The Calendar

I remember how we used to have a “Master Calendar” on the hallway wall while our boys were growing up.  Back before the days of electronic devices that had the ability to sync everyone’s calendars, we needed a way to make sure everyone in the family communicated our events, appointments, conferences, games, concerts, Youth Rallies, and especially church events.

During my growing years, I never gave a whole lot of thought to where calendars came from.  There were a few times I pondered it, such as the time when I was eight.  My mother showed some of the Korean coins she brought with her from Korea when she came to America. Instead of 1973, or something close to that, the year on the coins were 4294.  I did not realize that other countries counted years differently than we did.  I also did not realize through the centuries and millennia that there were other types of calendars with differing numbers of days and months on them. 

It is interesting how God created the material from which we can use to order our time.  When God created the Sun, Moon, and the Stars, he placed them in the vault/expanse/firmament, and declared what their function would be.  In addition to governing the earth by providing light, God said, “…let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years…” (Gen 1:14).  As a result, some people mark time by creating a calendar using the moon.  Others mark time by creating a calendar using the sun.  Either way, God is the one who provided the material for our “seasons, days, and years.”

The word that is translated “seasons” is an interesting word.  In Hebrew, it is “mo’ed,” which is usually translated “appointed time, appointed place, sacred time, or festival.”  Some examples of its use include Exodus 27:21, where it is the Tent of “meeting/appointed time,” Exodus 13:10 where it refers to the “appointed time” for the Feast of Unleavened Bread, Leviticus 23:2 where it refers to the appointed feasts God had set aside for Israel to observe, and many other examples exactly like these in the Old Testament.  This word does not refer to time or seasons in general but more specifically to appointed and sacred times for worship, honor, or commemoration of God.

This means that God gave us the material to create calendars not merely for the purpose of planning our activities, but for setting aside times to thank, worship and serve him.  This is why James 4:13-15 says, “¹³ Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— ¹⁴ yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. ¹⁵ Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”  

God’s will should be the organizing principle behind our calendars, day timers, and planners. The Psalmist prays, “So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.”  Some questions to ask should include: “How would God have me number each day on the calendar?  How does godly wisdom guide me in doing so?  What should be the priorities in filling out the calendar this week?  This month?  This year?

Daily Bible Reading Reflection - Where did Satan Come From? (Gen 3)

The first sign of trouble in God's ideal world came from the interaction with the serpent in the garden.  Later parts of the Bible make it clear that this is non other than Satan, who is called the adversary and accuser along with the Devil.  Jesus called him a liar and the father of all lies because this is his nature and there is no truth in him.

I am reminded of the question as to Satan's origin.  Where did the Devil come from?  While it is true that the Devil is God's adversary, this does not mean that he is an evil deity or an alternative "god."  The fact that he appears in garden as a creature makes it clear that like Satan falls in the same category as every other created thing.  In Revelation, the Devil appears as an even greater creature.  Even though he is a fearful seven-headed dragon, he is still a creature and not the creator.  God's angels defeat him in chapter 12.  God's people also defeat him in chapter 12 because of the blood of the lamb.  In chapter 20, all it takes is for ONE of God's angels to bind the dragon and throw him into the abyss.  At the final judgment in chapter 20, the Devil is thrown into the lake of fire in the final judgment along with all of his work, including death.  As a creature, like every other creature, there was a time when the Devil didn't exist.  As an enemy of God, like every other enemy of God, there will come a time when he will be no more in the lake of fire.

As I look at Satan in the garden, I am reminded that he only has the power of deception.  His lies make him seem more powerful and wise than he is.  It really isn't important to know Satan's backstory because the Bible does not give it.  If we have everything we need for life and godliness, then we already have all that we need.  The introduction of Satan as a creature in the beginning, and the prophecy of his end as a creature because he is an enemy of God gives perspective on where his false "wisdom" leads.  

Later, the book of proverbs will declare in chapter 9 that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.  The last part of 1 Corinthians 1 tells us that Christ has become our wisdom, and that this is a wisdom that none of the rulers of this age have understood.  Because of this, we can see the fruit in the prohibited tree for what it is.  We gain our wisdom from God.

Labor Day Reflections

 There are some holidays on our calendar whose meaning we reflect on, whether it is civic or religious. Whether it is Independence Day or Thanksgiving, these are days that were set apart to commemorate something important.

Labor Day was intended to be just that. As I understand it, this was a day set apart to honor the laborer and their contributions to society. Early Labor Day parades featured workers and labor organizations. I remember reading about a banner in one of these early parades that read, "Eight hours for work, eight hours for sleep, eight hours for recreation."

As I reflect on the nature of work from a biblical perspective, I am reminded that it is a reflection of God. God is a God that works, and he calls us, his people to work to fulfill his purposes. In order to understand this, we must find the true meaning for our work in the scriptures. 1 Timothy 2:15 says, "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth." If I am going to be an approved worker, I need to go to the word to learn what this means.

The place to start, as with anything else, is at the beginning, in Genesis. The reason one should start with Genesis is because this is what Jesus did. When they asked him about marriage and divorce, Jesus did not refer to the law of Moses, but went all the way back to Genesis, where God designed marriage and set the paradigm. The same is true for mankind and work. The very first command was to be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, subdue it, and have dominion over it. This means that the taming, harnessing of the earth's resources, enculturation, and the building of society are all part of the mandate that God has given to the human race. Whether it is scientific discovery, teaching, art, literature, building, engineering, planting, growing, repairing, maintaining, cleaning, etc. it is all part of the mandate God has given to us.

This means that all work is ultimately God's work. This is why Colossians 3:23-24 says, "Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ." This means that there is no such thing as a "secular" job. All work is sanctified. Every individual person's work fits in some way with God's mandate to fill the earth and subdue it for his glory.

There is no meaning or significance in work apart from God. This is what the teacher in Ecclesiastes discovered after a lifetime of impressive accomplishments. Without God, there was no meaning or significance in any of it. When he instructs young people to remember their creator while they are young, he is calling them to reflect on the significance of work under God, rather than merely under the sun.

As God called mankind in Genesis to work in order to fulfill what many now call the "Cultural Mandate," he also calls us as Christians to work to fulfill what we call the "Great Commission." Redemption from the corruption of sin can only come through the Gospel. Romans 8:18-25 tells us that both the creature and the creation will be redeemed from the corruption of sin through Christ. To participate in his work of redemption, Jesus charged his followers to proclaim the Gospel to all creation.

All of this means that our Cultural Mandate and the Great Commission are connected. 1 Timothy 6:1 says, "Let all who are under a yoke as bondservants regard their own masters as worthy of all honor, so that the name of God and the teaching may not be reviled." Titus 2:9-10 says, "Bondservants are to be submissive to their own masters in everything; they are to be well-pleasing, not argumentative,  not pilfering, but showing all good faith, so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior." Working with honor and integrity is connected to the teaching of the Gospel.

Snow Day Reflection

I was visiting with my youngest son, William, who told me that church had been cancelled up where he lives.  We also had to cancel where we live as well.  I told him that it seemed like some kind of conspiracy.  Several of the winter storms we have had in the last month have come during church times and have at times caused us to have to cancel.

We are going to miss out yet again on seeing our brethren, reading the Bible together, singing together, sharing communion, praying together, encouraging and hugging one another.

As I sit here quietly considering circumstances beyond my control, I am reminded that nothing is out of God’s control.  Even the snow is not beyond God’s control…

Psalm 147:15-19 says,

   He sends forth His command to the earth;

His word runs very swiftly.

   He gives snow like wool;

He scatters the frost like ashes.

   He casts forth His ice as fragments;

Who can stand before His cold?

   He sends forth His word and melts them;

He causes His wind to blow and the waters to flow.

   He declares His words to Jacob,

His statutes and His ordinances to Israel.

Did this just happen randomly, or is this by God’s design?  Is he using this for his purpose in some way, or is everything just happening by blind chance?  Is the snow just a cold nuisance, or is there more to the ice and snow that just this?  The Psalmist also says this...

Ps 148:7-8

   Praise the LORD from the earth,

Sea monsters and all deeps;

   Fire and hail, snow and clouds;

Stormy wind, fulfilling His word;

All creation is praising God without using words.  Concerning all this snow, I hadn’t really given this much thought until now.  Yes, this snow and ice is even praising God.  So, this morning I am meditating on the snow.   Here are something that scripture, along with the snow, reminds me of:

Isaiah 55:10-12

“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven,

And do not return there without watering the earth

And making it bear and sprout,

And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater;

So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth;

It will not return to Me empty,

Without accomplishing what I desire,

And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.

 “For you will go out with joy

And be led forth with peace;

The mountains and the hills will break forth into shouts of joy before you,

And all the trees of the field will clap their hands.

The snow, like so many other things, is doing something on the earth by God’s design.  It may not look like anything good in the moment, but in the larger picture, it is for good.  God’s word is like this snow that has quietly covered the earth.  The snow is here, and it contributes toward the springtime that is coming with the green of springtime.  God is doing something, even on a quiet day such as this where we are not venturing out.  Even though we are not able to come together to worship, sing, and encourage one another in person, God is still doing something.

Take this quiet time of snow to reflect on the ways God is helping you to bear fruit not only now, but potentially in the future as well.  What seeds are being planted and covered by snow right now?   Take this time while you are apart from your brethren to consider the blessing of fellowship and church family.  Meditate on God’s word, bury it in your heart so that it will bear fruit, even on days like today.  Praise God with the fruit of your lips. 

Yes, it is a snow day and we are not together this morning as Christ’s body.  But I am thinking of all of you this morning.  My heart is with you.  Perhaps as we all think about these things, God can still hear the music of our hearts blending together as we meditate, reflect, and offer thanks to God.  As the steam rises from the vents and chimneys on our houses, so our praises and thanksgivings rise to God.  Physically we are apart, but our hearts are together.

Thank you Lord, even for the snow.  Thank you Lord, for your redemption and reformation of our lives and hearts.  You make us whiter than the snow through Christ.  May we continue to be faithful and joyful so that you can bear fruit after the snow. 

The Teacher Fish

I recently read an article about the discovery of 3 new types of sea creatures that live in the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.  Evidently, they are previously unknown species of snailfish.  What is so unique about they are designed to live in a part of the ocean that few other creatures could survive in.  The article stated that they live in a trench in the bottom of the Ocean that is seven miles deep!  A submarine is able to only go about 2,000 feet deep.  They have very few predators because most other sea creatures are not capable of going that deep into the ocean.  The extreme pressure of the deep sea provides the environment for these unusual creatures to thrive in.  If they were to come to the surface, they would literally fall apart and melt.

Psalm 19 and Romans 1 tells us that the creation reveals to us something of the nature of God.  So what do these previously unknown creatures who live in the dark in an environment made for them tell us about God?  Maybe it is a reminder that each of us has our place and purpose in God's created order.  These unusual creatures have their unique place in the bottom of the ocean for whatever purpose they were created.  Maybe it is a reminder that we must live in the environment that God has created for us.  These creatures must remain in their environment, or they may be attacked by predators and fall apart from the lack of support of the deep sea pressure. If we do not remain in Christ, we will ultimately perish.  He provides protection, support, and life for us.  Maybe it is simply to remind us that God is infinite in his wisdom.  We never arrive.  There is always something more to discover and something more to learn.  Humility leaves us open to learning and enjoying new things. 

Reflection on Genesis 1-11: The Earth is Filled With His Glory

Be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth. Several times in the early stories of Genesis, God instructs humans to multiply and fill the earth. Is God glorified through marriage and bearing of children? Does God like large families? Is God pleased with the earth filled up with people? 

I reflect on men and women, whom God created in his image. God instructs mankind to fill the earth and to govern it. Unlike any other created thing, only we are created in the image of God. When we are submissive to God, we bear God’s image to the world. When we are righteous, just, merciful, faithful, kind, and loving, we reflect the image of God to the world. When we do so in the name of our Lord we radiate the goodness of God around the earth. When we share the Gospel alongside all we do, we can truly be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. 

Jesus put it this way in the Sermon on the Mount, “You are the light of the world.” So some questions to ask of ourselves might include questions such as, “What do I reflect? What do I fill the earth with? Do I reflect the image of God in my family, workplace, and among friends?” 

Prayer: Lord, I see the fruits of your graciousness, mercy, and kindness all around me. I see how things reproduce after their kind that goes in a line all the way back to you. May I be yielding and submissive to you so that I also can be fruitful and reproduce all your goodness in my words and actions every day. Thank you for Jesus, thank you for the Spirit, and the fruitfulness that comes as a result. In his name and through his grace, Amen.

Reflection on Genesis 1: Our Place in the World

When God fashioned the world, he created something initially that was formless and void, or a vast wasteland.  Then, God brought order to all of that primordial stuff.  After creating the firmament, he place stars, the sun, and the moon in it.  He said it was for signs, seasons, and years.  He also said the greater and lesser lights were to "govern" or "have dominion" the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness.

When God created man, he instructs that man is also to have dominion.  But man's dominion is to be over the sea, the things the fly in the sky, and the things that roam on the earth.  As the functionaries in the firmament bring order, beauty, and goodness there, so men, God's functionaries on the earth, is to bring order, beauty, and goodness on the earth by exercising dominion over the earth. 

Some have pulled an ecological message out of this, understanding that we need to be caretakers of the earths' resources and its wildlife.  In exploiting the earth's resources, we need to do so responsibly and with care.  While there seems to be some of this in inherent in God's design, it doesn't seem to be the main thrust of what "dominion" means to man.  The next chapter and the remainder of the Bible is focused on man, not the environment.  The next chapter shows how God instituted the very first social institution, which is marriage and family.  It seems that governing, or exercising dominion has to do not mainly with ecological order, but with social order.  Whether it is marriage, family, governance, social contracts, exchange of goods, etc., there is a design for governance from the designer.  When that design is honored, things tend to work well to his glory.  When that design is ignored, disorder, ugliness, violence, and death usually follow. 

When I look up, and consider the sun, moon, and stars, I will be reminded of these things.  The sun faithfully governs the day as the moon does the nights.  The stars twinkle in the heavens and give guidance to travelers.  The seasons faithfully come and go.  These functionaries in the heavens provide order, beauty, and goodness as they faithfully perform their governing functions to the glory of God.

How do we, as God's functionary on the earth, perform our governing function?  Unlike what we see giving it's light in the heavens, we give a different kind of light.  The text says that we have been created in the image of God.  Our light is not for seasons, years, day and night, but for a different kind of order and beauty.  Our light illuminates the beauty of righteousness, virtue, holiness, and love.  These things are designed by God to be part of the foundation for our marriages, our families, and our social institutions.  As the heavens submit to God's design for their governance and bring goodness and beauty to the heavens, so we, when we submit to God's design in our governance here on earth, bring goodness and beauty to the earth that God has created for his glory.

Prayer:  Lord, may our hearts be humble and submissive.  May we look to your instructions and commandments in ordering our lives.  May we truly understand true beauty, goodness, and holiness from you, our creator and designer.  May we be reminded that all of this belongs to you, and that we are here to serve your purposes.  May we be submissive to you, holy, righteous, virtuous, loving, and kind.   Please forgive us when we, in our pride, forget all of this.  Please pardon our sins according to the grace you have shown in Jesus, our crucified and risen Lord.  In his name…AMEN.