Part 1 - Why read the Bible?

            A number of us at church have begun to read through the Bible together in a year.  We follow a five day schedule for each week with two days to do other readings or a chance to catch up.  We meet each week (by Zoom at the moment) and share thoughts or ask questions; it’s a chance to encourage each other to keep at it.

            But why read the Bible?  The first and primary reason is because it is God’s message, His love letter to us.  If we receive a letter from a loved one, we will read it from start to finish, and I am sure that we will read it more than once.  We will want to read the Bible similarly because we are now in a relationship with God, and one key way that we can get to know Him better is through His word.  The more we get to know God the deeper our relationship with Him can grow.  As we spend time with Him, our hearts will become more aligned with His in our thinking and actions. 

            There are a number of different metaphors for the Bible which helps us to appreciate something of its purpose in our life.  For example, in James chapter 1, he talks about looking into a mirror, which some people might do but soon forget what they see.  However, for the one “who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it – he will be blessed in what he does” (v.25).  The more we look into the Bible, the greater our understanding of what God says about us, and as we let the Holy Spirit use that in our lives, the stronger our relationship to God can become. 

Joshua in the Old Testament was given similar instruction and encouragement from God.  “Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful” (Joshua 1:8).  For Joshua to experience God’s blessing and success in the mission he was being given required Him to keep his relationship with the Lord strong by allowing God’s word to have its full influence on his life.  He was to do this by daily meditating upon it, so that he would know God’s heart, His purpose and plan for his life and that of the nation of Israel.  Similarly, it should also be our desire to be in tune with God’s heart and His purpose and plan for our lives, so filling our minds with God’s word, that our heart’s response to God will and purposes are more in tune with Him.   

The psalmist tells us that “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path” (Psalm 119:105).  In other words, God’s word is the light that lets us see the way ahead, but also the path in front of us so that we will not stumble along the way.  Also in this Psalm, the psalmist gives instruction on how we can live lives that are pure and pleasing to God.  Two things are suggested – one, that we live by God’s commands (v.9); second, that by hiding God’s word in our hearts we might not sin against Him (v.11).  We can hide God’s word in our hearts by memorizing verses that speak to us.  When we have God’s word in our hearts in that way, the Holy Spirit is able to prompt us more readily with the help we need from God’s word when we are being tempted, or are in a situation where we need some guidance from the Lord. 

The clear message from these and other passages is that God is speaking to us and that we need to be careful how we listen.  We are in a relationship with God, and the Bible is one important way that God uses to speak to us.  We need to learn to hear Him speaking to us.  As we allow God’s word to permeate our lives, the more the Holy Spirit can use what we are reading so that we hear His voice. 

Some hints that can help us.  1. Have a notebook with you to note things that God highlights for you, things that jump off the page, or make you think about something.  God may well be seeking to speak to us about something and we can pray about those things.  2. Read with an expectancy that God wants to speak to you through His word.  Obviously, not every passage is going to have something immediately relevant to your life and situation, but as we continue to read regularly, God can begin to speak to us about those things we need to hear about from God. 3. Create a regular place where you will read your Bible, and it is helpful to have a regular time to do it as well.  It might mean getting up a bit earlier, or prioritizing your time to create space to do it.  Let’s give Bible reading a greater place in our lives.

Consider the Creation…!

             The psalmist exhorts us to “consider [God’s] heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars…” (Psalm 8:3).  That means that we need to pay attention, to look into it closely, and carefully reflect on all that God has created, because the immensity of it should lead us to worship.  Paul reinforces that idea when he says, “For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities — his eternal power and divine nature — have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made,… (Romans 1:20).

            The animal world is a fascinating place to begin to “consider” the wonders of God’s creation.  For example the ostrich, a flightless bird, can outrun a horse (Job 39:13).  Then in Jeremiah 8:7 the prophet contrasts the failure of people to know what God wants from them while the birds of the air, such as the stork knows when to migrate and have its young, as do the other birds.         

The Arctic tern holds the record for the longest distance covered by a migrating bird.  It follows a zigzag course back and forth across the Atlantic as it travels from Greenland to the Antarctic and back again.  Researchers have come to the conclusion that these detours of several thousand kilometres make perfect sense.  The birds appear to be following huge spiralling wind patterns in the atmosphere and so avoids flying into the wind.  “Why do they make these long migrations?  It is suggested that it is because of the rich [polar] feeding grounds that they travel so far.” (National Geographic)[1]  These migrating birds also return to the same areas each year, an incredible feat of navigation – an ability that God gave them.           

Arctic Tern

A lot of people are familiar with the migration of the Monarch butterfly, but that isn’t the only one.  The Chestnut Tiger butterfly seen in Japan migrates long distances as well.  The longest recorded migration is from central Japan to Hong Kong.  They travel northwards in the spring, and southwards in the autumn when they lay their eggs. 

Chestnut Tiger Butterfly

            Some other unusual facts about insects are that when cicada eggs hatch in trees the nymph falls to the ground and digs in among the root of the trees and lies there from twelve to sixteen years depending on the species before emerging to sing, mate and die after a few weeks.  We ask ourselves, why?  It is just another clear pointer to the power and creative ability of God Himself.  We will need more faith to believe that there isn’t a Creator to explain the incredible variety that we see around us.

 A cicada has just emerged from a nymph.  Drying its wings

           A few examples of the wonders of God’s creation.  Yet the interesting thing is that, as Job points out, “But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds of the air, and they will tell you;…. that the hand of the Lord has done this” (Job 12:7-9).  He gives water to all the beasts of the field, the birds of the air nest by the waters, and He sustains man with bread and water (Psalm 104:10-15). 

            Jesus told those who followed Him, “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father…. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows” (Matthew 10:29, 31).  Then again in Matthew 6, “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not much more valuable than they?” (v.26)  This was what the psalmist was getting at in Psalm 8, when the Creator of the world and all that is in it gave us a special place within his creation, so much so that he says, “…what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?  You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet;” (v.4-6)  So if this is what the Lord has done for us who are of more value than the animals and birds around us, then we can be sure that we too will be cared for under the watchful eye of the Lord.  We can rest assured that God who knows how to care for His creation will also care for us.  We can believe that our Father knows what we need.  So we are exhorted to “seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all [the needful] things [for life] will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:32-33).  If God knows how to care for His creation how much more will He care for us who are of more value than the birds of the air and the flowers of the fields? (Matthew 6:28-30).

 Sparrows

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[1] https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/1/100111-worlds-longest-migration-arctic-tern-bird/#:~:text=The%20tiny%20arctic%20tern%20makes,thought%2C%20a%20new%20study%20says.&text=Miniature%20new%20transmitters%20recently%20revealed,Greenland%20and%20Antarctica%20each%20year.

Don’t hit the tent pegs in too far!

            The journey through the wilderness for the people of Israel was very much a time of transition from the life of slavery in Egypt to the freedom and blessings of God in the promised land.  However, the journey itself was full of many experiences of God’s leading and provision.

            Very little is said about the actual details of what was involved in their travels.  There are some passages that help us to get a little picture of what it must have been like moving around the desert for forty years.  In Numbers chapter 2 we see how the camp was arranged around the tent of meeting.  Chapter 3 describes the arrangement for the priests and the Levites around the tabernacle.  They were each arranged according to their tribes, and camped under their family banners. 

            When the people of Israel set out on their journey they followed an order described in chapter 10.  Every tribe knew its position and place both in the camp and when they moved.  Because of this order they were able to move efficiently.

            There is one other detail given in chapter 9 which I would like to focus on.  On the day the tabernacle was set up the cloud covered the tabernacle, the tent of the testimony.  There was always a cloud covering the tabernacle during the day time, and at night it had the appearance of fire.

            Whenever the cloud lifted the people set out, and when it came to rest, they camped.  This was the Lord’s way of indicating when they were to move and when they were to stay put.  Sometimes the cloud would stay over the tabernacle for one night and they moved on the next day.  At other times the cloud stayed put for longer, even for as long as a month or more.  They moved when it lifted, and they camped when it rested.  The people didn’t know whether it would be a short camp or a longer camp.  In other words, they needed to be ready to move whenever the cloud lifted. 

            There is a spiritual principle here.  The people of Israel had to be ready to move at a moment’s notice.  They didn’t want to put in the tent pegs too deeply, as it would take more effort to uproot and move on.  This is a challenge to me.  How ready and easily can I move if the Lord wants me to do so?  There are many things that can get in the way of us being ready to follow the Lord when He moves.  We can become so embedded in our present lives that we might not be willing to pay the price to pull up our roots and move with the Lord.  The comfort of a nice home, a secure job, an enjoyable church fellowship, our family and friends, our personal desires and ambitions can all become hindrances to moving with the Lord.  Have we become so encumbered by our lives that we find pulling up our tent pegs hard to do?

            Of course, this may not necessarily mean moving physically to another town, place or country.  It might mean being willing to move with the times as the Lord lead us, in the sense of being willing to make changes in our individual lives so that we have more time for the Lord, or are available for God to use us to bless others.   Work, interests or hobbies, pleasure/leisure can all get in the way, good though they may be.  In other words, we need to think about what is important to us – living and doing what the Lord wants us to do, or allowing our self interests and desires to have the priority.

Another area is for the church to be ready to move as the Lord directs.  If we are not careful, we can get stuck in a rut and be unwilling to move when the Lord wants to move.  We allow our self-interests and preconceived ideas of what we think is right, rather than allowing the Lord to lead us into new avenues of service as the situations around us change.  We can hold on to things tightly so that when the Lord wants us to move, we find it difficult to let go of our cherished ways of doing things.  We might see change as uncomfortable and inconvenient.  Of course, change cannot be forced, but needs to be introduced in such a way that people can see that it is the Lord who is in control of the direction. 

            The people of Israel had to be ready at a moment’s notice to move.  So they no doubt didn’t allow their lives to get settled so that they could move when the time came.  They made sure they could pull up their tent pegs easily.  How willing are we to make the Lord our first priority and be available for the Lord to move the direction of our lives?  That is the question I need to ask myself, and I trust you will ask too. 

BOOK REVIEW: J. Rankin Wilbourne & Brian Gregor, The Cross before Me; Reimagining the Way of the Good Life, 2019[1]

            We all want to be happy.  So why is happiness so difficult to find?  Following on from his award-winning book, Union with Christ: The Way to Know and Enjoy God, Wilbourne joins with Gregor to answer the question of where our true happiness is to be found.  They have written this book because most books on this subject forget one thing.  They write, “’[T]he cruciform way is God’s way to the good and beautiful life he intends for us.’  Someone may question that.  ‘Are you telling me the way to wholeness and flourishing is through loss and deprivation, through suffering and death?  That seems counterproductive and counter-intuitive.’”  The way of the cross is not the popular way.  Yet the phrase, “Take up your cross” is an invitation, not something to see as a burden.

            This book has been written to show us what the cross will teach us about the art of living.  It is a book about how we grow deeper experientially into the love of God.  Furthermore, it is not about imitating the life of Christ, for that is impossible without our faith being grounded in our union with Christ.  It is a way of life lived out from a position of confidence and security “in Christ”.  As we participate in Christ’s life, death, and resurrection, we can share in all that belongs to Him, because it now also belongs to us because we are “in Him”.  As the authors put it, “Imitation without participation is not life-giving.  It’s exhausting.  It’s just religious moralism.”

            The first two chapters set the scene.   These are followed by chapters dealing with ambition, humility, freedom, romantic love, suffering, and why life can now have joy and peace along the hard road.  This will upend and reshape how we in our Western world view life.

            Jesus’ life was marked by suffering from start to finish.  He didn’t deserve suffering, yet it was His obedience to God that led Him to “death on the cross” (Phil.2:8).  As the writers point out, “The Bible even calls Jesus’ life of suffering ‘fitting’ (Heb 2:10), necessary for him to sympathize with us (Heb 4:14-15), and integral to his learning (Heb 5:8).  Jesus’ whole life was oriented towards the cross.”  Luke confirms this for us.  He ‘set his face’ towards Jerusalem and the cross (Luke 9:51).

            This book is not an easy read as it will require thoughtful thinking.  It is both challenging and insightful.  If we can accept that the way of the cross is the Biblical way to a fruitful, fulfilled and contented life, then the book will bless us if we take its message to heart. 

            We continually battle with what the authors call the theology of glory that assumes that God’s pathway is one of blessing, of bettering ourselves, of doing what will enhance our status and acceptance in the eyes of others.  

But the way of the cross says that whatever we do is for you, Lord, and for your glory.  It is the satisfaction that comes from playing our small part, without comparing ourselves with others, as our Master assigns to each one of us.  Ambition is a very human part of our being creatures who desire.  But what is unavoidable is the motive we have for everything thing we do.  As Jesus challenged the people, “They loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God.” (John 12:43).  The question is not, “Are you ambitious?”  The question is, “What does your life show that you are ambitious for?”

            The authors deal with various tests that show up our true motives.  How do we face failure or being seen by others as weak or ineffective?  A challenging question to think about.  Another is how do we view the successes of our peers, especially those in our own field?  Are we happy for them?  Do we celebrate their accomplishments?

            Each of the subjects dealt with comes with its own challenges and pride hitting punches.  Our human nature will always seek its own good before any thought of others.  But the way of the cross is self-giving, loving and humble and considers others ahead of itself.  This was true of Jesus.  In humility and love He was willing to give up His comforts, suffer the extremes of torture and death on the cross, just for us, with little consideration of His own life.  The outcome was that the way was opened for us to enter into that joy that He had in giving Himself in love for us. (Hebrews 12:2).

            God transforms our thinking so that it focuses less on self and more on Jesus.   His glory comes about by the hardships and disappointments in life, from the suffering and pain, from the humiliation of failure, and the acknowledgement of our weakness and need for God to step in and lift us up.  The way of the cross is the humbling of ourselves as we accept our own unworthiness and thank God for His free gift of grace and help.  There is nothing in us that deserves God’s attention, but He transforms us to be more like Christ in His suffering, so that the joy of heaven can become ours.

            We need to rely on God to transform our thinking so that it is God-centred rather than self-centred, and self-seeking.  This will take courage to go against in our Western cultural environment.  We need to trust God to mould us so that we can resist the inroads of the self-focused culture that surrounds us.

            There is more that we haven’t touched upon.  The chapters on humility and love are hard hitting. But if we can overcome our pride and acknowledge the biblical truths that the writers have shared, we will be blessed for taking the time to read this book.   I close with a final quote that sums up something of where they want to go with this book.  “If humility is the heart of the cruciform life, then love is the heartbeat, the living sign that the word of the cross has taken root in your heart.”

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[1] Wilbourne, R., & Gregor, B. (2019). The cross before me: reimagining the way to the good life. Colorado Springs, CO: David C Cook. (Logos Bible Software)