What ‘Ditches’ Are You Willing to Dig?

When discussing matters of faith, we get a wide range of perspectives. Some folks simply have what I call ‘faith in faith,’ as if things mysteriously have ways of working themselves out. Some place their trust in what ‘the universe’ will bring about. Others have faith in karma, serendipity, or “fate.” 

Biblical faith, however, is very different from any of those. It’s more than simple belief. If you were to turn it into a mathematical equation, it would be BELIEF + TRUST = FAITH. It’s sincere belief and trust put into action. It’s like the toddler standing at poolside, looking at mom or dad in the pool with arms extended, and deciding to take a leap – a leap of faith – trusting the parent will catch him or her before going underwater.

 

True faith is like living in a farming area that’s suffering from an extreme drought, going to church to pray for rain – and carrying an umbrella. It’s responding to God’s call to move to an unfamiliar area to serve as a missionary, without knowing the language or understanding the culture. Faith as the Bible defines it is refusing to deny Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, even if it means estrangement from family or even death – something most of us in the United States have never encountered.

 

The Scriptures are filled with accounts of people acting in faith, especially when logic or common sense would have told them doing so was foolish. These help us to understand what it means to truly “walk by faith and not by sight,” as 2 Corinthians 5:7 terms it.

 

We find one such instance early in the Old Testament book of 1 Kings, when the kings of Israel and Judah, along with the king of Edom were leading their armies to do battle with the Moabites. After seven days they had run out of water for themselves and their animals. “Has the Lord called us three kings together only to hand us over to Moab?” complained Israelite king Joram. King Jehoshaphat of Judah knew it wasn’t time to hit the panic button, responding, “Is there no prophet of the Lord here, that we may inquire of the Lord through him?” (1 Kings 3:10-11). 

There was one – Elisha, who had served an apprenticeship under another revered prophet, Elijah. It was time to act in faith, Elisha declared. “Make this valley full of ditches. For this is what the Lord says: You will see neither wind nor rain, yet this valley will be filled with water, and you, your cattle and your other animals will drink. This is an easy thing for the Lord; He will also hand Moab over to you” (1 Kings 3:16-18).

 

Digging ditches in an bone-dry valley, trusting that water would come from nowhere? This probably initially seemed like an exercise in futility, but choosing to trust in the promise of God through the prophet, they ordered trenches to be dug. We’re told in 1 Kings 3:20, “The next morning, about the time for offering the sacrifice, there it was – water flowing from the direction of Edom! And the land was filled with water.”

 

Clearly, it wasn’t enough for the kings to accept the prophet’s assurance that God would provide water. They needed to have ditches dug as they’d been commanded. And their faith – in the face of apparent foolishness – was rewarded.

 

Earlier the Scriptures told us that Elisha’s mentor, Elijah, had prophesied there would be no rain in Israel for several years “except at my word” (1 Kings 17:1). Three-and-a half-years later, after defeating 450 prophets of the false god Baal in a fiery demonstration of God’s power, Elijah correctly declared a torrential storm was coming to end the prolonged drought. 

 

We’d be hard-pressed to count up the times people in the Bible were asked not only to believe God but also to act upon what He had promised. Faith is a foundation for a flourishing relationship with Him. And not once did the Lord fail to do as He said.

 

When confronted with our own challenges and tribulations, it might be tempting to think, ‘Yeah, that was then. But this is now!’ This is where assurances like Hebrews 13:8 can be so encouraging: “Jesus is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Time may have passed, but our God hasn’t changed one iota.

 

This echoes the declaration God gave to Moses when using him to lead the Israelites out of captivity in Egypt. Directing Moses to perform a series of miracles, God said, “This is so that they may believe that the Lord, the God of their fathers – the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob – has appeared to you” (Exodus 4:5).

 

The same God who parted the Red Sea; who saved Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the midst of the fiery furnace, and Daniel from becoming dinner for the lion; who healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, enabled the lame to walk, and brought Lazarus and others back from the dead; and died on the cross, only to be resurrected on the third day, is ready to respond to our pleas today. 

 

As another prophet asserts, “Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor His ear too dull to hear” (Isaiah 59:1). But believing that to be true is only the first step. We need to act upon it, putting feet to our faith. And if necessary, dig some ditches.

Like It or Not, There’s Only One Way to Get In

Back in 2005, the Real ID Act was enacted to require that driver’s licenses and identification cards issued by states and U.S. territories comply with federal standards. It was to enhance security after the events of Sept. 11, 2001. Here we are, two decades later, and it seems the plan will finally be implemented and enforced. Apparently, “soon” in governmental terms has broad interpretation.

Although it appears the actual enforcement may still be delayed, the Real ID eventually will be necessary for boarding domestic airline flights and gaining access to certain federal facilities. Once it goes into full force, if you don’t have a Real ID, your plans to fly somewhere literally won’t get off the ground. 

 

We have the same principle in use when traveling to many foreign countries. Without a passport you can’t get in – and often, without a passport you can’t get out. Kind of like Monopoly, unless you have a passport, you can’t pass ‘Go.’

 

What would you think about someone who strongly objected, telling a boarding agent at an airport or a passport officer, “How intolerant! How narrow-minded! Why must I produce a Real ID (or a passport)?” You might not say it aloud but would probably think to yourself, ‘Hey, buddy, rules are rules. It’s not like this was something that just happened yesterday. These regulations have been in effect for a long time.’

 

I’ve had the privilege of traveling to about a dozen countries; each time I had to present my passport to enter them – and to exit. Not once did I feel a need to dispute the requirements. And I obtained my Real ID well in advance; sooner or later I’ll need it, so why not beat the rush at the DMV?

 

Interestingly, people have a very different reaction to the biblical guidelines for going to Heaven. “There are many ways to God,” some say. Others opine, “It doesn’t matter what you believe, as long as you are sincere.” But getting back to the Real ID or passport analogies, the ticket agent or passport officer would disagree. There’s only one way to get onto a commercial jet, and it’s to produce the proper ID. And no matter how sincere you might be, without a passport, you can’t move from one country to another.

 

In terms of our ultimate destination, once our tenure on Earth has ended, we need to look at what God’s Word has to say about it. And the Scriptures have much to say.

 

One time, maybe while glancing at a flock of sheep grazing in a nearby field, Jesus Christ told His followers, along with a crowd of curious onlookers and religious leaders, “I am the gate; whoever enters through Me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture…. I am the good shepherd; I know My sheep and My sheep know Me…there shall be one flock and one shepherd” (John 10:9-16).

 

Speaking to Martha, one of Jesus’ devoted followers whose brother Lazarus had just died, He said, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die” (John 11:25-26).

 

Perhaps the most direct statement was when He was alone with His 12 disciples. In response to Thomas’s question, “how can we know the way?” Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:5-6).

 

This claim is affirmed repeatedly in the New Testament. Addressing the Sanhedrin, the assembly of the highest-ranking Jewish leaders, the apostle Paul declared, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men [Jesus of Nazareth] by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

 

Writing to his young protégé Timothy, the apostle Paul asserted, “This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all men…” (1 Timothy 2:3-6).

 

We could consider numerous other passages, but 1 John 5:11-13 sums it up: “And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.”

 

With the proper ticket and Real ID, we know we can board an airplane for our chosen destination. And with a passport, we enter a foreign land whether for business or leisure – and then leave when we wish to do so. Doesn’t it make sense to ensure that when we’ve taken our last breath on Earth, we’ll have the proper ‘credentials’ to enter Heaven?

‘Sovereignty’ Prevails in the Derby – and in Life

Did you watch Saturday’s Kentucky Derby? The outcome was intriguing, because Journalism was the odds-on favorite. But at the end, the betting favorite came second to a horse named Sovereignty. (A horse named Publisher finished 14^th, so it wasn’t a good day for the media.) 

 

But getting back to the winner, one dictionary I consulted defines sovereignty as “supreme power or authority.” At least for this first leg of the famed Triple Crown of horse racing, Sovereignty exerted supreme power or authority at the finish.

 

It also was interesting because in his immediate post-race interview, Junior Alvarado, Sovereignty’s jockey, made a point to express thanks to his Lord, Jesus Christ. In the Bible, sovereignty is one of the paramount attributes of God, ascribing to Him the “ultimate authority, power and control over all things, including creation, history, and the lives of individuals,” as an online source puts it.

 

I’m a big fan of giving credit where credit is due, whether it’s a team working together; a teacher or mentor helping to develop someone’s capabilities; a medical professional who has provided life-saving care, or parents who sacrificed to enable a child to succeed. And it’s especially heartening to see athletes acknowledge God for their talents and the opportunities they’ve had to compete on a big stage. 

 

We’ve seen a lot of this of late in a variety of sports, and it affirms the biblical admonition, “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus giving thanks to God the Father through Him” (Colossians 3:17).

 

Does this mean that God ordained that Sovereignty, and not Journalism or some other horse, would win the revered Derby? No. At least not necessarily. Because as theologians will note, while the Lord exerts the ultimate control over His creation, the Scriptures don’t declare that He orchestrates every single outcome. Man’s free will also plays a major role in outcomes, major and minor.

 

In the case of last weekend’s race, myriad details needed to be addressed leading up to it. The winning horse had to be purchased, meticulously trained and cared for, and prepped for such a racing spectacle. The right trainer had to be selected. Jockey Alvarado was an accomplished horseman, but he had to overcome significant health issues weeks earlier even to get in the saddle. 

 

We don’t know from the Scriptures whether God ever has a rooting interest in the outcomes of specific sporting competitions. Especially if there are followers of Jesus opposing one another. But we do know He delights when His people praise Him for enabling them to showcase their talents.

 

As King David wrote in 1 Chronicles 29:17, “Since I know, my God, that You put the heart to the test and delight in uprightness, I, in the integrity of my heart, have willingly offered all these things; so now with joy I have seen Your people, who are present here, make their offerings willingly to You.”

 

We also know that the Lord is not distant and indifferent to His people. In one of David’s psalms he declares, “The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear Him; He hears their cry and saves them…. My mouth will speak in praise of the Lord. Let every creature praise His holy name for ever and ever” (Psalm 145:18-21).

 

Loving and serving God does not always guarantee victory or other forms of worldly success. Partly because we often learn more from defeat than triumph. But we’re told in Psalm 37:4, “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” Sometimes that even means being able to lift the championship trophy in Victory Circle.

‘Schindler’s List’ – and Listlessness

Have you ever seen the film, “Schindler’s List”? I had viewed it when it was first released in 1993, but several weeks ago decided to watch it again. Once more I was struck by its powerful message, in one sense differently from what the filmmakers intended.

Based on the non-fiction novel by Thomas Keneally, it’s about Oskar Schindler, a German industrialist and war profiteer. In the beginning of the movie, we see Schindler (portrayed by Liam Neeson) welcoming World War II for its potential for enabling him to make a lot of money. He’s portrayed as an opportunist, an unapologetic materialist, and a hedonist. Although a member of the Nazi Party, Schindler’s only focus is making money.

 

As time passes, however, he starts becoming aware of the atrocities of the Holocaust and this drastically shifts his perspective. He then sets out to do everything he can to undermine the Nazi madness. Since many of the workers in Schindler’s Krakow, Poland factories are Jews, he realizes they’re in grave jeopardy, not only as employees but also as human beings. He sets off on a plan to shield them from being assigned to the Nazi concentration camps, even arranging for many of them to be transported to safer parts of Europe.

 

Schindler starts compiling the list that the title of the book and movie refers to – names of people who have been delivered from Nazi clutches through his intervention. By the end of the film, Schindler is a broken man, repentant of his self-absorbed lifestyle with only one wish: That he could have done more. 

 

Even though he helped more than 1,000 men, women and children escape extermination in the death camps, in the final scenes Schindler despairs, “I could have got more…. One more person.” “I didn’t do enough.”

 

What a poignant, heartbreaking scene when he looks at the few material possessions he has retained – a ring, a car – and thinks of how he might have sold them to generate money to save even more Jews from the gas chambers.

 

It struck me that Schindler’s passion was to save people from Nazi terror, even though they were individuals who would die one day of other causes – 100 percent of them. They were protected from genocide, but inevitably would all see an end to their temporal existence.

 

What would happen if we, as followers of Jesus, shared a similar passion and sense of urgency for people who need to hear the transforming message of Christ, which can rescue them not from earthly death but from eternal death and separation from God? Sadly, unlike Schindler who had a list of folks he’d been able to save from becoming victims of the Holocaust, too many of us are list-less – content with our everyday lives but exhibiting a listlessness when it comes to matters of eternal consequence.

 

Jesus spoke of this often, including His command to “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15), and His Great Commission, “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations…teaching them to follow all that I commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20).

 

Today we hear much said about “God is love” (1 John 4:8), which is true, but it’s also true that at the same time, He demands justice. Apart from His greatest gesture of love, Christ’s atoning death on the cross as payment for sins and His resurrection, people remain “dead in their trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1).

 

We’re clearly told in the Scriptures that the Lord’s promise of redemption and eternal life comes with one condition. As John 1:12 states, “Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.” The gift of eternal life Jesus described in John 3:16 must be received, just as a gift of any kind is of no value unless it’s accepted by the intended recipient.

 

Which brings us to our role as followers of Christ. The apostle Paul wrote about this to believers in ancient Rome, explaining many have not received this divine gift because they haven’t heard the Good News – at least not in a way that they understood: 

“How, then, can they call on the One they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the One of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are not sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!’” (Romans 10:14-15).

 

This is not an admonishment for us to invite people to church to hear our pastor’s sermon. For many people with whom we work, interact with every day, even live near, we are “Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God” (2 Corinthians 5:20). We’re to take the Gospel message to them.

 

We can applaud and admire the selfless commitment of someone like Oskar Schindler, who upon ‘seeing the light’ set out to save as many as he could from an unspeakable death. But in terms of eternity, this life we have is nothing more than a blink of an eye. As a child wisely observed, “Eternity is a really long time.” 

 

Should we not feel an even greater urgency to tell those around us about the saving grace of Jesus Christ? Don’t we want our loved ones, friends, coworkers and neighbors to “have life, and to have it abundantly,” as Jesus promised in John 10:10? Starting as soon as possible? 

No Question About It, The Struggle Is Real!

Sometimes the power of sin in our lives can seem overwhelming.

When I was a boy, we had a large pine tree in our front yard right next to the street. We had thick hedges growing on both sides of our yard, so when friends were coming to see me or going to another house, they’d walk between the tree and the hedges. Over time, their frequent passage killed the grass that had been growing there and created a well-worn path.

This is essentially how habits – and sins – work. They may start with a single action, but if repeated often enough they can become behaviors. This can be good or bad, depending upon what you’re doing. Sinful behavior, when it happens over and over, can turn into a besetting sin, something extremely difficult to overcome. It becomes a familiar path that’s taken almost without thinking. 

 

Even as followers of Jesus Christ, we’re not exempt from this type of problem. Yes, the Bible says we become “born again” (John 3:3) and “new creations” (2 Corinthians 5:17) when we commit our lives to Him, but old sinful patterns can die hard – in fact, some never die at all.

 

Years ago, I had a friend who had gotten deeply involved with online pornography before committing his life to Christ. Whenever he faced a lot of stress in his life, whether at work or at home, he’d resort to pornography for relief. To use a computer term, it became his ‘default setting.’ After becoming a believer, his familiar sinful “path” unfortunately didn’t disappear. One day he’d succeed at warding off the temptation but would succumb to it the next, filling him with guilt. His struggle was real.

 

This, to one extent or another, is true for every believer, whether new to the faith or a follower of Jesus for many years. The type (or types) of sins we struggle with differ from one person to the next, but they continue to entice us. Even the apostle Paul, a leader of the early Church and author of more than a dozen books of the New Testament, understood this struggle all too well. 

 

He candidly admitted, “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do…. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do – this I keep doing” (Romans 6:15-19). Does this sound at all familiar to you?

 

Some have suggested Paul was reflecting on his life before his dramatic encounter with Christ while traveling the road to Damascus. However, based on the context of his writing as well as his use of present tense verbs, it’s reasonable to conclude that this “super-Christian,” like all of us, continued to struggle with sinful thoughts and behavior.

 

We don’t know specifically what those things were, but that doesn’t matter. The point is, we all have what the Scriptures call our “sinful nature” (Romans 8:5) or “the flesh,” as other translations put it, and God doesn’t eradicate it when we become followers of Jesus.

 

Does that mean we simply shrug our shoulders in resignation, reasoning, “Well, I’m only human. Nobody’s perfect”? Not if we believe the Scriptures. Because God clearly tells us that while sin will never be dead to us, poised to take us off course and back to our old, familiar sinful paths, we are dead to sin. No longer under its domination. And because of that, we need not wallow in guilt.

 

After admitting his own struggles with sin, Paul offered the following assurance:  “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death” (Romans 8:1-2).

 

He’s saying that victory over sin – regardless of how long it’s been with us – is promised through the power of Christ and His Spirit: “For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering…in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit” (Romans 8:3-4).

 

What the Bible teaches is if we’re true followers of Jesus, we don’t need to continue following the same sinful path. God graciously offers an exit so we can start following a new path. Something for us that, to borrow a phrase from poet Robert Frost, might be called, “the road less traveled”

 

There’s an old hymn called “Victory in Jesus.” That’s exactly what we have and can experience as we learn not to strive in our own strength and determination to overcome sinful impulses, but to be victorious over them – in the power of Christ and His Spirit living in us every day: 

“I heard an old, old story how a Savior came from glory,

How He gave His life on Calvary to save a wretch like me;

I heard about His groaning, of His precious blood’s atoning,

Then I repented of my sins and won the victory….

 

O victory in Jesus, my Savior, forever!...

He plunged me to victory beneath the cleansing flood.”