"Perfection Required"

“Perfection Required”

While in seminary I paid my school and living expenses by working in Denver’s Sears warehouse. I was assigned to the furniture division one day and helped fill an order for a customer who was outfitting her entire house, (A dedicated truck was needed for the delivery.) What I most remember about this incident was that the customer service representative made it a point to tell us, “This lady is spending a lot of money and wants everything spotless.” This was the only way she’d receive the goods—any flaw was unacceptable.

This long-ago experience came to mind recently as I listened to Dr. Tony Evans’ broadcast “The Alternative” while driving around Lakeland. He closed the program by saying (paraphrased), “There are only two ways of getting into Heaven: to be perfect or by God’s grace.” (I pulled over and made a few quick notes before the thought had a chance to escape from my gray matter.) Just as the Sears client wouldn’t accept merchandise that wasn’t in perfect condition God in His holiness can’t accept imperfect people marred by sin (like me) into His presence. Since none of us could ever meet this condition (“There is not a righteous {person} on earth who does what is right and never sins.”—Ecclesiastes 7:20) Heaven would be a lonely place. This wasn’t God’s desire but how could it be avoided?

Enter Jesus. Some seven centuries before He came to earth God’s prophet wrote, “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to {his or her} own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53:6. emphasis added). Jesus’ friend and disciple put it this way: “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree….” (1 Peter 2:24, emphasis added). Jesus could do this because “…God made Christ, who knew no sin, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.” (2 Corinthians 5:21, NLT, emphasis added).

By our sinful thoughts, words and actions each of us deserves to be separated from God forever (“For the wages of sin is death….”—Romans 6:23a). However, this isn’t the end of the story because Paul goes on to say, “…but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23b, emphasis added). This is the greatest example of God’s grace (or undeserved kindness) ever.

God has acted and the provision has been made. The response is up to each of us.

Grace and Blessings!

Jim McMillan

"Taught by a Tree"

“Taught by a Tree”

(This was written as a “Pastoral Ponderings” about 45 years ago while at our first church in Gorham NY. This year two September storms {Dorian and Humberto} brought some brisk winds to Lakeland but by God’s grace we were spared from any significant impact. {Many others weren’t as blessed so we continue to pray for those affected.} The gusty conditions reminded me of these long-forgotten words and God led me to bring them back from dormancy. The only changes from the original essay {aside from correcting a typo or two} were the title and using the NIV rather than the KJV for the Scripture quotes.)

The other day I was sitting in my study thinking of what to write for my next article. It happened to be a windy and rainy day so I glanced out the window to see what the sky looked like. I saw a tree a short distance away which was moving with the breeze, but when the wind stopped for a moment I noticed that the tree was bent from the west because that’s the direction from which the wind usually comes.

All at once it struck me that that tree was a picture of many Christians: they lean with the wind no matter where it comes from but bend with the most constant pressure. Paul warns his readers in Ephesians 4:14 to “…no longer be infants…blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of (people) in their deceitful scheming.” Let’s face it, friends—false teaching keeps hammering away seeking to envelop us into its system and get us to turn our backs on the truth of God’s Word. It’s only as we have a firm foundation in the Scriptures that we can withstand such pressures. Again we turn to the words of the Apostle Paul: “…Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” (Ephesians 6:10-11). Have you donned the proper equipment?

God needs people today who are “…rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as (they) were taught….” (Colossians 2:7). We might bend, but if our roots are firmly planted in God’s truth we can spring back from the pressures. So take a lesson from a tree and build your life in and on the Word of God.

Grace and Blessings!

Jim McMillan

"Safe in the Shark Tank"

“Safe in the Shark Tank”

(These thoughts were prompted by an Our Daily Bread devotional for June 29, 2019. The article grew out of discussing the applications with Karen.)

During our almost twenty years in Manchester NH Karen and I made three trips to the New England Aquarium in Boston. While we found all the exhibits interesting we were always partial to the penguins as they strutted and swam in their enclosure. (The web site says there are about sixty current residents.) I’m not aware of any other creatures like them but this shouldn’t be surprising. In Genesis 1 (KJV) the phrase “after his/her kind” appears ten times in the account of God’s creation of plants and animals, suggesting that each is unique in its own way.

One of the Aquarium’s most prominent features is a four story cylindrical tank containing many species of fish, including sharks. Since sharks are known for their savagery we wondered why they appeared to be living in harmony with their tankmates so we asked a staff member to explain. The answer was simple: “We feed them well.” Since their appetites were satisfied there was no need to dine on their neighbors.

As we reminisced about our visits we saw some parallels with God’s workings in our lives. When we’re lacking in the qualities of godliness we can easily attack our fellow believers, The Apostle Paul issues a stern warning about the dangers of such conduct: “If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.” (Galatians 5:15). But when we allow God to fill us with His presence, truth, love and Spirit we won’t lash out because our inmost needs have been satisfied (“His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him….”—2 Peter 1:3). Which is the better way to live?

Our friend Paul has outlined principles of what J.B. Phillips calls “real Christian behavior” in Romans 12:9-21. Tucked in among these guidelines is one of the most practical and realistic statements in God’s Word: “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” (Verse 18, emphasis added). All of us have likely encountered someone (maybe several someones) with whom living in accord is difficult if not impossible. The Apostle’s counsel is that we not allow any breach in fellowship to be our responsibility but “Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else.” (1 Thessalonians 5:15). As we put this into practice we can be safe in the shark tank of daily life.

Grace and Blessings!

Jim McMillan

"Penny Power"

“Penny Power”

If you see a penny lying on the ground do you pick it up? I do! Maybe it’s the Scottish part of me or my childhood memories when it bought a piece of Double Bubble Gum or twelve minutes on a parking meter. A sign in my workplace years ago said, “If you take care of the pennies the dollars will take care of themselves.” A penny doesn’t seem to be worth much these days but they do add up to dollars, A couple of examples: Increasing a consumer tax by 1% can raise $10 million on $1 billion in sales for government to spend on who knows what; adding a penny to the price of a postage stamp brings the USPS about $1,878,000 in additional revenue daily! So pennies (and other small things) can add up quickly.

Believe it or not, picking up pennies was a discussion topic in our church’s men’s group a few weeks ago. The speaker noted four words over Mr. Lincoln’s head which stand out: “In God We Trust”. So He’s the Source of our confidence, not the coin or the government that issued it. Psalm 24:1 reminds us, “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.” This includes the earth itself (Exodus 19:5), the animals that inhabit it (Psalm 50:10), its resources and riches (Haggai 2:8) and each human (Ezekiel 18:4). So from the penny on the parking lot asphalt to trillion dollar national budgets it’s all His—we’re only the managers.

In Luke 21:1-4 Jesus gave great value to a widow’s two cent offering to the temple treasury. His words of commendation (“…This poor widow has put in more than all the others.”—Verse 3) were likely shocking to the showy givers’ large “donations” but His emphasis was on the heart’s attitude. Not long before He had observed, “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.” (Luke 16:10). My question: with what can God trust me? Whatever that might be I must remember, “…It is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.” (1 Corinthians 4:2).

How do I (or you) view penny power?

Grace and Blessings!

Jim McMillan