The Bad, the Ugly, and the Good

The trail of human history doesn’t lead up from the beast, as evolution supposes, but down from the best, as the Bible teaches. The human race originated in a perfect environment. God created our first parents and placed them in a peaceful, productive, and pristine environment—the Garden of Eden. But Adam and Eve sinned, defying God’s authority. Their sin incurred judgment. Planet Earth fell under a curse, and death, and misery and mortality befell the humanity.
Sin’s ugly nature took an early toll on Adam’s descendants. Envy, hate, and murder sprang from the heart of Adam and Eve’s son Cain. Cain killed his brother Abel, and before long man’s wickedness on the earth had become so rampant and putrid “that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time” (Genesis 6:5).
God destroyed that evil-obsessed civilization with a flood, but spared Noah and his family because Noah had found “favor in the eyes of the LORD” (verse 8).
After the Flood, a new day dawned for the human race. Would it worship and obey the God of grace? It would not. It soon pursued an evil path.
The human race continues on that path today. It is characterized by self-centeredness, and it leads to eternal death (Isaiah 53:6; Proverbs 14:12).
The recent shootings in Arvada and Colorado Springs that claimed several young lives points out once again that the human heart is “deceitful and desperately wicked” (Jeremiah 17:9, KJV).
But Good News in the midst of such bad news shines like a diamond against the backdrop of a black cloth. Nearly 2,000 years ago, Jesus, the Second Adam, led a sinless life and intentionally took a path that led to Calvary. Unlike the self-centered path sinful humanity has taken since the Fall in the Garden of Eden, the path Jesus took was one of selfless devotion to God’s will. At Calvary, He died to rescue us from sin and eternal judgment, and to reconcile us to God.
About 725 years before Jesus died on the cross, the prophet Isaiah diagnosed the chronic human condition and prescribed the only cure. “We all, like sheep, have gone astray. Each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him [Jesus] the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6).
While secularists wish one another “Happy Holidays,” Christians can share the greeting, “Merry Christmas.” We can’t impose peace on a troubled world, but we can honor the Christ who came into the world to seek and to save us and to instill God’s peace in our hearts.

Snow Removal in Colorado

A winter storm struck Colorado Saturday, making my Sunday morning drive to Penrose slower than usual. Highway 115 between Colorado Springs and Penrose was icy and snow packed under cloudy skies. The temperature was 12 when I left home and 14 when I reached the church in Penrose. Brrr!
Unless you live in Colorado or know someone who lives here, you may not be aware of our normal snow removal method. Snow-fighting crews spread sand sporadically on the roadways but liberally at intersections. The next step is to wait for the sun to melt the ice and snow.
While driving o’er the snow, I was thinking, “During a snowstorm in Illinois, IDOT spreads tons of salt on the state’s roads, and before long motorists can drive on wet, snow-free roads.”
On my trip home from Penrose, the temperature had climbed to 19 degrees, but ice and snow had vanished from the highway. The surface was dry and safe. What made the difference? The sun had appeared, and its intense rays had melted the ice and snow.
That’s typical of Colorado weather. The brilliant sun quickly melts whatever snow falls east of the mountains.
It is also typical of the Son to melt cold hearts. Let’s pray that He will melt many cold hearts this Christmas. The temperature may fall throughout the nation, but His love can burn in our hearts and radiate to others.

Let It Snow!

I used a snow shovel this morning for the first time this season. We received less than an inch of snow during the night, but it was enough to remind me I prefer sunshine and warm temperatures to snow and cold. However, because I live in a semi-arid section of Colorado, snowfall is beneficial. It provides much-needed moisture for lawns, trees, and shrubs.

Isaiah 55:10 and 11 compare the benefit of God’s Word to that of rain and snow. He sends rain and snow to water the earth and make it fruitful, and He sends His Word to accomplish His desire and achieve His purpose.

Tomorrow, as I preach His Word, God will use it to accomplish His will in human hearts. That’s quite an encouragement for a pastor!

Next time I shovel snow (I hope it will be a long time from now), I will meditate on Isaiah 55:10 and 11. Doing so will refresh my soul. It may even soothe my aching back.

Down from His Glory

I will be preaching Sunday from Philippians 2:5–11. Those of you have a theological awareness of the doctrine of Christ, know this passage teaches the kenosis of Christ, His self-emptying. He did not cease to be God when He came to Earth, but He laid aside the independent exercise of His divine prerogatives and lived in full dependence on His Father. Ordinarily, His glory was veiled as He identified with human suffering, faced temptation, ministered in the power of the Spirit, and wrapped His love around our fallen human race. But, on one never-to-be-forgotten occasion, atop the Mount of Transfiguration, the glory of His deity burst through the clay lantern of His humanity. “His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light” (Matthew 17:2), and suddenly, Moses and Elijah appeared and talked with Him. Luke 9:31 reports they conversed with Jesus about His impending crucifixion, and both Gospels affirm Peter, James, and John witnessed the event.
Isn’t it startling to read about Jesus’ glory and deep humiliation in close association with each other? Yet, He had to be who He was—the eternal, sinless Son of God—to do what He did for us—die on the cross as a real human being and our perfect Substitute. He came to Earth to bring us everlasting life at the cost of His own life. “Christ died for our sins,” 1 Corinthians 15:3 proclaims.
We will see manger displays this Christmas, but let’s remember Jesus was born to die. During His earthly ministry, He told His disciples He had come to Earth to minister and to give His life a ransom for many (Mark 10:45). And as I read Philippians 2:5, “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus,” I ask myself whether I am willing to put the needs of others ahead of my own and serve them as Jesus did nearly 2,000 years ago—compassionately, selflessly, and sacrificially.

The Eyes Have It

Fortunately, it was Friday. The eye doctor’s assistant would have the weekend to recover from the embarrassing situation. She had prepared the equipment, or so she thought, for my 30-minute field vision test, but after the test, she discovered the test failed. She had not placed the lens close enough to my right eye. She apologized, and offered a weak, “We will have to test your right eye again.”

Another 15 minutes ensued, and another apology was forthcoming. “For some reason, the test didn’t register. I’m sorry, but it looks like we will have to repeat the test once again. Do you have the rest of the morning to stick around?”

“What’s the problem?” I asked. Are my results stored in the computer?”

“Yes.”

“Then, the problem must not an invalid test. It must be a computer glitch.”

At that point the doctor’s assistant tried to print the results of my test, but the printer failed to respond.

Finally, after several minutes, we heard a clicking, whirring sound, and saw paper roll out of the printer. I was relieved until the assistant observed, “These are not your results.”
Then the unthinkable happened. The printer kept churning out test results after test results on what seemed like an endless roll of paper, and the assistant couldn’t stop the printer. Soon we were almost ankle deep in patients’ field vision test results, but mine were not among them, and the paper roll had run its course.

Again, an apology. “I can find another roll of paper,” the assistant sighed, “but I don’t know how to install it. Do you want to go home? I will call you this afternoon to schedule another appointment or hopefully to tell you your test results printed.”

I went home.

Later, I received the good news and a final apology. My test results printed and the assistant was totally sorry for the delay.

I hope the doctor’s assistant has recovered by now. And I hope Medicare doesn’t have to pay for two very long rolls of paper.

I’m sure we have all experienced embarrassing situations, but we need to seize the future.
What we consider a bad day may be simply a learning experience and an opportunity to grow stronger. We should take responsibility for our mistakes and our sins, recognize we are imperfect, and trust God for the grace, wisdom, and strength to do better tomorrow.

“Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God” (Psalm 43:5).