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"I have seen servants upon horses, and princes walking as servants upon the earth." (Ecclesiastes 10:7)
"I have seen servants upon horses, and princes walking as servants upon the earth." (Ecclesiastes 10:7)
Post date: May 19, 2020
Upstarts frequently usurp the highest places, while the truly great pine in obscurity. This is a riddle in providence whose solution will one day gladden the hearts of the upright; but it is so common a fact, that none of us should murmur if it should fall to our own lot. When our Lord was upon earth, although he is the Prince of the kings of the earth, yet he walked the footpath of weariness and service as the Servant of servants: what wonder is it if his followers, who are princes of the blood, should also be looked down upon as inferior and contemptible persons? The world is upside down, and therefore, the first are last and the last first. See how the servile sons of Satan lord it in the earth! What a high horse they ride! How they lift up their horn on high! Haman is in the court, while Mordecai sits in the gate; David wanders on the mountains, while Saul reigns in state; Elijah is complaining in the cave while Jezebel is boasting in the palace; yet who would wish to take the places of the proud rebels? and who, on the other hand, might not envy the despised saints? When the wheel turns, those who are lowest rise, and the highest sink. Patience, then, believer, eternity will right the wrongs of time.
Let us not fall into the error of letting our passions and carnal appetites ride in triumph, while our nobler powers walk in the dust. Grace must reign as a prince, and make the members of the body instruments of righteousness. The Holy Spirit loves order, and he therefore sets our powers and faculties in due rank and place, giving the highest room to those spiritual faculties which link us with the great King; let us not disturb the divine arrangement, but ask for grace that we may keep under our body and bring it into subjection. We were not new created to allow our passions to rule over us, but that we, as kings, may reign in Christ Jesus over the triple kingdom of spirit, soul, and body, to the glory of God the Father.
"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God." (Matt. 5:9)
"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God." (Matt. 5:9)
Post date: Apr 23, 2020
'Resist' is a movement that stems from the greater resistance of true peace, the result of sinfulness and the creation of sinful aims and means. Whatever is of value demonized by those that resist, it is always the underlying fundamental truth that is being attacked.
Peace makers is understood here to define those who act to restore God's peace to a fallen world by proclaiming and making known God's truth. If God is peace, and peace thus can only be found in God, then peace cannot be harmony with anything that is not of God. It is clear even in a secular sense that peace cannot be found in 'striking a deal with the devil'. No movie ends well for the protagonist as long as their name is signed on that contract's dotted line. Collectively as a culture, our stories abounding with examples of heroes identified as peace makers because they stand for what is true.
It isn't the appeasement officer enforcing a PC culture in the church then who is the messenger of peace; and it definitely isn't a product of peace signs or being the Pied Piper leading lambs to the slaughter. Rather, we have stunning examples of great examples of the faith including Luther who lit the match that sparked the Reformation. While few would consider that Luther by his own actions brought peace to Europe, but his action on exposing the falsehood of Rome makes it clear to believers that his calling by God as a son is filled with a sense of dignity and not an identification of childishness.
Each Christian is faced with daily opportunities, and even great life opportunities, to be the instrument of God in being peace makers, proclaiming God with clarity and in truth despite the movement of the world to resist it.
For more on Luther, I highly recommend the Kickstarter funded documentary: LUTHER: The Life and Legacy of the German Reformer
Post date: Apr 22, 2020
What is terror? To a child, their imagination is filled with a multiple of terrors inexpressible, and those can be found even under the bed or in a closet. But the terror of the chaos of life, that which is beyond what the known, predictable, desirable, is never far apart from any person no matter how old. The facade of order is so often and easily shattered. We see this in the life of the Psalmist adopted and hunted by so many. In the believers' life today, we are all each affected in our daily lives by disruption consequence of a great pandemic which has seen our entire way of thinking, norms, and actions upended.
It is so interesting that that nature, which has been so exalted over our demonized institutions and society, is again being realized as a creation that needs to be carefully cultivated and held in check for survival and long life. The world is full of death and sorrow, but that isn't anything new, nor has it since Genesis 3. For the Christian who has found refuge 'in the shadow of the Almighty', there should be no alarm towards what is to us unknown. If all that is chaos is all that is dark, it remains forever outside of the light that is always with us still. Furthermore, we have comfort knowing that even what is in the darkness exists at the direction and will of Him whose light permeates all darkness exposing the truth in all things. There is nothing to be afraid of and nothing to be apprehensive about no matter how dark the days may seem.
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