The importance of suffering

Living in the United States, I find that there are two related characteristics of our culture here that work against us as Christians drawing close to the Lord. The first is our rampant materialism, and the second is our resulting self-sufficiency. It is expected of everyone living in the U.S., including Christians, that we will work to be self-sufficient. As Christians then, how do we learn to rely on the Lord? This was brought home to me again by a recent trip to Calcutta India, (now called Kolkata), and my ingrained need, (and at times demand), for comfort. We simply do not know how spoiled we are until we go to another culture where comfort is not so accessible. Here in the U.S., I know that most of us seek to avoid suffering, but that keeps us from experiencing what Paul talks about in 2 Corinthians chapter 1. While Paul doesn't go into detail about what his sufferings were, we can tell that they were significant, because in verse 9, he tells us that they were beginning to think they were going to die. But Paul goes on to give us the jewel in this section when he points out that the purpose God had for the suffering they experienced was to make them rely more on God and less on themselves. That's a lessen we all need desperately here in the U.S. Yes, I know there is suffering of many different types here in the U.S., but we're not surrounded by it like so many places in the world. Our suffering is isolated and insulated, so that we're less often taught that we need to rely more on God. While Paul saw suffering as a necessary tool to draw him closer to God, I'm all too quick to see it as a punishment from God. It requires a paradigm shift in how we look at suffering...one from looking at suffering in completely negative terms, to seeing it as having the ability to teach us things that can't be learned any other way. It's a slow process, and one in which I have a long way to go.

Muscle Building

We live in a busy world, occupied with all kinds of activities that drain our strength from us. Add to that the inevitable bad things that happen, and we will have episodes when we are left without strength and hope. David had that happen, and his response is instructive to us. In 1 Samuel 30, while David is off getting ready for battle, the town in which he and his men were living at the time was attacked by his enemies. All of their belongings including their wives and children were taken from them. Clearly, this was a low point for David since verse 6 tells us that he was "greatly distressed". There were several options before David at that point. He could have lost all hope and lived in defeat from that point on, or he could have pursued his enemies filled with anger and rage, risking defeat. David however made a different choice. The second part of verse 6 tells us that he strengthened himself in the Lord his God. We aren't told exactly how he did that, but we can assume that it involved spending time in prayer, and perhaps even praise to God. No doubt he also spent time reviewing in his mind the stories contained in the writings of Moses. In essence, David took his struggles and loss to the Lord, and found strength. I've noticed that as I have times during which I'm in need of strength, I will often go to things other than the Lord such as a good book, or a popular movie or TV program. Yes, it might take my mind off of things, but true strengthening is lacking. I get finished with that activity and I'm still in need of strength. I'm slowly learning that during those times, I'm far better off if I spend time in prayer and reading of the Word. True strength comes only from the Lord. Another instructive lesson from David is that when he had found new strength, he sought the Lord's direction as to his next step. He didn't arise in that strength and pursue his own agenda. He asked the Lord if he should pursue his enemies. The Lord gave him direction and David was able to recover his lost wives and children. In similar fashion, as we gain our strength from the Lord, we should be careful how we use that strength by seeking His will and direction for our lives.

Gospel Amnesia

I've been a believer for over 36 years, but I still struggle to apply the Gospel (or Good News) of Jesus Christ to my life in certain ways. An example of this are the pangs of guilt I feel when I read certain passages. On the one hand, I recognize as Paul reminds us in Romans 3:23 that I have sinned along with the rest of humanity. I further recognize as Paul tells us in Ephesians 2:8,9 that I have been saved by grace. Yet, in the strange contortions of my mind, I still expect myself to somehow earn salvation by works through achieving a certain level of righteousness. It is not at a conscious level that I do this, but rather subconscious. The result is that when I read a passage like Romans 12:1 which states that we should present our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, I am assaulted with guilt knowing that I am incapable of doing that. My thinking has shifted away from having my righteousness depend on what the Lord has done for me to having my righteousness depend upon my own performance. I have developed Gospel amnesia. What I am learning to do now, still imperfectly, is to preach the Gospel to myself on a daily basis so that I instead can read passages like Romans 12 and realize that all that is required of me is the presentation of my body to God as a living sacrifice, and He is the One who makes it holy and acceptable. The Gospel really is Good News in that Jesus came to make us righteous and holy, and He does so as we place our faith in Him, and not on the basis of our performance. There is nothing we need to do to make that happen, nor is there anything we can do to make that happen. It is His free gift to us, accomplished through His death, burial, and resurrection. It is thankfulness that I should be feeling...not guilt!

False Prophets

In Jeremiah 28, there is an interesting story about a false prophet named Hananiah. Hananiah is prophesying peace for the nation of Judah while Jeremiah is predicting more war, famine, and defeat by the Babylonians. Hananiah is telling the people what they want to hear, while Jeremiah is doing just the opposite. Naturally, Hananiah is the most popular. In fact, if you read the book of Jeremiah, you soon discover that he was not well liked at all, and there were even several attempts on his life. However, the bottom line is that Jeremiah was right, and Hananiah was wrong. It's a historical illustration of being popular and official, acting as if you are speaking the words of God, but in the end, totally wrong. Who looking back would want to be Hananiah rather than Jeremiah? No one. Yet, during their life, most would choose the popularity and message of Hananiah. The story brings out the fact that it is more important to be right than to be popular. Yet, I can't help but think that Hananiah was convinced that he was right as he was speaking peace and prosperity. It's also an illustration of how we can fool ourselves as to what is right. We can be absolutely convinced we are speaking truth, yet in the end be dead wrong...literally. In verses 7-9, Jeremiah gives us a clue to help us find our way. In verse 6, Jeremiah responds to the words of Hananiah by stating that he hopes they come true. My personal belief is that he meant those words. But he goes on to point out that the words of previous prophets agree with Jeremiah, not with Hananiah. Therefore, the burden of proof is upon Hananiah. There are those today who still preach a message of peace and prosperity. Naturally, they are very popular. But the real question is...are they right? Only by looking at the whole of Scripture can we see that God often uses difficulties in various forms to bring us to the place where we are fully dependent upon Him.

Gideon

If someone knows something about Gideon, it usually has to do with the episode with the fleece. However, I've found myself thinking about the characteristics of the man, since there are a few clues about that in Scripture. The most profound clue is found in Judges 8:18 where Gideon has an interesting conversation with 2 kings he has just captured. He asks them about the young men they had killed in the town of Tabor. Their response was "As you are, so were they. Every one of them resembled the son of a king". Gideon then tells them they were his brothers. This naturally brings up a whole series of questions such as what does it mean to have the bearing of a king? How is it that an entire family of sons has that bearing? Why do some have it and others don't? These are all questions that are not answered by the story of Gideon, nor can I answer them. In fact, the story of Gideon even confuses the picture. For instance, you might start out by answering that a man is able to raise a whole family of sons with the bearing of a king by being faithful to the LORD. But we learn in Judges 6 that his father has an altar to Baal! But here are some thoughts regarding this issue. First of all, I believe we can conclude that this regal bearing had something to do with the original call of Gideon, and preceded the call. We see this in the words of the angel when he calls Gideon a "Mighty man of valor". I don't believe that Gideon was a wimp, and then suddenly became a mighty man when the Spirit of the Lord came on him. Secondly, even as a mighty man of valor, he was cautious as shown by the fact that he destroyed his fathers altar to Baal during the night, and by his episode with the fleece. So Gideon was not brash and impulsive. Thirdly, Gideon had the ability to be humble. This is so clearly seen in the episode with the men of Ephraim as recorded in Judges 8:1-3. Gideon assuages their anger basically by being humble and telling them how little he is in comparison to them. My impression is that he is speaking what he truly feels, not using words to protect himself. Fourthly, and most importantly, once convinced of what God wanted him to do, Gideon was a man of action. He didn't procrastinate or rationalize...he moved forward and completed the task. He did it swiftly, completely, and with courage. While it's clear that Gideon made mistakes in his life as with the episode with the ephod, it's also clear that he modeled characteristics that men of today would do well to seek after.

God's Loincloth

If you've read much in the Old Testament, you know that God loves word pictures. He created those word pictures often by telling His prophets to do some very unusual things. Jeremiah chapter 13 is an excellent example, but the message that God is trying to portray is really amazing. In verse one, God tells Jeremiah to buy a new loincloth and wear it. Now basically, without getting into a lot of unnecessary detail, a loincloth is a piece of clothing covering the most intimate part of the human body. God gives specific instructions to Jeremiah. After wearing the loincloth, he is told to place it in the cleft of a rock near the Euphrates River and leave it there. Within a short period of time, after being exposed to the weather, the cloth is ruined. Here's where the fascinating part comes in. The message that God wants to give Israel is that originally, God looked at Israel as His loincloth, but it has now become ruined because of their sin and disobedience. What an amazing description of His relationship to Israel! God chooses the word picture of the loincloth! Here's what God says in verse 11: "For as the loincloth clings to the waste of a man, so I made the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah cling to me, declares the LORD, that they might be for me a people, a name, a praise, and a glory, but they would not listen." What strikes me is the ultimate degree of intimacy this description portrays. God could have chosen all kinds of clothing in this word picture. Shirt, hat, pants, shoes, coat, tunic...the list goes on. But what did God choose? The loincloth...the most intimate form of clothing that a human at that time could wear. Why? I strongly believe that God is once again illustrating for us just how intimate He desires our relationship with Him to be. He doesn't simply want acknowledgment from us...He doesn't just want casual relationship from us...He wants to have the most intimate relationship possible with us...far more intimate than we could ever imagine. As I think this through, I'm humbled and embarrassed by the different ways I push Him away or seek to avoid the relationship He would like to have with me. How can I not be drawn toward the God who also calls us His bride?

Actions vs. Attitude

All too often when thinking about obedience to God, I make the mistake of focusing on actions rather than attitude. Both are important, but it is attitude that bring the right actions, not the other way around. If we get the attitude or motivation correct, the right actions will automatically follow. And in fact, this is what Scripture teaches. Scripture talks more about attitude than actions. Take for example Psalm 146. There is a nugget of gold hidden within that verse that speaks volumes about attitude. It is found is verse 5 which in the English Standard Version states, "Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God". The Contemporary English version states, "The LORD God of Jacob blesses everyone who trusts Him and depends on Him". There is no reference to actions in that verse because there is no need to reference actions. If we have the right attitude, i.e. hope and dependence on God, then the right actions will follow. But what does it look like to place our hope and dependence on God? The world offers many different things on which to place our hope. It can be in our job, in our marriage, in our children, in our health, our wealth, our appearance, and the list goes on and on. These things become idols, and our actions reflect this. We will put all our energy, time and effort into what we hope for. We will be drawn to what we hope for, think constantly about what we hope for, and most importantly, place our passion around what we hope for. What we set our hope on determines much of what our life looks like. When we set our hope on the God of Jacob, we care less about money, possessions, what others think of us, and all the other idols of this world. Instead, we seek to focus on what is yet to come while at the same time, doing a better job of living the life we have here on this earth. It is not that we become too heavenly minded to be of any earthly good, but rather it is only by becoming heavenly minded that we are of any earthly good. That's why our focus should be to maintain an attitude of hope in the Lord, rather than actions that seem to meet His demands.