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.
Showing posts with label trial. Show all posts
Showing posts with label trial. Show all posts
Monday, April 7, 2014
Monday, March 24, 2014
Faith in Affliction Weak or Strong 032414
Faith in Affliction Weak or Strong
"If it never proves great, yet weak faith shall save; for it interests us in Christ, and makes Him and all His benefits ours. For it is not the strength of our faith that saves, but the truth of our faith, nor weakness of our faith that condemns, but the want of faith; for the least faith lays hold on Christ and so will save us. Nor are we saved by the worth or quantity of our faith but by Christ - who is laid hold on bu a weak faith as well as a strong - just as a weak hand that puts meat into the mouth shall feed and nourish the body as if it were a strong hand, but by the goodness of the meat." John Rogers, The Doctrine of Faith
In Affliction we are confronted with the strength or weakness of our faith. Indeed I think it is more often the latter than the former. But as Rogers writes even our mustard-seed faith is sufficient to lay hold of all that Christ provides and promises. The difference, perhaps, is more in our sense of faith than its sufficiency.
How often do we, in afflictions, find ourselves confronted with the laziness of our faith and consider it a sign of no or weak faith. This is not to be done. The exercise of our faith will indeed be commensurate with its strength or weakness but yet whether one or the other it is sufficient.
If our faith is weak, afflictions are great torments and trials and yet Christ is not stingy in His providence regardless. It is the object of our faith that is of the greatest import and what we often confuse with a weak faith is actually a misplaced faith.
We tend to trust God to provide according to our own reason and insight and when we do not see that happening we , in our distress, consider our faith to be too weak to have its effect. But brother and sister, by God's own Word, this cannot be. His promises are to those who believe whether small or large.
"Lord I believe, help Thou my unbelief," should be a fundamental prayer we pray in affliction. For we all have areas where our faith struggles to settle upon its true object and grow upon that object.
And, we must remember that our faith is a gift and gifts are given according to the desire of the giver and the need of the gifted. That one has what they consider a "small faith" is simply an invitation to stand amazed as God grows that faith in time and space. Indeed, once we are with Him there will be no weak of strong faith for our trust in Him will be complete.
In affliction we will find that we question the strength and veracity of our faith - or at least we seem to. However I find among believers that it is rarely a question of whether or not God will provide but rather how and when. This shows that we have faith in Him even if we struggle in the details.
But some believers do struggle with whether or not God will provide. Wondrously and happily this doubt is usually based upon their view of their own worthiness to even get God's attention much less His provision. This is "works" thinking and we all do it. There is nothing like an affliction to kick us into the old, "I'm not worthy," or to bring to our remembrance every jot and tittle of our sins.
Well, we are not worthy - period. But in and through Christ we are - but only through Him. Yes, God may indeed, through some affliction, chastise us for sin. But this is a mercy for first it falls far far short of what any sin deserves and second it is meant to cleanse, to refine the dross out of our hearts and lives. Yet we often fail to see the blessedness of God's heavy hand upon us and we miss praising Him for that mercy.
Trusting God in affliction is simple but it is not easy. The world mocks, the flesh wrestles with shame and the devil accuses and taunts. That's a tough trio to contend with. But knowing the source should drive us to look to God more intensly and humbly and - sometimes - desperately.
But, isn't the bottom line our redemption? Isn't that the aim of our faith as Christ who provides it is the object? Do we want heaven of relief more? Do we want the comfort of our salvation or the comfort of things? Do we want the praise of men or the "well done" of Christ?
Faith in affliction looks to its object and the priorities held by that object. Which means that our priority should be the glory of God and our ultimate home with Him. Everything else is NOT unimportant but it is secondary if not tertiary.
Therefore let us turn to Christ in our affliction and to His Word and seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit in getting our priorities back in line. Let us allow the anxiety of trials to wash over us and away from us as we call out to God in supplication and thanksgiving.
"Though I am not pleased with God's chastisement, I will be pleased with its effect. Though I struggle to thank Him for this testing I praise Him for loving me enough to test me. Though I am assailed with fear let me be filled with His comfort. May I accept this affliction as a mercy and blessing from my God who is determined to transform me into the likeness of my loving Savior." ms
"If it never proves great, yet weak faith shall save; for it interests us in Christ, and makes Him and all His benefits ours. For it is not the strength of our faith that saves, but the truth of our faith, nor weakness of our faith that condemns, but the want of faith; for the least faith lays hold on Christ and so will save us. Nor are we saved by the worth or quantity of our faith but by Christ - who is laid hold on bu a weak faith as well as a strong - just as a weak hand that puts meat into the mouth shall feed and nourish the body as if it were a strong hand, but by the goodness of the meat." John Rogers, The Doctrine of Faith
In Affliction we are confronted with the strength or weakness of our faith. Indeed I think it is more often the latter than the former. But as Rogers writes even our mustard-seed faith is sufficient to lay hold of all that Christ provides and promises. The difference, perhaps, is more in our sense of faith than its sufficiency.
How often do we, in afflictions, find ourselves confronted with the laziness of our faith and consider it a sign of no or weak faith. This is not to be done. The exercise of our faith will indeed be commensurate with its strength or weakness but yet whether one or the other it is sufficient.
If our faith is weak, afflictions are great torments and trials and yet Christ is not stingy in His providence regardless. It is the object of our faith that is of the greatest import and what we often confuse with a weak faith is actually a misplaced faith.
We tend to trust God to provide according to our own reason and insight and when we do not see that happening we , in our distress, consider our faith to be too weak to have its effect. But brother and sister, by God's own Word, this cannot be. His promises are to those who believe whether small or large.
"Lord I believe, help Thou my unbelief," should be a fundamental prayer we pray in affliction. For we all have areas where our faith struggles to settle upon its true object and grow upon that object.
And, we must remember that our faith is a gift and gifts are given according to the desire of the giver and the need of the gifted. That one has what they consider a "small faith" is simply an invitation to stand amazed as God grows that faith in time and space. Indeed, once we are with Him there will be no weak of strong faith for our trust in Him will be complete.
In affliction we will find that we question the strength and veracity of our faith - or at least we seem to. However I find among believers that it is rarely a question of whether or not God will provide but rather how and when. This shows that we have faith in Him even if we struggle in the details.
But some believers do struggle with whether or not God will provide. Wondrously and happily this doubt is usually based upon their view of their own worthiness to even get God's attention much less His provision. This is "works" thinking and we all do it. There is nothing like an affliction to kick us into the old, "I'm not worthy," or to bring to our remembrance every jot and tittle of our sins.
Well, we are not worthy - period. But in and through Christ we are - but only through Him. Yes, God may indeed, through some affliction, chastise us for sin. But this is a mercy for first it falls far far short of what any sin deserves and second it is meant to cleanse, to refine the dross out of our hearts and lives. Yet we often fail to see the blessedness of God's heavy hand upon us and we miss praising Him for that mercy.
Trusting God in affliction is simple but it is not easy. The world mocks, the flesh wrestles with shame and the devil accuses and taunts. That's a tough trio to contend with. But knowing the source should drive us to look to God more intensly and humbly and - sometimes - desperately.
But, isn't the bottom line our redemption? Isn't that the aim of our faith as Christ who provides it is the object? Do we want heaven of relief more? Do we want the comfort of our salvation or the comfort of things? Do we want the praise of men or the "well done" of Christ?
Faith in affliction looks to its object and the priorities held by that object. Which means that our priority should be the glory of God and our ultimate home with Him. Everything else is NOT unimportant but it is secondary if not tertiary.
Therefore let us turn to Christ in our affliction and to His Word and seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit in getting our priorities back in line. Let us allow the anxiety of trials to wash over us and away from us as we call out to God in supplication and thanksgiving.
"Though I am not pleased with God's chastisement, I will be pleased with its effect. Though I struggle to thank Him for this testing I praise Him for loving me enough to test me. Though I am assailed with fear let me be filled with His comfort. May I accept this affliction as a mercy and blessing from my God who is determined to transform me into the likeness of my loving Savior." ms
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
Uses of Affliction 01 031214
Uses for Afflictions 01 031214
We all at one time or anthor (at least) find ourelves suffering some sort of affliction. It may be transitory, it may be permanent; it may be small, it may be great, but we all will indeed suffer in this world.
So what's the point? Why does God allow us to suffer? Is there a good use of afflictions in which we can find comfort and encouragement and strength.
Thomas Boston in his work, A Crook in the Lot, give us a list of seven ways in which we and God can use afflcitions for good. Submitting to God, trusting in Christ and depending upon the Holy Spirit afflictions can bring blessings.
Below you will find a paraphrased list of the uses Boston suggests. I hope to address each of them in a practicle and personal manner in this new series of blogs.
Uses of Afflictions
I will attempt to expand and illustrate these points in the coming weeks. They are not easy points and certainly they are not comfortable but I believe that we need to work hard at understanding the uses of affliction in order to be betterr able not only to endure but to encourage.
1 Corinthians 10:13 NASB
No temptation ((trial)) has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted ((tried)) beyond what you are able, but with the temptation ((trial)) will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.
May God bless my efforts and yours as we look at the uses of afflictions to the glory of God.
Please don;t hesitate to email me questions or comments:
sheepdog.ms@gmail.com
We all at one time or anthor (at least) find ourelves suffering some sort of affliction. It may be transitory, it may be permanent; it may be small, it may be great, but we all will indeed suffer in this world.
So what's the point? Why does God allow us to suffer? Is there a good use of afflictions in which we can find comfort and encouragement and strength.
Thomas Boston in his work, A Crook in the Lot, give us a list of seven ways in which we and God can use afflcitions for good. Submitting to God, trusting in Christ and depending upon the Holy Spirit afflictions can bring blessings.
Below you will find a paraphrased list of the uses Boston suggests. I hope to address each of them in a practicle and personal manner in this new series of blogs.
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 latenet corruption whether in saints of sinners.
- The exercise of grace in the chidren of God
I will attempt to expand and illustrate these points in the coming weeks. They are not easy points and certainly they are not comfortable but I believe that we need to work hard at understanding the uses of affliction in order to be betterr able not only to endure but to encourage.
1 Corinthians 10:13 NASB
No temptation ((trial)) has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted ((tried)) beyond what you are able, but with the temptation ((trial)) will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.
May God bless my efforts and yours as we look at the uses of afflictions to the glory of God.
Please don;t hesitate to email me questions or comments:
sheepdog.ms@gmail.com
Monday, July 1, 2013
Finger thinking 070113
The secret to the successful Christian life is a very very well kept secret. It is buried in mound of flesh and tons of skewed and twisted teaching. That's why it's a secret.
We try so very hard to come up with the scheme that will allow us to win God's favor and in doing so we nullify the cross and make mockery of the resurrection. We challenge the sovereignty of God and refuse His right to have dominance over all of our lives.
We don't really like God much. We want to just live our lives in comfort and ease singing silly songs about Jesus and playing the game the world offers us. We are weak, sultry, rebellious and stupid - and that's just believers.
There is NO secret to living the successful Christian life. It's written on every page of scripture. We also find the why of our pathetic attempts to live for ourselves while giving lip-service to Him.
OK - hard stuff - and maybe just maybe it's just me. If that is so than Praise God the rest of you are doing so well. Maybe I'm just one among a few who while trusting in His death and resurrection for my salvation have little interest or appreciation of His desire to conform me into the likeness of His Son.
Of course there is only one way to be conformed to Christ and that is to share in His sufferings. He suffered every day in every way and more so than we can ever - ever - comprehend. He suffered and calls us to suffer with Him.
But we don't want to suffer, we just want to be saved. We want a nice cozy road to heaven. We want to just kind of slide right through the gates. but tht is not His plan for any of us.
For some the suffering is great for others the suffereing is common. Those who suffer greatly know Him greatly. Those who suffer "commonly" tend to have a lack of appreciation of the suffering they do experience. They are able to ignore the meaning and purpose of their suffering. It is a light and yet constant suffering that they are able to mediate, medicate and/or minimize and so they miss the blessing and honor for the sake of comfort and acceptance.
In my trial(s) I find that in moments of sweet communion I can accept and appreciate what God is doing in my life. But before me I experience a deep sense of shame and failure and that gives rise to resentment of the trial(s).
God's desires to conform us to the likeness of His Son is a key issue in our lives. do we want it or not? If we do we have to enter the forge.
I have some friends who work a a company that makes tools. Two things are needed to forge those tools into useful and dependable tools (upon which lives depend). It takes heat and force. The metal they use comes prepared for forging. All the trash has been removed - there is no dross left - it is ready for the forge. Then are with the purifying process heat - very high heat is applied to make the metal pliable. then great force is applied to hammer the metal into the tool. The force is so great that "hammed" has to have a special foundation and the whole plant shakes with each blow of the hammer. But the heat and the hammering produces the desired tool.
Christ has purified us by His blood. Yes we still have to wrestle with the evil principle that remains but my point is that while we wrestle with that remaining flaw He is busy heating and hammering that we might be forged into the tools He desires us to be.
Yeah, all analogies have problems but I think that we will do well to look at His conforming us are necessitating the heat and the hammering.
Those of you who know me know I like to keep things simple or as my guy Alistair Begg says I like to stick to the, "main things and the plain things." So here you go brothers and sisters - a simple "secret" to living the life and being conformed -
Joshua 1:6-9 NASB
"Be strong and courageous, for you shall give this people possession of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. [7] "Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go. [8] "This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success. [9] "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."
We try so very hard to come up with the scheme that will allow us to win God's favor and in doing so we nullify the cross and make mockery of the resurrection. We challenge the sovereignty of God and refuse His right to have dominance over all of our lives.
We don't really like God much. We want to just live our lives in comfort and ease singing silly songs about Jesus and playing the game the world offers us. We are weak, sultry, rebellious and stupid - and that's just believers.
There is NO secret to living the successful Christian life. It's written on every page of scripture. We also find the why of our pathetic attempts to live for ourselves while giving lip-service to Him.
OK - hard stuff - and maybe just maybe it's just me. If that is so than Praise God the rest of you are doing so well. Maybe I'm just one among a few who while trusting in His death and resurrection for my salvation have little interest or appreciation of His desire to conform me into the likeness of His Son.
Of course there is only one way to be conformed to Christ and that is to share in His sufferings. He suffered every day in every way and more so than we can ever - ever - comprehend. He suffered and calls us to suffer with Him.
But we don't want to suffer, we just want to be saved. We want a nice cozy road to heaven. We want to just kind of slide right through the gates. but tht is not His plan for any of us.
For some the suffering is great for others the suffereing is common. Those who suffer greatly know Him greatly. Those who suffer "commonly" tend to have a lack of appreciation of the suffering they do experience. They are able to ignore the meaning and purpose of their suffering. It is a light and yet constant suffering that they are able to mediate, medicate and/or minimize and so they miss the blessing and honor for the sake of comfort and acceptance.
In my trial(s) I find that in moments of sweet communion I can accept and appreciate what God is doing in my life. But before me I experience a deep sense of shame and failure and that gives rise to resentment of the trial(s).
God's desires to conform us to the likeness of His Son is a key issue in our lives. do we want it or not? If we do we have to enter the forge.
I have some friends who work a a company that makes tools. Two things are needed to forge those tools into useful and dependable tools (upon which lives depend). It takes heat and force. The metal they use comes prepared for forging. All the trash has been removed - there is no dross left - it is ready for the forge. Then are with the purifying process heat - very high heat is applied to make the metal pliable. then great force is applied to hammer the metal into the tool. The force is so great that "hammed" has to have a special foundation and the whole plant shakes with each blow of the hammer. But the heat and the hammering produces the desired tool.
Christ has purified us by His blood. Yes we still have to wrestle with the evil principle that remains but my point is that while we wrestle with that remaining flaw He is busy heating and hammering that we might be forged into the tools He desires us to be.
Yeah, all analogies have problems but I think that we will do well to look at His conforming us are necessitating the heat and the hammering.
Those of you who know me know I like to keep things simple or as my guy Alistair Begg says I like to stick to the, "main things and the plain things." So here you go brothers and sisters - a simple "secret" to living the life and being conformed -
Joshua 1:6-9 NASB
"Be strong and courageous, for you shall give this people possession of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. [7] "Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go. [8] "This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success. [9] "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Trails are blessings - No joke!
James writes:
Jas 1:2-3
(2) Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,
(3) for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.
Jas 1:2-3
(2) Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,
(3) for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.
Is he nutz of what? ;-}}
Not really. The counting it all joy is easily answered in 1 Peter:
1Pe 1:3-9
(3) Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
(4) to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you,
(5) who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
(6) In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials,
7) so that the tested genuineness of your faith--more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire--may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
(8) Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory,
(9) obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
Verse 6 is critical. We have to be grieved by "various" trials. but the problem is; "What do you consider a trial?"
For most of us a trial is usually something big. Cancer, financial crisis, addiction, mental health issues - you know the "biggies." But we cheat ourselves when we limit our perception of trials to just those things that hit us hard. Our lives are full of trials - the fact that we miss most of them is a sad reflection of our condition.
If you are a believer every day holds many many trials which we miss and in missing them we fail to experience the sense of victory or defeat we need to experience. Going to work, dealing with traffic, working among unbelievers are all trials of not only our faith but of our faithfulness as well. If you have never noticed that, WAKE UP!
Money is a trial. Getting it, keeping it and using it especially today is a trial.
Kids - raising them well is a trial.
Cars - keeping them up is a trial.
All the demands of our culture that we equate with being OK are trials.
Jesus, as I've said over and over and over made it very very clear that our LIVES here, as His sheep, would be LIVES of trial, temptation and tribulation.
Why do we refuse to see ALL the trials we face and face them as such? Maybe we just don't want to bother. Maybe we're just ignorant. Maybe we're just, well, numb.
Regardless of why, we need to fight against the numbness, ignorance and bother and realize the fantastic place we have in God's plan, the magnificent thing He has done for us and the great and sure promise He has made us. Doing this we can count our trials, all of them, as simply part of our work here as His sheep.
I do not think the "little while," in verse 6 means we suffer intermittent trials. I believe that he is telling us to look to the promise of our full and complete sanctification. I think he wants us to look at our trials, all of them, through the lense of the promise of eternity with Him. We need to have a heavenly view, if you will, of all - all - of our trials. We need to recognize them all and appreciate them all.
Appreciate? Yes! That's the "if neccessary," in verse 6. Trials here are necessary I would go so far as to say essential to our spiritual health and our hope. Not only do they produce endurance but they remind us of what we endure for. Even more importantly they keep us in mind of how we can endure them. We can only endure them by His grace and provision. Trials - small and large - all of them - should make us keep our eyes on Jesus, keep our eyes in His word and keep our knees bent in prayer.
Paul writes:
1Co 10:13
(13) No temptation (this is the same word translated trial in James) has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
Trials drive us, or should, to the faithfulness of God - on our knees. He will not to be tried by that which His faithful provision cannot enable us to face and endure. And even better, He will provide an escape, a way out of it. He is faithful.
But Paul nails it when he follows this verse with:
1Co 10:14
(14) Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.
What worries you and diminishes your trust in Him? What hinders you in your duties to Him? In short, it is idolatry plain and simple. But more on that another time.
God bless you in all your trials which are blessings if you will but submit to His sovereignty and trust in His grace.
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