Psalm 7:17 Even when it hurts.

Psalm 7:17 ESV
I will give to the LORD the thanks due to his righteousness, and I will sing praise to the name of the LORD, the Most High.

I will!  But that's not always an easy thing.  Our flesh is weak and we struggle with fear and doubt for many reasons.  Some reasons are common others are rare and toxic.

When things are hard and we are anxious we need help in giving thanks and singing praise.    That's our struggle and it's not uncommon.

Let me encourage you to read the Psalms and search out those wherein David struggles as we do.  Pray those if you can't pray your own.

Let me encourage you (and myself) with the words of Richard Baxter - we should,
"Do it as we can in order to learn to do it better."

Little by little, step by step, agonizing prayer by agonizing prayer let us seek His power and mercy to give thanks and sing praise.  

Even as we weep upon our beds until we fall exhausted into sleep - let us thank and praise Him for His goodness and faithfulness and that He has made us His and keeps us so.

Father - I want to cry out in my distress.  It hinders my thankfulness and praise.  Help me Father, help me to reach above my need and anxiety to do thank you and praise you even when it feel shallow and forced.  Father, enable me to do it little by little and better and better for You are indeed worthy of my thanks and prayer.

Amen

Psalm 5 :11

Psalm 5:11 ESV

But let all who take refuge in You rejoice; let them ever sing for joy,and spread Your protection over them, that those who love Your name may exult in You.

Yes !!!!!!

Remember, this is a prayer (also an admonition).  This is a prayer we need to be praying for those we know who are in distress and even for those we don't know.  We all need to be lifting up the Body - often.

Joy and exultation can be hard for folks who are suffering - especially believers ;-}.
We know God is working, we know He has a purpose for all we experience and yet we still struggle to rejoice and exult.  

But maybe, as many of the Puritan writers suggest, we need to focus on our redemption more and our circumstances less.

Oh, I know that's hard to do and the distraction and anxiety of our worldly needs make it almost seem mean.  But I have to remember that redemption is the whole point of my relationship with Him.  It is the "bottom line."

We so want to be comfortable and healthy and solvent.  There's nothing inherently wrong with this unless it (as it does) intrudes upon and diverts us from His great salvation.  

I often remember Job's wanting to have never been born because of his afflictions.  I am very grateful that God included that in the book.  I draw from it a certain comfort and hope in that when I feel that way I know that God understands and appreciates my feeling that way.  

The Puritan writers consistently point out that the things of this earth are meaningless and a distraction.  But they also understand how difficulties and afflictions get our attention and hold it.  As I said the other day, "When I hit my thumb with a hammer it has my undivided attention!"

Somehow we need to call upon Him to give us the focus and discipline we need to rejoice and exult in our pain - I don't think we'll work it up on our own.  Nor do I think kindly meant platitudes are any help.

I spoke a very dear brother today and, well, he  "got" me.  He was sharing his stuggles (and he certainly has some) and he shared how he has found intercessory prayer to be a real means of joy and peace.  He "gets out of himself" and his circumstances and he even shared that he is assured of his redemption through calling out to God for others.

I realized that this is so true.  Although Paul was upheld by the hand of God I also think that he was joyful and could exult in his trials because he knew he was serving others (even us) in remaining faithful.  He prayed and prayed a lot for all the believers he knew, knew about or simply assumed would come in time.

Father, make me aware that my needs are in your keeping and care so I may pray for others.    Empower me to "get out of myself" and my needs and anxiety so I may bring my brothers and sisters before Your throne.  

Keep me from comparing needs and answers so I may humbly and heart-fully lift up OTHERS more than myself.   My pain is my pain but I have entrusted it all to you and others are bringing all of me before You.  Please make Your Spirit bold in and to me to get my eyes off of "me" and on to "them."

Make me keep in mind that my needs and pain are in Your hands and that I can most effectively await Your providence by bringing "their" needs and pain to You.  Cure my myopia, broaden my reach, expand my heart so that it is so full of care and compassion for others that I can faithfully lift them up.!!

Amen

Free slaves?!? Faithful Master!!!!

Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.   (1Pe 2:16)

Free!

Free?

But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life.   (Rom 6:22)

This is the whole of our freedom.

Whether Peter is referring to a freedom from the Law is not certain, but we know that Paul references it:

For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.   (Gal 5:13)

We are free from the bondage of sin and free from any pretense that we can in and of ourselves resolve the conflict we had with God when we were still unredeemed. 

We are free but it is not a wide-open freedom rather it is a freedom in Christ, by Christ and for Christ.  What we undertake, that we cannot undertake in His name, is never an act of freedom.

Jesus said:

"Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.  (Joh 8:34-36)

Sin and freedom are mutually exclusive.  We are free from the imposed rule of sin but when we sin, we are submitting to that which has no rights over us.  When we sin, we are re-shackling ourselves – binding ourselves to that from which we have been loosed.

We receive our freedom for we have been redeemed, forgiven, saved.  But though the grace of God has no limits for us, to abuse and misuse it, to rebel against His rightful authority over us, is to bring into question the surety of our redemption. 

Consider:

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,   (Heb 12:1)

Forgiven we may be – free of sin’s bondage we may be – but free of Christ, never. 

It is sometimes the way of believers to see themselves so utterly apart from the “world” that they may do or say what they will for they are “saved.”  Yet ours is a freedom that is defined by the One who provided it, the One into whose hands God has delivered all things.

Many use their freedom to vilify unbelievers.  Many use their freedom as a red cape to a bull.  Many use their freedom as an excuse to disassociate from those to whom they are called to witness.  Many use their freedom to – just go along as they have – only avoiding the grosser types of sins.

But this verse has a catch.  We are free – free servants of God.

But – that word “servants” is troublesome.  The “authorities” I regularly consult in my studies hold that it is more accurately translated slave.

One reason for this is quite simply:

for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.   (1Co 6:20)

and 

For he who was called in the Lord as a slave is a freedman of the Lord. Likewise he who was free when called is a slave of Christ. You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of men.   (1Co 7:22-23)

We were bought out of our bondage to sin to be the slaves of Christ.  In this we have great freedom – freedom from sin and freedom to serve God as His.

Though it may irritate some, our freedom in Christ is far beyond any freedom a document written by man can give – anyone.  The tough side of our freedom is that we are free to be oppressed, harassed and even killed because of it. 

In chains, on the rack, in dungeons, on desert islands, and even in the flames we are free.  We have to keep in mind that this freedom is not of man and indeed is often opposed by man.   With this freedom we need to accept:

Luk 21:17  You will be hated by all for my name's sake.

Father, help me understand and appreciate my freedom as well as Your ownership of me.  Make me quiet and trusting under Your loving hand.  Teach me, patiently, to be a good and faithful servant.  Teach me Your faithfulness as my Master.

Calm my heart and still my mind with the assurance of Your sovereignty and grace.

Amen

Psalm 25:16-18 not done

Psalm 25:16-18 ESV
Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. [17] The troubles of my heart are enlarged; bring me out of my distresses. [18] Consider my affliction and my trouble, and forgive all my sins.

In another post I mentioned a work by Christopher Love. The title is, A Christian's Directory.  It is indeed well worth reading.  He deals, at one point, with our struggles - sorrow concerning "worldly crosses," vs "our sin."  He writes:

"If you mourn for sin, the true joy that arises from the forgiveness of sin, will swallow up the grief that comes to you through any worldly cross of affliction."

Do we find that to be true?  I think that's part of the point of Psalm 25:16-18.  Our worldly crosses really can take our eyes off His mercy and grace which in turn diminishes our comfort and confidence in Him.

We are not prohibited in any way from sorrowing for our worldly crosses but we have to keep all things in perspective.  When we suffer "crosses" in our lives it is all too easy to forget the "cross" we will never ever have to bear.  This is very unhealthy for the believer.

I think we have gotten confused about "here."  We have forgotten that it is not our home.  We have forgotten that it is judged for destruction.  We strive to be "at home" in a place we are just visiting - though we are visiting with a purpose.

Even in this Psalm we can see how our minds can focus on the "crosses" to the detriment of our mortifying our sin.  We are forgiven - though we still sin.  It is our sin and its forgiveness we need to work on keeping before our eyes.

The Puritans can be tough to read.  They had great senses of humor but when it came to sin and salvation it seems to disappear (as well it should). They found themselves going to prison, to the chopping block, to the pyre.  They found themselves homeless, destitute, hungry, oppressed, persecuted ---- etc. etc. etc ---

But they also knew they were going to heaven - they knew they were saved and they fought anything, feeling or thought, that turned their minds and hearts away from those facts.   It's is not easy to hurt now and hope for heaven then.  Sometimes it hurts so bad now that we beg for heaven now.

We read in the Word about hero's.  Well folks - there is only one hero in the Word and that's God.  Every marvelous and miraculous deliverance, release, rescue, etc. were God's doing NOT Abraham's or Moses' or David's or Paul's --- but God's.  These men and women we elevate to the status of heroes were just men and women like you and I who learned to trust in God and were used by Him through His power and provision to be there when He worked His wonders and displayed His glory.

We've got to quit looking for and/or trying to be heroes.  We need to be humble and meek and faithful servants of the only hero (which is a pretty poor term for Him).

Let us be sad in our affliction but rejoice in our salvation - It's not always easy and it sometimes feels fake - but it is what we need to be doing.

Father, teach me, gently, to look to You alone for my needs and to acknowledge You alone for all my blessings.  Teach me from your Word how to do this humbly, regularly and wisely.

Amen

He cares for us - let us let Him.

Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. It is better to be of a lowly spirit with the poor than to divide the spoil with the proud. Whoever gives thought to the word will discover good, and blessed is he who trusts in the LORD.   (Pro 16:18-20)

Ok, I'm going to meddle - and expose!

Pride does indeed go before destruction.  But I've discovered two things.  First, "destruction" may come so that pride is exposed.  Pride must be exposed so we may repent of it.

Second, even in the "destruction" pride will fight tooth and nail.

We live in a culture of pride.  Pride of ownership, pride of place, pride of success.  We are encouraged to "have our pride" and to protect it regardless of the cost.  We are taught that humiliation and being humble are the same and both are bad.  

We recently received a couple of gifts to help us meet our obligations.  I can only describe me initial feeling as wonderful humiliation.  No sooner was I rejoicing at the kindness and generosity of my brothers and sisters in Christ than I was overcome with a deep and painful sense of shame and humiliation.

Pride makes us suffer, when we suffer, in isolation.  We are convinced that we need to "put a good face," on everything.  It's the old, "never let them see you sweat," admonition that sold tons of antiperspirant.  Huh?

Sweating is a normal and healthy bodily function.  We, however, have become convinced that it is not acceptable.  But, not sweating can be dangerous.

Suffering, difficult times, are normal for believers but we have become convinced that any suffering is a sign that we are somehow under God's wrath.  This is the cruelest deception our enemy perpetrates on us.  In Christ we have only God's discipline, never -- NEVER - His wrath.

Yet we react to suffering as though we should be ashamed.  Others react to our suffering as though we should be shunned.  This should not be - but it is - and we must work depending on Him to overcome it.

I am asking myself:   How do I face these people now that my need is known?  How can I hold my head up, look them in the eye?  What are they really thinking when they look at me?  What are they really saying when our situation comes up in conversation?

See the worm of pride in that?  See the self-focus?  See the suspicion of God's provision through His people?  Seer how the worm of pride eats away at the mercies and grace of God in our hearts?  See how pride is the great spoiler of blessings?

When God disciplines us with a "destruction" He does so because He loves us and He wants better for and of us than has been the case.  He wants us to depend upon Him more than we have.  This is a good thing even though it can be a painful thing.

In his sermon, 

109	February 29, 2012: Casting All Your Cares Alistair Begg | Messages from Truth For Life Truth For Life

Alistair addresses this issue.  I listen to this sermon every night as I go to bed.  I am working though the prideful anxiety he speaks about.  It's not easy and it is certainly not pleasant but I know it must be done.

Living in each 60 seconds casting my cares upon Him is tough.  I have learning and am still learning that it is not something I can do on my own.  I am also learning that I am not expected to do it on my own.  It is quite the opposite, I am to seek His provision, His power, to do it.  I won't do it on my own - not can I.

I want to encourage all of you who understand what I am writing about to accept not only His merciful discipline but also His gracious offer of care, comfort and provision.  


Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.  (1Pe 5:6-7)

This is the passage that Alistair preaches from.  Humbling and casting go together and we may have confidence in doing so because He cares for us.  

Father, let my focus on "I" be from my need for You and not because of my need.  You tell me to humble myself and to cast my anxiety on You.  I want to and I know that I must have Your provision to do so.  Please Father, keep this promise before my eyes and in my heart.  

Father, protect me from those pin-points of pride that steal my joy and confidence in you.  Make me understand that becoming humble is a good thing and what You are doing in our lives is a blessing and a mercy and that if flows from Your love and grace.

Father make it possible for me to know Your kindness and care and to accept You provision with a humble and contrite heart.  My anxiety does not come from You and I ask that You silence and still it.  Lord, take the sinful pride from my heart and make me move forward in Your love and grace and service.

Amen.

Psalm 139:23 and 24 *

Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way.    (Psa. 139:23-24)

A very dangerous prayer!!  Think about what is seeks from Him and what may be uncovered!

This prayer is one we need to pray.  I think so because for me it fans the flame of my fear (awe) of Him.  It intentionally calls for His scrutiny and the exposure of what He has to show me.

BUT - and it is a wonderful but - it also seeks His leadership which must include His power and strength and grace and mercy and provision.  

The word translated "hurtful" may be a little vague.  The Hebrew carries both the idea of pain and idolatry.  But - we are so prone to seek provision from places and people other than Him that it really makes sense.  

Many of us struggle in times of need and we can easily confuse looking for how He will provide with looking somewhere else for His provision.  I have and I know others as well who have prayed that X would do Y so Z would come to pass.  That's common but I don't know that it is good.

Our prayers should be to Him for His provision.  I think we may certainly ask for it through X but we need to be very very cautious that we are not really asking for from X.  There is God and there is us.  In between are many many things He can use to meet our needs.  But we need to keep our hopes in Him and not the potential means.

We tend to look for His provision through our experience - what we know has been a source of His provision.  But we can not allow that to morph into looking to what He has used in the past more than we look to Him.  Make sense?

Certainly our minds and hearts will jump from this potential to that potential conduit of His blessing but we need to do the disciplined work of bringing our eyes and hearts back to Him.  This prayer in Psa. 139 is a wonderful way to do that.

It's is not vain repetition if we have a good purpose in it and He is the focus.  It's not a magical incantation - it is knocking and knocking for what we need as we wait for Him to meet our need.

Father, please gently show me my weakness and my fault.  Correct me in Your love and mercy.  Do this so I will look to YOU and YOU alone form my provision.

When my mind and heart stray looking at how You may provide, draw me back to looking to You.  Please help me put all my hope in You and to not divide it between You and some earthly/fleshly "means."   

He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken.   (Psa 62:6)

Finger Thinking 021113

Today - something different.

We've looked at the struggles and the battles - the anxiety and fear.  But in all of this - regardless of how heavy it gets we also need to hold on to the hope we have in Him.

Bottom line?  We have the assurance of our home with Him.  That's the big thing - and we can not allow our present trial and tribulations to take that hope from our hearts.

Jesus' teachings were pretty tough when you really read them - as are the teachings in the writings of the Apostles.  Our redemption is the main and plain thing.  That we have to keep our grip on.  All we experience here is, I think, to make us long to be with Him, for His Kingdom to come, for His will to be done in all the creation.

I know - when you're broke or sick or undergoing any other trial it is hard to keep your eyes on heaven.  It is very hard and I would not minimize your distress in any way.

But dearest one - we all have to fight that fight in one way or another.  I am learning, especially from the Puritan writers, that rich or poor, well or infirm we all struggle to keep a grasp on our hope.  It is good to know that His grasp on us is unrelenting.

As I discover the needs of others I am embarrassed by my focus on my circumstances.  No, it's not a matter of, "others are worse off so quit whining."  Rather I am beginning to feel a part of their struggles, their pain, their fear and anxiety.  I am beginning to see more clearly the truth of His Word and the battle we are in.  I am finding that I turn more to Him the more I see the needs of others.

We are not alone in our distress.  We have others who struggle with us and for us.  We are in the company of saints who have been called to demonstrate that He is worthy to be trusted.  We can only do that when we trust Him - and sometimes He has to bring into our lives those conditions that take away everything we have trusted that is not Him.

But whether we are in distress or plenty our need to hope in Him - in our redemption - is never diminished.  Job stated that even if God saw fit to kill him, he, Job, would trust/hope in Him.  Great words but they bring us to the bare facts of the faith.  We have been saved for Him and by Him to be His forever.  We sometimes need to be brought to 
the place where we are confronted by that truth to see whether it is enough for us or not.

Jesus told us to not fear those who can kill the body - I would expand it to include the "its" as well.  He told us to fear that which can condemn our souls.  Well, in Him we do not have to fear the condemnation of our souls and so, though it is a battle, we need fear nothing and no-one.

I know - bold words - but they are not spoken easily for their truth and power leave me with only Him - as though there was ever more anyway.

Father, I pray that we will be comforted by the hope we have in You.  I pray that we will dare to look at the bottom-line of our hope and be willing to accept it.  Father we need to learn to be content with our redemption and not just our worldly conditions.  Father we need to be content with Your grace whatever we are living through.

Lord, I pray for my brothers and sisters who are in need and I call out to You to give us all the knowledge that the impact of any need is relative to the strength and maturity of the individual believer.  Knowing that, make us either seek the strong and mature believer for guidance and comfort or make us seek the weak and struggling believer to give guidance and comfort.

Father bring us to that one-ness Jesus prayed for - that one-ness He died for.  Let us understand that if one part of the Body is injured and the rest of the Body ignores it or is unable to discern it - there is something very very wrong.

Father, give us big hope, big hearts and even bigger prayers so that we struggle alongside our faith family either in their presence or in prayer.  

Help us Father, to know the joy of Your salvation even in the distress of being here waiting for You.

Psalm 6:6

I am weary with my sighing; Every night I make my bed swim, I dissolve my couch with my tears. (Psa 6:6)

Everyone who knows what this is like, stand up!

Now the Psalm goes on to express great confidence in God and His mercy and justice so we're not going to have a pity party.

But - this sighing and tears should not be uncommon in the life of the believer.  We should be sighing and shedding teasr not only for our sins and our needs but for all those who do not have the comfort of knowing God and being His.

Oh, the verse struck me because of our hard times right now but God was gracious enough to not allow me to get stuck on me.  I not only thought of all the redeemed who are suffering affliction and need but of the countless millions who live (or lived) in the utter darkness and hopelessness of being godless and rebellious.

Our problems seem as nothing compared to the problems the un-redeemed live with and will face.  Imagine being in whatever situation you find yourself in and NOT having a loving and caring Father.  Imagine believing that you're here and you die with no purpose or reason.  Worse still (for me at least) imagine living believing that you were at the mercy - the utter mercy of fate (or whatever capricious entity you want).

Oh, I still weep for us and our affliction and need but I weep for others now as well.  Why?  Well - Jesus did.  the shortest verse in the Bible reads:


Jesus wept.   (Joh 11:35)

He wept even though He knewHhe was about to resurrect Lazarus. Why did He weep?  Well, we'll probably have to ask Him later.  But, He loved and He loved not just as the Son of God, the Redeemer but He loved as Jesus the teacher from Galilee - the guy.

Perhaps the thing I am learning the most recently is about the humanity of my Lord.  The more I see it the more amazed and humbled and comforted I am.  His Lordship and Savior-hood are indeed amazing - but to think that He was like you and I and He would weep for a friend - and for many many others - makes it OK for me to weep.

But, as I said - I have had to broaden the subject of my tears in His honor, for His glory and because He did.

Father let me weep but let me not simply weep for myself and my loved ones!  Let me weep for the brothers and sisters who struggle with every thing from the common difficulties here to the catastrophic difficulties here.  When I weep for me, open the arms of my heart to take in Your body and the lost as well.  Let my heart break yet make my soul sing in Your grace for Your creation.
Amen

Sorrow for sins OR afflictions? Yep!! 002

Afflictions are, for the believer, God's refining fire.  Period!  They are not punishment but rather one way He responds to our need to trust Him.

Our faith (trust) is refined in affliction and so they are a sure source of comfort and encouragement.  But they are hard and they can hurt and sorrowing in them is not inappropriate.  


And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? "My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him.   (Heb 12:5)

For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.   (Heb 12:11)


AND


Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.   (Rev 3:19-20)

The discipline and refining of affliction is not easy and we need to know that we may sorrow in it.  Yes, we need to be hopeful concerning its purpose and outcome but we may sorrow as well.

Our sorrowing though needs to be healthy and honest.  We are not required to enjoy it but rather engage it as a gift - those He loves, He disciplines.  Discipline is not punishment it is training and training is not easy.  But if we keep in sight the goal He has for it and us we will do better than if we do not.  

Admittedly, this is not easy.  For one, when we are undergoing the discipline it seems that God is far from us and our brothers and sisters even farther.  We feel alone, abandoned, and isolated.  This is such a sad circumstance.  Perhaps this is one of the failures of the Body in that, though many are willing to pray for you - few come and pray with you.  Though many may hug you, few are willing to hold you.

There is a thing called sympathetic pain.  That's when an injured part of the body produces pain in a near by yet undamaged part of the body.  Maybe this is what "the Body" is missing.  I know that I have been convicted of not hurting for a brother or sister as I believe the Lord would have me and so my prayers were just embarrassing.  I am seeking to learn to pray from a place where I at least appreciate their pain and lift it up along with their circumstances.

Sorrowing for affliction should not be immoderate.  I mean it should not consume us and keep us from our "duties," such as prayer, study, worship, etc....  Yes, it is hard to pray when you feel your hair is on fire.   But what do you do when you feel you've stepped off the edge of a cliff?  Maybe pray all the way down???

No, I'm not trivializing the pain and sorrow of affliction but neither do I want to let any of us be so consumed by our sorrow that we just curl up and weep endlessly or hopelessly.  Weep - yes.  Sorrow - yes.  Give up?  Never - even if you just move slowly, move!

Imagine yourself as Peter.

"Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, 

(Luk 22:31)

Do you really think that Peter is the only one?  I don't, I won't, I can't.  BUT I also know that Jesus says:

but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers."   (Luk 22:32)

Do you really think Jesus is not interceding for you as well?  I don't, I won't, I can't. 

Father, my affliction hurts - physically, emotionally and spiritually.  I am in pain and my sight is dimmed.  Sometimes I can't see You.  Sometimes I can't feel You.  Sometimes I fear You have left me.

But Father, I know You can not lie.  I know by Your Word - the very Words of Your Son my Savior that You will never ever leave me - and that nothing can snatch me from Your loving and mighty hand.

Yet I am weak and I am anxious and fretful and sorrowing.  Do not let me wallow in this but accept my sorrow and fretfulness and even my anxiety as part of my realization that I NEED THEE EVERY HOUR, in every circumstance.  AND that Your plans for me are for me to glorify YOU and to be a witness and evidence of Your grace and glory.

Father, it does not feel good but I know it has to BE good.  Father I would not have chosen it for myself but I need Your power and strength to accept Your choice of it for me.

Father - calm my heart, still my mind and draw my eyes to You.

Amen

Sorrow for sins OR afflictions? Yep!! 001

Christopher Love, a Puritan preacher and writer makes a distinction in his, A Christian's Directory, between our sorrow for sin and our sorrow in afflictions and trials.  I highly recommend this book as a wonderful encouragement and of course, a challenge.

In this work he explores that curious place where we are sorrowing for our sins and 
afflictions, a place where we can lose our way and confuse our sorrowing.  It's not as complicated as it sounds but I wanted to post something to help those who consider reading this work get the most out of it.

We sorrow for sin and we sorrow for afflictions.  One is not necessarily related to the other.  As a matter of fact, one is easily confused for the other or embellished by the other resulting in just an unproductive sorrowing.

Let us first consider our sin.  We always need to start by turning our minds and hearts to the cross where the penalty for our sins was forgiven.  Then we need to look to the is empty tomb, the proof of His victory over sin and death for us.  This is how we can grasp the seriousness of our sin and deeply appreciate His graciousness.

But - we can't afford to just stop there.  It is a dangerous thing to be presumptuous concerning our being forgiven.  Yes, He died once for all and the matter, in God's economy, is settled - yet we still sin.  Since we still sin we need to still be convicted and brought to repentance.  We're not "done" and we won't be done until He comes or we go.

Sin is never not serious.  It impedes our usefulness to God, it dishonors God, it sullies His glory.  This we need to have abhor and be repelled by.  We need to sorrow for our sins - we need godly sorrow for our sins.

It is all too easy to sorrow simply for the consequences (here) of our sins.  There is nothing wrong with this but if that is all we sorrow for - well, we need to repent of that.  It is the sin itself we need to sorrow for.  

The world, the flesh and the devil want us to minimize our apprehension of our sin.  They want us to not see the terrible cost of them.  They do this by playing upon our assurance and adding to that the easy and dismissive view of sin that is so very rampant in the "church" today.  They want us to (as far as possible) hide our sins even from ourselves.

It is not fashionable in the church today to have the perspective of Paul:


Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?   (Rom 7:24)

Instead they want us to narrow our view to verses like:


For I am sure 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.   (Rom 8:38-39)

Indeed this passage is true and we can rejoice in it.  But when it is used to corrupt and minimize our sense and conviction of sin we are severely damaged.

James tells us that in reference to sin we must:


Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.   (Jas 4:8-10)

"Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom."

This should be the response to sin in our lives that drives us to the throne of grace in humility and gratitude.  Ok - I'm not talking "shame" although a sense of it is never inappropriate when we are caught in a sin.  But I would encourage you to develop a stronger sense of guilt than shame.  Shame can focus our attention more on us than on Him.  Since our "guilt" is before God it is a more effective way to really see and understand our sin and our forgiveness than shame could ever be.

Sorrowing for sin may well have some focus on ourselves but the main focus must be on the one against whom we have sinned.  Not some mean, nasty, far off God who just waits for us to mess up so He can "get" us.  But the loving and gracious Father who from the beginning has provided the remedy for our sin and claims us as His own at His own expense.  In short we must go sorrowing to the One who has already forgiven us and acknowledge His grace and our faithlessness.  We have His forgiveness, we must seek His empowerment - strength - insight - power ect. to "kill" our sin.

Sorrow for sin is central to our faithfulness.  It is critical to our health.  It is essential for our effectiveness in displaying His glory.  

Father,

I have sinned, I do sin and i will sin.  We both know that.  Please give me such a heart for You and such a gratitude that I never dismiss or lightly engage my sin.  Help me indeed to sorrow mightily and appropriately for each and every sin.  

Do not allow me to continue insensitive to the sinfulness of sin.  Do not allow my head or my heart to presume upon Your forgiveness.  Rather may Your Spirit so convict me that I run to You as a small child confessing my sin and seeking the comfort of Your grace.  Help me to weep for my sin as I remember to great cost of its forgiveness.

Amen

Wives - the "very good" of creation!

Brothers,

In tough times many marriages suffer.  Of course, money issues are one of the biggest causes of distress.  All I can say is that this is probably due to the love of "mammon," that we all have to fight.  If we love mammon more than God then it's a no brainer that we will love mammon more than our wives.  

I know that in affliction and trials I can become less patient, less understanding - less loving because I have such a great sense of failure and Patti is the first in line to see it - at least in my mind.  Whether I have indeed failed or not I am most ashamed in her presence and most resistant to her comfort and encouragement.  Pride is a real love killer.

But I work to keep in mind the following and to fight my pride and accept the gracious gift of Patti as that helper fit for me.  


Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them.  (Col 3:19)

Then the LORD God said, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him." Now out of the ground the LORD God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him.  (Gen 2:18-20)

So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. And the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. Then the man said, "This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man."   (Gen 2:21-23)

I don't know that I have any real sage advice or formula for being the husband I should be - especially in tough times.  I find myself praying more about my husbanding.  I find myself reminding myself that she is as much a part of me as is possible.  That we are "one" is an awesome mystery but that makes it no less true.  Perhaps it is that "one-ness" that e need to work on.

Patti is a unique individual as am I and yet God has made us one.  Each part can fit together.  Each talent encourages and strengthens another.  Every strength is intended to uphold the weaknesses of the other.  Each is intended to comfort and enhance the other. We are one.

Being one is not easy.  We have been taught to protect our "space."  But that does not lead to one-ness rather it destroys it.  

Perhaps it's that commitment to be "ourselves" that is the real hindrance.  "I got to be me," just doesn't seem to fit into God's pattern.  His pattern is more of, "We've gotta be we!"  

This is truly a counter-cultural concept.

Brothers - give it up!  Give up that macho-hunter/killer-king of the hill idea we have been infected with.  Ask God to humble your heart and spirit and renew your mind.  Your "wife" is as much a part of you as your lungs or heart or hands.  

Let go of your pride.  Feel your fear and if needed, your shame.  Ask God to drive you to your knees concerning your marriage.  Ask that the Spirit and the Word will convict you mightily and bring you to seek Him as a husband - as part of the marriage one-ness.

God is indeed our hope and our strength - but if I might wax poetic - I think our wives are His physical reminder of that.  Giving us such an awesome duty as to love our wives as Christ loves the church is, I think, intended to drive us to our knees crying our to Him about our utter inability to obey without His power and strength and instruction.

There was one "not good" thing in all of the creation and that was man's alone-ness.  Once God addressed and met that the creation was, "very good."  Please please please brothers, pray and think and study concerning this.

If you are going through times like we are - and I KNOW many of you are - NOW is the best time to cry out to God for and about your marriage.  In this time of anxiety and vulnerability we need to restore and/or strengthen that mysterious one-ness.  It is God's plan and God's provision for us brothers.  You would be better off cutting off an appendage than you will be if you allow a lack of one-ness to continue or allow that one-ness to fade and grow weak.  You would be better off deaf, blind, etc.... than to not take full advantage of the gift of a, "helper fit," for you.

No - I don't care if your wife is "on board" or not.  You and I are commanded to love them as Christ loves the church - even if they only love us as the contemporary church loves Christ (poorly).  This isn't about her - it is about you and Him - she is simply the beneficiary of His blessing through you (as He desires you to be through her).  This is NOT some tit-for-tat arrangement.  We are to LOVE our wives period.

Repent!

Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them.  (Col 3:19)

Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 

(Eph 5:25)

Father, forgive me or allowing the culture (world), the flesh (me) and the devil to pervert my view of marriage.  Forgive me for assuming I knew what the one-ness You have created was.  Forgive my pride and arrogance in assuming I knew what i was doing as a husband.  Forgive my selfishness and self-centeredness.

Father - I can not be the husband You call me to be without Your help.  I ask that Your Spirit work mightily in me to change my heart and mind concerning my husbanding.  Father, destroy all the bitterness by showing me it's nastiness and toxicity.  Burn it, if need be, from my heart and mind.

Father - to love my wife as You command I will need a mighty work of Your grace for i have wandered far from it in this regard and have a long way to walk back to where You would have me be.  Restore me to Your intent for me as a husband - and enable me - or make me - honor and adore and love the "helper" You have given me. Teach me to love her and be to her a blessing from You.

Amen -----

How are you doing? doxy/praxy

Has anyone really asked you how you are lately?

Has anyone asked after your prayer life or your Bible reading?

Has anyone really focused on your walk and expressed a concern to be part of your growth?

In your distress and affliction, has anyone come alongside to pray with you?  Has anyone come alongside to hear your worries and struggles and to encourage and admonish you in His love and grace?

Just wondering.  It seems to be a lost art of the Body.

Orthodoxy - right belief and Orthopraxy - right practice seem to have been split or at least just ascribed to head stuff and not hear stuff.


Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.   (Gal 6:2)

Though the context in which we find this verse has to do with a brother or sister who has stumbled I can't believe that it is limited to that.  Afflictions, difficulties, etc. are all times of temptations to sin.  Should we wait until the temptations has overcome a brother or sister before we begin to bear their burdens with them?

There is never any reason or excuse for a believer to be isolated and alone.  Yes, I know God is with them always - but He has also provided human servants and called them to serve one another diligently, sacrificially and lovingly.  

I have served the isolated for many years and their pain and anguish is a terrible thing.  I've known that isolation myself and to be honest, it is indeed, if not a faith killer at least a faith smother-er.  

We tell those in distress to "trust God," and we are right in that BUT we have to come to that uncomfortable place where we ask, "What is my role in God's work in this my brother's or sister's distress?"  We have to ask, "What must I do?"  

See, telling folks to trust God is good.  But when you see a brother or sister in need do you just dump them on God's door step or do you ask God how you need to trust Him in reaching out to those in need?  I know, having worked with a lot of isolated believers that, "Trust God!" sounds and feel more like, "Lot's of luck, you're on your own!"

Yes, I'll be honest enough to share that this comes not just from my experience with the isolated but from my own experience as well.  I have known the pain and fear, the terror of hearing, "Trust God!" and getting a pat on the back.  Yes, this is kind of a "soap box" for me and to a degree about me.  But God has blessed me with the opportunity to "be there" int he middle of the mess with folks who needed someone - some human believer - to stand with them in the mess and hold them up.

We spend so much time and effort and money fighting the "culture wars" that we let our own wounded languish.  Yes, we do need to confront the culture but I believe we only do that when we are the church Christ calls us to be.  There is now very real need for the church to be the church - and by that I mean to follow the example of those early isolated believers.



And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. 
(Act 2:44-47)


There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. (Act 4:34-35)

But - we're not there.  We haven't been there or a long long time.  Perhaps this is what we need to repent of.  This is not "communism," it is fundamental "Christianity."  If the church is not being the church how can God add to it - why would He want to?

Some of you are indeed doing what we find those early believers doing and may God encourage and bless you greatly.  Some of you would rather not put yourself in the position of having to trust God enough to follow the example of the early believers.

The church is seen in these Acts passages taking care of its own.  Did they ignore the needs of those outside?  I don't know.  What I do know is that regularly, sacrificially and faithfully the "saints" cared for the "saints," and God added to their number those who were being saved.

It is a thing worth praying about and seeking His guidance about and following His example about - it is a good thing, a biblical thing, a faithful thing.

Father, let me not become so fixed on my needs both real and imagined that I forget that I may well have what another needs.  Let me seek Your guidance and the power to trust You to follow the example my early brothers and sisters set.

May your Bride be faithful to You and to herself.  May she care for her own, trusting You to provide.  May we all be appropriately convicted and concerned for the example we find in these early believers as they trusted you to provide for all through Your blessings to each individual.  

Forgive me for seeing only my own need and affliction and forgetting that I am a member, a part of a Body and that You not only provide me with what  need but You provide for me to help others in their need as well.

Dear Father - let the church be he church.

Amen

Psalm 30:6-7

Psalm 30:6-7 ESV
As for me, I said in my prosperity, "I shall never be moved." [7] By your favor, O LORD, you made my mountain stand strong; you hid your face; I was dismayed.

Oh my, how many of us can say "Amen," to this?

I take special not of the words, "my mountain."  

I have to admit it's convicting because it never was, "my mountain," it was His.

But isn't that common to our struggle?  When things are going well we get a little tunnel vision.  We see us and ours and my and mine and we do not look to Him as constantly as we need to.  We get a little cocky about things and our duties to and for Him slip on our priority list.

Of course the opposite is true as well.  When He hides His face (or seems to) we run the danger of curling into a little ball in the corner and doing nothing in terms of our duties to and for Him.  

Perhaps this is why we need to be a little more tough on ourselves when it comes to our duties.  I'm no proposing some legalistic, rigid, heartless process but rather a commitment to pray and study, etc. daily and intentionally.  

We eat, we go to the bathroom, we go to work, we pet the dog - we do so many things regularly.  Perhaps we need to begin to view (and pray for help to) our "duties" as not quite so lofty and unreachable.  Maybe we need to see these duties as simply the common and simple things believers do.  Which, I am coming to believe they are.

Though we have a special privilege in these things they are not unusual to the believer - or shouldn't be.  

Recently I spoke with some friends and we all were "feeling" kind of numb in our walks.  The temptations was to do something "special" for Him.  But we realized that He is the  one who does the special things - we are simply called to do simple things.  Pray, study. worship, give, encourage, comfort ---- simple things.

If, and he has, God has put His Spirit in us to reside forever then we have all we need in terms of right and ability to engage these duties.  Regardless of our "feeling" when engaging in them we should be about them.  It's hard when we don't "feel" like doing them or they don't make us "feel" better but that in no way decreases the value of them.

Father, it is so easy for us to be tempted to try to bargain with You.  It is so easy to wonder what we need to do to get on Your "good side."  We know this is a deception, a trick Satan wants us to fall for and we really need Your help to fight it.

We struggle with Your assurance of our salvation and our needs here.  Our needs here have a nasty habit of overwhelming us and keeping us from knowing the "joy of Your salvation."  We don't know what to "do" about this - so we ask You to do what needs to be done.  

Whether we need a change of heart or mind, we ask You to heal and help us to engage You in the ways You have provided - regardless of how we "feel."  You know our deepest need and indeed you know our true hunger.  Please keep us from being seduced by opportunity and despair into doing nothing.  Help us - make us - faithful in as much as we can be right where we are.

Amen.........

Psalm 10:1

Psalm 10:1 ESV
Why, O LORD, do you stand far away? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?

Ever feel this way?  Sure you do - at least some of you.

But - a feeling isn't a fact.

God is always working through and with and for His children.  It's impossible for Him not to.  We may not "feel" it - but that's just us.

The world, flesh and devil love to get us to think - feel this way.  They probably have a party.  They know they can't snatch us away from Him but they can get us to crawl into a corner and curl up in a ball.

Reading one of the works of Christopher Love, a Puritan preacher, he talks about how we are overly anxious or afraid or sorrowful when we allow our sorrow to keep us from our duties (prayer, study, worship, tithing, etc.).  The enemy doesn't have to score points of get the ball - the enemy only needs to hold us in place.  The enemy wants us to so enlarge our afflictions that we cease to look to Him and just look at them.

Love also writes about how we need to have a greater sorrow for our sins than for our afflictions.  He provides some good insight into how this looks.  NOT that he is encouraging us to focus on our sin to our greater sorrow but to sorrow for what is more important.

It's so easy to get so focused on our difficulties that we forget to continue our growth.  When that happens, there is little joy in the duties of the believer.  BUT - the duties of the believer aren't intended to be a means of "feel good."  They are our means of staying focused on Him and of "standing" in the assault.  They are intended to accomplish two things (but not just two things).  They are intended to honor and glorify Him and to conform us to the likeness of our Lord.

A verse like the one above can do one of two things.  It can worsen our pity party or it can make us search our hearts and minds for the source of the "feeling."

Being "severely bummed out" when things are hard and painful is not a bad thing - it's actually a healthy thing.  but one can be "too" bummed out.

Of course our minds should recall:


We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,   (2Co 10:5)

Such speculations and thoughts as we find in the Psalm need to be destroyed - but gently.  It's not that we need to beat ourselves up when we have these thoughts or feelings but rather we must take then to the Word and to the Lord in prayer for His attention and action.  Such thoughts are a clear reminder of not only the warfare we are in but of our weakness, immaturity and frailty as well.

Remember the "little children" we're supposed to be like?  OK - don't be afraid or ashamed of having childish thought - but don't let them take root.  Rather, take them to Him - ask Him for insight and strength.  Ask Him to do what He has promised AND acknowledge that He is never far from you - He is never not to be found - NOTHING can separate you from His love.

Yeah, it's hard and these thoughts are so easy to have.  Please be a gracious with yourself at these times as He is with you at all times.

Father, sometimes I feel abandoned.  Sometimes I feel like You and I are far apart.  Please Lord, comfort me and strengthen me when I feel this way.  Call me to You in prayer.  Call me to Your word.  Call me to Your people and call Your people to me.

In my most desperate "felt" need I know my greatest real need is for Your comfort and strength.  Don't let me get distracted.  Don't let me be deceived.  Don't let me become so depressed that I withdraw from You and Your people.

I will do my best to take every damaging, deceptive and devious thought captive.  I will bring them to You and ask You to destroy them for what You destroy stays destroyed.

Thank You for Your lovingkindness - please help me to apply it to myself when I struggle.

Amen