Counting the Costs 101014

Acts of mercy and kindness do not come cheap.  This is even more true with acts of grace.  You and I, as believers are to exrecise mercy, kindness and grace.  But we have to coount the cost.

All too often in a moment (or even longer) of enthusiastic exuberance we commit acts of mercy, kindness and grace just knowling that they will please the Lord.  But equally often, when the bill comes due for those acts we begin   and regret having done them.

It's not that we shouldn't ever act on a gracious, merciful of kind impulse but that we have to be ready to pay the bill when it comes due.

Now  gency is and eemergency and there is not a lot of time to consider and pray when God drops a bomb of need in your proximity.  At those times you just trust Him and go for it.

But, when an act of mercy, kindness or grace will entail a long (and two weeks can be a long long time) commitment or a large outlay of resources we are wise if we really prayerfully count the cost.  Many good deeds are done badly becasue they wwere ill considered, poorly planned of just not thought out.

There is always more to an act of mercy, kindness or grace than we usually consider.  A gift of resources affects all the other resources and needs.  If I give you $20 have I really considered the consequences and how I will react to them when I need that $20 and I don't have it?  Oh don't kid yurself, it will matter.  And that's when resentment and regret can turn a sweet deed into a sour action.

Our acts of mercy, kindness and grace certainly affect those upon whom we bestow them.  But they affect us as well.  Do we consider that?  Do we consider the consequences of our mercy, kindness and grace on our struggling hearts?

All too often I have had to try to help people reconsile over ill considered acts of mercy, kindness or grace.  They extend a helping hand and when they realize that their hand is now empty the flesh really goes to town and regret grows into resentment and relationships are spoiled.

Impuses are rarely inspired - trust me on this one!  You are vetter off to wait and pray over an act of mercy, kindness or grace than you are just doing it.  It will be better done if you consider the consequences and ramifications of those act not just upon the recipient but upon you as well.

Has God given you the means (material, spirituak and emotional) to do the deed and accept the consequences - that is pay the cost?  Or have you just responded to some vague spiritual warm fuzzy feeling.  Or  reacted out of guiilt.  Or worse yet have you responded out of pity.  AND is the response a considereed one.

When Patti and I worked with John and Theresa Nance at Friend's House we often talked about the cost to us materially, spirituall and emotionally.  The demands of the ministry were arduous to say the least.  It was draining and costly.  But we talked about those consequences often and sure we complained at times but we knew what the csts were and we committed to paying them.  Of course we were not on some altruiiststic save the poor homeless guy trip - we were in a war and we knew we were in a war and woundings and loss are the consequences of war - we were willing to be wounded and suffer loss.  So when we complained it was not with regret or resentment but with an awarebess that we were getting just what we asked for - we were paying the costs we had counted.

Please - please - please...before you give, offer or provide count the cost you will be asked to pay and count it to the greatest degree you can.  Speculate, imagine, dream of what the cost may be BEFORE the bill comes due.

God honors deeds of mercy, kindness and grace - but I believe He rarely honors stupid.  And it is just stupid to act rashly and to take ill considered action regardless of the need and the "sense" you have in your heart.

WE need to do good things well and to do so we must plan and pray and cnsider the costs.  If we don;t we do things badly in the long run and that honors no one.

I'm just saying . . . . . .

Michael

Four things to learn Part 2

Four things to learn Part 2 090214

Dependence upon God.

Come on guys, we, as believers KNOW that everything depends upon God.  There is very little doubt in our hearts and minds that everything lies in His hands.  Right?

So, why do we think and feel and even live as though it didn’t?  OK, I’m not proposing we sit around on our hands waiting for Him to get ‘er done.  Certainly He graciously has a role for us to play in His providence but we seem to wobble between dependency and independence all too often.

Perhaps it’s an echo of all the expectations we were raised with, the conditional praise and affection we are so used to working for.  Perhaps it’s that old monster “significance,” or “value” that we spend so much time chasing.

Regardless of what specific name we give it the root cause is, of course, sin.  It’s that dark streak we inherited from Adam and which the world, the flesh and the Devil consistently and constantly affirm as a good thing.  So- duhhhh - we need to identify the roots of this in our individual lives and we need to be busy about repenting.

But, how do we build that sense of dependence so that we are less prone to “do our own thing,” and thing we can handle it all?

After a lot of thought I can only come up with one way I believe will help us (help because the Holy Spirit is the real force behind any growth and change we experience).

The key - I think - is prayer.  Not the routine kind of payer we’re all encouraged to engage in but constant intentional determined prayer.  I have found the it is in prayer that i can connect with my dependence upon God.  Bible reading is good, worship is good, works of kindness are good - but it is in real down and dirty prayer that I think we will be strengthened and encouraged and more aware of our dependence upon Him.

The good old Bible question, “what do you have that you have not received,” plays in my mind as I consider my dependence upon God.  Of course, the answer is NOTHING and as that is true we need to be working (depending upon the Spirit) to keep that question always in the front of our minds.

We all know the other Bible challenge, “pray without ceasing.”  Well there is good reason to put these two statements together and pray. 

Consider just one day of your life.  What has God blessed you with?  How have you seen His hand?  If your brakes worked every time you used them; if that chicken sandwich didn’t have some bacteria in it to make you sick or if you passed through a simple trial - He made it possible.  So what can we be but grateful and prayerful?

Remember that old song , Count Your Blessings?  Ever tried that?  No, I don;t mean just enumerating the “biggies” but all of them - even the common and mundane blessings!

I look back over the past two months and sure, I can see some really, really, really big blessings - incredible blessings.  But I can also see the common and mundane (mundane to us) blessing.  There are so many simple and common blessings that we have enjoyed.  

The yard sale is one.  Oh how i hated the thought of doing that.  I was willing to just to take it all to Goodwill and give it away instead of doing all the stuff a yard sale demands.  But you know, I didn;t have to do any of that stuff.  All I had to do was get it to the home a our friends who were hosting it and they just took over (thanks Mel).  

Instead of an anxious day of yard-selling I was able to relax and enjoy the process as God blessed me with folks who were willing to step into my place and get ‘er done.  That to me is a common and mundane blessing that can be easily overlooked.  I can be thought of as the efforts of others or myself instead of the blessing it was.

Do you get my point?  We need to really work at learning to see the hand of God in everything - both the mundane and the magnificent.  As we labor to identify and acknowledge that God is at work in the tremendous and the trivial I think our propensity to independence will diminish.

God is not just God when we are facing something bigger than us.  He is God even when we’re faced with something we figure we can handle.  Not only is He still God but He is intimately involved as well.  I mean really, you think He’s numbered the hairs on your head for fun?

I believe that the remedy we can apply to our propensity towards independence is to pay attention to and enumerate (and give thanks for) all the blessing we experience.  Prayer, for me is the place and time to really do this.  AND I don’t mean “prayer time,” I mean prayer in the moment - prayer without ceasing.  Prayer of thanks when you get that parking place, prayer of thanks when your brakes work, prayer of thanks when you experience a gentle kindness from another.

I’ve committed myself to work on this “prayer without ceasing,” process.  I want to be constantly and consistently thinking, “God is in this,” no matter how small or trivial I would otherwise have thought.

In all things give thanks-pray without ceasing - because what do you have that you have not received?

Four Things Part 1 082514

As we cast our eye over it, we observe that what Elijah needed to be taught was (1) dependence on God; (2) fellowship with man in his sufferings; (3) confidence in God’s plans ; and (4) a sense of their essential and broad mercifulness.       Warfield, B. B. (2013-11-13). Faith & Life (Kindle Locations 66-67). GLH Publishing. Kindle Edition.

Warfield beautifully explains the curriculum of God’s school as it can be applied to Elijah and to ourselves.  Though I encourage to get and read the book Faith and Life by Warfield I’d like to sent some time reflecting of the four things God was teaching Elijah as they might be applied to our lives.

Keep in mind that Warfield has explained the as far as we can tell from the record, Elijah was in a grueling course of “on the job training,”  He was learning as he went and the key thing to remember is the he “went.”  That is fundamental if not essential for all of us to understand.  “Following,” is the key to discipleship.  Not observing the Master, not evaluating the Master but following the Master is the key.  We will be taught when we need to be and as we need to be.  That is the promise we find again and again in the lives of God’s people in the Word.

The fist lesson, and the lesson that if not learned nullifies all the others is, I think, two fold.  First we must learn that God is dependable and second we much learn to depend upon Him.  Neither lesson is easy to truly learn.

Certainly we can see in the evidence of the Word that God has demonstrated His dependability.  But for many of us it is a dependability that is abstract.  We see that He is dependable in the lives of others but that’s no guarantee we will really see Him as dependable in our own lives.  It a tough thing to go from seeing God’s faithfulness to Israel to seeing His faithfulness to us - to ME.

One reason I think we struggle so much with that old, “I know He is faithful, but...” is that we are so very used to considering faithfulness in terms f big things that we miss the commonness of His faithfulness.  He is “commonly” faithful is so may mundane way that are so easy for us to ignore. It is in the really tough times when we discover both His faithfulness and our tottering dependence upon Him.

“God is dependable and I depend upon Him,’ is a great statement but really, ask yourself, how TRUE is that statement in your mind and heart?  Do you really believe that He is dependable?  Are you willing to surrender your plans, ideas, schemes, etc., and yield to His providence in all things?

I know I thought I was but I learned real quick how flighty my faith - my dependence - my trust in Him was.  The past year and a half have taught me just how unreasonable, prideful and self-absorbed my dependence upon Him was (and still is to some extent).  Nothing in the past year and a half has gone according to our plan and yet as we look back we can see that it certainly has gone according to someone’s plan - we of course assume it was His plan.

We have learned to calmly suffer chaos and confusion because we have see Him provide and direct in the midst of the chaos.  He didn’t make the chaos go away He simply acted within it to bring about blessings and peace.

So how do we grow in our dependence upon Him - upon the conviction that he is dependable?

Ahhh, well that’s for the future - we’ll get to it next.

On the job training....... 082114

On the job training………it’s part of how he grows us!

God in His use of Elijah for the teaching of Israel also found time to train the heart of the prophet himself.             Warfield, B. B. (2013-11-13). Faith & Life (Kindle Locations 47-48). GLH Publishing. Kindle Edition.

We all too often think in terms of process.  We look at a goal and the steps we believe we must take to meet it and proceed accordingly.  Such is especially the case in Christian service (or ministry if you prefer).

Now there is a real need to be trained and prepared for service and I would never endorse some, “God called me, I’m going, Yeeeehawww!” approach to ministry/service.  But neither do I believe it is good for young believers to sit and wait until they are “ready,” to serve before serving.  All too often I encounter believers who although they have a good fundamental grasp of “the Way,” (the Gospel life) sit quietly waiting until they are “ready,” lamenting their sense of uselessness in the Kingdom.

I am a firm believer in the old saying, “run what you brung.”  By that I mean that we all have to use what we have.  We can and should be serving within the boundaries of our knowledge and understanding.  That is how the gospel is spread and that is how we grow.

You can take a course, attend a seminar of even charge off to seminary but if you are “waiting” for some magic moment when some strange light of voice will inform you that you are ready you’ll spend a lot of time waiting.  This is such a waste of time, talent, knowledge and love.  It also contributed to the stagnation that often overtakes us because we just sit and do not to whatever little or much we can.

I have been blessed with people in my life who have challenged me to use what I have to serve however insignificant that might seem to me.  They have encouraged me to stretch myself within the limitations of my knowledge and experience to share what little or much I have to share.

We don’t have to wait until we have all the answers we just have to be careful and confident that the answers we have are correct and fall within the bounds of biblical orthodoxy.

Your lack of knowledge and experience will not be alleviated by sitting and waiting until you know it all ( or even most of it).  It will be alleviated as you use what you have and are challenged by what you don’t have.

I just want to encourage each of you, and challenge you as well, to use what you have to serve Him and to communicate the great and glorious good news of the gospel.  There are no “perts” when it comes to spiritual maturity so there are no “ex-perts.”  Though I encourage you to seek out tested and proven guides in both the flesh and in print DO NOT wait for some magic moment when somehow you feel you are ready.  “I don’t know, but I’ll find out,” is as good a response to a gnarly question as some deep theological answer. 

By using you what you do have you will discover what you don’t have and need to gain or acquire.  It is through the revelation of my ignorance that I have come to seek the knowledge I need for this day.  It is in confronting what I don’t know or understand that I am inspired to gain the knowledge and seek the understanding.

I short folks – don’t think that your lack of some deep theological/spiritual knowledge and insight is a reason to not serve – in Word of deed.  It does impose limitations but as you serve you will find those limitations ever shrinking.

You have the Words of Life – you may only have a few but God can do great things with those few  both in the lives you touch and your life as well.

Tetelesthai

Michael

Finger Thinking 081514

Well, we are in Midland, Texas which we suppose God intends to be our new home.  It was a tough road getting here but through the prayers, encouragement and support of “family” we made it safe and sound if not a little bedraggled.

What have we learned from this journey God has taken us on?  At least, what have we learned so far?

Certainly we have learned that God is faithful.  When we follow His lead, and we suppose we are doing so, He provides and protects.  There were so many times along the way when means and methods were unknown.  And there were times when we committed to “tough it out” in the flesh and He intervened with a solution.  He also provided the peace to pass through any glitches and upset we met along the way.

He provides and protects when we are yielded to His will and His way.  His way may be simple but never confuse that with easy.  Of course we’re the ones who really make it hard. We make our plans and projections and we make our assumptions and we charge ahead without really taking the time to pray and read the Word and reflect.  We certainly find it hard to seek godly counsel (Oh, my – you means share my trials and doubts?)

So far I’ve learned that, at least for me, it is important to be responsible and to make plans BUT I’ve got to leave the final outcome – even the process to Him.  Many things didn’t work out the way we thought they would.  BUT they did work out and are working out still.  So far all the “endings” have been blessed.

I’ve also learned that the Christian family that one builds – that may or may not be members of your particular “church” – are to be cherished and loved and cared for.  It is, at least in our case, through this “family” that God has so richly blessed this move, this great change in our lives.

We ARE very blessed to have such a wonderful “family” back in G’bo.  Through you God sustained us and through you God got us where we are.  We are humbled by your love and faithfulness and grateful for each of you and the part you played in getting us here.

We miss you and pray that from here we may continue to be a part of your lives and growth - just as we hope you will be part of ours.  We refuse to close the page on G’bo.  There is just too much of us still there for us to be able to turn the page much less start a new book.

I hope in the coming days to write for you like I used to and that you and I will be blessed by the interchange.  You are missed, you are loved.

"No more of this!"

"No more of this!"  Jesus

Recorded in all four Gospels, there is just something about this incident that fascinates me.  What I am writing is not history but rather it is about a moment in history that, I believe, is more important than we think.  But for the providence of God, everything could have gone south in these moments..

Really read these passages:

Matthew 26:47-54 ESV
While he was still speaking, Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a great crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the elders of the people. [48] Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, "The one I will kiss is the man; seize him." [49] And he came up to Jesus at once and said, "Greetings, Rabbi!" And he kissed him. [50] Jesus said to him, "Friend, do what you came to do." Then they came up and laid hands on Jesus and seized him. [51] And behold, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear. [52] Then Jesus said to him, "Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword. [53] Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? [54] But how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?"

Mark 14:43-45, 47-50 ESV
And immediately, while he was still speaking, Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders. [44] Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, "The one I will kiss is the man. Seize him and lead him away under guard." [45] And when he came, he went up to him at once and said, "Rabbi!" And he kissed him. [47] But one of those who stood by drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear. [48] And Jesus said to them, "Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me? [49] Day after day I was with you in the temple teaching, and you did not seize me. But let the Scriptures be fulfilled." [50] And they all left him and fled.

Luke 22:47-53 ESV
While he was still speaking, there came a crowd, and the man called Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them. He drew near to Jesus to kiss him, [48] but Jesus said to him, "Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?" [49] And when those who were around him saw what would follow, they said, "Lord, shall we strike with the sword?" [50] And one of them struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear. [51] But Jesus said, "No more of this!" And he touched his ear and healed him. [52] Then Jesus said to the chief priests and officers of the temple and elders, who had come out against him, "Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs? [53] When I was with you day after day in the temple, you did not lay hands on me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness."

John 18:3-11 ESV
So Judas, having procured a band of soldiers and some officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, went there with lanterns and torches and weapons. [4] Then Jesus, knowing all that would happen to him, came forward and said to them, "Whom do you seek?" [5] They answered him, "Jesus of Nazareth." Jesus said to them, "I am he." Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. [6] When Jesus said to them, "I am he," they drew back and fell to the ground. [7] So he asked them again, "Whom do you seek?" And they said, "Jesus of Nazareth." [8] Jesus answered, "I told you that I am he. So, if you seek me, let these men go." [9] This was to fulfill the word that he had spoken: "Of those whom you gave me I have lost not one." [10] Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest's servant and cut off his right ear. (The servant's name was Malchus.) [11] So Jesus said to Peter, "Put your sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?"
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Do you see "this"?  Is "this" clearer to you now?  Do you think you could see "IT" in your day to day life - the commonality of your Christianity.  Or do you just ignore "this" and and float through your day doing what you think appropriate?

Oh - what is "this?"  "This," is relying upon your understanding and ability to address life in all it's wonder and wounding's.

"This," is, though having many opportunities to grow in your knowledge and understanding, being content to remain in ignorance and to operate by what you "feel" or "think" and not upon the truth which is available for the taking.

"This" is that bad habit we have ot thinking God needs our help with anything.
"This" is engaging "our" solution and not waiting upon the Lord to lead.
"This" is fighting a spiritual battle with fleshly weapons.
"This" is trying to "make up for" one error with a worse one (or one at all).
"This" is wacking off an ear trying to instigate a confrontation so, "things can come to a head."  (Attacking the "faith" those who oppose our faith.)

"This" is pride, hubris, vanity, ignorance, impetuosity, impulsiveness, arrogance, shallowness . . . .

"This," is sin.

Sinning Away Conviction

Sinning away conviction of sin.
In his book, Indwelling Sin in Believers, John Owen writes of the believer who, "sins away his conviction of sin."

I must admit that this was a source of very real conviction for me.  I reflected upon how often I catch myself engaged in something that one might consider a "little" sin with less conviction than I should have.  Maybe a book or a TV show or a movie.  Even the purchase of something that I delude myself into believing will bring some lasting satisfaction and meaning to my life.

I am confronted with the question, "How sensitive to sin and I - really?"  I have to admit that like many folks I don;t do well in my answer.  As James tells us, my desires create havoc in my soul that unfortunately is common enough to be dismissed unless directly confronted from outside.

This is due to several things not the least of which is an intentional examination of most of my life in the light of the Word and the Spirit.  What seems OK is most often not.  The law of grace loses it's power to restrain me because my mind is not fixed upon Him, His sovereignty and His calling.  I simply find it distressingly easy to let the "little" one's slip by.

Though these "sins" are (according to man;s measure) "little" they have the cumulative effect of numbing my heart to sin in general.  The old "everyone does it," or the "it's not a biggy," even "I'm redeemed and forgiven," are poor rationales for my failure in regards to these sins.

I have to make myself remember that if I had only committed the least of these "acceptable" sins Christ would have still had to suffer the horrors of their payment.  There only one acceptable payment for any and all sins but I, maybe like may of you, have a tough time keeping this in the front of my mind.

So I grow numb to conviction in an ever increasing way and find myself humiliated by greater lapses.  Lapses that would not have been so easy to make had i dealt honestly and directly with the "lesser" sins.

All this is to say that we must (ok, maybe it's just me) must do whatever is needful to become and remain sensitive to all sin in our lives.

This take intentional commitment and discipline.  It is hard and tedious work.  It looks a lot like legalism but though the law was fulfilled its use in our lives still stands.  Somehow I have to move from being a mere fan of Jesus to being a fanatic for His glory.

Sin is spelled  S-I-N not O-O-P-S!

It's a scary proposition to consider praying for a level of sensitivity to sin that truly honors God.  So much of what is our lives - my life - will have to be examined and re-evaluated.  So much will have to change - even what seems like the minutia.

But - gratitude demands it.  God expects it.  The Word and the Spirit enable it.  Who am I to refuse it?

Pray to see to what degree you may had sinned away some of your conviction of sin.

Where is your God?

Psalm 42:3 ESV
My tears have been my food day and night, while they say to me all the day long, "Where is your God?"

This is not jut a questions we are asked but if we are honest, we ask it ourselves - and often.

The question was put to David when he was sore oppressed and cast down (see verse 11).  It was meant cruely and tauntingly - an attempt to make his travail even worse than it was.

And how do we answer this?  When the unbeliever looks at our distress and concern and snidely asks the question how are we to respond?

Tha mistake we often make in answering this question (even for ourselves) is that we want an answer that will satisfy the flesh - will satisfy the taunters.  We have to accept that there is no answer that will be acceptable to them, no answer even for our own flesh either.

The truth is that God is with us regardless of our condition and circumstances.  The truth is that God, in His gracious and merciful providence is always working for our good.  But apart from His assuraance of this we rarely have "proofs."  We have no demonstration apart from the sustinance of the Spirit and the faith He gives us with which to respond.

Psalm 22:7-8 ESV
All who see me mock me; they make mouths at me; they wag their heads; [8] "He trusts in the LORD; let him deliver him; let him rescue him, for he delights in him!"

Mockingly the world, the flesh and the devil wil seek to drive us to question the promises of God and the goodness of God.  They will seek to get us into an arguement we can not win on their terms.  But that is what they want.  They want me, a believer, to prove to them, a God-hating unbeliever, that God is real and good.  What a waste of time that is!

Even when the mocker is my own flesh - there is no arguement I can gve that will satisfy.  Oh, I can roam all over scripture pointing out the great examples of God's goodness and care for those who are His but the flesh - the world - the devil will never agree to these evidences - never admit I have won.

"Where is your God?"  Is a cruel hoax of a question seeking to draw us into their realm on their terms.  All we can say will never be enough.  And that being so we tend to get frustrated and anxious ans doubt seems to grow in our hearts.  We feel the weight of that fear of man that so pervades our hearts and minds.  We feel small and insignificant and useless.

The only response we can make to these cruel and useless taunts is that which David makes, prayer.  Prayer for those who taunt and prayer for our own strength and faithfulness.  The world, the flesh and the devil simpy want to engage us in a useless arguement to distract us from the duties and graces of the faith.  They don;t want an answer and there is no answer they will accept.

Brothers and sisters let us not allow "them" to distract us with their taunts and silly questions.  Let us give a kind answer but a true one.  That our God is always with us and has promised to be so forever.  Let us also be wise and serpents and innocent as doves as we engage the enemy - with a kind word and love.  You can't pursuade a blind man that blue is blue or a dead man that the sun is up.

Freedom, Contentment, Presnce Part 5

Freedom, Contentment, Presence  Part 5
Fini

Hebrews 13:5-6 ESV
Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." [6] So we can confidently say, "The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?"


"I will not fear, what can man do to me?"

The fear of man is probably one of the most common sins that keeps us from breaking through from covetousness to contentment.  "What will other people think?" "What will others say?"

We covet the approval or others and we are not content to be different.  We want to fit in, to be a part of so we fear not fitting in or being a part of.  We fear what people might say to us and of us.  We fear that if we truly plant our feet for God we will be odd - peculiar - and hence be maligned and rejected.

Uhhhhhh - what part of the cost of discipleship did you not get?  Did no one tell you that being rejected and maligned was part and parcel of the Christian walk?  Did no one tell you that you have to REJECT the world to gain heaven?   Being His means you are none of the world's.  We are to be in and not of the world - but the cost is great and it can be painful.

What can man do to you if indeed you begin to grow from covetousness to contentment?  Reject you?  And why would you want to be accepted by those who wouldreject your growth in HIm, those who even reject Him?  Why do we need that new suit or that new dress?  Is it because the old are not wearable any more?  Are the old rent and torn and unmendable?  Then perhaps we do NEED those new clothes.  Do we need that new anything?  Do we even need the "thing" we have?

Christ came for one, to set us free - free from the penalty of sin - free from the power of sin but not from the presence of sin.  So He gave us His presence in the Holy Spirit as a counselor and comforter - one who comes alongside to help.  But are we addressing those things in our lives for which we need His help?

We choose comfort over contentment and then we wonder why our walks seen so halting and short.  We wonder why we do not have the wind for the long haul.  We limp along.

We live lives of bondage and that bondage is by choice - the choice to follow our covetous desires and the common covetousness of our culture.  We are "wanting" oursevles into shallow, weak and ineffective lives in Christ.we are making the links in the chain that binds us to this world and the ways of this word.  And so the author of Hebrews adminishes us - indeed commands us:

Hebrews 13:5-6 ESV
Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." [6] So we can confidently say, "The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?"

Only in centering and building our lives on the gospel can we ever hope to fe free of covetousness, bound in contentment and living out the presence of the Lord in our hearts.

Oh, will you not see and allow the Spirit to convict your hearts of the covetousness in which you have become content and are bound by the fear of man.  Will you not let Him drive you to yur knees crying out for the freedom He provides?  Will you not repent of and reject the covetousness and face the rejection of man for your efforts?

Oh Lord, have mercy on me, a miserable sinner.

Freedom, Contentment, Presence Part 4

Freedom, Contentment, Presence  Part 4
Presence

Hebrews 13:5-6 ESV
Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." [6] So we can confidently say, "The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?"

So we can confidently say, "The Lord is my helper;...."

I find this part of the passage very convicting.  It's easy to pray for God to just change us - and he can - but it is all together a different thing to ask Him to be our helper.

The whole idea here is that I initiate the actions and efforts and God provides what I lack - He makes up the difference.  Be it great or small there is a gap in my ability to attain to what I want and God is the only one who can bridge that gap.  I must have His help!

And the writer says we can confidently say that the Lord is our helper!  This is ony possible becaue of who our Lord is.

Philippians 4:13 ESV
I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

Oh how often we use this verse and that without conviction.  It has become a by-phrase, a quick yet empty statement not because it isn't true but because we too often are found to be doing nothing.  We quote this verse as though it were some kind of magical incantation that would make things different without any effort on our part.

To move from covetousness to contentment is a great battle taking great effort on our part and demanding that He help us.  We can not - WILL not do it without His help.  To move from covetousness to contentment is too hard, to radical, too much for us to ever think we could do it without the help of God.

But - we must be the initiators - the actors - He the helper.  Why?  That is not a productive question and too often and excuse for inaction.  We must be active, energized for the fight.

First we must WANT to move from coveousness to contentment.
Second we must ACT to move from covetouness to contentment.
Third we must seek His POWER to move from covetousness to contentment.

We're very prone to do the third without the first two and they are critical to success.

The "want" needs to come from a firm conviciton of the sin of covetousness and a need for contentment.  Contentment is an oblgation, a duty of our faith.  He and He alone is to be sufficient for us.  If we are in Him and His Spirit is in us we are to be content.  This is not some super-spiritual option but a fundamental duty of every believer.  If we do not have a desire for contentment we are sinning - plain and simple.  A lack of contentment tells God that his provision is not enough - not good enough.  It is the mirror sin of ingratitude and murmuring.

Can you see how in the matter of covetousness and contentment the Lord's help is critical?  Can you see how we must submit to and depend upon Him as we take the appropriate actions to rid ourselves of covertousness and idolarty?  Are you grateful that he is indeed our helper in all things?

Freedom Contentment Presence Part 3

Freedom, Contentment, Presence  Part 3
Presence

Hebrews 13:5-6 ESV
Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." [6] So we can confidently say, "The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?"

"For he has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."

Luke 12:22-23 ESV
And he said to his disciples, "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. [23] For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing.

Luke 12:28-31 ESV
But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! [29] And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. [30] For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. [31] Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you.

Do we believe what our Lord has said?  Do we really?  Or do we believe this only when we are comfortable and at our ease?  Oh believer know you not that there is much great danger in comfort and ease?  Know you not that you risk much when your dependence strays from His promises, when you demand and aquire more than He would have you - and for reasons of satsfying yourself?

Is the great thing in your life the presence of Christ or is that presence obscured by the presence of possessions and covetousness?

Let me bunny trail here and plainly state that it is not just in plenty that we obscure His presence but we can do that when in need as well.  We can so focus on the need that we darken our ability to acknowledge and rejoice in His presence.

We must consider being free from the love of money-stuff, being content with what we have and the presence of Christ being inseperable and necessary to the life of the believer.  His promise to never leave us or forsake us needs to be seen in opposition to the love of money and lack of contentment.  They conflict one with another and ceate in the heart of the believe a raging torrent of grief - or at least I hope they do.

But there is one work here we must take seriously.  It is the word "FOR."

Reread the verse this way:
"Becasue he has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you," keep your life free from the love of money and be content with what you have."

Does that change your perspective just a little?  It is His presence and His non-forsaking of us that is the justification for freedom and contentment.

But, more importantly His promise of His presence and not to forsake us should be the core of our freedom and contentment.  He should be enough.  He and His promises are for ever.

Think on this oft used passage:

 1 John 2:16-17 ESV
For all that is in the world- the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions-is not from the Father but is from the world. [17] And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

The question we must ask is, "If someone looked at my life and how I use the blessings and mercies of God (especially money-stuff) could they tell I find freedom and contentment in His presence and promises?"

Oh Lord, deliver us again and again from the bondage of our corrupt natures that we might be free of idolatry and covetousness and content with using Your provision for Your glory and honor.  Father make the presence and promises of Your Son rise in my heart and indeed in my life.  Make me a simple satisfactory steward of all You entrust to me and keep me safe from myself, the world and the devil.  Let me not yield to the conventions and covetousness of my culture and to see everything You provide as a challenge to my faith and my heart.

Freedom, Contentment, Presence Part 2

Freedom, Contentment, Presence  Part 2
Contnetment

Hebrews 13:5-6 ESV
Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." [6] So we can confidently say, "The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?"

"And be content with what you have,"

First we get rid of the love of money-stuff and then (only then) can we begin to seek contentment with what we have.

But we do not have to wait for our freedom to be full.  When we cease to covent and act on that coveting we can also begin to reduce the clutter in our lives.  Look around your place - are you really content with all you have or is some of it convicting?

Does some of it make you feel foolish?  Does some of it show you your covetousness?  Does some of it make you, well, ashamed?

Can you answer the question, "Why do I have this and do I need it?"

OK - yes, you work hard and have a "right" to have nice things, to enjoy the fruit of your labor------MAYBE!  Maybe you have some culturally endorsed "right" but do you carry it too far?  Let me ask you this.  If you see a brother or sister in need how well fixed are you to really help them?  How much better could you care for those in need if you were content with less?  "Oh," you say, "I give to this and that cause and ministry and the church!"  Yes - many of you do but who gets the lion's share of the spoils?

1 John 3:17 ESV
But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him?

This closing of the heart takes place long before the need is ever seen.  Read Deut. 15 and watch as God's heart breaks for the poor.  Read it slowly and carefully and watch the corruption of covetousness bring God to finally and I believe tearfully conclude that we will always have the poor among us becasue we will NOT obey Him in regards to our money-stuff.

I have learned that covetousness can be a subtle enemy of contenment.  We buy just a little, we keep it simple and we do it often.  Doing it a little and often exposes our covetousness and our lack of contentment - two ends of the same stick.

But I wander.  Are you content with what you have?  No, not do you have enough? - Most of us have too much.  What I am trying to get you to ask is; Does what I have satisfy me, fulfill me or convict me?

What do you have that was bought through a covetous spirit?  What was indeed bought as an idol?  What do you have that was bought so you would feel better about yourself apart from God?  What do you have that you bought to show others how acceptable, successful and good you are?  How can you be "content" with these things still in your possession?  It is little different that Israel in the OT wanting to be like the nations around them so they began to aquire little idols and ended up worshipping alongside the Pagans.

Colossians 3:5 ESV
Put to death therefore what is earthly in you:sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.

I do not believe we can ever experience the contentment Christ would have us experience unless we work at "killing" the covetousness in our hearts.  So, if you indeed want to be content, covetousness - past - present and future has to be attacked with all our energy and all the help the Holy Spirit can give!

Let me ask something that I ask myself.  How can I be content when I am surrounded by things that are in truth idols?  Must I not cast them down - cast them out?  Must I not cleanse my home of these evil idols to money-stuff?

If that sounds silly, I'll pray for you.  If that sounds legalistic my heart breaks for you.  If there is a twinge of ache in your heart, a glimmer of conviction I thank my God for you and encourage you in casting down and out all the "idols" you have accumulated and surrounded yourself with.

Contentment can not compete with covetousness.  You must choose - and pray.  Contentment comes over time and through effort and is empowered by the Holy Spirit.

2 Corinthians 12:10 ESV
For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Philippians 4:11-13 ESV
Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. [12] I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. [13] I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

Freedom, Contentment, Presence Part 1

Freedom, Contentment, Presence Part 1
Freedom

Hebrews 13:5-6 ESV
Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." [6] So we can confidently say, "The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?"

Keep your life free from the love of money ----

Easily said - not so easily done.  Sure, we can talk about not loving money but money buys things and oh how we love our "stuff."  Money is just paper - until we exchange it for stuff ---  so perhaps we need to add "and stuff," to this admonition.

And the "love of stuff," is a tough one in our culture where the latest's i-phone is seen as a necessity and the newest car a need and -----well you know what I mean.

Look around your house or apartment - what of all the "stuff," you see there.  Did you need it when you bought it?  Do you need it now?  Or was it a "want it."

I (and I think most of us) are very very good at rationalizing a want into a need.  There are great things we can do with "it," we can do things so much better with "it."  We need "it" because - well, we need "it".  "It" will remind us of a time or an event, a trip, that we took since we will soon forget it.  "It" has a "special" meaning to us.  I just "had to have it."  "It" reminded me of you.

Yeah, we can have all kinds of reasons for loving money stuff.  And we all have to admit we have more stuff than we need - but not enough that we want (OUCH).

Not having money can be a real eye-opener as to how much we love money (stuff).  When money is scarce it is not unusual to get just a little bit "testy," about money and stuff.  WE can find ourselves resenting others their money-stuff.  We can begin to disparage the culture of "I want it and I want it now."  We can grow to hate instant gratification.  We can get envious and jealous of people we really care about because they have money-stuff and we don't.  There is nothing more sad than a person who is resentful and critical because they don't have money-stuff.

But note - we are the actors in this passage- "keep your lives."  There is something we are to do here.  We are to attain and "keep" a certain freedom - a freedom from the LOVE of money-stuff.  It is not money - it is not stuff - it is the love of money-stuff of which we are to be free.

How do we do that?

Mmmmmm that's a tough one.  First we have to see our love for money-stuff - our covetousness (which, by the way, is idolatry).  Are we willing to admit that we have such a love - even if we don't have the money to get the stuff?  Are we willing to see our covetous hearts and to repent and seek His power to kill that covetousness?  Are we willing to fight with His aid in changing the way we think and the way we see the world and all the "stuff?"

To keep our lives free we have to get our lives free - we can't just start where we are and go forward.  We have to dig deeply into our hearts and see how twisted and corrupted they have become in and from the world.  We have to - well, go backwards - that's what repentance is, a 180 degree turn.

That might mean we, like the rich young ruler, have to dump the stuff and give, or give the stuff.  This is NO easy thing - we get our "self-esteem" and all that other "self" stuff from what we have and what we don't have.  This repentance demands a complete change of focus - a change of center - a change of heart - and a radical one.

NOOOOOOOOOO do not just go crazy here.  This needs to be a well thought out move on your part not some willy -nilly whole sale dumping of all the stuff.  Slowly and mercifully we begin to divest ourselves of "I want = I need."  Until we do that no reduction of "stuff" will have any meaning - we'll just get more stuff.  We have to carefully accept (and prayerfully engage) a change of view about everything.

Do you NEED a new season wardrobe?  Do you NEED that new piece of jewelry?  Do you NEED that new suit, shirt, shoes - ad infinitum.

You see we must stop loving money-stuff before we can ever hope to address the stuff we have and do not need!  Just dumping stuff is futile if our hearts are not yielded to Him and resistant to the love of money-stuff

Getting a Grip when it all Hurts Part 5

Getting a Grip  When it all hurts  Part 5

1 Peter 5:6-11 ESV
Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, [7] casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. [8] Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. [9] Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. [10] And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. [11] To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Restore
Confirm
Strengthen
Establish

Do you want it - or not?

I ask that often.  Am I willing to suffer (for a little while) in order for God to bless me with these four mercies?  I take them as indesputable promises and so my answer is a weak but firm "yes."

I don't like the suffering part but I'm not sure we're supposed to like it anyway.  I do think that we are to keep the end in view - add everything up so we may:

James 1:2 ESV
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,

and let's not exclude:

James 1:3-4 ESV
for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. [4] And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Is this really what we want?  Or do we want to have a haven here instead of heaven there?  Oh how the love of the world smothers all our sense and sensibleness.  How the flesh warps and twists our hearts so that we desire the best here where it can never be available.  How poor and weak are we that we (and I mean WE) seek to live here without a deep desire for heaven.


We are so infected with the;
1 John 2:16
desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions-

We forget that all of this, "is not from the Father but is from the world."

We are promised food, clothing and shelter.  We are not promised what kind or how much.  And I am learning that I have too much and that this too much has trapped me in the world.  I am being restored, confirmed, strengthened and established in ways I never suspected. And were it not for the suffering we are experiencing I'd have probably never even seen it.  As we live close to poverty I see the real poverty under which we lived.  As needs grow larger and more un-meetable I see what my real needs are - to which I was blind.  As a sense of worldly failure overwhelms me I discover what true success is - must be.  As the world in my life slowly diminishes heaven grows larger and His mercies and blessing grow more and more grand.

Brother and sisters I encourage you to live in such a way that God does not need to teach by a hard lesson.  Live with little, fight the covetousness that so easily infects our feeble hearts.  Begin now to loosen your grip on the world so the world's grip on you may be loosened.  Fight the real fight - the fight to live in humulity and submission to Him.  Question every eyarning, every desire, every choice.  Examine every thought and inclination.

If you are suffering, you are not alone and probably your suffering pales in comparison to most -  But suffering, no matter how bad is suffering.  I pray for you that you will not suffer long and that you (and we) will soon be the joyous recipients of the mercies God promises in this verse.

Getting a Grip When it all hurts Part 4 040414

Getting a Grip  When it all hurts  Part 4

1 Peter 5:6-11 ESV
Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, [7] casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. [8] Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. [9] Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. [10] And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. [11] To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

[10] And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.

"After a little while."  How long is a little while?  How long?  As we count time a little while is days - but when days pass it is weeks but when weeks pass it is months and on it goes.  God counts time differently and we have to get a grip on that!  But He does mean a little while.

Several years ago I got sick.  Noone could tell what was wrong.  It was just a matter of a few weeks but it seemed like forever.  Every minute was longer - every hour lasted 2 - every day seemed to be 48 hours long.  A little while seemed like ages.

Hopelss, in pain, high anxiety and loosing weight at an alarming rate every second seemed an eternity.  But it was just a few weeks.  A little while.

God counts time differently and His timetable does not run like ours.  His timetable, I believe, runs on our receptiveness to His work in our lives.  Why did Joseph have to be in prison as long as He was, what's up with 400 in Egypt?  Why did Jesus only have 3 years of ministry?  What's up with God and time?

I don't know.  But I do know that in this passage Peter uses "a little while," and I will take Him at his word on that.

Regardless of how long this little while is - isn't it worth the promise of restoration, confirmation, strength and being established?  Is the promise worth waiting through the period of provision.

Perhaps if we could come to see suffering as a period of provision we might do better than we do.  God is never idle and in our suffering He is at work within us and in His creation.  He CAN change things in an instant - He CAN change us in and instance - but except for a rare occurance we just don't see Him doing that in His Word - so can we really expect to be the exception to the norm?
A little while - it can be a tough little while if we are not believing that what is promised is behind the time and circumstance.  We can't know what the restoration, confirmation, strength and being established will look like.  Things may well be very different from what we desire or expect but a promise is a promise - right?  And is it not the promise that should guide us in counting the moments.  Should our "time anxiety" really be a strong expectation for His work to be done and for us to come to that moment of restoration, confirmation, strength and being established?

We live in a, "When you absolutely, positively need it overnight," world.  We want next day shipping from God.  We want it and we want it now.  But when we will come to see that this is not how God always works?  When will we see that for whatever good reason He works in His creation within our time.

Getting a Grip When it all hurts Part 3 040314

Getting a Grip  When it all hurts Part 3

1 Peter 5:6-11 ESV
Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, [7] casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. [8] Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. [9] Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. [10] And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. [11] To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Ver 7 - enough said. LOL

What can I say that this passage does not say?

The hard part is doing it.  You see this is not like bouncing a ball off a wall where you cast it and it comes back.  It's not like fishing where you cast your lure and reel it back in.  This is like pasta.  You cast it and it sticks to the wall!

He wants us to cast our anxieties - those emotions, feelings, senses - whatever you want to call them, on Him.

This ties into humility because we cast our anxieties on Him (and that which produces anxiety) because we realize that we can't fix it.  That is the humility component -!  It is NOT giving up.  It is NOT sitting in the corner rocking back and forth.  It is not an, "Oh to Hxxx with it."  It is not an, "I quit."  It is a beseeching of Him to take from us those emotions (?) which we call anxiety and to give us a peace based solidly upon -- wait for it ---  the FACT that He cares for us.

It is NOT a, "Let go and let God," giving up in the circumstances.  It is a calling upon Him to join Himself more deeply to our hearts and minds so that we have a sense of peace and comfort even in the midst of anxiety producing circumstances.

Now remember - we are weak and the flesh is irritatingly strong so we sill do the fishing thing.  We'll cast our lure our there for a while (cast our anxieties on Him) and then after a period of no nibbles (the circumstances continue) we'll reel that anxiety right back in.  The we'll cast it out again and again and again.  Folks, I think He wants us to fish with a float and not do all that casting.  He wants us to cast out our line and let it sit - watching the float closely for the nibble.

Anxiety is a terrible debilitating thing.  For some of us it is deadly.  But we do have recourse to Him.  We can cast it upon Him and leave it there - let Him deal with it.

Now there is the anxiety and the circumstances that cause the anxiety and we need to cast both upon Him.  We don't let go of what we can and should be doing but we ask Him to take the stress and pain and anxiety upon Himself - to lift it from our hearts and minds, to protect us from all the imaginings that create the anxiety.

Now I need to briefly address my brothers and sisters who suffer from what is called anxiety disorders.  That simply means that your anxiety - which is probably based on something legitimate - is disorderly - out of proportion - out of control.  Many of you have medication to help you deal with it and count that a mercy and a blessing.  BUT don't count it as the cure or answer!  It is neither.  It is a blessing that should be used and appreciated and respected.  It should be used as needed and when and how you need it is something you have to take responsibility in and for.

There are many ways of dealing with anxiety besides medication and I'll tell you, if you're not using them along with your meds - you're being silly and not smart.  There are relaxations techniques, long walks, talking to yourself, prayer, reading scripture --- all these and more are great aids to dealing with anxiety.  Use them as you use your medications - silly.  The pill is NOT magic.  We all KNOW that it simply calms the anxiety for a while.  Making use of ALL stress and axiety relievers is critical.  They are all asnwers to the problem!  Use as many as you can and see if you can't slowly and gently reduce the frequency and number of meds you need to use.  BUT DO NOT just quit them for some strange and convoluted pseudo-biblical reason - they - their use - is not sin.  PS:  I KNOW what I'm talking about.

Ok - so much for that.

Jesus wants us to bring to Him all that we need and all that distresses us and He wants us to trust Him with it.  Sure, our flesh will want to play tug-or-war with our anxieties and that's OK - we just need to push them back on Him.  Prayer-The World and the Body of Christ are the keys to helping us accomplish this.  

Getting a Grip When it all hurts Part 2

Getting a Grip  When it all hurts Part 2

1 Peter 5:6-11 ESV
Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, [7] casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. [8] Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. [9] Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. [10] And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. [11] To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.


And what are we to do when it all hurts?  Peter admonishes us to humble ourselves.  Well friends when you've feeling humiliation you can't risk confusing that with humbling.

Humiliation is quite simply of the world, the flesh and the devil.  Humiliation uses the world's standards to judge.  Humiliation springs from deep in the murky recesses of our not yet completely pure hearts.  Humiliation is an affliction from Satan fed by the world and enhanced by the flesh.  Humiliation is sin - insidious sin that Satan wants to inject into our lives to blind us to God's grace and mercy and to keep us from humbling ourselves under God's mighty hand.  Now - even that's a toughie.

Humbling ourselves - why did Peter have to say it that way?  Have you ever tried to humble yourself? It is not easy and lasts but a moment.  I find that when I kneel before God to humble myself all my flesh jumps to the front with all these great ideas about what I can to to relief the suffering.  If not that then my mind runs to all the ways God ought to fix the situation.  Humbling yourself is really really hard.

And yet, under Gods mighty hand, we are told to do just that. I don' t know about you but I think Peter knew well that humbling one's self was something one has to do over and over and over and over and ---well you get my point.

Humbling one's self is not some complex process - it's a hard one but not complex.  You simply (as a friend of mine told me) sit quietly and ask God to do the work.  As He works and the flesh rebels - stay calm - keep asking - repent of sins that aise in your mind - rebuke those self-driven thoughts - reject all those great ideas of yours.  My friend would simply go into the woods near his house, sit on a log and pray, "Lord, it's Travis," and then sit quietly waiting for his mind and heart to slow down and then he would begin to talk.

The, God's mighty hand, part of the passage gives me pause.  Does it mean that God is pressing me down with His hand or does it mean that His mighty hand is covering me, protecting me?   I would go with the latter although my flesh votes for the former.  In suffering it is hard to sense God's hand protecting you and easy to think that He is crushing you.  But does God really crush His people.  Even Job in all his sufferiing was not crushed and God's mighty hand was protecting him (see Job 1 and 2).  In all Job suffered God would allow Satan to only go so far and no further.

So it is, I believe, with us.  His mighty hand covers us -protecting us from anything that would crush and drive us from Him.

But we have to humble ourselves and I believe that means that we do what we can do and leave the rest to Him.  I've said many times, "When you have done all you can the rest is for God to do."  Of course we have to have a good definition of "all we can."

Now having said that I have to say that what we do - what we can do must be what he would have us do.  This quite simply demands three things of us.  First we must pray and I mean PRAY - It's not easy to pray when we are suffering but we have to - I've had to - fight through all the distractions to just pray.  But we must - well - demand that He do what only He can as we go about what we can do.  We need Him to both lead us and stop us.  We need to do what is in His will and not do that which is not - and this takes prayer!

Second, to humble ourselves under His hand, we must be in His word.  Here we will find everything we need to fill ourselves with a greater understanding of His will and His ways.  This is critical!  We must fill our minds with His truth - NOT just the usual happy verses but with the whole of His word.  We need to read the prophets to see any wayward way in ourselves.  We need to read the first five books to see His hand in the lives of real people who really suffered.  We need to read the Psalms and poetry to have our minds and hearts schooled in prayer and filled with hope.  We need to be reading the Gospels where we see God in the midst of real people as a real man.  We need the Epistles so that we understand, appreciate and live out the faith that saves us.

Third, to humble ourselve s we need the Body of Christ.  Yeah, I know, the first thing we think about is being embarrassed, being a burden, being a pain, being, "That guy."  But it is through the Body of Christ that God works in the lives of His people and so we must partake of God's provision.  All too often when we are suffering we want to lie and act as if everything was OK when it is anything but.  When we do this we lie - it's just that simple.  And that lie will crush us and keep us from God's providence through His Body.

Humility and humiliation - the first is a mercy the second a sin.  The first is of God, the second is of the world, the flesh and the devil.  The first will help you the second will harm you.  The first is life the second is death.  Finally the first will relieve the second.

Just a little while ago I was talking ith a guy I know from Caribou and we were sharing what ws going on in our lives.  I shared mine and Patti's situation and our concerns.  As we continued talking he said,  "Wait a minute."  Then he took $5 form his walllet and said, "The least I can do is buy you a cup of coffee."  Humiliating?  It should have been and almost was but God comforted my heart and I accepted the money.  Am I struggling with this even?  You bet I am.  It was embarassing and humiliating and --but it really was God's mercy and grace in a moment of time that I should cherish and take great comfort in - even if it is hard.

Humble yourself -- please.

Getting a Grip 01 In Him

Getting a Grip 01 In Him

Psalm 44:6 ESV
For not in my bow do I trust, nor can my sword save me.


As I read this verse this morning I was struck by how often I do trust in my bow and/or my sword.  It's a really bad habit for me and is a constant issue in my prayers.  I think I can - and that I can without His help.

It's like I want to show Him how I can do things without Him.  A lot of it is the old "Look at me Daddy," needs we grow up with.  I want Him to be proud of me and to see me do (on my own) amazing things.  I don't think it is as much rebellion as it is immaturity, an echo of a childhood of never being good enough.

Do you know what I mean?

I titled this Getting a Grip becasue this is something (among others) we all need to get a grip on.  We need to have Him bring us to the place where we can accept and be comfortable with our every present NEED for Him.

It's is not a matter of inability - we all have abilities - but rather it is a matter of recognizing and accepting that serving Him is a cooperative effort.  We bring what He has gifted us with and He makes it accomplish what He wants the way He wants.  It is about using our talents to bring the glory to HIm.  Perhaps we could say it's a, "Look at God folks," thing.

I am too full of myself too often.  I want God (or at least I act like I do) to sit and watch me do for Him and have Him applaud.  But I am learning that although He does value all I do for Him, if I do it on my own it may be good and nice but it will always be, in some way, deffective and deficient.

 John 15:5 ESV
I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

We make much of being branches but too often we act as though we were vines.  It is only in being attached to the vine that allows the brach to be fruitful.  What a branch produces apart form the mine is simply kindling for the fire.  That's a tough thing to realize and accept but it is true.

We want to glorify God in all we do but we can't do that until we are willing to accept that He glorifies Himself in and through us.  He needs no help - but graciously allow us to be a part of His workings.  We need the humility, the awareness and the willingness to be second fiddle.  It's hard work and takes consistant watching and prayer.  But in those moments when we are indeed being branches we have a sense of it.  As we work we see the fruit and revell in it - it's His fruit but He used us in producing it.

John 15:5 ESV
I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

I read this verse and the last part always strikes me.  I find myself rewriting it - for  my own benefit - to make the point to myself.  Here's my version:

"Apart from me, anything you do, is nothing."

That's an "ouch" but isn't it true.  Isn't everything - anything we do apart from Him simple self-loving attempts to get noticed?  Are not our attempts to show God we can do it on our own subtle attempts to show Him we don't really think we need Him (ouch).

I recommed you commit to memory two verses.  Of course one if John 15:5 and the second is:

Philippians 4:13 ESV
I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

Use these as book-ends for your prayers and planning. Stay between these two hedges - on the right path.

Do nothing - Do all things.

Which would you prefer?

Making the Most 05 The "rest" of the Lord's Day 032913

Making the Most
of the means of grace
05
5.  The "rest" of the Lord's Day

Sunday, the Lord's Day, the one day of the week we are to gather together and come before the Lord to worship and praise His name as a Body.  The Puritains were very strict about the Lord's Day and perhaps they had a valid point.  For them is was to be treated much like the Jewish Sabbath and to be a day of prayer and reflection.

But today it's a day mostly used to get stuff done around the house, to be entertained, to do for ourselves.  No, it is not to be some legalistic, cold and dry time nor is it to be considered a part of any works righteousness but isn't it to be more than just a day for our own interest and pleasures?

Don't we really need one day in seven when we can fight off all the distractions and diversions and focus on the Lord, to really "rest" in Him?  Can we be disciplined enough to set aside all the concerns and interests that keep our minds off of Him and simply relax in His goodness and grace?  Does it not seem right that we sacrifice one day of "me" to have a day for "Him?"

I mentioned the way the Jewish people would have counted days, from sunset to sunset, in the last blog.  Could we not begin to train ourselves to do the same.  Could we not begin to focus on His worship and His rest at sunset Saturday and set aside the mundane and common things of life until sunset Sunday?  Do we think we would really be losing anything by such an effort and practice?

Bible reading, prayer, spiritual discussions, faith related DVD's and programs are all means to keep our focus on Him and His grace for a mere 24 hours.  Would this not revolutionize our lives?  Of course it would and the blessings of doing so would be great.

The Lord's Day is meant for us to rest in Him.  And we all have to admit we need that rest - that rest in Him.  We need to have a time when we intentionally let go of our little worlds and cling to the hem of His garment.  Coming to Him on such a regular and disciplined basis will relieve us of much of the running to Him we have to do in a crisis.

This is not an easy thing to do.  It takes commitment and discipline and the mercies of the Holy Spirit but when done it will produce a greater sense of His peace and presence.  It's not some drab and monkish practice but rather a joyous giving on one day to Him and the things of His Kingdom.  One day, just one day.

The means of grace are great gifts He has provided so that we may consistently be growing in Him.  They are, well, essential practices He has given us so that we may facilitate, to whatever degree our efforts can, our being conformed to His likeness.  They are indeed means of grace -- and growth -- and hope -- and love.

Let me encourage you to begin making use of these means.  Seek the power of the Holy Spirit in making them an integral part of your life.  Accept the gifts and learn to enjoy them.

Finally, if you decide to indeed take up the means of grace I encourage you to follow the advise of one of the Puritain fathers.

"Do it as you can in order that yoou might do it better."

God bless you and keep you.

Making the Most 04 The Lord's Supper 032714

Making the Most
of the means of grace
04

4.  The Lord's Supper

I won't even try to get into the issues surrounding the exact nature of the Lord's Supper.  Not only are they too broad for this brief devotion but they are pretty much too deep for me.

Let us lean on Paul for our understanding:

1 Corinthians 11:23-26 ESV
For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, [24] and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, "This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me." [25] In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me." [26] For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.

For me the key to the grace of the Lord's Supper is found in with phrase, "in rememberance of me."

This rememberance is not just about His death though Paul focuses us on that in verse 26.  Rather I think that it is a broader rememberance which encompasses all of what it means to be the Christ, the Promised One, the Redeemer.

This would take us all the way back to Genesis and the promise to Eve.  It would include the Exodus, David's reign, the Prophets, John the Baptist and so very much more.  The rememberance should overwhelm us as it stems all of the history of redemption and not just three years of ministry.

This rememberance is created by the Word, understood better through prayer and is indeed an act of Worship.  Now we see how the "means of grace" work together supporting and enhancing one another.  They are five pillars if you will upon which we build and which build one another.

But back to our "rememberance."  It is a shame that we have so little time in worship for remembernance.  The plate and cup are passed and it's over in just a few moments.  Hardly time to remember anything.

That is why I suggest strongly that we prepare prior to even getting to the worship meeting.  We all usually know when we will celebrate supper and so we can all prepare for partaking as we prepare for worship.
Now I'm going to get wierd.  The Jews counted days from sunset to sunset and this was certainly critical in their preparation for their Sabbath rest and worship.  Let me suggest that we consider emmulating them at least one day a week.  Let our "Sabbath" or Lord's Day begin at sunset on Saturday and run till sunset on Sunday.

My rational is simple.  Let us prepare for worship the night before, especially when we know we will be partaking of the Lord's Supper.  I know we are used to Saturday being "our" day but maybe we can plan it better and use the evening more productively.

*NO - I'm not trying to create a new "law" just a new and beneficial habit.

The Lord's Supper, the rememberance of His redeeming us, the proclamation of His death with the promise of His return should never be a common endeavor.  It is not a "magical" moment but it is in a sense a mystical moment.  It is, at least for me, the moment when I desire all of me to be focused on Him, what he accomplished and what He has promised.  I can't really do that in the typically all too brief "communion service," but I can do that ahead of time so that in those few moments whenI am actually partaking I am truly remembering Him.

Let us take very seriously Pau's admonition:

1 Corinthians 11:27-29 ESV
Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. [28] Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. [29] For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself.

Prepare, oh dearest brothers and sisters, prepare your minds and hearts for those moments when you are partaking.  Do not allow your partaking to be just an act in the moment but make good use of the time before - the night before - to set yoour mind and heart on Him and all there is to remember.

Making the Most Prayer 02 032714

Making the Most
of the means of grace
02

2.  Private prayer

This is not just "private" prayer - it is penetrating prayer.  It is prayer that calls upon God to show us, not just Himself, but our selves as well.  It is prayer that cuts through all the "I want," "I need," "Please give," and gets down to the, "have mercy upon me a sinner."

Most of us know the acronym ACTS
Adoration
Confession
Thanksgiving
Supplication

Now there nothing wrong with this as a reminder of the components of prayer but I think if falls short of the whole of it.  There is no explicit "letter" for seeking God's exposure of our hearts.  It's easy to run through these parts of prayer without ever seeking God's exposure of our true and hidden spiritual needs - the nitty gritty.  There is no depth demanded and I suspect (for I find it true in me) that there is no depth sought.

Prayer is, fundamentlly, a conversation - a two way conversation.  Certainly we ought go to God with the common and even mundane requests that we are aware of but to do this and only this is perhaps a great waste of a great opportunity.

Most of our private prayers could be prayed in public with little alteration.  They are shallow and halt - usually.  Private prayer, as the Puritains saw it, was deep, gut wrenching, no-holds-barred, open your soul and heart and seek to expose the deepest of corruptions kind of prayers.  They were blood-sweating prayers.  They were prayers for holiness and righteousness of life - here now - for Him.

Oh, we may get close to that when we pray the "C" (confession) but God desires so much more of and for us and we must dig deeply into prayer to touch it.  David asked God to "test," or "try" his heart to see if there was any wicked way in him.  That's "any" wicked way not just the easily seen and comfortably remembered evil ways that we are at ease acknowledging.

I think sometimes that we are too comfortble in our redemption and justification.  We wear it more tike a windbeaker than a heavy coat.  What I mean is that we are more than willing to see our easy sins and rejoice in their forgiveness but we are rarey willing go dig deep into the cold and dark recesses of our souls to find what the Puritains called "heart sins" or the sins under the sins that are uder the sins.  We fail to ask to see the utter corruption for which Christ came and suffered.

Private prayer is the time when we need to be digging deep.  We need to be seeking God's exposure of just how badly we need Christ - just how very very much we need Him.  It's the place where we drop the "I'm not so bad," approach to our sin and cry out to see exactly how "bad" we really are.

PS
Are these posts of any benefit to you?  If they are or are not I would like to hear from you. Your input and/or encouragement would be a blessing and mercy.  You can comment on the blog page of, if you want, you can email me at sheepdog.ms@gmail.com.

Bless you for your help!
Michael