackles."

Redeeming Time

The shrewd manager, Jesus said, was about to be fired for wasting the master's possessions (Luke 16:1-15). In an act of desperation, he went to those who owed money to his master and reduced their debt- some as much as 50%. His reasoning went like this. Ashamed to beg, allergic to manual labor, he made friends who would provide for him once he lost his job. He used what he had now to provide for what he needed later. The master, already upset over wasted possessions, must now be even more angry. Right?

Turns out the master commended the servant for his shrewdness. By thinking quickly, the manager saved his job- the landowner wanted this kind of investor working for him. Try explaining that parable to your kid's Sunday School class. Jesus says the man was commended because he used worldly wealth to gain friends for himself so that he would be welcomed into eternal dwellings.

Paul's admonition to redeem the time fits here. "To redeem" in the middle voice of Biblical Greek means to buy something out of the marketplace for yourself. "Time" is not chronological time but the opportunities that come our way in time. Paul admonishes us to buy up earthly opportunities for ourselves in order to earn a heavenly reward. Like the shrewd manager.

Peter reminds us that there are two kinds of investment: Investment that will perish, spoil, or fade or investment that will wait as an inheritance for you beyond the reach of moth or rust. He is no fool who invests fading, rusting, rotting things in order to obtain eternal reward.

When Jesus commends the shrewd manager in his parable, he says the children of light need to learn from his shrewdness. This new year, may God help us find ways to invest what we have to make friends for eternity.

Fight the Fog

Isaiah's portrait of Immanuel helps us to clear away the fog in our lives. Fog clouds our ability to see our Savior. It comes in the form of trials, temptations, petty purchases, entertainment, distractions. It is essential to our faith to see clearly the author of our faith. Keeping Him in the center of our focus puts everything else in proper perspective.

People see Christ more clearly when there is nothing to distract them. God in love rips away his competitors so that He alone can occupy our hearts. In this way, temporal judgment is eternal grace. People will seek Him when they need Him.

In this way, the current economic condition may clear away the pluralistic fog in our nation. When darkness comes, man will grope about for any aid. It will be hard not to miss the Light in the center of the room.

My goal this year is to fight to see Christ more clearly than ever. My goal for the church? I want us to be the church in Jackson county who sees Christ most clearly. I want us to be the church in which the community sees Christ most clearly. Fight the fog will be our new slogan. The life of faith is always first a battle to see Christ. My resolutions?

• This year, I will SEE Christ more clearly.
• This year, I will SHOW Christ more clearly.

The Coming Christ: Counselor

Blessed is the man who has a trustworthy advisor. Every person needs a friend who will tell him the truth, whose counsel is sure. David had such a counselor: Ahithophel. His advice was regarded "like that of one who inquired of God." When Ahithophel joined the renegade Absalom, David knew he was finished unless he could somehow thwart the advice of this clear-sighted counselor.

The person whom Isaiah describes does Ahithophel one better. He not only has good counsel, He IS good counsel. Perfect wisdom, discernment, and knowledge within Himself.

• He knows the end from the beginning.
• He knows the world and all its contingencies and has the power to see us through.
• He knows our hearts. "I the Lord search the heart." He knows us and in compassion He remembers that we are dust.

When Jesus was preparing to leave this world, He told His disciples that they could not come now, but would follow later. When Thomas asked what he meant, Jesus made a remarkable claim. "I am the way, the truth, and the life." A counselor who speaks the truth, who knows the direction we should head, and can get us to eternal life is a wonderful counselor!
Imagine the woman who lives with one man after another because she is looking for love. Imagine the man who is racked with guilt for the infidelities of the past. He longs for a sure word of forgiveness. Imagine the materialist pursuing security or the addict just wanting to be happy. We have a counselor who can not only deliver us from the pain of the past, but meet every need of our hearts. Maranatha!

Agur's Experience with Wonder

Wonder is built into the fabric of the universe. Agur had an ability see the creativity of God in nature and to stand amazed at it. In a collection of his sayings in Proverbs, he lists four of his experiences with wonder:

• The way of an eagle in the sky. Eagles ride unseen thermals, defying gravity in effortless, playful circles. Who teaches them to frolic above the circle of the earth?
• The way of a snake on a rock. How do snakes move on slippery surfaces, change direction, shift speed, and coordinate every muscle in their bodies to get where they are going? They climb onto rocks to bask in the sun, enjoying the warmth and light provided by their Creator.
• The way of a ship in the midst of the sea. It took Matthew Maury in the 1800's to discover and map the currents in the oceans. His maps solved the mystery of pathways in the seas, currents that sped some boats along and stranded others to wait for the wind.
• The way of a man with a maid. Sex according to God's design is filled with wonder. Purity, security, openness, and satisfaction. All these and more are gifts of a loving Creator.

Agur sees the glory of God in the details, the hidden things, the secret things, the surprising design of God's world. In this world, God plays a game with us, concealing evidence of His power and creativity all about His world and challenging us to find it. "It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings" (Proverbs 25:2).
In Christ, the wonder is not fleeting. We marvel at his kenosis, his willingness to give up his rights and privileges as God to display his inner nature of a Servant. What wonder will be ours at the parousia, when we shall see Him as He is, blazing eyes and iron scepter, the glory of God on full display. Praise the One who is wonder Himself!

The Coming Christ: Wonderful!

Manoah stood before the Angel of the Lord in ignorance. He didn't know that the one instructing his wife about the care and training of their unborn son was God Himself. He asks, "What is your name that we may honor you when your word comes true?"

The angel of the Lord receives the worship of Manoah and his wife and their experience terrifies them. "We are doomed. We have seen God." When the word of the Angel of the Lord comes true, what was the name that was honored?

The angel had replied, "Why do you ask my name? It is beyond understanding." Other translations say "Wonderful." Incomprehensible. Indescribable. Awe-inspiring. Secret.

Isaiah predicts the coming of Wonder as a baby. Born of a virgin. Given by an eternal Father. Carrying the governments of the world. Ending war. No boredom here.

In our world, wonder comes in fleeting glimpses. When Jesus comes, He is wonder Himself. Heaven will be a continuing discovery of new joys in Christ. Eternity will be standing in wonder at Jesus, God-with-us!

The Coming Christ: People Walking in Darkness

The Book of Isaiah not only reveals God's plan for His people in Isaiah's time, but unfolds a much more glorious picture. Isaiah predicts the coming of the Servant of the Lord, the Messiah who will set everything right and bring about the healing of the nations. Earlier prophecies (Genesis 3:15; 48:10; Psalm 22; 110) only hint at what Isaiah paints in bold colors.

Isaiah 9 begins this description by describing the plight of man. Man walks in darkness, looking for guidance, looking for direction but he cannot find his way. He is made in the image of God, but he is also rebellious and suffers under the darkness of sin. God has set eternity in their hearts (Ecclesiastes 3:11) so that we know and long for God and our hearts are restless until we find Him.

Good and bad experiences are twisted together in our lives so that we cannot discern our futures. The good causes us to rejoice for a moment, and when the good disappears, we long for a good that is permanent. When the bad comes, we long for purpose and final peace and contentment.

Man is blind. He gropes about in the darkness, stumbling, and fearing what sleeps in the darkness. He walks in circles because there is nothing else to do. Into that futility, one Light shines. Men lament that there are not many lights. Praise God there is one.