Which Lion?

Photo by Clement Bardot 2014

 

In this dream, I am lying in the fetal position on a stone floor and realize I’m in the grasp of a lion, encircled by its front legs. It gazes at me intently, then gently extends its paw and touches each of my fingers.

Oddly, I’m not afraid, but I’m not sure whether it is about to devour me or is just protecting me. I get up very cautiously and back away.

When I awaken, I find the dream troubling but not frightening. The paternalistic, intimate, and loving gestures of the gentle giant reminded me of the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, Jesus Christ Himself (Revelation 5:5). His tender touch with His paw to each of my fingers reminded me of the touch of life as God created Adam and made him a living soul (Genesis 2:7), portrayed on the Sistine Chapel ceiling by the great artist Michelangelo as God, in human form, reaching out His finger to touch Adam’s outstretched finger.

In the allegorical novel the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Christian author C.S. Lewis used a lion, the noble Aslan, to symbolize Lord Jesus, Christ and King. Aslan portrays not only a just and victorious ruler, but one who sacrifices his own life for a traitor, just as Jesus died to save us while we were still His enemies (Romans 5:10). Yet Aslan arose from the dead by a supernatural force, symbolizing Jesus Christ rising from the dead through the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:11). Aslan then kills the White Witch, a representation of Satan, whom Jesus Christ will defeat (Hebrews 2:14-15) at the battle of Armageddon (Revelation 16:7).

If the lion I dreamt of represented Jesus Christ, why, in the dream, did my doubt and reluctance outweigh my desire to remain in the lion’s loving embrace? Why did I back away from the One Who gave His life for me? Which lion was this – the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, or the evil predator wanting to consume me?

The morning after the dream, one of our daily devotional readings was by Charles Stanley, warning that Satan is a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8). Indeed, Satan is not only the father of all lies (John 8:44), but the great deceiver. He lacks originality and has no creative power from himself, so he imitates Jesus Christ, the Holy Trinity, His miracles and His teachings.

The devil has his ministers at the helm of governments, universities, corporations, and even churches (Ephesians 6:12), where they can appear as ministers of righteousness (2 Corinthians 11:14-15). This is not surprising, for Satan, whom God created as Lucifer (Isaiah 14:12-15), the most beautiful and eloquent light-bearer and covering angel, can also transform himself into an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:4).

In contrast to the loving yet omnipotent Lion of the Tribe of Judah, Satan is a roaring lion on the prowl to destroy anyone susceptible to his traps (Revelation 9:11). Thankfully, once we are saved by the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) as the only Way (John 14:6) to Heaven, we have His Holy Spirit living in our heart (2 Corinthians 1:22, 3:3; Galatians 4:6), to guide us away from Satan’s lies and deception, and a band of angels to protect us (Matthew 4:6; Hebrews 1:14). He Who is within us, namely the Spirit, is greater than he who is the ruler of the world, namely the devil (1 John 4:4).

The Spirit protected Samson from a lion, which was likely sent by Satan in an attempt to destroy Samson’s potential ministry, by empowering him with supernatural strength that allowed him to kill the lion as easily as he might have killed a baby goat. Yet Satan then used the lion to tempt Samson into a downward spiral of sin, beginning with defiling himself and his parents by eating honey from the lion’s carcass  (Judges 14:5-9).

Similarly, God empowered the young shepherd David with the strength to kill a lion and bear that threatened a lamb in his flock, in a foreshadowing of Jesus, the Chief Shepherd (1 Peter 5:4), laying down His life for His sheep (John 10:11). In a way, this defeat of Satan’s messengers prepared David for the battle to come against Goliath, chief of the Philistine warriors, whom David slew, giving a great victory to the Israelites (1 Samuel 17:32-58).

Lying on the stone floor in the dream reminds me of Daniel in the lions’ den. When Daniel was imprisoned for praying to his God, he was sentenced to a savage and cruel death by being thrown into a den of hungry lions. Yet God subdued the lions by His angel, who restrained and calmed the would-be predators, shutting their mouths, so that Daniel emerged unscathed. Then God permitted the same lions to be used to destroy Daniel’s enemies (Daniel 6:7-28).

The lion, King of the Jungle, may represent deadly forces at work sent by Satan to torment and destroy us. Yet we must remember that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Lion of the Tribe of Judah, rules over all and has infinite power to subdue our enemies (Isaiah 41:10).

May the Spirit give us wisdom to discern the good from the evil and the faith to trust Him completely and to remember that He will not allow any evil or harm into our lives unless it is for our ultimate good (Romans 8:28) and His ultimate glory!

© 2021 Laurie Collett

 

Landmarks

Photo by W.carter 2017

 My husband and I recently explored a nearby nature preserve that we hadn’t visited before. There was a trail map posted at the trailhead, which we perused casually before embarking on our adventure, but there were no printed brochures to take with us.

We soon came to a fork in the road, which neither of us had noticed on the map, as the trail overall appeared to be a circular loop. There were no trail markers at the fork to guide our journey. I preferred the shadier path to the left, while Richard felt that the right path was more likely to be on the main loop. So right we went, and were later relieved to see a blue number painted on a short post, suggesting that we were still on the main trail.

Yet without a map, we were still in the dark about where the trail would take us, and how long our journey would be. Suddenly I screamed as a large snake, once coiled out of sight behind a clump of grass, sprung across the path before slithering away in the bushes.

“It was black, so most likely a harmless racer – no need to panic, says the woman screaming,” I chattered away, more to calm my own nerves than to reassure Richard.

Soon we came to a lovely view, live oak trees framing a serene lake, their branches gnarled and fuzzy with dark ferns, giving them a distinctive yet oddly pleasing appearance resembling tarantula legs.

“We’ll have to come back one day for a picnic, if we can remember how to find it,” Richard said.

As the sun grew warmer, we began to tire and thought about heading back. Just then a fellow hiker crossed our path, and we asked him if he knew the quickest way to return to the trailhead (well, actually, I asked him, because you know how most men hate to ask for directions!).

“Oh, sure,” he said. “Follow this trail up ahead about 50 feet, where you’ll see a large boulder. Turn left at the fork there and that trail leads back to the parking lot – about 15 minutes.” 

Our adventure made me think about how we navigate through life’s unknown terrain. Without landmarks of any sort, we would not only be lost, but without expectations or hope for what lies ahead (Ephesians 2:12).

The most memorable landmarks are often highly emotionally charged, like the snake startling me as it crossed my path. And yet these can be the least reliable. If I attempted to find my way based on where I had seen the snake, I would no doubt be lost, as I was too engrossed in a “fight or flight” reaction to have noticed the terrain, distinctive trees, or topographic features that would help me find the location again.

Nor could I count on the snake to stay in the same spot, for it would have moved on to a less travailed cranny in the bushes, out of sight yet lying in wait for an unsuspecting victim.

Then there are landmarks that would seem at first glance to be more reliable and immutable, yet may not actually be. We might think we could easily revisit the scenic lakefront spot, but what if a storm had caused a large tree to block the path leading to it, or a drought had dried up the lake altogether. The ferns growing on the live oak branches are epiphytes that may change in appearance with rainfall or seasons, so these would be an even less reliable marker.

The gentleman who gave us directions used landmarks that he knew would be there in the short amount of time it would take us to get there, as a heavy rock is unlikely to move and a trail unlikely to erode within half an hour.

But overall, the most reliable and durable markers were the blue painted numbers along the trail and the map at the trailhead laying out the whole course of the trail. Yet we gave these short shrift because they were neither exciting nor calming, eliciting neither fear nor peace.

It made me wonder if we sometimes do the same with God’s Word, ignoring its guidance at our own peril, because we are too easily distracted by and too eager to pursue (or run away from) transient sights that bring us pleasure or pain. Satan is often behind these pitfalls, luring us away from God’s Word with the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (1 John 2:16), and evoking fear and confusion that cause us to doubt God’s Word (2 Timothy 1:7; Matthew 14:31).

Yet His Word is the blueprint for our life, the lamp unto our feet and light unto our path (Psalm 119:105). But sometimes our eyes are blinded, our ears shut, and our hearts hardened to heed and follow it (Isaiah 6:10; Jeremiah 5:21; Ezekiel 12:2; Matthew 13:15; Mark 8:18; Acts 28:27).

Jesus gave His disciples simple, yet surprising, landmarks to follow when He sent them on divine errands. He guided them to the large upper room where they would celebrate the Passover feast on the eve of His crucifixion by giving them a strange instruction. They were to follow the first man they saw carrying a pitcher of water when they entered Jerusalem, and he would lead them to a furnished room where Jesus and the twelve would have the Last Supper (Luke 22:8-20).

How could Jesus know that a man carrying a pitcher would be a reliable landmark to fulfill His purpose? His omniscience allowed Him perfect knowledge of time, space, and even inner workings of the mind and heart (Psalm 139:1-6). For this landmark to be effective, He had to know in advance what the man would be doing (carrying a pitcher), and where and when (at the gate of Jerusalem where the disciples would enter, and at that exact moment). Jesus had to know what he had already done (prepared the room for a large feast) and his mental disposition (that he would offer the room to the disciples).

Not your typical landmark, like the ones the stranger we encountered used to guide us home. Yet we must consider the source, and realize that if direction we hear comes from God, it is true and without flaw.

What if the disciples had reasoned that Jesus couldn’t possibly know what would happen when they entered the city, and decided instead to rely on their own understanding? (Proverbs 3:5-6). What if they followed their eyes to the most lavish venue, which might not be available or affordable, or used their “wisdom” to find a reasonably priced yet unsuitable spot?

Knowing our short attention spans and faulty memories, God often blesses His children with tangible reminders of His goodness and provision, sometimes by acting through leaders He has appointed. When God answered the Israelites’ prayer for deliverance from the Philistines and gave them a great victory, the prophet Samuel set up an Ebenezer stone to remind the people of God’s faithfulness (1 Samuel 7: 8-14).

Twelve stones marked the spot where God parted the river Jordan to allow safe passage of His ark, for God commanded Joshua to place these as a memorial of His deliverance. When children of subsequent generations would inquire about the meaning of these stones, the people were to recount the Lord’s goodness, saying “That all the people of the earth might know the hand of the Lord, that it is mighty: that ye might fear the Lord your God for ever.” (Joshua 4:15-24).

Landmarks such as these could potentially be destroyed, much as Jesus predicted that the seemingly permanent structure of God’s temple would be razed to the ground (Mark 13:1-2). Some memorials are recurrent, yet evanescent by their very nature, like the rainbow God places in the sky after a storm to remind us that He will never again destroy the earth by water (Genesis 9:11-16).

Some memorials are not linked to geographical location or to time, but are God-prescribed rituals to help us recall His mercy and love. The feast of the Passover preserved the memory of how God spared the firstborn of Hebrew households where the doorposts and lintel were marked by the blood of a sacrificed lamb (Exodus 12:1-27). This foreshadowed how the precious blood shed on the cross by the Lamb of God would save from physical, spiritual and eternal death all who trust in His death, burial and resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) as the only Way to Heaven (John 14:6).

What landmark did Jesus Christ leave for us, looking back at His sacrifice on the cross, uniting believers in present fellowship, and looking forward to His return? It is the sacrament of communion, which serves as a past reminder, present trail marker, and guidepost to our future as the bride of Christ, to be united with Him forever after the Rapture at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb! He instructed us that every time we break bread or drink the fruit of the vine, we are to remember His coming until He returns (Luke 22:14-20; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26; 15:51-58; 1 Thessalonians 4: 13-18; Revelation 19:9).

Until then, may we not only keep this sacrament, but follow His Word, a map to guide us to His blessings and preserve us from Satan’s traps (Ephesians 6:11) as He directs us to the blessed hope (Titus 2:13) of eternal life (John 3:16) in Heaven!   

© 2021 Laurie Collett

His Love For Me

 

Photo by Patty Colmer 2007

Soon the world will celebrate Valentine’s Day, with sweethearts offering roses, candy, jewelry, lingerie, or other gifts to the one they love. Children give anonymous cards to their school crush; adults may write beautiful poetry or flowery prose expressing their affection; and some proclaim their love boldly in the newspaper or even on the scoreboard of a sports stadium!

Many couples enjoy romantic evenings or getaways on February 14, and it is understandably a very popular date for marriage proposals or weddings. At our Rhapsody Ballroom one year, two couples got married on Valentine’s weekend!

The traditions underlying the holiday are unclear. Although it is named after St. Valentine, it may be because he helped soldiers (who were supposed to remain single under the rule of Emperor Claudius) get married in secret, resulting in his being put to death. Others say that while in prison, he fell in love with the jailer’s daughter who visited him and wrote her a love letter signed “From Your Valentine.”

Others claim that Valentine’s Day dates back to a pagan Roman holiday on February 14, the Feast of Lupercalia, honoring the Roman goddess Juno who was the goddess of women and of marriage.

Regardless of its origins, any reason to tell and show our spouse or betrothed that we love them is a good reason (Ephesians 5:25-32; Proverbs 31:26-28; Song of Solomon). But whether married or single, all can enjoy the blessings of the greatest love of all. And no, I don’t mean learning to love yourself, as proclaimed in the Whitney Houston song!

Greater love has no man than to lay down his life for His friends (John 15:13). Jesus Christ, Son of God, did that for us when He willingly left the joys of Heaven to wrap Himself in human flesh (John 1:1-14). He was born as a humble babe, lived the life of a servant (Philippians 2:5-8), and died an agonizing death on the cross, to be the perfect sacrifice to reconcile sinful man with Holy God (2 Corinthians 5:18; Ephesians 2:16; Colossians 1:20).

Even more amazing, His love was so great that He did this not when we were His friends, but when we were still His enemies (Romans 5:10; Colossians 1:21), rebelling against Him because we were still children of the devil (John 8:44). But the greatest love story of all time does not end there, for He proved His divinity by rising from the dead on the third day (1 Corinthians 15:1-4).

Now all who trust in His death, burial and resurrection as the only Way to Heaven (John 14:6) have the greatest gift of all – the gift of eternal life in Heaven with Him and with our loved ones who have trusted Him (John 3:16; 1 Corinthians 15:51-57). That gift is so beyond priceless that it defies description! (2 Corinthians 9:15)

Even better, that gift begins at the moment we are born again (John 3:3-8), with abundant life in the here and now (John 10:10), joy in our Lord (Psalm 35:9; Isaiah 51:11; 61:3), and peace that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7).

Like the suitor whose love is pure, chaste, and sometimes unrequited, God loved us long before we ever knew or loved Him (1 John 4:19). He loved us from before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4), and predetermined then that those who would trust Him would be saved and become children of God, ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20) and joint heirs with Jesus (Romans 8:16-17), and part of His Church, the Bride of Christ (Ephesians 5:25-32).

God even wrote the best, most complete, and perfect love letter – His Word. In the Bible He expresses not only His great joy in us (Zephaniah 3:17), love for us (John 3:16), and plans for our future together with Him (Jeremiah 29:11), but He also packs it full of description about His character, faithfulness, holiness, and power. He even gives us a wealth of practical wisdom (e.g., Proverbs), much as a Captain away at battle would write to his wife at home, guiding her at a distance.

Whether we know Him or not, all good and perfect gifts come from Him (James 1:17) – the wondrous planet on which we live (Genesis 1); the air, water and food that sustain us; the sunlight and rain (Matthew 5:45). And for those of us who are part of His bride, the spiritual blessing we experience of His mercy, grace, comfort and guidance (Lamentations 3:22; Psalm 119:105; 2 Corinthians 12:9; 1:3-4) by far surpass any Valentine’s gift any human could provide.

Sometimes we hear His whispered words of love in a passing breeze, a bird song, the heartbreaking beauty of a sunrise or a violet lifting her face to the morning light. Far more valiant than a heroic knight of old, He has freed us from the shackles of sin (Isaiah 61:1; Luke 4:18) and rescued us from the depths of despair and death (Psalm 30:3). He has clothed us in His garments of salvation and robe of righteousness, as a bride adorns herself with the jewels given by her Beloved (Isaiah 61:10).

Flowers fade almost as quickly as chocolates are eaten (at least in my house)! Over the decades, Valentines and love letters crumble and turn to dust, jewelry tarnishes, and trinkets may break, get lost, or be stolen (Matthew 6:19).

But God’s Word and His love last forever (Matthew 24:35). He is faithful, true, and cannot lie (1 Corinthians 1:9; Revelation 3:14; 22:6; Titus 1:2). He will never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5); we can call on Him 24/7 knowing that He will hear and answer (Hebrews 4:16); and one day He will return to bring us forever to Himself! (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17)

I wrote song lyrics, “His Love For Me,” and my husband and I choreographed to them for our dance ministry, attempting to portray how His love is unfailing. I pray it will bless you, and that not only on Valentine’s Day but on every day of the year, may we remember His love for us, which truly is the greatest love of all!

© 2016 Laurie Collett

 

 

Oil and Fire: Judgment and Deliverance

 

Photo by flydime

Water can be an instrument of God’s judgment as well as of His blessing. So it is also with oil, needed to nourish our bodies and light our darkness, and yet hot oil that blazes out of control is a fierce, all-consuming fire.

James uses the metaphor of fire to describe our tongue (James 3:5-8). Unless guided by the Holy Spirit, our tongue is set on fire from hell, igniting passions and fury in the souls of others, unleashing forces of evil and darkness rather than of God’s grace and light. Life and death are in the power of the tongue (Proverbs 18:21), so may we use our words to comfort and heal rather than to tear down and destroy.

Our God is a consuming fire (Deuteronomy 4:24; 9:3; 32:22; Hebrews 12:29), sparing us from His judgment only through His mercy and grace (Hebrews 4:16). The intense power of fire can even transform the cooling and soothing qualities of water into a boiling, seething cauldron of destruction, which is a metaphor for God’s judgment on disobedient nations (Isaiah 64:2). When oil rigs explode in the ocean, the blaze does its damage for some time despite the surrounding waves.

But water and fire do tend to neutralize one another, as we all know from watching firefighters extinguish a raging inferno with torrents of water. As forest fires blaze beyond man’s control, God may send mighty rains to inundate the scorched earth and stop the destruction.

The ability of cold water to absorb large amounts of heat also makes it the best first-aid for a minor burn from cooking or a curling iron. In our present life, the pain of even an insignificant burn can be so intense that it distracts us from all else. As a doctor-in-training rotating through different services, I realized that the worst pain and suffering was experienced by patients in the burn unit.

And yet, if we could begin to imagine that pain and multiply it by infinity, we would not come close to realizing the horrors of hell. By far the worst judgment by fire anyone could ever face is the eternally burning flames of hell that are never extinguished (Matthew 5:22;18:9; Mark 9:43-49). Worse yet, those condemned to those flames are tormented forever, as their body is not consumed.

Equally intense as the physical pain of burning in hell must be the affliction of unending thirst. I find myself longing for water just writing this, even though I am well hydrated and am now enjoying a cup of tea. During exercise in the scorching heat, the thirst we experience can crowd out other gnawing sensations such as muscle fatigue, heat stroke, and the blinding sun, and our overwhelming desire is simply for water. That first gulp seems so refreshing, yet our relief is short-lived as we need to keep drinking until our fluid balance is completely restored.

But if we are trapped in the desert without water and no relief from the blistering sun, our thirst and pain will only intensify until we are rescued or until we die. That is the situation in hell, except that there is no end to the suffering. Sadly, we all deserve eternal punishment in hell, for we are all sinners unworthy of being in God’s holy presence (Romans 3:23). Hell is a real place, spoken of by Jesus more times than He described Heaven.

The rich man in hell begged for Lazarus to visit him from Paradise and place just one drop of cool water on his tongue (Luke 16:24). Yet this was impossible because of the “great gulf” between Paradise and hell (Luke 16:26), and no amount of pleading can ease one iota of pain or thirst for those doomed to hell throughout eternity.

Even worse is the mental anguish of those in hell. Too late, the rich man realized the errors of his earthly life (Luke 16:19-22,25), and he begged Abraham to send Lazarus to tell his brothers what he was experiencing so they could repent and be spared the same fate (Luke 16:27-28). But, as Abraham pointed out, they did not believe God’s prophets, so why would they now believe even one who rose from the dead? (Luke 16:29-31) Jesus Himself rose from the dead as proof of His Deity and to show us the Way to eternal life, yet how many refuse to believe His Word?

The rich man’s punishment was not only his own damnation, but the realization that he was now helpless to tell his family how they could avoid being doomed as he was. Each believer has a unique sphere of influence – our family, friends, coworkers – that we could share Jesus with as the Spirit opens the door for our testimony. Yet so often we don’t walk through that door, because of fear or unbelief. When we face Christ at the judgment seat, we will have to account for our lives, including wasted opportunities to lead others to Him (2 Corinthians 5:10; 1 Corinthians 3:10-15).

Thankfully, there is redemption from hell fire in the Person of our Redeemer (Job 19:25; Psalm 19:14; Isaiah 43:14), Jesus Christ, the Living Waters Who alone can satisfy our thirst throughout eternity (John 4:10-11; Revelation 7:17). Through His completed work on the cross, He reconciled sinful man to Holy God, so that when God looks at believers in His Son, He sees only His righteousness (Romans 4:22-25). In His presence there is no more thirst, heat, or burning sun, for He will lead us to living fountains of waters (Revelation 7:16-17)..

Before it is too late, may we all place our faith in His death, burial and resurrection as the only Way to Heaven (1 Corinthians 4:1-15; John 14:6), so that we can live eternally with Him by the river of water of life (Revelation 22:1-2), where there is no more pain, sickness, sin or sorrow! May we spend our lives telling others about Him, Who is our only Deliverer (Romans 11:26) from the flames of hell, so that they too may live forever with us in Heaven!

© 2013 Laurie Collett

Reposted from the archives