What Can I Do To Repay My Debt?
It is a question we all wonder at one time or another: What can we do to repay the debt we owe to Christ? What can we do for the One who has done so much for us? What cost would be sufficient and what length of service would be adequate?
James Edmeston once pondered this in the form of a poetic prayer and concluded that there is nothing we can do for “earthly years are all too few” and “earthly treasures all too few.” His poem, titled “Gratitude,” is worth reading and lifting as a prayer to the Lord.
What can I, my Saviour, do,
To repay the debt I owe?
Earthly years are all too few,
Earthly treasures all too low!Shall I cease with men to dwell,
Every mortal love resign;
Hide me in some hermit’s cell,
And feast in solitude on thine?Shall the sun of noontide day,
And the lamp of middle night,
Witness how I praise and pray,
Ceaseless as the moment’s flight?Shall I labour for thy poor,
For the souls whom thou hast bought;
Pain and poverty endure,
To afford thy children aught?Shall I fly to spread thy name
In the lands of heathen night?
Shall I court the martyr’s flame,
And seal my faith with suffering bright?Shall each talent thou hast given
Wholly consecrated be,
And rise, like incense, up to heaven,
Offered gratefully to thee?Vain to pay the debt I owe,
All the service I can do!
Earthly good is far too low,
Earthly years are far too few!
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It Has To Be Dark Before We Can See
A skillful poet once imagined Adam’s first evening in the Garden of Eden. He described the scene as Adam began to notice that the sun was sinking toward the horizon, that the shadows were growing long, that the light was getting dim. The first day was becoming the first night and Adam didn’t know what to expect—he had only ever known daylight. The poet imagined that as evening turned to dusk and as dusk faded into twilight, Adam might have assumed that darkness would pull a black veil across all the wonders of creation.
But Adam should not have been concerned. Here is what the poet says:
Yet ’neath a curtain of translucent dew,Bathed in the rays of the great setting Flame,Hesperus [Venus] with the Host of Heaven came,And lo! Creation widened on Man’s view.
When the light faded and the skies went dark, Adam learned that darkness did not actually conceal his view of creation but revealed it all the more because it unveiled the beauty of the night sky. The same sun that had opened Adam’s eyes to the flowers and trees, the birds and fish, had blinded his eyes to the stars and planets, the galaxies and constellations. It had to be dark for Adam to truly see.
Jesus once said something that sounds every bit as counter-intuitive: “Blessed are those who mourn.” He pronounced divine favor upon those whose souls have been saddened, God’s own approval upon those whose hearts have been broken. The path to joy does not avoid sorrow, according to Jesus, but leads directly through it. But not just any sorrow will do. Joy comes to those who experience a particular kind of sorrow—a deep remorse over their depraved hearts and defiled hands.
Such broken-hearted people stand in stark contrast to those who surround them. Each of us will some day be laid to rest in a cemetery, each of our lives encapsulated in the little dash that sits between the date of our birth and the date of our death. And so many are content to spend that brief threescore and ten mocking God and pursuing carnal pleasure, rejoicing in the things he hates and abhorring the things he loves. Nero sparked a fire that would consume his city, then laughed and played as he watched it all burn. And just so, the people of the kingdom of this world have set their lives ablaze and now watch with delight as they are consumed by it. “Eat, drink, and be merry, laugh and pursue every pleasure, for tomorrow we die.”
The blessings of this world are upon the mockers and laughers. “Blessed are those who are happy and who enjoy nothing but pleasure; blessed are those who are unfettered to pursue every desire of their hearts; blessed are those who are most authentically themselves and answer to no one else; blessed are those who laugh from the cradle to the grave.” Such is the benediction of the kingdom of this world.
But the blessing of the kingdom of heaven is upon those who have been deeply saddened. Blessed are those who mourn their sin, for they shall be comforted. Content are those who are aggrieved by their iniquity, for they shall be consoled. Happy are those who are sad that they are evil-doers, for their tears shall be dried. Joyful are those who are downcast over their rebellion, for they shall be raised up. The favor of God is upon those whose eyes are awash with tears, whose lives have been shattered, whose hearts have been broken—broken by their sin and sinfulness.
Just like the sun needed to set and the light needed to fade before Adam could see the glories of the heavens opened up before him, those who want to know spiritual light must first know spiritual darkness. To know the hand of comfort we need to know the pain of sorrow. To know the bright light of God’s blessing we must first know the dark shadow of our own depravity. For it is only when we admit who we truly are that God reveals what he truly loves to do, only when we admit ourselves to be lost that reveals himself as the one who saves.Inspired by In Green Pastures by J.R. Miller
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World Religions in Seven Sentences
When I enrolled in university, I quickly learned that it was considered wise to take one or two “bird courses” as they were called back then—courses that were known to be an easy credit. These would counter-balance the much more difficult courses I was taking like Greek and French. One of the easy options was “comparative religion.” Though it did turn out to be an easy credit, it also proved to be a near-complete waste of time. The professor didn’t seem to understand the different religions all that well and was convinced they were all pretty much the same at heart. While he brought in clergy members to represent each of the faiths, they must have been carefully chosen because they were as wishy-washy as he was and were equally committed to explaining that all religions are really just different paths to the same destination. But at least I got my easy credit and also passed Greek and French.
Despite that negative experience, I do still think there is value in knowing the tenets of different faiths. After all, we live in a pluralistic society and we do not need to look far to find representatives of any of the other major religions. It can be good and helpful to know what they believe so we can better befriend them and present the gospel to them. We can avoid unintentional blunders and needless offense if we have some senes of what these people believe and why they believe it. (So, for example, we would know not to invite a Hindu neighbour over for burgers or offer a Muslim friend a glass of wine.) Not only that, but world religions have a way of being folded into ostensibly secular worldviews—witness the popularity of yoga, the rise of mindfulness, and the importance of meditation amongst those who would claim to be entirely non-religious. Yet each of these elements has been drawn from eastern religions. Religion is alive and well even in the hearts and minds of your secular or atheist friends.
Douglas Groothuis has made a long and careful study of the world’s major religions and brings his knowledge to bear in a new book titled World Religions in Seven Sentences: A Small Introduction to a Vast Topic. The “gimmick” behind the book is providing a single sentence that can stand in as a summary of that religion’s most significant or unique teaching. This sentence is drawn from either the religion’s scriptures or one of its notable teachers. And I think it proves to be quite a successful way to understand the faiths.
So, for example, when he discusses atheism (which, rightly, he considers a religion unto itself) he turns to Nietzsche’s infamous “God is dead.” For Judaism he goes with “I Am who I Am” and for Hinduism “You are that.” Buddhism he summarizes with “life is suffering” and Daoism with “the doa that can be spoken is not the eternal dao.” For Islam he goes with the obvious choice of “there is one god and Mohammad is his prophet” and, for Christianity, “Before Abraham was, I Am” (which, of course, perfectly complements his choice for Judaism).
Groothuis has no interest in attempting to prove that all religions are equally valid or that they lead by different paths to the same destination. Neither does he mean to see what benefit he can glean from each of them as if God has distributed truth throughout the faiths of the world. Rather, he means to do his best to explain what these religions actually believe and why, and then to interpret them on the basis of his own Christian convictions. That makes this a distinctly Christian approach to the world’s other major religions. And it makes it a remarkably effective one.
I can think of several reasons to read this book. The first is simply for the sake of knowledge. Knowledge is good and this book will increase your understanding of several of the world’s major religions—religions that form a significant part of the worldview of the majority of the world’s population. The second is for the sake of evangelism. By understanding these different faiths you will better understand how to approach those who hold to them and how to present the gospel in the most effective way. The third is the for sake of sanctification. Speaking personally, I find it interesting to study other religions because it better helps me love my own Christian faith and have confidence that Jesus Christ truly does represent the way, the truth, and the life. Never am I more thankful to know and love Jesus than when I see the faiths are people are bound by and captive to.
World Religions in Seven Sentences does just what the title promises and does it well. I’m glad I read it and equally glad to recommend it.
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