MORE....
2 Corinthians 1:3-5 ESV
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, [4] who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. [5] For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.
Comfort. A curious thing. What we are comforted by in affliction can be as varied as the afflictions themselves. Though the comforts God provides are "common" like the trials we face, they like our afflictions, are quite intimate and individual. Certainly, we may all be comforted by all the promises in the Gospel we are also comforted by unique and very personal mercies.
In affliction we need to examine not only the affliction but we need to examine or look for that which brings us comfort. The danger we face is in comforting the flesh instead of the spirit. We talk of "comfort" food which my make us feel better but usually does little for our health and certainly does nothing for our spirit. We need to be very careful to examine what comforts us and we need to begin by asking if indeed it is a comfort from God.
The world, the flesh and the devil will always seek to take advantage of us when we are under affliction. When we are weak and most prone to lean on our own strength and wisdom that unholy three will do everything they can to lead us into comforts that are really no comfort at all. They seek to trap us into accepting counterfeit comforts which only serve to make our affliction worse and lead us to feel even further away from the Lord.
God's comforts are not primarily about making us "feel" better but rather they are intended to strengthen our faith and bring peace to our hearts. God wants us to lean upon Him all the time and especially in times of affliction. Indeed, the very purpose of many afflictions is to bring us back under His care, leaning on His provision. His comforts are intended for our growth, our perseverance and not necessarily for us to feel better. If they are to make us "feel" anything, it is confidence, strength, hope, love, etc.
God's comforts are, well, godly. They are part and parcel of His holiness and our sanctificaton.
Jesus asks:
Matthew 7:9-11 ESV
Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? [10] Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? [11] If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
This is as applicable to comforts as it is to any other prayer request we may make. Of course I would ask, which one of you, if his son asks for a serpent will give him one? In other words, there are times, and I suspect many times, when what we are praying for what we think is a "fish" is in truth a serpent.
James writes:
James 4:3, 7 ESV
You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.
Comfort is not always about feeling better. That is a tough truth but a safe one. We have to pray hard that our hearts and minds will be open and receptive to the comfort that God would send and not demand what we believe will comfort us. We need, as I have said, to examine what we believe will comfort us to see if it is godly and according to His will.
Will it draw me closer to Him. Will it bring honor to His name? Will it contribute to my growing more like Christ. Is this a godly comfort,
In all affliction James' admonition is paramount:
James 4:7 ESV
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
In affliction our only and best hope is to submit ourselves to God, accepting the affliction as from Him and seeking how we may glorify Him in it. This will go a long way to enable us to seek, receive and ackowledge the comfort He provides and not seek those comforts which are counterfeits, traps.
What comforts you? What do you seek in affliction? Do you cry out to God for the comfort He wants you to have, do you submit yourself to His will? What comforts you?
Showing posts with label afflicted. Show all posts
Showing posts with label afflicted. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 15, 2016
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
Broken Hearts and Bruised Souls 032514
Broken Hearts and Bruised Souls
032614
There are, in every congregation brothers and sisters who live with broken hearts and bruised souls. They sit quietly, usually alone in the back, pray haltingly and have a look of deep yearning on their faces.
They long to have a sense of being a part of the body but they sense that their "difference" somehow excludes them. They are alone in the crowd and being in the crowd makes their loneliness even greater. They sit and even with a frozen smile on their faces they weep rivers of tear inside.
I'm writing about the melacholy (depressed), the Bi-polar, those who suffer anxiety disorders and the like. They live in our world and go to our churches and yet they never have a sense of being a part of any of it.
Shame is a big part of their lives. They can't run, do, work or even feel as other do and so they have a sense of being aliens and strangers in a way you can only imagine.
They look OK, they even socialize ok but the cost of doing either or both is great. One hour in church and they are exhausted, they feel rode hard and put up wet. They are drained and so their hearts and souls ache regardless of the joy and hope that is theirs.
Imagine waking up each morning with a sense that your life is not worth living. Imagine waking up each morning terrified of what evil or difficulty might come your way. Imagine feeling like every odd look is an accusation, a confirmation of your difference. Imagine yearning for heaven more to escape your life than to be with the Lord.
These are broken hearts and bruised souls. These are some of the bruised reeds and smoldering wicks Jesus promised to not break or snuff out. But even that assurance does little to aleviate the pain and ache of being so very different and trying to fit in.
"Hi, my name is Fred and I want to die." Think about having that thought several times a day. Think about having to resist introducing yourself that way. Think about having that feeling and not being able to tell anyne about it. No, I don't mean they want to kill themselves, few do; but they live with a tension that tears at their hearts and souls every minute of every day.
No one understands except their counselor and even they are clueless apart from their objective clinical training. Their pastor does not understand. Their famiies do not understand. Worst of all, they do not understand.
Imagine having a wonderful blessing happen to you. You know it's a blessing. You see God's hand in it and yet instead of lifting your heart and soul you find yourself fighting a downward spiral. What would lift another up casts you down.
Imagine yearning for relief you know, short of a miracle, will not come. Imagine happiness making you sad, joy terrifying you and kindness seeming like condecention - pity of the pathetic.
Imagine having to live your life in your head because if you let it our people will flee. Imagine fighting every moment to just hang on and not give up. Imagine just wanting to sit in a darkened room until life fades away.
These bruised reeds need to be able to be who they are and live in the open. They need to be understood and their condition must be appreciated as real and terrible. They dont need pampering but they need to be able to speak their pain to someone(s) other than the folks they have to pay to listen.
They desperately need to have others understand that for them, their condition is as normal as it gets. Yes, they need sound biblical encouragement and admonishment and lots of other good and godly input. But most of all they need to be accepted, embraced.
Being a part of the life of a bruised reed is tough, trying and costly. Which is why so few of us are willing to be a part of their lives. They can be demanding and depressing, frustrating if not infuriating but that's more a factor of our limitations than their condition. It is more a part of our wanting to be comfortable and at our ease instead of involved in a messy ministry.
No, we are not all called to minister to these beautiful bruised reeds but we are all commanded to love them and they take a different kind of love. None of us are exempt from loving them up close and personal.
Fear keeps us at a distance and fear causes them to withdraw. Perfect love casts out fear - right or maybe?
032614
There are, in every congregation brothers and sisters who live with broken hearts and bruised souls. They sit quietly, usually alone in the back, pray haltingly and have a look of deep yearning on their faces.
They long to have a sense of being a part of the body but they sense that their "difference" somehow excludes them. They are alone in the crowd and being in the crowd makes their loneliness even greater. They sit and even with a frozen smile on their faces they weep rivers of tear inside.
I'm writing about the melacholy (depressed), the Bi-polar, those who suffer anxiety disorders and the like. They live in our world and go to our churches and yet they never have a sense of being a part of any of it.
Shame is a big part of their lives. They can't run, do, work or even feel as other do and so they have a sense of being aliens and strangers in a way you can only imagine.
They look OK, they even socialize ok but the cost of doing either or both is great. One hour in church and they are exhausted, they feel rode hard and put up wet. They are drained and so their hearts and souls ache regardless of the joy and hope that is theirs.
Imagine waking up each morning with a sense that your life is not worth living. Imagine waking up each morning terrified of what evil or difficulty might come your way. Imagine feeling like every odd look is an accusation, a confirmation of your difference. Imagine yearning for heaven more to escape your life than to be with the Lord.
These are broken hearts and bruised souls. These are some of the bruised reeds and smoldering wicks Jesus promised to not break or snuff out. But even that assurance does little to aleviate the pain and ache of being so very different and trying to fit in.
"Hi, my name is Fred and I want to die." Think about having that thought several times a day. Think about having to resist introducing yourself that way. Think about having that feeling and not being able to tell anyne about it. No, I don't mean they want to kill themselves, few do; but they live with a tension that tears at their hearts and souls every minute of every day.
No one understands except their counselor and even they are clueless apart from their objective clinical training. Their pastor does not understand. Their famiies do not understand. Worst of all, they do not understand.
Imagine having a wonderful blessing happen to you. You know it's a blessing. You see God's hand in it and yet instead of lifting your heart and soul you find yourself fighting a downward spiral. What would lift another up casts you down.
Imagine yearning for relief you know, short of a miracle, will not come. Imagine happiness making you sad, joy terrifying you and kindness seeming like condecention - pity of the pathetic.
Imagine having to live your life in your head because if you let it our people will flee. Imagine fighting every moment to just hang on and not give up. Imagine just wanting to sit in a darkened room until life fades away.
These bruised reeds need to be able to be who they are and live in the open. They need to be understood and their condition must be appreciated as real and terrible. They dont need pampering but they need to be able to speak their pain to someone(s) other than the folks they have to pay to listen.
They desperately need to have others understand that for them, their condition is as normal as it gets. Yes, they need sound biblical encouragement and admonishment and lots of other good and godly input. But most of all they need to be accepted, embraced.
Being a part of the life of a bruised reed is tough, trying and costly. Which is why so few of us are willing to be a part of their lives. They can be demanding and depressing, frustrating if not infuriating but that's more a factor of our limitations than their condition. It is more a part of our wanting to be comfortable and at our ease instead of involved in a messy ministry.
No, we are not all called to minister to these beautiful bruised reeds but we are all commanded to love them and they take a different kind of love. None of us are exempt from loving them up close and personal.
Fear keeps us at a distance and fear causes them to withdraw. Perfect love casts out fear - right or maybe?
Friday, March 14, 2014
Uses of Affliction 03 031414
Uses of Afflcition 03
2. Excitation to duty, weaning one from this world, and prompting him to look after the happiness of the other world.
There is one wonderful scipture that encourages us in this:
1 John 2:15-17 NASB
Do not love the world nor the things in the world If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. [16] For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. [17] The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.
We recently experienced some bad weather here and many people lost power. Nothing big but a good reminder of how attached we become to the comforts of this world and to the minimization of our looking to the comforts of the next. Afflictions, whatever their nature, are one way God not only gets our attention but moves us to action be it service, simplicity or paying more attention to the promises of the next world.
We need to be moved to duty. It's too easy to become complacent and lazy even in our duties. We get into a very comfortable rut and we just run along it day in and day out until we have become numb to what we ought to be about. Even in our duties we can become comfortable to our hurt.
Prayer can become perfuntory, Bible Study can become bland and worship can become worthless in the comfortable ease of the day to day. But God won't have that. He will and does bring afflictions that reveal the weakness and wantonness of our service. When God seems to withdraw we tend to draw closer.
This is a sad commentary on many of us - many many of us - so many of us that it seems to be the norm. And so God will bring a crook to our lot so we will see our error and repent.
Affilctions also wean us from the world. I made the comment while our power was on and our internet was off that there didn't seem much point to having power if we didn;t have the net. This is an example of how comfortable we can get with all the geegaws and gadgets we have and how we begin to rely upon them for way too much.
The loss or thereatened loss of material blessings can really demonstrate for us our dependence upon them to a neglect of depending upon God. And NO cheating - don;t try to tell me you depend upon God for your web connection - that's a stretch.
How many "things" do you really depend upon that get in the way of your dependence upon God. What would hurt the worst to lose? What can you not see yourself giving up? If you have "bad hair" days - days that are just ruined over the trivial material things then you may look for an affliction to wean you away from it.
Can you see how use 1 ties into use 2? Afflictions lead us to examine our faith and that examination has much to do with our attachment to this world and the "things" of it. Not only that but the "things" of this world have much to do with, "the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life." Which in turn has much to do with how much our hearts are set on the next world as opposed to being stuck on this one.
James writes:
James 1:2 NASB
Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials,
And if we a serious about our faith we will wlecome these trials as God's gracious providence. Even with only uses 1 and 2 we can see how afflictions are, what I call, "left-handed blessings." They don't look like blessings, they don't feel like blessings, and they do not even small like blessings - but if they drive or move us to seriously examines, our service, our attachment to this world and our longing for the next they are indeed blessings.
2. Excitation to duty, weaning one from this world, and prompting him to look after the happiness of the other world.
There is one wonderful scipture that encourages us in this:
1 John 2:15-17 NASB
Do not love the world nor the things in the world If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. [16] For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. [17] The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.
We recently experienced some bad weather here and many people lost power. Nothing big but a good reminder of how attached we become to the comforts of this world and to the minimization of our looking to the comforts of the next. Afflictions, whatever their nature, are one way God not only gets our attention but moves us to action be it service, simplicity or paying more attention to the promises of the next world.
We need to be moved to duty. It's too easy to become complacent and lazy even in our duties. We get into a very comfortable rut and we just run along it day in and day out until we have become numb to what we ought to be about. Even in our duties we can become comfortable to our hurt.
Prayer can become perfuntory, Bible Study can become bland and worship can become worthless in the comfortable ease of the day to day. But God won't have that. He will and does bring afflictions that reveal the weakness and wantonness of our service. When God seems to withdraw we tend to draw closer.
This is a sad commentary on many of us - many many of us - so many of us that it seems to be the norm. And so God will bring a crook to our lot so we will see our error and repent.
Affilctions also wean us from the world. I made the comment while our power was on and our internet was off that there didn't seem much point to having power if we didn;t have the net. This is an example of how comfortable we can get with all the geegaws and gadgets we have and how we begin to rely upon them for way too much.
The loss or thereatened loss of material blessings can really demonstrate for us our dependence upon them to a neglect of depending upon God. And NO cheating - don;t try to tell me you depend upon God for your web connection - that's a stretch.
How many "things" do you really depend upon that get in the way of your dependence upon God. What would hurt the worst to lose? What can you not see yourself giving up? If you have "bad hair" days - days that are just ruined over the trivial material things then you may look for an affliction to wean you away from it.
Can you see how use 1 ties into use 2? Afflictions lead us to examine our faith and that examination has much to do with our attachment to this world and the "things" of it. Not only that but the "things" of this world have much to do with, "the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life." Which in turn has much to do with how much our hearts are set on the next world as opposed to being stuck on this one.
James writes:
James 1:2 NASB
Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials,
And if we a serious about our faith we will wlecome these trials as God's gracious providence. Even with only uses 1 and 2 we can see how afflictions are, what I call, "left-handed blessings." They don't look like blessings, they don't feel like blessings, and they do not even small like blessings - but if they drive or move us to seriously examines, our service, our attachment to this world and our longing for the next they are indeed blessings.
Friday, April 12, 2013
041213 Thinker
William Bridge in his work, A Lifting Up for the Downcast, offers us these thoughts:
Nine things there are, which usually are grounds and occasions of the discouragements of God's people.
I. Sometimes their discouragements are drawn from their greater and grosser sins.
II. Sometimes they arise from the weakness of grace.
III. Sometimes they are taken from their failing in and non-acceptance of duty.
IV. Sometimes they are draw from their lack of evidence for heaven, and non-assurance of the love of God.
V. Sometimes they come from their temptations.
VI. Sometimes from their desertions.
VII. Sometimes from their afflictions.
VIII. Sometimes from their unserviceableness.
IX. Sometimes from their condition itself.
For Bridge as well as other Puritans being "downcast" was not a sin but rather a common result of the redeemed living among the unredeemed and striving to be in but not of the world. Downcast-ness comes in every battle and we must accept that we are in a continuous battle - every moment of every day.
Now we must pray that we appreciate our downcasted-ness and respect it as a very real and clear evidence of our "otherness." We are a colony of the redeemed living on foreign shores among peoples utterly opposed to us and our Master.
Downcast-ness should not provoke despair. Despair is a sense of futility - even a sense of vanity and we must claim the fact that, although we may not see the why or how of it, our lives are - cannot be - futile or vain if they are lived for Him and by Him.
It is, from my perspective, the insidious spirit of covetousness - comparing our selves to others and/or the "norms" of the culture - that is the most common poison that casts us down.
Paul writes:
2 Corinthians 4:7-9, 11 NASB
But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves; [8] we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; [9] persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; [11] For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.
Note:
afflicted - not crushed
perplexed - not despairing
persecuted - not forsaken
struck down - not destroyed
delivered over to death - Jesus made manifest
This is our lot here. Jesus Himself told us so. Are we willing to forgo the comfort of this world so He might be seen?
Do we long for heaven? Heaven has been described many ways but a true picture is that heaven is the utter and complete absence of sin. Do we ache for our sin and the lostness of others? Do we long to be where sin is not and can never be? Then we will, at times, be downcast - but we are so only for a short time and then we will never be able to be downcast again.
Long for heaven and await His pleasure of calling you there. As long as you wake up, regardless of how downcast you may be, He has something for you to do for Him. You may not see it - you may never know you did it - but He uses us all for His name's sake.
Nine things there are, which usually are grounds and occasions of the discouragements of God's people.
I. Sometimes their discouragements are drawn from their greater and grosser sins.
II. Sometimes they arise from the weakness of grace.
III. Sometimes they are taken from their failing in and non-acceptance of duty.
IV. Sometimes they are draw from their lack of evidence for heaven, and non-assurance of the love of God.
V. Sometimes they come from their temptations.
VI. Sometimes from their desertions.
VII. Sometimes from their afflictions.
VIII. Sometimes from their unserviceableness.
IX. Sometimes from their condition itself.
For Bridge as well as other Puritans being "downcast" was not a sin but rather a common result of the redeemed living among the unredeemed and striving to be in but not of the world. Downcast-ness comes in every battle and we must accept that we are in a continuous battle - every moment of every day.
Now we must pray that we appreciate our downcasted-ness and respect it as a very real and clear evidence of our "otherness." We are a colony of the redeemed living on foreign shores among peoples utterly opposed to us and our Master.
Downcast-ness should not provoke despair. Despair is a sense of futility - even a sense of vanity and we must claim the fact that, although we may not see the why or how of it, our lives are - cannot be - futile or vain if they are lived for Him and by Him.
It is, from my perspective, the insidious spirit of covetousness - comparing our selves to others and/or the "norms" of the culture - that is the most common poison that casts us down.
Paul writes:
2 Corinthians 4:7-9, 11 NASB
But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves; [8] we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; [9] persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; [11] For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.
Note:
afflicted - not crushed
perplexed - not despairing
persecuted - not forsaken
struck down - not destroyed
delivered over to death - Jesus made manifest
This is our lot here. Jesus Himself told us so. Are we willing to forgo the comfort of this world so He might be seen?
Do we long for heaven? Heaven has been described many ways but a true picture is that heaven is the utter and complete absence of sin. Do we ache for our sin and the lostness of others? Do we long to be where sin is not and can never be? Then we will, at times, be downcast - but we are so only for a short time and then we will never be able to be downcast again.
Long for heaven and await His pleasure of calling you there. As long as you wake up, regardless of how downcast you may be, He has something for you to do for Him. You may not see it - you may never know you did it - but He uses us all for His name's sake.
Sunday, February 17, 2013
Psalm 25:16-18 not done
Psalm 25:16-18 ESV
Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. [17] The troubles of my heart are enlarged; bring me out of my distresses. [18] Consider my affliction and my trouble, and forgive all my sins.
In another post I mentioned a work by Christopher Love. The title is, A Christian's Directory. It is indeed well worth reading. He deals, at one point, with our struggles - sorrow concerning "worldly crosses," vs "our sin." He writes:
"If you mourn for sin, the true joy that arises from the forgiveness of sin, will swallow up the grief that comes to you through any worldly cross of affliction."
Do we find that to be true? I think that's part of the point of Psalm 25:16-18. Our worldly crosses really can take our eyes off His mercy and grace which in turn diminishes our comfort and confidence in Him.
We are not prohibited in any way from sorrowing for our worldly crosses but we have to keep all things in perspective. When we suffer "crosses" in our lives it is all too easy to forget the "cross" we will never ever have to bear. This is very unhealthy for the believer.
I think we have gotten confused about "here." We have forgotten that it is not our home. We have forgotten that it is judged for destruction. We strive to be "at home" in a place we are just visiting - though we are visiting with a purpose.
Even in this Psalm we can see how our minds can focus on the "crosses" to the detriment of our mortifying our sin. We are forgiven - though we still sin. It is our sin and its forgiveness we need to work on keeping before our eyes.
The Puritans can be tough to read. They had great senses of humor but when it came to sin and salvation it seems to disappear (as well it should). They found themselves going to prison, to the chopping block, to the pyre. They found themselves homeless, destitute, hungry, oppressed, persecuted ---- etc. etc. etc ---
But they also knew they were going to heaven - they knew they were saved and they fought anything, feeling or thought, that turned their minds and hearts away from those facts. It's is not easy to hurt now and hope for heaven then. Sometimes it hurts so bad now that we beg for heaven now.
We read in the Word about hero's. Well folks - there is only one hero in the Word and that's God. Every marvelous and miraculous deliverance, release, rescue, etc. were God's doing NOT Abraham's or Moses' or David's or Paul's --- but God's. These men and women we elevate to the status of heroes were just men and women like you and I who learned to trust in God and were used by Him through His power and provision to be there when He worked His wonders and displayed His glory.
We've got to quit looking for and/or trying to be heroes. We need to be humble and meek and faithful servants of the only hero (which is a pretty poor term for Him).
Let us be sad in our affliction but rejoice in our salvation - It's not always easy and it sometimes feels fake - but it is what we need to be doing.
Father, teach me, gently, to look to You alone for my needs and to acknowledge You alone for all my blessings. Teach me from your Word how to do this humbly, regularly and wisely.
Amen
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