To Whom Shall I Share My Faith

To whom shall I share my faith? My patients are to ill to hear the word of the Lord and their loved ones are only concerned with their present recovery. 

To whom shall I share my faith? I care for the body but the body dies and is corruptible. All who repent and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ will be raised with a heavenly body, an incorruptible body, a body that will never perish. 

To whom shall I share my faith? I believe that God is one Divine being subsisting eternally in three persons (Father and Son and Holy Spirit) all of whom are equally God in essence. 

To whom shall I share my faith? I believe that Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ, the Son of God, fully God and fully man in one person; he was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, a descendent of David the king of Israel. 

To whom shall I share my faith? I believe that Jesus death on the cross was a sin sacrifice for his people. 

To whom shall I share my faith? I believe that Jesus arose bodily from the dead on the third day; all authority has been given to him in heaven and on earth and he is seated at the righthand of the Father God almighty. 

To whom shall I share my faith? I believe that there will be a bodily resurrection of all the day on the last day, when Jesus returns to sit down on his glorious throne to judge the earth; the blessed of the Father will enter eternal life, in the new heaven and new earth but the damned will go away to eternal punishment, the lake which burns with fire and brimstone which is the second death. 

To whom shall I share my faith? To whom shall I talk with about the word of the Lord?

In Christ alone,

Michael Peek

The Nurse Theologian

Seeking Glory

He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who is seeking the glory of the One who sent Him, He is true, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.¹

Psalm 39 speaks of the vanity of life; that every man is but a mere breath.² However, do men not seek for glory, honor and praise. Lately, I have been lamenting my life because I look at the lives that my children are living. Did I fail them? Did I fail the Lord? The truth is that I raised them the best that I knew how and loved them as much as I was able. I am a sinner fallen short of the glory of God.³ There is nothing good in me that is in my flesh.⁴ However, I have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ through faith.⁵ I know and trust that the same God who saved me from sin can save my children. Salvation is of the Lord,⁶ and I trust that he is not wishing that any should perish.⁷ Therefore, my trust is in the Lord and I commend their lives two the hands of the Lord. The hands of the Lord are the Word and the Spirit. The Spirit speaks from within but the Word speaks from without. There is both an outward calling and an inward calling. I have not been able to reach my children from without. They need both an inward calling and an outward calling. May the Lord give them ears to hear and hearts to perceive truth of the Word.

Unsettled

I know a great deal about nursing, especially cardiovascular and intensive care. It had entered my mind on several occasions to go into nursing education but I could not settle on that idea. Instead of going into a Master of Nursing Education program or a Nurse Practitioner program, I decided to stay at the bedside and go to seminary. On May 3, 2019, I graduated from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary with a Master of Theological Studies degree. While I was attending seminary an idea entered into my mind to write a book about nursing and the law of Christ. However, I became distracted with the idea of further education but could not settle on what to study. 

For the past twenty-one months I have been moving from one idea to another. I have been accepted into several doctoral programs. I was accepted into the ThM program at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary with plans to use that as a bridge to PhD in church history because I have a great deal of interest in church history, especially baptist history. Currently I am reading “The Life and Writings of Thomas Helwys.” Thomas Helwys is the first English Baptist writer and the first to write for religious freedom for all people. 

Shortly after completing the MTS I had it in my mind to become a missionary and teach pastors who do not have the availability of seminary training. I even went on a mission trip to Cuba to teach pastors on the island. I have written an article about that trip and the ministry. I plan to post the article soon, perhaps on March 7th. Given that my mind had gone the direction of pastoral training in the mission field, I decided to do a Doctor of Ministry program instead of the PhD in church history. I was accepted into the DMin program at Midwestern Baptist but with the world health crisis and travel restrictions that followed, I was not able to return to Cuba. I lost interest in the DMin and never started it. All the while I remained at the bedside caring for my neighbor in the Cardiovascular ICU. 

Recently, I became interested in the English Separatist and have been reading about them. The first English Baptist church and the Pilgrims who established the Plymouth colony on the soil of North America originated from the same Separatist church. Therefore, it entered my mind again to study history and I was excepted into the PhD history program at Liberty University but I lost interest in that idea quickly. After this I applied for the PhD Bible Exposition program at Liberty University. I have been excepted into that program but just like with the other programs, I have not been motivated to register for classes. 

Should I study for the sake of studying? What would the Lord have me do? These are the question that I am asking of the Lord and myself. The idea of writing a book about nursing and the law of Christ has entered my mind once again. I am not yet committed to that idea, I have had trouble lately committing to any one thing except for caring for patients at the bedside. I am not interested in teaching students the Science and mechanics of nursing. However, I am interested in exploring the why of nursing and teaching others to observe all that Jesus commanded. I know that I am rambling in thought this morning but I confess that I have been unsettled in mind. I believe that the Lord has a will for me in ministry and I am seeking his will. May the Lord’s will be done!

In Christ alone,

Michael Peek

The Nurse Theologian

Paradise, Brokenness, and the Gospel

This morning I have on my mind: paradise, brokenness, and the Gospel. 

The thief on the cross, even when Jesus was hanging on the cross beside him, pleaded: “Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!” And He (Jesus) said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.” (Luke 23:43)

Who would not want to be in paradise? The sad reality is that we are not in paradise, we are in brokenness. Sometime we are diluted to think that we are in paradise but at some point brokenness will enter into our lives. The first man and first woman were expelled from the paradise of God because they ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil despite the commandment of God. 

The reason that we are in brokenness is sin. We could blame Adam and Eve for our brokenness, we could blame our parents, or someone else. Brokenness may be the result of someone else's sin. However, none are righteous and no one is good; all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

People attempt to escape brokenness in many ways but will always be snapped back into brokenness. It is as if we have an elastic cord tied to our backs. When we think that we have escaped from brokenness, something else happens to bring us back into brokenness. No one by their own effort can escape brokenness.

Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” (Jn. 14:6) Jesus live a righteous life pleasing to God. Jesus willing died on a Roman cross for our sins and he was buried. On the third day he rose from the dead. Jesus was delivered over because of our sin, and Jesus was raised because of our justification. (Rom. 4:25)

There is a way out of brokenness into paradise and that way is to repent and trust in Jesus Christ. Jesus promised eternal life to all who repent and trust in him. So like the thief who hung beside Jesus on the cross. Pray, “Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!” The thief entered the paradise of God that day, but you do not know the day and hour of your departure. Learn to observe all that Jesus commanded his disciples until the day of your departure. Your departure from brokenness into the paradise of God.

In Christ alone,

Michael Peek

The Nurse Theologian

Aloneness

Psalms 25:10

All the paths of the LORD are lovingkindness and truth

To those who keep His covenant and His testimonies.

For the Christian in the new covenant inaugurated with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, this passage has a familiar tone. When reading this passage my mind went to Romans 8:28,

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

I received him at 11:00am directly from the operating room; intubated, bleeding, on multiple vasopressors and inotropic support. I would spend the next 8 hours working to obtain homeostasis. When I reported off to the oncoming Registered Nurse and departed from him, there were multiple blood products infusing. As I walked to my automobile I had time to reflect. 

Not only was the man in critical condition but he appeared to be alone in the world. There were no family or friends waiting to see him and not contacts listed on the chart. His chart indicated that he had been in the hospital for 6 days before having this surgery. Why were their no contacts on his chart? Why was no one their for him? Was this man alone in life? What could have occurred in his life to make him alone? Could this happen to me? What do I need to do now, so that I am not alone at 80 years? I believe that all are created in the image of God; therefore, all persons valuable. It is often that I reflect on my patients and the day while driving home but this man especially was on my mind and in my prayers.

In Christ alone,

Michael Peek

The Nurse Theologian

In Christ Alone

They are satisfied with children,

And leave their abundance to their babes.

As for me, I shall behold Your face in righteousness;

I will be satisfied with Your likeness when I awake. (Ps. 17:14b,15)

I have mentioned this Psalm before because it’s content is ever present on my mind. What is most important in life? If everything is striped away would you still have joy? I am not asking for the Sunday school answer, but really think about it.

In the movie “Overcomer,” one of the characters asked another character: “Who are you?” The second character gave several answers before finally answering, “I am a Christian.” Once he answered, “I am a Christian,” the first character asked a follow up question. “What does it mean to be a Christian?” The second character answered, “A follower of Christ?” The first character replied, “Interesting, how far down the list.” 

Now this movie is fiction and the characters in it are fictional, but it was written to make a point. The point being that whatever is most important to us will be our identity. When other things are taken from us, it gives us perspective. I have thought about this a great deal lately. What is most important in my life? Would I be satisfied with riches? Would I be satisfied with fame? Would I be satisfied with children and grandchildren? 

A follow up question that I have been thinking about: Why do christians suffer? I could ask why do bad things happen to good people, or why do the righteous suffer, but I do not believe that any are righteous or good. However, I do believe that all are justified through the sin sacrifice of Jesus Christ by faith. If Christ has defeated sin, suffering and death on our behalf, why do christians suffer? 

Psalm 17 and much of Scripture indicate that God wants his people to be satisfied in Christ alone. 

Deacons

Dear brother and sister,

You may already know that my convictions are baptist. Baptist came from the English separatist, separatist came from the church of England. There are a few baptist distinctives, some other protestant denominations hold some of these distinctives but baptist hold them all.

1. A baptist believes in authority of the Bible.
2. A baptist believes that every local church is autonomous; no outside church body has authority over the local church.
3. A baptist believes in the priesthood of the believer; no believer need go to a priest to confess and have their sins absolved. 
4. A baptist believes that the Lord gave two ordinances to the church: believers baptism and the Lord’s supper.
5. A baptist believes in individual responsibility; each believer has soul competency because there is one Spirit.
6. A baptist believes in separation of church and state; the state has no authority in matters of religion.
7. A baptist believes that there are only two offices in the church: pastor (elder) and deacon (servant). 

Each of these require some explaining in order to fully understand the meaning; however, it is the offices of the church that are on my mind this morning.

I graduated from nursing school on December 11, 1997. I was not a follower of Jesus Christ at that time. However, once I came to faith in Jesus Christ I began to look at nursing differently. Rather than a science, I began to see my role as a servant who uses science to care for the body. For some reason within Southern Baptist churches an idea developed that offices of pastor and deacon could only be held by men; however, this was not the case historically. 

The first hospitals in the U.S.A were established by Baptist and staffed with male and female deacons to care for the sick. There is no doubt that the role of pastor is to be a man but the role of a deacon is for both males and females. I think it is time for a reformation in the way that the church understands the office of deacon. Deacons are not elders. I think that the understanding of what a deacon is and does in the minds of Southern Baptist merged with that of an elder. 

Article 20 of the first Baptist confess of faith, written by Thomas Helwys in 1611 states:

That the Offices of every Church or congregation are either Elders who by their office do especially feed the flock concerning their souls, (Acts 20.28, 1 Peter 5.2, 3) or Deacons, men and women, who by their office relieve the necessities of the poor and impotent brethren concerning their bodies. (Acts 6.1-4)

In Christ alone,

Michael Peek

The Nurse Theologian

Who Can Question God?

Dear Brethren,

Who can question God? Can anyone judge the Almighty? Men judge the Almighty as if they have all knowledge. There are many things that I do not understand and much that I do not know. My wisdom is limited by my knowledge, understanding and experience. The Almighty is from eternity and I am fainéant. I have have little effect on the people of the world and I am known by only a few, but the Almighty is known by his creation. There is no unrighteousness found in him. All of his ways are good. I may not understand his ways because I do not have all knowledge. Should I question the righteousness of the Almighty because I do not understand. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. The beginning of wisdom is understanding. I do not have all knowledge; therefore, I cannot comprehend the Almighty. Like a child who trust his father and mother, I must trust the Lord God who created heaven and earth and sea and all that is in them. There is much that I do not understand and even more that I do not know, but I trust in the righteousness and goodness of the Almighty even though I do not understand what is happening in the present. 

In Christ alone,

Michael Peek

The Nurse Theologian

Community

Dear Brethren,

Job was a man who had much and lost almost all that he had. The only things that Job retained were his life and his integrity. Job longed for the days of old, when all of his children were around him. Like Job, I have lost a great deal (not as much as Job) and I long for the days of old, when all of my children were around me. 

The past year has been very difficult and lonely. It seems that one calamity after another has occurred in our lives. I have felt very lonely and disconnected from the covenant community which is my local church; however, I have found solace in the Word and in church history. Studying the Scriptures is good but one cannot discount just sitting and listening to the Word. I study the Word but in my morning devotion I just read the Word in the vulgar (my native tongue) and just listen to the Word of the Lord. On my days off from work I like to read history. My wife says it is because I am a nerd but that really is not the truth. I like to read history because it brings me close to the Universal Church. I like knowing the persons who came before us; who they were, what they thought, what they did and why they did it. 

Jesus said, The great and foremost commandment is to love the Lord your God with all of your heart, and with all of your soul, and with all of your mind. The second is like it, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. (Mt 22:37-39) And he said to his disciples before going to the cross: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” (Jn 13:34-35) 

I long for community in the Word, the Lord Jesus Christ. I do not mean socialization but community. In my local area we have seen disaster. We were without electrical power on the coldest day in the history of this area. During the past week we have endured two large snow storms. We have not had running water since Wednesday morning but the community has been helping one another in a great time of need. The local churches in Whitehouse, Texas are delivering bottled water to homes and helping those in need. I long for the days of old but I love my community.

In Christ alone,

Michael Peek

The Nurse Theologian

February 19th in the Year of Our Lord, 2021

“One dies in his full strength, Being wholly at ease and satisfied; “While another dies with a bitter soul, Never even tasting anything good. Together they lie down in the dust, And worms cover them.” (Job 21:23, 24-25)

Dear Brethren,

Things are not equal on the earth. In the intensive care unit, I have seen what Job describes in this text many times. Some live a long and prosperous life but others suffer; however, both lives come to an end in death. Why do some prosper and some suffer? The assumption often made of those who suffer is that they brought it on themselves; however, this is not the way of things in the world. Sure, a person can cause physical harm to themselves and suffer, but this is not the subject that Job and his friends were discussing. The subject was the righteous verses the unrighteous. Job’s friends contend that the righteous prosper but the wicked suffer. Job contours there argument with reality; many righteous persons suffer and many wicked persons prosper. Prospering and suffering on the earth is not based on ones righteousness or unrighteousness before God. It is true that a day and an hour is coming in which God will judge the world in righteousness through Jesus Christ, but that day and hour has not yet come. Jesus Christ has been inaugurated King of heaven and earth, but he has not yet sat down on his glorious throne to judge the earth; therefore, in the present, there is not equality on the earth.

This brings up a question in my mind. If there isn’t equality on the earth, but there will be in the new heaven and the new earth; should we contend for equality in the present? The United States of America exist today because of the premiss of our forefathers, that all men are created equal, and endowed by the creator with inalienable rights: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The fact is that equality does not exist in America, just like it does not exist in the world; nonetheless, should we contend for equality? I believe that it is the duty of all Christians to contend for equality but not with the sword. A Christian should speak with his mouth and his pen for the inalienable rights of all men.

In Christ alone,

Michael Peek

The Nurse Theologian

February 18th in the Year of Our Lord, 2021

Dear Brethren,

Job 14:1

Man, who is born of woman, 

Is short-lived and full of turmoil.

The area of the country that I live in is suffering greatly. I live in East Texas, the deep south of the United States of America. Each winter we might experience a day or two of freezing temperatures but then it warms back up. For the past week we have experienced unprecedented cold temperatures for this area. It has been well below freezing for the past week. We have experienced two storms, which brought much ice and snow to the area. Many people have been without electrical power and have no way to warm their homes. 

As I write, my home has electricity but no running water. The hospital that I work in has little in the way of clean linen because there is no available water for the laundry. Parts of the hospital are very cold because there is no water available for the boilers which provide heat. Food is becoming scarce. If relief from the cold temperatures and the ice and snow does not come soon; I fear that many will perish. 

Things like this are a reminder that we live in a broken world but there is good news. Jesus said, “Do not be frightened.” (Mk 13:7) The Son of Man will return to gather his elect from the earth. (Mk 13:26-27) It is difficult now but we who are in Christ Jesus have hope; the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting.

In Christ alone,

Michael Peek

The Nurse Theologian

February 17th in the Year of Our Lord, 2021

Dear brothers and sisters,

This morning I read from the Psalms. There are several types of Psalms; however, in them are the elements of a converted man unto salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ. For the past few weeks I have been studying baptism in the Bible and in Christian history. It seems that historically, there is disagreement around four issues: to baptize or not to baptize, whom to baptize, how to baptize, and the effects of baptism. Why is their so much disagreement about this subject? Baptism to some is of little importance but for others it is inflated. I believe that baptism is of high importance but do not credit to baptism the means of grace as some traditions do. There are five elements historically and biblically that a Christian should have: repentance, faith, confession, regeneration and baptism. Here is the conclusion that I have come to when studying this very important issue.

In Christian history these elements have been separated but should be understood together in the conversion experience.

Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit...So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls. (Acts 2:38, 41)

I believe that the problems around our understanding of baptism can be traced to separation of the elements. Instead of thinking about the elements of conversion separately, we should understand them together. A Christian repents from sin, a Christian believes in the gospel, a Christian confesses Jesus Christ as Lord, a Christian is regenerated by the Spirit and a Christian is baptized. To baptize or not to baptize, whom to baptize, how to baptize, and the effects of baptism melt away one baptism is understood as an element in the one conversion of a soul. You will find that the apostles never separated the elements, nor gave any one element higher importance in conversion.

In Christ alone,

Michael Peek

The Nurse Theologian

February 16th in the Year of Our Lord, 2021

Dear Brethren,

What a morning it is. I awoke this morning and felt that the air in our home was cold. Our electrical power is out and the air outside of our home is -1 degrees below zero Fahrenheit. Some might say, “Well we have temperatures like that every winter.” In the deep south this is record low temperature. Since recording temperatures in this area, there has never been a temperature below zero degrees Fahrenheit until this morning. The problem is that the infrastructure in this part of the country is not setup to deal with this cold weather or the snow fall that we received the day before or the predicted additional accumulation expected tonight. However, are needs are being provide for in the present. The Lord put it into our minds last week to purchase a power generator, propane fuel and wood for our fire place; therefore, we are able to keep our home warmer than the air outside. Thanks be to the Lord our God: Father and Son and Holy Spirit. 

The next week shall be a challenge for the people in our area. Yesterday, in the hospital, our nurse staffing was low, despite having a full unit of patients. Very little ancillary staff came to work, which made it apparent how much they do to keep the hospital running, so that the nurses are able to care for the patients. We are dependent on housekeepers, laundry service, building maintenance, and food service. When all of these cease, or are decreased, it becomes apparent that we nurses cannot run a hospital without the help of others.

In John chapter 17, verse 11, Jesus prayed to the Father God: “Holy Father, keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me, that they may be one even as We are.” The Father God and the Son are One. The disciples of Jesus Christ are to be one, for we have one Spirit who proceeds forth from the Father and the Son. We cannot do what the Lord Jesus Christ commanded us to do on our own. We need one another. The Lord Jesus Christ commanded the disciples to go make disciples, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe his Word. 

In Christ alone,

Michael Peek

The Nurse Theologian

February 15th in the Year of Our Lord, 2021

Dear Brother and Sister,

I do not know where you are on the earth, nor do I know what you are going through. However, I know that this is the day that the Lord has made; therefore, we should rejoice and be glad in it. Whatever the day brings shall pass. The Lord Jesus Christ said to his disciples, John 16:21. ‘Whenever a woman is in labor she has pain, because her hour has come; but when she gives birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish because of the joy that a child has been born into the world.”

Whatever difficulties that we are going through today will pass. When the blessed day, the day of the Lord Jesus Christ comes, with all of his power and glory, we shall forget the struggles that we are presently enduring. That day shall be so blessed that all of our present worries and struggles shall be forgotten because our eyes will behold the Lord Jesus Christ. The people of this world are satisfied with a full stomach, material things, riches, children and grandchildren; however, I am not satisfied with these things. I will not be satisfied until I behold the face of the Lord Jesus Christ and become like him; not in his glory or power, but in the likeness of his nature. (cf. Psalms 17:14-15)

In Christ alone,

Michael Peek

The Nurse Theologian

February 14th in the Year of Our Lord, 2021

Dear brother and sister,

The Lord God made this day; however, the day is tainted because of sin. Nevertheless, because the Lord God made the day, it is a good day. Sin comes from three sources: Satan, the world, and the flesh. The apostle Paul wrote in Romans 13:14. “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.” 

There is not much that we can do about Satan. The apostle Peter said in 1 Peter 5:8. “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” We can do nothing about the world in which we live. Nor can we change the flesh. However, you can resist the devil, the world and the flesh through repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. 

One of my favorite passages of Scripture (I have many favorites) is John chapter 15. It was this chapter that I recited this morning in my daily devotion. I love this chapter, because in it, the word of the Lord Jesus Christ is not for the crowds, but for his chosen disciples. There is comfort in knowing that we have been chosen for salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ. He calls us his friends, and he laid down his life for us. We should keep in mind that he declared that we are his friends, if we do what he commanded, and what did Jesus command? He commanded that we love one another, and he is the example of how we should love one another. (cf. Jn. 15:12-17)

There is not much that we can do about Satan; the devil prowls around seeking someone to devour. There is nothing that we can do about the world; however, we are not to be conformed to the world. (Rom. 12:2) There is nothing that we can do about the flesh; but we are to make no provision for it in regards to its lust. (Rom. 13:14) What we can do is put on the Lord Jesus Christ and learn to observe all that the Word commands.

In Jesus Christ alone,

Michael Peek

The Nurse Theologian

February 13th in the Year of Our Lord, 2021

Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. (Matthew 16:24)

Discipleship is costly. It is difficult to understand how costly discipleship was for others when in the U.S.A., a Christian does not face the possibility of being put to death for being a follower of Jesus Christ. The situation that we have in the U.S.A. is an anomaly in Christian history. However, there is more to taking up the cross than the possibility of physical death. 

Carrying the horizontal crossbeam en route to crucifixion (where the upright stake already stood awaiting the condemned person) meant enduring mockery and scorn on a path leading to death as a condemned criminal. Crucifixion was the worst form of criminal death, the supreme Roman penalty, inflicted only on the lower classes and slaves; even talk of it could evoke horror. (Mt. 16:24, IVP BBC NT)

To deny oneself does not mean self abasement. There are many in church history who did this, monasteries came to be because of misunderstanding what it means to deny oneself. According 1 John 3:4, sin is lawlessness. Lawlessness is everyone doing what they want to do with no regard for authority. To deny oneself means that I am not the one who is in charge. To deny oneself means that I am under the headship, the lordship of another; the Christian is under the lordship of Jesus Christ. Whatever the Lord Jesus Christ has commanded in his word, that we shall do, even if it means enduring mockery, scorn, and death.

To take up the cross means a willingness to endure shame and death. The Christian is to die to everything in this world for the sake of the gospel. The Christian is to die to sin, self, and the world. To follow Jesus means to learn to observe all that Jesus commanded, to live as Jesus lived. This does not mean that we should dress like a first century itinerant rabbi and walk the countryside preaching and teaching. However, it does mean to live as Jesus in our historical-cultural context. 

February 12th in the Year of Our Lord, 2021

Isaiah 33:22,  says:

For the LORD is our judge,

The LORD is our lawgiver,

The LORD is our king;

He will save us—

In the age to come, the redeemed will finally attribute all of their happiness and joy to their all-sufficient Lord alone. Men will not judge other men, for the Lord is our judge, and men will not make laws, for the Lord is our lawgiver. James 4:12 says:

There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and to destroy; but who are you who judge your neighbor?

It is strange to my ear when I hear someone say that there our Christians and there are disciples of Christ. There are those who believe in Jesus and there are those who follow Jesus Christ as Lord. Somehow a mindset of easy believism crept into the church. I believe that this originated from two sources: The first source is the doctrine of justification by faith. The second source is sin. The second source twists the beautiful doctrine into unrighteousness. Easy believism is the false doctrine, that a person can be saved from the penalty of sin through faith in Jesus Christ but remain unrepentant. That a person can feast at the table of sin during this life and feast at the Lord’s table in the age to come. That a person does not need to repent from sin but only need believe in the Lord Jesus Christ to be saved. This is a wicked doctrine!

It is not for me to judge my neighbor for there is but one Lawgiver and Judge. There is but one King and Savior; he is seated at the righthand of the Father. A day and hour is coming in which Jesus will come with all of his angles to sit down on his glorious throne to judge the nations. Oh man, what will you say when he looks at you, and says, “What have you done with my Word?”

It is good that Jesus is our judge, and it is good that Jesus is our lawgiver, and it is good that Jesus is our king because he is full of grace and truth. (Jn.1:14, 17) There is forgiveness of sins for all who repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ; all who capitulate to him as Lord and trust him as Savior. 

February 11th in the Year of Our Lord, 2021

I was thinking and praying to the Father this morning about the strangeness of the past year. In September, 2019, I went to Cuba as a Biblical Training Center for Pastors (BTCP) missionary to teach pastors and church leaders on the island. I went to Cuba with a man who had been teaching pastors and church leaders there, from the BTCP curriculum for over 20 years. Then a series of events occurred that showed us that showed us that we are not the ones in charge; God does what he wants to do, when and how he wants to do it.

We held a one week seminar on Bible Doctrine Survey but were not able to complete that study in a week. 

The BTCP curriculum consists of 10 books (studies) for training pastors and church leaders who are not able to attend a formal seminary. Bible Doctrine Survey is one of the largest courses in the BTCP curriculum; therefore, we divided it into two seminars. We were to return to Cuba in December of 2019 to teach the second half of Bible Doctrine Survey but the Cuban government denied our religious visas. However, they would allow us to come to the island twice a year. We were planning a return trip in the spring of 2020 but the COVID-19 pandemic hit; therefore, al travel into Cuba ceased and continues to remain closed a year latter.

This morning I read Job 12-13. In chapter 12, one of Job’s friends scathes job for wanting to question God about his actions towards Job. In chapter 13 Job explained that God’s actions are often arbitrary. Job’s friends believed that Job was suffering because of something was doing or had done. They believed that if Job would repent, God would forgive him and bless him. However, Job believed that he had done nothing wrong; therefore, he desired to question God about his actions. 

Even the world of nature—the beasts and the birds and the fish—shows God’s arbitrariness in destroying some and protecting others. (Job 12:7-12, BBC)

Not only has life been strange because the ministry that I thought I had been called to has been put on hold; but for the last year, my work as a Critical Care Registered Nurse has become much more difficult and strange. Fellowship with brothers and sisters in Christ has been much more difficult. We have been estranged from family and friends. The waywardness of our children has become apparent. The past year has been strange indeed. I do not know what the immediate future holds, but I am trusting the word of God; Christ will return and there will be a new heaven and new earth in which righteousness reigns.

February 11th in the Year of Our Lord 2021

Psalms 17:15

As for me, I shall behold Your face in righteousness;

I will be satisfied with Your likeness when I awake. 

My reading this morning was Psalms 15-17. With the reading plan that I am doing this year, every Wednesday morning I am reading the Psalms. I truly love the Psalms when reading them this way. Some of the Scriptures affect the mind but the Psalms affect the heart. Both the mind and heart most be reached to affect the will.

It is the desire of my heart to behold the face of God and he look upon me as righteous in his sight. I will be satisfied when I awake in the likeness of God. In this world I work, but I cannot work for righteousness; however, I know that I am being justified, as a gift, by his grace, through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a mercy seat in his blood through faith. (Rom.3:24-25) Therefore, I trust that I will behold the face of God in righteousness.

Psalms 17, particularly verse 15 is my favorite in all of the Psalms because it is the desire of my heart. E. Bendor Samuel paraphrased Psalms 17:15: 

Well, they can have it all as far as I’m concerned. My interest lies in spiritual rather than material treasures. It is enough for me that I will look upon Your face as one who has been declared righteous and not as a guilty sinner. I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness. (BBC, Ps.17:15)

He also pointed out that Psalms 17:15 contains all of the elements of 1 John 3:2. Both David and the apostle John wrote under the inspiration of the same Spirit. Both Psalm 17:15 and 1 John 3:2 are about supreme satisfaction, a great transformation, and an enlarged vision. David believes that he will be supremely satisfied with the likeness of God, that he will be like God when his is raised from the dead; however, 1 John 3:2 adds a couple of interesting elements. First, instead of talking about himself, John says we; he speaks of all believers being supremely satisfied and undergoing a great transformation. John also adds to this, it can be seen in Psalms 17:15, but not as clearly. We will have an enlarged vision of God because we will finally see him in all of his glory. 

It should be understood that neither David nor John mean that we will become a god but we will be like him in his nature. In other words, sons of God. It is the desire of my heart to see God in all of his glory and be transformed into his likeness. On that glorious day I will be supremely satisfied.

February 9th in the Year of Our Lord 2021

Then the sons of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD gave them into the hands of Midian seven years. (Judges 6:1)

I think that it is in this light that the apostle paul wrote Romans 1:18-32, which can be titled: Unbelief and Its Consequences. The enemy of Israel were the other nations who suppressed them and the enemy of mankind is sin. 

The book of Judges begins with the death of Joshua and the elders. All of that generation followed the Lord but the generation that came after them did not.

All that generation also were gathered to their fathers; and there arose another generation after them who did not know the LORD, nor yet the work which He had done for Israel...So they forsook the LORD and served Baal and the Ashtaroth. The anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He gave them into the hands of plunderers who plundered them; and He sold them into the hands of their enemies around them, so that they could no longer stand before their enemies. (Judges 2:10, 13-14)

A man cannot will his faith on his children. My children are head strong and hard hearted much like the sons of Israel. They do not know the Lord; therefore, they are serving other gods, though they would not call them gods. The truth is, whatever a person thinks about the most and lives for, that is your god whom you serve. God gives those who reject him and serve other gods over to sin, and ultimately, if unrepentant, to death and condemnation. There is forgiveness for all who repent and believe in the Lord Jesus.

February 8th in the Year of Our Lord 2021

“In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.” (Gn. 22:18)

Observance of the word of the Lord provides a blessing for others. The Lord God had blessed Abraham with much wealth, and he had even given him a child in his old age through Sarah the wife of his youth. When the Lord God commanded Abraham to rise up and give Isaac his beloved son as a burnt offering before the Lord, Abraham did not hold back. This was not because Abraham took this upon himself to do, but it was the word of the Lord who told him to do it. It is not the will of the Lord that a father should offer his son as a burnt offering; therefore, the Lord stopped him before he did it. Abraham knew the Lord, and he trusted that the Lord would provide a way. Abraham told Isaac, “God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” (Gn. 22:8) Abraham trusted in the goodness of God! 

Abraham’s obedience to the word of the Lord resulted in the nations of the earth being blessed. Our obedience to the word of the Lord is not for our benefit but for the others. Rebellion is going away from the word of the Lord, repentance is turning back to the Lord, faith is trusting in the Lord, and obedience is going towards the Lord. So, have repentance towards God, faith in the Son of God Jesus Christ the Lord, and learn to observe all that Jesus commanded. It is in obedience to the word of the Lord that other people receive a blessing.

February 7th in the Year of Our Lord 2021

Romans 12:21. “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

In his great letter to the church in Rome, Paul gave the Romans and us many exhortations. In this exhortation, there is a negative and a positive. Do not be overcome by evil. The great black scientist, George Washington Carver, once said, “I will never let another man ruin my life by making me hate him.” George Washington Carver was a believer and follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. However, this exhortation goes further than the negative, but overcome evil with good, which is a positive. The Christian is to not only commanded to not be overcome by evil but to overcome evil with good. 

I have worked at the bedside, as a Registered Nurse, for over twenty-three years now. Patients, family and medical staff will say the most hurtful things you can imagine, but the Christian nurse is to always overcome evil with good. No matter how much I have done, no matter how hard I have worked, no matter how much I have cared over the years; people are just not satisfied, and are angry when in the hospital.

Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘AN EYE FOR AN EYE, AND A TOOTH FOR A TOOTH.’ But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also...But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” (Mt 5:38-39 & 44-45) 

Does this mean that by doing good to those who treat you badly that the other person will repent and treat you with honor? I have found that most of the time they will not. In fact, it appears that most of the time people will not even notice the good that you are doing for them. Most of the time people will not even notice that you did not return their anger with anger, or their hurtful words with hurtful words. Most of the time people will not notice that you returned their anger and hurtful words with kindness. No matter, the Christian nurse is called to image God in the world. 

February 6th in the Year of Our Lord 2021

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)

Why do we struggle? We struggle because of sin. In the great Christian allegory, “The Pilgrims Progress” by John Bunyan, Christian was carrying a large burden on his back; the burden that Christian carried was sin. Sin is a burden that no man can carry because it will way him down in death.

Life in this world is a struggle because of the burden of sin. We were in the paradise of God but we were kicked out into the world because we ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God promised the woman difficulty in childbirth and the man difficulty in livelihood, followed by death. Life in this world is struggle upon struggle.

What are we struggling for? What is the purpose of our struggling? What are we trying to obtain with all of this struggling? Some are seeking rest in the wrong places and this always brings a person back to weariness. 

Jesus Christ promised rest for our souls but you must put on the Lord Jesus Christ. Does this mean that if you put on the Lord Jesus Christ that things in this world will become easy? I am not going to delude you into thinking that it will. In fact, things in this world may become more difficult than they are right now if you follow the Lord Jesus Christ. The apostle paul wrote, 1 Corinthians 15:19. “If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.” We do, however, have the promise of rest from laboring to meet God’s standard because through faith in Jesus Christ we are promised eternal life in the paradise of God.

February 5th in the year of Our Lord 2021

John 3:8.

“The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

Yesterday, I flew a kite. The air was warmer, low 60’sº F, and the wind was blowing. A few weeks ago, I ordered a kite off the internet, a kite from my childhood, manufactured, and sold in the year, 1975. The kite was manufactured by a company named Gayla and was called a Sky-Spy because of the large eyes that looked down on the flier. The kite was much smaller than I remembered, but then again, I was seven years old in the spring of 1975, therefore, a much smaller person.
  After flying the kite, I sent a picture to my mother who responded: “I remember you and your kites.” I loved flying a kite as a child and for some reason this particular brand of kite. Not only did I enjoy flying a kite but my favorite dream involved me floating on the air above the earth. On the earth below, there was trouble but on the winds above the earth there was freedom.

Yesterday was a good day for flying a kite because the day before began with death and ended with death in the CVICU. We began the day with a Code 44. A Code 44 is the terminology used in the speakers overhead to alert the staff of a cardiovascular-pulmonary arrest. We had a Code 44 at the start of our shift and at the end of the shift; a reminder that on the earth, there is much suffering, death and sorrow. However, above the earth, there is freedom from these things. 

For me, flying a kite is a form of escapism from the troubles on the earth; however, I know what I did not know as a child, a man cannot really escape the troubles here below by any effort of his own. Jesus said to the thief who trusted in him and hung beside him on the cross, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.” (Lk 23:43) There is freedom from sin, suffering, death and sorrow in the Lord Jesus Christ.

February 4th in the Year of Our Lord 2021

To whom it may concern,

My reading this morning was Job 9-10. Job understood that he could not speak to God. He believed that he needed an arbitrator to settle whatever it was that God had against him. Job believed that he was guiltless but for some unknown reason God was holding him guilty. However, Job never denied that God is sovereign, he is the one who decides who is righteous and who is guilty. 

I am not Job, I cannot say that I am without guilt; in fact, I am guilty by either thought or deed of breaking every one of the ten commandments, therefore, the law of Christ. However, Job believed that he was guiltless but also understood that if God declares him guilty, then he is guilty for God is the judge. I think that this is one aspect of biblical theology that is lost in American Evangelicalism. The aspect that I speak of is the sovereignty of God. 

The local church that my wife and I attend (Sylvania Church in Tyler, Texas) is a sovereign grace baptist church. A number of the members believe and all of the elders believe in the sovereignty of God in the salvation of man. However, even though this congregations official doctrine is sovereign grace, does the congregation really believe that God has the authority to do whatever he wants to do, however he wants to do it? Would you hold to sovereign doctrine if things went bad in your life like they did for Job?

The Lord God is the creator of all things and he holds all things together by the word of his power. Who can say anything to God? Who can go before God and say, “You should let me into your garden because I did, x, y, and z.” Or, “You shouldn’t allow bad things to happen to me?” Jesus Christ is Lord, He alone has all authority in heaven and on earth. The Father God has given the Son authority to execute judgment, and the Son has given the terms for entrance into the paradise of God. The terms are repentance towards God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

In Christ alone,

Michael Peek

The Nurse Theologian

February 3rd in the Year of Our Lord 2021

To whom it may concern,

Lately I have been wondering what I am here for. I know that I am here for the purpose of the Lord but I have become confused as to what I should be about. I spent the past thirty years raising children to see them go away from the way of God in Jesus Christ. I honestly feel like I have failed as a father. Proverbs 22:6 says:

Train up a child in the way he should go,

Even when he is old he will not depart from it.

On July 13th of this year, our son, our beautiful son, my adopted boy, whom I raised as my own, with my wife from the age of one years old will be thirty-two years old. On July 20th of this year, our daughter, our beautiful daughter, whom came forth from the union of our marriage will be twenty-eight years old. Everything has already been said, their lives are between them and the Lord and there is not much I can do but pray to the Lord our God for their salvation. However, the subjective remains, I believe that I have failed as a father. I have heard that this Proverb is a general principle and not a promise. Even if it is a general principle, and not a hardened promise, my parental record is 0-2. 

Should I be lamenting this way on a public blog? Well, this blog is my daily journal; therefore, I endeavor to be honest and forthright with the things that I write. This life on the earth is a struggle. I believe that we were created by God for the paradise of God but something terrible happened in the garden, the man and woman ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; therefore, God kicked them out of the garden into the world and we are their children. We are in brokenness because of their sin, our sin and the sins of other people. A person can be diluted for awhile, that their lives are pleasant, but the reality is that the whole world is in brokenness. I also believe in the gospel of Jesus Christ. God has made a way for us to return to the paradise of God. The way is the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus entered our brokenness in human flesh. He is fully God and fully man except in sin. He died on a Roman cross for our sins and he defeated death and rose from the grave. We can have forgiveness of sins and receive the Holy Spirit of God as a seal of our salvation, if we repent and believe. However, that does not mean that we will be taken out of brokenness and into the paradise of God the moment that we repent and believe. We are justified - that means we are declared righteous but we are not yet righteous. We are being sanctified - that means to be set apart, we are being made righteous. We will be glorified- that means to be made righteous. However, this will not happen until we depart from this present world. In the mean time, there is work to do and I am wondering what it is that the Lord would have me doing for the remainder of my life on the earth.

In Christ alone,

Michael Peek

The Nurse Theologian

February 2nd in the Year of Our Lord 2021

Israel served the LORD all the days of Joshua and all the days of the elders who survived Joshua, and had known all the deeds of the LORD which He had done for Israel. (Joshua 24:31)

 

To whom it may concern,

My reading this morning came from Joshua 21-24. The Levites were dispersed into forty-eight cities in Israel. The half-tribe of Manasseh, the Reubenites, and the Gadites returned to there possession beyond the Jordan. Joshua gave his farewell address to the sons of Israel, and he died at the age of one hundred and ten years old. All of the problems that Israel would have going forward from the days of Joshua, and the elders who survived Joshua, and had known all the deeds of the Lord which he had done for Israel, came to the children who did not know the Lord; and therefore, served other gods.

One of my favorite hobbies is reading church history. My ecclesiastical convictions are baptist. I believe that the head of the church is the Lord Jesus Christ. I believe that every believer in Jesus Christ has been sealed with the Holy Spirit; therefore, every believer has soul competency; therefore, every congregation should pick their own leaders, and not have them appointed to them by a body outside of the local congregation. I believe that the Scriptures teach believers baptism. I can find no example of babies who do not yet possess the ability to repent and believe being baptized in Scripture. For these reasons, my convictions are baptist. 

 

Given that my convictions are baptist and one of my favorite hobbies is reading church history, I have been reading baptist history. I recently read a book by Marvin Jones on the foundational contributions of Thomas Helwys in Baptist Ecclesiology. Ecclesiology is the study of the nature and structure of the Christian Church. Thomas Helwys was the first permanent pastor of the Baptist Church. His writings are foundational in baptist ecclesiology, and also the foundational on the idea of separation of church and state. Having read this book about Thomas Helwys, I have ordered a book that contains the actual writings of Thomas Helwys. I am very much looking forward to reading his convictions and thoughts. I think that the problems that we have today have already been solved in the past.  The problems that we have today are like the problems that Israel fell into after Joshua and elders departed.

In Christ alone,

Michael Peek

The Nurse Theologian

February 1st in the Year of Our Lord 2021

To whom it may concern,

I have taken to writing a daily letter; that my heart and mind, may speak to your heart and mind. I do not know you, we have never meet but I know about you. You were created in the image of God but you have sinned and fall short of his glory. No matter where you may live on the earth, we have this in common; we have both sinned and deserve nothing less than the full eternal wrath of God for our sins. God has said in his word, “The soul who sins will die.” (Ezekiel 18:4) This is a concerning proclamation of the Lord, given that we have both sinned and fall short of his glory. 

Sin is lawlessness, (1 John 3:4) lawlessness is everyone deciding for themselves good and evil, rather than observing the commandments of the one who created us. God has said, “You shall not lie,” but have you lied? God has said, “You shall not steal,” but have you stolen? God has said, “You shall not commit sexual immorality;” he has defined sexual immorality in his word as fornication, adultery, lust, and homosexuality, but have you been sexually immoral? God has said, “You shall not murder;” he has defined murder as both the physical act as well as the desire of the heart, but have you murdered (hated) anyone in your heart? God has said, “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, but have you taken the name of the Lord Jesus Christ in vain?

If you have answered yes, to any of these questions, you are like me, you have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and deserve nothing less than the eternal wrath of God for your sins. The scripture tells us that although the wages of sin is death, the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23) There is a way to be made righteous before God and that way is the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through me.” (John 14:6) Jesus came from God in human flesh, fully God and fully man yet without sin. He died on a cross, in our place for our sins. He was forsaken of the Father on our behalf. He was buried, and was raised from the dead on the third day. (1 Corinthians 15:3-4) So, have repentance towards God and faith in Jesus Christ alone; following him as your Lord and trusting him as your Savior.

In Christ alone,

Michael Peek

The Nurse Theologian