A Godly Woman in Her Leisure Time… this is a loaded title. In order to speak on this topic, one would have to assume that the speaker is a “Godly Woman”. In so many ways I feel inadequate to take on this responsibility. There are multiple times throughout the course of a day when I know I am not representing “Godliness”. I am not always the meek and quiet wife I should be. My frustration gets the better of me in my dealings with my children. Even though our home is a constant place of gatherings and fellowship I am not always the most generous and hospitable hostess. There are moments when I have failed miserably at being the “Christ like” image and witness that this world needs to see when I am in public. And although I have the reputation of possessing a laid back personality, I have acquired the skill of slicing an individual with subtlety. The mere reality of knowing just how “ungodly” I am can be overwhelming and I wonder if I will ever grow from what and where I am to true “Godliness”. In times such as these, I often find myself reflecting on the happenings, details and focus of the day (if not week). As a result, I usually find that my behavior is due to a lack of time with the Father in prayer and His Word. Prayer is the lifeline that has been given as a form of communication between us and the Holy, Righteous Creator of this universe. His Word is the blueprint by which we are shown how to survive in this world even though we are not of it. So, if I have deprived myself of these two necessities, then how in the world do I expect to represent, walk and live in “Godliness”?
The demands and responsibilities that we wives hold seem to be endless. I personally have the privilege of being a wife, mother of 4, homemaker, house keeper, school teacher, nurse, cook, waitress, janitor, peace maker, chauffer, and laundry attendant in our home, among others. There are times when I just want to allow my brain to breathe, take a short sabbatical and enjoy “leisure time”.
According to the Webster’s Dictionary, the definition of “leisure” is “Freedom provided by the cessation of activities, especially time free from work or duties”. Paul H. Wright states in The Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary that, “The Bible recognizes the need for regularly scheduled breaks from work. The weekly Sabbath (Exodus 20:8-11) and several yearly festivals (Lev. 23:1-44, Deut. 16:1-17) were intended to focus on Israel’s spiritual needs but also provided breaks from physical labor. In fact, the Mosaic Law mandated a yearlong honeymoon for newlyweds (Deut. 24:5, Luke 14:20)...”
Anyone who truly knows me is fully aware of the fact that one of my most favorite places in the entire world is to be with Jimmy (my husband)… preferably cuddled. I love his company, conversation, friendship, everything about him. He seemingly has the capability of relieving my stress regardless of the day. I also enjoy catching a good movie, listening to music, going somewhere to enjoy the wonder of God’s creation, or collaborating and creating with others artistically. For some, leisure may be cooking, for others it could be reading a book, some may prefer to shop, exercise, talk on the phone or sip on a cup of coffee/ tea while enjoying a pleasant conversation. “Leisure” has many faces and comes in many forms. This creates a question. Can leisure, although recommended scripturally, become sinful at any point? I believe it can, especially when the leisure time is misplaced. When any form of leisure takes precedence to the gentle tugging of the Holy Spirit that prompts us to spend time with Him, then it has most definitely developed into sin. The problem lies when leisure becomes our first and sometimes only means of release. Those favorite pastimes have been made into idols and before we know it, we have lost the sense of knowing how to think of time spent with Him as enjoyable, but rather as just another task that we have to push through. There have been times when I have been so exhausted that the focus needed to read, pray or meditate on His Word requires more effort than I am willing to sacrifice. All I want to do is “chill” and not “think”! Wow… how self-centered is that? Where does pray without ceasing (1 Thes. 5:17) and delight in the Law of the Lord, and on His Law should I meditate day and night (Psalm 1:2) come into play? How ironic then that I wonder why I have a problem with portraying “Christ likeness”.
What example did Christ set as a model for us to follow? What did He routinely do whenever He went off to get away from the crowds and disciples? He prayed. I think there is something to be said in this. Even though Christ was fully God, He was also fully man. His physical body required the relaxation that mortals must have. During this time of relaxation He deliberately positioned Himself in such a way where His mortality would not give way to sin. Times of fatigue and exhaustion are prime occasions for our flesh to be given opportunity to rise up and surrender to the desires that we are too tired to fight. We are “too tired” to make the necessary sacrifices that are needed to remain focused on a life of Godly submission and obedience. If I am in need of a release/ rest and it is Christ that I am having difficulty representing to the world and my family, then wouldn’t it make sense for me to follow Christ’s example? Christ showed us that it is an honor and privilege to go to the Originator and Creator of all things, at all times, regardless of our “feelings”.
We live in a culture that lacks a true understanding of suffering and deprivation. Regardless of one’s financial status or living circumstances, the fact remains that we live in a land of abundance. It is an abundance of media, entertainment, activities, food, relationships, etc. Suffering believers that live in other regions of the world, consider prayer a necessity for daily living. They risk their lives to merely possess the Holy Scriptures that have become their true daily bread. Our nations’ privileges are such distractions. We have allowed for them to be given power that keeps us from enjoying the intimacy that all believers should experience with the Lord. In light of these things, I have to soberly ask, “How ridiculous does my need to “chill” sound?” The answer is that my priorities must change, which in turn will determine my definition of leisure. In addition, I am learning that as I attempt to spend time with the Father, I must also be willing and ready to allow for the time to be one of self-examination. As He washes me with His Word, my hearts’ cry must be that He exposes every ounce of what I look like before Him. When there is a lack of self-examination, the result of the time spent will only become an increase in head knowledge without life transformation. If we come to these times with this in mind, then the gospel will be that which bleeds into our everyday interactions. As I truly get to know Him and clearly see what it is that I look like before Him, then my interactions will change to resemble “Christ likeness”.
I have come to the conclusion that relaxation is necessary but that Christ must become my first exhale. He must become the One I first seek for “cuddling”, the One I first enjoy. He must be my #1 leisure.
Grace & Peace
Nikki Miles
Showing posts with label Personal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Personal. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
The Bible speaks on inflation?
As I sit here thinking about what just happened in my house I see God answering my prayer to help my wife & I react supernaturally instead of fleshly when “bad” things happen. Just after praying before laying it down for the night my wife noticed a dripping sound but couldn’t find where it originated. We eventually found that the ceiling of the lower level of our house had water spots that we had never noticed any other time. Upon further inspection we found that the ceiling was wet & that the water was coming from our furnace & water heater closet on the upper level. We came to see that the overflow pan & pipe going from it to the drain wasn’t sealed properly so the water had made a puddle & was seeping through the floor down to the ceiling of the lower level. You may be wondering how this has anything to do with inflation in the Bible right.
When this first happened my mind went reeling about the fact that due to the economic troubles in our nation my company hasn’t given management a raise in more than four years… & you guessed it I’m in lower management. So in essence I’ve received a pay cut because the cost of benefits has more than doubled & that has nothing to do with the cost of living pertaining to groceries, fuel, utilities, insurance, living expenses… etc. I began to think how difficult it is to save money & the issues we have that constantly arise.
Rev. 6 is about the seals being broken on the scroll that Christ took from the right hand (right hand symbolic of having all dominion, power & authority) of the One who is seated on the throne in heaven. Once read we see that each of the first four seals has to do with judgments authorized by the Lamb (Christ) upon those who dwell on the earth that DO NOT worship the Lamb. These earth dwellers are in stark contrast to those who live on earth & worship the Lamb. Everything in the book of Rev. is black & white, bad vs. good, light vs. darkness, the righteous kingdom of the Lamb vs. the wicked kingdom of the dragon… etc. (I think you get the picture). What is of major significance is what’s said in Rev 6:5-6…
When he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” And I looked, and behold, a black horse! And its rider had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard what seemed to be a voice in the midst of the four living creatures, saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius, and do not harm the oil and wine!” (Revelation 6:5-6 ESV)
And its rider had a pair of scales in his hand…
What we notice here is the rider on the black horse having a pair of scales in his hand. These scales would be likened to a pair of scales used in biblical times during a season of scarcity/famine. These scales are not to be confused with the scales of justice. The point here is that a source of measurement is needed to ration out resources due to shortages. Shortages cause inflation & that goes for perceived shortages as well.
And I heard what seemed to be a voice in the midst of the four living creatures, saying…
The voice coming from the midst of the four living creatures would be none other than the voice of the Lamb that just appeared there in Rev. 5:6. According to the text this Lamb is now ruling over all inhabitants of heaven & earth... He has all glory & dominion. (Rev. 1:5-6; Rev. 5)
And I heard what seemed to be a voice in the midst of the four living creatures, saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius,
So the Lamb states that a quart of wheat will be sold for a denarius. A person would work one day’s labor to receive one denarius (our equivalent to an eight hour shift). One quart of wheat was our equivalent to one meal. In normal circumstances it would cost 1/8 to 1/10 of a denarius to purchase one meal. What the voice from the midst of the four living creatures stated drove the price of one meal to a whole day’s wage. This is the price of one meal (one quart of wheat) inflated 800 to 1000%!! The same concept applies to the three quarts of barley. So we see inflation is used by the Lamb as an act of preliminary judgment on the inhabitants of the earth.
and do not harm the oil and wine!”
Now we see that this judgment of famine and or inflation (that can actually be triggered by any one of the first three “seal” judgments) is limited by the Lamb as well. These are preliminary judgments that keep reoccurring at different times & places on the earth until the 6th seal/final judgment is executed. These judgments aren’t comprehensive because of the following reasons:
1. It’s not all of the earth being conquered by military conquest (seal #1)
2. It’s not all of the people on the earth slaying (killing) one another (seal #2)
3. It’s not all resources/places (foods, fuels, countries, classes) effected simultaneously (seal #3)
4. It’s not all people that will die by being violently killed, famine, disease & killed by wild beast... it’s just a fourth of the earth (seal # 4)
We also see in Rev. 6:9-11 & chapter 7 the reason why these judgments are limited (subject to parameters) & are set as precursors to the final wrath to come. It’s for the sake of those who are and will become followers of Christ. We see that while these preliminary judgments are being executed by the Lamb the people that were purchased by Him for God (Rev. 5) are living on the earth as well. So Christ holds back the severity of His wrath for the sake of His people who are still on earth. This is why Peter says:
This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved. In both of them I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles, knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.
But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.
Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
(2 Peter 3:1-13 ESV)
Christ hasn’t come back to execute the full wrath of God because the number of those set apart to be martyred for the Faith (Rev 6:9-11) & also the number of those who will come to repentance have yet to do so.
So why is it important to understand & live according to what's just been covered? It’s all about the implications for our lives in this present age. The implications are many but here’s a few:
1. There’s a blessing for those that understand & keep/live according to what’s written in Rev… Rev. 1:3
2. Christ is in complete control of everything that is happening in our lives from the grandest to the minutest of details. He’s actually authorizing it.
3. Christ tells us that we are no longer considered slaves because slaves don’t know what the master’s doing. (John 15:15) The book of the Rev. of Jesus Christ is just that… it reveals what our Master is doing & through that it prepares us for all the things we’ll experience before His return.
4. Not only does this prepare us for what we’ll go through but it gives us a hope that unbelievers don’t have while we go through it. That all things work together for the good of those that love Him & are called according to His purpose. (Rom 8:28) The Rev. keeps emphasizing persevering to the end while giving us a beautiful picture of the end found nowhere else in Scripture. This picture causes us to fix our hope completely on the grace that’s to be given to us at the revelation of Jesus Christ. (1 Pet 1:13)
5. We as believers experience all of the same trauma in life that unbelievers do… we get robbed, have cancer, experience death, accidents, birth mentally handicapped children & the list goes on & on… the difference between us & them is that we SHOULD (based off of Who we know & what we know of Him) react & live through it in a way that brings attention to the hope that we have in Christ therefore causing unbelievers to question what it is we have that they don’t.
So how did knowing that Christ from His throne is authorizing lack/inflation as a judgment help me not to jump into a self-indulged pity party?
1. It caused me to be thankful for the test because it made me to see that this is God keeping His promise to conform me to His image. My pastor has said that Honda doesn’t put their cars through rigorous testing to prove that they fail, Honda does it to prove that they don’t fail (Mark Vroegop; www.yourchurch.com)… in the same way God puts us through testing to prove to us He doesn’t fail therefore giving us a barometer for where we’re at spiritually. It helps me keep in mind that testing points out where my heart is in proximity to the heart of Christ. It helps me realign my focus back on the things that matter.
2. It helps me see the fruit of the Spirit at work in me in that He’s changing me & working out His will & Word in my life… causing me to trust that even though I can't physically see what I need He has already set aside all that I will need for what He knew was going to happen. (1 Pet 1:5-7)
3. That this trial is actually Him being faithful to me. (Ps 119:75)
4. That the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials & to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the Day of Judgment. (2 Pet 2:6-10)… all that to show how He takes care of His. (Matt 6:25-33)
Grace & Peace,
James Miles
When this first happened my mind went reeling about the fact that due to the economic troubles in our nation my company hasn’t given management a raise in more than four years… & you guessed it I’m in lower management. So in essence I’ve received a pay cut because the cost of benefits has more than doubled & that has nothing to do with the cost of living pertaining to groceries, fuel, utilities, insurance, living expenses… etc. I began to think how difficult it is to save money & the issues we have that constantly arise.
Rev. 6 is about the seals being broken on the scroll that Christ took from the right hand (right hand symbolic of having all dominion, power & authority) of the One who is seated on the throne in heaven. Once read we see that each of the first four seals has to do with judgments authorized by the Lamb (Christ) upon those who dwell on the earth that DO NOT worship the Lamb. These earth dwellers are in stark contrast to those who live on earth & worship the Lamb. Everything in the book of Rev. is black & white, bad vs. good, light vs. darkness, the righteous kingdom of the Lamb vs. the wicked kingdom of the dragon… etc. (I think you get the picture). What is of major significance is what’s said in Rev 6:5-6…
When he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” And I looked, and behold, a black horse! And its rider had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard what seemed to be a voice in the midst of the four living creatures, saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius, and do not harm the oil and wine!” (Revelation 6:5-6 ESV)
And its rider had a pair of scales in his hand…
What we notice here is the rider on the black horse having a pair of scales in his hand. These scales would be likened to a pair of scales used in biblical times during a season of scarcity/famine. These scales are not to be confused with the scales of justice. The point here is that a source of measurement is needed to ration out resources due to shortages. Shortages cause inflation & that goes for perceived shortages as well.
And I heard what seemed to be a voice in the midst of the four living creatures, saying…
The voice coming from the midst of the four living creatures would be none other than the voice of the Lamb that just appeared there in Rev. 5:6. According to the text this Lamb is now ruling over all inhabitants of heaven & earth... He has all glory & dominion. (Rev. 1:5-6; Rev. 5)
And I heard what seemed to be a voice in the midst of the four living creatures, saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius,
So the Lamb states that a quart of wheat will be sold for a denarius. A person would work one day’s labor to receive one denarius (our equivalent to an eight hour shift). One quart of wheat was our equivalent to one meal. In normal circumstances it would cost 1/8 to 1/10 of a denarius to purchase one meal. What the voice from the midst of the four living creatures stated drove the price of one meal to a whole day’s wage. This is the price of one meal (one quart of wheat) inflated 800 to 1000%!! The same concept applies to the three quarts of barley. So we see inflation is used by the Lamb as an act of preliminary judgment on the inhabitants of the earth.
and do not harm the oil and wine!”
Now we see that this judgment of famine and or inflation (that can actually be triggered by any one of the first three “seal” judgments) is limited by the Lamb as well. These are preliminary judgments that keep reoccurring at different times & places on the earth until the 6th seal/final judgment is executed. These judgments aren’t comprehensive because of the following reasons:
1. It’s not all of the earth being conquered by military conquest (seal #1)
2. It’s not all of the people on the earth slaying (killing) one another (seal #2)
3. It’s not all resources/places (foods, fuels, countries, classes) effected simultaneously (seal #3)
4. It’s not all people that will die by being violently killed, famine, disease & killed by wild beast... it’s just a fourth of the earth (seal # 4)
We also see in Rev. 6:9-11 & chapter 7 the reason why these judgments are limited (subject to parameters) & are set as precursors to the final wrath to come. It’s for the sake of those who are and will become followers of Christ. We see that while these preliminary judgments are being executed by the Lamb the people that were purchased by Him for God (Rev. 5) are living on the earth as well. So Christ holds back the severity of His wrath for the sake of His people who are still on earth. This is why Peter says:
This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved. In both of them I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles, knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.
But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.
Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
(2 Peter 3:1-13 ESV)
Christ hasn’t come back to execute the full wrath of God because the number of those set apart to be martyred for the Faith (Rev 6:9-11) & also the number of those who will come to repentance have yet to do so.
So why is it important to understand & live according to what's just been covered? It’s all about the implications for our lives in this present age. The implications are many but here’s a few:
1. There’s a blessing for those that understand & keep/live according to what’s written in Rev… Rev. 1:3
2. Christ is in complete control of everything that is happening in our lives from the grandest to the minutest of details. He’s actually authorizing it.
3. Christ tells us that we are no longer considered slaves because slaves don’t know what the master’s doing. (John 15:15) The book of the Rev. of Jesus Christ is just that… it reveals what our Master is doing & through that it prepares us for all the things we’ll experience before His return.
4. Not only does this prepare us for what we’ll go through but it gives us a hope that unbelievers don’t have while we go through it. That all things work together for the good of those that love Him & are called according to His purpose. (Rom 8:28) The Rev. keeps emphasizing persevering to the end while giving us a beautiful picture of the end found nowhere else in Scripture. This picture causes us to fix our hope completely on the grace that’s to be given to us at the revelation of Jesus Christ. (1 Pet 1:13)
5. We as believers experience all of the same trauma in life that unbelievers do… we get robbed, have cancer, experience death, accidents, birth mentally handicapped children & the list goes on & on… the difference between us & them is that we SHOULD (based off of Who we know & what we know of Him) react & live through it in a way that brings attention to the hope that we have in Christ therefore causing unbelievers to question what it is we have that they don’t.
So how did knowing that Christ from His throne is authorizing lack/inflation as a judgment help me not to jump into a self-indulged pity party?
1. It caused me to be thankful for the test because it made me to see that this is God keeping His promise to conform me to His image. My pastor has said that Honda doesn’t put their cars through rigorous testing to prove that they fail, Honda does it to prove that they don’t fail (Mark Vroegop; www.yourchurch.com)… in the same way God puts us through testing to prove to us He doesn’t fail therefore giving us a barometer for where we’re at spiritually. It helps me keep in mind that testing points out where my heart is in proximity to the heart of Christ. It helps me realign my focus back on the things that matter.
2. It helps me see the fruit of the Spirit at work in me in that He’s changing me & working out His will & Word in my life… causing me to trust that even though I can't physically see what I need He has already set aside all that I will need for what He knew was going to happen. (1 Pet 1:5-7)
3. That this trial is actually Him being faithful to me. (Ps 119:75)
4. That the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials & to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the Day of Judgment. (2 Pet 2:6-10)… all that to show how He takes care of His. (Matt 6:25-33)
Grace & Peace,
James Miles
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Teach Us, Lord, to Pray The Lord’s Prayer
Introduction
If we’re honest, most of us would admit that we need help in the area of prayer. Thankfully we’re not alone. One of Jesus’ disciples, after watching him pray, asked, “Lord, teach us to pray”(Luke 11:1).
Jesus responded with the prayer that came to be known as “The Lord’s Prayer.” He provided us with this pattern of prayer to teach us what our prayers should include. Praying through the Lord’s Prayer is an excellent way to improve the content of your prayers and your communion with God. It’s also an excellent way to learn to pray with others. Notice that there’s no ‘I,’ ‘me,’ or ‘my’ in the prayer!
As you approach the first station, ask God to teach you to pray and to draw near to you.
Station 1 - Our Father
Jesus taught us to begin our prayers ‘our Father,’ because it shows us that we are not praying to earn God’s favor. We already have his favor because of what Christ did for us in his life, death, and resurrection.
Here are some specific ways to pray:
1. Praise God for the fact that he loved us, his people from every tongue, tribe, people and nation, and gave his Son to die in our place.
...but God shows his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)
2. Praise God that he raised Christ from the dead, and through Jesus’ resurrection, he has birthed us into his family.
He gave us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead (1 Peter 1:3)
3. Praise God that one day all of his people, from every corner of the globe, will see Christ face to face and enter into glory forever.
Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared, but we know that when he appears, we will be like him, because we will see him as he is (1 John 3:2)
Station 2 - in heaven
Jesus taught us to approach God not only as our Father, but our Father who is in heaven. He did this to remind us that God not only loves us dearly, but is holy. That is to say, he is separate from all of his creation, not only in his moral perfection, but also in his being. He alone is God over all, from whom, through whom, and for whom are all things.
Here are some specific ways to pray:
1. Praise God for the fact that he has created all things, and that all things exist by his will.
Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, since you created all things... (Revelation 4:11)
2. Praise God for the fact that everything that happens is according to his will and ultimately, for him.
...from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be glory forever! Amen. (Romans 11:36)
3. Praise God for his holiness: he alone is God and worthy of praise!
...you alone, whose name is Yahweh, are the Most High over all the earth. (Psalm 83:18)
Station 3 - Sanctify Your name!
The first request Jesus taught us to make of the Father is that he set his name apart from every other name, or in other words, that he glorify himself. Some have said that this request is the controlling request for all prayer - that God would help us to pray for the things that would honor him. This is part of what it means to pray ‘in Jesus’ name’ - namely, to pray for the things that would honor Jesus.
In this request, we admit our inability to glorify God as he deserves, and ask him to glorify himself in our prayers and in the world.
Here are some specific ways to pray:
1. Pray that the requests that you are about to make would be honoring to God.
O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. (Psalm 51:15)
If you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit (John 15:7)
Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son (John 14:13)
1. Pray that God would be worshipped by every tongue, tribe, people and nation.
Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you! (Psalm 67:3)
2. Pray that God would remove idolatry and lusts from the earth and replace those longings with a desire for him.
God said, “I am Yahweh! That is my name! I will not share my glory with anyone else, or the praise due me with idols!” (Isaiah 42:8)
Station 4 - May your kingdom come
When Jesus taught us to pray for the Kingdom of God to come, he was teaching us to pray two things, because the Kingdom of God is coming in two stages.
First, the Kingdom of God comes when the Gospel is preached and the Holy Spirit makes it effective by bringing a sinner to a love of Jesus. “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Col 1:13-14)
Second, the Kingdom of God will come when Jesus returns to this world and sets the world to rights, bringing justice to the world. “Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, ‘the Kingdom of this world has become the Kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever!’” (Rev 11:15)
So, in this request, we are asking both for the advance of the Gospel in the world and expressing our desire for Jesus to return to gather us to himself.
Here are some specific ways to pray:
1. Pray for boldness, love and opportunities for yourself and others you know to tell the Gospel to unbelievers. (Acts 4:31)
2. Pray for missionaries that you know of, for their closeness to God and boldness in speaking the Gospel. (Colossians 4:3-4)
3. Pray that God would grant repentance unto eternal life to people you know and to people to whom missionaries are evangelizing. (1 Timothy 2:1)
4. Pray that God would raise up missionaries and send them to places and ethnic groups among whom Christ is not being proclaimed. (Matthew 9:37-38)
5. Pray that the Lord would come quickly. (Revelation 22:20)
Station 5 - May your will be done on earth as it is in heaven
Jesus taught us to pray that the Father would have his will done on this earth. God’s will, in the Gospel of Matthew, means obedience to Jesus’ commands. So when we pray ‘may your will be done,’ we’re admitting our inability to obey God while also acknowledging God’s ability to cause us to obey his laws.
And not only are we praying for ourselves, but all disciples of Christ among every ethnic group throughout the world.
Consider some of the ways our Lord described the ethics of his Kingdom, and pray for help in obeying his commandments, not only for yourself, but for all God’s children.
Here are some of the commandments our Lord gave his Church. Pray that God would grant us all help in obeying them.
1. Rejoice in the midst of persecution, because our reward is in heaven (Matt 5:12)
2. Emulate Christ’s character in the world so that people will come to know and worship him (Matt 5:16)
3. Don’t be angry with fellow-Christian; rather, make sure that there is harmony and love in Christian relationships (Matt 5:22-24)
4. Don’t long for someone who’s not your spouse; rather, take drastic action to escape temptation and sin (Matt 5:28-29)
5. Always keep your word, since every word we speak is spoken in the presence of God (Matt 5:37)
6. Love, be kind to, and pray for the ones who hurt you (Matt 5:44-48)
7. Do righteous deeds for the glory of God - not to receive glory from people (Matt 6:1-6)
8. Set your longings and work on treasures in heaven, not for things on earth (Matt 6:19-24)
9. Don’t be anxious; rather, trust our loving and sovereign God (Matt 6:25-34)
10. Don’t be condemning towards other believers; rather, focus on repenting of your own sins and lovingly help them do the same (Matt 7:1-5)
11. Value the glory of the Gospel more than even people (Matt 7:6)
12. Ask God for the good things pertaining to his Kingdom (Matt 7:7-11)
13. Consider how we’d like to be treated, and then treat others that way (Matt 7:12)
14. Watch out for false teachers. Their lives and doctrine do not accord with Jesus’ teaching (Matt 7:15)
Station 6 - Give us this day our daily bread
When Jesus taught us to ask the Father for our daily bread, he spoke against two tendencies we have. Those two tendencies are, first, the belief that we are independent and capable of supporting ourselves, and second, the belief that our focus should be our distant, earthly future.
The fact is this: we depend on God’s holy pleasure for our continued existence, even in this very moment. Much more, we depend on his good pleasure for our doing his will and sanctifying his name.
Here are some steps to follow in praying this request:
1. Take a minute to think about what you need to live in this world for God’s glory.
2. Admit your complete dependence on God, and ask him to provide to you what you need.
3. Take a moment to thank God for the things he’s given you in the last day.
4. Take a moment to think about the needs of others in Christ’s global Church, including even emotional needs.
5. Pray that God would give his people what they need to serve him well.
Station 7 - Forgive us our debts
Our actions, every day, come infinitely short of what we owe to God. When we pray ‘forgive us our debts,’ we admit that God is worthy of glory, and we have not honored him as he deserves. We also confess that he can and will give us entry into his Kingdom despite our lawlessness, based on Jesus’ obedience to God, not ours.
Here are some steps to follow in asking God for forgiveness:
1. Think about the past day and what God deserved from your efforts, emotions, and time this past day.
2. Confess the ways that you have fallen short in word, deed, and affection.
3. Ask God to forgive you for your breaking of his commandments - for him to treat you with kindness rather than discipline. Ask him to do the same for all of his people worldwide.
4. Thank God for providing forgiveness through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ for us.
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us, in Christ, with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places... In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses...” (Ephesians 1:3, 7)
Station 8 - as we also have forgiven our debtors
Christ values love as the supreme trait of those who would claim to be his disciples. We cannot legitimately ask God to treat us with mercy rather than justice when we desire others to be punished for hurting us. Such desires betray an underlying belief that we are more worthy of blessing than God himself.
So this is worth asking: are you holding something against a brother or sister in Christ? Are you treating someone in a such a way so as to, in a sense, punish them, rather than treating them as someone Christ loves and died for?
If you are, you cannot seriously ask God to treat all the disciples of Christ with love and kindness - after all, you’d be asking God to forgive sins that you’re wanting to punish people for!
Is there someone with whom you need to be reconciled?
Here are some steps to follow towards reconciliation, as well as some items for which to pray:
1. Ask God for forgiveness for your anger.
2. Make a decision to reconcile with the other person. Today. Decide what time you will contact them.
3. Ask God to treat that other person with grace.
4. Ask God to cause his Church to be known in the world as a group of people who love each other.
Jesus prayed this for us: “that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me”(John 17:21).
5. Ask God to give us the strength to love those who persecute us for our obedience to Christ.
Station 9 - And lead us not into temptation
If we are to sanctify God’s name in our lives, we must avoid things in this world that would take our attention from him and divert our affections away from him. Jesus taught us in this request, though, that God is in control of not only our souls and desires but also our circumstances.
Take a moment to consider the things that divert your affections from Christ. Here are a few helpful questions to ask yourself (from Tim Keller):
1. What are you most afraid of?
2. What do you run to for comfort?
3. What do you complain about?
4. What makes you most angry?
5. What makes you happiest?
6. How do you define yourself to people?
7. What do you talk about most?
8. What do you give up other things for?
9. Whose approval do you seek, other than Christ’s?
10. What do you want to control or master?
11. What comfort do you treasure the most?
These questions do a great job uncovering the things in our lives that compete with God for our affections. Ask God to lead you away from these things and give you the power to flee them.
Your idols are probably not unique to you, but are good things that the people of God worldwide need to flee as well. Take a few moments praying for others, that God would guide them away from temptation as well.
Station 10 - but deliver us from the evil one.
This final request has traditionally been translated ‘deliver us from evil’; however, most commentators agree that a better translation is ‘deliver us from the evil one,’ namely, the devil.
The devil’s goal has always been fairly simple: he desires the condemnation of souls, the suffering of God’s people, and the perversion of the truth which saves. Our Lord said of the devil, “He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” (John 8:44)
Satan attacks the people of God now with persecution and false doctrines. He keeps the world blinded from salvation with idolatry and rebellious worldviews.
Jesus is teaching us to pray for the deliverance of the Church here. We do desire that unbelievers receive Christ and join his Church, but what we are mainly praying for in this request is for the power to withstand persecution and for the wisdom to discern false beliefs that do not accord with God’s word.
So, pray these things for not only yourself, but for all of Christ’s Church:
1. Pray for the power to testify to Christ without wavering, despite persecution.
“Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, always being ready to give an answer for the hope that is within you, yet do it with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:14-15)
2. Thank God that he will vindicate his persecuted people.
“And they have conquered him (the devil) by the blood of the lamb and their witnessing message, because they loved not their lives even unto death” (Revelation 12:11)
3. Pray that God would set his Church apart with the truth of the Scriptures and give us the power to discern false teaching.
“Now the Spirit expressly says that in the latter times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons.” (1 Timothy 4:1)
“In Jesus’ name” means that Jesus’ work in dying and rising has secured our entry into God’s throne room to make requests of him. It also means that we are making our requests for the glory of Christ.
In Jesus’ name, amen.
If we’re honest, most of us would admit that we need help in the area of prayer. Thankfully we’re not alone. One of Jesus’ disciples, after watching him pray, asked, “Lord, teach us to pray”(Luke 11:1).
Jesus responded with the prayer that came to be known as “The Lord’s Prayer.” He provided us with this pattern of prayer to teach us what our prayers should include. Praying through the Lord’s Prayer is an excellent way to improve the content of your prayers and your communion with God. It’s also an excellent way to learn to pray with others. Notice that there’s no ‘I,’ ‘me,’ or ‘my’ in the prayer!
As you approach the first station, ask God to teach you to pray and to draw near to you.
Station 1 - Our Father
Jesus taught us to begin our prayers ‘our Father,’ because it shows us that we are not praying to earn God’s favor. We already have his favor because of what Christ did for us in his life, death, and resurrection.
Here are some specific ways to pray:
1. Praise God for the fact that he loved us, his people from every tongue, tribe, people and nation, and gave his Son to die in our place.
...but God shows his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)
2. Praise God that he raised Christ from the dead, and through Jesus’ resurrection, he has birthed us into his family.
He gave us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead (1 Peter 1:3)
3. Praise God that one day all of his people, from every corner of the globe, will see Christ face to face and enter into glory forever.
Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared, but we know that when he appears, we will be like him, because we will see him as he is (1 John 3:2)
Station 2 - in heaven
Jesus taught us to approach God not only as our Father, but our Father who is in heaven. He did this to remind us that God not only loves us dearly, but is holy. That is to say, he is separate from all of his creation, not only in his moral perfection, but also in his being. He alone is God over all, from whom, through whom, and for whom are all things.
Here are some specific ways to pray:
1. Praise God for the fact that he has created all things, and that all things exist by his will.
Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, since you created all things... (Revelation 4:11)
2. Praise God for the fact that everything that happens is according to his will and ultimately, for him.
...from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be glory forever! Amen. (Romans 11:36)
3. Praise God for his holiness: he alone is God and worthy of praise!
...you alone, whose name is Yahweh, are the Most High over all the earth. (Psalm 83:18)
Station 3 - Sanctify Your name!
The first request Jesus taught us to make of the Father is that he set his name apart from every other name, or in other words, that he glorify himself. Some have said that this request is the controlling request for all prayer - that God would help us to pray for the things that would honor him. This is part of what it means to pray ‘in Jesus’ name’ - namely, to pray for the things that would honor Jesus.
In this request, we admit our inability to glorify God as he deserves, and ask him to glorify himself in our prayers and in the world.
Here are some specific ways to pray:
1. Pray that the requests that you are about to make would be honoring to God.
O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. (Psalm 51:15)
If you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit (John 15:7)
Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son (John 14:13)
1. Pray that God would be worshipped by every tongue, tribe, people and nation.
Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you! (Psalm 67:3)
2. Pray that God would remove idolatry and lusts from the earth and replace those longings with a desire for him.
God said, “I am Yahweh! That is my name! I will not share my glory with anyone else, or the praise due me with idols!” (Isaiah 42:8)
Station 4 - May your kingdom come
When Jesus taught us to pray for the Kingdom of God to come, he was teaching us to pray two things, because the Kingdom of God is coming in two stages.
First, the Kingdom of God comes when the Gospel is preached and the Holy Spirit makes it effective by bringing a sinner to a love of Jesus. “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Col 1:13-14)
Second, the Kingdom of God will come when Jesus returns to this world and sets the world to rights, bringing justice to the world. “Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, ‘the Kingdom of this world has become the Kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever!’” (Rev 11:15)
So, in this request, we are asking both for the advance of the Gospel in the world and expressing our desire for Jesus to return to gather us to himself.
Here are some specific ways to pray:
1. Pray for boldness, love and opportunities for yourself and others you know to tell the Gospel to unbelievers. (Acts 4:31)
2. Pray for missionaries that you know of, for their closeness to God and boldness in speaking the Gospel. (Colossians 4:3-4)
3. Pray that God would grant repentance unto eternal life to people you know and to people to whom missionaries are evangelizing. (1 Timothy 2:1)
4. Pray that God would raise up missionaries and send them to places and ethnic groups among whom Christ is not being proclaimed. (Matthew 9:37-38)
5. Pray that the Lord would come quickly. (Revelation 22:20)
Station 5 - May your will be done on earth as it is in heaven
Jesus taught us to pray that the Father would have his will done on this earth. God’s will, in the Gospel of Matthew, means obedience to Jesus’ commands. So when we pray ‘may your will be done,’ we’re admitting our inability to obey God while also acknowledging God’s ability to cause us to obey his laws.
And not only are we praying for ourselves, but all disciples of Christ among every ethnic group throughout the world.
Consider some of the ways our Lord described the ethics of his Kingdom, and pray for help in obeying his commandments, not only for yourself, but for all God’s children.
Here are some of the commandments our Lord gave his Church. Pray that God would grant us all help in obeying them.
1. Rejoice in the midst of persecution, because our reward is in heaven (Matt 5:12)
2. Emulate Christ’s character in the world so that people will come to know and worship him (Matt 5:16)
3. Don’t be angry with fellow-Christian; rather, make sure that there is harmony and love in Christian relationships (Matt 5:22-24)
4. Don’t long for someone who’s not your spouse; rather, take drastic action to escape temptation and sin (Matt 5:28-29)
5. Always keep your word, since every word we speak is spoken in the presence of God (Matt 5:37)
6. Love, be kind to, and pray for the ones who hurt you (Matt 5:44-48)
7. Do righteous deeds for the glory of God - not to receive glory from people (Matt 6:1-6)
8. Set your longings and work on treasures in heaven, not for things on earth (Matt 6:19-24)
9. Don’t be anxious; rather, trust our loving and sovereign God (Matt 6:25-34)
10. Don’t be condemning towards other believers; rather, focus on repenting of your own sins and lovingly help them do the same (Matt 7:1-5)
11. Value the glory of the Gospel more than even people (Matt 7:6)
12. Ask God for the good things pertaining to his Kingdom (Matt 7:7-11)
13. Consider how we’d like to be treated, and then treat others that way (Matt 7:12)
14. Watch out for false teachers. Their lives and doctrine do not accord with Jesus’ teaching (Matt 7:15)
Station 6 - Give us this day our daily bread
When Jesus taught us to ask the Father for our daily bread, he spoke against two tendencies we have. Those two tendencies are, first, the belief that we are independent and capable of supporting ourselves, and second, the belief that our focus should be our distant, earthly future.
The fact is this: we depend on God’s holy pleasure for our continued existence, even in this very moment. Much more, we depend on his good pleasure for our doing his will and sanctifying his name.
Here are some steps to follow in praying this request:
1. Take a minute to think about what you need to live in this world for God’s glory.
2. Admit your complete dependence on God, and ask him to provide to you what you need.
3. Take a moment to thank God for the things he’s given you in the last day.
4. Take a moment to think about the needs of others in Christ’s global Church, including even emotional needs.
5. Pray that God would give his people what they need to serve him well.
Station 7 - Forgive us our debts
Our actions, every day, come infinitely short of what we owe to God. When we pray ‘forgive us our debts,’ we admit that God is worthy of glory, and we have not honored him as he deserves. We also confess that he can and will give us entry into his Kingdom despite our lawlessness, based on Jesus’ obedience to God, not ours.
Here are some steps to follow in asking God for forgiveness:
1. Think about the past day and what God deserved from your efforts, emotions, and time this past day.
2. Confess the ways that you have fallen short in word, deed, and affection.
3. Ask God to forgive you for your breaking of his commandments - for him to treat you with kindness rather than discipline. Ask him to do the same for all of his people worldwide.
4. Thank God for providing forgiveness through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ for us.
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us, in Christ, with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places... In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses...” (Ephesians 1:3, 7)
Station 8 - as we also have forgiven our debtors
Christ values love as the supreme trait of those who would claim to be his disciples. We cannot legitimately ask God to treat us with mercy rather than justice when we desire others to be punished for hurting us. Such desires betray an underlying belief that we are more worthy of blessing than God himself.
So this is worth asking: are you holding something against a brother or sister in Christ? Are you treating someone in a such a way so as to, in a sense, punish them, rather than treating them as someone Christ loves and died for?
If you are, you cannot seriously ask God to treat all the disciples of Christ with love and kindness - after all, you’d be asking God to forgive sins that you’re wanting to punish people for!
Is there someone with whom you need to be reconciled?
Here are some steps to follow towards reconciliation, as well as some items for which to pray:
1. Ask God for forgiveness for your anger.
2. Make a decision to reconcile with the other person. Today. Decide what time you will contact them.
3. Ask God to treat that other person with grace.
4. Ask God to cause his Church to be known in the world as a group of people who love each other.
Jesus prayed this for us: “that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me”(John 17:21).
5. Ask God to give us the strength to love those who persecute us for our obedience to Christ.
Station 9 - And lead us not into temptation
If we are to sanctify God’s name in our lives, we must avoid things in this world that would take our attention from him and divert our affections away from him. Jesus taught us in this request, though, that God is in control of not only our souls and desires but also our circumstances.
Take a moment to consider the things that divert your affections from Christ. Here are a few helpful questions to ask yourself (from Tim Keller):
1. What are you most afraid of?
2. What do you run to for comfort?
3. What do you complain about?
4. What makes you most angry?
5. What makes you happiest?
6. How do you define yourself to people?
7. What do you talk about most?
8. What do you give up other things for?
9. Whose approval do you seek, other than Christ’s?
10. What do you want to control or master?
11. What comfort do you treasure the most?
These questions do a great job uncovering the things in our lives that compete with God for our affections. Ask God to lead you away from these things and give you the power to flee them.
Your idols are probably not unique to you, but are good things that the people of God worldwide need to flee as well. Take a few moments praying for others, that God would guide them away from temptation as well.
Station 10 - but deliver us from the evil one.
This final request has traditionally been translated ‘deliver us from evil’; however, most commentators agree that a better translation is ‘deliver us from the evil one,’ namely, the devil.
The devil’s goal has always been fairly simple: he desires the condemnation of souls, the suffering of God’s people, and the perversion of the truth which saves. Our Lord said of the devil, “He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” (John 8:44)
Satan attacks the people of God now with persecution and false doctrines. He keeps the world blinded from salvation with idolatry and rebellious worldviews.
Jesus is teaching us to pray for the deliverance of the Church here. We do desire that unbelievers receive Christ and join his Church, but what we are mainly praying for in this request is for the power to withstand persecution and for the wisdom to discern false beliefs that do not accord with God’s word.
So, pray these things for not only yourself, but for all of Christ’s Church:
1. Pray for the power to testify to Christ without wavering, despite persecution.
“Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, always being ready to give an answer for the hope that is within you, yet do it with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:14-15)
2. Thank God that he will vindicate his persecuted people.
“And they have conquered him (the devil) by the blood of the lamb and their witnessing message, because they loved not their lives even unto death” (Revelation 12:11)
3. Pray that God would set his Church apart with the truth of the Scriptures and give us the power to discern false teaching.
“Now the Spirit expressly says that in the latter times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons.” (1 Timothy 4:1)
“In Jesus’ name” means that Jesus’ work in dying and rising has secured our entry into God’s throne room to make requests of him. It also means that we are making our requests for the glory of Christ.
In Jesus’ name, amen.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
The God of All Comfort
In 2 Corinthians 1, Paul called God the 'God of all comfort,' and repeatedly draws attention to the fact that God loves to comfort his children. He loves to give them reprieve from suffering. He loves to grant them joy.
As a result, I've regularly prayed for the joy and comfort of people who are going through difficult circumstances. I think that's wise and good and would stand by it.
I do, however, want to make some observations about the comfort that God gives:
1) It is in the midst of suffering, not as a replacement for it.
2) It is in the midst of community, and given through speaking with each other about Christ.
3) Our suffering is to imitate Christ's sufferings if we expect to share in comfort. That means that it must either be the result of living like Christ on earth OR the result of living on earth in expectation that Christ will fix the world at the last day.
4) God often pushes us to be desperate, even of life itself, to give us comfort. Desparation and comfort are not mutually exclusive in our experience, and desperation can get pretty bad - but it is a surgical tool in the hand of the God who desires our comfort.
5) Our comfort is ultimately rooted in the fact that God has raised Christ from the dead and will raise us as well. Seeking mere existential comfort without historical rootedness is sub-Christian.
That's not an exhaustive study of the chapter, but I think it's telling that the purpose of comfort is not to rid us of suffering - but to show us, in history, and through godly conversation, how it has been dealt with and will be dealt with.
So, enough with the platitudes and seeking to drive at comfort and security without suffering before Jesus comes back. The comfort God gives, even now, in the midst of desparation, through the message about Christ, is better.
And he loves to grant it to his children.
As a result, I've regularly prayed for the joy and comfort of people who are going through difficult circumstances. I think that's wise and good and would stand by it.
I do, however, want to make some observations about the comfort that God gives:
1) It is in the midst of suffering, not as a replacement for it.
2) It is in the midst of community, and given through speaking with each other about Christ.
3) Our suffering is to imitate Christ's sufferings if we expect to share in comfort. That means that it must either be the result of living like Christ on earth OR the result of living on earth in expectation that Christ will fix the world at the last day.
4) God often pushes us to be desperate, even of life itself, to give us comfort. Desparation and comfort are not mutually exclusive in our experience, and desperation can get pretty bad - but it is a surgical tool in the hand of the God who desires our comfort.
5) Our comfort is ultimately rooted in the fact that God has raised Christ from the dead and will raise us as well. Seeking mere existential comfort without historical rootedness is sub-Christian.
That's not an exhaustive study of the chapter, but I think it's telling that the purpose of comfort is not to rid us of suffering - but to show us, in history, and through godly conversation, how it has been dealt with and will be dealt with.
So, enough with the platitudes and seeking to drive at comfort and security without suffering before Jesus comes back. The comfort God gives, even now, in the midst of desparation, through the message about Christ, is better.
And he loves to grant it to his children.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Thoughts after eye surgery....
Yesterday I had a minor eye surgery. I was told that I might experience slight burning afterwards, but that I'd probably not experience any pain at all.
That was drastically incorrect.
My eyes were killing me. I couldn't stop crying - couldn't even open my eyes. I wanted something to bite down on, to grip on to, to hit.
Have you ever experienced something that put you in that much pain? Maybe an illness? A surgery? An injury? Childbirth (which I hear hurts a lot)?
Recall those moments and how you felt.
God brought to my mind that in hell there is 'weeping and gnashing of teeth.' I realized then that the intense pain that I so desired rescue from was so much less than what people are experiencing and will experience in hell.
And like the rich man in the story of Lazarus , in hell there is no reprieve. No alleviation. Continuous torment.
I can think of several proper ways to respond to these truths. What do you think?
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Page CXVI
Some of you may remember a post of mine a while back bemoaning the state of modern Christian music - both for its lyrical content and for its lack of musical creativity and complexity.
You may remember I mentioned a band called Page CXVI that redoes hymns - and brilliantly at that.
There's a free download of one of their songs at http://www.pagecxvi.com
It is definitely worth your time to check out.
You may remember I mentioned a band called Page CXVI that redoes hymns - and brilliantly at that.
There's a free download of one of their songs at http://www.pagecxvi.com
It is definitely worth your time to check out.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Friday, October 2, 2009
Twitter notes via RSS
For those of you who would like to follow my Twitter updates, but don't want to join the cult of Twitter, I just saw you can subscribe to a Twitter feed via RSS, just like you would a blog. How about that.
Yeah yeah. I know. I'm slow.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Trust is personal.
Scripture - here.
Israel was being decimated by the Assyrian Empire. Rather than trusting in God and his promises, they sent to Egypt to form a military-political alliance.
That got me thinking - what's my Egypt? What do I trust in rather than the Lord? What's my identity? For me - it's as the smart guy. I trust in my intelligence rather than God.
What's your Egypt?
Sometimes, too, I think I put faith in faith rather than faith in God, as a person. What I mean is, I think things will 'just work out.' Everything will be okay. Not because I'm personally putting my trust in Jesus - but just because I believe in ... luck? Fate? Some impersonal force? My own experience - that things usually DO work out?
Sometimes my Egypt is merely belief in belief. And I fail to trust in God.
Maybe you do, too.
Edit: I think - practical application - pray!
I tweet.
I don't know how it will show up or if it will in your RSS reader or emails, but I'm on Twitter, and my updates show up on the right side of the blog.
*sigh*
I feel like that's the beginning of my introduction at a self-help group.
Anyway, I try to make most of my ... 'tweets'... (shudder) .... short, edifying thoughts. So if you want to follow me, there you go. You can see them on the right. They also show up as my Facebook statuses.
If you're not on Twitter itself - it's worth it to just get John Piper's thoughts. Other than that - I'm not a big fan.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Project 86: Picket Fence Cartel - My Impressions
Okay, so this is totally personal, not theological, not biblical, really, just opinion about music.
But I do not like the current state of Christian music. Not so much because I think all of it's bad, per se - just because I don't like much of it.
Two reasons I don't like it. 1) I just don't like the music. It seems to me like most popular Christian music is aimed at middle aged women. Nothing against middle aged women - I'm just NOT one. And neither are most guys. (And actually, I'm fairly certain that this is a purposeful marketing decision - ask me about K-Love Kathy...) (I'm not sure which frustrates me more, K-Love or the music at my gym... I guess the music at my gym. No one forces me to listen to K-Love.)
2) The lyrics can be really trite, dumb, non-Christ centered, just plain wrong.... etc. ("Our worship isn't about what you can do, but about what we alone can do for you"? Wow, really? Good to know that we can meet God's deficiencies.)
There are a few exceptions to these things of course. The Indelible Grace albums are absolutely wonderful lyrically. Not crazy about the music - but the lyrics are about Jesus and him crucified - hard to argue with that.
Lecrae and some of the other Christian rappers - like listening to a Mark Driscoll or Tim Keller sermon in rap form. Again, not crazy about rap - but I have been cut to the heart by those guys' lyrics.
Mars Hill's Rain City Hymnal - hymns done indie rock. I actually like the music and the lyrics.
And Page CXVI - very similar - very good stuff.
Enter Project 86's newest album. It seems like they've recovered musically from... well, not being so hot. They're rocking again. Hard. I love it. I haven't heard a hard rock album I've liked this much musically since the last Metallica album.
But it seems they've also recovered from their days of not singing about Jesus' word. The lyrics on this CD are not only Biblical - but personal - and not trite at all. I might even say that some of them are pretty deep. I don't know that I'd have understood much of the lyrics to the first song had I not been studying Revelation.
So if you like hard rock and love Jesus - check it out.
And the new Thrice album, Beggars, comes out today, too. I'm betting it'll be similar in quality.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Overlooked Parts of a Job in the OT
So here's an overlooked part of a Levite's job in the Old Testament. They were of course charged with taking care of the tabernacle and later the temple, and they were charged with preaching to the people - but also:
Why? The tabernacle was God's tent, home, or traveling palace. It was where he reigned from - and represented his presence. And his presence is what was saving his people.
In the same way, Jesus, our High Priest, by dying and rising from the dead, secured his presence - the presence of the Holy Spirit - for his covenant people - and has thus secured our eternal life with him. Click here...
I think there are some very practical outworkings of this in our own lives in Christ's Church as well - particularly in our public witness to Christ, our guarding the doctrine of Christ, our disciplining the members of Christ's Church for their good, the guarding of our families against the enemies of Christ... (I'm sure there are many more, but I need to get back to my Bible reading...)
Though it must be kept in mind that all those are done because Jesus has secured his reign in us individually and among us in the community that is Christ's Church.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
This makes me sad...
I was listening to Piper's sermon, "He must increase, I must decrease"; and it struck me: I really am after my own fame. I want people to know me, love me, appreciate me, respect me, praise me, think high thoughts of me.
But Jesus... (click)
And thank God that I'm forgiven for trying to usurp his throne - by the Lamb who gave his up
and who now reigns from it forever.
But Jesus... (click)
And thank God that I'm forgiven for trying to usurp his throne - by the Lamb who gave his up
and who now reigns from it forever.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
God demonstrates his own love.
Romans 5:8 says this: "God shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners, the Messiah died for us."
First, the 'us' there is Christians - not everyone.
But second - I've often divorced that from the following verses.
In doing so - I've forgotten that God also shows his love in that his Son didn't STAY dead. The Father rescued him from death and showed him to be the Faithful Son - and likewise he will raise us who believed and rescue us ultimately as well. What amazing love God has for us! Look to the risen Christ and rely on him for your future life with God Almighty!
First, the 'us' there is Christians - not everyone.
But second - I've often divorced that from the following verses.
In doing so - I've forgotten that God also shows his love in that his Son didn't STAY dead. The Father rescued him from death and showed him to be the Faithful Son - and likewise he will raise us who believed and rescue us ultimately as well. What amazing love God has for us! Look to the risen Christ and rely on him for your future life with God Almighty!
I am self-righteous...
I am a self-righteous one...
Today I spent time repudiating my self-righteousness before God, my Father.
I found that I've believed that I'm a good husband. That I think highly of myself because of time spent in Scripture and in prayer. That I think I deserve something because I sometimes do a good job in ministry. That I think that I'm not guilty because I've not cheated on anyone. That I think I'm okay because I don't lie, cheat or steal - even though I covet and am discontent and rarely give thanks.
I found today that I am a Pharisee. I am self-righteous. I try to earn salvation before God by my works.
But I came upon this in my reading: "...but if, by the Spirit of God, you kill the actions of your sinful body, you will live eternally. The reason you'll live forever if you do that is this: all of the ones who are led along by the Spirit of God are children of God." (Rom. 8:13-14; my dynamic equivalence translation)
Obedience comes from already being made a child; it doesn't make me one. That same Spirit in me that cries to God 'Father!' because of what Jesus did - HE leads me in obedience and gives me eternal life.
Today I spent time repudiating my self-righteousness before God, my Father.
I found that I've believed that I'm a good husband. That I think highly of myself because of time spent in Scripture and in prayer. That I think I deserve something because I sometimes do a good job in ministry. That I think that I'm not guilty because I've not cheated on anyone. That I think I'm okay because I don't lie, cheat or steal - even though I covet and am discontent and rarely give thanks.
I found today that I am a Pharisee. I am self-righteous. I try to earn salvation before God by my works.
But I came upon this in my reading: "...but if, by the Spirit of God, you kill the actions of your sinful body, you will live eternally. The reason you'll live forever if you do that is this: all of the ones who are led along by the Spirit of God are children of God." (Rom. 8:13-14; my dynamic equivalence translation)
Obedience comes from already being made a child; it doesn't make me one. That same Spirit in me that cries to God 'Father!' because of what Jesus did - HE leads me in obedience and gives me eternal life.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Worship, Thanks, or Both?
I was thinking about the structure of the book of Romans today. (Some of you are probably chuckling at that...)
But I realized something. Before Paul moves to assuring US of our salvation - directing US to how great it is that WE are saved (beginning in 4:23) -
he merely celebrates that God is the God who justifies the ungodly.
That he has made his righteousness known.
That he has been propitiated through the redemption in the blood of Jesus.
That he is both just and the justifier of the ungodly one who trusts Jesus.
In other words, he teaches who God is before teaching who we individually are as a result.
I wouldn't mandate this - but I think there's wisdom in it - that we worship God for who he is and what he's done and what he is capable of doing (He is just, loving, the justifier, the life-giver - even towards the ungodly) - before we thank him for justifying us personally - for saving us personally.
Or in other words - perhaps it is wise to gaze into the glory of God before we gaze into how that glory has changed us personally.
Certainly we must make it personal. I think perhaps we just tend to do so too quickly.
God is the justifier of the ungodly!
And his dedication to his own glory has justified me.
But I realized something. Before Paul moves to assuring US of our salvation - directing US to how great it is that WE are saved (beginning in 4:23) -
he merely celebrates that God is the God who justifies the ungodly.
That he has made his righteousness known.
That he has been propitiated through the redemption in the blood of Jesus.
That he is both just and the justifier of the ungodly one who trusts Jesus.
In other words, he teaches who God is before teaching who we individually are as a result.
I wouldn't mandate this - but I think there's wisdom in it - that we worship God for who he is and what he's done and what he is capable of doing (He is just, loving, the justifier, the life-giver - even towards the ungodly) - before we thank him for justifying us personally - for saving us personally.
Or in other words - perhaps it is wise to gaze into the glory of God before we gaze into how that glory has changed us personally.
Certainly we must make it personal. I think perhaps we just tend to do so too quickly.
God is the justifier of the ungodly!
And his dedication to his own glory has justified me.
Friday, April 10, 2009
In my place condemned he stood...
...sealed my pardon with his blood
HALLELUJAH! What a Savior...
What is celebrated today is that 2,000 years ago
our guilt was dealt with
our consciences were cleaned
our punishment was meted out
our forgiveness was secured
our freedom from sinning was attained
our judgment stood finished
our justification was accomplished
our freedom from this dying world was purchased
our King was crowned
our Lord was glorified
our Creator... died for us
Praise the Lord! There is no god like our God - and truly no glory like His - our Most High Triune God.
HALLELUJAH! What a Savior...
What is celebrated today is that 2,000 years ago
our guilt was dealt with
our consciences were cleaned
our punishment was meted out
our forgiveness was secured
our freedom from sinning was attained
our judgment stood finished
our justification was accomplished
our freedom from this dying world was purchased
our King was crowned
our Lord was glorified
our Creator... died for us
Praise the Lord! There is no god like our God - and truly no glory like His - our Most High Triune God.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Right doctrine and zealous emotions
If you've got right doctrine, but you don't have an accompanying holy, firey zeal for God, you're being a hypocrite.
If you have a great deal of emotion about God, but you don't know what the Bible says about him, you've created an idol that you have feelings for.
Real Christianity is about right doctrine that comes from God that results in right thoughts, feelings, and actions for the glory of God.
If you have a great deal of emotion about God, but you don't know what the Bible says about him, you've created an idol that you have feelings for.
Real Christianity is about right doctrine that comes from God that results in right thoughts, feelings, and actions for the glory of God.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Worship
This morning as I was praying, I realized that true worship really is the result of truly tasting God's character and glory.
Because I'm depraved, that means first coming to grips with my own depravity, rebellion, and even inability to obey his holy commands. And then it means coming to grips with his love given freely in Christ.
But how often do we just sing of general ... stuff? There's nothing wrong with singing 'I could sing of your love forever' (outside of the fact that it's old and repetitive... sorry, couldn't resist the jab...), but if we're not thinking of the love of God for sinners in Christ, are we praising God... or the concept of love?
As I wrestled with God over my own sin this morning, I recognized that I really need to do this more regularly - that is, really come to grips with my ugliness, wretchedness, evil, and inability - and then the grace of God means something huge.
Because I'm depraved, that means first coming to grips with my own depravity, rebellion, and even inability to obey his holy commands. And then it means coming to grips with his love given freely in Christ.
But how often do we just sing of general ... stuff? There's nothing wrong with singing 'I could sing of your love forever' (outside of the fact that it's old and repetitive... sorry, couldn't resist the jab...), but if we're not thinking of the love of God for sinners in Christ, are we praising God... or the concept of love?
As I wrestled with God over my own sin this morning, I recognized that I really need to do this more regularly - that is, really come to grips with my ugliness, wretchedness, evil, and inability - and then the grace of God means something huge.
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