MINIMUM WAGE

Vietnam is trying hard to strengthen its economy and increase the standard of living for all Vietnamese. As in any developing country there is a growing middle class and small upper class who have money to spend. All of the high end consumer products are available to the small percentage who can afford them.
Thankfully at the same time, the number of people considered to be below the poverty line is decreasing and is now estimated at about 10% of the population. However many people must manage on very low incomes.
Vietnam is considering raising its minimum wage standard which varies from region to region. (In a country like this, the cost of living in cities is much higher than in the countryside.) You may wonder what minimum wage might be in Vietnam. Presently it varies from $40 to $65 per month (not a typo) depending on the region. It may soon be raised to from $67 - $96 per month.
This is why in many stores there are four times as many clerks as in a Canadian store; why at our apartment building they can afford to have six or eight security guards and many women employed to sweep, mop and clean the public areas. This is why things made in Vietnam (as in other developing countries) are so inexpensive in your local Walmart.
Living among so many who have so little, it is why we always tip those who deliver water or groceries to us; why we tip in low end restaurants where it is not expected; and rarely bargain hard for the very lowest price (we do still bargain - we aren't naive). Our perspective is that without debate the person we are dealing with needs that extra dollar much more than we do.
I loved what happened a while ago when a Canadian friend visited. We took her to a small shop owned by a Vietnamese Christian couple we know. After purchasing a few things, the owner offered her a discount because she was a Christian. Our friend refused to accept the discount. Christian generosity was demonstrated both by the Vietnamese owner and demonstrated by the Canadian customer.
What great Good News the Bible offers: that every person is created in the image of God; that every person we meet is one for whom Christ died; that in God's eyes there is no lower, middle or upper class; that God has special concern for those who are poor and vulnerable. May each of us always see people the way God views them.

NUMBERS MATTER

One day I was meeting a friend for lunch at a restaurant new to me. I got out of the taxi at the correct street, thinking I needed to walk only one block. He called me to ask if I was almost there. I said yes I must be very close and gave him the number of the building. Then I looked across the street and realized I was not as close as I thought.
Here in Saigon, for whatever reason, street numbers are not kept parallel. If you are on the even side of the street, the building number might be 322. If you look directly across the street however, the number may be only 185. So when looking for a specific number, you pay attention only to the numbers on "your" side of the street.
Some people feel it is unspiritual to pay attention to numbers in the church. They feel rightly, that God cares about each individual and wants his servants to be faithful. Unfortunately, they then conclude wrongly that therefore it is not important whether 5 new people or 25 new people come to faith or join their Bible study or their church.
Maybe you have heard me teach on the subject that God cares about numbers. In Luke 15 Jesus tells three stories: 99 was not enough, the shepherd wanted 100 sheep; nine coins were not enough, the woman wanted all ten; one son was not enough, the father wanted both sons. When Jesus healed ten lepers, one returning was not enough, he asked "Where are the nine?". In the story Jesus tells of the talents, the good stewards didn't just add one talent to the five or the ten they had been given, they doubled the money.
As the story of the church begins in Acts, Luke notes that "3,000 thousand were added to their number that day"(2:41); "And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved." (2:47); "the number of men grew to about five thousand."(4:4)
Imagine a man whose five children are in a boat when they are caught in a bad storm and the boat capsizes. As he waits with anxiety to hear that his children are safe, a woman tells him that some of his children have been saved. When the father hears this he is relieved and doesn't care about the number - 2, 3 or 5, all that matters is the quality of the children who are saved. How foolish. Of course he cares about the number. And of course God cares about numbers when it comes to people.
God is concerned about faithfulness and also productivity. He cares about the church growing in quality and he cares about growth in quantity. He cares about us making disciples not just more church attenders. But He also wants us to make more and more disciples. Jesus does care about numbers. He wants us to reach more and more people so that His Kingdom, His rule will spread.
There is of course, a danger that if we pay attention to the growth in numbers of people in our group or in our church, we may start to feel competitive when we talk to people from other groups. If this happens, we will either grow discouraged because they are doing better or feel proud because our numbers are growing faster than others.
To prevent this, as when walking or driving in Saigon, just pay attention to the numbers on your side of the street. :) 

WITHOUT FAULT

I have been thinking a lot about two NT passages lately. The first is Romans 1:18 - 3:20 which I have taught many times and will soon teach again. The second is a benediction often used at the end of church services, found in Jude 24, 25. I've just been enjoying Jude's words recently as a personal meditation.
The Romans passage is the strongest passage I know in the Bible that emphatically and at length describes the rebellion, failure, disobedience, corruption and sinfulness of all humans. The description is accurate and devastating both of those who had the OT and those who had no Sciptures. We are all so strongly inclined to be "like sheep (who) have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way". We are guilty and desperately need the forgiveness found only through faith in Christ; and the righteousness that only God can give us.
How great is the righteousness, the justification that God provides? Jude tells us. It is possible in spite of the catalogue of sin in Romans; more than possible it is certain for all who truly believe, that one day we will be presented "before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy"! Amazing! Impossible, except that God can do what appears to be impossible.
Imagine: all the things from all my years which cause me shame - evil thoughts, wounding words, selfish actions, failure to act in love, were dealt with and are forgiven because of the Cross of Christ. Almost beyond belief that one day because I have received God's righteousness I will be presented without fault in God's pure, holy, righteous presence! And in place of any feeling of guilt and shame, Jude writes that I will feel great joy. Amazing! Whew, I hope you will let that truth grip you anew as it has gripped me.
Jude also reminds us in those two brief verses that our God "is able to keep you from falling". I hope you will live in the strength and joy of these inspired biblical truths today.

WHAT IF?

Do you ever play the game, "what if" in your quiet moments? It can be fun when you think of the right decisions, choices, moves you made. You realize the good things and good people you would have missed "if" you had taken a different road. On the other hand it can be a depressing "game" to look back and realize what pain, mistakes, messes you would have avoided "if" you had chosen differently.
I wonder if the Apostle Paul ever played the mind game "what if" while he spent years in prison, first in Caesarea, later in Rome. I thought of this as I read Acts 21 - 26 today.  Did he ever wonder:"What if I had cancelled my trip to Jerusalem after being warned about what lay ahead." (21:11) Did he ever think that instead of prison he could have been revisiting the churches he had started or evangelizing in cities he had not yet visited?
Did he ever wonder: "What if when I thought Jewish opponents might murder me, I had not appealed to Caesar?" (26:32) That appeal, which was his right as a Roman citizen, resulted in years apparently "wasted" in prison. "If" he had not appealed to Caesar he might have been murdered. On the other hand, the murder attempt might have been foiled and he would have spent the prison years travelling freely in the Empire, preaching and evangelizing. Did Paul ever wonder "what if"?
Paul never knew what we know. He did not know that we, and millions of others would be very  grateful for his time in that Roman prison. From a human perspective, we would have suffered a huge spiritual loss had he not written those three powerful "Prison Epistles", Ephesians, Philippians and Colossians. "What if" he had been busy evangelizing 1st Century people and had failed to write three inspired letters that have ministered to hundreds of millions over 20 centuries? But of course Paul could not know, could not guess the results of what he did then.
And that is why the "what if" game is to be avoided, except for the positives that cause you to smile and/or praise God. When we are tempted to be depressed by "what ifs", we need to remember that only the Sovereign God can see the whole picture of our lives. Only He knows how He is weaving your life to influence others; what he has used to grow your character; how things that look so bad (like being stuck in prison) may be part of His larger very good plan.
Occasionally I have fun with the "what if" game. Like asking Jan how boring her life might have been "if" she had not married me. I give thanks to Jan and to God when I consider "what if" I had missed the opportunity to court and marry her. But I am refusing to play the "what if" game that can drag me down as I remember opportunities I think I wasted and wrong decisions I know I made.
We cannot go back. Once sin has been confessed God promises that it is forgiven and forgotten. With Paul we must choose to forget the things that are past. (Phil. 3:13) Maybe unwise decisions, or choices made out of ignorance, have been or will be used by God in ways we couldn't imagine.
This I do know. You and I are way too small to hinder the master plan, the sovereign plan of God. And this we know and believe: His wonderful promise in Romans 8:28 is eternally true.
(Note: I realize that there is critical debate about the prison epistles origin and authorship. I choose to take the conservative view that they were written by Paul while in prison.) 

PRESS ON

How much more, Lord? How much longer, Lord? Most of us go through periods when we feel that we have almost reached our limit. We cannot handle much more pressure; much more pain; much more loneliness or disappointment. We feel we cannot wait much longer; we cannot press on much longer. (Listen on YouTube to Selah singing "Press On" - an encouraging song.)
I think the Apostle Paul reached that point when God spoke to him. (Acts 18:9 - 11) He was on a difficult assignment - the second missionary journey. Sure he enjoyed some wonderful spiritual fruit, but he also faced terrific opposition. I list the events briefly, but to empathize you have to pause and think about the experiences he endured. (Acts 16:11 - 18:8)
1. Philippi - Attacked by a crowd, stripped and beaten. Thrown in prison; then asked to leave the city.
2. Thessalonica - Paul's preaching caused a riot; so the new Christian converts helped Paul and Silas sneak out of town at night.
3. Berea - Paul was not there long before he had strong opposition. He was escorted out of town again.
4. Athens - Paul witnessed, preached and a few became believers. Apparently he did not find spiritual openness; all we read is that Paul left Athens no escort this time.
5. Corinth - He joined up with Priscilla and Aquila; his teammates Silas and Timothy caught up with him. However after several weeks of preaching in the synagogue, he again met with strong opposition.
I am guessing by this time he was deeply discouraged by so much opposition, in spite of the fact that people were coming to faith. Emotionally, spiritually and physically he was likely feeling that "enough is enough"; in fact it was almost too much. At that point God lovingly came to Paul and spoke directly to him one night.
"Do not be afraid. Keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city." Acts 18:9 - 11.
Paul in Acts and in his writings often seems fearless. But he was just as human as you and me. God knew that he was struggling and needy, so at just the right time (why not three cities before??) God provided the supernatural encouragement that Paul needed.
God's timing is not ours. His thoughts and ways are not like ours. But He knows you and loves you. God knows your circumstances and knows better than you exactly how much you can bear.
Right now, I would love to have a direct word from God telling me about the future. A word just like  Paul received. Yet God rarely speaks a special, audible, direct word to us as he did that night to Paul in Corinth. In fact God has never spoken an audible word directly to me.
However He has given to you and me, 27 books of truth and encouragement in the NT - very special words from God - that Paul did not have. Those inspired words assure us that we can press on; that God does provide all we need; that we can and must be patient; that we must keep our eternal perspective.
"Thank you God for your sensitive, loving words to Paul that must have come at just the right time. Thank you for all of the wonderful, wise, encouraging words available to us through Paul and other authors of Scripture. We will press on."

DOORS CLOSE, DOORS OPEN

There are many theories and views regarding perceiving and knowing the will of God as we make life decisions. (I have a great 250 page book devoted almost entirely to that one subject). Some are well grounded in Scripture, others not so much. Some are totally based on one story in Scripture others are based on a more theological approach based on principles taught in Scripture. I highly recommend the latter approach.
Examples of a one story approach: Gideon asked God for a sign and God used a fleece. Therefore to know God's direction, put out a fleece. But Scripture doesn't tell us we should do this any more than telling us that because the early church "cast lots" (probably like drawing straws) we should cast lots. Why ask God for a sign rather than draw straws when making a decision? There is no biblical authority for either.
Examples of Scripture principles regarding the will of God: it is good to seek counsel from more than one person (Proverbs 15:22; 24:6); make sure you have offered yourself as a living sacrifice and that you are being transformed by the renewing of your mind. (Romans 12:1, 2)
Having written the above, I do however think we can take great comfort and gain wisdom from Paul's experience recorded in Acts 16:6 - 10. He has started on his second missionary journey and covered some familiar territory. However he is eager to evangelize where no one has yet gone. So after he and his team have visited some of the churches he and Barnabas had planted on the first trip, he is ready to go into the nearby province of Asia and preach the Gospel.
It seemed an obvious next step to Paul and his companions. However they "were kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia." (16:6) Door closed; we are not told how.
OK, they decide they should next preach in the district of Bithynia: "they tried to enter Bithynia but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to." Door closed: we are not told how.
Was Paul puzzled by this? I am only guessing, but I think he was. What should they do? Turn around and return home? No. Stop and do nothing? No. They keep moving and arrive in Troas. There Paul receives a "night vision" of a man of Macedonia "standing and begging him, 'Come over to Macedonia and help us.'" Paul and the others decided that this was God's direction and so they caught a boat and crossed the water from what we know as Asia to Europe. That door is open, and we all know the rest of the story.
Paul is doing what he is called to do. So when one door closes, he moves on; the second door closes, and he moves on. When another door opens, he walks through and serves God there. He saw great blessing and experienced some serious and painful opposition. But he followed God's leading.
What do we learn from this? One way God directs is by taking or keeping opportunities from us (door closed) and providing others (door open). Like Paul we should not quit after one door closes but rather recognize the sovereignty of God. And we should keep moving as long as we believe God is directing us. (I could list some verses for these three applications, but this blog is now long enough.
May you discern and follow God's leading. And never forget: God is much more interested in who you are becoming (holy character) than in what you are doing (His specific will for your life.)

GOD AT WORK

We old folks were invited to visit a Bible study group where no one is over 40. For a couple of weeks the study is meeting near where we live. Yesterday morning during devotions (my mind wanders a lot - sometimes prompted by God) I thought that I should invite a young man I know to come to the study with us. He has Christian "leanings" but is not yet a follower of Christ. So I sent him a text invitation at 8:30 am.
We invited him to come for supper and then the Bible study. To our delight he accepted the last minute invitation and asked to bring his girlfriend who has no Christian background. We four enjoyed dinner together and then went to the study.
This group regularly listens to a sermon podcast by a well known American preacher and author, then discusses the sermon. Last night the sermon was good but the topic was "The wrath of God"! Throughout the sermon I was praying that in spite of the topic not being "seeker friendly", God would use it in our friend's life. And God did!
During the discussion, to our great delight and surprise, our friend commented: "How come I have often heard about God's love but never about His wrath? I was glad to hear about this and that His wrath is a controlled wrath. I think our society is too soft and undisciplined." (paraphrased) Obviously God spoke to our friend through this sermon.
After a lot of fast moving discussion, I wanted our friend's girlfriend to hear some of God's truth in her own language since her English is very limited. At my suggestion, someone in the group, fluent in the other language, shared her testimony for a few minutes.  I don't know exactly what was said, but I think it may have been the first time this young woman has ever heard the Christian message.
During the sermon the preacher shared an illustration from the movie Amadeus. Do you remember that movie about Mozart? The movie is over 25 years old! Poor choice of an illustration, especially for a group most of whom were in elementary school 25 years ago - except. Except that one of the woman in the group had been struggling spiritually and really wanted a special word from God.  During the discussion she shared how recently she bought a bunch of old movies. Guess what movie she had watched just two nights before the study!?
She was sure this reference to Amadeus was not a coincidence, it was a word from God for her. She asked me after the discussion broke up, what exactly God was saying to her through the Amadeus illustration. Since we know her well, I was able to tell her what I felt God was saying to her - and that it was very relevant to her struggle.
Jan and I came home last night rejoicing at the evidence of God at work. Who would have thought that a sermon on the anger of God preached in the USA a few months ago; and an illustration from an old movie, would be just what was needed by at least two people last night! Isn't it fun to watch God at work?