In his commentary on 1st Peter, Alexander Maclaren writes:
"And so, I beseech you, open your eyes to the meaning of life, and do not suppose that you have found the last word to say about it when you say, 'I am afflicted,' or 'I am at ease.' The afflictions and the ease, like two great wheels in some great machine working in opposite directions, fit with their cogs into one another and move to something beyond them in one uniform direction."
The must be purpose behind all of God's providence be if afflicting or easing, confounding or comforting. If there is no purpose then we are great fools to believe in Him and to seek to serve Him. Both affliction and ease carry their own dangers and their own promise. The danger of sin and the promise of being conformed to the likeness of Christ. And which dear friend would you have?
We were promised tribulation in this worlds. We are told over and over that we will face trials. but we are assured over and over that there is a point a purpose. We may complain about them to God but we must never complain of God about them. They are, for all their bite and sting, for our good and His glory.
There is not much that should be needed to be said about trials and ease for you dear reader, if you have been attentive to your Bible will know this at least intellectually. but God would have you know it experimentally - to know it deeply and to trust His working in your lives for your good and His glory.
We are, as Peter says, living stones. As stones that are intended to be fitted together with others that build the temple we muse be hewn, sized and polished. This demands a hammer and chisel. We must trust that He is forming us to take our place in His temple, to be "fitted" for our purpose and place.
Indeed affliction and ease serve a purpose far beyond the experience. Will we accept that and rejoice in His care regardless of it's pleasantness of unpleasantness?
There in ends the lesson.
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Saturday, July 13, 2013
Worship 002
Deuteronomy 11:16 ESV
Take care lest your heart be deceived, and you turn aside and serve other gods and worship them;
We can not help but acknowledge that our hearts are at best fickled and at worse they are deceitful beyond measure. Even though we are redeemed and set apart for, in and to Him our hearts are still prone to waywardness, rebellion and self-seeking. Certainly, as we mature, we expect to see our hearts grow stronger and wiser and more faithfu but there's no easy or quick (or here, definitive) way for that to happen.
Examining our hearts in light of the Word under the guidance of the Spirit was a practice, indeed a duty the Puritains placed great emphasis on. This examination was not just some curosry "check-up" but a deep and intense examination a spiritual angiogram if you will. They saw this as essential not only for maturation in the faith but for the glorification of God. I believee that regardless of how much time and effort we spend in the Word and prayer, if we do not purpose it to examine our hearts, it is little more than busy work.
David prays:
Psalm 139:23-24 ESV
Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! [24] And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!
A very bold prayer and one we would be well advised to not just pray asking but pray demanding. It's a risk, it's dangerous because God must say "Yes!" It is a risk and an danger because it will result in a deep and perhaps painful challenge to many of the things we thought we had right.
But unless we are willing to pray this and accept what He shows us we have casue to question if indeed we are His or not. To ignore the need for self- and God's examination of our hearts and/or to fail to acknowledge and respond to what is found is a sin of self-protective rebellion and a self-abusive sin.
It is perhaps in regard to worship that our hearts need close examination - which too little of which is ever done. The church has wandered into the morass of comfort, convenience and culture that has alienated her from her head and sorely weakened her witness. We have stacked so many pretty things, practices and ideas around worship that only a very dim light can be seen.
Where we should be focused on what God prefers we focus on what we prefer. Instead of seeking and practicing what God requires we seek and practice what our flesh and the unbeliever requires. Our worship has become more about us and less and less about God.
We promote worship as contemporary or traditional. The real issue is whether it is acceptable or unacceptable, holy or profane, reverent or rebellious. We have not only brought strange fire to God's worship but we have laid aside some of the most fundamental tenets of the faith. We have abandoned the main and plain truths for the bright and shiny deceptions. We have made worship an issue of "What's in it for me (us/them)?" instead of "What's in it for Him?"
This is nothing new. The first murder resulted from unacceptable worship. So we can take some strange comfort in the fact that this is a common and continuous problem. but that strange comfort must convict us and bring us to repentance. it should drive us to the Word to do the hard work of examining OUR hearts in regard to worship and what we think, believe, want, don't want, etc.
We must prayerfully cry out for God to show us how to worship Him not just in spirit but in truth as well. The "how" of our worship is a clear indication of the "who" of our worship. We need, individually and collectively to examine our worship (inside and out) to see if it is what He wants.
Take care lest your heart be deceived, and you turn aside and serve other gods and worship them;
We can not help but acknowledge that our hearts are at best fickled and at worse they are deceitful beyond measure. Even though we are redeemed and set apart for, in and to Him our hearts are still prone to waywardness, rebellion and self-seeking. Certainly, as we mature, we expect to see our hearts grow stronger and wiser and more faithfu but there's no easy or quick (or here, definitive) way for that to happen.
Examining our hearts in light of the Word under the guidance of the Spirit was a practice, indeed a duty the Puritains placed great emphasis on. This examination was not just some curosry "check-up" but a deep and intense examination a spiritual angiogram if you will. They saw this as essential not only for maturation in the faith but for the glorification of God. I believee that regardless of how much time and effort we spend in the Word and prayer, if we do not purpose it to examine our hearts, it is little more than busy work.
David prays:
Psalm 139:23-24 ESV
Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! [24] And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!
A very bold prayer and one we would be well advised to not just pray asking but pray demanding. It's a risk, it's dangerous because God must say "Yes!" It is a risk and an danger because it will result in a deep and perhaps painful challenge to many of the things we thought we had right.
But unless we are willing to pray this and accept what He shows us we have casue to question if indeed we are His or not. To ignore the need for self- and God's examination of our hearts and/or to fail to acknowledge and respond to what is found is a sin of self-protective rebellion and a self-abusive sin.
It is perhaps in regard to worship that our hearts need close examination - which too little of which is ever done. The church has wandered into the morass of comfort, convenience and culture that has alienated her from her head and sorely weakened her witness. We have stacked so many pretty things, practices and ideas around worship that only a very dim light can be seen.
Where we should be focused on what God prefers we focus on what we prefer. Instead of seeking and practicing what God requires we seek and practice what our flesh and the unbeliever requires. Our worship has become more about us and less and less about God.
We promote worship as contemporary or traditional. The real issue is whether it is acceptable or unacceptable, holy or profane, reverent or rebellious. We have not only brought strange fire to God's worship but we have laid aside some of the most fundamental tenets of the faith. We have abandoned the main and plain truths for the bright and shiny deceptions. We have made worship an issue of "What's in it for me (us/them)?" instead of "What's in it for Him?"
This is nothing new. The first murder resulted from unacceptable worship. So we can take some strange comfort in the fact that this is a common and continuous problem. but that strange comfort must convict us and bring us to repentance. it should drive us to the Word to do the hard work of examining OUR hearts in regard to worship and what we think, believe, want, don't want, etc.
We must prayerfully cry out for God to show us how to worship Him not just in spirit but in truth as well. The "how" of our worship is a clear indication of the "who" of our worship. We need, individually and collectively to examine our worship (inside and out) to see if it is what He wants.
Friday, July 12, 2013
WORSHIP 001
Deuteronomy 11:16 ESV
Take care lest your heart be deceived, and you turn aside and serve other gods and worship them;
It's not "how" you worship but "who" you worship. That is the priority. BUT who who worship must shape how you worship or it is not worship.
The "who" must shape the very nature of the the "how." When we decide the how based upon our own preferences, affections and perceived needs we destroy any real point of purpose to our worship. It becomes about us and Who and we nullify not only our worship but who we worship as well.
When we seriously consider the detail and intricacy of the the God of the Bible directed Israel to worship Him we have to admit that He has some pretty specific desires for worship Himself. The power and purpose, the very heart of Israel's worship was to be found in their obedience to God in regards to worship. When they began to order their worship according to their affections, preferences and percieved needs things went very badly for them. To change the "how" from what we find in God's word to a "how" that we have developed is to change the "who" and "why of our worship.
Now "when" is worship? I'm writing specifically of the gathering of the saints on the Lord's Day for the specific purpose of corporate worship. I'm not talking about Bible studies, Celebrations, Singings or anything else the Body of Christ has found to do for its building up and equipping. Those things can be good and beneficial but we need to be careful we understand the difference between worship and and activity that acknowledges God and is done reverently (perhaps even worshipfully).
Worship is a deadly business. "Strange fire," is not only unacceptable but can get you killed. Assuming a role in worship that is ordained for another can have soul killing results. Worship is deadly business.
But, to make the key point, it is all about the who. If you've got the who wrong or if the who is mixed with a little me or us then it is not worship. Indeed if there is me or us mixed in then there is no He in it. As Thomas Case wrote about sin, "a little poison if still poison."
It will take a diligent examination of the whole counsel of God to determine the how and I doubt we'll ever get it totally right until we are with Him. But isn't it worth the effort? Isn't is a good thing for us to work hard for? Isn't He worth it?
As I work through this for myself I'll share my thoughts and insights. but I will state from the outset that worship needs to be all about Him. Worship, true and wholesome worship, is serious business - deadly serious and we should approach it with fear and trembling.
Take care lest your heart be deceived, and you turn aside and serve other gods and worship them;
It's not "how" you worship but "who" you worship. That is the priority. BUT who who worship must shape how you worship or it is not worship.
The "who" must shape the very nature of the the "how." When we decide the how based upon our own preferences, affections and perceived needs we destroy any real point of purpose to our worship. It becomes about us and Who and we nullify not only our worship but who we worship as well.
When we seriously consider the detail and intricacy of the the God of the Bible directed Israel to worship Him we have to admit that He has some pretty specific desires for worship Himself. The power and purpose, the very heart of Israel's worship was to be found in their obedience to God in regards to worship. When they began to order their worship according to their affections, preferences and percieved needs things went very badly for them. To change the "how" from what we find in God's word to a "how" that we have developed is to change the "who" and "why of our worship.
Now "when" is worship? I'm writing specifically of the gathering of the saints on the Lord's Day for the specific purpose of corporate worship. I'm not talking about Bible studies, Celebrations, Singings or anything else the Body of Christ has found to do for its building up and equipping. Those things can be good and beneficial but we need to be careful we understand the difference between worship and and activity that acknowledges God and is done reverently (perhaps even worshipfully).
Worship is a deadly business. "Strange fire," is not only unacceptable but can get you killed. Assuming a role in worship that is ordained for another can have soul killing results. Worship is deadly business.
But, to make the key point, it is all about the who. If you've got the who wrong or if the who is mixed with a little me or us then it is not worship. Indeed if there is me or us mixed in then there is no He in it. As Thomas Case wrote about sin, "a little poison if still poison."
It will take a diligent examination of the whole counsel of God to determine the how and I doubt we'll ever get it totally right until we are with Him. But isn't it worth the effort? Isn't is a good thing for us to work hard for? Isn't He worth it?
As I work through this for myself I'll share my thoughts and insights. but I will state from the outset that worship needs to be all about Him. Worship, true and wholesome worship, is serious business - deadly serious and we should approach it with fear and trembling.
Friday, July 5, 2013
Spiritual Vertigo 070113
This is going to be a weird one. Today as I was listening to my Prayer Playlist (I have to have music when I pray or my mind races all over the place) I was struck by my problem with vertigo. It's not bad bad - ladders are OK and single story roofs are Ok but anything higher and my toes curl right up to my chin, I get dizzy, faint and want to throw-up. Yeah - no window seats for me on planes. I become a babbling mess.
But I was considering the many trials we face and how some seem to lead us right to the edge of a great precipice. Been there - done that - doing it daily. But it came to me that I've never really been led to the edge by Him. It's the fear of getting to the edge that really gets me. All the anxiety of anticipation is the problem.
Our minds all too often race ahead of our circumstances. Of course some of that is good. It's wise to anticipate and plan (prayerfully) about our futures. Though they are utterly in His hands He does engage us in the process which is a real kindness for fate would never be so good.
But, it's when we only anticipate the worsening of our circumstances that we will find ourselves in real trouble. It's a very easy place to get to and an easy place to get stuck in. It's like walking onto a smearing of super glue. You don;t have to stand there long before you're going nowhere.
But the trouble with looking forward positively is (at least for me) is I start getting real specific - actually telling God how to work it out. I start praying for this and that in great detail. Giving God a program to follow.
Now there isn;t anything wrong with praying secifically - it's a good thing. BUT when those requests harden into expectations - even demands - we're back in the superglue again. We often miss any little answers to rpayer that build into a whole complete answers. Or we begin to murmur becasue we don;t see our plan unfolding.
I've found that I do best to not anticipate the edge. It's there and He may well lead me so I hang 10 over the edge but I can;t remember a time He ever did that. It's my imagination that gets me there - my poor, weak, corrupt and fallen imagination. It's that fear of vertigo -
But, I'm learning that vertigo and stepping off the edge are not the same thing. My "spiritual" vertigo is all about me and my weak and stumbling faith - the "unbelief" I need Him to help me with. So what if I get to the edge and become a whimpering mass of me. So what if I get to the point where I break and crumble. So what.
Who did I ever think I was anyway? I think of Jesus on the pinnacle of the temple - no indication of vertigo there. Why? Because in that trial and the temptation attached to it He knew two things. First He could say "No." to the temptation and second if was just a trial. He knew that even on the edge God was still in charge.
That's what I take away for myself. If God does ever lead me to the edge I pray I will say "NO" to whatever temptation is there and I will remind myself that I cannot be alone on that edge.
But I was considering the many trials we face and how some seem to lead us right to the edge of a great precipice. Been there - done that - doing it daily. But it came to me that I've never really been led to the edge by Him. It's the fear of getting to the edge that really gets me. All the anxiety of anticipation is the problem.
Our minds all too often race ahead of our circumstances. Of course some of that is good. It's wise to anticipate and plan (prayerfully) about our futures. Though they are utterly in His hands He does engage us in the process which is a real kindness for fate would never be so good.
But, it's when we only anticipate the worsening of our circumstances that we will find ourselves in real trouble. It's a very easy place to get to and an easy place to get stuck in. It's like walking onto a smearing of super glue. You don;t have to stand there long before you're going nowhere.
But the trouble with looking forward positively is (at least for me) is I start getting real specific - actually telling God how to work it out. I start praying for this and that in great detail. Giving God a program to follow.
Now there isn;t anything wrong with praying secifically - it's a good thing. BUT when those requests harden into expectations - even demands - we're back in the superglue again. We often miss any little answers to rpayer that build into a whole complete answers. Or we begin to murmur becasue we don;t see our plan unfolding.
I've found that I do best to not anticipate the edge. It's there and He may well lead me so I hang 10 over the edge but I can;t remember a time He ever did that. It's my imagination that gets me there - my poor, weak, corrupt and fallen imagination. It's that fear of vertigo -
But, I'm learning that vertigo and stepping off the edge are not the same thing. My "spiritual" vertigo is all about me and my weak and stumbling faith - the "unbelief" I need Him to help me with. So what if I get to the edge and become a whimpering mass of me. So what if I get to the point where I break and crumble. So what.
Who did I ever think I was anyway? I think of Jesus on the pinnacle of the temple - no indication of vertigo there. Why? Because in that trial and the temptation attached to it He knew two things. First He could say "No." to the temptation and second if was just a trial. He knew that even on the edge God was still in charge.
That's what I take away for myself. If God does ever lead me to the edge I pray I will say "NO" to whatever temptation is there and I will remind myself that I cannot be alone on that edge.
Thursday, July 4, 2013
Finger Thinking 060413
070113
Oh Lord, You are great beyond measure
mighty to save and keep.
Your children suffer at the hand of man
and at their own hands as well.
We are told so many things
that Your Word does not say.
Men gild Your Word with dross
so we may follow them.
We are so easily caught by the trivial
captivated by the bright and shiny.
We are so easily distracted
by the suffering we experience.
Such a little suffering we experience.
A relative suffering -
a suffering that is so trivial compared to Yours -
Yours for us.
We rejoice that you went to the cross
but there are few of us attending.
We'd rather stay within the walls
celebrating the shadows
rejoicing in the image
avoiding the glare of the actual.
We will died for You
if it's quick
painless
and low cost.
We will live for you
if it's easy
comfortable
and low cost.
Oh Lord, You are great beyond measure
mighty to save and keep.
Your children suffer at the hand of man
and at their own hands as well.
We are told so many things
that Your Word does not say.
Men gild Your Word with dross
so we may follow them.
We are so easily caught by the trivial
captivated by the bright and shiny.
We are so easily distracted
by the suffering we experience.
Such a little suffering we experience.
A relative suffering -
a suffering that is so trivial compared to Yours -
Yours for us.
We rejoice that you went to the cross
but there are few of us attending.
We'd rather stay within the walls
celebrating the shadows
rejoicing in the image
avoiding the glare of the actual.
We will died for You
if it's quick
painless
and low cost.
We will live for you
if it's easy
comfortable
and low cost.
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Sensitivity to the "sought."
Ok - behind this is the belief - based on scripture - that no one seeks after God. I won't list all the texts that make that clear, the argument has be faithfully and fully made by many many Christian writers.
But I will state that what is missing in many ministries and churches is a sensitivity to the "sought." We see in Jesus a clear example of how we are to see and deal with the unbeliever.
Mark 6:34 ESV
When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things.
But I will state that what is missing in many ministries and churches is a sensitivity to the "sought." We see in Jesus a clear example of how we are to see and deal with the unbeliever.
Mark 6:34 ESV
When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things.
Matthew 9:36-38 ESV
When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. [37] Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; [38] therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest."
They, those to be harvested, are out there and if we are to believe our Lord they are ripe for the harvest. We are to go and labor in the field to bring in what God has prepared.
But one does not harvest different produce in the same way. You harvest wheat one way and tomatoes in another. One does not harvest everything in the same way. If you attempt to you can damage the crop.
I believe there is a lack of sensitivity on the part of many believers to the condition of those they would seek to reach. We have tried the canned methods and have found them lacking. What we haven't tried to any great extent is taking them as they are where they are and "harvesting" then in the appropriate manner. We have failed to pray for the sensitivity we need for the harassed and helpless.
What a wonderful picture of the ripe fruit mixed with harassed and helpless sheep.
No, we don't not water-down the gospel. We do not dance around the issue of sin and hell. But we do not use it as a club to beat them into the kingdom either.
"Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling." There's a hint at how we are to go about the work of the harvest. Think of tender grapes being carefully cut from the vine and gently places in the basket. Think too of acorns which are harvested by beating the limbs of the tree (not the acorns) to get the ready ones to fall to the ground for harvest. Different fruit, different harvesting methods.
My main point is that we need to be sensitive to the ripe ones and the not yet ripe ones as well.
This leads me back to the sheep thing. Sheep can be spooked so easily and when they are spooked they can easily injure themselves - severely. We often do more harm than good in how we deal with these harassed and helpless ones. This is not acceptable.
How much good does the pro-life protest do when it vilifies the patient and the provider? Sinners? They most certainly are. Condemned? Who outside of Christ is not? But objects of cruelty they must never be and yet some think they are doing God's work when they shout epithets and vilification at these men and women.
Yes, I know, there are lots of goats out there with the sheep but can you really tell the difference? Can we in good conscience treat every unbeliever like a goat. Would we not honor Jesus and do better if we treated everyone as harassed and helpless? Would we not do better to call them (for Him) softly and tenderly?
We can not change the gospel, leaving out or softening the hard parts. To do this is to cheapen the gospel and cheat the hearer. But the hard parts of the gospel do not have to be communicated in a hard way. They are hard enough without our adding our own perverse passion to them.
I believe the following verse can not be limited to converse between just believers but applies to how we speak the good news of redemption to everyone:
Ephesians 4:15 ESV
Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,
We grow into Him, Christ, when we speak the truth in love whether we are speaking to a brother or sister or to a goat. But helpless and harassed sheep especially must hear the good news softly and tenderly. Anyway else would cause them to stumble and we all know what that brings us.
OK - so the idea above is not well developed - hope to do better with it as I pray and think on it. But I am convinced that we must be sensitive to those we seek in His name. It may mean we spend years in harvesting one grape but it is His grape and needs to be harvested rightly.
Yeah - grapes - sheep - mixing a lot here but Jesus saw the connection - I pray you do as well.
Just a note - He taught these helpless and harassed sheep "many things." what "many things" should we be teaching?
Later
M
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
God's providence is always providential.
Now the word of the LORD came to me, saying, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations." Then I said, "Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth." But the LORD said to me, "Do not say, 'I am only a youth'; for to all to whom I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, declares the LORD." (Jer 1:4-8)
Monday, July 1, 2013
Finger thinking 070113
The secret to the successful Christian life is a very very well kept secret. It is buried in mound of flesh and tons of skewed and twisted teaching. That's why it's a secret.
We try so very hard to come up with the scheme that will allow us to win God's favor and in doing so we nullify the cross and make mockery of the resurrection. We challenge the sovereignty of God and refuse His right to have dominance over all of our lives.
We don't really like God much. We want to just live our lives in comfort and ease singing silly songs about Jesus and playing the game the world offers us. We are weak, sultry, rebellious and stupid - and that's just believers.
There is NO secret to living the successful Christian life. It's written on every page of scripture. We also find the why of our pathetic attempts to live for ourselves while giving lip-service to Him.
OK - hard stuff - and maybe just maybe it's just me. If that is so than Praise God the rest of you are doing so well. Maybe I'm just one among a few who while trusting in His death and resurrection for my salvation have little interest or appreciation of His desire to conform me into the likeness of His Son.
Of course there is only one way to be conformed to Christ and that is to share in His sufferings. He suffered every day in every way and more so than we can ever - ever - comprehend. He suffered and calls us to suffer with Him.
But we don't want to suffer, we just want to be saved. We want a nice cozy road to heaven. We want to just kind of slide right through the gates. but tht is not His plan for any of us.
For some the suffering is great for others the suffereing is common. Those who suffer greatly know Him greatly. Those who suffer "commonly" tend to have a lack of appreciation of the suffering they do experience. They are able to ignore the meaning and purpose of their suffering. It is a light and yet constant suffering that they are able to mediate, medicate and/or minimize and so they miss the blessing and honor for the sake of comfort and acceptance.
In my trial(s) I find that in moments of sweet communion I can accept and appreciate what God is doing in my life. But before me I experience a deep sense of shame and failure and that gives rise to resentment of the trial(s).
God's desires to conform us to the likeness of His Son is a key issue in our lives. do we want it or not? If we do we have to enter the forge.
I have some friends who work a a company that makes tools. Two things are needed to forge those tools into useful and dependable tools (upon which lives depend). It takes heat and force. The metal they use comes prepared for forging. All the trash has been removed - there is no dross left - it is ready for the forge. Then are with the purifying process heat - very high heat is applied to make the metal pliable. then great force is applied to hammer the metal into the tool. The force is so great that "hammed" has to have a special foundation and the whole plant shakes with each blow of the hammer. But the heat and the hammering produces the desired tool.
Christ has purified us by His blood. Yes we still have to wrestle with the evil principle that remains but my point is that while we wrestle with that remaining flaw He is busy heating and hammering that we might be forged into the tools He desires us to be.
Yeah, all analogies have problems but I think that we will do well to look at His conforming us are necessitating the heat and the hammering.
Those of you who know me know I like to keep things simple or as my guy Alistair Begg says I like to stick to the, "main things and the plain things." So here you go brothers and sisters - a simple "secret" to living the life and being conformed -
Joshua 1:6-9 NASB
"Be strong and courageous, for you shall give this people possession of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. [7] "Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go. [8] "This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success. [9] "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."
We try so very hard to come up with the scheme that will allow us to win God's favor and in doing so we nullify the cross and make mockery of the resurrection. We challenge the sovereignty of God and refuse His right to have dominance over all of our lives.
We don't really like God much. We want to just live our lives in comfort and ease singing silly songs about Jesus and playing the game the world offers us. We are weak, sultry, rebellious and stupid - and that's just believers.
There is NO secret to living the successful Christian life. It's written on every page of scripture. We also find the why of our pathetic attempts to live for ourselves while giving lip-service to Him.
OK - hard stuff - and maybe just maybe it's just me. If that is so than Praise God the rest of you are doing so well. Maybe I'm just one among a few who while trusting in His death and resurrection for my salvation have little interest or appreciation of His desire to conform me into the likeness of His Son.
Of course there is only one way to be conformed to Christ and that is to share in His sufferings. He suffered every day in every way and more so than we can ever - ever - comprehend. He suffered and calls us to suffer with Him.
But we don't want to suffer, we just want to be saved. We want a nice cozy road to heaven. We want to just kind of slide right through the gates. but tht is not His plan for any of us.
For some the suffering is great for others the suffereing is common. Those who suffer greatly know Him greatly. Those who suffer "commonly" tend to have a lack of appreciation of the suffering they do experience. They are able to ignore the meaning and purpose of their suffering. It is a light and yet constant suffering that they are able to mediate, medicate and/or minimize and so they miss the blessing and honor for the sake of comfort and acceptance.
In my trial(s) I find that in moments of sweet communion I can accept and appreciate what God is doing in my life. But before me I experience a deep sense of shame and failure and that gives rise to resentment of the trial(s).
God's desires to conform us to the likeness of His Son is a key issue in our lives. do we want it or not? If we do we have to enter the forge.
I have some friends who work a a company that makes tools. Two things are needed to forge those tools into useful and dependable tools (upon which lives depend). It takes heat and force. The metal they use comes prepared for forging. All the trash has been removed - there is no dross left - it is ready for the forge. Then are with the purifying process heat - very high heat is applied to make the metal pliable. then great force is applied to hammer the metal into the tool. The force is so great that "hammed" has to have a special foundation and the whole plant shakes with each blow of the hammer. But the heat and the hammering produces the desired tool.
Christ has purified us by His blood. Yes we still have to wrestle with the evil principle that remains but my point is that while we wrestle with that remaining flaw He is busy heating and hammering that we might be forged into the tools He desires us to be.
Yeah, all analogies have problems but I think that we will do well to look at His conforming us are necessitating the heat and the hammering.
Those of you who know me know I like to keep things simple or as my guy Alistair Begg says I like to stick to the, "main things and the plain things." So here you go brothers and sisters - a simple "secret" to living the life and being conformed -
Joshua 1:6-9 NASB
"Be strong and courageous, for you shall give this people possession of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. [7] "Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go. [8] "This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success. [9] "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."
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