Never Forsaken. Never. Ever.

"Though we are slaves, our God has not deserted us in our bondage." Ezra 9:9

Israel languished seventy years in Babylonian bondage. Seventy. Say it quickly, and it doesn’t seem so long. Live through it season after season, and it seems eternal. The people lost their homes, their freedom. Some lost entire families. Worse, many crawled into bed each night believing God had forsaken them.

Physical slavery is not the only type of bondage people suffer. Ask anyone who struggles with chains of alcohol, drug, pornography or eating addictions. Worse, many believe the sulfuric-laced voice whispering in their ear, “God has abandoned you because of your repeated sins.”

That’s nothing but a monstrous lie. God gave His unchangeable word that He forgives our sins each time a prayer of repentance forms in our hearts. Each time. Time after time (see 1 John 1:9). Who can understand that kind of love? Or grace? Or mercy?

We don’t have to understand it. We only need to accept it.

God remained with Israel through their bondage and He will not desert us in ours. We have His unchanging word on that --”Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).

Lord, thank you for staying at my side despite my repeated sins. Please deliver me once and for all from its chains.

RNMaffeo@aol.com

A Lingering Sadness

Has it really been more than 30 years since I killed my baby? It seems like only last week. I can tell you what my girlfriend wore when I drove her to the clinic, where I parked the car, how many dimes I dropped into the parking meter . . . .

I was 17. Judith, 19. Both of us, I convinced myself, were too young to bear the responsibilities of a baby.

"What do you mean, you're pregnant?" I asked when she returned from the physician's office.

I knew she expected me to propose marriage. Instead, I talked her into having an abortion.

It was easy to suggest that. I chose to believe our baby was only a glob of cells growing in her womb. I chose to believe Judith had the right to choose what to do with her own body and every baby should be a wanted baby. I embraced every excuse I’d ever heard because each one freed me of my obligation to Judith and to our child. A few months after the abortion, my girlfriend and I went our separate ways.

My son or daughter would now be nearly thirty-seven years old. Perhaps he would be a teacher. Or a physician. Or a missionary. Or a . . . . Perhaps I would be a grandfather.

But there is no "perhaps." Time doesn't turn backwards.

Abortion is more than a “rights” issue. It holds enduring emotional and spiritual implications for those of us who, too late, awakened to the lies and excuses that over-ruled our conscience. And rhetoric doesn't purge the lingering sadness thirty-three years later. However, I have found something which eases that sorrow.

Four years after the abortion, a friend gave me a Bible and told me about the new life I could have in Jesus Christ. As I leafed through its pages, one verse in particular grabbed my attention, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). That I was a sinner came as no surprise to me. Having lived a life of rebellion, drug abuse and sexual immorality, no one needed to tell me my life was a mess. But the Scripture also promised I could be forgiven . . . not just for my everyday rebellion, but also for killing my child.

“Come now,” God urged through the prophet Isaiah,“ let us reason together. Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool” (Isaiah 1:18). The apostle John wrote, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (I John 1:9).

As the weeks passed and I continued studying the Scriptures, I began to understand knew what I needed to do. One evening, dropping to my knees at the foot of my bed, I confessed my sins to God and repented for as many as I could remember. When I stood, I did so as a new person in Christ. Although the sad memories remained, I knew God had forgiven me for everything I had ever done . . . even for delivering my baby to the abortionist.

Are you planning to have an abortion? Before you do, please counsel with someone who CARES about you and your unborn child. Save yourself the lingering sadness which can last decades into the future. Help is available. Nearly every phone book in the country lists Crisis Pregnancy Centers and other alternatives to abortion services. Many churches will also assist you, financially and emotionally.

Have you had an abortion? Has your girlfriend had one at your insistence? Hope and comfort is not beyond your reach. The same God who forgave me will also forgive you. He assures us of that through Scripture. Everyone who repents and turns to Him for mercy will find His grace as great and far-reaching as His love. We can trust Him to keep His word.

end

Stay in the Game

If I hadn’t known better, I’d have accused the bowling alley’s mechanic of gluing the 10 pin to the floor. Three times in seven frames it wobbled in place, but refused to fall.

I hrrumphed back to my seat and mentally reviewed the basics: steady approach, eyes on the pins, smooth arm swing and reach toward the one-two pocket at the end of the alley. I was doing everything right, yet there it was on the score sheet : 71. The game was nearly over. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d bowled so badly, and I fought the temptation to pack my gear and go home.

The ball rumbled through the return and rolled to a stop. I slid my fingers into the holes, brought the ball to my chest and for the umpteenth time ran through the checklist: breathe easy, eyes on the pocket . . . .

The ball sailed toward the pins as it had a dozen times before -- but this time, all ten exploded as the 16-pounder smashed into the stubborn sentinels. I strolled back to the table, penciled a big X on the score sheet and suppressed a grin. I didn’t want my only strike of the game to lure me into overconfidence.

When the ball returned to its cradle, I rehearsed the check list, exhaled and moved toward the foul line. The ball raced toward the pins and, moments later, launched them in a hundred directions.

“Hmmm,” I smiled for the first time that game. “I broke 100.” I glanced at the score sheet. Only one frame remained.

The third strike brought my score within reach of a respectable number. The next roll took out eight pins. My last toss of the game earned me a spare and a total of 149. One of my better scores.

I was glad I hadn’t tossed in the towel in the seventh frame.

For some of us who look back over our lives through the lens of human understanding, the temptation to give up -- to throw in the towel -- can seem nearly overwhelming. Our lives are rituals of fighting traffic, washing dishes, running errands, raising children . . . . We repent of sin when we first recognize it, remain diligent in prayer, grow in our hunger to know God’s word and His fellowship. We’re doing everything right and hope to offer Christ a smorgasbord of our fruit. But when we look through our lens at the score sheet, we see little more than a few grapes.

I know the feeling. During the last 32 years I’ve walked with Christ, I almost packed it in more than a few times. But that turn-around in my score reminded me (again) of an important spiritual principle: Persevering through a game of bowling is similar to persevering through the Christian life, and our fruitfulness for God is not finished until the last ball is thrown. Whether we are 45 years old, or 65; whether we think our lives half over, or just about gone, it’s not too late to take a deep breath and move again toward the foul line.

Teachers, truck drivers, single parents, mechanics, pastors, stay-at-home moms -- any child of God would make a serious mistake to toss in the towel before the last frame. Perhaps that’s why Scripture urges, “Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary” (Galatians 6:9).

If only one frame remains in the game, if we have only one more ball to throw, the Christian can trust the final score to God. We only need to keep throwing the ball toward the pins.

end

Reason to Boast?

"James, a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ . . . ." James 1:1

Some people wear their self-importance on their shirt-sleeve. They name drop, trying to jockey for favored position by virtue of their relationship to important people. Others push their weight around by flaunting their job titles.

The New Testament identifies three men named James: the brother of John, son of Zebedee (Mark 3:17), James the Less (Mark 15:40), and James, the Lord’s (half) brother (Matthew 13:55, Acts 15:13). Bible scholars generally agree James, the half-brother of Jesus, authored this letter. It is a point well worth considering because James has much to teach us about humility.

Perhaps more than anyone else, James could have pushed his weight around. After all, if Jesus had been my half-brother, I might have done exactly that. The temptation to let others know of my family ties with Christ so that I might gain political, social and religious advantage might have overwhelmed my better sense. But James kept his sense. He simply called himself a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. James knew that apart from God’s grace, he would not even own a shirt-sleeve.

Lord Jesus, help us to remember the Cross above all else, and the Crucified One above our very lives. “Not to us, O Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory” (Psalm 115:1).

RNmaffeo@aol.com

Hallowed Be Thy Name

“Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name . . . " A modern version might read: “Father in heaven, your Name is sacred. Holy. Revered.”

I prefer to recite that first line of the Lord’s Prayer in modern terms. Doing so helps me focus on what I am really saying -- and how, therefore, I should be acting.

When the ancient Jewish scribes copied the Scriptures from parchment to parchment, they always stopped at the name of God, changed quills, changed their clothes and washed themselves before daring to write His Name. They considered His Name so holy, they wrote only a few of the letters of His Name.

"Hallowed, sacred and revered is Thy Name." How can I then use His Name in flippant conversation, or in a joke or as an expletive? How can I refer to Him as "the Man upstairs"?

As a Christian – a follower of Christ -- I bear His Name wherever I go. People who know of my faith have the right to associate His holy Name with me. More to the point, I might be the only reflection of His sacred Name they ever see.

And that ought to frighten me. It ought to frighten all of God’s children.

May God grant us a glimpse into His holiness, that it may inspire awe and a deep reverence for His Name. May He help us live lifestyles that reflect His holiness and sacredness, and never give others reason to mock or sneer at His Name.

Rnmaffeo@aol.com

Precious In His Sight

Look at those swirls, ridges and twirls patterned across your fingertips. Aside from the fact that it would be difficult to pick up dimes without the traction created by our fingerprints, each set marks us as unique individuals.

But if recent surveys are true, many people don’t believe they are unique. They see themselves as little more than misplaced commas in the Novel of Life. Their existence adds nothing to the story line. Why else would more than 30 thousand people in the United States alone commit suicide each year -- one person every 20 minutes? Why do another 400 thousand make unsuccessful attempts? Each year one million families are torn apart by divorce.

Perhaps this wide-spread sense of poor self-esteem is best illustrated in one of Gary Larson’s Far Side cartoons. Larson draws a group of insects gathered at a party and one beetle laments to another, “Think about it, Ed. The class Insecta contains 26 orders, almost 1,000 families, and over 750,000 described species. But I can’t shake the feeling we’re all just a bunch of bugs.”

I wonder if Larson hits a raw nerve for some people. The species Homo Sapiens (human beings) contains six billion members who belong to hundreds of cultures and ethnic groups. We laugh, we love, we cry, we create. Yet, judging from the numbers of shattered lives and broken homes among us -- too many of us think of ourselves as insignificant creatures without purpose.

But are we really little more than a bunch of bugs? Does anyone care we exist?
Do we have purpose? These are easy questions if you know where to look for the answers.

God created us in His image and, in so doing, declared we are not bugs. We are His special creation and He deeply loves each one of us. If it were not so, John 3:16 would have never entered into human history: God loved the world so much --- all six billion of us -- that He sacrificed His Son that you and I could have hope, purpose and eternal life. If this is not so, then the rest of Scripture’s assurances, such as these few which follow, are worthless:

“Are not five sparrows sold for two cents? And yet not one of them is forgotten before God. Indeed the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear; you are of more value than many sparrows” (Luke 12:6, 7).

“For high as the heavens are above the earth, so great in His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him” (Psalm 103:11).

“Can a woman forget her nursing child, and have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, but I will not forget you. Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands” (Isaiah 49:15, 16).

Scripture’s declaration, repeated hundreds of times throughout God’s word, leaps off the pages: We are precious in God’s eyes and He longs to gather each of us to Himself.

The point? Isn’t it time to turn our backs on thoughts and philosophies which rob us of our rightful heritage? Isn’t it time to stop living like bugs, turn to Christ and start living like a child of God?

“Come,” Christ invites, “all you who are weary and burdened . . . and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:25).

Rich
RNmaffeo@aol.com

Much More At Stake

“Anyone who . . . does not continue in the teaching of Christ . . . do not take him into your house or welcome him. Anyone who welcomes him shares in his wicked work.” (2 John 9-11)

The context of this passage refers to people who introduce false teaching into the church. Because of the devastation such heresies can bring to God’s children as well as to society, the Holy Spirit warns us to do more than merely ignore such men and women. God warns us not even to show them hospitality. If we do, He considers us actually partnering with them in their deception and devastation.

I believe there is a Biblical principle here, and it’s related to voting. Anyone who legislates, or approves legislation that is unbiblical, introduces false teaching to citizens in general and to the Church in particular.

If we follow the logic, God considers a Christian who votes to appoint ungodly men and women into leadership positions as participating with them in false teaching.

That scares me.

Which brings us to November. Jobs, the economy and war in Iraq are important issues, and Americans should do their homework to get both sides of the story.

But as a Christian, I cannot ignore God’s warning about participating in the evil deeds of men and women who oppose Biblical morality. In most of the races, those questions are clear. An example is abortion-on-demand. Another is homosexual marriage. We will likely find men and women on the ballot who fall on one side or the other of those issues.

Christians should be careful with whom we participate. There is much more at stake here than the political parties and the news media tell us.

Rich
Rnmaffeo@aol.com

Mammon or God?

“So If you have law courts dealing with matters of this life, do you appoint them as judges who are of no account in the church?” (1 Corinthians 6:3).

Context is always an important factor in understanding a portion of scripture. I encourage you to read the context of 1 Corinthians 6:3. It goes back to chapter five, verse one. The apostle makes, what is for some in the church, a convincing argument for choosing leaders – judicial and political – who base their decisions and judgments on God’s word.

If God says something is sin, then it is sin, regardless of how I “feel” about the sin, or if the cultural approves and legalizes the sin. Conversely, If He says something is right, then it is right, and it doesn’t matter what I or society believes.

I re-read this Corinthian passage only a few days after I had a discussion with an elderly woman who many years ago committed her life to Jesus Christ. For twenty years she has attended an evangelical church. For twenty years she has faithfully read her Bible.

Yet she plans to vote in the upcoming election for a man who has made no secret of his position on some clearly unbiblical issues facing Americans. One is abortion (he favors it). The other is homosexual marriage (he favors it).

The reason she intends to vote for that candidate is because he has promised her greater economic prosperity. In other words, “put me in office and I will put more money in your pocket – and Biblical morality be tossed out the window.”

Christians should beware. God is not mocked. Whatever we sow, we will reap.

Joshua said it a long time before I even thought to say it. But I will say it anyway – at least in paraphrase: You can vote as the ungodly and anti-Bible crowd may vote, but as for me and my house, we will vote for the man (and woman) who honors the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15)

End

Rich
Rnmaffeo@aol.com

Eyes to See

"I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. . . ." (Ephesians 1:17-19)

The apostle Paul knew something I often forget: Unless the Holy Spirit opens our eyes to see truth, our ears to hear truth, and our hearts to receive truth, we will remain unconvinced of truth.

Yet, I often approach each day on my own, assuming I can discern right from wrong, truth from error, based on my experiences and knowledge. No wonder I get it wrong as often as I do.

The Psalmist recognized, as did all the prophets and apostles, God's word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. But if our eyes are closed, the light won't help us.

Holy Spirit, today -- every day -- open our eyes to see Jesus. Give us ears to hear Him. Give us hearts to obey Him. Amen

Rich
RNmaffeo@aol.com