"Standing Up on the Inside"

“Standing Up on the Inside”

Wally Holder, a dear pastor friend in New Hampshire who is now with the Lord, told a story of a toddler who was riding with her father in an old-fashioned child seat. The little girl stood up and her dad told her to sit down so she’d be safe. She stood up twice more and received the same parental message. On her fourth stand up her father pulled over and spanked her (as you now know, this was a LONG time ago). She then stayed in her seat but a few minutes later announced, “Daddy, I’m still standing up on the inside!” How this final act of rebellion was dealt with has been lost in the dust of history.

I hadn’t thought of this story for some years until God recently brought it back to my mind. It made me think of the many times I outwardly obeyed my parents to avoid unpleasant consequences but if the truth be known I was “standing up on the inside” as I did. Then my mind went back to how often I’ve done the same thing when it comes to observing God’s commands. In his last address to the children if Israel Moses told those he’d led for 40 years, “The Lord your God commands you this day to follow (his) decrees and laws; carefully observe them with all your heart and with all your soul.” (Deuteronomy 26:16, emphasis added). My take is this: “Don’t try to ‘obey’ God by ‘standing up on the inside’—do it wholeheartedly because it’s the right thing to do.”

It’s been said that partial or delayed obedience is disobedience in disguise (aka “standing up on the inside”). Through the centuries Israel had offered countless sacrifices as a matter of ritual rather than true worship to the point God said through His prophet, “When you bring blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? When you sacrifice lame or diseased animals, is that not wrong?” (Malachi 1:8). And Jesus addressed the hypocrisy of the religious leaders of His day when He said, “…You nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition.” (Matthew 15:6). How often have we (I) acted similarly?

Friends, let’s stop “standing up on the inside” and with the psalmist say, “I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands.” (Psalm 119:10).

Grace and Blessings!

Jim McMillan

"How Many Ebenezers?"

“How Many Ebenezers?”

If I were to ask a group of friends, “How many Ebenezers have you heard of?” the almost unanimous answer would likely be one: Ebenezer Scrooge. He’s the miser in Charles Dickens’1843 classic A Christmas Carol who’s transformed into a kind and gentle man after seeing the ghost of his late business partner Jacob Marley and the spirits of Christmas. (In 1947 the Disney Company introduced Donald Duck’s skinflint uncle, Scrooge McDuck, created by Carl Barks, which has made the Scrooge name synonymous with selfishness and greed.)

How did Dickens come up with the name Ebenezer? It’s actually a town in ancient Israel from which the Israelites launched the losing battle against the Philistines and the Ark of God was captured (1 Samuel 4:1; 5:1). About 20 years after the Ark was returned God gave Israel a resounding victory over their archenemy (1 Samuel 7:11). As leader of the nation “…Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying. ‘Thus far has the Lord helped us.’” (1 Samuel 7:12, emphasis added). Thus Ebenezer (literally meaning “stone of help”) was transformed from a place of defeat to one of victory. So Dickens may have used it to reflect Scrooge’s change of character.

A few years ago I preached a message on this account and in so doing asked myself, “How many Ebenezers (or times of God’s help) have I seen in my life? There have been too many to remember individually (an old hymn concludes with “Count your many blessings, see what God hath done”) but here are a few that stand out:

*God’s guidance throughout my life (“You will keep on guiding me with your counsel, leading me to a glorious destiny.”—Psalm 73:24, NLT).

*God’s provision for every need (“…God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.”—Philippians 4:19).

*God’s comfort in all circumstances (“…The God of all comfort…comforts us in all our troubles….”—2 Corinthians 1:3-4).

*God’s sustaining me through my struggles (“Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.”—Psalm 55:22).

As I reflect om God’s work on my behalf over my ¾ century on earth there are far more Ebenezers than I ever realized (“…{He} is able to do immeasurably more that all {I} ask or imagine….”—Ephesians 3:20). How many Ebenezers do you see in your life? Rather than taking them for granted “…Let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise….” (Hebrews 13:15) for His goodness to us.

Grace and Blessings!

Jim McMillan

"Keeping It Simple"

“Keeping It Simple”

Years ago a TV commercial for an insurance company read a statement of coverage from a competitor’s policy which was drowning in legalese. The ad then stated what their contract said about the same issue: “If you are involved in an accident we will defend you.” Now those are words I understand without a translation—likely you do too.

A BBC news story from 2016 pointed out that there are 66 words in The Lord’s Prayer, 174 in The Ten Commandments (by my count 319) and 286 in Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address (I came up with 266) but the EU’s regulations on the sale of cabbage came in at 26,911! (Research has called this number into question but the report would still fill a good sized manual.) This account was spread far and wide as an example of out-of-control governmental bureaucracy and how simple matters can be made complicated.

As I read through the Scriptures I come across many statements I don’t understand. While these might stump me I accept what the Bible says as true (“…All {God’s} precepts are trustworthy,”—Psalm 111:7) and recognize that I’ll never grasp all of who God is (“For who has known the mind of the Lord…?”—1 Corinthians 2:16) or mine all the riches of His Word (“{This} is what the Scriptures mean when they say, ‘No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.’”—1 Corinthians 2:9, NLT.) President Lincoln is reported to have observed that it wasn’t what he didn’t understand about the Bible that bothered him but the things he did understand but failed to practice! Now that’s a bit of valuable down-home wisdom!

Let’s think of several simple statements in Scripture. The prophet’s message to Nineveh was concise: “Forty more days and Nineveh will be destroyed.” (Jonah 3:4). The people understood (“The Ninevites believed God.”—Verse 5) and the city was spared for 250 years. Then in answer to a jailer’s question of what he had to do to be saved Paul said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” (Acts 16:31). The next few verses tell how he and his family came to faith based on 14 simple words. And who can forget the message of an angel to the women at Jesus’ tomb: “He is not here; he has risen, just as he said,” (Matthew 28:6)? For 2000 years skeptics have made the simple complicated by trying to explain away this building block of our faith but these attempts have raised more questions than they’ve answered.

Yes, there are places where the Scriptures are puzzling but the key truths surrounding the Person and work of Christ are clear. So heed Jesus words to Thomas: “Stop doubting and believe.” (John 20:27) and respond as he did (“My Lord and my God!”—John 20:28).

Grace and Blessings!

Jim McMillan