What Do You Know

It seems like every Christmas someone asks the question—why was Zechariah made mute for questioning the angel Gabriel, but Mary was not? If you look at the questions they asked, there is a key difference. Zechariah’s question was about his uncertainty: “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years” (Luke 1:18). He wanted proof of what Gabriel told him. I imagine Gabriel’s eyes flashing with fire as he responds (my paraphrase), “I am Gabriel! God sent me, and you dare to ask for proof of my credentials? Just for that you’re going to be silent for nine months so you can think about it!” Zechariah was probably fortunate that because of God’s mercy he didn’t receive worse consequences.

Mary, on the other hand, asks, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” (Luke 1:34). She’s not asking for proof, just puzzling over the process required for this to take place. The angel answers her question, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God” (v. 35).

There are other differences between the two encounters as well. When Zechariah saw the angel, he was troubled, “and fear fell upon him” (v. 12). Mary “was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what kind of greeting this might be” (v. 29). Zechariah’s fear wasn’t necessarily a bad thing—most people in Scripture expressed fear when they saw angels—but unfortunately his fear wasn’t enough to keep him from saying the wrong thing. Scripture doesn’t say that Mary was afraid, but troubled, agitated, or perplexed. As is said of her later, “Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart” (2:19). Unlike Zechariah, she was inclined to think first and talk later.

It’s ironic that Zechariah, a priest serving in the temple, didn’t fully believe what Gabriel had to say to him, while the teenage Mary appears to have taken everything in stride. Mary was somehow different from average, since she was chosen to bear God’s Son, but she was fully human. I’m sure she had a lot of questions throughout Jesus’s life, but she trusted that God was in control of the details. Perhaps she and Elizabeth compared notes when they visited before John was born. Maybe Zechariah observed her faithful acceptance of God’s will and realized where he needed to trust God more. Certainly his prophecy in verses 68-79 sounds like he truly has come to believe that his son would be a messenger of the Lord, just as Gabriel had told him (vv. 13-17).

As I consider their stories, I wonder how I would respond in similar situations. I’ve never seen an angel, but I’d like to think that if one did appear my first question would not be “How can I know you’re telling me the truth?” I hope I would respond like Mary, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word” (v. 38). But I also know my own doubts and fears. How many times have I asked God why He is doing certain things, or not doing what I want Him to do? How often do I wonder “Did God really say that?” even though Scripture is clear? I don’t always live out what I say I believe. I know what the Bible says about who God is and all He has promised for those who follow Him, but I can tend to live as though none of that is really true.

Christmas is a good time to remind ourselves and one another that faith really does matter, and it can change our lives completely if we’ll live what we say we believe.

“For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’  has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Cor. 4:6).

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

For Sure

The first Sunday of Advent typically focuses on the theme of hope. This is not some kind of wishful thinking about the future, but a steadfast certainty that God is who He says He is, that Jesus died for our sins, rose again, and ascended into heaven, and that one day He will return to gather His people. The human authors of Scripture pointed repeatedly to this unshakeable hope.

“It seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you… that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught” (Luke 1:3-4).

“So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of His purpose, He guaranteed it with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things, in which is it impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone… This makes Jesus the guarantor of a better covenant… Consequently, He is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them” (Heb. 6:17-20a, 7:22, 25).

“I am writing to you, fathers, because you know Him who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I write to you, children, because you know the Father” (1 John 2:13).

When we know God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, we have confident hope in His care for us.

“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 8:38-39).

“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” (Phil. 1:6)

In a world where it seems like the only certain things are death and taxes, we need reminders that God is greater than all this. There is nothing that happens apart from His knowledge and permission (Job 1-2). I’ve been reminded of this in multiple ways recently in areas where I have tried to control the uncontrollable. I can’t do it, but I can trust and hope in the One who is in control of all things.

“Let Your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in You” (Psalm 33:22).

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

Loving Kindness

“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law” (5:22-23).

Our church recently went through the book of Galatians, and I’ve continued to think about the fruit of the Spirit and the idea that Jesus is the perfect example of each aspect of the fruit. I started looking up verses related to each trait. I think the thing that has stood out most to me is the idea of God’s kindness.

• Ephesians 2:6-7 – “[God] raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages He might show the immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”
• Titus 3:4-5 – “But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to His own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit.”
• Romans 2:4 – “Or do you presume on the riches of His kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?”

It seems easier to believe that God is merciful and gracious toward us than that He is kind. We are sinners in need of forgiveness, and because Jesus died in our place on the cross we can receive forgiveness. We might tend to think that His mercy is given reluctantly or from some kind of contractual obligation. But the idea of God’s kindness toward us takes it to a different level. As someone has said, “He doesn’t just love me, He actually likes me.”

In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word hesed may be translated as “kindness,” “loving kindness,” or “steadfast love.” In the New Testament, we see this kindness illustrated in Jesus’s life. He takes time to talk with the woman at the well even though Jewish men did not normally talk to either Samaritans or women (John 4). He treated her as someone worthy of respect and attention. He evidently found the conversation satisfying since He implied that her coming to faith was better than food for Him (v. 32).

Jesus had compassion on a widow whose only son had died, and He raised the young man from the dead (Luke 7:11-17). He could have stood back and watched the funeral procession pass like everyone else did. One wonders if He was thinking of His own mother and the loss she would soon bear at His crucifixion. His compassion couldn’t help but be expressed in a kind and miraculous act.

At another time, Jesus was approached by a leper who said, “Lord, if You will, You can make me clean” (Matt. 8:1-4). Jesus could have healed him from a distance or with a simple word as He had before. Yet this time Jesus reached out to touch the man to heal him. This too was an act of kindness toward one who had probably been untouchable for years.

Others who saw Jesus brought children and infants to Him to bless them (Mark 10:13-16), and Jesus used children as illustrations (Matt. 18:1-6). There had to be something about Him that attracted children and parents to Him. Unkind and cantankerous people don’t attract children and hurting people to them.

Why then is it so hard for us to picture God as loving and kind toward us? Perhaps we identify more with Jesus’s harsh words to the Pharisees, who thought they could earn salvation if they worked hard enough. We want to prove we are good enough, but deep down we know how desperately lost we really are. We are ashamed of our inadequacy and can’t imagine that God doesn’t cringe a bit when He looks at us. (I know I’m not alone in this!)

In another section of Scripture that is illustrated perfectly by Jesus, we are told “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (1 Cor. 13:4-7). Do we dare to believe that God looks at us with this same loving kindness? We should!

“Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever” (Psalm 136:1).

“Because Your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise You” (Psalm 63:3).

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

Behold the Man

Haman

The king’s aid, Haman, was annoyed that the Jew, Mordecai, would not bow down before him. In his self-importance he plotted the destruction of all the Jews in the kingdom. Learning of the plot, Queen Esther invites the king and Haman to two banquets. Pleased, the king offers Esther whatever she wants, whereupon she tells him that she is a Jew and that her people are in danger because of the actions of one man. Who? “This wicked Haman!” (Esther 7:6). Haman is hanged and arrangements are made for the deliverance of the Jews from those who would annihilate them. Haman thought only of his own honor and it turned into defeat and destruction for him, his household, and his ten sons.

David

King David stayed home instead of going out with his troops to war. He sees Bathsheba, takes advantage of her, and gets her pregnant. He tries to cover up his sin by plotting the death of her husband and marrying her himself. The prophet Nathan comes to David and tells a story of a rich man who took a poor man’s pet lamb to feed a guest. David, not yet realizing the story was about him, says the man deserved to die. Nathan’s response was “You are the man!” (2 Sam. 12:7). David repented, “I have sinned against the Lord” (12:13), though because of his sin the child Bathsheba had borne became sick and died. David’s heart turned back to God, but there were still consequences for his family.

Jesus

John the Baptist was baptizing people in the Jordan river when he saw Jesus coming toward him. “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29, 36). John knew that his job of preparing for the Messiah was nearly at its end as Jesus’s years of ministry were beginning. “He must increase, but I must decrease” (3:30).

Roughly three years later, Jesus prepared to enter Jerusalem for Passover. Jesus asks His disciples to go get a donkey. Matthew writes that this took place to fulfill prophecy: “Behold, your King is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden” (Matt. 21:5).

Following the Passover meal, Jesus is arrested. Pilate tries to release Jesus and brings Him before the crowd— “Behold the man! …Behold your King!’” (John 19:5, 14), but the Jews demanded crucifixion. A centurion keeping watch over the crucifixion rightly proclaimed, “Truly this was the Son of God!” (Matt. 27:54).

Our Response

We have a choice set before us. We can, like Haman, pretend we are the center of the universe, seeking attention and approval, but to do so will lead to our ultimate destruction. Or we can, like David, recognize our sinfulness and repent and turn to God for forgiveness. Our sin may still have consequences, but we will find salvation. Like John the Baptist, we should realize that we are just bit players in the drama of God’s plan for the world. Jesus must be lifted up, and we must bow down before Him. We all deserve death because of our selfish and sinful choices, but through Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection, we can be forgiven and reconciled to God. Jesus alone can take away the sin of the world.

One day we will all behold His glory. “Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him” (Rev. 1:7a). Let us not wait till it is too late to come to Him in humility, submission, and worship.

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with Me” (Rev. 3:20).

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

The Long View

There is a tendency in modern Christianity to cherry-pick verses and plaster them on shirts, mugs, and memes without examining the context. One favorite is Jeremiah 29:11:

“For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

Yes, that’s an encouraging word of God’s sovereignty and foreknowledge, but it wasn’t given to individual looking at his or her immediate future. The context is Israel’s captivity in Babylon. The first part of the chapter says,

“Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives… multiply there, and do not decrease. But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile… For thus says the Lord: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you My promise” (see vv. 4-10).

This was no promise of “just hold on a little while and you’ll get out of trouble.” This was a directive to wait a lifetime and the next generation would see national deliverance. It’s not unlike the forty years in the wilderness before Israel could enter the Promised Land following the exodus from Egypt.

We go astray when we read Scripture solely through the eyes of our Western individualized culture. Much of the Bible was written to the nation of Israel, not to individuals. That’s not to say that individual application is always wrong. There can be a lot of overlap. But it is clearly wrong to interpret verses like Jeremiah 29:11 as a promise of individual success and prosperity. Many Christians have leaned toward facets of a prosperity gospel without even realizing it. For example, youth may be led to believe that if they hold to certain Christian standards they will be guaranteed a better job, better marriage, and better life—almost equating Christianity with the American dream.

What then can we glean from Jeremiah 29? God is sovereign and omniscient, and His perspective is always long term. He is working out His divine plan over many generations in many thousands of years. He will fulfill His purposes for individuals, nations, and all of history, but that purpose does not necessarily include comfort and success for each person in their lifetime. We have to hold onto God’s perspective—the eternal reality—when we face suffering and difficulties. Our future and our hope are grounded in the truth that this life is not all there is. We can then endure as long as necessary because this life is just a drop in the bucket compared to eternal joy in His kingdom.

“You make known to me the path of life; in Your presence there is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16:11).

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

What's Your Choice?

Last week’s “You’re Not Crazy” podcast reflected on Galatians 2:11-21, where the Apostle Paul says that he had to confront Peter for hypocritically drawing back from the Gentiles when Jews came to visit. The podcast leaders commented:

Ray Ortlund- “What if thousands of our churches across the country right now are nullifying the grace of God as Peter did without even realizing?”

Sam Allberry- “Let’s face it, he did it by who he ate with and who he didn’t eat with. Something as seemingly innocuous as that can actually contradict the gospel.”

That is convicting enough on its own. What daily choices are we making that nullify the gospel by implying that certain people are beyond the reach of God’s grace and that certain sins are unforgiveable? Who have we chosen not to associate with out of fear, prejudice, lack of love, or some other motivation? What misperceptions are we creating among those who are watching us?

Then if anyone needs more to think about, TGP posted this article, Should Christians Relocate to Conservative Areas? As Christians are vacating California and other blue states in droves, what does that do to the witness of the Church in those areas? As citizens of the heavenly Kingdom we are already exiles in a foreign land, so how appropriate is it for us to seek out like-minded people as our neighbors? What’s driving our choices?

A related choice is schooling. Even though I’m not a parent, I hear quite a few debates about Christians sending their kids to private school vs. public school vs. homeschooling. As a child, I wanted to go to a private school (mostly because of bullying) but was not allowed to. Looking back, I can see how I was challenged to live out my faith in public schools in ways that ultimately (though painfully) made me stronger and hopefully influenced other students as well. I don’t know what I would choose if I had kids, because the world is increasingly hostile to the public exercise of Christian beliefs.

We all have hard choices to make for ourselves, our families, and our churches. The question is, are we prayerfully weighing those decisions against Scripture? Are we choosing what’s easiest or what’s best? Are our choices based on worldly wisdom or God’s wisdom? Are we serving God’s Kingdom or our own agenda?

“I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying His voice and holding fast to Him, for He is your life and length of days, that the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them” (Deut. 30:19-20).

Faithful Christians may come to different conclusions on a variety of life choices, because there are different people and circumstances to consider. But whatever we choose, we need to be sure we’ve sought God’s perspective and not just that of our friends and family. God is the only one who knows every detail of our lives perfectly.

“Choose this day whom you will serve” (Josh. 24:15b).

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

Pursuit of Happiness

The U.S. founding fathers declared that mankind is endowed with the rights to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Our culture in recent years has taken that last part to an extreme—declaring that happiness is all that matters and there should be nothing that stands in its way. Unfortunately, that has had a negative impact on the church as well. There is a perception among unbelievers that “If your beliefs don’t make you 100% happy, then they can’t be that good.” That then carries over to believers thinking “If I’m not happy all the time then there must be something wrong with my faith,” or “I’ve got to fake it till I make it.”

I see some problems with these ideas. One problem is that it assumes this life is all that matters. As the Apostle Paul wrote, “If the dead are not raised, ‘Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die’” (1 Cor. 15:32b). But if in fact the dead are raised, we need to take the long view. We can accept some limitations and difficulties today if we know that there is something far better that will last for all eternity. Just as the dieter passes up some foods, knowing that the health of their body depends on it, so we too can pass up certain temporal pleasures because we know “this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison” (2 Cor. 417).

Another problem with putting happiness on a pedestal is that it discounts the wide variety of personalities and experiences that make up humanity. There’s a vast spectrum of temperaments Whether you like Myers-Briggs or DISC or Enneagram or something else, I think most of us can agree that we have different traits and it is foolish to expect everyone to respond the same way to their circumstances. And life presents each of us with different experiences that shape us. Someone who has grown up in an abusive household is not going to approach life the same as a “favored son” will. Some people may be both more melancholy by nature and also have had to deal with very painful experiences. So, to imply that they need to put on a happy face because their Christian witness depends on it actually creates more shame than benefit.

Some might ask “How then do they make their faith known if they aren’t visibly happy all the time?” I have seen plenty of people who have exhibited an enduring faith in God in the midst of trying circumstances. They aren’t happy and joking all the time, but it is clear that they are undergirded by a strength beyond their own ability. Some people might have every reason to give up on life, but they keep enduring because they have hope and faith in the eternal life in Christ. These are the kind of people I want to turn to when life is hard—people who can comfort others with the comfort they have received from God (2 Cor. 1:3-7)—and I believe they also attract unbelievers who are struggling with life in a broken and fallen world in a way that the “happy and you know it” people don’t. As I heard Matthew Spandler-Davison say in a TGC podcast, “I needed to serve from a place of brokenness, not from a pretense of wholeness… Church membership is burden sharing… I needed to be a part of a burden sharing and burden carrying community of believers.”

This is a personal challenge for me, because I live with clinical depression. I get frustrated with comments from those who imply that someone’s (my) faith is weak because they’re not “rejoicing always.” On the Christian radio station last week, they were talking about studies that show that on average kids laugh 300 times per day while adults laugh only 15. Even as a child I don’t think I averaged 15 laughs per day because I lived in an almost constant state of anxiety. I don’t understand people who live at the opposite end of the spectrum. I’m not endorsing a grumpy and complaining attitude, but I’m saying that we all need to bear witness to the God who is with us in the midst of every type of circumstance. He should be as real to us in trials as He is in times of great blessings.

There is a reason for the diversity of the Body of Christ. Some people are better at mourning with those who mourn, while others are better at rejoicing with those who rejoice. We need each other. In worship we (should) use a variety of songs and Scriptures from week to week, because not every member is in the same place mentally, emotionally, or spiritually. On the weeks I don’t feel like singing praise songs, I know that others delight to and I need to hear them do so, and vice versa.

In Luke’s version of the Beatitudes, he records Jesus as saying, “Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh… Woe to you who are full now, for you shall be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep” (Luke 6: 21, 25). We could find ourselves on dangerous ground if we value an emotional experience over faith in Christ alone. In the last day, many will discover that they’ve sought worldly pleasures and lost out on eternal joy. Let’s make sure our focus is on the right Person.

“For everything there is a season… a time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance” (Eccl. 3:1, 4).

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