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Psalm 2

The first question we ask ourselves as we read this Psalm is: 'Is there any word of grace in this Psalm?' How terrifying! We see the rebellious nature of man displayed in the uproar of the nations. The world wants to go its own way, as Cain went his own way 'out of the presence of the Lord', Gen 4.16! The nations will not bow down before Christ the King, God's Son, God's Anointed.

God has made a decree: 'I have installed My King upon Zion, My holy mountain.' He is the unchanging God. Jesus Christ is King. He has been given the nations as His inheritance. The Meek shall inherit the earth.

And He is going to put down this rebellion with a mighty hand. Break them, shatter them - how strong is the language here! How terrible is God's wrath and judgment!

But this is the gospel of the Messiah. He is not only Saviour, He is Lord. He is not only the God of grace, but also the God of justice and judgment. Therefore 'Worship the Lord with reverence and rejoice with trembling.' How can we reconcile this statement with what modern evangelists have been saying? How can we reconcile the God of heaven with a God who has created hell?

Because He is the eternal and immutable God. He is the Most High and Holy God. We must bow before the King. May God grant us a vision of the majesty and glory of Jesus Christ our Lord and King! How else can we worship Him? How else can we bow down before Him? We who are so prone to reducing God to our own puny level, to making a travesty of the One seated on the Throne by reducing Him to a babe in a manger, by creating a false sentimental Christ - we need this shock treatment! It is by knowing the terrors of the law that we can understand the value of mercy and grace.

How blessed are all who take refuge in Him! The cross takes on a new meaning after reading this Psalm.

Fruit of the Holy Spirit

In Revelation 22, we have a reference to the Tree of Life. The Tree of Life gives both medicine and food. It yields 12 crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. There is a continuous succession of heavenly blessings.

Jesus Christ is that Tree of Life.

The leaves of the Tree of Life are for the healing of nations. If we look into the Internet we can see how sick the world has become. The leaves of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ can heal whole nations. There are so many parts of the world that remain in darkness. There are other so-called 'Christian' parts of the world, which are a travesty of Christ. The leaves of the Tree of Life are for the health and healing of all parts of this weary sin-ridden globe.

But the thought that struck me is that if we have that Tree of Life within us, as surely all born-again believers believe that Christ lives within them, then the sure sign that we are true believers is that we will bear Fruit. The Bible specifically talks about the Fruit of the Spirit, Gal. 5.22, 23. We may be involved in much ministry, many souls may be saved through our preaching, we may receive name & fame, people may look up to us. But God's word judges us by our fruits. 'You will know them by their fruits.' Matt 7.20

Am I producing the fruit of the Holy Spirit?

First: Love, Joy, Peace.

Next: Patience, Kindness, Goodness.

Finally: Faithfulness, Gentleness, Self-control.

We are so carried away by outward show, we neglect the divine warning. Does a Christian exhibit love & truth? At home or in the office, are we patient & kind? And what about faithfulness & self-control? [Surely we must be disciplined to become His disciples.] And gentleness? The imperishable quality of a gentle & quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God, 1 Pet 3.4

I have still a long way to go. But one thing I know, if I have the Tree of Life I must produce the Fruit of the Holy Spirit.

The Clean and the Unclean

The eleventh chapter of the Book of Leviticus was written to make a clear distinction between clean and unclean foods, between the edible and that which is forbidden to be eaten. The chapter overtly deals with dietary laws and restrictions. But it has deep spiritual meaning.

There is no doubt that we would agree with the list of forbidden birds, Lev 11.13-14. Who would think of eating the eagle, the vulture, the buzzard, and other rapacious birds of prey? The very idea is nauseating. When you come to the insects, it is interesting to find that locusts and grasshoppers are permitted to be eaten. But all other winged insects are detestable.Again, the swarming or creeping things are totally forbidden, and these include the mole, the mouse, the crocodile and the chameleon.

And yet when while we may not fill our stomachs with such nauseous stuff, our minds are polluted with what we read in books and magazines and what we see in movies and on the Internet. God wants us to be holy as He is holy. Without holiness, we cannot see God!

What we would like to consider for our meditation here is the prohibitions relating to animals and fishes. Regarding animals, only those which 'divide the hoof' and 'chew the cud' are to be eaten. The chewing of the cud expresses the natural process of 'inwardly digesting' that which one eats; while the divided hoof sets forth the character of one's outward walk, i.e. a walk of separation from the world. The one who feeds upon the green pastures of the Word of God, and inwardly digests what he takes in, who combines calm meditation with prayerful study, will no doubt manifest a walk of separation.

Many read the Bible casually, as matter of routine habit. They imbibe nothing, because they do it perfunctorily, without any reverence and love for the Word. The cattle that browse on the green hills teach us a wholesome lesson. After gathering up the refreshing pasture, they calmly lie down to chew the cud. This is a striking and beautiful picture of a Christian feeding upon and inwardly digesting the precious contents of the Word of God.

A man may meditate upon the Word of God, but if the effect is not seen in his life, in a blameless testimony and walk, it is of no use. Similarly a man may be outwardly correct in his walk, but if there is no hidden life with God he is nothing but a legalist or a Pharisee, a religious hypocrite.

When we study the prescription relating to fish, it states that 'all that have fins and scales?you may eat'. Both are required. The fin is needed to enable the fish to move through the water, and scales are need to resist the action of the water on the fish. While moving onward, we must resist the influence of the world. We are but 'strangers and pilgrims' in this world. Our inward man must guard against every worldly and carnal influence that contaminates the spirit. We cannot feed promiscuously upon everything that comes before us.

We must 'try the things that differ' or, in other words, we must distinguish between that which is of the soul and that which is of the spirit. There are many things which appeal to our souls, to our emotions and our intellect, but which are in no way beneficial to the spirit. We live in an age where that which is truly spiritual is hard to find, because it involves much travail, much brokenness and much discipline. That which attracts the flesh and captivates the soul is widespread, through eloquent preaching and charismatic teaching. That which is highly esteemed by man is abhorrent to God. God is Spirit, and we must worship and serve Him in spirit and in truth. This comes only by giving due importance to the Word of God and to the Testimony and Walk of a person.

We must beware of defilement to the flesh and to the spirit. God wants us to be holy, as He is holy.

Orange Appeal

orange appeal
Originally uploaded by Robertson the Bruce.

This is a fabulous shot.
Because you can reach out
And touch the peel.
You can feel its texture
And the oil in its skin.
It is still fresh.
Amazin'