Momentary Troubles Lead to Triumph

WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM?
Most of us would not label any of our problems "light," even if we might recognise them as "momentary."

But the Apostle Paul said:

For our light and momentary troubles—Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers—are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.
(2 Corinthians 4:17—2 Corinthians 11:25-26)

Reciting the reason why Paul responded to his trials as he did may be easy, but it's harder to apply, is it not?

Paul focused on Christ. He aimed for a reward in eternity, not one he could place on his trophy shelf now. He "gloried in weakness." He understood (as Peter did) that suffering for righteousness gives us—for the sake of illustration—tokens which we trade in for lasting treasure in heaven.

MIND RENEWAL
How could Paul view the troubles of life that wore him down physically, emotionally, mentally as merely "light and momentary"? He wrote this sentence just before it.

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. (2 Corinthians 4:16)

How? If one is "wasting away," how can one be internally "renewed"?

Paul gives us a huge clue in Romans 12:2—

Don't copy the behaviour and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

If God does the mind-changing, how does He do it?

The composer of Psalm 119 tells us:

How can a young man keep his way pure?

   By living according to Your word.

I seek You with all my heart;

   do not let me stray from Your commands.

I have hidden Your Word in my heart

   that I might not sin against You.

The longest Psalm in all Scripture focuses not on man's struggle or even God's triumph, but merely delighting in God's Word and pursuing Him constantly.

RENEWED "DAY BY DAY."

"That's what you do. You sell a big lie, and wrap it up in a truth to make it more palatable." ~ Sherlock Holmes

We've all heard it, and—having worked at a bank over ten years—I know it. You detect counterfeit not by studying it, but by studying the true item.

How many Christians study the Bible "day by day"?

How many Christians believe sex outside of marriage is normal? How many believe homosexuality is not a sin? How many lie or twist truths to avoid a consequence? How many church-going people act more vicious and unloving than an atheist down the street?  How many religious people divorce or are captive to pornography?

HOLISTIC CHRISTIANITY
Holistic care and holistic medicine have been catch words in our society recently. The writers of the Bible, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, could have coined the word "holistic" thousands of years before its recent popularity.

What the prophets taught, what the apostles taught, what Jesus taught—holistic Christianity (even if it was not called "Christianity" until years after Jesus resurrection, they all anticipated the solution in the Messiah).

What is holistic Christianity?

"You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 

The second is this: 'Love your neighbour as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these.

He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the Yahweh require of you—But to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.

A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. "

WHAT NOW?
To know it initially, to believe it cognitively is not enough.

We must continually inhale the fragrance of grace, hear the constant whispers of our Saviour, see the nail-scarred hands, savor the meat of the Word, remember the bondage of sin, and feel the embrace of forgiveness.

With this daily renewal, we can step out in love and forgive our enemies, do good to those who wrong us, and see what we suffer here as "light" compared to the surpassing greatness of what our Lord has done for us in the past and what is waiting for us—perhaps today!

(Need Help? If you need a little accountability or just a daily reminder, goTandem allows you to request a Bible passage be sent via text, phone, or email at whatever time or times of day you choose.

You can also ask to have someone call you to ask how you're doing with your reading. Ideally, we should each have a Christian friend to do this—and be one to another—but, if you don't, goTandem at least provides one for starters.)

Image: Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

To Describe God

Below is an edited version of a prayer I wrote in February 2005. I’m posting it because I think to at least some of it you’ll relate.

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If I should try to describe You, God, I might say You’re like a mist; You form various shapes, but appear everywhere and different. I trust You to know my heart and know how I would not accuse You of changeableness, but accuse my understanding of not grasping You.

You are like a firefly on a dark summer night. I may believe You are there, but until you turn on Your light, I’m not certain where.

Sometimes You appear as a possible predator to my happiness; like a rattlesnake somewhere on a ranch, and I’m praying none of mine will step in Your path and take death’s poisonous exit.

Sometimes I long for You, ache for You, despair of being had by You. You stand nearby as my Invisible Observer, but You don’t make a sound. I end up on the floor with my paper gods with faces cut from magazines, little creatures no bigger than myself whom You have made.

Sometimes I listen for You and feel proud that I actually want to hear You. I hear buzzes, I hear cars, I hear the whistle of a train, but not one small whisper from Your lips.

I panic sometimes. If You should ever leave it to me to find my way Home, I’d be lost forever.

But I believe in You, God. You have been my Father, my Guide, my Strength, my Sustainer. In You is the only hope in which I can dream.

Funny. It is good to say that—the only Hope in which I can dream. Getting here has not been so easy. I’ve come kicking and screaming, but You didn’t put me down.

Oh, if only this was the end and all the refinement I need could be made with these “small” losses; if only I didn’t know greater sacrifices might await me. Oh, how lonely and scary and heart-wrenching one short life can be. You do not ask for more than You gave. You ask for everything.

What will Home be like with You? How is it that our tasks will look so small from the light of Home? What do I need to know or realise in order to let go and let You hurt me and still trust You completely?

Open my eyes wider. Not inwardly. Upwardly. Father, I see a shrivelled worm as I look inward. I see a sad excuse for a human—talentless, friendless, pointless, but still holding on to my pride to not get hurt and to my mini-gods.

What does it mean to be a Christian? What is it like to be free of myself? Where is the dividing line, the gulf that I can cross or be flung over and become the outward clothes of the Living Son of God? Where do You begin and I end? Draw it up. Point me there. It’s time that life began—No turning back.

Here are my fears. You’ll need to check all my pockets and hiding places. There are always some fresh ones lying around.

Here is my fear of losing those I love—of dying while they live or living after they die.  Here’s my fear of getting older and my desire to die early. Here are my fears—of rejection, of being unchanged and entering eternal shame, of success, of failure. Here’s my fear of never getting any closer to You or of getting too close to You.

Father, these are scary things to give up. All these fears, these quirks…You aren’t going to find anything left of me when they are gone.

It’s a starting place. I already feel myself reaching for my comfort “blankets.” I’ll take them all back, if you let me. PLEASE don’t let me. Let’s go forward, Father. It’s time. It’s past time.

God's Love Letters to You

When I looked over the Thomas Nelson books available to review and saw one by Larry Crabb, I immediately download the e-book. And I'm not disappointed.

God's Love Letters to You gives a wonderful glimpse at the whole context of God's Word. Far from a feel good read, Dr. Crabb shows the reality of pain in a framework of love.

"But God's way of thinking and His way of loving are so far above us—and so different sometimes from what we think they should be—that His way of speaking life can feel harsh, even insensitive and uncaring. And for good reason: His words of life speak death to what is in us that needs to die."

The formatting of the e-book annoyed me at points, but it was just nit-picky things such as spacing. The quotes from writers outside the Bible jarred my assumption that the content concentrated on God's finished Word. Yet, the quotes added their own explanation and often were ones I highlighted for future reference.

If I taught a small group or class for young Christians, this text would be required reading. The way it touches upon suffering and love throughout the Bible, reveals the continuity of God's working through our own pain and His sovereign plan, which includes and redeems that pain. The questions at the end of each chapter too would be richer shared with others, especially those beginning to grasp the scope of God's work in our lives and world.

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JOY to the World

Tis the season of "Joy to the world the Lord has come."

The Bible repeatedly mentions joy. When the angel appeared to the shepherds, he announced the Messiah's birth to be "good news of great joy."

Joy, in Scripture, is frequently tied to one contradictory sounding circumstance—suffering—and one unique source—the Holy Spirit.

I've seen two extremes in Christians' lives. Both deflect the joy that should be their inheritance from the King.

One, is a seemingly fake joy (or at least one I could never relate to) where the person fails to express any suffering. Since God is good, their life is fine...nothing of which to complain...no heart aches, no doubts, no worry, no fear. 

While I have memorized the verses telling us to "cast your cares on the Lord," "trust the Lord with all your heart," not "worry about your life," etc, these are all lessons of growth. They only come naturally to a perfect person. For everyone else, it is something we must battle against—put up the Sword of Truth to parry the Sword of Doubt. 

If someone does not struggle, I question if they are really alive. The battle strengthens the warrior and makes him or her realize our dependence on God for righteousness and growth. 

Joy is a fruit of the Spirit that is produced in the midst of trouble and is most illuminated by the dark background of life. To struggle with the realities every human faces—the sorrows, the losses—yet to still have an abiding joy is the sign of the residence of the Holy Spirit.

The second extreme example I have seen in Christians is someone who lives continually on the "poor me" side of the street. Rarely is there a reason to rejoice, because there is too much suffering to bear. You know the person. It's the one you hate to be cornered by and of whom you thank the Lord you're not married.

Both—those without human struggles and those with more than their fair share—steal the glory from God and refuse the work of the Holy Spirit. 

Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote:

Since ancient times, acidia—sorrowfulness of the heart, "resignation"—has been one of the deadly sins. "Serve the Lord with gladness" (Ps. 100:2) summons us to the Scriptures. This is what our life has been given to us for, what it has been preserved for up till now. Joy belongs, not only to those who have been called home, but also to the living, and no one shall take it from us.

Joy is not reflective of surroundings or even of a positive mental state. Instead, it flows from the Spirit that lives within a Christian.

Persecution can't kill it, sorrow can't crush it, and happiness cannot replace it.

As the Spirit is the seal in the heart of a true follower of Yeshua, marking us as His for eternity, so the fruit which He yields also cannot be stolen from us.

Bonhoeffer continues:

It [Joy] does not deny the distress where it is, but finds God in the midst of it, indeed precisely there; it does not contest the most grievous sin, but finds forgiveness in just this way; it looks death in the face, yet finds life in death itself.

Years after he wrote this, Bonhoeffer exemplified this truth in his own imprisonment and death.

Honesty in suffering is important not only for the one going through it, but also for those around who may be in a similar dark valley. God's glory is seen not in a perfect life, but in a life that He is perfecting.

Although happiness may shy away in the shadows, joy will accompany us through the night.

Crushed Grapes

If you want a good time in this world, do not become a disciple of Jesus.

~Oswald Chambers

More and more Christians seem to aim to make the gospel attractive or at least make their church attractive to unbelievers. Entertainment increases while deep study of the Bible is minimized.

I do not mean to judge a church's motives by their programs, but I am concerned that we are passing on a new gospel and not the gospel of Jesus Christ.

One pastor I heard recently said he believes the reason so many youth leave the church after graduation is that what they are taught in church does not match with the reality of life. We have promised them happy lives. Then why aren't they happy? Why did someone betray them? Why did they lose someone they loved? Why are they experiencing doubts?

By offering our hearers a sweetness-and-light gospel and promising every taker a place on the sunny side of the brae, we not only cruelly deceive them, we guarantee also a high casualty rate among the converts on such terms.

We tell them that if they will accept Christ He will give them peace of mind, solve their problems, protect their families and keep them happy all day long. They believe us and come, and the first cold wind sends them shivering to some counselor to find out what has gone wrong; and that is the last we hear of many of them! ~A. W. Tozer

Because suffering is such a negative topic, we tend to weed it out of our teaching. Maybe we believe if we ignore it, it truly will go away. But it doesn't. Not only is suffering a part of life, Jesus warned his disciples there would be an even a greater portion for any who follow Him.

We are apt to think that Jesus Christ took all the bitterness and we get all the blessing. It is true that we get the blessing, but we must never forget that the wine of life is made out of crushed grapes; to follow Jesus will involve bruising in the lives of the disciples as the purpose of God did in His own life. ~Oswald Chambers

In the 1930s and 40s, Dietrich Bonhoeffer saw this cheapening of grace amongst the Christians he knew in Germany and other parts of the world. In The Cost of Discipleship, he warned us what was at stake. "Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate."

Then what is the grace of which the biblical writers told us? What is the grace earned by Jesus and too costly for us to earn by our good efforts? Bonhoeffer goes on to explain this costly grace:

Such grace is costly because it calls us to follow, and it is grace because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ. It is costly because it costs us our life, and it is grace because it gives us the only true life. It is costly because it condemns sin, and grace because it justifies the sinner. Above all, it is costly because it cost God the life of God's Son: "you were bought at a price," and what has cost God much cannot be cheap for us.

As the apostle Paul explains repeatedly, we have not been saved by works: "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9).

But this is where many Christians stop. Yet Paul goes on—"For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do" (v 10; cf James 2:14-26).

Suffering and pain, doubts and uncertainty will come. Yet as we draw close to the heart of Jesus, as we live out our faith through works He has prepared for us to do, as we remain faithful even to death, we will begin to grasp true life, both here and in the life to come.

As those who have died to the flesh and been made alive in Christ, Jesus calls us to pick up our cross daily and follow Him. Obedience is the fruit of salvation.

A Walk Through The Valley

I sit to write this evening with too much I'm learning and little feeling of resolve. It is like I am in a valley with mountains climbed behind me and mountains to climb around me. Yet, I can't apply directly what I've learned to the place through which I'm traveling. I'm on a journey through a Death Valley I've never seen before. I don't know what will bite or attack me around the next bend in the woods. The comfort of the moment is surrounded by strange noises from the bush.

Do you ever go through times like this? The pain of the Haitians is almost too much to consider. You may be able to quote chapter and verse of God's love and sovereignty and can rest, as I am doing, on the mystery that God is good all the time. Yet, you're reminded of the horror of suffering in other countries, the co-worker who is killed leaving a young family behind, the door you longed to enter slammed, and the uncertainty and bleakness of tomorrow still to be faced. It leaves you numb.

I'm thankful that times like these are not the norm. Joy does come in the morning. Yet, as Ecclesiastes reminds us, wisdom is more often gained in the house of mourning than the house of revelry.

I'm praying there is something supernaturally wonderful in store for the souls of our Haitian friends. What are your thoughts as you hear of those in Haiti?

Philippians 4:6-7 and Proverbs 3:5 have been verses I've clung to this past week. What promises comfort you through life's valleys?