Tim Challies has a good post about end-time judgment and the believer. It seems the degree to which we understand the truth of the Gospel, is the degree to which we can have joy when thinking about our moment before the Judgment Seat of Christ.
CT has a insightful article written by Jedd Medefind, President of the Christian Alliance for Orphans regarding the recent incident of Americans who were arrested for attempting to take Haitian children out of the country. While his comments are centered around this particular situation, the relevance is far reaching. Here is an excerpt that nails the point home:
Passion alone is simply not sufficient; it must be consistently paired with wisdom. Zeal without knowledge can be a destructive force. A compassionate impulse may indeed be God’s nudging, and certainly should not be ignored. But the hard work of education, preparation, and planning most always stand between us and a job well done.
Thabiti Anyabwile has a very good post over at his blog about why we should encourage one another daily. Incidentally, I think the text he uses communicates the idea of the ‘priesthood of all believers’.
Over at Kevin DeYoung’s blog, he has nice post on the Spirit’s ministry to the Apostles as it was taught by Jesus in John 16:13-15. Here are two errors, he says, that the referenced scripture can help us avoid:
Our team made it back from Haiti last night and though it was a short trip, its impact will be felt for a long time. I can’t fully describe the images I saw, what I experienced, and how it has affected me because it still feels like a dream. We saw literally thousands of people in tents made out of sheets and sticks, with many still waiting for some medical attention. Most of the tent cities are around areas where food is being distributed or where a medical clinic or temporary hospital has been setup. While the physical effects of the earthquake are clearly seen, the psychological and emotional effects are perhaps more significant. I will never forget hearing my mother say to me, “The Haiti that I knew is gone forever…”
Our team saw at least 200 patients in one day and most of them were post-traumatic injuries like headaches, dizziness, etc. The amount of people with fractures is easily in the thousands and with the instability of many buildings still standing, more injuries are going to happen. Haiti is now entering its next phase of tragedy with the spread of diseases especially when the rainy season starts and thousands more will die based on estimates. But through the heartache and pain I feel in my heart, there is a glimmer of hope. I think about the team over at Quisqueya School and I am encouraged because they love God, the people of Haiti, and are committed to do everything they can through God’s power to help all those in need. The entire campus was spared from the earthquake and has become a base of operation for continued aid and relief to the people of Haiti. God has not forgotten about Haiti and He is not through with His plan for Haiti – I really believe that. The faith of the Haitians we met was truly an honor to behold and it has motivated me to a great degree. As I listened to Commissioned “Will You Be Ready” this morning, I couldn’t fight back the tears as I thought of my countrymen and their tears. While Haiti faces a long night of rebuilding (on every level), joy will come in the morning and I look forward to seeing it happen.
For the past few days, I have been on the ground in Haiti and it has been quite an experience and still feels so surreal. This is my third trip in the last two years and the more I visit my homeland, the more hopeful I get when I see its different parts and its people. I don’t know of a time where I have been more proud to know that I am Haitian. One has to admire the attributes of resilience, pride, and strength (to name a few) that Haitian people have and it takes coming to the country and interacting with the people to know what I mean and contrary to what some say, Haitians are some of the sweetest most caring people on the planet. In light of the recent earthquake and how it has displaced many and left many others wondering what is next, it is heart-warming to see the people still jovial with that ‘Haitian wit’. As a Christian, you really can’t help but think about the fact that Jesus’ blood purchased this people group and they are just as loved as any.
The medical team I travelled with were really an extraordinary group of uniquely skilled physicians: a trauma surgeon, an orthopedic surgeon, a disease and infection specialist, triage personnel and paramedics. All of their God-given abilities (whether they were aware if them or not) were on display and it was amazing to watch. We went to Carrefour, Leogane, and Grande Goave and the drive was really an experience. By the way, you won’t find any CNN correspondents in those places. To see some of the country side with mountains on one side and the ocean on the other is not a sight you would associate with Haiti, but it is beautiful and it is real.
I also had a chance to spend time with people that I love very much who God is using to do awesome things in this land. When I came to Haiti two years ago, I knew that God was reintroducing me to my heritage and forging relationships for a purpose I had yet to understand. While I still see through a glass dimly, His purposes are starting to take shape…
I would like to preface my comments regarding Haiti with the following thought: As a believer and follower of Jesus, I try to approach every situation with His teachings in mind. This is not to suggest that I am a red-letter Christian, or that I elevate the New Testament above the Old Testament. God has spoken to man and revealed His will in various ways (as recorded in both Testaments) but in these last days, He speaks to us through His Son. Jesus is the fullest expression of the mind of God and the exact representation of His person (Hebrews 1:1-2). He is the summation of both the Old and New Testaments, as both speak of Him to the glory of His Father. He only says and does what He sees His Father say and do, so it has pleased His Father to submit all things to Him. With that in mind, I asked myself the following question: What would Jesus say about Haiti? I believe the first few verses of Luke 13, give us a pretty good idea. Here are the verses in question:
There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And he answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” (Luke 13:1-5)
Jesus is told of a seemingly horrific incident regarding some Galileans. Obviously, some had thought that this incident happened because of the sinfulness of these people. It wasn’t (and still isn’t) uncommon for people to think this way, however Jesus reorients how we should view situations like this. His response is ‘we will also perish, unless we repent’. He brings up another incident regarding some people who were crushed by a tower in Siloam and asks if they (those who asked the previous question) believed that these people were worse offenders than others. His answer is the same: ‘Unless you repent you will likewise perish’. So what is the point of this? Jesus shows that we are ALL sinners that need to repent and just because some experience things that others don’t, doesn’t mean they have sinned worse than others or that they deserve misfortune because of their actions. I believe Jesus would respond the same if He were asked about Haiti.
Believe me, Jesus loves Haiti because it is a part of His inheritance and He has called out many from there. Idolatry, immorality, corruption, and other types of wickedness that have been seen in Haiti can be seen in just about any other society and government on this planet, so they are not exclusive to Haiti. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23) so ALL need to repent. The plight of Haitians as a result of the recent earthquake should draw compassion out of us towards them and humility in us before God. The Haitian people are no more sinners than any other people group because of what has happened, quite the contrary. This should cause us to ask God for mercy in light of our own sinfulness. He that hath an ear, let him hear…
Like many in the US, I am a 1st generation Haitian-American. Most of my family were born and raised in Haiti, which shares the island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic. At this point, I am sure just about everyone is aware of the earthquake that brought devastation to the capital city of Haiti and the surrounding area on January 12th. Haiti is no stranger to difficult times and hardship, but something seems different about this situation…more on that later. It is estimated that hundreds of thousands of people have lost their lives as a result of this earthquake and just as many are without a place to live. This is personal to me because I have family that have been directly affected by this, as well as families of some very dear friends. In addition to that, Haiti is the land of my heritage. The land of my fathers. The place of my lineage.
Everyone seems to have an opinion on what happened in Haiti and why it happened. While democracy entitles us the ‘freedom’ to share our thoughts on just about anything, it is often wise to think before we speak and if we do speak we should take to heart the words of the Preacher when he says, “Do not be hasty in word or impulsive in thought to bring up a matter in the presence of God. For God is in heaven and you are on the earth; therefore let your words be few.” (Ecclesiastes 5:2) Just because we are free to do and say things, doesn’t mean that it is always beneficial (1 Corinthians 6:12). The ways of God are not like the ways of men, and the thoughts of God are not like the thoughts of men. Three of Job’s friends are good examples of how we tend to view the suffering and misfortune of others. They actually started out great by simply sitting with Job; not saying anything, but sharing in his pain and providing comfort and support by their presence (Job 2:13). Once they started to try and explain to Job why he was in the situation he was in, they went wrong; to the extent that God eventually intervened and rebuked them for “not speaking what was right”. I think there are times when we should say nothing at all…like now. Let every man be a liar, and let God be true. This is not to say we should not pray and ask God for mercy and whatever is on His heart for the people of Haiti, quite the contrary. But, we should avoid coming to conclusions that are based on conjecture, speculation, or what we hear others say. The people of Haiti need our prayers, our compassion, and our aid during this time. In that, we will fulfill the law of Christ (Galatians 6:2). He that hath an ear, let him hear…
A new year gives us all the chance to start over. With goals unmet, plans thwarted, and resolutions but a memory from the previous year, we look at the new year as a new beginning. There are many who may have successfully met the goals they set out to accomplish, from the previous year, while others would rather forget failures due to a myriad of reasons. In any case, as we look to a new year we resolve to do some things better while doing other things less; we make resolutions and hope that we are able to follow through on them; we make plans and sketch out how we would like the new year to go. While all of those things are good and certainly have their place in our lives, I see that they point us to something unique to the human experience: a longing for something more. Some say that we have a “God-sized hole in our heart that only He can fill”. It seems we all go through a period (several, if we’re honest) in which we are just not satisfied with who we are, what we have, or what we have accomplished. There have been times (some very recent) in which I said to myself, “There has to be more…there has to be something more…” and I realize that only God and His good news can satisfy the longing and desire of my soul. The Gospel communicates that we are, in fact, in need and that need can only be met through the initiative and plan of God in His Son, Jesus; the good news is that God makes all things new by, through, and in Jesus. We experience a new birth, He adopts us as His children, brings us into His house (kingdom) and loves us all our days and beyond. We rest perpetually, as it were, in the presence of He who is able to COMPLETELY meet all of our needs and fulfill all of our desires.
Psalm 37:4 is one of the most well-known and oft repeated verses in all of the Psalter: “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” Many have interpreted this verse to mean that God will give me what I want if I serve and love Him. While I understand the premise, I don’t totally agree with this view. Others say that God will give me the desires that He has put in my heart – I think this comes close, but doesn’t fully grasp the meaning in light of the rest of Scripture. The greatest treasure we can receive is God Himself… He is our reward (Genesis 15:1), in His person. If we desire God above everything and everyone else, as our goal of satisfaction and the end of our pursuit of pleasure, He will give us that desire: Himself. Don’t get me wrong, resolutions have their place in our lives but they ultimately point to a far greater need. All that we seek to achieve and accomplish should be for Him, through Him, and by Him for the purpose of having Him.