Is your faith founded on coffee mug slogans?

A thread on Facebook debated the age-old question of God’s rule and the ‘why’ of evil.  The writers wrestled with the assertion that “God will never give us more than we can bear.”  Many base that ‘fact’ on a passage that says: "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry." (1 Corinthians 10:13-14, NIV)  What the Word says there is that God knows a disciple’s limits and gives him the power of the Spirit to resist temptation when it comes. We can never blame God for our falls into disobedience or sin.  What this passage does not speak to is the ‘why’ of the terrible atrocities visited on humanity by evil despots.

When we see the horrors of war, the mind-bending cruelty that some suffer, there are no easy answers!   As one writer on Facebook said, “It is more courageous to ask the hard questions of God and wait for him to answer than it is to find hope on the side of coffee mug. Asking those questions requires courage because, in the end, it is very likely they will not be answered. I believe expectant waiting can only happen when we exchange our feeble platitudes for an authentic faith that engages God with the full brunt of our emotion and pain."  - Nate Pyle.  Those unwilling to walk in faith, to wrestle with doubt, and to say “I don’t know,” will either escape into a silly and superficial ‘faith,’ or they will become functional agnostics, believing God is out there somewhere, perhaps.

God can be infuriatingly unpredictable. “God, why is one dream realized and another shattered?” There are not enough answers this side of Heaven to satisfy every question. He does offer grace to help us to trust Him even when we cannot understand His ways.

Naomi, whose story is told in the book of Ruth, moved to Moab with her husband and two sons to escape a famine. It looked like finally they were getting life together, then Elimelech died. Naomi, picked up the pieces of her life and went on. Her two sons married Moabite women and for 10 years, life was good, then... both sons died! Naomi's life was tragic, her dreams shattered. Where was God in all that happened to her? Right there with her. Now that might just seem to the 'right' answer, but it is the truth.  (More on this, in a moment.)

Christian, consider that sometimes our dreams must be shattered so we can find God's dreams for us. When God allows us to go through awful circumstances, to walk in the dark;  when He appears to stand aside and allow evil to triumph, we have a critical choice. Will we wait for a new dream to replace the shattered one OR will we descend into bitterness and unbelief? In such moments, I borrow the prayer of a desperate father who brought his son for healing to Jesus and cried out when the Lord asked him to believe: "I do believe, but help me not to doubt!" (Mark 9.24) IF we will trust Him, He can give us a new dream, a new life that recovers JOY, if not happiness.

Back to Naomi’s story.  After learning of the tragic circumstances of her life, we read the ‘rest of the story’ and learn that ... "Boaz married Ruth. She became his wife. Boaz slept with her. By God's gracious gift she conceived and had a son. The town women said to Naomi, "Blessed be God! He didn't leave you without family to carry on your life. May this baby grow up to be famous in Israel! He'll make you young again! He'll take care of you in old age. And this daughter-in-law who has brought him into the world and loves you so much, why, she's worth more to you than seven sons!" Naomi took the baby and held him in her arms, cuddling him, cooing over him, waiting on him hand and foot." (Ruth 4:13-16, The Message)

That baby became the grandfather of Israel's great king, David! God used Naomi, to bridge His promise to a Gentile woman’s life. Ruth, was brought into Israel (and apparently into faith in God) and included in the line of David and the line of the Messiah, Jesus. You might read that and say, "So, does that make the pain Naomi had to endure all right?" I cannot answer that, nor can you! It simply it what it is, and my temptation to accuse God of unfairness must be leashed and faith loosed!

Life is not about us living in a perfectly balanced scale where the pain is always offset by the blessings, where the hard times are offset by the good times. Life is about living in full faith, trusting that He is able to keep us secure in His love through the shattered dreams!

Are your dreams for life shattered today? Reach out to people who will love you, weep with you, and hold you up until your faith is strong enough to touch the heart of God again. Reject the easy answers, the psycho-babble, the half- truths..... but do not reject God. Ask Him for courage to weep yet keep hope and faith intact as you pray --- "I do believe, but help me not to doubt!"

________________

O love that will not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in Thee.
I give Thee back the life I owe,
That in Thine ocean depths its flow,
May richer fuller be.

O light that foll'west all my way,
I yield my flick'ring torch to Thee.
My heart restores its borrowed ray,
That in Thy sunshine's blaze it's day,
May brighter fairer be.

O joy that seekest me through pain,
I cannot close my heart to Thee.
I trace the rainbow through the rain,
And feel the promise is not vain,
That morn shall tearless be.

O Love That Will Not Let Me Go
George Matteson © Public Domain

Up's and Down's

After a full week of fruitful work, where results were evident, I was up. Elation buoyed my spirits, songs of praise readily found their way from my lips. “God is good,” I proclaimed.  Then, word came of the death of a friend two days ago. She is a godly woman, a dedicated mother, a faithful wife. She has struggled through pain and uncertainty for several years after the original discovery of the cancer that end her life on Tuesday morning. The day following word of her dying, I was filled with sorrow and struggled in no small part with anger. It was a real down time for me.  My experience is normal. Every person goes through seasons of success and failure, joy and sadness.  Wisely, Solomon reminds us  "On a good day, enjoy yourself. On a bad day, examine your conscience. God arranges for both kinds of days so that we won’t take anything for granted." (Ecclesiastes 7:14, The Message)

Evidence of maturity is the willingness to continue to trust and serve God at both ends of this the cycle. He is equally worthy of our praise when we are in the depth of the valley as when He is when we are on the height of the mountain. He uses both to shape us and to prepare us for His service.  In fact, the intense trials are often a means of discovering new truths about ourselves and our God.

In the Word, Paul urges us to adopt a perspective that sees the big picture!  He writes, "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!... On the up days, remember to thank God. But, knowing that disappointment or sorrow will come, he tells us "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."... On the down days, remember to trust God. (Philippians 4:4, 6 NIV) It is steady faith that keeps us on course. -"I’m just as happy with little as with much, with much as with little. I’ve found the recipe for being happy whether full or hungry, hands full or hands empty. Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am."  (Philippians 4:12-13, The Message)

Life changes. Jesus is the same.  Now that doesn't mean we must work at becoming robots.  Godly people enjoy vibrant emotions. They engage with the joy and the sorrows that are part of living, enriched but not controlled by their feelings.  Faith makes us steady, not stoic. When we are 'in Christ,' our lives are equally fruitful with the Spirit’s character in the darkest nights and the brightest noonday.  So, set your hope in Him. Pray that the Holy Spirit will mature a steady faith in you that remains evident in tears and laughter, because your life is anchored to the Rock. "...we ...have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us ... We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure." (Hebrews 6:18-19, NIV)

10,000 Reasons (Bless The Lord)

The sun comes up, it's a new day dawning,

It's time to sing Your song again.

Whatever may pass and whatever lies before me,

Let me be singing when the evening comes.

Bless the Lord, O my soul,

O my soul,

Worship His holy name.

Sing like never before,

O my soul,

I'll worship Your holy name.

You're rich in love and You're slow to anger,

Your name is great and Your heart is kind.

For all Your goodness, I will keep on singing

Ten thousand reasons for my heart to find!

And on that day when my strength is failing,

The end draws near and my time has come.

Still my soul will sing Your praise unending,

Ten thousand years and then forevermore!

Bless the Lord, O my soul,

O my soul,

Worship His holy name.

Sing like never before,

O my soul,

I'll worship Your holy name.

Jonas Myrin | Matt Redman

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(the song on YouTube)

He's Got The Power!

Mike and Ana inspired me!  They fled the Communist persecution in Romania in 1981, made a new life in the United States, and prospered. They never forgot Romania and, after the collapse of the Communist regime, returned often on outreach with other Christians.  Then four years ago, God called them to leave their comfortable life here behind. They became missionaries, living among the poorest of Romania. Their work is training young Christians of that country to establish churches there and to go to other nations of the region.  Over lunch, they talked of their desire to make a difference for Christ ‘with the few years left to us.’   And, it was evident that they lived in the Power of the Spirit’s Presence.  They do not just talk about the Lord, they know Him as Lord, Friend, Savior, and King. The Lord is using them to make a difference in a place others have forgotten.

When the Jews were allowed to return to Judah after 70 years of captivity in Babylon, they found the Jerusalem in ruins. The Temple was a ruin, the city walls broken down. The priesthood was decimated, the worship of the Lord non-existent.  Valiant leaders, Nehemiah and Zerubbabel, were commissioned by God to lead the re-construction but it was an impossible task.  But the preacher, Zechariah, urged them to get the Power! “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty." (Zechariah 4:6, NIV)  And, they did it! Judah was rebuilt, the Temple restored.

Personal enthusiasm and hard work are important, but more is needed to accomplish the Purposes of God.  As the pilgrims went to Jerusalem for the holy festivals, they sang, "Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain." (Psalm 127:1, NIV) It reminded them that their strength was not in their armies, nor in their own cleverness. It was in their status as children of the Heavenly Father.  It remains true for us to this day.

Jesus promised that He would send us the Counselor and that the Spirit would empower us. “If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you." (John 14:15-17, NIV)  The Spirit is a gift to us who will make us capable. We can do what others think is impossible by His power. What is the key to knowing Him? Obedience today.  If we will listen to Him- when He speaks with the Word (Scripture) and to our hearts with conviction – we will grow in strength, realizing the authority that comes from relationship.

We can see people changed from sinners to saints. We can see our own lives given a kind of quality that is greater than any earthly accomplishment. We can live in love, know peace, and experience joy in the middle of stress and struggle. How?  By presenting ourselves to the Lord and prayerfully accepting the Promise of the Spirit, right now. And, as He leads, we continue to say, “Yes,” to Him. And, “by his mighty power at work within us, he is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope.” (Eph 3:20)

Are you struggling with habits that keep you from really serving the Lord?

Is your family drifting from the ways of God?

Do you look at the city in which you live and see great need?

Take the word from the Word. Pray it, believe it, live it!   “This is God’s Message to Zerubbabel: ‘You can’t force these things. They only come about through my Spirit,’ says God-of-the-Angel-Armies.
‘So, big mountain, who do you think you are? Next to Zerubbabel you’re nothing but a molehill.
He’ll proceed to set the Cornerstone in place, accompanied by cheers: Yes! Yes! Do it!’ ”  (Zechariah 4:6-7, The Message)

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The Power Of Your Love

Lord, I come to You,

Let my heart be changed, renewed,

Flowing from the grace

That I found in You.

And Lord, I've come to know,

The weaknesses I see in me,

Will be stripped away

By the pow'r of Your love.

Lord, unveil my eyes,

Let me see You face to face,

The knowledge of Your love,

As You live in me.

Lord, renew my mind,

As Your will unfolds in my life,

In living ev'ry day,

By the pow'r of Your love.

Hold me close,

Let Your love surround me.

Bring me near,

Draw me to Your side.

And as I wait

I'll rise up like the eagle.

And I will soar with You,

Your Spirit leads me on,

In the pow'r of Your love!

  Geoff Bullock

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Not for wimps

Tough times will come into your life. What will happen to you then?  We can, and many do, run from pain, from commitment, from sorrow or situations that demand much of us.  The consequence is a flabby faith, an immature character, and unrealized potential. One friend recently commented on a life choice I made; “I don’t  know how you do it,” he said, “I would never choose such a stressful situation.”  What he cannot know is how that choice has opened up my life to God’s grace and deepened my faith in Him.  A disciplined life has many rewards.

·         Those who resist impulse buys and trips they cannot afford, who live on a realistic budget, actually finds themselves with more discretionary funds in the long run! Instead of always paying off their credit cards (and the awful interest that goes with poor stewardship practices), slaves to a monthly bill, they enjoy freedom and can be more generous.
 

·         A person who regularly prays – choosing time to meditate and listen to the Spirit with equal commitment on sunny days and on those when dark clouds threaten - enjoys the benefit of current conversation with God and the comfort of meeting a true Friend.

·         Making building relationships and being part of Christ’s Body a priority choice when so many other options beckon every Sunday morning, builds a reservoir of relationships that pays great dividends when life hits reverse (and it will, sooner or later).

God is not reluctant to ask hard things of us, for He knows that doing them strengthens us. Jesus says things like: "Forgive those who do you wrong! Love your enemies! Practice your generosity without telling anybody. Live for Heaven, not just for your next meal. Take up your cross and follow me!"  The Bible tells us to "Keep a tight rein on your tongue. Trust God when it's dark. Endure hardship. Give thanks always."  Are these hard things? Yes. Are they possible? For the Spirit-filled Christian, they are not only possible, they are a way of life!  

The issue is will. Will you do hard things or make an excuse why you can't?  Most of us have some 'will nots' in our lives. There are things we do not do because they are difficult or unpleasant. We could do them and even know, in many cases we should be doing them, but we will not. James does not spare our feelings with regard to refusal to do God's hard things. He says that "Anyone who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins." (James 4:17, NIV)  The Christian life is not for wimps. Those who choose to do the will of God will suffer, will go through situations that crush them.  And, they will also find the delight of God’s sustaining love, the beauty of knowing His salvation.

Paul willingly choose a life on the road (when travels was beyond difficult), willingly identified himself with Christ, and often found himself in trouble, as a result.  He is honest about the cost. "I think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, about the trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and completely overwhelmed, and we thought we would never live through it. In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we learned not to rely on ourselves, but on God who can raise the dead. And he did deliver us from mortal danger. And we are confident that he will continue to deliver us. He will rescue us because you are helping by praying for us. As a result, many will give thanks to God because so many people’s prayers for our safety have been answered." (2 Corinthians 1:8-11, NLT)

God wants to lead you to become strong, to become holy, to be champion. Will you allow Him to call you to do hard things?   Let these words urge you on when you find yourself wanting to refuse His invitation.  "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever." (1 Corinthians 9:24-25, NIV) "We respect our own parents for training and not spoiling us, so why not embrace God’s training so we can truly live? While we were children, our parents did what seemed best to them. But God is doing what is best for us, training us to live God’s holy best. At the time, discipline isn’t much fun. It always feels like it’s going against the grain. Later, of course, it pays off handsomely, for it’s the well-trained who find themselves mature in their relationship with God." (Hebrews 12:9-11, The Message)
_____________

Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah

Guide me, O Thou great Jehovah

Pilgrim through this barren land.

I am weak but Thou art mighty,

Hold me with Thy powerful hand!

Bread of heaven,

Bread of heaven,

Feed me ‘till I want no more;

Feed me ‘till I want no more.

Open now the crystal fountain

Whence the healing stream doth flow.

Let the fire and cloudy pillar lead me

All my journey through.

Strong Deliverer,

Strong Deliverer,

Be Thou still my strength and shield,

Be Thou still my strength and shield.

Liz Wagley | Peter Williams | William Williams

© Words: Public Domain

Talking about sin

“What is sin?” she asked in all sincerity. As our conversation developed it was clear that the subject puzzles many.  Does uttering a string of profane words after slamming your toe against a doorframe count as a sin? Are all sins the same or are some more serious than others? Can we ever get to a place in our lives where we live without sinning?

The most basic definition of sin in the New Testament is to err, to wander from the right path, to offend God.  Genesis tells us that sin entered God’s creation through the willful choice of Adam and Eve. Despite God’s command, they listened to the seduction of Satan.  When they chose to disobey, they suffered the consequence of being separated from intimate communion with the Lord and seeing the world fall apart around them!  That willful choice introduced death to God’s creation and separated all of us from Him.  Sacrifice enabled sinful people to find His forgiveness. The Last Sacrifice was Christ Jesus about whom the Bible says, "he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself." (Hebrews 9:26, NIV)  The answer to our sinfulness is found in Him!  The Bible promises that "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9, NIV)  

Everyone sins every day.  If we think we have beaten the Curse and found perfection in ourselves, we are in denial.  But, God’s amazing grace, shown to us in Jesus, removes the guilt of our sin. "So since God’s grace has set us free from the law, does this mean we can go on sinning? Of course not! Don’t you realize that whatever you choose to obey becomes your master? You can choose sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God and receive his approval. Thank God! Once you were slaves of sin, but now you have obeyed with all your heart the new teaching God has given you. Now you are free from sin, your old master, and you have become slaves to your new master, righteousness." (Romans 6:15-18, NLT) The best promise is that the Holy Spirit, living in us, will make us aware of our sin and, as we turn to our Father, will give us the power to overcome it.

Spiritually we cannot stand still. We are either moving towards our Father or away from Him.  If we willfully resist Him, even in what we might think is in things that are insignificant, we have chosen to serve sin.  All sin has a consequence.  All sin offends God Who calls us to live to honor and please Him in holiness.  But, not all sin has equal consequence in our present lives. Murder obviously is a much more serious violation of God’s will than a fit of anger.  Yet, both grow from the same root; love of Self!   We are wise if we deal with sins in their infancy for the Word tells us that “sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.” (James 1:15)

Victory over sin does not come from being obsessed with it!  We cannot perfect ourselves, not matter how hard we try.  “Don’t handle, don’t eat, don’t touch.” Such rules are mere human teaching about things that are gone as soon as we use them. These rules may seem wise because they require strong devotion, humility, and severe bodily discipline. But they have no effect when it comes to conquering a person’s evil thoughts and desires." (Colossians 2:21-23, NLT)  Perfectionism produces only more slavery and often leads to denial of the reality of our sin.  It is in Christ alone that we find the forgiveness we desire and the freedom required.  We look at our sins, big and small, own them without excuse, and carry them to the blinding brilliance of our God. In that light, their ugliness becomes so clear and we are desperate to be free of them.  And, when we look to Jesus, the Spirit comes to set us free.

Sin is not really the issue for us. Christ is.  So here’s a word from the Word. May the Truth set us free to live for God’s glory.  It’s a long passage, but take time to read it entirely, with wonder; for it is wonderful!  "With the arrival of Jesus, the Messiah, that fateful dilemma is resolved. Those who enter into Christ’s being-here-for-us no longer have to live under a continuous, low-lying black cloud. A new power is in operation. The Spirit of life in Christ, like a strong wind, has magnificently cleared the air, freeing you from a fated lifetime of brutal tyranny at the hands of sin and death. … The law always ended up being used as a Band-Aid on sin instead of a deep healing of it. And now what the law code asked for but we couldn’t deliver is accomplished as we, instead of redoubling our own efforts, simply embrace what the Spirit is doing in us. Those who think they can do it on their own end up obsessed with measuring their own moral muscle but never get around to exercising it in real life. Those who trust God’s action in them find that God’s Spirit is in them—living and breathing God! Obsession with self in these matters is a dead end; attention to God leads us out into the open, into a spacious, free life. Focusing on the self is the opposite of focusing on God.

Anyone completely absorbed in self ignores God, ends up thinking more about self than God. That person ignores who God is and what he is doing. And God isn’t pleased at being ignored. But if God himself has taken up residence in your life, you can hardly be thinking more of yourself than of him. Anyone, of course, who has not welcomed this invisible but clearly present God, the Spirit of Christ, won’t know what we’re talking about. But for you who welcome him, in whom he dwells—even though you still experience all the limitations of sin—you yourself experience life on God’s terms. It stands to reason, doesn’t it, that if the alive-and-present God who raised Jesus from the dead moves into your life, he’ll do the same thing in you that he did in Jesus, bringing you alive to himself? When God lives and breathes in you (and he does, as surely as he did in Jesus), you are delivered from that dead life.

With his Spirit living in you, your body will be as alive as Christ’s! So don’t you see that we don’t owe this old do-it-yourself life one red cent. There’s nothing in it for us, nothing at all. The best thing to do is give it a decent burial and get on with your new life. God’s Spirit beckons. There are things to do and places to go! This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It’s adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike “What’s next, Papa?” (Romans 8:1-15, The Message)

_____________

He Set Me Free

Once like a bird in prison I dwelt,

No freedom from my sorrow I felt!

But Jesus came and listened to me,

And, glory to God, He set me free.

Good-bye to sin and things that confound.

Naught of the world shall turn me around.

Daily, I'm working, I'm praying, too.

And glory to God, I'm going thru!

He set me free!

Yes, He set me free!

And He broke the bonds of prison for me.

I'm glory bound, my Jesus to see,

For glory to God He set me free!

Albert E. Brumley

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