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.