We all love the "Top Ten" Lists and here's one that's not very entertaining, but it is eminently useful. I would love to be able to take the credit for this, but it comes from Joanna Weaver's book entitled Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World.
10. Separate toxic worry from genuine concern. Determine if you can do anything about your situation. If so, sketch a plan to handle it. Proverbs 16:3
9. Don't worry alone. Share your concerns with a friend or a counselor. You may receive helpful advice. Talking your fears out with someone often reveals solutions that were invisible before. Proverbs 27:9
8. Take care of your physical body. Regular exercise and adequate rest can defuse a lot of worry. When our bodies are healthy, our minds can handle stress better and react more appropriately. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
7. Do what is right. A guilty conscience can cause more anxiety than a world of problems. Do your best to live above reproach. Take care of mistakes quickly by confessing and seeking forgiveness. Acts 24:16
6. Look on the bright side. Consciously focus on what is good around you. Don't let yourself speak negatively, even about yourself. Ephesians 4:29
5. Control your imagination. Be realistic about the problems you face. Try to live in the "here and now" not in the "what might be." Isaiah 35:3-4
4. Prepare for the unexpected. Put aside a cash reserve and take sensible measures so you'll be ready if difficulties arise. Proverbs 21:20
3. Trust God. Keep reminding yourself to put God in your equation. Then, when fear knocks, you can send faith to answer the door. Psalm 112:7
2. Meditate on God's promises. Scripture has the power to transform our minds. Look for Scriptures that deal with your particular areas of anxiety. Answer life's difficulties with God's Word. 1 Peter 1:4
1. And the number one way to tame a worry habit? Pray! Joseph M. Scriven's hymn says it all: "O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry, everything to God in prayer." Colossians 4:2
Now if we could actually put this into practice!
He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to God. Psalm 40:2-3
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
What if it were your last day?
I had a very interesting conversation with a friend today. She told me how, upon the very strange and unexpected deaths of two young women in their twenties, she had descended into a very dark place spiritually. These two young women were not related or connected in any way (other than my friend and I happen to know both of their parents) but, in the space of just a couple of months, both of these very healthy, vital women contracted very mysterious illnesses and were dead within a matter of days.
Oh, it was a dark and painful time for many of us who mourned along with the parents and families. These two young women were very close to my friend's own age and the effect upon her was profound. She didn't say this in our conversation, but I think that perhaps this was the first time she had been truly, blatantly confronted with the fact of her own mortality. Oh sure, we're all going to die someday, but we really expect that it won't be until we're old and gray, after having lived a full and fruitful life. But young? vital? healthy? Unexplained, unexpected, unmerciful death in the prime of life? How can hearts be guarded against the uncertainty and fear of that?
She told me how she had become consumed with fear. Almost every moment she thought of death and wondered what she would do if suddenly she were to discover that today would be her last day on earth. She said that the fear almost literally paralysed her, making it difficult for her to even function. Her husband could certainly tell that something dreadful was wrong with her, but she found it extremely difficult to articulate what she felt. How does one explain the feelings and dread when it seems as though a dark battle for the soul is occurring in the depths of the heart?
She said that she had to come to point where she was able to say, "Lord, if today is the last day of my life, that's okay. You are in control." And that is the point we all must come to. Just saying it doesn't change any of the facts. The fact is, God is already in control. He is in control of our every breath--we just forget that. By admitting it to Him and to ourselves, it frees us from the fear of our lives--and our deaths--being out of our own control. It also frees us to live!
Tim McGraw sings a country song called "live Like You Were Dying." It starts off with a friend asking his buddy what he did, how he reacted, when he got a diagnosis of cancer. His answer?
I went sky divin',
I went Rocky Mountain climbin',
I went 2.7 seconds on a bull name Fumanchu.
And I loved deeper,
And I spoke sweeter,
And I gave forgiveness I've been denying,
And he said someday I hope you get the chance,
To live like you were dyin'.
He said I was finally the husband,
That most the time I wasn't.
And I became a friend a friend would like to have.
And all a sudden goin' fishing,
Wasn't such an imposition.
And I went three times that year I lost my dad.
Well I finally read the Good Book,
And I took a good long hard look at what I'd do
If I could do it all again.
And then....
I went sky divin',
I went rocky mountain climbin',
I went 2.7 seconds on a bull name Fumanchu.
And I loved deeper,
And I spoke sweeter,
And I gave forgiveness I've been denying,
And he said someday I hope you get the chance,
To live like you were dyin'.
I hope you get the chance to live like you were dying? We all have that chance. We're all dying, we just don't like to think about it, and it gets pushed back to the dark corners of our minds where we think we can ignore it. It takes something like a diagnosis of cancer or the sudden, unexplained death of someone to refocus us on the preciousness of life and the value of limited time.
So, what if you knew today was your last day? Would it affect the things you were planning to do? Would it cause you to reorganize some priorities? Would it make you look at things differently? I'm sure that every one of us would live that day very differently and with much greater attention and purpose.
Death IS coming, but God is in control. Let's all live like we are dying with purpose, focus, and intentionality during every day of life that God grants us.
Oh, it was a dark and painful time for many of us who mourned along with the parents and families. These two young women were very close to my friend's own age and the effect upon her was profound. She didn't say this in our conversation, but I think that perhaps this was the first time she had been truly, blatantly confronted with the fact of her own mortality. Oh sure, we're all going to die someday, but we really expect that it won't be until we're old and gray, after having lived a full and fruitful life. But young? vital? healthy? Unexplained, unexpected, unmerciful death in the prime of life? How can hearts be guarded against the uncertainty and fear of that?
She told me how she had become consumed with fear. Almost every moment she thought of death and wondered what she would do if suddenly she were to discover that today would be her last day on earth. She said that the fear almost literally paralysed her, making it difficult for her to even function. Her husband could certainly tell that something dreadful was wrong with her, but she found it extremely difficult to articulate what she felt. How does one explain the feelings and dread when it seems as though a dark battle for the soul is occurring in the depths of the heart?
She said that she had to come to point where she was able to say, "Lord, if today is the last day of my life, that's okay. You are in control." And that is the point we all must come to. Just saying it doesn't change any of the facts. The fact is, God is already in control. He is in control of our every breath--we just forget that. By admitting it to Him and to ourselves, it frees us from the fear of our lives--and our deaths--being out of our own control. It also frees us to live!
Tim McGraw sings a country song called "live Like You Were Dying." It starts off with a friend asking his buddy what he did, how he reacted, when he got a diagnosis of cancer. His answer?
I went sky divin',
I went Rocky Mountain climbin',
I went 2.7 seconds on a bull name Fumanchu.
And I loved deeper,
And I spoke sweeter,
And I gave forgiveness I've been denying,
And he said someday I hope you get the chance,
To live like you were dyin'.
He said I was finally the husband,
That most the time I wasn't.
And I became a friend a friend would like to have.
And all a sudden goin' fishing,
Wasn't such an imposition.
And I went three times that year I lost my dad.
Well I finally read the Good Book,
And I took a good long hard look at what I'd do
If I could do it all again.
And then....
I went sky divin',
I went rocky mountain climbin',
I went 2.7 seconds on a bull name Fumanchu.
And I loved deeper,
And I spoke sweeter,
And I gave forgiveness I've been denying,
And he said someday I hope you get the chance,
To live like you were dyin'.
I hope you get the chance to live like you were dying? We all have that chance. We're all dying, we just don't like to think about it, and it gets pushed back to the dark corners of our minds where we think we can ignore it. It takes something like a diagnosis of cancer or the sudden, unexplained death of someone to refocus us on the preciousness of life and the value of limited time.
So, what if you knew today was your last day? Would it affect the things you were planning to do? Would it cause you to reorganize some priorities? Would it make you look at things differently? I'm sure that every one of us would live that day very differently and with much greater attention and purpose.
Death IS coming, but God is in control. Let's all live like we are dying with purpose, focus, and intentionality during every day of life that God grants us.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Something Amazing Happened at our Church!
Something truly amazing happened at our church yesterday. Our pastor actually told us that he wants some of us to leave! (He jokingly added that he had a list.) But why would he do such a thing? In this day and age of doing anything for church growth and where numbers are everything, why on earth would he say he wanted some of his people to leave?
Well, we had a guest preacher yesterday. He is the fairly new pastor of a church that our church planted fourteen years ago. That church has had many ups and downs and a lot of struggling to stay alive. Our pastor was asking some of us to prayerfully consider going to that church to strengthen it and help it grow.
What an incredible and rare attitude that displays! Are we really one body? Do we really care when part of the body is struggling or hurting? Do we really want Christ's kingdom to be extended?
Since the service yesterday I've thought quite a bit about this and the dynamics involved. What keeps us from launching out on great adventures, to put our shoulder to the wheel, for the sake of God's kingdom? What keeps us from heading out to the mission field to serve the lost and point them to Christ? Is it the same thing that would keep us from driving across town to another excellent church to lend a hand in building it up? I very much fear that it might be. I think it might just be that we're too comfortable where we are and couldn't be bothered.
How different that is from the attitude of our Savior!
Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant...and humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Philippians 2:5-8
Thank God that Christ bothered to leave the comfort [read: glorious, worshipful perfection] of heaven for our sakes! Can we not, as His people, follow His example?
Well, we had a guest preacher yesterday. He is the fairly new pastor of a church that our church planted fourteen years ago. That church has had many ups and downs and a lot of struggling to stay alive. Our pastor was asking some of us to prayerfully consider going to that church to strengthen it and help it grow.
What an incredible and rare attitude that displays! Are we really one body? Do we really care when part of the body is struggling or hurting? Do we really want Christ's kingdom to be extended?
Since the service yesterday I've thought quite a bit about this and the dynamics involved. What keeps us from launching out on great adventures, to put our shoulder to the wheel, for the sake of God's kingdom? What keeps us from heading out to the mission field to serve the lost and point them to Christ? Is it the same thing that would keep us from driving across town to another excellent church to lend a hand in building it up? I very much fear that it might be. I think it might just be that we're too comfortable where we are and couldn't be bothered.
How different that is from the attitude of our Savior!
Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant...and humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Philippians 2:5-8
Thank God that Christ bothered to leave the comfort [read: glorious, worshipful perfection] of heaven for our sakes! Can we not, as His people, follow His example?
Grace & Truth
I'm just re-reading a little book that has been a cherished favorite of mine ever since I first read it several years ago. It's The Grace & Truth Paradox: Responding with Christlike Balance by Randy Alcorn. [Actually, my friend Lisa got a copy for becoming my #1 blog follower!] Let me share a little bit from Chapter 1:
The apparent conflict that exists between grace and truth isn't because they're incompatible, but because we lack perspective to resolve their paradox. The two are interdependent. We should never approach truth except in a spirit of grace, or grace except in a spirit of truth. Jesus wasn't 50% grace, 50% truth, but 100% grace, 100% truth.
Truth-oriented Christians love studying Scripture and theology. But sometimes they're quick to judge and slow to forgive. They're strong on truth, weak on grace.
Grace-oriented Christians love forgiveness and freedom. But sometimes they neglect Bible study and see moral standards as "legalism." They're strong on grace, weak on truth.
Countless mistakes in marriage, parenting, ministry and other relationship are failures to balance grace and truth. Sometimes we neglect both. Often we choose one over the other....
A paradox is an apparent contradiction. Grace and truth aren't really contradictory. Jesus didn't switch on truth and then turn it off so He could switch on grace. Both are permanently switched on in Jesus. Both should be switched on in us.
What would Jesus do? There is always one answer: He would act in grace and truth.
Truth without grace breeds a self-righteous legalism that poisons the church and pushes the world away from Christ.
Grace without truth breeds moral indifference and keeps people from seeing their need for Christ.
Attempts to "soften" the gospel by minimizing truth keep people from Jesus. Attempts to "toughen" the gospel by minimizing grace keep people from Jesus. It's not enough for us to offer grace or truth. We must offer both.
Why is it that we as Christians always seemto find it so easy to go to the extremes and find it so difficult to live a life of Christlike balance? I'm sorry to say that I've been one that has come down hard on the side of truth at the expense of showing grace--but this book showed me a different way. Truth is important! But so is grace. And to be truly Christlike our lives must be balanced by grace and truth. This little book was life-changing for me. I hope the bit above gives you a little to think about and if it's whetted your appetite for more, check out Randy Alcorn's website for Eternal Perspective Ministries at www.epm.org You can order it there or possibly find it in your local Christian bookstore.
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14
The apparent conflict that exists between grace and truth isn't because they're incompatible, but because we lack perspective to resolve their paradox. The two are interdependent. We should never approach truth except in a spirit of grace, or grace except in a spirit of truth. Jesus wasn't 50% grace, 50% truth, but 100% grace, 100% truth.
Truth-oriented Christians love studying Scripture and theology. But sometimes they're quick to judge and slow to forgive. They're strong on truth, weak on grace.
Grace-oriented Christians love forgiveness and freedom. But sometimes they neglect Bible study and see moral standards as "legalism." They're strong on grace, weak on truth.
Countless mistakes in marriage, parenting, ministry and other relationship are failures to balance grace and truth. Sometimes we neglect both. Often we choose one over the other....
A paradox is an apparent contradiction. Grace and truth aren't really contradictory. Jesus didn't switch on truth and then turn it off so He could switch on grace. Both are permanently switched on in Jesus. Both should be switched on in us.
What would Jesus do? There is always one answer: He would act in grace and truth.
Truth without grace breeds a self-righteous legalism that poisons the church and pushes the world away from Christ.
Grace without truth breeds moral indifference and keeps people from seeing their need for Christ.
Attempts to "soften" the gospel by minimizing truth keep people from Jesus. Attempts to "toughen" the gospel by minimizing grace keep people from Jesus. It's not enough for us to offer grace or truth. We must offer both.
Why is it that we as Christians always seemto find it so easy to go to the extremes and find it so difficult to live a life of Christlike balance? I'm sorry to say that I've been one that has come down hard on the side of truth at the expense of showing grace--but this book showed me a different way. Truth is important! But so is grace. And to be truly Christlike our lives must be balanced by grace and truth. This little book was life-changing for me. I hope the bit above gives you a little to think about and if it's whetted your appetite for more, check out Randy Alcorn's website for Eternal Perspective Ministries at www.epm.org You can order it there or possibly find it in your local Christian bookstore.
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14
Thursday, March 11, 2010
I Don't Play Guitar
I am working in my office with my nice mellow classical guitar Pandora channel providing the background music and it made me think about part of our small group discussion this morning at Bible study.
I told the other ladies that I had tried to learn to play the guitar four or five times over the years but never managed to get past that "OW! My fingertips are BLEEDING!" stage. Yes, the hours and hours I put in on piano practice were sometimes painful, but nothing like that! It is only those who persevere past the pain who develop callouses on their fingertips who actually get to the place where they can produce beautiful music from those finger-damaging strings.
We were talking about developing callouses today--but not the good kind that enable people to play guitar or perform gymnastics on the high bar. We were talking about the effect of callouses on our minds and hearts. Ephesians 4:17-19 - "...you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to the hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity."
Wow, that's quite a statement. A callous, according to Webster, means being hardened or thickened. Ephesians 4 says we are "thick-headed" because our thinking is futile (worthless), we are darkened in our understanding, and we are alienated from God because of our ignorance. Ephesians 4 also says we are "hard-hearted" because we have rejected God and His demands on us. Our consciences have become so dull that the damage that sensuality and impurity inflict on our hearts don't even cause us to wince. In fact, we are greedy (can't get enough!) of impurity. Now that's heart with a callous!
Callouses might be a good and beneficial thing when it comes to playing guitar or performing gymnastics, or walking barefoot, but on the heart and mind? Not so much.
"That is not the way you learned Christ!...put off your old self...and be renewed in the spirit of your minds and put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousnes and holiness." Ephesians 4:20-24
I told the other ladies that I had tried to learn to play the guitar four or five times over the years but never managed to get past that "OW! My fingertips are BLEEDING!" stage. Yes, the hours and hours I put in on piano practice were sometimes painful, but nothing like that! It is only those who persevere past the pain who develop callouses on their fingertips who actually get to the place where they can produce beautiful music from those finger-damaging strings.
We were talking about developing callouses today--but not the good kind that enable people to play guitar or perform gymnastics on the high bar. We were talking about the effect of callouses on our minds and hearts. Ephesians 4:17-19 - "...you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to the hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity."
Wow, that's quite a statement. A callous, according to Webster, means being hardened or thickened. Ephesians 4 says we are "thick-headed" because our thinking is futile (worthless), we are darkened in our understanding, and we are alienated from God because of our ignorance. Ephesians 4 also says we are "hard-hearted" because we have rejected God and His demands on us. Our consciences have become so dull that the damage that sensuality and impurity inflict on our hearts don't even cause us to wince. In fact, we are greedy (can't get enough!) of impurity. Now that's heart with a callous!
Callouses might be a good and beneficial thing when it comes to playing guitar or performing gymnastics, or walking barefoot, but on the heart and mind? Not so much.
"That is not the way you learned Christ!...put off your old self...and be renewed in the spirit of your minds and put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousnes and holiness." Ephesians 4:20-24
Why Four Gospels?
Many have wondered from time to time, myself included, why there are four gospels to tell us about the life of Christ. Each one has a different author, a different emphasis, a different perspective. Wouldn't it have been much easier for those guys to collaborate on one big, complete, chronological record? Maybe so, but there are a couple of good reasons for having multiple gospels. Probably more, but just two I want to mention now.
In the first place, the Jewish law states that truth of a matter is established by two or three witnesses - never just by one (Deuteronomy 19:15). Incidentally, this law is echoed in the New Testament in various places - Matthew 18:16, 2 Corinthians 13:1; 1 Timothy 5:19 and Hebrews 10:23. But how like our God - when two or three witnesses are required by law - goes over the top and gives us four, so that there is no question of the truth.
In addition, all of the different perspectives and emphases are so important in really knowing our Savior. Many models of who He is and what He does are presented to us in the Gospels. He is king and subject, master and slave, shepherd and lamb, priest and sacrifice, prophet and the Word, judge and advocate, brother, healer, redeemer, the vine, the light, the way, truth and life. All of these together give us an incredible picture of our Savior, a picture with amazing breadth and depth. That richness is lost if we focus on only one aspect. Again, God went over the top to give us a wonderful and vivid portrait of our Savior.
How amazing God is to give us a Savior who meets our every need. Sometimes a judge is exactly what we need to confront sin in our lives. Sometimes we need to see Christ as a slave as we bear under harsh demands in a work situation. Sometimes we need an older brother to walk along beside us, guiding, encouraging and teaching about those things that he has already experienced. And of course we all need a Savior who is a redeemer--the sacrifice, the priest, the advocate--who can present us to God as one of His chosen, cleansed, and holy people.
And how amazing God is to give us four accounts of this incredible Savior. Four accounts of who He is and what He has done. Four accounts that give us a wonderful, beautiful, multi-dimensional view of our amazing Savior.
In the first place, the Jewish law states that truth of a matter is established by two or three witnesses - never just by one (Deuteronomy 19:15). Incidentally, this law is echoed in the New Testament in various places - Matthew 18:16, 2 Corinthians 13:1; 1 Timothy 5:19 and Hebrews 10:23. But how like our God - when two or three witnesses are required by law - goes over the top and gives us four, so that there is no question of the truth.
In addition, all of the different perspectives and emphases are so important in really knowing our Savior. Many models of who He is and what He does are presented to us in the Gospels. He is king and subject, master and slave, shepherd and lamb, priest and sacrifice, prophet and the Word, judge and advocate, brother, healer, redeemer, the vine, the light, the way, truth and life. All of these together give us an incredible picture of our Savior, a picture with amazing breadth and depth. That richness is lost if we focus on only one aspect. Again, God went over the top to give us a wonderful and vivid portrait of our Savior.
How amazing God is to give us a Savior who meets our every need. Sometimes a judge is exactly what we need to confront sin in our lives. Sometimes we need to see Christ as a slave as we bear under harsh demands in a work situation. Sometimes we need an older brother to walk along beside us, guiding, encouraging and teaching about those things that he has already experienced. And of course we all need a Savior who is a redeemer--the sacrifice, the priest, the advocate--who can present us to God as one of His chosen, cleansed, and holy people.
And how amazing God is to give us four accounts of this incredible Savior. Four accounts of who He is and what He has done. Four accounts that give us a wonderful, beautiful, multi-dimensional view of our amazing Savior.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Just another little tidbit to chew on from "The Shadow of the Cross" from Chapter 5 entitled Marriage and Self-Denial:
"How soon marriage counselling sessions would end if husbands and wives were competing in thoughtful self-denial."
Ouch. If husbands and wives were competing in thoughtful self-denial, there would be no need for the marriage counselling session in the first place. May God grant us the grace to live like this as husbands and wives.
"How soon marriage counselling sessions would end if husbands and wives were competing in thoughtful self-denial."
Ouch. If husbands and wives were competing in thoughtful self-denial, there would be no need for the marriage counselling session in the first place. May God grant us the grace to live like this as husbands and wives.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
The Heart of True Religion
I am not at home this weekend, so worshiped this morning with another congregation. The pastor, David Reese, gave a very powerful sermon on the heart of true religion from Colossians 2:18-19.
He said the heart of false religion is any form of religious devotion or thinking that in any way diminishes the glorious sufficiency of Jesus Christ. In this passage Paul mentions three things that were involved in the false religion that he is combatting.
First is asceticism which can include self-abasement, humility, fasting or harsh treatment of the physical body. These can be positive and beneficial things in our sanctification process, but because of our natural tendency to self-righteousness we turn even our asceticism into a form of pride and as a platform from which to judge others. Pastor Reese pointed out that the sanctification process is just that, a process. It is also very personal as God deals with each one of us in various ways and at various times. Every Christian should be growing and none of us should judge others, nor allow others to judge us, by spiritual milestones attained.
Secondly, Paul mentions the worship of angels. Pastor Reese said there is much debate about what this means, but the bottom line is that they were overemphasizing something other than Christ crucified. Even good things, true things, biblical things that we hold dear can be overemphasized to the detriment of our focus on the Lord Jesus--sound doctrine, pure worship,etc. can easilly become idols.
The third aspect of false religion is arrogance. If we are puffed up about our spiritual maturity it is simply spiritual arrogance and Paul says if this is true about us, we are not spiritually minded at all, but fleshly minded.
Pastor Reese said that really these three things are only symptoms of false religion. The heart of false religion is that those promoting these things are apart from Christ. They are not holding fast to the Head. If we latch onto anything other than Christ as the focus of our religion we are, in fact, cut off from God.
The heart of true religion on the other hand is very simple. If you have Christ, you have everything you need for a relationship with God. He is the fullness of the Godhead, in Him we are complete. We are not comfortable with this simplicity because of our legalistic bent. We like to have a checklist that shows we are being faithful and that we are more spiritual than others--oops, I guess we just regressed back to point #3 - arrogance.
The bottom line is that we are not to get our religion from other Christians--nor are they to get theirs from us--we are to get our religion simply and solely from Jesus Christ.
He said the heart of false religion is any form of religious devotion or thinking that in any way diminishes the glorious sufficiency of Jesus Christ. In this passage Paul mentions three things that were involved in the false religion that he is combatting.
First is asceticism which can include self-abasement, humility, fasting or harsh treatment of the physical body. These can be positive and beneficial things in our sanctification process, but because of our natural tendency to self-righteousness we turn even our asceticism into a form of pride and as a platform from which to judge others. Pastor Reese pointed out that the sanctification process is just that, a process. It is also very personal as God deals with each one of us in various ways and at various times. Every Christian should be growing and none of us should judge others, nor allow others to judge us, by spiritual milestones attained.
Secondly, Paul mentions the worship of angels. Pastor Reese said there is much debate about what this means, but the bottom line is that they were overemphasizing something other than Christ crucified. Even good things, true things, biblical things that we hold dear can be overemphasized to the detriment of our focus on the Lord Jesus--sound doctrine, pure worship,etc. can easilly become idols.
The third aspect of false religion is arrogance. If we are puffed up about our spiritual maturity it is simply spiritual arrogance and Paul says if this is true about us, we are not spiritually minded at all, but fleshly minded.
Pastor Reese said that really these three things are only symptoms of false religion. The heart of false religion is that those promoting these things are apart from Christ. They are not holding fast to the Head. If we latch onto anything other than Christ as the focus of our religion we are, in fact, cut off from God.
The heart of true religion on the other hand is very simple. If you have Christ, you have everything you need for a relationship with God. He is the fullness of the Godhead, in Him we are complete. We are not comfortable with this simplicity because of our legalistic bent. We like to have a checklist that shows we are being faithful and that we are more spiritual than others--oops, I guess we just regressed back to point #3 - arrogance.
The bottom line is that we are not to get our religion from other Christians--nor are they to get theirs from us--we are to get our religion simply and solely from Jesus Christ.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Living in the Shadow of the Cross
I'm reading a little book (only 79 pages) entitled "The Shadow of the Cross: Studies in Self-Denial" by Walter Chantry. It is a horrible, interfering, convicting book and I highly recommend it. It may be a little book, but it is not an easy read. I've been reading it for nearly three weeks now and I'm only on chapter two. There's just way too much to digest and way too much searching of the heart that accompanies the reading--no way to skim through this one!
In Chapter 2, entitled "Take Up Your Cross" (Luke 9:23-24, Chantry shows that firstly, the demand of bearing a cross is universal--a demand made of all who claim the name of Christ. He says "it is an absolute impossibility to be a Christian without self-denial." (p21)
Secondly, it is perpetual."One's cross is not a disposable item of Christian experience but a life-long burden in this world." (p22) Ugh. Unfortunately, it doesn't get any easier or better.
Thirdly, bearing a cross is painful. Chantry says that Christ suffered great inward pains as well as the physical pain of crucifixion and that is the focus of Christ's teaching in this passage to us and that much of the time, the crosses we bear are deep inward pains that are not publicly visible--"they are unseen by all but your heavenly Father." (p.24)
Fourthly, taking up your cross must be intentional. Gotta quote him here..."There are great afflictions for God's people which are imposed by providence...These are trials, but not crosses. A cross must be taken up by the one whose self is to be denied painfully...It is the conscious choice of a painful alternative motivated by love for Christ. It may be preceded by an inward struggle similar to that which our Lord knew in Gethsemane. But it is a voluntary choice." (p 24-25)
Lastly, he says that the taking up of a cross is mortal, it is deadly. "Put to death self-importance, self-satisfaction, self-absorption, self-advancement, self-dependence...Death to self-interest because you serve Christ's honour..." (p25)
He summarizes this section by saying,"Bearing a cross is every Christian's daily, conscious selection of those options which will please Christ, pain self, and aim at putting self to death." (p 25)
So there's a little glimpse at a litte book that is making me a "little" uncomfortable these days.
It's always much more pleasant to think about being like Jesus, imitating Christ, in His gentleness, kindness, mercy and ignore the fact that we are also called to share in His sufferings.
It is also difficult because of the fact that as fallen sinners, even those of us who are redeemed, when the tempter comes to us and says "you shall be as gods," we eagerly and enthusiastically answer "Yes! I want it to be all about me!" We are so full of self-importance, self-satisfaction, self-absorption, self-advancement, self-dependence and self-interest that the ONLY way self can be driven from our hearts is by death--death to self by taking up our cross and following our Savior.
In Chapter 2, entitled "Take Up Your Cross" (Luke 9:23-24, Chantry shows that firstly, the demand of bearing a cross is universal--a demand made of all who claim the name of Christ. He says "it is an absolute impossibility to be a Christian without self-denial." (p21)
Secondly, it is perpetual."One's cross is not a disposable item of Christian experience but a life-long burden in this world." (p22) Ugh. Unfortunately, it doesn't get any easier or better.
Thirdly, bearing a cross is painful. Chantry says that Christ suffered great inward pains as well as the physical pain of crucifixion and that is the focus of Christ's teaching in this passage to us and that much of the time, the crosses we bear are deep inward pains that are not publicly visible--"they are unseen by all but your heavenly Father." (p.24)
Fourthly, taking up your cross must be intentional. Gotta quote him here..."There are great afflictions for God's people which are imposed by providence...These are trials, but not crosses. A cross must be taken up by the one whose self is to be denied painfully...It is the conscious choice of a painful alternative motivated by love for Christ. It may be preceded by an inward struggle similar to that which our Lord knew in Gethsemane. But it is a voluntary choice." (p 24-25)
Lastly, he says that the taking up of a cross is mortal, it is deadly. "Put to death self-importance, self-satisfaction, self-absorption, self-advancement, self-dependence...Death to self-interest because you serve Christ's honour..." (p25)
He summarizes this section by saying,"Bearing a cross is every Christian's daily, conscious selection of those options which will please Christ, pain self, and aim at putting self to death." (p 25)
So there's a little glimpse at a litte book that is making me a "little" uncomfortable these days.
It's always much more pleasant to think about being like Jesus, imitating Christ, in His gentleness, kindness, mercy and ignore the fact that we are also called to share in His sufferings.
It is also difficult because of the fact that as fallen sinners, even those of us who are redeemed, when the tempter comes to us and says "you shall be as gods," we eagerly and enthusiastically answer "Yes! I want it to be all about me!" We are so full of self-importance, self-satisfaction, self-absorption, self-advancement, self-dependence and self-interest that the ONLY way self can be driven from our hearts is by death--death to self by taking up our cross and following our Savior.
Friday, March 5, 2010
Better than I Deserve
"She's so much more than I deserve," our friend said, shaking his head, "but I've asked her to marry me. She says she'll have me, and I certainly don't know why, but I'm a happy man!"
I had to smile because his words echoed a little tiny (maybe two by two inches) wall plaque that has been hanging in our home for most of the years of our marriage. It says: "A happy marriage is where both mates believe they got better than they deserve." I certainly did - and my husband says he did too.
I haven't really thought about this for a while, but our friends' words made me realize how amazing it is that both Joe and I still feel that way after nearly 30 years of marriage, daily seeing each other's faults, weaknesses and sins. Out of love and gratitude (mainly for the fact that we've managed to find someone who will actually put up with us and still love us) we strive every day to be worthy of each other. And really, that is a very foundational factor in a happy marriage.
I have another friend who has two women "dangling," trying to decide which one would be the better wife for him. He is handsome, brilliant, funny, successful and essentially a very lovable guy, but I wonder if he feels as if either of these women are better than he deserves or is he wondering which one deserves him? Will he ever feel the need to strive to be a better man in order to be worthy of any woman he might chose, among many, to be his wife? I kind of fear that he won't and that makes me very sad.
Having a great husband who is more than I deserve and the fact that he feels that I am more than he deserves is just one of the many, many expressions of God's grace to me. The ultimate one, of course, is that He does not treat me as my sins deserve. (Job 11:6) I am not one who will ever clamor for what I "deserve" because I have already been given much, much more than I ever deserve in Christ.
I had to smile because his words echoed a little tiny (maybe two by two inches) wall plaque that has been hanging in our home for most of the years of our marriage. It says: "A happy marriage is where both mates believe they got better than they deserve." I certainly did - and my husband says he did too.
I haven't really thought about this for a while, but our friends' words made me realize how amazing it is that both Joe and I still feel that way after nearly 30 years of marriage, daily seeing each other's faults, weaknesses and sins. Out of love and gratitude (mainly for the fact that we've managed to find someone who will actually put up with us and still love us) we strive every day to be worthy of each other. And really, that is a very foundational factor in a happy marriage.
I have another friend who has two women "dangling," trying to decide which one would be the better wife for him. He is handsome, brilliant, funny, successful and essentially a very lovable guy, but I wonder if he feels as if either of these women are better than he deserves or is he wondering which one deserves him? Will he ever feel the need to strive to be a better man in order to be worthy of any woman he might chose, among many, to be his wife? I kind of fear that he won't and that makes me very sad.
Having a great husband who is more than I deserve and the fact that he feels that I am more than he deserves is just one of the many, many expressions of God's grace to me. The ultimate one, of course, is that He does not treat me as my sins deserve. (Job 11:6) I am not one who will ever clamor for what I "deserve" because I have already been given much, much more than I ever deserve in Christ.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
And we have a winner!
Congratulations to Lisa who was the first to sign up as a follower of this blog! She gets a copy of "The Grace & Truth Paradox" by Randy Alcorn. Watch for more give-aways in the future.
Ephesians 4:1-16 The Gifts of Grace
I just taught our Women's Bible study this morning on Ephesians 4:1-16. The lecture is titled "The Gifts of Grace" and deals with unity, growth and maturity in the body of Christ. You can listen here: http://www.v7pc.org/pages/page.asp?page_id=92537
Jonathan Edwards on "The Extreme Dangers of Lust"
I think a better title for this might be "The Deceitfulness of Sin" but who am I to edit Jonathan Edwards? This is powerful and should motivate us to flee from every "sin which so easily entangles us." (Hebrews 12:1)
"Beloved, I beg you, as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul." 1 Peter 2:11
Sin is deceitful because so far as it prevails and gains the inclination and will, it sways and biases our judgment. So far as any lust prevails, it biases the mind to approve of the lust. So far as any sin sways the inclination or will, so far that sin seems pleasing and prejudices us to think it is right. Thus when any lust has so overtaken a man that it becomes a sinful practice, having gained his will the lust also prejudices his understanding. The more irregularly a man walks, the more his mind probably will be blinded because sin prevails so much more.
Thus many men live in ways that aren't agreeable to the rules of God's Word yet are not aware of it. It is difficult to make them aware because the same lust that leads them into that evil way blinds them to it. Thus if a man pursues a way of malice or envy, the more malice or envy prevails, and the more it will blind his understanding to approve of it. So if a man lives in any way of lasciviousness, the more his impure lust prevails, the more sweet and pleasant will it make the sin appear, and so the more will he be disposed and prejudiced to think there is no evil in it.
"Beloved, I beg you, as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul." 1 Peter 2:11
Sin is deceitful because so far as it prevails and gains the inclination and will, it sways and biases our judgment. So far as any lust prevails, it biases the mind to approve of the lust. So far as any sin sways the inclination or will, so far that sin seems pleasing and prejudices us to think it is right. Thus when any lust has so overtaken a man that it becomes a sinful practice, having gained his will the lust also prejudices his understanding. The more irregularly a man walks, the more his mind probably will be blinded because sin prevails so much more.
Thus many men live in ways that aren't agreeable to the rules of God's Word yet are not aware of it. It is difficult to make them aware because the same lust that leads them into that evil way blinds them to it. Thus if a man pursues a way of malice or envy, the more malice or envy prevails, and the more it will blind his understanding to approve of it. So if a man lives in any way of lasciviousness, the more his impure lust prevails, the more sweet and pleasant will it make the sin appear, and so the more will he be disposed and prejudiced to think there is no evil in it.
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