Not Enough

This blog is sort of a meal in progress—I’ve been chewing on these thoughts for awhile now and I’m just beginning to digest and make sense of them. The question now is whether I can verbalize in a few paragraphs the thought processes of a few years.

Thomas Chalmers, often quoted by John Piper and others, referred to “the expulsive power of a new affection.” He explained that we can’t simply choose to turn away from sin without turning to something we perceive to be more fulfilling. “The best way of casting out an impure affection is to admit a pure one; and by the love of what is good, to expel the love of what is evil.” That’s an accurate and helpful thought, but a bit misleading if we think it happens overnight. Becoming a Christian or rededicating your life to Christ does not immediately expel every competing desire, no matter how much we might wish it to do so. I couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve wondered about this—I love God and I seek to serve Him and obey Him. Scripture says “we are more than conquerors” (Romans 8:37), so why does this struggle still exist?

However, even in the midst of these questions, as I look back on the past few years I can see tangible progress that I never thought possible. I’ve tried to determine where the change occurred, and what I’ve found is a series of small decisions that have compounded over time:

• choosing to confide in my pastor and seek his counsel
• getting more serious about filling my mind with Scripture through reading and memorization
• joining small group Bible studies
• journaling my thoughts and prayers
• getting rid of some of the books, videos, and TV shows that consume my brain with destructive images
• trusting people with some of my secrets
• and even blogging about the things I’m learning along the way

None of those things were major changes in themselves, and none of them alone have the power to change my desires. None of them were a direct confrontation with sin either. But all of them, together with God’s grace and mercy, have served to expel some of those competing desires from my heart, even some that I didn’t feel any urgency to stop.

I ran across this quote by Shellie Rushing Tomlinson in Heart Wide Open:

“God reserves His intimacy for those unwilling to settle for anything less. If going to church is enough, if being around others who are passionate about Him is enough, if anything short of realizing His intimate presence for ourselves is enough, that’s all we’ll ever experience… Indeed, God placed this desire for more in us so that we might search for Him of our own volition. I’ve taken to calling it a blessed dissatisfaction. God knows that yielding our lives to Him brings us this life’s ultimate pleasure, but unlike me and my man, He’s not going to force anyone to go along with His plan… I didn’t realize that looking and listening for Him in His Word would create in me the sweetest of addictions to His friendship. I was simply ready to admit that what I had wasn’t enough. I was soon to discover that at the core of my ‘not having enough Jesus’ problem lay all my previous efforts to have ‘just enough’ Jesus” (19-21).

She puts her finger on the problem that many of us face. We want just enough Jesus to save us and make us feel good, but not so much that it interferes with our chosen lifestyles. We may want to stop a particular sin, but we don’t want to give up our freedom to choose what we watch or read or do in our free time. We don’t want to admit that the solution for slavery to sin is to become slaves of God (see Romans 6). We want some middle ground of freedom from sin while remaining masters of our own lives.

It would be easy to become judgmental about the choices that others are making, but I’ve been in the same place myself. In fact, being judgmental was one thing that kept me from changing for a long time. I subconsciously thought, “I’ve been to Bible college and seminary. I go to church every week. I work for a Christian organization. I’m doing the best I can, and I’m certainly better than those people.” But I’m sure that God allowed circumstances in my life to converge to make me realize that “just enough” wasn’t good enough. Not that I thought God would love me more if I changed, but that my desperation made me want to love Him more.

Though we probably wouldn’t say this aloud, we can get sucked into believing that grace means we can do whatever we want. We can also be deceived to think that salvation by grace alone means we don’t have to work to grow in our faith. In the theological battle against works righteousness, “obedience” has become a dirty word that pastors are afraid to use. As a result, people remain enslaved to sins when God would love to set them free. We settle for the status quo instead of seeking the One who has the power to expel all our old affections. God’s life-changing power is rarely revealed with volcanic force, but rather with the pervasive tenacity of a seedling nurtured by ordinary means of grace.

I certainly don’t feel like I have arrived, and I’m sure there are areas where I need to change that I haven’t even noticed yet. God isn’t done yet. In the words of the old hymn (public domain):

“I sought the Lord, and afterward I knew
He moved my heart to seek Him, seeking me;
It was not I that found, O Savior true;
No, I was found by Thee.”

“For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and He died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for Him who for their sake died and was raised.” -2 Corinthians 5:13-14

Fear Not

I’ve read some things recently that talked about fear as a sin, and I’ve been wrestling with that thought. It seems to me that most of the scriptural admonitions to “fear not” are more a word of encouragement than a commandment. Some fears are good. We are told to fear God in honor and reverence. Fear of imminent danger moves us to take necessary action. Certainly there are some fears that are sinful. Fear of people and protecting our reputation is pride. Obsessive worry about the future reveals a lack of faith in God. It’s misleading to talk about the “sin of fear” without defining exactly what is meant, and the authors who have done so have created some unnecessary fear in people wondering if they’ve been unintentionally sinning.

Even though Jesus instructed us in Matthew 6 not to be anxious because God provides, when He spoke directly to Martha about her anxious preparations in Luke 10:41 there is no indication that He spoke harshly or that she needed to repent of sin. He certainly could have used stronger language of rebuke if He thought it necessary. In my imagination He uses a very loving and perhaps even playful tone. “Martha, forget the hors d’oeuvres and come join the party!”

For me the question of whether fear is sin or not comes down to how it motivates me to act. If it gives me a goal to work toward and the impetus to change, it’s probably a good thing. If it leads me to pray and seek God’s will more, that’s good too. But if it paralyzes me and keeps me from loving God and loving others wholeheartedly, I’ve got a problem. And if I’m obsessed with anxiety about things I have no control over, I can’t focus on doing all that God has called me to do. Then I really need to repent and cast my cares upon God and learn to trust Him with the results.

One book I read recently, which I won’t even name, commented that when we pray about something we should only pray it once and then trust God, because repeatedly asking the same thing will reveal a lack of faith. (The author later contradicted himself.) God knows our level of faith better than we do. He also knows our thoughts and desires better than we do. So if something is concerning us, we might as well talk to Him about it! We don’t have to nag Him to answer our prayers, but we need not feel ashamed to bring up a matter more than once. Can you imagine a marriage in which the spouses only talked about new issues and never repeated themselves?

The book of Isaiah contains a large number of “fear not” verses, and many are worth memorizing. Here are just a few:

• “Say to those who have an anxious heart, ‘Be strong, fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you” (Isaiah 35:4 ESV).
• “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand” (41:10).
• “For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, ‘Fear not, I am the one who helps you” (41:13).
• “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. 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” (43:1b-2).
• “Fear not, nor be afraid; have I not told you from of old and declared it? And you are my witnesses! Is there a God besides Me? There is no Rock; I know not any” (44:8).
• “Fear not, for you will not be ashamed; be not confounded, for you will not be disgraced; for you will forget the shame of your youth, and the reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more. For your Maker is your husband, the Lord of hosts is His name; and the Holy One of Israel if your Redeemer, the God of the whole earth He is called” (54:4-5).

So if fear and anxiety are a problem for you, look to the Scriptures and find encouragement there, since “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). The admonition to “fear not” is not intended to bring condemnation or shame, but is a reminder of the God who is in control and who loves us more than we can imagine!

“So we can confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?’” –Hebrews 13:6

What If?

Some time ago when I was reading through the Old Testament I noticed something new. Chapter 11 of 2 Samuel tells the story of David and Bathsheba, and it lists Bathsheba’s husband as Uriah the Hittite. However, if we go back to Exodus 34:11-12 God’s command to the Israelites was repeated: “Observe what I command you this day. Behold, I will drive out before you the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. Take care, lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land to which you go, lest it become a snare in your midst” (ESV).

In the rest of Exodus and on through Joshua and Judges, we see how the inhabitants did indeed become a snare to the Israelites and caused one problem after another. But by the time of the kings there were Hittites among David’s armies, and men of several nationalities were listed among David’s mighty men in 2 Samuel 23, including Uriah. He was one of the outstanding men supporting David, and yet David chose to sacrifice him to cover up his own sin with Bathsheba.

All that made me wonder—what if the Israelites had obeyed God in destroying the nations inhabiting the Promised Land? Although the initial conquest would have taken more time and effort, later conflicts could have been avoided. And if Uriah the Hittite had not been in Israel, would David have been tempted to sin with Bathsheba or whoever his next door neighbor was? What would have happened to the lineage of Christ?

We could speculate for eternity with “what ifs,” but we have to remember that God is both sovereign and omniscient. He knows the end from the beginning, and even the disobedience of the Israelites played into His perfect plan for the birth, death, and resurrection of His Son and the salvation of His chosen people. God has a perfect track record for using the consequences of sin to bring about His own purposes. We tend to think of redemption primarily in terms of the salvation of souls, but Scripture talks repeatedly about redeemed lives. God didn’t just purchase our souls, but our entire lives—the good, the bad, and the ugly. “All we like sheep have gone astray” (Isaiah 53:6), and yet God not only saves us but redeems our mistakes to turn them into something beautiful and productive. He uses each event to shape us into the image of Christ so we can better reflect Him to those around us.

In Isaiah 61, part of which is later quoted by Jesus at the beginning of His ministry, God promises “to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of His splendor” (Isaiah 61:3 NIV). Despite all the times Israel disobeyed God, still God turned the ashes of their brokenness into something beautiful that He could use, and it was all for the display of His glory. He continues to do the same thing through us today. When we confess our sin we discover the beauty of God’s mercy and love. When others sin against us we see the wonder of reconciliation. When we suffer loss we know the sufficiency of God’s provision.

It’s hard to wrap our minds around the fact that God allows sin and difficulty in our lives because it will ultimately bring glory to Him. I’m sure as a young man David wasn’t thrilled with having to run from King Saul, and later he would have done anything to undo his sin against Bathsheba and Uriah, but just think how many of the psalms would not be in the Bible if everything in his life had gone smoothly. As it is, his testimony of God’s faithfulness is a valuable reminder to the rest of us. Scripture is full of examples of God’s glorious works on behalf of wounded and sinful people. May we be encouraged to know that God is in control and He works all things together for our good and His glory.

“He has made everything beautiful in its time” –Ecclesiastes 3:11a

All Hail the Power

Every time we sing All Hail the Power of Jesus Name I have to look carefully at the words of the second verse to make sure I sing it correctly. The lyrics say “Hail Him who saves you by His grace,” but I tend think they should be “Hail Him who saved you by His grace.” Both ways are correct theologically. Salvation is both a past event and an ongoing action. We were saved and all our sins forgiven by Jesus’ death on the cross two millennia ago, and yet that salvation has to be applied daily as we continue to sin.

The Apostle John used both tenses in 1 John. “I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for His name’s sake” (2:12 ESV), which many translations render “have been forgiven.” And in 1:9 he wrote, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Other verses also speak of salvation as something that will be completed at the Second Coming: “For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed” (Romans 13:11b); “[You] who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Peter 1:5).

Jesus said “It is finished” (John 19:30). He completed the transaction of paying for our sins, and we will reap the benefits from now through eternity. “For by a single offering, He has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified” (Hebrews 10:14).

The fact that our salvation is completed means that we need not fear. If we are among those who have been called by God, we cannot lose what He has given us. “And those whom He predestined He also called, and those whom He called He also justified, and those whom He justified He also glorified. … [Nothing] will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:30, 39). We belong to Him and He will never let us go.

The fact that our salvation is currently being worked out means that sin doesn’t have to separate us from our Father. We don’t have to jump through any hoops or do any penance to earn His forgiveness—all we have to do is confess. We are freed from the power and consequences of sin. “Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by Him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses” (Acts 13:38-29).

The fact that our salvation will be completed at our resurrection means we can live and die with hope and confidence. “The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:56-57). We have freedom to live without fear; to love, serve, and forgive others well; and to proclaim Christ boldly.

“Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” -1 Corinthians 15:58

Photo by Dawn Rutan at Dulin’s Grove Church 2015.

Victory!

For some time now I’ve been thinking about enemies, though probably not the way some people do. In reading through the Psalms in the past, I’ve tended to think that the many references to enemies don’t really apply to us. Most of us don’t have someone actively trying to kill us. But when we remember that “we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12 ESV), it’s clear that we do have an enemy working against us and seeking to destroy us (1 Peter 5:8).

That reality brings greater meaning and encouragement from verses such as these:

• Psalm 59:10 – “My God in His steadfast love will meet me; God will let me look in triumph on my enemies.”
• Psalm 92:11 – “My eyes have seen the downfall of my enemies; my ears have heard the doom of my evil assailants.”
• Psalm 143:12 – “And in Your steadfast love You will cut off my enemies, and You will destroy all the adversaries of my soul, for I am Your servant.”

Charles Stanley makes this comment in his book Handle with Prayer:

“As Satan sows seeds of disunity throughout the church, many of God’s people find themselves in conflict with each other. These conflicts are usually never resolved because nobody deals with the real enemy—Satan. There is no way to win a battle if we don’t know who our enemy is. And because our real enemy is a spiritual being, the only way we can really deal with him is on our knees.”

The same principle applies to all sorts of conflict, from family discord to war in the Middle East. All conflict can be traced back to the roots of sin caused by the tempter. It may take some effort to retrain our thinking, because we’re so used to blaming people for everything that happens. That’s not to absolve people from all sin, but to give a little more grace to those who irritate us even though they are doing the best they can. It’s easy to let little things ruin our day when they don’t have to. It would be a far better use of our time and energy to pray for someone (whether a child, coworker or congressman) than to gripe about them, but that doesn’t come naturally.

Whatever shape our battles take in this life, petty squabbles or all-out war, we know that the real enemy has already been defeated through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Sin and death no longer have the victory, and one day we will be able to look in triumph on the enemy. Easter is a vital reminder of “the immeasurable greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His great might that He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come” (Ephesians 1:19-21).

May this Easter be a celebration of our freedom in Christ and His victory over the enemy!

 “Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death He might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.” –Hebrews 2:14-15

Upheld

For several weeks now I’ve been dwelling on Casting Crowns’ song “Just Be Held.” You can read the lyrics here: https://www.castingcrowns.com/music/lyrics/just-be-held

The story behind the song says that when we’re in the storms we try to hold onto whatever we can for security, but we can remember that we’re in God’s hands and we can trust His control. Scripture is full of reminders of God’s loving care:

“He will tend His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs in His arms; He will carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those that are with young” (Isaiah 40:11 ESV).

“The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms” (Deuteronomy 33:27a).

“I Myself will be the shepherd of My sheep, and I Myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord God. I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and strong I will destroy. I will feed them in justice” (Ezekiel 34:15-16).

I’ve been thinking about God’s care in the Body of Christ as well, and the fact that He has placed us in relationship with those who can be His physical arms of comfort and strength during our storms. Exodus 17 recounts the story of Aaron and Hur holding up Moses’ arms so that the Israelites would defeat Amalek in battle. Chapter 18 then contains Jethro’s advice to Moses that he needs help judging the disputes of the people. Although these passages are usually preached in terms of church governance and supporting the pastor, the fact is that we all need those who can come alongside us and lift us up in the times of battle, weariness, and busyness. Whether it’s through prayer, encouragement, or physical provision, we need one another.

Unfortunately pride, fear, and inattention can keep us from either giving or receiving the loving care we all need. One evening recently I read Proverbs 12:25: “Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad.” When I read that, I thought about posting it to Facebook and just stating that I needed a “good word.” But I chose not to do so because I didn’t know what people might think. Out of pride I probably denied some people the opportunity to be encouragers. One thing I have tried to do sometimes is when I feel in need of encouragement and prayer for myself, I take that opportunity to pray for and encourage someone else. Whether or not that person reciprocates, I know I am honoring the Scriptural admonitions to love one another and pray for one another. I don’t think I’ve ever encountered anyone who isn’t grateful for a word of encouragement.

God may express His love and care directly through His Word or by His Spirit, or He may call someone in the Body of Christ to come alongside us. No matter how it happens, we can trust that He has His hand upon us.

“But I trust in You, O Lord; I say, ‘You are my God.’ My times are in Your hand.” –Psalm 31:14-15a

Fully Invested

In Philip Yancey’s book Vanishing Grace, he shares part of the story of Gina Welch, an atheist journalist who decided to research Christianity from the inside. Her story of involvement with a church eventually became the book In the Land of Believers: An Outsider’s Extraordinary Journey into the Heart ofthe Evangelical Church. Over the course of a year she went undercover to join a new members’ class at Jerry Falwell’s church, attended their singles ministry and worship services, got baptized, and joined a mission trip that included street evangelism… all without becoming a Christian. Her conclusion? “What I envied most about Christians was not the God thing—it was having a community gathering each week, a touchstone for people who share values, a safe place to be frank about your life struggles, a place to be reminded of your moral compass. Having a place to guard against loneliness, to feel there are others like you.”

That comment made me wonder whether many who call themselves Christian would say much the same thing. Particularly in America, it seems that the church has become more of a social club for moral, likeminded people than a place to meet God and learn to follow Him. Some mega-churches continue to thrive despite obvious faults in the teachings being presented. Families seek out churches with lots of programs for their children. Church social events draw bigger crowds than Sunday school and prayer meeting combined. It’s been noted that the more spiritual the activity, the fewer people interested in attending. Pastors and church leaders have a pretty good idea who is fully invested and who is just along for the ride. Although statistics can be misleading when it comes to spiritual growth, they do reveal what percentage of the membership shows up for different types of events. Faith can become a tangent for church members rather than the central purpose of life.

As was noted in Sunday’s sermon on Jesus the Teacher (podcast here), within the church we tend to focus more on the fact that Jesus is our Savior than on His teaching. If we pay attention to what He taught while on earth, as well as what is taught in the rest of Scripture, we may be challenged to do some things we don’t want to do. Having Jesus as Savior is comforting, but calling Him Teacher and Lord can take us out of our comfort zone. Having a circle of supportive friends is comforting, but holding one another accountable to be obedient to Scripture can be uncomfortable.

In thinking about this subject, I looked at several different church covenants and how they define membership. While they vary in the wording and specific expectations, the general idea is that members are to participate in the activities of the church and in the spiritual disciplines for the purpose of growing in relationship with God and with one another as the Body of Christ. How many people would forego church membership if such membership covenants were always taught and members were held accountable by one another? But we don’t want to step on anyone’s toes and imply that freedom and independence are not biblical values, so we build our cozy social club sanctuaries and then wonder why people only show up when they feel like it.

We’re treading on dangerous ground when we treat church membership with such nonchalance. On the Judgment Day, there will be many who say, “Lord, didn’t I attend church frequently, and helped clean up after the potluck dinners, and sorted clothes for the shelter?” And He will say, “I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness” (Matthew 7:23 ESV). I certainly don’t want to hear that for myself or for any of those within my church family, do you?

“Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these [the new heavens and new earth], be diligent to be found by Him without spot or blemish, and at peace… Take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.” -2 Peter 3:14, 17-18