ALWAYS!

Last week was a special one for the “Dawgs”—the motley bunch of (mostly) divinity postgrad students who get together for prayer weekly (another posting on the aBeLOG a while ago portrayed those canines). Our high chief Dawg—top Dawg?—is now done with his studies. Tom is now Dr. Dawg! He blazed through his viva voce, with his examiners requiring hardly any corrections to his thesis, outside of the obligatory typos and such.

The rest of us are still humble Dawgs, barking and growling our way to a hopefully successful conclusion to this dog-fight. Every Dawg, they say, has its day.

The interesting thing about these Dawgs—current and erstwhile: the strong bond that developed during student days here at the University of Aberdeen, continues to glue the whole kennel together; the Dawgs of the Diaspora still keep in touch, the emails roaming across the globe from one Dawg to another; the congratulatory missives to the latest Dawg to acquire a Ph.D., Canis helveticus (Tom is Swiss), came from several continents.

You see, Once a Dawg, always a Dawg! Undogging is an impossibility. Canis medicus, I’ll always be!

There’s one other thing that I’ll always be. SAVED! An always-saved Dawg!

God is so good to have once for all taken care of my sins—past, present, and future.

Therefore there is now
no condemnation
for those who are in Christ Jesus.
Romans 8:1

In the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, all my sins, as the song goes, have been washed away in the blood of lamb. And once washed, always washed. Eternally secure, praise God! Secure in the hands of a mighty Savior, who said …

"This is the will of Him
who sent Me,
that of all that He has given Me
I lose nothing,
but raise it up on the last day."
John 6:39

Secured not only from condemnation, but secured unto eternal life.

"My sheep hear My voice,
and I know them,
and they follow Me;
and I give eternal life to them,
and they will never perish."
John 10:27

Indeed, the Bible affirms, eternal life is actually a present possession for the one who has placed one’s trust in Jesus Christ as God and Saviour.

He who believes in the Son
has eternal life.
John 3:36

What a joyous truth is eternal security, sustaining, succoring, and stabilizing one amidst the vagaries of life and the vicissitudes of living. What a blessed hope is that of eternity secure! A glorious day about to dawn in the future. In Christ that life, forever sure.

Living, He loved me; dying, He saved me;
Buried, He carried my sins far away;
Rising, He justified freely forever;
One day He’s coming—O glorious day!
J. Wilbur Chapman, 1908

And why do I hold all this to be true? Because it is guaranteed in the Scriptures …

… the hope of eternal life,
which God, who cannot lie,
promised long ages ago.
Titus 1:2

What can we say to these things then? Nothing much needs to be said, except to echo, on bended knee, the words of Peter …

Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who according
to His great mercy
has caused us
to be born again
to a living hope
through the resurrection
of Jesus Christ from the dead,
to obtain an inheritance
which is imperishable
and undefiled
and will not fade away,
reserved in heaven for you,
who are protected
by the power of God ….
1 Peter 1:3–5

Always, always a saved Dawg!

SHEPHERD!

That’s Peter and his wife, Eleanor. Pete is the minister at the church I attend here in Aberdeen. A remarkable couple, they have been at our church for a little over a decade, and God has been doing some wonderful things in this local body of Christ through the hand of this one, His shepherd. A vitality of faith, a vigor for evangelism, a vision for the world, a vibrant orthodoxy, and an enviable volunteerism marks this assembly of believers. In no small part, Pete’s leadership has played a significant role in the building up of the church.

We have been blessed by our shepherd, our minister. His heart is huge, his smile warm, his loyalty staunch, his encouragement heartening, his humility genuine, his passion for the Word contagious, his perseverance dogged, his home and table open. The God he serves must be a God of love, the Shepherd he emulates must be a God of tenderness, the Lord he is devoted to must be a God of grace, the Master he obeys must be a God of mercy … for Pete’s God is visible in his life.

This is the God of whom Isaiah writes …

Like a shepherd
He will tend His flock,
In His arm
He will gather the lambs
And carry them
in His bosom;
He will gently lead
the nursing ewes.
Isaiah 40:11

That’s what all of those the pastors, ministers, and elders are to be exerting themselves to do—shepherd. This is the task of our leaders—shepherding. This is why they have been gifted by Christ to the church—to shepherd.

To shepherd enthusiastically …

Shepherd the flock of God
among you,
exercising oversight
not under compulsion,
but voluntarily,
according to the will of God …
1 Peter 5:2a

To shepherd eagerly …

… and not for sordid gain,
but with eagerness.
1 Peter 5:2b

To shepherd exemplarily …

… nor yet as lording it
over those allotted
to your charge,
but proving to be
examples to the flock.
1 Peter 5:3

That’s Pete, right there! Great will be his reward!

And when
the Chief Shepherd appears,
you will receive
the unfading crown of glory.
1 Peter 5:4

(No, Eleanor hasn’t promised me cheesecake for writing this—she does create a great concoction—but, should she feel like making one for me after reading this, I will not be so ungracious and discourteous as to decline her magnanimous offer!)

And the rest of us—the sheep—are called to honor these leaders of ours.

The elders who rule well
are to be considered
worthy of double honor,
especially those
who work hard
at preaching and teaching.
1 Timothy 5:17

This matter of honoring goes beyond an attitude of respect and an affectation of reverence towards them. We are called to do no less than imitate them—in the Christlikeness they manifest.

Remember those who led you,
who spoke the word of God to you;
and considering
the result of their conduct,
imitate their faith.
Hebrews 13:7

And the writer of Hebrews exhorts us in that same chapter with verbs some might call “politically incorrect” …

Obey your leaders
and submit to them,
for they keep watch
over your souls
as those who will give an account.
Let them do this with joy
and not with grief,
for this would be
unprofitable for you.
Hebrews 13:17

May God help us to do that—honor, imitate, obey, and submit. And let's not forget to pray for these our shepherds, as well, often and regularly. May we be blessed and profited through their self-sacrificing lives, as they model Christ for us, for the glory of God!

FEAR!

Initium sapientiae timor domini it proclaims proudly in gold from the fancy arch in regal Latin. The motto of the University of Aberdeen (est. 1495). Impressive. Especially when one figures out that it translates a verse of Scripture.

The fear of the LORD
is the beginning of wisdom.
Proverbs 9:10

Appropriate for an institution of learning. Appropriate for such an establishment as this that was essentially founded by a religious office: Bishop Elphinstone (1431–1514), bishop of Aberdeen, inaugurated the University’s King’s College which houses the Department of Divinity and Religious Studies—my current home base. Appropriate that we tread this acclaimed ground, traverse that august quadrangle, and trace those ancient cobblestones remembering that the first (initial) step of obtaining wisdom is developing a fear of the LORD. The divine origin of wisdom is explicitly affirmed in the book of Proverbs.

For the LORD gives wisdom;
from His mouth come
knowledge and understanding.
Proverbs 2:6

This “fear” that is spoken about in Proverbs is, in essence, reverential awe. It doesn’t stop with a respectful attitude to deity, though, for the fear of the LORD always results in a code of conduct appropriate to that deferential disposition.

Abraham, in the era of that patriarch, disparaged the moral atmosphere of a local ruler’s court by declaring

There is no fear of God in this place ….
Genesis 20:11

And take the midwives of Egypt, commanded to kill Israelite babies, in the days of Moses’ birth; they refused to commit infanticide because, Scripture tells us twice, “they feared God” (Exodus 1:17, 21). The fear of the LORD has some protective effects, undoubtedly. It keeps us on the straight and narrow.

By the fear of the LORD
one keeps away from evil.
Proverbs 16:6

No wonder we are highly recommended to obtain this kind of wisdom—the acquisition of which commences with the development of the fear of the LORD. Indeed, God desires that we fear Him, for our own sakes. He wishes …

Oh that they had
such a heart in them that
they would fear Me, and keep
all My commandments always,
that it may be well with them
and with their sons forever!
Deuteronomy 5:29

Keeping us from evil, keeping us close to God, and, interestingly, keeping us close to our fellowmen, as well. For, you see, such a fear of the LORD also manifests in our interpersonal relationships.

So you shall not wrong one another,
but you shall fear your God;
for I am the LORD your God.
Leviticus 25:17

A remarkable cure for the ills of the world! The fear of the LORD.

And if we think such a God cannot be loved, we are mistaken.

… what does the LORD your God
require from you,
but to fear the Lord your God,
to walk in all His ways
and love Him,
and to serve the LORD your God
with all your heart
and with all your soul.
Deuteronomy 10:12

All of this begins, of course, with a recognition of His holiness, a comprehension of our sinfulness, and a location of our trust in the LORD Jesus Christ as our Savior from sin. The fear of the LORD should lead us to that point of faith and belief.

And thence to continue in a life marked by a fear the LORD, …

… you shall not fear other gods,
nor bow down yourselves to them ….
But the LORD …
Him you shall fear,
and to Him
you shall bow yourselves down ….
2 Kings 17:35–36

We worship you, O God, the LORD we fear … and love!

FELLOWSHIP!

Hey, did you hear the joke about the Irishman, the Englishman, and the American?

We won’t go there!

I confess it might be hard on the surface of things (i.e., based on cutaneous melanin distribution) to figure out who’s who in the picture—who is the Irish, the English, and the American. There’s David (the Irishman) and his wife Angela (and another incubating), Ro and Rita (all English), and yours faithfully sworn to fidelity to the good ole’ US of A.

All three of the guys are working on their PhDs in New Testament here at the University of Aberdeen. And we attend the same church. Fellows in the same ship. It does something to the shipmates and to their relationships with one another, especially when tempests rage and tumults roar (read “advisors disparage and workloads soar”).

But it is even better to know that in the same ship is the One who created it all and us all.

Whether the wrath of the storm-toss’d sea
Or demons, or men, or whatever it be
No waters can swallow the ship where lies
The Master of ocean, and earth, and skies!
Mary A. Baker, 1874

The fact remains, however, that unlike Christ’s physical presence with the disciples in the sinking boat, God’s tangible and visible presence is not with us. I can’t help but think that that is what makes koinonia (fellowship) even more powerful—the presence of Christ with us … in our brothers and sisters.

Right after Paul affirms to the Philippians …

I can do all things
through Him [Christ]
who strengthens me.
Philippians 4:13

… he asserts …

Nevertheless, you have
done well to share [koinoneo]
with me in my affliction.
Philippians 4:14

The one who asserted he could do all things through Christ declares his need of support from his fellow-Christians! Hmmm…. Perhaps the strengthening by Christ occurs both through His indwelling Spirit within us and through Christ within our fellows-in-the-same-ship. No wonder believers need each other. No wonder believers cannot do without one another. No wonder Paul exhorts …

Therefore since there is …
that fellowship
[created by] the Spirit,
… make my joy complete
by being of the same mind,
maintaining the same love,
united in spirit,
intent on one purpose.
Philippians 2:1–2

It too easy to surmise that we can do it all on our own—we don’t need any help, we don’t need a hand. We’re heroes, not helpless humans.

Or so we suppose!

Listen to what Paul tells Philemon:

Yes, brother, let me
benefit from you
in the Lord;
refresh my heart
in Christ.
Philemon 20

We need one another. We need others’ help. We need their refreshment, encouragement, and investment in our lives. That is certainly one of the ways God works in and for us. Let us always recognize the presence of Christ with us in our fellow-Christians—for they are His arms, His hands are theirs, and His heart, and His mind, and His love, …

… so that there may be
no division in the body,
but that the members
may have the same care
for one another.
1 Corinthians 12:25

No, parts of the same body cannot survive independently. So let’s commit ourselves to fellowship, to thrive in it, to relish it, to be ministered unto by Christ … in our fellow-believers.

… let us consider how to
stimulate one another
to love and good deeds,
not forsaking our own
assembling together, …
but encouraging one another;
and all the more as you see
the day drawing near.
Hebrews 10:24–25

NOW!

Nope, that’s not a fine exemplar of the Aberdeen-Angus variety of the genus Bos, subfamily Bovinae, family Bovidae, a.k.a. “cattle”. This beast with the beady eye and baleful glance, bearing those bent things on its brow, was betraying a less-than-benign bias against me, and so, before it began to behave in bellicose fashion, and before I was beset by bane, I put distance between us. Beware! This is a Texas Longhorn!

All this to say, in other words, and to make a long story short, I was home this past week. One last chance to soak in some of the blazing North Texas summer heat before facing the frigid onslaught of another North Atlantic winter.

Of the martyrs that came out of the great tribulation and were now before the throne of God serving Him, John tells us in Revelation what an “elder” reported to him:

“He who sits on the throne
will spread His tabernacle over them.
They will hunger no longer,
nor thirst anymore;
nor will the sun
beat down on them,
nor any heat ….”
Revelation 7:15–16

“Any” heat? I sure hope it ain’t cold out there; hyperbole, I hope it is, on the part of the elder. And does no more hunger mean no more food, water, and other culinary concoctions? Of which, needless to say, I had my fill and more on my recent trip, thanks to the exquisite epicurean enchantments in the homes of family and friends. Believe it or not, it wasn’t hard to keep off JIF for a few days!

I like the following bit though.

“… for the Lamb
in the center of the throne
will be their shepherd,
and will guide them
to springs of the water of life;
and God will wipe
every tear from their eyes."
Revelation 7:17

That’s good stuff. No more sad tones. Except for those who like beaches. To them, my condolences!

And I saw [John writes]
a new heaven and a new earth …
and there is no longer any sea.
Revelation 21:1

It’s interesting, but other than generalities like this—and how much of that is figure of speech?—God has chosen to leave us mostly in the dark about the afterlife. Enough to make us yearn. Enough holes in our souls to enable us to realize there is wholeness only sometime later, somewhere there, with Someone. But hardly enough to whet our appetites or sate our curiosities. And I suppose, there is good reason for this divine reticence.

Though the future should spur us on, we must not forget we live in the present, here on this planet, with our brothers and sisters in Christ, amongst our fellow-humans. We live in the “now,” not in the “then.”

In a letter intended to correct the misunderstandings of the Thessalonians regarding the “end”, Paul wrote about this “now.”

… we command and exhort [you]
in the Lord Jesus Christ
to work in quiet fashion and
eat [your] own bread .... [and]
do not grow weary of doing good.
2 Thessalonians 3:12–13

So let our lives now be characterized by sobriety, hard work, and well-doing.

Therefore be careful
how you walk,
not as unwise men but as wise,
making the most of your time,
because the days are evil.
Ephesians 5:15–16

Short days. Brief days. Transient days. Let’s be wise in their expenditure, utilizing them maximally to serve God with all He has given us, for His glory, for the furtherance of His kingdom, for the edification of His people.