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
Showing posts with label grace. Show all posts
Showing posts with label grace. Show all posts
Friday, October 10, 2014
Friday, April 4, 2014
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.
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.
Saturday, March 29, 2014
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.
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.
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Making the Most - 01 Scripture 032614
Making the Most
of the means of grace
01
The Puritains write quite a bit about the "means of grace." This is a strange phrase for us today which is unfortunate.
The "means of grace" are,
"....means which God has graciously appointed, in order to convey grace to man's hear by the Holy Ghost, or to keep up the spiritual life after is has begun." JC Ryle, Practical Religion (Kindle loc. 264)
To keep it simple we will look at five "means of grace in this series. We don't intend to write an in-depth treatise on each but rather too write devotionally - commonly - concerning these means.
The five means of grace are:
The reading of Scripture
Private prayer
Public worship
The Lord's Supper
The "rest" of the Lord's Day
1. The reading of Scripture
God has promised that His Word will never be void of some effect. It will accomplish His will in the llives of the reader. For the believer the Word is the fundamental component of their spiritual nutritional system. In the Word we hear from God and about God. In the Word not only is the character and will of God revealed but His relationship to man (believer and unbeliever) is revealed.
We can all sit and "read" the Word but we must consider the "manner and spirit" in which we do so. (We must do the same with all the means of grace.) Ryle writes about the difference in using the means of grace, in this case the Word, in a regular and formal manner without any sense of enjoyment but rather simply as a duty. He holds that to make use of the means of grace in this manner is "utterly worthless and unprofitable." And we must agree.
Time in the Word should be a time of expectant joy and even a holy curiosity. The Word is not an "instruction manual" but rather a love letter in which God reveals all of Himself we need to know and all or our selves as well. One must never go to the Word to just check it off as a duty but rather one should go hungry and expecting to be fed.
Psalm 119 is replete with requests that God teach the writer His statutes, commandment and most importantly His "ways." His ways are the revelation of not only how He relates to us but how He calls us to relate to Him. His ways are the boundaries and expectations inherent in a relationship with Him. Nowhere else can we get the full and unadulterated direction we need to walk in His "ways' except in the Word of God.
Indeed the Word, reading the Word, is a means by which God communicates His grace and He also gives us example after example of that grace operating in the lives of real men and women like you and I. But do we go to the Word to find that - or, do we go to find what feeds our flesh, scartches our itch or tickles our fancy?
Grace can grow cold when the fire is not stoked and in reading the Word we feed that fire - or in some cases that one little ember. To forsake the reading of the Word and/or to approach this means of grace as a work is to cut oneself off from the promise of and in the Word - vanity makes all things void, self-love steals grace from our hearts and we live shallow and cold lives.
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 or, if you want, you can email me at sheepdog.ms@gmail.com.
Bless you for your help!
Michael
of the means of grace
01
The Puritains write quite a bit about the "means of grace." This is a strange phrase for us today which is unfortunate.
The "means of grace" are,
"....means which God has graciously appointed, in order to convey grace to man's hear by the Holy Ghost, or to keep up the spiritual life after is has begun." JC Ryle, Practical Religion (Kindle loc. 264)
To keep it simple we will look at five "means of grace in this series. We don't intend to write an in-depth treatise on each but rather too write devotionally - commonly - concerning these means.
The five means of grace are:
The reading of Scripture
Private prayer
Public worship
The Lord's Supper
The "rest" of the Lord's Day
1. The reading of Scripture
God has promised that His Word will never be void of some effect. It will accomplish His will in the llives of the reader. For the believer the Word is the fundamental component of their spiritual nutritional system. In the Word we hear from God and about God. In the Word not only is the character and will of God revealed but His relationship to man (believer and unbeliever) is revealed.
We can all sit and "read" the Word but we must consider the "manner and spirit" in which we do so. (We must do the same with all the means of grace.) Ryle writes about the difference in using the means of grace, in this case the Word, in a regular and formal manner without any sense of enjoyment but rather simply as a duty. He holds that to make use of the means of grace in this manner is "utterly worthless and unprofitable." And we must agree.
Time in the Word should be a time of expectant joy and even a holy curiosity. The Word is not an "instruction manual" but rather a love letter in which God reveals all of Himself we need to know and all or our selves as well. One must never go to the Word to just check it off as a duty but rather one should go hungry and expecting to be fed.
Psalm 119 is replete with requests that God teach the writer His statutes, commandment and most importantly His "ways." His ways are the revelation of not only how He relates to us but how He calls us to relate to Him. His ways are the boundaries and expectations inherent in a relationship with Him. Nowhere else can we get the full and unadulterated direction we need to walk in His "ways' except in the Word of God.
Indeed the Word, reading the Word, is a means by which God communicates His grace and He also gives us example after example of that grace operating in the lives of real men and women like you and I. But do we go to the Word to find that - or, do we go to find what feeds our flesh, scartches our itch or tickles our fancy?
Grace can grow cold when the fire is not stoked and in reading the Word we feed that fire - or in some cases that one little ember. To forsake the reading of the Word and/or to approach this means of grace as a work is to cut oneself off from the promise of and in the Word - vanity makes all things void, self-love steals grace from our hearts and we live shallow and cold lives.
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 or, if you want, you can email me at sheepdog.ms@gmail.com.
Bless you for your help!
Michael
Friday, March 21, 2014
Uses of Affliction 08
Uses of Affliction 08
7. The exercise of grace in the children of God
Grace must apply to something. Grace is given for a purpose. We could write long on the purpose of grace but others are better suited to undertake such a profound work. For us, here, grace is given that we may be free but freedon is not free.
The freedom God calls us to cost Him much and once He calls us into it, it will cost us all. All our self-love, all our selfish fears, all our selfish demands, all our self-focused worship, all our self-directed service. What the application and exercize of grace costs us is our sin. It relentlessly digs and digs to remove the root of our sin. This is a work of grace, a free gift and yet a costly one.
Are we willing to see and accept that afflcitions - all afflictions are indeed intended to exercize grace in our lives? Are we willing to accept that no matter how dark and difficult the affliction it is God is working for our good and His glory?
There is no requirement for God to work thusly in our lives except for His character, His love for us. So we must pray to understand that even afflictions are gracious and wonderful acts of God in our lives.
No, they are not pleasant but they are necessary for our sanctification.
I read a great deal in the Puritains and they all speak of sharing in the suffering of Christ (as do the Epistles). Why are we so very resistant to this? Where have we gotten the idea that being His menas a trouble free life when He promised us tribulations. And where do we ever get the idea that a trouble free life means that we must be doing something pleasing to Him when a trouble free life more often indicated an apathetic existance.
Afflcitons drive us to Him and when we are His afflictions serve to keep us close. Rare is the believer who stays near (or even is near) to Him when in comfort or at ease. Comfort and ease have been mistaken as relating to our blessedness when indeed they are traps of apathy and faithlessness.
Paul tells us that God is a God of comfort in all our afflcitions. One might assume (cautiously) that being afflicted is the norm for the believer. And indeed, if we are truly aliens and strangers here afflictions are the norm. This is not home - this life is not the point - and God'ss gracious afflcitions keep us mindful of that.
Let us keep in mind the "uses" of afflciton and embrace them with the help of the Holy Spirit.
Uses of Afflictions
The trial of one's state, whether one is in the state of grace of not.
Excitation to duty, weaning one from this world, and prompting him to look after the happiness of the other world.
Conviction of sin.
Correction and punishment for sin.
Preventing sin.
Discovery of latent corruption whether in saints of sinners.
The exercize of grace in the chidren of God
7. The exercise of grace in the children of God
Grace must apply to something. Grace is given for a purpose. We could write long on the purpose of grace but others are better suited to undertake such a profound work. For us, here, grace is given that we may be free but freedon is not free.
The freedom God calls us to cost Him much and once He calls us into it, it will cost us all. All our self-love, all our selfish fears, all our selfish demands, all our self-focused worship, all our self-directed service. What the application and exercize of grace costs us is our sin. It relentlessly digs and digs to remove the root of our sin. This is a work of grace, a free gift and yet a costly one.
Are we willing to see and accept that afflcitions - all afflictions are indeed intended to exercize grace in our lives? Are we willing to accept that no matter how dark and difficult the affliction it is God is working for our good and His glory?
There is no requirement for God to work thusly in our lives except for His character, His love for us. So we must pray to understand that even afflictions are gracious and wonderful acts of God in our lives.
No, they are not pleasant but they are necessary for our sanctification.
I read a great deal in the Puritains and they all speak of sharing in the suffering of Christ (as do the Epistles). Why are we so very resistant to this? Where have we gotten the idea that being His menas a trouble free life when He promised us tribulations. And where do we ever get the idea that a trouble free life means that we must be doing something pleasing to Him when a trouble free life more often indicated an apathetic existance.
Afflcitons drive us to Him and when we are His afflictions serve to keep us close. Rare is the believer who stays near (or even is near) to Him when in comfort or at ease. Comfort and ease have been mistaken as relating to our blessedness when indeed they are traps of apathy and faithlessness.
Paul tells us that God is a God of comfort in all our afflcitions. One might assume (cautiously) that being afflicted is the norm for the believer. And indeed, if we are truly aliens and strangers here afflictions are the norm. This is not home - this life is not the point - and God'ss gracious afflcitions keep us mindful of that.
Let us keep in mind the "uses" of afflciton and embrace them with the help of the Holy Spirit.
Uses of Afflictions
The trial of one's state, whether one is in the state of grace of not.
Excitation to duty, weaning one from this world, and prompting him to look after the happiness of the other world.
Conviction of sin.
Correction and punishment for sin.
Preventing sin.
Discovery of latent corruption whether in saints of sinners.
The exercize of grace in the chidren of God
Thursday, March 13, 2014
Uses of Afflcition 02 031314
Uses of Affliction 02 031314
1. The trial of one's state, whether one is in the state of grace or not.
When we are under any affliction it is quite common for us to do a lot of questioning.
One of the uses God makes of affliction and a use we can use is in questioning whether or not we are indeed in a state of grace (saved) or not. This is not a doubting of God's willingness or ability to save us but whether or not our confession is genuine.
Is this legitimate? It would appear from scripture that indeed it is.
In 2 Chronicles we read concerning Hezekiah:
2 Chronicles 32:31 NASB
. . . .God left him alone only to test him, that He might know all that was in his heart.
In afflictions we have a sense that God has "left" us and it is normal for us to be in distress. But one of the uses of afflcition is certainly that we might know what is truly in our hearts. Not to be trite but the questions in this instance might be, "is Jesus really in my heart?" "Is my confession of faith true?" "Am I really a child of God?"
Difficult and distressing questions - but questions that need to be asked.
We know how evil and fickled our hearts are and we know there are many whose confessions are mere ascent to a set of facts and not true faith (trust) in the saving power and Lorship of Jesus. Afflictions provide us with a context where these quesitons are not only appropriate but vital.
Consider the following:
1 Corinthians 11:28 NASB
But a man must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup.
2 Corinthians 13:5 NASB
Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you--unless indeed you fail the test?
Galatians 6:4 NASB
But each one must examine his own work, and then he will have reason for boasting in regard to himself alone, and not in regard to another.
2 Peter 1:10 NASB
Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble;
None of these passages are directly connected to any afflcition. We are admonished to consistantly examine ourselves and our faith to determine its veracity, it's soundness. If we are so admonished to do so outside of any affliction how much more so in afflcition.
By afflcition God tests us. Not for His benefit but for our own. We need to know two things. That God is real and all He says He is and we need to know that our faith is genuine.
We should learn the blessing of afflcitions by embracing the opportunity for greater assurance of our faith. Afflictions are on the one hand tests - tests for us. They are tests that strip away all the comforts and causes of our ease so that we may determine wherther or not our faith/trust is truly in Him or whether it is mixed with our trust in other comforts and causes of ease.
I have grown to see afflcitions as a kind of second calling. When I stray, as all sheep tend to do, I get into trouble (which God ordains/allows to happen). I have learned to view the afflcition as God calling me either back to Him or to a unslullied trust in Him. Afflcitons are never pleasant but they do have purpose and there can be no greater purpose than for us to grow in our assurance that we are indeed His.
This is one of the reasons James can write:
James 1:2-4 NASB
Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, [3] knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. [4] And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
Isn't is interesting that God will lead us into a place where we lose much of our comforts and there casues so that we may lack nothing - but that's for a later blog.
1. The trial of one's state, whether one is in the state of grace or not.
When we are under any affliction it is quite common for us to do a lot of questioning.
One of the uses God makes of affliction and a use we can use is in questioning whether or not we are indeed in a state of grace (saved) or not. This is not a doubting of God's willingness or ability to save us but whether or not our confession is genuine.
Is this legitimate? It would appear from scripture that indeed it is.
In 2 Chronicles we read concerning Hezekiah:
2 Chronicles 32:31 NASB
. . . .God left him alone only to test him, that He might know all that was in his heart.
In afflictions we have a sense that God has "left" us and it is normal for us to be in distress. But one of the uses of afflcition is certainly that we might know what is truly in our hearts. Not to be trite but the questions in this instance might be, "is Jesus really in my heart?" "Is my confession of faith true?" "Am I really a child of God?"
Difficult and distressing questions - but questions that need to be asked.
We know how evil and fickled our hearts are and we know there are many whose confessions are mere ascent to a set of facts and not true faith (trust) in the saving power and Lorship of Jesus. Afflictions provide us with a context where these quesitons are not only appropriate but vital.
Consider the following:
1 Corinthians 11:28 NASB
But a man must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup.
2 Corinthians 13:5 NASB
Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you--unless indeed you fail the test?
Galatians 6:4 NASB
But each one must examine his own work, and then he will have reason for boasting in regard to himself alone, and not in regard to another.
2 Peter 1:10 NASB
Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble;
None of these passages are directly connected to any afflcition. We are admonished to consistantly examine ourselves and our faith to determine its veracity, it's soundness. If we are so admonished to do so outside of any affliction how much more so in afflcition.
By afflcition God tests us. Not for His benefit but for our own. We need to know two things. That God is real and all He says He is and we need to know that our faith is genuine.
We should learn the blessing of afflcitions by embracing the opportunity for greater assurance of our faith. Afflictions are on the one hand tests - tests for us. They are tests that strip away all the comforts and causes of our ease so that we may determine wherther or not our faith/trust is truly in Him or whether it is mixed with our trust in other comforts and causes of ease.
I have grown to see afflcitions as a kind of second calling. When I stray, as all sheep tend to do, I get into trouble (which God ordains/allows to happen). I have learned to view the afflcition as God calling me either back to Him or to a unslullied trust in Him. Afflcitons are never pleasant but they do have purpose and there can be no greater purpose than for us to grow in our assurance that we are indeed His.
This is one of the reasons James can write:
James 1:2-4 NASB
Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, [3] knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. [4] And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
Isn't is interesting that God will lead us into a place where we lose much of our comforts and there casues so that we may lack nothing - but that's for a later blog.
Tuesday, October 1, 2013
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. Some how 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.
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. Some how 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.
Monday, March 18, 2013
How and who?
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ. But if we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; or if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which is effective in the patient enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer; and our hope for you is firmly grounded, knowing that as you are sharers of our sufferings, so also you are sharers of our comfort. (2Co 1:3-7)
I would ask, How are you comforted and whom do you comfort?
I ask because today I was comforted by a brother who need of comfort is very real and constant.
As a "leader-sheep" we all too often assume we are to be care givers and we forget that we are also care needers. As we fulfill our calling to care for His sheep we all too often make the mistake of forgetting that we desperately need care as well.
When the Praetorian Guard was established in Rome one question predominated, "Who guards the guardians?" This is no different from what we as comfort and care givers need to be asking of and for ourselves.
I have come to realize that it is all too easy to think that as a leader-sheep I need to be above the fray. God has made it plan to me that this is a cruel deception and a very real danger.
Oh, I can feed myself but comforting myself and doing it well is just not effective if it is even possible.
I have found that I need others who from the comfort they have found in Him - pass that comfort on to me. I have found that it is a type of pride to see myself as a giver only and not a needer.
Father,
I thank you for the comfort You sent today through my brother. I thank you for the tears I shed in thanks and gratitude. i thank you for the boldness of my brother's prayer the the depth to which it touched needs I has not seen.
Father, keep this lesson in my ,mind and heart. Keep me from isolation and pride. Keep me open to the comfort You have for me from my brothers and sisters - AND enable me to be open and honest about my need and grateful for its being met.
Thank You for establishing Your people and for the comfort You provide from one to another.
Amen
Monday, January 28, 2013
Being of more value. 012413b
Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? (Mat 6:26)
Continuing His lesson Jesus gives us an example from nature.
He asks us to consider our "value," to our Father.
Birds can't sow, reap or gather - yet they are provided for.
If you can't sow, reap or gather - does thin not suggest that God will feed (provide for) you?
Is this just about food? I think not! This is about value.
Actually I believe it's about who we look to in order to determine our value.
Birds? I'm of greater value that birds? Actually the idea here is that we are "of so much MORE value" than birds.
Birds have a role in God's creation no less critical to the sustaining of that creation than anything else. God maintains everything they need to fulfill their role in His creation. There are lots of birds - that takes a lot of maintaining. It's not a simple thing nor is it insignificant!
Then there is "us." We were God's viceroys in the Garden. Note:
Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."
(Gen 1:26)
The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.
(Gen 2:15)
God's intention for us was to be His means of maintaining His creation. We were to work and keep the garden which in turn would provide for all the creatures of the creation. Pretty important stuff!
Now, in this fallen world our role has changed. Now we are called to show forth His glory, to be holy as He is. We are his witnesses, living testaments to His glory and goodness. How much value can we put on that?
Consider:
". . . . when He comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed." (2Th 1:10)
Continuing His lesson Jesus gives us an example from nature.
He asks us to consider our "value," to our Father.
Birds can't sow, reap or gather - yet they are provided for.
If you can't sow, reap or gather - does thin not suggest that God will feed (provide for) you?
Is this just about food? I think not! This is about value.
Actually I believe it's about who we look to in order to determine our value.
Birds? I'm of greater value that birds? Actually the idea here is that we are "of so much MORE value" than birds.
Birds have a role in God's creation no less critical to the sustaining of that creation than anything else. God maintains everything they need to fulfill their role in His creation. There are lots of birds - that takes a lot of maintaining. It's not a simple thing nor is it insignificant!
Then there is "us." We were God's viceroys in the Garden. Note:
Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."
(Gen 1:26)
(Gen 2:15)
God's intention for us was to be His means of maintaining His creation. We were to work and keep the garden which in turn would provide for all the creatures of the creation. Pretty important stuff!
Now, in this fallen world our role has changed. Now we are called to show forth His glory, to be holy as He is. We are his witnesses, living testaments to His glory and goodness. How much value can we put on that?
Consider:
". . . . when He comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed." (2Th 1:10)
Whose "value" do we choose accept? His or the world's? Who do we look to? How do we measure it?
The redemption of the creation - the birds - cost Him His Son. However the price was demanded for our sin not for the birds' sins (birds don't sin they just suffer its effects). So He paid the demanded price - for OUR sin - that He might redeems His creation.
Where in our fleshly spectrum of value do we really put that? Is it first or just a close second? Do we really accept that we are valuable enough for God to give His Son? Are we willing to accept that his love for us was so great that he sent His Son to be a man, to suffer and be tempted as a man and then be killed as a criminal? How valuable does that make us?
Are we willing to accept and live with Jesus as our total net worth? Are we willing to be rejected and scorned and put down by the world so that we might live out His gracious gift for and to us?
Or do we play with the world's criteria for worth and value measuring our lives by their standards? And how well have those standards served Him or His creation? How cruelly have the standards of the world dealt with the world?
Think on what God has done for and in you. Consider what you might be tempted to trade it for. In times of weakness and suffering it is not uncommon for us to fall into "if only," and to see ourselves as worthless failures. It is a struggle to cling to God's love and the value He has given us - He has made us ultimately valuable - He has given us a worth beyond words - Pray and think on that.
Father,
In these tough times I see my sin and my errors. I see how I have been deceived and schemed by the world, the flesh and the devil. Now, in my distress those three cruel enemies taunt me and pour shame upon me. Help me Father, to cling to Your gracious gift as the only thing that matters. Let the cruel accusations and aspersions of those three enemies drop from my mind and heart. Deafen my ears to them, let me be comforted and let by Your Word and Your Spirit as I seek to follow You in whatever circumstance I find myself in.
Two things I ask of you; deny them not to me before I die: Remove far from me falsehood and lying; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, lest I be full and deny you and say, "Who is the LORD?" or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God. (Pro 30:7-9)
In the name of Jesus and for His glory, amen.
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