Off Target

I’ve found this quote from Dietrich Bonhoeffer to be challenging but true:

“[We] must ask ourselves whether we have not often been deceiving ourselves with our confession of sin to God, whether we have not rather been confessing our sins to ourselves and also granting ourselves absolution. And is not the reason perhaps for our countless relapses and the feebleness of our Christian obedience to be found precisely in the fact that we are living on self-forgiveness and not a real forgiveness? Self-forgiveness can never lead to a breach with sin; this can be accomplished only by the judging and pardoning Word of God itself… Our brother breaks the cycle of self-deception. A man who confesses his sins in the presence of a brother knows that he is no longer alone with himself he experiences the presence of God in the reality of the other person. As long as I am by myself in the confession of my sins everything remains in the dark, but in the presence of a brother the sin has to be brought into the light” (Life Together, 115-116).

It’s easy to remain in sin if it stays in the dark. Even if you’re truly confessing to God, the secrecy and shame often remain behind. But when you confess before a brother or sister in Christ, they can remind you of the truths of God’s Word—of forgiveness, fellowship, and freedom.

“But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:7-9 ESV). Note that forgiveness isn’t just between us and God, but it is an essential part of having fellowship with one another! Fellowship is hindered by secrecy, sin, and the illusion of superiority.

The comment is often made that the Greek word for sin can be translated as “missing the mark.” But using that as a definition of sin can be misleading. That gives the impression that you didn’t quite hit the bulls-eye, but came close, and if you just try a little harder you’ll be okay. The fact is that in our own strength we can’t even come close to the target. It’s more like trying to shoot an arrow to the North Star. It doesn’t matter how hard you try, it just ain’t happening! That being the case, why are we so reluctant to confess to one another? We’re all in the same boat, so why can’t we admit it?

“Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed…” (James 5:16a). It’s also commonly noted that confess means to “say with or agree with.” Yes, we have to agree with God that sin is sin. However, this verse from James leads me to think that we also need to say it with one another— “I’m a sinner.” “You too? I thought I was the only one!” We need to truly hear from one another so we can encourage one another and remind each other of who we are in Christ.

I was just listening to a talk by Amy Simpson on mental illness, and some of her comments can also be applied to sin: “We need to start by humbly acknowledging our own problems… I know that everyone in this room is flawed… The only people who are truly effective in ministering to others are those who are aware of this in themselves… If we set the example of acknowledging the reality that we are imperfect people and that our own families are imperfect, we help create a culture of authenticity that benefits all of us.” We can minister to others by being open and honest.

“But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life” (Romans 6:22). Secrecy is its own slave-master, but it is slavery that can be broken if we so choose.

 “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1).

© 2017 Dawn Rutan. 

God Glorifies Himself

The Westminster Confession of Faith is not one I’ve studied in recent years, but a recent reference by Alistair Begg made me revisit it. Chapter 2 Article II states in part:

“God has all life, glory, goodness, blessedness, in and of Himself; and is alone in and unto Himself all-sufficient, not standing in need of any creatures which He has made, nor deriving any glory from them, but only manifesting His own glory in, by, unto, and upon them.”

The scriptural proof for that statement was taken from Job 22:2-3 (ESV): “Can a man be profitable to God? Surely he who is wise is profitable to himself. Is it any pleasure to the Almighty if you are in the right, or is it gain to Him if you make your ways blameless?”

If we accept this statement of the Confession as true (which some may argue), it should bring us to our knees in humility. Man cannot give anything to God, but is only a vessel through which God glorifies Himself. We can contribute nothing to our salvation, sanctification, service, or worship, except by means of God’s actions in and through us. When we remember that every breath we take, every beat of our hearts, and every impulse of our neurons is only possible because of God’s sustaining grace, we shouldn’t be surprised to realize that we can’t by our own efforts do anything for God.

It’s easy to fall into the habit of thinking incorrectly because we use imprecise terminology. We may say things like, “Let’s worship God together,” or “Glorify God in your work.” That’s not necessarily wrong to say, since Scripture uses such commands frequently. However, we need to remember that we can only obey those commands because God is at work in us to glorify Himself. In the words of the Apostle Paul, “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:12b-13). God initiates and we respond.

I realize this steps on the toes of man’s free will. These days I wonder if we are really so free as we think. It often seems more like an illusion to undergird our pride of self-sufficiency and independence. God’s sovereignty and man’s free will is certainly not something that I can explain, and far more learned theologians still debate it. I can only point to the truths of Scripture as God’s Word:

• “The Lord kills and brings to life; He brings down to Sheol and raises up. The Lord makes poor and makes rich; He brings low and He exalts. He raises up the poor from the dust; He lifts the needy from the ash heap to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor. For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s, and on them He has set the world” (1 Samuel 2:6-8).
• “So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth” (1 Cor. 3:7).
• “For You are great and do wondrous things; You alone are God” (Psalm 86:10).
• “I know that You can do all things, and that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted” (Job 42:2).

Let us worship and serve the Creator because He has made us and has enabled us to do so by His grace and mercy!

© 2017 Dawn Rutan. 

Risky Faith

The parable of the talents in Matthew 25 has always disturbed me a little bit. Perhaps it’s the accountant in me who says, “When you’re handling someone else’s money you have to be extra careful.” I certainly agree with the statement that the servant should have at least invested the money to earn a little interest (though at today’s bank interest rates it’s hardly worth it!). But I’m not one to take a lot of risk in hopes of getting a good return on investment.

As I read the story again this week, it became clear to me that Jesus wasn’t talking so much about money or abilities, but about faith. The first two servants in the parable showed evidence of faith. They trusted that their master had confidence in them. They believed that he would not condemn them for taking a risk, even if it didn’t pay off. They weren’t afraid of the consequences. But the third servant lived in fear instead of faith. He was afraid of the master and he feared what might happen if he lost the money entrusted to him. His fears ruled his decisions because he lacked faith. He probably thought he was doing his job by protecting the master’s resources, but he missed out on the commendation the others received: “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.”

That is where the rubber meets the road. We may think we’re doing well in handling the resources and gifts entrusted to us, but we can do that without actually exercising much faith. There are plenty of unbelievers who are running large companies through human ingenuity. Believers are called to a higher standard. Certainly knowledge and ability are required, but so is faith. We can pray for guidance from the only One who knows all things. We can trust that God will accomplish His purposes through us. And we can believe that He will reward those who diligently seek to do our best for Him.

Andrew Murray wrote a challenging little book called Living a Prayerful Life. He points out that prayer is impossible except for the grace of God.

“What folly to think that all other blessings must come from Him, but that prayer, on which everything else depends, must be obtained by personal effort! …He only asks that I, with childlike confidence, wait upon Him and glorify Him… Learn from our Lord Jesus how impossible it is to walk with God, obtain God’s blessing or leading, or do His work joyously and fruitfully apart from close, unbroken fellowship with the One who is our living fountain of spiritual life and power… Our first work, therefore, ought to be to come into God’s presence not with our ignorant prayers, not with many words and thoughts, but in the confidence that the divine work of the Holy Spirit is being carried out within us.”

To be good stewards of all that God has entrusted to us requires that we be in close communion with Him. That is what enables us to take risks, knowing that God knows far more than we do. It only looks like a risk from our limited human perspective. The better we know our Father, the more we can trust that He will be pleased with us, even if things don’t turn out quite like we expect. The more we exercise faith in Him, the more faith we’ll have to exercise in the future. But if we rely on our own understanding, the less we’ll trust in our good Father. That’s what I think Jesus was getting at when He said, “For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away” (Matthew 25:29 ESV). The final judgment is not about how many talents you have to give Him, but about whether you know heart of the Master who gave them to you.

“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).

© 2017 Dawn Rutan. 

Little by Little

Getting back into the swing of things with a new year, I was reminded of a verse that I thought I had used in a prior blog but can’t find now. In Exodus 23:29 (and reiterated in Deuteronomy 7:22), God was instructing the Israelites on what to expect as they entered the Promised Land: “Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased and possess the land” (ESV). He knew they would soon get disheartened if they thought they had to defeat all the resident nations at once. He also knew they would be vulnerable to defeat if they didn’t have enough people to fill the available space.

This verse is one that has encouraged me in the past and I often need to be reminded of, because the same truths apply to our Christian walk and growth in sanctification. God never said that we would instantly be free from temptation and would never fall into sin again once we were converted. It doesn’t even happen in a year or two, though some believers might give that impression. It is a lifetime experience of fighting battles and gaining ground as God gives the victory.

The Israelites were reminded, “If you say in your heart, ‘These nations are greater than I. How can I dispossess them?’ you shall not be afraid of them but you shall remember what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt” (Deut. 7:17-18). When the battles are long and victory seems impossible, we can remember God’s work in the past and trust Him for the future. He will have the ultimate victory.

If we were instantly sanctified and never had to fight any battles, we would soon forget our need for God, just as Israel did. “Lest, when you have eaten and are full and have built good houses... then your heart be lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery” (Deut. 8:12-14). Our weakness is intended to remind us of God’s strength (2 Corinthians 12:9). God allows us to go through the battles to test us and humble us so we will remember to rely on Him. “And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that He might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not” (Deut. 8:2).

No matter how long the battles may last, we can take heart as we know that God is able to bring the victory and He will not stop until the job is done. He was faithful to Israel, and He will be faithful to us. He knows our weakness and our struggles. He has never stopped fulfilling His plan for His chosen people. He can be trusted to work out His will in His own perfect timing. Let us not become discouraged at the pace of our progress in sanctification, or disheartened with the difficult circumstances that surround us. His steadfast love endures forever.

“And I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6).

© 2016 Dawn Rutan.

Creation Celebrates

The other day I heard the song “Carol of the Fryers” for the first time this season. I was moved by it, and not just because I have a soft spot for animals. It made me think about the fact that barn animals may well have been the first witnesses to the birth of Jesus, and I see no reason to think that they would not worship their Creator. Years later at the Triumphal Entry, Jesus would say, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out” (Luke 19:37 ESV). All of creation is made to give glory to God. It is only mankind that has the choice of whether or not we will bow in worship to Him, though one day that too will change (Phil. 2:10). If the shepherds had not heeded the angelic message and the wise men had not followed the star, there would still have been worshipers to greet the King of kings. If the people were missing and the animals were silent, the very stones would have cried out.

Psalm 148 (ESV)

1 Praise the Lord!

Praise the Lord from the heavens;

praise Him in the heights!

2 Praise Him, all His angels;

praise Him, all His hosts!

3 Praise Him, sun and moon,

praise Him, all you shining stars!

4 Praise Him, you highest heavens,

and you waters above the heavens!

5 Let them praise the name of the Lord!

For He commanded and they were created.

6 And He established them forever and ever;

He gave a decree, and it shall not pass away.

7 Praise the Lord from the earth,

you great sea creatures and all deeps,

8 fire and hail, snow and mist,

stormy wind fulfilling His word!

9 Mountains and all hills,

fruit trees and all cedars!

10 Beasts and all livestock,

creeping things and flying birds!

11 Kings of the earth and all peoples,

princes and all rulers of the earth!

12 Young men and maidens together,

old men and children!

13 Let them praise the name of the Lord,

for His name alone is exalted;

His majesty is above earth and heaven.

14 He has raised up a horn for His people,

praise for all His saints,

for the people of Israel who are near to Him.

Praise the Lord!

Have a blessed Christmas celebrating the birth of the King of kings and Lord of lords, Prince of Peace, our Savior and our God!

© 2016 Dawn Rutan

Christmas Inconveniences

The down side of working in accounting is that the busiest time for me comes during the Thanksgiving and Christmas season. I’ve often thought that we either need to move the holidays or change some deadlines. It didn’t help when the IRS decided to require wage reporting by January 31 instead of February 28 now! Anyway, I got to thinking about some of the inconveniences of the first Christmas.

Did Mary & Joseph grumble about having to go to Bethlehem to register to be taxed? “Those greedy government officials! Why’d they have to do this now and cause so much trouble?! Couldn’t they have come up with a better system that wouldn’t have everyone fighting over places to stay? Now we’re stuck in a dirty stable trying to deliver a baby with no supplies and no help!”

Did the shepherds complain about their disrupted night? “Who’s going to stay and round up all the sheep that ran off when those angels appeared? Did they have to be so alarming? How far are we going to have to go to find this baby they mentioned?”

Did the wise men fuss about their long journey? “Why did we have to travel so far to find this king? If we’d known it was going to take so long to get here, we’d have found a more comfortable mode of transportation than camels! I wonder why that guy Herod has no idea what’s going on in his kingdom? There’s something fishy about him.”

Though they may all have had doubts, there were also reassurances along the way—the word of angels, the prophecies of Scripture, the star to follow. Whether they knew it or not, God was arranging all the details of this unique event. He had planned it long before Jesus’ birth and revealed pieces of the plan to many prophets throughout the years. Luke 2:19 and 51 both say that Mary “treasured up all these things” and thought deeply about them. I suspect that throughout her life she searched the Scriptures and continued to make connections between the prophecies and the life of her son.

I’m sure Mary was disturbed to hear from Simeon, “a sword will pierce through your own soul also” (Luke 2:34 ESV). Her baby was still tiny, but already a shadow had appeared. And before too long they’d have to go to Egypt to avoid Herod’s wrath. Their celebration of a new life was probably nothing like they’d anticipated. As difficult as the circumstances were around Jesus’ birth, they were nothing compared to His death.

No matter what challenges we face during the holidays and at year-end, and how tempting it can be to grumble, the birth of Jesus helps put things in perspective. God chose to send His Son into a dirty, sinful world, under terrible conditions, just because He loved us too much to let us go. He could have said “Forget it; this whole Creation just isn’t worth it.” But He came, He lived, He died, and He rose again because of His love. And because He did, one day we will be freed from all the struggles, sin, sickness, and death that is part of this fallen world. Jesus is no longer the Baby in the manger, nor the body in the tomb. He lives so that we too may have eternal life. That’s something worth celebrating!

© 2016 Dawn Rutan.

A Brief Thought for Advent

The four traditional emphases of the Advent wreath are hope, peace, joy, and love. As I was looking at some Scriptures on those themes, I noticed a few things in the ESV:

• There is one verse that refers to the God of hope (Romans 15:13), one reference to the God of love (2 Cor. 13:11), several verses that refer to the God of peace, but none refer to the God of joy.
• There are several verses that refer to the love of God, one reference to the peace of God (Phil. 4:7), but no references to the hope of God or joy of God.

“God is love” (1 John 4:8), but God is not hope or peace or joy. He is the source of all good things, but He is not defined by those things in the same way that He is defined by love. God has no real need for hope or peace as we understand them, because He is omnipotent and in control of all things. We who are limited, created beings need to find our hope and peace in something and Someone greater than ourselves. God has joy, but it is not dependent on any circumstances. He is never surprised by a good outcome of events or a newly converted sinner. His joy is in the fellowship of the Trinity and in arranging the detailed lives of billions of people in His divine plan.

But God is love. All that He does for us, in us, and through us is because of love. His character is revealed through His love in action, and His love is multiplied through the members of His Body. Because God is love, therefore we can have hope and peace and joy. As we trust in His character we can have hope, knowing that He will work all things together for our good. If we believe in His love for us, we can have peace because He is present with us in all circumstances. And because He is love, we can experience joy as we grow in spiritual maturity and as others are brought to faith in Him.

The commercialization of Christmas has led people to believe that we can find hope, peace, joy, and love through material gifts, well-planned social events, and nostalgic traditions. In reality, they are only found in seeking God. Hope, peace, and joy aren’t found by seeking them for their own sake, but by seeking the God of love.

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope” (Romans 15:13 ESV).

© 2016 Dawn Rutan.