In the Hands of the Master Carpenter

 

In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for noble purposes and some for ignoble. If a man cleanses himself from the latter, he will be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.

—2 Timothy 2:20-21

I have several articles made of wood that were finely crafted. They are among my prized possessions because of their beauty, even though they each have a useful purpose, as well. I can imagine the carpenter beginning with a rough piece of wood in which he spied some beauty even before he started. As he sawed and chiseled, rubbed, and finished the piece, it took hours of delicate and expert work.

Imagine a fine violin, a carved piano leg, an exquisite jewelry box, and Indian canoe, each built for a “noble purpose.” But, think of what the piece of wood has been through to get to the place of beauty and purpose. Can you see the floor under the carpenter’s bench, full of sawdust and wood shavings? The wood has gone through a complete transformation under the artistic hands of the master carpenter. He has cut out imperfections, chiseled away knots, and rubbed down and smoothed every inch to get rid of splinters. He has covered the piece with a carefully chosen finish.

We Christians resemble a piece of wood, carved and sanded by our Master. Theologians call this process “sanctification.” God sanctifies—or “makes holy”—those of us whom He has already called and justified. He has chosen us, not because of something He sees in us, but because He wants to fashion an instrument for His use out of our rough origins.

The process of sanctification, like the work of a carpenter, appears to us as torment and distress. Sometimes we think God has left more “shavings” on the floor than He has left the remainder of us to use. But, He understands the process much better than we, and can see the finished product: an instrument for noble purposes—His purposes.

Trusting Him in this lifelong process of sanctification, and co-operating with His means to get us there, will yield for Him the person He wants us to be. He will use us in noble and in ordinary ways to glorify Him, our Master Carpenter.

 

 

Trees

 

The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green, proclaiming, “The Lord is upright; he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.”

—Psalm 92:12-15

I love trees. I always have. I remember as a child lying in the grass under the huge maple in our front lawn and watching the leaves dance under the blue sky. As a teacher, I admired a line of trees that I observed every day on my way to school. I enjoy looking at the various shapes of trees, and marveling at the “perfect” contour of some of them.

As noted in the passage of Scripture at the beginning of this blog post, Psalmists particularly like the image of the tree in their poetry. In addition, the Book of Genesis speaks of two very important trees (Genesis 2:9). And, the Book of Revelation describes the River of Life in the Heavenly Kingdom with the Tree of Life on either side of the river yielding fruit. (Revelation 22:1-2).

In some places we are referred to as “oaks of righteousness.” (Isaiah 61:3). But, in the passage of Scripture at the beginning of this blog post, the righteous in Christ are likened to a palm tree. These trees are graceful and erect, standing like sentinels.

We are also compared to cedars of Lebanon. These trees exhibit strength and majesty, and of course, fragrance. Both the palm tree and the cedar tree are planted—established—in the house of the Lord. What an honored place of protection.

I love the part that says they will still bear fruit in old age, fresh and green. No craggy, dried up, fruitless boughs here! They still declare that the Lord is upright, a Rock, with no wickedness in Him. They still praise Him to all, whether verbally, or in the strength of grace that keeps them still tall and valuable to the King.

This week, let us notice the trees. Wonder at the age and glory of each one, the unique fruit, the leaves, the beauty they possess. May they remind us of our Christian sisters and brothers of all ages, and the importance they carry in Christ’s Kingdom.

 

 

God: the Mosaic Artist

 

“Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations.”

—1 Peter 1:6 AKJV (emphasis added)

“As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.”

—1 Peter 4:10 AKJV (emphasis added)

“O Lord, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches.”

—Psalm 104:24 AKJV (emphasis added)

Someone once told me that in the Bible the word “manifold” means “many-colored.” Having never studied Hebrew or Koine Greek, I can only assume that this defnition is correct. But, it has often made me consider the beautiful way in which God artfully uses His grace to meet the various—or manifold—needs and trials of His people.

God perfomes very much as a mosaic artist, who chooses exquisite tiny tiles that He can see as He works. God can also envision the full masterpiece and how all those tiles fit together. He chooses the crystalline white stones that glint and shine with the light. He chooses the colorful clays that catch the eye and make us happy. He chooses bright turquoise, the brilliant reds, the sparkling purples, and the rich greens. He also chooses the inky black tiles that set off the other colored tiles, in order to lend variety and luxuriant contrast to the whole mosaic picture.

He sees the objects created by these various tiles in the picture that we never see—even though we may get just a hint of them in our lifetimes. But certainly, God envisions the total picture for which we have no eyesight, and He plans a masterpiece made from the pieces of our lives: manifold graces for the manifold trials. As 1 Corinthians 13:12 states:

Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

We can be thankful that God will sometimes allow us to see the intricate work of His loving hands, as He makes something beautiful out of our confusing and seemingly helter-skelter experiences of this life. Once we graduate to heaven at the end of our lives here on earth, I can’t wait to see the many mosaics of the lives of the many believers gathered there. Then, each of us will see the artwork God is creating now, and we will surely adore the Artist, as we view His workmanship in the most magnificent gallery ever!

 

 

Harrowing Predicaments

 

“We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”

—2 Chronicles 20:12

On November 12, 2014, two window washers became trapped 68 floors up at One World Trade Center in New York City, when their scaffolding came loose. We hear of such events because they rarely happen: a person’s parachute doesn’t open; a trapeze artist dies from a fall because he had no net beneath him; a bridge collapses, plunging cars to the river below; or other such terrible events.

We humans try to cover all eventualities, to make sure we are never caught without the help we need in any situation. We live in a country with regulations for every “worst-case scenario.” We use seat belts in our vehicles, have smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors in our homes, receive weather alerts, equip our boats with life preservers, fly on planes with all the safety technology available: all to keep people safe in an emergency.

Regardless of the lengths to which we go in order to avoid trouble, we can’t avoid it entirely. We must deal with scary diseases, horrible accidents, injuries from war, and a host of other maladies outside of our control. We need reminding of how many times in Scripture we read the words: “Do not fear” or “Be not afraid.” Nearly every Book in our Bibles has something to say about fear in the face of overwhelming odds.

We can’t get ourselves out of serious trouble any more than those window washers could save themselves. We must learn to trust in a God who has promised to care for us, and who will show us goodness and mercy every day of our lives. This bare-knuckled kind of faith comes to us hard, and only through severe adversity. It tests our dependence on God, as well as His ability to help us.

In a book of Puritan devotional readings, I came upon this paragraph by Thomas Lye: ¹

Faith is the antidote and healer of all diseases. It allows a believer to live in the midst of death. God has extraordinary means to bear us up when ordinary ones fail. He can turn poisons into antidotes, hindrances into furtherances, and destructions into deliverances. The ravens give Elijah food. A whale becomes Jonah’s ship, and pilot too. An Almighty God can work without means. God often brings his people into such a condition that they do not know what to do. He does this that they might know what he can do. God is with his people at all times, but he is most sweetly with them in the worst of times.

God can speak peace to us in the midst of terrible circumstances. He can bring help from strange places. Quite often, those things we often fear never happen, or come in a different form than we expect, so that we are able to bear them. Hear God say, “Trust me in this. I love you!” and experience His peace that passes all understanding.

______________________

1 Lye, Thomas. In Richard Rushing (Ed.) Puritan Sermons in Voices from the Past. Carlisle, PA: The Banner of Truth Trust, 2009. p. 185.

 

 

In Spite Of ...

 

“Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.”

—Habakkuk 3:17-18 (emphasis added)

Faith is belief in spite of—the contradiction of sight and reason. In the Gallery of the Faithful, recorded in Hebrews 11, we read of many courageous, Spirit-filled saints, who lived out faith in spite of. A hymn reflects this sentiment: ¹

Faith of our fathers, living still,
in spite of dungeon, fire and sword.

Faith like this does not come to those who “dabble” in Christian belief. That is, those who call themselves “Christian,” or “Christ’s-ones,” but rarely work it out in powerful prayer, or by courageous action. Instead, God calls to trust Him those who will devote themselves to faithful discipleship and who will acknowledge His all-powerful hand, which He can use in response to His people’s faith. Puritan writer, Thomas Manton, states: ²

We give up the visible for invisible rewards. We do not look at the things that are seen, but unseen … Faith provides invisible supplies to endure visible dangers … Sense judges only the outside of God’s dispensations, but faith looks within the veil.

Even if everything for which we pray does not come to pass in exactly the way we hope, the truly faithful look for God’s hand and trust His ultimate wisdom in every situation. Psalm 23:4 reminds us:

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.

God still works miracles. We may see His power in miraculous reversals of circumstances and health. But, when we trust Him in those in spite of times, He gives miraculous grace to sustain us, to give us peace, to give us courage, to give us joy, and to give us a grateful spirit. His grace allows us to see His hand above all the circumstances. Hymn writer William Cowper wrote the following: ³

God moves in a mysterious way
His wonders to perform;
He plants His footsteps in the sea
and rides upon the storm.

Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take;
The clouds ye so much dread
Are big with mercy and shall break
in blessings on your head.

Judge not the Lord by feeble sense
but trust Him for His grace;
Behind a frowning providence
He hides a smiling face.

His purposes will ripen fast,
unfolding every hour;
The bud may have a bitter taste,
but sweet will be the flower.

Blind unbelief is sure to err,
and scan His work in vain;
God is His own interpreter,
and He will make it plain.

God reserves His awesome power and grace for those who place their faith in Him, who pray, and then, who leave the working out of all things to Him. As we walk our walks of faith, let us determine to rely on God’s power, in spite of.

______________________

1 Faber, Frederick. “Faith of Our Fathers!” Public Domain. This Hymn is included in various Hymnals that are copyrighted by the publisher of the Hymnal. Though this citation is noted to be in the Public Domain, in the case of anyone claiming Copyright protection of this material, citation of any Copyrighted material is made on this blog post strictly for Educational Fair Use illustration purposes only. All Rights Reserved by the original Copyright Holder.

2 Manton, Thomas. In Richard Rushing (Ed.) Puritan Sermons in Voices from the Past. Carlisle, PA: The Banner of Truth Trust, 2009. p. 59.

3 Cowper, William. “God Moves in a Mysterious Way.” Public Domain. This Hymn is included in various Hymnals that are copyrighted by the publisher of the Hymnal. Though this citation is noted to be in the Public Domain, in the case of anyone claiming Copyright protection of this material, citation of any Copyrighted material is made on this blog post strictly for Educational Fair Use illustration purposes only. All Rights Reserved by the original Copyright Holder.

Please note: In all cases, any citation of any Copyrighted material is made on this blog post strictly for Educational Fair Use illustration purposes only. All Rights Reserved by the original Copyright Holder, if any.

 

 

Flying Debris

 

They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

—Mark 4:41

Many of us watched the movie Twister that came out in 1996. Remember the flying cow? The story made for good entertainment. But, it also showed the deadly nature of the damage that flying debris from such a storm can cause. People in this movie became fascinated with tornadoes and that fascination continues in real life today. I even found a website devoted to facts about such storms. Did you know that every tornado has its own color, sound, and shape?

In 1931, a tornado in Mississippi lifted an 83 ton train and tossed it 80 feet from the track. And, speaking of flying debris, a tornado destroyed a motel in Oklahoma and people later found the motel’s sign in Arkansas!

Sometimes life can feel like a tornado. We can feel that we are caught in the path of “flying objects” that threaten to kill or maim us, and threaten to change forever the way of life we’ve known. Often, in such a “storm,” we don’t know where to run or hide. Nothing makes sense. And, even the familiar landmarks we had always used to guide our way seem to have disappeared.

The story of Jesus calming the storm, found in Matthew 8:23-27, tells us that the storm came “without warning.” Meteorologists struggle to predict tornadoes and other such deadly storms. These storms appear suddenly with little time to warn people in their path.

So, what does Scripture tell us about surviving storms, whether we get hit with flying debris or not? Jesus rebuked His disciples for their lack of faith. He wants us to trust Him and remain at peace—hardly an easy task when we see the terrifying objects swirling around us.

In Matthew 7:24-29, Jesus told His disciples:

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.

Notice Jesus insists that in order to stay standing when “the winds blow and beat against the house,” we need to build a strong foundation of hearing God’s written Word and obeying it.

I like the story of Elijah who had fled to Horeb. He was fleeing a “storm” in his own life. But, the Lord had an even bigger lesson for this prophet. In 1 Kings 19:11-12 we read:

Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. [that is: a still, small voice].

Sometimes it seems that storms come one on top of the other. And, we cannot get our bearings, even enough to hear what God says to us. But, we can be assured that He will stay with us in the boat. He does cover us in the wind and in the earthquake and in the fire. Eventually, we will hear His voice speaking peace to us: “Everything is under my control. Don’t fear the flying debris. My love surrounds you!”

 

 

Stitch by Stitch

 

“Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior and my hope is in you all day long.”

—Psalm 25:4

Having spent fifty-plus years of my life in a school setting, I tend to think like both a teacher and a learner. My natural bent toward learning forces me to think in a sequential way about understanding, processing, and retaining knowledge. And, on top of that, my experience as a musician reinforces the notion that learning is longitudinal—that is, over a period of years.

No one has ever received the maximum benefit from learning a musical instrument if they take a lesson every six months and rarely practice. Nor, can a person enjoy success by taking lessons from one teacher for a brief time and then jumping to another teacher. The budding music student must carefully and deliberately follow a long, slow process, in order for learning to properly progress from foundational, to detailed, and onward to become specifically more complicated, as time goes by.

How should we study the Scriptures? In the same very careful and deliberate way: in a long, slow, sequential manner over many years. In Psalm 1:2, the Psalmist says that the blessed man …

… delights in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.

Creative teaching, with a carefully crafted and enjoyable methodology, will tend to produce eager learners, who don’t mind the perseverance they need to complete the process. And, the deliberate process will increase the effectiveness of the learning.

I note that during Colonial times in America, out of necessity, women taught their daughters to sew. The women would have their daughters practice by doing counted cross-stitch patterns with thread and cloth. These patterns taught not only useful stitching, but also taught letters, numbers, and Scripture verses. Each such lengthy project would allow these young girls to concentrate on God’s written Word, while they slowly improved their sewing skills.

I’m not proposing that we all learn to cross-stitch in order to learn God’s written Word. But, I am suggesting that each of us should make an effort to discover a pleasant way that will help us learn more effectively. Then, we should use that method to “meditate day and night” on God’s written Word.

Most people learn best using one of three ways: visually, aurally, or physically. Something learned in the style best suited to the individual will help him or her retain what he or she intends to learn. Some learn best by journaling, or in some other way that uses their hands to learn. Others like to listen to God’s written Word as they work or exercise. Others learn best by reading aloud, or by quoting passages of Scripture as they drive. I’ve known still others who like to paraphrase portions of the Bible to hide the written Word deep inside themselves.

The Apostle Paul, writing in Philippians 1:6 and speaking about God, tells us that:

He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

God, our ever present heavenly Tutor, wants to partner with us as we learn His written Word and put it into practice. “Stitch-by-stitch,” day by day, God opens His truths to us. Just as, over time, many children enjoy the learning process, may we each make time to find the exquisite delights of learning God’s written Word all the days of our lives.