Stone 5 -- Part 5

The true power of Christianity lies in this ability to transform thoughts and motivation from within more than the ability to change behavior. An addict will tell you there is a huge difference between abstinence and loss of desire. God says, “Thou shalt not…” but He does not leave it at that. He supplies the power to produce “I no longer want to…” A Spirit driven life replaces a life of trying to “be as gods”.  Rid of the natural inclination to deify “me”, the Christian is free to live godly in this present age. The death of the natural, carnal mind of man is absolutely necessary for Christianity. “Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.” Likewise the road to growth is based on thoughts and intentions of the heart. “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

There is a temptation when measuring Christianity to stop short; to say I’ve reached the perfect balance of me and God. That the remaining areas of life are those with which God is unconcerned “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.” God is concerned with everything that touches a Christian’s life and every thought a Christian thinks.

In the past there was undue emphasis on Christian appearance and apparel. Dress does not determine standing with God. However, it is a mistake to think God is unconcerned about our manner of dress and to shut Him out. Honest inquiry of the Holy Spirit will reveal God has an intense interest in personal appearance. To do whatsoever you want is never the plan of God. “This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.”      

Christians find life and godliness by forsaking their claim to both. They do this, not to abdicate personal responsibility, but to fulfill their desire serve the King and follow His command.

“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

Christianity rests on the same command. Heartfelt obedience to the command grows into a love so encompassing that self-will dissolves and God, who is love, fills the heart. What remains is Man as God created him. Christians may appear less than they should be because this does not happen overnight, but over a lifetime. If a life surrendered to God is not a man’s intention; it doesn’t happen at all.

Self preservation is a powerful drive in the natural man. But, like any natural instinct, carried to extremes it is his ruin. Jesus citing the same principle as John told His disciples: “Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it.” Since Adam reached for the fruit that would make him as god, men have been seeking to be the strongest, mightiest, tallest, and fastest—to be more than he is and more than his fellows. Christianity denies men nothing. It points men in the right direction. A man filled with the Spirit of God is more than eye has seen or ear has heard.

Stone 5 -- Part 1

Stone 5

“He must increase, but I must decrease.”

          There are as many ideas of how to measure Christianity as there are people who can handle a yardstick. More than once the disciples walking next to Jesus tried to sort out which of them was the greatest. These discussions generally met with divine disapproval. Enthusiasm for the subject has cooled very little over the years.

          The temptation to measure how Christians are doing on their walk, like all temptation, should be avoided as no good thing will come of it. This is best left to God. However, scripture encourages Christians to examine themselves from time to time. Self examination can be a good thing provided the proper measure is used.

          Objective measures are unreliable and, for the most part, unavailable. Christians are not to measure themselves against one another or against unbelievers. Measuring ourselves to Christ sounds good, but serves only to show that we have not arrived. Lord willing, this is not news to anyone. Objective measures also neglect to consider the secret sin factor. David asks, “Who can understand his errors?  cleanse thou me from secret faults.” The most objective Christian is a blind judge without all the facts.

          Christian growth is measured in the arena of thought. A man is the only one who can look into his own heart. “For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him?” Likewise no one knows all that God requires of a man except that man and his God. This is why judgment must remain between God and the individual. This may not be exactly what John the Baptist had in mind when he pointed at the direction of his own ministry, but it is the spiritual outline for every Christian walk. “He must increase, but I must decrease.” This formula is the measure of Christianity.

According to John’s formula, Christianity is best measured in units of “me.” In the growing Christian, “me” is shrinking and Christ expanding. “Me” is the number and size of decisions based solely on self-interest. If “me” is the driving force behind the majority of decisions, actions, and values, then the “Me” is high and Christ likeness low. On the other hand, operating in accord with the wishes of the Holy Ghost to bless others causes a rise in Christ likeness and a shrinking me. Unique to Christianity is the fact that this shrinkage does not lead to “me” being lost or absorbed into God or the universe. Rather it produces a unique “me” filled with the power, life, attributes and spirit of Christ. Me, the selfish, becomes; me the compassionate so that not only do I appear to others, but Christ in me. This is what Jesus meant when He said: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” I am “me” with my round belly, thinning hair, peculiar mannerisms and temperament. Christ is also producing the fruit of His Spirit in the “me” everyone knows. 

Stone 2 -- Part 2

The preaching of Jesus assaulted Nicodemus’ understanding of God. The letter of the law and the covenant of Abraham was the Jews road to salvation. Nicodemus not only taught compliance to this creed; he lived it. Despite claims of legal perfection and attempts to keep the law, there was something lacking in his relationship to God. Nicodemus knew his heart and his heart brought him to this interview with Jesus. According to Jesus, repentance from sin and faith in God brought salvation. It is not the reward of good deeds.

The whole message of the Christian gospel is that God was in Christ reconciling the world by His death and resurrection. Jesus’ statement to Nicodemus was an invitation to be free from the hopelessness of moral reformation offered by the law. The problem of sin goes deeper than individual actions. It goes to the very nature of man. No amount of moral teaching can correct the problem; an act of God is needed. God sent His Son.

Jesus fulfilled the law and invited men to come back to God. He declared that the Kingdom of God belonged to whosoever was willing to enter. Christians sing “whosoever surely meaneth me.” Jesus bought salvation for all mankind, but it is only given to individuals. God desires a relationship with each person. An earthly father’s attention is divided among his children. An all-knowing, all-present God gives each child His full focus. His eyes and ears are always open to our every need and deed. His Spirit bears us up when we fall and rejoices over our every tiny step. God walks within us.  

The wisest moral teaching cannot love us. It can only make demands. It can speak only to our faults. It offers only to be our taskmaster. Nicodemus knew this. He was a slave to the law. Jesus offered him the freedom of faith. The smallest measure of faith invested in Christ causes the angels in heaven to rejoice.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”

Stone 2 -- Part 1

Stone 2

          “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

          There are few superlatives that I have not heard applied to this verse. It has been called the Bible in a sentence. That description is true enough, but no verse, including this one stands alone. To appreciate this statement of God’s love it is necessary to remember its context. Jesus was explaining to Nicodemus why an ardent adherent to the law of God needed a savior. Remember what Lewis said about clear thinking. Until a man understands and accepts the fact that he is cursed and living contrary to his Creator’s design; a savior is nonsensical. This is never truer than when dealing with a man fervent to follow religious teachings. A man must recognize the cancerous work of sin in him before he seeks a remedy. It is those which see the dire plight of their present state who cry out for a savior. To afflicted souls, this verse has something powerful to say.

          On the sixth day of creation God created a being in His likeness. God pronounced this being called Man, “very good.” Because God is love and He made this being for the purpose of fellowship, it is safe to infer God loved him. In the scripture God says of Man, “I have loved thee with an everlasting love.” On occasion this love wounded the heart of God so deeply that God wished He had not made Man. Nevertheless, God’s love for Man has not diminished. Aside from the love of God there is one other thing in the relationship between God and Man still unchanged. Man refuses to return God’s love. Man consistently places his own desires above God. Man still opts for estrangement and cursing from God rather than fellowship and blessing with God. This choice is as clear today as it was in Eden. “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.

Man has rejected, slandered and denied God to His face. But while breath remains in man, God refuses to let condemnation be His final word. God so loves us that, despite repeated rejections, He sent his Son to our rescue. The admonition for Christians to love their enemies and pray for those who despitefully use them is no idealist theory. It is what God does every day. Man divorced himself from God by rejecting God’s authority and word. This brought the promised curse on man, but it did not diminish the love of God. Rather than sit idly by while man destroyed himself, the love of God took action. God threw His drowning enemy a lifeline. His name is Jesus. He is the word of God made flesh “that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.” Faith in Christ is enough to exchange a lifetime of cursing for blessing; death for life; and hell for heaven.

God’s love is not puffed up. His love does not seek its own profit. It is a selfless, giving love. God gives mercy to the condemned; life to the dead; hope to the lost; God gives Himself. Because He still lives and loves, God continues to give. The miracles of the Bible are the invitation to trust a giving God.

Men pray for all sorts of things and for many different reasons. Men come to God with their needs. They tell Him what, when, and how it is best delivered. God is judged by His response. If God answers us; He exists. If He seems not to hear; He is not there. Men neglect to consider the nature of God’s gifts. God gives according to need. When He sent manna to Israel, those who gathered much had no excess and those who gathered little had no lack. God really has only one answer to the need of man—Himself. God has answered every prayer of every man in Christ. When a man has God, all things are possible. Once the breech between man and God is repaired, divine fellowship begins and man’s true purpose is reborn. How then, shall God not give to us all things?

God has accomplished all that His word requires in the person of Jesus Christ. The debt of sin is paid; justice is satisfied; and righteousness restored to man. One thing remains to complete salvation; a choice. In the garden man chose to break with God. Though God has since healed the breech, man must, of his own free will, choose to be reconciled to God. In Christ salvation is provided to all men. It is realized only by those who claim redemption. “The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

Stone 3-- Part 2

Salvation is only the beginning of God’s gifts. John the Baptist was a unique individual with unique gifts. However, that John was called and equipped for his role in the Kingdom of God is in no way unique. God gives to every Christian “…all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”

Life and godliness are the goals of every religion. The general understanding of most men outside, and sometimes inside, Christianity is that life and godliness are achieved when God gives Man rules to live by and men conform to these rules. But, when Christianity says God gives us all things that pertain to godliness, it has something very different in mind. Christians don’t become righteous by following rules. Paul, once an ardent follower of the Jewish law, says following laws does not work: “for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.” He is saying it is not enough to know right from wrong; godliness means actually being and doing that which is godly.

Christianity begins where other religions end. Christians do not become righteous by good works. Christianity believes a man can receive nothing except it be given from heaven; this includes righteousness. Christians are Spirit dependent; not rule dependent. They are declared righteous by God in response to faith in Christ as savior. After salvation, the Holy Spirit molds Christian thought and behavior to conform to God’s declaration of righteousness. God “…calleth those things which be not as though they were.” After declaring moral bankruptcy, Christians don’t get a do-over with the same old resources. They receive, from heaven, the divine nature. They are declared godly and completely equipped for godliness.

“And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.” Light happened when God said it. God calls Christians righteous. Then, He makes it happen. Therefore, a Christian’s standing with God is not dependent on keeping rules or personal feelings. It is dependent on God’s word. Salvation and righteousness are given from heaven. Man can possess them by no other means.

That salvation is a gift from God does not do away with the commandments of God. Jesus told His followers, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” Power to live the commandments from a changed heart, rather than as a list of imposed rules, comes from the Holy Spirit who lives inside all those who believe God for salvation. This indwelling of the Holy Ghost is also the gift of God. In this way God gives Christians “all things that pertain unto life and godliness.”

“Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.”

Living the kind of life that agrees with God’s declaration of righteousness is not always easy. There are times when a Christian’s efforts are not successful. This does not change God’s mind concerning the declaration He spoke. He gives gifts to overcome evil, sin and the natural inclinations of Man in this present world. Christians are told to: “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” The presumption of the command is that they possess this set of armor. They do. Christians are given “…all things that pertain unto life and godliness.” This includes not only the spiritual, moral, and physical equipment to stand against darkness and evil, but also the patience of God while Christians learn to use their gifts.

The only thing exhaustive about the gifts God has given to men is trying to tell them all. Every Christian is saved by grace, called, and equipped by God to a specific place within the kingdom of heaven. The Christian experience is initiated by God; the motivation to receive it rests with God; and the power to live it comes from God. Man’s role is but to accept or decline God’s gifts. John the Baptist, who knew a thing or two about heavenly gifts, rightly says, “A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven.”

Stone 3--Part 1

Stone 3 – John 3:27

          “John answered and said, ‘A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven.’ ”

Throughout his ministry John the Baptist maintained that he was not the Messiah; that pointing to the Messiah was his purpose. He did not decide this on his own. John knew the power in his message didn’t come from natural ability. He was not caught up in himself when the crowds flocked to hear him. Fame did not deter him from his purpose. John pointed his own disciples to Christ. When the crowds coming to Jordan to hear him dwindled, it did not detract from what he had done. John knew it all had been given to him.

Not all men are as receptive to the notion of God’s sovereignty over individual lives as was John. Nebuchadnezzar, “The king spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty?”

“While the word was in the king's mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, saying, O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken; The kingdom is departed from thee. And they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field: they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee, until thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.”

          It is tempting to believe differing perceptions, like those of John and Nebuchadnezzar, are rooted in personal experiences and preferences. The cause goes deeper than that. It goes to the makeup of Man as a species. The natural man loves to believe that he is master of his own soul and the source of his own vision. The idea stirs the heart; makes great inspirational posters and gets “liked” on Facebook. But, both John and Nebuchadnezzar would tell you this bit of popular thought is nothing more than a mirage; a deception of the natural eye. Seeing the truth requires a focus that does not come from within the self. Few men are willing to admit such focus exists; fewer still are willing to see.

Contrary to modern thought, Christianity embraces diversity. The idea of differing gifts, talents, callings, and worship experiences is woven through the New Testament. This is because Christianity is a way of life; not a set of rules. Nevertheless, every Christian shares a single experience—new birth. No man may one day, and of his own accord, decide to become a Christian. He simply cannot see it unless and until God opens his eyes to the reality beyond the mirage. This is why Jesus told Nicodemus, “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Sight and the new birth are the gift of God. No man can possess either unless it is given him from heaven. The root and ground of Christianity is given by God to every individual. If the foundation cannot be laid without it being given by God, how can anything built thereon be less? Thus, “A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven.”

Christians look out over the world and see a Creator or listen to a beating heart and hear a Composer. Knowing “the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men…” (Titus 2:11) it is difficult for Christians to accept that anyone could see things otherwise. The scripture says, “…faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Nevertheless, we have seen two people go to church on Sunday morning. Both sing the same songs; hear the same scripture; and both are called to repentance.  One falls on the altar seeking salvation while the other wonders what all the fuss is about. It is evident hearing involves more than listening and seeing is more than looking. There must be an internalization of what is seen and heard. The talents and blessings we are born with may be gifts from God, but they are not enough to win heaven. Whatsoever we may know or experience of God must be given to us.

Critics say the dependent nature of Christianity is a crutch men “find” in times of crisis and use thereafter to prop themselves up. There is some truth in the analogy. Perspective is the key. The natural man and the spiritual man see things differently. The natural man sees the cross is an instrument of death and condemnation. Christians see it as a symbol of life and victory. In the same way, critics see a crutch as a symbol of weakness. Meanwhile Christians see a crutch as an instrument of healing. Without a crutch, a man’s broken bones must bear his entire weight and his pain is intensified. Constantly tread upon; the hurt does not heal leaving the man halt and lame. A crutch enables a man to heal. Then, when he is healed within; a man may walk again. Only now he walks with a steady gait and an appreciation of his own weakness.

The religious leaders of Jesus’ day saw repentance as a needless crutch.“And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick.” Luke 5:31. Christ came to give moral cripples the ability to walk straight and whole. The righteous walk perfectly without healing and have no such need. This is why no man who is right in his own sight comes to Christ. No man who already possesses heaven comes to receive it from another. God has called all men to salvation. The needy hear him--the others do not. “And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.”

Stone 1 --Part 2

Virtually all the world’s religions seek reconciliation between man and God. Each offers teachings that, properly followed, lead man back into God’s good graces. Christianity is different. Christianity recognizes that the problem is not man’s behavior and that no amount of teaching can solve it. The problem with man is his rebellious nature. The world has it correct; we cannot change who we are by nature. Christianity acknowledges that man is not only powerless to overcome his sinful nature, but that man is not looking for reconciliation. It is Christianity’s assertion that any reconciliation between man and God must rely on action taken by God. Therefore, God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself.

“For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” God became a man to save all mankind from a predetermined condemnation. Jesus was tempted in every way a man could be tempted. He was tempted because He was a man. He lived perfectly because He was God. Through perfect obedience Christ offered His own life and blood to satisfy the judgment and justice of God. Then, returning to life, offered man the opportunity to share the eternal life of God.

As powerful as His teaching was, Jesus didn’t come to teach. As wondrous as were the miracles He did, Jesus didn’t come to heal. He came to die; be resurrected; and thereby save the condemned. He offers the world salvation in the form of rebirth. Those who accept His offer are a new creation untainted by sin and free to live by the Spirit of God. “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”

Christians are not to live shackled to the sins of the past. Yes, we have sinned. “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” Yes, there are times, after salvation, that we still stumble over the same sins. There may even be addictions with their teeth still in us. At any time in our Christian experience that we think we have arrived, the Spirit is there to open a new challenge. Friends, enemies and family see our sins and are quick to point them out for us. Though the world condemns us, God does not condemn us. The world looks at us and sees our faults. God looks at us and sees His Son.

God is alive and active. He is busy remaking us in the image of His Son. He is not blind where His children are concerned. God sees our shortcomings. Unlike the world, He does not condemn us for them. He uses them as our guide to growth. His eye is ever on Christ as He transforms us into His image. Does that mean God doesn't care if we sin? Absolutely not. God cares, but He is not discouraged. He still sees the finished product. This means that if we sin; all is not lost. We have an advocate, Jesus Christ. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” That is the formula for sin for saint and sinner alike.

Condemnation and guilt held on to after our confession of sin and the application of the blood of Christ comes from the devil. He may use our own voice or the voice of our loved ones, but hell is the source. When the Spirit of God convicts of sin, He calls for repentance and reconciliation. Guilt that cripples and discourages is evil. God is in the salvation business. He sent His Son into the world for no other purpose. He is working out personal salvation in everyone who trusts Him; not willing for anyone to perish.

However, because God gave man free will, man may choose condemnation. Sin, guilt and condemnation, like the giant Goliath, will enslave men. Christ saves men from the condemnation of sin. In the Christian’s hand, the stone of salvation will slay the giant of condemnation our foe has sent to challenge us.

Stone 1 Part1

“For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”  John 3:17

  

“Nobody’s perfect,” is the mantra of modern Man. But, how do we know it is true? Where did we get the idea that imperfection exists at all? If nobody’s perfect, then aren’t all people, as the now exist, the norm?

In his book Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis wrote: “...that human beings, all over the earth, have this curious idea that they ought to behave in a certain way, and cannot really get rid of it. Secondly, that they do not in fact behave that way...” He says, “These two facts are the foundation of all clear thinking about ourselves and the universe we live in.” Whether or not you agree with Lewis, the idea of human imperfection permeates our thoughts, actions, and excuses. Men judge themselves and others not by how we actually behave but by how we ought to behave. We readily accept that all mankind is somehow flawed. At the root of our confession of imperfection lays the inescapable fact that we are comparing ourselves to someone or something which is perfect. If the perfect model does not exist, imperfection is meaningless and no one really believes that.

Christians believe the disparity between actual behavior and ideal behavior exists because man was created perfect, but something happened to him. They call that “something” sin. Sin was not a communicable illness that man acquired rather man, knowing the consequences of his actions, chose sin. The one fundamental element of civilization has gone unchanged since creation is man and that choice.

At first glance, the introduction of sin into man’s nature seems to involve a tree. In truth, the tree was just a tree there was nothing sinful about it. The tree was a test. God gave man the world and a special garden paradise of his own to do with as he liked. There was only one restriction—one tree God kept for Him.

“And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.”

God’s command was a test of love. If Adam loved God and fellowship with the Creator, then he would leave God’s tree untouched. Adam complied until Satan told him that God lied.

“And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.”

Man being what he is, the lie sells as well today as it did in the Garden and is as readily believed. “Ye shall be as gods…” the wish for divinity was Man’s downfall. He still gropes for the position. Rebellion is still the first reaction to well up in the human heart when we hear “Thou shalt not.”

God responded to Adam’s insolence by pronouncing the promised condemnation: “And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.”

Spurning God consigned man to share the fate prepared for the devil—eternal separation from God. The universal condemnation of man is not the raving of religious fanatics or the arbitrary application of man-made standards of behavior. It is the promise of God. As sure as there are thorns and thistles, Man stands condemned before God. Man is born into sin; struggles with it for life; dies and faces the condemnation of God. Man’s guilt is decided; sentence pronounced; and death is determined. It is not a happy picture. The only recourse is to eliminate God from the equation or find a way to reconcile with Him. 

Five Smooth Stones--An Introduction

For forty days in the Valley of Elah Israel trembled at the taunting of Goliath of Gath. The man was a giant. He was trained as a warrior from his youth and confident in his strength; his size and his skill.
“And he stood and cried unto the armies of Israel, and said unto them, Why are ye come out to set your battle in array?  am not I a Philistine, and ye servants to Saul?  choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me. If he be able to fight with me, and to kill me, then will we be your servants: but if I prevail against him, and kill him, then shall ye be our servants, and serve us. And the Philistine said, I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together.”

The champion who walked out of Israel’s camp didn’t look like a warrior. The was little more than a boy. He had no armor; no sword. He had only a shepherd's sling and, on his way to meet Goliath, he stopped to gather five smooth stones from a brook that ran through the valley.

As a trained warrior Goliath knew the accuracy and power of a sling. But, he was supremely confident in his armor and his size. He advanced on David. The first stone pierced Goliath’s helmet and shattered the bone beneath. The giant stumbled and fell.

Whether it’s made of hardened metal or pseudo-intellectual egotism, God is able to pierce man’s strongest armor. “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

With God on his side David needed only one stone to defeat Goliath. Why did he pick up five? David might never pass that brook again so he used the opportunity to gather all the resources he could hold. Christians are to gather all of the word of God they can carry. One verse may be enough to defeat our giants, but isn’t it comforting to be holding five?

Before going into battle it’s good to know where you stand and the resources at your disposal. Over the next few weeks I’ll be sharing Five Smooth Stones from the third chapter of John’s gospel. If you happen upon one or two that prove useful against your giants, feel free to scoop them up and load your sling.

Greatest Miracle of All

Wonders beyond imagination wrap God like a mantle. He puts them on and takes them off as He pleases. It is not surprising that the heavens are His handiwork or that He feeds the sparrow. What staggers the imagination is His willingness to fellowship with a creature like me.

This is not some “poor me” bit of bemoaning the state of man or this specimen in particular. I like me and value my own company no matter what others say. In fact, I probably like me better than anyone who knows me. So, where’s the mystery? I’m God’s creation as much as the lilies or the birds--right? You bet I am.
However, there is one big difference between me and a sparrow. Okay, there’s more than one. I’m trying to make a point here so chill. The difference is that the lilies and the sparrows have never rebelled against God. The devils and man are the only creatures in all creation to share that distinction. If men believe in devils at all, they readily accept as just their fate. When it comes to ourselves, most people just don’t make the connection. Man is no less guilty. Man believes God bent on deception to keep us from being as gods ourselves. Like the devil, we still want to exercise the right to decide what is good and what is evil. “Why should ye be stricken any more?  ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint.”

Of all the miracles possible God chose to forgive and fellowship with rebels like me. It is the greatest of wonders.

“ For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.”

“ But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”