One of the latest books I have been reading is called Let Me Be a Woman by Elisabeth Elliot in which she talks about biblical womanhood, etc. This weekend I ran across a quote about choices that has caused me to do some thinking; ultimately, she is talking about the choice of marriage, but the principle can apply to all of life.
“Marriage is a choice of one above all others. Each partner promises to forsake all others, and the Bible says that man will leave his father and mother and ‘cleave’ to his wife. Any choice we ever make in life instantly limits us.”
I thought this was such an interesting perspective on decision-making. Not only do we, in the instance the author is talking about, choose the person we are going to marry, but we—essentially—say “no” to all other intimate and deep relationships with people of the opposite gender. In making one choice which frees us up to love, cherish, serve, honor, and be there for one particular person, we are giving up our freedom to do the same for other people. Yes, we still need to love others as brothers and sisters in Christ, but we cannot and must not go beyond that with the opposite sex. While women can see to the spiritual and emotional needs of other women, it is totally inappropriate for them to see to those needs of a man. And the vice versa principle applies. Once we choose to spend the rest of our lives with one person, we are reserving ourselves to support them and them alone.
This principle carries over into all of life. For instance, if a college student chooses to do his homework, he gives up the freedom to hang out with friends, watch a movie, or to even possibly sleep in that particular instance. If a college students chooses to hang out with people, he gives up his freedom to do homework or sleep. At a restaurant, if I choose to order one dish, I am choosing to not order all of the other choices. Yes, I know the example does break down because there are people who can “do it all,” but I think you get the point. Even in the instance of our salvation, we are now free to obey God and submit to His commands; yes, we can still choose to sin, but we will suffer the consequences of that choice. We now have the obligation to serve the Lord and need to be committed to choosing to obey Him when temptation lingers in front of us. The choices we make will limit us because we are saying “yes” to one thing and no to a whole other list of options.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Living Here and Now
As I was listening to music on my computer, the song “Miracle of the Moment” by Steven Curtis Chapman popped up. Check out the lyrics:
Miracle of the Moment
It’s time for letting go
All of our if only’s
‘Cause we don’t have a time machine
And even if we did
Would we really want to use it?
Would we really want to go change everything?
‘Cause we are who and where and what we are for now
And this is the only moment we can do anything about
So breathe it in and breathe it out
Listen to your heartbeat
There’s a wonder in the here and now
It’s right there in front of you
And I don’t want you to miss
The miracle of the moment
There’s only one who knows
What’s really out there waiting
In all the moments yet to be
And all we need to know
Is He’s out there waiting
To Him the future’s history
And He has given us a treasure called right now
And this is the only moment we can do anything about
And if it brings you tears
Then taste them as they fall
And let them soften your heart
And if it brings you laughter
Then throw your head back
And let it go, let it go
You gotta let it go
Listen to your heartbeat
Breathe it in and breathe it out
Listen to your heartbeat
There’s a wonder in the here and now
It’s right there in front of you
And I don’t want you to miss
The miracle of the moment.
Listening to the lyrics really convicted me because I so often live by the “if only’s” of life. It is always good to be reminded that living by “if only’s” is not truly living. God wants us to enjoy the blessings of the moment and to live for His glory in each moment in life. I love the part verse that says “He has given us a treasure called right now”! It reminds me of a quote from that prestigious and timeless tale…Kung Fu Panda. Yes, I am kidding about it being prestigious and timeless, but all the same, the quote is good. Master Oogway gently reprimands Po when he voices discouragement and thoughts of going back to making noodles. Oogway says, “You are too concerned about what was and what will be. There is a saying: yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the “present.’” I just love that! So often we look at the ‘present’ as something to be cast aside; we view the future to be the present that we are going to receive and do not rejoice for the moment that God has given us. Colossians 3:15b says, “And be thankful.” Paul gives no time constraints to this command. Verse 17 goes on to say, “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” In all we do, including living, we need to give thanks.
Miracle of the Moment
It’s time for letting go
All of our if only’s
‘Cause we don’t have a time machine
And even if we did
Would we really want to use it?
Would we really want to go change everything?
‘Cause we are who and where and what we are for now
And this is the only moment we can do anything about
So breathe it in and breathe it out
Listen to your heartbeat
There’s a wonder in the here and now
It’s right there in front of you
And I don’t want you to miss
The miracle of the moment
There’s only one who knows
What’s really out there waiting
In all the moments yet to be
And all we need to know
Is He’s out there waiting
To Him the future’s history
And He has given us a treasure called right now
And this is the only moment we can do anything about
And if it brings you tears
Then taste them as they fall
And let them soften your heart
And if it brings you laughter
Then throw your head back
And let it go, let it go
You gotta let it go
Listen to your heartbeat
Breathe it in and breathe it out
Listen to your heartbeat
There’s a wonder in the here and now
It’s right there in front of you
And I don’t want you to miss
The miracle of the moment.
Listening to the lyrics really convicted me because I so often live by the “if only’s” of life. It is always good to be reminded that living by “if only’s” is not truly living. God wants us to enjoy the blessings of the moment and to live for His glory in each moment in life. I love the part verse that says “He has given us a treasure called right now”! It reminds me of a quote from that prestigious and timeless tale…Kung Fu Panda. Yes, I am kidding about it being prestigious and timeless, but all the same, the quote is good. Master Oogway gently reprimands Po when he voices discouragement and thoughts of going back to making noodles. Oogway says, “You are too concerned about what was and what will be. There is a saying: yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the “present.’” I just love that! So often we look at the ‘present’ as something to be cast aside; we view the future to be the present that we are going to receive and do not rejoice for the moment that God has given us. Colossians 3:15b says, “And be thankful.” Paul gives no time constraints to this command. Verse 17 goes on to say, “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” In all we do, including living, we need to give thanks.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
An Old Friend
As I was reading the book Boy Meets Girl by Joshua Harris, I came across this excerpt that he quoted in it. I just really liked it and so thought I would post it. =]
“Perhaps, after all, romance did not come into one’s life with pomp and blare, like a gay knight riding down; perhaps it crept to one’s side like an old friend through quiet ways; perhaps it revealed itself in seeming prose, until some sudden shaft of illumination flung athwart its pages betrayed the rhythm and the music; perhaps…perhaps…love unfolded naturally out of a beautiful friendship, as a gold-hearted rose slipping from its green sheath.”
“Perhaps, after all, romance did not come into one’s life with pomp and blare, like a gay knight riding down; perhaps it crept to one’s side like an old friend through quiet ways; perhaps it revealed itself in seeming prose, until some sudden shaft of illumination flung athwart its pages betrayed the rhythm and the music; perhaps…perhaps…love unfolded naturally out of a beautiful friendship, as a gold-hearted rose slipping from its green sheath.”
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Discipline
Lately I have been thinking a fair amount about discipline, both the general idea of it and also the life-style of living it out. What exactly is discipline? Webster’s 1928 Dictionary defines it as: “subjection to laws, rules, order, precepts or regulations.” Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines it as: “training that corrects, molds, or perfects that mental faculties or moral character; a control gained by enforcing obedience or order.” Related words to discipline are self-control, regulation, control, restraint, and obedience. Someone who is disciplined could, therefore, be described as one who controls, regulates, and restrains both his mental faculties and moral character by subjecting them to certain rules of order and enforcing upon themselves a standard of obedience to someone or something.
The word “enforcement” implies that this takes effort and dedication. In 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 Paul says:
“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified. ”
Most everybody who has read these verses knows how hard athletes have to work in order to train themselves to be ready for their races. They must train for weeks and weeks; they must give up certain pleasures and enjoyments in order to discipline their bodies. There are times when, although their mind might be , their bodies are rebellious or exhausted. It is during these times that they must purposefully choose to continue and train; it is then that their training becomes most important and they must continue to push through.
As Christians, it is so important that we discipline ourselves for the sake of the Lord. In 1 Corinthians 9, Paul tells his readers that he does not train aimlessly but has a purpose for it. In 2 Timothy 2:15, Paul exhorts Timothy to “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” Now Paul is not talking about approval in the sense of doing self-righteous acts so that God will think we look good. Instead, he is encouraging us to diligently obey, submit, and discipline ourselves to following the Lord so that we will have no reason to stand before God ashamed of how we lived our lives on earth; if we discipline ourselves and submit our whole lives to the guidance of Christ, we will be able to stand before God and hear the words “Well done, good and faithful servant.” (Matthew 25:23)
I am sure there are more, but there seems to be at least 4 main areas that we must be disciplined in:
1) We must be disciplined in our thoughts . Philippians 4:8 seems to be one of the main passages which talks about right thinking; we are commanded to thing on things that are true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, and worthy of praise. This truly does take work and effort for the Devil is always lurking and poisoning our minds with the lies of the world. Colossian 3:2 commands us to set our minds on the things that are above; once regenerated, we should not dwell on lies that the world offers, but we should look to Truth—we should look to Christ.
2) We must be disciplined in our actions . Colossians 3:23 says, “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.” Everything that we do must be done with a mindset of pleasing God; if we become obsessed with gaining man’s approval we will find this empty and disappointing for it is God’s approval alone that truly matters and satisfies because we were made to glorify Him. Paul commands us to “flee youthful passions” in 2 Timothy 2:22; we must refrain from acting upon our fleshly desires and instead “pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace.” (2 Timothy 2:22)
3) We must be disciplined in our attitudes . Having a good attitude does not come naturally; most of the time there comes for the need to make a conscious choice to have a good attitude. One of the ways to facilitate this mindset is by giving thanks to the Lord. Time and time again, the psalms call for readers to “give thanks.” In fact, 1 Thessalonians 5:18 commands us to give thanks: “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” There will be many times when we do not want to give thanks or be joyful, but Paul tells us that it is God’s will for us to do it anyways; we must exercise discipline and choose to be thankful.
4) We must be disciplined in our emotions. This can for sure be a hard one, especially for girls. J. I. Packer says in Knowing God: “Think against your feelings; argue yourself out of the gloom they have spread; unmask the unbelief they have nourished; take yourself in hand, talk to yourself, make yourself look up from your problems to the God of the gospel: let evangelical thinking correct emotional thinking.” There will be times when we feel discouraged or we do not feel joyful. These are times when we must fight for our joy in the Lord; we must fight to remember the Gospel and fight to preach it to ourselves daily. Just because we might feel like something is true does not necessarily mean that it is true. We cannot be trapped by our feelings and emotions, but must remind ourselves of that which is True. This takes practice. This takes work and effort. This takes discipline.
The word “enforcement” implies that this takes effort and dedication. In 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 Paul says:
“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified. ”
Most everybody who has read these verses knows how hard athletes have to work in order to train themselves to be ready for their races. They must train for weeks and weeks; they must give up certain pleasures and enjoyments in order to discipline their bodies. There are times when, although their mind might be , their bodies are rebellious or exhausted. It is during these times that they must purposefully choose to continue and train; it is then that their training becomes most important and they must continue to push through.
As Christians, it is so important that we discipline ourselves for the sake of the Lord. In 1 Corinthians 9, Paul tells his readers that he does not train aimlessly but has a purpose for it. In 2 Timothy 2:15, Paul exhorts Timothy to “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” Now Paul is not talking about approval in the sense of doing self-righteous acts so that God will think we look good. Instead, he is encouraging us to diligently obey, submit, and discipline ourselves to following the Lord so that we will have no reason to stand before God ashamed of how we lived our lives on earth; if we discipline ourselves and submit our whole lives to the guidance of Christ, we will be able to stand before God and hear the words “Well done, good and faithful servant.” (Matthew 25:23)
I am sure there are more, but there seems to be at least 4 main areas that we must be disciplined in:
1) We must be disciplined in our thoughts . Philippians 4:8 seems to be one of the main passages which talks about right thinking; we are commanded to thing on things that are true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, and worthy of praise. This truly does take work and effort for the Devil is always lurking and poisoning our minds with the lies of the world. Colossian 3:2 commands us to set our minds on the things that are above; once regenerated, we should not dwell on lies that the world offers, but we should look to Truth—we should look to Christ.
2) We must be disciplined in our actions . Colossians 3:23 says, “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.” Everything that we do must be done with a mindset of pleasing God; if we become obsessed with gaining man’s approval we will find this empty and disappointing for it is God’s approval alone that truly matters and satisfies because we were made to glorify Him. Paul commands us to “flee youthful passions” in 2 Timothy 2:22; we must refrain from acting upon our fleshly desires and instead “pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace.” (2 Timothy 2:22)
3) We must be disciplined in our attitudes . Having a good attitude does not come naturally; most of the time there comes for the need to make a conscious choice to have a good attitude. One of the ways to facilitate this mindset is by giving thanks to the Lord. Time and time again, the psalms call for readers to “give thanks.” In fact, 1 Thessalonians 5:18 commands us to give thanks: “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” There will be many times when we do not want to give thanks or be joyful, but Paul tells us that it is God’s will for us to do it anyways; we must exercise discipline and choose to be thankful.
4) We must be disciplined in our emotions. This can for sure be a hard one, especially for girls. J. I. Packer says in Knowing God: “Think against your feelings; argue yourself out of the gloom they have spread; unmask the unbelief they have nourished; take yourself in hand, talk to yourself, make yourself look up from your problems to the God of the gospel: let evangelical thinking correct emotional thinking.” There will be times when we feel discouraged or we do not feel joyful. These are times when we must fight for our joy in the Lord; we must fight to remember the Gospel and fight to preach it to ourselves daily. Just because we might feel like something is true does not necessarily mean that it is true. We cannot be trapped by our feelings and emotions, but must remind ourselves of that which is True. This takes practice. This takes work and effort. This takes discipline.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
No Root of Bitterness
More and more I am seeing the gentleness of the Lord displayed towards me and I can do nothing else but praise and thank Him for it. God’s gentleness seems to be very closely related to His love for us. A particular facet or demonstration of love is how God knows each and every one of His children; God does not just know our names, but He also knows us personally. He knows our thoughts; He knows exactly, to put it in a modern phrase, “what makes us tick.” In John 10, Jesus is talking about how He is the Good Shepherd. Particularly in verse 14 He says, “I know my own and my own know me.” Jesus Christ knows all about us! Psalm 139 is the classic example of how intimately God knows us; He formed us in our mothers’ wombs; He could see us before anyone even knew we were there. All that to say, God knows how to love us perfectly; He also knows how to discipline, admonish, and rebuke us perfectly. It is in this that I have seen God’s gentleness towards me. God knows that if He were to just “slap me upside the head” with a rebuke it would discourage and dishearten me on my road to sanctification; He knows I can get discouraged easily with my sin and so He gently rebukes me in other ways. The main way I have seen Him do it, time and time again, is by slowly revealing to me during a quiet time or something the sin I am struggling with. Then, after I have wrestled with that for a day or so, it usually happens that there is either a chapel message or a church sermon that I hear preached on the very thing I am dealing with. Today was one of those such days and I thought it was a good reminder for all believers.
Our pastor talked about bitterness and forgiveness today in context of what proceeds after trust has been violated in marriage once one has been betrayed, but his principles apply to all situations of hurt and disappointment caused by others. The passage he used was Ephesians 4:30-32 which says,
“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God is Christ forgave you.”
When we refuse forgiveness from a fellow brother or sister in Christ, this brings grief to the Holy Spirit; God is displeased because of our audacity to withhold forgiveness when He forgave us, a sinner just like anybody else. Paul then calls us to get rid of, to haul away, to put away six different sins. We are called to put away bitterness or animosity which is the opposite of love. Bitterness is like a root; the writer of Hebrews encourages his readers to make sure that “no ‘root of bitterness’ springs up and causes trouble [because] by it many become defiled.” (Hebrews 12:15b) Bitterness can lead to wrath if not dealt with and it can drive a wedge between people. Somebody once said, “Bitterness is like drinking poison and hoping the other party dies.” Being bitter will only hurt ourselves; it breeds hate and malice within us which causes us to swell and begin to die within if we do not root it out. Wrath can then lead to anger or a deep flowing rage within. The result of this anger can be clamor or yelling which is like fuel to violent arguments. Next we are called to root out slander and all bad talking and we are to rid ourselves of malice and the inner vicious disposition which delights in inflicting pain and hurt on others. We must do our best—with the Lord’s help, of course—to keep our bitterness from progressing this far; we must first root out ALL bitterness!
Although we might not feel like loving others, especially when we have been hurt, we are commanded to be kind and tenderhearted towards one another. We must forgive others just “as God in Christ forgave you.” (Ephesians 32b) We have no other option than to put on a heart of compassion, consideration, and grace. Believers are called to forgive and show grace because God showed us grace and, therefore, so should we. Forgiveness is like canceling a debt and choosing to bear the cost of the debt against us; we take the hurt of the sin that was committed against us and “do not make the offender pay us back.” We simply forgive and move on. Forgiveness releases us from a life of bitterness. This is not an easy task; it is something that takes time and is a process of continually letting go. It is a daily battle and a conscious choice to let go. Although forgiveness does not guarantee that the offender will never sin against us again, we are still called to forgive. We are called to choose love and choose forgiveness whether we feel like it or not. (Adapted from John McIntosh, July 11, 2010)
As sort of a side note, it is interesting how many times an offender may not even be aware of what he or she did to offend. We may be harboring bitterness against someone who does not even realize they hurt us; therefore, we must be careful when we are frustrated or angry with somebody because they might not know what they are doing. I was reminded of this truth while reading the book To Kill a Mockingbird. When Atticus Finch is talking to his daughter, Scout, he says, “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view […] until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.” (p. 30) We need to make sure we consider that the other person might not have as much knowledge about things or even that they may be going through some hard thing we do not know about. All that to say, we should not judge people or automatically assume that they meant to harm us. (It is humbling to be reminded of a biblical truth in a secular piece of literature. =P ]
Our pastor talked about bitterness and forgiveness today in context of what proceeds after trust has been violated in marriage once one has been betrayed, but his principles apply to all situations of hurt and disappointment caused by others. The passage he used was Ephesians 4:30-32 which says,
“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God is Christ forgave you.”
When we refuse forgiveness from a fellow brother or sister in Christ, this brings grief to the Holy Spirit; God is displeased because of our audacity to withhold forgiveness when He forgave us, a sinner just like anybody else. Paul then calls us to get rid of, to haul away, to put away six different sins. We are called to put away bitterness or animosity which is the opposite of love. Bitterness is like a root; the writer of Hebrews encourages his readers to make sure that “no ‘root of bitterness’ springs up and causes trouble [because] by it many become defiled.” (Hebrews 12:15b) Bitterness can lead to wrath if not dealt with and it can drive a wedge between people. Somebody once said, “Bitterness is like drinking poison and hoping the other party dies.” Being bitter will only hurt ourselves; it breeds hate and malice within us which causes us to swell and begin to die within if we do not root it out. Wrath can then lead to anger or a deep flowing rage within. The result of this anger can be clamor or yelling which is like fuel to violent arguments. Next we are called to root out slander and all bad talking and we are to rid ourselves of malice and the inner vicious disposition which delights in inflicting pain and hurt on others. We must do our best—with the Lord’s help, of course—to keep our bitterness from progressing this far; we must first root out ALL bitterness!
Although we might not feel like loving others, especially when we have been hurt, we are commanded to be kind and tenderhearted towards one another. We must forgive others just “as God in Christ forgave you.” (Ephesians 32b) We have no other option than to put on a heart of compassion, consideration, and grace. Believers are called to forgive and show grace because God showed us grace and, therefore, so should we. Forgiveness is like canceling a debt and choosing to bear the cost of the debt against us; we take the hurt of the sin that was committed against us and “do not make the offender pay us back.” We simply forgive and move on. Forgiveness releases us from a life of bitterness. This is not an easy task; it is something that takes time and is a process of continually letting go. It is a daily battle and a conscious choice to let go. Although forgiveness does not guarantee that the offender will never sin against us again, we are still called to forgive. We are called to choose love and choose forgiveness whether we feel like it or not. (Adapted from John McIntosh, July 11, 2010)
As sort of a side note, it is interesting how many times an offender may not even be aware of what he or she did to offend. We may be harboring bitterness against someone who does not even realize they hurt us; therefore, we must be careful when we are frustrated or angry with somebody because they might not know what they are doing. I was reminded of this truth while reading the book To Kill a Mockingbird. When Atticus Finch is talking to his daughter, Scout, he says, “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view […] until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.” (p. 30) We need to make sure we consider that the other person might not have as much knowledge about things or even that they may be going through some hard thing we do not know about. All that to say, we should not judge people or automatically assume that they meant to harm us. (It is humbling to be reminded of a biblical truth in a secular piece of literature. =P ]
Friday, July 9, 2010
To Live is Christ
“Let not our longing[s] slay the appetite of our living.” –Jim Elliot
This morning, as I sat on my bed trying to prolong the inevitable of getting ready for work at 6 AM, the profundity of this quote hit me. Now, in context, Jim Elliot was writing to Elisabeth—who would later become his wife—about their longing to be married; he was encouraging her continuance of pursing the Lord and His plans with steadfast determination. However, it seems that this principle can be applied to any aspect in life and any longings we might have.
There are many times when the Lord does not give us the things we believe we desire or He does not answer our prayers according to our will. Of course, when one truly realizes how his relationship with the Father works, he knows that God gives His children only what He deems as good and perfect; anything short of His will is not good and, therefore, if a child of God desires something outside of God’s will, He—like a good father—will not give it to him.
Any person knows the experience of disappointment in not getting their own way; even those people who “get everything they want” will experience it because there are times when they realize that what they wanted did not bring complete satisfaction; therefore, disappointment still occurs. Even when we are sure that something is God’s will, He might wait in granting that desire to us. It is our responsibility to react gracefully and in submission to God’s decision. However the situation pans out, we must be careful to, as Jim Elliot said, “Let not our longing[s] slay the appetite of our living.” What then does this mean?
As I sat on my bed (and as I sit here now), I thought about it. I was reminded of Paul’s statement in Philippians 1:21 in which he says, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” For Paul, living meant that he would follow, serve, and bring glory to Christ; if he died, he knew he would reap the many blessings and joys of falling before the throne of the most High and worshiping Him. If for Paul living meant complete service and submission to the Lord, we too should have this same goal and mindset. We cannot let disappointment and discontentment cause us to lose zeal, passion, or fervor for serving our Lord. We must not let the fact that we did not get what we wanted, when we wanted, the way we wanted cause us to resent the Lord. In fact, the way we react to this type of situation will directly affect our attitude towards God. If we are mad at God, we will not want to serve Him or bring Him glory and honor. But, however, if we trust that God knows what is best, we will realize that God has a bigger and better plan than ours, if only it is to teach us patience and trust. We cannot and must not let our desires and longings get in the way of how we live for the Lord. (Obviously, if our desires and longings are truly aligned with God’s will and His perfect timing, than these things will not conflict.) Essentially, Jim Elliot was saying that we cannot let our disappointment kill our desire to serve the Lord. According to the Westminster Larger Catechism, “man’s chief and highest end is to glorify God, and fully to enjoy Him forever.” We were born to serve God and to glorify Him; that is our purpose in life. Therefore, even when it seems as if the Lord does not grant us our desires, we must still glorify Him because that is what we were created to do. We can glorify Him through our attitudes and how we react to His answer to us.
In closing, I have a prayer by Thomas a Kempis posted up on the mirror in my room and I often meditate on it when it seems as if my desires are conflicting with God’s will. Here is is:
“Lord, may my desires change to Your desires. Lord, if a desire is good and profitable, give me grace to fulfill it to Your glory. But if it be hurtful and injurious to my soul’s health, then remove it from my mind.”
This morning, as I sat on my bed trying to prolong the inevitable of getting ready for work at 6 AM, the profundity of this quote hit me. Now, in context, Jim Elliot was writing to Elisabeth—who would later become his wife—about their longing to be married; he was encouraging her continuance of pursing the Lord and His plans with steadfast determination. However, it seems that this principle can be applied to any aspect in life and any longings we might have.
There are many times when the Lord does not give us the things we believe we desire or He does not answer our prayers according to our will. Of course, when one truly realizes how his relationship with the Father works, he knows that God gives His children only what He deems as good and perfect; anything short of His will is not good and, therefore, if a child of God desires something outside of God’s will, He—like a good father—will not give it to him.
Any person knows the experience of disappointment in not getting their own way; even those people who “get everything they want” will experience it because there are times when they realize that what they wanted did not bring complete satisfaction; therefore, disappointment still occurs. Even when we are sure that something is God’s will, He might wait in granting that desire to us. It is our responsibility to react gracefully and in submission to God’s decision. However the situation pans out, we must be careful to, as Jim Elliot said, “Let not our longing[s] slay the appetite of our living.” What then does this mean?
As I sat on my bed (and as I sit here now), I thought about it. I was reminded of Paul’s statement in Philippians 1:21 in which he says, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” For Paul, living meant that he would follow, serve, and bring glory to Christ; if he died, he knew he would reap the many blessings and joys of falling before the throne of the most High and worshiping Him. If for Paul living meant complete service and submission to the Lord, we too should have this same goal and mindset. We cannot let disappointment and discontentment cause us to lose zeal, passion, or fervor for serving our Lord. We must not let the fact that we did not get what we wanted, when we wanted, the way we wanted cause us to resent the Lord. In fact, the way we react to this type of situation will directly affect our attitude towards God. If we are mad at God, we will not want to serve Him or bring Him glory and honor. But, however, if we trust that God knows what is best, we will realize that God has a bigger and better plan than ours, if only it is to teach us patience and trust. We cannot and must not let our desires and longings get in the way of how we live for the Lord. (Obviously, if our desires and longings are truly aligned with God’s will and His perfect timing, than these things will not conflict.) Essentially, Jim Elliot was saying that we cannot let our disappointment kill our desire to serve the Lord. According to the Westminster Larger Catechism, “man’s chief and highest end is to glorify God, and fully to enjoy Him forever.” We were born to serve God and to glorify Him; that is our purpose in life. Therefore, even when it seems as if the Lord does not grant us our desires, we must still glorify Him because that is what we were created to do. We can glorify Him through our attitudes and how we react to His answer to us.
In closing, I have a prayer by Thomas a Kempis posted up on the mirror in my room and I often meditate on it when it seems as if my desires are conflicting with God’s will. Here is is:
“Lord, may my desires change to Your desires. Lord, if a desire is good and profitable, give me grace to fulfill it to Your glory. But if it be hurtful and injurious to my soul’s health, then remove it from my mind.”
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
God is God and I Am Not!
I think that the song “God is God” by Steven Curtis Chapman is one of my new favorites. The words are so poignant and deep and yet are very easy to relate to everyday life. Here are the lyrics:
And the pain falls like a curtain
On the things I once called certain
And I have to say the words I fear the most
I just don’t know
And the questions without answers
Come and paralyze the dancer
So I stand here on the stage afraid to move
Afraid to fall, oh, but fall I must
On this truth that my life has been formed from the dust
God is God and I am not
I can only see a part of the picture He’s painting
God is God and I am man
So I’ll never understand it all
For only God is God
And the sky begins to thunder
And I’m filled with awe and wonder
‘Til the only burning question that remains
Is who am I?
Can I form a single mountain?
Take the stars in hand and count them?
Can I even take a breath without God giving it to me?
He is first and last before all that has been
Beyond all that will pass
Oh, how great are the riches of His wisdom and knowledge
How unsearchable for to Him and through
Him and from Him are all things
So let us worship before the throne
Of the One who is worthy of worship alone.
(Various sections pulled from Romans 11:33-36; Psalm 8:3-4; 95:3-6; 103:13-22.)
It is so easy for us (me especially) to fear the unknown and it can be hard for us to admit that we have uncertainties or are afraid of the unknown. I strongly believe that the Devil uses doubt and uncertainty to paralyze us and to cause us to despair. There are times when we are afraid to move forward; afraid to fall into our Lord’s arms because it will reveal that we are dependent upon Him; but we MUST be dependent upon the Lord and we MUST fall on His strength. The chorus is probably my favorite part of the whole song! It is such a good reminder to us that we are not God, we never were God, and we never will be God. We are even reminded that we are man; we are frail creatures that were formed from the dust and will return to dust when we die. I love verse 14 in Psalm 103 which says, “For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust.” God knows exactly how we are made; He knows our limits and He is patient with us because He remembers that we are only dust, that we are feeble and frail. The chapter continues on to say, “As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field; for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more.” Man will not last; his life is short, BUT , the verse continues, “BUT the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him.” (vs. 15-17a) God is eternal; He is steady; He is everlasting and will never change! Though we will have uncertainties and fears, God will be steadfast.
My favorite part of the chorus is the part that says “I can only see a part of the picture He’s painting.” This past January, I was reminded of this great truth when my roommate and I – along with some other people from Master’s – went hiking at Vasquez Rocks here in California. When we were down on the ground, the rocks looked daunting and colossal; they looked almost impossible to climb, but we went ahead and climbed them anyways, taking one step at a time. (I already knew the climb was not bad at all, but the appearance of the climb instigated this small epiphany.) On the ground, the park also looked like a confusing conglomeration of paths that went every which way with no purpose or direction; it seemed like one could get lost easily in the disarray of paths. However, once we reached the very top of the rocks we sat and surveyed our surroundings. From on top, the climb did not look nearly as hard as before and it did not look nearly as high; the chaos of the paths all made sense from the top; we could see where they were going and could see that they did have certain purposes. I felt like this was a picture of how God views all of life. As frail humans, we stand at the bottom of life, confused by the many paths of life and terrified by the enormous trials that loom above us; we have no idea how we will find our way or how we will surmount the trials which lie before us. And yet, when we trust the Lord, He brings us to the top of them and He leads us on the right paths. Although there may be things in this life that we will never find out as to why they happened, there are times when God allows us to have a glimpse of His big picture; He reveals to us a part of His painting. From where God sits, atop His throne in Heaven, He can see all of the landscape of life; He can see where all the paths lead and He knows that the mountains are not as big as they seem. Now, He does not have to reveal any part of His plan to us and yet He graciously does so at times. At times, God even allows us to see why things happen the way they did; He shows us why He led us where He did. And when He does this we should thank and praise Him for His graciousness; and when He does not, we should still thank and praise Him for His graciousness and mercy that abounds daily.
The last two stanzas perfectly sum up how we should react to God’s sovereignty. We must acknowledge that His wisdom and knowledge are great and unsearchable; we need to acknowledge that “all things originate with God, all things are governed by God, and all things are ultimately brought back to God.” (Sermon preached by John McIntosh on June 27, 2010.) And so, we must worship Him who is worthy of all our praise and worthy of praise alone.
And the pain falls like a curtain
On the things I once called certain
And I have to say the words I fear the most
I just don’t know
And the questions without answers
Come and paralyze the dancer
So I stand here on the stage afraid to move
Afraid to fall, oh, but fall I must
On this truth that my life has been formed from the dust
God is God and I am not
I can only see a part of the picture He’s painting
God is God and I am man
So I’ll never understand it all
For only God is God
And the sky begins to thunder
And I’m filled with awe and wonder
‘Til the only burning question that remains
Is who am I?
Can I form a single mountain?
Take the stars in hand and count them?
Can I even take a breath without God giving it to me?
He is first and last before all that has been
Beyond all that will pass
Oh, how great are the riches of His wisdom and knowledge
How unsearchable for to Him and through
Him and from Him are all things
So let us worship before the throne
Of the One who is worthy of worship alone.
(Various sections pulled from Romans 11:33-36; Psalm 8:3-4; 95:3-6; 103:13-22.)
It is so easy for us (me especially) to fear the unknown and it can be hard for us to admit that we have uncertainties or are afraid of the unknown. I strongly believe that the Devil uses doubt and uncertainty to paralyze us and to cause us to despair. There are times when we are afraid to move forward; afraid to fall into our Lord’s arms because it will reveal that we are dependent upon Him; but we MUST be dependent upon the Lord and we MUST fall on His strength. The chorus is probably my favorite part of the whole song! It is such a good reminder to us that we are not God, we never were God, and we never will be God. We are even reminded that we are man; we are frail creatures that were formed from the dust and will return to dust when we die. I love verse 14 in Psalm 103 which says, “For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust.” God knows exactly how we are made; He knows our limits and He is patient with us because He remembers that we are only dust, that we are feeble and frail. The chapter continues on to say, “As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field; for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more.” Man will not last; his life is short, BUT , the verse continues, “BUT the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him.” (vs. 15-17a) God is eternal; He is steady; He is everlasting and will never change! Though we will have uncertainties and fears, God will be steadfast.
My favorite part of the chorus is the part that says “I can only see a part of the picture He’s painting.” This past January, I was reminded of this great truth when my roommate and I – along with some other people from Master’s – went hiking at Vasquez Rocks here in California. When we were down on the ground, the rocks looked daunting and colossal; they looked almost impossible to climb, but we went ahead and climbed them anyways, taking one step at a time. (I already knew the climb was not bad at all, but the appearance of the climb instigated this small epiphany.) On the ground, the park also looked like a confusing conglomeration of paths that went every which way with no purpose or direction; it seemed like one could get lost easily in the disarray of paths. However, once we reached the very top of the rocks we sat and surveyed our surroundings. From on top, the climb did not look nearly as hard as before and it did not look nearly as high; the chaos of the paths all made sense from the top; we could see where they were going and could see that they did have certain purposes. I felt like this was a picture of how God views all of life. As frail humans, we stand at the bottom of life, confused by the many paths of life and terrified by the enormous trials that loom above us; we have no idea how we will find our way or how we will surmount the trials which lie before us. And yet, when we trust the Lord, He brings us to the top of them and He leads us on the right paths. Although there may be things in this life that we will never find out as to why they happened, there are times when God allows us to have a glimpse of His big picture; He reveals to us a part of His painting. From where God sits, atop His throne in Heaven, He can see all of the landscape of life; He can see where all the paths lead and He knows that the mountains are not as big as they seem. Now, He does not have to reveal any part of His plan to us and yet He graciously does so at times. At times, God even allows us to see why things happen the way they did; He shows us why He led us where He did. And when He does this we should thank and praise Him for His graciousness; and when He does not, we should still thank and praise Him for His graciousness and mercy that abounds daily.
The last two stanzas perfectly sum up how we should react to God’s sovereignty. We must acknowledge that His wisdom and knowledge are great and unsearchable; we need to acknowledge that “all things originate with God, all things are governed by God, and all things are ultimately brought back to God.” (Sermon preached by John McIntosh on June 27, 2010.) And so, we must worship Him who is worthy of all our praise and worthy of praise alone.
Adoption As Sons and Daughters
This makes me so excited, happy, and thankful!!!
“ God adopts us out of free love, not because our character and record show us worthy to bear His name, but despite the fact that they show the very opposite. We are not fit for a place in God’s family; the idea of His loving and exalting us sinners as He loves and has exalted the Lord Jesus sounds ludicrous and wild – yet that, and nothing less than that, is what our adoption means.
Adoption, by its very nature, is an act of free kindness to the person adopted. If you become a father by adopting a child, you do so because you choose to, not because you are bound to. Similarly, God adopts because He chooses to. He had no duty to do so. He did not have done anything about our sins save punish us as we deserved. But He loved us; so He redeemed us, forgave us, took us as His sons, and gave Himself to us as our Father.” (Knowing God, 1973 ed., p. 195)
Praise the Lord!!! =]
“ God adopts us out of free love, not because our character and record show us worthy to bear His name, but despite the fact that they show the very opposite. We are not fit for a place in God’s family; the idea of His loving and exalting us sinners as He loves and has exalted the Lord Jesus sounds ludicrous and wild – yet that, and nothing less than that, is what our adoption means.
Adoption, by its very nature, is an act of free kindness to the person adopted. If you become a father by adopting a child, you do so because you choose to, not because you are bound to. Similarly, God adopts because He chooses to. He had no duty to do so. He did not have done anything about our sins save punish us as we deserved. But He loved us; so He redeemed us, forgave us, took us as His sons, and gave Himself to us as our Father.” (Knowing God, 1973 ed., p. 195)
Praise the Lord!!! =]
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