Month: November 2019

There is a wonderful thought at the close of Hebrews 11.  Paul wrote that his great list of heroes had not yet received the perfection promised. Their perfection did not come from the list of their great accomplishments.

It is only together with us would they find perfection.  Perfection comes as a gift only from Jesus.  As great as Abram was, as great as Gideon, Barak, Jephthah, Samuel and Rahab were, the only way for them to be perfect was exactly the same way you and I become perfect.  When Jesus was nailed to the cross one arm pointed backward in history and one arm pointed forward.  He and He alone can provide salvation to anyone who ever lived on this aged planet.  The New Covenant was older than the Old Covenant.  The only reason the Old Covenant ever existed was because of the ignorance of people who thought they could somehow appease an angry God.  The truth is there was always a loving Father wooing and courting His people.  A few caught glimpses.  Habakkuk 2:4, “The just shall live by faith. ” And Romans 1:17, “The just shall live by faith.”  There is and always has been only one way to be redeemable. We must allow Jesus to do it for us.

Hebrews 11:34 promises “our weaknesses will be turned to strength.”  Paul inserts this for those of us who so often feel inadequate or incapable of belonging to such an illustrious group.  God has His Hebrews 11 people in every age.  They are walking among us.  Perhaps you work with one, live with one, pray or play with one.  Their goodness – not their perfection – permeates their lives and makes our lives richer and more meaningful.

Written by Roger Bothwell on June 22, 2010

Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574

Rogerbothwell.org

One of the great texts of all Scripture soon follows Hebrews 11, the list of the spiritual and the not so spiritual (Samson) giants of the past.   One thing is evident that despite their significance, and all they had done, all of them were dead.  Now comes the really good part.  Chapter 13:8. “Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, and today, and forever.”   In Chapter 1 Paul told us that Jesus was the exact representation of the Father.  Now he assures us that others die but our Jesus lives and not just for today but forever.  We have an advocate with the Father and He never changes.

We never have to worry about Him being moody.  When a volcano erupts it isn’t because He is angry with us.  That’s pagan stuff.  We can count on the consistency of His love, care and mercy.  He is so concerned with saving people He keeps careful records of lives; by doing so He can then vouch for us by finding some one moment in our lives when we gave Him an opportunity to shower us with grace.  He can shut down Satan’s accusations against us by actually producing evidence.  Satan can produce a mountain of evidence to verify his claims against us.  All Jesus needs for grace to abound is a moment.  He will squeeze as many into the Kingdom as possible.

And why is He so jealous for us?  It’s because He is exactly like His Father who spared not His Son that we might be saved.   Don’t you just love Romans 8 where Paul says if He did that, who can be against us.   So fear not.  He is in the saving business and He never changes.

Written by Roger Bothwell on November 19, 2010

Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574

Rogerbothwell.org

 

I wish my father was still alive so I could call him tonight and tell him we are no longer short.  We are tall!  It’s a grand feeling to be tall.  I have never experienced it before but I know it’s true.  This evening I stopped for a cup of hot chocolate (winter is coming) and my choices were tall, grande and venti.  My dad would have loved it. His vocabulary was a bit spicier than mine so I can only imagine some of the expletives I would have heard after he took his cigar out of his mouth.

Life is fun. In the field of education we continually need to be alert to the latest jargon lest we offend someone by describing them with a 90’s word.   Now I have to get a new dictionary because “venti” isn’t in mine.  Hooray, I have a new way to play the letter “v” in Scrabble.  Words are not only interesting they are powerful.  With words we can sooth or rile.  With words we can heal or wound.  With words we can invite someone to join us in the new kingdom or make them not want to be in heaven because we are there.  That’s a frightening thought.  As a teacher I really need to remember that when I become frustrated with a student.  I remind myself that Jesus has every legitimate reason to be frustrated with me.

Jesus’ brother James had some classic things to say about words and our production of them.  Once uttered they cannot be taken back.  We can be forgiven but the hurt is still there.  One of the most fascinating and wonderful combination of words ever written makes the sentence “For God so loved the world He gave His only son.”   How venti is that?

Written by Roger Bothwell on November 18, 2010

Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574

Rogerbothwell.org

 

I just finished reading an article about geoengineering.  Some scientists are proposing regularly releasing tons of sulphur dioxide into the stratosphere creating the same effect we get from an active volcano.   By doing so we can offset global warming by a degree or two thus prolonging our use of fossil fuels.  It reminds me of old movies about pilots seeding clouds to make it rain.  Actually altering the atmosphere is really not a bad idea.  It’s an idea as old as the day Eve saw Adam for the first time.   She smiled and Eden became paradise.

It’s amazing how quickly a small act can alter the feeling in a room.  During one of my class discussions a student took exception to a comment made by another student. Instantly the room went cold.  People were on edge as the hostility grew.  I realized I needed to do something quickly.  I took a deep breath and pointed at one of the contenders and said, “Ladies and Gentlemen.  In this corner weighing 135 pounds the world’s lightweight champion.”   I didn’t need to point to the other.  Both started to laugh and the room instantly warmed.

With a smile, with love, with care, with humor we can change where we are.  If the people around you aren’t being nice to each other make a concerted effort to be super nice.  Psychologists tell us it only takes one person to make or ruin a gathering.  I can only imagine the changes we can make when we carry a spirit of Jesus with us.  When I was in college I worked one summer on a construction crew.  One day one of the guys said, “I like it when you are here.  The others don’t swear so much.”

Written by Roger Bothwell on November 17, 2010

Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574

Rogerbothwell.org

 

One of the greatest gifts God has given to us is the power of choice. One of the greatest curses is the power of choice.  It is a gift because we get to choose who we become.  It is a curse because in the end we can blame no one but ourselves for who we have become. It was not our DNA.  It was not our environment.  They were the tools we were given to build a person.  With a hammer and saw we can build a palace.  With a hammer and saw we can build an outhouse.  The end product is the fruit of discipline or lack of.

Truthfully, I would like to blame someone.  But the old line “The devil made me do it” is nothing more than the excuse of cowards looking for an easy way out of taking responsibility for themselves.  In I Timothy 1 Paul calls himself the chief of sinners.  At first we are tempted to think he is merely playing the humble bit, but after getting to know Paul from reading all of his work that we have, we realize he meant it from the depths of his heart.  It wasn’t because he had persecuted the church as Saul.  It was because he got a glimpse of the depravity of the human heart.  He knew all the stoning, shipwrecks, snakebites, etc. were nothing compared to what it really took to earn a place in the kingdom.  What it required was the righteous death of God Himself.

Paul chose to use the education, the talent, the brilliance to build a palace where God could dwell.  It is what God wants from us.  Some people are afraid of the message of grace lest salvation be too easy.  If they think it is easy it is only because they have not yet grasped just how difficult it is to accept real grace.  It’s called accepting responsibility.

Written by Roger Bothwell on November 16, 2010

Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574

Rogerbothwell.org

 

When we hear the word “prospector” we usually think of the stereotypic grizzled old codger walking rope in hand pulling along his donkey loaded with bags and pans.  I just happen to have a very good friend who is a prospector.  He doesn’t own a donkey but on occasion he looks a bit grizzled after a summer in Alaska.  We all keep hoping his next adventure will be the bonanza.

For those of us who are considerably less adventuresome I would like to draw our attention to a spectacular bonanza that is a sure thing.  It is the biggest bonanza ever.  Mention of it is found in Ephesians 3:8.  Paul wrote “. . . that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; . . .” A few verses later he speaks of the height and depth of Christ’s love.  Just when we think we are beginning to understand a new door opens with a brand new vision.  Each new vision is yet deeper and more wonderful than the last.  One of my favorite books is The Desire of Ages by Ellen White.  In the past forty years I have read it over twenty times.  One would think I would be bored with it by now.  But quite to the contrary, each time through brings something new and I would testify that it was not there prior to the current reading.

And just what will we be doing for eternity?  Lots and lots of things but mostly we will be focusing on those unspeakable riches of Christ.  As we do so our intelligence will continue to grow.  Each new vision will add another ten points to our IQ’s.  How grand!

Written by Roger Bothwell on November 15, 2010

Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574

Rogerbothwell.org

 

Having very few items of much value my wife and I rarely think about something being taken.  However in the past few weeks our home has had a steady stream of workers doing remodeling tasks.  Not believing anyone would actually take something, we did decide not to create a temptation. Therefore we decided to hide one item that has sentimental value and is small enough to “walk away.”  Now comes the really interesting part.  We cannot remember where we hid it!  Doesn’t that take the cake?  Two old people rummaging about in their own home looking for something they hid just a couple weeks ago.   I think we have reached the stage of life when we can hide our own Easter eggs on Good Friday and be genuinely surprised on Sunday morning when we find them.

Ever since I was a very little boy I have systematically learned memory verses from Scripture.  The text “Thy Word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee” was one of the very first verses I learned.  I still know it is Psalm 119:11.  Understanding that it should be a long time until my wife or I suffer long term memory loss, as opposed to short-term memory loss, it should be quite a while before I forget that verse.  I cannot think of anything more valuable to retain than God’s Word.  However, to retain one first has to learn.  There are so many situations in life that stimulate the memory of God’s Word.  Just this very morning one of my students commented about something he owned that instantly brought to mind, “Thou shall not covet.”  I won’t mention what wonder he owned that almost made me break Exodus 20:17.

Written by Roger Bothwell on June 23, 2010

Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574

rogerbothwell.org

 

When I was a little kid I memorized the Ten Commandments. The “jealous” word describing God was a bit disconcerting.  I thought of that characteristic in negative terms and I did not want my God to be negative.   I was told if I wanted to know what God was like I was to look at Jesus since Hebrews 1 tells us Jesus is an exact representation of the Father.   I couldn’t see Jesus having a bad attribute.   Then it was that I learned that the word “jealous” can have positive characteristics.  The dictionary uses the example, “The American people are jealous of their freedom.”   It goes on to explain that it means they are vigilant and protective.

I like that idea.  Our God is vigilant and protective of His children.  It goes along with Paul’s idea in Romans 8.  “If God be for us who can be against us? . . . For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

But there was still an idea in Exodus 20 that bothered me.  It is about God visiting the iniquities of fathers unto their children.  Thankfully I came to understand that inheritance is not only eye color, etc., but the mental dispositions of our ancestors.  This is not only a Biblical concept but an idea shared with the likes of Freud, Jung and the sociobiologist Edward Wilson.   Our God isn’t kicking around children because their fathers were wicked.  It’s talking about natural inheritance.

I have come to like the idea of my God jealousy taking care of us.

Written by Roger Bothwell on November 11, 2010

Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574

Rogerbothwell.org

 

If we have been hurt, but don’t know we were hurt, have we really been hurt?

Many years ago I was the pastor in a small southern town.  Pastors were paid according to some sophisticated cost of living scale that pertained to where the pastor lived.  While I was there the conference office with all its officialdom left the big city and came to my small town.  To help the officials absorb moving costs the living scale for my small town was raised. When asked if the higher pay rate would pertain to the Bothwells who already lived there, the decision was made that while those who were moving would be on the higher scale the Bothwells would “stay on the lower scale because they wouldn’t know about it.”  (Did they really think we wouldn’t find out?)

If you asked me if I was hurt I would most likely say, “No. It was no big deal.”  However, it certainly did not make a favorable impression because decades later I can still remember the event.  Does that mean because I remember I haven’t forgiven?  I hope not.  A lack of forgiveness on my part will never harm anyone except me.  Perhaps that is one of life’s more difficult lessons.  When we withhold forgiveness from someone we rarely hurt that someone.  It is we who are poisoned by feelings that “we” were not treated right.  We are the ones whose sleep is made restless.

When Jesus told us to forgive as we seek forgiveness for our transgressions He struck upon a fundamental psychological law.  The quality of our lives is the fruit of decisions we make regarding what has happened to us.  Over the span of our lives we most likely have received the same amount of good and bad.  The difference at the end that determines whether life has been good or bad is what we choose to forget.

Written by Roger Bothwell on July 1, 2010

Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574

Rogerbothwell.org

 

 

With very little speech occurring I sat at the kitchen counter this evening and watched my wife prepare our light supper.  One of life’s great pleasures is watching someone you love.  If being apart from a loved one and not being able to see them is one of life’s trials then being with a loved one and seeing them is one of life’s greatest blessings.  I do so enjoy being with my grandchildren.  While the noise they make could be cacophony to someone else, it is to me finer than the fruit of any composer.  Some of the best weekends I have ever experienced are not ones filled with activity, but instead ones filled with loved ones’ presence.

Matthew 9:36 is an enjoyable verse, “When he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.”  Jesus enjoyed watching people.  In Matthew 25 we read, “Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”  Verse after verse we hear Jesus say, “Come.” When we do that not only can He watch us but we can watch him.

Robert Frost once wrote,

“I’m going out to clean the pasture spring; I’ll only stop to rake the leaves away (And wait to watch the water clear, I may): I sha’n’t be gone long.-You come too. I’m going out to fetch the little calf that’s standing by the mother. It’s so young, it totters when she licks it with her tongue. I sha’n’t be gone long.-You come too.”

It is quite grand to watch people we love.

Written by Roger Bothwell on July 3. 2010

Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574

Rogerbothwell.org