All posts by Philip

Morning Thoughts (Philippians 3:21)

Morning Thoughts,

Philippians 3:21, "Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself."

This morning, many things garner our attention from time to time.  Work calls.  The family needs attention.  However, in all the affairs and business of life, one thought should stay with us prominently on a daily basis.  That thought revolves around the resurrection and the life and world to come.  Without keeping these thoughts prominently in view, life would become a tangled mess of toil and overmuch sorrow.  Paul summed it up succinctly in I Corinthians 15:19 as "of all men most miserable" should we have no hope or joy about something beyond this life and its vale of sorrow.  Much of that world to come and the experience of the resurrection goes beyond our ability to comprehend.  As finite creatures within fallen faculties of nature, we fail to grasp the sweeping grandeur of immediate change, ascension, and glory in a moment with all the people of God together.  Thinking of the elements melting and burning away in a snap goes beyond our mind's conception to fully understand.  Finally, being in endless satisfaction boggles the mind, though it does resonate beautifully within the new man.

Some verses of Scripture get misquoted often, and most of the time, the misquotation – though wrong – does not altogether injure the thought or intention of the verse.  However, some misquotations actually damage the true heart and soul of the verse's intent.  More often than not, the misquotation is a simple oversight, but it still damages the thought nonetheless.  Our study verse is often misquoted, and I have been guilty of misquoting it myself perhaps many more times than I realize.  In this case, though, I believe that most of the misquotation comes from a general English principle to keep subject and object agreement the same.  For example, if you have a singular subject of the sentence, you would have a singular object, and the same principle would apply to plural subjects and plural objects.

How often has this verse been misquoted, "who shall change our vile bodies?"  It is a simple thing to do.  Since the subject is "our" in the plural sense, we automatically want to make the object plural as well: "bodies."  However, Paul's point is rather sublime when seen in its actual form.  Christ shall change our vile "body" and fashion it like unto His glorious body.  At this point in time, one might wonder, "What's the point of all this talk about whether the text says body or bodies?  Isn't the point that all of us will be raised at the end of time?"  Indeed, the thought that we shall all be raised is the main thought of the resurrection, but Paul peels back the view of the resurrection to give us extra comfort and consolation about the scene.

How many children of God are there?  The Bible declares the number to be an innumerable host of people comparable to the stars of heaven or the sand of the seashore.  What will that look like!  What glory must be abundantly manifest in that scene!  Still, how will that affect us individually?  I recall a story from my youth that stuck with me.  At an associational meeting, one of the ministers that spoke made this glorious point about the personal nature of our Saviour, "Though there are countless millions of God's children that Christ came to die for and save, He would have done the same thing had you been the only one."  His point ss that Christ loves each one of us personally, not just as some group.  Paul declared the same point to the Galatian brethren in 2:20 when he repeats the word "me" to talk of Christ's love and sacrifice. 

Translate that thought to the resurrection, and we have Paul's sublime point.  When He comes to get your body, He is coming personally for you.  Even if you were the only one that He was coming for, the experience would be identical to the one that you will experience.  His raising of your body will be personal.  He will not simply pass by waving His hand to open the graves.  His face and appearance will be at each one, as each of us will be raised by His voice speaking to us personally.  No one will have a richer or poorer experience than the other.  He is raising all of our vile "body" on an individual basis and through personal love and compassion.  Friends, I really do not know how to imagine the sight, but my experience of the majesty of the Lord and feeling His personal fondness towards me will match identically with your experience on that day.  We will each feel like He came for us singularly and specially.  Each of our bodies will be given the same care and devotion to come forth matching His.  Yes, we will have identity just as stars do differ from each other, but each of our "body" will be given personal attention in the fashioning like the Lord's glorious and majestic body.

This personal nature of the resurrection is what gives that extra special thought of comfort during the weary journey of life.  We have a Saviour that loves each one of us individually, and He will raise each and every one of us individually and personally in a moment and flashing instant.  That immediate and personal transformation will then lend itself to personal fellowship and attention with the Master.  Consider another of Paul's glorious thoughts in Colossians 3:4.  When He appears in that instant, we shall all appear "with Him."  That phrase "with Him" can literally be rendered "alongside."  How is it that each one of us (the untold thousands of millions of the family of God) will equally share in the fellowship alongside Christ?  How will there be room for all?  Again, our finite minds cannot fathom the experience, but rest assured friends, you will not have to "wait in line" for your turn with Jesus.  Just as He raised you personally and specially, so also will you have that personal place alongside Him without being behind anyone else.

Sometimes the mind's reflections and meditations of this event simply melt away due to utter lack to comprehend and see it fully.  However, the resurrection and its associated glory is truly the best thing to turn the mountains of life into molehills.  What can compare to it?  What can prevent it?  As the songwriter eloquently said about that scene, "Imagination's utmost stretch in wonder dies away."  No matter how glorious and majestic you can imagine it to be, the reality will make the imaginary version from your mind just fade away into insignificance.  While in this flesh, I am not fully able to see this as I want or ought, but I like to think of the moment when I hear Him call to my faded ruins of dust and say, "Philip, come forth."  Then, as my changed eyes open for the first time in immortality, I see His glorious face and glorified body, while I joyfully take position next to Him to ride the power of His love and might into that city that never sleeps and pain is felt no more.

In Hope,

Bro Philip

Morning Thoughts (Ruth 2:14)

Morning Thoughts,

Ruth 2:14, "And Boaz said unto her, At mealtime come thou hither, and eat of the bread, and dip thy morsel in the vinegar.  And she sat beside the reapers: and he reached her parched corn, and she did eat, and was sufficed."

This morning, the world is full of people who either relish their position of authority or aspire to rule in ways that they currently do not.  Some people simply refuse to talk to people that they believe are "beneath them."  When I was in college, it was always interesting to watch the PhD professors interact with other doctorates as opposed to the "rest of us."  Generally speaking, they valued the opinion of their peers and fellows above anything they would have heard from the smaller peons below them.  On one of my last business trips, I had the opportunity to lunch at a cafe near the conference location, and several PhDs from the nearby college came in.  Based on their appearance and manner, it was quickly apparent exactly who they were.  After briefly overhearing some of their conversation, I asked if I could join them as I had an interest in their subject matter.  They agreed, and even though I "held my own" in the conversation with them, they asked as I was leaving, "Where did you study?"  After answering their question and admitting that I was no doctorate, they quickly went back to talking amongst themselves, probably deleting anything I had said from their memory banks.

The book of Ruth is a glorious picture of the redemption of the people of God through the work of our Lord Jesus Christ.  By the 4th chapter, the illustrations, types, and shadows have built and heightened to the point of clearly identifying Boaz – in shadow – with Christ, while identifying us in the form of Ruth.  However, nestled right in between the story of sorrow from the 1st chapter and the redemption story in chapters 3-4, we find a beautiful scene that shows Ruth's fellowship with Boaz thereby illustrating our fellowship with Christ.  The scene in chapter 2 is most indicative of Christ's interaction with the church, and it is in that framework that we will focus our thoughts this morning.

Sometimes in my personal studies of Scriptures, I get to a verse that I know I have read dozens of times and yet something jumps out so clearly like it never has before.  Such times make you wonder, "How did I never see that before?"  Our study verse this morning is one of those for me.  Until recently, one of the simplest expressions had gone unnoticed.  Consider the phrase "And she sat beside the reapers."  Such a simple thought, but let us put it in perspective for a minute.  Through the course of the 1st chapter, we learn many things about Ruth, but what would be most important to the common, everyday Jew?  Though she displayed a gracious spirit in the opening of this book, the regular Jew would think 2 things about her: 1. she is a stranger from Moab, 2. she is a widow.  Two more desolate circumstances could not be found in Israel.  They already had a poor opinion of strange nations, and being a widow in those days was a destitute condition indeed.  If there was such a thing as "low man on the totem pole," Ruth fit into that category.

The reapers worked for Boaz, but even they were "above" Ruth in the common perception of culture and daily living.  Yet, our verse tells us that Ruth was able to sit with the reapers when she ate.  First of all, Boaz was not required to feed Ruth (she did not work for him), but in addition to that, he was certainly not required to give her a spot at the table with the workers.  Yet, according to his mercy, he provided a place for her right there with his workers.  Friends, we stand by nature as destitute widows from a strange land, and yet our Lord has made us room at the table with the reapers.  No matter how poor you might feel to be, the Lord has provided a place that we can go and put our feet under His table.  Consider the service in the house of God.  Is there any more important person there than anyone else?  Oh, perceptions might declare there are, but in God's sight there is no respecter of persons in the assembly.  Just as the parable of the vineyard in Matthew 20 shows us, the labourers all receive a penny no matter how long they have served.

Christ compares His apostles and ministry to reapers in John 4:35-38, and though the ministry may labour longer in the vineyard and the field, feeding time is equal for all.  Ruth sat with the reapers and enjoyed the bounty just as much as they did – she was sufficed (received enough).  Sometimes there is a tendency among some to think that the ministry holds some higher place than others do, but the Bible refers to the office as a work and responsibility.  It is not to be seen as a position of worship, but rather, an office worth respecting.  Every now and then, I will hear a statement that makes me slightly chuckle to myself.  Sometimes the way people reference ministers, you would think that ministers are more than normal, everyday people.  Having grown up with a minister as a father and trying to be a minister now myself, I can assure anyone that they are regular people with problems like everyone else.

On a few rare occasions, I have heard expressions that did not make me chuckle but rather weep inside as people uttered sentiments about how a church would not go on without the minister.  Friends, the church is bigger and more resilient than any man, minister or otherwise.  Should no reapers have been at that table, Boaz was still able to feed Ruth, and though the situation is not ideal, the Lord can still provide to the church in the absence of the minister, and many times in absence of the minister's faithfulness.  As I have said before and hope to die saying to the Lord's people in His church, "You can make it a whole lot better without me than I can make it without you."

One last statement in this precious verse that we hope to examine is "and he reached her parched corn."  In the context, there is only one singular male form discussed: Boaz.  So, in the verse, the "he" is Boaz that reaches to get corn for Ruth.  Consider again the mercy of this man.  He has already blessed her above measure for her place and position, but now he personally gives her corn from his own hand.  Translating to today's world, the point is both beautiful and inescapably clear.  When engaged in service in God's house with our feet all pressed up under His table – His banner over us being love – He reaches personally to bring us food.  When the preaching comes forth in power, Peter declares that it is with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven. (I Peter 1:12)

Has there ever been a time in church history where "forsaking the assembling of yourselves together" is more rampant and commonplace?  I wonder.  What would happen if every church across this land started a free Friday and Saturday night movie service by showing the latest films in their buildings?  Would their attendance increase?  I would likely think so.  What if all our churches ran ads and had banners saying that God's hand would come down from heaven with food?  Would our attendance increase?  It would for one service until folks discovered that they could not see anything with natural sense, and yet friends, that is precisely what happens in God's house.  His hand reaches and brings us food to eat and be sufficed.  It saddens me to see people view the absence of God's house as some light thing when in Hebrews 10 Paul gives it strong marks of condemnation such as "trampling under foot the blood of the Son of God."  Yet, our absence also shows lack of awe and respect for His hand bringing us food personally.  Ruth was no doubt humbled by Boaz's continued and heightened acts of kindness to her.  May our hearts stay kindled with the thanks and love for the continual kindness that our Lord grants to us through His fellowship with us in this old world.

In Hope,

Bro Philip