Seasons of Change

My perception of God and His ways has changed dramatically over the years.

This shouldn't come as a great surprise. God is infinite, we are not. All we can know of Him is what He chooses to reveal. So the question, "Where did God come from?" is not one that we can answer, because He hasn't told us. God's Word tells us He has always existed (Isaiah 43:13) and that He alone is God, for now and eternity. (Isaiah 43:10) And the Bible clearly states in numerous places that God never changes; actually, He cannot change with respect to His being, attributes, purpose, or promises. (Malachi 3:6 and James 1:17, to name a couple.)

But wait a minute! What about those places where the Bible says God changed His mind? If He's all knowing and all powerful, why would He say one thing and then do another? For example, that little golden calf incident in the wilderness. (Exodus 32:9-14)

Moses had just spent 40 days and nights on the mountaintop with God, communing with Him and receiving His laws for the Israelites. Meanwhile, the people down below thought he was never returning and pressured his brother Aaron, the high priest, to make a representation of their God for them to worship. They donated a bunch of gold jewelry and Aaron fashioned a golden calf to which they bowed down and offered sacrifices. They then indulged in pagan revelry, probably mimicking the kind of idolatrous worship they'd seen in Egypt.

God informed Moses about what was going on, and said He was going to destroy them all and make Moses' descendants into a great nation. Moses immediately interceded on behalf of the Israelites, imploring God not to annihilate them. And the Bible says God changed His mind.

How do we reconcile passages like this with the character of an unchanging God? This has been the source of much debate over the centuries, and I won't pretend to be the fount of all wisdom. God is still pretty much incomprehensible to mortals, and is not required to explain Himself unless He chooses to do so. But there are a couple of things I can note about this example.

God doesn't change in His being or attributes. He remains constantly who He is. His promises don't change - what He has said, He will accomplish. He doesn't change His purpose - what He desires will come to pass. But the specific way His plans are fulfilled can vary at times.

He has chosen to bring about His will on the earth with the participation of imperfect human beings. Sometimes we fail to carry out His directions, and miss out on His blessing. But the purpose of God is still accomplished despite our failures. That's why Romans 8:28 says "God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them." (NLT)

In this particular instance, God could have carried out His threat to annihilate the Israelites and start over with Moses without violating His purpose or His promise. His promise to Abraham to create a great nation and eventually produce the Savior of the world from his descendants would still have been valid, since Moses was from the line of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. But such wholesale slaughter certainly wouldn't have reflected well on a God who is "slow to anger and filled with unfailing love." (Exodus 34:6) Moses used his knowledge of God's character to convince Him not to take such a drastic action.

I believe this conversation was also a test of Moses' character. Who wouldn't be tempted to grab at the offer of being the father of a great nation? Moses passed the test, showing his love for his people by pleading for their forgiveness. He was more concerned about God's glory than his own. He wanted the whole world to know that the one true living God was rich in mercy and compassion.

Studying His Word helps us know God better. The Bible reveals His character and attributes, what He likes and what He hates, and His plan for mankind and for future ages. Jesus clearly indicated that a personal relationship with the Father is not only possible, but required if we want to live with Him forever. (Matthew 7:21-23) We need to know Him, not just know about Him. When we do, our actions will follow our faith. We'll want to do His will because of our love and gratitude.

My theology and my understanding of God and His ways have changed considerably over the years. When I first began serving Christ, I was taught a lot of Scriptural principles and traditions of the church. As I have studied the Bible, I've discovered that some things I have believed for a long time are not exactly correct. Many of these things are not critical to salvation - end times theology, the nature of good and evil, grace vs. works. But wrong understanding can lead to wrong actions. This may not cost me eternal life, but I might behave in ways that don't please God, hindering others from finding Him.

God wants us to know Him. His plan is for us to develop and demonstrate the character of His Son in our lives. (Romans 8:29) The rewards of knowing Him come to those who diligently seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6) I want to really know Him, to draw near to Him and learn of His ways. As I pursue God, He's refining my understanding of what it means to be a follower of Christ. I still have plenty of failings and character flaws, but I am becoming more Christlike with His help.

One of the ways God refines our character is by increasing our understanding of His ways. Jesus is our example of a life lived through the power of God. He always did the will of God because He was connected to His Father every day. (John 5:19) And when we stay connected to the Lord through prayer and study of His Word, our very lives change and we begin to demonstrate the love of Christ in this world through our actions.

God is very patient. He'll take a lifetime to draw us close, with the ultimate goal being eternity in perfect communion with Him. I'm thankful that He never gives up and never fails. And He's promised we'll find Him when we seek Him with all our hearts. (Jeremiah 29:13)

Changing My Mind

I'm a lot less dogmatic than I used to be.

I suppose some of this comes from maturity. When I was younger, especially in my teen years, 
I knew everything. If I didn't know it, I could fake it or else dismiss it as unimportant. As a result, 
I wasn't very teachable. And a lot of the doctrine I acquired then became firmly entrenched in my mind as truth, whether or not there was much Scripture to back it up.

As I've grown older, I've learned to occasionally admit when I'm wrong. (And it's never easy.) I have been examining theological concepts I learned decades ago, and it turns out they frequently aren't true, even though many of them are commonly accepted among evangelical Christians. This brings up some valid questions: Is it possible that good, sincere, Bible-believing followers of Christ can be deceived en masse? Can wrong doctrine be repeated often enough that it becomes a tradition and is generally accepted as truth?


I am convinced that this happened in Bible times, and it happens today. For hundreds of years before Jesus was born, the Jewish people were anxiously awaiting their Messiah. They studied the Scriptures to figure out when and where He'd appear, and what He would do upon His arrival. They especially liked the "conquering King" passages such as Daniel 7 and Jeremiah 23. Rabbis taught that when Messiah appeared, He would overthrow the oppressive foreign rulers (Persians, Greeks, Seleucids, Romans - whoever was currently in power.) The Israelites expected the Son of David to set up His physical kingdom on earth, with Israel as the ruler of the world and Jerusalem as its capital.

That's why everyone was anxiously awaiting the arrival of Messiah. And it explains why the disciples were willing to leave their families and their businesses and follow an itinerant preacher around on the backside of the wilderness for 3 years. Oh sure, Jesus was an amazing teacher and worker of miracles. It was fun going along for the ride. But the disciples were convinced that He was more than a great prophet, that He was actually the long-awaited Messiah. And they wanted in on the ground floor of the coming kingdom.

When they argued about who would be the greatest in the kingdom, who would be at Christ's right hand (see Mark 9:33-34; Mark 10:35-41), they weren't thinking of pie in the sky in the sweet by and by. They were looking for an earthly kingdom, and expected to have an important role in it.

But Jesus didn't come as the expected conquering King. Instead, He fulfilled Messianic prophecies of a suffering Servant. (see Isaiah 53) Jesus kept trying to get His disciples to comprehend that He didn't come to rule, but to serve and to lay down His life as a ransom. (Matthew 20:28)

Even after Jesus died on the cross, rose from the grave, and appeared to them numerous
times, they still didn't understand that He had come to establish a spiritual kingdom. They had been so indoctrinated with conventional wisdom and years of tradition, they couldn't even imagine that Christ had no intention of ascending a physical throne on the earth. The very last question they asked Him before His ascension demonstrates this.

"So when they met together, they asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”  (Acts 1:6) They still didn't understand! Jesus brought gentle correction one last time: "He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you." (Acts 1:7-8)
Then He ascended into heaven as they watched. And on the day of Pentecost, when they were filled with the Holy Spirit, they finally began to understand that the Kingdom of God is not physical but spiritual.

So what's the point? An entire nation was deceived by wishful thinking and hopeful tradition. They missed the very event they so longed for, the coming of their Messiah, because He didn't come the way they thought He would. I contend that 21st century Christians are no better. We have our own dearly held beliefs which don't really hold up in the light of Scripture. And we frequently miss God because He's not lining up with our preconceived notions.

My conclusion? Western Christians need to examine our beliefs carefully. A good deal of false doctrine, even heresy has crept in, just as the apostle Paul warned. (1 Timothy 4:1-2) Rather than simply clinging to our traditions, we must consider them in the light of the Word of God, asking the Holy Spirit to illuminate our minds. And we must be willing to admit error and revise our thinking, even if it means giving up cherished beliefs.

As I noted at the beginning of this essay, a lot of my theology has changed in the past few years, sometimes in radical ways. I've given up on the "I'm right, so you must be wrong" mentality, especially concerning things that don't really matter. Some areas where I have been wrong (and still may not be right - but I'm learning...) include: prosperity gospel, the rapture, how we can tell if others are truly saved, the role of the Holy Spirit, the fivefold ministry, gender differences, and oh, so many more.

I'll talk more about these various topics in future posts. for now, let me just say I'm following Christ as best I can, striving to demonstrate His love in my daily life. And He's refining me more each day. Trust me, there's a long way to go - but I'm getting there.

Nothing Wasted

I am not really an environmentalist.

There are people in this world who care more about baby harp seals than they do about baby humans. And those who spend lots of time and money trying to save spotted owls and beached whales, but nothing to stop the trafficking of young girls as sex slaves.

Don't misunderstand - I'm not at all in favor of cruelty to animals. 
I simply think there are a lot of other pressing issues which really need our attention. 

That said, I believe God expects us to be good stewards of the Earth He's created, to use the resources He's provided wisely and leave a legacy for our children and grandchildren. 
That's why I am kind of aggressive about recycling. (Obsessive, my wife would say.)

It's really all I've ever known. My parents were raised during the Great Depression. 
They knew from an early age that things couldn't be taken for granted or easily replaced. 
I learned that lesson through their example. When I was growing up, nothing was wasted. 
If it had any value at all, it was saved and filed away for a future need. 

My dad had (actually, has) boxes of miscellaneous screws and nails, plumbing parts, stacks of lath boards, all kinds of tools and old machines, buckets of iron and copper. Old tires were turned into swings, an old rowboat converted into a trailer, and a mangle (a big old device we used to iron sheets) became a barbecue rotisserie. Used lumber had the nails carefully removed, then was stored until a suitable project came along. The summer I turned 16, I spent several days cleaning mortar off old bricks from a wall we'd removed and stacking them up for the day they'd become a sidewalk. (There's a story in the bricks: I'll tell it in my next blog post.)

When I was a kid, my father's tendency to save everything meant I never lacked raw materials for play. Lath boards made great swords, and if one broke while we were swashbuckling there were a few hundred more in the pile. My friends and I would construct weird robots and stuff from the plumbing parts, crawl inside a cave built from old mattresses, make a jail out of old wooden chairs or set up a haunted house in the spooky basement with doors that went nowhere.

As an adult, there's this little guy inside my head that cringes at waste and says, "Somebody might be able to use that!" I've had to learn to throw things away, and I'm not very good at it. 
But I have stored up dozens of plastic grocery bags that I could use for trash disposal. <smile>

I save newspaper, junk mail, office paper, cardboard, glass containers (rinsed out), aluminum cans, plastic bottles & jars, and steel cans. Thankfully, I have a place where this stuff can be used. There is a group called Progress Port that collects all these things, shreds and crushes and bales them, then sells the results. Some of their workers are developmentally disabled people who have mental or physical issues that keep them from being able to function effectively in society at large. Progress Port funds a home where they live, and the work they do in recycling helps pay to keep the place running. They take pride in their work; they're earning their keep and being productive citizens. I think it's a great idea, and am glad to contribute my rather small efforts to it.

But I have to admit, my wife is correct in saying I can be a bit obsessive about recycling. I'm the one who empties the trash around here, and I'm always going through the waste cans and fishing out cans and bottles, paper and plastic. My excuse is, we have cats. 

That's right, felis catus is a source of some consternation in our house. You never really know what they may have knocked into the trash, so if you don't want things just disappearing 
(I know we used to have a salt shaker...) it's important to examine things carefully. Though this is true, it's also a fairly lame excuse trying to explain away my sifting through the kitchen garbage. The real explanation is that little guy saying "Somebody might be able to use that!"

Fortunately, we do have an informal neighborhood recycling program that takes care of most of the larger items. Let's say, for example, I have a broken microwave oven. It works, but the door won't stay latched so you have to stand there and hold it shut whenever you're cooking something. (This is not a hypothetical example, you might suspect.) The love of my life eventually rebelled at this necessity, despite my pleading (But it still works...) So we got a new microwave, and I was faced with the problem of disposing of the old one. I could not bring myself to throw away a still functional, if flawed, appliance. (Cue the little guy in my head.) So I took advantage of the Johnston City Recycling Plan. I set the thing out on the curb by the street. It was gone by the next morning.

This system works admirably with just about anything. Old TVs? Gone! Furniture - picked up!. Mattresses? Kiddie pools? Broken hedge trimmer? Yup, all possessed by somebody else now. The one thing so far that won't go away? Old computer monitors. Nobody wants them - everybody wants a flatscreen. Can't even pay people to take them away.

I like to think my actions are making the world a better place. And after all, I'm just following Jesus' instructions. (No, really.) In John 6, remember when He fed the 5000 men, plus women and children? Do you recall what He said after everybody had eaten as much as they wanted? Here it is: "When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, 'Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.'" (John 6:12 NIV)

And they went out and picked up 12 baskets full of food. Definitely a miracle, considering He started with 5 barley loaves and 2 fish. But consider what they were collecting - people's half-eaten fish sandwiches! In our culture, who wants somebody else's leftovers? Totally trash, worthless in our society. Yet Jesus said, "Let nothing be wasted". He saw value where we would not. Food was much harder to come by then. Somebody didn't go hungry because the leftovers were collected. 

In much of the world, people die every day from malnutrition and starvation. They'd love to to be able to sift through our garbage. I'm not saying we can solve world hunger by sending our leftover Happy Meals overseas. But I am trying to consciously use less, waste less, reuse and recycle more as my little part of making God's world a better place to live.

And I'm so thankful that Jesus doesn't want anything wasted, including mankind.

"God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8 NIV) My life was totally worthless, destined for the trash heap. 

But the Ultimate Recycler saw something there and said, "That's worth redeeming." 

He offers the same free gift to all who put their trust in Him. And that's good news...