In Everything Give Thanks!

Thanksgiving is the traditional time to count our blessings and give thanks to God for His goodness to us.  This year as Thanksgiving approaches I've begun to wonder if giving thanks will come as easily and naturally as it has in the past.  The sinful part of me (that still clings even after I have been made a new creation in Christ) would like to focus on the negative aspects of the "new normal" that my wife, Diana, and I are learning to live with since she has been diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer.  A part of me wants to scream, "Not fair!"  But the new me is listening over and over again to Paul's words in 1 Thessalonian 5:18: "Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus."

Therefore, in good Thanksgiving tradition I've made a list of ten things for which I am thankful this year (one for each finger of each hand like the little hand turkeys my girls would make in school when they were little).

1) I am thankful for Diana, who has stood by my side to love, support and encourage me for 42 years of good times and difficult times. I am thankful that she has supported me even when I did not deserve her support.

2) I am thankful for Diana's faith, which has allowed her to receive this diagnosis humbly and trustingly, and to give a strong witness to others in the face of her illness.  She truly is a grace-filled woman of God.

3) I am thankful for Diana's sweet and caring nature that is always more concerned for others than for herself.  I have already seen her reach out in kindness and love to doctors and nurses, other patients and caregivers, to friends and family, when she could easily be wrapped up in her own concerns.

4) I am thankful for state of the art medical care and facilities that are close to home, comfortable and available because we have good health insurance.  Even a little blessing like comfortable waiting rooms and treatment rooms make the doctor visits, treatments and procedures more bearable.

5) I am thankful for doctors, nurses, aids, lab technicians, office people and schedulers who have been kind, helpful and caring, in trying their very best to make difficult circumstances just a little more bearable.

6) I am thankful for science and scientific advancements that have allowed doctors to identify the EGFR mutation in Diana's cancer, which means that it may be possible to use a targeted oral cancer treatment to maintain Diana's health once the first course of chemo-therapy is over.

7) I am thankful to have family nearby to love, support and encourage us in these times of trial, a daughter and grandson at home, and another daughter, son-in-law and grandson close enough to visit without spending a fortune on plane fare.

8) I am thankful for a part-time ministry position that provides some needed extra income in view of medical expenses, yet is not as demanding as being the Senior Pastor.  My ministry allows me to share my faith in the midst of these trials in ways that may help others. My ministry here, and through the years in other places, has connected us with hundreds of brothers and sisters in Christ who are praying, encouraging and loving us through these trials.  What a blessing!

9) Most of all, I am thankful for my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who took our sins and bore our sorrows so that even in the face of death we have an everlasting hope, and the certainty of a joyful reunion with Him and with my dear wife, even after her life here has ended. 

10) Dare I add one more?  Dare I even think it, let alone say it?  I am thankful for Diana's cancer, because it has brought us closer to each other and closer to our
Lord than we have ever been before.  It is teaching us patience and perseverance.  It is building our character and increasing our hope.  I guess that is the definition of "give thanks in all circumstances."

The WHOLE Will of God

A number of years ago I was interviewing a prospective assistant pastor and asked him about his goals in life.  He told me that he had just one goal... to be holy.  His answer blew me away!  We did not end up calling this man to the church I was serving, and I was very happy that we hadn't when I learned sometime later that he had left the ministry when he left his wife and family for another woman.

Ever since I heard his answer I began questioning myself about my own goals.  What was my heart's desire?  What did I truly long for?  What was my aim in life?  And more importantly, what was God's will for me and for my life?  I must confess that sometimes I've told people that my only goal in life was to be holy, but then I would recall that pastor's fall and wonder how anyone could ever claim such a lofty goal.  

And yet, isn't that what God's Word tells us?  Peter wrote: "Just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do" (1 Peter 1:15).  Shouldn't God's will be my will?  Doesn't His Word promise us: "Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart" (Psalm 37:4)?  Truly, when we are delighted in Him, then our heart's desire will be what He desires for us. Didn't St. Paul write: "Aim for perfection" (2 Corinthians 13:11)?

But the failure of my brother kept nagging me.  My own sins kept haunting me.  They kept me from setting my sights too high.  Then, a few days ago I was out on my bike, thinking, praying, and listening to some Christian music (as I usually do when I ride), and I finally came to the full realization of exactly what God expects of me, what His will for my life is, and where He wants me to be in my relationship with Him.

God's will for my life is that I love Him with my whole heart, mind, soul, and strength, that my desire is for Him and Him alone, and that my heart's longing is to honor and please Him in everything that I think and do and say.  Nothing less than this could possibly match the will of our holy God.  But that is only half of God's will for my life. 

The other half of God's will is that I recognize my complete and utter incapacity to do that which I have just expressed, because of my sinful nature.  God's will is that I recognize my complete and utter dependence on the grace of God in Jesus Christ, so that by daily repentance and faith I am made righteous in His sight and receive the free gift of eternal life through the atoning blood of Jesus, who received the payment for my sin in His death on the cross, and won the victory for me by His glorious resurrection.

If I only understand the first half of God's will for my life I will be crushed by the weight of my failure.  If I only understand the second half of God's will for my life I will fail to strive with every fiber of my being to serve and glorify Him in every way.  

To love Him and long for holiness, while trusting Him for the grace that alone can save, that is indeed a good place to be.  It is, I am convinced, to be in the center of God's will.

Some Thoughts from a Grateful Grandfather

Next Sunday, September 8, is national Grandparents Day.  I was getting ready to do a Grandparent's Day chapel for our Christian Day School and I believe God gave me some special thoughts that I want to share.  Let me address some thoughts to children, to parents and to grandparents.

First let's look at grandparents from the kids’ point of view.  Why are grandparents so special?  Kids sometimes seem to appreciate grandma and grandpa more than they do mom and dad.  Why is that?  Well, mom and dad have a job to do.  Their job is to bring you up in the fear and admonition of the Lord. That means they have to teach you right from wrong.  They have to discipline and correct you when you disobey. That’s a tough job, so sometimes they have to be tough with you.  But they’re working hard at it and doing their best.   They're seeking to show you God’s holiness and righteousness, His good and perfect will for your life. So, kids, be thankful for mom and dad too!

For Grandma and grandpa, however, that job’s mostly done (at least much of the time it is).  They did that job for your mom and dad.  That’s why you have such great parents today!  It’s because of your grandma and grandpa.  But now, grandma and grandpa have a different role in your life.

Their role now is to show you another side of God, not His holiness or righteousness, but His love and joy. Did you know that God delights in you?  I think of the passage in Zephaniah.  “The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.” (Zephaniah 3:17)  Or perhaps a verse like this: “For the Lord takes delight in his people; he crowns the humble with salvation. Let the saints rejoice in this honor and sing for joy on their beds.” (Psalm 149:4-5)  Did you ever sing for joy on your bed after spending a wonderful day with grandma and grandpa?  That’s a gift from God through your grandparents.

Through the prophet Jeremiah God says, “I will enjoy doing good to them.” (Jeremiah 32:41)  That’s the way grandma and grandpa are.  They enjoy doing good to you.  That’s their job.  Their job is to be a living illustration of God’s delight in loving you and doing good things for you.  So when grandma dances with you and grandpa plays games with you, they are helping you feel how much God loves you.  They don’t have to be tough with you (unless maybe you have a complete meltdown). 

How many of you have had grandma or grandpa dance over you with joy or sing happy songs with you?  When they do that, they’re doing the job God gave them to do, that is, to show you His love.  You know how it is.  Grandma and grandpa say yes to treats, while mom and dad make you eat your veggies.  Grandma and grandpa play games while mom and dad have other important work to do.  That’s what makes grandparents so great!

Now let’s consider grandparents from the parents’ point of view.   Why do you parent’s appreciate your kids’ grandparents so much?  Hey, free babysitting, right?  But seriously, when your own parents finally become your kids’ grandparents, you appreciate them so much more because you finally get it.  Until you become a parent yourself, you can’t possibly appreciate everything your parents did for you.   But once you become a parent you finally begin to understand all the things your parents did for you.  You begin to comprehend the sacrifices they made and the effort they put forth.  You finally begin to appreciate how hard it is to be a good parent, and that makes you value grandma and grandpa a whole lot more than you ever did before. 

Finally let’s consider grandkids from grandma and grandpa’s point of view.  Why are grandkids so much better than kids?  Well, first of all, they’re payback to your kids, right? But seriously, why are grandchildren such a great blessing to grandparents?  I believe part of it has to do with where we are in life as grandparents.  We’re at a stage where we have a lot more wisdom garnered from our life experience, and a lot more perspective about life’s ups and downs, so I think we’re in a better position to appreciate and enjoy our grandchildren more than we ever did our own children. 

But why do we love being with our grandkids so much?  I think, at least in part, it’s because we don’t have to be tough with them, at least not most of the time.  That’s not our job.  That’s mom and dad’s job.  As I said before, we get to show them the other side of God’s character, His loving side.  We get to demonstrate His unconditional love for them, and we get to show them that God takes great joy in them, that He delights in doing good to them. 

But even more than that, I think the reason grandparents love grandchildren so much is that they give us a special gift from God.  They give us a chance to be kids again.  We get to laugh and play and sing and dance and eat ice cream and do all kinds of things that we didn’t have as much opportunity to do when the full responsibility of parenting our own kids weighed heavily on our shoulders.  Is there a more joyful or carefree time in life than childhood?  I don’t think so.  But when we’re spending time with our grandchildren we get to celebrate the joy of childhood all over again.  We can forget about our aches and pains and the infirmities of aging for just a few minutes and be fun and carefree all over again.  It’s like having a second childhood.  That’s a gift from God through our grandchildren. 

That’s why grandparents are so special and why being a grandparent is so special.  We need to say a special thankyou to God for grandparents and grandchildren.  We need to say a special thank you to our grandparents for the love they show us from our Heavenly Father.   And we need to thank our grandchildren for the special joy they bring to us.  I believe grandparents and grandchildren are extraordinary gifts of God's grace!

Grace through the Flood

Almost 70 years after Enoch was taken from the earth to the LORD, a great grandson named Noah was born.  We may reasonably conclude that the stories of his great grandfather’s righteousness and faith had a strong spiritual impact on Noah because Scripture tells us, “Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God” (Genesis 6:9). Clearly, the character of Enoch inhabited his great grandson, and like his great grandfather he delighted in the company of the LORD.  As He did for Abraham generations later, God took Noah into His confidence and shared His plans with Noah.  “I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them” (Genesis 6:13).  God told Noah to build a huge vessel in which He would preserve the life of Noah and his family, along with two of every kind of animal through an earth-shattering flood.  His faith was evident in that “Noah did everything just as God commanded him” (Genesis 6:22).  When Noah’s work was complete God told him, “Go into the ark, you and your whole family, because I have found you righteous in this generation” (Genesis 7:1).  How is it that Noah was “found righteous” before the LORD?  Just like Enoch, Noah too was a sinner.  And just like Enoch before him and Abraham after him, Noah was accounted righteous before the LORD by grace through faith.  “By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith” (Hebrews 11:7).

God was gracious to Noah and preserved his life through the flood.  When the rain had ended and the waters receded, God told Noah and his family to leave the ark, along with all the animals.  Just as He had previously blessed Adam and Eve, so now God renewed His blessing to Noah and his family.  “Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth’” (Genesis 9:1). God’s grace would cause Noah and his family to repopulate the earth.  God also granted Noah a new source of food that had not been given to Adam and Eve: “Everything that lives and moves will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything” (Genesis 9:3).  However, in a world where animals could now be killed for food, God carefully defined the doctrine of human exceptionalism.  “And for your lifeblood I will surely demand an accounting. I will demand an accounting from every animal. And from each man, too, I will demand an accounting for the life of his fellow man. ‘Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man’” (Genesis 9:5-6).  By this gracious proclamation, God would restrain some of the violence that led Him to destroy the pre-flood world.  This decree was based upon the grace that God poured out on us at the time of creation when He made us in His image.  It is the image of God that makes our lives worth preserving and protecting from conception in the womb to natural death.  It is the image of God that gives us unspeakable dignity and inestimable worth. It is the image of God that makes us worth redeeming, even at the price of God’s own Son.  Thus, God’s grace in creation was renewed after the flood, to protect the life of every human being, so that living and believing in Him we might be redeemed by His grace.

The grace of God would be revealed in an enduring way through the covenant that God made with Noah and his family after the flood.  “And God said, ‘This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.  Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life” (Genesis 912-15).  Although the wickedness of mankind would increase and multiply with the repopulation of the earth, God promised to be gracious and never again destroy all people with a flood.  Every rainbow in the sky, then, is a sign, first to God to remind Him of His gracious promise to us, but the rainbow is also to us, to remind us that God keeps His promises.  He is faithful, and because of His grace we know that we will be spared the fate of Noah’s generation.  Just as God made gracious provision for Noah and his family to be saved, so He has also made provision for our salvation.  “God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also” (1 Peter 3:20-21).  Just as God saved Noah and his family through the waters of the flood, so He has graciously saved us through the water of Holy Baptism.  In this life saving flood our sins were washed away.  Every application of water to our bodies, therefore, should be as rich a reminder of the grace of God as is every rainbow in the sky.  

Copyright by the Author.

Walking with God by Faith

What a terrible effect sin had on mankind in a relatively short period of time.  “The Lord saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time.  The Lord was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain” (Genesis 6:5-6).  In the midst of this wickedness, one man stood out.  His name was Enoch.  Every other descendant of Adam is described as having “lived” a certain number of years.  Of Enoch we are told that “after he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters” (Genesis 6:22).  Others lived a certain number of years, but Enoch “walked with God.”  In order to walk with someone you must be in agreement with them.  This is how Enoch lived, in agreement with the will of the LORD, following Him, devoting himself to pleasing God. 

What a stark contrast Enoch’s life would have been to the great wickedness of humanity as a whole.  While the LORD’s heart was filled with pain because of mankind’s rebellion, the time He spent walking with Enoch each day must have been a source of joy and pleasure.  As a result we are told, “Altogether, Enoch lived 365 years.  Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away” (Genesis 5:23-24).  The writer of Hebrews explains: “By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God.  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 11:5-6).  Enoch earnestly sought the LORD and He rewarded him by taking Enoch out of this life into His eternal presence without tasting death.  Like Elijah who was swept up into heaven in a fiery chariot “Enoch could not be found, because God had taken him away.”  We know, however, that “There is not a righteous man on earth who does what is right and never sins” (Ecclesiastes 7:20).  This has been true ever since Adam and Eve fell into sin.  So how is it that Enoch, although he must have been a sinner, was rewarded by escaping the wages of sin, which is death?  It was by grace through faith.  Remember what Hebrews 11:5 says, “By faith Enoch was taken from this life.”  “By faith” means that Enoch’s trust in the LORD was met with grace that rescued him from death and brought him to his eternal reward.  So these simple words, “he was no more” are a testament to the grace of God.   

Although almost every human being from the dawn of time has had to taste death because of our sin, God has made a way for us to cheat death.  Jesus promised, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies” (John 11:25).  We may not leave this world like Enoch or Elijah, but we will join them in eternity, by the grace of God through faith in His Son. 

Copyright by the Author. 

Signs of Grace

Genesis 3:21 records another gracious act by God on behalf of Adam and Eve.  When they ate of the forbidden fruit, the first couple felt ashamed and became aware of their nakedness.  Foolishly, they tried to cover their own sin and shame by sewing together aprons made of fig leaves.  Having no experience with death of any kind, you can imagine their surprise when those leaves became brittle and crumbled, leaving them exposed and disgraced once again.  Every attempt we make to cover our own sin is just as foolish and just as futile.  However, “The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.”  God’s kind gesture required the very first sacrifice of animals.  This sacrifice was a forerunner of the sacrifices God would later require of His people, which were themselves types of the supreme sacrifice that God Himself would make to save mankind from sin and restore us to fellowship with Him.  The undoubtedly beautiful clothes that God made for Adam and Eve would be a continual reminder of His love for them, and His gracious provision to overcome their sin and shame.  When the proper time would come, God’s own Son would be sacrificed so that we can be clothed in the robe of His righteousness, an even more beautiful garment than Adam and Eve's.  “All of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ” (Galatians 3:27).

The fall into sin brought grievous consequences for every generation following Adam and Eve, including the first generation of their children.  Eve recognized God’s grace in the birth of her firstborn, Cain, when she said, “With the help of the Lord I have brought forth a man” (Genesis 4:1).  She could not have foreseen, however, that pain that would follow when in a fit of jealous rage he murdered his brother, Abel.  Who can imagine the sorrow this first mother felt at the very first human death, the death of her own son?  And who can fathom the added pain she felt that his death occurred at the hands of her firstborn?   Imagine the horror and outrage of Adam and Eve’s other children over this heinous crime!  It’s no wonder that Cain pleaded with God:  “My punishment is more than I can bear.  Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me” (Genesis 4:13-14).  Such a reaction on the part of Cain’s generation would be understandable.    They may well have thought, “Put to death the murderer, and there will be no more murders.”  Cain had good reason to fear for his life.  But God immediately quashed Cain’s fears.  He said: “‘Not so; if anyone kills Cain, he will suffer vengeance seven times over.’ Then the Lord put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him” (Genesis 4:15). Yes, God cursed Cain because of his sin, as He had Adam and Eve, denying him a settled life of farming like his father, and forcing him to become a nomad, in the land of wandering (that is, “Nod”) east of the Garden of Eden.  But God also put a mark on Cain to deter anyone who might try to avenge Abel, threatening vengeance on them seven times over.  On the basis of Scripture we don’t know that nature of this mark or sign, but surely this was a sign of God’s grace.  God’s Word says, “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed” (Genesis 9:6).  Cain was deserving of death for his capital crime, but God in His grace preserved his life.  This is just the first example of what David teaches us about the Lord in Psalm 103:10: “He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.”  

How often we complain that life is not fair.  In truth, we should be thankful that life isn’t fair.  As the song “Justice for All” by Bob Kauflin puts it: 

How many times have we cried out to God saying life just isn't fair,

Complaining we don't get what we deserve and wondering if He cares.

Somehow we're not so amazed anymore by the grace that has brought us thus far,

When we feel God owes us explanations for the grievances in our hearts

But there is justice for all measured by One,

When Innocence received the wrath for the wrongs of everyone.

Justice for all so the guilty could be spared,

And be thankful that this life is not fair.

Truly, like Cain, we can be thankful that this life isn’t fair.  If we received all the justice from the hand of God that we deserve for our sins, we would be lost forever.  But thankfully, God sent His Son to take that just punishment for us.  Everyday, I wear a mark, a sign of God’s grace around my neck to remind me that even though I deserve to die because of my sin, God has spared my life and redeemed me for eternity through the death of His own Son, Jesus Christ my Savior.  The sign that I wear is a cross.  I thank God for this mark of His grace!

Copyright by the Author.

Grace in the Garden

Just before the story of God’s creation of Eve, the Genesis account took us to the Garden of Eden. Not far from where I lived in Puyallup, Washington there is an 80-acre park, the majority of which is a natural, old growth, temperate rain forest.  It is a beautiful place to walk and appreciate the huge Douglas fir trees that grow hundreds of feet tall.  Despite the natural beauty, its splendor cannot compare with another park in the Pacific Northwest.  Buchart Gardens in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada is one of the most spectacular gardens in the world.  Encompassing 55 acres of flowers, shrubs and trees, the variety and colorful array of plants arranged in numerous settings is breathtaking to behold.  Although I loved the natural beauty of Wildwood Park it couldn’t even come close to approaching the cultivated and managed beauty of Buchart Gardens.

Buchart Gardens in Victoria, British Columbia

Undoubtedly the competed earth, unstained by sin, was very beautiful, much like the natural beauty of Wildwood Park.  Nevertheless, when God was done with His work of creation, He went to the additional trouble of planting the Garden of Eden in which He placed Adam “to work it and take care of it” (Genesis 2:15).   This was a very gracious act on God’s part, by which He gave Adam an understanding of what sort of things he might do as the steward of God’s creation.  Undoubtedly it fueled Adam’s creativity and made him dream of what creation might become as he worked with it.  This gracious act of God also gave Adam and Eve a sense of meaning and purpose.  They had a job to do, by which they could carry out their responsibility to exercise dominion on God’s behalf, and by which they could honor and glorify Him.  The Garden, which only briefly became home to the first couple, was truly a gift of God’s grace.  Sadly, they would soon have to exit their beautiful home because of their rebellion. 

Genesis 2:9 reveals something special about the garden God planted for His pair of partners in horticulture. “In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” The Tree of Life was a gift of grace, intended by God to extend Adam and Eve’s life in the flesh eternally.  The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil was an indication of one aspect of the image of God, that is, sovereignty or free will.  Sovereign, like Himself, God gave Adam and Eve the freedom either to sovereignly obey His injunction not to eat of the tree, or to sinfully choose their own will over God’s will.  Had God not given that first pair any prohibitions of any kind, they would not have complete freedom of will to choose as they saw fit.  This was grace on God’s part, and sadly, grace that would require more grace.  Because of their willful disobedience, after the fall mankind’s will was unfortunately, bound by sin. True sovereignty could never again be exercised apart from the grace of God, because only God’s grace in Jesus Christ, and our new birth in Him frees us to choose God’s will, to obey and honor Him.  This gracious gift of The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil was also essential for us to be able to have a meaningful, personal relationship with the God who created us.  If human beings were to be able to choose to love and serve God freely in response to His love for us, then we had to have freedom of choice.  Ever since Adam and Eve chose sin, it is only because of God’s grace and love, through the power of the Holy Spirit who brings us to faith, that we are able to choose God’s glory over our own selfish desires. That first choice that God gave Adam and Eve made this possible.

As a result of their refusal to obey God’s command, Adam and Eve lost the beautiful home that God had prepared for them.  “And the Lord God said, ‘The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.’  So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken.  After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life” (Genesis 3:22-24).

Even this divine decree was a gracious one, although at first blush it appears to be very harsh, enforced by cherubim with flaming swords.  It was not God’s desire to trap Adam and Eve in an everlasting life of sin and sorrow. If Adam and Eve had been allowed to remain in the Garden and had eaten from the tree of life, their existence would be eternally marred by sin, as well as by the effects of God’s curse on creation and the chaos it would bring.  Instead, He intended for death to become the portal to life.  And how would this come about?  Through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.   “Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil—and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death” (Hebrews 2:14-15).  Although death itself would be a fearsome enemy, an eternal life of sin and sorrow would be far worse. In the end, death itself would be destroyed, and through Christ’s victory over sin and death, even the curse that was placed on the creation by its Creator would only be temporary.  “For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God” (Romans 8:20-21).  Therefore, God’s judicial decree that drove mankind out of the Garden would ultimately prove to be a gracious one, when the definitive gift of grace appeared, that is, the gift of God’s own Son.

Copyright by the author.

Presidential Courage and Hypocrisy

In 1983 Ronald Reagan became the only U.S. President to author a book published while he was in office.  What was the title of President Reagan’s book?  It was titled Abortion and the Conscience of the Nation.  Yes, while in office and running for re-election Reagan took a stand for the sanctity of life. 

What a stark contrast to the events of April 26th, when President Obama became the first sitting president to speak at the National Planned Parenthood Conference. Not only did Obama speak at this event, but during the course of his remarks he even invoked God's blessing upon the very people who are involved in the death of more innocent unborn children than any other organization in human history! No other president has had the arrogance to openly endorse the slaughter of innocents.

What a shock it was then, when speaking today at a National Day of Prayer event President Obama had the audacity to speak the following words: "Regardless of religion or creed, Americans reflect on the sacredness of life and express their sympathy for the wounded, offering comfort and holding up a light in an hour of darkness."  No, he was not speaking about women or children killed or wounded by abortion, like the victims of Kermit Gosnell on trial for murder in Philadelphia.  Obama was referring to the Boston Marathon Bombing.  Nevertheless, his hypocrisy should make us cringe!  How dare he speak of the “sacredness of life” in light of his wholehearted endorsement of Planned Parenthood?!  Where is the outrage?

God's Grace in Marriage

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Shortly after the account of God’s creation of Adam from the dust of the earth, God speaks a word that had not yet been heard in creation.  Up to this point, God’s concluding word after each day’s creation work was, “And God saw that it was good.”  Now, in Genesis 2:18 God says: “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” God recognized Adam’s need for a partner, but even more, He wanted Adam to recognize his own need.  Therefore, God brought before Adam all the “beasts of the field and all the birds of the air” that He had created in order to have Adam exercise his dominion by naming them.  I cannot help but believe that God had them pass by Adam in procession two by two, each with its partner, in order to drive home Adam’s unique aloneness. Thus, the conclusion, “But for Adam no suitable helper was found.”  God, of course, already had His plan in place and immediately He caused Adam to fall into a deep sleep, as though he were anesthetized, and took a rib, which He used to create a partner for the man.  Once again, this is the grace of God at work, providing for Adam’s deepest needs.  His kindness is expressed well in the words of a song by Eddie Carswell and Michael O'Brien, that I use as the ringtone on my iPhone for my wife, Diana. 

Oh I wonder what God was thinking, when He created you.
I wonder if He knew everything I would need,
Because He made all my dreams come true.
When God made you, He must have been thinking about me.

Obviously, God was thinking of Adam when He created Eve, and the moment he laid eyes on her, Adam realized what a gracious gift he had received from God.  “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.” The highlight of this story in my mind, however, is the lengths to which God went to help Adam appreciate His grace.  How often do we simply take God’s loving kindness and His gracious gifts for granted?

Along with the gift of a suitable partner for Adam in Eve, God’s grace was also evident in the gift of marriage.  Verse 24 describes the marital union God established between one man and one woman:  “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.” In amazingly simple language God articulates the threefold bond of marriage.  First it is a societal bond in which a man leaves his father and mother to establish a new family unit.  This is the bedrock institution of all human society.  Second, it is an emotional and spiritual bond in which a man cleaves, clings, holds fast, stays close, or is joined to his wife in heart, mind and soul.  Finally, it is a physical bond that provides the security and commitment necessary for a safe and beneficial expression of our sexuality, as well as care and nurture for the children who are the God-blessed result of the sexual union.  With such a gift in place, the concluding statement of Genesis chapter two makes perfect sense:  “The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.”  All of this was because of God’s grace.

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Life and Breath and Daily Food

God graciously provided for Adam and Eve by giving them the gift of food to sustain their lives. “Then God said, ‘I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food’” (Genesis 1:29).  Animals and human beings are consumers.  Our bodies must have glucose and other nutrients in order to sustain cellular respiration.  Without them, we would die.  Plants, on the other hand, are producers.  They produce glucose and other mono-saccharides through photosynthesis.  By giving us this renewable source of food, God graciously provided for our lives here on earth.  In a joyful Psalm of praise, David glorifies God for this gracious gift.  “The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time. You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing” (Psalm 145:15-16).

As we draw to the close of the creation story we are told, “So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.”  This is the second time that the word for blessing is used, and once again it conveys the grace of God to mankind.  God’s “rest” on that first day signified the perfection of God’s work, complete and consecrated for the glory of its Creator.  But God knew what lay ahead.  He understood that perfection would be short-lived, and that very soon rest would be hard to come by in a world full of turmoil resulting from sin.  Therefore, He blessed the seventh day and set it apart as a holy time for sinful mankind to turn from their toil back to their Creator and rest in Him.  The one day of rest out of seven would prove a tremendous blessing from God’s store of grace.

The brief, poetic account of the creation of all things (including mankind) in chapter one, is followed by a dramatic portrayal of the creation and fall of mankind beginning in chapter two.  The two accounts supplement each other.  Immediately, “God” (אֱלֹהִים elohim) becomes “the LORD God” (אֱלֹהִים יהוה yhwh elohim) because the Creator God (elohim) is also the Covenant God (yhwh), and this account of the creation and fall of mankind underpins the entire concept of the covenant throughout the whole Bible.  This account demonstrates God’s desire to live in a loving personal relationship with mankind, and the need for redemption in light of the fall into sin, in order to restore that kind of relationship between God and man.  Thus, even the use of the name “the LORD God” is a sign of God’s grace.

Verses four through six contrast the incompleteness of creation before mankind with its wholeness, once mankind is introduced into it. Verse seven portrays God’s work of creating the man (Adam) in a very loving manner.  “The LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground” in the same way that a potter lovingly fashions a formless lump of clay into an exquisite work of art.  Then God “breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.”  The intimate connection between the Creator and His creation as He brings him to life is a visible demonstration of the love God has for mankind.  The very gift of life comes directly from the breath of God.  Could there be any more loving act on God’s part to begin the close personal relationship that He desires for us to have with Him?  And what gift could anyone possibly receive that would be more gracious than the gift of life itself?  There is nothing Adam could have done as an inanimate lump of clay to deserve life.  Freely, graciously God gives the gift that He alone could give—the gift of life—the gift that sadly, Adam would forfeit shortly, because of his sin.  But in this verse we see grace and grace alone. 

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Grace in Advance of Dominion Rejected

Another instance of God’s grace in creation was His declaration: “let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”  By this decree God gave us dominion to rule over His creation as His chosen agents.  Psalm 8 speaks to the remarkable nature of this divine pronouncement: “What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet” (Psalm 8:4-6).  David recognized that there is nothing in us that would merit God’s favor to entrust us with such a tremendous responsibility.  This is sheer grace.  By this gracious declaration God gave Adam authority to rule over the earth as His representative. God demonstrated the reality of this gracious declaration to Adam when He brought before him all the animals that God had created and had Adam name each one of them.  This was living proof of God’s grace in granting Adam dominion of His creation.

Sadly, Adam and Eve despised God’s gift and decided to trade their God-given dominion for the lie that they could be “like God” and rule in their own right, apart from the grace of God and without being subject to Him. Their fall into sin is the first instance of anyone despising the grace of God, and thereby rejecting it.  But even though Adam and Eve fell for Satan’s trap, God did not cease to grant them grace.  In fact, God understood that because of sin they would need His grace more desperately than ever before, so He continued to show them grace in numerous ways.   

Genesis 1:29 says that God “blessed” them.  The Hebrew word used here means to speak words invoking divine favor, with the intent that the person who is blessed will have favorable circumstances or live in a favorable state in the future.  In other words, God blessed Adam and Eve with hope for the future.  This divine favor for the future was completely underserved, because we know that God realized in advance that Adam and Eve would rebel against Him and disobey His command.  Paul wrote in Ephesians chapter one: “he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—to the praise of his glorious grace” (Ephesians 1:4-6).  Even before God blessed Adam and Eve He chose them to be His own in spite of the fact that they would despise His grace.  He chose them in hope to be His own, even though He knew that they would forsake Him.  God blessed them and told them to “be fruitful and multiply” even though He recognized that through their offspring sin would be multiplied and spread over the whole earth.  But God also understood that He had a plan to conquer sin and the resulting death, through the seed of the woman, and so God blessed them anyway.  That’s grace!

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Grace in the Image of God

The primary instance when God demonstrated His grace in creation was when He created human beings.    In the counsel of the Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit conferred together and concluded this:  “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground” (Genesis 1:26). Two separate aspects of this declaration powerfully display the grace of God.  First, God determines to create man in His own image, an honor conferred on no other creature.  Then, God proceeds to entrust to mankind the whole creation that He has spent the past six days bringing into existence.  These two remarkable decisions truly are the grace of God made manifest—His undeserved love on display in all its glory!

“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:27).  The choice God made to create us in His own image was absolutely essential for us to be able to both receive and value the grace of God.  If we were not created in the image of God we would be unable to have a personal faith relationship with Him.  And it is because we are in relationship with God that we can actually appreciate His grace.  True, God demonstrates His goodness even to the unbeliever and the ungodly.  “He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous” (Matthew 5:45).  Therefore, anyone can be a recipient of the common grace of God, even animals and other creatures.  However, the unbeliever does not recognize the good gifts he receives as coming from God.  He does not understand that they are signs of God’s goodness and mercy.   Only after we have come to faith and been born again, only after the image of God that was destroyed by sin has begun to be restored in us, can we really appreciate the common grace of God as being “of God.”  And without that faith relationship we can in no way experience the special grace of God by which He redeems, justifies, sanctifies and glorifies His people. Therefore, God’s act of creating us in His image may have been the most gracious act of all.

What does it mean to you to be created in the image of God?  Our reason and intelligence, our ability to communicate using language and symbols, our creativity and spiritual nature are all aspects of what it means to be created in the image of God.  These things set us apart from every other creature God has made.  We are truly unique and truly blessed with the grace of God.  

Copyright by the Author.