God Helps Those Who...

Finish the statement: God helps those who …

Aesop once told a fable of a wagoner from long ago. He was driving his wagon down a muddy lane when the wheels sank so deep in the mire that the horse could no longer pull the load. In that moment, the wagoner called out to the heavens for help.

Hercules himself appeared, as the fable goes. He said, "Put your shoulder to the wheel, man, and goad on your horse, and then you may call on the gods to assist you. The gods help those who help themselves."

Years later the one true God, Jesus Christ, walked beside those who were themselves stuck in the mire. At every turn, He helped those who were unable to help themselves.

Yet, even today the echo of Hercules resounds with the implied authority of Jesus Christ: "God helps those who help themselves."

Stuck in the mire with a load, the weight of which is beyond measure, we are encouraged to put our shoulder to the wheel and goad the horse on.

Like Milkolka in Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment, in a stupor, we goad our horse on to accomplish the impossible. "God helps those who help themselves!" we declare and push forward with all our might. We yell, shout, whip and beat in an effort to gallop when we can't even move an inch. And in the end, like Milkolka, we beat our horse to death trying to move the unmovable.

"God helps those who help themselves," people say. "For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear," Jesus explains, "and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers." (Matthew 23:4)

God does not help those who help themselves. God helps those who cannot help themselves. God helps those who have no hope. God helps those who are stuck in the mire unable to move. God helps those who cannot carry their burden. He exchanges burden for burden – His burden for theirs.

"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you shall find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." (Matthew 11:28-30)

God came to the valley, because we were unable to climb the mountain. God loved us, because there was no love within us. God brought salvation to us, because we were incapable of saving ourselves. God helps us, because we are unable to help ourselves.

God helps, even now. God does not wait for us to get bogged down in the mire. Coasting along on a good road with no obstacles in our path, Jesus sits beside us and says, "Can I help you? Will you let me drive? The road ahead is smooth at times, but it also has mires, potholes, and deep ruts. We've got to go through some of that to get were we're going. I'm going to be here no matter what, but if you will let Me, I'd like to take this burden. I would like to take over the reigns and insure the safe delivery of My precious cargo. That precious cargo is you, My child. Can I help you?"

God helps those who cannot help themselves. Will you let Him?

Aesop: The Untold Tale

Underwater archeologists working in Greece near the small island of Mikonos have made an astonishing discovery. They have found the remains of an ancient merchant vessel dating back to 570 B.C. Among the remains, they found a ceramic jar still sealed after all these years. Inside the jar was a small scroll made of papyrus. On it was written the original version of Aesop's fable (possibly written in his own hand), "The Tortoise and the Hare." As you will note below, the original story was distinctly different from the one that has been passed down through time.

The fable goes as follows:
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A hare once made fun of a tortoise. "What a slow way you have!" he said. "How you creep along!"

"Do I?" said the tortoise. "Try a race with me and I'll beat you."

"What a boaster you are," said the hare. "But come! I will race with you. Whom shall we ask to mark off the finish line and see that the race is fair?"

"Let us ask the fox," said the tortoise.

The fox was very smart and crafty. He instantly saw an opportunity to destroy both the tortoise and the hare through this silly race and possibly even get a decent meal out of it. The fox marked off a very long course, but advised the contestants not to start until the morning to ensure they would have time to finish the race. Everyone agreed and met back the following day.

Through the night, the fox called upon his friends. He compelled them to stand along the course and shout insults at both contestants. He thought to himself, "I will make them feel so bad that they will crawl to the finish line and beg to be my dinner just to end their misery."

The following day, the tortoise lost no time. He started out at once and jogged straight on.

The hare too leaped along swiftly for a few minutes until he had left the tortoise far behind. Yet, when he came around a corner on the backside of the coarse, the badger family hurled insults at the hare. They made fun of his ears and long, gangling legs. Each insult cut right through the hare's soft skin. It wasn't long before the hare was cut to the bone. Depression quickly overcame the hare. He finally crawled up under a tree and was unable to move. The insults were more than the hare could bear.

It wasn't long before the tortoise made his way to the backside of the coarse. And like with the hare, the badger family was there to discourage him on. They insulted his green sickly color and his baldhead. They insulted everything about the tortoise. Yet, their insults just bounced off the tortoise's shell. Not one of them left a mark. The tortoise was safe in the home God had provided. It took some time, but eventually the tortoise crossed the finish line in a joyful spirit and won the race.

The fox was very disappointed that his plan did not work on the tortoise, but found comfort in inviting the hare over for supper.
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The Bible says it this way in Proverbs 12:16, "A fool shows his annoyance at once, but a prudent man overlooks an insult."

We are told over and over throughout the New Testament to abide in Christ. When we abide in Him, we are protected. Yet, when we try to live independently from Him we become vulnerable.

Have you been insulted lately? Insults strike at our pride. They strike at areas of our life where we have not given lordship to Christ.

We all need to be insulted until we can no longer be insulted. Insults point out our pride. They provide an opportunity for us to let go of that area of our life and abide in Christ.
NOTE: This story of the untold tale is a fictional account that occurred in my imagination. I assumed this would not be a problem for anyone who read it. After all we are talking about talking animals. That is pretty much a fictional account itself. However, some of the text was quoted from the original fable as printed in "The Book of Virtues" (W. Bennett, Simon & Schuster 1993).

The Completion of Creation

Can you imagine what it would have been like to see the creation of the world? To hear God speak and it was so. To see something created from nothing. Can you imagine?

I am often asked, “You don’t really believe God created the earth in just a few days? Do you?” My answer: “Absolutely!”

“But what about all the evidence; the 'FACT' that the earth has been in existence for millions, even billions of years,” they will question.

I begin with a question in turn: “In the Bible when God created Adam, was he a man or a baby? A man, right? So, if God is God (and He is) and He can create a man as if he had been alive for thirty years is it not a simple thing for Him to create the world as if it had been in existence for millions, even billions of years. In the moment God spoke, creation would have to exist at every stage of life for the earth to be sustained. A plant requires the nutrients from decaying plants and animals to sustain life. Therefore, when God created the pine tree, He created the pine tree at all stages of life -- saplings, young trees, aged trees, fallen trees, and decaying trees -- all in a single instant so the circle of life would continue.”

Imagine what it would have been like to be there in that moment. In seven short days, creation was complete. The real question is: are you living in the completion of creation?

Most people believe the completion of creation came on day six when God created man. It was on this fateful day that man became the caretaker of the earth. A job which became a curse after the fall. As I heard a pastor once say, “On the sixth day, God created man -- the crown jewel of creation.”

Yet, God’s creation was not complete on day six. God had one creation left which was greater than man. It was on the seventh day that God created the crown jewel, the completion of creation -- REST! And it was in the completion of creation that man was to live.

The Bible is full of man’s failure to live in the completion of creation. From Genesis on, we see God offering rest and man continuing in toil. God calls it rebellion, unbelief, disobedience, and pride. It is man desiring to be the crown jewel of creation and saying, “I can do it.” To these men, God says, “They shall not enter My rest.” (Hebrews 3:11) We see this in the Exodus: “So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.” (Hebrews 3:19)

Rest is the crown jewel of creation sustained by what Christ has brought into being. “For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.” (Hebrews 4:10) True rest is only found in Christ. It is sustained by Him. And entering in means letting go of yourself and allowing Him to live through you.

“Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden you hearts as in the rebellion.”
(Hebrews 3:7-8)

Are you stuck on day six or are you living in the completion of creation?

Running of the Bulls

Imagine. There you are standing on a crowded street in Spain. The weather is hot and the humidity is high. You are unable to move freely or even move at all. Then, it happens . . .

The crowd begins to press against you. The pressure increases and you are forced to move. Slowly at first, but there is a sense of panic because you are unable to do anything except follow the crowd. As you consider your situation, you realize the speed has increased. You are now moving along at a steady pace. Worry enters your mind. You see no way out. Then, it happens . . .

A wave of noise moves through the crowd. Screams and cheers mostly. Yet, to you it seems like a cry of desperation. Maybe it is just your desperation to find a way out of the crowd. You frantically look for any possible means of escape. There is none. You are a prisoner to the crowd. Then, it happens . . .

The crowd behind you begins to thin. Fewer and fewer people, but the few that remain are in a full sprint with fear in their eyes. And then you see it. Just one at first, but you begin to notice more large dark forms moving behind the crowd. There they are. The Bulls are right behind you.

Whatever desperation you felt before can not even begin to compare to the desperation you are experiencing at present. You frantically move from side to side looking for a means of escape. You are cautious to keep your step knowing that one slip and you will be trampled by the crowd. And you always keep one eye on the menace behind you -- the bulls. Then, it happens . . .

You see an opening in the crowd. You make a run for it. Through the crowd towards a short fence. You jump and grab the top of the fence. You pull with all your might. You have never been filled with so much strength. You throw yourself over the fence to safety. Then, it happens . . .

You cheer and yell. You have survived the Running of the Bulls. You are full of adrenaline and feel like the world is at your fingertips. And then, it happens . . .

You realize you are on TV. Your feat is being seen around the world. And people are looking at you and thinking, "What kind of idiot would do something like that?"

The fact is most of us do something like that everyday. We get caught up in the crowd. And we get chased by bulls that are far more frightening than any bull in Spain. The bulls that drive us by brute force are our feelings.

The world is governed by feelings. We are more concerned about how people feel than we are the truth. Our feelings can flat out lie to us, and we listen and obey them. They lead us to destruction, and we follow them to the end.

God never intended for us to be driven by our feelings. He created us to follow our minds. This is why Paul tells us, "And do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, . . ." (Romans 12:2)

The world has no greater desire than to throw you in the middle of a crowd and let the bulls loose on you. Our world works off of a mob mentality. The world says, "Just listen to your feelings. Do what they say. And worry about the consequences later." That is the path to destruction.

We are called to run a race. It begins with renewing our minds. To be led, not by our feelings, but by our minds.

We are called to run a race. Not by being driven through fear and desperation, but by setting our eyes on the goal. As Hebrews 12:1,2 says, "let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith."

Have you set your eyes on Jesus today? Today, renew your mind and run the race with endurance.

Born to be Wild!

“I can’t help it. I was born this way!”

Christians have taken a strong stance against this statement. It seems we are afraid that science is going to prove that certain individuals have a genetic makeup that predisposes them to unacceptable behavior. We are afraid that if science proves this, it will undermine the Bible. We have been taught that man was created in the image of God. If true, then a person cannot be born as a homosexual, a liar, a child molester, or with any other sinful predisposition. From this ground, we have no choice but to stand in adamant opposition to the idea that people were “born that way!”

I would counter that while man was created in the image of God, we are not born in the image of God. Adam and Eve were created in the image of God (Gen. 1:27). Yet, after man’s fall, Adam and Eve had a son. Listen to what the Bible says about their son: “When Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son in HIS OWN LIKENESS, IN HIS OWN IMAGE; and he named him Seth.” (Gen. 5:3)

Man was originally created in the image of God - meaning man was spiritually alive. When man fell, spiritual death fell upon man. Everyone since has been born spiritually dead. Because we are born spiritually dead and we have to have some basis by which to live our lives, man is born in and lives after the desires of the flesh.

You were born to be wild! Ephesians 2:1-3 says, “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, . . . among whom also WE ALL conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind and were by nature children of wrath, JUST AS THE OTHERS.”

The Bible is clear that we were all born the same - in the flesh. And while your flesh may lust after men and mine after women, or yours may lean towards lying and mine towards stealing, or your weakness may be alcohol and mine pride, sin is sin. We were all in it. And we were all guilty of all of it. Social tolerance of certain sins and intolerance of others does not dictate God’s tolerance. Flesh is flesh and it leads to destruction and death.

It is amazing to me how many people marvel at this idea. If you do not understand that you were born in the flesh, then you do not understand what it means to be born again! Jesus said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. . . . That which is born of flesh is flesh, and that which is born of Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I say to you, ‘You must be born again.’” (John 3:3,6-7)

When someone says to me, “I can’t help it. I was born this way!” I simply say, “I know. I was born that way too.” This disarms them and takes away the weapons they have mounted against Christ. It gets you off the battlefield of science -- which doesn’t matter anyway. If a persons genetic makeup gears them towards homosexual or heterosexual lust, it’s still lust. It’s still flesh. It’s still sin. -- and it gets us back on the ground of Truth.

I was born to be wild. I was born in the flesh and it brought destruction and death. Yet, I was born again! I received Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. And “as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become the children of God, . . . who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:12,13) I was born to be wild, but I was reborn to be a child of God!

Today, I have a choice. I can walk according to the flesh or according to the Spirit. My flesh will never change, but I can choose to change how I walk. “I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.” (Galatians 5:16)

Choose to change how you walk today! Pray: “Lord, I trust you. Live through me today. Walk through me. Talk through me. Show me how to trust You to live through me in every moment of my life. Amen.”

And do not argue with people about how they were born. Focus on sharing with them how they can be reborn as a child of God. Focus on sharing with them how they can choose to walk according to the Spirit.