I Problems

Some time back I wrote about Job’s entitlement mentality. I’m reading through Job again and noticed particularly in chapter 31 how Job repeatedly says “If I have...” The first verse of chapter 32 says, “So these three men ceased to answer Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes.” It appears that the last time Job really had his eyes on God in worship was in 1:21, “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” Beginning in chapter 3, his eyes are on himself, “After this Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth.”

It’s amazing how easily we can stop focusing on God and starting focusing on ourselves. It doesn’t take Job-like suffering to do that. Such distraction can come from minor suffering, success, and even service. When we’re in pain, we tend to look at the reason for our pain. C.S. Lewis wrote:

“I once read the sentence ‘I lay awake all night with a toothache, thinking about the toothache and about lying awake.’ That’s true to life. Part of every misery is, so to speak, the misery’s shadow or reflection: the fact that you don’t merely suffer but have to keep on thinking about the fact that you suffer. I not only live each endless day in grief, but live each day thinking about living each day in grief.” (A Grief Observed).

And when things are going well and we’ve achieved some success, we are likely to get distracted by our pride. Comfort can quickly lead to apathy in the Christian life.

But even service can take our eyes off of God. We can get so busy doing good things, even church activities, that we lose sight of the purpose behind them. As Pastor Matt wrote in this week’s sermonrecap:

“Many so-called good works are poisoned when we allow the number two command [love people] to eclipse the number one command [love God]. The purpose of our good works is to glorify God. This completes the circuit, closes the loop, fulfills our function. We were created to glorify God, and this is why we do good works. Not to be seen or praised (Matthew 6:1-17), but so that God might be seen and praised.”

In church activities in particular we run into a conundrum: those who serve should be doing so without expectation of praise or recognition, and yet the Body needs to have an appreciation for all that goes on behind the scenes to make things happen. Service itself is a spiritual discipline, knowing that we are ultimately responsible to God for how we use the gifts He has given us. But I believe praise is also be a discipline we need to practice—we need to be praise God for how He has supplied the Body, and we need to express thanksgiving to people for the ways God has been able to work through their service.

Among his many greetings to individuals in his letters, Paul singles out three and says, “I rejoice at the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus, because they have made up for your absence, for they refreshed my spirit as well as yours. Give recognition to such men” (1 Corinthians 16:17-18). He didn’t stop with saying thanks, but he urged the church to take time to thank them as well.

Unfortunately, our lack of praise is another “I problem.” Some possible reasons for it include:

• We don’t know what is being done that is worthy of praise, perhaps due to inattentiveness.
• We don’t believe it is praiseworthy, perhaps due to jealousy, pride, or judgmental attitudes.
• We don’t care enough to take the time to say thanks.

If we look around us with our eyes focused on God, it shouldn’t be hard to see opportunities to thank others for their acts of service. But in case we don’t get around to it, God never forgets:

“For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for His name in serving the saints, as you still do.” –Hebrews 6:10

Take the Next Step

Recently I searched for the word “walk” in the New Testament, and I was struck by the variety of instructions for how we are to walk:

• Walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4)
• Walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit (Romans 8:4)
• Walk properly as in the daytime (Romans 13:13)
• Walk by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7)
• Walk by the Spirit (Galatians 5:16 & 25)
• Walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called (Ephesians 4:1)
• Walk in love (Ephesians 5:2)
• Walk as children of the light (Ephesians 5:8)
• Walk not as unwise but as wise (Ephesians 5:15)
• Walk in a manner worthy of the Lord (Colossians 1:10; 1 Thessalonians 2:12)
• Walk in Christ Jesus the Lord (Colossians 2:6)
• Walk in wisdom toward outsiders (Colossians 4:5; 1 Thessalonians 4:12)
• Walk in the light (1 John 1:7)
• Walk as Jesus walked (1 John 2:6)
• Walk according to His commandments (2 John 6)

Altogether, those verses pretty well illustrate what our lives should look like within the Body of Christ. Unfortunately, I’m not sure we do a very good job of living up to those expectations. There seems to be an abundance of unwise choices and walking in darkness. Of course, that’s obvious in the pastors who make the news, but it is at least as frequent among attendees of every church. While some of those church attenders are not actually Christians, they aren’t the only ones taking missteps.

We are all prone to depart from the “narrow way” at times. The main questions are how far off the path are we going to go and how long are we going to stay there? The further we stray into darkness, the harder it is to return to the light and the more likely it is that our sins will become known to others.

As we discussed in Bible study this week, when we try to cope with our sin in isolation, we’re going to have a hard time holding everything together and keeping it from ruling our lives. We desperately need the light of Christ to shine on our lives through close relationships with other believers. We need those people who will ask the hard questions and won’t settle for “Fine” as an answer to any question. We need people who will not just keep our secrets, but won’t let our secrets keep us from growing in holiness. We need people who can help us think through and pray for wise decisions in all areas of life.

How much sin would be avoided if every believer were held accountable by someone else? How much temptation would be diffused if we knew we’d have to tell someone if we gave in to it? There have been many times when I’ve needed that accountability to keep me from doing something I would soon regret, and there have been times when I didn’t have anyone when I needed someone.

Trillia Newbell writes the following on Why Accountability Matters (http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/why-accountability-matters):

“Consistent accountability has been a means of God’s protection in my life. To this day, though I’m further along in my walk than I was a decade ago, I do not believe I’m incapable of grievous sin (1 Corinthians 10:12). I am a new creation, and I have the Spirit’s power, but it’s no longer a surprise that when I want to do good, evil is close at hand (Romans 7:21). Understanding that we are all batting on the same team (all have sinned) means we can freely share with these close, trusted friends. Accountability allows us to confess patterns of temptation and in so doing we are restrained from actual transgression.”

I would challenge individuals and small groups to take the next step toward honesty and vulnerability with those who can be trusted.

“Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.” –Ephesians 4:25

I'm Here

As often happens to me, there has been a convergence of themes in books that I am reading. The first was a slightly modernized (in 1976) version of The Practice of the Presence of God, by Brother Lawrence. The second was Real Presence: The Christian Worldview of C.S. Lewis as Incarnational Reality, by Leanne Payne. As you might guess, the general subject of both books is an awareness of God’s presence with us and in us in daily life.

As the Apostle Paul put it: “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20 ESV), and “…the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27).

God’s presence is one of those subjects that is hard to comprehend. We are taught that He is omnipresent, though Scripture doesn’t use that exact language, and we certainly believe He hears us when we pray. And yet most of the time we don’t consider the fact that God is indeed present with us in every minute of the day, whether we’re working, relaxing, eating, or sleeping. Brother Lawrence wrote:

“The time of business does not with me differ from the time of prayer; and in the noise and clatter of my kitchen, while several persons are at the same time calling for different things, I possess God in as great tranquility as if I were upon my knees before the Blessed Sacrament.”

As I was thinking about it the other night, it occurred to me that sometimes I don’t want to acknowledge God’s presence. I tend to write out my prayers as a way of keeping my mind focused. There is an underlying feeling that if I write something down or say it out loud, it is more real than if I just think it. So if there is something I don’t particularly want God’s opinion on, I imagine I can keep it to myself, as if God doesn’t know my thoughts better than I do. At times I’ve wished for someone to talk to, yet I’m reluctant to talk to the One with all the answers. I’m afraid He might tell me something I don’t want to hear.

How different would our lives and our prayers be if we acknowledged that God is always there? I’ve only skimmed a few pages of Jesus Calling, by Sarah Young, but that seems to be a common theme for her as well. (I realize that book has been criticized by some for putting words in Jesus’ mouth.) Although there might be times that God’s presence is uncomfortable, when we don’t particularly want to obey, I suspect that most of the time it would result in greater peace and tranquility, joy, and love, and less concern with what others might think about us.

Leanne Payne writes:

“The unfallen Adam and Eve could hear God—and they could listen to Him. They had union and communion with the Life-Giver. They were, in other words, God-conscious and not self-conscious… They were channels of love to all creation. There is no doubt they blessed all they touched. Experiencing always the Real Presence of God, love flowed out from them; they were Sons of God who did not know separation from God” (60-61).

In this fallen world, our perception of God is veiled, as is our perception of ourselves and one another. Practicing the presence of God is developing the habit of remembering Who God is, abiding with Him, and watching for those moments when He pulls back the veil to reveal a little bit of His glory.

“There is not in the world a kind of life more sweet and delightful, than that of a continual conversation with God; those only can comprehend it who practice and experience it.” –Brother Lawrence

Daughters and Sons

Something I read recently pointed out some details I hadn’t noticed before in Mark 5:21-43. That’s one of those passages that becomes so familiar that you don’t read it closely. One of the synagogue rulers, Jairus, comes to Jesus desperate for his daughter to be healed. While Jesus is on the way, He is waylaid by a woman touching His robe to be healed of her disease. There are some interesting parallels and contrasts between the two.

• The girl is 12 years old; the woman has been suffering for 12 years.
• Jairus comes boldly on behalf of his daughter; the woman slips up, hoping to be unnoticed.
• Both are desperate cases that only Jesus can cure.
• Both are beloved daughters of the Heavenly Father. 

In both cases, Jesus responds immediately out of compassion. The only thing He could have done more quickly was to have healed Jairus’s daughter from afar (as He did for the centurion in Matthew 8). In the version recorded in Matthew 9, the daughter had already died before Jairus came to Jesus.

We can tend to forget sometimes that God is a God of compassion. Jesus reflected that as He had compassion on individuals as well as crowds and provided for their needs. None of them were an interruption to His ministry, they were His ministry. When He began His ministry, He read from Isaiah, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to proclaim the good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Luke 4:18-19 ESV).

Of course, those who encountered Jesus noticed primarily His immediate provision of their felt needs for healing or food. Fewer realized the eternal significance of what He was doing to set them free. We tend to have the same short-sightedness. Our temporal needs usually take more of our attention than our eternal needs, but that’s no surprise to God. He expects us to come to Him with whatever concerns us.

It’s noteworthy that every time Jesus calls someone son or daughter it’s when He has healed them in some way. And it some cases, such as Mark 2:5, Jesus also points out that their sins are forgiven. The New Testament writers repeatedly remind us that in Christ we are children of God (Romans 8:14-15, 2 Corinthians 6:18, Galatians 3:26-4:6, Ephesians 5:1, 1 John 3:1-2, etc.). And isn’t that really the point of evangelism and discipleship—that we would know that we have been adopted and learn to live in the love of God? It’s not just about being saved from the consequences of sin and granted eternal life, but that we will be able to live in relationship with our true Father now and forever.

I’ll admit I often get distracted and frustrated with trying to find meaning and purpose in various situations and activities. Lately God seems to be telling me, “Don’t worry about that. I’ve got that covered. Just remember that you’re my daughter and I love you. Be still and know that I am God.” Sometimes that’s all we need to know.

“Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” –Ephesians 5:1-2

Comfortable Christians?

In Sunday school we’ve been studying the Spiritual Disciplines, based on Donald Whitney’s book Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life. A couple other good books are Richard Foster’s Celebration of Discipline, and his son Nathan Foster’s The Making of an Ordinary Saint, among others. The latter book illustrates one man’s attempts to live in the disciplines, and is perhaps the most encouraging example for those of us who try and fail.

As I finished reading these books, the thing that stood out most to me was that the reason we tend to avoid many of the Spiritual Disciplines is that we don’t want to be uncomfortable. Studying and memorizing Scripture takes time, and we don’t want to give up something else in order to make time. Evangelism can lead to some pretty awkward conversations, and we don’t want to look bad. Stewardship means we have to give up some of our resources, and we don’t want to find ourselves shorthanded. Fasting means going without food for some period of time, and most of us have never really experienced true hunger. Prayer seems a little easier, provided we aren’t asked to pray out loud or for a long time. And most of us are used to attending worship services, though we may not actually worship often. Solitude may seem desirable, especially for parents of busy children, but we may be reluctant to use that time to seek God.

I think “comfortable Christians” should be an oxymoron, but it is all too common, especially in the Western world. We’ll put on the religious act so long as it doesn’t inconvenience us or make us look bad. But if it interferes with our work, entertainment, hobbies, and habits, Christianity gets put on the back burner.

Donald Whitney says this about the role of struggle in the Christian life:

“Referring to the Godliness mentioned in 1 Timothy 4:7-8, the Apostle Paul writes in verse 10, ‘And for this we labor and strive.’ The word labor and strive tell us that becoming like Christ involves a lot more than to ‘let go and let God.’ The Greek word translated ‘labor’ means to work until one is weary. We get our English word agonize from the term rendered here as strive” (242).

Does that sound like the kind of effort that most Christians put into seeking godliness? Whitney lists several other Scriptures:

• Colossians 1:29 (ESV)- “For this I toil, struggling with all His energy that He powerfully works within me.”
• John 15:18-19- “If the world hates you, know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.”
• Galatians 5:17- “For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.”
• Galatians 6:8- “For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.”
• 1 Peter 5:8- “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”
• Ephesians 6:11- “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.”

Those don’t sound like encouragement to “make yourself comfortable” while waiting for Christ’s return. No, they are commands to remind us that the battle is real and that we have an enemy who will do anything to try to pull us away from Christ and prevent us from being effective witnesses for His kingdom.

In 1 Thessalonians 5:5-6 Paul writes, “For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober.” In this dark world, it’s easy to get complacent. Even though an abrupt end is coming, we lose vigilance as time goes on with no end in sight. Darkness seems so pervasive that our little lights don’t seem to make a difference. It’s easy to get distracted with the routine of living and forget that this world as it currently exists is not our eternal home.

The Spiritual Disciplines are meant to keep our focus on God and to prepare us for eternity. They remind us that some things are more important and comfort and convenience. They help us to run from sin and run to our Savior. They call us to run the race with perseverance, keeping our eyes on the true goal of life only in Christ.

“Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.” -1 Timothy 4:7-8

Fruitful Works

This week I’ve been working on memorizing Hebrews 13:20-21 (ESV): “Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.” At the same time, I’ve been praying my way through Colossians 1:9-12. Verse 10 says “…so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.”

In reading those two passages together, I felt that perhaps I was not “bearing fruit in every good work” at least in some areas of my life. I was reminded also of Ephesians 2:10, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” So if God has equipped us with everything we need, and He has prepared the good works for us to do, why does it feel like we’re not bearing fruit the way we should? I think there may be a few reasons:

1) We may be expecting the wrong kind of works. I think we’d all like to be known for accomplishing something great for the Kingdom—saving thousands of people at a crusade, writing a worship song that is sung worldwide, raising a million dollars for missions, etc. But God may have an entirely different agenda—taking care of your kids and raising them to know Him, teaching a Sunday school class, counting the offering every week, or praying for those in need. We’re all doing some small thing every day that can have an eternal impact in our own lives and the lives of those we love. That may be the good work set before us.

2) We may be expecting fruit to grow too fast. The fruit of raising children in a godly home may take decades to realize. Not many people will accept Christ as little children and never stray away. The fruit of being faithful in prayer may not be in ways we can immediately see. The fruit of studying Scripture may be a slow pull away from the things of this world. God never said our good works would change the world overnight.

3) Our good works may be hidden or hindered by life in a fallen world. Being a good, upright employee working for an ungodly boss may feel like a waste of time, but that doesn’t necessarily mean we should change jobs or give in to the corporate culture. Even Christian organizations can be hindered by the distractions of pleasing people and funding programs. Being a prayerful, godly parent may be tough if the other parent doesn’t agree. Scripture is full of examples of people who had to remain faithful in the midst of difficult circumstances. They may not have seen the fruit of their labors, but we can still read about them today.

So perhaps we need to adjust our expectations. In writing about the discipline of service, Nathan Foster says:

“Certainly by our standards Jesus was really unproductive. He spent thirty years in a broken-down, working-class town doing what? In his ministry he really only invested in twelve guys, and even they didn’t seem to understand what he was really trying to do. He didn’t write books or leave clear, concise discipleship methods. Jesus even gave the responsibility of furthering his message to Peter, the guy who had just ditched him. According to worldly values, his service work was inefficient. Jesus was relaxed; we are stressed. Jesus was patient; we are obsessed with progress. Jesus was content; we want more. Jesus’s church was small; we insist on mega” (The Making of an Ordinary Saint, pp. 124-125).

God’s idea of success and fruitfulness has a lot more to do with our relationship with Him than with completing some grand task. The Apostle Paul also links fruit with knowledge of God and His will. Besides the Colossians passage mentioned, in Philippians 1:9-11 he prays “that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment… filled with the fruit of righteousness…” In Ephesians 5:8-9 he says, “For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of the light, for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true, and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord.”

May we be found faithful in seeking the Lord and His will so that we will bear fruit in the good works He has appointed to us.

“Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.” –Matthew 25:21 

Nearer to Thee

One of the best books I’ve read this year is Following Christ: Experiencing Life the Way It Was Meant to Be, by Joseph Stowell. Although it’s more than a decade old, it seemed particularly relevant to what I’ve been thinking about and experiencing lately. Other books have also addressed the difference between being a Christian leader and being a follower. (More recently published I Am a Follower, by Leonard Sweet, although I found the style of that one hard to read.) Stowell comments:

“Scripture is crystal clear about the profile of a true follower of Jesus Christ… First, a follower was one who had a growing and deepening relationship to the one they were following… Second, a true follower is in the process of a radical reformation because of the influence of the leader on his life. True followers do not remain the same once they start following Christ… For us then, following means to adopt Him as the local rabbi of our lives and surrender; to sit under His wisdom in order to learn from Him; and to serve Him in every way possible. It means to give Him the highest priority as the supreme relationship of life out of which every other relationship and activity is defined and directed” (73,75).

Once you’ve become a Christian and learned the basics, it’s easy to fall into the “religious habit” of doing certain activities but not really following Christ and not growing in faith. You can be active in the spiritual disciplines—reading the Bible, praying, going to church, etc.—but not be changed by any of it. Stowell gives a great word picture of this life:

“Going into orbit around Christ mean stifling any further impulse of movement toward Him… Fully devoted followers are involved in a passionate pursuit of Christ and are never satisfied with stagnancy or a stalemate. Yet becoming an orbital Christian is alluring because it is more comfortable and less challenging, and besides, we can always take satisfaction in the fact that there are others whose orbits are father out than ours” (96).

I’ve been realizing anew that I don’t want to be satisfied with the status quo. I don’t want to be content with going through the motions without being drawn consistently nearer to Christ. I want God to do whatever it takes to keep conforming me to the image of Christ (see Romans 8:29 and 12:2). Stowell asks, “Can you believe that there is no price too high to pay to experience the privilege of walking with Him?” (102). Missionary David Livingstone wrote in his journal, “God, send me anywhere, only go with me. Lay any burden on me, only sustain me. And sever any tie in my heart except the tie that binds my heart to Yours.” That can be a frightening thing to pray, unless you are convinced that God is worth it all and following Him is the supreme adventure in this life.

The old hymn by Charles Tindley urges “Nothing between my soul and my Savior…” It has been my prayer lately that God would not allow anything to remain between us—no sin, no habits, no desires, no goals or priorities—nothing that would interfere with being “rooted and grounded in love” and comprehending “the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge” (Ephesians 3:17-19). I want Him to keep pruning away all that is unfruitful in me.

Even as I write and pray that, I am aware that my choices don’t always line up with my heart’s deepest desire. I know how often I choose distractions instead of seeking God. It’s easy to turn on the TV, flip open a novel, or even go to bed early rather than spending time in the Word and prayer. Although I’m somewhat more disciplined than I was a year or two ago, I know I’ve just settled into a new orbit a little closer to the Son. But I also remember from physics that if you get too close to a large mass, the gravitational force will continue to pull you in unless you are actively working against it. So I trust that God’s pull on me will be ever increasing and He will not allow me to remain at a distance.

“And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him.” –Hebrews 11:6