By Leonard Ravenhill

In 1912 H.G. Wells said, “It is possible for us to have a new race of people by intellectual and biological processes. We don’t need the Bible, we don’t need the church, we can pull down the hills of wealth, we can fill up the valleys of poverty.”

• He didn’t talk about sin and redemption and wickedness.
• He talked about the adequacy of materialism.
• He talked about the inevitability of progress.
• He talked about the sufficiency of man.
• They were going to bring in a new millennium by their own genius.

And then a shadow came over the sky. We had the 1914-18 war.

In 1939 came the 2nd World War.

H. G. Wells had written his outline of history, but the last book he wrote, in the middle of World War II, was not this rosy optimism. His last book was Mind at the end of it’s Tether. And he said, “There is no hope for humanity.” And he said one more sensible thing, “There is a little cavity somewhere in the human breast which can be filled by God and only by God.”

We miss the mark telling people who are morally good, and very excellent many of them, that Jesus Christ came into the world to make bad men good. He did not. That’s a fringe benefit.

The first argument God has with a man is not that he’s bad, it’s that he is DEAD in trespasses and in sin. And Christianity is the only Gospel in the world, the only message in the world, where a man’s God comes and lives inside of him.

I believe one key to the apostle Paul’s life was this, “This – one – thing – I – do.” He lived God. He thought God. He prayed God. That’s all.

• You can lash him, you can’t whip it out of him.
• He can float on a piece of wood in the Mediterranean a night and a day – thirty six hours, you can’t wash it out of him.
• They tried to starve him, you can’t starve it out of him.

He’d had a vision of the cross, he’d had a vision of the resurrection power.

He’d realized the greatest thing this side of eternity is to be a God filled man. And goes out and proclaims that message, whether he goes to Jews, to barbarians, the Greeks, the intellectuals. He is as at home in the intellectual capital of the world, Athens, as he is in the religious capital of the world, Jerusalem.

Today’s Reading
2 Samuel 4-5 (Listen – 6:10)
1 Corinthians 15 (Listen – 8:06)

Market research firm Euromoniter International reveals that the rise of the selfie has been equally matched by a rise in skin-care products. Prolific selfie-takers — likely descendants of the Greek god Narcissus — want their skin to appear smooth and perfect, and they’re willing to pay for it. If not in product, in a host of apps designed to shelter reality from friends and potential mates.

The American obsession with appearance goes far deeper, and has far darker consequences, especially in regards to weight. Vanderbilt Law School Professor Jennifer Bennett Shinall’s research reveales the impact is greatest upon women, “As women become heavier, they become less educated and earn lower wages.”

Fortunately there is increasingly more conversation about appearance discrimination. Unfortunately most of it is built around self-actualization and the ability to control the darkness in our hearts. In contrast, the story of what happened in Corinth isn’t about the church learning to get better at tolerating the appearances of those outside of it.

We cannot see the heart of another person nor, if we’re honest in our evaluation, do we often give it significant weight even when we do. God’s message to the church in Corinth stretched them beyond themselves; pursue your faith in ways which draw you nearer to me; I see what you can’t.

God’s calling is one of trust and dependance in order to overcome our pride and brokenness. And it goes a step farther: the logical assumption is that God not only sees others’ hearts but ours as well.

Human beings are profoundly strong creations with the strength to appear how we want. God sees past our tailored clothes, resumes, and curated social feeds. But only the sacrificial work of Christ is sufficient to forgive, restore, and redeem the secrets of the heart.

What good news it is that God loves us first. It is only when we live in this reality that we can take part in communities which look past the appearances of others, forgive them if they have hurt us, and demonstrate Christ’s love in such radical and beautiful ways that they are welcomed in to restoration, healing, and new life.

Today’s Reading
2 Samuel 3 (Listen – 6:35)
1 Corinthians 14 (Listen – 5:40)

“The scale of marital breakdowns in the West since 1960 has no historical precedent that I know of. There has been nothing like it for the last 2,000 years, and probably longer.” — Lawrence Tone, Princeton Historian

If God is only a teacher, we miss the relational depth we need. If he is only creator we lack intimacy with him (he is like a watchmaker). If he’s only a judge he can love the law, but isn’t required to love the one in his courtroom.

Dad is patient. Dad is kind. Dad does not envy or boast. Dad is not arrogant. Dad is not rude. Dad does not insist on his own way. Dad is not irritable. Dad is not resentful. Dad does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Dad bears all things for his kids. Dad believes all things about his kids. Dad hopes all things for his kids. Dad endures all things for his kids. Dad’s love never ends.