Are geologists and theologians enemies?

Stop! Before you shrug and hit the delete button, give me a minute. Growing numbers of Americans, especially those under the age of 30 are reaching the conclusion that they must choose between robust faith or science as guiding principles for their lives.  One cannot believe in the God of the Bible and hold onto the discoveries that explain our natural world at the same time, they say.  The study of origins of our world is a classic battleground.  Science presents ample evidence for an earth that is billions of years old.  Bible literalists insist the earth is just a few thousand years old.  Where does the truth lie? Some say that it is unimportant. Yet, it is.  Are geologists who tell us that the earth is 4.5 billion years old presenting the evidence clearly?  Does a reverent reading of Genesis 1 really demand that we believe that the world sprang into existence in 7 literal days about 6,000 years ago?  Truth often dies on the altar of bias, pre-supposition, and fear.

I am not afraid of science, nor am I afraid to love God and His revelation of Himself in the Scripture.  Both inform my life, each in different ways.  Truth is never an enemy of faith.  Theology and science have complementary roles in helping us to understand the world that God gave us. We are poorer if we refuse to see the limitations of either study. There are things in life which are of the Spirit that cannot be analyzed in the laboratory. Likewise, our lives are much improved by the sciences that bring us cures for diseases, for example. What thinking person would want to retreat into the superstitious fear of the medieval age, when ignorance wore the mask of faith?  And we must ask if we really want to reduce the world to formulas and take away the meaning of our existence that is found in the things of God?

I am not arguing that the Bible is just poetry;  a beautiful way to make a cruel world bearable.  If we diminish God by turning Him into a sentiment to be dragged out as a means of comforting ourselves or strengthening our social ties we do worse, in my opinion, than denying His existence outright.  But, if we turn living faith into dogma, closing our minds to the unfolding of knowledge, we rob God, the Holy Spirit, of His ability to speak to us through the world He has made.  I am made humble by the amazing world that both the astronomer and the micro-biologist show to me.  I join the song that says, "When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?" (Psalm 8:3-4, NIV) Faith alone cannot show me what these wonders proclaim!

The mystery of the Incarnation is equally humbling.  Why would the God from Whose hand came the far-flung galaxies and the intricacies of my DNA choose to make Himself a baby, born to a young woman by miraculous means, so that He could walk among us? Science cannot explain this. How can an evil person kneel in repentance and stand up a new creation in Christ, a hateful man turned to one who loves? Science cannot peer into the story of the Cross and explain the revelation of transforming love found there.  The Resurrection challenges us to think beyond the cycle of birth, life, and death that we experience in this natural world.  Jesus Christ opens a window into eternal life that is received by faith, not by sight.

May we never allow faith to become an excuse for ignorance, nor should we become so arrogant in our knowledge that we refuse the mysteries of faith. We cannot please God without faith. If we refuse Him, we will slip deeper into sin. "O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!" (Psalm 8:9, NIV)

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How Great Thou Art

O Lord my God

When I in awesome wonder

Consider all the worlds

Thy hands have made.

I see the stars,

I hear the rolling thunder,

Thy pow'r thru'out

The universe displayed.

Then sings my soul,

My Savior God to Thee,

How great Thou art!

How great Thou art!

Then sings my soul,

My Savior God to Thee,

How great Thou art!

How great Thou art!

And when I think

That God His Son not sparing,

Sent Him to die,

I scarce can take it in,

That on the cross,

My burden gladly bearing,

He bled and died

To take away my sin.

Then sings my soul,

My Savior God to Thee,

How great Thou art!

How great Thou art!

Then sings my soul,

My Savior God to Thee,

How great Thou art!

How great Thou art!

When Christ shall come,

With shout of acclamation.

And take me home

What joy shall fill my heart.

Then I shall bow

In humble adoration

And there proclaim;

My God how great Thou art!

Stuart Wesley Keene Hine

© 1949. 1953 Stuart Hine Trust. Administration: U.S.A. All rights by EMI CMG, except print rights administered by Hope Publishing. North, Central And South America by Manna Music. Rest of world - Kingsway Communications.

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Noah makes more sense than Jesus

I am rich!  No, I did not win the $550 Million in the PowerBall Lottery. My wealth is found in God's love story. As I prepare to celebrate Advent I am invited to swim in an ocean of grace, to revel in love beyond measure. Have you ever found yourself impatient with someone after just a few failures? Me, too!  “What’s the matter with him?” we hiss. “I’m so done with her!” we declare emphatically. I am reluctant to admit it. The story of Noah makes a lot more sense to my natural mind than the story of Jesus! I easily identity with God's anger and His solution! "God saw that human evil was out of control. People thought evil, imagined evil—evil, evil, evil from morning to night. God was sorry that he had made the human race in the first place; it broke his heart. God said, “I’ll get rid of my ruined creation, make a clean sweep: people, animals, snakes and bugs, birds—the works. I’m sorry I made them.” (Genesis 6:5-7, The Message) Harsh, isn’t it? Just destroy it all and start over!

Is that the model for me?
Is God ready to wipe me out?

Should I, in self-righteous indignation, write people out of my life?

Not if I understand the Gospel. Advent renews the story of the revelation of a New Covenant. God, acting from an amazing grace and a love that defies my understanding, steps into the darkness, not away from it.  He intervenes, not to destroy, but to restore. The Bible says - "When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, no one is likely to die for a good person, though someone might be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners." (Romans 5:6-8, NLT)
 

Our brokenness becomes the place for the display of God's beauty! Our sinfulness provides the canvas on which He paints His picture of forgiveness.  The darkness makes His Light shine brilliantly. And, the paradox of grace is that God’s love, not our best efforts, changes us from sinner to saint -  "It isn’t something you have earned, so there is nothing you can brag about." (Ephesians 2:9, CEV)

Advent brings a new sense of hope - for myself, for the world that I live in. It is not a hope that springs from some personal victory. This hope comes from the promise of Jesus Christ to love me (and thus to help me love others!) in spite of my sin. The grace of my Lord invites me to sing the Watt’s lyrics in joyful celebration -"Joy to the world, the Lord is come. Let earth receive her King! He comes to make His blessings flow far as the curse is found!"

Oh, may His grace make me more 'grace-full.' Instead of seeking to dismiss or destroy those who sin - against God or even against me with some small offense - I pray that I will be full of love that looks for a way to restore.

Are you in despair this morning?
Are you discouraged - by your own sins, by the failures of a friend or family member, by the darkness of the world?

Get down on your knees in humility and look up to the Cross where the broken Savior built a bridge that connects sinful people, deserving of destruction, with their Creator Father. Take renewed hope and rejoice in the amazing grace that can transform the most desperate sin or situation into a thing of beauty. Here’s the word from the Word for today: "As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, …But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ …  For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. … He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near." (Ephesians 2:1, 4-5, 10, 17, NIV)

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Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing.

Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods,
rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders, of His love. - Isaac Watts

There's a flood a-comin'

Insight is a valuable trait, enjoyed by only a few, but available to all. A person with insight sees what others cannot see. He peers behind the obvious and discerns the realities of the situation. This gift allows him to anticipate what is developing in his world. He then wisely take steps to change course or to prepare for what's ahead. Sometimes insight comes from long experience with a certain subject. A physician gains insight into the nature of our maladies by learning how to put together symptoms to form conclusions. A counselor learns to see motives, hidden agendas, unspoken expectations in those she guides.

The Spirit-filled Christian gains insight from a gift God gives: faith! Faith gives an ability to see past 'the obvious' and to align ourselves with God's plans. This allows us to bring great blessings to those around us. The Bible says that by faith Noah saw the coming judgment of God, a flood unlike anything ever seen on earth, and his insight allowed him to prepare a means of conveying his family to safety. "By faith, Noah built a ship in the middle of dry land. He was warned about something he couldn't see, and acted on what he was told. The result? His family was saved. His act of faith drew a sharp line between the evil of the unbelieving world and the rightness of the believing world. As a result, Noah became intimate with God. " (Hebrews 11:7, The Message)

Did you note the interplay between the provision of God and the responsibility of Noah? God showed him what was to come, but the choice of obedience belonged to Noah. When he acted, 'in holy fear,' (NIV- the Greek word of the NT included the meanings of being cautious, or acting out of awe or reverence) he brought God's grace to his family and they were saved! The story in Genesis tells us that Noah worked on the project that most everyone regarded as folly for years and years, sustained by the insight that faith gave to him. He saw the coming judgment, walked with the Spirit, and led his family to salvation.

Are you wisely seeking the insight that comes from the Word and intimacy with the Spirit?

Are you willing to say a resounding yes of obedience to God's leading, even when the reward is hidden far from present situations?

Or, are you playing the fool, living for the moment, blinded by pleasure?

Pray for faith to increase. Here's the word from the Word. May insight increase and the reward be our salvation.

" Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." (Hebrews 11:1, NIV) "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." (Hebrews 11:6, NIV)

"By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going." (Hebrews 11:8, NIV) "For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God." (Hebrews 11:10, NIV)

"All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth." (Hebrews 11:13, NIV) "God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect." (Hebrews 11:40, NIV)

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Life in the Light

Tears welled up in my eyes as compassion filled my heart.  The disappointment and pain in the conversation was sharp, piercing even. “God chose not to intervene,” he said; and he was right. The situation was not the desired outcome.  I encouraged him to have faith in God even as my own mind protested. “But, why trust Him?” I thought. “If He won’t even do this thing, why trust Him at all?”  Momentarily, that flicker of doubt was extinguished as I remembered that to abandon the Lord is to plunge into the dark.  

Without God, I am just a spark drifting through a short window in time, living with no greater purpose or meaning in life other than that which I create by my own understanding.  Can you see the terrible possibilities that grow out of such thinking? If there is no fairness derived from Absolutes laid down by our Creator, if there is no accountability to anyone other than Self, if life’s only purpose is to create a place for myself to enjoy a few pleasures before I breathe my last;  I will become a self-centered person intent only on finding my own fleeting happiness.  A world shaped by people intent only on becoming their True Self will be a cruel world where the powerful exploit the weak, where those who find some privilege have no concern for those who lack access to wealth or justice.

I believe that God is the Creator and that in Him we find our worth.  He shows us the way to know hope, meaning, and ultimately – justice.  Admittedly, this demands faith, for both His ways and purposes are sometimes hidden in mystery.  But, if there are ample reasons to trust Him even then.  Faith is inspired by the amazing persistence of life, by the awesome beauty of the earth, and yes;  by the profound experience of Love.  Greatest of all is the revelation of the Savior, Jesus Christ.  As we enter the season of Advent, we are reminded that He broke into our darkness as the Light!  John tells us that "The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was going to come into the world. … So the Word became human and lived here on earth among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the only Son of the Father." (John 1: 9 -10, 14, NLT)  Isaiah foretold the coming of the One saying that He would be "called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this." (Isaiah 9:6-7, NIV)  In Him we are loved and taught to love.  Because of His birth, death, and resurrection we know that our lives are meant for more than a few short years of trying to feed ourselves and give birth to another generation.

Are you living in the Light?

Are you choosing to trust Him with enduring faith?

Are you dying to Self that you might come to life in Christ?

As we enter this season of Light, pray for renewed faith in the One whose coming, past and future, is the focus of Advent.  Here’s the word from the Word.

"But we are not like those who turn their backs on God and seal their fate. We have faith that assures our salvation. What is faith? It is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see. God gave his approval to people in days of old because of their faith. By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen." (Hebrews 10:39-11:3, NLT)

"So, you see, it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that there is a God and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him." (Hebrews 11:6, NLT)

_________________

Mourning Into Dancing

You have turned my mourning

Into dancing, Lord;

Now my feet are filled

With Your praise.

You have clothed my spirit

With a robe of joy,

You have cast my sorrow away.

For Your anger lasts

But a moment Lord;

And my tears endure

For the night.

But Your favor

Lasts for a lifetime, Lord;

My joy returns

With the morning light.

John G. Elliott

© 1986 BMG Songs, Inc. (Admin. by BMG Music Publishing)

CCLI License # 810055

No power of Hell, no scheme of man

Rich and Robin have a story! It’s not the ‘and they lived happily ever after’ kind, not yet anyway. Five years ago, she found that deadly cancer had invaded her body. She is still living with it, though not controlled by it. Three years ago, Rich also was found to have cancer, which has now moved into his lungs. They were only in their mid-40’s, active pastors of a church, when this news made life hit the brakes hard!  As they spoke at Faith Discovery yesterday, their authentic faith inspired me.  While they pray for healing, they are realistic about the possibility that God will choose not to keep them here on this earth.  Though they deal with weakness, they have not quit on life, either.  As much as they are able, by the Spirit’s power they keep on encouraging, loving, and doing God’s work.

We love miracle stories, don’t we? Somehow the idea that God’s will always ends with a spectacular burst of personal fulfillment has taken root in the hearts of many Christians.  It is absolutely true that we are held safe in His hand, that in His provision and love we do find salvation. But, how do we find those promises and live in them? It is not by insisting on healing, full bank accounts, perfect marriages, or endless days of sunshine!  It is by loving Him and delighting in Him, wherever the path leads. 

You see, God does not promise us endless Summer! But, He does promise us that He is faithful, that when we come to the end of ourselves, that He is still there. Rich challenged us yesterday with a question that bears repeating:  “Do you believe in God, or do you believe God?”  If we only believe in God, then He becomes Someone we use to make life what WE want it to be.  With our service, offerings, and morality we hope to prod Him into giving us ‘the good life.’  If we believe God, then we trust Him to take over and we let Him create new hope, give us the gift of peace that goes beyond human understanding, and shine through us. That is what I saw in Rich and Robin yesterday. They were real about the pain. They did not minimize the sense of loss that came with having to resign from leadership in their church. They did not pretend that tomorrow healing of their bodies will come. They believed God and revealed a depth of faith and peace that can only be understood as supernatural.

In the third chapter of Lamentations (written by Jeremiah nicknamed, “the weeping prophet”) there a is passage I love to read, full of great hope and assurance. "I’ll never forget the trouble, the utter lostness, the taste of ashes, the poison I’ve swallowed. I remember it all …  the feeling of hitting the bottom. But there’s one other thing I remember, and remembering, I keep a grip on hope: God’s loyal love couldn’t have run out, his merciful love couldn’t have dried up. They’re created new every morning. How great your faithfulness! I’m sticking with God (I say it over and over). He’s all I’ve got left. God proves to be good to the man who passionately waits, to the woman who diligently seeks." (Lamentations 3:19-25, The Message)  That is great, isn’t it?  God is faithful.  His love never runs out.

We are not so thrilled by the opening part of the same passage, where we learn of the mystery of God’s willingness to let us walk a pathway of terrible trials and suffering.  These words help us to understand that “happy talk religion” is an empty thing, that there is a faith provided to hold onto hope through impossibly difficult days.  Look at Jeremiah’s lament.  "I am the one who has seen the afflictions that come from the rod of the Lord’s anger. He has brought me into deep darkness, shutting out all light. He has turned against me. Day and night his hand is heavy upon me. …  And though I cry and shout, he shuts out my prayers. He has blocked my path with a high stone wall. He has twisted the road before me with many detours. …  My own people laugh at me. All day long they sing their mocking songs. He has filled me with bitterness. He has given me a cup of deep sorrow to drink. He has made me grind my teeth on gravel. He has rolled me in the dust. Peace has been stripped away, and I have forgotten what prosperity is. I cry out, “My splendor is gone! Everything I had hoped for from the Lord is lost!” (Lamentations 3:1-18, NLT) Not so great, is it?  That God could allow those of us He loves to go through times like this shakes us to the core.  Now, go back to the previous paragraph and see what the Word says about genuine hope.

If you’re struggling with disappointment, wrestling with the Lord to own the blessings you think you must have to know joy, re-examine what faith means.  Ask yourself, do I believe in God or do I believe God? Then, pray to accept this day from His hand, along with the grace He can give for the tests and trials of the day. In Jesus Christ, my hope is secure and I know that just as He was resurrected to glory, that I will be, too! Here’s the end of the Story.  "I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son." (Revelation 21:2-7, NIV)

________________

In Christ Alone

In Christ alone, my hope is found,

He is my light, my strength, my song.

This Cornerstone, this solid Ground,

Firm through the fiercest drought and storm!

What heights of love, what depths of peace,

When fears are stilled, when strivings cease.

My Comforter, my All in All,

Here in the love of Christ, I stand.

No guilt in life, no fear in death,

This is the power of Christ in me.

From life's first cry, to final breath,

Jesus commands my destiny!

No power of hell, no scheme of man,

Can ever pluck me from His hand,

‘Till He returns or calls me home,

Here in the power of Christ I'll stand.

Keith Getty | Stuart Townend

© 2001 Thankyou Music (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing)

CCLI License # 810055