Paths of Grace

Sometimes having a vivid imagination can be both a blessing and a torment. Recently I was imagining a particular “what if” scenario, thinking about what life would be like now if something had been different in the past. In the process I realized that I would be faced with a very difficult and painful decision if that had been the case, so I am thankful that God’s grace protected me from following that particular path. There are a few situations that come to mind that are like that, some of which were more likely to happen than others.

Thinking of Robert Frost’s poem, life isn’t just two roads diverging, but thousands of roads leading on to thousands of other roads. We have no way of knowing where these roads will lead over the course of a lifetime. Some choices are clearly right or wrong, while others have no moral implications at all. Most roads are somewhere in the middle of that spectrum. As we look back over a lifetime of choices, we can see how one way led on to another to get us where we are today. And if those choices have been made with God’s guidance, we can see how He has made a straight path out of what seemed like a very circuitous route.

That’s an aspect of God’s grace that we may not always see or appreciate. We can agree with the Garth Brooks song, “Sometimes I Thank God for Unanswered Prayers,” but I wonder how many times God has intervened in ways that we never even know about? We may discover them later, like the car accident we avoided because we had a dead battery, or like the “what ifs” I imagined playing out, but many we may never discover. Perhaps part of eternity will be the revelation of all the ways God intervened in our lives. That would certainly give us reason to glorify God as we say, “Thank You for not letting me go there!” Of course, we don’t have to wait for eternity to express our thanks for God’s intervention.

There are also times we wish God had intervened, but for whatever reason He did not. Even though some of the paths we’ve traversed may have been difficult ones, where would we be today if we had not gone that direction? How have those difficult roads shaped our character and strengthened our faith in ways that easier roads would not? I was wrestling with this last night and questioning why God allowed certain circumstances in my life that were not pleasant and seemed to me to be detrimental to His purposes. In fact, in reviewing the first several verses of Ephesians 1, I felt that God’s grace wasn’t all that lavish sometimes. I had to return to a quote I’d encountered earlier in the day in a novel by Michael Phillips that I’m reading:

“People can be bitter over their marks of individuality. Or they can be thankful and let God use them to deepen compassion and character within them. I believe you are a better and more understanding and compassionate person because of the way God made you… [Y]ou really can thank God… because it has helped form your character inside… I love you so much! How could God not love you infinitely more than I do?”

It’s not always easy to find reasons to be thankful for circumstances we don’t understand. How can we wrap our minds around the idea of God’s lavish grace when life is painful and nothing makes sense? Eventually it comes down to a question of faith—do I trust Him with what I can’t yet see? Along the way, questions may be unanswered and emotions will rise, but God never changes. He can handle our questions and doubts, our fear and anger. Another character in the same book says:

“Asking God why things happen is, it seems to me, an integral part of what it means for a mortal to walk in faith, for we wouldn’t ask if we didn’t have faith that God knows the answer! But we do not see as God does. Much appears evil and unfair to our obscured sight. But we are nevertheless commanded to walk in faith, trusting in his sight more than we trust in our own. We can and perhaps should ask him why, as long as we trust him even when answers may be slow to come… God’s goodness is and must remain the foundation. With the underpinnings of goodness and trustworthiness solid, any number of questions, even doubts, even crying angrily to God as Job did—all these are allowed.”

So whether your paths are pleasant or painful, whether they divert you from disaster or take you through the valley of the shadow of death, thank God for His loving kindness and lavish grace. One day everything that is now hidden from us will be brought to light, and God’s glory will be fully revealed.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6 ESV).

© 2016 Dawn Rutan. 

You Are More

This weekend I was reading a couple different books that used the same phrase. The first was a novel by Marianne Evans, in which a character said that her infertility made her feel “less than.” In comparing herself to others, she felt she came up short every time. Mary DeMuth reflected the same feelings in Live Uncaged as she evaluated herself after a history of sexual abuse. Perhaps you’ve felt that way as well. I know I have. It may not be infertility or abuse that color our self-perception. Things that make us feel less can include:

• Lack of education or experience
• Being unmarried or separated
• Children who have strayed
• Loss of a job or home
• Health concerns
• Criticism from others
• Body size or shape
• Lack of skills (social, artistic, sports, etc.)
• Not matching cultural stereotypes

…and the list goes on. Any area in which we judge others is an area in which we can feel “less than.” Sometimes other people try to label us as inferior, but we often do it to ourselves as well.

God wants to remind us “You are more!” More than the sum of our abilities or lack thereof; more than our education and skills; more than the roles we take on as spouses, parents, employees, ministers; more than our accomplishments or our failures. The song “You Are More” by Tenth Avenue North is a great reminder that our value is not determined by what we do, but by the One who chose us as His own.

As our church was reminded in Sunday’s sermon on 1 Corinthians 4:1-13, human judgment is superficial. While it is easy to say we shouldn’t judge others (and in fact we get judgmental about judgmentalism), it’s not always so easy to deflect the judgment we heap on ourselves for our perceived inadequacies and failures. Most of our supposed shortcomings probably aren’t even known to anyone else, but we berate ourselves anyway. Mary DeMuth shared what her husband told her, “Mary, I would never treat you that way, and you wouldn’t treat others that way. Why in the world would you treat yourself like that?”

Even as I was planning to write this post I found myself thinking, “Why am I such an idiot?! I deserve ___!” God had to remind me once again “You are more than the sum of your past or present mistakes.” Mary put it this way:

• “You are not the person devalued by others’ casual opinions.
• You are not the sum of your righteous (or unrighteous) acts.
• You are not a thing to be consumed or used.
• You are not small and unworthy.
• You are not insignificant.
• You are not deserving of deceit.
• You are not the words spoken over you.
• You are not what they say you are.

You are who He says you are:

Beloved.

Welcomed.

Cherished.

Powerfully weak.

Beautifully rejuvenated.

Whole.”

The music video of Jason Gray’s song “Remind Me Who I Am” is a testimony to the power of God’s truth in our lives. No matter what label we think we deserve, God reminds us we are His beloved children. Even if He has to remind us every day, He is delighted to do so to keep us from being overwhelmed by the lies.

“I am my beloved’s and His desire is for me” (Song of Solomon 7:10 ESV).

© 2016 Dawn Rutan. 

Forgiveness With a Purpose

I wasn't planning to write anything tonight, but I found myself startled by Scripture and needed to share what I found. 

I was praying through Psalm 51 when I took particular notice of the sequence of events. Confession and repentance lead to forgiveness and restoration, but it doesn't end there. David clearly states that if sacrifices would do any good he would make them. Instead, he says, the fact of his forgiveness will cause him to share the good news with others. His testimony becomes the grounds for sinners to learn about God's love and mercy. 

Sacrifices, offerings, and penance don't accomplish anything because Jesus was the last sacrifice that was needed. Further sacrifices are not only unnecessary, but they keep us from quickly claiming the forgiveness and cleansing that is already ours in Christ (1 John 1:9). If we will instead move forward in declaring God's praise, then we can "teach transgressors Your ways and sinners will return to You" (v. 13 ESV). We can declare with confidence "Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteousness man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that He may have compassion on him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon" (Isaiah 55:7).

John Piper would call this "gutsy guilt"-- fully believing what God says is true of our forgiveness and freedom in Christ so that we don't get bogged down by guilt and we can keep moving forward in ministry.

So, I'll join David in saying yes, "I know my transgression and my sin is ever before me," but because of Christ I am forgiven (Colossians 2:13-14), I am not condemned (Romans 8:1), and nothing can separate me from His love (Romans 8:39). I want others to know that assurance as well. 

"Rejoice not over me, O my enemy; when I fall, I shall rise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me" (Micah 7:8).

© Dawn Rutan 2016

Chew on This

Last night I read Amos 8:11, which at some point I had underlined in my Bible: “‘Behold the days are coming,’ declares the Lord God, ‘when I will send a famine on the land—not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord’” (ESV). While this prophecy had an immediate application for Israel in that age, I think we can see some signs of the famine today as well. “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths” (2 Timothy 4:3-4).

The difference now seems to be that people don’t know they are starving. Like a person dying from lack of a certain nutrient, they don’t know how sick they are. They are filling up on spiritual junk food. Many who go to church don’t realize that they are not hearing the words of the Lord. The message sounds nice and makes them feel good, but it has no nutritional value for spiritual growth. Many others go to church and take in good content, but they never allow it to digest and take effect in their lives. They never move beyond their need to be spoon-fed.

I’ve heard “sermons” that had no scriptural content. I’ve heard others that I’m still chewing on long afterward. I don’t want to find my spiritual growth lagging or declining because of a famine of the Word. One necessary “treatment” for this condition is getting into the Word for myself. An article today on the Desiring God blog asks, “What if you had to pay five dollars every time you read your Bible? What would your Bible budget be this month?” I suspect most of us would come in under budget every month. Studying Scripture regularly not only contributes to spiritual growth, but it protects against the lies and fluff that are promulgated from so many sources.

The other essential ingredient is to pray both for the people preaching or teaching the Word of God in my local church and for my own receptivity to the Word. I know there have been many times when I have attended church prayerlessly and have gotten nothing out of the message. Sometimes the person behind the pulpit has not delivered the Word, but I have been equally guilty in not hearing the Word. If there is a single sentence of Scripture shared, there is something worth thinking about. The rest of the sermon may be meaningless babble, but God’s Word is never empty (Isaiah 55:11) and is always profitable (2 Timothy 3:16). Prayer may not improve the way a message is delivered, but it can certainly change the way I listen. Alistair Begg said this week,

“I can preach the same sermons if you would pray harder and they will be ten times more effective… Because for a meaningful preaching event, you need an expectant, praying preacher, and you need an expectant, praying congregation. And when the expectations meet at the throne of grace whereby both preacher and listener are looking to God rather than one another then suddenly there’s a divine chemistry that takes place there.”

That is a convicting thought. How many church members would be strengthened by prayerful listening to the Word of God? How many churches would be greatly improved by just a few more people praying for their pastor? How many church conflicts could be avoided if people chose to pray rather than complain?

Lord, forgive me for taking Your Word for granted. Forgive me for settling for spiritual junk food. Forgive me for failing to pray consistently for myself and for my pastor. “Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of Your law… I will never forget Your precepts, for by them You have given me life… I open my mouth and pant, because I long for Your commandments… Let my soul live and praise You, and let Your rules help me” (Psalm 119:18, 93, 131, 175).

© 2016 Dawn Rutan. 

Mercy, Fools, and Losers

This Sunday in Sunday school we were discussing 1 Timothy 1:12-17. Verse 13b in the ESV says, “I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief.” Other translations say “I obtained mercy,” which seems to me to be a poor translation. Mercy is not something you can obtain like a 4.0 GPA or a rental car. Mercy is by definition something that is unearned. You can’t buy it, work for it, or even repay it. All you can do is ask for and accept it when it comes. Mercy is God’s gift to give as He pleases.

Verse 16 takes it a step further, “But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost [sinner], Jesus Christ might display His perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in Him for eternal life.” God doesn’t grant mercy and save people because we are so deserving, or because He feels sorry for us, or because He’s lonely and wants companionship. He saves us because it glorifies Him. It magnifies His love and dominion. Everything He does is for His glory alone.

Amazingly, God doesn’t stop at granting us mercy and forgiveness. He goes on to give us “all things that pertain to life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3). Other verses give even broader descriptions:

• “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32).
• “He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things” (Romans 8:32).
• “For all things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, and you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s” (1 Corinthians 3:21-23).

God is the Creator and Owner of all things, and in Christ we have access to all that is His. But again, there is nothing we can do to earn it, pay for it, or lay claim to it except through the blood of Jesus Christ. As we were reminded in the sermon from 1 Corinthians 3:18-23, God has redeemed us and restored us to our proper Owner. This world doesn’t own us, and God doesn’t exist to serve our purposes. God owns us, our lives, and our church, and the world exists to glorify Him. Everything of value is ours in Christ, but we are recipients, not achievers.

We have no reason for pride or judgmentalism. Secular learning and achievements have no lasting value and can’t even be compared to the depths of wisdom that come from the Holy Spirit. Our life in Christ and the things that we value because of Him won’t make sense to the rest of the world, but that shouldn’t bother us. We may be seen as fools, but we know the truth because we know the One who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

As Daniel Hochhalter wrote in Losers Like Us: Redefining Discipleship After Epic Failure:

“Where we see a lack of experience and polish, God sees leadership potential. Similarly, human credentials were notably lacking in the twelve losers on whom Jesus built his church. What made them world-changers was not their credentials, but simply their willingness to follow him… So why has Jesus always, then and now, chosen losers to lead the kingdom? I think there are four main reasons, all closely related: teachableness, lack of ego, brokenness, and empathy. These are the areas in which losers truly excel.”

Because of these truths we should be grateful for God’s saving grace, humble recipients of His mercy, and willing witnesses to His glory.

“Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are Mine… Because you are precious in My eyes, and honored, and I love you, I give men in return for you, peoples in exchange for your life… Everyone who is called by My name, whom I created for My glory, whom I formed and made… You are My witnesses” (Isaiah 43:1, 4, 7, 10).

© 2016 Dawn Rutan. 

Fightings and Fears

One day recently while reading a fictional story, I encountered the sentence, “Don’t try to fight alone.” As I moved on through the paragraph, I realized what I had heard in my mind was, “Try not to fight alone,” and I knew that was a very different idea. It’s not unlike the line in a Casting Crowns song that I often misremember as “You’re on your own, keep holding on…”

Isn’t that how we tend to live though? “Look out for yourself; take care of number one; God helps those who help themselves…” It sounds good until you start comparing it to Scripture.

• “Let him who walks in darkness and has no light trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God” (Isaiah 50:10 ESV). 
• “For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken” (Psalm 62:5-6). 
• “The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent” (Exodus 14:14). 
• “For the Lord your God is He who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory” (Deuteronomy 20:4). 

It is not God’s intent for us to fight alone or to hang on by our own strength. Rather, He will do the fighting and will hold onto us when we have no strength of our own. Trying to stand alone is what often leads to fear. We recognize that we are weak and we need someone bigger and stronger. Edward Welch writes in Running Scared:

“Search Scripture and find that our fears are not trivial to God. ‘Do not be afraid’ are not the words of a flesh-and-blood friend, a mere human like yourself. They are not the hollow words of a fellow passenger on a sinking ship, who has no experience in shipwrecks, can’t swim, and has no plan. These words are more like those of the captain who says, ‘Don’t be afraid. I know what to do.’ When the right person speaks these words you might be comforted. Remember, ‘Do not be afraid’ are the words of the One who can match speech with action. He is the sovereign King who really is in control. The efficacy of the words is directly related to the authority, power, and love of the One speaking them” (62).

Whether the command is “Fear not,” “Be still,” “Wait,” or “Don’t fight,” we can trust the authority of the One who is in control of every situation. He will fight for us. And because He is a good Father, He also gives us the other members of His Body to walk with us through the hills and valleys of life. We don’t need to walk alone or to fight alone.

I can’t help but think of Matt Redman’s song “Never Once,” which is a great reminder of God’s faithfulness: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1bXG4WIesA

“If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me” (Psalm 139:9-10).

© 2016 Dawn Rutan.

Ministers of Reconciliation

The following was written for our denomination's Prayer Emphasis Month blog:

“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 5:14-15 ESV).

I don’t know where the idea came from that our faith is solely a personal and private thing. Perhaps that is part of the Western independence that insists no one else can tell me what to do. But it is clear in Scripture that Christians are to live for God, and therefore we must be united and working together as the Body of Christ. The cross of Christ means that we are not our own kings, but we belong to the One who died for us. We were bought with a price (1 Cor. 6:20).

It’s interesting how often we take 2 Corinthians 5:17 out of context, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold the new has come.” Faith in Christ isn’t just for personal transformation, but for a whole new way of relating to the world as a new entity called the Body of Christ.

The result is that we are therefore ministers of reconciliation. It’s not that we “ought to be,” but we are ambassadors whether we act that way or not. We don’t receive the gift of faith just so we can be sure of our eternal destiny, although that is one benefit. We receive it so it can be worked out in daily life through our actions and words, and so that others might come to know Christ as Savior.

We can quickly think of public figures who claim to be Christians but whose lives belie that claim. We may even think of many within our own church or family. However, none of us are perfect representatives of Christ. We try with varying degrees of effort and success to say and do what is best. Thankfully, it is not our effort that brings results, but it is “God making His appeal through us” (v. 20). His purposes will prevail, as the cross of Christ has already proven.

© 2016 Dawn Rutan.