Over the centuries there have been some terrible ‘dogfights’, theologically speaking, in terms of certain doctrines or beliefs. One of these has to do with whether a believer can ever lose his or her salvation. Those who say ‘no’ point to Scriptures such as John 6:37, that says ‘that he who comes to me, I will in no wise cast out'. Those on the other side of the argument point to the example of Judas Iscariot and to today’s text from Romans. Today’s text, a warning written to Gentile believers, certainly holds out the possibility that they might be removed from the olive tree, therefore signifying, I think, that they are no longer part of the Church, no longer believers. And so, the jury is out.

My suggestion therefore, is not to be dogmatic about this in either direction, but simply to be careful and diligent in keeping close to Jesus. Like any relationship, it needs to be fostered and developed, so why would we ever want to allow it to wilt or go dormant? So, best to do whatever we can to nourish it.

Sometimes faith appears in the unexpected people and places, which is exactly what we find in today’s story of Rahab and the two Hebrew spies. Who would have ever expected a Canaanite, and a woman of her trade and reputation, to have such an ardent and practical faith in God, and who was willing to put it into practice in such a foolhardy way? But then, we never know, and so we should always be on the lookout for it, and then foster it and expand upon it the best we can.

The apostle James uses the image of a mirror, the mirror of God’s word, which is supposed to help us see how we really look. And here, in today’s passage from Amos, we have another image, that of a plumb line to show us how much we do or do not deviate from God’s standards. The sad truth is that we probably deviate a great deal and probably don’t see very well either. Jesus uses a rather apt image to describe this act of seeing, saying that it is like having a log in our eye. But then He offers some hope in that He suggests that the log can indeed be removed, so that we can see. And here God can be of great help. In Amos, and in many other passages, we have some advice about how to do so

Today’s Scripture reading and meditation raise a most important--and, potentially disturbing question--namely, what or who is it that we depend upon? Do we depend totally and absolutely on God? Or, do we largely depend upon a whole bunch of other things, peoples and institutions? Years ago I read the biography of J. Hudson Taylor, British missionary, and the founder of the China Inland Mission, and I must say that I was shocked. During the founding of that mission society and over the entire period that he was in charge of it, he allowed no fund-raising letters and no telephone or television appeals of any sort. In fact, even during a worship service or meeting connected to the mission, he made no mention of money and no mention of their needs. He expected God to provide--without any human prompting or intervention--and He did! For years! I found this example to be most disturbing and upsetting, for I, for one, could never measure up to that kind of faith. Sure, I might pray, but then I’d always hedge it a bit by just ‘happening’ to mention the need to someone. Anyway, it is something to think, and pray, about.

Our lives are full of choices. Every day we make hundreds, if not thousands of them. Now I happen to think that they do make a difference. Not as ‘Star Wars’ and its somewhat New Age thinking would have it, where everything in the cosmos is interconnected and one small change has a rippling effect through the entire universe, but as something that connects up with God and His will and purposes for us and everything else. And so, seeking first [that is, only] the kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33), and making our choices accordingly, certainly will have an impact. And yes, anything and everything, even if small, done in His name and according to His will. All of this He uses and fits into His most perfect plan.

The apostle Paul, in today’s reading from Romans, touches on a struggle that most of us know all too well, the inner struggle between doing what God wants versus doing what we want. And there are two truly difficult things about this, firstly, that we just naturally slide into doing what we want, often without even thinking about it. It just ‘comes naturally’. And secondly, the choice is often so unconscious that we don’t even think about asking God about it--or asking His help or His guidance. In this, we’re probably all ‘in the same boat.’

I find the story of Balaam to be surprisingly familiar, namely in how God may well give us ‘what we want’ or allow us to go our own ways, even though neither is what He really wants for our lives. God can be awfully gentle and permissive in this way, allowing us full range of our free wills, even if it is not really what is best for us. That said, how much better it would be for us if we simply listened and did what He said right away. But then, that’s not always the way it is for us.

Something that I am eternally grateful for is the fact that our standing with God is not at all dependent upon our faithfulness to God, much less our goodness, for in both counts we dismally fall short. Rather, our standing with Him is based solely upon what God has already done for us in Christ Jesus. He remains faithful even if we don’t.

But then, it is only right and proper that we try to reciprocate, to reply in kind, for such an amazing love. Such is our calling and our responsibility as Christians.

My earliest years as a young adult Christian were filled with incredible signs of God’s power, closeness and love. And so, when I entered into my ‘desert years’, where these things seemed so frequently few and far between, or even absent, it was a real test of my faith. But then I realized that I had a huge choice to make: was I going to trust the ‘signs and wonders’, and the great feelings that went with them, or was I going to trust in God Himself as revealed in His holy word? It was a trying and difficult choice, but I went with the latter, and I have never regretted it. God came through, loud and clear, even if there were those times when He didn’t seem to be at work. I learned to trust Him, regardless, which is a lesson for all of us.