Children - Pt 2

Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked the people, but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” And he laid his hands on them and went away. (Matthew 19:13-15 ESV).

I like the meme I found recently that says, “Don’t raise your kids to have more than you had, raise them to be more than you were.” Positive expectations bring out the best in your child! It works like this: Whatever you focus on, you'll get! It's almost like a natural law! So if you have positive expectations of your child, he or she will do his or her best to live up to them. However, it also goes the other way around. If you expect your child to disobey you, your clever kid will sense this lack of trust and 'obey' your unsaid intentions: You'll get what you expect! So in a way this about choice! Your choice as to what you want! Here are more some practical things you can do to develop these positive expectations. First, expect your child to manage a moderately challenging task and show this trust to your child in an energy of confidence and patience. I find parents often do not communicate their belief that their children can do something. Often we are so unwilling for them to fail that we will do the task for them. This robs them of both the encouragement to succeed and the feeling of success when they do. Second, we should positively prepare our children for upcoming events by talking about them in terms of possibilities and positive expectations. I find the beginning of the school year especially good for this action. Often the newness of the school year brings anxiety. Use this experience with your younger children and adolescents to inspire them with your confidence in their abilities; and, reassure them of your willingness to help. Third, plan for and expect your evenings to be calm, joyful and full of deep presence. It is often so difficult to provide for a calm evening in the home. There are so many tasks we think we must accomplish before bedtime. Some of these anxieties can be eased with the simple implementation of a schedule. Help your children learn the secret of future planning. Train them to understand the pressing nature of future fears. Show them how to overcome the future with a firm anchor in the present and a clear plan for the future. I know I have spoken to “parents” in these last few days. Some of you are single parents, or grandparents raising your grandchildren. These principles, though more difficult still work. Don’t quit on your children. You can do it!

Children - Pt 1

Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep. Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one's youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate. (Psalm 127:1-5 ESV).

When Faith and Logan were born, nearly fourteen years ago, I started writing letters to them. I stopped until recently when I decided to start writing again. This round of letter will go to them along with my other grandchildren. Now that Maggie is two and the twins, Lucy and Harris, have been born, it is time to begin to write again. Part of that desire is that there are some things I really believe are essential for them to hear from a grandpa; the other reason is much more selfish, since I did not have any opportunity to talk with my own grandfather since he was deceased long before I was born. I would have liked very much to have been able to have known him. It is always good for children to personally know as much as possible about their family. It helps to cement the relationship of love and care within that essential unit of life. Unfortunately, America is becoming a country that loves children less and less. Too many people see them as a burden that slows them down in their pursuit of the American dream. Even in the church, Christian couples get strange looks when they say they want to have a lot of kids. Some will even discourage them with the retort, “That will change after you’ve had a kid or two.” This response shouldn’t be. The Bible is overwhelmingly positive in its language about children. Our reading today declares that “Children are a heritage from the Lord” (v. 3). When teaching his disciples, Jesus uses an illustration of the joy of a mother delivering her baby (cf. John 16:21). Our words and actions should reflect the heart and values of Scripture. After all, the Bible is the heart and values of God. I am not naïve. I know that some children are difficult. They present challenges to us in many different ways. However, all Christians should be known as people who love children because we have been graciously loved by a Father. Our love for and joy in children should be evident and contagious, winsomely put on display for the whole world to witness and, Lord willing, want for themselves. There are a few things we will look at in the coming days to practically help us as parents and grandparents. Today, commit yourself to love your children.

Renewing Your Mind - Pt 3

But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. (2 Corinthians 3:16-18 ESV).

Today we come to a very practical part of this renewal of our mind. First, before we can do anything, a double action of the Holy Spirit is required. And then we join him in these two actions. The reason I say the Holy Spirit is required is because this word “renewal” is only used one other place in all the Greek Bible, Titus 3:5, where Paul says, “[God] saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit.” There’s the word “renewal” which we’ve seen is so necessary. And it is renewal “of the Holy Spirit.” The Spirit renews the mind. It is first and always his work. Our reading helps us understand this work. The Holy Spirit enables us to “behold the glory of the Lord.” This is how the mind is renewed. It is by steadfastly gazing at the glories of Christ for what they really are. But to enable us to do that, the Spirit must do a double work. He must work in two directions: from the outside in and from the inside out. He must work from the outside in by exposing the mind to Christ-exalting truth. That is, he must lead us to hear the gospel, to read the Bible, to study Christ-exalting writings of great, spiritual men, and to meditate on the perfections of Christ. This is exactly what the world, the flesh, and the devil do (cf. 2 Corinthians 4:4). To see that truth for what it really is, Paul says, will renew the mind and transform the life and produce unending worship. “The Spirit renews the mind. It is first and decisively his work.” And the Spirit must work from the inside out, breaking the hard heart that blinds and corrupts the mind. The Spirit must work from the outside in, through Christ-exalting truth, and from the inside out, through truth-embracing humility. If he only worked from the outside in, by presenting Christ-exalting truth to our minds but not breaking the hard heart and making it humble, then the truth would be despised and rejected. And if he only humbled the hard heart, but put no Christ-exalting truth before the mind, there would be no Christ to embrace and no worship would happen. So, what do we do? We join the Holy Spirit in his precious and all-important work. We pursue Christ-exalting truth and we pray for truth-embracing humility. Listen to rich expositions of the “gospel of the glory of Christ.” Read your Bible from cover to cover always in search of the revelation of the glory of Christ. Read and ponder the Bible-saturated, Christ-exalting writings of great, spiritual men and women. And form the habit of meditating on the perfections of Christ. And in it all pray that the Holy Spirit will renew your mind, that you may desire and approve the will of God, so that all of life will become worship to the glory of Christ.

Renewing Your Mind - Pt 2

Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. (2 Corinthians 3:4-6 ESV).

We need to explore the reading today very carefully. The apostle warns us that “the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” The Christian alternative to immoral behaviors is not a new list of moral behaviors. It is the triumphant power and transformation of the Holy Spirit through faith in Jesus Christ, who is our Savior, our Lord, our Treasure. “ God has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. So transformation is a profound, blood-bought, Spirit-wrought change from the inside out. I want us to understand this truth to make the point that the nonconformity to the world (cf. Romans 12:1-2) does not primarily mean the external avoidance of worldly behaviors. That’s included. But you can avoid all kinds of worldly behaviors and not be transformed. When Jesus was transfigured (transformed) the disciples recorded that “His face shown like the sun, and his clothes became white as light!” Something like that happens to us spiritually and morally. It happens in our mind first, and then, later at the resurrection on the outside. Transformation is not switching from the to-do list of the flesh to the to-do list of the law. When Paul replaces the list, the works of the flesh, he does not replace it with the works of the law, but the fruit of the Spirit (cf. Galatians 5:19-22). There is a great paradox here. The Christian life, though it is utterly submitted (cf. Romans 8:7; 10:3), even enslaved (cf. Romans 6:18, 22) to the revealed will of God, is described in the New Testament as radically free. It is very difficult to put these two images beside one another in our minds. I like to think about it in terms of knowing that when I am transformed in Christ, I love to do what I ought to do. I had a lengthy conversation with a staff member of a large emerging church recently. As we were talking they asked me how I could be so patient with so many people who seemed to be so far off the mark. They remarked that I must like being around people to spend so much time with them. I told them that I didn’t like people at all. Being alone with my family is more than enough for me. However, I did love people. I find that because my Savior loves others, his example becomes very easy to follow simply because I follow him. There’s the transformation. I don’t always do it perfectly, but that is the principle I am committed to in life. That’s the change of mind I focus on in each circumstance of life. It does set you free. Try it!

Renewing Your Mind - Pt 1

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:1-2 ESV).

For as long as I can remember I have relied on the truth in our reading today whenever I begin to help others through the challenges they face in their personal journey. The key word of the Apostle Paul is the challenge to “be transformed.” He further says that the means to this transformation is the “renewal of the mind.” I like to remind people that our mind is the most powerful organ of our body. It controls what we ultimately feel in life. While our emotions are utterly unreliable, our minds can be reshaped and renewed to bring control over our emotional weaknesses. I want to explore two things in our reading that will help us with this transformation. The first is the will of God. This phrase is often found in the Scripture. We use it often today though I think that sometimes, when we use it, we may not know what we are talking about. That is not spiritually healthy. If you get into the habit of using religious language without knowing what you mean by it, you will increasingly become an empty shell. And many alien affections move into empty religious minds which have language but little or wrong content. The term “the will of God” has at least two and possibly three biblical meanings. First, there is the sovereign will of God. This is that will that always comes to pass without fail. Second, there is the revealed will of God in the Bible. These are those enjoinders that God has given us to point us to his grace and love. This will often does not come to pass. And third, there is the path of wisdom and spontaneous godliness — wisdom where we consciously apply the word of God with our renewed minds to complex moral circumstances, and spontaneous godliness where we live most of our lives without conscious reflection on the hundreds of things we say and do all day. We’ll look more at this truth in the coming days. Today I want us to focus on another phrase we see in the reading. The apostle says we are not be conformed to this world, but be “transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” We are perfectly useless if all we do is conform to the world around us. And the key to not wasting our lives with this kind of success and prosperity, Paul says, is being transformed. “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed.” That word is used one time in all the gospels, namely, about Jesus on the mountain of transfiguration (the mountain of “transformation” — same word, metemorphōthē): “And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light” (cf. Matthew 17:2). While we will see more detail tomorrow; today please commit yourself to transformation. This renewal will only happen as you intentional give yourself to the process. It is absolutely worth the effort. Will you do it today?

Hope When You Feel Hopeless - Pt 3

“Hope When You Feel Hopeless” (Part 3) by Don Emmitte Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (James 1:2-4 ESV).

I have a love-hate relationship with the verses of our reading today. I truly understand and believe that God knows where I am and is working His good plan in my life; however, I also understand how painful that work might be. There are those times when I feel just as alone and rejected as Charlie Brown in our illustration today. It is those times when I must practice the discipline of joyfully interpreting everything that happens — sickness, death, loss, poverty — as actions of mercy rather than judgment. In doing that I will see a real transformation in the way I live as a Christian. I can accomplish that by reading and believing the truth of Scripture. It is then that I can find hope even in what seems to be a hopeless circumstance. Here are a few Scriptures for you to read and meditate through your trials:  Isaiah 41:13 - God is the one who helps; therefore, we have nothing to fear.  1 John 4:10 - God’s love is displayed and proven when he sent his Son to die for our sins.  Romans 8:35-39 - Nothing can separate us from God’s love — absolutely nothing.  Jeremiah 31:3 - God loves us with an everlasting love.  John 15:9 - Jesus loves us with the same love that the Father loves him.  Isaiah 53:3 - Jesus, God’s only begotten Son, was a man of sorrows. He was despised and rejected by men, suffered and died for crimes he was innocent of, and soaked up the wrath of God for sins he never committed so that he could prove his for us. God ordained all this. That’s a far reaching statement. It goes well beyond the mere permission of God. It is the purposeful action of God toward us. All of this is an expression of the love of God. This is the means through which he will produce “endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (cf. Romans 5:3-5). Our ability to interpret God’s actions towards us as good is inevitably tied to our contentment and joy. If we’re unable to see his providence as good, we will never be content, and without contentment, we will never fully know the joy he has for us. Again, trust in him and his goodness. He has not, and will not let you down.

Hope When You Feel Hopeless - Pt 2

So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. (Romans 8:12-18 ESV).

Yesterday we came to the conclusion that God is not giving you what you deserve. We deserve God’s wrath, yet daily we receive new mercies. The big question then becomes, “How can sickness, suffering, and other tragedies be considered mercy?” We should remember that even when we’re feeling our worst, God is showing us more mercy than we deserve. There is no calamity or tragedy that we can face that is worse than the wrath of God. At the same time, there is no earthly pleasure that can compare to the glory that is to be revealed. In our reading today, the apostle Paul said he faced suffering with the following truth before him: “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (v. 18). With this in mind, on our worst day, he’s worthy of thanksgiving and praise for all he’s done. This view of God’s goodness reflects a humble heart before a holy and good God. This perspective enables us to suffer well, knowing that the best is yet to come. But we can go even further. As we fight daily against discontentment, we must interpret everything that comes our way as a reason to rejoice. Burroughs writes: Have good thoughts of God and make good interpretations of his dealings toward you. It is very hard to live comfortably and cheerfully among friends when one makes harsh interpretations of the words and actions of another. The only way to keep sweet contentment and comfort in Christian societies is to make the best interpretations of things we can. Likewise, a primary way to help keep comfort and contentment in our hearts is to make good interpretations of God’s dealings with us. Imagine if we truly believed what the Bible says about how God sees us. It would transform the way we interpret all his actions as mercies. I know that in the midst of my battles with discontentment and sadness, it’s hard to view what is happening in my life as anything but a condemnation and punishment. However, that is not what is happening. God is merely moving me from this world of pain and regret to one of glory and power. It is my good that he is determining with each moment of my life.

Hope When You Feel Hopeless - Pt 1

Vindicate me, O God, and defend my cause against an ungodly people, from the deceitful and unjust man deliver me! For you are the God in whom I take refuge; why have you rejected me? Why do I go about mourning because of the oppression of the enemy? Send out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling! Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy, and I will praise you with the lyre, O God, my God. Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God. (Psalm 43:1-5 ESV).

I love the way the Bible is so honest. Today our reading gives us a glimpse into the darkness of the writer’s heart. He obviously is very active in worship. Perhaps he even seems to have it all together in his life. However, he cries out in his feelings of loneliness and abandonment. He merely moves through his life concealing the real feelings of discontentment and a joyless life. His expectations were certainly different than the truth of his life. His present reality disappointed his expectations. His only hope of curing his discontentment and unhappiness was in embracing a biblical view of God. It is no different for us. We must learn the art of contentment; and, that can only come from an adequate view of our God and the gift of salvation he has provided for us. There are so many believers who are struggling to cope with their journey. I meet them in all walks of life. There are no ages or gender that are exempt from this malaise of despondency. It is tragic that Christians across the globe wake up discontented with life or some part of it. It may be their singleness, marriage, career, church, health, or community; and all of them wish they could trade it for something better. It has been said that the human heart is impossible to satisfy with temporal conditions or earthly goods. We always want more. With that truth in mind, I want us to deal with how we can change in the next few days. The first step is to understand the great mercy God has extended to us. The Christian’s unhappiness, discontentment, and view of God are directly linked. Discontentment screams, “You deserve better!” and whispers, “God is not giving you what you deserve.” It’s a lie that we deserve better. The lie leads you to believe that you’re wiser than God and interprets his direction for your life as an attack rather than a mercy and gift. We should realize that even when we’re feeling our worst, God is showing us more mercy than we deserve. However, it is also true that he wants to ease our burden. We’ll look more at that truth tomorrow. Today, trust the goodness and mercy of God in every circumstance. Hope in God!

Practical Steps to Strengthen Your Prayer Life

Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” (Luke 11:1 ESV).

Prayer is a discipline that needs to be learned and practiced. Sometimes we either don’t know or forget how to pray. Our reading shows us that even the disciples had to ask Jesus how to pray. They saw something in the way he prayed so fervently and intimately to his Father that made them long to do the same. So, here are some reminders to help become more proficient in your prayer. They are simple, but essential. 1. First, set prayer apart. The more we pray, the more we want to pray. To do this, you need to build it into the rhythm of your day. Prayer is a practice that requires discipline and perseverance, and we should own the cost. 2. Second, learn to withdraw. Pull away from distractions and find a way to separate yourself so you can be and feel “shut in with God.” Find solitude, and pray. 3. Third, have a habitual posture of prayer. Do what you need to help you focus on what it is that you’re doing. Kneel, stand, close your eyes, or look to the heavens. When your body is focused, it’s often easier for your soul to follow. If able, pray out loud. I’ve found that just softly whispering during my private prayer time is quiet enough that it doesn’t inhibit the flow of my praying, but loud enough that it keeps my mind from wandering. 4. Fourth, pray Scripture. This is a great way to start. The beautiful promises of God create joy and hope. 5. Fifth, pray fervently. Praying should be active. When it is we can truly become a different person. Answers to prayer are a blessing, but prayer alone is meant to be a blessing. Sometimes it feels like the groans of parched lips in the desert, and we should still persevere because prayer is not just the fruit of spiritual life, but the means of attaining it. 6. Sixth, pray specifically. Generalities can kill your prayer life. Of course you can be general in your prayer at times. Just don’t allow that to keep you from praising God’s specific attributes, confessing specific sins, or thanking him and asking him for specific things. Bold and expectant faith coupled with humble submission is a powerful thing. 7. Seventh, pray for and with others. Prayer is meant to pull together the community of faith. After all, we are family, and we should bear each other’s burdens in prayer. We become invested in each other’s struggles and triumphs. We start to care more about the people we pray for and less about ourselves. Take these steps to vistas you never knew could exist! You won’t be disappointed!

Focus and Prayer - Pt 2

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. (Deuteronomy 6:4-9 ESV).

Gospel faithfulness is about paying attention. In eighty places in the Bible, God’s people are called to take heed, which is the urgent language of attention. Our reading today urges us to keep God’s word on the forefront of our minds at all times, and in all situations. This means we ought to prioritize our days for the purpose of living without distraction. We must not allow the business of life to consume us. We cannot let the trivialities of this world cause us to neglect the riches of the gospel. We should be watchful and ever alert. In all these areas, and others, God calls us to guard our attention. We must pay attention to details. Unfortunately our culture simply doesn’t pay attention to God. It is interesting that the Church was always intended to be the one institution whose mission depended on galvanizing attention; and through its daily and weekly work, as well as its sometimes central role in education, that is exactly what it managed to do. At the dawn of the attention industries, then, religion was still, in a very real sense, the incumbent operation, the only large-scale human endeavor designed to capture attention and use it. But over the last fifty years, organized religion, which had weathered the doubts raised by the Enlightenment, became vulnerable to other claims on and uses for attention. Despite the promise of eternal life, faith in the West declined and has continued to do so, never faster than in the twenty-first century. Offering new consolations and strange gods of their own, the commercial rivals for human attention must surely figure into this decline. Attention, after all, is ultimately a zero-sum game. Grabbing attention is where corporate profits are made, which is why advertising is so potent. Products need time to flicker in pixels before our eyes. This monetizing of the gaze has given rise to what is now called the “attention economy,” run by “attention merchants.” The end-game is profit by grabbing our attention. Thus, the competition for our gaze, and the competition for our minds is very keen. For the person who wants to really know God, they must become intentional about their attention to the details of that relationship through prayer and Scripture. Where is your focus? Put the puzzle together today!

Focus and Prayer - Pt 1

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. (Colossians 3:1-4 ESV).

Before you jump to the comment section and begin a lecture to me about the incredible benefits of technology, let me say that technology is not bad. After all, you are reading this devotional because of technology. With that in mind, however, let me also say that our technology makes praying harder than ever before. Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, or Facebook habits do pose a problem for us in our prayer life. However, before I look at the stats, let’s take a moment to appreciate the magic of conscious life, the capacity to focus on one thing, like this article and this unfolding sentence, following it along until it ends with a little dot. No doubt, as a reader, you’re fighting the chronic digital urge to skim. I can’t tell you how many times I give in to “speed read.” That might work well with the current news feed on Facebook; but, it works poorly when we are reading and praying our way through the Scripture. We give our attention because we have attention to give. With our attention we can attend to one thing and avert from another thing. The power to fixate is part of God’s miracle in creation. Without attention, faith would be impossible. God not only created us to live and breathe and walk, like his other creatures; he wants us also to believe in him and to trust his word, to listen. The full scope of our relational life becomes precious when we see it as our capacity to actually be present. Setting our minds clearly to what is before us is the basis of our devotion to Christ, and it gives rise to every love and longing in our heart. What our eyes linger on, our hearts will learn to love. What our hearts love, our eyes will linger on. When by supernatural grace Christ becomes the highest prize in our life, then he becomes the supreme focus of our attention. Thus, Paul challenges us in our reading today to “set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth” (v. 2). In the digital age, our attention faces multiple tensions. Each day we give our eyes to movies and new music and books and online articles and viral GIFs and hot Facebook trends. We have only so many waking hours, only so many caffeinated hours, only so many ways to listen, watch, and read even a small fraction of the content that endlessly pours in from our feeds and our friends. God has always been concerned with our focus. Gospel faithfulness is about attention. Unplug a bit and explore the wonder of God’s word to you.

Heaven or Countryside?

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. (Philippians 1:21-24 ESV).

Let’s look at an illustration that will help us see why I think it is important to see the difference between just reading the Scripture and praying for open eyes when we read it. In our reading today, Paul says, “My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.” Suppose some careless reader knew that Paul was in Rome and assumed Paul meant that his desire was to depart from Rome and be with Christ in a more rural, peaceful place than the dangerous urban center of the empire. And suppose the reader feels that this is a wonderful thought, full of sweet implications about the value of nature and peacefulness for the soul’s refreshment. Well, he would be wrong. First, the basic meaning is simply wrong. Paul did not intend to say anything about departing from Rome to the countryside, or about the value of rural peacefulness. He intended to say that he desired to depart this life and be with Christ in heaven. So, if we read this verse in the former interpretation we would simply miss Paul’s intention. But it gets worse. On the basis of the wrong meaning, we would also a kind of glory that was not there. We would feel a wonder about peaceful, rural living for the refreshment of the human soul. That feeling has no basis in this text. Paul has seen something he would call glorious or wonderful. But that glory and wonder are not in his earthly surroundings. Here’s the point. When the psalmist prayed, “Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law” (v. 18), he did not mean that the sight of wonders could skip the natural process of careful reading. Therefore, prayer does not take the place of careful interpretation. Prayer serves careful interpretation. We pray not just for the sight of glory, but for the help in grasping the meaning through which the glory shines. This is a part of what the Holy Spirit is tasked to accomplish in our lives. The way God illumines the text is by showing what is really there. This means that when we want to make a case for how we understand a text, we must show what is really there. One good, solid grammatical argument for what the text means outweighs every assertion that the Holy Spirit told me the meaning. The reason that statement is not irreverent is that it takes more seriously the glorious work of the Holy Spirit in inspiring the grammar than it does the subjective experiences of an interpreter who ignores it. Pray your way through the reading of the Bible. You won’t go far wrong with that.

Wondrous Things

Deal bountifully with your servant, that I may live and keep your word. Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law. I am a sojourner on the earth; hide not your commandments from me! (Psalm 119:17-19 ESV).

Isn’t it curious that the psalmist asks God to “open his eyes” so he could actually see the wondrous things of God? It would seem that they would be so apparent that no one could miss them. Just open the Bible and read from any passage and you certainly will see these wondrous things, right? Unfortunately we have all known what it is like to read without seeing “wondrous things.” We have stared at the most glorious things without seeing them as glorious. We have seen unspeakable love without feeling loved. We have seen immeasurable wisdom and felt no admiration. We have seen the holiness of wrath and felt no trembling. We have all seen without seeing. The reason for this is that all too often we don’t combine our seeing with the act of God-dependent prayer. God has made plain that the path to seeing his peculiar glory is prayer. I often wonder at the end of a day how much I may have missed of the glory and wisdom of God simply by failing to be in a position of constant relational communication with God. I like the way James put it: “You do not have, because you do not ask” (James 4:2). This is especially true with specific revelation. True understanding of the apostolic word is a free gift of God. We do not find it on our own. It is given. Understanding the Scripture ought to be one of the simplest of tasks. Yet, we so often find it confusing and difficult. Let me be more specific and practical. When we pray for God to show us his glory in the Scripture, we are not asking him to bypass the meaning of the text, but to open the fullness of the author’s meaning. Therefore, in our quest to see and experience the glory of God in Scripture, we pray for his help to understand the basic meaning of the words. Glory does not hover over the text like a cloud to be seen separately from what the authors intended to communicate. It shines in and through what they intended to communicate, which is their meaning. Even this is not quite the way to say it, because the glory is part of what they intended to communicate. But I think it is helpful to distinguish the basic meaning of a passage, on the one hand, and the worth and beauty of the message, on the other hand. I know they are not really separable. And both are part of what the author wants us to experience. Tomorrow we’ll look at a clear illustration of that; however, today make the commitment to be intentional about seeing the wonder of God in everything, especially the Scripture. You will not be sorry for that commitment.

More than I can Handle - Pt 2

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. (1 Peter 1:3-5 ESV).

Yesterday we looked at the Apostle Paul’s declaration that we would not be given more than we can handle. I spent some time looking at the definition and importance of the word “we.” I brought us to the conclusion that it is a clear reference to the help we receive through the merciful, sovereign grace of God. We cannot be independent from the power of God’s help in any situation of life. The next question raised in Paul’s statement is “What does ‘handle’ mean?’ Does it mean we never stumble or never fail? Well, the answer is, “no.” It doesn’t mean that. If we had perfect reliance on all that he is for us in Christ, we would pass every test glowingly. But God does not promise that kind of perfect reliance on his omnipotent grace. The promise is better understood in that we will always have with every test an escape and when he says that we will have grace for every good work. And I think what is promised is ultimately this: He will never let us so stumble or so fail that we don’t recover and repent and are restored. In other words, he will never let us sin our way into apostasy and damnation. He will enable us to bear the fruits of genuine faith and perseverance to the end. God will never give his people trials in which he will not sustain them and bring them through to everlasting glory. Our reading today is very clear at that point. Peter said, “By God’s power [we] are being guarded through faith for a salvation” (v. 5). God’s power is guarding me. He won’t let me fail in any test utterly. Remember who is writing that truth. This is the same Peter who so utterly failed the night Jesus was arrested. Yet Jesus comes to him after the resurrection and reassures him of His love for him and His calling to him. So, here’s my conclusion: God will never give us more than we can handle. That is Scripturally accurate if we mean God will never give his people trials in which he will not sustain them and bring them through to everlasting glory. We will be enabled to do all we must do to get there. That is the ultimate hope and assurance in this life. We can count on the mercy and grace of God in that wonderful promise of bringing us to our heavenly home he is in the process of preparing for us. Everything else is really temporary. It is but a momentary deviation from the perfect, eternal life he has planned and prepared for us. That enables me to handle anything that comes my way! That’s real good news!

More than I can Handle - Pt 1

Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.” We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. (1 Corinthians 10:9-13 ESV).

I am writing on Monday. I have several readers who have contacted me after some of the recent devotionals dealing with suffering and asked the question: Does God ever give us more than we can handle? Our reading today is often used to offer encouragement when someone is facing life challenges, sufferings, and trials. The general thought is that God will never allow anything into your life that you can’t handle. However, whether that is biblically correct depends on what we mean by “we” and “handle.” At the outset of this little series we should be very clear about one particular truth. If I survive any test or accomplish any work when I am tested, it is decisively grace, not decisively me. So, with that in mind, let’s look at what does “we” mean in our reading today. Does “we” mean God takes into account our independent possibilities based on our track record of handling trouble and, thus, measures out that trouble to us so that it doesn’t go beyond what “we” independently by our own resources can handle? Or, does “we” mean that we can handle it if we receive it by faith in divine assistance and that God knows what he himself will give us by grace in enabling us to handle what he gives us so he is not thinking of “we” as independent, but “we” as dependent on the grace that comes with the difficulty? When Paul says he won’t give what is beyond what you are able, he means, not beyond what you are able with God’s help. We know that because of a couple of other things he says. For example, he says, “God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.” In other words, in every test or temptation, the question is, “Will I do what I ought to do?” (cf. 2 Corinthians 9:8). And Paul says, “There will be grace,” not just, “I am depending on you to use your resources without depending on grace.” “I am giving you grace so there will be grace to do it. But you are not independent of my powers to help.” And he said, “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.” (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:10). Let me say it again: If I survive any test or accomplish any work when I am tested, it is grace, decisively grace, not decisively me. That requires trust in the goodness of God toward us. How is your trust? Begin with that answer. We will see more tomorrow.

The Secret to Not Losing Heart - Pt 4

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:16-18 ESV).

I collect comics. Both those developed through Action Comics and DC. One of the endearing series is that of The Justice League of America. The other that features a group of superheroes is The Avengers. Both are favorites of mine. The storyline is very familiar. There is some global threat that only this group of heroes can overcome. A climactic scene always shows the great battle fought to save humanity. As Christians we have the real story of the Savior of humanity at the heart of our faith. Yet we are often tempted to be discouraged in the face of suffering. So, let’s conclude this little series of devotionals with an example from the New Testament dealing with that very issue. Look at the death of John the Baptist. From one perspective it is one of the most tragic stories in the Bible. We find him in prison simply because he publicly said that it was not lawful for King Herod to have his brother’s wife, Herodias. He sits in jail, wondering, is this how the kingdom is supposed to come? Herod throws a birthday party for himself. And for a little sexual bonus for the guests he has his step daughter dance. She was so pleasing that Herod promised whatever she wanted as a gift. She consults with Herodias her mother, who hates John the Baptist, and says, “The gift I want is the head of John the Baptist on a platter” (cf. Matthew 14:8). And in two simple verses, it is done. Imagine the thought going through his mind. He is sitting there in prison hoping for release to continue his ministry and his life. The door swings open, and there are two men, one with a sword. Then the executioner says, “Come over here and kneel. If you struggle, we will bind you.” “Why? What’s going on? What happened?” “They liked the king’s daughter’s dance, and she asked for your head.” And the last thing John is left thinking as his short life ends is: “A dance? A dance? My life for dance?” And everything in us wants to cry out against the seeming meaningless nature this act. Except for one thing: we have looked to the unseen. This seemingly irrational, pointless, meaningless murder of a great man is producing for him an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison. It was not meaningless. At that moment eternity changed. A special, particular weight of glory was forged for John the Baptist forever. And so it will be for you. Therefore, do not lose heart. Look at this unseen, eternal weight of glory day by day, and be renewed!

The Secret to Not Losing Heart - Pt 3

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:16-18 ESV).

Now, go back a bit with me. The basis of your day-by-day renewal and not losing heart is mainly unseen and eternal. The fallen nature and the fallen humanity oppress you and cause you to waste away. Those things are painfully visible. Don’t focus on them. If you do, you will be filled with despair. Look on the unseen. Look on the eternal. I have been privileged to see many beautiful landscapes. Perhaps the most majestic were to be seen when I visited Alaska and saw first-hand the Great Alaskan Range. Majestic is simply not adequate to describe their beauty. They took me to thoughts of the eternal nature of God and His promise of my immortality. That knowledge is a help in the midst of suffering. It helps me to see the unseen. This is what the apostle means when he tells us that we need not lose heart because we are being renewed day by day. We can know that this “light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.” This is that which God is working to our good in every circumstance. All our affliction, even if it lasts a lifetime, is light and momentary and totally meaningful. So we do not lose heart. So the truth Paul wants us to put in our heads day by day so that we will be renewed and not lose heart is this: Compared to endless ages of ages, these seventy or eighty years are as nothing. Compared to the weight and greatness and wonder of the glory we will see and we will be, this inglorious, shameful, painful affliction is light. His yoke is easy and his burden, even a lifetime of affliction, is light. And remember this is Paul talking, not Don Emmitte. He had really suffered. And then comes what is perhaps the most amazing “because” of all: “This light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison” (v. 17). This glory, that God will show us and give us, is beyond imagination. That is what I mean by saying every moment of your affliction is meaningful. It has meaning. It is doing something. It is bringing about something glorious. You can’t see this. You are tempted to think, this suffering is meaningless. That’s what you feel if you focus on the “seen.” The apostle simply says, look to the things that are unseen. Nothing in your pain is meaningless. It is all preparing us for a weight of glory, a special glory. All of this comes because of that pain. So, I am prompted to not lose heart!

The Secret to Not Losing Heart - Pt 2

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:16-18 ESV).

Now we can ask for the answer. How do we face every calamity of life and not lose heart? There are two kinds of clues, one from outside the text and one from inside. First, consider the one from outside. He says we are being “renewed.” Paul uses the verb “renew” one other place in all his writings (cf. Colossians 3:9-10). The clue is the phrase “in knowledge” in that passage. Our inner selves, our new regenerated, faith-filled hearts are being renewed “in knowledge.” Being renewed day by day comes through what we put in our heads. God has designed the glory of the human being such that the condition of our heart is profoundly influenced by the content of our head. This is simply what we consciously focus on. Notice, I’m saying this carefully so as not to overstate it. Knowledge alone, without the Holy Spirit applying that knowledge by miraculous illumination, produces pride. I know that there are many people whose minds are full of true statements about God and the Bible, who are, in fact, children of hell. But I don’t know any Christian who is being renewed day by day so as not to lose heart without putting biblical truth in their heads. In other words, it takes more than knowing to be renewed day by day, but not less. God has designed the glory of the human being such that the condition of our heart is profoundly influenced by the content of our head. The issue here is not losing heart; and our first clue says, Not losing heart is profoundly connected to not losing truth. Fresh strength in the heart is profoundly connected to fresh knowledge in the head. The second clue is, then, exactly what you would expect. It points to the same thing: the head of knowing serving the heart of feeling. The first word in our reading is “so” (connecting it with the knowledge of what went before), and the first word after it is “for” (connecting it with the knowledge that comes after). “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory.” Another word for “so” is “therefore”; and another word for “for” is “because.” You know how these words work. You use them everyday: “I am hungry, so — therefore — I am going to eat.” I am going to eat, for — because — I am hungry. My hunger is the reason I am going to eat. So, if the reason comes first you follow it with “so” or “therefore.” If the reason comes second, you introduce it with “for” or “because.” It is the knowledge of the death of our bodies that causes us to not lose heart. Let that sink in until tomorrow when we will see more.

The Secret to Not Losing Heart - Pt 1

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:16-18 ESV).

Before I start to get practical about this amazing principle, we need to look at two things in our reading for today. They are two things that make it profoundly clear that Paul has a right to speak to us about this. The last thing you need is for some naïve, ivory-tower, middle-class, inexperienced theorist to start telling you in your situation the secret of not losing heart. The truth is that your first reaction is that they have not actually walked in your shoes. It is natural to ask if they have the right to speak to you about your challenge. It is also natural to ask if the apostle has a right to talk to you about the trials and challenges of life. Does he have the right to tell you in your situation how to not lose heart and how to be renewed day by day? I could simply say that his position and authority were ordained by God and he writes from the very breath of God; but, God did not ordain that his authorized spokesmen speak from ivory towers of naïve, inexperienced comfort. He knows that as well. There are two things to see in verse 16 that give credibility and realism to Paul’s secret of not losing heart. The first is that the secret of not losing heart and of being renewed every day is a secret for the suffering and the dying. Paul says, “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.” The secret of not losing heart and being renewed is for those whose outer nature — whose body — is wasting way. “Wasting away” translates a word used five other times in the New Testament. In each case it is used to describe the condition where one does not lose heart, where you are renewed day by day. Let me paraphrase a bit: “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self [our body, our brain and lungs and liver and heart muscles and bones] are wasting away [being destroyed, being eaten away and capsized and consumed and wiped out], yet our inner self is being renewed day by day.” The destruction of Paul’s outer man, his body, comes from two sources: fallen nature and fallen men. By fallen nature, I mean the whole natural world that is under God’s curse of futility, corruption, pain, and death (cf. Romans 8:20-23). God saves his children in stages. We are already forgiven and justified because of Christ, but we are not free from corruption and death. We will waste away, and we will die. Or we will be swept away in a flood or struck by lightning or die of cancer. This is what I mean by fallen nature. The other is fallen men. If nature doesn’t kill you, people will. Death really is at work in us. The experience of not losing heart in the face of this truth fades and must be renewed day by day. If you are a veteran Christian, you know this from experience. If you are newer in the faith, this is one of the most important things you need to know. Discovering the secret of not losing heart is not an experience that lasts a lifetime. It’s the discovery of a fountain of life, not one drink so that you never have to drink again. The secret is that you never have to look anywhere else for life and hope and strength and joy. He is that fountain of life. Drink deeply and drink often.

Don't Lose Heart!

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:16-18 ESV).

Paul claims in our reading today to have found the secret of an experience that virtually everyone in the world wants to have. And I am referring to the experience of not losing heart, but being renewed day by day. There’s a negative way of expressing this experience, and a positive way. Negatively, he says, “We don’t lose heart.” Positively he says, “Our inner self is being renewed day by day.” I love the little meme I found recently. It is true: If “Plan A” didn’t work, the alphabet has 25 more letters! Stay cool. God has never run out of options. He hasn’t in your life either. I know I am preaching to the choir in this devotional. Everyone in the world wants what Paul has found. We can easily test that statement both negatively and positively. Did any of you read this devotional hoping, longing, or aching that I would write something that would make you totally lose heart? Did anyone of you click on this little message desiring to be discouraged? To have the breath knocked out of your hope? To have all your motivation for living stripped away? Of course not! And I would dare to say that nowhere in the world will you find someone who is longing to lose heart. Does anyone say, “Help me be hopeless. Help me lose my motivation. Help me be so discouraged I can’t go on”? No, so if Paul is telling the truth here, he has found the secret of an experience that everyone in the world wants to have. It is the secret of not losing heart. And test this claim positively. If I could offer you a way that day by day you could be renewed in your soul with hope and strength and joy, would any of you say: “I don’t want that; I don’t want the secret of finding real hope day by day; I don’t want the secret of finding new strength and new joy day by day”? If you really believed I had the secret, no one would say that. There are some who have lost heart. They don’t think there is any way to be renewed in hope and strength and joy. They have come to believe it’s too late. If you came here like that today, I am praying for you, that God would free you from that lie. The devil is a liar. But I pray that you will know the truth and be set free. Paul has found this secret. He is not a liar. There is a way not to lose heart. There is a way to be renewed day by day. Let’s begin this journey today by acknowledging the all of our doubts, fears, shame, or guilt are only the lies of our enemy, the devil. Focus on the absolute truth of God’s promise to do good in your life. That will set you free!

Is Suffering Meaningless?

Let me have silence, and I will speak, and let come on me what may. Why should I take my flesh in my teeth and put my life in my hand? Though he slay me, I will hope in him; yet I will argue my ways to his face. This will be my salvation, that the godless shall not come before him. (Job 13:13-16 ESV).

A Christian’s suffering is never meaningless. Job came to understand that truth in perhaps the most excruciating series of tragic personal crises. Because of God’s sovereign care for you, every pain in this life is producing a glory for you that will last forever. There have been many times when I have been thought to be naïve; however, I can assure you that my experience of Jesus’ carrying me through all those times of life when I simply could not go on have only solidified this truth in my life. I can say with absolute assurance that not only is all my affliction momentary, not only is all my affliction light in comparison to eternity and the glory there; but all of it is totally meaningful. Every millisecond of my pain, from the fallen nature or fallen man, every millisecond of my misery in the path of obedience is producing a peculiar glory I will get because of that. I don’t care if it was cancer or criticism. I don’t care if it was slander or sickness. It wasn’t meaningless. It’s doing something! And, that “something” is for my good; it’s not meaningless. The same is true in your life if you are a child of God. Our temptation is to first ask “why?” That’s simply the wrong question. Every crisis of life, when death encroaches into our family circle, when we hear the doctor tell us we have cancer, when we see a loved one begin the early stages of dementia, all of these and countless others merely serve to bring us to an unfathomable good. They are working for us an eternal weight of glory. Therefore, therefore, we do not lose heart. We can take these truths and day by day focus on them. Preach them to ourselves every morning. Get alone with God and preach his word into our mind until our heart sings with confidence that we are new and cared for. That brings us to a point of great hope. We can now ask the right question of “who?” We will see more of the specifics of this principle in the coming days. Today let the Apostle Paul give you the direction of hope: So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:16-18 ESV).

The Good Portion

Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:38-42 ESV).

Sometimes I browse Pinterest looking for another project to take on. Inevitably I find myself pretty far afield from the original topic I may have entered into the search engine. Recently I found this picture of a bench set near some stumps. It seemed to tell such a story of life that I couldn’t resist writing a little from the perspective of living in a world of continual loss. The truth is that there is nothing except the Lord that we can count on. Nothing is unchangeable. I’m sure when this bench was placed in this spot it was believed to be in the perfect place. The stumps indicate some large trees located just the right distance from the bench were present. Their shade must have been perfect on those hot summer days. The color changing in their leaves would have provided for a beautiful display in the fall. The new growth of spring must have been quite an encouragement sitting in the quiet, cool shelter listening to birds sing and feeling the breeze gently blow. As you can see, that’s not the setting now. There is still some shade, but the disease that took the trees has now left a mere shadow of what once was; the stumps provide no more than an ugly reminder of what was once perfect. The past has slipped away. Life can be like that. We come to trust in things we think will always be there when we grow older. It is easy to build our identity around those things. The truth is that none of these things are certain. Even a strong faith does not shield us from loss. Of course, God knows what’s best for us and all he brings into our life is for our eternal joy. However, it is only in retrospect that we can find comfort in it. In the moment of loss, we feel overwhelmed. We want to cling to what we had. God is the only constant in life. He is our Rock. He is the only one that will be with us all the days of our life. And he will not be taken away. Our reading today beautifully depicts this reality. Martha was anxious about many things. I understand Martha’s frenzy. Things needed to be done. There was no time to waste. Yet Martha didn’t ask Jesus what he needed; she assumed she knew. Mary simply hungered for Jesus. She needed his food; he didn’t need hers. Mary had chosen the good portion, which would not be taken away. No one is exempt from suffering. All of us will experience loss in this life. When we do, we have two choices. We can fixate on our losses, get angry and even walk away from God because he didn’t give us the life we wanted. We can assume that prayer doesn’t work and that there’s no point to faith. Or we can accept that this world is full of loss and turn to the One who can fill our souls; the One who gives us “the good portion.” It is a portion that will never be taken away; a portion that far outweighs any loss. Choose the good portion in your life. It will turn your anxiety to peace and you will have a hope that cannot ever disappoint!

Life's Enigmas - Pt 7

Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near of which you will say, “I have no pleasure in them”. (Ecclesiastes 12:1 ESV).

The third and last practical suggestion for developing joy in our lives is found in our reading today: Remember your creator. There is no higher way to maintain our joy than to remember our Creator. This is the Preacher’s way of reminding us that God is not someone who only created in the past but is now distant and separated; he is right now making, right now upholding all things by the word of his power, moment by moment by moment. If he stops speaking, you and I stop existing. We have a “God who makes everything.” And the Preacher meant, “Everything.” Earlier in the seventh chapter the writer said, “Consider the work of God: who can make straight what he has made crooked? In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that man may not find out anything that will be after him.” (Ecclesiastes 7:14-15). We are ignorant; we are small. And God is in charge. His purposes are not being thwarted through your financial setback. He was on the throne before the cancer struck, and he is on the throne now. And if all this power that we cannot contain and if all this power that we cannot explain is nevertheless working for us, we need not fear those who can only kill the body but cannot kill the soul. We need not falter in our faith when we fail an exam. For greater is he who is in us than he who is in the world. He is stronger; he is higher, and because of this we have hope. The fear of God leads to the approval of God, and by this our Creator becomes also our Shepherd, who is the great protector and the great provider. When life’s enigmas rise so that it feels like we are just herding cats, remember your Creator. Remember that all authority in heaven and on earth was given to the one by whom all things exist, things “in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities — all things were created through him and for him” (cf. Colossians 1:16). And, remember that this one who is working for his glory loves you and that “neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (cf. Romans 8:38-39). That produces the release from fear and anxiety which in turn gives us joy and peace. Isn’t it time for you to start practicing these things in your life.

Life's Enigmas - Pt 6

Remove vexation from your heart, and put away pain from your body, for youth and the dawn of life are vanity. (Ecclesiastes 11:10 ESV).

The next verse in the wisdom of the Preacher gives us the third practical step to take in developing a life of joy. I must warn you that it is much easier to talk about than it is to actually do consistently. We should cast away our cares. Look at our reading today. He says, “Remove vexation from your heart, and put away pain from your body, for youth and the dawn of life are an enigma.” The verbs to “remove” and to “put away” identify that finding joy at all times, even in the days of darkness, requires that we decide not to allow the burdens, confusions, vexations, and troubles of this life to wear us down. The Preacher is not calling us to act as though life is a party when in fact it’s pain. No, he recognizes that there is “a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance” (c f. Ecclesiastes 3:4). We don’t ignore human troubles, but we must not allow them to consume us. Jesus said, “Do not be anxious about your life. . . . Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” (cf. Matthew 6:25-26). The opposite of boldness is fear or anxiety. It's not surprising then that God not only calls us to be bold for Christ and his kingdom, but he also makes a provision for us to get rid of our fear and anxiety. Giving us courage and taking our fear are two ways of doing the same thing. Remember that I said it was easier to talk about than to do. The reason for that is casting your anxiety on God is somehow tied directly to humbling yourself. Casting your anxiety on God is crucial if you are going to humble yourself under God's hand and clothe yourself with humility toward each other. Casting your anxiety on God is not simply a separate thing that you do after you humble yourself. It's something you do in order to humble yourself, or in the process of humbling yourself. There is something about humbling yourself under God's hand and humbling yourself before other people that makes casting all your anxiety on God necessary. Or to say it another way, there is something about casting your anxiety on God that makes humbling yourself under God and before others possible. I like to think of it in terms of my “pay grade.” In a spiritual sense we simply don’t have the ability or position to be able to remove anxiety from our lives. That position and power resides solely with God. He is the only one with that ability and responsibility. The sooner we recognize that we can’t do it, the sooner we can capture peace and joy from the release of that burden. It really is above our pay grade!

Life's Enigmas - Pt 5

Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth. Walk in the ways of your heart and the sight of your eyes. But know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment. (Ecclesiastes 11:9 ESV).

We return to the eleventh chapter of the Preacher’s writing and find the second practical step in achieving joy in life. We are to live wisely. He says, “Walk in the ways of your heart and the sight of your eyes. But know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment.” I am not sure I would have ever told my congregations to follow this path of life. Perhaps there are some people who could do this without destructive consequences; however, great care would need to be taken with this kind of preaching in general. Moses certainly wouldn’t have done this. He characterized his audience as “stubborn, unbelieving, and rebellious” (cf. Numbers 14:11), and because of this he charged them “not to follow after your own heart and your own eyes” (cf. Numbers 15:39). The Apostle Paul struck a balance when he wrote to the Ephesians telling them to live “making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil” (cf. Ephesians 4:15-16). In our reading today the context is a bit different. The rest of Ecclesiastes strongly clarifies that the Preacher is by no means commending an unrestrained, worldly pursuit of pleasure. He is addressing the wise and not the fool. Understanding the way of wisdom then helps us make this application in our lives. Here are some of the characteristics of a wise man:  First, the wise have a good sense of timing. It is another way of emphasizing delayed gratification. It suggests that the wise person seeks what is tangible and attainable rather than to give in to wandering, unhealthy desire of envy or covetousness.  Second, the wise understand the balance of grace and personal responsibility. We must be sure to make every step, every decision, every click, every purchase, every glance, knowing “that for all these things God will bring you into judgment” (v. 9). Duane Garrett explains that “awareness of divine judgment turns the pursuit of joy away from crossing over into sins.” Because life and work is a gift, and because God alone brings joy we are accountable to how we engage it.  Third, the wise understand the “fear of the Lord.” The Lord will hold us accountable for every word and every deed, and this fact must color how we pursue joy. At the core, what the Preacher is calling for is a daily ethic grounded in the fear of God. For the Preacher, to rejoice is to find God-given and God-approved, heart-felt pleasure in God and his gifts amidst both prosperity and adversity. Present joys supply a foretaste of eternal pleasures beyond judgment, and past joys help fuel hope for brighter days.

Liffe's Enigmas - Pt 4

Light is sweet, and it is pleasant for the eyes to see the sun. So if a person lives many years, let him rejoice in them all; but let him remember that the days of darkness will be many. All that comes is vanity. Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth. Walk in the ways of your heart and the sight of your eyes. But know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment. Remove vexation from your heart, and put away pain from your body, for youth and the dawn of life are vanity. Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near of which you will say, “I have no pleasure in them.” (Ecclesiastes 11:7-12:1 ESV).

At the end of this book of wisdom the Preacher gives us the practical ways to achieve this joy in the midst of life’s enigmas. There are four imperatives: choose joy (verse 9ab); live wisely (verse 9cd); cast away cares (verse 10ab); and, remember your Creator (verse 12:1). We’ll look at one of these each day. Today we consider choosing joy. Of course, choosing to rejoice is easier when days are bright. It’s much more difficult in the night when our baby will not be consoled, when we learn that our dad lost his job, or when melanoma reaches stage 4. However, the truth is to be found in taking this first step toward a life of joy. We must want it to have it. Let me give you a short definition because it seems ridiculous to think anyone would choose anything else but joy. We will see that many do just that. To rejoice is to find heart-felt pleasure in God and his gifts amidst both prosperity and adversity. We are to sustain joy through both seasons of pleasure and seasons of pain. Remember that the “heart” is both the seat of thought and of feeling. On the one hand, the Preacher can say, “I applied my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly.” The heart can know things, and the knowledge we have needs ever to have God at its center. But joy is not merely a mental activity, for the heart is also the place of emotion. Look at our reading again. The three occurrences of the word “heart” declare that the heart gladdens a person; the heart guides the wise person; and, the heart feels. So, we must free ourselves from carrying troubles in order to maintain joy. When we remember the Giver, we turn our delights of Krispy Kreme, Vanilla Chocolate Mocha Latte, houses, cars, and career positions into praise. Sipping a hot chocolate on a crisp morning, taking a walk at the park during the peak of fall colors, receiving a promotion with pay increase at work; all these are gifts from God, and we should savor them and celebrate them to the praise of the Giver. We now can expand our definition and say that to rejoice is to find God-given, heartfelt pleasure in God and his gifts amidst both prosperity and adversity.

Life's Enigmas - Pt 3

What is crooked cannot be made straight, and what is lacking cannot be counted. I said in my heart, “I have acquired great wisdom, surpassing all who were over Jerusalem before me, and my heart has had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.” And I applied my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also is but a striving after wind. For in much wisdom is much vexation, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow. (Ecclesiastes 1:15-18 ESV).

Today we begin to look at the foundation of joy in our lives. When the writer of Ecclesiastes opens and closes his book he does so with a very specific declaration. We find it in our reading today. He talks about the “vanity” of life. He means that all things in this world are enigmatic or mysterious. This is why six times he accompanies the term with the phrase, “striving after wind” or “a shepherding of wind.” Trying to get our minds around all that God is doing in this world is like trying to shepherd wind. I would say it is like “herding cats.” Just when we think we’ve got them going in the right direction, together, they decided to go in different directions. As finite creatures, we are not able to grasp all that God is doing in this world, and this is deeply grieving. All that has come and all that will be bears a level of enigma that only adds to life’s frustrations and pains. The Preacher says, “In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that man may not find out anything that will be after him” (Ecclesiastes 7:14). He also writes, “When I applied my heart to know wisdom . . . then I saw all the work of God, that man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun. However much man may toil in seeking, he will not find it out. Even though a wise man claims to know, he cannot find it out” (Ecclesiastes 8:16-17). All of life is an enigma. Yet in such a context, we must pursue joy, grasping every opportunity we have to see the light of God and using the moments to sustain us through seasons of trial and pain. Life’s sweet moments keep us balanced, reminding us that not all is lost. If you can see light today, embrace it, savor it, celebrate it, and use it in your fight for sustained God-conscious joy. If you find yourself in one of the many dark days of this life, struggling to discern God’s purposes, pause to recall past mercy, see it as a gift of God, and use it to instill heightened desire and hope for fresh mercies at dawn. It is in the celebration of those wonderful moments that we find real joy.

Life's Enigmas - Pt 2

So I turned to consider wisdom and madness and folly. For what can the man do who comes after the king? Only what has already been done. Then I saw that there is more gain in wisdom than in folly, as there is more gain in light than in darkness. The wise person has his eyes in his head, but the fool walks in darkness. (Ecclesiastes 2:12-14 ESV).

Let’s begin at the beginning. The Preacher asserts, “Light is sweet, and it is pleasant for the eyes to see the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:17). In this book it is important to remember that to be “under the sun” is to be identified with the realm of human life and all the results of the curse of original sin. “Under the sun” is the sphere of what is universally true of all humanity, believer and non-believer alike, throughout all time since the fall of mankind. In our world, the Preacher says, “the sun rises, and the sun goes down, and hastens to the place where it rises” (Ecclesiastes 1:5). Morning light triumphs over the darkness of night; and, in the midst of the blackness we call life, the sun has already begun to rise. The Preacher lived in the days of shepherds’ fires and oil lamps, when the dark of night was really dark, and when travelers were often guided only by the light of the moon. In those days, the sun’s sweetness came in the way it let people function, setting the rhythm of sleep and work and seasons and years and identifying times for both celebration and burials. In the first work week of Genesis 1, the day did not end in the dark, for “There was evening and there was morning, day one” (Genesis 1:5). According to God’s timing, light always wins, as dawn gives rise to noon. So it is in this book. Look at our reading again. In verse 11 he writes: “Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun.” Because everything in the old, cursed creation ends in death, there is no real gain under the sun. Nevertheless, when the Preacher considered the place of wisdom and madness and folly, he reasoned that wisdom was far to be preferred. He will go on to help us understand that the gain in wisdom and light relates to a life beyond life under the sun. That helps us in this life. This puts “our eyes in our head.” It prevents us from stumbling around in the darkness. That, in turn, helps us understand the enigmas of this life. The things that don’t make good sense to us here are hard to understand simply because we don’t have enough light to see further. Wisdom gives us a brighter light. That’s the real key in finding joy in this life. Even when there seems to be nothing but tragedy and challenge, wisdom shows us that the end is better than the beginning (cf. Ecclesiastes 7:8). That’s where we are going tomorrow. Today, commit yourself to being a student. Seek wisdom through the Scripture.