Tornadoes, Tsunamis, Car Wrecks & Cancer

So, what we've talked about the last few days is God's sovereignty. I've found that's a word that evokes a lot of emotion. People have preconceived ideas about what it means, and most often, it appears, it has to do with the "Calvinism vs. Arminianism" (or predestination vs. free will) debate. But the concept of sovereignty goes beyond that. I submit it has more to do with the very nature of God. A "supreme being," I would think, by definition would be, well, supreme! He would be above all. He would be King, Lord, All Powerful, in control. Anything less becomes the frail, humanistic failing gods of the Greeks, Romans, and most other man-made religions.

I know. Some would argue that all religions are "man-made." But if you've been keeping up, they are taking one of two approaches. If they are saying Christianity is not a "religion," then I agree. It is a relationship with God based on faith, and the "religious" aspects of what the world sees as "Christianity" are for the most part man-made. If they are trying to deny the validity of all religion, then they are most likely examining the evidence with only their five physical senses, and not using the sixth sense, faith. As stated in previous posts - faith is the sense by which we perceive, understand and interact with the spiritual. Okay, that being said, let's get back on topic.

My last couple of blogs have dealt with God's sovereignty-the fact that He is powerful and in control to the point that nothing happens that catches Him off guard. How do we deal with the nearly 200 deaths due to tornadoes the yesterday? or the tsunami in Japan? or any other tragedy? For the believer, it goes back to the fall of man. When man chose to sin, and gave dominion of the world over to Satan, Satan was given free rein to wreak havoc in the world. And frankly, he doesn't give a rip about you, or those tornado victims, or the tsunami victims. He could care less that David Wilkerson's body was broken and killed in a car wreck yesterday, or that David's wife Gwen is injured and in the hospital. His purpose was not their deaths. He could care less about the damage done to the bodies, much less the life style and/or livelihood of the survivors. When I had cancer, it wasn't because Satan wanted me to be physically ill. His purpose is to keep men from God, to disrupt their relationship with the Creator.

Yes, God is allowing this. Why? It comes back to relationship.
Let me see if I can illustrate it this way:
I don't know why, but I've always struggled with self-image and confidence. I look at me and see all my weaknesses and failures. I'm like David in Ps.51:3 - "For I know my transgressions and my sin is ever before me." It's hard for me to wrap my brain around vs.9 of that Psalm: "Hide Your face from my sins and blot out my iniquities," and realize that when Jesus was on the cross, carrying my sins, and crying out, "My God, why have You forsaken me?" God was at that moment hiding His face from my sins and blotting out my iniquities!

(Declaring that again just broke me, and made that truth a little more real to my heart. Thank You, Lord! Let it touch those who read this as well, Lord.)

At any rate, because I have a hard time seeing myself as God does, it makes me stand in awe sometimes how much my wife loves me. She's got to be the most amazing person in the world! She chooses to love me - like I am. She encourages me to grow and embrace the lessons God is teaching us, but she loves me like I am at any given stage of the journey. She's not forced to love me. She has a choice. and she chooses me. Why would I want it any other way? Would any of us want a mate who had to love us whether they wanted to or not? That very idea doesn't fit any of our definitions of love, does it? So, why does it puzzle us that God gives a choice? And if there were not consequences for choosing to either love or to reject the sovereign, all-powerful creator of the universe, where would the choice be?

So, it comes back to relationship. God wants to reconcile man to Himself. Satan wants to interfere with that. Are they on equal footing? No way. God, took on flesh in Jesus, the Messiah, lived a life without sin so that He could take on the sins of the world, become the ultimate sacrifice, and take away our sins. In doing so, He made Satan, the one who had the power of death (Heb.2:14) of no effect. A better way of translating it would be "a non-work," or a "work without results." Through the cross - through His death on our behalf, and our death with Him there - Satan's efforts cannot succeed at keeping us from God. Like I said, Satan doesn't give a rip about the physical results of his efforts. He's not doing this stuff just for the fun of crumpling bodies, destroying property, making people sick.... He's wanting to destroy relationships between men & God.

That's why the way you get in is the way you go on. That's why we always carry about in the body the dying of Jesus that the life of Jesus also may be manifest in our mortal bodies. That's why we get in by the cross, but are also told to take up our cross daily and follow Him. When this world's temporal, temporary suffering causes us to turn to the cross and find healing, comfort, victory, and relationship with God, Satan is rendered powerless - his efforts have no effect (at least not in the way that matters).

My Journey from Purpose to Purpose

A friend of mine said, regarding some of the struggles he was facing, "I don't know what God is trying to do in my life; where all this is leading me." My first thought was, "Sure you do. He wants to mold you into the image of His Son." Then the Lord reminded me of the process I am going through to get where I understand this, and for Him to make it my first and normal response to the struggles and challenges in my own life.

At the age of 9, I first "felt the call" to "full-time Christian vocational service." By 13, I believed that to be foreign missions. The week after graduation from high school, I led singing at revival services at Levy Street Mission in Shreveport. The joy with which the people, in a very poor part of town, sang and worshiped really blessed me. The next Sunday, in my home church, as we sang the hymns, for some reason, I looked around. The faces all looked cold, dead, and disinterested. The Lord seemed to speak to my heart, "I don't need you in foreign missions; I have plenty for you to do in this country."

So I went to college to prepare for "the ministry" - which to me at the time meant being a pastor. I majored in religion, minored in Greek & sociology. During my junior year, I was Chaplain's Assistant at Central Louisiana State (mental) Hospital. This experience deeply influenced me and as I left college for seminary, I was convinced counseling would be a major part of my ministry. While at seminary, I worked at a drug treatment center counseling narcotics addicts. It was 2 years of working with people who for the most part had little desire for, & in some cases great fear of, change - even for the better. (And it was during this time my wife told me she wanted a divorce - she married me to get away from her alcoholic parents & "hoped the love part would come," but it hadn't and she wanted out.) Still wanting to minister to people whenever possible, I took a job at a Christian gift shop - where I found frequent opportunities to at least briefly encourage, counsel, and pray with people. It was a chain of stores, and I was soon moving up the corporate ladder, and worked for the home office training store personnel and negotiating leases.

All my life I'd been taught that God has a plan for our lives - a purpose, a calling. I could see how one job led into another. I was aware of how God was growing me and teaching me. Yet, I found myself from time to time wondering how what I was doing fit into His plan. Then the opportunity came to buy two stores. I could see it all so clearly. The stores would provide us with an income and a financial base for ministry. I wanted to work with street people - drug addicts and prostitutes who wanted to change. There are so many people who evangelize and try to witness to street folk, but very few take the next step and disciple them - get them away from their old connections and help them learn how to live a victorious Christian life.

So, this was God's plan! All through the years, I had been seeking a task, a calling, a ministry, i.e. "God's purpose in my life." I knew that God worked all things together for good.... Now it seemed to be taking shape. However, I was still looking for "God's purpose" in things that were temporal.

Because of my understanding of merchandising and operations of the stores, friends and coworkers were encouraging me: "If anyone can make this work, you can!" What I didn't know at the age of 28 was that a business can show a profit on paper, and still be totally insolvent. As it turned out, nobody "could make this work." We watched the business crumble around us for about a year before we finally had to close it down. I had so intensely believed this was a part of God's calling in my life that I had poured myself into this chain of stores for over five years. It was like a death, or divorce - when the loved one leaves, they take part of you with them. Not only did I lose a big piece of myself, but suddenly, everything I was working toward was gone. There was no purpose.

God had stripped away everything to which I was clinging as part of His purpose for my life, in order to let me see what His purpose really was. The principles is set forth in 2 Corinthians 4:7-18 - But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing greatness of the power may be of God and not from ourselves... always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.... Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Not everything that is real can be seen with the eyes. I submit that the most real things are the eternal. They are the only things that will last, and they cannot be seen with the eyes, but are experienced through our sixth sense, the sense of faith.

We tend to think of God's purpose for our lives in terms of "ministry" or "calling" or vocation. It may be professional "the ministry," or just our ministry at church or in our community. This is a temporal view of purpose.

God's purpose for my life and yours, is to mold us into the image of Christ. His purpose is to make us holy by becoming our wisdom, righteousness, sanctification (holiness), and redemption (1 Cor. 1:30). His purpose is to bring us to faith - absolute certainty in His trustworthiness. His purpose is to bring us to the end of our own labor, our own effort, and lead us into our Sabbath rest - total dependence on and acceptance of His work on our behalf.  His purpose is to bring us to faith in His ability, desire and determination to accomplish His purpose in and through us by His strength and not our own. His purpose is to teach us the message of the cross - through our death with Christ on His cross the very power of God Himself is set loose to accomplish His redemptive work in us and through us.  Praise be to God!

Lessons from Job

As I mentioned yesterday, I was told there were 3 types of sickness mentioned in the Bible. Yesterday's blog addressed the first two, "...to the glory of God," and "...unto death." The third is the "sickness for chastisement." This phrase doesn't actually appear in scripture, but was more of a concept that seemed to fit in the lesson that was shared at that the time. Still, it got me looking. And I wound up in Job.

According to the book of Job, Satan went to God and asked permission to afflict Job. He killed Job's oxen, donkeys, sheep, servants, and children, then afflicted Job with boils, and with a wife who told him to curse God and die. Job's response to her was, "Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?" The verse concludes, "In all this Job did not sin with his lips" (Job 2:10). God gave Job "friends" who accused him of having sinned and of thereby having incurred the wrath of God. Job defended his righteousness against the accusations of his friends. However, Job himself said, "I loathe my own life; I will give full vent to my complaint; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul. I will say to God, 'Do not condemn me; let me know why You contend with me. Is it right for You indeed to oppress, to reject the labor of Your hands, and to look favorably on the schemes of the wicked? ... According to Your knowledge I am indeed not guilty; yet there is no deliverance from Your hand'" (10:1) Did God get upset with Job for blaming Him for his troubles? No, He was angry with Job's friends because they had "not spoken of Me what is right as My servant Job has" (42:7).

Here are some lessons from Job:

1. God is sovereign*. He is comfortable with His sovereignty to the point that He is willing to take responsibility even for the things Satan does. Job 42:11 says Job's brothers and sisters "comforted him for all the evil that the Lord had brought on him."
2. God gave Job the freedom to fully vent his complaint and both have, and speak, the bitterness of his soul. To say God is sovereign and He is using all things, and we should trust Him and give thanks, does not negate the pain we will feel. It does not mean we will not feel angry toward God. It does not mean we may not actually complain to God about His seeming lack of interest. Job said, "If I called and He anwered me, I could not believe that He was listening to my voice" (9:16). We may have these same feelings. God is sovereign enough to handle that, too. However, we must move on, eventually, leaving these feelings behind and moving into faith and thanksgiving.
3. Job longed for death, but held on until he finally reached a point of saying, "I know that You can do all things, and that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted.... Therefore I retract, and I repent in dust and ashes" (42:2-6).
4. God used the tragedies in Job's life to increase his knowledge of God, increase his faith, and increase his awareness of his own weakness and need to fully trust God.
5. When Job finally submitted to the hand of God in his life, God used him to intercede for his judgmental friends.

*When I speak of God's being sovereign, I'm using the term in the sense that He is king, He is Lord. He is the ultimate ruler and power in the universe. He knows all that is going on. He is the ultimate orchestrator of events. He is in control. I don't believe that is necessarily predestination. I believe God allows men to choose. On the other hand, I don't believe He's surprised by our choices. I accept that it is difficult for us to wrap our brains around, but He sees from an eternal perspective all the events we experience and things we do within the limits of space and time. He can pre-know without forcing us or eliminating our freedom to respond to His kindness.

Where do troubles come from?

Someone once told me there are three sources of our troubles: 1) God; 2) Satan; 3) the result of our, or someone else's, being outside the will of God. What I found, though, is that regardless of the source that seems most obvious to us - a natural event, our own failure, someone's meanness, demonic influence.... - ultimately, God, being sovereign, is quite willing to take responsibility. Does that mean He causes suffering?  Let's look at some examples.

No, for example, God doesn't cause divorce - it's the result of human sin and failure. It comes with deep pain. That we have a conscience, and our hearts can break because of our choices or the actions of others, these things are the gift of God for our protection. If there were no pain involved, we would not think twice about divorcing our partner, or for that matter, raise the question as to why it happens. If the marriage itself was uncomfortable, we'd just walk away. In that sense, pain is from God. It isn't that He's waiting for us to do something wrong so He can zap us with pain. Our own decisions bring the discomfort. From the very first twinge of pain and discomfort, God is making us aware that we are outside of His will and in need of Him. It is the call of a lvonig Father to turn again to "consider Him."

God does not kill. According to John 10:10, it is Satan who comes to steal, kill and destroy. Jesus took on  flesh and blood to render of no effect "the one who had the power of death, that is the devil" (Hebrews 2:14). Will I still die. Yes, but for the believer, death has lost its sting. There is no horror there. To die is gain. For those left behind, there is still a sense of loss and loneliness. Those feelings too are reminders of the fact that He alone can ultimately fill & satisfy our hearts, and He alone will never forsake us or leave us.

What about sickness? Another someone once told me there are 3 types of sickness in the Bible: 1) the sickness to the glory of God; 2) sickness unto death; 3) sickness for chastisement. After hearing this, I decided to dig into the Scriptures and research it for myself.

The only examples I found of sickness to the glory of God were situations were God was glorified by the healing of the sick person. The only mention of "sickness unto death" is in John 11, where Jesus said that Lazarus' illness "is not unto death, but for the glory of God." Lazarus died. But then Jesus raised him from the dead "that the Son of God may be glorified by it." I never found a mention of sickness for chastisement per se. The disciples asked a couple of times whether a persons illness was because of sin, and Jesus' response was that the person's condition was so that God could be glorified. Then He healed them.

Tomorrow we'll look at this further with a look at Job's story.

More "All Things"

Psalm 8:5-6 tell us that God "put all things under his [man's] feet. For in subjecting all things to him, He left nothing that is not subject to him." The writer of Hebrews, quoting this, goes on to add: "But now we do not yet see all things subjected to him. But we do see Him who has been made for a little while lower than the angels, namely Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor" (Heb.2:6-9).

We do see Jesus. God has worked out a plan so that all things become our inheritance through Him. Good or bad, large or small, all things are turned to the working out of God's good purpose in our lives: to conform us to the image of His Son. What image is that? At least in part it includes: "He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature" (Heb.1:2) What we know of the sun is what it radiates to us over millions of miles-light and warmth. What we know of God is what He radiates to us-His Son. What the world knows of the Son will largely be what it sees in us as we are conformed to His image.

How do we do this? How do we become like Christ? It is found throughout the Bible, but is summed up in the words: "We see Jesus." Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. Seek 1st the kingdom of God and His righteousness. That I may know Him.... That is our part. To know Him.

Can we make ourselves holy? We're told "Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect." But is that something we do? By grace you are saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works lest anyone should boast. He who began a good work in you will complete it. It is God who is at work both to will and to work for His good pleasure. As you have received Christ Jesus (by grace through faith, not of works), so walk in Him. By His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption, that just as it is written, "Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord." It is His pleasure to effect our redemption through Jesus Christ. It is His good pleasure to work out in us His will. What He will He performs. What He commands, He does.

Our part is faith. This is humbling. There is nothing we can do. When He says, "Humble yourself," He is not talking about just being a humble person. He is saying: "Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God . . . casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you." How do you humble yourself? You cast all your anxiety upon Him and rest in the fact that He cares for you. There is nothing for you to do in your own strength and ability.

So, in your heart (going back to the principle of Sabbath Rest, which involves combining His word with faith in your heart), mix your faith with this word - "All things" - and enter into a new level of rest. When trials come, if you know He has given even "this" thing into your hands as your inheritance, you will trust Him. You will be able to "consider it all joy." You will exult in your tribulations as much as you do in hope of the glory of God. You will realize that God is using even "this" for the purpose of molding you into the image of His Son.

All Things Work Together for Good - What Good?

Yes, "all things." Quite often Romans 8:28 is tossed out, casually, if not flippantly, when someone is struggling or hurting: "All things work together for good...."  The way we use it, we are basically saying: "It may seem bad now, but everything's going to be okay. Eventually, it will all be good again."

God's purpose for our lives goes far beyond a task, a ministry, or even a calling. His purpose is to mold us into the image of His Son so that we may be able to fellowship with Him as intimately as His own Son does. This is an eternal goal. It is a far greater priority than anything we may do in the temporal, earthly realm. (See Romans 8:28-29 - "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose, For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren.")  According to Genesis 1:26-27, we were created in God's image. This was His purpose from the beginning that we be like Him. The fall (of the 1st couple into sin) interrupted God's purpose and made redemption necessary (not that God was surprised by it, or didn't already have a plan in place to reconcile man to Himself). The fall separated us from God, His image, and the dominion we were to have over all the earth.

Ephesians 1 (see yesterday's blog) tells us that God had a plan to sum up all things in Christ in the fullness of times. We saw how this plan would bring glory to God and praise to the glory of His grace. It would gloriously demonstrate that God's plan of redemption and sanctification could be attributed to nothing but the absolute grace of God. Coming to the cross Jesus prayed, "Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You."

Wow! Do you see it? How did the Father glorify the Son? "We see...Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor" (Hebrews 2:6-9). When did He do it? When the time was right, in the fullness of time. Ephesians 1:10 is NOT some event yet to take place. Jesus said, "The hour has come." The time was full, and in His death, God summed up all things in Christ, making Him heir of all things; and, making His cross our cross, He adopted us as sons and made us joint heirs with Christ. That is joint heirs. We inherit the same thing He did. Which was? That's right. All things!

In Him, God has worked out a plan so that all things become our inheritance. Good or bad, large or small, all things are turned to the working out of God's good purpose in our lives: to conform us to the image of His Son.

This isn't just some weak "everything is going to be okay." This is the promise of God that whatever we face in life, good or bad, God will use it to mold us into the image we were created for in the first place. He will restore us to His image. He will use all things to accomplish this. Why did I have cancer? God could use it in my life to mold me to His image. Does it matter that the cancer was removed? No. Does it matter if it comes back? No. God will use whatever happens for the purpose of molding me into His image. So, I can trust Him through the good and the bad. (We'll get into some additional implications of this in days to come.)

To the Praise of His Glory

Ephesians 1:3-14 - as a prayer - God, Father of my Lord Jesus Christ, I bless You. I thank You and honor You for blessing me with every spiritual blessing in the heavens in Christ. I thank You that You have done this in just the same way that You decided before the foundation of the world, (before Adam was created, definitely before I was born) that I would be holy and blameless before You. Lord forgive me for all my foolish efforts at righteousness in my own strength, when You have said it is Your choice for me, and You have provided the means in Your predetermined plan and strength. Thank You for loving me so much that You chose to make me Your child through Jesus Christ, in direct proportion to Your own good pleasure, and to the praise of the glory of Your grace. Thank You for graciously gracing me with Your grace (freely and abundantly lavishing Your grace on me) in the Beloved. Thank You that in Him and through His blood, I have redemption, the forgiveness of my sins, in proportion to the riches of Your grace, which You lavished upon me. (Lord, if You have so much grace that You can dole it out lavishly and extravagantly, that must mean the forgiveness of my sins is just as abundant! Hallelujah!! Glory to God!! And not only that, but your commitment to complete what you began in me is just as certain!) Thank You for revealing to me this plan, hidden through the ages, but to which all history points, that it pleases You to graciously forgive men and restore them to Yourself in Christ, so that ultimately, in Your divine economy, all things will finally add up in Christ. Thank You for the inheritance which I received through the death of Jesus (not through my death, but His death), that all things are summed up in Christ, and all things add up to Your predetermined purpose of molding me into the image of Christ, to the end that I exist 'to the praise of YOUR glory.' Thank You, that I, having believed the gospel of my salvation, have been sealed by You with the Holy Spirit of promise, as an earnest of my inheritance. Thank You for putting Your Holy Spirit on the line in this way, that if You do not come through with my inheritance, then You lose the earnest which You put up as proof of payment. Since You cannot lose Your Spirit, I must have a pretty sure thing going. There can be no doubt that the inheritance You promise is mine! So, Lord, with this assurance let me live in faith in You in such a way that my living will contribute to the redemption of Your possession and to the praise of Your glory! Amen.

Note the three times that Paul pointed out that God's actions were for the praise of His glory. If God is indeed the supreme being in the whole universe, then He is of the highest value. For Him not to act for the praise of His glory would be to deny His own worth. For us to act that way about ourselves is prideful. But not for Him. There is no one greater. Hence, there is nothing greater He can give us than Himself. There is no one or nothing greater that deserves our attention, time, devotion, adoration, and love.

God lovingly lavishes His grace on us, offering us entry into the Holy of Holies: the privilege of living always in His presence. He is sovereign. He does whatever He pleases. He is willing to accept responsibility for good and bad, because ultimately He is fully in control of all things. If He were not that powerful, He would not be God. He is worthy of our trust.

God - the Prime Mover

"The Prime Mover."  What does that mean? It means, He takes the first step. He created. He loves. He provides the means by which man can come to Him.

One of the reasons we often don't understand what God is doing in our lives is that we look at our situation through the wrong end of the binoculars. Imagine an army under siege, expecting reinforcements. As they look at their enemy through the small end of the binoculars (the right way), the enemy looks closer than they really are. But then the lookout turns around to look for reinforcements, but also turns the binoculars around so that he's looking through the large end. The reinforcements looks so small and distant! He feels despair that help is so far away.

When we read the great Psalms of hope in the Bible, David often rehearsed what God had done, often beginning from the earliest stories of the Hebrew patriarchs. He would proclaim the earliest stories of the Hebrew patriarchs. He would proclaim what God had done on their behalf. Then he would move on to the deliverance of the people from Egypt, God's provision in the wilderness, His leading them into the promised land and conquering the enemy. Finally, he would review some of the things God had done for him personally. By the time he finally got around to his own current situation, God's ability and willingness to hear his cry and answer his prayer was big and bold in his view! It was like looking at something already near through a pair of binoculars, bringing it even closer! God's love and provision were so near they were almost overwhelming!

We, on the other hand, tend to look at our present problem and never stop to think how He has delivered us in times past. We are like the apostles when Jesus said they were men of little faith because they "did not remember or understand." Any hope or solution seems far, far away - like a distant spot on the horizon through the wrong end of the binoculars.

Here's a view through the binoculars, New Testament style:
He blessed, chose, predestined to salvation through His Son, He did so according to the kind intention of His will. He freely bestowed His grace on us. It is in Him we have redemption through His blood and forgiveness according to the riches of His grace. He lavished His grace upon us. He made known the mystery of His will. He had a purpose in doing so. He acted "with a view to an administration" (with a specific plan in mind). In Him we obtained an inheritance. In Him we have been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will. (You can read about it in Ephesians 1:3-14.)

Some look at this passage to support their view that some are predestined to salvation. Others argue, "No, we who are saved are predestined to adoption through Jesus Christ." (Indicating the predestination has to do with the predetermined method, not with which individuals would or would not be saved.) Quite frankly, I don't think either view is worth getting up in arms about, much less worth dying for. (Jesus is worth dying for, but not our favorite pet doctrines.) The indisputable fact of Scripture is that God is sovereign. He does: He moves, He acts; He has a plan. He is not surprised by anyone or anything. As Jack Taylor so eloquently put it: "Has it ever occurred to you that nothing has ever 'occurred to' God?"

A God like that is worth trusting.

A Way to Escape

"No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, that you may be able to endure it" (1 Corinthians 10:13).

He is faithful. He will not allow anything to come against you that you cannot bear. (Temptation, here, can also be translated "test" or "trial.") The fact that you are facing the situation is proof in itself that it is not unbearable. He is faithful. The fact you are facing the situation is also His promise that He will provide a way of escape! Do you believe this? Do you "faith" that He is faithful? Let your faith affect your response to Him and to the situation at hand. Do not fear the storms. Do not be angry with God. He is using the storm to mold you into the image of Christ, and to bring praise to Himself. If He could not, He would intervene and deliver you at once. Since He can use it, He will use it; and He will see you through to victory. Trust Him.

When Peter got out of the boat and walked on water, he "saw the wind" and "became afraid" and began to sink. He cried out to the Lord to save Him. Jesus reached out His hand and pulled Peter up. Then what? The Bible doesn't say how quickly they got back to the boat, only that "when they got into the boat the wind stopped." Apparently, they walked together, on water, through the wind and the waves, back to the boat.

He is faithful. He will reach out and take hold of you. He may not stop the storm until you have walked with Him through it for a while. But He will stop it. He may take you to the place of refuge first, but He will stop it.

Our God Does Whatever He Pleases

I believe God is sovereign. What does that mean? To mean, it has to do with His being all-powerful. It has to do with His control of all things. However, I don't see Him as micro-managing so much as orchestrating/conducting. I do believe He gives us free choice. He does not force us to love Him. A recent study through the book of Romans brought me to look more closely at chapters 9-11 of that epistle. These chapters can be difficult for folks who believe in freedom of choice, and provide lots of evidence for those who believe in predestination - God hardens the heart of some, chooses or calls others. In the greater context of all of the book of Romans, and all of Paul's writings, and scripture as a whole. One finds evidence for both views. Paul's position is apparently one of just being comfortable with the fact that God knows what He's doing, and if it seems unfair to us, that's no big deal. I believe an honest, unprejudiced study will leave one saying there is free choice, and there is a plan. And if I don't fully understand at times how both can co-exist, that's okay; He's God and I'm not.

That being said, God's sovereignty is the basis for our faith and our rest. He is here. He is alive and well and living among us. All good comes from Him. He is in control of all things. He doesn't cause bad things to happen to us, but if He's sovereign, He must allow it. Faith and rest come as we realize He would not allow anything He could not use for our good.

The early church recognized this. When Peter and John were arrested, then released from prison and returned to their fellow Christians, they reported what the priests and elders had told them. The church responded with a prayer. The prayer (Acts 4:24-30) begins with praise, a reference to a prophecy in Psalms 2:1-2, and continues with an acknowledgment of God's sovereignty declaring that the human instruments of Jesus' crucifixion - Herod, Pilate, the Gentiles and the people of Israel - were gathered for that purpose by the hand and purpose of God. With the sovereignty of God as their basis for praying, they make their request that God continue to work through them, and that He be aware of those who oppose them, and give them confidence to continue to speak His word.

There are two lessons here.  First, God is sovereign. What happened to Christ, even to the gathering together of those human instruments needed to make it happen, was God's predetermined plan. Second, we can pray with more confidence when we know that God really is in control, carrying out His will for the redemption of man, and including the events of our lives in the redemption process.

God does have a plan. He does have a will. He is going to see that His plan and His will come to pass. He is faithful. "'They will fight against you, but they will not overcome you, for I am with you to deliver you,' declares the Lord" (Jeremiah 1:19). "God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord" (1 Corinthians 1:9). Let these verses and other on God's faithfulness encourage you when the storms of life begin to blow. If you really believe He is faithful, it will be a source of comfort to you, a foundation for rest and courage.

We'll look at God's sovereignty and faithfulness in more detail over the next few days. Hope you're blessed by it and tell others to tune in as well.

Childish Things, pt.2

The bare fact is, any sin will become a lifestyle and a lifelong battle if engaged in habitually. Gossip, stealing, drinking, heterosexual affairs, homosexuality, pornography, masturbation, gluttony, lying, drugs, gambling, self-pity - all the "obvious" sins you would expect to find in a list of sins, will dominate one's life and for most people take a real battle to overcome. Then, there are the less obvious sins, like failing to give thanks to God for all things, not trusting Him, and not walking in total dependence on His ability rather than our own.

This is why God gave the Ten Commandments - to establish the standard of behavior. It's also why He gave His Son - because we can't live up to the standard. Because we are flesh and blood, He took on flesh and blood, lived a sinless life, and paid the penalty for our sins, so that we could be delivered and restored to fellowship as holy and beloved in God's presence.

I believe this also underlies why Paul said, "When I was a child I spoke as a child, thought as a child, reasoned as a child, but when I became a man, I put away childish tings." Although his emphasis was on realizing that faith, hope and love are more important than what spiritual gift you may or may not have, I believe Paul was saying that mature adults have a more mature and accurate perception of things than children. So, put away your childish perspective on life.

Put away your childish understanding of "who you are," "what you can or can't or must do," "what your value is or isn't," and "why you do the things you do."  See yourself as God sees you. You are redeemed by the blood of the Lamb - holy, beloved, faultless, and blameless. You are a new creation. As an old creation in the human nature of the first Adam, you cannot come up to the level of holiness required to enter into God's presence, and as that Adam died because of sin, so shall all men. But Christ, the "second Adam," took on flesh, because that's the way we are made.  He took on flesh, so that dying to sin and for sin, He might deliver us holy and blameless through the torn veil of His own flesh to abide in the presence of Holy God. Rising form the dead, he conquered death and the one who had the power of death (Satan) that we might live. You don't have to abide in sin. You don't have to continue in sin.

If you are ensnared by a habitual sin, realize: you were born, as a descendant of Adam & Eve, into sin. But you were not born into a specific sin. God did not create you to be a gossip, or a homosexual, or adulterous, or to habitually live in any other sin. He created you to know and love Him, and to receive His love and kindness. It is by His doing that we are in Christ Jesus, who was made to us wisdom from God and righteousness and redemption, so that we have nothing to boast in but God.

If you know someone who is ensnared by a habitual sin: in Galatians 6:1, Paul exhorts, "Brothers, even if a man is caught [ensnared] in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, lest you too be tempted." There is restoration for those who are ensnared in sin. Part of that restoration is for fellow Christians to gently help the sinner realize that the snare that holds them is the perspective of a child, and help them find a more mature perspective of who they are in Christ and what He has done to set them free.

Childish Things

"When I was a child, I used to speak as a child, think as a child, reason as a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things." (1 Corinthians 13:11).

Chapter 13 is best known as the "Love Chapter" ("Love is patient, love is kind....")  In verse 11, what Paul is talking about has to do with maturity. He is using the maturing from child to adult as an illustration. The love chapter is embedded in a discussion on spiritual gifts (chapters 12-14), an issue that had obviously become divisive in the Corinthian fellowship. What he is telling them is that gifts are for this lifetime, and specific gifts maybe even for specific times in the life of a believer or a fellowship. They are temporary, much like childhood. Don't put so much stock in them. Faith, hope and love endure, and love is the greatest of these. So, grow up and put more emphasis on loving each other than on what gifts you have.

What does it mean to speak, think & reason as a child? I think, in essence, it has to do with completeness, with the insight that comes with the wisdom and understanding of age and experience. Children have the perspective of a child. They don't have the wisdom that comes with age for interpreting the world around them or even their own experiences. Have you ever heard a 3 or 4 year old wax eloquent about some topic they know nothing about? We were in a motorcycle dealership with our son when he was about that age. I wish I had a recording of his description of the various parts of the motorcycle and what they were for. He sounded for all the world like an expert mechanic, except he had no clue what any of it really was.

Your toddler wanders into the street, totally unaware of the danger. If telling him not to doesn't convince him, you may have to punish him. Why? Because if he gets hit by a car, it is going to be much more serious & painful than a spanking (or whatever discipline you choose). It is better for him to experience a little pain on his naturally padded backside in order to teach him a lesson in obedience, than to have him disobey and die.

Children see someone smoke or drink, and think it's cool. So, as soon as they are able, they emulate the behavior. Is it really cool? Is it in anyway good for you? No, and no. But they started the behavior from the perspective a child, and may or may not ever put away that perspective and choose to overcome the ensuing addiction.

Parents divorce. One parent rejects the other and their children and leaves. The children may wonder what they did to cause this. It isn't their fault. It's the sin of the parent(s). It may take years, or a life-time before they understand this and let go of the blame. The same thing often happens when I child is abused or molested.

A young man may be told his curiosity about his sexuality is homosexual behavior. If there are other factors, such as timidity, interest in music, lack of interest in sports or other "manly" activities, he may start to believe he was "born different." A young girl who has a strong athletic tendency, who is a tomboy, and/or has been mistreated by men (especially her own father) may have a similar perspective. Does that make it true? No, it's a child's perspective.

This isn't about homosexuality or any other specific sin. It's about making sure that the way we see ourselves, the way we see life and our choices of behavior, relationships with God and man, etc., is the same way God sees us, and not the perspective a child. Become an adult. Put away childish speaking, thinking & reasoning. Experience the love of the Father; hope in Him; Faith Him.

Little Faith, pt.5

If you have work to be done that you can't do for yourself, you hire someone who can, right? For example, we hire carpenters to build our homes, remodel them, build cabinets, etc. We hire plumbers & electricians, auto mechanics. We hire hair stylists, dentists, doctors, and, I hope, photographers. For most of these things, we want someone who is well-trained, maybe even certified as a professional. Everyday, we recognize our own limitations, lay aside our desire to do for ourselves, and we "faith" those whose capabilities exceed our own. We trust that if they begin the task they will complete it skillfully and correctly. We often don't know them, and only hope they really have our best interests at heart. Yet we trust them. Does it not make even more sense to lay aside our efforts to perfect ourselves spiritually and put our faith in the One who created us and saved us, to complete us as well? Is it not reasonable faith to trust the One who loved us enough to die for us, to complete that which He began in us, and do it right, and do it for our benefit?


"Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him," Heb.11:6. Jeremiah29:11-13 tell us that God's plans for us are for our welfare, not for calamity, but to give us a future and a hope. The passage concludes: "And you will seek Me and you will find Me when you search for Me with all your heart."  It is necessary to believe not only that God exists, but that when you seek Him, He will be found. When you ask Him for life, He has provided it through Christ, and will give it to you. When you need strength for daily living, He will be that strength for you. When you need patience, He will give it. When you need steadfastness in your Christian walk, He has made a way. When you need love for someone you find difficulty loving, He Himself is love and will make love alive inside you. Our part is to die to our own desires, accept our own inadequacy for the task, and turn to the One who made us, who makes us adequate, and who desires to complete us.

When Jesus came off the mountain of transfiguration He asked His disciples, "How long shall I be with you?" The question may have come from His awareness that His time on earth was drawing to an end, and the faith of His disciples was still "little," with no viable signs of growth. Yet, if they just had faith "as" a mustard seed - willing and yielded to God to grow as a mustard seed grows - they could move mountains. It is the faith of a seed that is totally dependent on God for its growth. It is faith that is willing to die to what it is in order to become all that it is meant to be. It is faith like a blade of grass that grows up through asphalt or the tiniest crack in concrete. It is the tender shoot that pushes up from under a rock to reach for the sun. It starts small. It is still faith, even though it is small. But mustard seed faith does not remain small! It grows strong, giving glory to God!

Little Faith, pt.4 - what is Mustard Seed Faith?

I looked up faith in a thesaurus and found 4 definitions:

1. A system of religious belief
2. Absolute certainty in the trustworthiness of another
3. Mental acceptance of the truth or actuality of something
4. Those who accept and practice a particular religious belief

In the "role call of faith" in Hebrews 11, two of Abraham's acts are listed. The first was his willingness to leave his home and go to a land, which God would show him, not knowing where he was going. It demonstrated faith that was "credited to Him as righteousness." The other was his response to God's telling him to sacrifice his son, Isaac.

Did he do either of these things, especially the latter, on the basis of a system of religious belief? Would mental acceptance of the truth suffice? Was it just because he was a Hebrew?

I go into more detail in my book, but let's take a quick look at Abraham's life after his first life-changing encounter with God. He's 75 years old in Genesis 12, and God tells Abraham to leave Ur and go, and when he got to the land God was going to give him, God would let him know he was there. In addition, God would make of him a great nation and bless him. Shortly thereafter, they left the land God showed them, went to Egypt, where fearing the Egyptians would kill him to get his wife, he passed her off as his sister. God intervened to protect her purity. (Odds are, this is when they got Sarah's handmaiden, Hagar - which set them up for another failure.

In Genesis 15:6, eleven years have passed - no child - and they assume that one of his slaves will be his heir. But God now promises him a son from his own body, and descendants that would out-number the stars. This is when it's told, "Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness." Shortly thereafter, he yields to Sarah's pressure and has a child by Hagar. He's 86 years old.

Gen.17 - 99 years old. God says within a year Sarah will be the mother of the promised son. In the 3 months that follow, he again fears someone will kill him to get Sarah, so Abraham again passes her off as his sister. Again God intervenes to protect her.

Are these the acts of a man of faith - fear & lying, doubt (no child, must be my slave), parenting a child through his wife's handmaid in order to bring about the fulfillment of God's promise? And most of this was after "he believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness." Sounds a lot like little faith. I submit Abraham had mustard seed faith. His faith did not prevent his failures. But his faith was not negated by his failures, either. The testimony of the Romans 4 is that "he did not waiver in unbelief, but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what He had promised, He was able to perform."

Mustard seed faith may start small, and it may give way to some failures and poor choices along the way, but it grows strong, gives glory to God, and eventually becomes fully assured that He who promised is trustworthy and able to perform.

If Abraham "really" believed God, he probably would not have worried about the famine and gone to Egypt. Even if he had, he would not have feared for his life, because God had promised to make a great nation from him and bless the nations of the world. That hadn't happened yet, so until it did, Abraham was safe. You can understand his wondering if one of his slaves might wind up being his heir, but then God promises a son from his own body. Again, until that happens, he's invulnerable. Nothing can happen to him, at least until he has a son. He lived in a different culture and time, before the written law of scripture. So, it might be understandable that he would have a child by Hagar, since Sarah was "too old" to have a child (although from our perspective with the advantage of hindsight and the Biblical record we can see that it was a bad choice). Then he turns around and lies about Sarah, riskings her purity, because he fears for his life.

A few years after the birth of Isaac, God told him to sacrifice his son as a burnt offering. He headed off to do just that. Abraham finally got it. "By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac.... He considered that God is able to raise men even from the dead...."  Only absolute certainty in the trustworthiness of God could bring Abraham to the point of laying his promised son on an altar and taking his life. His faith had grown to the level of knowing that since God had promised that through Isaac God would give Abraham more descendants than the sand on the seashore or stars in the sky, if Isaac died (even if God said "Kill Isaac") God would raise Isaac from the dead and still fulfill His promise to Abraham!!

The Christian faith is not a group of people who believe in Christ. It is not a system of religious beliefs, practices or rituals. It is not mental acceptance of the fact that Jesus lived, or that the Bible is God's word or any other fact or set of facts.

When Jesus compared the kingdom of heaven to a mustard seed, the emphasis was on the fact that it grows, from a small seed to a tree in which birds can make their nests. That is "mustard seed faith." That's how it differs from "little faith." No fear, no doubt, no anxiety, no lack of understanding, no challenge too big! Mustard seed faith may start small, but it's for real, and it grows until it finally really becomes absolute certainty in the trustworthiness of God.

Little Faith, pt.3

The disciples are once again on a boat on the Sea of Gallilee-this time without Jesus. Once again a storm rises. Reminds me of Mel Whirley & me-seems we could hardly get a boat on the lake to fish without a storm rolling over us. We never saw Jesus walking across the water toward us, though He did see us through a couple of pretty bad thunderstorms. When the disciples saw Jesus, Peter said, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water." They thought it was a ghost. I'm thinking Peter may have been trying to prove that it was. I wonder if he was more shocked that Jesus said, "Come!" than he would have been if it had been a ghost. But, nonetheless, he'd painted himself into a corner, so he stepped out of the boat and actually started walking on water, too! Then he saw the wind and the waves and the blowing rain and mist and became afraid. I think any of us would have, at least our 1st time out walking on water. He began to sink and cried out, "Lord, save me!" The story concludes in Matthew 14:31 - "And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and said to him, 'O you of little faith, why did you doubt?'"

Faith walks on water. Doubt sinks. Faith looks on Him. Doubt looks at the storm. But even when you find yourself sinking, look once again to Him and He will lift you up. Doubt is the third thing that turns faith to "little faith." If the significance of mustard seed faith is that it is small, is it bigger than "little faith?" Mustard seed faith can move a mountain. Little faith couldn't even keep Peter on top of the water!

In Matthew 16:6-11, Jesus told His disciples to watch out for the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees. His disciples decided it was because they had not brought bread for their journey. Jesus knew what they were thinking and said, "You men of little faith, why do you discuss among yourselves that you have no bread? Do you not yet understand or remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets you took up? Or the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many large baskets you took up? How is it that you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread?"

In this example, it's failure to remember and lack of understanding that prompts the description "you men of little faith." What has God done for you? Did He not take on flesh and blood that He might render of no effect the work of Satan in the world? What Satan did to separate men from God by sin, Jesus undid to reconcile you to God by His own righteousness, by His torn flesh that opened the veil into the holy of holies, and by His shed blood that cleanses away your sins. Is it not true that "He who began a good work in you will perfect it"? Do you not understand that "He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?"

Finally, in Matthew 17:14-20, we have the last example of little faith. Jesus comes down from the mountain after being "transfigured"-a glorious encounter with His Father with Peter, James and John as witnesses. He finds the rest of the disciples unable to help a man who had come seeking healing for his son. After He casts a demon out of the boy and heals him, the disciples ask why they couldn't do it. He tells them: "Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you shall say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it shall move; and nothing shall be impossible to you."

Some translations say "faith as small as a mustard seed." That's not in the Greek text. It does not say "as small as," it says, "as a mustard seed." So, is little faith smaller than mustard seed faith. Is the significance of mustard seed faith its size? Tomorrow, we'll look at the example of Abraham's faith, and see if we come up with a better perspective.

Little Faith, pt.2

Jesus referred to His disciples as men "of little faith" five times as recorded in Matthew, each time giving a different reason for their condition - a different factor that reduces faith down to "little." Yet, He also told them faith as a mustard seed could move mountains. If "little faith" is a problem, and "mustard seed faith" moves mountains, is little faith smaller than a mustard seed? Is the significance of mustard seed faith its size, or is there something else to it.

The first thing that reduces faith to "little" is anxiety. In Mt.6:30-31, Jesus says "If God so arrays the grass of the field...will He not much more do so for you, O men of little faith? Do not be anxious then...." No need to be anxious, He cares for you. Jesus said if we will make seeking His kingdom and His righteousness our top priority, our Father will provide everything we need. Paul tells us that neither things present nor things to come can separate us from God's love. He didn't mention the past, because, well, it's past. And it already didn't separate us from God's love. So, we don't have to worry about the past, or the present, or the future. But we do. Why?

Oscar Thompson (former evangelism prof at Southwestern Baptist Seminary) said one of the key things he learned from having cancer was: "God won't give you dying grace on a non-dying day." If you're going to die today, God will give you the grace to deal with it, so there is no need to worry or fret. If you aren't going to die today, He won't give you the grace to deal with dying; but that's okay, because you're aren't going to die, so there's no need to be anxious about it anyway! The same is true for anything we face. God's got the grace for it if we need it. If we don't need it there's no grace for it. Either way, there's no need to be anxious. Just seek Him and trust Him. God is powerful, wise, caring, loving, and He will not allow anything to happen to you that He is unable to use to mold you into the image of Christ. If this is true, then no situation is worth our being worried or upset.

Jesus' second teaching on little faith is found in Mt.8:24-26. Jesus and his disciples are on the sea of Galilee when a storm arises. He's asleep. His disciples wake Him saying, "Save us, Lord; we are perishing!" His reply? "Why are you afraid, you men of little faith?" Then He got up, rebuked the storm, and all became calm.

It's been said that fear is faith in the negative. It's essentially faith that something bad will happen, and there's no hope for good. It may or may not be the direct opposite of faith, but it is definitely a faith inhibitor, and is both a cause and a result of lack of faith. It's the 2nd item on the list of things that reduce faith to "little faith." The disciples saw the storm as a harbinger of death. Jesus saw only life. He was not afraid of the storm. He knew He had power over it, so He told it to be calm, and it obeyed Him. When the storms of life blow, we can know the calm and peace we long for if we truly faith that God is concerned for our well being and that He has power over the storms. Or, put another way, we must believe that God is, and that He will reward us if we will seek Him first.