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.