by J. Randal Matheny

"From Aroer on the edge of the gorge of the Arnon and the level land of the gorge, as far as Gilead, no city walls were too lofty for us; the Lord our God laid them all open to us" (Deuteronomy 2:36, NEB).

No obstacle can deter the follower of Jesus, when he rises up to do the will of God. Moses reminds Israel, right before entering Canaan, what God had done for the people on the east side of the Jordan River. No pagan city could resist God's people, no matter how high their walls, no matter how strong their defences. For Israel was now obeying the Lord's command and trusting his promise to give them the land.

Today, the Lord continues to deliver all up to us, laying open every bastion of resistance, whether it be ours and others rebellious thoughts (2 Corinthians 10:5-6) or the strongest counter-attacks of the devil (Matthew 16:18). There is no wall so high as to impede the obedience to the gospel or the fulfilling of the mission he has given us to be world-lights and mouthpieces of the gospel.

Whatever the high wall before you today, you may breach it in the power of the Lord God.

"With thy help I leap over a bank, by God's aid I spring over a wall." (Psalm 18:29)

by Tim Hall

Tom really loved that car. Though it was really showing its age, he still dreaded the thought of giving it up. In that car he had proposed to his wife. It had carried each of his three children home from the hospital after their births. He had even given it a name! No, it wasn't a question of affordability. He just hated having to give up a vehicle that had served him well, and in which so many memories had been forged.

The attachment was soon broken, however, once Tom drove his new car. Automotive technology had come so far in those twelve years! Though he still had fond memories of the old sedan, he never regretted the decision to trade up.

How like Tom we are when it comes to this life! Most of us grow rather fond of this world. The terrain is pleasant, certain seasons are downright wonderful. Friendships sink roots into our hearts, and it is with great pain that they must be ripped up by relocation or death. As we grow older, we become wistful, sometimes angry. "Why can't it continue the way I remember it? Why do we have to let go of things we have so thoroughly enjoyed?"

Faith reminds us that God has promised something much more wonderful than life on this earth. Jesus stated it clearly in John 14:1-3: "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also" (New King James Version).

A place prepared for us by Jesus Christ? What an unimaginably splendid place that must be! We visit some beautiful sites on this planet -- gardens lush and colorful, islands fanned by warm winds, mountain summits with breathtaking views. But how these vistas will pale in comparison with the place that Jesus Himself has prepared for us!

Paul was not speaking of heaven in 1 Corinthians 2:9, but the idea is absolutely applicable: "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him." There's just no way we can imagine how utterly marvelous heaven will be. No matter how much we enjoy and cling to life on earth, it will be quickly forgotten the moment we step onto Heaven's shore.

Will the streets really be paved with gold? What will the average temperature be up there? What kinds of activities will we be given? To these questions, I have no definite answers. But there's one thing I know -- and it's all I need to know -- Heaven is a place prepared by Jesus. If divine preparations have gone into this abode, I want to be there! And the process of gradually letting go of an earthly life I have loved (i.e. aging) is not nearly so disturbing when I trust the Lord's promises.

by Barry Newton

Angry eyes glared at the financial counselor. Her words sought to cut him down to size so that he would realize she was just a victim of circumstance. “You just don’t understand. I have to spend this much money on fast food. My schedule is so rushed that I only have time for a drive through lunch.”

How do you tackle something so big, so ingrained, that people are resistant to even acknowledging its very existence? Whether on the individual, group or societal level, ideas have consequences. And the thought, “I have to” is particularly adept at imprisoning lives while simultaneously offering a Faustian* bargain conveniently served up with a self-deluding but seemingly self- justifying excuse of being a victim.

The truth is we don’t have to do anything. We choose to do what we do because we believe in a whole rack full of promises. My kids will be successful if they are exposed to ___. I must have ___, because this will ___. The list seems endless.

In the previous scenario her choice might be to sleep a little longer rather than make a sack lunch. It’s her choice to eat rather than to fast. It’s her choice to maintain her schedule because of what she believes her schedule will provide her.

I know firsthand the desire to deny all of this. When confronted, I did not like it. I argued. I did not want him to be right.

About fifteen years ago I was complaining to a friend just how stressed out I was with my five part-time jobs, full graduate school schedule and other responsibilities. I thought that in Joel’s eyes I would be earning the badge of someone important and on the move. Kindly, Joel responded, “you chose all of this.”

Of course I objected! For me to achieve good grades I had to study hard. I had to work all of those jobs to pay my bills as I went through school. On and on I rambled. To which Joel asked, “Why do you have to get good grades? Why do you have to take a full slate of classes. Why...” I could not believe my ears. Joel was questioning what I considered foundational!

Sure I offered answers to each of his questions, but I was attempting to dodge his real point. Because I believed a strong academic performance provided promises for the future, I chose to impose a standard upon myself. I chose to complete my studies within a particular time period because I wanted ... . I wanted ... The truth was, I had chosen my lifestyle because I wanted what I thought it would provide. I was a prisoner of my own desires, but I wanted to blame my schedule. And so I argued, “I have to.”

If we are willing to listen, Jesus wants to set us free from our self-imposed prisons of “I have to.” Essentially Jesus says, “If you will receive me, I’ve taken care of your deepest need – namely, to belong to God. You also do not need to worry about housing, clothing or shelter if you put God’s kingdom first. That will be taken care of too. And you don’t have to worry about being important – your identity and worth are eternally secure with me. You are my disciple as well as co-heir. Whatever you really need, it’s been taken care. So now you are free to live.”

Jesus sets us free to live deliberately instead of existing as victims of our own thinking and desires. In one hundred years, it will be self-evident that our long lists of "have to's" are not as important as we have claimed.

So if you have been set free from the secularly driven list of "I have to" what are you going to do with your life? Who or what will be honored? It’s not about unfulfilled good intentions; it’s what am I choosing to do now?

*Faust was a magician and astrologer who was held to have sold his soul to the devil in exchange for worldly experience and power, but in the end the reality did not live up to the promises.

by Tim Hall

Surgeons wielding sharp scalpels must be extremely careful. The scalpel they bear can be an instrument of great good, enabling the physician to remove diseased portions of the body and thus extend the patient's life. That same knife, however, can slip and cut a crucial artery, causing life to gush out prematurely. It is a serious matter to hold so sharp an instrument.

Fellowship is also an instrument that can be used for good or ill. We normally think of it for its good effects. Christians are often exhorted to use their fellowship to encourage and build up one another. John's statement in 2 John 12 is representative: "Having many things to write to you, I did not wish to do so with paper and ink; but I hope to come to you and speak face to face, that our joy may be full" (New King James Version). The end in view -- having a full joy -- could only be accomplished by being in the physical presence of one another. That's the power of fellowship for good, to lift and encourage, to edify and bring joy. Christians should look for opportunities to use this gift in such ways.

On the other hand, fellowship can also be misused, and the results can be tragic. John spoke of this danger in the same letter: "Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him; for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds" (2 John 9-11).

Many of us are by nature non-confrontational. We have a strong desire to "get along" with others. If this means overlooking a difference in views, some swallow hard and smile, pretending to be able to live with it. It's commendable for us to want to get along -- but not at the expense of truth.

There come times when every Christian must stand up and say "No, this is not the way God has taught us!" Yes, we must always speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15), but attempting to act in love without speaking the truth is wrong. Continuing to share fellowship with those who teach ideas contrary to God's will is dangerous, for in doing so we actually encourage the teaching of the error.

When God brings us all into judgment, He will hold false teachers accountable for their teachings. But will He not also hold accountable those who encouraged such teachers by their fellowship?

Barry Newton

In the playground, a child might start to believe, "since I cannot run as fast as other kids, I am not as good as them." Through school or watching television, a young person could begin to accept, "I have evolved from lower forms of life." Certain young adults might draw the conclusion that what is most important for their lives is whether they have the right clothes, the right car, or perhaps the right friends.

Our lives are awash with notions which we have picked up through the years. All of the ideas we embrace as being true will have consequences for our lives. The prison walls of feeling inadequate and inferior can be slowly built up by thoughts such as: "because I don't have ___, I am not really an important person" or "because ___ has happened to me, others are better than me."

The stale suffocating dungeon of living a meaningless life can be the ultimate conclusion which comes from embracing the belief that we are here as the result of blind naturalistic forces. Along the way, the idea of naturalistic evolution becomes an uncontainable acid eating through one's concepts of truth, morality, and meaning to leave the individual with nothing more than the belief that such things are social conventions and personal preferences.

Chains of compulsiveness can have their origin in many different types of thoughts. Believing that life is measured by what I have or the conviction that in order to be somebody I must prove myself can drive a person into the doomed effort to generate genuine success based upon this world.

These paltry examples do not even being to scratch the surface of the varied consequences which arise from the vast continuum of ideas. All of the ideas we embrace will have consequences for our lives.

What is important for us to know is that Jesus came from God to testify to what is true. That's right -- real truth which will always be true regardless whether people agree with it or not. Through his teachings, Jesus has sought to free us from those lies which would debilitate and destroy us.

Consider, for example, the liberating power of the truth, "your life is not measured by what you have." (Lk. 12:15) Also, through his death and resurrection Jesus destroyed the chains of sin and death to set us free from our sinfulness in order that we might serve God in truth. Through Jesus we can know the truth and it will set us free.