"An Unleaning Faith"

“An Unleaning Faith”

This past May Karen and I went on a tour of Italy. Beginning with our arrival at Rome (minus our luggage which found us early the next morning) we saw beautiful and historical sites in Rome, Florence, Pisa, Turin, Lake Como (including an hours’ boat ride), Milan, Verona, Venice (where we sailed the canals in a gondola), Bologna, Ferrara, and Assisi before heading home from Leonardo Da Vinci Airport in Rome. We brought home many pictures and fond memories but wish the viruses that traveled back with us had stayed in Italy!

One of the highlights in our travels was the Leaning Tower of Pisa. (There are actually ten such structures throughout the country—we saw the ones in Venice and Bologna as well—but Pisa is the best known.) It was built as the bell tower for the city’s cathedral between 1173 and 1372. It began tilting shortly after construction started because the foundation went down only ten feet into unstable soil. The same flaw caused the two other such towers we saw to shift, making repairs necessary over the centuries.

As we viewed the Bologna landmark we remembered Jesus’ parable of the two “contractors” at the end of His Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 7:24-27). The wise man built on a rock while the foolish one did so on sand. When the storms hit the house on the rock withstood the wind and rain while the one on the sand collapsed. He then said putting His words into practice brings endurance in life’s struggles but ignoring what He says gives no stability when the bad times roll.

In His Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13:1-23) our Lord told how seed which fell on stony ground had no strong roots. He likened this to people whose faith is so shallow that it “leans” and doesn’t sustain them in difficult times. The Apostle Paul didn’t want to see this happen to those under his care and challenged them: “...Just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to live in obedience to him. Let your roots go down deep into him and draw up nourishment from him, so you will grow strong in faith….” (Colossians 2:6-7, NLT, emphasis added). As our faith is based on the sure foundation of Christ and His Word (see Ephesians 2:20) it will remain unleaning despite the circumstances. I want this kind of stability, don’t you? To do so, “Let the word of Christ dwell in (us) richly….” (Colossians 3:16).

 

Grace and Blessings!

Jim McMillan

"A Routine Day?"

“A ‘Routine’ Day?”

England’s King George III is said to have kept a diary throughout his life. For one day he wrote, “Nothing significant happened today.” The date? July 4, 1776. What was a “routine” day in London was anything but 3600 miles southwest in Philadelphia. And it proved to be one of the most important days in world history.

For several years I kept a journal of my reflections and activities, some of which found their way into church bulletins and newsletters as “Pastoral Ponderings.” I recall beginning one day’s entry with “Yesterday was a pretty routine day.” I stopped, reread what I had just put on paper, and became convicted. Is there any such thing as a “routine” day in God’s eyes?

Psalm 118:24 states, “This is the day the Lord has made….” So each day is a gift from Him, as is every other good thing we receive (“Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights….”—James 1:17, NASB). The psalmist must have realized this as well as the significance of his thought when he continued, “…let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Do I see each day as God’s gift to me and a cause for rejoicing? And since “All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” (Psalm 139:16) how can any one of them be routine? Doesn’t God expect us to use them well by “…making the most of every opportunity….” (Ephesians 5:16)?

God rather graphically taught Peter something of the same principle in Acts 10. In a vision he saw many kinds of unclean animals and was told to eat them. When he objected God said, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.” (Acts 10:15). Understanding this truth (and it took the Lord three tries to penetrate Peter’s mind!) changed not just his attitude but his ministry. In parallel God may be saying to us, “Do not call any day I have made ‘routine’!”

The dictionary defines routine as “not special, ordinary”. Could anything our Sovereign, Omnipotent God does or makes (including each of us) be “not special” or “ordinary”? May we never see any day as insignificant but as an opportunity for enjoyment, ministry, and fellowship with Him.

 

Grace and Blessings!

Jim McMillan

"Who, Me?"

“Who, Me?”

 

On most days during my freshman year in high school a group of us would wolf down our lunch then go to the athletic field for a quick game of touch football. This included Danny (not his real name) who was very overweight but jovial about it. Because he moved slowly he wasn’t often in the thick of the action. One day the designated captain said to him, “I’m throwing this one to you”, to which Danny replied, “Who, me?” and was told, “Yes, you!” The play worked and Danny scored a touchdown. From then on his participation was more enthusiastic.

The question, “Who, me?” suggests surprise at being chosen for a particular role, most likely (as in Danny’s case) because of feelings of inadequacy. But as I’ve read the Scriptures I’ve found this isn’t an unusual response to God’s call to a task. When He told Moses he would lead Israel out of captivity in Egypt he replied, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh….?” (Exodus 3:11). Or Gideon when the Lord told him he would save Israel from Midianite oppression: “…How can I save Israel?…I am the least in my family.” (Judges 6:15). Also consider Jeremiah when God appointed him as His prophet: “I do not know how to speak; I am only a child.” (Jeremiah 1:6). Or Esther (Esther 4:11), Amos (Amos 7:14), and David (1 Samuel 18:18). In each case God promised He’d guide and equip His selectee to accomplish the assigned task. And He had confidence in those chosen to do the job.

God has given us His Word for our profit in “…teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness….” (2 Timothy 3:16). But He doesn’t stop there—its purpose is “…so that the (people) of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (Verse 17). He’s also given His Spirit “…(who) will teach you all things….” (John 14:26) and gifted leaders in His church “…to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up….” (Ephesians 4:12).

I’ve thought, “Who, me?” far too often when I sense God’s direction, usually because it would take me out of my comfort zone. But my life’s experience tells me He’ll “…meet all (my) needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19). So rather than “Who, me?” may my answer be, “Here am I. Send me!” (Isaiah 6:8).

 

Grace and Blessings!

Jim McMillan

"Beyond Numbers"

“Beyond Numbers”

 

During my college years I took a civil service exam to be eligible for post office work during vacations. After I was seated the proctors explained the procedure, including a tracking number on the first page of the test booklet. We were then told, “For this examination you are no longer a name, you are a number.” Fast forward five decades to 2017. When I recently called my doctor’s office for an appointment I was asked for my birth date and (surprise) Social Security number. While this makes locating test results and medical records as well as scheduling quicker and easier it can also make us feel more like a statistic than a person.

The long-running TV sitcom “Cheers” had as its theme song “Where Everybody Knows Your Name” (written and sung by Gary Portnoy), which became the program’s catch phrase. I can’t remember ever seeing a full episode, but in researching the overall plot of the series the bar patrons shared their experiences and got to know each other by name. The show illustrates how we all need those contexts in which we’re not anonymous and are known by name rather than “Hey, You” or a number.

I was reading in the Book of Numbers not long ago and in the midst of genealogies and other details surrounding Israel’s life in the wilderness a phrase jumped out at me: “The total number of firstborn males a month old or more, listed by name, was 22,273.” (Numbers 3:43, emphasis added). Keep in mind there were no computers or typewriters (remember them?) to help—the lists were written by hand! What a massive undertaking! But people were more than statistics to God—each had an identity. And He still sees us as individuals (“…The very hairs of your head are all numbered.”—Matthew 10:30) and loves us with a special relationship (“See, I have engraved you on the palms of your hands….”—Isaiah 49:16). In the words of songwriter Tommy Walker,

   “He knows my name. He knows my ev’ry thought.

   He sees each tear that falls, and hears me when I call.”

I’m glad I’m more than a number to God—I’m His special child. And He’s there for me—and you.

 

Grace and Blessings!

Jim McMillan