Forgetting the Past

Listening to the audio book of The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe recently, this part caught my attention:

“‘You have a traitor there, Aslan,’ said the Witch. Of course everyone present knew that she meant Edmund. But Edmund had got past thinking about himself after all he’d been through and after the talk he’d had that morning. He just went on looking at Aslan. It didn’t seem to matter what the Witch said.”

How often do we get distracted and distressed by looking at the past instead of looking at Christ? The enemy wants to keep reminding us that we are sinners, traitors, and failures. But God doesn’t want us to stay there. The Apostle Paul said, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost” (1 Tim. 1:15), but he didn’t stop there. He continued, “But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display His perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in Him for eternal life.” Paul was redeemed in order to display God’s mercy and grace.

King David said in Psalm 51, “For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me” (v. 3). Sometimes we get stuck there and never move on to remind ourselves that “a broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise” (v. 17) and “You, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon You” (86:5). He is quick to forgive, but we are slow to remember.

“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life form the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy” (Psalm 103:2-4).

We need to cling to the truth of who we are in Christ when past sin, shame, and regret rear their heads. Those voices can be so loud, and God’s whispers of truth seem to be drowned out. I don’t know how many times I’ve repeated Romans 8:1, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,” but I need to hear it again and again, not just in my own head but from people who know me. We in the Body of Christ need to be that voice of truth for one another, but to do that we first need to drop some of our barriers of self-protection. (I know how hard it can be to believe that there is security to be found in being known and loved by a few safe people.) We can be part of the cloud of witnesses to one another that the author of Hebrews referred to:

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith” (Heb. 12:1-2a).

May we keep our eyes fixed on Him and let go of all that drags us down.

“Forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:13b-14).

© 2021 Dawn Rutan. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture are ESV and all images are copyright free from pixabay.com. The opinions stated do not necessarily reflect the views of my church or employer.

No Slipping

“The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when He delights in his way; though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the Lord upholds his hand… The law of his God is in his heart; his steps do not slip” (Psalm 37: 23-24, 31).

Oh, how often we think that our salvation and sanctification depend on our ability to hold onto God! We strive to keep the law of God and to be perfect because we fear that we’ll fall away if we aren’t extra careful. We forget that God is the one holding onto us. David and the other psalmists wrote:

Psalm 18:36- “You gave a wide place for my steps under me, and my feet did not slip.”

Psalm 66:8-9- “Bless our God… who has kept our soul among the living and has not let our feet slip.”

Psalm 17:5- “My steps have held fast to Your paths; my feet have not slipped.”

In Christ we are set securely upon the Rock. Those who belong to Him cannot be snatched from His hand (John 10:28-29). However, we need to remember that some who think they are Christians actually do not belong to Him (Matthew 7:21-23). They may agree that there is a God and that Jesus is the Savior, but they are not following Him as Lord.

If you think about it, the fear of falling away from faith is probably a good sign that you are securely in His grasp. You don’t fear losing something if it doesn’t mean anything to you. The good news for true believers is that God’s grace far exceeds our ability to sin. In the words of Dane Ortlund, “The verdict really is in: nothing can touch you. He has made you his own and will never cast you out” (Gentle and Lowly, 186).

We may sometimes feel like the psalmist, “But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled, my steps had nearly slipped. For I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked” (Psalm 73:1-3). When we step back and look at God we can see that we are not the ones who are slipping, but rather the wicked are: “Truly You set them in slippery places; You make them fall to ruin” (v. 18). They are sliding toward eternal condemnation and they neither know nor care.

Though we do need to be careful that we are not deceiving ourselves, there is great peace to be found in knowing that our salvation doesn’t depend on our perfect obedience, because “we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ… because by works of the law no one will be justified” (Galatians 2:16).

Therefore, let us take heart and rest in the salvation that was completed on the cross and the sanctification that we will see fulfilled at His return.

“When I thought, ‘My foot slips,’ Your steadfast love, O Lord, held me up” (Psalm 94:18).

© 2021 Dawn Rutan. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture are ESV and all images are copyright free from pixabay.com. The opinions stated do not necessarily reflect the views of my church or employer.

True Security

“When I felt secure, I said, ‘I will never be shaken.’ Lord, when You favored me, You made my royal mountain stand firm; but when You hid your face, I was dismayed” (Psalm 30:6-7 NIV).

How often do we let our spiritual security depend on our circumstances rather than on God? We feel “blessed and highly favored,” and therefore we believe we are secure. But when circumstances change and we can’t see God’s hand at work, we become dismayed and anxious. The whole book of Job illustrates this human tendency. Would Job ever have had reason to question God if he hadn’t lost everything?

We are prone to place our faith in what we can see instead of in God and His promises. Our prayers tend to reflect this. If all is well, we don’t pray much and we don’t seek God’s help and direction. But when life is uncertain and we realize we can’t rely on our own resources, we turn our attention back to God. Tim Keller wrote about this psalm,

“We often stroll through life, thinking everything will be fine, until suddenly it isn’t. Our unconscious or even verbalized though is ‘I’m solid. I’m on top of things. I’ve got it nailed. I’ve planned well. I’m secure.’ …But God shakes our confidence in our earthly life so that we can yearn for our heavenly life, where our joy is truly unshakable and where our wailing will be turned into dancing” (The Songs of Jesus, Feb. 24).

Wisdom says that we should seek God’s will in all things, but we often forget that step if we think we’ve got everything under control. Proverbs 16:9 says, “The heart of a man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.” James wrote,

“Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit’—yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.’ As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil” (James 4:12-16).

This has been personal for me as I’ve been considering a big decision. I’m tempted to rely on my own wisdom and preparation, trusting in my own control and provision. But I want to know God’s will and follow His path. The last thing I would want is to choose my own way and find myself shaken and dismayed because I’m relying on myself and not God.

It’s hard for us sometimes because God doesn’t always give clear directions when we want them. There may be multiple options that are equally good and honoring to God. The question is whether we are focused on God and are trusting in Him or in ourselves. If we are prayerfully seeking His will, our steps will be secure because our faith is in Him. That’s not to say that God always lays out a smooth path in front of us, but that the condition of the path doesn’t matter to us if we are walking it in God’s presence.

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God… Fear not, for I am with you” (Isaiah 43:2-3a, 5a).

© 2021 Dawn Rutan. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture are ESV and all images are copyright free from pixabay.com. The opinions stated do not necessarily reflect the views of my church or employer.

My Shelter

“The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold” (Psalm 18:2).

In this one verse David uses eight different Hebrew words to describe God’s protection over him. The picture is one of being guarded on every side by God’s power. Why then are we so easily overcome by fear and anxiety?

When foes surround us, He is our deliverer.

When enemies attack us, we are safe in God’s fortress.

When the world seems to be falling apart, we stand securely on His rock.

When Satan throws his darts at us, we are shielded by God’s Word.

When guilt and shame threaten us, we are guarded by His salvation.

When we feel powerless, He is our stronghold.

Our security comes not from our own strength or abilities, but from the One who holds us in the palm of His hand. To be dominated by fear is to disbelieve His promises and His power. He is “the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords” (1 Tim. 6:15), so He is able to do whatever He pleases. He is always watching— “Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, on those who hope in His steadfast love” (Psalm 33:18), so nothing catches Him by surprise. He delights to do good— “The Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly” (Psalm 84:11).

There are so many promises in Scripture that we can cling to if we will remember when the storms come. (I’m preaching to myself first and foremost.) We need frequent reminders to “taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!” (Psalm 34:8).

Lord, I believe—help my unbelief! “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but [I will] trust in the name of the Lord our God” (Psalm 20:6).

“In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety” (Psalm 4:4).

 © 2021 Dawn Rutan. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture are ESV and all images are copyright free from pixabay.com. The opinions stated do not necessarily reflect the views of my church or employer. 

Secure

I arrived home from my Christmas travels to find my back door kicked in and my jewelry box missing. One of the first things I told the police was “They’re gonna be really disappointed when they try to pawn my stuff. I didn’t have much of value.” After the police left, I was reminded of Matthew 6:19-21 (ESV):

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

At times like this, I know where my treasure truly is. Sure, I’m disappointed in losing things that were given to me by my grandparents and parents, but it doesn’t break my heart. (This bothers me less than the workman I allowed into my house who stole from me, because he pretended to be trustworthy.)

Ironically, I heard this from Alistair Begg today as I was catching up on Truth for Life— “My Help Come From the Lord:”

“Luther said in that great hymn*, ‘But though they take my goods, honor, children, wife, yet is their profit small.’ Why is it small? Because Luther says, ‘All I have is Christ.’ You see, where this goes south for us is if we have not come to the point where all we ultimately have is Christ... If my security, my confidence is in my wealth... or if it’s in my health, or if it’s in my wife, then if you take my wife, my wealth, or my health it’s a disaster. It has to be. But if my security is in Christ, then though they take my wife, goods, children, life, then is their profit small. Why? Because my help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth.”

On the tails of a season often characterized by materialism, it’s a good reminder that our greatest gifts are the intangible things of Christ. There is humility to be found in knowing that worldly possessions don’t last and don’t define us. I remember when I bought my car in 2001. I had less than 200 miles on the odometer when a flying rock chipped the windshield. It was (and still is) a visible reminder that I can’t tie my happiness and pride to things that will disappear sooner or later. Rocks, rust, thieves, disease, and all kinds of other things will take their toll.

So I am thankful for the gifts that never end:

• Salvation and forgiveness
• Reconciliation with God
• Having God as my Father, Jesus Christ as my Brother, and many siblings in the Body of Christ
• Eternal life in a perfect Kingdom

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly place... In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace, which He lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight...” (Ephesians 1:3, 7-8).

“...I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that He is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me” (2 Timothy 1:12).

“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful” (Hebrews 10:23).

(*The hymn he quotes is a more literal translation of “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.”)

© 2017 Dawn Rutan. Unless otherwise indicated all images are copyright free from pixabay.com.

Rest Area

Sunday’s sermon from Mark 6:30-44 on Jesus as our caring Shepherd reinforced some things I’ve read lately in taking care of ourselves. One point from the sermon was that Jesus restores His sheep. In Matthew 11:28-30 Jesus invites us to come to Him for rest. The difficulty is that everyone has conflicting expectations placed on them by family, friends, coworkers, church members, and themselves. And as I mentioned recently, we tend to judge ourselves and others by our level of productivity. When it comes to periods of change or stress, we have to know what our priorities are so we can use our time wisely. In You’re Going to Be Okay, Holley Gerth suggests three questions we need to ask:

1) What does God want me to do?
2) What’s the best use of my emotions and energy?
3) What do I need most right now?

At times it seems like the church excels at adding to our stress. You can’t stop teaching Sunday school because you’ve always done it. You can’t get off the church board because no one else will fill that position. You have to help with the church dinner, nursery, bulletins, etc. There is a perception in the church, and even among pastors, that everything related to the church takes priority over personal time, family, career, and anything else we may want to do. Sometimes it’s hard to say no to church activities because “You’re serving God,” but we often don’t differentiate between the many types of activities churches promote. It’s ironic that the building that contains a sanctuary may be the last place we’d come for rest.

But Jesus (and the pastor!) said it’s okay to rest when you need to rest. If we don’t set our own limits, no one else is going to do it for us. Gerth puts it this way:

“It’s like we have internal emotional and energy bank accounts. We’ve budgeted well and can cover all our expenses. Then someone runs the family car into a pole, and suddenly we need to buy a new vehicle. So what do we do? For the next few months, we change our spending. That’s also what we do when we face change. We temporarily alter how we spend our emotions and energy. This can be difficult because often the many things we do are part of our self-worth. That means when we slow down or switch things up, we feel like a failure. But the opposite is true. Sustainable life success is only possible when we can adjust in times of change to avoid going into life overdraft” (159-160).

Communicating that change can be a challenge. Little children and teens aren’t the only ones who don’t like the words “No” or “Later.” If we don’t know what our priorities are, we can’t say no to anything, and we will end up too burnt out to say yes to the things that really matter. If we let our identity be defined by what we do, we can’t stop doing anything. My identity is not teacher, leader, board member, or treasurer. My identity is beloved daughter of the King and servant of God. There is only one Lord, and only He has the authority to tell me what I should or should not do in His service. His approval is all that matters. Guilt has no place in God’s agenda for me. Even if I accomplish nothing today, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1 ESV). Even if I never help with another church function, my future is secure.

“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ” (Colossians 3:23-24).

© 2015 Dawn Rutan.

Unlimited

I’ve been inspired and challenged lately by reading Lloyd John Ogilvie’s book Autobiography of God, which studies the parables Jesus told as a reflection of who God is. One chapter is on the parables of the “new patch and new wine” in Luke 5:33-39. In these parables, Jesus is not very subtle in pointing out that the Pharisees were so absorbed in what God had done in the past that they missed what He was doing in the present through Jesus. Although we tend to judge the Pharisees for missing the Savior, we can be guilty of the same thing today. Ogilvie writes:

“There are Christians who can recount with elaborate detail how they first discovered God’s grace in some experience of need or challenge. Often the treasured memory becomes more important than God Himself. His question is, ‘What have you allowed Me to give you and do for you lately?’ ...Many of us have built a whole theology on our personal experiences of God. Soon our experiences build us. They become limitations to further development and expansion of our understanding. We become rigid and immobilized. We insist God must always do what He’s done and be for us what He’s been.”

Holding on to past experiences may result from complacency, a satisfaction that what’s gone before is sufficient. It can also become a comfortable place that’s free from risk. If God has free reign in our lives, there’s no telling what He may do in us and through us. Ogilvie says:

“The false security of the familiar constantly must be replaced by trusting God with the complexities and uncertainties staring me in the face today... The Lordship of Jesus Christ cannot be poured into the old skin of our settled personality structure, presuppositions about life, prejudices about people, plans for the future, and predetermined ideas of what He will do or how we will respond.”

That’s a challenge when we’re not certain where our path will lead. It seems easier to rely on what we’ve experienced of God in the past than to trust Him to do whatever He wants in the present. Not that the past is bad. Throughout the Old Testament the Israelites were reminded to consider how God had been faithful in the past in order to trust Him in the future. But we can’t let those experiences define how God will always work. God is not limited by history or tradition, or by human understanding and expectations. God is “able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think” (Ephesians 3:20), so why would we want to limit Him to what He’s already done before? But fear of the unknown is a powerful demotivator.

Thinking through this for myself, I see various areas where I’ve tried to limit God by my own limitations in knowledge, experience, personality and wounds. Ed Tandy McGlasson writes in The Father You’ve Always Wanted, “One of the devil’s main goals is to convince you to name yourself by your brokenness. He wants your future horizons to be completely limited by lies... But God loves to change broken stories and make the impossible possible!” Sometimes God is just waiting for us to say “Your will be done.”

As we were reminded in Sunday’s sermon on Proverbs 3:5-8, our role is to be faithful to God in our everyday life, and trust Him to reveal each step of the path as we come to it. That doesn’t sound too spectacular until we acknowledge and accept the fact that God may do something new and unexpected.

Ogilvie comes to a conclusion that is worth considering:

“I have learned a great deal through study of Scripture and years of fellowship with the Lord. But I suspect that my most exciting years are ahead. How about you? If so, I want to surrender any false pride or dependence on the past and make a fresh beginning. My past experience of God can never substitute for the experience of God today. ‘Lord, here is a fresh wineskin; fill me. Here is my naked need; clothe me with Your character.’ Now I can’t wait for what the Lord will do!”

“Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” -Isaiah 43:19

-Photo by Dawn Rutan from parking lot of Dulin’s Grove Church 1/30/15.