East to West

 

Last week I wrote about David instructing his soul to worship God. Now I would like to point out a different thought from that same psalm (103). I absolutely love that David wrote, “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us (v.12).” 

 

This is a wonderful thought about God’s forgiveness. He has removed our sin from us if we have put our trust in Him. The idea of removing sin was borrowed from levitical language. In Leviticus 16 Aaron was instructed to take a young goat and symbolically transfer the sins of the nation to the kid by laying his hands upon its head. The goat was then bearing the sins of Israel, as it was sent off into the wilderness, never to be seen again. That gesture was God’s way of demonstrating that the people would not have to bear their own sin if they called upon Him. 

 

David only had an elementary understanding of forgiveness, however. The king was grateful that God would remove his sin and send it off into the wilderness, but that didn’t fully satisfy sin’s demands. It was not until Jesus went to the cross as the Lamb of God that sin could finally be once and for all dealt with. Instead of symbolically putting our sin on the scapegoat, God put our sin on His Son. In this way, our sin can be forever removed from us.

 

How far away is our sin sent? David said it is as far away as the east is from the west. According to author Max Lucado, east and west become farther away from each other as one travels. If you leave your house and head east, you can spend the rest of your life going east, and with every step, west becomes farther away from your starting point. The same is true for the person heading west. However, that is not true for the person heading north or south. If you leave your house and head north, you will eventually reach the North Pole, and then you are automatically going south; if you head south, you will eventually reach the South Pole and then be heading north. 

 

North and south are only separated by just over 12,440 miles; that is the distance between the Poles. But east and west have no such dimensions. If they did, Satan could pack a lunch and a GPS, track down our sin, and bring it back to us. That is now impossible because God put our sin on the back of Jesus, and He has carried it away as far as the east is from the west.    

 

Who Do You Worship?

 

The famous nineteenth century preacher Henry Ward Beecher was scheduled to speak at a church, but an unforeseen circumstance caused him to cancel last minute. Instead of calling off the service, Beecher asked if his brother Thomas, who was not famous at all, would stand in the pulpit in his place. When the church assembled that night to hear the renowned pastor, they were disappointed to see someone who wasn’t famous get up to preach. Many people began to head for the door until Thomas Beecher shouted, “All those who came here to worship Henry Ward Beecher may head home. All those who came to worship the Lord may stay.” With those words the church members made their way back to their seats. 

 

I have had a similar experience. Several years ago I was asked to speak at a church in the county, and the bulletin announced that Tommy McManus—the retired pastor of Philippi (whom I greatly admire)—was going to be the guest preacher. Fortunately for me no one headed for the doors, but I know there were some disappointed people that morning!

 

It’s great when a church loves its pastor, but they should never worship him. We do not worship personalities or people, but our precious Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. While “Christian celebrities” can use their platform for the kingdom of God, we should never elevate the messengers. Whether they are authors like Max Lucado, or athletes like Tim Tebow, their goal is to lift up Christ, not themselves. In Psalm 103:1 David wrote, “Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name!” To bless means to worship, give thanks, or to magnify. David wrote a psalm addressed to his own soul, encouraging himself to bless the Lord. 

 

To what extent did David say to bless the Lord? With “all that is within me.” With his entire being. David wanted to worship God with all of his heart, soul, mind, and strength. At the tail end of that same psalm David wrote, “Bless the Lord, all you His hosts, you ministers of His, who do His pleasure (v.21).” His hosts refers to the angels of heaven, and the ministers refers to the human ministers who served in the tabernacle. 

 

David instructed his own soul to worship the Lord with all that was within him, and from reading his other psalms, we know he did. David instructed the angels to worship the Lord, and from reading other Scriptures, we know they do. David instructed the human ministers to worship the Lord. You and I can only account for ourselves. Are you a true worshipper of God? The angels are doing their job. The rest is up to us. May we never worship the one who brings the message, but the One who the messengers proclaim.   

Power Cycling

 

“Have you tried turning it off and turning it back on again?” 

 

That question is my contribution every time something doesn’t work. I’m terrible with electronics. I don’t know the difference between a router and a modem, but we have one of those things at the church and it powers our internet (I think). It seems that once a week no one can get online, but when I unplug the device, wait twenty to thirty seconds, and plug it back in, it usually works. Apparently that is called “power cycling.” If power cycling doesn’t work, I’m out of ideas. 

 

While I will never understand the ins and outs of electronic devices, I have come to learn that sometimes they just need to be unplugged. During that half minute or so it somehow regains it composure and is able to function again. It seemingly forgets how stubborn it was being just seconds ago, and it kicks right back into gear. I understand people a little bit better than I understand electronics, and I have also discovered that people need to unplug every now and then as well. 

 

Does the news ever get you frustrated? Turn it off. Does the violence on TV make you feel sick? Turn it off. Do the sexually explicit lyrics on the radio put bad thoughts into your head? Turn it off. Does the negativity on Facebook drag you down? Turn it off. Do the pictures of everyone else’s “perfect life” on Instagram make you feel inadequate? Turn it off. Does Twitter, well, just turn off Twitter. 

 

The Bible calls Satan the “prince of the power of the air (Ephesians 2:2),” and I believe he uses the airwaves to get inside our heads. There is so much negativity, so much intended to divide us or tempt us, and it is constantly pumped into our heads. But we do have an advantage in this fight; we can simply turn it off. This is the way of escape mentioned in I Corinthians 10:13. No one is prying our eyelids open, forcing us to absorb any of this content. We do it willingly, and I wonder why. If Facebook made me angry every time I got on it, I’d stop getting on. If instagram made me feel like I can never measure up to other people, I’d stop getting on. But people have become addicted to those outlets, not even realizing how little they get in return. 

 

If that describes you, let me ask you the only question I know in regards to electronics: Have you tried turning it off? Take a break. Let things cool back down. I’m not saying never turn it back on; that is up to you. But I imagine that just like our modem (or maybe our router?), you will feel better after you unplug everything. And whatever you do, make sure you are filling your mind with something positive. That is why Paul wrote “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things (Philippians 4:8).”

 

Loneliness

 

Chuck Swindoll once spoke about a newspaper ad he saw in a Nebraska newspaper. The advertisement stated, “I will listen to you talk for thirty minutes without comment for $5.” That might seem crazy to some, but Swindoll related that the young man who placed the ad was soon receiving ten to twenty calls per day, as strangers would pay him money to listen to whatever was on their heart. This is a reminder that there are lonely people all around us who are desperate for human contact. There are people who are praying for a telemarketer to call just so they will have someone to talk to. 

 

Adrian Rogers wrote that eight out of every ten people who seek psychiatric help do so as a result of loneliness. Pastor James Merritt said that when people feel lonely they should reach up to Jesus and reach out to others. We can reach up to Jesus because He knows what it is like to be lonely. As readers may well know, you can be alone and not be lonely, and you can be lonely without being alone. Jesus felt all alone in the Garden of Gethsemane, even though His disciples were asleep in that garden. He felt all alone at His trial, even though Peter was just outside the room denying Him. Jesus felt all alone on the cross, even though John and Mary were standing at His feet.   

 

We can reach up to Jesus because He knows what it is like to be lonely. We can pray and ask Jesus to comfort us when we feel down, and we will find that He is a friend that sticks closer than a brother. We can also reach out to others because there are other people who can use our company. If you are lonely, why not reach out to someone else who is lonely? Invite them out for a cup of coffee or to have lunch. If you are lonely and they are lonely, you can help yourself while you are helping someone else. Please do not be afraid to reach out to someone if you need help.

 

The writer of Psalm 102 felt lonely. He described himself as being afflicted and overwhelmed, like a sparrow eating all alone on a rooftop. The psalmist said he was so miserable that that he forgot to eat his food. I have forgotten many things, but I have never forgotten to eat. When he did eat, he said he ate ashes and drank his tears. Ashes referred to a person in mourning who would dress in sackcloth and spread ashes on his forehead. He was so accustomed to mourning, so frequently spreading ash on his head that he would inhale it; the steady stream of tears running down his face became his drink to wash down the ashes. 

 

But the psalm turns on a dime in verse twelve when he says, “But You, O LORD, shall endure forever, and the remembrance of Your name to all generations.” The Christian who is lonely can reach up to Jesus and reach out to others, but he must also let his worship reach the throne of God. It is easy to say we don’t feel like worshipping God, but if we make worship a habit, it will go a long way towards making us feel better. Worship keeps things in perspective, so if you are feeling down, reach up.

A Spider Web

Frederick Nolan, a Christian living in Africa, told the story of the time he was a being pursued by a group of unbelievers because of a stand he had taken for the gospel. If this mob could get their hands on Nolan, he was certain they were going to kill him. After hours of pursuit Nolan finally collapsed from exhaustion. He had run into a cave to hide, but his strength was gone, and he feared he would be found and captured at any moment. 

 

While he was lying on the ground anticipating being found, he watched as a spider began to weave a web at the opening of the cave. In almost no time at all Nolan saw that spider produce an elaborate web from one side of the cave’s mouth to the other. Suddenly the men pursuing Nolan came upon the cave, but after observing the spider web, decided he could not have been inside. They decided the search was hopeless and called it off. 

 

Nolan would later write these words: “Where God is, a spider’s web is like a wall. Where God is not, a wall is like a spider’s web.” Obviously a spider web is not strong enough to keep people from tearing through it; in fact, we have probably all had the pleasure of accidentally walking through one and having to pull the web from our hair. But when God is with us, something as weak as a web becomes like a wall. 

 

Jeremiah once spoke of the power of God when he wrote, “Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for you (32:17).” Because of this truth Paul was able to add, “And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me (II Corinthians 12:9).” When a spider web keeps an army at bay, God gets all the credit. That is a case of the power of God coming through in our weakness. 

 

Maybe you can relate to Frederick Nolan. You know what it is like to be pursued by an enemy that wishes you harm. I am not talking about a real army of people, but maybe your trials feel like that. The mounting debt is chasing you down. The pressures at work are pursing you. Your marital problems, your addictions, or a hundred other things can bring you to the point of exhaustion. When you are at your weakest, look up; God may just send a spider to weave a web—a hedge of protection—to keep the enemy away. The God who made the heavens and earth can certainly make a web around you, so keep praying, and don’t loose heart.