Are You Afraid of Questions?

Would you be shocked if I told you that there are days when I question the goodness of God? Most of the time I live contently and with faith. From my childhood my day-to-day existence has been formed around the basic assumptions that there is a God Whom I can trust, Who is active in the world and to Whom my prayers are addressed with real expectation that He loves and cares for me.

Moments come when, for reasons I do not fully understand, that faith comes under assault, when I wonder if God is cruel or loving, if He is involved or aloof, if He is ready to save or destroy. In those moments, I call to mind the fact that perspective matters! Look at the ground, you see rocks. Lift your eyes, you see mountains! If I take only the short-term view, seeing God through the lens of the moment’s trouble or disappointment, I might conclude that He cannot be trusted. If I look at life over the long-term, if I consider the testimony of the saints of the ages, faith grows.

There is an ancient story in the Scripture from the life of Elisha. The elite soldiers of Israel’s enemy were chasing the prophet and his servant. Finally, they were surrounded in a little village named Dothan. When Elisha’s servant went out in the morning and realized they were trapped he panicked. Elisha ‘saw’ the situation differently. “Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. (2 Kings 6)

That story helps me to understand that I too am surrounded by the goodness of God, that despite situations that seem overwhelming or that invite me to fear, a change of perspective will bring new faith. I am not speaking of wishful thinking or escapism into an alternate reality created in my own mind. We should pray, as Paul does, for the Spirit’s work, that “the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.” (Ephesians 1)

IF we judge God by the limited wisdom of the human mind we are exercising an awful arrogance. That does not mean that we will never question, nor does it mean that we will find every bump in life’s road smoothed away. In my 70 years, I have endured seasons of loss, of disappointment, of failure. There are things in my life for which I have no present explanation. I could accuse God of being uncaring or forgetful – except for the Truth that the eternal Word reveals to me.

So, even when I weep, I pray for eyes that see beyond the moment, that I will live in the ‘knowledge of God’s will’ so that my life will be worthy of the Lord, full of spiritual fruit of holy and good behavior. In the same letter of Ephesians Paul prays that Christians “may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3)  

When faith allows me to take hold of God’s love in a way that is beyond human reason, there is a visible result in life – I will overflow with God’s ‘fullness,’ living in a supernaturally charged way that is incomprehensible to those without the Holy Spirit living in them.

Are you accusing God of forgetting you, mistreating you, or of being unfair? Pray for a change of point of view, asking to see all the way to Heaven! God is not afraid of your questions so go ahead and ask them, but not with bitterness, nor in angry. Come to Him as a broken-hearted child takes the sorrow of life to a loving Dad. Rest in Him, realizing that some things are simply beyond our understanding in this moment but that He is a good, good Father.

Here’s the word from the Word. As you read it, give thanks that the Spirit calls you
from darkness to Light,
from mere religion to eternal glory, and
then with a perspective of eternity guiding your thoughts learn to live like a King’s kid today.

"This mystery has been kept in the dark for a long time, but now it’s out in the open. God wanted everyone… to know this rich and glorious secret inside and out, regardless of their background, regardless of their religious standing.

The mystery in a nutshell is just this: Christ is in you, so therefore you can look forward to sharing in God’s glory. It’s that simple. That is the substance of our Message. We preach Christ, warning people not to add to the Message. We teach in a spirit of profound common sense so that we can bring each person to maturity. To be mature is to be basic. Christ! No more, no less."
(Colossians 1:26-30, The Message)

Amen!

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I’m right, you’re wrong!

The smug smile on the well-known Christian leader’s face made me angry. Without a hint of humility, he proclaimed his superior understanding of the Bible, dismissing all who thought differently from himself as ‘ignorant’ and ‘incapable of true study.’ 

Arrogance is a deadly sin and can creep up on any one of us. The moment we stop trusting the grace of God shown in Christ and begin to compare ourselves to others, measuring our ‘holiness’ against theirs, evil gains a hold in us. If we start to think that our knowledge is without error, that we have gained a kind of perfection, or that we enjoy some special status with God a stinking thing called ‘spiritual pride’ begins to grow!

Hubris is a point of vulnerability in many Christian lives. What’s hubris?

It is “excessive pride or self-confidence, arrogance.”  We want to believe the wonderful things about ourselves that others say. A great compliment is encouraging. Many of us are tempted by the same sin that plagued the Pharisee who saw the sinner standing to one side of the Temple and ‘prayed’ – “I thank you, God, that I am not like other people—cheaters, sinners, adulterers. I’m certainly not like that tax collector! I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.”

Spiritual growth and victories should be celebrated, but only with thanksgiving to God. Paul bluntly warned the proud Believers in Corinth that they were in danger – “if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! “(2 Corinthians 10) This is a word worthy of our attention.

None of us has completely mastered sin or managed every challenge in life well. We all have blind spots, broken places, and unfinished business in life. Arrogance will blind us to our brokenness. Nothing has cost me more regret than becoming too confident in my own wisdom and failing to listen – to the Spirit of God and the wisdom of counselors!

The story of Rehoboam, son of King Solomon, who came to the throne from a prince’s privileged life is a lesson to us. Everybody admired him, told him he was wonderful- and he believed it! After his coronation, the citizens of Israel asked for relief from taxation. Solomon’s expansion of the kingdom was costly.

Knowing the young king did not have the affection of the people that his father enjoyed, older counselors told him to listen to the people "but he rejected the counsel of the elders and asked the young men he’d grown up with who were now currying his favor." (1 Kings 12:8) Stupidly he told the people “If you think life under my father was hard, you haven’t seen the half of it. My father thrashed you with whips; I’ll beat you bloody with chains!”  (1 Kings 12:14) A short time later the nation divided, with the northern half rebelling and appointing their own king!

Success carries danger spiritual danger than a string of failures. When we win plenty of people will remind us of our amazing talents. Governments, corporations, and even churches falter when those leading them start to believe in their own ‘exceptionalism.’

Yes, we should study to understand. We should apply ourselves to know the Word and will of God, but the moment we trust our own wisdom, we lose touch with the revelation of the Spirit!

Yes, we can and should rejoice when we do well, when our lives enjoy the fruits of our efforts, however, we should acknowledge grace and God’s gifts. "Whatever I am now, it is all because God poured out his special favor on me—and not without results. … yet it was not I but God who was working through me by his grace." (1 Corinthians 15:10, NLT) 

There is a choice to be made, Peter says. The bold fisherman turned apostle had stumbled over his excessive self-confidence in his early life. From those experiences he advises us to “Clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” (1 Peter 5:5, NIV) 

Paul asks us to remember God’s grace, too. “Who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?” (1 Corinthians 4:7). A key principle should guide us. “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves” (Philippians 2:3)

Are you walking pridefully, judging others lesser, believing in your own wisdom, filled with self-righteousness?

Go to Christ Jesus, who though Lord of Glory, choose the way of a Servant. Confess the sin of pride and be renewed in grace. True humility will make Him shine brighter through your life and will ultimately make you a much happier person.

Here’s a word from the Word. “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 18:3-4, NIV)

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Your Love Broke Through!

Yesterday a friend showed me a vacation picture of a couple in Paris with iconic Eiffel Tower in the background. “Nice,” I said admiring the scene. She laughed and said – “It’s not real! It’s AI.”  

AI (artificial intelligence) is a mixed blessing that helps us write better, creates graphics for those of us without artistic skill, analyzes vast amounts of data for us in the blink of an eye, and so much more. AI can also dupe us, tricking us with fake images, false stories, and wrong conclusions.

Sorting out truth from falsehood is a problem as old as Eden. How easily you and I can be misled, wandering down the wrong road, chasing mirages. The Genesis story tells us about God’s directive to Adam. “You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden— except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.”  (Genesis 2) 

What happens next is tragic and world changing. The Serpent shows up with a whispered invitation based on a lie. “One day he asked the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?”  He twisted God’s directive, suggesting that they could not eat of any tree. Eve quickly corrects the Serpent - “Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,” the woman replied.  “It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.’”

Then he lies, inviting her to question God’s goodness. “You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman.  “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.”  (Genesis 3)

That same lie has plagued humanity from that moment to now.
God points us to the good, the life-giving, the abundant life of love, joy, and peace discovered in obedience and faith, through Christ Jesus.
Evil whispers in our ears that He is keeping us from the best, hindering our happiness, that He is a tyrant Who does not care, or Who does not really understand us. IF we listen, we risk the same fate as the First Parents who found themselves ejected from the Garden and alienated from their Father/Creator.

An early Christian artist, Keith Green, penned lyrics that echo in my mind 50 years after first hearing them -
Like a foolish dreamer,
 trying to build a highway to the sky.
All my hopes would come tumbling down,
and I never knew just why.
Until today, when You pulled away the clouds
That hung like curtains on my eyes!
Well, I've been blind -
All these wasted years - and I thought I was so wise
But, then You took me by surprise.

Like waking up from the longest dream
How real it seemed,
Until Your love broke through.
I've been lost in a fantasy
That blinded me
Until Your love broke through!  (Copyright 1977 Keith Green)

Are you struggling to separate truth from error, delusion from reality? Are you at risk of losing sight of God’s best for you, substituting momentary happiness for real fulfillment?

You are not the first, nor will you be the last to be tempted! Evil finds the cracks in each one of us; unrealized hopes, rejection, pride, just wanting to be loved, a wish to be ‘known,’ some need unmet because our choices or those of another …  It’s a long list!

It is important that we refuse to hide in shame or guilt. When we find the shadows of excuses, we make ourselves even more vulnerable to the darkness. The basic Truth is this – God loves us and is reaching for us.

“Even while we were still sinners, Christ died for us!”  So, we look up, honest in our confession of both failure and hope and reach for Him. The Word says that “If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.”  (1 John 1)

There is no limit to His forgiveness, dear friend. By faith accept the invitation of Christ to ‘come home’ to the life He has prepared for you.

I love the story of the Lost Son and the Waiting Father that Jesus told to illustrate the great need and amazing love that meets us at that point of need. Luke 15 records the story of that son who took his inheritance, ran off to live wildly, and finally found himself broke, alone, and hopeless. He concocted a story about just wanting to live as a hired hand on Dad’s farm and started for home.

“And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.’

 “But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So, the party began.”

Don’t be taken in by the lies of the Destroyer of lives.
Trust the Grace of God, shown to us in Christ Jesus.
Walk with God in worship, in regular times of meditation and prayer.
Associate with others who desire His love.
Quickly respond when the Spirit of God convicts you of error.

Here is a word from the Word, one rich in hope and promise. I pray for us that we will know the love of which it speaks, kept from temptation and led to life eternal.

“Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God’s presence. … When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit.

Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.”  (Ephesians 3)

Will you say “Amen?”

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Video of this blog

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