The Pastor’s Pen

Lincoln writes to encourage and build up God’s people with God’s Word.

Selfless God

By / The Pastor's Pen / 3 minutes of reading

When considering the many components within a person’s character, selfishness, or selflessness, often stands out as obvious.

From the first sin ever committed, selfishness was in Lucifer’s heart when he thought to himself “I will make myself like the Most High” (Isaiah 14:14). Not surprising then, that selfishness was at the heart of the serpent’s temptation of Eve, who looked upon the forbidden fruit, and in essence said to herself, eating will bring me pleasure. So she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband (Genesis 3:6). And to this day, we all experience the painful outcome of Eve’s selfish decision.

However, Yahweh is the opposite. From the beginning of time, He is seen to be selfless in His character and interactions with His creation. From a human perspective, none is more selfless than God’s son, Jesus Christ. Who made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death – even death on a cross! (Philippians 2:7-8). It should not surprize us then, that Jesus said selflessness is the second most important of all God’s commandments: You shall love your neighbour as yourself (Mark 12:31), which Paul repeated in Galatians 5:14.

The Christian life, especially church life, is not about self. Rather, it’s about the Lord Jesus Christ and His people, who Christ has partnered us with. Next to how you live Christ in your home and family, your local church congregation is the primary place where your true heart condition will express itself. Overflowing from your relationships within the family of God, will come your relationships with your non-believing friends and colleagues. Jesus explained this in John 13:35, by this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. Selfless love within the body of Christ is Jesus’ powerful declaration to the world of His selfless love expressed on the cross.

Jesus’ love is the foundation for Paul’s exhortation in Ephesians 5:1-2, be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. If we desire to be increasingly like God, and we should, Jesus is our template. The self-sacrificing love Jesus has for us continues as a sweet smelling sacrifice to God, which we are to mimic.

Selfless God did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all… (Romans 8:32). Oh, may we invite the severity of God’s example to grip our hearts? Yahweh surrendered His only Son to the cross for we sinners. For God so loved the world, that He gave his only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16). How can we ever look at the world or our fellow Christian with selfish eyes with such a mountainous and glorious example before us.

May we today, pray with David, who pleaded in Psalm 119:36, Incline my heart to Your testimonies, and not to selfish gain! May we obey Paul’s exhortation in Philippians 2:3-4, Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. In these ways, may we be imitators of God, as beloved children. May selfless God truly be our God, our Saviour, and our LORD. May selfless Jesus Christ, by the power of selfless Holy Spirit, dominate our characters and lives for His glory and the blessing of others.

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Jephthah the Faithful

By / The Pastor's Pen / 3 minutes of reading

Judges chapters 11-12 begins with a married man by the name of Gilead, committed adultery with a prostitute, who gave birth to a boy who was named Jephthah. Jephthah grew up in his father’s household with his stepmother who also gave birth to other sons by Gilead. As the boys grew up, Jephthah’s half-brothers resented him and eventually drove him out of the family. You shall not have an inheritance in our father’s house, for you are the son of another woman. Then Jephthah fled from his brothers and lived in the land of Tob, and worthless fellows collected around Jephthah and went out with him. Consequently, Jephthah became a mighty warrior (Judges 11:1-3).

Sometime later, the Ammonites came to make war against Israel. The leaders of the tribe of Gilead sent for Jephthah, seeking military assistance. They offered to serve Jephthah if he helped them defeat their enemy, to which Jephthah agreed. Initially, Jephthah sent a conciliatory message to the Ammonite king attempting a peaceful solution. But they rejected, making war inevitable.

By now, Jephthah had an only daughter, and they lived in Mizpah. Foolishly, Jephthah promised God, saying, if you give the Ammonites into my hands, whatever comes out of the door of my house to meet me when I return in triumph from the Ammonites will be the Lord’s, and I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering (Judges 11:30–31).

Well, Jephthah went to battle against the Ammonites and defeated them. Upon arriving home, his daughter was first to come out of the house to greet him (Judges 11:29, 32-34).

How could this have happened?

Apparently, it was customary for people of that time and place, to have animals living in the ground level of their house. Possibly Jephthah expected an animal to greet him first, not his daughter. As you can imagine, this unexpected surprize caused him enormous grief. What’s more surprizing, was his daughter’s response when he explained his vow to her. She accepted the consequences, only asking for two months to mourn first (Judges 11:37–38). At the end of two months, she returned to her father, who did with her according to his vow that he had made (Judges 11:39).

Jephthah kept his vow to God, and the event became an Israelite custom for the daughters of Israel to mourn the event yearly for four days (Judges 11:40).

However, following Jephthah’s defeat of the Ammonites, the Israelite tribe of Ephraim became angry with him for attacking the Ammonites without inviting them to help. They threatened to burn his house over him with fire (Judges 12:1). This led to a battle between the tribes, with Gilead killing 42,000 Ephraimites. Jephthah went on to judge Israel for six years (Judges 12:6-7).

Lessons from Jephthah:
1) God can use us now and in the future regardless of our background, our history, or what others think of us.
2) Be careful not to make rash promises.
3) Even when we do the right thing, we may have to endure hardship from others.
4) Like Jephthah, who lived a righteous life as judge over Israel, we too can faithfully walk with the Lord, despite our irregularities, our failings, and even our occasional foolish decisions.
5) God never withheld His Spirit’s blessing from Jephthah, who is recorded in 1 Samuel 12:11 and Hebrews 11:32, as a man of faith whom God used.
6) God does not look for reasons to discriminate against His children. Nor does He hold past faults against those who are repentant, forgiven, and cleansed in Jesus (Romans 8:1; 1 Corinthians 6:11).

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Weakness that strengthens

By / The Pastor's Pen / 3 minutes of reading

There’s a line of worldly thinking which conveys the idea that weakness deprives us of happiness, therefore, weakness must be bad, wrong, and unloving. Such people often view weakness as debilitating and of no value. As Christians, we need to be careful not to buy into this wrong thinking.

God, on the other hand, actively employs our weaknesses as a means for strengthening us with His divine resources and for the purpose of His glory. As we read Scripture, we repeatedly see the Lord achieving this in ways we never imagined possible. He does this by using our pains, our inabilities, our struggles, and even the criticism of others. Into this unpleasant mix, He adds His behind-the-scenes power, coordinating so-called chance happenings, and stirring our hearts by His Spirit to recognise His work. Most of the time, we’re not aware of His miraculous power at work, however, we often have the joy of seeing the gracious results.

Our Saviour is not a harsh task master, rather, Christ is our high priest who… sympathises …with our weaknesses, …who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin (Hebrews 4:15). He truly understands us. Therefore, view your struggles as the Lord views them, as customised opportunities to squash self-dependence while increasing our reliance upon His sufficiency. This requires persevering faith in His ability to meet our needs and to be glorified through our struggles.

The apostle Paul explains that while in Asia, the affliction they experienced… caused them to feel …utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself (2 Corinthians 1:8). While Paul confesses his vulnerability and desperation, he noticed that through his extreme suffering, Christ was rising to be Lord of his human priorities. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong (2 Corinthians 12:10). Paul recognised the essential opportunities for Christ’s purposes offered through times of suffering. In these times Christ’s strength can be experienced, causing inexplicable contentment.

James, the half-brother of Jesus, exhorts us to count it all joy… when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.  Realising his reader’s difficulty in understanding their trials, James offers instruction with a promise. If any of you lacks wisdom… in relation to your trials …let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him (James 1:2-5). Wisdom from the Lord infuses divine reasoning into our human experience, providing us with a heavenly perspective of our weakness and suffering.

The apostle Peter, who knew severe failure, uplifts his readers by reassuring them that God’s divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence (2 Peter 1:3). Therefore, growing our knowledge of God through His Word in difficult times is essential.

When we have exhausted all our ideas, energies, and resources, then are we set free from self to lean in dependant faith upon Christ. Through prayerfully reading God’s Word, we discover comfort in Christ and His majestic character. Through meditation upon His Word, we find earthly ease in recognising His sovereignty. We find relief while waiting for His intervention in our circumstances. We find peace, and even joy, from the truths of Scripture, and we find hope in His Lordship over our time and destiny.

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Worship that Yields

By / The Pastor's Pen / 3 minutes of reading

Worship is an essential part of the Christian life as it orders our beliefs and priorities with Christ at the top. Worship lifts our thoughts and heart affections above the things and relationships of this world and attaches them to God. Without God-centred worship, we quickly regress to man-centred  religion with self in the middle. Therefore, worship that focuses on God is critical to a healthy and resilient walk of faith.

At the heart of authentic worship is a yielded attitude that confesses failings and inadequacies while proclaiming the majestic character of Christ. As Paul explained to the believers in Phillipi, believers in Christ worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh (Philippians 3:3). A self-elevated heart attitude disqualifies worship as it fails to recognise the supremacy of Christ, compromising Jesus’ Lordship with self-importance. Confidence in our fleshly desires, abilities, and achievements can only distract us from confidence in Christ.

Holy Spirit enabled worship always glories in Christ at the expense of self. Spirit motivated worship is permeated by awareness of God’s mercy which inspires real world sacrifices. This was Paul’s understanding when he instructed the Roman believers to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship (Romans 12:1). No part of our lives, no relationship, and no desires or expectations are excluded from the prioritising effects of worship motivated by God’s mercy.

Recognising that every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights… (James 1:17), believers redirect the accomplishments of this life to worship of the giver. God’s worthiness for whole-hearted worship rises above the difficulties caused by the pains of life. Amid life’s complexities and the difficulties of leading a rebellious nation, Moses’ song of worship reflected his heart’s attachment to the LORD. For I will proclaim the name of the LORD; ascribe greatness to our God! “The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is He (Deuteronomy 32:3-4). Moses was looking far above the imperfections of the nation God had called him to lead, and he saw the multifaceted glory of Yahweh.

Like Paul, our worship begins by surrendering to the truth of God’s Word, which is God’s revelation of Himself. From God’s Word our beliefs and affections grow and develop, equipping us with the truths needed to offer accurate and God honouring praise. I worship the God of our fathers, believing everything laid down by the Law and written in the Prophets, having a hope in God… (Acts 24:14-15).

Scripture refines our beliefs and fuels worthy worship which blesses both God and the church. This is the Holy Spirit’s intension, because God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth (John 4:24). Religious loyalty to set patterns or expectations, fail to express a changed heart and life. Our changed affections rise in praise because if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come (2 Corinthians 5:17). And the new person in Christ longs to worship Him, to speak well of Him, and to sing His praises.

A yielded worshiper seeks the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. They set their minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth (Colossians 3:1-2). For there, in the presence of God, we find salvation, cleansing, security, Godly perfection, and hope of eternal life.

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Surviving Surprises

By / The Pastor's Pen / 3 minutes of reading

Surprises can shock us with joy or grief depending on the circumstances. Unexpected happenings can have either a fun or devastating effect on us, and we have to manage both. Thankfully, for the Christian, God provides the resources needed to not only survive the difficult surprises, but to overcome the shock of them. While impact from good surprises usually pass quickly, sometimes the unwanted ones don’t. In such times we need the LORD to overlay His grace upon our lives in such a way that we realise His protection.

Reading God’s Word with prayer has the ability to calm us, to center our thinking, and to show us different ways of viewing our circumstances from God’s perspective. Scripture exposes us to the heart of God and shows His constant presence in our lives. While prayer, both private and with fellow believers, is a critical expression of our faith response to God. It speaks out what the heart is feeling, and what the mind is thinking. Prayer permits us to explain to the Lord our feelings of conflict, our confusion, our pain, and our need of God. May your unfailing love be my comfort, according to your promise to your servant. Let your compassion come to me that I may live… (Psalm 119:76-77).

God’s Word, read prayerfully, allows for self-examination without abuse from outside. It enables our hearts to be fueled with God’s beauty in the midst of our pain. Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law (Psalm 119:18). Scripture shines light into our darkness which helps align our hearts with God. Give me understanding, that I may keep your law and observe it with my whole heart (Psalm 119:34). God’s Word enables us to understand the necessity for obedience  and selflessness through times of difficulty. Incline my heart to your testimonies, and not to selfish gain! (Psalm 119:36).

Taking in God’s word prayerfully, enables us to recognise that God is able to turn away the reproach (shame) that I dread, for your rules are good (Psalm 119:39). While the enemy strives to attack our hearts with shame, regret, and fear, God speaks certainty and acceptance to us even when we are struggling with failures. My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life. The arrogant mock me unmercifully, but I do not turn from your law. I remember, LORD, our ancient laws, and I find comfort in them (Psalm 119:50-52).

Worship during difficulties is not blind to the painful realities of life. Rather, worship looks above our distress and focuses on the unchanging and holy character of the Lord and His Word. Your decrees are the theme of my song wherever I lodge (Psalm 119:54). Especially when recovering from unpleasant surprises, our souls need to be assured through praising God, through trusting thanks for all things, and through following Him when others are saying and doing the opposite.

Worship heightens our motivation for obedience and inspires Christlike living. Worship shifts our affections towards God while moving our attention to pain away from self. Especially when experiencing unpleasant surprises, we need to consciously infuse joy from worship into our pain. This allows sorrow to be mellowed with the softness of assurance.

Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker! For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts… (Psalm 95:6-8).

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