I was thinking today about some verses from John. And tonight I looked up what my buddy Matthew Henry had to say about them. Lots of interesting stuff.
John 8:31-33
"To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
They answered him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?”
from Matthew Henry's commentary:
"The knowing, entertaining, and believing, of this truth does actually make us free, free from prejudices, mistakes, and false notions, than which nothing more enslaves and entangles the soul, free from the dominion of lust and passion; and restores the soul to the government of itself, by reducing it into obedience to its Creator. The mind, by admitting the truth of Christ in the light and power, is vastly enlarged, and has scope and compass given it, is greatly elevated and raised above things of sense, and never acts with so true a liberty as when it acts under a divine command, 2 Cor. iii. 17. The enemies of Christianity pretend to free thinking, whereas really those are the freest reasonings that are guided by faith, and those are men of free thought whose thoughts are captivated and brought into obedience to Christ."
I was thinking today about how knowing God is a process in which I am constantly being brought back to ground zero - either being pulled up from lies and fears that are unfounded, or brought down to size and distanced from false pride and selfishness. The truth is freeing because only out of an honest assessment of ourselves and our lives can we actually move forward on solid ground.
It is a bit like someone who cuts his hand, but stubbornly refuses to admit that it has become infected. He could live like that for a while, certainly with a high degree of normality. But eventually a band-aid wouldn't cover the open sore that would result. And eventually the infection would kill him, given enough time and ignorance.
It strikes me too, that the world is all about less responsibility, about blaming others for mistakes that are really our own, about explaining away sinful behavior, about psychoanalyzing selfishness to paint it as a complex. But when I have brushes with that sort of attitude in myself it is apparent that I don't ever get what I want. Ridding myself of guilt is not found in running from guilt, but in claiming it, in claiming responsibility for what is mine. And then methodically and diligently righting what I have wronged. And then guilt is gone. The truth sets us free.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Dreams of Hungry Men
This Sunday afternoon I was meditating on Isaiah 55. A great passage to be sure. Very apt not just for our time, but for myself. Here are some comments Matthew Henry makes on the first sections of Isaiah 55. I want to share them with someone, so here we are.
"From the unspeakable wrong we do to ourselves if we neglect and refuse this invitation: "Wherefore do you spend money for that which is not bread, which will not yield you, no, not beggar's food, dry bread, when with me you may have wine and milk without money? Wherefore do you spend your labour and toil for that which will not be so much as dry bread to you, for it satisfies not?" See here, [1.] The vanity of the things of this world. They are not bread, not proper food for a soul; they afford no suitable nourishment or refreshment. Bread is the staff of the natural life, but it affords no support at all to the spiritual life. All the wealth and pleasure in the world will not make one meal's meat for a soul. Eternal truth and eternal good are the only food for a rational and immortal soul, the life of which consists in reconciliation and conformity to God, and in union and communion with him, which the things of the world will not at all befriend. They satisfy not; they yield not any solid comfort and content to the soul, nor enable it to say, "Now I have what I would have." Nay, they do not satisfy even the appetites of the body. The more men have the more they would have, Eccl. i. 8. Haman was unsatisfied in the midst of his abundance. They flatter, but they do not fill; they please for a while, like the dream of a hungry man, who awakes and his soul is empty. They soon surfeit, but they never satisfy; they cloy a man, but do not content him, or make him truly easy. It is all vanity and vexation. [2.] The folly of the children of this world. They spend their money and labour for these uncertain unsatisfying things. Rich people live by their money, poor people by their labour; but both mistake their truest interest, while the one is trading, the other toiling, for the world, both promising themselves satisfaction and happiness in it, but both miserably disappointed. God vouchsafes compassionately to reason with them: "Wherefore do you thus act against your own interest? Why do you suffer yourselves to be thus imposed upon?" Let us reason with ourselves, and let the result of these reasonings be a holy resolution not to labour for the meat that perishes, but for that which endures to everlasting life, John vi. 27. Let all the disappointments we meet with in the world help to drive us to Christ, and lead us to seek for satisfaction in him only. This is the way to make sure which will be made sure."
"From the unspeakable wrong we do to ourselves if we neglect and refuse this invitation: "Wherefore do you spend money for that which is not bread, which will not yield you, no, not beggar's food, dry bread, when with me you may have wine and milk without money? Wherefore do you spend your labour and toil for that which will not be so much as dry bread to you, for it satisfies not?" See here, [1.] The vanity of the things of this world. They are not bread, not proper food for a soul; they afford no suitable nourishment or refreshment. Bread is the staff of the natural life, but it affords no support at all to the spiritual life. All the wealth and pleasure in the world will not make one meal's meat for a soul. Eternal truth and eternal good are the only food for a rational and immortal soul, the life of which consists in reconciliation and conformity to God, and in union and communion with him, which the things of the world will not at all befriend. They satisfy not; they yield not any solid comfort and content to the soul, nor enable it to say, "Now I have what I would have." Nay, they do not satisfy even the appetites of the body. The more men have the more they would have, Eccl. i. 8. Haman was unsatisfied in the midst of his abundance. They flatter, but they do not fill; they please for a while, like the dream of a hungry man, who awakes and his soul is empty. They soon surfeit, but they never satisfy; they cloy a man, but do not content him, or make him truly easy. It is all vanity and vexation. [2.] The folly of the children of this world. They spend their money and labour for these uncertain unsatisfying things. Rich people live by their money, poor people by their labour; but both mistake their truest interest, while the one is trading, the other toiling, for the world, both promising themselves satisfaction and happiness in it, but both miserably disappointed. God vouchsafes compassionately to reason with them: "Wherefore do you thus act against your own interest? Why do you suffer yourselves to be thus imposed upon?" Let us reason with ourselves, and let the result of these reasonings be a holy resolution not to labour for the meat that perishes, but for that which endures to everlasting life, John vi. 27. Let all the disappointments we meet with in the world help to drive us to Christ, and lead us to seek for satisfaction in him only. This is the way to make sure which will be made sure."
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
The Nicest Lies Are The Worst
I watched a movie recently which was actually pretty good, but it got me thinking. And that is always good. The movie, One Week, is about a guy who gets the news that he is terminally ill, and so he sets off on a motorcycle quest across the country in search of the meaning of life.
As I said, the movie is compelling. It is beautiful and poignant. But it perpetuates a lie which all too often I feel Christians fall for. It is played out in a scene where, far away from home, the main character is drawn into the arms of a beautiful stranger (although he is engaged to someone else). She asks him why he wants to be with her. He answers, "Because I am just searching for moments."
To me, that phrase codifies the lostness of our generation and our own lives. Other phrases that sometimes carry the same weight are "Seize the day", "You only live once", "Chase your dreams", etc. It is all about the here and now. It is all about one person - you. Or rather, me.
The lost world is simply chasing. Always there is one more thing to achieve, to have, to grasp, and it is never what I have NOW. Its what I almost have, and when I have it, true satisfaction will be realized.
We have all played the game, what would you do if you won the lottery. Well, to win the lottery you have to play it, which in itself reveals something of people's hearts. I talked to a guy who played the lottery regularly. I told him I didn't think it would make him truly happy if he won. He replyed, "Well, I'd sure like to try it and find out!" Money only multiplies the disfunction of the human heart, it does not fix it! People who win the lottery (without making too general a statement) often find themselves in far more misery several years down the road than before.
The human heart is a tanlged web of desire and deceit. Dallas Willard, in Renovation of the Heart, writes extensively on the nature and state of the human heart without God. He says the following,
"The constant character of the will apart from God is duplicity - or more accurately, fragmentation and multiplicity. It wills many things and they cannot be reconciled with each other. Turned away from God, thought and feeling fall into chaos, and the will cannot but follow. There is nothing outside it that can pull or push it right...Accordingly, the natural and proper complexity of the will leads those thus living as their own god in their world into ever-deeper layers of deception, and then into darkness, where they cannot even understand themselves and why they do what they do."
Echoes of Jeremiah 17:9, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?"
It is therefore not surprising that the world is in the mess it is in. It makes sense for those that having nothing else - why not chase every whim, every desire, every pleasure in the hope of finding something more, something lasting? But it is troubling for me to see Christians engage in a similar thinking. It is, after all, us who claim to know the hope of the world, to have God residing in our hearts, to know the light that gives light to every man (John 1). To agree to this lie, that we should in fact pursue a particular desire for desires sake, that we are entitled to a level of happiness as the world would prescribe it, is akin to saying as Paul said, "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die." (1 Cor. 15:32, Isaiah 22:13) It is the only humane way to live if there is no God and no ultimate good. But is insane for those who have been entrusted with the very hope of the nations.
A read through the book of James is perhaps an appropriate prescription for this sort of thinking. James 3:13-16,"Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice."
As I said, the movie is compelling. It is beautiful and poignant. But it perpetuates a lie which all too often I feel Christians fall for. It is played out in a scene where, far away from home, the main character is drawn into the arms of a beautiful stranger (although he is engaged to someone else). She asks him why he wants to be with her. He answers, "Because I am just searching for moments."
To me, that phrase codifies the lostness of our generation and our own lives. Other phrases that sometimes carry the same weight are "Seize the day", "You only live once", "Chase your dreams", etc. It is all about the here and now. It is all about one person - you. Or rather, me.
The lost world is simply chasing. Always there is one more thing to achieve, to have, to grasp, and it is never what I have NOW. Its what I almost have, and when I have it, true satisfaction will be realized.
We have all played the game, what would you do if you won the lottery. Well, to win the lottery you have to play it, which in itself reveals something of people's hearts. I talked to a guy who played the lottery regularly. I told him I didn't think it would make him truly happy if he won. He replyed, "Well, I'd sure like to try it and find out!" Money only multiplies the disfunction of the human heart, it does not fix it! People who win the lottery (without making too general a statement) often find themselves in far more misery several years down the road than before.
The human heart is a tanlged web of desire and deceit. Dallas Willard, in Renovation of the Heart, writes extensively on the nature and state of the human heart without God. He says the following,
"The constant character of the will apart from God is duplicity - or more accurately, fragmentation and multiplicity. It wills many things and they cannot be reconciled with each other. Turned away from God, thought and feeling fall into chaos, and the will cannot but follow. There is nothing outside it that can pull or push it right...Accordingly, the natural and proper complexity of the will leads those thus living as their own god in their world into ever-deeper layers of deception, and then into darkness, where they cannot even understand themselves and why they do what they do."
Echoes of Jeremiah 17:9, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?"
It is therefore not surprising that the world is in the mess it is in. It makes sense for those that having nothing else - why not chase every whim, every desire, every pleasure in the hope of finding something more, something lasting? But it is troubling for me to see Christians engage in a similar thinking. It is, after all, us who claim to know the hope of the world, to have God residing in our hearts, to know the light that gives light to every man (John 1). To agree to this lie, that we should in fact pursue a particular desire for desires sake, that we are entitled to a level of happiness as the world would prescribe it, is akin to saying as Paul said, "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die." (1 Cor. 15:32, Isaiah 22:13) It is the only humane way to live if there is no God and no ultimate good. But is insane for those who have been entrusted with the very hope of the nations.
A read through the book of James is perhaps an appropriate prescription for this sort of thinking. James 3:13-16,"Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice."
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Love Your Enemies
“Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be
kind to each other and everyone.”
-1 Thessalonians 5:15
“Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek,
turn to him the other also… Love your enemies and pray for those
who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.”
-Matthew 5:39, 44-45
“Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing,
because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.
-1 Peter 3:9
These teachings seem utterly unreasonable. They are all familiar
passages, so they aren’t initially startling. But honestly, I cannot imagine
getting punched on the right side of my face, and offering the left side as
well.
However, these teachings assume several important things about us,
and the state of our hearts. As Dallas Willard writes after referring to each
of these passages, “…all presuppose that one has laid down the burden
of having one’s own way. You can’t begin to even understand them, much
less follow them, except from a posture of self-denial firmly supported
upon confidence, and this based, in turn, in a strong experience of God’s
all-sufficient presence in your life.” Agreed. That may be why I struggle
with these so much. Who can say they have fully laid down the burden of
having one’s own way? But that is what it is - a burden! We are bound by
our own desires, our selfishness, until we, by the grace of God, are able
to relinquish our rights to our own fickle and misleading desires and are
freed to follow God’s good law: the love of God and neighbour before self.
These teachings certainly assume a high degree of self denial. But
they also suppose something else about the state of our hearts-that we are
suffering evil unjustly, that we are not somehow the conduit of strife and
conflict in someone else’s life, and in turn find ourselves in the midst of
such tension. To not repay someone wrong for wrong would suggest I have
not done them some wrong first! To turn the cheek would be meaningless if
I already threw a punch.
Peter says, “…how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for
doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you
endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called,
because Christ suffered for you, leaving you and example, that you should
follow in his steps… keep a clear conscience, so that those who speak
maliciously against your good behaviour in Christ may be ashamed of
their slander… If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or
any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler.” (verses from 1 Peter)
Certainly these verses from Peter reinforce the idea of self denial
as basic to following Christ. But for me, they drive home the fact that if
I want to experience the joy of suffering for Christ, of turning the other
cheek, of loving my enemies and praying for those who persecute me, my
conscience needs to be clear before God.
As Peter says, if all we are getting is what we deserve-which is
probably pretty often-than we have nothing to complain about, never mind
any moral credit in suffering in silence! Justice is simply being served.
Hypothetically, if I am critical of others, condescending, and
degrading, if I subtly make fun and seek to elevate myself at the expense
of others, I cannot balk at being treated in a similar way. When it happens
to me, I realize how much it hurts, and how little I like it. But to suffer as
one suffering the slings and arrows of injustice would make little sense. In
fact, when we feel the sting of being treated how we often treat others, it
simply serves to perpetuate the cycle of pain and bitterness in relationships
instead of waking us to our own sinful behaviour.
However, if I my conscience is clear on such a matter, yet it happens
to me, it is to my credit to respond graciously. God is glorified, and my
adversary is shamed (and possibly convicted) by a forgiving and gentle
response. It is not without reason that Peter exhorted the believers to
holiness-“just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do…live
in reverent fear.” When our life is holy, we are able to turn the other cheek
in any situation, to be always “completely humble and gentle”, to suffer as
Christ suffered-with a clear conscience and a forgiving response-so that
we may “silence the ignorant talk of foolish men” (1 Peter 2) and shame
those who “speak maliciously of your good behaviour” (1 Peter 3), and
ultimately, “conduct yourself in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.”
kind to each other and everyone.”
-1 Thessalonians 5:15
“Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek,
turn to him the other also… Love your enemies and pray for those
who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.”
-Matthew 5:39, 44-45
“Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing,
because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.
-1 Peter 3:9
These teachings seem utterly unreasonable. They are all familiar
passages, so they aren’t initially startling. But honestly, I cannot imagine
getting punched on the right side of my face, and offering the left side as
well.
However, these teachings assume several important things about us,
and the state of our hearts. As Dallas Willard writes after referring to each
of these passages, “…all presuppose that one has laid down the burden
of having one’s own way. You can’t begin to even understand them, much
less follow them, except from a posture of self-denial firmly supported
upon confidence, and this based, in turn, in a strong experience of God’s
all-sufficient presence in your life.” Agreed. That may be why I struggle
with these so much. Who can say they have fully laid down the burden of
having one’s own way? But that is what it is - a burden! We are bound by
our own desires, our selfishness, until we, by the grace of God, are able
to relinquish our rights to our own fickle and misleading desires and are
freed to follow God’s good law: the love of God and neighbour before self.
These teachings certainly assume a high degree of self denial. But
they also suppose something else about the state of our hearts-that we are
suffering evil unjustly, that we are not somehow the conduit of strife and
conflict in someone else’s life, and in turn find ourselves in the midst of
such tension. To not repay someone wrong for wrong would suggest I have
not done them some wrong first! To turn the cheek would be meaningless if
I already threw a punch.
Peter says, “…how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for
doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you
endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called,
because Christ suffered for you, leaving you and example, that you should
follow in his steps… keep a clear conscience, so that those who speak
maliciously against your good behaviour in Christ may be ashamed of
their slander… If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or
any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler.” (verses from 1 Peter)
Certainly these verses from Peter reinforce the idea of self denial
as basic to following Christ. But for me, they drive home the fact that if
I want to experience the joy of suffering for Christ, of turning the other
cheek, of loving my enemies and praying for those who persecute me, my
conscience needs to be clear before God.
As Peter says, if all we are getting is what we deserve-which is
probably pretty often-than we have nothing to complain about, never mind
any moral credit in suffering in silence! Justice is simply being served.
Hypothetically, if I am critical of others, condescending, and
degrading, if I subtly make fun and seek to elevate myself at the expense
of others, I cannot balk at being treated in a similar way. When it happens
to me, I realize how much it hurts, and how little I like it. But to suffer as
one suffering the slings and arrows of injustice would make little sense. In
fact, when we feel the sting of being treated how we often treat others, it
simply serves to perpetuate the cycle of pain and bitterness in relationships
instead of waking us to our own sinful behaviour.
However, if I my conscience is clear on such a matter, yet it happens
to me, it is to my credit to respond graciously. God is glorified, and my
adversary is shamed (and possibly convicted) by a forgiving and gentle
response. It is not without reason that Peter exhorted the believers to
holiness-“just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do…live
in reverent fear.” When our life is holy, we are able to turn the other cheek
in any situation, to be always “completely humble and gentle”, to suffer as
Christ suffered-with a clear conscience and a forgiving response-so that
we may “silence the ignorant talk of foolish men” (1 Peter 2) and shame
those who “speak maliciously of your good behaviour” (1 Peter 3), and
ultimately, “conduct yourself in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.”
Monday, June 28, 2010
Family
Sometimes I wonder what I fail to understand in the lives of others due to my healthy experience of family life. I grew up in a very stable home, where I never doubted my parent's love for each other, or for God. How many people do I come in contact with every day that simply never experienced that? Many people I know have had less then ideal family lives. There is no doubting the setback that it potentially can be.
I was contemplating my life today. I realized that I still live my life before my family, the people most permanent and most important in my life. When I accomplish something, I am most proud for them. When I fail, I feel their disappointment more than anyone else. And not in an negative way. Rather, I want to be all I can because I want them to be proud. I don't imagine having the same initiative, the same drive, the same obligation to work hard, strive for integrity, and succeed without having the family I do.
And having said that, I imagine if I felt God's call to go somewhere, or do something my family might not understand, they would be the ones I would have the hardest time letting down.
Then I look at the life of Jesus - he lived before only one audience, that of his Father. His earthly family were often confused and hurt by his strange and independent behavior. But his concern was really with only one - his heavenly Father. Truthfully, Jesus mission would have been crippled had he given careful and special attention to the ties with his own family. After all, Jesus commanded his followers to "let the dead bury their own dead" when someone wanted to pay respects to a father that had passed, and that they were to "hate their own families" in comparison to God.
Troubling words to be sure. But Jesus was telling us something about the approval of men, and in particular, our own families, whose approval usually holds the most weight. No matter how righteous and loving our families, living according to their standard and direction rather than God's is sure to produce a life that is at the very best, limited, and at worst, wasted.
I was contemplating my life today. I realized that I still live my life before my family, the people most permanent and most important in my life. When I accomplish something, I am most proud for them. When I fail, I feel their disappointment more than anyone else. And not in an negative way. Rather, I want to be all I can because I want them to be proud. I don't imagine having the same initiative, the same drive, the same obligation to work hard, strive for integrity, and succeed without having the family I do.
And having said that, I imagine if I felt God's call to go somewhere, or do something my family might not understand, they would be the ones I would have the hardest time letting down.
Then I look at the life of Jesus - he lived before only one audience, that of his Father. His earthly family were often confused and hurt by his strange and independent behavior. But his concern was really with only one - his heavenly Father. Truthfully, Jesus mission would have been crippled had he given careful and special attention to the ties with his own family. After all, Jesus commanded his followers to "let the dead bury their own dead" when someone wanted to pay respects to a father that had passed, and that they were to "hate their own families" in comparison to God.
Troubling words to be sure. But Jesus was telling us something about the approval of men, and in particular, our own families, whose approval usually holds the most weight. No matter how righteous and loving our families, living according to their standard and direction rather than God's is sure to produce a life that is at the very best, limited, and at worst, wasted.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Where Have All The Real Men Gone?
I recently attended a men's conference at Centre Street Church. The focus was for the most part on what it means to be a man, both in the context of marriage, and in general. The conference for me seemed to clarify a bunch of things that I already believed, and that I have been thinking.
Mark Driscoll spoke on biblical manhood. As he spoke, I realized I agree with his conservative view on gender roles. I realized I essentially always have. There is nothing convincing in the argument from feminism - or liberal Christianity - that men are replaceable with women. And there is nothing more unbecoming than a women trying to prove she's as strong as the men, or an oversensitive good for nothing mama's boy.
Driscoll used a word to describe men that have shirked their responsiblity to be what they should be as men of God - "worthless". Essentially, society is chalk full of worthless men. They do not love their wives or serve their families. They idolize money and sex and stuff, but do not worship or serve their Creator. But that is to be expected - most men do not know Jesus. Christian men, however, are held to an exceedingly high standard - so high that a man who lived up to it truly said of himself, "anyone who has seen me has seen God Himself." (John 14) We are to be men after the example of Christ - true reflections of our Heavenly Father as his sons. I will share a few of the things that that includes.
Men are to be leaders! Men are designed to lead, whether in business, in the church, or at home. As Driscoll put it, "men are to rule as kings." But we are not to be dictators. Men are designed to have dominion over something. Men who do not have a meaningful and healthy kind of dominion become bullies, intimidating and abusing weaker people (usually women and children). Our leadership as men possesses an inherent bestowing of responsibility from God. Especially in the home the responsibility to lead, guide, teach and protect is on the man. If we refuse to do it, we are still responsible. God holds Adam responsible for the first sin, although Eve is the first sinner. In Genesis 1, after they both sin, God calls out for Adam, not Eve.
I am reminded that as men, we need to seize the initiative and lead our families in the ways of the Lord. The world is full of families and marriages where there is no leadership - there is only blame. Leadership is taking responsibility for your family. It is interesting to think about Christ. He has essentially taken responsibility for his bride the church, and our sinfulness, although it is not his fault. We likewise are to take responsibility for our wives and families. Although everything that happens in our homes are not our fault, our homes are our responsibility.
It bothers me when I meet a Christian man who shies away from talking about spiritual things. But I suspect the cause is simple - he does not have a vital relationship with Christ. I am not saying he isn't saved, only that someone who has little to say in regard to spiritual matters must be involved little in spiritual things himself. It is on us as men to be pursuing Christ personally, so that we can lead our families in that area. Another way men are to lead is to be teachers for their families. It isn't for no reason that Paul commands women to be silent in church, or that if a women has questions about scripture, she should ask her husband, or that the qualifications for both overseers (bishop or pastor) and deacons begin with being a man. Men are to be spiritual leaders.
Finally, the balancing aspect of our call to be leaders is our call to be sacrifical servants to our families. Ephesians 5 commands men to love their wives, even as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her! Every man who believes biblical manhood and leadership is about getting his way needs to digest this concept. We are as men to lay down our lives for our wives, and our families. We are to in humility consider them "better than ourselves" (Philippians 2) We are to forgive our wives as Christ forgave us (Ephesians 5) - that is, all the time, without ceasing, in every situation, until Christ returns. We are to love our wives as we love ourselves.
Mark Driscoll spoke on biblical manhood. As he spoke, I realized I agree with his conservative view on gender roles. I realized I essentially always have. There is nothing convincing in the argument from feminism - or liberal Christianity - that men are replaceable with women. And there is nothing more unbecoming than a women trying to prove she's as strong as the men, or an oversensitive good for nothing mama's boy.
Driscoll used a word to describe men that have shirked their responsiblity to be what they should be as men of God - "worthless". Essentially, society is chalk full of worthless men. They do not love their wives or serve their families. They idolize money and sex and stuff, but do not worship or serve their Creator. But that is to be expected - most men do not know Jesus. Christian men, however, are held to an exceedingly high standard - so high that a man who lived up to it truly said of himself, "anyone who has seen me has seen God Himself." (John 14) We are to be men after the example of Christ - true reflections of our Heavenly Father as his sons. I will share a few of the things that that includes.
Men are to be leaders! Men are designed to lead, whether in business, in the church, or at home. As Driscoll put it, "men are to rule as kings." But we are not to be dictators. Men are designed to have dominion over something. Men who do not have a meaningful and healthy kind of dominion become bullies, intimidating and abusing weaker people (usually women and children). Our leadership as men possesses an inherent bestowing of responsibility from God. Especially in the home the responsibility to lead, guide, teach and protect is on the man. If we refuse to do it, we are still responsible. God holds Adam responsible for the first sin, although Eve is the first sinner. In Genesis 1, after they both sin, God calls out for Adam, not Eve.
I am reminded that as men, we need to seize the initiative and lead our families in the ways of the Lord. The world is full of families and marriages where there is no leadership - there is only blame. Leadership is taking responsibility for your family. It is interesting to think about Christ. He has essentially taken responsibility for his bride the church, and our sinfulness, although it is not his fault. We likewise are to take responsibility for our wives and families. Although everything that happens in our homes are not our fault, our homes are our responsibility.
It bothers me when I meet a Christian man who shies away from talking about spiritual things. But I suspect the cause is simple - he does not have a vital relationship with Christ. I am not saying he isn't saved, only that someone who has little to say in regard to spiritual matters must be involved little in spiritual things himself. It is on us as men to be pursuing Christ personally, so that we can lead our families in that area. Another way men are to lead is to be teachers for their families. It isn't for no reason that Paul commands women to be silent in church, or that if a women has questions about scripture, she should ask her husband, or that the qualifications for both overseers (bishop or pastor) and deacons begin with being a man. Men are to be spiritual leaders.
Finally, the balancing aspect of our call to be leaders is our call to be sacrifical servants to our families. Ephesians 5 commands men to love their wives, even as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her! Every man who believes biblical manhood and leadership is about getting his way needs to digest this concept. We are as men to lay down our lives for our wives, and our families. We are to in humility consider them "better than ourselves" (Philippians 2) We are to forgive our wives as Christ forgave us (Ephesians 5) - that is, all the time, without ceasing, in every situation, until Christ returns. We are to love our wives as we love ourselves.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Empty
There are no empty people. When a human puts nothing into there lives, or their heart or mind, they are simply an open vessel, prone to be filled with all the meaningless fluff the world itself is filled with. When I do not intentionally channel, filter, and choose what goes into my mind and my heart, I am unwittingly open to all the philosophies, values, fantasies, and priorities that our lost world is producing in its' lame and futile effort to find meaning and freedom.
I have experienced this often. It is easy to say we will change our behavior, that we will be more loving, that we will be more Christlike. But it does not happen based on good intentions - I am learning more and more that if I want to really live out God's high calling on my life, I must be filling myself with His presence and the Word of God. Otherwise I am stuck - on the one hand I know my shortcomings and sin, but on the other hand I face my perpetual inclination towards the meaningless stuff that the world values, the stuff that holds my attention and fills my heart if I do not fill myself with Christ.
So, as I have read repeatedly in Proverbs lately, the key is a disciplined life. Proverbs 5:23 says, "The fool will die from lack of discipline, lead astray by his own great folly." We are all such a one when we are not pursuing the wisdom of God, but blithely letting ourselves be filled by the world. But what of the man who fills himself with God? Psalm 1 talks about the result:
2 But his (the blessed man) delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers.
I have experienced this often. It is easy to say we will change our behavior, that we will be more loving, that we will be more Christlike. But it does not happen based on good intentions - I am learning more and more that if I want to really live out God's high calling on my life, I must be filling myself with His presence and the Word of God. Otherwise I am stuck - on the one hand I know my shortcomings and sin, but on the other hand I face my perpetual inclination towards the meaningless stuff that the world values, the stuff that holds my attention and fills my heart if I do not fill myself with Christ.
So, as I have read repeatedly in Proverbs lately, the key is a disciplined life. Proverbs 5:23 says, "The fool will die from lack of discipline, lead astray by his own great folly." We are all such a one when we are not pursuing the wisdom of God, but blithely letting ourselves be filled by the world. But what of the man who fills himself with God? Psalm 1 talks about the result:
2 But his (the blessed man) delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Victim or Villain?
"Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit." Galatians 5:24-25
"You, however are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you." Romans 8:9
"Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature." Colossians 3:5
I have a tendency to victimize myself when it comes to sin. The picture that I paint in my mind is this: I am in bondage to sin, I am trapped, I am defeated, my sin is the result of a force to powerful to control. But Paul says this in Romans 6:16: "You are slaves to the one whom you obey, whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness."
Every thought, every motive, every action, is by nature a choice of our own. We are not subject to our decisions and actions, rather they are subject to us. That is why Paul pleads, "Put to death whatever belongs to your earthly nature"! It is a concious choice. As Jesus put it, "take up your cross". In other words, be crucified with him. CHOOSE to do so. Jesus never pleaded or reasoned or begged, much less forced someone to follow him. In fact, Jesus often warned people about following him - the road is narrow, it is hard, few can travel it. Count the cost, are you able? There is always choice.
Yet beneath our choice lies the deciet and bondage of our sin. I feel that daily. It is a road that can only be walked by "keeping in step with the Spirit."
"...for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose." Philippians 2:13
"The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak." It is both - we choose to obey God. He works his will in us, and empowers us by his Spirit. We love God only because he condescended to love us first.
"You, however are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you." Romans 8:9
"Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature." Colossians 3:5
I have a tendency to victimize myself when it comes to sin. The picture that I paint in my mind is this: I am in bondage to sin, I am trapped, I am defeated, my sin is the result of a force to powerful to control. But Paul says this in Romans 6:16: "You are slaves to the one whom you obey, whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness."
Every thought, every motive, every action, is by nature a choice of our own. We are not subject to our decisions and actions, rather they are subject to us. That is why Paul pleads, "Put to death whatever belongs to your earthly nature"! It is a concious choice. As Jesus put it, "take up your cross". In other words, be crucified with him. CHOOSE to do so. Jesus never pleaded or reasoned or begged, much less forced someone to follow him. In fact, Jesus often warned people about following him - the road is narrow, it is hard, few can travel it. Count the cost, are you able? There is always choice.
Yet beneath our choice lies the deciet and bondage of our sin. I feel that daily. It is a road that can only be walked by "keeping in step with the Spirit."
"...for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose." Philippians 2:13
"The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak." It is both - we choose to obey God. He works his will in us, and empowers us by his Spirit. We love God only because he condescended to love us first.
Monday, March 22, 2010
The Instructive Presence of God
In Calvin Miller's book, "Into the Depths of God", in his chapter about prayer, says this: "Where we volunteer for silence, and put our personal agendas to sleep, God comes to us, and his coming instructs our lives."
It strikes me that when am quiet before God, I do not need long before I begin to understand the things in my heart that are wrong, and the things in my life that need to change. The very presence of God is convicting, and the words of scripture can't be read without understanding what is unpleasing to God in our lives. When I quiet myself, at any point in the day, and just address the Lord, the things that are ugly, selfish and sinful lose their common allure and lustre. And the ordinary acts of obedience and love begin to become beautiful and attractive. In short, life is put in proper perspective when I am in the presence of God. Intentionally in His presence, that is.
It begs the question, why do I ever shun the Lord's invitation to walk with Him? Of course its not surprising. Enjoying God's presence necessitates our own rightness with Him. Its not always easy to deal with my sin. But its always worth it. Psalm 34 says, "The Lord redeems his servants; no one will be condemned who takes refuge in him." God never turns anyone away. Throughout Psalm 34 he talks about how God is attentive to the righteous, and that they will be delivered. But David also calls himself "a poor man." It isn't hard to understand our poverty when we catch a glimpse of God's righteousness and glory.
Psalm 34:5
Those who look to him are radiant;
their faces are never covered with shame.
It strikes me that when am quiet before God, I do not need long before I begin to understand the things in my heart that are wrong, and the things in my life that need to change. The very presence of God is convicting, and the words of scripture can't be read without understanding what is unpleasing to God in our lives. When I quiet myself, at any point in the day, and just address the Lord, the things that are ugly, selfish and sinful lose their common allure and lustre. And the ordinary acts of obedience and love begin to become beautiful and attractive. In short, life is put in proper perspective when I am in the presence of God. Intentionally in His presence, that is.
It begs the question, why do I ever shun the Lord's invitation to walk with Him? Of course its not surprising. Enjoying God's presence necessitates our own rightness with Him. Its not always easy to deal with my sin. But its always worth it. Psalm 34 says, "The Lord redeems his servants; no one will be condemned who takes refuge in him." God never turns anyone away. Throughout Psalm 34 he talks about how God is attentive to the righteous, and that they will be delivered. But David also calls himself "a poor man." It isn't hard to understand our poverty when we catch a glimpse of God's righteousness and glory.
Psalm 34:5
Those who look to him are radiant;
their faces are never covered with shame.
Friday, March 5, 2010
Listening to God
Someone asked me recently what I thought about hearing God. I have often wondered how we hear God. More specifically, how do we follow God's leading, how do we know, when we're at a fork in the road, which way to go? Especially when we're faced with two equally virtuous and redeeming options, and no discernable direction, what do we do?
Here are some thoughts.
Who we are becoming is more important than what we're doing. I could personally do one of 10,000 different jobs right now. I go to work to provide for my family. I don't feel a specific call or loyalty to my career. But whatever it is, my character can be shaped when I treat my job as if I am doing it for the Lord. It is not an issue of specific career description, but of my attitude and my heart when I do it. So, sometimes when we're at a fork, after seeking wisdom and God's will, and not sensing a pull towards one way or the other, we just must choose and trust God.
So, all that to say, decisions only matter when they possess a moral quality to them. Most decisions we make are arbitrary - they only possess the measure of right or wrong we assign to them. I could eat granola or rice krispies for breakfast. I could work at a linen company or build houses. They are only right or wrong so far as how we carry them out - if our job is building houses, we should do so to the glory of God. But sometimes, like Jonah, we know that an instead of a decision being arbitrary, it has been assigned the weight of "obedience." Where Jonah served the Lord did not matter - until the Lord told him to serve him in Ninevah.
Which brings us back to the question of hearing God's voice. We certainly don't hear him like Moses or Jonah did. Atleast, we don't have the same specific direction, such as "hey Gideon, go attack that army with only 300 men and nothing but jars and torches." But I would maintain that when it comes to knowing what's right, we have no less access to the voice of God. We usually know how to obey, and we know when we're not.
It is interesting to note too, that listening to God doesn't allow us to avoid the potholes and pitfalls of life. Sure, we can avoid a lot of heartache caused by our own sin, selfishness, and foolish mistakes. But even the most wise, sincere child of God experiences setbacks, failures, and discouragement. God's plan is not to provide a pain free existence, but to use our experiences to draw us to him, to help us trust him, to understand our need for him. And it happens the most when things are going wrong. There is no denying that fact. We learn vastly more in our testing then in our prosperity. "Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." (James 1:4)
All that to say, when we listen to God, he often leads us into places we'd rather not go. I think sometimes we are to focused on planning, and not enough on obeying. For the most part, our tasks as followers of Christ are right in front of us.
Is this to simplistic? Maybe. I certainly don't have all the answers. I know I have wished many times that God would just write instructions in the sky. How much easier life would be! But that is truly simplistic. I have heard many times that people would believe if they could only see God, and see a miracle - that people would obey if God would just clarify his will. But like Jonah, like Thomas, we are prone to doubt and disobedience. Like Israel, we easily ignore the tangible reality of God in favor of an easier, more comfortable life.
Proverbs 2 says: "Then (after seeking wisdom) you will understand what is right and just and fair—every good path."
Here are some thoughts.
Who we are becoming is more important than what we're doing. I could personally do one of 10,000 different jobs right now. I go to work to provide for my family. I don't feel a specific call or loyalty to my career. But whatever it is, my character can be shaped when I treat my job as if I am doing it for the Lord. It is not an issue of specific career description, but of my attitude and my heart when I do it. So, sometimes when we're at a fork, after seeking wisdom and God's will, and not sensing a pull towards one way or the other, we just must choose and trust God.
So, all that to say, decisions only matter when they possess a moral quality to them. Most decisions we make are arbitrary - they only possess the measure of right or wrong we assign to them. I could eat granola or rice krispies for breakfast. I could work at a linen company or build houses. They are only right or wrong so far as how we carry them out - if our job is building houses, we should do so to the glory of God. But sometimes, like Jonah, we know that an instead of a decision being arbitrary, it has been assigned the weight of "obedience." Where Jonah served the Lord did not matter - until the Lord told him to serve him in Ninevah.
Which brings us back to the question of hearing God's voice. We certainly don't hear him like Moses or Jonah did. Atleast, we don't have the same specific direction, such as "hey Gideon, go attack that army with only 300 men and nothing but jars and torches." But I would maintain that when it comes to knowing what's right, we have no less access to the voice of God. We usually know how to obey, and we know when we're not.
It is interesting to note too, that listening to God doesn't allow us to avoid the potholes and pitfalls of life. Sure, we can avoid a lot of heartache caused by our own sin, selfishness, and foolish mistakes. But even the most wise, sincere child of God experiences setbacks, failures, and discouragement. God's plan is not to provide a pain free existence, but to use our experiences to draw us to him, to help us trust him, to understand our need for him. And it happens the most when things are going wrong. There is no denying that fact. We learn vastly more in our testing then in our prosperity. "Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." (James 1:4)
All that to say, when we listen to God, he often leads us into places we'd rather not go. I think sometimes we are to focused on planning, and not enough on obeying. For the most part, our tasks as followers of Christ are right in front of us.
Is this to simplistic? Maybe. I certainly don't have all the answers. I know I have wished many times that God would just write instructions in the sky. How much easier life would be! But that is truly simplistic. I have heard many times that people would believe if they could only see God, and see a miracle - that people would obey if God would just clarify his will. But like Jonah, like Thomas, we are prone to doubt and disobedience. Like Israel, we easily ignore the tangible reality of God in favor of an easier, more comfortable life.
Proverbs 2 says: "Then (after seeking wisdom) you will understand what is right and just and fair—every good path."
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Smallness
Rising slowly throught the night sky over the lights of Calgary, everything seems small. It grows steadily smaller as we fly. The cars on the country roads look like very small, very slow fireflies, inching apprehensively along.
It is astounding to consider the vastness of our planet. I will never see most of it firsthand. I only hear about the wonders of the world, the beauty of the more exotic places, the sprawling beauty of rainforests, the vastness of a desert.
And then when I consider the size of our planet in relation to the universe, I am baffled. I heard it said that if our galaxy - and there are apparently billions of galaxies in the universe - is North America, our planet is comparable to a quarter. Not 25%. Twenty five cents. A coin on the face of the continent. To say we are small understates our situation considerably.
These concepts give a healthy dose of perspective. Man is painfully prone to an inflated ego. An outsider to our world might wonder, "Why do some of those little creatures walk around like they are so important?" There is a certain egotism expressed when we expand such energy worrying, complaining, and bitterly lamenting the ills of our lives.
The truth is, our life is but a vapor, and the death rate is one per person. It can seem rather unvaporlike though. Life can seem tedious, difficult, and painful. It can seem like one challenge after another.
I am thankful for God. I am thankful that he sees and understands every fear, frustration and failure. He does not necessarily attribute the same weight of importance to all of them - my priorites are certainly not always aligned with his. I don't think God's heart breaks like mine when I wish I had a bigger house. And I do wish I had a bigger house. But I know God's heart breaks when there are relationships that are less then they should be, or ones that are completely broken.
God's view of us is not one of an overbearing father, ready at a moments notice to dole out judgment. David describes him as "slow to anger and rich in love," and that "he has compassion on all he has made."
I echo the sentiment of scripture: "What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?" (Psalm 8:4) The universe we find ourselves we find ourselves in is unimaginably huge. And that is just what has happened - we have simply found ourselves to exist. We have been born to parents we did not choose, in a location we did not decide, in a universe we did not design.
Yet for all the musings of our size, we know how our Creator sees us - as his children. He is intimately aquainted with us. In fact, to say he is aquainted is a misconception. Psalm 139 says, "you percieve my thoughts...before a word is on my tongue you know it completely..." The Lord understands us totally and completely, far more than we understand ourselves. And, small and insignificant as we might feel, petty and self absorbed as we might become, he loves us perfectly.
It is astounding to consider the vastness of our planet. I will never see most of it firsthand. I only hear about the wonders of the world, the beauty of the more exotic places, the sprawling beauty of rainforests, the vastness of a desert.
And then when I consider the size of our planet in relation to the universe, I am baffled. I heard it said that if our galaxy - and there are apparently billions of galaxies in the universe - is North America, our planet is comparable to a quarter. Not 25%. Twenty five cents. A coin on the face of the continent. To say we are small understates our situation considerably.
These concepts give a healthy dose of perspective. Man is painfully prone to an inflated ego. An outsider to our world might wonder, "Why do some of those little creatures walk around like they are so important?" There is a certain egotism expressed when we expand such energy worrying, complaining, and bitterly lamenting the ills of our lives.
The truth is, our life is but a vapor, and the death rate is one per person. It can seem rather unvaporlike though. Life can seem tedious, difficult, and painful. It can seem like one challenge after another.
I am thankful for God. I am thankful that he sees and understands every fear, frustration and failure. He does not necessarily attribute the same weight of importance to all of them - my priorites are certainly not always aligned with his. I don't think God's heart breaks like mine when I wish I had a bigger house. And I do wish I had a bigger house. But I know God's heart breaks when there are relationships that are less then they should be, or ones that are completely broken.
God's view of us is not one of an overbearing father, ready at a moments notice to dole out judgment. David describes him as "slow to anger and rich in love," and that "he has compassion on all he has made."
I echo the sentiment of scripture: "What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?" (Psalm 8:4) The universe we find ourselves we find ourselves in is unimaginably huge. And that is just what has happened - we have simply found ourselves to exist. We have been born to parents we did not choose, in a location we did not decide, in a universe we did not design.
Yet for all the musings of our size, we know how our Creator sees us - as his children. He is intimately aquainted with us. In fact, to say he is aquainted is a misconception. Psalm 139 says, "you percieve my thoughts...before a word is on my tongue you know it completely..." The Lord understands us totally and completely, far more than we understand ourselves. And, small and insignificant as we might feel, petty and self absorbed as we might become, he loves us perfectly.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Empty Christians
How could it be possible? Can Christians be empty? Aren't we of all people supposed to have found truth and meaning and joy? Aren't we supposed to be filled with the Holy Spirit? I know firsthand that they can be empty. I know that the less I intentionally pursue Christ, the more my desire for worldly things grows, and my control over worldly appetites diminishes. If I am not being filled by Him, I will look to fill myself with other things.
To once again quote Calvin Miller, "Emptiness leaves us wanton till we fill it with whatever secondary appetite might seem to stop our hungers of soul...when God fills our inner vacuum with his Holy Spirit, life works. When God does not fill the vacuum, a host of consuming appetites swarm through our better intentions..."
Wow, do I ever know what that feels like. As Christians, we know what is right. But when we are not filled up by a vibrant relationship with Christ, our actions and our knowledge of the truth tend to become slowly separated.
I remember the stage of my life when I was turning to the Lord, and becoming serious about my faith. I liked the thought of having a relationship the the Lord. And I knew what was right. But I actually felt as though I would never NOT want to do all the fun stuff - smoke, drink, etc. Yet I also recall the brilliant and burning appetite I inexplicably had for scripture. I was about 16, and after a series of experiences, I had seriously committed my life to the Lord. I would often wake up at 5 or 6 to read the Bible and pray. The particular stage lasted maybe a few months, and I have never recovered a similar hunger for the Bible. But as I developed my relationship with God, the desires for old things actually begin to fall away like scales, and I no longer considered them a struggle.
In the movie, "Fireproof", (a very popular movie in Christian circles, which most people thought was cheesy, but which brought tears to my eyes), there is a line that goes, "Don't just follow your heart. You've got to lead your heart." The complacent, empty heart is an incredibly dark and ugly place. There isn't a worse guide than the unguided human heart.
Calvin Miller remarks, "The seven deadly sins rarely root themselves in a busy, purposeful life. All of them grow best in the soil of human emptiness."
The question I asked earlier may apply. Can Christians be empty? I don't know. A Christian is someone who has a relationship with their Heavenly Father, however infantile and immature that relationship may be. But can we be a Christian with virtually no intent given to it? "No Christian is quite so dead as one whose vitality has been sapped by being out of touch with God."
To once again quote Calvin Miller, "Emptiness leaves us wanton till we fill it with whatever secondary appetite might seem to stop our hungers of soul...when God fills our inner vacuum with his Holy Spirit, life works. When God does not fill the vacuum, a host of consuming appetites swarm through our better intentions..."
Wow, do I ever know what that feels like. As Christians, we know what is right. But when we are not filled up by a vibrant relationship with Christ, our actions and our knowledge of the truth tend to become slowly separated.
I remember the stage of my life when I was turning to the Lord, and becoming serious about my faith. I liked the thought of having a relationship the the Lord. And I knew what was right. But I actually felt as though I would never NOT want to do all the fun stuff - smoke, drink, etc. Yet I also recall the brilliant and burning appetite I inexplicably had for scripture. I was about 16, and after a series of experiences, I had seriously committed my life to the Lord. I would often wake up at 5 or 6 to read the Bible and pray. The particular stage lasted maybe a few months, and I have never recovered a similar hunger for the Bible. But as I developed my relationship with God, the desires for old things actually begin to fall away like scales, and I no longer considered them a struggle.
In the movie, "Fireproof", (a very popular movie in Christian circles, which most people thought was cheesy, but which brought tears to my eyes), there is a line that goes, "Don't just follow your heart. You've got to lead your heart." The complacent, empty heart is an incredibly dark and ugly place. There isn't a worse guide than the unguided human heart.
Calvin Miller remarks, "The seven deadly sins rarely root themselves in a busy, purposeful life. All of them grow best in the soil of human emptiness."
The question I asked earlier may apply. Can Christians be empty? I don't know. A Christian is someone who has a relationship with their Heavenly Father, however infantile and immature that relationship may be. But can we be a Christian with virtually no intent given to it? "No Christian is quite so dead as one whose vitality has been sapped by being out of touch with God."
Friday, January 29, 2010
Driving
I don't know if there is any other undertaking I do on a regular basis that so commonly leads me to a selfish, impatient, angry attitude than driving. Commuting. What is it about driving that causes me to have such hatred and vindictiveness toward other people. It seems I can wait for someone slow in the grocery store line, but if someone doesn't step on it at a turning light, I just about lose my mind. Can't they see that their incompetence to drive will cause me to have to wait for another whole turning light?
And how about someone merging in, or trying to change lanes? Not in front of me buddy! And then I tailgate the guy in front of me just to keep him out.
Why can't we take the attitude of Christ when we drive? I have been trying to, but it seems to be exceedingly difficult. It is something I continue to work on. Can anyone identify?
I remember one incident that was particularly convicting. I was on my way to meet someone from the church, who I had not met before, except over the phone. I was almost at Denny's when some guy sort of cut me off. I almost gave him a big fat honk on the horn, but thankfully I didn't. But that's not to say I didn't cultivate some less than godly thoughts. The guy who cut me off pulled into the Denny's parking lot, and we both got out. It was evident that he was the guy I was supposed to be meeting. How awkward would it have been had I enacted my road rage on him? Wow.
But I suppose I should treat everyone on the road like someone from the church. My grace for them might abound if I knew I was going to see them on Sunday morning.
And how about someone merging in, or trying to change lanes? Not in front of me buddy! And then I tailgate the guy in front of me just to keep him out.
Why can't we take the attitude of Christ when we drive? I have been trying to, but it seems to be exceedingly difficult. It is something I continue to work on. Can anyone identify?
I remember one incident that was particularly convicting. I was on my way to meet someone from the church, who I had not met before, except over the phone. I was almost at Denny's when some guy sort of cut me off. I almost gave him a big fat honk on the horn, but thankfully I didn't. But that's not to say I didn't cultivate some less than godly thoughts. The guy who cut me off pulled into the Denny's parking lot, and we both got out. It was evident that he was the guy I was supposed to be meeting. How awkward would it have been had I enacted my road rage on him? Wow.
But I suppose I should treat everyone on the road like someone from the church. My grace for them might abound if I knew I was going to see them on Sunday morning.
Contrition
Contrition, humility, openness, brokenness, vulnerability, submission - these are the things that must characterize the Christian's life. It isn't perfection, production or holiness that should define us. An increasing level of devotion and a steadily increasing change in our hearts and actions? Yes, but absolute holiness is impossible. My life, my body, my mind, will always bear the marks of my fallen state.
The key, rather, is to be at all times vividly aware of my weaknesses, my shortcomings and my need for the Lord. Especially when I sin, it is important to immediately run back to God and let Him straighten my posture. It isn't that sin isn't a problem - it is THE problem. But it is a problem that has been dealt with, at least in the spiritual realm. So, knowing the presence of Christ and His completed sacrifice, we should hastily return to throne of God and let Him correct us. "A contrite spirit, Oh Lord, you will not despise." (Psalm 51)
I know first hand the damage that is done to my relationship with God, and consequently, all of my relationships, if I put off dealing properly with my sin.
Under NO circumstances will we be turned away by God if our spirit is truly contrite! Hebrews 10:14: "...because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy." The work before God has been done - we can approach Him at all times. In actuality we still sin, yet spiritually we have been cleaned. As Luther said, "we are like snow covered dung." Ephesians says, "God...made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions..." (2:5)
Maybe these thoughts aren't profound at first - yet I think it is a shame when the profound truths of the gospel become dull. But the more I think about this stuff, the more profound it becomes.
This attitude, too, is a more effective way of dealing with sin than all the focus and effort we often exert in avoiding it. Not that we shouldn't avoid it, but it is not as though we must overcome all sin before we are accepted. Rather, we should continually bring it before God, knowing of His power to forgive, cleanse, and renew.
The key, rather, is to be at all times vividly aware of my weaknesses, my shortcomings and my need for the Lord. Especially when I sin, it is important to immediately run back to God and let Him straighten my posture. It isn't that sin isn't a problem - it is THE problem. But it is a problem that has been dealt with, at least in the spiritual realm. So, knowing the presence of Christ and His completed sacrifice, we should hastily return to throne of God and let Him correct us. "A contrite spirit, Oh Lord, you will not despise." (Psalm 51)
I know first hand the damage that is done to my relationship with God, and consequently, all of my relationships, if I put off dealing properly with my sin.
Under NO circumstances will we be turned away by God if our spirit is truly contrite! Hebrews 10:14: "...because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy." The work before God has been done - we can approach Him at all times. In actuality we still sin, yet spiritually we have been cleaned. As Luther said, "we are like snow covered dung." Ephesians says, "God...made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions..." (2:5)
Maybe these thoughts aren't profound at first - yet I think it is a shame when the profound truths of the gospel become dull. But the more I think about this stuff, the more profound it becomes.
This attitude, too, is a more effective way of dealing with sin than all the focus and effort we often exert in avoiding it. Not that we shouldn't avoid it, but it is not as though we must overcome all sin before we are accepted. Rather, we should continually bring it before God, knowing of His power to forgive, cleanse, and renew.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Proselytizer
pros⋅e⋅lyt⋅ize
to convert or attempt to convert as a proselyte; recruit.
Today I had someone say to me, "I don't like being proselytized." It was an interesting conversation with someone I don't know particularly well. I was questioning this person's beliefs about God (they are an atheist) and what they believed about our origins. This person got offended when I presented some basic arguments against atheism. I didn't mean to be too forward or pushy, but apparently I was.
The comment made me realize something, or at least it reinforced what I already knew - arguments and debates don't generally win people to Christ. More often, I think the heart is reached by kindness and love. "They will know we are Christians by our love." Not by our well reasoned, polished arguments. Although I'd like to have those too.
Well, this blog can't be considered proselytizing, cause you chose to read it!
to convert or attempt to convert as a proselyte; recruit.
Today I had someone say to me, "I don't like being proselytized." It was an interesting conversation with someone I don't know particularly well. I was questioning this person's beliefs about God (they are an atheist) and what they believed about our origins. This person got offended when I presented some basic arguments against atheism. I didn't mean to be too forward or pushy, but apparently I was.
The comment made me realize something, or at least it reinforced what I already knew - arguments and debates don't generally win people to Christ. More often, I think the heart is reached by kindness and love. "They will know we are Christians by our love." Not by our well reasoned, polished arguments. Although I'd like to have those too.
Well, this blog can't be considered proselytizing, cause you chose to read it!
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Sin
Calvin Miller, in his book, "Into the Depths of God", writes:
"The inner lie is 'I'm OK.' The outer lie is 'You're OK.' The cultural tomfoolery is that everybody's OK. There are two ways to deal with our sin. The first is to look at it and say, 'I'm OK.' The second is to say, 'Well to be entirely honest about it, I'm not OK, but that's OK because Christ is more than OK, in fact, he's all sufficient.'"
Someone once said that the sign of a maturing believer is a greater awareness of our own sin. What a contradiction to the message of our age, of popular humanism, that we can do it all if we try hard enough. That the human heart is above all good, and contains all we need for success and happiness. How many times have you heard the phrase, "the power of the human spirit"? It bothers me.
The human spirit is depraved, selfish, and utterly lost. Someone else once said (I can't remember whom), that the mind can be totally overcome by dwelling on two things: The glory of God and the sinfulness of man. I am overwhelmed sometimes, when I consider the brokenness, even just around me - things like broken marriages and addictions, never mind stuff like child trafficking, sexual slavery, and genocide.
I watched a documentary on sexual slavery in Europe and Russia. It was one of the saddest things I've ever seen. How could humans become so hardened, so cruel, so ugly? But I suppose, when we shut out the light of God, we are left only to look inward, and harvest the fruit of all our selfish desires. Like Jesus says in John 3:19, "This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil." People still love darkness. And isn't it all the more easier, when we are surrounded by a multitude of people who would rather meet their own sinful desires, for us to do the same?
I guess that's why Jesus said that the path is wide that leads to destruction, and many follow it, but the path that leads to eternal life is narrow, and few follow it.
But it all begins and ends with the blackness of the human heart. And if I don't everyday recognize the darkness of my own heart without Christ, that day will be forfeit for the kingdom of God.
"The inner lie is 'I'm OK.' The outer lie is 'You're OK.' The cultural tomfoolery is that everybody's OK. There are two ways to deal with our sin. The first is to look at it and say, 'I'm OK.' The second is to say, 'Well to be entirely honest about it, I'm not OK, but that's OK because Christ is more than OK, in fact, he's all sufficient.'"
Someone once said that the sign of a maturing believer is a greater awareness of our own sin. What a contradiction to the message of our age, of popular humanism, that we can do it all if we try hard enough. That the human heart is above all good, and contains all we need for success and happiness. How many times have you heard the phrase, "the power of the human spirit"? It bothers me.
The human spirit is depraved, selfish, and utterly lost. Someone else once said (I can't remember whom), that the mind can be totally overcome by dwelling on two things: The glory of God and the sinfulness of man. I am overwhelmed sometimes, when I consider the brokenness, even just around me - things like broken marriages and addictions, never mind stuff like child trafficking, sexual slavery, and genocide.
I watched a documentary on sexual slavery in Europe and Russia. It was one of the saddest things I've ever seen. How could humans become so hardened, so cruel, so ugly? But I suppose, when we shut out the light of God, we are left only to look inward, and harvest the fruit of all our selfish desires. Like Jesus says in John 3:19, "This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil." People still love darkness. And isn't it all the more easier, when we are surrounded by a multitude of people who would rather meet their own sinful desires, for us to do the same?
I guess that's why Jesus said that the path is wide that leads to destruction, and many follow it, but the path that leads to eternal life is narrow, and few follow it.
But it all begins and ends with the blackness of the human heart. And if I don't everyday recognize the darkness of my own heart without Christ, that day will be forfeit for the kingdom of God.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Some Contemplation
Life is such a jumbled mess of choices, distractions, tangents, desires, emotions, joy, pain. For some it includes the search for truth, for others, the search for something that will drown out the voice ringing in their heart that this is not all there is.
Maybe after a long while running in the other direction, of drowning out the divine message rather than examining what it says, all the stuff used to cover it up becomes like white noise, and silence is the result. But only percieved silence. Like white noise when it ceases, so it is when we are faced with stillness and reflection. The knowledge that we are not alone is built into our heart. But we were made to know not only of God - but to know him.
I am beginning to understand that knowing God is not simply reading the scriptures and talking to him. It isn't summed up in going to church. It is the gradual realization and understanding of truth, of reality. By examining the world we see God. I don't just mean seeing the light of creation, although creation practically shouts the existence of God. In our desires, joy, pain, the glory of whole relationships and the tragedy of broken ones, we see God. Every perversion necessitates a possibility of wholeness. Every misuse means there must be an intended use. We see in every human society to ever populate the earth, in government, the church, work, war, money, and in every appetite - food, drink, sex - the possibilites for brokenness. History is a summation of them all. But like I said, brokenness necessitates a possibility of wholeness. It is only a question of how to get there. It is not a question of the reality of good or evil - evil is all to apparent. Rather, it is the question all religions have sought to answer - how do we fix us?
The Bible is the only book, and Christianity is the only worldview, to adequately address human brokenness. Only under the direction of scripture and the power of the cross can we begin to straighten our posture.
Divine intervention. It is the only hope for humanity, and God has given it. All other systems either ignore the complete fallenness of humanity, or assert our ability to come back from the brink, to attain godliness despite our unfortunate starting point. Think of all other belief systems, even systems close to Christianity. They all prescribe a mix of living a life worthy of heaven, of attaining to godliness, of climbing high enough, try hard enough to be saved. What could we possibly have that God might want? What could we possibly do that might impress him? What could we give the very one that made us, so as to elicit his acceptance of us?
No, the only thing left to do for us is decide. God has extended his hand, all we are left with is to reach out the hand of a beggar (thank you Hank Hanegraff) and recieve the free gift.
Some thoughts for today.
Maybe after a long while running in the other direction, of drowning out the divine message rather than examining what it says, all the stuff used to cover it up becomes like white noise, and silence is the result. But only percieved silence. Like white noise when it ceases, so it is when we are faced with stillness and reflection. The knowledge that we are not alone is built into our heart. But we were made to know not only of God - but to know him.
I am beginning to understand that knowing God is not simply reading the scriptures and talking to him. It isn't summed up in going to church. It is the gradual realization and understanding of truth, of reality. By examining the world we see God. I don't just mean seeing the light of creation, although creation practically shouts the existence of God. In our desires, joy, pain, the glory of whole relationships and the tragedy of broken ones, we see God. Every perversion necessitates a possibility of wholeness. Every misuse means there must be an intended use. We see in every human society to ever populate the earth, in government, the church, work, war, money, and in every appetite - food, drink, sex - the possibilites for brokenness. History is a summation of them all. But like I said, brokenness necessitates a possibility of wholeness. It is only a question of how to get there. It is not a question of the reality of good or evil - evil is all to apparent. Rather, it is the question all religions have sought to answer - how do we fix us?
The Bible is the only book, and Christianity is the only worldview, to adequately address human brokenness. Only under the direction of scripture and the power of the cross can we begin to straighten our posture.
Divine intervention. It is the only hope for humanity, and God has given it. All other systems either ignore the complete fallenness of humanity, or assert our ability to come back from the brink, to attain godliness despite our unfortunate starting point. Think of all other belief systems, even systems close to Christianity. They all prescribe a mix of living a life worthy of heaven, of attaining to godliness, of climbing high enough, try hard enough to be saved. What could we possibly have that God might want? What could we possibly do that might impress him? What could we give the very one that made us, so as to elicit his acceptance of us?
No, the only thing left to do for us is decide. God has extended his hand, all we are left with is to reach out the hand of a beggar (thank you Hank Hanegraff) and recieve the free gift.
Some thoughts for today.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Thoughts on the Following
Let me preface this post by letting you in on a little secret. My laptop (I used to call them lab tops - don't know why) is a little schizophrenic, and every, oh, 20 seconds it moves my cursor out of my script b*ox and on to another part of the screen. The asterisk (asterik?) you see in the word box will signify* when it does it, and conseque*ntly how annoyed I am. Thought I would let you all out there in internet * world in on my secret.
So, last night I posted my* first ever blog post. It was thrilling. Today I thought of no less then probably* 30 random subjects that have been ruminating in my mind, ready at a moments notice to be shared in the blogosphere. So, in the interest of keeping you* all engaged, here are some of them that I can think of. In radio it is called a teaser (up next, we'll tell y*ou blah blah). So here is my teaser blog post. A very long teaser.
In the following days, *weeks, months, maybe years, you can expect posts on the following subjects from the mind of Allan (in no particu*lar order):
1. Free Will - why our human free will is the stamp of God's imag*e, and of his endorsement of us as the crowning jewels of his creation (thank you Hank Hanegraff).
2. God's Sovereignty (not juxtaposed to free will - not the predestination debate. I want to discuss my thoughts on how pain, bad events, and circumstances are viewed, especially by believers, and how we might* best view our existence in light of our Creator)
3. Why sports are so compelling, and how the success or failure of our team can be so connected to our happiness. I don't mean this facetiously - I really find the effect of sports on peoples (and my*) moods, happiness and identity fascinating.
4. Prosperity Theology - Even more than I find it errant and ridiculous, I find it alarming that people can be su*cked in by a set of doctrines that are so obviously false.
5. Denominationalism - why do we divide the church over issues that should not constitute irreconcilable differences for believers, over things other than the main and plain things of the gospel?
6. Perspective - why happiness in life is determined, more than anything, by our perspective and therefore our expectations.
7. Our Calling - the fascinating reality that, unlike religions and cults, following Christ means something very unique for every individual.
8. Forgiveness - why we are bound to forgive at all times, as disciples of Christ.
9. Questions about Heaven - I wonder many things about heaven, like will the world be void of risk? Could we feel a thrill without a risk? Will physical pain exist? Not disease, of course.
10. Am I really talented or really average?
11. Why death is necessary
12. How we change in the context of different relationships.
there you go, followers! Looking back at this list, it seems like something from the back of the hymnal (Evelyn, you would know what I mean). In the church I grew up in, the Christian Reformed Church, the hymnals contain a full set of doctrines in the back. I hope this isn't a boring blog! Oh well. I think I will still enjoy writing it.
Late
So, last night I posted my* first ever blog post. It was thrilling. Today I thought of no less then probably* 30 random subjects that have been ruminating in my mind, ready at a moments notice to be shared in the blogosphere. So, in the interest of keeping you* all engaged, here are some of them that I can think of. In radio it is called a teaser (up next, we'll tell y*ou blah blah). So here is my teaser blog post. A very long teaser.
In the following days, *weeks, months, maybe years, you can expect posts on the following subjects from the mind of Allan (in no particu*lar order):
1. Free Will - why our human free will is the stamp of God's imag*e, and of his endorsement of us as the crowning jewels of his creation (thank you Hank Hanegraff).
2. God's Sovereignty (not juxtaposed to free will - not the predestination debate. I want to discuss my thoughts on how pain, bad events, and circumstances are viewed, especially by believers, and how we might* best view our existence in light of our Creator)
3. Why sports are so compelling, and how the success or failure of our team can be so connected to our happiness. I don't mean this facetiously - I really find the effect of sports on peoples (and my*) moods, happiness and identity fascinating.
4. Prosperity Theology - Even more than I find it errant and ridiculous, I find it alarming that people can be su*cked in by a set of doctrines that are so obviously false.
5. Denominationalism - why do we divide the church over issues that should not constitute irreconcilable differences for believers, over things other than the main and plain things of the gospel?
6. Perspective - why happiness in life is determined, more than anything, by our perspective and therefore our expectations.
7. Our Calling - the fascinating reality that, unlike religions and cults, following Christ means something very unique for every individual.
8. Forgiveness - why we are bound to forgive at all times, as disciples of Christ.
9. Questions about Heaven - I wonder many things about heaven, like will the world be void of risk? Could we feel a thrill without a risk? Will physical pain exist? Not disease, of course.
10. Am I really talented or really average?
11. Why death is necessary
12. How we change in the context of different relationships.
there you go, followers! Looking back at this list, it seems like something from the back of the hymnal (Evelyn, you would know what I mean). In the church I grew up in, the Christian Reformed Church, the hymnals contain a full set of doctrines in the back. I hope this isn't a boring blog! Oh well. I think I will still enjoy writing it.
Late
My Very Own Followers
Hello, faithful followers! A big thank you to all of you who have steadily supported me through this incredible blog journey. It has indeed been a fun ride, hasn't it? .
Ok, so I have three followers. One is my sister, the other is my wife, and the other is Carrie, who is like family. But STILL!!
Ok, I am exiting this post, so I can make a meaningful one.
Late
Ok, so I have three followers. One is my sister, the other is my wife, and the other is Carrie, who is like family. But STILL!!
Ok, I am exiting this post, so I can make a meaningful one.
Late
Monday, January 18, 2010
My First Blog
7 minutes ago I turned to my wife and said, "I would like to blog." So she prompted me to do it. Being that it is late, and we are sitting in bed waiting for our 6 week old daughter to finish nursing so we can sleep, I have no excuse not to start blogging! Sleep won't come for atleast another 20 minutes.
So, why blog? In some ways I feel sort of foolish. It seems like one of those things that is for nerdy, introspective folk. I might qualify I guess. But I think it will be a good outlet for me. Every day I have many ideas, feelings, thoughts, convictions, and questions bouncing around my brain. "Your bwain...?" (name that movie anyone?) I need to express them somehow. Sometimes I trouble my wife with my many queries about life. It goes one of two ways: Either she just listens, and says nothing. Sometimes I feel crazy when I am just spouting ideas and she is staring blankly. Or she makes a valiant effort to engage with me on an intellectal level (which I appreciate) but can only do so for a little while before blowing a circuit herself. And my topics of discussion usually involve philosophy, the Bible, God, the nature of life, and so forth.
So, hopefully my "blog" can allow for some creative expression, pontification, and possibly some feedback.
It has been 20 minutes, and sleep is approaching. Coming soon folks, an "about me" section, crazy theological ideas, the meaning of life, and MORE!
PS. I feel like the girl from Julie and Julia because she blogs throughout the whole movie. I am, however, not a moody late twenties female seeking higher meaning through cooking.
Later!
So, why blog? In some ways I feel sort of foolish. It seems like one of those things that is for nerdy, introspective folk. I might qualify I guess. But I think it will be a good outlet for me. Every day I have many ideas, feelings, thoughts, convictions, and questions bouncing around my brain. "Your bwain...?" (name that movie anyone?) I need to express them somehow. Sometimes I trouble my wife with my many queries about life. It goes one of two ways: Either she just listens, and says nothing. Sometimes I feel crazy when I am just spouting ideas and she is staring blankly. Or she makes a valiant effort to engage with me on an intellectal level (which I appreciate) but can only do so for a little while before blowing a circuit herself. And my topics of discussion usually involve philosophy, the Bible, God, the nature of life, and so forth.
So, hopefully my "blog" can allow for some creative expression, pontification, and possibly some feedback.
It has been 20 minutes, and sleep is approaching. Coming soon folks, an "about me" section, crazy theological ideas, the meaning of life, and MORE!
PS. I feel like the girl from Julie and Julia because she blogs throughout the whole movie. I am, however, not a moody late twenties female seeking higher meaning through cooking.
Later!
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