When it seems like you are going through a rough time, I thought I would pass along some encouragement to help you carry on. In Hebrews 10:19-11:2, we find that it is through God's grace, given through Christ's death and resurrection, and God's grace alone that we can "draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful." So we cannot fail Christ if we continue in our pursuit of Him (as Paul reminds us in Philippians 3:12) I love the end of Hebrews 10 where it says, "so do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised... But we are not of thsoe who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved." The so-called Hall of Faith follows this. What is great about the members of the Hall, is that their struggles were real and their mistakes great. I am going through Genesis right now in a Bible study, and time after time, example after example, is of men trying to do things their way, not relying on God's provision, and yet God not only forgives AND blesses them, but does so for no greater reason (and no less reason!!!) than He chooses to. Those who respond properly (by worship and honoring God) share in the blessings, those who do not (by hardening their hearts), find themselves further and further from God's blessings. And then remember how the Hall of Faith is followed, remember to "endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is no disciplined by his father?... No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of RIGHTEOUSNESS and PEACE for those who have been trained by it."
So carry on and let the Spirit continue to work in your heart, to sanctify and consecrate your soul. The Holy Spirit will always reveal our shortcomings because until we are made perfect in Christ, we will always be less than perfect. This is a good thing for us; it allows us to not be content with our level of holiness like the Pharisees but continually pushes us to let Christ work in us to refine us to be more like HIM!!!!
I know that in the past, I have sought to give my life as a perfect sacrifice to God, and since I have never been perfect, I have never felt like what I had to offer was worthy. It was never enough, and never will be holy enough, or righteous enough, BUT what Christ asks for is not 'enough's but instead 'everything's. Give it all and He will make it what He wishes, and that will be far better than anything I can imagine and strive for by my own power. Isaiah 64:6 says "all our righteous acts are like filthy rags." The only true righteousness in what we do is imbued by Christ.
Finally, James writes "every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created."
You are a firstfruit, chosen and nurtured by your Father! How great is that!
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
This, That, and the Other Thing
I just realized it had been over a month since I last posted. Some things are going well, others, not so well.
First, the This: Answered prayer. Sometime back in July I talked about Spokane being a time and place to give me the confidence that I could live a life that would point towards Christ. In the months that I've been up here, I have seen the Spirit at work in the life of my roommate, and it feels like I've done nothing but live. I was reading in I Corinthians the other night, and just started laughing to myself when I got to chapter 2. In times past, I would attempt to convince people of the truth of the Bible, logical arguments, carfeully arranged, bulletproof. I cannot think of a time that worked. Paul writes, "My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power." What my roommate has been able to see in my life has been the demonstration of the Spirit in the different manner in which I have been living this year versus two years ago when we were housemates.
Now, the That: Answered prayer. The church community that I have been blessed with here has been great. I know I said it before, but it just keeps getting better. I was thinking on Philippians 4:8-9, and again was convicted about my lack of a gracious and grateful spirit. If I think about the flaws and downfalls of my life and dwell on shortcomings, it is very hard to be joyful and/or thankful. But if I think about how God has blessed me and continues to bless me, I cannot help but be thankful and at peace, knowing God will provide what I need.
The Other Thing: The girls team I helped coach went undefeated. I now have multicolored toenails.
First, the This: Answered prayer. Sometime back in July I talked about Spokane being a time and place to give me the confidence that I could live a life that would point towards Christ. In the months that I've been up here, I have seen the Spirit at work in the life of my roommate, and it feels like I've done nothing but live. I was reading in I Corinthians the other night, and just started laughing to myself when I got to chapter 2. In times past, I would attempt to convince people of the truth of the Bible, logical arguments, carfeully arranged, bulletproof. I cannot think of a time that worked. Paul writes, "My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power." What my roommate has been able to see in my life has been the demonstration of the Spirit in the different manner in which I have been living this year versus two years ago when we were housemates.
Now, the That: Answered prayer. The church community that I have been blessed with here has been great. I know I said it before, but it just keeps getting better. I was thinking on Philippians 4:8-9, and again was convicted about my lack of a gracious and grateful spirit. If I think about the flaws and downfalls of my life and dwell on shortcomings, it is very hard to be joyful and/or thankful. But if I think about how God has blessed me and continues to bless me, I cannot help but be thankful and at peace, knowing God will provide what I need.
The Other Thing: The girls team I helped coach went undefeated. I now have multicolored toenails.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Some more randomness
So, I have a confession. I am Newsboys fan. It is hard to admit, but there it is. Okay, maybe not all of their stuff, but some of it is wonderful. Like this, from The Tide:
"there is courage for the simple man
to the holders of secrets and scars
learning to stand with reaching arms
we'll wait till the very last
no matter what will be
you're always good
always good to me"
Now that that is out of the way. It has been so cool to see God moving in and around me. My roommate and I sat in front of the same couple this week, and picked up our conversations from last week with them. After the service, we sat at the same table as the pastor at the newcomers luncheon, and my roommate had a good conversation with him. The both came out of the same Catholic background, so there was a common understanding. It seemed like a good talk, and meanwhile, I met some pretty neat people. Saturday, the girls team that I help with had a game down in SE Washington, and I probably had one of the more terrifying coaching moments. Our goalkeeper got a pretty good whiplash from a fall, and was a little woozy, but the cobwebs had cleared and she checked out negative for a concussion when I checked her. So I let her stay in the game as per her wishes with her promise that if she got any worse she would let me know, immediately. By halftime, ten minutes later, she couldn't jog off the field without getting dizzy, which she wasn't aware of earlier not having to jog. So, I pulled her, had her lie down, put some ice on her neck and back of the head where she said she had some impact. Well, she got progressively worse to the point where she couldn't sit up, her vision was getting blurred, and she wanted to sleep. In other words, she is screaming concussion symptoms. So the parent (not her dad but a teammates) who drove her to the game took her and me to the hospital to double check that there wasn't anything worse going on. Fortunately, there wasn't, but not fun.
On business news, it will be a busy next 2 weeks for me to see whether the Spider's clinics will take off or not. We have tryout clinics for 2-3 clubs. Very exciting.
"there is courage for the simple man
to the holders of secrets and scars
learning to stand with reaching arms
we'll wait till the very last
no matter what will be
you're always good
always good to me"
Now that that is out of the way. It has been so cool to see God moving in and around me. My roommate and I sat in front of the same couple this week, and picked up our conversations from last week with them. After the service, we sat at the same table as the pastor at the newcomers luncheon, and my roommate had a good conversation with him. The both came out of the same Catholic background, so there was a common understanding. It seemed like a good talk, and meanwhile, I met some pretty neat people. Saturday, the girls team that I help with had a game down in SE Washington, and I probably had one of the more terrifying coaching moments. Our goalkeeper got a pretty good whiplash from a fall, and was a little woozy, but the cobwebs had cleared and she checked out negative for a concussion when I checked her. So I let her stay in the game as per her wishes with her promise that if she got any worse she would let me know, immediately. By halftime, ten minutes later, she couldn't jog off the field without getting dizzy, which she wasn't aware of earlier not having to jog. So, I pulled her, had her lie down, put some ice on her neck and back of the head where she said she had some impact. Well, she got progressively worse to the point where she couldn't sit up, her vision was getting blurred, and she wanted to sleep. In other words, she is screaming concussion symptoms. So the parent (not her dad but a teammates) who drove her to the game took her and me to the hospital to double check that there wasn't anything worse going on. Fortunately, there wasn't, but not fun.
On business news, it will be a busy next 2 weeks for me to see whether the Spider's clinics will take off or not. We have tryout clinics for 2-3 clubs. Very exciting.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Small groups
So, Wednesday night was a meeting of my new church's twentysomethings group. Much more older 20s and up than younger 20s, so that was a different dynamic than I was used to coming out the Z family bible study. I hit it off with one of the guys pretty well, and he invited me to play soccer Thurs. night with some guys from Moody Bible Institute - Spokane. Very cool, and very fun. The other neat aspect of the church is their various "growth groups," which they strongly encourage everyone to attend, are all studying the same thing, and they go through the entire Bible in 6-7 years. They just finished and are restarting with Genesis. So yeah, the tendrils of community are out. Anyways, that has been super encouraging. Cheers.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Life and Times
It's been a while since I last wrote on here, and there is lots to say. First off, I think I have found a church. I attended Faith Bible Church this last Sunday, and plan on attending a twentysomethings group Wed. night (if they are meeting), and there is a newcomer luncheon on this coming Sunday. I know it was only a single sermon impression, but the pastor seemed to be sincere in his desire to apply the scripture to life and to have his congregation do the same. Very cool. So I am jazzed about that. On another note, a major concern of mine in dealing with my soccer "boss" was somewhat assuaged today by our meeting to finalize plans for tomorrow's inroductory clinic to a U12 team. Whereas in our previous meeting the tone was, "THIS is the way it will be, and I will not have your input," today was much more cooperative, and while it still was not my lead and his support, my suggestions were implemented immediately. So we will see how that progresses. Thank you for your prayers on that.
On a different note, I have started reading/sutdying/memorizing II Peter and was struck not only by the powerful language Peter uses to condemn false teachers but also the overall pointedness with which Peter writes. I have spent a little time pondering the over the Greek construction of verses 5-9, trying to decide if the order of qualities is a linear progression, or more a general recommendation. Does anybody have any illuminating thoughts?
It has also been really cool (not even the right word, but it is late and i'm tired) to see how God has been using me in my roommate's life. I was suprised this past week when driving back from soccer he mentioned that he would go to church with me for a couple weeks at least. He liked it well enough that he will go back with me, but he has admitted that he likes Mr. Sikkema's preaching better, at least as far as the quality of the speaker goes. And while he still approaches the gospel message with cynicism, I pray that seeds are planted deep.
Okay, there is more to say, but my eyelashes are getting to heavy for my lids and my fingers keep missing keys. Miss you all.
On a different note, I have started reading/sutdying/memorizing II Peter and was struck not only by the powerful language Peter uses to condemn false teachers but also the overall pointedness with which Peter writes. I have spent a little time pondering the over the Greek construction of verses 5-9, trying to decide if the order of qualities is a linear progression, or more a general recommendation. Does anybody have any illuminating thoughts?
It has also been really cool (not even the right word, but it is late and i'm tired) to see how God has been using me in my roommate's life. I was suprised this past week when driving back from soccer he mentioned that he would go to church with me for a couple weeks at least. He liked it well enough that he will go back with me, but he has admitted that he likes Mr. Sikkema's preaching better, at least as far as the quality of the speaker goes. And while he still approaches the gospel message with cynicism, I pray that seeds are planted deep.
Okay, there is more to say, but my eyelashes are getting to heavy for my lids and my fingers keep missing keys. Miss you all.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Desert Wanderings
Okay, so lots of thoughts going so many different directions, maybe some of you, loyal readers, can help me make sense of it all (in other words, help me make sure my head is on straight about this). Reading in I Corinthians 10, intending to follow up on some thoughts from the previous post, it struck me that I might have been paying lip service to these verses for a long time without spending the effort to really get at what they were saying. People, and by that I mean at least myself (I'm a person, and i'm sure someone else has done it, sometime, somewhere), have spouted forth verse 13 as a first line of defense against temptation. It sounds so nice, so simple, to say "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." But contextualized and reexamined in light of other passages have given verse 13 a different flavor than a simple God provides a way out mentality. Paul writes this verse as a concluding statement to the trials of the Israelites in the wilderness. Verses 6-10 offer a brief catalog of temptations faced and given into and the fatal consequences. Tempted => Sinned => Died !!! Paul transitions from those points, into his concluding point on temptation, before launching off on a "therefore" in verse 14.
I have always thought of the "way out" in verse 13 as something of a giant neon arrow sign saying, Go this Way, almost a, DANGER, Bridge out ahead type message. But drawing a corellation from the Israelites in the wilderness, I think the message takes a slightly different tone. God's provision for the Israelites was nearly complete, lacking only Christ. They were fed, dressed, protected, and guided to the promised land as well as given the Law by which they were promised success and prosperity. That does not mean that the Israelites were not tempted by their earthly wants, wants which seemed real necessities. Success in resisting these temptations might come from Paul's fixing our eyes on the unseen, Christ's do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink. The example might come from Christ's resistance of the Devil by scripture in Matthew 4 (whence came much of the previous post). But I think a major component to all of these would be the message at the end of Hebrews 4 (a favorite of mine/excuse the starting with a therefore, but...):
"Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let s hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are - yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find GRACE to help us in our time of need."
Grace is the provision, grace is the key, grace is the grease that makes the whole thing tick. Grace allows everything to be permissible (going back to I Corinthians), but seeking to feed the wants a la the Wilderness Israelites, will not be beneficial, and save God's ultimate provision, the blood of Christ shed on the cross and his resurrection, the result is the death mentioned in the examples from history.
Don't feed the flesh, feed the Spirit, discipline yourself for war, and rely on the God's grace for the strength to stand. Sounds like a plan to me.
I have always thought of the "way out" in verse 13 as something of a giant neon arrow sign saying, Go this Way, almost a, DANGER, Bridge out ahead type message. But drawing a corellation from the Israelites in the wilderness, I think the message takes a slightly different tone. God's provision for the Israelites was nearly complete, lacking only Christ. They were fed, dressed, protected, and guided to the promised land as well as given the Law by which they were promised success and prosperity. That does not mean that the Israelites were not tempted by their earthly wants, wants which seemed real necessities. Success in resisting these temptations might come from Paul's fixing our eyes on the unseen, Christ's do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink. The example might come from Christ's resistance of the Devil by scripture in Matthew 4 (whence came much of the previous post). But I think a major component to all of these would be the message at the end of Hebrews 4 (a favorite of mine/excuse the starting with a therefore, but...):
"Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let s hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are - yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find GRACE to help us in our time of need."
Grace is the provision, grace is the key, grace is the grease that makes the whole thing tick. Grace allows everything to be permissible (going back to I Corinthians), but seeking to feed the wants a la the Wilderness Israelites, will not be beneficial, and save God's ultimate provision, the blood of Christ shed on the cross and his resurrection, the result is the death mentioned in the examples from history.
Don't feed the flesh, feed the Spirit, discipline yourself for war, and rely on the God's grace for the strength to stand. Sounds like a plan to me.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Censoring the Media
"Therefore, do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you may obey its evil desires. Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness." Rom. 6:12-13
As some of you know, I have been filtering what media I have and consume in order to be God honoring in what I listen, read, and watch. Part of the impetus for this has come from thinking again on Philippians chapters 3 and 4, 4:8 in particular. But as many of you know, unless I can really grasp the why of some command, I will always be partly unwilling to give myself over to it. So this is where the verses quoted above begin to come into play. One has a choice, whether to live according to the Spirit, or live (spiritual death) according to the flesh, whether to be an tool of wickedness, or an instrument of righteousness. Whichever one of these is fed will go a long way to determine according to which one an individual will live. In my struggles against sin, I would often wonder at the difficulty in resisting temptation, why, despite knowing something was sinful, the urge to give in was greater than the will to resist. I think a large portion of it came down to the fact that what I was listening to, reading, and watching was largely flesh oriented. It struck me the other day as I was reading an old favorite book of mine for the, oh, maybe 30th time or so, that I had probably spent more time, reading/dwelling on "secular" books in the last five years or so than the Bible or other God centered books. Easily. The same could probably be said of music and movies as well. So if we are keeping track, that's one quarter time for God, and three quarters for flesh. And I wonder about why it has been hard to cast off the old. If you keep feeding it, it's probably not going to die, and if you are feeding it more than the Spirit, well, you usually get out what you put in.
So, we are going to change what we put in, because I want changed what I put out.
As some of you know, I have been filtering what media I have and consume in order to be God honoring in what I listen, read, and watch. Part of the impetus for this has come from thinking again on Philippians chapters 3 and 4, 4:8 in particular. But as many of you know, unless I can really grasp the why of some command, I will always be partly unwilling to give myself over to it. So this is where the verses quoted above begin to come into play. One has a choice, whether to live according to the Spirit, or live (spiritual death) according to the flesh, whether to be an tool of wickedness, or an instrument of righteousness. Whichever one of these is fed will go a long way to determine according to which one an individual will live. In my struggles against sin, I would often wonder at the difficulty in resisting temptation, why, despite knowing something was sinful, the urge to give in was greater than the will to resist. I think a large portion of it came down to the fact that what I was listening to, reading, and watching was largely flesh oriented. It struck me the other day as I was reading an old favorite book of mine for the, oh, maybe 30th time or so, that I had probably spent more time, reading/dwelling on "secular" books in the last five years or so than the Bible or other God centered books. Easily. The same could probably be said of music and movies as well. So if we are keeping track, that's one quarter time for God, and three quarters for flesh. And I wonder about why it has been hard to cast off the old. If you keep feeding it, it's probably not going to die, and if you are feeding it more than the Spirit, well, you usually get out what you put in.
So, we are going to change what we put in, because I want changed what I put out.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Hmms
Funny thing reading about Moses the other night in Hebrews 11, he jsut keeps comign up as the topic of the week. So, many different thoughts came up today in various circles, and so hopefully I will remember all the ones I wanted to share. First, the sermon at church tonight was on Deut. 32, and I don't know if God has finally broken my intellectual arrogance, but these past two church services have been more spiritually filling than any that I can remember being in a long time. The other cool thing before jumping into some thoughts on the passage is how much and how perfectly fitting devotions and messages have been recently. Now, I'm beginning to think that the passages might always have been perfectly fitting, I'm just beginning to figure out how to listen to what God is saying. It's exciting whatever it is. But to Deuteronomy.
What struck me most is something that Mr. BZ (Buzz... new nickname?) and I have been discussing to a certain extent over the past couple months, and that is investigating the purpose of the Law, and for myself in particular, the manner in which Christ fulfills and completes the process of the Law. So in verses 46-52 we have Moses' statement of the prupose of the Law to the Israelites, and then the consequences for Moses in not fully honoring God. Moses commands the people "to obey carefully all the words of this law. They are not just idle words for you-they are your life. By them you will live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess." The Law here being intended to be taken into the promised land, and this is enforced to Joshua in his commission from the Lord in the first chapter where in verses 7 and 8 Joshua is commanded " be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night (Phil. 4:8 anyone?), so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful." Notice in both places the intetion and purpose is beneficial.
So what do we do with the fact that Moses, as the giver of the Law, called a servant of God, whom the Lord knew face to face, a prophet with no equal, was excluded from entering into the promised land because, according to Deut. 32:51, "you broke faith with me... and because you did not uphold my holiness among the Israelites." We know from the Transfiguration accounts in Mark and Luke, that Moses is in the presence of Christ divine, a connection that I had missed until pointed out tonight at church; so the question then arises, how does Moses go from dying outside the promised land to the Promised Land? The answer to that appears in John 1:17, again pointed out tonight, "For the law came through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ."
So here are my thoughts on one of the ways in which that can all fit together. The Law is intended to be beneficial, but when we measure ourselves against the Law for the sake of judging righteousness, we fall short. So if we are pursuing righteousness for the sake of righteousness, we will be frustrated forever by our lack of righteousness (this is more a note to myself here). The Law exposes our unrighteousness, exposes in us the need for grace, and it is by that very grace, freely given at great cost,that we can then begin to live lives of righteousness. If our falling short points to "how great our Father's love for us, how vast beyond all measure," then the Law is providing for us the greatest benefit in that it drives us to a deeper love of God. If the more and more we realize how we fall short, if our flesh becomes so disturbed by the drawing near of the Spirit that the discomfort becomes palpable, and more and more rejoice then in the grace given us and it provokes thankfulness and love, then the pursuit of the Law becomes an excerise in love of which an outcome is the holy living we desire. In other words, the Law is not the end, but a means to point towards Christ.
As I read in Hebrews 12:1-12 the other night, "let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith..." Keep in mind that the pursuit of holiness is not an end in itself, but it is to keep off any hinderances from deepening my love for Chirst, fixing my eyes on Jesus instead of the Law. Furtherore, rejoice in hardship and discipline, because the punishment of correction is a mark of a Father's love, for how can it be but beneficial to be kept from foolish sin.
What struck me most is something that Mr. BZ (Buzz... new nickname?) and I have been discussing to a certain extent over the past couple months, and that is investigating the purpose of the Law, and for myself in particular, the manner in which Christ fulfills and completes the process of the Law. So in verses 46-52 we have Moses' statement of the prupose of the Law to the Israelites, and then the consequences for Moses in not fully honoring God. Moses commands the people "to obey carefully all the words of this law. They are not just idle words for you-they are your life. By them you will live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess." The Law here being intended to be taken into the promised land, and this is enforced to Joshua in his commission from the Lord in the first chapter where in verses 7 and 8 Joshua is commanded " be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night (Phil. 4:8 anyone?), so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful." Notice in both places the intetion and purpose is beneficial.
So what do we do with the fact that Moses, as the giver of the Law, called a servant of God, whom the Lord knew face to face, a prophet with no equal, was excluded from entering into the promised land because, according to Deut. 32:51, "you broke faith with me... and because you did not uphold my holiness among the Israelites." We know from the Transfiguration accounts in Mark and Luke, that Moses is in the presence of Christ divine, a connection that I had missed until pointed out tonight at church; so the question then arises, how does Moses go from dying outside the promised land to the Promised Land? The answer to that appears in John 1:17, again pointed out tonight, "For the law came through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ."
So here are my thoughts on one of the ways in which that can all fit together. The Law is intended to be beneficial, but when we measure ourselves against the Law for the sake of judging righteousness, we fall short. So if we are pursuing righteousness for the sake of righteousness, we will be frustrated forever by our lack of righteousness (this is more a note to myself here). The Law exposes our unrighteousness, exposes in us the need for grace, and it is by that very grace, freely given at great cost,that we can then begin to live lives of righteousness. If our falling short points to "how great our Father's love for us, how vast beyond all measure," then the Law is providing for us the greatest benefit in that it drives us to a deeper love of God. If the more and more we realize how we fall short, if our flesh becomes so disturbed by the drawing near of the Spirit that the discomfort becomes palpable, and more and more rejoice then in the grace given us and it provokes thankfulness and love, then the pursuit of the Law becomes an excerise in love of which an outcome is the holy living we desire. In other words, the Law is not the end, but a means to point towards Christ.
As I read in Hebrews 12:1-12 the other night, "let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith..." Keep in mind that the pursuit of holiness is not an end in itself, but it is to keep off any hinderances from deepening my love for Chirst, fixing my eyes on Jesus instead of the Law. Furtherore, rejoice in hardship and discipline, because the punishment of correction is a mark of a Father's love, for how can it be but beneficial to be kept from foolish sin.
Monday, August 4, 2008
Light and Hope
So I was reading in Hebrews 11 last night, reviewing those members of the "hall of faith," having been ruminating over why the individuals who were selected to be mentioned by name were included, and some excluded. In particular, what lead me to Hebrews (and will lead me into Genesis and Exodus tonight in all likelihood) was the persons of Abraham and Moses. I was thinking about those stalwarts of faith each having a point in their lives they probably regretted, Moses having murdered and Abraham's sleeping with Hagar.
It was odd how though I planned to review all of chapter 11, trying to find the ties of faith from one example to the next and see how God used imperfect vessels, vessels who acted out of perfect obedience in a couple instances, or maybe even in just one event, in order to fulfill His plans, I actually began reading in verse 25. In talking about Moses, it is written;
"He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king's anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible."
It made me stop, comparing the descriptions from verse 26 to the beginning of chapter 12. In verse 26, Moses casts off his temporary inheritance, that of a position as honored amongst the Egyptians as a son of Pharaoh's daughter, by killing the Egyptian, in order to be restored to his true inheritance as that of a Hebrew, sharing in their sufferings. Christ, as mentioned in chapter 12, "who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of God." Christ cast off his divine position to humbly be born a man, took the sins of the world upon himslef and broke apart the Trinity (if we accept the proposition that by accepting the sins of the world upon him, Christ became separated from God and this is what caused his death, not just the act of being crucified), so that we might gain an inheritance in heaven and Christ received his reward. I don't know if there is a further lesson to be drawn from the parallels, but it struck me all the same.
Anyways, there is so much in those two chapters of Hebrews that I love, and I just thought I would share a little thought from it. Maybe some other day I'll talk about some more.
It was odd how though I planned to review all of chapter 11, trying to find the ties of faith from one example to the next and see how God used imperfect vessels, vessels who acted out of perfect obedience in a couple instances, or maybe even in just one event, in order to fulfill His plans, I actually began reading in verse 25. In talking about Moses, it is written;
"He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king's anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible."
It made me stop, comparing the descriptions from verse 26 to the beginning of chapter 12. In verse 26, Moses casts off his temporary inheritance, that of a position as honored amongst the Egyptians as a son of Pharaoh's daughter, by killing the Egyptian, in order to be restored to his true inheritance as that of a Hebrew, sharing in their sufferings. Christ, as mentioned in chapter 12, "who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of God." Christ cast off his divine position to humbly be born a man, took the sins of the world upon himslef and broke apart the Trinity (if we accept the proposition that by accepting the sins of the world upon him, Christ became separated from God and this is what caused his death, not just the act of being crucified), so that we might gain an inheritance in heaven and Christ received his reward. I don't know if there is a further lesson to be drawn from the parallels, but it struck me all the same.
Anyways, there is so much in those two chapters of Hebrews that I love, and I just thought I would share a little thought from it. Maybe some other day I'll talk about some more.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Calm in Calamity, Tranquil in Turmoil
I would have written on this yesterday, but arrived at my travel destination only to find that they were without internet. Such is life sometimes. You get to where you are going only to find it is not exactly what you were expecting. Now, no internet is not the same as other situations to which this could refer, but still.
That is why yesterday's devotion was a perfect reminder for me, the close of it in particular: "if we realize that obedience is the end, then each moment as it comes is precious."
In my current unsettled state, having been uprooted from Colorado but not yet placed in my next spot, there has been a yearning to know where and in which direction I should go in order to fit with God's plan for me. Is it to stay with my plans to move to Spokane before heading overseas, or do I scrap the entire Spokane plans to pursue other avenues in Colorado? In some ways, as long as in every moment I am obedient to God, it does not matter. And the end point in and of itself is meaningless without the practice of obeying God all along the way. I think that if one is focused on honoring and obeying God daily, that they will find that they will arrive at the end God has designed for them, in the spiritual attitude to fulfill God's purpose in the lives of others at that point. In contrast, if one is so determined to reach an end for the sake of arriving that they forsake God's direction along the way, then they will find that the end is not exactly what they were expecting.
So I will walk, calm in calamity and tranquil in turmoil, knowing that my God is in complete control.
That is why yesterday's devotion was a perfect reminder for me, the close of it in particular: "if we realize that obedience is the end, then each moment as it comes is precious."
In my current unsettled state, having been uprooted from Colorado but not yet placed in my next spot, there has been a yearning to know where and in which direction I should go in order to fit with God's plan for me. Is it to stay with my plans to move to Spokane before heading overseas, or do I scrap the entire Spokane plans to pursue other avenues in Colorado? In some ways, as long as in every moment I am obedient to God, it does not matter. And the end point in and of itself is meaningless without the practice of obeying God all along the way. I think that if one is focused on honoring and obeying God daily, that they will find that they will arrive at the end God has designed for them, in the spiritual attitude to fulfill God's purpose in the lives of others at that point. In contrast, if one is so determined to reach an end for the sake of arriving that they forsake God's direction along the way, then they will find that the end is not exactly what they were expecting.
So I will walk, calm in calamity and tranquil in turmoil, knowing that my God is in complete control.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Another Lengthy Drive
As desert sand for lonely stream
So I thirst for thee,
A single drop for a single grain
Wets, fills, overflows.
The land, ever-parched
Your water, ever-present.
Let me drink my full,
'Til memory of dry hunger fades
And with one sip watch
As in the barren wasteland, life blooms.
So I thirst for thee,
A single drop for a single grain
Wets, fills, overflows.
The land, ever-parched
Your water, ever-present.
Let me drink my full,
'Til memory of dry hunger fades
And with one sip watch
As in the barren wasteland, life blooms.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Part II
One of the benefits of having a mind that refuses to shut off is that it keeps you company on long trips. At times, I have regretted having thoughts that kept going. As a youth, so many nights I wouldn't be able to sleep because I would scare myself with "what ifs." what if the house catches fire, what if robbers break in, what if, what if, what if. It would get to the point where every sound in the house became the footfall of an intruder, every shadow on the wall a harbinger of doom. But it wasn't necessarily that which kept me awake. I would not be able to sleep, because I would play out the event in my mind, the possibilities, every possible action (at least those an 8-10 year old thought possible).
To this day, I have yet to keep from doing this. My mind takes a scenario and runs through possible outcomes, what responses of mine cause which variations. It is almost obsessive-compulsive. Phone calls to make appointments are completely scripted, it's just too bad the other person doesn't know the part.
I think part of the reason for it was wanting absolute control over the things in my life, an attitude that God has been breaking for years in many different aspects. All my planning and fretting was keeping me from going and doing. The DC talk song What if I Stumble was my anthem of inactivity.
That is what has been so cool about recent events. God has taken so much control away from me, not given me the time to prevaricate, and so I have been learning to trust and follow.
Obedient in a little, more will be given. I can't run the marathon without learning to run a mile. But the training is progressing.
To this day, I have yet to keep from doing this. My mind takes a scenario and runs through possible outcomes, what responses of mine cause which variations. It is almost obsessive-compulsive. Phone calls to make appointments are completely scripted, it's just too bad the other person doesn't know the part.
I think part of the reason for it was wanting absolute control over the things in my life, an attitude that God has been breaking for years in many different aspects. All my planning and fretting was keeping me from going and doing. The DC talk song What if I Stumble was my anthem of inactivity.
That is what has been so cool about recent events. God has taken so much control away from me, not given me the time to prevaricate, and so I have been learning to trust and follow.
Obedient in a little, more will be given. I can't run the marathon without learning to run a mile. But the training is progressing.
Monday, July 14, 2008
A Long Drive
About half way there I discovered that it was further away than I thought. Good thing I like driving.
There is something so serene about driving on the open road for hours on end. It is the same peaceful feeling that I get watching animals in zoos or aquariums (having just been to Monterey Bay) and knowing that I could just sit for hours watching random fish and not get bored. I love the ability to wonder about the simple things. I get lost in the blur of passing landscapes and time, setting the mind to roving random topics, flitting from one to the other like a darting fish.
Although sometimes it sits on a topic, especially when someone else helps set the anchor. In this particular case, the subject has been marriage. It seems I have reached that age when more and more of my peers are getting or have gotten married recently, and so it provokes the topic a little more than my own natural inclinations. So some thoughts and opinions:
1)Marriage is really, really, really important. It starts with Christ and Love, and starting anywhere else reduces the importance of it. Right, marriage is the earthly symbol of the relationship between Christ and the Church. To greatly simplify, for lack of space and time, Jesus died so that the greatest need of the Church was met, namely the sanctification and redemption of the believers. From this stems, "there is no greater love than this, that a man would lay down his life for another." Many men would gladly say that they would die for the woman they love, and use that as the basis for their love. What I mean is that because a man thinks he is willing to die for a woman, he therefore loves her, and loving her is in love with her. This starts to fall apart, however, when one considers the full relationship of Christ to the Church. Christ didn't just die for the Church, he also lived a full life as a servant to the Church, filling her every need up to the point where he fulfilled her greatest need by his death and resurrection, and even then he still provided for her. His life was a daily service, even to the point of training those who would become her guardians (the disciples). He took care of all the parts (the various sinners who came for forgiveness/healing, cleaning out the temple, teaching how to pray, etc) tirelessly and endlessly. Applying this to marriage then, we see the role of the husband, in short, is to protect, guard, and serve. Only when a man is fulfilling this part do the well known (and mislabeled) "subservient" commands of passages like those found in Ephesians make complete sense. In this relationship it is not degrading or subservient for the woman to obey her husband, because his aim and desire is to take care of her needs. This is the beginning of a more complete view of the marriage relationship
2) This has more to do with my own readiness for marriage. I want to get married. Soon. I am ready to start a family. And I am not ready for either. Does a man have to be fully prepared for married life before getting married? Is this even possible? Those questions have come up in regards to lots of different areas recently. Is it prideful and sinful to say to oneself, I am ready for marriage/missions/ministry? Does that statement inherently leave out the fact that the only good in us is Christ's life in us? Because if we are supposed to get to the point where we say, I am now fully equipped for ________, then I am really worried that I will never get to that point. I feel disqualified already. My sinful disobedience in the past has made certain traditional prerequisites impossible. The type of girl I would want to marry would be forced to wrestle with my past as I have wrestled with it, and suffer for it. The degree of forgiveness is something I am not sure I could ever be comfortable asking from a godly young woman. I would have a hard time inflicting that experience upon someone I deeply care about, and want to guard and protect her innocence and purity. How can the act of confession/forgiveness do anything but the opposite of guard her innocence? I know by the grace of God I am forgiven, and I know it is only by the grace of God that I can live with any good in me. Is it so straightforward as asking woman I wish to marry to accept the person I am, not the man who is dead in my past?
And this doesn't even begin to touch on the ability, or current lack thereof to put a roof over her head, to provide her with the security of income, and such. In some ways, that is a different lesson though, a lesson on dependence on God and His provision, but at the same point one cannot sit under the apple tree waiting for the season for it to blossom and provide fruit. One would starve in winter.
There is something so serene about driving on the open road for hours on end. It is the same peaceful feeling that I get watching animals in zoos or aquariums (having just been to Monterey Bay) and knowing that I could just sit for hours watching random fish and not get bored. I love the ability to wonder about the simple things. I get lost in the blur of passing landscapes and time, setting the mind to roving random topics, flitting from one to the other like a darting fish.
Although sometimes it sits on a topic, especially when someone else helps set the anchor. In this particular case, the subject has been marriage. It seems I have reached that age when more and more of my peers are getting or have gotten married recently, and so it provokes the topic a little more than my own natural inclinations. So some thoughts and opinions:
1)Marriage is really, really, really important. It starts with Christ and Love, and starting anywhere else reduces the importance of it. Right, marriage is the earthly symbol of the relationship between Christ and the Church. To greatly simplify, for lack of space and time, Jesus died so that the greatest need of the Church was met, namely the sanctification and redemption of the believers. From this stems, "there is no greater love than this, that a man would lay down his life for another." Many men would gladly say that they would die for the woman they love, and use that as the basis for their love. What I mean is that because a man thinks he is willing to die for a woman, he therefore loves her, and loving her is in love with her. This starts to fall apart, however, when one considers the full relationship of Christ to the Church. Christ didn't just die for the Church, he also lived a full life as a servant to the Church, filling her every need up to the point where he fulfilled her greatest need by his death and resurrection, and even then he still provided for her. His life was a daily service, even to the point of training those who would become her guardians (the disciples). He took care of all the parts (the various sinners who came for forgiveness/healing, cleaning out the temple, teaching how to pray, etc) tirelessly and endlessly. Applying this to marriage then, we see the role of the husband, in short, is to protect, guard, and serve. Only when a man is fulfilling this part do the well known (and mislabeled) "subservient" commands of passages like those found in Ephesians make complete sense. In this relationship it is not degrading or subservient for the woman to obey her husband, because his aim and desire is to take care of her needs. This is the beginning of a more complete view of the marriage relationship
2) This has more to do with my own readiness for marriage. I want to get married. Soon. I am ready to start a family. And I am not ready for either. Does a man have to be fully prepared for married life before getting married? Is this even possible? Those questions have come up in regards to lots of different areas recently. Is it prideful and sinful to say to oneself, I am ready for marriage/missions/ministry? Does that statement inherently leave out the fact that the only good in us is Christ's life in us? Because if we are supposed to get to the point where we say, I am now fully equipped for ________, then I am really worried that I will never get to that point. I feel disqualified already. My sinful disobedience in the past has made certain traditional prerequisites impossible. The type of girl I would want to marry would be forced to wrestle with my past as I have wrestled with it, and suffer for it. The degree of forgiveness is something I am not sure I could ever be comfortable asking from a godly young woman. I would have a hard time inflicting that experience upon someone I deeply care about, and want to guard and protect her innocence and purity. How can the act of confession/forgiveness do anything but the opposite of guard her innocence? I know by the grace of God I am forgiven, and I know it is only by the grace of God that I can live with any good in me. Is it so straightforward as asking woman I wish to marry to accept the person I am, not the man who is dead in my past?
And this doesn't even begin to touch on the ability, or current lack thereof to put a roof over her head, to provide her with the security of income, and such. In some ways, that is a different lesson though, a lesson on dependence on God and His provision, but at the same point one cannot sit under the apple tree waiting for the season for it to blossom and provide fruit. One would starve in winter.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
A Home for the Homeless
I am starting this blog for several reasons: to help friends keep in touch as the next phases of my life take place, to keep track of the Lord's workings in my life, to record random thoughts that might interest some of you, and to explore a new form of expression.
Why now? Well, the idea has been bouncing around in my head for a while, and as it is a time of major transition in my life, it seems an ideal time. Plus some other friends have started blogging or returned to it, and it seems like something to do. I guess also it seems a little more private and at the same point more universal than facebook notes.
There also is this need for me to have something consistent in my life. I got the following quote from a novel I read a while ago (so i'm not positive about the author/speaker):
"You must go home again, grit your teeth and however arduous the exercixe, determine, without embellishment, your exact coordinates at Home, your longitudes and latitudes. Only then, will you stop looking back and see the spectacular view in front of you."
-Swithin "Whereabouts, 1917"
The feeling like I've been homeless ever since I left for college in 2002 has been very trying. I yearn for the comfort of having something/someone to return to, a place where I, not the face the world sees, but the maskless ugly/beautiful creature, am known.
At the same point, it could easily appear that I have had opportunities to begin to establish this home. The last 9 months have been some of the most incredible in my life in regards to feeling at home in a community outside of my family. Getting to know the Zs and the rest of the Bible study group has been such a divine blessing that leaving them and moving on has been more heart wrenching than i would have imagined. The roots that had grown in the short time I spent in Colorado were deeper than I had imagined, and a significant part of me wants to return to that soil.
But for right now, i am led onwards. So you are welcome to journey a long. There are irons in the fire, gas in the car, and a vast array of roads ahead to chose form.
Why now? Well, the idea has been bouncing around in my head for a while, and as it is a time of major transition in my life, it seems an ideal time. Plus some other friends have started blogging or returned to it, and it seems like something to do. I guess also it seems a little more private and at the same point more universal than facebook notes.
There also is this need for me to have something consistent in my life. I got the following quote from a novel I read a while ago (so i'm not positive about the author/speaker):
"You must go home again, grit your teeth and however arduous the exercixe, determine, without embellishment, your exact coordinates at Home, your longitudes and latitudes. Only then, will you stop looking back and see the spectacular view in front of you."
-Swithin "Whereabouts, 1917"
The feeling like I've been homeless ever since I left for college in 2002 has been very trying. I yearn for the comfort of having something/someone to return to, a place where I, not the face the world sees, but the maskless ugly/beautiful creature, am known.
At the same point, it could easily appear that I have had opportunities to begin to establish this home. The last 9 months have been some of the most incredible in my life in regards to feeling at home in a community outside of my family. Getting to know the Zs and the rest of the Bible study group has been such a divine blessing that leaving them and moving on has been more heart wrenching than i would have imagined. The roots that had grown in the short time I spent in Colorado were deeper than I had imagined, and a significant part of me wants to return to that soil.
But for right now, i am led onwards. So you are welcome to journey a long. There are irons in the fire, gas in the car, and a vast array of roads ahead to chose form.
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