This week, having found some time to get away, I have been listening to and reading some very interesting and engaging material. I want to note, before I continue about the material I've been taking in, one interesting thing. I can honestly say that reading heady philosophical literature, listening to debates, and thinking about arguments regarding the world, God and reason feel to me much like eating an ice cream cone or soaking in a warm bath. I find few things as invigorating and life giving. Those who know me can probably attest to this, either to their delight or chagrin. My wife would identify with the latter. But I can't help it.
Two thinkers have been filling my time this week, one who is current, and one from the last century. William Lane Craig is the first. He is perhaps the most well spoken Christian thinker when it comes to arguments from reason for the existence of God, the resurrection, and many other things. Whether writing or speaking, he carefully and tactfully builds arguments from the ground of logic upwards, so that each point naturally follows each argument and evidence. I quite enjoy it. Check out his debate with Bart Ehrman on Youtube, where he lays out a mathmatical formula for the probability of any explanation for any given event or phenomenon - thereby forcefully arguing for the vaidity of Christ's resurrection. Check out reasonablefaith.org for more from him.
The second is C.S. Lewis. He was introduced to me when I was in perhaps grade 11, and I read Mere Christianity. The force of his reasoning, as well as his use of metaphors and language, was not only a new discovery at the time, but very transforming for me spiritually. I have come back to his work, both fictional and philosophical, periodically since that time. I have read perhaps half of his well known work, my favorite being perhaps The Great Divorce and Miracles, which I am reading now.
What inspired me to write at this moment was precisely the aforementioned Miracles, a treatise on the possibility for miracles in our world, and also the foundations of reason. I want to share some thoughts from the third chapter in particular, which I think our culture's thinkers need to seriously revisit in light of some frightening developments in modern science and philosophy. The chapter is called "The Self-Contradiction of the Naturalist". Although written in 1946, it is very apropos.
"All possible knowledge depends on the validity of reasoning... Unless human reasoning is valid no science can be true... A theory which explained everything else in the whole universe but which made it impossible to believe that our thinking was valid, would be utterly out of court. For that theory would itself have been reached by thinking, and if thinking is not valid that theory would, of course, be itself demolished."
Why does this matter? Naturalism is the reigning worldview of modern science and culture. Yet the foundations for reason and science depend on this logical conclusion - that we can in fact coherently reach certain conclusions about nature, based on human reason. But naturalism holds that our brains, and our bodies, are simply part of the total whole.
"The mind, like every other particular thing and event, is supposed to be simply the product of the Total System. It is supposed to be that and nothing more, to have no power whatever of 'going on of its own accord.' And the Total System is not supposed to be rational. All thoughts whatever are therefore the results of irrational causes and nothing more than that." Lewis goes on, "You cannot show that our processes of thought yield truth unless you are allowed to argue 'Because a thought is useful, therefore it must be (at least partly) true.' But this is itself an inference. If you trust it, you are once more assuming that very validity which you set out to prove."
He goes on to then tackle those who would say they really aren't interested in truth, just the well being and flourishing of human life. The paragraph here is good enough that I want to include all of it: "The real answer is that unless Naturalists put forward Naturalism as a true theory, we have of course no dispute with them. You can argue with a man who says, 'Rice is unwholesome': but you neither can nor need argue with a man who says, 'Rice is unwholesome, but I'm not saying this is true.' I feel also that this surrender of the claim to truth has all the air of an expedient adopted at the last moment. If the Naturalists do not claim to know any truths, ought they not to have warned us rather earlier of the fact? For really from all the books they have written, in which the behavior of the remotest nebula, the shyest photon and the most prehistoric man are described, one would have got the idea that they were claiming to give a true account of real things. The fact surely is that they nearly always are claiming to do so. The claim is surrendered only when the question discussed in this chapter is pressed; and when the crisis is over the claim is tacitly resumed."
I am going to now go back to reading instead of writing. Hopefully you enjoyed these thoughts from myself and mostly C.S. Lewis.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
The Answer
So it has been a while since my last entry. I have plunged into my busy season of life, which of course is summer. As soon as the weather heats up, window washing picks up where it left off, and my free time shrinks considerably. And there have been other things filling my schedule too.
This will be fairly brief. I want to write one thing I have been meditating on. It is from Watchman Nee's book, "The Normal Christian Life".
He says this: "God makes it quite clear in His Word that He has only one answer to every human need-His Son, Jesus Christ."
I wonder if we believe this, if I believe it. Or do we believe some hybrid of this, somewhat diluted? Do we perhaps relegate the gospel to dealing with "purely spiritual matters", the stuff that is between me and God, as if there were any other kind of matter at all. No, this is true. But I know I for one sometimes don't live or act like it.
I come back to this passage alot, but I believe it contains the essential truth of the gospel.
Isaiah 55:2:
Why spend money on what is not bread,
and your labor on what does not satisfy?
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,
and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.
The point is this: God is the highest desire of every righteous person, of every upright heart, of everyone who has come to a clear valuation of things. Anyone that has begun to see reality as it really is will begin to understand their need for God, and they will also understand that He is in fact what they want above all else. They will understand that every beautiful and desirable thing in this world is only of value if it serves to point us to our Creator. They will understand that despite the world's best efforts to substitute every created thing for god, there is only one God, one Creator, lover, healer, and Savior of our souls, and only One worth our total affection.
This will be fairly brief. I want to write one thing I have been meditating on. It is from Watchman Nee's book, "The Normal Christian Life".
He says this: "God makes it quite clear in His Word that He has only one answer to every human need-His Son, Jesus Christ."
I wonder if we believe this, if I believe it. Or do we believe some hybrid of this, somewhat diluted? Do we perhaps relegate the gospel to dealing with "purely spiritual matters", the stuff that is between me and God, as if there were any other kind of matter at all. No, this is true. But I know I for one sometimes don't live or act like it.
I come back to this passage alot, but I believe it contains the essential truth of the gospel.
Isaiah 55:2:
Why spend money on what is not bread,
and your labor on what does not satisfy?
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,
and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.
The point is this: God is the highest desire of every righteous person, of every upright heart, of everyone who has come to a clear valuation of things. Anyone that has begun to see reality as it really is will begin to understand their need for God, and they will also understand that He is in fact what they want above all else. They will understand that every beautiful and desirable thing in this world is only of value if it serves to point us to our Creator. They will understand that despite the world's best efforts to substitute every created thing for god, there is only one God, one Creator, lover, healer, and Savior of our souls, and only One worth our total affection.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Kids
There is a metaphor that has been developing for the past 3 and a half years in my life. It is having children. I remember clearly the weeks following the birth of my first daughter Makenna. The thought swept over me continually that God's love was similar in some ways to my love for my daughter. Though she was small and helpless, I saw infinite value and worth in her. And I loved her long before she could love me. Those are things I have heard before, being raised in the church. Yeah yeah, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. But having a daughter took that truth from my head to my heart.
In more recent days, there have been other ways God has spoken to me through my children. Such as the fact that as I write this, my 3 year old is begging me to do something fun. So I must take a break. Bye!
Ok, so where was I...
There is something our parents tell us when we are growing up, although no kid likes hearing it. "I just want what is best for you." That is of course the reason for missing out on so much fun. But as a parent you sincerely want your kids to understand what you mean - why sometimes they cannot have what they want, something very good in itself. Like cake. Or seeing a friend. Or having a snack. Or why they cannot have something that is in fact inately harmful, although they cannot understand that either.
I was thinking this week that life is so much about our perspective. A toddler has the perspective that they are the only really important person in the world. A teenager, having moved through a few phases of life, develops an idea that although they are not the only person that matters, they are the only person with a clue. Their parents are outdated and unfair. Then, you become a parent. And you realize that in each stage of life, we lack the true perspective on our own life, although it is easy to have a proper perspective on, say, my little brother's life.
As our character matures - if it does and is - then the only proper perspective to have is one of humility regarding our own life. We realize with each step, as I am realizing in my life, how little we know, and how much we do not.
So that leads me to wondering if I am paralleling my children's immaturity, but in more subtle ways. I wonder if, as God leads me through different challenges, and calls me to new things, I am acting like a child, resisting His efforts to bless and grow me.
My littlest daughter is 1. She has begun to assert herself very strongly when she wants something. We insist that she uses her limited words or signs to "ask" for something, rather than screaming for it. It is easy to see that such a habit and skill - that is, graciously and humbly relating to others - will serve her well in life. More than that, she will learn to be gracious to us and to God, and view everything as a gift, nothing deserved. But she cannot possibly understand all of what it means to ask politely, or to say thank you. Those are still a means to an end.
I wonder if, in my tough situations, whether God would rather have me seek to hone my own attitude and character than look to fix the problem. Not that the problem is good in itself, but it will be truly of no good if I cannot adopt God's perspective on it in the process. So, it is not that my daughter should not have food when she is hungry, but that if in her hunger she never learns to be gracious in the asking and recieving, the food will only feed her body, not her soul.
"Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?" Matthew 6:25
In more recent days, there have been other ways God has spoken to me through my children. Such as the fact that as I write this, my 3 year old is begging me to do something fun. So I must take a break. Bye!
Ok, so where was I...
There is something our parents tell us when we are growing up, although no kid likes hearing it. "I just want what is best for you." That is of course the reason for missing out on so much fun. But as a parent you sincerely want your kids to understand what you mean - why sometimes they cannot have what they want, something very good in itself. Like cake. Or seeing a friend. Or having a snack. Or why they cannot have something that is in fact inately harmful, although they cannot understand that either.
I was thinking this week that life is so much about our perspective. A toddler has the perspective that they are the only really important person in the world. A teenager, having moved through a few phases of life, develops an idea that although they are not the only person that matters, they are the only person with a clue. Their parents are outdated and unfair. Then, you become a parent. And you realize that in each stage of life, we lack the true perspective on our own life, although it is easy to have a proper perspective on, say, my little brother's life.
As our character matures - if it does and is - then the only proper perspective to have is one of humility regarding our own life. We realize with each step, as I am realizing in my life, how little we know, and how much we do not.
So that leads me to wondering if I am paralleling my children's immaturity, but in more subtle ways. I wonder if, as God leads me through different challenges, and calls me to new things, I am acting like a child, resisting His efforts to bless and grow me.
My littlest daughter is 1. She has begun to assert herself very strongly when she wants something. We insist that she uses her limited words or signs to "ask" for something, rather than screaming for it. It is easy to see that such a habit and skill - that is, graciously and humbly relating to others - will serve her well in life. More than that, she will learn to be gracious to us and to God, and view everything as a gift, nothing deserved. But she cannot possibly understand all of what it means to ask politely, or to say thank you. Those are still a means to an end.
I wonder if, in my tough situations, whether God would rather have me seek to hone my own attitude and character than look to fix the problem. Not that the problem is good in itself, but it will be truly of no good if I cannot adopt God's perspective on it in the process. So, it is not that my daughter should not have food when she is hungry, but that if in her hunger she never learns to be gracious in the asking and recieving, the food will only feed her body, not her soul.
"Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?" Matthew 6:25
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Sincerely Damned
This week I read through a wonderful little book by C.S. Lewis called "The Great Divorce". If you have not read it, you need to. It is hard to adequately describe how much I loved reading it, or how much I gained, and am still gaining, from having read it. Lewis has the uncanny gift for expressing spiritual truths profoundly and plainly, either through fiction or allegory or arguments.
The book deals with the nature of good and evil, and especially Heaven and Hell. Lewis propagates, through a story, that those who end up in Hell in fact choose it. God gives them what they want. And likewise, those that want Himself, He gives them Heaven. He explores several major ways and reasons people reject Heaven for Hell.
In Chapter 4 he addresses something I have often wondered about - what about those people who sincerely seek the truth, but simply end up at the wrong conclusion? What is to become of those who reject the Christian faith out of an honest and critical investigation of the facts and arguments?
Says a man in Heaven to a man from Hell:
"Having allowed oneself to drift, unresisting, unpraying, accepting every half-conscious solicitation from our desires, we reached a point where we no longer believed Faith. Just in the same way, a jealous man, drifting and unresisting, reaches a point at which he believes lies about his best friend: a drunkard reaches a point at which (for the moment) he actually believes that another glass will do him no harm. The beliefs are sincere in the sense that they do occur as psychological events in the man's mind. If that's what you mean by sincerity they are sincere, and so were ours. But errors which are sincere in that sense are not innocent."
The book deals with the nature of good and evil, and especially Heaven and Hell. Lewis propagates, through a story, that those who end up in Hell in fact choose it. God gives them what they want. And likewise, those that want Himself, He gives them Heaven. He explores several major ways and reasons people reject Heaven for Hell.
In Chapter 4 he addresses something I have often wondered about - what about those people who sincerely seek the truth, but simply end up at the wrong conclusion? What is to become of those who reject the Christian faith out of an honest and critical investigation of the facts and arguments?
Says a man in Heaven to a man from Hell:
"Having allowed oneself to drift, unresisting, unpraying, accepting every half-conscious solicitation from our desires, we reached a point where we no longer believed Faith. Just in the same way, a jealous man, drifting and unresisting, reaches a point at which he believes lies about his best friend: a drunkard reaches a point at which (for the moment) he actually believes that another glass will do him no harm. The beliefs are sincere in the sense that they do occur as psychological events in the man's mind. If that's what you mean by sincerity they are sincere, and so were ours. But errors which are sincere in that sense are not innocent."
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Matthew Henry - thoughts on Psalm 37
I have taken great encouragement and joy recently in reading Matthew Henry's commentary on a host of different passages. It is available entirely online for free, just Google Matthew Henry. He has a pure and devout way of explaining scripture. This is an excerpt from his meditation on Psalm 37. If you can wade through some of the older English language, it is worth reading.
I love the perspective in the psalm, which Henry points out well - the righteous can take great joy in their eternal destiny, and see temporal blessings and luxuries for what they are, especially those gained by the wicked, through wicked measure. Yet I fear that, as Hank Hanegraaff is fond of saying, "we as a church have become microcosms of the culture, rather than change agents in the culture." That is, for some of us, we value, desire, and pursue all of the same things as those that have no hope, those that don't know God. This should not be.
Its a bit of a long entry for us modern people with short attention spans, but then, its my blog. So I can do what I want.
Enjoy.
Now, 1. When we look abroad we see the world full of evil-doers and workers of iniquity, that flourish and prosper, that have what they will and do what they will, that live in ease and pomp themselves and have power in their hands to do mischief to those about them. So it was in David’s time; and therefore, if it is so still, let us not marvel at the matter, as though it were some new or strange thing. 2. When we look within we find ourselves tempted to fret at this, and to be envious against these scandals and burdens, these blemishes and common nuisances, of this earth. We are apt to fret at God, as if he were unkind to the world and unkind to his church in permitting such men to live, and prosper, and prevail, as they do. We are apt to fret ourselves with vexation at their success in their evil projects. We are apt to envy them the liberty they take in getting wealth, and perhaps by unlawful means, and in the indulgence of their lusts, and to wish that we could shake off the restraints of conscience and do so too. We are tempted to think them the only happy people, and to incline to imitate them, and to join ourselves with them, that we may share in their gains and eat of their dainties; and this is that which we are warned against: Fret not thyself, neither be thou envious. Fretfulness and envy are sins that are their own punishments; they are the uneasiness of the spirit and the rottenness of the bones; it is therefore in kindness to ourselves that we are warned against them. Yet that is not all; for, 3. When we look forward with an eye of faith we shall see no reason to envy wicked people their prosperity, for their ruin is at the door and they are ripening apace for it, v. 2. They flourish, but as the grass, and as the green herb, which nobody envies nor frets at. The flourishing of a godly man is like that of a fruitful tree (Ps. 1:3), but that of the wicked man is like grass and herbs, which are very short-lived. (1.) They will soon wither of themselves. Outward prosperity is a fading thing, and so is the life itself to which it is confined. (2.) They will sooner be cut down by the judgments of God. Their triumphing is short, but their weeping and wailing will be everlasting.II. We are here counselled to live a life on confidence and complacency in God, and that will keep us from fretting at the prosperity of evil-doers; if we do well for our own souls, we shall see little reason to envy those that do so ill for theirs. Here are three excellent precepts, which we are to be ruled by, and, to enforce them, three precious promises, which we may rely upon.1. We must make God our hope in the way of duty and then we shall have a comfortable subsistence in this world, v. 3. (1.) It is required that we trust in the Lord and do good, that we confide in God and conform to him. The life of religion lies much in a believing reliance on God, his favour, his providence, his promise, his grace, and a diligent care to serve him and our generation, according to his will. We must not think to trust in God and then live as we list. No; it is not trusting God, but tempting him, if we do not make conscience of our duty to him. Nor must we think to do good, and then to trust to ourselves, and our own righteousness and strength. No; we must both trust in the Lord and do good. And then, (2.) It is promised that we shall be well provided for in this world: So shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. He does not say, "So shalt thou get preferment, dwell in a palace, and be feasted.’’ This is not necessary; a man’s life consists not in the abundance of these things; but, "Thou shalt have a place to live in, and that in the land, in Canaan, the valley of vision, and thou shalt have food convenient for thee.’’ This is more than we deserve; it is as much as a good man will stipulate for (Gen. 28:20) and it is enough for one that is going to heaven. "Thou shalt have a settlement, a quiet settlement, and a maintenance, a comfortable maintenance: Verily thou shalt be fed.’’ Some read it, Thou shalt be fed by faith, as the just are said to live by faith, and it is good living, good feeding, upon the promises. "Verily thou shalt be fed, as Elijah in the famine, with what is needful for thee.’’ God himself is a shepherd, a feeder, to all those that trust in him, Ps. 23:1.2. We must make God our heart’s delight and then we shall have our heart’s desire, v. 4. We must not only depend upon God, but solace ourselves in him. We must be well pleased that there is a God, that he is such a one as he has revealed himself to be, and that he is our God in covenant. We must delight ourselves in his beauty, bounty, and benignity; our souls must return to him, and repose in him, as their rest, and their portion for ever. Being satisfied of his loving-kindness, we must be satisfied with it, and make that our exceeding joy, Ps. 43:4. We were commanded (v. 3) to do good, and then follows this command to delight in God, which is as much a privilege as a duty. If we make conscience of obedience to God, we may then take the comfort of a complacency in him. And even this pleasant duty of delighting in God has a promise annexed to it, which is very full and precious, enough to recompense the hardest services: He shall give thee the desires of thy heart. He has not promised to gratify all the appetites of the body and the humours of the fancy, but to grant all the desires of the heart, all the cravings of the renewed sanctified soul. What is the desire of the heart of a good man? It is this, to know, and love, and live to God, to please him and to be pleased in him.3. We must make God our guide, and submit in every thing to his guidance and disposal; and then all our affairs, even those that seem most intricate and perplexed, shall be made to issue well and to our satisfaction.
I love the perspective in the psalm, which Henry points out well - the righteous can take great joy in their eternal destiny, and see temporal blessings and luxuries for what they are, especially those gained by the wicked, through wicked measure. Yet I fear that, as Hank Hanegraaff is fond of saying, "we as a church have become microcosms of the culture, rather than change agents in the culture." That is, for some of us, we value, desire, and pursue all of the same things as those that have no hope, those that don't know God. This should not be.
Its a bit of a long entry for us modern people with short attention spans, but then, its my blog. So I can do what I want.
Enjoy.
Now, 1. When we look abroad we see the world full of evil-doers and workers of iniquity, that flourish and prosper, that have what they will and do what they will, that live in ease and pomp themselves and have power in their hands to do mischief to those about them. So it was in David’s time; and therefore, if it is so still, let us not marvel at the matter, as though it were some new or strange thing. 2. When we look within we find ourselves tempted to fret at this, and to be envious against these scandals and burdens, these blemishes and common nuisances, of this earth. We are apt to fret at God, as if he were unkind to the world and unkind to his church in permitting such men to live, and prosper, and prevail, as they do. We are apt to fret ourselves with vexation at their success in their evil projects. We are apt to envy them the liberty they take in getting wealth, and perhaps by unlawful means, and in the indulgence of their lusts, and to wish that we could shake off the restraints of conscience and do so too. We are tempted to think them the only happy people, and to incline to imitate them, and to join ourselves with them, that we may share in their gains and eat of their dainties; and this is that which we are warned against: Fret not thyself, neither be thou envious. Fretfulness and envy are sins that are their own punishments; they are the uneasiness of the spirit and the rottenness of the bones; it is therefore in kindness to ourselves that we are warned against them. Yet that is not all; for, 3. When we look forward with an eye of faith we shall see no reason to envy wicked people their prosperity, for their ruin is at the door and they are ripening apace for it, v. 2. They flourish, but as the grass, and as the green herb, which nobody envies nor frets at. The flourishing of a godly man is like that of a fruitful tree (Ps. 1:3), but that of the wicked man is like grass and herbs, which are very short-lived. (1.) They will soon wither of themselves. Outward prosperity is a fading thing, and so is the life itself to which it is confined. (2.) They will sooner be cut down by the judgments of God. Their triumphing is short, but their weeping and wailing will be everlasting.II. We are here counselled to live a life on confidence and complacency in God, and that will keep us from fretting at the prosperity of evil-doers; if we do well for our own souls, we shall see little reason to envy those that do so ill for theirs. Here are three excellent precepts, which we are to be ruled by, and, to enforce them, three precious promises, which we may rely upon.1. We must make God our hope in the way of duty and then we shall have a comfortable subsistence in this world, v. 3. (1.) It is required that we trust in the Lord and do good, that we confide in God and conform to him. The life of religion lies much in a believing reliance on God, his favour, his providence, his promise, his grace, and a diligent care to serve him and our generation, according to his will. We must not think to trust in God and then live as we list. No; it is not trusting God, but tempting him, if we do not make conscience of our duty to him. Nor must we think to do good, and then to trust to ourselves, and our own righteousness and strength. No; we must both trust in the Lord and do good. And then, (2.) It is promised that we shall be well provided for in this world: So shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. He does not say, "So shalt thou get preferment, dwell in a palace, and be feasted.’’ This is not necessary; a man’s life consists not in the abundance of these things; but, "Thou shalt have a place to live in, and that in the land, in Canaan, the valley of vision, and thou shalt have food convenient for thee.’’ This is more than we deserve; it is as much as a good man will stipulate for (Gen. 28:20) and it is enough for one that is going to heaven. "Thou shalt have a settlement, a quiet settlement, and a maintenance, a comfortable maintenance: Verily thou shalt be fed.’’ Some read it, Thou shalt be fed by faith, as the just are said to live by faith, and it is good living, good feeding, upon the promises. "Verily thou shalt be fed, as Elijah in the famine, with what is needful for thee.’’ God himself is a shepherd, a feeder, to all those that trust in him, Ps. 23:1.2. We must make God our heart’s delight and then we shall have our heart’s desire, v. 4. We must not only depend upon God, but solace ourselves in him. We must be well pleased that there is a God, that he is such a one as he has revealed himself to be, and that he is our God in covenant. We must delight ourselves in his beauty, bounty, and benignity; our souls must return to him, and repose in him, as their rest, and their portion for ever. Being satisfied of his loving-kindness, we must be satisfied with it, and make that our exceeding joy, Ps. 43:4. We were commanded (v. 3) to do good, and then follows this command to delight in God, which is as much a privilege as a duty. If we make conscience of obedience to God, we may then take the comfort of a complacency in him. And even this pleasant duty of delighting in God has a promise annexed to it, which is very full and precious, enough to recompense the hardest services: He shall give thee the desires of thy heart. He has not promised to gratify all the appetites of the body and the humours of the fancy, but to grant all the desires of the heart, all the cravings of the renewed sanctified soul. What is the desire of the heart of a good man? It is this, to know, and love, and live to God, to please him and to be pleased in him.3. We must make God our guide, and submit in every thing to his guidance and disposal; and then all our affairs, even those that seem most intricate and perplexed, shall be made to issue well and to our satisfaction.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Conscience - 1
Conscience: "the inner sense of what is right or wrong in one's conduct or motives, impelling one toward right action" - Dictionary.com
I have thought about it alot in the past months and years. I have undertaken a journey to know God, to know truth, and to align my life with it. One of the most astounding experiences I have had spiritually is a gradual but steady change in my conscience. I feel differently about my choices, the words I use, the movies I watch, than I did a year ago. Or two. The Bible often uses the word "convicted", which is a word which relates to our conscience. The things I feel conviction about are changing. That is, I feel conviction about deeper things, the state of my heart, my thoughts, and so forth.
Peace of the spirit is certainly to be desired in making decisions, trying to discern God's will. It is sometimes all we have to go on. We come to come to a crossroads, and there seems to be no discernable direction. It is then we covet the peace of God about the decision we make.
The idea, though, that our behavior in a certain area of our life does not bother our conscience, and therfore it is ok - such a conclusion isn't reliable. We will inevitably have peace about whatever we're used to, about the level of degradation to which we've become accustomed. This changes according to how much we are open to God, and whether or not we are desire Him to prune our lives, to cut out the parts that are diseased. The point is this: someone can have "peace" about divorcing their wife. I would contend that this would be an indication not of the positive moral quality of the decision or of God's blessing, but of spiritual darkness.
The truth about the human heart is that it changes according to our decisions and what we subject ourselves to. The conscience, our inner moral compass, is maliable, it is organic. We talk about "cold blooded murderers" and thank God we aren't one of them. But our hearts are made of the same stuff as theirs. Any person who pushes God away long enough, and chooses to live by the dictates of their own will inevitably experiences the hardening and the deadening of their conscience.
The term that perhaps most accurately describes us as a culture is "desensitized". I don't think any examples are necessary. The increasing moral desensitivity is obvious. The term I hope might characterize my walk with God is "resensitized". I hope that as I begin to understand more who God is, my heart would respond and continue to change. I want "a heart of flesh".
I have thought about it alot in the past months and years. I have undertaken a journey to know God, to know truth, and to align my life with it. One of the most astounding experiences I have had spiritually is a gradual but steady change in my conscience. I feel differently about my choices, the words I use, the movies I watch, than I did a year ago. Or two. The Bible often uses the word "convicted", which is a word which relates to our conscience. The things I feel conviction about are changing. That is, I feel conviction about deeper things, the state of my heart, my thoughts, and so forth.
Peace of the spirit is certainly to be desired in making decisions, trying to discern God's will. It is sometimes all we have to go on. We come to come to a crossroads, and there seems to be no discernable direction. It is then we covet the peace of God about the decision we make.
The idea, though, that our behavior in a certain area of our life does not bother our conscience, and therfore it is ok - such a conclusion isn't reliable. We will inevitably have peace about whatever we're used to, about the level of degradation to which we've become accustomed. This changes according to how much we are open to God, and whether or not we are desire Him to prune our lives, to cut out the parts that are diseased. The point is this: someone can have "peace" about divorcing their wife. I would contend that this would be an indication not of the positive moral quality of the decision or of God's blessing, but of spiritual darkness.
The truth about the human heart is that it changes according to our decisions and what we subject ourselves to. The conscience, our inner moral compass, is maliable, it is organic. We talk about "cold blooded murderers" and thank God we aren't one of them. But our hearts are made of the same stuff as theirs. Any person who pushes God away long enough, and chooses to live by the dictates of their own will inevitably experiences the hardening and the deadening of their conscience.
The term that perhaps most accurately describes us as a culture is "desensitized". I don't think any examples are necessary. The increasing moral desensitivity is obvious. The term I hope might characterize my walk with God is "resensitized". I hope that as I begin to understand more who God is, my heart would respond and continue to change. I want "a heart of flesh".
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
People
There is no way to get through this life without pain. Of course we all know that. But I think sometimes I believe if I get things all lined up right in my life, in my heart, if my choices are wise, if I love well, if I put God first, if I become who I should be that I will avoid the hurt and pain that everyone contends with. I only realize I believe this when I come up against hurt myself. To be fair, the disciple of Christ avoids most of the pitfalls of self inflicted pain that accompany unwise and self-centered living. But we are by no means spared from hurt and pain. We may be vessels on the king's voyage, but we travel through the same storms as the boats captained by rebels and lost souls.
I have had the sense recently that even the relationships that I treasure are subject to threats apart from my power, and separate from my responsiblity. I sometimes come up against a wall. Things are so often other than I wish, so often turn out differently that I have in mind or intend. And I will have acted right. That is frustrating. Needless to say, this is not always the case. I do not do what is right always, not even close. But when I do, I suppose I expect heaven to descend to earth. It is a hard reality that in this life, the brokenness, the self-centeredness, the sinfulness of people we love reaches into our heart and forces on us pain for which we are not responsible and did not intend.
I suppose this is the gospel. Jesus underwent this very thing. At the hands of sinners he was mocked and killed. He desired that they would know His love for them, and instead they hated Him. Food for thought I guess.
I have had the sense recently that even the relationships that I treasure are subject to threats apart from my power, and separate from my responsiblity. I sometimes come up against a wall. Things are so often other than I wish, so often turn out differently that I have in mind or intend. And I will have acted right. That is frustrating. Needless to say, this is not always the case. I do not do what is right always, not even close. But when I do, I suppose I expect heaven to descend to earth. It is a hard reality that in this life, the brokenness, the self-centeredness, the sinfulness of people we love reaches into our heart and forces on us pain for which we are not responsible and did not intend.
I suppose this is the gospel. Jesus underwent this very thing. At the hands of sinners he was mocked and killed. He desired that they would know His love for them, and instead they hated Him. Food for thought I guess.
Set Your Sails
A song called "Set Your Sails" by Future of Forestry. I like these lyrics.
Better be gone
It’s half past eleven now
Get onto the deck
You better get on
It’s half past eleven now
Fairly well, we can tell
Nothing but moving will do
And it will be alright
Hey, hey, hey, the night is waiting for you
Take a picture of the silver moon
Oh, oh, oh, she will be shining for you
On your journey home
Better be gone
So find your pocket watch
And all of your hope now
The hour is long
Before I try to say too much
Fair thee well ‘cause we can tell
Nothing but courage will do
And it will be alright
Set your sails upon
The mighty winds of May
Set your sails upon the hope
Of June
Set your sails upon the air of
Warm July
Set your course for Heaven’s shore
Better be gone
It’s half past eleven now
Get onto the deck
You better get on
It’s half past eleven now
Fairly well, we can tell
Nothing but moving will do
And it will be alright
Hey, hey, hey, the night is waiting for you
Take a picture of the silver moon
Oh, oh, oh, she will be shining for you
On your journey home
Better be gone
So find your pocket watch
And all of your hope now
The hour is long
Before I try to say too much
Fair thee well ‘cause we can tell
Nothing but courage will do
And it will be alright
Set your sails upon
The mighty winds of May
Set your sails upon the hope
Of June
Set your sails upon the air of
Warm July
Set your course for Heaven’s shore
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Reflections on a Sunday Afternoon
There is perhaps not a better time to reflect on life than a Sunday afternoon. So here we are.
Jesus never takes from us anything we do not freely give. If we think we have given him something, but do it unwillingly, out of our guilt, he does not recieve it. He cannot. Nothing given in such a sense has been given at all. If I, for example, know I must submit to Him when it comes to how I spend my money, but I initially do so religiously rather than cheerfully (as a Pharisee, not a widow), it does no good for my relationship to God. And whatever committment I make under such a pretense will inevitably fizzle out, knowing it was not from my heart.
My point is this - we can keep our lives, or any part of our lives, and run them how we would like. We can choose to make choices to benefit ourselves, and ignore what God may ask of us. We can choose to make our own path to happiness. But we make a mistake in thinking that we have avoided selling out to religion or loosing ourselves in the process. For any part of our life that we jealously grasp, unwilling to change or release, we forfeit the possibility of having that part of ourselves made whole by the One who created it.
If there is one misconception of knowing Jesus that I would desperately like to shatter, it is this: that being a Christian is the same as being religious and following rules - that it is another way to hamper freedom and enjoyment to appease guilt. It is in fact simply learning from Jesus who we are as humans, and how to order ourselves - our thoughts, feelings, body, social dynamics, and souls - so that our relationship with reality as a whole - who we are, our human condition, how to relate to ourselves and eachother - can be harmonious. When Jesus asks us to follow Him, when He stands at the door of our hearts and knocks, He does so knowing our desparate condition apart from Him. He also knocks, possessing in Himself the absolute ability and desire to make us whole.
If we really believe as Christians should according to scripture, that our lives are lost causes until we find our rest in our Creator, then we will not view our relationship to God as a burden. In fact, our relationship to God will no longer be confined to "Bible reading and prayer". It will in fact be life, and all of it.
If submission and relationship to our Creator is the path to life, then life apart from Him, and actions against His divine commands will inevitably spell woundedness and death for us. How could souls cut themselves off from their Creator, the source of all life, and expect to flourish? ("For with You is the fountain of life"-Psalm 36, "...those who seek the Lord lack no good thing."-Psalm 34)
Listen to the words of Dallas Willard:
"We think we are 'big enough' to take our life into our own hands and disobey, instead of 'humbling ourselves under the mighty hand of God.' And this will certainly be driven by the thought that if we do not take things into our own hands, we will not get what we want - another blow to our pride. Our attitude should be, to the contrary, that there is no particular reason why I should get what I want, because I am not in charge of the universe.
The understanding of all this no doubt lies back of the warning from Peter: 'abstain from fleshly lusts, which wage war against the soul' (1 Peter 2:11). How do fleshly lusts war against the soul? Very simply, by enticing us to uproot our dependent life, pulling it away from God, which will deprive our soul of what it needs to function correctly in the enlivening and regulation of our whole being."
I wonder as I write this, how many people are interested in their soul? How many people care about God - whether He exists, what He might require...(perhaps the first question is often ignored in fear of the second question.) It occurrs to me, however, that although many people would consider themselves to be very unreligious, and uninterested in said religion, they daily partake in the process of feeding, soothing, trying to care for and prop up their wounded soul. It is life itself - we get up every day and pursue that which we believe gives us the best chance of feeling good, of prospering and flourshing, of becoming well and whole.
That is the misconception I wish could be broken - that God does not desire something good for you, only for you to follow rules and avoid His wrath. Indeed God's law - His ideals for us, are life giving:
Psalm 19:
7 The law of the LORD is perfect,
refreshing the soul.
The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy,
making wise the simple.
8 The precepts of the LORD are right,
giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the LORD are radiant,
giving light to the eyes.
9 The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever.
The decrees of the LORD are firm,
and all of them are righteous.
Jesus never takes from us anything we do not freely give. If we think we have given him something, but do it unwillingly, out of our guilt, he does not recieve it. He cannot. Nothing given in such a sense has been given at all. If I, for example, know I must submit to Him when it comes to how I spend my money, but I initially do so religiously rather than cheerfully (as a Pharisee, not a widow), it does no good for my relationship to God. And whatever committment I make under such a pretense will inevitably fizzle out, knowing it was not from my heart.
My point is this - we can keep our lives, or any part of our lives, and run them how we would like. We can choose to make choices to benefit ourselves, and ignore what God may ask of us. We can choose to make our own path to happiness. But we make a mistake in thinking that we have avoided selling out to religion or loosing ourselves in the process. For any part of our life that we jealously grasp, unwilling to change or release, we forfeit the possibility of having that part of ourselves made whole by the One who created it.
If there is one misconception of knowing Jesus that I would desperately like to shatter, it is this: that being a Christian is the same as being religious and following rules - that it is another way to hamper freedom and enjoyment to appease guilt. It is in fact simply learning from Jesus who we are as humans, and how to order ourselves - our thoughts, feelings, body, social dynamics, and souls - so that our relationship with reality as a whole - who we are, our human condition, how to relate to ourselves and eachother - can be harmonious. When Jesus asks us to follow Him, when He stands at the door of our hearts and knocks, He does so knowing our desparate condition apart from Him. He also knocks, possessing in Himself the absolute ability and desire to make us whole.
If we really believe as Christians should according to scripture, that our lives are lost causes until we find our rest in our Creator, then we will not view our relationship to God as a burden. In fact, our relationship to God will no longer be confined to "Bible reading and prayer". It will in fact be life, and all of it.
If submission and relationship to our Creator is the path to life, then life apart from Him, and actions against His divine commands will inevitably spell woundedness and death for us. How could souls cut themselves off from their Creator, the source of all life, and expect to flourish? ("For with You is the fountain of life"-Psalm 36, "...those who seek the Lord lack no good thing."-Psalm 34)
Listen to the words of Dallas Willard:
"We think we are 'big enough' to take our life into our own hands and disobey, instead of 'humbling ourselves under the mighty hand of God.' And this will certainly be driven by the thought that if we do not take things into our own hands, we will not get what we want - another blow to our pride. Our attitude should be, to the contrary, that there is no particular reason why I should get what I want, because I am not in charge of the universe.
The understanding of all this no doubt lies back of the warning from Peter: 'abstain from fleshly lusts, which wage war against the soul' (1 Peter 2:11). How do fleshly lusts war against the soul? Very simply, by enticing us to uproot our dependent life, pulling it away from God, which will deprive our soul of what it needs to function correctly in the enlivening and regulation of our whole being."
I wonder as I write this, how many people are interested in their soul? How many people care about God - whether He exists, what He might require...(perhaps the first question is often ignored in fear of the second question.) It occurrs to me, however, that although many people would consider themselves to be very unreligious, and uninterested in said religion, they daily partake in the process of feeding, soothing, trying to care for and prop up their wounded soul. It is life itself - we get up every day and pursue that which we believe gives us the best chance of feeling good, of prospering and flourshing, of becoming well and whole.
That is the misconception I wish could be broken - that God does not desire something good for you, only for you to follow rules and avoid His wrath. Indeed God's law - His ideals for us, are life giving:
Psalm 19:
7 The law of the LORD is perfect,
refreshing the soul.
The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy,
making wise the simple.
8 The precepts of the LORD are right,
giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the LORD are radiant,
giving light to the eyes.
9 The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever.
The decrees of the LORD are firm,
and all of them are righteous.
Friday, January 7, 2011
Puddle Water and Poison
Here I am for the first entry in 2011! I fully intended for this to happen sooner. In fact, I wanted to do an entry before New Years. But alas, time slips away.
So here I sit, listening to Haste the Day, my new favorite band.
So, what have I been thinking about lately? Always, too much to list. Everyday life has so much to teach us, if we will listen, if we don't resist every hard thing but see them as God does.
I watched the newest Chronicles of Narnia installment, Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Purely from a movie standpoint, it was good, not great. But from the perspective of my faith, and understanding the pictures put into the story by C.S. Lewis, it was intense and meaningful. There are so many aspects of his storytelling that cut right to the heart, not only of the human condition but of Christ and the gospel.
Perhaps the most vivid image I took away is the changed face of Eustace. For those that don't know the story, he is a stuck up, selfish, confused boy to begin with. But after coming face to face with the weight of his own sin and also being given a second chance from Aslan, he is utterly changed. Near the end of the movie, he gives a shy grin to one of his cousins, and it speaks volumes of the change in his heart. You must understand the person he was before though. He was dominated by his own pride and ignorant self-importance. He is one of the most distasteful portrayals of human personality and character I've ever seen. It is what makes his transformation all the more compelling. It is clear Eustace will never be the same - it would be impossible.
That is the sign of meeting Christ - a countenance of humility, openness, and love. He is truly "the light that gives light to every man". (John 1:9) As David puts it, "In Your light we see light." (Psalm 36) It is in this light we understand the necessity of denying ourselves for our own good - the one who wants to have their cake and eat it too (a phrase becoming increasingly fitting to describe the shift in modern thinking regarding right and wrong) is doomed to the same unhappy fate as the rich young ruler - we must leave, possessions in hand, and misery in our hearts knowing that we do not possess the one treasure worth giving up everything to have.
"Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding." (Proverbs 4:7) "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field." (Matthew 13:44)
Eustace's vice was wealth. He stumbled on a cursed stash of hidden treasure, and became poisoned by it - it possessed him, and turned him into a beast. Ironically, that is really how our treasures here affect us! We cannot possess them for very long, in very great an amount, without them beginning to possess and poison us! They are equally decieving and equally damaging as in Narnia, and they turn us into equally ugly beasts when the dark transformation is complete.
Listen to the words of Isaiah, and consider whether releasing some of that treasure could even be called a loss.
Isaiah 55
Invitation to the Thirsty
1 “Come, all you who are thirsty,
come to the waters;
and you who have no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without cost.
2 Why spend money on what is not bread,
and your labor on what does not satisfy?
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,
and you will delight in the richest of fare.
3 Give ear and come to me;
listen, that you may live.
Our Creator has given us the choice. As Matthew Henry put it, "we must part with our puddle-water, nay, with our poison, that we may procure this wine and milk." We cannot have both. But we can have what is by far the best.
So here I sit, listening to Haste the Day, my new favorite band.
So, what have I been thinking about lately? Always, too much to list. Everyday life has so much to teach us, if we will listen, if we don't resist every hard thing but see them as God does.
I watched the newest Chronicles of Narnia installment, Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Purely from a movie standpoint, it was good, not great. But from the perspective of my faith, and understanding the pictures put into the story by C.S. Lewis, it was intense and meaningful. There are so many aspects of his storytelling that cut right to the heart, not only of the human condition but of Christ and the gospel.
Perhaps the most vivid image I took away is the changed face of Eustace. For those that don't know the story, he is a stuck up, selfish, confused boy to begin with. But after coming face to face with the weight of his own sin and also being given a second chance from Aslan, he is utterly changed. Near the end of the movie, he gives a shy grin to one of his cousins, and it speaks volumes of the change in his heart. You must understand the person he was before though. He was dominated by his own pride and ignorant self-importance. He is one of the most distasteful portrayals of human personality and character I've ever seen. It is what makes his transformation all the more compelling. It is clear Eustace will never be the same - it would be impossible.
That is the sign of meeting Christ - a countenance of humility, openness, and love. He is truly "the light that gives light to every man". (John 1:9) As David puts it, "In Your light we see light." (Psalm 36) It is in this light we understand the necessity of denying ourselves for our own good - the one who wants to have their cake and eat it too (a phrase becoming increasingly fitting to describe the shift in modern thinking regarding right and wrong) is doomed to the same unhappy fate as the rich young ruler - we must leave, possessions in hand, and misery in our hearts knowing that we do not possess the one treasure worth giving up everything to have.
"Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding." (Proverbs 4:7) "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field." (Matthew 13:44)
Eustace's vice was wealth. He stumbled on a cursed stash of hidden treasure, and became poisoned by it - it possessed him, and turned him into a beast. Ironically, that is really how our treasures here affect us! We cannot possess them for very long, in very great an amount, without them beginning to possess and poison us! They are equally decieving and equally damaging as in Narnia, and they turn us into equally ugly beasts when the dark transformation is complete.
Listen to the words of Isaiah, and consider whether releasing some of that treasure could even be called a loss.
Isaiah 55
Invitation to the Thirsty
1 “Come, all you who are thirsty,
come to the waters;
and you who have no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without cost.
2 Why spend money on what is not bread,
and your labor on what does not satisfy?
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,
and you will delight in the richest of fare.
3 Give ear and come to me;
listen, that you may live.
Our Creator has given us the choice. As Matthew Henry put it, "we must part with our puddle-water, nay, with our poison, that we may procure this wine and milk." We cannot have both. But we can have what is by far the best.
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